Chapter 34: CH 34

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The next day, I arrived on the dot to pick up Sheng Min Ou and drive him to work. He acted as if nothing was amiss, like he completely forgot what had happened last night as he treated me exactly the same. His plan for how to handle the aftermath was evident, so I could only follow along and act as he expected, pretending that nothing had occurred.

I really admired him at certain times. If it was anyone else, they probably wouldn’t be able to keep up a facade that was so confident and self-reassured, with their features remaining wholly impassive. In addition, I wasn’t sure if it was because he was able to finally find a release, but the tone of his voice was no longer as impatient as before. In the morning, I had almost stepped on the brake too late, resulting in a near rear-end collision. Usually, he would’ve lost his temper at me already, however today all I received was a simple remark to ‘be more careful’.

Tomorrow was the day of the court hearing, and Sheng Min Ou probably wanted to face the opposing lawyer on their battlefield well rested, so he didn’t have any commitments scheduled in for tonight. The only thing planned was a long meeting to serve as preparation before the hearing tomorrow, and it started at one in the afternoon, with no confirmed end time.

The meeting was overly long and tedious, with many legal terms being thrown in the mix, and upon hearing their discussion I was tempted to fall straight asleep. Halfway through, I gave up on following their conversation, so I decided to leave the conference room for a breath of fresh air outside.

It was at this time that Mo Qiu’s call came through.

Luo Zheng Yun was dead, so the source of Mo Qiu’s problems had also disappeared. However, he wasn’t me, so given that someone who was perfectly fine and alive had died right in front of him, with that someone being a person he had liked, his sensitive nature had taken an even greater hit. He had fallen into depression and was stressed out, resulting in an extended period of time where he was in extremely low spirits. Fortunately, he himself had realised that he was on a slippery slope, and if he didn’t call out for help himself then he would be headed towards his own death. Sensing this, he followed his psychologist’s advice and signed up for a tourist group with a great sense of camaraderie, and left to enjoy himself and travel for two or so months.

I saw the photos that he uploaded on WeChat, featuring blue skies, the vast sea and smiles from jubilant youths. His complexion appeared more lively, and his whole demeanour became more vivacious. The results of this treatment method could be concluded as a resounding success.

This time, he reached out to call me as he had firstly brought back a souvenir for me from his trip, and secondly, he wanted to thank me for everything I had done in relation to the Luo Zheng Yun case. He then asked if I was free to meet up, and said that he’d shout me a meal.

I really didn’t mind whether or not he showed his appreciation through a shout, however since he had already expressed his desire to do like this, then it wouldn’t be appropriate if I continued to reject him. In the end, I chose a restaurant that was under Sheng Min Ou’s law firm to meet up with him. The restaurant specialised in cantonese cuisine, boasting an authentic flavour profile, fresh ingredients, and also served in generous portions. Consequently, the lawyers at Jin Shang all liked ordering their meals from the restaurant.

Mo Qiu didn’t have any objections, so we agreed to meet at five p.m..

After I hung up, I looked at the time and found that it was already nearing half past four. It looked as if Sheng Min Ou’s side would still take a while before they were able to wrap up everything, and I figured that even after I finished eating there was still a chance they’d still be in the meeting.

I gave a heads up to the receptionist as I left, letting her know I was going out to eat and asked if she could give me a call if the meeting finished before I returned.

The receptionist almost immediately flashed me an ‘okay’ sign with her hand in response.

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“What’s the matter, does it not suit me?” He asked, after sitting down and accepting the menu that the waiter had passed over to him. He flipped through the dishes as his expression became slightly flustered, after he noticed the shock displayed on my face.

I poured tea into his cup for him and explained “No, it’s just, you changed a lot all of a sudden, so I kind of found it hard to recognise you.”

Mo Qiu gave a shy and bashful smile in response, “When i went on the trip, I made a lot of friends, and one of them was a fashion designer… he said dressing like this suited me more, and would make me appear more lively. What I’m wearing now was an outfit that he had made for me.” As he spoke, he lowered his head and propped up his glasses, with the corners of his lips remaining upturned in a small smile.

It was evident with how he acted that there was more going on, and often it was said that the best treatment after a breakup was to start a new relationship. Clearly, what had happened to Mo Qiu was more serious than a break up, but if there really was someone who could heal and nurture his battered soul, and rekindle his desire to live a fulfilling life again, then it would be a great thing indeed.

Following this, Mo Qiu didn’t mention the topic of his ‘fashion designer friend’ again. After all, this was a private matter of his, so if he refrained from talking about them further, then it would  also be inappropriate for me to proactively bring it up again. Therefore, I could only pretend that I didn’t notice anything from before.

“Oh right, this is the souvenir I got for you.” After we had ordered the dishes, Mo Qiu passed me a paper bag he had with him.

I accepted the bag and took a look at what was inside. It was a tin that looked like hair wax and was the size of my palm. There were english words on the tin, and I could only understand one line that was explaining how it was to be rubbed on the hands and the body.

Mo Qiu explained, “This is lanolin oil, it’s great to rub into skin, so it’s great to prevent dry skin in winter.”

I found that Mo Qiu and I had quite a big difference when it came to how we approached life and took care of ourselves. It was evident that he was more attentive when it came to his lifestyle habits, as apart from water, I had never applied anything else to my face in my life.

If he didn’t mention it to me, then I would never have even known that on this earth such things like lanolin oil even existed.

“That’s good, Qing Wan’s winters are pretty dry, I feel like I often get shocked by static electricity.” I thanked him, and placed the paper bag to one side.

The dishes piled up on the table and Mo Qiu started telling me about everything that he had seen and heard of in the past two months.

The mountains, valleys and all the breathtaking landscapes. The lands, their traditional customs and their people. The world was so extensive and vast, and there were plenty of kind people. In the places that he had passed by, the people may have been in a state of impoverishment, but they never lost their passion for life. Other people wouldn’t understand their positivity, but they did not need anyone else’s understanding. To live was not to think about the past or the future, but rather to enjoy the happiness of the present.

Mo Qiu was practically entranced by this simple and straightforward way of living. He fervently declared that it was the Peach Blossom Spring of his dreams, and if possible, he hoped that when he was older he’d be able to buy a small apartment there and settle down.

In contrast to him, I appeared to be extremely lacklustre in terms of life ambitions. I never thought about leaving Qing Wan city, I grew up here, my parents were buried here, and Sheng Min Ou was here also. Though it was far from an utopia flourishing with sweet flowers and singing birds, and instead it was bustling and populated to the extent that one’s head often hurt from the commotion, it was the only place where my heart and soul could be at ease.

This was my home, this was my ‘Peach Blossom Spring’.

Mo Qiu held the hot tea in his hands and continued, “Previously, I thought that there was no hope in my life, as if every single bad occurrence had happened to me… however the truth was, each person has their own thing that they’re struggling with, and there was no such thing as always being a hundred percent happy. Each person could only ever understand and know what happened to them, and themselves only.” After expressing his thoughts, he pushed his cup forward.

In just two short months he had already come to such a realisation, if it wasn’t for his speech and mannerisms being how it usually was, and himself overflowing with positive energy, I would’ve started to suspect it wasn’t a tourist group he signed up for, but rather some kind of cult instead.

We talked until half past six, and at this time my phone suddenly started vibrating. The receptionist had sent a message to me, letting me know that Sheng Min Ou and others had concluded their meeting, and that everyone was now packing up.

Mo Qiu noticed that I had been glancing at my phone on occasion, and probably guessed that I had plans afterwards, so he proactively called the waiter over and asked for the bill. Then, he announced that it was a wrap for our meet up over dinner.

“Sorry for ending things early, next time I’ll shout.”

I held the souvenir in one hand as I walked out of the department store with Mo Qiu as we waited for a taxi by the side of the road.

Mo Qiu heard what I said and shook his head as he replied, “It’s fine. Actually, I’ve been looking at applying to study at a university overseas, and at the moment I’m just preparing for it. In a bit, I’ll have to undertake a few exams, and later tonight I have a huge heap of homework waiting for me. You’re fine, I needed to return home to revise anyways.”

I was stunned as I remarked, “You’re thinking of leaving to study abroad?”

“Just… thinking of getting a taste of a different kind of life.” Mo Qiu said as he smiled, “It might not even work out.”

I cupped one fist in the other hand and held it up to him as a sign of respect, “Then I wish you all the best on your journey, and I hope you succeed in your studies.”

Mo QIu returned the gesture, “Given Brother Lu prosperous wishes, I want to also pray that all things will go as Brother Lu wants, and for you to have a smooth sailing life.” He gazed attentively at me, his pupils reflecting the various hues from the lights illuminated against the night sky, “Lu Feng, you’re a good person, and good things will definitely happen to you as a result of it.”

I was caught off guard as I was handed a stamp of being a ‘good person’, and just when I was going to laugh, he suddenly walked forward one step and embraced me in a tight hug.

“You didn’t know this, but when I was younger, you were a big hero for me.” He let out a long exhale as he continued, “Really, thank you.”

I had never encountered this situation, and for a second I was afraid to make any movement, as I stood there rigid and at a loss of what to do. After a while, Mo Qiu loosened his grip on me and patted me gently on the shoulder, his eyes sparkling as tears welled up in his eyes.

“You…” He opened his mouth, as he was just about to say something, when the sound of Wu Yi’s shocked exclamation at a distance cut him off.

“…Mr, Mr Lu?”

Mo Qiu and I turned our heads at the same time, and we were greeted by a crowd of lawyers from Jin Shang Law firm, standing just three metres away from us. Each person had an unreadable expression, as if they had all witnessed some kind of big show.

Especially Wu Yi, his expression was like he had taken a bite of a melon that had gone off. He probably couldn’t understand at all, why Mo Qiu and I, two of the victims in the Luo Zheng Yun case, were doing in broad daylight on the side of a big road right in front of the public’s eyes.

My gaze moved to the tallest silhouette at the front of the pack, Sheng Min Ou had his hands in his pockets, and his eyes flickered to the palm Mo Qiu still rested on my shoulder. Mo Qiu immediately pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. At the same time, Sheng Min Ou’s gaze shifted elsewhere, his footsteps continuing without stopping as he passed by my side and walked towards the building.

The rest of the crowd quickly followed behind, with an ardour that seemed like they wished they had a pair of wings so they could get out of this situation faster.

Wu Yi’s features twisted into one of awkwardness, and pointed to the moving mass of people as he explained, “We had finished our meeting, so we were here to… to eat. Uh… sorry about that, you guys continue.” After which, he waved goodbye to me, and left as if he had oil under his feet, disappearing like dust in the wind.

This really had to be a joke, I had stayed with them for the better half of a month and had never seen them all go out to eat together, today I decided to come out for dinner and they also all chose to come out, did they have something against me?

“They… they seem to have misunderstood something, do you need me to go explain things to them?” Mo Qiu became nervous, and started stuttering as a result of it.

Vexed, I looked at him and responded, “No need, be on your way now.”