Dissonance: a combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
◇
The brown irises stared blankly at the convenience store glass door. He thought, things would end well after Yang Liu hugged him this afternoon. He thought that Yang Liu's apology meant something good for him. But, in fact, everything he thought of was off the mark.
Yang Liu only said that he was not the right person to him, but he didn't give him any reason for his statement. That got Zhou Yongliang confused and heartbroken. He didn't have any clue of the taller guy's sudden change.
Things got worse when he got to the convenience store for work. With an annoyed look, Manager Huang said that Yang Liu just called him to inform that he was resigning. Of course, Manager Huang was upset. The employee hadn't worked for half a month but easily resigned.
"What happens with the pale boy? Is he sick of something?" The manager asked the younger guy.
The business was quite slow tonight. Because of Yang Liu's sudden resignment, the manager had to keep Zhou Yongliang company at the store.
Zhou Yongliang smiled bitterly at the manager. 'Yes, Yang Liu is sick. His heart is in pain,' he thought.
"Yang Liu didn't say anything to me. Maybe he is facing some troubles now," the younger guy finally answered.
The manager, who was standing beside the cashier counter, sighed tiredly. "He looked so sure when he applied for the job, but suddenly he quitted," he commented. "If you have another friend who wants to work here, you can let me know. I need a loyal guy, though. Not the one like the pale kid."
Zhou Yongliang smiled sheepishly. He himself didn't expect that Yang Liu would quit so easily. He could see the other boy's determination when he applied for the job, so he thought Yang Liu would stay longer. He didn't expect that the taller boy would quit just because of him.
Yeah, it was because of him, but he couldn't tell the truth to the manager. It was better to keep the matter for himself.
"I will go to the restroom for a moment. You will be okay by yourself, right?" The manager asked again.
"I will be okay," Zhou Yongliang answered firmly.
The manager smiled at him before he headed to the restroom.
After the manager left him alone, Zhou Yongliang sighed desperately. He was now completely sluggish, wondering why Yang Liu would suddenly stay away from him like this.
If the reason was because of the conversation he had with Ren Weisheng this morning, then it should no longer be a problem since he had already explained everything.
Ren Weisheng was indeed traumatized by what happened half a year ago, but he believed that it was only a matter of time. Time would heal the wounds in the heart of the chubby-cheeked boy.
He also found out that Chen Guangli and Zhong Hai had learned about Ren Weisheng's traumatic story. The owner of the Ren surname told everything to his two friends. Then, why didn't Huang Bo know anything? The reason for that was because Ren Weisheng didn't want the innocent boy to imagine bad things that may scared him. He could not bear to torture Huang Bo's pure soul with that story.
Everything was now clear in Zhou Yongliang's eyes, except for the change in Yang Liu's attitude, which had softened up before.
What was the real problem? This was all like an unstable conflict, requiring a resolution.
Zhou Yongliang would have to investigate. He must get what he wanted.
Meanwhile, at the same time but in a different place, Yang Liu threw his tall body on his bed. He carelessly threw away his cellphone to the pillow and sighed. He had informed the convenience store's manager that he decided to stop working part-time. The manager was furious, of course. But, that was the best choice he had for now.
He decided to avoid Zhou Yongliang. For the sake of his friendship with Hwang Jihyuk, he decided to give up. He had owed so much, so he had to pay for it even though he had to sacrifice his feelings.
The young vampire grabbed his phone again and dialed a number. Not long after, the phone call was connected.
"What's up, Yang Liu? Have you decided?"
That was the first question that he got after the phone call was connected. Instead of asking him about his condition, the older guy questioned him about his decision.
Yang Liu felt an invisible squeeze in his heart.
"I will let Zhou Yongliang go. You can have him."
The other person didn't give him a response immediately. There was a pause, but Yang Liu knew that Hwang Jihyuk was still there.
"I'm glad to hear your decision, Yang Liu," Hwang Jihyuk replied. "You are not angry with me, are you?"
Yang Liu secretly clenched his fist. It was impossible for him to say that he was angry. Even though he was indeed upset, but he couldn't say it out loud.
"I'm not angry. I know that you are right. I'm not the right person for Zhou Yongliang."
There was a pause again. Yang Liu wasn't sure, but he could sense that Hwang Jihyuk was hesitant now. But, what was the use of the hesitation? Yang Liu had made up his mind, and his relationship with Zhou Yongliang had been ruined. There was no turning back.
"Thank you, Yang Liu," Hwang Jihyuk replied in a whisper. "But, I hope you can promise me one thing," he continued. "Please stay away from Zhou Yongliang. I don't want to see you get close to him. You can't even be friends with him. You two are strangers from now on. Do you understand, Yang Liu?"
Yang Liu's breath hitched. He had already sacrificed his feelings, but that was apparently not enough. He couldn't believe it, but it felt like his best friend was trying to hurt him deeper.