Few people came to Huang Kuo's funeral. His identity and cause of death were very sensitive, and no one wanted to get into trouble.
Shi Changan waited for a long time before Huang Kuo's father appeared. Finally, when he was about to leave, he saw a woman in a black dress. She was tall and haggard, her long black hair was blown by the cold wind. It was extremely messy, and her whole body was shaking.
The woman stood in front of the tombstone without saying a word. Shi Changan watched sadness spread across her face before it was completely exposed to the dark clouds and wind. There was a suppressed sob.
Shi Changan rubbed his temples. He hadn't slept much lately and his mental state was very poor. He looked at the tombstone and the photo beside it. The corners of the boy's mouth were raised crookedly, he could almost still hear him calling his name to copy his homework, like nothing had changed.
Lu Shenxing next to him stretched out his hand to press Shi Changan's shoulder and squeezed it a few times. He didn't say a word to comfort him. If the boy couldn't bear this, Shi Changan would never grow up.
There was drizzle in the sky, and the cold water dripped from head to toe. There was no one in the cemetery. The tombstones were arranged regularly in rows that stretched beyond the horizon. The bare trees swayed vigorously from side to side. Life is impermanent.
The woman wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and turned, her gaze flicked from Lu Shenxing to Shi Changan on his left, seemingly unable to see them at the same time, "You are Changan, I often hear him mention you."
Shi Changan said hello. When he first saw the woman, he'd guessed she was the girlfriend Huang Kuo had mentioned.
"Thank you for sending Huang Kuo for the last time." The woman bent slightly, dragging the atmosphere back down again.
Shi Changan pursed his lips, thinking about what to say when the woman suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and ran to the side to vomit, looking uncomfortable. Shi Changan took out a box of tissues from his pants pocket and handed it over, "Are you okay?"
Taking the tissue and wiping her mouth, the woman's face became paler. She shook her head, said a few words in a hurry, and then left.
A few months later, not long after the beginning of summer, Lu Shenxing stepped on a note when he opened the door. He and Shi Changan, who was following him, looked at each other.
"Dad, this is..." Shi Changan knelt down and picked up the note. After reading the content, his eyebrows slowly knitted together.
Scanning the note, Lu Shenxing remembered that woman in front of the tombstone. She had put her hands on her abdomen several times, and vomited inexplicably, he had already guessed the whole story.
In the afternoon, Lu Shenxing took Shi Changan to a village following the address written on the note. They walked along a mud road for ten minutes before they stopped in front of a door. A middle-aged woman in her forties holding a baby met them at the door. Seeing it under the sun, the baby had its eyes closed, its skin was red, and it looked small and thin.
Judging from the expression on the woman's face, she loved the child dearly.
It was probably that Lu Shenxing and Shi Changan stuck out too much in this small village, she was a little wary. She spoke a local dialect and a man ran out the door holding a pole in his hand and looking hostile.
Lu Shenxing touched his nose and pulled Shi Changan away.
That night, Lu Shenxing and Shi Changan lay on the bed, doing nothing, just chatting under the blanket.
"Dad, Huang Kuo is a father, I should go and tell him tomorrow." Shi Changan looked at the ceiling.
"Yeah." Lu Shenxing gently rubbed the soft hair behind his ears.
"I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl." Shi Changan turned over and faced Lu Shenxing, "Dad, did you notice?"
"It's a girl." Lu Shenxing said, "I sent someone to check. The couple are farmers, they're honest. Their only regret was that they couldn't have children. After they picked up the child, they were delighted."
Shi Changan curled up in Lu Shenxing's arms. The past replayed itself in his mind, only falling asleep at dawn.
"Go back to sleep." Lu Shenxing yawned and put Shi Changan's feet between his legs, rubbing his stubbly chin against his neck.
Shi Changan was scratched from being rubbed, and his sleepiness faded. He half-opened his eyes and arched into Lu Shenxing's arms, and grazed his teeth against Lu Shenxing's Adam's apple.
It took a long time for the two to settled down in bed.
The next day Shi Changan went to the cemetery and talked to Huang Kuo, then went to the village again. The door of the house was half open, and the baby's diapers and clothes were hung in a row on bamboo poles.
He stuffed a sum of money into the crack of the door and went back to talk to Lu Shenxing about opening a food processing factory in a nearby town. The middle-aged man would be one of the hired staff.
He would have a stable job, and at least not live too poor a life.
Wang Shinan was in class on Monday, sitting next to Shi Changan. He sighed deeply, rolled his lips and said, "The dormitory has become a private room."
Shi Changan raised his eyebrows, "Qiao Han moved out?"
"Yeah, it was yesterday." Wang Shinan showed him a secretly taken photograph, "Even the mat was taken away."
The picture was a bit blurry, but Shi Changan saw Qiao Han leaving the dormitory with large bags.
"I live alone, so I don't dare to watch scary movies anymore." Wang Shinan lay on the table, frustrated. He was afraid of sleeping alone at night and he hearing the sound of the windows creaking. He'd probably piss himself.
"You can live with your girlfriend." Shi Changan opened his book and said casually.
Wang Shinan scratched his head embarrassed, "No, we're still students. I might do something that I can't control if we live in a house together. I promised to not hurt her."
Shi Changan was a little surprised by Wang Shinan's maturity, he smiled, "That's good."
The phone in his pocket vibrated, Shi Changan pulled it out and saw a text message: Shi Changle was fighting with someone on Southwest Street.
His first reaction was to look for Qiao Han in the classroom. Although it was a private number, Shi Changan felt that the sender was Qiao Han.
"Changan, what are you looking at?" Wang Shinan followed his gaze and looked around.
"Shinan, I'll go out for a while. Help me get back into the dormitory later." Shi Changan slipped out after speaking.
On Southwest Street, the biting wind blew dust into the air, the alley was damp and cold. The sound of shoes stepping cobblestones echoed off the walls, and swearing and fighting could be heard from the innermost parts of the alley.
Shi Changan, who was standing against the wall, called the police. He originally thought it was just a prank, so he just planned to come and check it out. He didn't expect to actually see Shi Changle fighting with a few men, and he was obviously on the backfoot.
Shi Changan looked around. If Qiao Han was nearby, why didn't he help Shi Changle himself, or contact the police, instead of notifying him?
In a blink of an eye, Shi Changle was beaten to the ground. A man stomped on his face and lifted a lead pipe in his hand, waving it over his head.
Before the anticipated pain arrived, Shi Changle's mouth fell open in shock. He made a strangled gasp and his eyes widened as he saw someone who shouldn't have been there grab the pipe and attack the men, somehow gaining the upper hand.
The men could no longer hold their ground, and soon ran out of strength to fight back.
As he was struggling to hold open his bloodshot eyes, he watched the situation that had become completely one-sided. Several men were beaten like dogs, and Shi Changle laughed mockingly. It turned out that man had always been letting him win.
Shi Changan threw away the pipe, looked back at Shi Changle who was still lying there. He frowned and said, "Get up."
Pulling himself up against the wall, Shi Changle asked with a foul face, "What are you doing here?"
Shi Changan didn't give him an answer, he just moved forward, "Go, the police will be here soon."
Hearing what he said, Shi Changle limped to follow.
Walking out of the alley, the light became brighter, and Shi Changan stopped and turned to look at Shi Changle, whose face was covered in colourful bruises, "Are you and Qiao Han getting along?"
"Like shit!" Shi Changle didn't care about the wound on the corner of his mouth, he cursed loudly, "Do you think I'm you? Liking men, isn't it disgusting?"
Shi Changan coldly said, "Take care of yourself in the future."
Watching his brother who didn't even turn his head back, Shi Changle kicked the stone steps by his feet fiercely, fuck! Fuck! He didn't want to get angry, why couldn't he control his mouth?
"You stop!"
"Ge, wait for me, hey, hiss..."
"Hey, wait for me!"
Shi Changle endured the pain to catch up. He took a few breaths and secretly looked at Shi Changan's face. He glanced at the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, they looked less and less like each other.
"How did you find me?" No one else knew he was being attacked by those people. Shi Changle cursed, it was that woman who wanted to attached herself to him, it was his own business.
"Someone didn't want to see you being beaten and disabled." Shi Changan squinted.
"Why are you acting so standoff-ish now?" Shi Changle was full of disbelief, and forgot to ask who it was, leaving only his shock and anger.
"Sorry, I can't possibly be compared to you." Shi Changan's faint voice was full of undisguised sarcasm.
"..." Shi Changle was helpless, and looked for something he could poke him with, "Aren't Huang Kuo and you on good terms? Why don't you go to him instead, or could it be that you left him for someone else!"
After a pause, Shi Changan responded, "He died a few months ago."
Died? Shi Changle was taken aback, he hummed, "Ge, you can't lie to me."
Shi Changan furrowed his eyebrows, and said nothing.
Withdrawing his inquiring gaze, Shi Changle stopped talking. He watched the news every day. There were accidents and murders every day, he was already numb to disaster. This time he felt very strange. Perhaps it was because the one who died was so gone he had encountered in person.
Huang Kuo and his brother had sat at the same table for so many years, in the same class as him. Shi Changle stood in front of the tombstone. He suddenly felt that when people die, they really ceased to exist.
Since that day, Shi Changle's temperament changed. He spent less time at the racing track and frequented Shi Changan's school more often.
Qiao Han qas at an impasse, "Are you reconciled with Shi Changan?"
Shi Changle suddenly thought of something. He glanced sharply at Qiao Han, "Did you send him a text message that day?"
"What?" Qiao Han sneered, "I don't have Shi Changan's phone number, and I'm not that idle."
He asked again, "Why didn't you come last Saturday?"
Shi Changle frowned and said impatiently, "No time."
Qiao Han stared at the disdainful young man in front of him. His breathing was uneven and after a few moments he turned and left. After that, he went and found a girlfriend and busied himself studying for graduate school. He never looked for Shi Changle again and gradually, they avoided each other entirely.
After graduation, Shi Changan didn't go overseas, instead he became a Chinese teacher in a local prestigious high school. When he was in class, he was always harsh and strict, but he was still a point of pride for the students to show off in front of the other classes.
He combined to watch out for Huang Kuo's daughter, who was a cop of the old block, and had the same cheeky personality. Although the living conditions in the village weren't as good as those in the big cities, it was clean, peaceful, and simple.
Shi Changan woke up one morning, tore off the messy quilt sheets and threw them into the washing machine, then put on a set of clean sheets, and moved the papers on the desk into his bag.
"Dad, where's my textbook?"
Lu Shenxing was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, his voice was vague, "Did you look for it under the table."
They'd spent a few hours on the desk last night, and made a mess of everything, things had fallen everywhere.
Shi Changan squatted down and reached under the table to feel for it. In addition to his textbook and a pen, he also found a few heavy.
The roots of his ears became a little hot, and he couldn't help but take a look inside. There was a lot inside them. Suddenly a joking voice came from behind, "If you like it so much, would you like Daddy to feed you some milk?"
"..." Shi Changan threw it into the trash basket and said quietly, "I drank enough last night."
Entering the door consecutively was indeed a bit too much. Lu Shenxing's waist almost cramped. He'd forgotten to check his inventory of Juhua and Haozhen last night, and they had gone at it for a long time. He'd wanted to make up for lost time, and as a result, he went in and out time and time again. By the final time, as he was about to reach the peak, he got stuck. It was like his engine ran out of oil and stuttered. In the end, he almost lost his life at Shi Changan's door.
Lu Shenxing's main job in the next month would be to 'show a little love'.
Shi Changle, who worked at a financial company, heard from his colleagues that there was a handsome man selling pancakes downstairs. He stood at the window and glanced down.
His hand shook and his cup of coffee was spilled.
As soon as Shi Changle had entered the company, he'd gained a lot of popularity due to his face. People would often come to find him. He ignored the words of those around him and rushed downstairs three steps at a time. His voice breaking from the shock, "Dad, what are you doing here? Sell... selling pancakes?"
Lu Shenxing, dressed in a migrant uniform, pretended not to know him, turned around and handed the money he'd received to the old man at the stall next to him. The smile on his face made Shi Changle bristle.
He went to a corner and made a phone call, "Ge, Dad is selling pancakes and fruit on the side of the road."
Shi Changan, who had always been composed, staggered when he heard this. If he hadn't grabbed the door frame in time, he would have fallen in front of the whole class.
He drove to the destination, stood in front of the stall, and looked at the man who had been holding him and kissing him just that morning. He had been above the rabble his whole life, did he want to come down and feel what the rest of them lived like?
Shi Changan's mouth twitched. Could it be that Dad was getting older and wanted to change his way of life?
"Young man, do you want to buy a hot cake?" The old man spoke in Mandarin, but his accent was odd.
Shi Changan handed over the money, "Give me three."
Lu Shenxing's forehead faintly throbbed as he quickly rolled up three pancakes. His brain was consumed by the requirement of ten thousand love points. He couldn't even tell east from north anymore. Only when he'd arrived did he realise that he was outside Shi Changle's company.
Fortunately, during rush hour in the morning, there were a lot of people, and the line in front of the booth was very long. He was so busy that he didn't even look up. He'd had his photo taken like he was a local landmark and every inch of him had been touched whether internationally or not.
Shi Changan gave Shi Changle a pancake and the brothers sat on the chairs at the bus stop not far away, breathing the exhaust fumes of passing cars.
The pair of handsone twins was very eye-catching. The people waiting for the bus looked at them from time to time, quietly guessing which was the older brother and which was the younger.
"Is Dad's going through menopause?" Shi Changle was the first to break the calm.
Shi Changan hadn't yet swallowed his bite of pancake, he coughed a few times, menopause? With what symptoms.
"Maybe that uncle is our relative?" This was the only reason he could only think of.
Shi Changle laughed loudly, shrugging his shoulders and jokingly said, "He, you read too many comic books."
"You can go back to work, I'll wait for him here." Shi Changan ate two more pancakes, and the toothache caused by the cold was getting worse.
"Keep waiting then."
Shi Changle stood up and walked away when the security guard at the gate cast a curious look at him for the nth time.
A warm piece of pancake entered his stomach, Shi Changan wasn't in a hurry, he'd asked another teacher to swap classes. It was the afternoon and he had plenty of time.
The old man at the stall put his finger in his mouth and licked his finger, counting his earnings back and forth carefully. He closed his mouth happily and patted Lu Shenxing on the shoulder to say thank you.
Sending the old man to the other side of the road, Lu Shenxing sat next to Shi Changan, exuding an aura of 'Don't say anything, I just want to be quiet.'
"There's one pancake left, do you want it?" Shi Changan glanced at the people around him.
"No." Lu Shenxing slapped his hair.
"Where did you buy those clothes?" Shi Changan stretched out his hand and pulled the open pocket on Lu Shenxing's chest. "The quality should be about 50 yuan."
Lu Shenxing, "..."
He really bought it for 50 yuan from a worker.
"Are you out of class?"
"Yes." Shi Changan changed into glasses with gold rims, and said slowly, "I was preparing for the worst on my way and thought I'd be taking you to the doctor."
"Do I look like I have a mental problem?" Lu Shenxing's facial muscles twitched.
"You didn't look like you did before." Shi Changan cleared his throat and said seriously, "But after watching you just now, it's hard to tell."
Lu Shenxing held his forehead, it seemed that he was really not suitable for being a good person.
After eating lunch out, Lu Shenxing sent Shi Changan back to the school and wandered around again, earning nearly 10,000 love points.
For Lu Shenxing's 40th birthday, Shi Changan made a cake, and another person came by.
The butler hid in the kitchen after overhearing movement in the hall. He'd brought in the young master Changle and after so many years, he hoped that the young master and his family could have a good meal.
Lu Shenxing sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. Shi Changle stood there without moving, "Dad, happy birthday."
"Follow me to the study." Lu Shenxing shouted to Shi Changan, "You come too."
Opening the safe, Lu Shenxing took out a file bag from it and put it on the desk, "See for yourself."
Seeing a few pieces of paper in the bag, the expressions on Shi Changan and Shi Changle's faces shifted, they were shocked.
It was clearly written in black and white. They weren't Dad's own blood, nor were they surnamed Shi. Their biological father was Lin Zimin, who died 18 years ago.
The atmosphere in the study was dull. Lu Shenxing flexed his fingers and tapped the tabletop rhythmically, "I only promised to adopt you until you were eighteen. The rest of your life is your own business and has nothing to do with me."
At that moment, Shi Changan raised his eyes and looked at the man on the chair. If it wasn't that something unexpected had happened between him and this man, he should have moved out of the house like Changle.
Shi Changle retracted his hand, "I'm hungry."
"Go eat." Shi Changan put the file back and walked towards the door.
Lu Shenxing was a bit speechless, that was it? In the original plot, the twins discovered the truth and were depressed for quite a while.
After leaving the study, Shi Changle snorted, "Are you happy." There were no blood ties, so there was no so-called taboo. You can be as unscrupulous as you want.
Shi Changan didn't speak, it didn't matter whether that man was his father or not.
After the meal, Shi Changan and Shi Changle went to S City and they to the cemetery to pat respects to their biological father and mother who brought them into this world.
After that, apart from being grateful, the two brothers still called Lu Shenxing dad, and neither had any intention of changing.
Wang Shinan opened a restaurant in his hometown and became his own boss. He often called Shi Changan to invite him to dinner and accompany him to eat, drink and play.
In November, Lu Shenxing and Shi Changan went to Wang Shinan's place. The highway was blocked up, and the cars were moving at a snails pace. By the time they saw Wang Shinan, their enthusiasm had died.
A few years later, the butler Uncle Zhang passed away. Lu Shenxing looked for someone else, but they weren't as good as Uncle Zhang, so he eventually stopped looking. He and Shi Changan just did everything themselves.
Although it had been a few lifetimes, Lu Shenxing hadn't become a perfect male god, his housework skills were poor and he could barely cook a dish in the microwave.
Fortunately, Shi Changan was a teacher, and could often take time off, with long winter and summer vacations that made other professions jealous. He was basically responsible for all the household affairs.
"Dad, bring me the white vinegar."
Lu Shenxing looked at the names on the bottles one by one, found the white vinegar and passed it over.
"Pour a little white vinegar in a bowl and put it in the microwave oven. Adjust the time to three minutes, so that the oil stains inside will be gone." Shi Changan said as he did it, his helpless tone seemed like he was a teaching a naive student, "Remember, Dad?"
After waiting for a while without getting the desired response, Shi Changan turned around and saw that he was alone in the kitchen.
"…"
He went out and saw someone standing on the balcony. He didn't know what was going on, but he suddenly felt that he'd been used to his bad habits for decades.
Lu Shenxing frowned tightly, irritated that he hadn't finished the task. His thoughts returned to the present as a warm body pressed against his back and he touched the hand that was holding on his waist.
After Shi Changan had been teaching for six years, Shi Changle had a flash marriage with a woman who he'd known for less than a week. Both of them were interested in racing, so they just chose a day and got it done.
Lu Shenxing's meeting with his daughter-in-law was unprecedented. The ceremony was only known to his assistant but he knew the plot, so he wasn't surprised. Shi Changan was different.
When Shi Changan was asked when he wanted to meet his sister-in-law, he tilted his head and his eyes fell on Lu Shenxing.
Within a few months, Shi Changle became a father. His wife gave him a pair of lovely twin girls. He had a complete home. He became mature and he didn't continue racing after work, instead going online to look for new toys to buy for his children.
At the end of the same year, their class gathered for a reunion to discuss who hadn't gotten married yet, and who had given birth to a second child, and it was revealed that Qiao Han had also found a wife.
Everything in the past seemed to be youthful ignorance.
Lu Shenxing, who was now a grandfather, felt very strange every time he saw the twins, especially when they called him grandpa.
"Changle, take your daughters away."
Shi Changle, who was putting worms on the fish hooks, ignored him and encouraged his daughters to hug their grandpa.
"Grandpa, hug~" The two sisters stretched out their arms and looked at Lu Shenxing.
Shi Changan, who was extremely possessive, came over and put the twins one by one back with Shi Changle. With a calm expression on his face, he deflected the children's jealousy and moved a stool to sit next to Lu Shenxing, in a posture of strictly guarding the area.
"Dad, why didn't you wear the ring today?" Shi Changan grabbed Lu Shenxing's hand.
"It's on the cabinet." Lu Shenxing lifted the fish bucket and put it down again, his fingers felt cold. When he lowered his head, he saw the ring he lost in the garden by accident encircling his finger.
"Dad, let me know if you lose it in the future, so that I can find it faster." Shi Changan's eyes were gentle, he didn't blame him, but patiently admonished him.
"Okay." Lu Shenxing agreed, and everything went well.
On the weekend, Lu Shenxing and Shi Changan were walking in the park. There was a couple taking pictures there and when they approached, they found the woman was somewhat familiar.
After a moment or two, Lu Shenxing realised it was Zhou Rui, the heroine of the book.
Except for Shi Yiwei, Huang Kuo, and Shi Changle, everyone around the original owner had had their destiny turned upside down. His mission should have been completed long ago. Why was he still at 80%?
Was it like the last world, and the notification was delayed?
July 19th was a Wednesday, the midpoint of the week, there were no clouds, and the weather was fair.
Lu Shenxing had known what would happen from the beginning. He pretended to be sick, so Shi Changan naturally took time off and didn't go to school.
"What time is it?"
"Twenty five past ten." Shi Changan looked at his watch.
Lu Shenxing lay down in a different position, closed his eyes and said, "cook me some porridge."
"You'll be fine in a while." Shi Changan pulled the thin blanket over Lu Shenxing and kissed his forehead before going out.
While Shi Changan was washing the rice, Shi Changle, who was outside, drove past a construction site, and happened to receive a call from a classmate. He parked the car on the side of the road and walked down to his classmate's house.
A man walked across the road, dressed well and carrying a briefcase. He seemed to have just concluded a business negotiation. His face was still grim and confident. His steps suddenly stopped and his eyes narrowed.
Shi Changan was asking his classmate to check the address, when caught the figure out the corner of his eye. He was stunned. After hanging up the phone, he put his hands in his pockets, a little surprised.
Two people met each other unexpectedly and there was nothing to say.
"How are you doing?" Shi Changle smiled.
"Very good." Qiao Han said.
There was nothing else said.
In the next moment Shi Changle saw Qiao Han's face pale, as if he saw something frightening. He looked up, the sky darkened, and the breath of death enveloped his body, but his feet seemed to be stuck to the ground, unable to move. With a cry and shouting, they watched as the scaffold above his head fell.
At 10:32, Lu Shenxing got up and Shi Changle's plot ended. He walked to the window and looked down at the scenery downstairs. This feeling of knowing the future was not as good as everyone thought.
Of the three people he couldn't change, Shi Changle was the last one. This time it should really be over, right?
There was a sudden mechanical sound in his mind, and Lu Shenxing's expression relaxed.
"Ding, Mr. Lu will be sent out of this world, there will be a ten-second countdown."
Lu Shenxing wiped his face, "Is my task completed?"
"Ding, no."
"..." Lu Shenxing cursed, his face sullen, shit.
He opened the door of the room, his eyes darkening after a few steps. He fell to the ground, unable to even say goodbye.
Shi Changan in the kitchen heard a noise and became uneasy. He hurriedly turned off the gas and went upstairs. His pace getting faster and faster, until finally he ran.
His rapid breathing slowed, pausing for a while as Shi Changan ran to help the man off the ground, whispering, "Dad? What's wrong?"
Picking up the person on the floor and returning him to the bedroom, Shi Changan quickly called the hospital. After he hung up, he stayed motionless by the bed. How could he suddenly faint? Dad's body had always been very good, it must be low blood sugar, right?
The doctors and nurses from the hospital came very quickly, the client paid for the hospital, so they didn't dare to delay.
The doctor who came forward to check his pulse shook, he swallowed, "Mr. Shi, he...has already gone."
All those present turned to the calm-looking man beside the bed, and the room feel silent.
Out of professional habit, the doctor confirmed again.
Shi Changan frowned slightly and was a little impatient. "You can go." The corner of his lips was curved, "Please help me close the door."
The door closed lightly and the room was extremely quiet. Shi Changan sighed and muttered to himself in dissatisfaction, "Dad, didn't you promise not to leave me?"
On the hospital bed, Shi Changle's face was covered with blood, and most of it didn't belong to him. It belonged to Qiao Han, who was pronounced dead a minute before. His eyes were closed and it seemed that he hadn't recovered.
Next to him was Qiao Han's family, they were crying. Shi Changle had a headache. Qiao Han had rescued him, if not for him, he would've been the one who was hit.
The cello sounded abruptly in the quiet corridor, and Shi Changle was awakened suddenly. On the other end of the phone was the flustered cry of his wife.
"Changle, grandpa and your brother... they...they had an accident."
Shi Changle collapsed on the chair.