TBTTSP - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Shang Yi Has a Story (9)
She rose from the desk. To her left was Three Hundred Tang Poems; to her right were her language textbook and homework, and underneath them lay a notebook.
She opened it. Inside was a message left for her by the sixteen-year-old Xu Wanqing.
The gist of it was that during a gathering, a man had suddenly asked her to hold onto something for him. When she opened it, she found seven pills.
Seven pills.
Shang Yi thought back to the round little thing Xu Wanqing had fed her before she left.
The Immortality Pill.
That emperor actually managed to create it?
Got it.
That was her reply.
The two words were like an imperial decree, official and perfunctory. A torrent of emotions churned within Shang Yi as she began to deduce what Xu Wanqing must have experienced that led her to take an Immortality Pill and live to this day.
So that was it. No wonder Xu Wanqing hadn't said anything; she knew Shang Yi would find out sooner or later.
XOXO.
Feeling a little lighter, she deliberately added a flippant, more cheerful-looking phrase.
But her heart was still heavy, so those four letters felt particularly forced, coming across as cold and shallow.
How had she ended up taking an Immortality Pill without even knowing it? Turning into some old monster?
What was Xu Wanqing thinking?
When she was conscious again, she went to see him once more.
The first time he'd woken up, the room had been crammed with a somber crowd, and Shang Yi had stood silently in a corner. This time, she came alone. The Big Boss had instructed his assistant to summon her. She and the assistant exchanged a look, and she accepted the summons.
When she entered, the man's spirits were better; he could form complete sentences now.
"You've been with me for…"
He held up one finger, gestured for a moment, then closed it into a fist.
"Thirteen years." Shang Yi smiled, turning back to make sure the door was shut tight. "It's gone by so fast."
"I never got around to giving you a proper title."
Shang Yi's heart skipped a beat.
What did he mean by that?
Was he going to make her his wife?
Please, no.
She got along so well with the Big Boss's wife precisely because she knew that after he died, she would receive far less than his official wife and daughter.
She wasn't greedy; a little was enough. As long as what she had now wasn't taken away, she had no reason to make enemies.
If the Big Boss had a sudden whim, a flash of sentimentality for their relationship, and insisted on marrying her, it would be a crisis of conscience for him but an absolute disaster for Shang Yi.
To put it bluntly, this was just a final rally before death. Who knew when he would kick the bucket? With no one to protect her, she could end up stuffed in a sack and disposed of at any moment.
She feigned modesty, slowly taking the man's hand, a smile still on her face. "What does a title matter? You know I'm a bad person. I'm very free right now. I'm doing just fine."
"They came today. They were afraid I'd pull through. Sigh."
"They" probably meant his wife and child.
Shang Yi had, of course, met them both. She always lost when she played mahjong with the Big Boss's wife. It wasn't intentional; Shang Yi would meticulously calculate which tile to discard, and somehow, she would still lose.
The woman always smiled guilelessly, telling Shang Yi in her countryside accent that she didn't know how to play and asking her to bear with her.
Shang Yi didn't dare underestimate her.
Even in private, she didn't dare overstep. "Everyone's busy," she said softly. "You've only just woken up. Don't overthink things."
The man patted the back of her hand and gently closed his eyes. "Watch over me for a bit. I'm tired."
The man's hands were thick and sturdy with large knuckles, as if he had endured great hardship in his youth. The hair on them was gone, and clusters of dark age spots dotted his skin, marking his senescence. His hands were no longer strong; his arms were slack and collapsed, his body withered.
Shang Yi watched him. The man's neck had sagged into layers of loose flesh. In the past, when he was drunk, his face would be red and his neck thick with exertion. Now, it had all gone soft and lumpy, like sticky grease slowly air-drying.
She found it somewhat difficult to recall how she had moaned and catered to him beneath that body.
It was as if that hadn't been her at all.
Her hands could wrap around his neck. With just a little pressure, she could snap that chicken-like throat.
At that moment, she had a sudden urge to sleep with someone. Anyone would do.
She desperately wanted to prove that her youth had been real, but she wasn't young anymore.
Only through frantic, passionate lovemaking, feeling her body move with rhythm, could she feel that she had once been beautiful.
As she left the Big Boss's room, his assistant gave her a familiar look.
Usually, she would just glance back.
The assistant was in a suit, tall and well-built, around her age, handsome, single, and had a habit of working out. All things considered, he was a perfectly fine candidate to solve her problem.
"Let's discuss company matters tonight," he said as he walked over, his voice low and deep. From the tips of his hair to his toes, he was perfect.
It was an excuse. She had cheated on the Big Boss with him once before. It had been thrilling, joyful, rolling around in bed with the assistant while the Big Boss snored like thunder in the next room. She had derived a pleasure from it, a confirmation of her own power.
That time, this had been the excuse: let's discuss company matters.
So many matters. What, specifically, was there to discuss?
Shang Yi smiled. "See you tonight."
That evening, the old man went to bed early. The doctors had seen him and said the outlook was very optimistic. The Big Boss might have borrowed another five hundred years from heaven and could still command the world.
Hearing this, Shang Yi felt a surge of defeat.
She went downstairs with the assistant to get a room. Ugly Boy covered for her.
She slowly touched up her makeup, concealing her weariness and displeasure in the mirror. Ugly Boy stood at the door. "Sister, is this really okay?"
"What? Have I reformed? Come on, we're all adults. Why are you suddenly acting like you're back in the Qing Dynasty?"
"You're not happy."
"Stop talking like Xu Wanqing all the time. I'm perfectly happy." Shang Yi pressed her lips together to even out her lipstick. "Alright, he's awake now, so I can give myself a little break."
"You kissed Xu Wanqing. She's an ancient."
"She's stubborn, so you have to be stubborn too?" Shang Yi picked up her bag. "Sooner or later, I'll teach Xu Wanqing the meaning of a hook—"
"I get it."
Ugly Boy cut her off just in time. She swayed gracefully out the door. "Keep an eye on things. Don't let me get caught."
Having an affair was routine for Shang Yi. It was consensual, a matter of mutual benefit. She slowly exhaled a turbid breath and pushed open the door to the room. The assistant was already waiting for her. He shut the door tight and wrapped his arms around her.
He eagerly started unbuttoning her clothes. Shang Yi laughed. "You're certainly brave."
"If you weren't willing, I wouldn't dare."
He panted as he pulled his shirt from his trousers, his arm hooking tightly around her waist. His breath tickled her ear. "Alright, I know what kind of man I am."
"Don't talk about that. Don't you miss me? Can that old man satisfy you? Hmm?"
Shang Yi laughed again, but her smile was a little stiff.
Why bring up the old man?
As long as the old man was alive, Shang Yi was his mistress, his plaything. Nothing more.
Sneaking out for an affair, flirting with whomever she pleased—it was all just a way of deceiving herself.
"When he dies, hmm, we won't have to be afraid anymore."
"What are you afraid of?"
"Doing this behind his back… hey, about that project in Shenyang I mentioned last time, if you could just give me…"
Shang Yi turned her head away. The man's kisses were like a dog's panting, roaming across her neck.
She was suddenly wide awake.
Strength returned to her hands. She raised them and pushed the man away. "That's enough. I'm on my period today. I'm not playing with you."
"Hey, you can't just…"
"I'm leaving."
Shang Yi pulled the door open. The assistant, still shirtless, grabbed her bag. "You can't just get me all fired up and leave. You have to take responsibility."
"Help yourself. A little self-reliance goes a long way."
She was a heartless slut.
When she composed herself and re-entered her room, Ugly Boy was smoking.
Seeing her, he immediately extinguished the cigarette, put away the ashtray, and opened a window to air out the room. "That was fast. Is he sick?"
"Maybe I'm the one who's sick," Shang Yi said, slumping onto the sofa and tossing her bag aside. "He wants a cut of that land deal in Shenyang."
Ugly Boy paused. "Well, he is selling his good looks."
True enough.
Shang Yi had sold herself to the Big Boss and gotten everything she had now.
The assistant was selling himself to Shang Yi to get what he wanted.
Each taking what they needed. There was nothing wrong with that.
"Is he still asleep?"
"Yeah. His wife and kid came to see him. By the way, I planted a bug. Want to listen?"
"No. Just give me the summary."
"He said they're family, and that even if he dies, most of the inheritance will go to his child. He said you, Sister, are an outsider who just earned some hardship money, and told them not to come looking for trouble with you."
"He certainly knows what to say."
"Don't take it to heart, Sister. In front of his wife and child, he obviously can't make you an enemy."
"It's fine."
Ugly Boy's attempt at comfort felt like a bone-gnawing insect crawling through her limbs.
Glancing out the window, Ugly Boy took the opportunity to put away his pack of cigarettes.
Shang Yi raised a hand. "Hey, give me one."
She lit it and held it between her fingers. No matter how she looked at it, she found the smell of cigarettes unpleasant.
The Big Boss liked Little Panda brand, and occasionally a Zhongnanhai—standard issue for a middle-aged man. They would sit in a corner of the table, and Shang Yi would never give them a second glance.
She brought it to her lips, steeled herself, but then crushed it out.
"Childish. Get out of here and smoke. It stinks."
Tossing it back at Ugly Boy, Shang Yi crossed her arms, sat up straight, and opened the window wider.
From here, if she jumped—
If that really was an Immortality Pill, would she die?
She probably would. Don't court death, and you won't die.
She suddenly wished Xu Wanqing were sitting across from her. Xu Wanqing wouldn't answer any of her questions and would only annoy her, but she would sit primly with her legs together, reading quietly, occasionally looking up, occasionally rising to pace and practice walking on her newly freed feet.
If this woman from ancient times knew what a promiscuous person she was, she probably wouldn't give her the time of day, would she?
She stroked her phone screen. It lit up, then went dark, then lit up again. She raised her hand, then lowered it, but finally dialed the number.
"Sister! What's up? What's wrong?"
"Is Xu Wanqing there?"
"She's here, pacing around the room. While you were gone, she insisted on buying a bigger bookshelf. She's a real prodigy. She's already organized all the books and even made a catalog. Just now she was asking me how to enter it into the computer. This ancient is so damn trendy."
There was a patter of footsteps, and then a different voice came on the line. "Eh? I just have to speak into this place? Good. So if I speak, only Shang Yi can hear? What a magical object…"
"Hello." Shang Yi cupped the phone, pressing it to her ear as she curled up on the sofa. "Can you hear me?"
"Please speak, Younger Sister Shang."
Shang Yi could already picture Xu Wanqing sitting bolt upright, knees pressed together, addressing the phone with grave seriousness.
"How about I buy you a phone?"
She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Why the sudden desire to buy something, Younger Sister Shang? This object is magical, but I already have an 'iPad.' There is no need for more. I have yet to master its divine abilities. You mustn't spend the money."
"…" Shang Yi's nose suddenly wrinkled. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Is there any gift you want?"
"It is neither my birthday nor a festival. Why does Younger Sister Shang suddenly ask such a thing?"
"It's nothing. I'll just buy you a phone. Then I can call you."
"If Younger Sister Shang misses me, just say so."
Shang Yi hesitated for a few seconds. "Tsk, spouting more nonsense?"
"I bought a bookshelf today. I'm sorry to have made you spend money…"
From her tone, she didn't sound the least bit sorry. Shang Yi laughed. "You bought it, so what? Stop being so fussy. It's not like I'm short on cash."
"When will you be back?" The voice on the other end was soft.
"I don't know."
"Are you wearing the Peace Talisman?"
Shang Yi subconsciously reached for her collar and felt nothing. A chill ran down her spine.
She frantically dug through her bag and found the small, exquisite cloth pouch inside, only then letting out a sigh of relief. "I don't believe in all that superstitious stuff. I'm not wearing it."
The other end was silent for a moment before a soft chuckle came through. "Really?"
"Alright, alright, I was lying. I put it away safely. Why are you interrogating me again? I'm not talking to you anymore."
She hung up in a hurry. Clutching the phone, Shang Yi sat still, then leaned back against the sofa, her eyes narrowing lazily.
Ugly Boy pushed the door open. "He's asking for you."
"Now what." She scrambled to her feet, clutching the Peace Talisman to draw a bit of strength from it before putting it back in her bag and hurrying out.
"Sleep for a while. I can't sleep without you."
The man shifted to the side, making space. Shang Yi stopped in her tracks.
The empty side of the bed still held the man's body heat. She was used to lying there, but now it seemed jarring. She quickly composed her expression and smiled gently. "Such a big baby. Wait a moment, let me change."
"Don't change. Don't do anything."
Half-resisting, she was pulled down beside him. Her jacket was still on, and it pressed uncomfortably against her.
The old man held her tight, his arms slack and weak around her, and slowly closed his eyes.
Faint snores reached her ears. His body was so weak that even his snoring was a shadow of its former self.
She stared at the ceiling, wide-eyed. At that moment, she desperately wanted to fly back to Beijing, to do nothing but lie there and watch Xu Wanqing sleep beside her. Just watch her.
In that instant, she suddenly realized that this feeling was a bit like what the old man sleeping beside her now felt, holding her.
She didn't know if the man loved her.
She pulled away, sat up, and went outside to make a call.
"I'm looking for Xu Wanqing."
After a moment, a soft "mm" came from the other end.
"Are you asleep?" Her voice was slow and hushed, as if she was afraid of being overheard.
"I have not yet slept. I was reading the Suiyuan Shidan today, and my stomach is empty. I cannot sleep."
The voice on the other end answered her honestly, accompanied by the soft rustle of turning pages.
"How about we have hot pot when I get back?"
"Does Younger Sister Shang truly miss me?"
"Yeah." This time, she didn't deny it.
A laugh like a warm breeze came from the other end. "I won."
"…?"
She could hear Xu Wanqing grabbing Old Girl, her voice triumphant. "Shang Yi called because she missed me! I won! A bet is a bet."
Old Girl's stubborn voice replied, "You threatened and bribed her! You forced my sister to say she missed you! I don't believe it!"
"No! A loss is a loss!"
"…"
Shang Yi smiled faintly, sighed, and ended the call.
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