TBTTSP - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Shang Yi Has a Story (12)

It was no secret that Shang Yi slept all afternoon.

Ugly Boy stood guard at the door. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, then put it away. He'd been on edge lately. He took a couple more glances at Shang Yi; she lay down with a peaceful expression, just like any other afternoon.

Shang Yi's time would last until midnight. If she wasn't tired, she would wake up at twelve, at which point he needed to prepare a late-night snack for her. If she was very tired, she would sleep until dawn, but Ugly Boy would wake her at 4:30 a.m. to start work.

Sunk deep within that soft bedding were Shang Yi and her dusty, gray dreams. That place in her dreams was so damn desolate, poor, and broken. Ugly Boy never wanted to go there a second time.

It must be tough on Shang Yi, mingling with primary school students every day, playing with sandbags and kicking shuttlecocks. The big pinwheel creaked and groaned as it spun, turning all the way back to childhood.

A head popped up from the stairwell. Ugly Boy put his cigarettes away and lowered his head, swiping his iPad to some unimportant screen.

The sharp clack of high heels hammered against the floor. The tall and exceptionally domineering Miss Xu approached with hurried steps, heading straight for Shang Yi's room. Ugly Boy thought for a moment, then put one hand behind his back. Feigning to straighten the hem of his clothes, he quietly locked the door.

Xu Min arrived. "Is Shang Yi in there?"

"She's sleeping."

"What kind of illness is this?"

"Something happened a while back. They say her cranial nerves start getting drowsy in the afternoon. The doctor said she needs constant rest, so she just started sleeping in the afternoons."

Ever since Xu Min had messed with him last time and made it impossible for him to go to work, he was on high alert around her. If he had thorns, he wished he could unleash a storm of pear blossom needles and skewer Xu Min right through, just to keep her from getting close and causing him trouble.

Xu Min's hand reached toward Ugly Boy's ear. She tidied a stray lock of hair at his temple and chuckled. "Hey, can I go in and see her?"

"No." Ugly Boy glanced around. Old Girl had just gone to the restroom and wasn't back yet. In her high heels, Xu Min was two heads taller than him. If things got physical, he probably couldn't win.

"When did you start following her? It's been a long time, I remember, right?"

"A long time."

Xu Min's attempts to visit Shang Yi were becoming more and more frequent. The moment Shang Yi fell asleep, Xu Min would show up right on time, as if she couldn't rest easy until she saw Shang Yi sleeping soundly.

She had tried all sorts of tricks recently, even sending gifts and grabbing Ugly Boy to tell him, with great passion, that she just had to see Shang Yi.

Shang Yi had been completely unresponsive back then. That time when he and Old Girl had accidentally burned Shang Yi, she hadn't even stirred. If he really let Xu Min in, Shang Yi would be meat on a chopping block, completely at her mercy…

Ugly Boy had heard from Shang Yi that Xu Min had ulterior motives toward her, so he would never let her in, no matter what.

"Here."

Xu Min took something out and pressed it into Ugly Boy's palm. He felt it for a moment and frowned. "Miss Xu, this is too valuable. I can't accept it."

"I damaged your car last time. This is my apology. Please forgive me!"

"It's fine. The company reimbursed me for the repair costs. Please take it back."

Xu Min was actually trying to give him a car? Alarm bells screamed in Ugly Boy's head. Everyone knew the Big Boss was going to marry Shang Yi. Whether he'd succeed was another matter, but Shang Yi and the Big Boss had a real relationship. Wasn't Xu Min afraid her father would find out about her chasing Shang Yi like this?

Ugly Boy was rather unprincipled. Shang Yi was someone's mistress, and he was the one bustling about, serving her hand and foot. The thought of criticizing her on moral grounds never once crossed his mind. Xu Min pursuing Shang Yi wasn't so outrageous as to offend gods and men, but in his heart, Ugly Boy adopted the posture of a neighborhood gossip, ready to spit on the ground before saying another word.

It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that Shang Yi was truly his sister.

When Shang Yi was born, her parents, seeing she was a girl, planned to give her away. Shang Yi's aunt was unable to have children, so she took Shang Yi in and raised her.

Ugly Boy had been Shang Yi's follower since he was little. Shang Yi thought he was ugly, so she called him Ugly Boy.

Even back then, Shang Yi was the belle of the ball, dolling herself up to be as gorgeous as a flower, attracting admirers from all over. She was surrounded by followers like Ugly Boy.

Ugly Boy felt a special kind of admiration for her. As they grew older and as Shang Yi fought her way up, this feeling fermented into a kind of instinct. Later, because he was used to being a follower, he started tagging along with Shang Yi in high school.

His family said Shang Yi was shameless for being a homewrecker. So, Ugly Boy went and became shameless with her. That way, both of the family's children were wallowing in the same filth, which actually made the family change their tune and treat Shang Yi with a bit more courtesy.

Was there anything Shang Yi had that she wouldn't give him if he asked? It wasn't that he was after her money—Shang Yi didn't care about it. If there was wine, they drank together. If there was shit, they ate it together. He really couldn't care less about the trinkets Xu Min was offering him.

Xu Min wanted to pursue Shang Yi? In her dreams.

"I just want to see her."

"When she wakes up, I'll have her call you back."

Xu Min's eyes curved into a sharp, cunning smile. "Very good. This is my fourth time here, and I haven't seen her once. What if she gets hungry when she wakes up?"

"I'm here."

"Fine. Tell her I came by, and tell her she must call me."

Xu Min turned and left, but the unease in Ugly Boy's heart remained. When Shang Yi woke up, he relayed the conversation verbatim. Shang Yi rubbed her face and said, "Will this make her pay even more attention to the fact that I'm sleeping during this time? Next time, you can let her have a quick look, but don't let her touch me."

"Understood." Ugly Boy got up and left. Shang Yi called Xu Min. "I heard you were looking for me. What's up?"

"I missed you."

"…" Shang Yi covered the phone's receiver, her brow furrowed in thought for a moment. "Got it. Is there anything else?"

"You're so cold. I was planning to have a meal with you… I waited for so long. I still haven't even had breakfast."

"Then go eat. I won't disturb you." Shang Yi hung up, cutting off that winding, coquettish voice.

A moment later, Xu Min sent a WeChat message, a voice note: "I'm thinking about what you look like when you're sleeping. Would you be a little gentler with me then?"

…Shang Yi didn't reply.

"Every time I think of you sleeping next to that man, my heart… it feels like it's been chopped into dumpling filling…"

Shang Yi blocked her.

When she unblocked her that night, there were only two more messages.

"If it weren't for that man, would you give me a second glance?"

"Alright, good night. I hope I'm in your dreams."

So greasy.

Let her see her sleeping? Forget it. She decided to take back the instruction she'd given Ugly Boy.

But the day was filled with too many trivial matters. By the time she tidied up, changed her clothes, and slipped into bed at noon, she had long forgotten about that sentence.

The moment she closed her eyes, the world spun. When she opened them again, she was sitting cross-legged on a kang. On the kang was a square table, and across from it sat little Li Zhaodi, her head bowed in concentration over a book. A closer look revealed it was a complete companion to the grade seven curriculum.

Huh? She looked around and saw mountains of books, confirming she was in Zhang Xu's house. Looking at Li Zhaodi again, she figured Xu Wanqing must have invited her over for one reason or another that morning.

There was no way Li Zhaodi could be allowed to see the notebook. She searched everywhere for it, but good grief, she couldn't find it herself. She rummaged through the schoolbag but couldn't find their message book. Seeing that Li Zhaodi was still reading with a normal expression, she must not have seen it.

So, Shang Yi composed herself, found the small cookies Zhang Xu had stashed in the cabinet, and set them out. "Have some."

"You already gave me some this morning." Li Zhaodi's smile had faded, as if hiding some deep sorrow.

Shang Yi easily guessed it had to do with her studies and her neurotic mother. She didn't ask, only cursing Xu Wanqing for not leaving her any hints.

As someone from ancient times, Xu Wanqing's ability to adapt to the modern world was truly something Shang Yi admired. Shang Yi had been astounded by the sixteen-year-old Xu Wanqing, let alone the real Xu Wanqing she had hidden away in a golden house.

Xu Wanqing hadn't slipped up in the morning, so Shang Yi couldn't afford to cause trouble in the afternoon. She glanced at the stove; there were no signs of cooking. So, she patted her bottom and stood up. "Do you want to go to McKenKing and get something to eat?"

It was the product of some unnatural polyamorous relationship between McDonald's, KFC, and Burger King. Shang Yi had contemplated its flavor before. It even had chicken legs, and it tasted like pig's head meat dipped in Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.

"I can't eat."

Li Zhaodi's words were shocking.

Shang Yi froze for a second. What on earth had happened? Xu Wanqing was one-track-minded, fine, but that deadbeat kid Zhang Xu hadn't bothered to report in either. What if she got a shock?

Shang Yi immediately hid her cheerful demeanor and put on a silent face of solidarity with Li Zhaodi. She moved a little closer and gave her a gentle hug.

Li Zhaodi let out a wail and burst into tears. "My mom, my mom… she's going to come back…"

She came this morning?

"I don't want to go home… I want to study…"

Shang Yi understood.

"You don't want to go home? Are you sure?"

Stunned by her sharp, imposing question, Li Zhaodi nodded slightly, her eyes filled with tears. "I want to study."

"Then study. Let's go."

Shang Yi decided to step in herself. She gathered all the family's savings, took the identification documents, grabbed Zhang Xu's phone, and dragged Li Zhaodi to the bus station.

"Are we running away from home?"

"To find me," Shang Yi blurted out. Seeing that Li Zhaodi didn't understand, she added, "My godmother."

The word startled Li Zhaodi. She stared with teary eyes for a moment as Shang Yi bought the bus tickets and pulled her onto the bus. "Listen to me. You want to study, so you have to be firm right now. Trust me, and trust my godmother. No matter who talks to you, you just say you want to go to school. Got it?"

Li Zhaodi nodded.

"Good. Hold this. I need to make a call."

She stuffed the backpack into Li Zhaodi's arms, got off the bus, and stood by the rear wheel to call Ugly Boy. "This is Shang Yi. Listen, there are two things. First, I'm taking Zhang Xu's desk mate to the city to lie low for a bit. I'll be staying in a hotel. I'll take care of Zhang Xu, but I need you to handle the other details. Second, get Xu Min out of the way ahead of time. When I get back, I need to see Xu Wanqing. I have to ask what exactly happened this morning."

"Get her out of the way? Can I use you as bait?"

"Whatever."

After getting a firm answer, Shang Yi looked up and saw Li Zhaodi standing obediently at the bus door, clutching the backpack. Shang Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Please don't let her overhear.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feigning composure.

"Someone's smoking. It's a bit much." Li Zhaodi slowly approached her and studied her for a long while before finally lifting her chin and saying proudly, "If your godmother is really as reliable as you say, then I'll owe you one. When I'm rich someday, I'll buy you a hundred cotton candies."

"Okay."

Shang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

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