Ch88.1 – Courage
Under the moonlight, Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng left the teacher’s dormitory and walked onto the field. Zhou Sheng extended a hand towards Yu Hao and within the tranquil silence, the two of them held hands as they swung them back and forth.
“Don’t wanna go back to the dorm.” Zhou Sheng said.
“Then do you wanna go to the woods? Yu Hao laughed, “We’ll get caught by security.”
Zhou Sheng laughed too. They constantly had to be very cautious when they wanted to be intimate now; in the dormitory they were afraid of attacking Fu Liqun, and they had to be cautious of getting photographed outside. Basically, they couldn’t do anything anywhere.
“I have a feeling that Kaikai really does like you.” Zhou Sheng said to Yu Hao.
Yu Hao, “Ai, that’s impossible. Why would he like me?”
Zhou Sheng said, “It’s as if he’s shaping you, didn’t you notice?”
Yu Hao, “What?”
For a moment Yu Hao didn’t understand what Zhou Sheng was saying. Zhou Sheng let go of Yu Hao’s hand and turned around to walk backwards while facing him, “Didn’t you notice? Kaikai’s always teaching you things, guiding you, and shaping you into who he wants you to be.”
When he said this, Zhou Sheng seemed a little disheartened.
Yu Hao vaguely understood what Zhou Sheng meant. Chen Yekai did pay very close attention to him and was aware that he was unwilling to accept material gifts. so Chen Yekai would always plan some ‘coincidences’ to guide him, allowing him to gain more knowledge. He was shaping Yu Hao’s values and outlook on life, while also stimulating him to think more deeply.
Yu Hao said, “I intended to tell him that we’re together today.”
Zhou Sheng said, “You’ll need to find a suitable time to tell him that yourself seriously. If only I was a bit more powerful.”
Yu Hao was stunned. He suddenly understood why Zhou Sheng had been acting a bit strange recently.
“Like Kaikai?” Yu Hao asked.
“Fish, is what I want. A bear’s paw, is what I want.” Zhou Sheng said in a bored manner, “The two can’t be attained together; sacrifice life for the sake of justice.”
Yu Hao, “???”
Zhou Sheng looked up at Yu Hao and smiled a little sadly. Yu Hao didn’t know why Zhou Sheng would suddenly utter these words out of nowhere.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Yu Hao’s mind, as if he had vaguely guessed Zhou Sheng’s tiny knot in his heart that was at a level that could only be understood but not explained. Similar occasions had occurred many times before — it seemed that after he gave Zhou Sheng his totem, and it became a part of his conscious world, he would often have occasional flashes of inspiration that create a resonance between their thoughts.
After Zhou Sheng confirmed their relationship, he wanted to work hard to take care of him and provide him the best material comforts; but once Zhou Laichun learns that his son is gay, he will definitely force them to break up. Insisting to be with Yu Hao meant that they would have to meet with Zhou Laichun’s opposition in the future.
At that time, an intense conflict would erupt between Zhou Sheng and his father. On his birthday, after Zhou Sheng finished talking to his father, even without him expressing it, Yu Hao knew that Zhou Sheng had accepted the idea that Zhou Laichun’s words might have sounded coa.r.s.e, but the reasoning behind them wasn’t.
Yu Hao said, “You want to tell your Dad? Isn’t it a bit too early?”
Zhou Sheng laughed, “Early? Haven’t we been together since the first day we met?”
Yu Hao was rendered momentarily speechless. Zhou Sheng touched Yu Hao’s face in contemplation, then continued, “Do you think it’s more suitable to tell him after graduation, or now?”
If Yu Hao was allowed to choose, he wouldn’t want Zhou Sheng’s parents to know or get implicated for this lifetime. But everyone knew that this was basically impossible; Zhou Laichun clearly wanted to interfere in his son’s life. Whether or not they said it now or after graduation wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Zhou Sheng said, “I can’t be like sis-in-law, it won’t be good for us……”
“Sis-in-law is different.” Yu Hao answered, “She said it long ago, it’s just that her family doesn’t support it.”
Cen Shan’s situation was known when she graduated from senior high and was naturally subjected to intense opposition from her father. He even laid in a hospital for half a month and almost suffered a stroke because of Cen Shan. So Cen Shan could only continue dating Fu Liqun while putting up a pa.s.sive resistance, but her father gave her an ultimatum in the end. In consideration of her father’s health, Cen Shan could only lie to him that she had already broken up with Fu Liqun.
Fu Liqun was extremely upset and said something like ‘then let’s break up ba’, which was why he got drunk last winter and went to seek reconciliation.
Zhou Sheng said patiently, “What do you think the best situation would be?”
Yu Hao pondered for a moment. Zhou Sheng continued, “We had established a premise from the beginning: being together is something that my parents would definitely not be able to accept.”
“Yes.” Yu Hao nodded. He was convinced that Zhou Sheng’s parents would not accept their son dating another guy.
“But what if they can accept it?” Zhou Sheng said, “I can go to his company to help and do whatever he wants me to do, and they would accept you too. Wouldn’t that be the best outcome?”
In that case, Zhou Sheng’s future, as well as his future with Yu Hao would be settled.
Yu Hao said, “I think your father would be so angry at us that he’d suffer a stroke. I’m not just saying that.”
“I want to inflict them with trauma.” Zhou Sheng said, “There’s no reason for them to be the only ones inflicting trauma, this is my counterattack too.”
Yu Hao, “……”
“I know that this would be absolutely unacceptable to them for a while.” Zhou Sheng said earnestly, “I don’t even care about them threatening to cut off all ties, so what else can he do? After admitting it honestly, there’ll be nothing to be afraid of, and I’d even be able to choke those two up for quite a few years, and in the end?”
Yu Hao had to admit that Zhou Sheng had thought this out quite meticulously.
“In the end they would slowly give in.” Zhou Sheng said, “If they don’t, then we’ll just not see each other for the rest of our lives bei, how would that be any different to how we are now?”
Yu Hao understood what Zhou Sheng was trying to express. He treated their relationship very seriously and was regarding the revelation of their relationship as a psychological offensive and defensive war with his parents. He wasn’t relying on luck, he was trying to leave them with no other choice but to accept it little by little.
“This can’t be done by Xue Long, nor can it be done by Huang Jingya’s father. We have to take the initiative.” Zhou Sheng continued, “Otherwise, if we wait until graduation, we’ll have to find a job and the initiative would fall into the hands of my old man.”
Yu Hao thought for a really long time before saying, “You decide ba. As long as you’ve made your resolve, I’ll accompany you, no matter what you do.”
Zhou Sheng didn’t respond.
Yu Hao said, “But do you know that I often think about our future too? This responsibility is both yours and mine to carry. Don’t shoulder everything yourself, will you?”
Zhou Sheng suddenly fell silent and studied Yu Hao. Yu Hao still had a lot of things he wanted to say. He wanted to say that in life, is it more important to open a small restaurant but cook a lot of delicious, small stir-fries like your senior uncle, or to become an entrepreneur who’s on the rich side like your father?
Is what you want really success in the secular sense? Yu Hao couldn’t help but think of Zhou Sheng’s mother. Compared to Zhou Laichun, he actually liked Mama Zhou a little more. She and Zhou Laichun seemed to live in two different worlds, and she did whatever she wanted like a deranged person. But in comparison, Yu Hao liked her more. Of course, her opinion was of even less value to Zhou Sheng, or at least it wasn’t as important as Zhou Laichun’s.
Because he has money, he can control their future life, but Zhou Sheng’s mother can’t. Thus, even when Zhou Sheng was discussing their future, it mostly centered around his father.
“Then……I’ll think about it again carefully ba.” Zhou Sheng said.
The two of them came to a stop. Zhou Sheng looked up at the moon overhead.
“You’re really bold.” Yu Hao didn’t say what he wanted to in the end, “If it were me, I don’t think I would have the courage to face them.”
“Nothing can bring me down.” Zhou Sheng gazed up at the moon, “Because I have a shield. The moon’s pretty bright today na.”
“Yeah.” Yu Hao quickly caught up, but Zhou Sheng turned around and began to run. Yu Hao chased after him on the field and shouted, “Stop running!”
“Come and catch me then~” Zhou Sheng laughed and waited for Yu Hao while running and stopping. Yu Hao caught up, but Zhou Sheng nimbly turned around and pushed Yu Hao onto the gra.s.s. Yu Hao’s eyes were extremely bright, reflecting the full moon in the sky. He wrapped his arms around Zhou Sheng’s neck and pa.s.sionately kissed him on the gra.s.s.
When they returned to the dormitory, Zhou Sheng was still brushing off gra.s.s from Yu Hao’s head.
Fu Liqun was laying on his bed.
“Have you eaten yet?” Yu Hao asked, “I’ll cook instant noodles for you?”
Fu Liqun was on his last legs. “I’ve already endured hunger……I don’t want to eat anymore.”
Zhou Sheng, “How do you feel after your first day of work?”
Fu Liqun, “Money is hard to earn —— s.h.i.t tastes bad —— wanna rob a bank ——”
Yu Hao constantly felt that his life seemed to give Fu Liqun and Zhou Sheng a lot of pressure and worries, forcing them to prematurely consider problems that they shouldn’t be thinking about at this time. Zhou Sheng worried about their future, while Fu Liqun worried about his future with Cen Shan. Only Yu Hao was in a really good mood. He knew that Zhou Sheng had a lot of conflicting thoughts, but this also meant that they both intended to spend their lives together from the outset.
“The dark side of our character will always be a part of our soul.” Yu Hao said to Dark Zhou Sheng, “It’s impossible for us to completely abandon all negative thoughts. The kind of person we become depends only on which image of ourself prevails.”
Dark Zhou Sheng said, “So dark personalities can’t be destroyed and can only be banished.”
Yu Hao and Dark Zhou Sheng were seated at the VIP table in the arena. Yu Hao had a hunch that Zhou Sheng would definitely win this round.
Was it the determination to face his family that gave him strength? Or because Zhou Sheng had already figured it out in his heart? Yu Hao couldn’t help but recall the origin of the Golden Crow Wheel. Actually, the abilities of the Golden Crow Wheel still remain an enigma.
Medusa constantly wandered by the edge of the arena and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “You’re here again, you rotten kid……”
Zhou Sheng said, “Even a rotten kid can grow up to be a decent man. But you, you’ve been haunting me for so many years, shouldn’t it be about time for you to get lost?”
Medusa roared loudly.
“General!” Yu Hao suddenly shouted from the stands, “You won’t be alone in the future, you’ll have me, too!”
Zhou Sheng cast a glance at the audience.
“We’re in this together.” Yu Hao said, “Don’t forget that!”