Gentlemen's Friends

Chapter 33 Part 3: Nine ([-])
Qu Tongqiu looked at him, waiting.

"You haven't fallen in love with me yet, have you?"

Qu Tongqiu let out a "huh" and realized the weirdness in that tone.That's not a tone of inquiry, or rather, it's not a tone of wanting an affirmative answer.

Zhuang Wei asked again hastily: "You haven't seriously fallen in love with me yet, have you?"

Qu Tongqiu suddenly understood, "Ah", unable to speak for a while, Zhuang Wei quickly said: "It's good if you haven't fallen in love yet."

The conversation was forcibly ended in a hurry.

With his voice still in his throat, Qu Tongqiu stared at Zhuang Wei dumbfounded.It took him quite a while to realize that no one really wanted to hear him, so he let out another "ah".

After this sound, he didn't make another sound, only looked at his hands, and then lowered his head to look at the floor.

"Qu Tongqiu."

The man didn't respond.

Zhuang Wei knelt down in front of him and raised his head to face his face hidden in the shadows.

Qu Tongqiu turned his eyes away, not wanting to look at him, but saw a black, obvious hole in the collar of his shirt.

It was burned out by the ash after lying down and smoking all night.Qu Tongqiu raised his eyelids slightly, and looked at the man squatting in front of him with red eyes, and Zhuang Wei also looked at him.

"Qu Tongqiu."

"..."

"I will still take you abroad, and I will take care of you."

The man lowered his head: "...no need."

"This is what I promised you."

"……It's ok."

Both of them didn't speak anymore, Zhuang Wei stretched out his hand suddenly, the man with red eyes struggled to resist, but was finally hugged.

Zhuang Wei hugged him roughly, strangled him tightly until he couldn't move no matter how hard he tried, and his own chest hurt from the scrawny body, and then whispered, "Qu Tongqiu."

"..."

"Qu Tongqiu, I wasn't lying to you back then."

The man was suffocated in his arms, and it was difficult to breathe. It took a long time before he could make a vague "hmm", his voice trembling.

"Go abroad with me. Chu Mo won't mind. I have many rooms, you can live with us. You don't like me anyway, if you just live together..."

Zhuang Wei spoke impatiently, but gradually lost his voice.

He also understands it in his heart.

This man is at least a human being, not a dog.You can't keep it at home just because you like it a little bit and you can't bear to throw it away.It's not that giving him a little food and a shelter can occupy his whole life.

This is an insignificant little person, but he also has a bit of human dignity equal to them.

He was released when he was about to suffocate, Qu Tongqiu gasped for breath with difficulty, then watched Zhuang Wei stand up suddenly, went to take out the checkbook, found a pen, and quickly wrote a number.

Both of them were in a daze.After a while, Zhuang Wei signed his name vigorously and tore off the check: "You take this."

As if being burned, Qu Tongqiu immediately drew back his hand, refusing to take it.

Zhuang Wei's hand was still stretched out in front of him, and he whispered, "Hold it."

"……no need."

Zhuang Wei hugged him, forcibly found the thin wallet from him, opened it, put the check in it, and then put the wallet back into his pocket.

"You can use it."

Qu Tongqiu tried his best to avoid the wallet with the check in it, and whispered, "No need..."

Zhuang Wei was still holding on to him stubbornly: "You need it. You can make a small investment, or spend it directly, and you can live better. If you don't have enough money, contact me. This is what I should."

"no need……"

The wallet was finally stuffed into his pocket, the man didn't speak any more, as if resigned to his fate, his eyes gradually filled with tears.

"I have paid the rent for this apartment next month. You can live until then, and then find another place slowly, or live in another city... You can also go to the countryside, the money can buy a big house, and then..."

Zhuang Wei stopped, as if unable to speak.In the patient silence, the voice became hoarse: "Are you going to live well, Qu Tongqiu?"

"..."

"Do you hate me, Qu Tongqiu?"

Qu Tongqiu looked at the bloodshot man with red eyes, and finally shook his head silently.

He has nothing left.But this is the end of the fair and aboveboard.Nothing deceiving.What was owed to him was also paid.Zhuang Wei treated him better than everyone else.He is the kindest person he has ever met in his life.

At night, Zhuang Wei hugged him and slept all night, just hugging him, tightly holding his palm as if he was afraid that he would be cold.He fell asleep in that last warmth and had a dream.

When Hazy woke up, he felt that the light in the room was dim, but Zhuang Wei was already dressed, sitting by the bed, and softly called his name: "Qu Tongqiu, Qu Tongqiu."

"Um……"

"I'm going to work now."

"Ah..." Qu Tongqiu was slightly awake and wanted to get up, "... What time is it?"

Zhuang Wei pressed his shoulders with little force: "There is no work to do today, you should rest. Sleep a little longer."

Qu Tongqiu slowly lay back under the gentle gaze that he had never seen before.

Zhuang Wei tucked up the corners of the quilt for him, and sat watching him, holding his under the quilt.That tenderness is like a dream.

"There are vegetables in the refrigerator. If you don't want to cook, just order a takeaway. There is a phone number on the refrigerator, you know."

"Ah."

"It's going to cool down today, so don't be reluctant to heat it at home."

"Um……"

"remember to eat."

"Um……"

Zhuang Wei looked at him for a while, then leaned down and kissed his forehead.

The warm touch made him almost hopeful.Zhuang Wei finally let go of his hand, stood up, and whispered, "I'm leaving."

Qu Tongqiu gave a final "hmm" and looked at his back as he walked towards the door.Bring in a bit of sober cool air when you open the door.

Qu Tongqiu got up when it was getting dark, fumbled to get dressed, made the bed habitually, and cleaned up the room.Then I boiled water for myself, cooked a bowl of noodles, sat at the table and ate them slowly, trembling.

In the silence, there is only the monotonous sound of eating noodles, and the barely audible sound of the wall clock.From today onwards, he will live alone, and he must get used to this kind of quietness.

After eating, he washed the dishes, then sat with his hands on his knees, thinking for a long time.

The original life path was completely wrong, so he chose another one, which turned out to be wrong too.In these never-ending mistakes and failures, he gradually couldn't straighten his back.

He has always lived simply, like an old cow.He put on the plow and went on, not stopping to rest until the sun went down, and after eating the forage he got, he passed another day, day after day.

He only knows that life requires hard work, as long as he works hard, he will definitely live a good life.

What he got in the end was a check.

Qu Tongqiu pressed the wallet in his pocket, stared out of the window in a daze, the circles around his eyes were not light black.He put on his best suit, which made him look even more shriveled because he couldn't hold it up.

The phone rang suddenly, and after a few rings, it switched to answering mode. After Zhuang Wei's voice finished saying "...please leave a message", there was a subtle blank waiting, and there was a slight "rustling" sound in the silence.

Qu Tongqiu faintly heard a familiar breathing sound, and seemed to have hallucinations for a moment, so he pricked up his ears.The sound of breathing finally became clear, and then turned into a familiar childish voice.

"dad."

The man froze and straightened his back for a moment as if struck by lightning.

"Dad, how are you now? I live in Uncle Ren's house. He treats me very well and takes good care of me. I have gained weight and grown taller. Last semester, my final grade was No.1. Dad, I want to start Take more classes, finish your books early, and then you can work and earn money, and you don't have to pay for my tuition anymore..." The little girl was cautious, and her voice became softer, "Dad..."

The man held his breath and stared at the phone, his mouth opened slightly unconsciously, and he froze and didn't dare to move.

The little girl cried and said, "Dad, don't you want me?"

"..."

"I miss you, Dad..."

Qu Tongqiu trembled all over his body, almost tripped when he stood up, and scrambled to the side of the phone, but it was too late to pick up, just a little short, the message over there was over, and he hung up.

The man squatted in front of the phone, as if in a dream.He also has his little daughter, and she still cares about him.There seemed to be the last light in the darkness, and the sudden hope of life made him tremble, and he couldn't believe it.

The surface of the phone was foggy because of his eager breathing, and he was still waiting, not sure if he should call back or not.He thought about his daughter, maybe she still only regarded him as a father, she didn't become Ren Ningyuan's daughter, she was still willing to live with him, even though they were not rich and had to suffer all kinds of hardships.

While waiting, I unconsciously pressed the pocket of the wallet, and there was a check in it that was not glorious, but could afford the cost of my daughter's future study abroad.The cold palms also became hot.

The phone rang loudly again, and after only one ring, the man hurriedly picked it up, hugging the receiver, his voice trembling slightly uncontrollably: "Hello? Xiaoke?"

There was silence for a while, and then a deep voice said, "Qu Tongqiu."

As if the man was frozen, he suddenly lost his movement and sound.

"You should know, Xiao Ke still misses you."

"..."

"You haven't seen her for a long time. I know you want to see her. In fact, she needs you very much."

The man didn't speak, only the veins on the hand holding the receiver stood out.

There was also a slight pause over there: "I need you too, come and help me take care of her. I can't do it alone."

"..."

"Perhaps you'd prefer to take her. But it's not good for her or you, so I won't approve."

The man's Adam's apple moved up and down, and the violent meridian clearly floated on his forehead and the back of his hand.

"You also understand that she can live well with me, and if you can come and accompany her..."

With red eyes, the man gritted his teeth: "Ren Ningyuan."

There was silence, as if waiting.

"Don't... use her like this..."

Ren Ningyuan was silent for a while: "Don't you want to live with her?"

The man gasped for a while, and said with difficulty: "I... soon... going abroad..."

There was another short silence, and then there was a hint of pity: "Chu Mo has already told me that he is with Zhuang Wei."

The man didn't speak anymore, and lost the silence of his voice.

"You need Xiaoke." Ren Ningyuan paused again, "Qu Tongqiu, why don't you let the past go. Let's start over."

There was no sound from the other end of the phone.

"I'll pick you up. You wait for me."

(End of this chapter)