Simulcasting Love

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Simulcasting Love - Chapter 4: Part 2

Soon afterwards, Zhang Shanxue was lost in thought after finding an item in his room.  She had been invited to visit his home not too long ago.  His house didn’t seem to be particularly different; it just felt comfortable and simple.  But it was slightly different after she took a closer look.  She wasn’t sure if it had been by choice or not, but the edges and corners of all the furnitures were rounded.  She thought about it.  That’s right.  He could not see.  Regardless of how careful he was, he would still accidentally bump into something.  All the rounded edges and corners would minimized any damage he received.  But this design seemed unnecessary when she saw how easily Tang Shuoran moved about his own home.  He moved around and correctly reached for and opened the refrigerator.  He took out a bottle of icy mineral water, then walked to the kitchen counter.  He picked up a cup and easily twisted off the cap.  He poured water into the cup without spilling a single drop, then he turned around and walked straight towards Zhang Shanxue.  He stopped about a meter away and handed the water to her. “Have some water.“

Shanxue stared in awe.  It’s true that home is the most relaxing place for a person.  The roads outside had too many uncertainties, even such a nimble person like Tang Shuoran could not stride freely.  He had to rely on his stick to find his way outside, but it was totally different at home where his natural elegance and graciousness shone through.  Zhang Shanxue had millions of reasons to suspect that he maybe, just maybe……

She shook her head and stopped thinking about the subject.  She could treat him as a normal person from the bottom of her heart, but she could not ignore that reality was reality.  Right now he acted just like a normal person, but-----

After dinner, Zhang Shanxue was busy cleaning up.  Tang Shuoran was unusually gentle.  “Leave it there.  A part-time maid will come to clean it up. “

“It’s only a few bowls.  Let me wash.”  Shanxue smiled.  Tang Shuoran also smiled lightly.

Zhang Shanxue saw a working apron hung on the arm of the chair.  She picked it up.  She first tied the strings around her waist, then she tried to tie the strings around her neck.

While she was tying the knot, she said: “Whoa, this apron seems a little heavy…...”

Maybe she was too excited or maybe the apron really was too heavy, but either way she did not tie the knot properly.  She instead broke the pearl necklace that hung around her neck.

~Hualalala~ The pearls from the broken necklace fell to the floor and scattered around.

Tang Shuoran feared that Zhang Shanxue might hurt herself.  He stepped forward anxiously and as he was about to ask what had happened, he unexpectedly stumbled because he stepped on a rolling pearl and almost fell.

Shanxue yelled hurriedly: “It’s fine, it’s fine, my necklace wasn’t tied tightly enough~~don’t you move, let me pick them up!”

She crouched down to pick up the pearls.  Tang Shuoran thought about it shortly and also crouched down.  He was somewhat obsessed with cleanliness and could not tolerate any dust in his house (usually he could know from the feeling of his sensitive touching).  Now, he was dressed in a white T shirt, but his whole body was prostrating on floor without any concerns.   He used his hands as brooms and tried to sweep them all into his arms.

Shanxue’s heart ached when she saw him like this.  Maybe it’s only when there is an accident, then she would be reminded that they were actually different.

He could not see his surroundings, naturally he could not see that his movements were so funny and awkward.  He just wanted to pick up all pearls for Shanxue, so he used all the power of his body.  Shanxue would have teased him viciously if it was somebody else in the same position.  Yo~~~~Who’s pet duck is this?   Crawling on the floor with his butt raised as high as the Himalaya Mountains?  But now, she just felt as if a fish bone was stuck in her throat as not a single teasing word came to her mind.  His posture was so ugly, but he was sincere.

You know, Tang Shuoran was a person who pursued perfection.  He quit smoking after he became blind.  Since he suddenly realized one day that he could not flip the cigarette ashes into the ashtray accurately in a public place anymore.  He thought that it would be really embarrassing when other people saw it.  He then suddenly felt that his posture of smoking was so ugly…..therefore, he quit smoking!

Zhang Shanxue was in a daze for a while.  She found him trying to squeeze under the sofa when she was going to pull him up.

“Damn!  Forget about it.  Why’d you get under there for! “

“Don’t worry.  I just heard several that seemed to have rolled under the sofa.”

“I will use a broom to sweep them out…...”

“No…...”  Tang Shuoran came out from under the sofa.  He had 7 pearls in his hand.  “These should be all of them.  Pearls have spirits and their fate should not be tarnished by a broom.”

Shanxue didn’t know what to say.  This man was so childish sometimes.  How did he come up with such an absurd explanation?  He looked very seriously like it was the truth.  She could only comply: “Okay, okay, I will not sweep the pearls.  However, I will sweep the floor! “

Tang Shuoran stopped her. “No need to, Shanxue.  After a few days, come with me to look for houses at my parents’ neighborhood.”

“My god….Luckily you said ‘neighborhood’, otherwise I would think it’s to visit your parents.”

“We will visit my parents on the way.”

“Ah……”

Tang Shuoran laughed.  “My parents are getting old, so I need to move closer to them.  Besides, I want to let them know that I am settling down.”

Zhang Shanxue pretended as if she had no idea what he was talking about, but she was very happy inside.  Regardless, they had only known each other a couple months, but they got along so easily.  She did her best to cooperate and assist during work hours, so Tang Shuoran’s translating ability kept improving.  There was already dedicated “Tang fans” on the internet who recorded his translation principles as reference for people to learn.  The download and hit rate were extremely high.   They dated after work.  They talked.  Sometimes Tang Shuoran would suggest to go to the movies.  Actually Shanxue was a little nervous about it, but Tang Shuoran said: “I have always been a movie lover, haha.”

She then let go of her concerns and happily enjoyed the movie with Tang Shuoran.  Though he couldn’t see, it did not seem to affect his ability to appreciate the movie.  In this area, the two quickly found the common interest and subject.  They could earnestly talk about movies until he forgot the time to take Shanxue home.

Shanxue agreed to help Shuoran do some housekeeping in his house.  The item was discovered during this time.  Inside a box which hadn’t been opened for a long time (the zipper was rusty, it obviously hadn’t been opened for a long while), there was a brand new CD.  The cover of the box was in a golden color.  The other side had a starry night as a background with a large English title on it: VINCENT.

She was trembling as she opened the CD box.  There was a line of words on CD: “To my Ran, Fei-er.”

Zhang Shanxue was an understanding girl.  She did not question Tang Shuoran for this, but she was hurt.

**

During the International Disaster Insurance convention, the host announced very surprising news.  The location of the wreckage of the Chinese cruise ship EVERBRIGHT1112,  which had gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean several years ago, was recently discovered by a group of Norwegian scientists.  They were going to explore the wreckage and the Chinese government would be notified instantly of any specific situation.  It was reported that this was the first wreckage ever found in this area for more than a decade.  It offered clues to scientists that were exploring the mysterious causes that sank ships in that area of the ocean……

Each word struck at his heart as he was translating these sentences.  Especially the moment he heard 1112, he almost could not continue to translate.  The staff on the site was very worried.  Fortunately Tang Shuoran had a strong will and managed to finish his work all way to the end.  He felt like collapsing as he was walking out of his office.  His brain felt as if it was swollen and he could hardly stand steady.  He stumbled and fell down to the ground.

Zhang Shanxue could already hear his abnormal reaction from listening to him at the conference.  She ran directly to the translation room.  When she had just reached the door, she saw Tang Shuoran leaning against the wall with a look of pain in his face.   She watched carefully and saw that his high quality walking stick was already broken.  She went forward to hold his hand, but found that his hand was scraped and bleeding.  Her heart was broken.  She was going to speak, but was interrupted by Tang Shuoran: “You continue to work.  I will be back in a few minutes.”

“Are you…going to Maritime Bureau? “ She finally couldn’t hold it back and asked.

He did not reply.

She said in low voice: “You are in bad shape…...I will accompany you to…...”

“No need. “ His voice was unusually stiff.

At that time, his brain was in dire straits.  He almost forgot that Shanxue was on his side.  Finally, it was Shanxue who helped him return home.  He switched to an ugly non-foldable, red and white stick and was escorted to where he wanted to go.

He stayed at the Maritime Bureau in a mess of confusion for a few days.  Finally, it was confirmed that the wreckage was the missing ship from all those years ago.  When the ship had gone missing in the past, Tang Shuoran exercised everything he could to search for the ship even though he was already blind.  All he learned was that the ship had gone missing.  Legally a missing person could be claimed as missing in order to possess the right to manage his/her property.  Tang Shuoran did not do it, even though he already accepted the fact in his mind that Fei-er had already……,  But he still stubbornly thought that as long as he did not claim that she was missing, then she was not actually missing….. Unfortunately, due to the evidence, it was proven that this accident would not have any survivors.  The government was going to claim the official death of all personnel that was on the ship soon!

This was extremely hard to take, as if a beautiful dream had suddenly vanished.  His dry eyes did not have any tears, but his heart was bleeding!

Shanxue was a patient person, but there was still a limitation to human being.  She gently asked a question and left dejectedly.

“Am I just her substitute? “