The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

On the marshland, the foundation had been newly laid. In a short time, there would be many houses standing here.

Chen Yuanxi came there and sat down quietly, imagining how Zhang Dong fell under the gun of Hong Xuan that night.

Chen Yuanxi could not understand why Hong Xuan was so cruel to Zhang Dong before he died. He thought about it and suddenly thought it through. “Because he shouldn’t love me. He loves me, so his life has to pay the price.”

“If I were a girl, maybe Hong Xuan would have hijacked him to help us.”

But then he fell into a deeper confusion.

“Zhang Dong, why were you so stupid that you would rather die? Why didn’t you choose to agree to uncle Hong Xuan? You need to be flexible when it’s urgent. There would be a solution in the future! You have learned from me for more than two years, but you’re still as upright as Zheng Kai!”

Chen Yuanxi smiled bitterly and madly. He was lying in the sand outside the foundation, smiling. He forced himself to sleep. He hoped that he could dream of Zhang Dong.

He did dream of Zhang Dong.

What he dreamed was the night more than ten years ago. What he dreamed was Zhang Dong who was saying, “Attention! Stand at ease!” What he dreamed was the photo he was taken of when he suddenly slipped in front and then turned around.

He dreamed that he said while holding a dagger, “My life is yours.”

He dreamed that he clapped his chest with righteousness and said, “I’m Zhang Dong, arrogant Zhang Dong!”

He dreamed that being pointed by Hong Xuan’s gun, Zhang Dong slightly smiled, turned around, and disappeared from then on.

“The soul seems to enter the dream. Who is in front of the window? And who is dressing up?”

“If not, why haven’t I dreamed of you since then?”

“Wenxi, I think instructor Zhang was desperate,” said Gu Xi.

“Why was he desperate? Why?”

“Wenxi, have you really loved him? You wanted to be with him, because you wanted him to clean up his act to commute his sentence, or you really love him?” asked Gu Xi.

Chen Yuanxi shook his head.

“You don’t know? Wen Xi, I’m asking you, do you love Zhao Yuan? You needn’t answer, because I know your answer. But you said you don’t know whether you love Zhang Dong. Wenxi, I haven’t seen you for so many years, so that I can’t understand you,” said Gu Xi. Suddenly, he gave up and showed a compromised smile.

“Were you desperate? Do you think that you can walk away quietly in this way?”

“If there is a next life, I believe you and him will meet again. Then, are you willing to be a man or a woman?” Gu Xi had to say that to comfort Chen Yuanxi.

“I’d rather disappear completely and not beg for the next life from God! I’ve suffered a lot in this life. What should I do with the next life?” Chen Yuanxi said indifferently.

“If I can decide my own destiny, I will not let God send me to this fucking world!” Chen Yuanxi hammered his head painfully.

“I still hope to see what fate I will have and then decide how I will die,” Gu Xi smiled and said, “I hope that Zheng Kai will still be Zheng Kai in the next life. Wanxin won’t fall in love with others. I hope that I still will be his brother. That’s enough.”

Chen Yuanxi hugged Gu Xi. He knew that Gu Xi was happy, so Gu Xi was full of hope. He felt happy for Gu Xi, but his life had changed from a fairy tale to a joke.

Chen Yuanxi was sitting on the edge of the tallest building in the city and looking at the south. No one knew how he climbed up.

It was at dusk, but he was still sitting there. The setting sun made everything soft. Even those armored concrete and hard building shapes were inexplicably warm. It was another night, and another day had passed. Chen Yuanxi searched himself and found that he had smoked two packs of cigarettes. Suddenly, he was inexplicably held by someone from behind, and he was so scared that he failed to keep stable and almost fell down and died.

Fortunately, the man hugged him tightly. He turned around and saw that it was a tough, handsome firefighter, much younger than him.

Of course, it was very comfortable to be held by the firefighter, so Chen Yuanxi did not resist. He even leaned his head on the firefighter’s shoulder and put his arms around his waist. He was soon escorted to the ambulance, and then he realized that he had been treated as a suicide attempt.

Before getting on the ambulance, Chen Yuanxi smiled bitterly at the flashing mobile phones of the people who did not know the truth.

Although Chen Yuanxi had repeatedly explained that he just climbed up to relax himself and had no idea of suicide, he was fined for disturbing public order, and was patiently persuaded by a psychiatrist. Naturally, this matter was reported on a certain section of the local newspaper, which said, “The Former Secretary’s Son Wanted to Jump from the Building, and the Firefighter Was Desperate to Save Him.”

The next day, looking at the newspaper, Chen Yuanxi laughed and almost cried. “The fact is that I was so scared that I almost fell to death. If the firefighter were not so handsome, I would complain about it.”

Zheng Kai and Gu Xi, as relatives, were invited to pick up Chen Yuanxi.

Chen Yuanxi was shaken by Zheng Kai and Gu Xi.

“Mo Qian is not dead, how could you commit suicide?” asked Zheng Kai loudly.

“If he is dead, can I commit suicide?” asked Chen Yuanxi.

“Er…” Zheng Kai paused and continued, “If he is dead, you still can’t commit suicide.”

“You all go. I know what to do,” said Chen Yuanxi. At least Zheng Kai was right. There was a man who was not dead.

That night, the airport in the small town.

“Do you mean it’s just a misunderstanding? Is Wenxi OK?” asked Zhao Yuan.

“Of course, it’s OK. How could Wenxi commit suicide? He is such a powerful man. Come here as soon as possible. I haven’t had a good drink with you since I opened my training school for so long.” Zheng Kai said with a smile on the phone.

The baby sitter’s phone then rang.

“Mengyuan and Mengxi have been crying. Xiaoman is lying in bed and having a severe fever. Mr. Zhao, I’m so busy that I almost want to die… what should I do?”

Zhao Yuan walked out of the airport, hailed a taxi, opened the door, and paused for a moment. Then he threw a hundred yuan to the driver, returned again, and bought the ticket back to City G that night.

Chen Yuanxi and Gu Xi worked together to take away Zheng Kai’s cell phone. When he went to the prison to visit Chen Wanxi, he even managed to bring his mobile phone in and recorded a video for Chen Wanxin.

Suddenly, a piece of message showed up.

Chen Yuanxi returned the mobile phone to Zheng Kai with a smile and left immediately. Zheng Kai saw the message from Zhao Yuan on his mobile phone.

“Sorry, I have something to do tonight and have to come back first. Let’s get together next time!”

“The rule of self-injury is only useful for those who have hope, don’t you know? I’ll never use it again.”

Chen Yuanxi took a bus that night to visit Zhang An’an, who was taking care of the baby in Wang Xiang’s hometown.

“I came here just to take a drop of your blood,” said Chen Yuanxi.

“Then, everything depends on you.” Zhang An’an smiled miserably.

“For the sake of Shixiang, take good care of yourself.” Chen Yuanxi said briefly and left in a hurry.

“Remember to… let him die!” Zhang An’an murmured and the baby in her arms suddenly opened her mouth and cried.