“Son,” the mother sighed, her tone filled with resignation, “About that girl I arranged for you last time…”
“Mom,” interrupted Lu Shen, “I’ve told you many times, I don’t like girls.”
“You!” His mother, provoked by his uncompromising tone, struggled to control her anger but eventually let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, fine, fine! I know you don’t like girls! But you’re in your twenties now, you…”
“Mom,” Lu Shen interrupted her again, “please don’t pressure me, okay?”
“What do you mean, pressure you? I’m telling you, your father and I can’t sleep at night worrying about finding you a girlfriend!” his mother yelled, glaring at him.
“Is that so,” Lu Shen paused for a moment, “but the other night, I could hear Dad’s snoring through the wall…like a cannon, Mom, it must have been tough for you to sleep next to him for all these years.”
“Well, yes,” his mother said, her voice trailing off, then realizing her mistake, she snapped back, “Don’t change the subject! Tell me when you’re going to bring a girlfriend home?”
“I’ve told you before, I like men,” Lu Shen calmly stated.
His mother raised her hand to slap him directly, and Lu Shen didn’t avoid it. He looked up and faced it, saying, “Go ahead.”
“…How did I give birth to such a rebellious child?” His mother stared at him but eventually lowered her hand and wiped her eyes. “What’s so good about liking men…you can’t get married, you can’t have children. When you get old and both your father and I are gone, who will take care of you?”
“Mom,” Lu Shen sighed, reaching out to gently embrace her shoulder. “I have a job now and can earn money. I’ll take good care of you and Dad.”
“I have a pension! I don’t need you to take care of me,” his mother said, her eyes red as she glared at him. “I’m worried about your future!”
“I have someone I like,” Lu Shen said.
His mother covered her mouth and looked at him, unable to speak for a moment.
“…Who is it?”
His mother slowly put down her hand after a while, and her voice finally calmed down. “Alright, if you want to be with a man… then bring him home for your father and me to see.”
“Not now,” Lu Shen hesitated for a moment. “He’s still studying.”
“Studying?” His mother widened her eyes, and her hand slapped his shoulder. “Lu Shen, have you lost your mind? Why do you have to harass a kid who’s still in school? When your father comes back, I’ll tell him to give you a good beating!”
“No, it’s not…” Lu Shen tried to explain but, dodging her slap, he couldn’t find the right words to continue. “It’s not like that, Mom…”
“It’s not like what?” His mother, with red eyes, pushed him towards the door. Then she slammed the door and said, “Cut off those filthy thoughts of yours! Otherwise, consider yourself disowned!”
He was about to explain but heard another shout from inside the room. “Get lost!”
Lu Shen sighed and quietly left. He drove back to his own place, which was near where the Bian family lived now.
Actually, no one could understand him. Lu Shen knew this.
But what could he do?
Lu Shen parked his car by the side of the road and took a deep breath of the sweet fragrance that filled the air. The bakery he often frequented had baked new pastries today, and the air was filled with a sweet aroma.
In this regard, he didn’t need anyone to understand him.
Moreover, waiting and longing had become a routine in his life. If he were to remove these two parts, his soul would become empty.
Therefore, knowing that you will come, I will wait.
Lu Shen squinted his eyes and took another deep breath of the scent of the bread in the air. After driving home, he habitually turned on the light by the window, reheated the leftovers in the microwave, and sat by the window, eating while watching. When he saw a familiar figure at the street corner, he smiled and put down his bowl, wiping his mouth.
It was a peculiar feeling, like playing some kind of life simulation game, watching a little kid grow up step by step. Although he didn’t interfere much in most of his life, being able to watch him cry, laugh, fight with others, and make fierce remarks was still a very interesting thing.
…But at times like this, he had to be careful with his expressions to avoid being mistaken for a creepy uncle.
Lu Shen reached for a small mirror and checked his face. Well, he looked handsome, and no one would associate him with being creepy.
He put down the mirror and quickly finished his meal. As he saw that a few people at the street corner over there had quickly packed up their things, then, when a speaker was plugged, there was a faint soundtrack coming in–
It’s a band formed by Bian Shengjian and his few close friends, and Lu Shen had figured out the frequency of their outdoor performances on the street for some time. When not busy with work, he would go downstairs and wander in the crowd quietly listening to the young man with a guitar playing seriously, or secretly take two photos when not being noticed–
Although he didn’t know if the photo would disappear in the future, Lu Shen really wanted to record every moment of Shengjian’s life that he hadn’t participated in before, whether it’s being arrogant or boastful. He wanted to keep every action expression, including the fingertips that pluck the strings, and flip it out to take a look when sleeping late at night.
Today, he wasn’t too busy with work, so he decided to take a stroll downstairs.
Lu Shen thought to himself as he stretched lazily. He casually grabbed his house keys from the entrance and slowly made his way downstairs. However, before he reached the street corner where the band was performing, he suddenly heard the music stop, followed by a furious shout, “You fucker, let her go!”
Lu Shen was taken aback for a moment before he hurriedly rushed forward.
“What are you guys doing?” Tan Ming shouted as well.
Bian Shengjian furrowed his brow but didn’t say anything. His gaze was fixed on a girl who had been picked up like a lifeless doll—her heavily make up face made it difficult to see clearly, but she was obviously unconscious. She was being held by someone like a little chicken, completely unresponsive, and had reached the point where she could be easily taken advantage of in a hotel.
“Little brother, I advise you to mind your own business,” the leader of the gang licked his lips. Although he still wore a smile on his face, Bian Shengjian could see the ruthlessness in his eyes, as if he could pull out a knife from his pocket and stab someone in the chest in the next second.
“…Third brother,” Xiao Liping’s voice trembled, “We can’t… we can’t let them take her away…”
Bian Shengjian sighed.
Actually, he didn’t want to get involved in this kind of mess at all. If they started a fight here, they might all end up in jail.
Tch. Troublesome.
Bian Shengjian didn’t say anything. He gently placed his guitar behind the amplifier and made a casual gesture. Li Fei and Tan Ming immediately moved closer, wearing expressions of anger and waiting for his command.
“F**k them,” Bian Shengjian said casually.
The leader of the gang’s expression changed, and he gave Bian Shengjian a cold stare. “…Mind your own fucking business.”
“I am minding my own business, what can you do about it?” Bian Shengjian looked at him.
“Fuck,” the man spat on the ground when he heard footsteps approaching. He took something out of his pocket and clenched it in his hand. Bian Shengjian’s gaze was fixed on every movement of his hand, waiting for a tiny spark to ignite this conflict completely.
“Damn it, the cops are here!” another thug with dyed hair suddenly shouted, sounding annoyed. “Why do they have to show up at this time…”
The leader of the gang didn’t say anything, but at the same time, he heard the sound of sirens approaching, along with a series of footsteps getting closer. He gritted his teeth, threw the girl he had been carrying over his shoulder onto the ground like trash, and waved his hand, shouting, “Let’s go!”
“Damn, you’re lucky this time!” Tan Ming helped the girl to her feet and shouted at the thug’s retreating figure. “Don’t let me catch you here again next time, you idiot, trash!”
“Alright, Ming’er,” Bian Shengjian put his hand on Tan Ming’s shoulder and patted it, sighing. “This is as good as it gets. If we had really fought, none of us would have gotten away tonight.”
“What’s going on?” A police officer who had arrived in response to the call looked at the young group with a stern expression. “Did you report the incident?”
“Uh…” Li Fei hesitated for a moment before he was the first to react. “Yes, Officer! There was a thug here trying to loot a corpse! It just happened that we bumped into him! We were just…”
“Get to the point,” Bian Shengjian gave him a sidelong glance.
“We’ve already taken the girl back, and the thug has run away,” Li Fei said, touching his nose.
Bian Shengjian sighed again and was about to answer the police officer’s follow-up questions when he suddenly caught sight of someone at the street corner who seemed to be watching him. Sensing his gaze, the person quickly turned away.
Who was that?
Bian Shengjian furrowed his brow.
“Hey, Third brother, the police are asking you questions,” Tan Ming whispered to him, pulling him back to the conversation.
“Yeah.” Bian Shengjian shifted his gaze back, struggling to concentrate as he provided the crucial answers. The two police officers nodded and moved on to examine the girl’s condition. The crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion scattered as soon as they saw the police arrive.
However, Bian Shengjian couldn’t help but feel strangely interested in the person he had seen at the street corner just moments ago. It seemed like that person looked familiar…
Forget it.
He glanced in the direction where the person had disappeared and then withdrew his gaze, clicking his tongue in annoyance before turning back to continue cooperating with the police officers’ investigation.
Lu Shen walked to a blind spot with his hands in his pockets and quietly observed the situation for a while. A faint smile appeared on his face.
I’ll be waiting for you, you fool.
