Chapter 28 – I Coax You, You Coax Me

By the time the two men went down, the other five had already sat down around the large round table farthest from the stairs.

Yang Yue waved and shouted, “Madame Boss!”

And then he turned around and said to Bai Huai, who was taking out a tissue and carefully rubbing the table and the chair. “Bai Huai, can you not understand what I’ve said earlier? Even if the chair is a little gray, your ass won’t rot if you sit on it. Please don’t let me lose my dignity here.”

Bai Huai didn’t look up but Jiang Songyi did. He gave a look towards Yang Yue.

Yang Yue’s face did not change but he spoke a little calmer than before. “I, Yang Yue don’t deserve dignity. Master Bai, please rub it well!”

Lu Qi Feng could not help but chuckle. “Be Good.”

“What can I say? I am resilient.” Yang Yue smiles before turning his head. “Madame, are you here yet?” He called out.

“Coming, coming!”

A kind-looking but excessively thin woman rushed out with a menu. Her face is so wrinkled that no one could easily determine whether she was in her forties or fifties.

With a smile on her face, she spoke, “It’s only 05:30. We haven’t opened the doors yet. You’re too early.”

Yang Yue took the menu from her. “If we haven’t come early, then there would be too many people and the seats would be occupied already. It will also take an hour for food to arrive. To tell you the truth, your business is so good that you should really hire a few more helpers.” He jokes.

The landlady wiped her hands against her apron. “Hey, we won’t be able to make a profit if we would hire too many people for this small business of ours. We won’t earn enough to pay for them. It’s already enough to have two people working here to wash vegetables and cut meat. Besides, my son helps us after his schooling every day.”

“Your son seems to be in his third year of high school. Don’t you let him focus on his studies?”

Yang Yue is already a better mother than the boss’ wife, but at the end of the day, the middle-aged woman is still the mother and has the right to decide for her son’s future.

The proprietor’s wife smiles sadly. “With my son’s grades, even if he studies hard, he won’t be able to go to a good college. It’s better for him to just come back and help out here in our restaurant.”

Yang Yue was about to say a few more words, but Bai Huai interrupted their conversation: “Are you here for dinner or to be a neighborhood committee wanting to gossip?”

The landlady didn’t want to talk about her son either, so she went along with it. “Yes, you’re right. Please state your order quickly. I’ll let Xiaoding, my old man, cook your orders first and pick the best meat we have right now. Otherwise, when the customers started piling up, we would be forced to give it at random.”

As she inadvertently glanced across Bai Huai, she tilted her head and gently hissed. “This handsome guy feels a little familiar. Have you brought him here before?” 

While burying her head in the menu, Yang Yue spoke, how is that possible when I’ve only met him recently, madame? Don’t talk to me if you see a handsome guy or would you like to see if the handsome guy next to him looks familiar too?”

The landlady’s eyes fixated over on Bai Huai as her lips resemble a frown. It’s as if she had really seen Bai Huai before but couldn’t pinpoint where and how.

What happened to Bai Huai? He was not sure since this is also his first time being here and seeing the landlady.

He picked his lips and smiled, “It’s normal to look familiar. Others say I look like Leonardo, and the one next to me looks like Song Xiaobao. They are all popular. Who else doesn’t look familiar?”

This amused the proprietress: “Nonsense, this handsome guy should at least look like a Takeshi Kaneshiro. Ok, I am going to be busy now. Call me or Xiaoding if you need anything. “

With that, she took the menu from Yang Yue and then headed back to the small bungalow.

Bai Huai turned his head and half-squinted his eyes towards Jian Songyi.: “Song Xiaobao?”

“What is it? They all have two eyes, one nose, and one mouth. What’s the difference?”

During the military training, Bai Huai had taken care of Jian Songyi for the most time, enough to make him feel embarrassed and avoid talking to him as much as possible. But right now, since they are already out of the environment, he could not help but express his anger and frustrations towards him more freely.

His statement did not annoy Bai Huai, though. Instead, he smiled. “I have just seen the Wild Hunter. If you say you are like Leonardo, then I think Song Xiaobao is also quite cute.”

Jian Songyi: “…..”

He had thought that Bai Huai had changed his ways after everything that had happened in camp, but upon hearing his statement, Jian Songyi concluded that Bai Huai’s mouth is still as poisonous as always.

And then Bai Huai used the tea on the table to iron out the table cloth over the table.

“Master Bai, can you please iron out my side too?” He asked in a teasing manner. 

Bai Huai placed his cup slowly before looking at  Yang Yue. “Do you want to die?” He asked with a very gentle yet sarcastic tone. 

Yang Yue: “…..”

Double standard. Master Bai thought it was cute when Brother Song was teasing him and yet he was labeled like a garbage dog when he did it.

……….

The barbecue of the blind man is self-help, with a hollowed-out table in the middle, a stove under it, and an iron net on it.

Brush a layer of oil and wait for it to spread before rolling in the fat and thin pork. Wait for it to cook before turning it around. As the meat began to ooze out crystal beads of oil, everyone would smell the savory fragrance, and yet the cook would make sure that it won’t turn out to be greasy.

Then sprinkle a layer of secret cumin and chili powder meticulously and evenly. The cook shall shake off the excess seasonings before wrapping it with a large piece of lettuce and then place it over into the mouth. The pure smell of meat instantly infiltrates the tip of the tongue and fills the whole mouth with endless aftertaste.

The refreshing point of gorging on meat is here.

After the storm ingested several yuan, Yang Yue was still not satisfied: “No, you can’t eat a lot of meat without a lot of wine! Madame, give me a case of Qingdao, canned, and chilled!”

“Alright! Xiaoding, carry it over! “

A can was set in front of each person. Yang Yue, Xu Jiaxing, and Lu Qi Feng opened theirs and took a sip as soon as the can of alcohol was seated in front of them. After taking their first gulp, the three of them let out a refreshed sigh.

And then there’s Jian Songyi. He was about to open his can but Bai Huai grabbed it ahead of him. He gave him a contemptuous look. “The three of them are already grown up. Are you an adult?”

Jian Songyi: “?”

It seems like their country does not stipulate that minors are not allowed to drink alcohol, unlike the other countries. 

 Bai Huai ignored him and turned to the one who was serving them, and said, “Come and give us a coke please.”

Zhuo Luo raised his hand while eating meat: “I also want Coke. None of us sweeties can drink alcohol!”

Bai Huai held back a smile and glanced at Jian Songyi: “Did you hear that?”

Jian Songyi is getting more annoyed with Bai Huai’s teasing, but he is afraid that he would continue to cue his identity as an Omega, so he could only accept and take the can of Coke angrily. Nevertheless, to get back at him, he shook it on his back while Bai Huai is grilling some meat.

Then as if he did not do anything wrong, he pushed his can of coke toward Bai Huia. With an arrogant look of a young master that hadn’t touched dirt and spring water all his life, Jian Songyi spoke: “My hand hurts. I can’t open it.”

The other five fairies present: “…..”

Are they starting to hallucinate already? What evil spirit has come to covet Brother Song?

Yu Ziguo secretly took a sip of his beer. He needed it to make himself bold enough and speak what was on his mind, which he actually did: “Perhaps, have you ever heard of the saying that the grumpy old Omega, who can hold dumbbells in one hand, will be too delicate to unscrew the top of his bottle in front of his own Alpha?”

“…..”

The hot barbecue table was plunged into deathly serenity.

After a while, the remaining four people unanimously gave a thumbs-up to Yu Ziguo: “You’re a brave warrior that will be missed.”

Jian Songyi’s face darkened instantly. He was about to withdraw the can, but Bai Huai had already grabbed and taken over it.

Although instead of opening it in front of him, he stretched his arms out and pushed Yang Yue down so he could point the can over his mouth. 

Bai Huai holds the can tightly while his index finger hooks the ring and pulls it off gently.

“Puff-”

Happy water gushed out of the bubbling fat house.

Yang Yue, who is closest to the can, was baptized.

“…..”

Yang Yue was stunned for a moment and then burst into tears. “Master Bai! Why? Why did you do this to me?  Don’t you like me?! I was still your darling during the military training!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know the coke was shaken before it was handed over to me.”

Of course, Bai Huai will not tell him that he still remembers his hatred towards him. Not after he gave Jian Songyi an inflatable soft pillow that almost ruined his plans. He calmly pulls out the paper towel and wipes the can with it before placing it back in front of Jian Songyi with a smile playing on his lips. 

“Isn’t that right, Brother Song?”

Jian Songyi took the can and sipped it more calmly: “Well, I don’t know. Maybe it was Xiaoding who shook it.”

Yang Yue: “…..”

The pair of Alpha dogs are ganging upon him. Whether they are quarreling or flirting, it’s always Yang Yue who is getting hurt. What on Earth did he do wrong for them to treat him this way?

Angry and aggrieved, he picked up a can of beer and shook it wildly before pointing it over at Xu Jiaxing who instantly jerked away.

Xu Jiaxing, who is eating meat: “?”

‘What did I do wrong?’, he thought to himself in surprise.

With that, he placed down the meat he is eating and grabbed a can at each hand to declare war against both Yang Yue and Lu Qi Feng at the same time. 

The war spreads and several people got into a mess, cursing, laughing, hiding, and finally chased it in the open concrete ground.

A good dinner turned inexplicably into a water fight.

Xiaoding watches from the sidelines and he could not help but ask his wife: “Are these students really from that Nanwai school? Are they really third-year high schoolers from one of the best high schools? I am starting to worry about the future of our country.” 

His wife: “…..”

No one dared to mess with Bai Huai and Jian Songyi and the two didn’t want to get wet and sticky, so they just sat in their seats while enjoying their barbecue.

While enjoying Bai Huai’s private barbecue service, Jian Songyi raised a question: “Why do you always bully Yang Yue?”

“I’m not bullying anyone. I just want to create a diversion. Why? Do you think you could beat them by grabbing all of the meats? Or would you rather continue to hear Yu Ziguo preaching about our sweet and touching love story?”

Jian Songyi: “……”

Out of all the places, Jian Songyi had to make all of these mistakes to lead up to this moment. He could not help but be embarrassed.

He stole a slice of meat from Bai Huai before murmuring: “Do you think Yu Ziguo had found out that I am an Omega? If not, then why are you playing along with his remarks?”

Bai Huai smiles faintly. “Don’t worry. He won’t figure it out with his IQ. Come to think of it, if ever, it would be the first time you get exposed.”

Yu Ziguo should believe that Jian Songyi is an Alpha.

But he is so chatty regarding the topic. Perhaps the reason that he is so nosy is that he believes in his fortune-telling so much or maybe because he notices that Jian Songyi is way more relaxed around Bai Huai.

Nonetheless, their relationship oughts to confuse bystanders. After all, Yu Ziguo is the latest addition to their group. He may know lesser, but it also means that he is the one to see the clearest.

Once the water fight had come to an end, vegetarian mutton kebabs, raw oysters, and others came coming out just in time. 

New guests also came, which were then the landlady greeted. Meanwhile, the blind boss walked in with a barbecue plate.

A very thin middle-aged man moved freely. He bypassed the tables and chairs and even placed the plate on the shelf safely. It’s as if he is not blind at all. If it were not for his gray and cloudly eyes, no one would think that he is actually impaired.

He sets up the barbecue and then smiled stiffly. “Have a taste.” He announced.

“That must be good, uncle. The of you cook has always been impossible to top off. Please continue eating and don’t worry about us. Guys, you should have a taste of this!” Yang Yue said enthusiastically as he shares the barbecue with everyone.

Everyone tasted it and found out that it was really good.

It’s just cooked right. It’s not undercooked or overcooked. It’s evenly seasoned well too!

“Is this really grilled by a blind man? How did he do that?” One might wonder.

Yang Yue ate an oyster before wiping his mouth. He then explained in a low voice: “He opened this restaurant for more than ten to twenty years. At first, it was just a cart, and then it turned into a small restaurant. It was going so well until their son had gotten into an accident. They lost a lot of money because of it their supposed next upgrade never happened and it turned like this.” He started. Yang Yue had to pause a little to drink but then carried on.

 “The blind owner didn’t lose his sight because he smoked all year round. It is because he had cataracts. It was not serious at all, but then he has the great pressure under his shoulder to send his two sons to school, so he was reluctant to spend money on his treatment. He never went to see a doctor and then he smoked all year round that it became serious little by little.” 

“It was not easy to make a decision to go under an operation, but when he finally did, his son had gotten into an accident. His 13-year-old child decided that it was a good idea to jump off the sixth floor. Can you believe it? Although he did not end up dead, his leg sure got broken. Do you think the couple was sad because of what happened? They only have their tears to wash their faces every day. It was just the worst.” 

Yang Yue sighed. “I do not know the whole story, but this person’s life is just, ah! If he can take care of his business then he should’ve taken care of himself too. Imagine how much more delicious food he could make when he could make everything this tasty while cooking without sight, right?”

Both Zhuo Luo and Yu Ziguo were on the verge of crying after hearing Yang Yue’s story. They nodded desperately with the red tints around their eyes.

Meanwhile, Lu Qi Feng and Jian Songyi could not help but set their eyes on Bai Huai. Bai Huai’s expression looked no different. He still looks calm and indifferent as usual.

After slowly eating what was on his plate, he wiped his hands and stood up: “I’m going to the bathroom.”

With that, he went to the bungalow.

When Yang Yue saw him leaving, he swallowed a few pieces of meat in his mouth with great effort, and then shouted at his throat, “The bathroom is upstairs. Don’t let it out anywhere if you couldn’t find it!”

By the time he finished, Bai Huai had already come out of the bungalow and went straight to the stairs. Maybe he had just asked the landlady for directions, or he might want to go somewhere else.

Jian Songyi looked at his back for three seconds and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

Every time Bai Huai was in a bad mood, he would be like this, as if nothing had happened, but he would leave by himself, and it was not until he was adjusted that he appeared again.

When Jian Songyi thought of this, he could not help but be a little upset. “I’m going to the bathroom too.” He then stated before standing up.

Jian Songyi walked faster than normal, making long strides each step he goes just so he could catch up to Bai Huai. “Are you going to the restroom and not come back? Then you’d tell me that you have diarrhea and you needed to go as soon as possible? That it is convenient not to see other people until you feel fine?”

Bai Huai paused.

Jian Songyi then took a deep breath. “Bai Huai, I am seriously telling you now. I am angry.”

Bai Huai slowly turned around and looked down at Jian Songyi.

He was already five centimeters taller than Jian Songyi, but he looks like a giant to him now as he had advanced two steps on the staircase already. Bai Huai is so much taller than Jian Songyi and had the need to tilt his head up, showcasing his sharp jawline upward. It was enough to make him look aggressive.

“Bai Huai, I am really pissed.” He insisted, his voice sounding a bit colder than usual.

Bai Huai lowered his eyes: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have lied to you that it’s alright.”

“I’m not fucking mad that you lied to me.” There is a bit more dryness in the cold voice, “I am angry that every time something happens to me, you are there, but when something happens to you, you just want to carry it on your own every time.”

“The last time that you went to Beicheng for the exam, you obviously met Wang Hai. Lu Qi Feng saw you and Wang Hai in an argument back then, but you didn’t say a word to me. You didn’t even see anyone for two fucking days. I mean, I understand that we didn’t have a good relationship back then so it’s all good…” Jian Songyi trailed off.

“…But this time? I am obviously asking you, but you still won’t say anything about it. And you’re even planning to pay the whole bill before disappearing into thin air! Is that right? Do you even regard me as your friend?”

“Bai Huai, you didn’t do anything wrong from beginning to end. You are also a victim. Why on earth do you have to blame yourself? You even went to Beicheng for three years? “

“For three years, I didn’t see you. You didn’t even call or message me on WeChat. You didn’t even dare reply to my messages for New Year greetings, and then you’re just suddenly going to pop back into my life as if nothing happened. What do you think should I think? How can I not be angry? How can I not hate you?”

“It’s not easy for me to be mad at you right now, but you’re doing it all over again. When I think about it, you used to lock yourself in your room the whole day and night just because of that stupid thing. You didn’t say a word to me for two to three weeks. And before I know it, you left. You were gone without even saying goodbye. I was fucking bored waiting for you and then you just left me alone in a blink of an eye.”

Jian Songyi breathed 

“…So if something happens to you in the future, will you stop thinking about hiding without even talking to me? Just inform me if you are unhappy today, if you were unhappy yesterday, or if you feel like you’re going to be unhappy tomorrow. Just please tell me and let me fucking coax you.” Jian Songyi lets out another deep sigh before turning around to look over at the withered vines clustered around the iron fence.

Bai Huai looked down at Jian Songyi.

His beautiful eyes were a little red from his overflowing emotion. Jian Songyi’s hands are resting against his hips while his chest rapidly goes up and down while he is mindlessly kicking stones impatiently.

He is really angry. 

Bai Huai suddenly felt a lot of pain in his heart. A sharp piercing pain kept striking his heart one after the other. He always thought that Jian Songyi hated him ever since just because of his temper and his limelight. He did not expect that Jian Songyi would be mad at him because he left without leaving a proper farewell.

He has been nothing but selfish. He had misunderstood everything.

Bai Huai only knew about his loneliness and his unspeakable bitter love for someone that would never happen. He only thought about his confusion and struggling, but he had never realized that a certain someone would miss him if he left him alone in Nancheng.

He always felt that Jian Songyi would be fine for he has everything: lovely and loving parents, many and lively kind-hearted friends, countless people who like and adore him. He thought that he has so many people who cherishes him that it doesn’t matter if he lost one. 

Bai Huai doesn’t talk to Jian Songyi about many things, but it’s not because he doesn’t care for him. It’s all because he cherishes him too much that he doesn’t want him to feel burdened about it. To him, Jian Songyi is an innocent child that he shouldn’t scar. If he could, he would not share the dark corners of the world. He would do everything he can for him to stay under the sun and the bright light of happiness.

But it ended up that it was not the case and he failed.

Bai Huai never regretted leaving Nancheng so much as he does now.

He dared not imagine the fact that after he left, Little Songyi would hide under his blanket alone as he wanted to make a phone call. How Litlle Songyi must’ve mentally debated whether to call him or not to demand a reason why he left and when would he come back. That he always thought for a long time and canceled again and again until dawn.

He couldn’t dare thought the scenario after Jian Songyi send out the holiday greeting. The way he would wait and stay on WeChat to wait for his avatar to light a red dot on its corner, so they can start talking about their past and the good ol’ times. 

He also dared not tell Jian Songyi that he had avoided Jian Songyi so much because he had differentiated into an Alpha. And the fact that he had chosen to leave not because of the accident, but because of Jian Songyi’s inexplicable mind that the others exposed him in that accident.

Bai Huai is aware that this may or may not boil down to the fact that he loves Jian Songyi so much, and his words are probably just from the standpoint of a best friend he grew up with. But no matter what position it was, Jian Songyi never lied to him. Their relationship is different from the others. For three years Bai Huai owed Jian Songyi, he didn’t know how to give him a proper explanation nor ask how to make him forgive him. He could ask for forgiveness for the rest of his life and it may not still be not enough.

For a while, Bai Huai opened his mouth slowly, his voice deep and gentle: “I am sorry. It’s all my fault. I won’t leave nor avoid you anymore. I always coax you, so can you coax me too by giving me a hug?”

The afterglow of the setting sun is scattered on the withered vines, and it is said that only when the old and withered branches are broken will a new green grow next spring.

Add as the time passes by: year by year, it only gets better and better. 

……….

NOTE: I’ve made changes since I’ve just recently figured out that Yang Yue is indeed a man. From this chapter to those that are going to follow, he would be addressed as ‘he’. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.