Sun Wenqu’s phone rang. Several times. He never even looked at it.
Ma Liang glanced in from outside but didn’t go in.
It was his office, technically, but now it was Sun Wenqu’s. Sun Wenqu had been holed up there all afternoon and half the evening, not even eating.
Most of the time, even in his sleep, Sun Wenqu was lazy and careless. But when he actually started working on those skills that had shadowed him since childhood, no matter how much he hated them, it was like he loved them so much he’d sunk to the bottom of a river and couldn’t come up.
“Obsession” wasn’t the word, nor “intoxication.” Ma Liang couldn’t describe it.
Not until nearly ten did Sun Wenqu finally put down his pen and step out of the office.
“Eat something,” Hu Yuanyuan stood right up. “I’ll heat something.”
“I want noodles, sis. Make me a bowl,” Sun Wenqu checked his phone. It was new, still awkward to use. After fumbling for a while, he opened it, two missed calls from Fang Chi. “Use those sausages I brought you.”
“Alright.” Hu Yuanyuan went into the kitchen.
“No trouble, right?” Ma Liang asked. “Phone was ringing forever.”
“What trouble could I have?” Sun Wenqu tossed the phone down and sat beside him. “I’ll drive back later. Dead tired, I just want to sleep.”
“I’ll take you,” Ma Liang said.
“No need,” Sun Wenqu yawned. “I’ll go out tomorrow anyway. Need the car.”
“Mm.” Ma Liang patted his shoulder. “I told you, using a tablet or computer would be easier. But you insist on drawing by hand.”
“Don’t know how,” Sun Wenqu closed his eyes. Before Ma Liang could speak again, he added, “Don’t say learn. I don’t want to learn.”
Ma Liang laughed for a long while.
Aside from helping Fang Chi with homework, it had been years since Sun Wenqu had done anything this seriously. Before eating, he only felt a bit drowsy. After finishing Hu Yuanyuan’s bowl of noodles, his body’s exhaustion exploded all at once.
Maybe the sausage noodles were just too good.
If Fang Chi had made them, they’d be even better… No, actually, Hu Yuanyuan’s cooking was way better than Fang Chi’s.
Sun Wenqu yawned again. The road ahead was starting to blur. He rubbed his eyes, turned on the car stereo, and cranked the volume.
A pounding drumbeat that rattled even his heartbeat jolted him awake.
“Hey you! Wake up!” he bellowed along with his rough voice, tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel.
Hey you! Wake up! In…
Hey you! Rise up!
Singing along felt great, so he kept humming with it.
The car turned a corner, the road ahead led past Fang Chi’s school. He clicked his tongue, remembering Fang Chi’s expression that day when he had seen him, and the boy standing beside him, the one who had shown more interest than a stranger should.
No.
I’m not.
He clicked his tongue twice again.
Not means not.
Evening study had just ended. The road was full of students with backpacks. Wenqu scanned them, thinking if he spotted Fang Chi he’d give him a lift.
But he drove on as the crowd thinned, and there was still no sign of that kid who usually ran with giant headphones clamped on.
The road here was rough, under repair for two months with no progress. The car bounced in rhythm with the drumbeat.
Shouting along with the music, he bounced through the potholes until suddenly, ahead, a huge puddle spread across the road, probably from a busted water pipe.
“Break you…” Sun Wenqu didn’t even bother to avoid it, just yelled and drove straight through.
Water splashed high on both sides, and at that instant he spotted someone on the sidewalk.
F*ck.
Too late to brake in time.
He glanced in the mirror, silently mouthing an apology to the unlucky pedestrian, when the person suddenly raised a hand.
The next moment came a loud crash from the rear of his car, followed by the sound of shattering.
Son of a b*tch!
Sun Wenqu shot out of the puddle, braked, and jumped down from the car.
He looked at the back first, the right tail-light casing had been smashed. Anger flared. He spun around and shouted at the figure: “Hey! You… Fang Chi?”
It really was Fang Chi, headphones still clamped on his head but standing still instead of running.
“Ah.” Fang Chi looked just as surprised, froze in place, then tugged the headphones down to hang around his neck.
“You smashed my car?” Sun Wenqu glared at him. “Hey you! Rise up! Sing, serfs, sing your song!”
“I hate idiots who don’t brake when there’s water on the road… I didn’t even know it was you.” Fang Chi finally came to himself, wiped his face, patted his clothes. “You splashed me all over, I still feel like hitting someone.”
“What’d you throw?” Sun Wenqu looked at the light, quickly shifting the subject. “You’ve got some arm.”
“This.” Fang Chi held up his hand.
Wenqu glanced, he was holding a rope with a loop on the end. Looked like climbing gear.
“You walk around carrying that?” Sun Wenqu felt it was absurd.
“For self-defense.” Fang Chi put it back in his bag, then stepped up to the car and checked the light. “I’ll… fix it for you.”
“How?” Sun Wenqu stared.
“At a shop,” Fang Chi hesitated. “Or you tell me how much, I’ll pay you.”
“Forget it.” Wenqu kicked the tire. “Doesn’t cost much. I’ll get a friend to fix it. My fault anyway.”
“…Oh. Your friend won’t charge?” Fang Chi asked.
“Mm.” Sun Wenqu nodded.
Fang Chi fell silent, just stood there.
Sun Wenqu had wanted to ask what his calls were about, but when he turned his head he saw Fang Chi’s face full of discomfort and awkwardness. The words stuck in his throat.
“Then I’ll…” Fang Chi started.
“Then you…” Sun Wenqu said at the same time. When he stopped to wait, Fang Chi didn’t continue, leaving Wenqu himself embarrassed. “You called me?”
“Oh, yeah.” Fang Chi nodded. “Wanted to tell you, Fang Ying repaid thirty thousand. I can pass that to you first.”
“No rush.” Wenqu waved a hand. “It’s not like you can run.”
“…Oh.” Fang Chi answered softly, then had nothing more to say.
They stared at each other a while. Sun Wenqu couldn’t stand it anymore, turned and opened the car door. “Get in. I’ll take you back.”
Before Fang Chi could reply, Sun Wenqu circled around and opened the passenger door: “No, you take me back.”
Fang Chi hesitated, took a step toward the driver’s side, then stopped.
“Service contract’s void so now you’re all high and mighty, huh?” Sun Wenqu climbed in. “I’m dead tired. If I keep driving I’ll crash. You drive me.”
Fang Chi got in, tossed his bag into the back seat.
The moment he started the engine, the cabin exploded with ear-splitting music. His hand jerked, almost stalling it.
“D*mn,” Fang Chi turned the volume down. “Not even thirty yet and already half-deaf…”
“Roll of your life…” Sun Wenqu laughed, leaned back, eyes closing. “Life… life… life… If you don’t wanna hear it, shut it off.”
“Change the track.” Fang Chi skipped to the next song and drove off.
Music surged again, this time smoother, easier on the ears. Still intense after a couple lines, but within Fang Chi’s tolerance.
“Invisible Wounds,” Sun Wenqu murmured with eyes closed. “I like this one. You don’t like this stuff, do you?”
“It’s okay.” Fang Chi said. “Heard it before. From Resident Evil, right?”
“Dark bodss, ” Sun Wenqu belted a line. “Nosi…”
Fang Chi couldn’t help turning to look at him.
Sun Wenqu’s English pronunciation was beautiful. But Fang Chi still remembered that shepherd girl folk song sitting in his mp3, and the image of Sun Wenqu playing the erhu. Hard to reconcile with the Sun Wenqu now, eyes closed, yelling along to heavy metal.
“Diory… da da da da…” Sun Wenqu sang another line.
“Da again?” Fang Chi blinked.
“Forgot the lyrics.” Sun Wenqu grinned.
Fang Chi fell silent. Sun Wenqu too quieted down, eyes shut. When the car rolled up to Sun Wenqu’s place, Fang Chi realized he was asleep.
“We’re here.” Fang Chi nudged him.
It took several pushes before Sun Wenqu opened his eyes. Fang Chi stared into his bloodshot eyes: “What the h*ll’d you do to become like this?
“Battle of the bed, one whole day and night.” Sun Wenqu yawned, pushed the door open, got out.
Fang Chi frowned, followed him out, locked the car, and handed him the keys.
“Tomorrow…” Sun Wenqu took them, then chuckled. “Oh right, contract’s void. Fine then, thanks.”
“I’ll get you the money soon,” Fang Chi said.
“No worries.” Sun Wenqu opened the gate, walked inside. “Never thought you’d manage anyway.”
Back home, he didn’t even shower, just collapsed straight into bed.
That was better, spared him pointless overthinking.
But Sun Wenqu hadn’t touched this kind of work in ages, and jumping right in with something like this was exhausting.
In a few days he drew a full set of teapot designs for Ma Liang. But the big-spender, sunglasses-wearing, foreign-returned client wasn’t satisfied. With deliberately vague and “sophisticated” words, he replied: “Very creative, eye-catching, but still lacking just that tiny little bit, just a little.”
“F*ck.” Sun Wenqu lay flat, unwilling to move. “All my life I’ve made so much, and this is the first time some godd*mn layman dares tell me I’m missing a tiny little bit.”
“Well, that’s why he’s a lay… layman,” Ma Liang leaned on the bedroom doorway, cigarette dangling. “So… how to handle it?”
“I’ll draw another set.” Wenqu stared at the ceiling. “I feel it’s a bit off too, but not the same as what he feels. Still, it is a bit off…”
“Wenqu,” Ma Liang took a drag, “this is the side of you I like.”
“Me lying here naked?” Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue. “Knew you and Hu Yuanyuan were just a marriage of convenience.”
“F*ck off.” Ma Liang laughed. “I mean, if you do another and he still says it’s lacking… what then?”
“Then I won’t do it.” Sun Wenqu said. “Tell him to find someone whose work doesn’t lack that magic bit. Big ego. I’ll put up with his posturing elsewhere, but with ceramics? Screw him.”
Ma Liang just smiled around his cigarette.
“You’re annoying,” Sun Wenqu sat up, thought a moment. “Actually, I shouldn’t care what he says. I’ll just take the set I’m satisfied with and make it real…”
Ma Liang’s head snapped up, cigarette nearly falling.
“Oh wait, no, you make it, or get someone to make it.” Sun Wenqu climbed out of bed, dressing as he spoke. “I think he can’t read drawings. Once it’s made, it won’t be lacking anymore.”
“Mm.” Ma Liang nodded.
“Come on, let’s get wild.” Sun Wenqu washed his face, grabbed a yogurt, and headed out.
It was Zhang Lin’s birthday party.
Ma Liang drove. Outside Li Bowen’s bar, he stopped but didn’t get out, staring at Sun Wenqu.
“What?” Sun Wenqu asked back.
“Feels like tonight you’re… gonna stir up trouble.” Ma Liang said.
“Really?” Sun Wenqu smirked.
“I kn–know you too well.” Ma Liang pointed at him. “You’re here for Li Bowen.”
“So what, you planning to stop me?” Sun Wenqu’s lip curled.
“I–I’ll let you in,” Ma Liang said. “But it’s Zhang Lin’s birthday. Don’t wreck her party.”
“Relax. I’ll eat, drink, have fun first.” Sun Wenqu laughed. “And then?”
“That’s it.” Ma Liang opened the door. “I’ll back you up. Otherwise maybe he’d hand you your *ss.”
“No wonder I love you.” Sun Wenqu clapped his shoulder and got out.
Zhang Lin’s birthday wasn’t anything special, just an excuse for the group to gather. As soon as they sat down, Zhang Lin called out: “No happy birthday wishes, don’t say it, don’t say it, ”
“Happy birthday.” Sun Wenqu leaned back in his chair.
“Sun Wenqu! One day I swear I’ll beat you up!” Zhang Lin pointed at him. “You’re unbearable.”
“Thirty and still beautiful. Be proud.”
“Oh my god.” Zhang Lin slapped her face, laughing. “Thank heaven this b*stard doesn’t like women.”
The room turned into noisy chaos, drinking, singing, joking around.
Luo Peng had brought liquor. Sun Wenqu drank a bit, felt pretty good. He chatted, listened, but never once met Li Bowen’s eyes.
Li Bowen, though, kept looking at him. Tried to cut in on his conversations several times. Sun Wenqu ignored him, afraid he’d lose patience before long and sock him.
But Li Bowen persisted. At last, glass in hand, he came over, sat beside him. “Wenqu, with your dad… everything okay?”
Annoyance flared. Wenqu hated talking about this in front of friends. But Li Bowen spoke loud, and the people nearby turned their heads: “Wenqu, you and the old man fell out again?”
Wenqu stayed silent, sipped his drink.
“No fight,” Li Bowen said. “The old man just wants Wenqu to come back and help. He won’t.”
“Wenqu, how about you stop butting heads with your dad all the time…” someone tried to persuade.
“It’s not that simple.” Sun Wenqu suppressed the anger in his heart. The relationship between him and his dad, let alone outsiders, even he himself couldn’t sort it out clearly. Usually he didn’t want to bring it up much, and everyone didn’t really ask.
Now that Li Bowen summed it up like this, the whole thing changed flavor.
“Anyway, right now the old man has cut off Wenqu’s supplies and isn’t letting us lend Wenqu money either, trying to force him.” Li Bowen sighed.
“Who did I ask to borrow from?” Sun Wenqu originally didn’t want to fall out with Li Bowen at this moment, but he really couldn’t hold the anger down.
“Once the economy’s blockaded, if you’ve got no money you’ll definitely have to borrow. Your dad’s already calculated it.” Li Bowen frowned.
“If you secretly borrowed, he wouldn’t find out anyway,” someone said.
“Well who knows. It’s better not to borrow first. If the old man finds out, wouldn’t he get even angrier?” Li Bowen said.
“F*ck,” Ma Liang, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. Hearing that, he took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a card, and put it into Sun Wenqu’s hand. “Password is your bi—birthday.”
Then he looked at Li Bowen again. “I’m f—f*cking giving it openly. Let’s see how the old man could pos—possibly find out.”
“Liangzi, why bother doing this?” Li Bowen said.
“If he kn—knows, it’s because you said it,” Ma Liang pointed at him. “Y—you’re the one who’s best at doing f—f*cking sneaky sh*t.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Luo Peng hurriedly stepped out to smooth things over. “What’s going on here?”
“Bowen, come out.” Sun Wenqu felt like he couldn’t stay any longer and stood up, walking out of the private room.
“No, Wenqu, if you and Liangzi have any opinions about me, say it in front of everyone,” Li Bowen also stood up. “We grew up together since childhood. Everyone here has seen how I treat you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” someone else got up and pulled Wenqu. “What are you doing? Bowen, your relationship with him, we all know it. Bowen has never had a second thought about you. Liangzi, seriously, what are you saying?”
“I’m telling the truth.” Ma Liang sat there without moving.
“Wenqu,” Li Bowen said with a gloomy face, “do we have some misunderstanding? Tell me properly. If there’s something I didn’t do well then you—”
Li Bowen didn’t finish his sentence before Sun Wenqu had already smashed a punch into his nose.
Everyone in the private room froze. Li Bowen covered his nose and swayed. When he removed his hand, blood flowed out from his nose.
“Oh my god! Wenqu, what are you doing!” Zhang Lin shouted.
Sun Wenqu didn’t speak. He threw a second punch at Li Bowen’s face. Li Bowen staggered and fell onto the sofa behind him, staring at him in shock, saying with some difficulty, “Wenqu, what’s wrong with you!”
“You know d*mn well yourself!” Sun Wenqu pointed at him. When he tried to pounce again, several people grabbed hold of him.
After everyone came back to their senses, they all rushed over to hold back Sun Wenqu who was trying to struggle free. Sun Wenqu had a bad temper, he had flipped tables, cursed people, and thrown tantrums before but he had never actually laid hands on anyone.
This time not only had he hit someone, he had hit Li Bowen, the childhood friend who in everyone’s eyes had always been unquestionably good to him.
“What’s going on? Wenqu, why are you being so impulsive!” Everyone was pulling him while persuading him, while the girls over there hurriedly grabbed tissues to wipe the blood off Li Bowen.
“Let go of me!” Sun Wenqu roared.
No one loosened their grip.
Ma Liang, who had been sitting on the sofa without moving, stood up. With one hand he picked up a beer bottle, then another, and smashed them against the coffee table with a bang. Holding the two jagged bottle necks in his hands, he walked over.
“Let him go.”
The posture stunned everyone. They subconsciously released Sun Wenqu’s arms.
Li Bowen pushed away Zhang Lin who was wiping his blood, suddenly leaned sideways, trying to dodge the kick Sun Wenqu sent toward his stomach.
Sun Wenqu’s kick missed, but he quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him up again, punching him in the stomach.
“Don’t act innocent in front of me! Aren’t you tired of acting? I’m f*cking tired of even watching it!”
After several punches, Li Bowen finally stopped dodging. Mainly because Ma Liang was standing there like a pillar, no one could come over to break up the fight for the moment.
He struggled to jump up and shoved Sun Wenqu, then kicked back.
“I must have been blind! My best friend treats me like this!”
Sun Wenqu wasn’t exactly great at fighting, but at least he soaked in the gym every day. Before going up the mountain he also went to the gym daily just to watch shirtless old men. Someone like Li Bowen, who basically never exercised, was not his match.
After only a few exchanges, Li Bowen was grabbed by the collar and pressed to the ground.
“I’m not your best friend,” Sun Wenqu punched him in the face again. “Your best friend is yourself!”
The private room door was pushed open. Several security guards and waiters rushed in, pulling Sun Wenqu up and dragging him aside. But because they all knew Sun Wenqu was their boss’s “best friend,” when they saw Li Bowen’s face covered in blood, no one dared to touch Sun Wenqu directly. They just hurried to help Li Bowen up.
“Brother Li, this…”
“Is it even now? Have you vented your anger?” Li Bowen wiped the blood off his face and looked at Sun Wenqu.
“It’s not even, and my anger’s not gone,” Sun Wenqu stared at him. “What you’ve done and what you’ve said, you know it in your heart. Others can say we have a misunderstanding. Only you and I know there’s no misunderstanding between us!”
“Wenqu, Wenqu,” Luo Peng came over and wrapped an arm around Sun Wenqu’s shoulders. “You hit too hard. How did it turn out like this!”
“I’ve grown this big, and what I hate most is hearing people explain things, and what I hate next most is explaining things to people,” Sun Wenqu looked at everyone in the private room. “And I care the least about what other people think of me or how they judge me. So do whatever you want.”
The private room was very quiet. Even the music had stopped at some point.
Sun Wenqu pointed at Li Bowen. “I just want you to know this: the reason I hung out with you and smiled at you was because I was giving Uncle Li face. I’ve endured enough.”
Ma Liang threw the half bottle in his hand onto the ground and walked out of the private room together with Sun Wenqu.
“Your hand okay?” Sun Wenqu asked while sitting in the car.
“It’s fi—fine,” Ma Liang glanced at him. “So you’ve basically th—thrown away all those friends?”
“Throw them away then. If it can disappear just like that, it wasn’t really friendship anyway.” Sun Wenqu lowered his head.
“Give me back the card.” Ma Liang said.
“F*ck,” Sun Wenqu laughed and tossed the card back to him. “The password really is my birthday?”
“In your dr—dreams,” Ma Liang clicked his tongue. “It’s my wi—wife’s birthday.”
“You’re too good at acting,” Sun Wenqu laughed so hard he couldn’t stop, then pressed his temple. “You drank a lot, didn’t you?”
“Qu—quite a lot,” Ma Liang handed him the car keys. “You dri—drive?”
“I drank a lot too. Alcohol really boosts a hero’s courage,” Sun Wenqu leaned back and sighed. “I’ll call my son to come drive.”
