A Dog Out of Nowhere Chapter 91

Sun Wenqu and Fang Chi didn’t go straight back to his place; they went to the studio first.

Ma Liang hadn’t gone to rest yet; he was still studying clay ratios with a technician. Hu Yuanyuan was tidying up in the showroom, and when she saw them come in, she smiled: “That meeting-the-parents meal of yours was pretty quick. Did you get full?”

“Packed some late-night snacks,” Fang Chi raised the box of spring rolls in his hand. “Want some?”

“So you really didn’t get full,” Hu Yuanyuan came over, took the box, and looked inside. “I’ll fix these up for you. Want anything else?”

“No need, I’m full,” Sun Wenqu sat down on the sofa. “He probably didn’t eat well at that meal.”

“It was exhausting eating, and your family all eats so little, just a few bites and chopsticks down. I didn’t feel right eating too much either,” Fang Chi smiled, then set the bag of New Year goods on the table. “I brought you guys some food from home.”

“Oh, nice,” Hu Yuanyuan leaned in with interest. “Hey Fang Little Chi, I’m telling you, I really love the meat your grandpa makes, so fragrant!”

“Then I’ll have Grandpa make more next time and bring it over.”

“Don’t, this is plenty and will last a long time,” Hu Yuanyuan said. “Your grandpa’s getting old, don’t tire him out.”

Hearing that, Fang Chi’s heart trembled lightly, and he sighed. “Yeah.”

Hu Yuanyuan went to heat up the spring rolls. Ma Liang and Sun Wenqu sat on the sofa and continued their earlier discussion, while Fang Chi wandered around the showroom.

He only knew Sun Wenqu had made a new tea set. When he told Sun Wenqu’s dad it looked nice, he didn’t even know what it looked like, now he finally saw it.

The tea set looked almost like a semi-finished product, very rough. The color was hard to describe, black with a muddy tint. On the small label beside it was Sun Wenqu’s name, and in the “work title” section, the characters weren’t printed, they looked handwritten later. Just one word: “Beginning.”

Second year of middle school.

Fang Chi automatically filled it in, and after doing so he wanted to laugh, no idea why he filled in something like that.

Second year, fifteen years old.

He stood in front of the tea set chuckling to himself for quite a while.

“Th-this, pre-pretty effective, resu-result,” Ma Liang glanced back at Fang Chi. “Lo-looks like he’s stu-stunned silly.”

“Let’s go with this idea then, this series will use ‘Beginning’ as the name,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “With the previous classifications, we’ll have three series. We can push one series as the main focus…”

“Th-this one, Beginning,” Ma Liang immediately said. “I like it. This is you, you from before, the most au-authentic you.”

“So pretentious,” Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue. “You’re the boss, you decide.”

The reheated spring rolls actually tasted pretty good. Ma Liang tried one, Hu Yuanyuan said she was dieting and wouldn’t eat after noon, and Fang Chi finished the rest.

“Not afraid of getting heat,” Sun Wenqu stood up and put on his coat. “Let’s go, head back and sleep.”

“I don’t really get heaty.”

“In the fu-future, even less li-likely to get ‘heaty,’” Ma Liang patted his shoulder.

Sun Wenqu pointed at Ma Liang: “Watch what you say around a minor.”

Fang Chi chuckled again, feeling like his brain had been filled with something strange tonight.

But when they got back to Sun Wenqu’s place, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

“Call now,” Sun Wenqu checked the time. “About ten, should be fine.”

“Mm.” Fang Chi sank into the sofa, took out his phone, dialed his dad’s number, but didn’t press call.

He felt a bit nervous, and oddly embarrassed.

“I’ll go take a shower,” Sun Wenqu went into the bedroom, grabbed some clothes, and came out. “You call first.”

“Not going to coach me more on what to say?” Fang Chi thought it might be easier if Sun Wenqu stepped away, but when he said he was going to shower, he suddenly felt uneasy.

“I used to worry you’d say something off, but,” Sun Wenqu knelt one leg on the sofa, braced a hand against the wall, and lowered his head to kiss the tip of his nose, “now I realize you’re actually pretty reliable. No need for more coaching.”

Fang Chi tilted his head back and smiled. As Sun Wenqu was about to turn toward the bathroom, he grabbed his arm and pulled.

Sun Wenqu stumbled and fell onto the sofa; Fang Chi pounced on him, pressing him down and kissing him hard for a long time.

“Hey,” Sun Wenqu wiped his mouth, “someone who didn’t know would think we’re enemies.”

“Go shower,” Fang Chi smiled.

When he pressed call on his dad’s number, Fang Chi’s hand trembled a little.

Logically, he’d already gone through something similar with his grandparents, so he shouldn’t be this nervous, but this was different. Even if he went through it a thousand times with a thousand people, he would still be nervous.

These were his family. Even if his parents hadn’t taken much care of him growing up, they were still the ones who loved him most.

No matter how much he tried to encourage himself, he was still just as nervous, filled with unease and guilt.

His dad’s phone rang for quite a while without being answered, and then it hung up automatically.

Fang Chi stared at the phone, made sure he hadn’t dialed wrong, and started worrying.

Was his dad sick? Did something happen at home?

Why wasn’t he answering?

He frowned, bit his lip, and dialed again.

His mood shifted back and forth between tension and worry with the ringing tone.

This time, his dad picked up quickly: “Hello? Little Chi?”

The moment he heard his dad’s voice, Fang Chi felt his breathing stop for a second. Hearing that “Little Chi,” his nose suddenly stung, and then he felt a bit lost.

Though his dad had never hit him, he did get angry. And when angry, he usually called him “Fang Chi.”

But now, he called him “Little Chi.”

“Dad, it’s me,” Fang Chi said softly. “Um… have you gone to bed? Why didn’t you pick up earlier?”

“The wire on the rooftop got chewed through by a rat. I was fixing it just now, left my phone inside,” his dad’s voice sounded normal. “You’ve eaten, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve eaten,” Fang Chi didn’t quite know how to continue. His dad’s attitude made him feel like maybe Grandpa hadn’t told him yet. “I… I’ll come back early tomorrow morning.”

“Alright.” His dad responded.

After that, both of them fell silent. This kind of silence felt familiar, when he called his parents, there were often awkward pauses. They wouldn’t know what to say, pause for a bit, then hang up.

But today he couldn’t hang up. Yet he didn’t know how to continue either.

“Well,” his dad spoke first, “today… your grandpa discussed with me.”

Discussed.

Your grandpa discussed with me.

His dad was a rough man, dealt mostly with workers. Suddenly hearing him use a word like “discussed”, so formal, a bit out of place, made Fang Chi feel uncomfortable. His own situation had made this New Year heavy with pain and tension for both grandparents and parents.

“Mm, Dad,” Fang Chi said quietly, “sorry. I should’ve told you myself…”

“It’s fine. Whoever says it is the same, as long as it’s not an outsider telling me,” his dad said; from the sound, he’d lit a cigarette. “About this… I don’t really know what to say. Your grandpa told me a lot today, about you, and about how your mom and I haven’t really paid enough attention to you growing up.”

“I turned out fine, didn’t I? I… I don’t blame you,” Fang Chi said softly.

“Actually, it’s not that we didn’t care,” his dad took a drag. “If you were a daughter, we definitely wouldn’t have been like this. It’s just… a son, we thought you could be left alone, didn’t need too much managing, rougher, wilder, it didn’t matter.”

“Mm.” Fang Chi responded, a bit surprised that his dad would start with this.

“You’ve never really caused any trouble. Your mom and I always felt you were easy to handle, very independent. We really didn’t realize this wasn’t a good thing. In the future we’ll… sigh, but you’ve already grown this big. From now on, there’s really nothing left for us to worry about anyway.” His dad sighed.

“Dad, don’t think like that. Look at me now, I’m doing pretty well, right?” Fang Chi hesitated halfway through.

Doing pretty well, in his parents’ eyes, him wanting to be with a man now, could that even count as “doing pretty well”?

His dad paused for a moment, then brought the topic back to the main point: “When your grandpa told us about your situation, we were all shocked. We really didn’t pay enough attention to you, we didn’t notice a thing.”

“Does my mom know too?” Fang Chi asked.

“She knows. Your grandpa told both of us together,” his dad said.

“Then… is my mom okay?” Fang Chi pressed.

“She cried for a while. She’s okay now, nothing serious,” his dad said. “But if you’re asking whether it’s really nothing, well, it’s not nothing. Something like this in any family is like a bomb.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Fang Chi rested his elbows on his knees, his nose starting to sting again.

“Don’t say that. Your grandpa said this isn’t your fault,” his dad sighed. “I thought about it too, this really can’t be blamed on you. No one can be blamed. It is what it is.”

Fang Chi pressed his fingers against his eyes.

Instead of pushing the tears back, it made them spill out. He quickly grabbed a tissue and dabbed at the corners of his eyes.

“You’re coming back early tomorrow morning, right?” his dad asked.

“Mm.” Fang Chi sniffed.

“Crying?” his dad immediately asked when he heard it.

“No, just got a bit of wind outside,” Fang Chi smiled. “Not crying.”

“When you come back, don’t worry about anything. Your grandpa said that since we’ve always let you grow up freely and never interfered in anything, this time will be the same, we won’t interfere,” his dad also smiled. “Makes sense. We’ve never really managed you much anyway…”

His dad’s laugh sounded a bit forced. Fang Chi could hear it, could even imagine the strained smile on his face.

“Dad, I told Grandpa too, if I could really choose, I wouldn’t make you all feel this way,” Fang Chi said. “But this is who I am now. I can’t change it… I just want you to know that no matter what, I’ll definitely live well.”

“That I’m not worried about,” his dad said. “Really, that’s the truth.”

“Mm.” Fang Chi didn’t say anything more. The moment he opened his mouth, it felt like a switch flipping and he wanted to cry again. He didn’t want his dad to hear him cry, he’d never cried in front of his parents his whole life.

Sun Wenqu quietly stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door.

This behavior, taking off his clothes and then hiding by the door to eavesdrop on someone’s call, no longer surprised him. At this point, nothing he did because of Fang Chi felt surprising anymore.

But after listening for a while, Fang Chi’s dad’s reaction was a bit unexpected, probably Fang Chi hadn’t expected it either.

Maybe Grandpa had done a good job talking to them. Or maybe it was because Grandpa and Grandma already knew and had gradually calmed down, and that calmness had influenced him.

Sun Wenqu took longer than usual with his shower. Although from Fang Chi’s tone and words it seemed like things with his dad were going relatively smoothly, he still wanted to leave him some time to sort out his emotions.

Seeing Fang Chi pressing his eyes and pulling tissues made his chest ache a little.

Even a hurdle that’s easier to pass is still a hurdle. Getting past it isn’t some great victory, it’s only because the other person stepped back out of love.

Fang Chi valued family far more deeply than he did. This kind of yielding would hurt him more than anger or confrontation.

He kept washing until there was nothing left to wash, then finally got dressed and came out.

Fang Chi was lying on the sofa, half-watching TV with his eyes half-closed. When he saw him come out, he opened his arms: “Took you long enough.”

“It was too cold today, had to get properly warmed up,” Sun Wenqu went over and lay on top of him. “How did it go with your dad?”

“My dad actually didn’t scold me,” Fang Chi wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his still-wet hair. “No idea how my grandpa talked to my parents. Guess as your own child, they would know how to explain things to them?”

“So they won’t stop you?” Sun Wenqu turned his head, resting his ear against Fang Chi’s chest, listening to his steady breathing.

“Probably,” Fang Chi closed his eyes. “I’ll talk to them more when I get back tomorrow. Hard to say too much over the phone.”

“Mm. I’ll go back with you tomorrow,” Sun Wenqu said.

“To my house?” Fang Chi tugged at his clothes and ran a hand along his back.

“Not now, would just add to the chaos,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “Didn’t I say? I’ll go hang out at Li Bowen’s. My buddy’s farmhouse just opened, gotta go show some support.”

“It’s New Year, he probably doesn’t have anyone there,” Fang Chi laughed. “Though maybe he will be. Last time I ran into him, it was so late and he was still there, pretty hardworking… but now whether he’s there or not, I’m not worried anymore.”

“You were in such a rush before, you were afraid he might do something, right?” Sun Wenqu raised a hand and touched his face.

“Mm. That idiot’s brain is full of manure forks, who knows which fork he’ll stick in the wrong place and what he’ll do,” Fang Chi thought for a moment, then added with a frown, “If he really did something to my grandparents, I could kill him on the spot.”

“It’s fine now,” Sun Wenqu smiled, rubbing between his brows with his fingers. “He won’t do anything anymore. No need to worry about him.”

“Mm,” Fang Chi responded, then propped himself up to look at him. “Hey… did you deal with Li Bowen behind my back?”

“Why would I bother with him,” Sun Wenqu slipped his hand behind Fang Chi’s back and held him. “Not worth the effort.”

“You definitely did something.” Fang Chi clicked his tongue.

Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue too. “That certain, huh?”

“Mm, certain,” Fang Chi grinned. “Listen, Sun Wenqu, other things you might be lazy about, but for me, you definitely wouldn’t be.”

“Oh?” Sun Wenqu lifted his head, resting his chin on Fang Chi’s chest with a smile. “Not long ago someone was saying ‘I feel like you don’t like me enough,’ and now you’re this confident?”

“Exactly,” Fang Chi grinned. “That’s how our generation’s confidence works, comes and goes without a trace.”

“Let me ask you,” Sun Wenqu pinched his chin lightly, “last time you ran into Li Bowen, did you say something to him?”

“What would I say? Seeing him, I just wanted to hit him…” Fang Chi thought for a moment, then laughed. “Oh, I did say something, I told him to stop bothering you, that men should compete fairly…”

Before he finished, Sun Wenqu was already laughing, rolling toward the inside of the sofa, laughing for a long time before sighing: “No wonder he was so furious.”

“I just said it casually. He annoyed me,” Fang Chi turned to look at him. “You didn’t do something about that too, did you?”

Sun Wenqu didn’t answer, just lay there smiling with his eyes closed.

“Stop laughing,” Fang Chi poked his stomach. “I want to tell you something serious.”

“Go ahead.” Sun Wenqu suddenly wiped the smile from his face and looked at him seriously.

“…Wait,” Fang Chi froze. “You switch that fast?”

Sun Wenqu laughed again, hooked an arm around his neck, and kissed his lips lightly. “Go on.”

“Well… after I go back tomorrow and talk things through properly with my parents, if everything’s okay,” Fang Chi said, “then you should find some time to come to my place. In a couple days all the relatives will have left, and on the sixth he goes back to town. I just… want…”

“Why so rushed?” Sun Wenqu smiled.

“I don’t know,” Fang Chi bit his lip. “I really don’t know. I just feel like… anyway… it has to happen eventually. Might as well be… more formal.”

Sun Wenqu didn’t speak, just looked at him.

He actually knew why Fang Chi was in such a hurry. Back when he’d said there was no need to rush coming out for a relationship, Fang Chi had already had thoughts, he wanted things out in the open, wanted to be honest, to be fair to the other person and to himself.

This was an important part of what Fang Chi meant by being “serious.”

“I’ll listen to you,” Sun Wenqu said. “Whenever you think it’s right, I’ll go.”

“Mm,” Fang Chi nodded. “But if my parents still feel like it’s hard to accept, we’ll slow down.”

“Okay.” Sun Wenqu lightly ran his fingers through his hair.

“Are you nervous?” Fang Chi asked.

Sun Wenqu smiled. “Nervous about what? I’ve met your family before. I’m not nervous.”

“It’s different now,” Fang Chi rubbed his nose. “Just thinking about it makes me nervous. But you’re an old man, you probably won’t be nervous. If I were thirty, I wouldn’t be nervous either.”

“When you’re thirty, I’ll be forty,” Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue.

“Yeah, when I’m forty you’ll be fifty, when I’m sixty you’ll be seventy…” Fang Chi suddenly propped himself up and swung over him. “By then you won’t be able to anymore, right?”

Sun Wenqu closed his eyes and laughed. “No idea. We’ll try when we get there.”

“Anyway you’ll definitely stop before me, right, Dad? You’re the elder,” Fang Chi looked at him.

“What are you trying to say?” Sun Wenqu opened his eyes, lips curling.

“I’m saying, you’d better make up for the time when you can’t but I still can, in advance,” Fang Chi said. “Otherwise I’ll be so pitiful… an old man looking at the even older man he likes, wanting some intimacy, but the older one doesn’t feel anything anymore…”

“If you want to do it, just say you want to,” Sun Wenqu flicked his forehead. “You went in such a big circle, you could’ve left the country. I’m realizing that just to get into bed, your IQ jumps several levels.”

“Alright then,” Fang Chi sat up, pulled off his clothes in one motion, and tossed them to the floor. “I want to. Right now.”