Chapter 54

Chi Shen paused and stood frozen where he was.
"…Sober now?" Qiao Zhenzhen asked tentatively.
Chi Shen said nothing.
For some reason Qiao Zhenzhen felt a wave of relief. She was about to say that if he didn't lie down he'd have to go back to his room, when she saw him silently lie down on the thick rug beside the bed, his finger still hooked with hers.
She smiled to herself; since the rug was thick she didn't bother moving him.
She lay down too and stared at the ceiling. After a while she spoke: "Chi Shen, I'm so happy today, this is the happiest day I've had in ten years."
Although the divorce certificate wasn't in her hands yet, everything had already been decided. Her life was finally moving in a better direction.
"We're only going to get better from now on," she said with an odd certainty.
Chi Shen listened without replying.
Qiao Zhenzhen talked to herself for a bit, then suddenly remembered that the day after tomorrow was November sixth. Although Qin Jing had kept telling her to pretend not to know so they could surprise Chi Shen, she couldn't help asking, "Chi Shen, what kind of theme do you want for your birthday party? Grandpa Chi will be there that day, I haven't met him, but he seems pretty stern, so we shouldn't make it too weird. Besides, I don't think you'd like anything too strange."
She turned to look under the bed but only saw him sleeping soundly.
Qiao Zhenzhen laughed softly, forgot about the half-hour rule, turned off the light, and closed her eyes without sending him away.
She fell asleep quickly. The next morning when she woke, Chi Shen was already gone from the floor. She pressed her aching temples and checked the time on her phone.
Right, morning study would be over by now; she was utterly late.
She didn't rush; she leisurely got up, brushed her teeth and washed her face, and then took her time going out to breakfast. Just as she stepped outside she ran into Chi Shen coming out of his room.
They locked eyes and Qiao Zhenzhen grinned and waved, "Good morning, Chi Shen."
"…Good morning." Chi Shen's expression was solemn.
Since he usually showed so little expression, Qiao Zhenzhen didn't notice anything odd at first. "When did you leave? I didn't even know."
"I left when I sobered up," Chi Shen answered.
Qiao Zhenzhen chuckled. "You even remember when you sobered up? Do you remember what you were like after you got drunk yesterday?"
Chi Shen didn't reply, but his face gave him away. Qiao Zhenzhen could tell he remembered, and the smile in her eyes widened. "Don't be embarrassed, you were just following me around. You didn't do anything else."
Chi Shen paused at her words; an image of him alone with Qin Jing in the car flashed through his mind, and his eyes went a little unfocused for a moment.
Qiao Zhenzhen didn’t notice his distraction and hurried him downstairs, but just as they neared the first floor they heard Qin Jing speak, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Qiao Zhenzhen turned back, sensing something. “Why did you stop?”
Chi Shen’s lips moved, but no words came out.
“Hurry up, I can smell the pan-fried buns,” Qiao Zhenzhen urged.
Chi Shen had no choice but to follow her down. When they reached the living room, Qin Jing glanced at them and said, “Come have breakfast.”
Qiao Zhenzhen ran over happily and, after sitting down and straightening herself, realized Chi Shen hadn’t followed. When she looked back she saw his embarrassed expression.
Even someone as slow to notice as she was could tell something was off.
“Chi Shen, what’s wrong?” she asked.
Before she finished, Qin Jing glanced over and, with a meaningful smile, asked, “Why’s your face suddenly red?”
Qiao Zhenzhen paused and saw that his face really was a little flushed, just a faint tint, but noticeable against his pale skin.
“…Could he be sick?” Qiao Zhenzhen asked, frowning with worry.
Chi Shen shook his head slightly, gave Qin Jing another glance, then lowered his head and went to the table.
“Sit down and eat, it’s getting cold.” Qin Jing said as she handed him a plate of pan-fried buns.
Chi Shen: “…Thank you, Auntie.”
“I want some too, Auntie.” Qiao Zhenzhen immediately raised her hand.
Qin Jing shot her a look and pushed a bun toward her. Qiao Zhenzhen ate happily, and halfway through she saw Qin Zhao appear. She waved at him at once, “Uncle, come have a bun!”
Qin Zhao came over smiling. Seeing a plate covered up, he teased, “Did you save that just for me?”
“Yep, saved it just for you.” Qiao Zhenzhen played along.
“Zhenzhen is so sweet. I like you best.”
No sooner had Qin Zhao finished than Chi Shen, who had been quietly drinking his porridge, suddenly choked, bent his head, and began to cough. Qiao Zhenzhen hurriedly handed him a tissue and patted his back while scolding, “How can you be so careless?”
Whether from the choking or something else, the skin on Chi Shen’s neck flushed bright red. Qiao Zhenzhen felt a sharp pang of concern, while Qin Jing, remembering last night, couldn’t help but smile wider and wider.
That night in the car he had said seriously to her, “I really like Zhenzhen.”
Because it came out so abruptly she’d been stunned and hadn’t reacted, then she’d heard his next word: “Mother-in-law.”
At the time she’d been about to take a sip of water; thinking back, she was glad she hadn’t, or she would have choked just like him now.
“It’s fine, it’s all behind us.” Once his coughing eased, Qin Jing comforted him.
Chi Shen’s face went even redder.
Breakfast over and with the morning not yet half gone, at Qin Sheng’s insistence Qiao Zhenzhen reluctantly followed Chi Shen back to school.
They arrived just as class let out; the classroom was noisy, but when the two of them appeared the chatter dropped for a few seconds, and Zhao Lianqiao looked smug.
By Qiao Zhenzhen’s experience, that sort of silence usually meant something had happened.
Sure enough, a boy sitting by the aisle called out, “Chi Shen, your dad and mom are here. They’re waiting in the homeroom teacher’s office. They didn’t see you at school earlier and even argued with the teacher.”
A chill flashed through Chi Shen’s eyes and he turned and walked out.
Qiao Zhenzhen immediately chased after him. “I’m coming with you.”
Chi Shen frowned, about to say something, but she cut in first: “If you tell me not to go, I’ll sneak along.”
Chi Shen pressed his lips together and didn’t object.
Qiao Zhenzhen breathed a little easier, though her expression grew more serious.
They reached the office door quickly. Jiao knocked on the closed door first. “Teacher Zhou!”
After a few seconds the homeroom teacher came out with a solemn face, closing the door behind him as he stepped out.
“…Some school official got involved and suddenly contacted your parents, trying to get them to persuade you to enter the competition,” the teacher said apologetically to Chi Shen. “They heard the scholarship for this contest is large, so they came early.”
She didn’t know much about Chi Shen’s family. Only when his parents showed up did she learn he’d competed before without telling them, and that they had no idea how many scholarships he’d won. Thinking of the way those two seemed to have their eyes on the money and would strip Chi Shen bare for it, she felt increasingly guilty.
“Chi Shen, take the day off for now. Come back after they leave.” the teacher suggested, frowning.
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded. “Yes, yes, maybe we should go home today.”
“No.” Chi Shen’s expression was calm. “I know them. They’re not going anywhere.”
The teacher looked at him, accustomed to this, and felt her heart ache, but he was right; the two didn’t seem likely to leave easily.
After a long moment she sighed. “Alright, then let’s go in and talk.”
She went in ahead of them and, about a minute later, called Chi Shen and Jiao inside.
Perhaps because she had given them some warning, the couple didn’t explode when he entered. His mother, Liu Guifang, even stepped forward with an eager smile. “Oh my dear son, you’ve gotten so thin since I last saw you; are you not eating properly? Not getting enough nutrition?”
Qiao Zhenzhen wanted to roll her eyes. Since leaving that house, Chi Shen had been eating regular meals; though his complexion was still pale, he’d grown stronger, not thin as they claimed.
The bald man sneered coldly. “He’s earning his keep now, winning prize money hand over fist, renting his own place and buying clothes. How could he not be eating well?”
“Stop arguing and don’t scare the boy,” Liu Guifang shot him a look, then turned to fawn over Chi Shen. “I never thought you’d be so capable, earning so much from just entering a contest. If I’d known, I never would have made you drop out!”
A flicker of contempt crossed the homeroom teacher's eyes.
"Your superiors told me that if you enter that competition and finish in the top three, there's a hundred thousand in prize money. You'd better get ready, your mother will personally take you to the exam tomorrow," Liu Guifang said with a smile.
Chi Shen said without expression: "I'm not going."
Liu Guifang's face changed.
"You better not dare skip it, think you're getting big for your britches?" the bald man snapped, springing to his feet.
Chi Shen kept his gaze down, treating their words as if they were nothing.
"Watch your language, this is a school," the homeroom teacher said, frowning. The bald man mouthed something, but in the end he swallowed his anger.
Liu Guifang frowned, her tone souring: "Chi Shen, don't you go forgetting who you are just because you've had a couple of good days. Even if you act like you own the sky, you're still my son and you listen to me. You must go to that top competition tomorrow!"
"You know he's been living better since he left you. Parents like you only take and never give, you've no right to say that," Qiao Zhenzhen finally snapped.
Liu Guifang's brows shot up: "I've put up with you little bitch for a long time. Before I even knew you, he was obedient, it's you who's corrupted him..."
"Get out," Chi Shen's gaze turned icy.
Liu Guifang froze. "Chi Shen, what did you say?"
"I said get out," Chi Shen enunciated, "If you come bothering us again, I'll call the police."
Liu Guifang's face shifted through several shades; she couldn't bring herself to speak. The bald man sneered: "Call them, go on. We'll see which cop dares to meddle in me and my son's business."
"You're his father?" Qiao Zhenzhen sneered back. "Last I checked you weren't his biological dad."
Those words hung in the air; the office fell into a momentary, uncanny silence.