Evil Love Appears chapter 45

When Xu Jiale was getting close to Shuncheng, he called Fu Xiaoyu to ask for his exact location.

Perhaps it was only at this moment that the sudden idea of “Xu Jiale will show up” began to feel real to Fu Xiaoyu.

And precisely because of this, when Fu Xiaoyu stood up and looked at the shabby surroundings, he suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Life might seem glamorous, but when it comes down to it, City B was about prestige, and that Lamborghini was also about prestige.

His roots were in this small Shuncheng, and the thought of letting Xu Jiale see all this made him feel cramped and embarrassed in advance.

“Hey!”

But Xu Jiale didn’t let him linger in these thoughts for long.

Just when Fu Xiaoyu was lost in thought, staring at the dry riverbed, his shoulder was suddenly tapped.

“Long time no see, Fu Xiaoyu.”

Fu Xiaoyu couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment.

An Alpha in a black leather jacket, carrying a big cat bag, with wind-blown hair due to the northern breeze, was standing in the night, smiling at him.

Fu Xiaoyu thought that perhaps he would remember this scene forever.

“Long time no see, Xu Jiale.”

He stumbled over his words a bit.

Because at the moment he said those words, he suddenly realized that the meaning behind them, for him, was: It’s nice to see you, Xu Jiale.

“Have you been here all this time?”

Xu Jiale asked him. “Is there anything interesting?”

Fu Xiaoyu quickly shook his head, of course not.

“Then let’s take a walk around.”

Xu Jiale didn’t mind and said naturally, perhaps because of his attitude, Fu Xiaoyu, in a surprising turn of events, walked side by side with him into the amusement park.

“How long has this place been abandoned?”

Xu Jiale seemed genuinely interested, looking around in the dim night and taking a few steps before confidently climbing the stairs of the pirate ship.

The stairs made creaking sounds, and the entire metal framework of the structure trembled slightly, but Xu Jiale didn’t mind. He casually opened the rusty iron gate of the pirate ship and sat in the front row.

It was quite dirty.

Fu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment but still walked over silently and sat beside Xu Jiale. The faint scent of mint on the Alpha drifted onto him in the night breeze.

“I don’t know. When I was in junior high, it used to be lively here,” he replied in a more serious tone. He paused and added quietly, “Back then, during the summer, there used to be a night market at the entrance of the amusement park, selling ice cream, cold noodles, cotton candy, and skewers. Many middle and high school students used to come here in the evenings.”

Perhaps he was being too detailed. Xu Jiale turned to him and asked, “Did you come here often too?”

“No,” Fu Xiaoyu lowered his head. “At that time, I… was taking advanced math classes at the Youth Palace.”

He hadn’t come to play but had seen it while passing by.

Later, when he came back after graduating from college, the amusement park had gradually fallen into disuse. This seemed to be the fate of every small northern city.

Fu Jing, however, was oblivious to these changes, just saying, “There’s nothing we can do; the young people have all left, who would go there to play anymore? When there’s nobody even taking care of the place.”

So how long had it been abandoned? He really didn’t know.

Xu Jiale chuckled softly, “Because of math, you missed out on the pirate ship and skewers. Not worth it, Fu Xiaoyu.”

He was being straightforward but also playful. Yet, Fu Xiaoyu couldn’t help thinking that maybe he was right. For so many years, in pursuit of his studies and striving to become successful, he had only focused on what lay ahead. As for the scenery around him, he had never taken the time to look.

But those sceneries, like this amusement park that had once been a playground for children, apparently wouldn’t wait for him forever. When he finally remembered, some of those scenes had already become desolate.

“Today, I went to sweep the graves with my father.”

He suddenly spoke out of the blue, “Qingming Festival is coming.”

“Ah,” Xu Jiale patiently waited for him to continue.

“My maternal grandparents passed away a long time ago, so in the past when we went to sweep the graves, I didn’t feel too sad. But today is different. Today, I suddenly felt…”

“Xu Jiale, if Han Jiangque really doesn’t wake up, will Wen Ke eventually let him go?”

The Alpha didn’t respond immediately but lit a cigarette.

The northern night was dark and deep, so the cigarette tip became the only source of light between them.

“Yes,” Xu Jiale said in a deep voice.

“Fu Xiaoyu, you still miss him, don’t you?”

“Yes. Sometimes, I think, if at that time, when Han Jiangque asked me to help him take revenge on Zhuo Yuan, I hadn’t refused, would he be… would he still be lying there today? I know he wasn’t very rational, and I should have helped him.”

Fu Xiaoyu stared at the flickering flame at Xu Jiale’s fingertip and murmured.

This sentence had been stuck in his chest since Han Jiangque’s accident, and now he finally said it out loud.

It had been over a month, and Fu Xiaoyu knew that he was no longer as heartbroken as he was at the beginning. But the dull pain was long-lasting, tearing him apart.

“Only Zhuo Yuan did wrong, and only Zhuo Yuan did it all,” Xu Jiale said slowly. “You were the one who said this, remember?”

“You can’t take all the blame upon yourself; it’s a kind of irresponsibility as well. And this sentence is something you said to Wen Ke.”

Fu Xiaoyu remained silent.

“I understand the principles, but it’s hard not to blame myself, right?”

Xu Jiale took a drag of his cigarette. His voice was a bit hoarse. “Fu Xiaoyu, I can’t comfort you. I won’t say anything like ‘everything will be fine’ or ‘he will wake up.’ You’re a smart person, and I won’t say things that neither of us has an answer to.”

“Han Jiangque has his own destiny, and we all did our best. But whether he lives or dies is not determined by how much self-blame and sadness we have.”

Xu Jiale turned his head and stared into the night. In the faint light of the flame, he spoke softly, “Fu Xiaoyu, I know this might sound negative and hard for you to accept. But sometimes, you have to understand that people are very small. Most of the time, you can’t even see your own destiny. Do you really think you can live without regrets? If you can’t even fully control your own life, how can you think that with just a little effort, you can determine someone else’s fate?”

When they went to sweep the graves in the afternoon, Fu Jing had said something similar. At the time, he had been somewhat annoyed.

But perhaps deep down, he knew… Fu Jing was right, and so was Xu Jiale.

Fu Xiaoyu’s fingers suddenly trembled, and he said softly, “Xu Jiale, it’s been more than a month. Maybe I should… really let go.”

As he spoke the words “let go,” his eyes suddenly turned red.

He knew what a rational decision was.

But Han Jiangque was his only and closest friend, and just the mention of letting go made him ache with a sense of loss.

“It’s not letting go.”

Xu Jiale turned around, grabbed his hand, and gently placed it on his chest. “It’s holding it here.”

“He’s your best friend, and whether he wakes up or not, you should always keep him in your heart,” Xu Jiale’s voice was deep and powerful. “Then, go on and live your own life.”

Amid the roaring wind, Fu Xiaoyu felt the beating of his own heart. He imagined Han Jiangque forever residing there, and the warmth flowed from Xu Jiale’s fingertips to his chest.

He sniffled.

In that moment, he suddenly felt the cool night breeze entering his long-suppressed heart.

It had been opened, and at that moment, he felt like he had regained the courage to face life again.

“Meow…”

Just then, the cat, Xia’an, couldn’t resist and started to paw at the bag.

“Alright, baby.” Xu Jiale extinguished his cigarette and placed it in his metal case, then took the cat out of the bag and gave it a couple of kisses.

He then placed Xia’an in Fu Xiaoyu’s arms and said earnestly, “Fu Xiaoyu, cheer up. I’ll need you to take care of my little princess for these few days.”

Fu Xiaoyu felt a bit uneasy, but the cat’s soft, fluffy fur made his fingers sink into it.

Xia’an licked him, and the cat’s tongue was warm and wet, leaving Fu Xiaoyu pleasantly surprised.

“Are you… going to Vietnam?”

Holding the cat, Fu Xiaoyu suddenly remembered the original purpose of their meeting.

“Yes,” Xu Jiale glanced at his watch and said, “I have a flight at 3 AM, so I can’t stay in Shuncheng for more than four hours. How about it, my host, show me around?”

“Alright,” Fu Xiaoyu agreed.

He took Xu Jiale to a street-side barbecue stall. The hygiene conditions at small-town barbecue joints were not that great, but Xu Jiale was still enjoying his food. He made sure to use a tissue to wipe the skewers clean before handing them over to Fu Xiaoyu.

Fu Xiaoyu had a can of cold beer, and he suddenly felt like he was making up for the skewers he had missed in his youth.

At the corner of the barbecue stall was the vast Liberation Square, the liveliest place in the small town. Colorful lights illuminated the sky, and the aunties wore colorful clothes, some holding fans, some holding colorful flowers, while uncles followed along, dancing to the music of “Drunken Butterfly.”

This was, of course, a signature rustic scene in the town.

Fu Xiaoyu felt a little embarrassed at first, but Xu Jiale, carrying the cat bag, watched with a smile, and then turned to ask him, “Fu Xiaoyu, want to go dancing?”

Fu Xiaoyu quickly shook his head.

He wasn’t that crazy.

“Let’s go and have fun.”

Xu Jiale put the cat bag in the barbecue stall and then pushed him into the crowd of middle-aged men and women.

“Xu Jiale…”

Fu Xiaoyu felt tense all over, but Xu Jiale had already started dancing.

The brilliant colored lights shone on Xu Jiale’s face, and Fu Xiaoyu watched the Alpha, who was completely indifferent to the outside world, as he danced with full concentration.

At that moment, he suddenly felt that all the rustic and run-down aspects of this small town were no longer important.

To hell with it, he closed his eyes and danced wildly. As long as he didn’t see anyone else’s expressions, he wouldn’t feel embarrassed.

They danced until the square dance group disbanded.

It was the first time that Fu Xiaoyu had felt reluctant to see a square dance group disband.

He was afraid that Xu Jiale would suggest leaving already and quickly said, “How about going karaoke? There’s a KTV in the mall ahead. I… I’m not very good at singing.”

He felt a bit embarrassed, but with the limited entertainment options in the small town, he had to make a suggestion in a short amount of time.

“Sure, we don’t have much time left. Let’s sing a couple of songs.” Xu Jiale went back to the barbecue stall to get the cat bag, with a few drops of sweat on his forehead, and said, “You can choose any of Eason Chan’s songs; I know them all.”

Fu Xiaoyu wanted to hear the song “Danche,” but Xu Jiale asked him to choose with his eyes closed, and his finger landed on the song “Wu Ren Zhi Jing.” It was a song that he hadn’t heard before.

At this moment, Xu Jiale had Xia’an in his arms and, after a brief pause when he saw the choice, calmly took the microphone.

“This world’s worst crime is called being too easily moved, But I like this crime, Shocking the heavens and shaking the earth, but it’s a pity the heavens and earth are also heartless, I dare not make a sound, dare not make a wind, this love story has no witnesses.”

Xu Jiale sang the last line and then gently closed his eyes.

Inside the small KTV room, Fu Xiaoyu watched Xu Jiale with unwavering focus, not even blinking.

If true love fell on Fu Xiaoyu at any moment, he thought, it was at this moment.

Xu Jiale, an Alpha dressed in a leather jacket under the night sky, miraculously appeared in front of him;

Xu Jiale was the Alpha who grabbed his hand and placed it on his own chest, telling him to always keep Han Jiangque in his heart but go on with his life;

Xu Jiale was the Alpha who danced with him in Shuncheng liberation square.

He wanted to have Xu Jiale.

No need for sound, no need for wind.

Though this love had no witnesses, in his heart, it had shaken the earth.