Reservoir Dogs chapter 81
Missing You
Sun Xu hesitated, saying that night’s birthday party didn’t include him. Xiao Zhou was taken aback, then responded with an “oh” to show he understood. Sun Xu hurriedly tried to explain, but Xiao Zhou gently said it was okay and asked if they would stay up all night. Sun Xu said they usually did, with more people in the first half and fewer in the second half, not ending until dawn.
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Zhou went to change his clothes, putting back on his usual jeans and T-shirt. He felt a bit regretful; when he woke up in the morning, Jiang Chengyuan had already left, meaning they wouldn’t see each other all day. It was frustrating, his plans completely disrupted, and he felt isolated from a circle. Suddenly, he realized Jiang Chengyuan had never talked to him about birthdays, neither openly nor with anticipation.
He washed the gel out of his hair, dried his hands, and sat on the sofa to read a book. After a while, he couldn’t focus, so he turned to look out the window. The midday sun was at its peak, and the white lotus on the balcony stretched its body, pristine and clean.
The phone on the table rang. Xiao Zhou picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. When he answered, the voice on the other end made his heart sink, and he spoke without much warmth, “What do you want?”
Liu Neng spoke from the other end, “Mr. Xiao, it’s been a few days. Have you thought about the last thing we discussed?”
Xiao Zhou leaned his head against the sofa, “Yes, I’ve thought it through.”
“And? Will you agree?”
“Please thank your boss for his offer, but I can’t do it.”
There was a brief silence on the other end, “What do you mean? Think carefully. This is your only chance to restore your status. Do you want to be an omega for the rest of your life?”
Xiao Zhou fiddled with the pages of his book with his free hand and then said, “I’ve thought it through. I have reasons I can’t go back.”
The other side let out a sneer, “What reasons? Are you addicted to it? Being kept must feel very comfortable.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t argue with him and directly hung up the phone. He had indeed considered Lin Jianan’s proposal. The prospect of becoming an Alpha again was tempting—he wouldn’t have to deal with the troubles of heat or be affected by alpha pheromones. But it was illegal, and he wouldn’t regain his rightful alpha status. He would have to leave everyone he knew and hide for the rest of his life, which went against his purpose of getting out of prison. Even though his family’s life seemed to be back on track now, he couldn’t bear to leave just like that.
Moreover, Jiang Chengyuan needed him, didn’t he? His omega pheromones, as ridiculous as it sounded, were the only thing that could calm Jiang Chengyuan down. In this sense, being an omega wasn’t entirely bad. At least it was useful for Jiang Chengyuan, and he could tolerate some of the other discomforts.
He rubbed the printed words on the paper, his fingertips stained with a bit of ink.
After a moment of silence, his phone rang again. This time, it was Jiang Wenxing, enthusiastically telling him that everything was arranged and that he should bring his past works for an interview that afternoon.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s just a formality. It’s an assistant position, which I think suits you well. You have to come.” With that, Jiang Wenxing sent him the address and hung up without allowing him to refuse. Jiang Wenxing had a habit of making decisions on his own and was quite forceful.
But the opportunity was good, and Xiao Zhou felt he should give it a try. He went home first and found his past works, which his mother had preserved well. He printed out his resume, changed into a suit, and arrived at the place half an hour before the scheduled time.
The construction company was small, with a construction site next to it, making loud noises. Jiang Wenxing texted him midway saying his dad needed him, so he told Xiao Zhou to go up by himself. Xiao Zhou asked at the front desk and was led upstairs. It was his first time interviewing for a job. In a brightly lit room, he introduced himself in a suit and was asked questions. Maybe because he was recommended, the interviewers didn’t make things difficult for him, and the questions were simple. However, Xiao Zhou stumbled through his self-introduction, becoming less confident as he spoke, feeling inferior and timid due to his plain resume. He felt that no one sitting there was more unqualified than him. It wasn’t until later, when the interviewers asked him to talk about his freshman year competition project, that he perked up a bit, being more familiar with some drawing software.
After the interview, he naturally stood up to shake hands and thank the interviewers. Leaving the meeting room, he realized he forgot his resume folder, turned back, and heard from halfway through the door, “Why did he insist on shaking hands? So dirty, who knows what diseases he might have, having been in prison. Just thinking about working with him in the future makes me uncomfortable.” “It was Mr. Jiang’s recommendation, what can you do? Just use some disinfectant wipes and keep your distance from him.” “You guys can pretend not to see, but I can’t. He’ll be in my team, and I don’t even know where to place him.”
Xiao Zhou’s hand on the doorknob tightened, veins bulging, but he didn’t have the courage to go in and turned to leave directly.
After leaving the company, he ate something randomly outside, went back, took a shower, and continued reading. When he looked up again, it was already past eleven at night. Midnight was approaching, and the day was almost over. There was no movement outside, nor on his phone. He stared out the window, slightly dazed. As night fell silent, the events of the day came back to him. He closed the book, feeling restless.
Waiting in the living room until midnight, Xiao Zhou took out the gift, fiddling with it, sometimes feeling disheartened and wanting to unwrap it, sometimes hesitating. When the midnight alarm rang, he pushed his chair away and stood up, feeling dry-mouthed. Drinking water didn’t help, so he grabbed his phone, went out, found a convenience store, and bought some cold beers. Passing by the cooler, he saw small triangular cakes and hesitated before taking one and paying.
Carrying the plastic bag, he opened a beer and drank as he walked aimlessly, feeling dizzy. The beer can was crushed and deformed in his hand.
There was a small park past the intersection, with a few dirt mounds, the highest in the center. Xiao Zhou climbed up, sitting at the top, looking down.
The night wind blew wildly. It was silent around, only the cicadas’ desperate cries, as if they were shouting with all their might, knowing they had only this season to live.
Below was the noisy, crowded city, now with its lights off, except for the distant harbor, where boats bobbed with occasional glimmers of light.
The wind gave him a headache. He propped up his legs, resting his hands on his knees, and buried his head in the crook of his arm. The air was damp, filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass. He looked like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Sitting there quietly, his senses were purified and amplified. The mountain wilderness was silent, darkness enveloping everything. He seemed to merge into the darkness, becoming a quiet stone on the mountain, feeling the wind and the cicadas, free from complicated human affairs, inscrutable emotions, and a life full of scars.
A sudden ringing broke the silence. Xiao Zhou was a bit confused and took a moment to remember to look for his phone. His hand fumbled around, knocking over a beer, half spilling on his clothes and half into the soil.
Finally finding it, he accidentally hung up the first call. Staring at the screen, fortunately, it rang again soon. He answered it, and before he could speak, Jiang Chengyuan’s cold and stern voice came through, “Why aren’t you at home? Where are you?”
Xiao Zhou, with his bleary drunken eyes, heard this abrupt questioning. His joy was stifled, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Are you back?”
Hearing the unusual tone, the harshness in Jiang Chengyuan’s voice softened, “Yeah, where are you?”
Xiao Zhou squinted ahead, seeing the river stretching out and a few boats docked nearby, “I can see the river, and many small boats.”
Jiang Chengyuan paused, “You went to the riverside? Near the bridge?”
Xiao Zhou shook his head, then realized he couldn’t see it, so he added, “No, there’s no bridge here.”
Jiang Chengyuan realized something, “Have you been drinking?”
Xiao Zhou’s fingers sank into the wet soil. Looking at the empty can, he spoke with a heavy nasal sound, “Just a little.”
Jiang Chengyuan said, “Stay there and don’t move, I’m coming over.”
Xiao Zhou wasn’t entirely clueless, “Do you know where I am?”
Jiang Chengyuan said, “Just don’t turn off your phone.”
He could hear the sound of a door closing and footsteps from the other end.
Xiao Zhou murmured, resting his head on his arm, “Can you not hang up?”
Jiang Chengyuan, already in the elevator with a weak signal, intended to hang up but hearing this, he put his hand down, “Okay, I won’t.”
Xiao Zhou sighed in relief, “It’s too late today.”
“Late for what?”
“Past midnight.”
Jiang Chengyuan paused, vaguely understanding what he meant, and his voice softened, “Were you waiting for me?”
The voice on the other end was low, infused with the smell of alcohol, the ending soft and lingering like melted sugar, “Yeah, I was waiting for you.”
Jiang Chengyuan smiled a little, getting into the car, “Wait a bit, I’ll switch to Bluetooth.”
“Okay.” Xiao Zhou held the phone in one hand and another beer in the other, taking a few sips. One leg was bent, the other down, eyes gazing at the stars. The moon was faint, making the stars particularly bright. A mist rose in the night, making everything beautifully hazy.
“Done,” said the other end, “Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can hear you,” Xiao Zhou replied.
Jiang Chengyuan tapped the navigation, showing the destination, started the car, and shifted gears, “Why did you go to the park?”
Xiao Zhou smiled, “I’m looking at the stars.”
Jiang Chengyuan’s voice was gentle, “Are the stars beautiful?”
“Yes, but it’s foggy now. They were bright and many earlier, but you won’t see them once you arrive.”
“It’s okay, the fog will clear later.”
“But I don’t know how long it’ll take.”
Jiang Chengyuan stepped on the gas, speeding up. The black car sped down the empty long street, the engine roaring. The park was close, and after a short drive, he made a sharp stop. The tires screeched against the ground loudly. “I’ll be there in a bit.”
Xiao Zhou heard it, “Are you driving?” He hesitated, “Maybe I should hang up.”
“No need,” Jiang Chengyuan got out of the car, “I’m here, you still need to guide me.”
Xiao Zhou wobbled as he got up from the ground, turned around, relying on his geographical advantage to look down, “Where are you? I can’t see you.”
From his position, he couldn’t see. It was all densely packed trees, and even the park’s gravel paths were vague shadows.
Following the location, Jiang Chengyuan found him first, “Alright, be careful, sit down, don’t fall.”
Xiao Zhou clutched the phone, “I won’t fall.” He tiptoed, stepping on the soft mud, starting to walk downhill, “Where are you now?”
The stone steps on the mountain path were broken and steep. Sober, it was fine to walk, but when drunk, it was easy to stumble. Jiang Chengyuan watched from afar, frowning, becoming anxious, “I told you not to move, why don’t you listen?”
Xiao Zhou stopped, took a few breaths, and stood still.
Jiang Chengyuan breathed a sigh of relief, tightened his lips, and quickly ran up. Looking up, he saw Xiao Zhou standing and waiting for him, the night sky behind him, the distant city and river. Xiao Zhou was right; the stars were beautiful, their sparkles falling on his shoulders, his cheeks glowing softly.
Jiang Chengyuan steadied his breath, slowing his steps, walking up to him, “Why did you come here?”
Xiao Zhou looked up at him, “Because I wanted to see you.”
Jiang Chengyuan’s breath hitched, and he lifted his hand to pull him into his arms. “You could have called me back.”
Xiao Zhou hesitantly placed his hand on his back, “It’s a bit late.” He sighed.
“It’s not late.” Jiang Chengyuan patted his hair, “It’s never too late.”