Qi Le looked at the calendar on his bedside table, picked up a red pen and drew a circle on the date over and over again. In a few days, his father would return to C City. He wasn't sure what would happen then. Gu Bai came out of the bathroom only to see his wife in a daze. He was helpless at that sight. He went over and pulled him into bed, wrapping his arms around him. “You've already circled it three nights in a row. You'll make a hole if you do that a few more times.”
“…Impossible, at most, it'll penetrate the second page.”
Gu Bai rubbed his head and adjusted his posture to hold him well. “Be good, go to sleep.”
Qi Le quietly looked at him. “Do you think my father will believe me? Will he recognize me? He won't think that I'm a liar or a lunatic, will he?”
“You have to be patient when you explain it to him. I'm sure he will always believe you,” Gu Bai comforted. “He loves you so much. Of course, he'll recognize you.”
Qi Le asked uneasily, “Then what if he thinks that you told me to say all of that?”
“You must have some things that even I don’t know.”
Qi Le thought about it for some time. For him, Erquan was family. Over the years, they spent most of their time together and talked about almost everything. Something that he and his father knew, but this man didn't… His expression grew solemn. “Yes, that vixen!”
Gu Bai, “…”
“What kind of look are you giving me?” Qi Le became angry. “It’s not what you think. My parents have a pretty good relationship. Otherwise, would I still have a younger brother?”
“…Then what's that about?”
“It happened a few years ago. My mother was still in the hospital after giving birth to my brother. At the time, one of my father’s high school classmates suddenly came to see him. She looked pretty but she wasn't as beautiful as my mother.” Qi Le said briefly. “She said that she had just come back from abroad and wore a very fashionable dress with a low neckline and half of her back exposed. She gave my father a hug when she entered the door. That scene almost made me ill. Then, she turned to look at me, asked if I was his son, and said how good-looking I was. She gave me a hug and even a kiss, which almost scared me to the point of falling ill.”
Gu Bai, “…”
“Then, we went for a meal and the woman left but my father gave me a lot hush money.”
“…” Gu Bai asked, “Are you sure it's not what I think?”
“It's true. The woman married a foreigner and has lived abroad for many years. Apparently, she was in a relationship with my father in high school and she was at odds with my mother. These were all things they talked about during dinner. I'm a good boy and tell my mother everything so my father was afraid that my mother would be jealous and quarrel with him. That's why he gave me money.” Qi Le looked at him. “Think about how. My father is so rich and such a good man that so many women offer themselves to him, but he doesn’t even look at them. He's only good to my mother.”
Gu Bai nodded and leaned forward to give him a kiss. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Qi Le thought that what he said was right and felt a little relieved. They spoke a while more before he fell asleep. In the dream, his father came to the apartment and saw that he lived in his son’s old room and used his son’s old things. He was furious. Before he could explain, his father beat him up and chased him out the door but he crawled back and explained that his soul had transmigrated. However, when the scene changed, a bunch of Taoist priests and monks came for him. They stuck a lot of talismans on him, surrounded him, tied him up and roasted him over a fire, saying that they wanted to exorcise ghosts. There was even a group of people from the TV station filming nearby. The host ridiculed him and talked excitedly with a microphone while he roasted over the fire, crying out loud. Finally, his father and Gu Bai rushed to save him. The three ran for their lives and fled to a cave.
They were deep in the mountains and forests. His father got them to hide and went out to find food. He had gone through hell and high water and survived so Gu Bai embraced him. They kissed and rolled in the sheets. It was intense but his father returned in less than a few seconds, his left hand carrying a tiger, and his right hand holding a rabbit. He looked at them in shock. Qi Le immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face as he came out of the closet.
His father was furious and took him away. It was useless even if he cried. Finally, he shut him in a house and they weren't allowed to see each other. Pitiful Gu Bai came all the way with Xiaoquan to look for him. They were separated by a wide river and couldn't cross the river at all. At this moment, Ye Shuichuan, Shen Shu, Baby Face and the other nutjobs suddenly appeared to build them bridge. Their bodies were connected to each other and the scene was horrifying. He woke up with a loud wail.
Gu Bai had just finished cooking when he heard his voice and immediately opened the door. He sat in bed and asked anxiously, “What’s the matter?”
Qi Le looked around and found that he returned to reality. He couldn't help but wipe the sweat off his forehead. “I had a nightmare.”
Gu Bai rubbed his head. “What did you dream of?”
Qi Le pursed his lips. No matter how he looked at it, that dream was too scary. If he remembered correctly, there seemed to be a bones in the cave and a sword pierced into those bones. There was also a secret martial arts technique beside, but this was far from the horror of the "human bridge." He said that he was alright, slowly got up and got dressed.
Gu Bai stared at him. “Are you sure? What kind of dream could scare you like this? “
Qi Le drifted into the bathroom to wash up. He struggled with himself for a while, then looked at him silently. “I dreamt that I came out of the closet, and then my dad wouldn’t let us meet, just like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. They are separated by such a wide Heavenly River and can only meet once a year. How miserable ah.”
Gu Bai froze slightly. When he saw that he was done washing up, he took him into his arms and caressed him. Then, he pulled him to have breakfast and comforted him with a smile. “It’s okay. One day in the Heavens is one year on earth. They meet every day.”
Qi Le, “……”
Gu Bai pushed him into his chair. “Eat.”
Qi Le took up his chopsticks and remained quiet for a long time before he began to say, “…You have completely destroyed a poignant and touching love story.”
“You had to ask.” Gu Bai smiled and kissed him, then calmly walked to the opposite side to sit down. “Don’t daydream anymore. Quickly eat and go for class.”
“…Oh.”
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the day when Father Qi visited C City had arrived. Qi Le’s nervousness reached its highest point. His mind was full of the thought of reuniting with his family. He wasn't in the right state of mind. Wan Lei came over to ask him what was the reason but all he got was a “nothing," so he had to give up for the time being.
~~~
P.S. I apologize for the typos. I’ve been playing around with a translation software lately and I’m still getting used to it. Plus, last week was my last week of work so I had a crazy busy time. Anyways, just comment if you see any errors and I’ll get to it. Thanks ❤️❤️