Love For You - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Going Against a Lawless Little Hoodlum

During his vocational high school years, Chen Yi rarely went to school. He merely paid the tuition, attended a few days of class each month to take exams, and waited for his diploma three years later.

He knew a friend who repaired motorcycles. Behind the auto shop was a vacant warehouse where he could simply set up a bed to sleep. There were many places to go and play: internet cafes, pool halls, taekwondo studios, and game arcades. The call about Chen Libin’s accident reached the school and was passed on to Chen Yi through a friend; by the time he heard it, several days had already passed. When he finally arrived at the ICU and saw the person on the hospital bed, Chen Yi’s feelings were likely akin to swallowing a dud bomb.

He had originally thought that father and son would be bitter enemies for life. He never expected Chen Libin to suddenly end up lying there. His mother had committed suicide when he had just started primary school. Chen Libin looked refined and kind, but in private, his words were harsh and vicious. Once his wife died, he became completely foul-mouthed. Ever since then, the father and son had lived alone and had had their fair share of bitter moments. Whether they were truly biological father and son was hard to say. Chen Libin never took him for a paternity test. Some people said he looked like his mother, but he also had features that resembled his father, especially the eyes. Others said he didn't look like either of them—the boy was full of vitality and always bouncing around, unlike his refined and quiet father. Now, whether they were related or not didn't matter anymore. Since the man was dying anyway, it was all over; grudges and debts were settled.

Chen Libin remained in a coma and had not yet woken up. After being transferred to the respiratory intensive care unit, he was kept on nasogastric feeding and a ventilator in a private room, requiring twenty-four-hour personal care by family. It was mostly Chen Yi keeping watch; Wei Mingzhen would come over when she was free, and Miao Jing, being on summer break, was specifically responsible for running errands and delivering food.

Chen Yi did not eat the boxed meals Miao Jing brought, nor would he let her deliver them. He had many shady friends; sometimes they would bring him a change of clothes, buy him a razor or soap, or bring him a late-night snack. The only time he sought out Miao Jing was to ask her to go to a convenience store to buy cigarettes. Keeping watch day and night over a listless, dying person—regardless of their relationship—was undoubtedly depressing and gloomy. He carried the acrid, bitter scent of tobacco on his body.

"Hongtashan, one pack for seventy."

Miao Jing held the money, looking at the dense red bloodshot veins in his eyes and the light stubble sprouting on his chin.

"Such cheap cigarettes... can you even smoke them?" She asked weakly.

"Cheap?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow to glare at her, his smile peculiar, his voice hoarse, "Are you very rich?"

Miao Jing pursed her lips, lowered her head, and turned to walk outside. Twenty minutes later, she brought the cigarettes back. He tore open the packaging and asked her to watch the ward for a while. He twisted his neck, dragged his feet lazily as he went out, and returned later. After washing his face in the restroom, he seemed more energetic, his gaze sweeping over Miao Jing.

Having not seen her for a year, the girl had grown ten centimeters taller. She stood in front of him like a thin bamboo pole. Without needing to look down, he could see her vigilant, tense little face whenever he lifted his eyelids.

"Where’s your mother? Home preparing for the funeral? Call her over to keep watch for two days." He sneered, "Or does she plan to wait until he stops breathing before coming?"

Miao Jing didn't dare to speak. Over the past few days, Wei Mingzhen had asked her to visit the hospital more often. Wei Mingzhen herself hadn't gone to work at the teahouse, yet she hadn't been idle either—she was either out running errands or rummaging through boxes and cabinets at home. Miao Jing knew she had gone to the bank several times. Her complexion had been terrible, and one night, she snuck out and didn't return home until after four in the morning.

Miao Jing had many wild thoughts of her own.

After returning home, Wei Mingzhen heard Miao Jing say that Chen Yi wanted her to come to the hospital to look after him. She frowned but didn't say anything. She packed two pieces of clothing to take to the hospital and instructed Miao Jing to stay home and deliver food on time every day.

Chen Yi and Wei Mingzhen crossed paths in front of the hospital bed. Chen Libin was still lying there stiffly. Wei Mingzhen wept while touching the skinny, withered hand on the bed. Chen Yi stared with gloomy, fierce eyes for a moment before lazily moving aside. He yawned, made space for her, left a phone number, and walked away without saying when he would return.

Wei Mingzhen had always disliked Chen Yi and wished he wouldn't come back. But he had to. Chen Libin was dragging on, lying on the hospital bed without a single sign of movement, and no one knew how it would end. She felt restless and anxious, yet hate gnawed at her teeth. What if Chen Libin finally woke up, or became a vegetable? What would happen then? Who would take care of him?

Only Miao Jing was left at home.

She was heavy-hearted and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. When the sky was just turning grey in the morning, she drifted through the living room in her camisole nightdress. She accidentally caught a glimpse of someone lying on the hazy sofa. Upon closer inspection, she saw two long legs hanging off the edge. She jumped with a shock, her scalp tingling, and retreated to her room with a scream.

Chen Yi had only climbed through the window in the middle of the night and hadn't been asleep for more than a few hours. Disturbed by her thin voice, he looked up impatiently and roared in a muffled voice: "What are you shouting about?"

Hearing his voice, Miao Jing finally calmed down. Her heart fluttered as she lay on her bed in a daze. By the time she changed her clothes and came out of her room, an hour had passed. Chen Yi was curled up on the sofa looking at his phone. Seeing her numb expression, he coldly mocked her: "Did you see a ghost?"

He hadn't been back in a year—what would she see if not a ghost?

"No." She stood against the wall, far away from him. "Why are you back?"

Chen Yi glanced at her coolly and didn't speak. He reached out to rake his hair; his smoke-grey hair exploded in an unruly, rebellious fashion. He stood up and went into the bathroom. The sound of splashing water rang out, and then he bumped his way out, bringing a chill with him. He tossed all the dirty clothes from the past few days into the washing machine. Miao Jing was cooking noodles in the kitchen; from the kitchen window, she saw him sitting on the balcony smoking, with half his body hanging outside the window. Hesitantly, she poked her head out to ask if he wanted breakfast. Chen Yi threw the cigarette butt out the window, jumped down from the balcony, and spat out two words: "Not eating."

The old-fashioned washing machine rumbled as it turned. Miao Jing sat at the table eating breakfast, stealing a glance as Chen Yi surveyed the house twice, then walked straight into Wei Mingzhen and Chen Libin’s bedroom. She heard the sound of a drawer opening and knew Chen Yi was looking for something. Her heart drummed in her chest—perhaps the thing he wanted had already been hidden by Wei Mingzhen... Then, Chen Yi opened the desktop computer on the desk and sat in front of the desk typing away.

At noon, Miao Jing had to go out to deliver lunch to Wei Mingzhen. Chen Yi was still sitting in front of the computer. Seeing her step out of the house, he called out to stop her. He walked over slowly with a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a floral shirt and jeans, leaning against the wall bonelessly. He lowered his head and flicked his lighter to light the cigarette. As the smoke ignited, he blew out the flame, the searing heat grazing her face. He lifted his eyes and stared straight at her.

"Don't tell your mother, you hear?" Smoke drifted across her face, "You know the consequences, right?"

"I know..." Miao Jing lowered her head in a submissive manner, clutching the lunch box tightly.

He smiled at her, the light in his eyes shimmering like broken ice. A large hand poked her shoulder, pushing her out of the house.

By the time Miao Jing returned from the hospital, the house was empty. The clothes in the washing machine had been removed, and only a cigarette butt remained in the trash can.

Because the form giving up treatment had been signed in the ICU, the medical conditions in the general ward were insufficient, and the room couldn't be left unattended. Wei Mingzhen had to watch the bed at all times, chatting on her phone while looking at Chen Libin and the IV drip bags on the wall. She also had to replace the urine bag and clean his body at regular intervals. Chen Yi didn't slack off here; the doctor said they needed to pay close attention to the patient’s condition and press the bell immediately if there were abnormal breathing or other movements.

The next night, Wei Mingzhen vaguely heard a very faint groan from the ward. She leaned in to listen closely, but there was no follow-up. She looked carefully at Chen Libin’s yellowish, dim complexion; he had been worn down into a skeletal shell of skin and bones. Wei Mingzhen couldn't bear to look, but her eyes held a glimmer of resentment. By three or four in the morning, she seemed to hear movement from the bed again. Wei Mingzhen was terrified as she went over and leaned over Chen Libin’s face to listen. There was a genuine raspy, grating sound, like struggle and unwillingness. The man’s eyeballs rolled back and forth beneath his eyelids, as if he were trying his best to open his eyes and wake up, and his two legs were also twitching unconsciously, kicking on the bed and making noises.

With such movements happening two or three times a night, Wei Mingzhen stood frozen in front of the bed, flustered and confused. She wanted to press the bell to call the doctor, but she hesitated, paralyzed by anxiety. She stared at Chen Libin on the bed, cold sweat beading on her forehead, until the sunlight hit the ward and the person on the bed returned to dead silence. Only then, with the medicine in the IV bag running out, did she think about going to the nurses' station to find someone to hang a new drip.

As she turned, Wei Mingzhen was almost scared out of her wits. She collapsed into a chair with an "oops." Chen Yi was leaning lazily against the doorway with his arms crossed, his bright black eyes carrying a biting, mocking smile: "Auntie. You've been standing for so long... is my dad still alive?"

Wei Mingzhen’s face turned pale: "You, when did you get here?"

"Just arrived." Chen Yi shrugged his shoulders, his glowing eyes seeming to hold deeper meaning, "Afraid my dad wouldn't last these few days, so I came early to perform my filial duty."

In the morning, the doctors and nurses came to make rounds and change the medication, checking on Chen Libin’s condition. They asked how the patient was doing. Wei Mingzhen said there had been no movement at all. The doctor shook his head and sighed. Later, Miao Jing also came to the hospital. She saw Chen Yi and Wei Mingzhen sitting far apart in the ward, both expressionless. She was holding a box of peeled fruit, wearing a white dress with light green patterns. Her cheeks were flushed red by the sun, her eyebrows and eyes softened by the heat, and she divided the fruit between the two of them.

"Mom."

"Brother."

Biting into the cold, sweet fruit, Miao Jing sat next to Wei Mingzhen. Wei Mingzhen gripped one of her hands tightly, seemingly intending to avoid Chen Yi’s gaze.

Chen Libin didn't last many more days.

His coma worsened day by day, followed by respiratory failure, dilated pupils, and cardiac arrest. The hospital officially declared him dead.

The process from the hospital to the funeral home and then to the cemetery was swift. Wei Mingzhen was busy arranging everything—settling hospital bills, handling funeral arrangements, and notifying Chen Libin’s workplace and relatives. Chen Yi and Miao Jing kept watch over Chen Libin’s remains, following from the hospital to the funeral home and then to the burial, receiving the people who came to pay their respects.

Chen Yi wore mourning clothes and held the portrait, his head bowed. He looked gloomy and lean, his dark and deep features accentuated by that unconventional hair color. There was a cold, rebellious tenacity about him. With both parents gone, only a sixteen-year-old son remained in the Chen family, along with a pair of mother and daughter who had no relation to him. Many people whispered in private: how would life go on for this family? What would become of Chen Yi in the future?

After the funeral was handled, Chen Yi returned home with Wei Mingzhen and Miao Jing. Wei Mingzhen became the head of the household, her attitude towards guests exceptionally gentle and soft. All of Chen Libin’s belongings left at home and the office had to be dealt with. She listened carefully to Chen Yi’s wishes. Chen Yi had no nostalgia for anything; he threw some away or gave them to others, even giving away the computer.

Before Wei Mingzhen could figure out the family’s future, Chen Yi seemed to have changed his wild and uninhibited personality. He stayed at home all day smoking, filling the room with thick smoke, and occasionally went out, but he would definitely climb through the window at night to sleep on the sofa.

Chen Yi hadn't properly been home for several years, and having a little hoodlum suddenly in the house wasn't a comfortable feeling. Wei Mingzhen couldn't chase him away, but every morning she woke up to see someone lying blatantly on the sofa—Wei Mingzhen had a guilty conscience and was too terrified to offer a room to Chen Yi, fearing he would settle down there permanently. His pitch-black, cold eyes would occasionally land on her back, making her heart skip a beat.

On the surface, the family of three was harmonious, but under the calm water, there were undercurrents, and who knew how many ulterior motives were hidden.

Miao Jing vaguely felt the atmosphere in the house was the eerie calm before a storm.

One day at noon, Chen Yi returned from outside. Seeing the mother and daughter eating lunch at the table, he pulled up a chair slowly, lit a cigarette with a frivolous, dissolute air, raised his chin, and asked Wei Mingzhen: "Has the money arrived yet?"

Miao Jing paused her chopsticks, looking at her mother, then at Chen Yi. Wei Mingzhen’s expression stiffened: "What money?"

"My dad’s insurance payout and pension." Chen Yi counted on his fingers, his tone not polite in the slightest, "So much time has passed, and you haven't mentioned a word?"

Wei Mingzhen had been busy with these matters lately. Being such a prestigious organization as the Power Supply Bureau, the pension and insurance payments were a large sum of money.

Wei Mingzhen squeezed the words through her teeth, her complexion ashen. She hesitated for a long time: "This money, this money hasn't arrived yet... it’s for your studies and living expenses..."

Chen Yi’s smile was icy: "How long have you been married to my dad? Not that long, right? Since you couldn't have children earlier, he kept putting off registering the marriage. Did you only register in the last year or two? Why register? Did you want to split the assets and leave? Now that he’s dead, you occupy the house? And you’re planning to swallow the money too?"

His slender fingertips tapped against the dining table, his gaze sinister, his tone ferocious: "I want that pension money."

"Other money can belong to you." He grinned again, "Neither of us will lose out."

"What other money is left in the house?" The words touched a sore spot. Wei Mingzhen’s voice suddenly became sharp and high-pitched, her eyes filled with resentment, "Chen Libin said there were eight or nine hundred thousand in the bank, and he had earned over a million in stocks. It’s all bullshit, all bullshit! This mongrel lied to me, the savings he showed me were fake. He lost everything, and the rest of the money was given to those wild women on the internet. Thousands of transfers at a time. I asked him for money, and he was stingy—no, not just stingy, he had no money at all!"

Wei Mingzhen was truly furious. She had checked all of Chen Libin’s accounts and turned them upside down, but couldn't find the huge sum of one or two million. She didn't believe it and checked over and over again. In the end, the balance on the cards added up to only tens of thousands. After deducting hospital and funeral expenses, there was almost nothing left. Now she was only counting on the compensation after his death—hundreds of thousands in compensation! She had spent six years on Chen Libin, washing, cooking, and being obedient. A pauper who lied and cheated her for six years—he deserved to fall to his death.

If she could have this house plus that money, Wei Mingzhen would barely be able to swallow this humiliation. If Chen Yi snatched it from her, could she tolerate it? Why should he grab it from her? The father and son had turned against each other like that—a bastard, not biologically related, why should he get the money?!

Wei Mingzhen’s complexion was at its worst, her facial muscles twitching. Miao Jing curled up in her chair, head hanging low, trying to make herself invisible. Seeing the mother and daughter in front of him, Chen Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, holding his belly and laughing until tears came out.

He didn't know whether he was laughing at their stupidity or laughing at their pitiful state.

"Is this all that’s left?" His youthful face wore a smile that was both roguish and barbaric, "The house is yours, the money is mine."

"The money hasn't arrived, there’s not even a shadow of it." Wei Mingzhen stood up with a jerk, her face flushed red, her whole body shaking, "This money, this money is for school, for life, life has to go on..."

"Then wait until the money arrives. However, if you dare to swallow it alone, or try to run off with the cash..." He stared at Wei Mingzhen, his eyes like deep wells, fierce enough to devour people: "I’ll expose everything you’ve done... and make sure you have a hard time."

What good could come from going against such a lawless little hoodlum?

Wei Mingzhen collapsed back into her chair in a daze: "Why would I run? This is my home... Miao Jing still has to go to school, she has to take the high school entrance exam, she has to study at a key high school..."

Chen Yi’s gaze flickered—of course, Miao Jing still had to go to school. As long as he kept an eye on Miao Jing, where could this mother and daughter run?

Miao Jing’s face was pale and calm, silently bearing both of their gazes—what could she do? She couldn't do anything.

Time drifted to when Miao Jing started her third year of junior high—Wei Mingzhen told Miao Jing to report to school and to live in the dorms.

Chen Yi was huddled on the sofa playing games. Hearing the mother-daughter conversation, he didn't move a muscle, not even lifting an eyelid.

The mother and daughter whispered in private. Wei Mingzhen told Miao Jing to have less contact with Chen Yi and to be careful at school; if there was trouble, to find the head teacher. Miao Jing asked her about the pension and insurance money, but Wei Mingzhen didn't reveal a single thing. She only said she didn't want the house and would leave it to Chen Yi, but she wanted the money. It was a large sum of money, totaling seven or eight hundred thousand. Wei Mingzhen didn't want Chen Yi to know, fearing he would swallow it all out of greed, and fearing he would do something extreme for the sake of that money.

"Mom, this is the money from Chen Yi’s dad..." Miao Jing swallowed, frowning, "Don't fight with Chen Yi."

"Chen Libin lied to me. He lied to me, saying he had millions, that even if we divorced, he could give me over a million." Wei Mingzhen gritted her teeth, "Chen Yi is not Chen Libin’s son. If I give him this money, he’ll just use it to gamble and squander it, and Chen Libin would be so angry he’d jump out of his coffin."

"Mom..."

"Don't side with Chen Yi. I’m your mother, who is he?"

Wei Mingzhen had her own plans. When reporting to school, she gave Miao Jing an extra few thousand yuan, telling her to hide it in the school dorm, as it might come in handy someday.

That day, Wei Mingzhen went out early in the morning, saying she was going to the Power Supply Bureau to ask for news. She left empty-handed, drove around the city several times, and finally took a taxi to the train station. On the way, she called Miao Jing’s head teacher.

Miao Jing answered the phone and heard her mother’s lowered voice saying that a man would meet her at the school gate in half an hour to take her away, go to the train station, and that the ticket had already been bought.

The call ended as soon as she finished speaking. Miao Jing’s mind went completely blank, her heart jumping out of her throat, and her steps felt like walking on clouds.

Wei Mingzhen wanted to take her... and run?

She walked out in a daze and stood at the school gate for a while. Sure enough, a man appeared—the one she had seen before and who had a relationship with Wei Mingzhen. He grabbed her and told her to get into the taxi. Miao Jing backed away trembling. The man said anxiously that her mother had already left Teng City by train and was waiting for them to join her at the next stop.

"Where are we going?" Her face was pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead, "Was this planned between you two beforehand?"

"Get in the car first and we'll talk. Hurry, hurry, hurry, the train station isn't near here."

The man grabbed Miao Jing’s arm, trying to force her into the taxi. Miao Jing, having lost her soul, followed him two steps forward when Bo Zai charged out from the side in a rush, reaching out to grab Miao Jing. Miao Jing jumped in shock, terrified by the sudden situation. She was dragged by the two men on either side, hearing Bo Zai shouting sternly: "Help!! Someone’s kidnapping! Someone’s kidnapping a student!!"

Bo Zai’s voice was exceptionally sharp: "Help!! Save me! Call the police, 110, hurry and call the police!"

The security guard in the school gatehouse heard the commotion and rushed out. Hearing the word "police," the man saw that the situation was bad, let out an "oops," dove into the taxi, and fled, abandoning Miao Jing.

The security guard surrounded them. Bo Zai let go of Miao Jing, laughing and saying it was just a joke. After being questioned a few times, someone in the distance shouted with a smile: "Little sister."

Chen Yi walked over with big strides.

Miao Jing’s whole body was as stiff as stone. She turned her head mechanically, fearfully greeting his handsome face, which wore a smile, and his pitch-black, extremely sinister eyes.