Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He Zhichu slowly leaned back against the sofa, gently tapping his fingers on the armrest. His expression was more exhausted than ever. So, it really was him… Slowly closing his eyes, he recalled the giant explosion and the rising mushroom cloud from seven years ago… Seven years ago. That man’s madness was still vivid in He Zhichu’s memories. The great explosion he’d created, could it have failed to kill him? How could that be? He Zhichu was silent for a long time.
“Zhichu? Are you still there? How did you know this IP was still being used? That’s so strange.” Qin Zhiyuan scratched his head, heart still pounding with fear. “What should we do? If that madman appears again, could he…”
“No.” He Zhichi calmly interrupted Qin Zhiyuan. “Cousin, don’t say anything to anyone else yet. I still have to discuss this with my father. I don’t think this is that simple.”
“Okay, whatever Master He says.” Qin Zhiyuan yawned. “I’m reassured with you taking care of it. Goodnight.”
“…Thank you.” He Zhichu ended the call with Qin Zhiyuan and then called his father. Although it was already past midnight, Senior Mr. He picked up the phone as soon as it rang.
“Chu?” Senior Mr. He was a bit nervous and his voice was unusually frail in the quiet night. It was often a bad thing to get a call from family in the middle of the night, so Senior Mr. He’s heart was tensed up.
He Zhichu felt something lodged in his chest. He was silent for a moment before saying quietly, “Dad, are you still well?”
“Yeah, much better now. How are you? Is your health alright?” Senior Mr. He’s voice relaxed as he slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard. He straightened the pillow by his side. It was the favorite pillow of his wife, still in their bed after so many years. No one could sleep beside him except for his first wife. He Zhichu knew that although his father had completed the formalities of marriage with Auntie Qin, they always slept separately so that he didn’t have to worry about waking someone up when he called at night.
“I’m fine.” He Zhichu squeezed the phone as he sat on the couch and crossed his legs. Although he appeared very relaxed, he was actually feeling very anxious. “Dad, there’s something I wanted to ask you…”
“Say it. It must be urgent if you’re calling so late at night.” Mr. He chuckled. He was very happy and grateful that he could help shoulder his son’s burdens.
He Zhichu hesitated for a while before saying, “Dad, Uncle Gu…”
“Silence!” Mr. He’s angry shout carried through the phone as he instantly straightened his back against the headboard. Balling his hands into tight fists, he gritted his teeth and said, “How on earth is he your uncle?! If it wasn’t for him, would your mother have died so suddenly?! If it wasn’t for him, would Nianzhi have had to leave us at such a young age?! If it wasn’t for him, would you have left home and refused to come back?! He destroyed our family and I won’t forgive him, even after I become a ghost! Don’t mention his name to me again!”
He Zhichu wanted to grimace when he heard this. As expected, Mr. He became furious as soon as Gu Xiangwen was mentioned. This anger had been accumulating in the twelve years since He Zhichu’s mother had suddenly passed away, growing until the earth-shattering chaos of that day seven years ago… He Zhichu had a headache and rubbed his temples. He drawled, “Dad, Uncle Gu is still Nianzhi’s real father no matter what mistakes he made. Also, he saved me.”
“If it wasn’t for the fact that he saved you, do you think I would have any tolerance for him after your mother died?! It’s a shame that he didn’t learn from his mistakes and is now going after Nianzhi!” Mr. He was so furious that he suddenly began to cough.
“Dad, are you okay?” He Zhichu stood up with concern. “Calm down, take a deep breath. Right, take a deep breath. Is there water by the bed? Drink some water.” He Zhichu guided his father over the phone in order to alleviate his strong fit of coughing. Hearing his father reacting so fiercely, He Zhichu didn’t want to mention the previous topic again in fear of further provoking him.
However, Mr. He didn’t let it go once he calmed down. He asked sternly, “…Why did you mention that person? Is there a problem?”
He Zhichu knew his father was very keen, so very few people could fool him. He thought about it and managed to say, “…I was only thinking, are we sure he really died seven years ago?”
Mr. He frowned as soon as he heard those words. “What do you mean? What did you discover?”
“…Nothing. I was only thinking that, although he acted strangely and never smiled, he did many unforgivable and unbelievable things. However, his achievements in science were obvious to all, he was so intelligent that nothing could stop him. So why then, seven years ago, did he have to do that? Did he really want to die?” He Zhichu tried to speak calmly in order to prevent his father from having more bad associations.
Mr. He picked up what his son was hinting, so he didn’t answer. Instead, he stated confidently, “Zhichu, I can let you do whatever you want about other things, but not this. I’ll make myself clear today, he was smart to be able to end his life. For Nianzhi’s sake, I let things go when he died. But if he didn’t really die, then I’ll make him die again! I’ll rip his body to shreds and cast the ashes to the wind! I’ll do anything I need to!”
…
He Zhichu ended the call and sat quietly in the darkened room. For a long time, he stared blankly out the nearby French window. There were no curtains on the window and he could see the sun beginning to rise outside. The navy sky had cast away its own veil to reveal its alluring colors to the world bit by bit. Navy, lake blue, grey-blue, light blue, moon white, milky white–-they all suddenly transformed into a brilliant red glow just as a golden sun that bounded up from the horizon. The glaring sunlight suddenly filled the living room. He Zhichu instinctively raised his arms to cover his eyes. The sky was bright, another day had come. Glancing at his watch, he saw that classes would start in another two hours. He Zhichu sighed and composed his mind before getting up to wash his face.
…
When Gu Nianzhi woke up that morning, she was roused by Ma Qiqi’s fierce banging on the door. “Nianzhi, Nianzhi! Hurry up and look at the commotion!” Ma Qiqi excitedly shouted through the door.
Gu Nianzhi yawned, She looked at her watch and saw it was only 7 A.M. Removing her blankets, she draped a nightgown over her body and opened the door to frown at Ma Qiqi. “What is it? Did you win the lottery?”
“Hmph! It’s even more interesting than winning the lottery!” Ma Qiqi showed her the phone. “Look at today’s trending news on Weibo! It’s already caused a ruckus!”
Gu Nianzhi took one glance at Ma Qiqi’s phone and felt the breath suddenly catch in her throat. She saw that the top-ranking story on Weibo was, “The Senate has declared that the impeachment procedure against Prime Minister Tan Dongbang will begin at 7 AM today.” There were also all sorts of headlines in major newspapers, every single one of them had something to do with this news. What on earth was happening?! She had only wanted to find the real IP that uploaded Gu Yanran’s video in order to slap Gu Yanran in the face with it! How had it ended up causing Prime Minister Tan’s impeachment?! This world was too unreal!
