Translator: Sissy That Walk
There were ten songs in the album. The theme song Wish expressed children’s yearning for and love for their parents. The other songs were senior’s love for their later generations, love between couples, and wanderers’ love of their homeland. The tone of the whole album was warm and a little bit sentimental, and only the last one Pets depicted pets’ love for their owners, cheerful and light-hearted, which was a relief for the whole album to some extent.
Throughout the afternoon, He Bai was indulged in the music, allowing emotions to be driven by musical notes, sad and joyful at times.
“Our master said that the junior disciple was adept at getting the point and had broadest love in his heart. I have faith in that he’s able to shoot the cover you desire.” Xu Ying came out behind Jun Chen somehow, looking through the window with Jun Chen to the corner of the room, in which sat He Bai, who had headphones on. Finally, Xu Ying looked normal and soothed, “I’ve seen his works, which are in accord with the style of your album. You should set your mind at rest.”
Jun Chen did not sulk this time, looked some distance away, and finally whispered back, “I hope so.”
The songs evoked emotions which induced memories further. He Bai, who lost his parents when he was a teenager, called to mind the warm and sweet days with his parents unwittingly. He couldn’t help shedding tears, and finally came out of the room with red eyes.
Jun Chen had already left, whereas Xu Ying got closer to him right away and tried to play tricks.
“Give it up, I will never throw you a bone by allowing you to shoot me naked, even if with an underpants on.” He Bai ceased Xu’s wishful thinking before he spoke out, then grabbed his collar and pressed him against the wall. Then He raised his fist in a threatening way, and asked faintly, “Is my mobile phone fun to play with, Second senior disciple?”
Xu Ying was so frightened that he started to hit the wall. “Jun Chen, you betrayed me!”
He Bai began to fondle him.
Xu Ying, like a frightened girl who was assaulted, with a manly stern look, crossed his chest and eluded, then exclaimed, “What are you doing, Little Brother? We are fellow disciples, you, you can’t harbor malicious intentions to me. It’s incest!”
“Full of lust and pornography! Behave yourself!” He Bai picked up Xu’s cell phone from his pocket, squinted to find Xu Yinrong’s number, typed and sent a quick text message, then gave the phone back and patted Xu Ying on the shoulder in smile. “Well, you shall know the feeling of your phone being fiddled with by others.” Then He Bai walked away, leaving him a grim figure.
Xu Ying was stupefied and then turned on his phone to the short message page.
Xu Ying: Master, I’d like to take naked photos of the senior disciple. Would you please intercede for me?
“Oh no! Master hates me to caste eyes at close relations. How could you…” He fell into breakdown and couldn’t help beating the wall.
At this time, his mobile phone rang. It was Xu Yinrong.
His hands trembled, his heart rate grew faster after a sudden tremble, his forehead broke out into cold sweat, and he walked around in anxiousness.
“By the way.” He Bai came back, smiled and reminded Xu, “I have texted master with my phone, telling him that you are only working here because you are up for no good for Jun Chen. And unfortunately, you have been denounced and will soon be fired. Second senior disciple, it’s the time to fend for yourself.”
“What! How can you be such an asshole!”
Xu Ying came to a halt. He was dying for digging a hole to bury himself at this point.
The ring ceased, and then rang again. Xu gritted and answered, “Hello…No, no, no, master, listen to me…No, no, I haven’t compelled anybody or take secret photos…Please! I was wrong! I refuse to repent to Big Brother!”
The day was getting shorter in the early autumn. Jun Chen was in a daze, sitting in a rattan chair on the balcony of the second floor of the studio, at the time when He Bai came to him.
He Bai gave a sign to stop staff from informing Jun Chen, and glanced at the music scores and some old photos scattered on the table beside. Then he found a suitable angle, set the camera ready and adjusted the light. Finally, he pressed the shutter.
Click.
Jun Chen came back to earth and looked back.
He Bai pressed the shutter again, shooting the way Jun Chen looked back in doubt, then put down the camera and smiled at him. He Bai went over and turned over the old photos on the table, picked out the one had been selected as the album cover in his previous life, and asked, “Who’s that?”
Jun Chen looked at the photo, paused, and answered, “My parents.”
“Your parents?” He Bai was puzzled. He looked at the photo in which only stood one person and asked, “Where’s the other one?”
“It’s my father, he’s taking photos.” Jun Chen smiled and yearned. “There were many hills in my hometown. My mother loved flower, and she often went for a walk in the hills after dinner. My father worried about her so much that he accompanied her every time… He borrowed a camera from a neighbor, and this photo was taken by my father before the landslide accident.
He Bai was affected, looked down at the pretty lady in a long skirt, who was bending down to pluck flowers, then moved his eyes to the overcast sky in the photo, and stayed mute for a few seconds for he felt sorry about the accident.
“I was studying abroad and longed to see them, thus I requested them to take some photos to send to me… It was because of me that they went up the hill in that gloomy day.” The sentiment of attachment to his parents was replaced by bitterness and guilt, then Jun Chen said in a lower voice. “For the sake of showing me at their best, they specially wore their favorite clothes and borrowed a technical camera from neighbor…”
The sun was about to set in the west and the sky was covered with sunglow.
He Bai looked at Jun Chen, who was sideways on the setting sun. He Bai recalled how he kept reading his parents’ text messages for comfort, and then an impulsive thought came into his mind. He suggested, “Mr. Jun, let’s sweep the tombs.”
Jun Chen was stunned. “I beg your pardon.”
“Well, where are your parents buried?”
“On the hill of my hometown, they loved it there…”
He Bai bowed his head to pack up the music scores and old photo. “Is your hometown in C province?” He then asked.
