Guardian Chapter 4: The First Call

 

Chapter 4 The First Call

Following a somewhat hazy memory to his home, Yu Shulin stood at the door with a heavy heart. He retrieved the spare key from beneath an old flowerpot in the corner, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Everything remained much as he remembered. From his previous life to this one, it had been over a decade since he'd last returned. A thin layer of dust settled on the furniture, and the tightly drawn curtains cast the living room in a gloomy light. He turned towards his mother's bedroom door, took a deep breath, and slowly pushed it open.

The pale floral bedspread reflected his mother's taste. On the bedside table sat a photo frame, depicting a beautiful woman cradling a child of two or three, smiling contentedly. Though his father was absent, his life with his mother had always been peaceful and happy.

Cradling the frame in his arms, he sat down beside the bed. He inhaled the faint, familiar fragrance of the sheets, his gaze drifting to the faint dust particles suspended in the air as he fell into a daze. The wardrobe stood half-open, revealing several of his mother's everyday dresses. Beside the bed lay a pair of warm yellow slippers – the simplest style, yet her favourite colour.

Resting his arms over his eyes, he exhaled deeply. His chest rose and fell, his breath carrying a barely audible sob.

He really had come back. How wonderful.

After spending hours cleaning every corner of the house, he wiped his brow, gathered his clothes, and prepared to take a shower.

The telephone suddenly rang. He froze for a moment before realising it was the landline at home—it had been disconnected not long after his university entrance exams, then later disconnected again when his uncle had pushed him forward to take the blame for Yu Bo. He’d wasted years in prison, and that pallid, oppressive existence had made him almost forget the very sound of a telephone ringing.

He approached the telephone, hesitated briefly, then gently lifted the receiver to his ear. In a soft voice, he murmured, “Hello…”

“Shulin, it's me. Why have you gone over there? Didn't we agree you wouldn't return? Your uncle is terribly worried. Have you eaten dinner? Shall I come and fetch you?”

The repulsive voice emanating from the receiver made him frown, his eyes brimming with impatience. He replied stiffly, “No need. I'll come back to pack my things. Let's meet at the lawyer's office at ten tomorrow morning.” Then, fearing Yu Xiu might grow suspicious, he softened his tone and added, “I know you care about me, Uncle. Thank you.”

Yu Xiu had been thoroughly worn out by Lawyer Zhou that afternoon. Though puzzled by Yu Shulin’s sudden lack of his usual affectionate dependence, the memory of his son’s harsh attitude towards his father eased some of his worry. After exchanging a few more concerned words, he hung up.

The call cast a shadow over Yu Shulin's recently steadied mood. He stared at the phone for a long moment, his gaze heavy. Clenching his fist, he took a deep breath before gathering his change of clothes and heading to the bathroom.

Zhou Mei, seeing Yu Xiu hang up, cautiously approached and asked, “How did it go? That lad Shulin... he hasn't grown suspicious, has he?”

“He won't. That boy trusts me implicitly now,” Yu Xiu replied, frowning and glaring at her, still somewhat irritated. “How do you usually teach Xiao Bo? This is a critical moment—keep a closer eye on him! If it weren't for him, we'd have signed those papers today and wouldn't need to make another trip tomorrow. Trouble brews overnight, you know that! Who knows what's going on with his father... And Shulin's emotions are unstable right now. Tell XiaoBo to keep his distance.”

“What nonsense! That harbinger of doom clearly provoked him today... You shouldn't have mentioned the custody battle…” Seeing her husband's expression darken further, Zhou Mei quickly fell silent. Recalling Yu Shulin's violent temper that afternoon, she couldn't help but worry: “With that boy treating our Xiao Bo so badly, what if they actually award custody to the other side?”

At this, Yu Xiu’s face lit up with a hint of smugness. He waved his hand confidently. “No way. Didn’t you see the venom in Shulin’s eyes when he mentioned his father? Thank goodness I put in a good word for us. And you—keep an eye on Xiao Bo these next few days. Tell him to watch his tongue. Think of the inheritance left by my short-lived sister. We can’t afford any mishaps.” Truth be told, he regretted mentioning the custody battle at all. His intention had been to show concern and thoughtfulness, but it had backfired, inadvertently provoking Yu Shulin. Still, it was a relief that the boy held such a poor impression of his father that his allegiance remained firmly with Yu Xiu

Zhou Mei, growing weary of his talk, changed the subject. “Right, I understand. Xiao Bo's such a good lad, he won't cause any trouble. Now, about transferring to Chenghan…”

“Once the money's in hand, I'll sort things out. Shouldn't be any issues,” Yu Xiu replied cheerfully.

Zhou Mei was satisfied with this and began discussing with him how they should spend the inheritance once it arrived.

While the Yu couple were happily planning how to use the over 600,000 yuan inheritance, Yu Shulin sat holding a bowl of instant noodles, irritably glaring at the incessantly ringing telephone, contemplating whether to pull the plug. What on earth was Yu Xiu playing at? Hadn't they agreed to meet tomorrow? Why was he ringing incessantly now?

After a prolonged ringing, the phone finally fell silent. His brow relaxed slightly as he buried his head back into his instant noodles. Half a month had passed since his mother's funeral; the food in the fridge had long since gone off. These noodles were bought with the last of his cash when he'd gone downstairs – they couldn't be wasted.

No sooner had he cleared the bowl than the phone, silent for barely fifteen minutes, rang again. Startled, Yu Shulin halted his retreat to his room.

“Will it ever stop?”

Frowning, he strode over, lifted the receiver, and answered impatiently, “Hello? What is it now, Uncle? Didn't we agree to meet tomorrow?”

The background noise on the other end was somewhat chaotic, yet no one spoke. Yu Shulin paused, puzzled. “Hello?”

“Yu... Shulin, hello. It's Liang Zhou.”

The voice on the line was low and hoarse, faintly tinged with weariness. Its tone was flat, revealing nothing of the speaker's emotions. Yu Shulin frowned, his confusion deepening. He didn't recognise this person.

“Hello, who might you be...?” Could it be one of Mum's friends?

Another silence ensued, as if the other end was deliberating how to introduce themselves. After a long pause, the deep voice sounded again, the weariness now gone: “I'm your brother. To be precise, I'm your father Liang Chi's son, Liang Zhou.”

Yu Shulin froze. He hadn't exactly been unprepared to face relatives from his father's side, but he'd never imagined the first person to contact him would be his... brother?

Brother... What an unfamiliar word.

No, if his father already had a son, and one older than himself... Could it be that his mother truly was, as the neighbours claimed, a mistress who had intruded upon another family? Was that why his mother had never once mentioned his father in his presence? But...

He felt momentarily disoriented. In his previous life, his father's side of the family had never directly contacted him. What was happening in this life? He hadn't done anything yet since his rebirth. How had this butterfly effect already begun?

“Mr... Liang,” he suppressed his jumbled thoughts and hesitantly spoke, “Then my father…”

There was a pause on the other end before a flat reply came, “Your father passed away three years ago.”

“...”

 

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