Guardian Chapter 8: The Second Call

 

Chapter 8 The Second Call

Hu Jun was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

Yu Shulin left the school wearing an expression of hurt and sorrow, but once outside the gates, he swiftly reverted to his usual impassive demeanour and began sorting through his connections.

Hu Jun's wife attended the neighbouring high school, and her younger brother worked at the Education Bureau. Yu Xiu also held a position at the Education Bureau, while Hu Jun's father-in-law occupied a fairly significant role within the same department...

Excellent. Perfect.

Knowing Yu Xiu, the custody battle was far from over. More trouble was bound to follow. With his own social circle being rather limited, Yu Xiu would inevitably try to leverage his former teachers and classmates to pressure him. Now that he'd already warned his teachers, Yu Xiu's next moves wouldn't be so straightforward.

The education circle was peculiar. Leaking information out was difficult, yet once gossip emerged within, it spread like wildfire across the entire circle within days. Yu Xiu was now muddling through at the Education Bureau – that pitfall had been dug for him... He'd be damned if he didn't see how Yu Xiu could climb the ladder with such a reputation for scheming over his nephew's inheritance!

Upon returning home that evening, a neighbour informed him that a man claiming to be his uncle had come looking for him.

Yu Shulin felt a pang of unease. To him, Yu Xiu was nothing but a foul-smelling ditch that left a stench wherever he went. He'd worked hard to escape him and wanted nothing more to do with him—preferably not even having to smell his stench! Now that bloke had come knocking, it was nothing short of a disruption to his quality of life.

Around seven or eight o'clock, the home telephone rang. Thinking it might be Liang Zhou calling, he walked over to answer it.

“Hello, Shulin? It's me, your uncle. I think there's been some misunderstanding between us. How could someone who loves you so much…”

Yu Shulin was so sickened by that ‘loves you’ that he slammed the receiver down.

A minute later, the persistent ringing resumed. Unable to bear it any longer, he ripped out the phone cord.

This Yu Xiu was like a clinging ghost—utterly infuriating!

After calming down in the living room for a moment, he turned and dashed into his room to pack his things. Knowing Yu Xiu’s stubborn nature, if he couldn’t reach him by phone, he’d definitely come knocking at the door! Better to get out of the way.

Reaching the flowerbed by the estate gates, he spotted Yu Xiu's car approaching. He ducked behind the plants, waiting for it to pass, his expression stony. The persistent ghost. He could almost predict what that bloke would say: “Uncle loves you most. Everyone else has ulterior motives. Come into Uncle's embrace.”

...The very thought made him feel sick.

He took a deep breath, steadying his emotions.

Perhaps it was the physical toll of ageing, or perhaps his perspective had shifted after rebirth and the custody battle. Either way, his temper now flared with alarming ease—especially when faced with Yu Xiu!

It was utterly dreadful. He loathed this version of himself.

The last vestiges of summer heat were carried away by the night breeze. After wandering the streets several times, his mood finally settled completely. Standing at the street corner, watching the passing crowds, his mind gradually emptied.

The years spent behind high walls had left him with an intense longing to blend into the crowd. Being able to stroll the streets so easily and leisurely made him feel happy... How wonderful. Life truly still held hope.

Darkness hadn't yet descended; light was within reach.

He wandered until midnight, finally satisfied, and sought out an ordinary hotel to see him through the night.

The receptionist was exceptionally kind. Seeing he was alone, she offered extra care and advice. But when it came to presenting his ID and paying the deposit, he froze. Recent reforms to the secondary school entrance exams required ID for the tests, so the school had arranged temporary ID cards for all students beforehand. But the deposit...

Legally, he possessed countless tens of thousands. Yet in reality, he was utterly penniless. His money was with the solicitor, in passbooks, in bank accounts... In short, nowhere near his bag.

“What's the matter? Did you forget your ID?” Seeing him rummage through his bag for ages without pulling anything out, the receptionist hesitated before speaking.

“Well, um, sorry, I don't think I'll be staying after all. Thank you for your trouble.” He gave an embarrassed smile, silently zipped up his backpack, and turned to leave.

“Hey, wait a moment.” The receptionist watched his slender figure retreat, feeling a pang of sympathy. She grabbed a handful of sweets from the drawer, stepped forward, and pressed them into his hand. Pressing her lips together, she said softly, “Your parents will worry if you run away from home. Go back, alright?”

The sweets in his hand were exquisitely wrapped, a riot of colour that lifted one's spirits just to look at them. He clenched his palm, looked up, and offered a grateful smile to the concerned receptionist. “Thank you. Right, I'll be off now... The sweets are lovely.”

At fifteen, the boy was at that age where gender was hard to discern. Yu Shulin had inherited his mother's gentle, soft features. When he smiled faintly like that, a hint of tenderness seemed to emerge unconsciously. The receptionist flushed slightly, turning her head away from his gaze as she nudged him towards the exit. “Go back now. You won't catch a cab once it gets dark.” With that, she scampered back behind the counter, peeking out shyly with a bashful smile.

Yu Shulin nodded to her, clutching his handful of sweets. His footsteps lightened as he stepped out of the hotel entrance, unable to suppress a smile.

Indeed, the world was still full of good people.

Though receiving sweets from a pretty girl had lifted his spirits, Yu Shulin's face fell completely when he realised he couldn't find his way home.

His memories of W City had long grown hazy. Having wandered aimlessly on impulse, he now looked around in confusion, utterly lost... To make matters worse, his bag contained no money, leaving him unable to hail a cab.

He shuffled over to a bus stop, gazing up at the timetable in search of a familiar route. The streets grew increasingly deserted; the occasional passerby hurried past with purpose.

Everyone else seemed to have a direction home, only he... Had he truly been disconnected from society for too long?

Cheerful light music interrupted his thoughts. His mobile phone in his backpack was vibrating faintly. He paused for a moment, then reached into his bag and pulled out the phone. Staring at the flashing words ‘Liang Zhou’ on the screen, he drifted into a brief reverie.

Ah, it was his so-called elder brother.

Brother—a strange and unfamiliar title.

His movements were slightly awkward as he raised the phone to his ear and murmured a faint “Hello”... How did ordinary brothers interact? No, he and Liang Zhou were hardly ‘ordinary’ brothers. An illegitimate child and all—how utterly frustrating…

Still that deep, pleasant voice, though speaking much faster than usual: “Where are you? Why couldn't I get through to your home number?”

“I pulled the phone cord out…” He frowned, staring at the increasingly deserted street, pondering—how should he speak to sound natural? What constituted normal brotherly conversation?

“Why did you unplug the phone line?”

“That bloody sewer kept bothering me. It was too noisy, so I pulled it out.” How could he express goodwill? Should he call him ‘brother’ proactively? No, that felt terribly embarrassing.

“...bloody sewer?”

“...”

Wait, had he just said something rather peculiar?

 

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