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Join the ServerHe Ting knew Zhang Xiaojing hadn’t had it easy, but he never imagined it had been that hard.
Three years, over a thousand days and nights. He couldn’t picture that kind of despair.
Even less could he imagine someone enjoying his body while pressing a burning cigarette into his flesh.
Or what other forms of abuse there might have been.
Especially when, during those three years, his father had also passed away.
His body and mind must have struggled at the very bottom of hell.
‘How much courage must it have taken? How much effort to endure those inhuman years alone?’
And to become the Zhang Xiaojing he was today, not twisted, not cynical toward the world…
Just quietly, almost excessively, detached.
From the very first moment He Ting saw him, he felt Zhang Xiaojing had a world entirely his own.
And perhaps that world was no longer willing to open for anyone else.
The reason Zhang Xiaojing asked him to persuade Su Bei to leave was precisely because of this.
To him, Su Bei was only wasting his time.
Su Bei’s usual flamboyance was gone. What remained was almost despairing rage.
He Ting found himself wondering, what if Zhang Xiaojing had met Su Bei first?
‘Would everything have turned out differently?’
Just like his own parents, if they hadn’t abandoned him back then, would things have been different?
The turning points of happiness or tragedy were never as simple as they seemed.
Where they ultimately led, only fate knew.
He comforted Su Bei, coaxed him upstairs, gave him warm milk, and had him take a quick shower before letting him sleep in his room.
Su Bei hadn’t slept all night. He was bent under the weight of pain.
Even though his heart still bled, once he let it out, he relaxed, and soon fell asleep.
He didn’t wake until dusk. The two of them went out for dinner together.
He looked better, though his mood was still low.
After slowly finishing a bowl of rice, Su Bei said, “In this life, I’m set on Zhang Xiaojing. Whether he agrees or not doesn’t matter. Soft or hard, I’ll try anything. He won’t escape me in this lifetime.”
He Ting nodded.
“Then you should control your temper too. With his situation, he won’t recover quickly. You’ll need to be prepared for the long haul.”
Su Bei frowned stubbornly.
“I can give him my whole life. Isn’t that long enough?”
He Ting smiled.
“Yes, yes, Brother Bei is the most enduring.”
Normally, Su Bei would grin smugly at that, but today he still looked troubled.
He Ting ladled him a bowl of soup.
“But don’t push him too hard. If there’s anything I can help with, tell me.”
Su Bei looked up, almost incredulous.
“How can something like this even happen, Tang Tang? How can people be this evil?”
He Ting pressed his lips together. He had no answer.
Some people’s cruelty was innate, there was no explaining it.
Su Bei sniffed.
“When he needed someone the most, why didn’t I meet him? Even if it were just a day earlier… maybe there would be two fewer cigarette scars on him.”
He blamed himself, as if it were his fault.
He couldn’t go on. Large tears dropped into his soup.
“I’ll cover all the suffering he’s endured in this life with endless sweetness. I’ll make him forget he ever suffered.”
He Ting’s eyes grew moist. People who had suffered would never forget, no matter how much sweetness came later.
But he didn’t say that, he just smiled and nodded.
After Gu Qiuhang left, the two rarely contacted each other.
But every day, He Ting updated his social media, quietly maintaining a sense of presence.
For example: The weather is nice today. Went downstairs with Uncle Gu to water the little trees.
Or: Aunt Zhou took leave today. First time cooking tomato egg noodles. The tomatoes are grown by Uncle Gu, organic, pesticide-free, super delicious…
Little fragments of daily life, paired with carefully taken photos.
He didn’t know if Gu Qiuhang would see them, but just thinking that he might made him happy.
Gu Qiuhang never replied. Most responses came from Du An and Su Bei, and occasionally Zhang Xiaojing would like a post.
He checked Gu Qiuhang’s profile every day, but it was always empty.
He thought, ‘He must be too busy.’
That night, he refreshed it again.
After sending Su Bei off, he had so many things he wanted to say.
Unexpectedly, he saw an update.
Under sunlight, through bare branches, a bird’s nest quietly waited for its owner to return.
In the dappled light, traces of unmelted snow remained.
Only then did he realize, Australia was in winter now.
Below the image were four words: A branch to rest upon.
It echoed a character from his name, the meaning behind the name Tang Xi given by Tang Wanli.
Bitterness and joy surged together in his chest.
He missed him.
He couldn’t resist sending a message, asking when he would return.
Seeing Su Bei’s situation made him realize, his own blade was still hanging overhead.
Until it fell, he couldn’t relax.
It was already late night there; he thought perhaps Gu Qiuhang was asleep.
But the reply came quickly.
Gu Qiuhang said things were almost settled, and he would likely return on August 29.
Three days from now.
He Ting replied with a simple “mm.”
His eyes curved into a smile. Holding his phone, he reread the message over and over before drifting to sleep.
The unexpected happened on the 28th.
Around 8 p.m., He Ting received a call from Meng Ling.
He was reading in Gu Qiuhang’s room at the time.
Meng Ling said he had caught “the mistress.”
He Ting froze. “What mistress?”
Meng Ling shouted from the other end, “Bro, don’t you know? Su Bei has someone on the side!”
He Ting felt his scalp go numb.
After a moment of silence, he said mechanically, “Wait, I can’t hear you clearly.”
Then he switched his phone to recording mode and asked, “Meng Ling, what did you just say?”
Meng Ling repeated himself.
His voice was darker than usual, not as clear, with a faint tremor.
If He Ting didn’t know what had happened in his previous life, he wouldn’t have doubted it.
But he did.
And that was exactly why this call felt so abnormal.
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