HOW TO DEAL WITH A TSUNDERE GONG
Chapter 12 – Peak Showdown

Perhaps pushing all his mistakes on another person would make his heart be at ease, yet Xu Bai Chuan preferred to pay his own bills.

Cheating yourself was harder than cheating others. He really couldn’t say he was innocent as there was a cause and effect for everything. Although difficult, one ought to bear the punishment for their misdeeds.

Rationally, he knew that this had nothing to do with Cheng Xu. Yet based on emotion, Xu Bai Chuan was quite willing to take out his anger on him. If it were not for Tang Jin’s sake, he could have fought 800 battles against Cheng Xu within those seven years.

The first signs of the drama in his household began from primary school when his parents gradually complained more about each other. Those complaints became quarrels in junior high, then their relationship descended into a freezing point in senior high when cold wars frequently lasted for a couple of months. Since the parents were occupied with lashing out at each other, the child was naturally uncared for. Xu Bai Chuan put on a show of being obedient at home and the classroom, but he often got into fights in private. Although he was shorter than Tang Jin and his body size wasn’t as large, he could draw a tie with him. When calmly speaking with Tang Jin one time, they had discussed this matter rationally—

Tang Jin had asked him, “How could you be this skilled?”

Xu Bai Chuan’s reserved nature carried some shyness. “There’s no secret to it. I’m just like this.”

Therefore, Cheng Xu should have long been grateful for the 800 calamities he had avoided. Daring to demand an explanation, did Cheng Xu enjoy challenging the limits of the tide in an ocean of anger or did he have a loose screw?

Psycho.

How could Xu Bai Chuan have not realized this earlier?

When he first escaped the basement and began living in Tang Jin’s house, it was the period when his relationship with Tang Jin was at its best. Tang Jin loved bringing him along wherever he went so coming into contact with Cheng Xu was naturally unavoidable. Looking back, Cheng Xu had already abandoned himself to a life of pleasure and came up with a dog idea each day. When Xu Bai Chuan called him a hedonist, Cheng Xu proudly replied, “In human life, accomplishment must bring total joy. I spent a thousand gold pieces completely, but they’ll come back again ¹”. On one hand, Xu Bai Chuan was surprised that he could actually recite lines from a poem. On the other hand, he ridiculed that the gold pieces spent didn’t belong to Cheng Xu, but his parents. Yet Cheng Xu believed that not properly enjoying life would be letting down this good life he had been given.
[T/N: ¹ Line from Bring in the Wine by poet Li Bai meaning ‘Life is short and one should enjoy it.’]

This kind of back and forth mockery was performed almost every single day. Cheng Xu openly accepted his indulgence in an easy lifestyle and developed a mindset for idleness. As long as he could enjoy life, he laid back and allowed the mockery, then would seize an opportunity to ridicule others later on. For instance, when Xu Bai Chuan pretended to be Tang Jin’s mysterious boyfriend, Cheng Xu took pleasure in his situation and joyfully offered a piece of information: Tang Jin’s father had a bad temper so he had better wear a thicker helmet that day.

In fact, the three of them had actually spent a peaceful time together.

But what’s the use for peace of the past? In the present, they were nevertheless incompatible as fire and water.

Cheng Xu discerned that his expression was somewhat panic-stricken and suddenly said, “Breaking up is for the best. He doesn’t like you.”

Xu Bai Chuan didn’t reply, his only thought was that this corridor was too long.

Sure enough, since they were non-agreeable, silence was better than words.

After saying that, Cheng Xu became silent. Once they left the restaurant, he firmly held onto Xu Bai Chuan’s shoulder and walked towards his car. Xu Bai Chuan rudely broke free and made his way to the side of the road to hail a taxi. Looking at his cold face, Cheng Xu suddenly smiled and said, “Fine. I’ll let you off for today since you seem to be in a foul mood.”

A taxi stopped in front of Xu Bai Chuan, he nimbly opened the door and went in. He thought: ‘Letting me off? Just thank our old times for saving you.’

Xu Bai Chuan had not eaten spicy foods in a long time so his stomach was already a bit unwell at the dining table. When he arrived home, there was a burst of overwhelming pain and his suffering continued through the night even after eating medicine. Being unaware of when he fell asleep, he was awoken by a continuous ringing at 5 a.m. 

The cold sweat caused by the pain became slightly sticky. He was so tired that he hadn’t even checked the caller ID before picking up. In his hazy state, he asked, “Who?”

A slight sound of breathing could be heard. As soon as he realized who the person was, his sleepiness was immediately dispersed.

This proved that sick people truely are frail and tender— He was an expert at putting on an invincible surface while his heart was full of holes. Yet now one hand was holding onto his slightly aching stomach as he contemplated whether he should hang up the phone. 

The important thing was the time. 5 a.m.

Tang Jin had always slept late and woke up late. Calling at this time… Could he believe that by leaving, there was some impact on Tang Jin?

At this moment, a rustling noise could be heard from the phone. A voice sounded. “Who are you talking to?”

Not awaiting Xu Bai Chuan’s response, the rustling suddenly became louder and the phone was picked up by another. The voice was rather hoarse. “May I ask who this is?”

He had heard this voice several times before. It wasn’t that this voice was very pleasant, but that it belonged to Song Yi Yu, the person Tang Jin cherished.

5 a.m? Ah, 5 a.m.

What a beautiful hour. It must have been a beautiful night. 

After bidding farewell to the person who had clung onto him for many years, Tang Jin must have spent a relaxing night engaging in a fierce battle with his white moonlight, then made a call to express his gratitude?

The pit of his stomach felt like a stone was blocking it causing it to not rise nor fall. Since he was unable to properly breathe, the pain in his stomach was reduced. Xu Bai Chuan turned over to face the closed curtains and replied, “It’s me. Xu Bai Chuan.”

There was a slight pause before Song Yi Yu asked, “You…what do you have to say to him?”

Xu Bai Chuan detected an envious undertone in his words. Yet when he changed his perspective to ponder about it, Song Yi Yu and Tang Jin had been separated for seven years and it wasn’t easy for them to meet again. After rekindling their love by spending a romantic night together, he suddenly discovered that his boyfriend had called the pest that had been bothering him for seven years. Couldn’t he be envious? 

Both the number and phone belonged to Tang Jin, yet it lay within Song Yi Yu’s hands. Xu Bai Chuan had never touched any of Tang Jin’s personal belongings without permission in the seven years. In this way, it seemed that he had long known that he was incapable of possessing anything so he treaded cautiously to avoid enraging Tang Jin. As Song Yi Yu lay at the apex of Tang Jin’s heart, let alone a phone, even a heart could be dug out to be shown to him. 

One shouldn’t abandon things midway and this also could be considered compensation for delaying Tang Jin’s relationship by seven years. He made up an excuse on the spot. “I forgot to tell Xiao Wang where I placed the Ludi Group contract.” Fearing that the excuse wasn’t realistic enough, he paused, then spoke as if he were posing a question, “Should I tell Tang Jin directly or get Xiao Wang to find it?”

It was unknown whether his wording was deliberate or unintentional, Song Yi Yu said, “He is tired from staying up all night and just fell asleep. Find Xiao Wang for any matters that come up.”

Xu Bai Chuan said, “Okay, then I…”

“Also there’s something I’m not sure whether I should say.” Song Yi Yu rushedly spoke just before he was about to hang up the phone.

Xu Bai Chuan had two hunches. Firstly, what Song Yi Yu had to say wasn’t anything good. Secondly, even if he tried to stop him, Song Yi Yu would still say it. 

Sure enough, Song Yi Yu said, “Please don’t call Tang Jin ever again.”

Xu Bai Chuan gripped the phone tightly and tried to make his tone sound as light and bright as possible. “Of course. I have already resigned…”

“I’m not talking about that. You know what I mean.” Song Yi Yu’s tone was cold and confident, which contrasted greatly from his enthusiasm in the private room earlier during the day. “I’ve heard a bit about what you have done. I believe you have also heard about me.”

Xu Bai Chuan was dumbfounded, then immediately felt that the situation was funny. Since he no longer felt like lying down, he simply sat upright and leaned against the headboard. He then jested, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.”

Song Yi Yu seemed to have changed places since his voice that had previously been painstakingly restrained turned louder. “You may not believe it but I really like your character. So I don’t want to beat around the bush with you. As we’re all adults here, it would be better to speak openly.”

Xu Bai Chuan was rather surprised by this change in Song Yi Yu. Yesterday, he was under the impression that this was an innocent little angel, not a man capable of action. He nodded his head in cooperation and said, “Go on.”

“Tang Jin likes me. It may be rude to say this directly to you, but it’s a fact.” Song Yi Yu went straight to the point, “You’ve been by his side for seven years and abruptly left, so he must not be used to it. He may call you and urge you to stay. Yet surely your heart knows, these actions merely stem from habit, not love. It’s hard to force feelings, right?” 

“Regardless of whether what you said at the restaurant was true or fake, from this moment onwards, I hope you can abide by your promise and never meet Tang Jin again. This way, it will be the best situation for you, I and Tang Jin. If you want financial compensation, you are free to come to find me at any time. I want to wholeheartedly express my thanks to you for these seven years.”

The sound of Song Yi Yu’s voice was actually pretty good. When he spoke, it was active and one would feel comfortable listening to it. Xu Bai Chuan waited for a while, left the bed to open the curtains and saw that the horizon was a reddish-orange. Being certain that Song Yi Yu didn’t have anything else to say, he said, “You may not believe it but I also really like your character. You like me and I also like you. Since we hold a mutual liking for each other, I’ll advise you on a couple of matters.”

Song Yi Yu didn’t have any reaction to his words “mutual liking” and Xu Bai Chuan continued. “If it were not for Tang Jin coming out of the closet for you seven years ago, I would have had no chance to ‘take care’ of him for so many years. It was you who abandoned him first and just left. The one in the wrong was you. You were too unwavering.  Also, Tang Jin doesn’t like people making decisions for him. Of course, he likes you and would certainly be more tolerant. But everyone has a temper and he’ll inevitably be dissatisfied over time. This shortcoming, it’s best for you to correct it.”

Song Yi Yu laughed as if he paid no heed to him. He asked, “Anything else?”

Xu Bai Chuan said, “Yes. As you and Tang Jin are a couple, you can help him to make decisions. But you are not my God. Telling me to stay is fine and allowing me to return is also fine. Yet I’ll agree and disagree as I wish. My decision depends on whether it makes me happy or not.” After all, his guilt was only directed at Tang Jin. There was no need to wrong himself due to someone else’s mood. Moreover, everything he just said was words from the bottom of his heart!

Song Yi Yu questioned, “…Anything else?”

Xu Bai Chuan pondered and said, “En…Honest advice is hard to take, right?”

The peaceful exchange had already come to an end. Song Yi Yu said, “Right. No matter what, thank you.”

The battery was low so Xu Bai Chuan simply hung up the phone and threw it behind him without looking. He thought: ‘Fuck your thank you.’

It was like a water bag filled with thick red fuel was severed by the cold sharp corners of the city’s skyscrapers and the red gurgling liquid flowed out, spreading throughout half the sky.

The flame pulsing within his heart was splashed with a basin of water and extinguished during the split second when he heard Song Yi Yu’s voice. There will be no chance of it igniting again for eternity.

The sunrise was truly beautiful.

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