Seizing Dreams

Ch109 – Attend a Banquet

“Forget it.” Huang Ting ended the conversation, “I can’t think of any other possibilities for now. Help me watch out for Ou Qihang. If anything crops up, feel free to contact me at any time.”

“Un……” Yu Hao wasn’t worried about Ou Qihang finding himself in such a situation again. After all, the one who had erased that portion of his memories was Zhou Sheng, but Huang Ting was worried that there may be more danger lurking behind, which was why he specifically gave him such instructions. Therefore, he shouldn’t suspect them for the time being.

Chen Yekai and Zhou Sheng’s expressions seemed a little solemn. Both of them stood in front of the railing. Chen Yekai draped an arm around Zhou Sheng’s shoulder while Yu Hao watched from afar. It looked like Chen Yekai was seriously and sincerely instructing him about something. Yet, Zhou Sheng’s expression seemed a little lonely. He looked back, saw Yu Hao, and smiled.

Yu Hao thought, are they discussing the matter with his parents? He remembered that when Chen Yekai was with Ryuusei, he had come out to his parents in the past, so he could share his experience with Zhou Sheng. Chen Yekai spoke for awhile, then Zhou Sheng began to let his mind wander, and Yu Hao got up to walk over.

“I think, Tao Tie symbolises your desire for material things……”

Yu Hao heard Chen Yekai say that. He walked to the front of the railings, then turned sideways to listen to their conversation.

“Un.” Zhou Sheng glanced at Yu Hao and casually said, “Hopes for both money and a good life, but I don’t think I have the capability to achieve it. It’s my greed for things that don’t belong to me in the first place.”

“Material desire,” Chen Yekai pondered for a bit, “Everyone has it, you can’t avoid it. Instead of defeating it and making yourself abandon all material desires, why don’t you try to subdue it?”

Yu Hao, “……”

Yu Hao noticed that Li Yangming was coming over as well , so he gestured to Chen Yekai. However, Chen Yekai continued, “There are two possible ways to resolve it. One is to subdue it at this stage, turn it into a part of you and face up to your true self. Reconcile the contradictions between you and your family and your father’s wealth. Defeat it, and defuse it.”

Zhou Sheng casually said, “That’s what I wanted to do next.”

Chen Yekai made a gesture and said, “Second, through your own efforts, obtain financial freedom for yourself. By then, Tao Tie will lose all its power and wouldn’t even be worth mentioning to you.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Un, that’s the alternative.”

“Compared to Tao Tie, I think your Satan is more dangerous.” Chen Yekai laughed and patted Zhou Sheng’s shoulder.

Zhou Sheng said, “Yu Hao can subdue it.”

Yu Hao laughed too. Li Yangming came over, and the three of them immediately stopped talking.

“What are you guys talking about?” Li Yangming handed them some beer. Yu Hao waved his hand to signal that he wouldn’t be drinking anymore.

Chen Yekai smiled, “Talking about you.”

The night scenery, brilliant lights, and a Chen Yekai who looked like a lead actor in Korean dramas, Yu Hao thought Li Yanming you’re probably going to sink straight into it. Chen Yekai has never been conscious of flirting with people and always put on the appearance of being a teacher. But this kind of ambiguous flirting would make any little gay who sees it want to instantly lie down on the ground and start rolling about everywhere.

Looking at Li Yangming’s expression, Yu Hao knew at a glance that he got struck.

But Chen Yekai didn’t seem aware and explained, “They all like you very much.”

Yu Hao knew that Chen Yekai was a very good guy. Whenever he sees a student who isn’t confident in themselves, he would always lend them a helping hand and pull them up. Still, this conversation really was a bit awkward, so he nodded and left with Zhou Sheng to go sit on the sofa.

“It’s snowing!” Huang Ting shouted towards them.

February 14, the first snow was long overdue. Zhou Sheng uttered a “yo” as he looked up. Everyone raised their hands to catch the snow. Yu Hao took a picture of everyone and sent it to Cen Shan, while Cen Shan replied to him with a picture of her skiing in Switzerland. Both of them wished each other “Happy Valentine’s Day”. The day came to an end.

The next day, Fu Liqun dragged his luggage out and put on a fur cap. Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng sent him downstairs, then Fu Liqun said to Zhou Sheng, “If anything crops up, just call me any time.”

“Nothing will happen.” Zhou Sheng said, “Go back ba.”

The layer of snow that accumulated on the mountain was even thicker than in the city. Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng grabbed fistfuls of snowballs and threw them at each other for a while, then went to the market hand in hand to buy some goods for the New Year. This was the first New Year they would be spending together after they officially got together. Zhou Sheng carried a bunch of groceries and necessities as he followed behind Yu Hao. Yu Hao felt like they really were just like a young couple right now.

Yu Hao wanted to say something but hesitated. He thought of Zhou Sheng’s savings; his two million principal hadn’t been touched yet, but that was his father’s money.

“We can buy one on a loan.” Yu Hao began to gradually accept Zhou Sheng’s values, “And pay in instalments.”

Zhou Sheng said, “We can just buy one that’s around seventy to eighty thousand.”

Yu Hao thought of Zhou Sheng’s “family banquet” during the Spring Festival and felt a little apprehensive. On the 29th, he said to Zhou Sheng, “After you cook tomorrow, just leave it aside. I’ll wait for you to come back before we eat together?”

“Why wait?” Zhou Sheng was baffled, “Let’s go together ah.”

Yu Hao wanted to say but your father didn’t invite me, but he was afraid that if he said that, they would start fighting. Zhou Sheng said, “I’ve already made all the preparations. Let’s tell them tomorrow since they’ll both be present ba.”

Yu Hao, “!!!”

Zhou Sheng continued, “Didn’t they say that they had something they wanted to announce to me? I have something I wanna announce too.”

Yu Hao wanted to dissuade him, but he knew that Zhou Sheng must have considered it carefully before making this decision. At this time, all he needed to do was to support him by his side.

“Okay.” Yu Hao said seriously, “Let’s practice what to say tomorrow?”

Yu Hao was extremely nervous, but Zhou Sheng didn’t seem to be too concerned about it at all, “Plans can’t catch up with change, just say it straight out. It’s not like the two of them can gobble you up on the spot.”

Yu Hao tried his best to calm down. After a moment, he said, “Zhou Sheng, do you really plan to come out?”

“Yes.” Zhou Sheng answered, “I’m sure, very sure.”

Yu Hao decided that he might as well nod and said, “Okay, it’s all up to you.”

Zhou Sheng didn’t seem worried at all as he worked in the kitchen to make meatballs that he prepared to fry for Yu Hao as a snack. Yu Hao couldn’t help but ask, “How do you think they’ll react? They……”

Zhou Sheng said, “Who cares how they’ll react? This is an ‘announcement’, not a ‘solicitation for their opinions’. It’s up to them whether they want to accept it or not. Kaikai also said that parents wouldn’t be able to accept it at first, but as long as we don’t mind them, they’ll gradually begin to give in.”

Yu Hao asked, “What should I wear tomorrow?”

“A cheongsam.” Zhou Sheng said.

Yu Hao, “……”

Zhou Sheng was laughing really hard, “My dear wife, you’re really very nervous, but is that necessary? Reality won’t change through sheer willpower, just be careful not to get scratched by my mum. But I’ll protect you.”

Yu Hao actually wasn’t that afraid of Zhou Laichun; it’s not like he could start beating him up on the spot. The one he was most afraid of was Zhou Sheng’s mother. Ever since he met her last year during the New Year, she found a new point of contact and kept trying to control Zhou Sheng through Yu Hao. If she found out that Yu Hao got her own son into bed, he couldn’t imagine what would be the result of her explosive level.

As for Zhou Laichun, he would at most start fighting with Zhou Sheng on the spot, then both of them would ignore each other for a while. While Zhou Sheng’s mother was most likely to run to the college and strangle Yu Hao to death in front of all the students……

Yu Hao couldn’t sleep at all that night. He kept tossing and turning and was even more nervous than Zhou Sheng, and he only managed to fall asleep at daybreak. Yet Zhou Sheng managed to sleep very soundly. When they woke up at noon, firecrackers were being set off outside. After looking at Zhou Sheng’s appearance, Yu Hao knew that he must not have had a good sleep last night.

“Two panda eyes.” After washing his face, Zhou Sheng teased.

Yu Hao was extremely tired. Zhou Sheng said, “The Shifu who used to teach me boxing told me that it was easy to get too nervous to sleep before a match, but you just have to tell yourself that in 48 hours, the future will become the past, then it wouldn’t matter anymore. Think about how it’ll be the first day of the New Year tomorrow, and how we’ll lie on the sofa watching shows as we eat snacks. Still nervous?”

Yu Hao thought he was right. If he thought about it that way, then once they get past the meal today, nothing else would matter.

Zhou Sheng changed into a casual suit with the couple sweater that Yu Hao had bought underneath. They embraced at the door. Yu Hao put on his scarf, hat, and shoes, and went out the door.

“You look very cool today too.” Zhou Sheng rubbed Yu Hao’s head and said, “Let’s go.”

Zhou Sheng took Yu Hao to Mt. Yunding’s “Dawn of Spring in an Empty Mountain”, which was the place they ate at for his birthday. The snow on the mountain crushed the pine trees, cypress trees, and the bamboo. All the verdant greenery throughout the mountains was tinted with a tinge of white, just like frosting. No one was outside on New Year’s Eve, but Dawn of Spring in an Empty Mountain was unusually lively.

A lot of wealthy people preferred to have their New Year’s Eve dinner outside with their relatives. Yu Hao looked at the poster on the entrance —— 2,888 New Year’s Eve dinner. It was only 3pm when all the seats were filled, and even the ones in the lobby were fully booked.

Yu Hao felt that Zhou Sheng’s hand was a little cold and it was slightly trembling as well. He couldn’t help but feel his heart ache. When he thought about it, Zhou Sheng should be the one who’s even more nervous than him, yet he asked him not to worry about it. Right now, the one supplying courage should be him instead.

Yu Hao said, “Zhou Sheng.”

“Un?” Zhou Sheng stood outside Dawn of Spring in an Empty Mountain and looked at Yu Hao.

Yu Hao said, “I’ve never thought that such a day would come.”

“I never thought so either.” Zhou Sheng said, “There are some things that will always feel a little unreal when they actually happen.”

Yu Hao laughed. Zhou Sheng continued, “Although I always refuse to give in to Kaikai, there are times when I think what he says is really true. This road might look quite difficult, but after taking the first step, I realised that it wasn’t as difficult as it seemed.”

Until now, Yu Hao still didn’t quite understand why Zhou Sheng would choose to come out to his parents today. He felt that Zhou Sheng must have had a reason that he didn’t say, but since Zhou Sheng didn’t tell him, then he wouldn’t ask about it either.

“So, today will decide the lifetime that we’ll be spending together.” Yu Hao said.

“Yes.” Zhou Sheng smiled, “Are you willing?”

“I couldn’t be more willing.” Yu Hao looked into Zhou Sheng’s eyes and answered earnestly, then continued looking at the snow that had accumulated all over the mountains.

Zhou Sheng uttered an “un” and stopped cracking jokes with Yu Hao. He took him into the lobby, and the manager immediately came up to greet them.

“Sit here first.” Zhou Sheng adjusted the Golden Crow Wheel on his wrist. “Eat some snacks, I’ll go to the room first. I’ll get someone to call you in later.”

Yu Hao nodded, then Zhou Sheng turned and left, vanishing into the sea of people walking to and fro. Yu Hao quietly looked at everything around him. A waiter served him tea and asked something, but Yu Hao was distracted and just said in a daze, “Okay, that’s fine.”

He was the only one sitting at a huge table. People around him all thought he was there to hold the table. The noisy environment seemed to be blockaded by an invisible barrier around him. After ten or twenty minutes, he would go in and face the reactions of Zhou Sheng’s parents.

Not too far away were two tables that also each had one person. One was a woman in her thirties who laid her phone flat on the table and was tapping on it absentmindedly.

At the other table was a young man, who looked around Fu Liqun’s age and was quite handsome. He played games on his phone with a bored expression on his face and would look around occasionally, appearing as if he was waiting for his parents to come for dinner.

Oh man, what am I doing? Yu Hao suddenly felt like this world was too unreal. He never used to bounce his legs, but now he tried bouncing them a few times. It did seem to relieve his stress, so he began bouncing his leg violently.

Who am I? Why am I here?

Yu Hao felt like today really resembled the day that he had filled in his aspirations form for his college entrance examination, and also like the day he signed the contract for the sale of his house after his grandmother passed away. It was like one of the countless, tranquil intersections — that comprised both major and minor events. He hadn’t noticed it at first that that instant would actually set off a tempestuous storm in his life……

“Ai!” The young man at the adjacent table threw his phone onto the table.

Yu Hao glanced at it and asked, “You play Glory?”

“You know how to play?” That guy asked Yu Hao.

In order to relieve his stress, Yu Hao went over to sit down and took a look, “You’re waiting for someone?”

“Un.” The young man said, “You’re a college student?”

Yu Hao, “I’m waiting for someone too, I’m a sophomore.”

The woman at the other table was extremely bored as well and glanced at them. Yu Hao said, “You know how to play too?”

The woman said, “A little bit.”

So the three of them temporarily put together a table. The woman poured some tea for them and watched them play Glory from the side.

Zhou Sheng casually knocked twice on the door to a room. A voice rang out from the inside, “Who is it?”

Zhou Sheng pushed the door and walked into the room, and saw that his mother was sitting down, but Zhou Laichun was absent.

“You actually know how to knock?” Mama Zhou scrutinised him like she didn’t know her son anymore.

Zhou Sheng, “You’re the one who never knocks.”

Mama Zhou was dressed in her best attire today — she wore a short black frock and a pearl ring as an accessory. Zhou Sheng scrutinised her doubtfully and paid attention to her belly.

Zhou Sheng, “No way, you’re pregnant?”

Mama Zhou ignored Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng continued, “How many months? Boy or girl?”

Mama Zhou, “……”

Zhou Sheng, “This can’t be, that guy is always prematurely ejaculating, but he could still get you pregnant? How old are you even, you’re still giving birth at your age?”

Mama Zhou finally couldn’t bear it anymore and roared angrily, “Is Laoniang that fat?! Do you wanna fucking die on New Year’s Eve?!”

Zhou Sheng immediately raised his hands to signal his surrender. Mama Zhou seemed like she had been holding back from swearing for a long time, so a whole cart of her curse words immediately overturned as she began bombarding Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng said angrily, “I got it! I was wrong! I was wrong!! I couldn’t tell!!”

Mama Zhou fell quiet again in an instant and studied her son suspiciously. “What did you say? What did you just say?”

Zhou Sheng was used to saying “I was wrong, I was wrong” sometimes to Yu Hao. It was a little awkward to properly admit that he was wrong, so he would say it in a shameless way like how a child would, as if he was saying, ‘I’ve already admitted my mistake, what else can you do to me’ to settle their dispute. Mama Zhou on the other hand, the one who had raised him since he was a child, had never heard him admit his mistake before. Zhou Sheng was a guy who wouldn’t admit his mistake even if you were to throw him into a washing machine and wring him dry.

Zhou Sheng stopped talking, then this mother and son pair fell into a prolonged silence.

“Where’s the old man?” Zhou Sheng asked irritably, “If he’s not coming I’m leaving.”

“How would I know?” Mama Zhou was baffled, “He went to be a dog ba. Wagging his tail as he licks the official next door %￥#&……”

“Ai stop swearing!” Zhou Sheng couldn’t stand his own mother anymore.

Mama Zhou pursed her lips and mercilessly uttered a “tsk”. Zhou Sheng asked, “Are you guys getting back together?”

“Getting back your &%￥#……”

Zhou Sheng could only say, “Okay, I get it, let’s stop talking about this.”

Zhou Sheng and his mother stared at each other. Zhou Sheng took a sip of his tea and looked utterly annoyed, while Mama Zhou began scolding him again, “Could you learn from Haohao? Just look at your hooligan look, what girl would want you in the future……”

“Someone wants me!” Zhou Sheng roared back, “You don’t need to worry about it!”

Zhou Laichun pushed the door and entered, so the mother and son pair stopped talking.

“I still have two more rooms I have to pay my greetings to.” Zhou Laichun also wore a suit specially for today. He was nearly fifty years old, but he still maintained a good figure. “Just eat something small first.”

“What’s there to eat?” Mama Zhou Said, “There’s something on this table? The tea dregs?”

Zhou Laichun, “Didn’t anyone come over to take your orders? I’ll get someone over now……” As he spoke, he went out again, and some New Year’s snacks were delivered after a moment. Mama Zhou began gnawing on melon seeds. Crack, pei, crack, pei, crack……after biting the seeds, she would still spit twice and spit on the ground.

“It’s not easy to clean up this carpet.” Zhou Sheng said helplessly, “Could you be a little more civilised?”

“None of your damn business.” Mama Zhou Said, “The little white-eyed wolf can’t wait to be a Young Master now?”

Zhou Sheng said, “Treat it as if I said nothing.”

—