Chapter 23: The Price of Helping a Seedling Grow
Tang Yu felt as though he could lift a hand and touch the black sky above him.
Ji Qian’ang carried him with absolute steadiness toward the lawn beside the restaurant, a slight curve at his lips.
But the wine had turned Tang Yu’s head upside down. Even held so securely, panic still spread through him.
“Hey—what are you doing?” He leaned inward at once, both arms locked around Ji Qian’ang’s neck. “Ji Qian’ang! I—I suddenly don’t want to get taller!”
“Put me down. Put me down right now! I’m scared of heights!”
Ji Qian’ang carried him unhurriedly toward the center of the lawn. “This is my dare. Is His Highness satisfied?”
Sitting on his shoulders, Tang Yu’s legs trembled. He looked close to tears. “This is clearly my dare…”
The night wind blew across his face and lifted his fringe. His head cleared a little, making him even more aware that he had been lifted high in the air without any protection.
Tang Yu shuddered. One weak hand caught Ji Qian’ang’s earlobe as he begged again and again, “Brother Qian’ang, please, I’m begging you. Put me down…”
Ji Qian’ang asked, “Where are you short?”
He looked up at him. “Tang Yu, tell me. Are you still short?”
Tang Yu trembled from head to toe. Alcohol had blurred his eyes with mist and turned the corners red, as though tears might spill out at any second.
Then, gradually, he seemed to grow accustomed to the sudden height. His mouth lifted to reveal a line of white teeth as he gazed at the stars, which felt close enough to touch.
“No. I’m not short…”
“I got taller. I really got taller.” His voice grew more and more excited.
Somehow, a smile had also appeared at the corner of Ji Qian’ang’s normally calm mouth. He gave a soft laugh. This time Tang Yu did not slap the table and accuse him of mocking him.
In truth, Ji Qian’ang wanted him to ask: Ji Qian’ang, what are you laughing at now?
Because seeing Tang Yu smile had made him happy too?
Ji Qian’ang would have stayed silent. He would never say something so absurd aloud. Ji Qian’ang was not supposed to smile because someone else smiled. He was not supposed to notice the little curve beneath another person’s eyes, or the corner of their eye, or the impossible-to-ignore red mole at the point of their chin.
But he had noticed it. He had even bitten that mole, his tongue maliciously teasing the spot beneath it.
Was he still Ji Qian’ang?
He did not know. He blamed the alcohol and kept walking steadily over the grass. One strong hand held Tang Yu’s thigh; the other joined it, supporting him securely as he turned in slow circles.
The wide sleeves of Tang Yu’s costume waved wildly through the air. Like a carefree little prince in a castle, he was held aloft without a single worry.
Tang Yu had grown taller. At least for this moment, he did not need to fear contemptuous looks, drink milk every day without fail, or hear people bring up his height in every social setting.
He stood on a giant’s shoulders, made taller by force. It was all right. Forcing a seedling to grow never ended well, but he only wanted this single moment of elevation.
The others soon came out and gathered on the lawn, playing with delighted abandon. Tang Yu mumbled for Tian Qianxing to get his phone so that he could record this hard-won growth spurt.
Tian Qianxing laughed. “Just don’t sit on someone’s phone and drop it.”
As it turned out, Tian Qianxing’s words were uncannily accurate. Not long after Tang Yu started recording, the world spun before his eyes. His hand slipped, and his phone landed on the grass with a dull thud.
Tian Qianxing: “…”
Speak of the devil.
The impact seemed to wake Tang Yu completely from his drunken haze. Still clutching Ji Qian’ang’s neck, he looked down and whispered, his attention wholly redirected, “Put me down first.”
Ji Qian’ang half-crouched. Only when Tang Yu’s feet were firmly on the ground did he remove his hands from his thighs.
Everyone looked bewildered by Tang Yu’s sudden change. Tian Qianxing seemed to remember something. Tang Yu had used that phone for less than a year. During the time Tang Dong’s control of him had been suffocating, Tang Yifeng had secretly returned from abroad and given it to him.
It was only a phone, but because Tang Yifeng had given it to him, it seemed somehow gilded.
Luo Yueze came forward. “Is it bad? Did it break?”
Tian Qianxing immediately covered Luo Yueze’s mouth and dragged him closer. “Well, it only took a fall. It’s late. Why don’t we all go home? We have school tomorrow.”
Ji Xuecha looked at the time and agreed.
Seeing Tang Yu crouched motionlessly on the grass, she said to Ji Qian’ang, “He’s drunk. I’ll call you a car.”
Ji Qian’ang shook his head and crouched beside Tang Yu. “I’ll contact the driver. You go home. I can take care of him.”
After several more farewells, Tang Yu was left crouching on the lawn. He tried several times to wake the phone’s screen, but it stayed black. One fall had ruined it completely. He had not expected the consequences of forced growth to arrive so quickly.
Ji Qian’ang took his arm, trying to pull him up. “Can it still be used? I’ll call Uncle Chen—”
Before he could finish, Tang Yu covered his mouth. In a hoarse voice, he said, “No. I’m not going home. I want to get it fixed. It…won’t turn on.”
Ji Qian’ang pulled Tang Yu’s hand away. “Fine. We won’t go home. I’ll take you to get it repaired.”
He helped Tang Yu toward the exit, but Tang Yu staggered so badly that Ji Qian’ang finally crouched down and offered his back.
Tang Yu hesitated where he stood. Ji Qian’ang did not wait for an answer. He caught Tang Yu’s wrist and efficiently pulled him onto his solid back.
Afraid of falling, Tang Yu clutched the broken phone and quickly wrapped his arms around him. His cheek pressed to Ji Qian’ang’s broad, warm back.
“So warm…” he murmured. “Did you install underfloor heating in your back?”
Ji Qian’ang did not know whether to laugh or cry. He only adjusted Tang Yu higher and carried him more securely.
Tang Yu had always looked light. On his back, he felt almost weightless.
“Ji Qian’ang, do you know…” Tang Yu said. “You’re the first person who’s ever carried me.”
“I’ve never seen you work out. Why is your back so hard?”
Though his mind was foggy, the words were true. Tang Dong and Wei Yingrong had barely cared for him after he was born. His grandmother had been at the height of her career and had no time to raise him. Servants had cared for him for most of his childhood.
Of course he clung to Tang Yifeng, but Tang Yifeng had his own affairs. He could not revolve around Tang Yu every moment of every day.
Ji Qian’ang said nothing and let Tang Yu ramble beside his ear. He spoke many times more than usual, repeatedly calling him big shot and brother while gripping the shattered phone.
They took a red taxi to the nearest repair shop. Tang Yu had been leaning drowsily against the counter, but when he heard the shop owner say he needed to open the phone to inspect it, he jolted upright, snatched it back, and hugged it to his chest.
“Then don’t fix it. Don’t fix it…”
“This phone can’t be opened. I’m not fixing it.”
Ji Qian’ang looked at him helplessly. He had no idea whether Tang Yu even understood what he was doing in this state.
Since Tang Yu refused the repair, Ji Qian’ang apologized to the owner and led him outside.
A fine rain had begun to fall. Pedestrians hurried down the street, but Tang Yu simply stood there, tipped his head back toward the sky, and slowly closed his eyes.
“Mm! Fresh air!”
Ji Qian’ang tightened his hold on his wrist. “Tang Yu, are you going home or not?”
Tang Yu followed the line of their joined hands to Ji Qian’ang’s calm face. His low mutter carried a slight tremor. “Brother, the phone is broken. I need a new one. Brother, won’t you buy me one?”
Ji Qian’ang frowned. Tang Yu looked as though he would cry at any moment. His chest tightened, and he agreed without hesitation.
“I’ll buy you one.”
Tang Yu finally produced a satisfied smile and let Ji Qian’ang lead him toward a brand shop.
Buying the phone was probably the most obedient Tang Yu had been all day. Ji Qian’ang asked about model, style, and color. Tang Yu made no demands at all; he only looked blankly up at him and nodded again and again.
Ji Qian’ang chose one at random, paid in full with the small savings he had accumulated over the years, and took Tang Yu home.
The rain grew heavier. Uncle Chen said he was coming, but traffic was jammed. Ji Qian’ang promised he could bring Tang Yu back safely.
He took off his coat and covered Tang Yu’s head, then hailed another red taxi. Inside, he tried to remove the coat, but Tang Yu held onto it and would not allow him to. His other hand gripped Ji Qian’ang’s wrist tightly.
Tang Yu’s frame was slight. One slender hand could not even fully circle Ji Qian’ang’s wrist.
Under the coat, he looked like a little ghost. His muffled voice came through the fabric. “Your hand is so hot…”
“Are you taking me home? The rain is so loud…”
When no one answered, Tang Yu complained, “Brother? Big shot? Say something. Are you mute?”
“Brother Qian’ang?!”
At last, Ji Qian’ang answered, “I’m here.”
Fortunately, the taxi soon reached the iron gates of the old residence. After it stopped, Ji Qian’ang wrapped an arm around Tang Yu’s waist and ran through the rain, crossing the long drive before they reached the house.