The Perfect Relationship by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 26: The Three Rules

When Shao Junling heard Yin Chang gentle command, he hesitated and stepped back. After last night’s apology and discussion, Yin Chang thought the incident was over. He didn’t expect Shao Junling’s resistance the next day.

“Come here and sit.” Yin Chang said as he patted the seat next to him on the couch. Since they have three days together, he wasn’t in a hurry. Sooner or later, Shao Junling would have to face him. “Let’s talk it over. I’m not angry with you.”

Unmoving, Shao Junling weighed his options internally. Probably, he recognized the fact that he had no where to go and as a result, he slowly walked over to the couch to sit down besides Yin Chang.

After catching Shao Junling near the flower bed last night, Yin Chang assumed he had never actually left the apartment complex. However, he had searched all day and involved the security department. Even though they combed through the grounds and looked at the surveillance equipment’s recordings, they were unable to find him. Yin Chang was very curious. “Where did you hide yesterday?”

“The stairs,” Shao Junling said slowly and rigidly.

Yin Chang was surprised. “You’ve been in the stairwell!? But I searched it looking for you.” He not only looked once, but he climbed the staircase multiple times; a full eighteen floors worth. His sore legs were proof of that. Could this kid be invisible?

Shao Junling explained: “The window, below.”

“Under the window?” Yin Chang recalled the window of the stairwell in his mind and couldn’t think of any space for him to hide.

Shao Junling shook his head.

Yin Chang frowned: “Explain it more.”

Gesturing with his hands, Shao Junling explained with difficulty: “Inside, outside, flower beds, you come, I go…”

Yin Chang listened to his hesitant explanation for a long time before he realized what he was trying to say. Shao Junling’s “below” referred to the first floor. A window was located near the flower bed there. Since it was easy to detect noise coming from the echoing stairwell, Shao Junling had ample warning of peoples’ presence. When he heard Yin Chang on the stairs, he went through the window and hid in the flowerbed. When he heard people outside, he went back through the window to the stairwell inside.

Since the flower bed just happen to be out of site of the surveillance cameras, no one spotted him. Shao Junling used a small trick repeatedly to make the group of adults run around frantically all day. Sure enough, Shao Junling was exceptionally clever.

Despite Yin Chang claiming he wasn’t angry, when he thought of what had transpired, he did feel angry. Although Shao Junling had witnessed the search party looking around for him all day, he continued to remain hidden. The use of a trick to evade him made Yin Chang feel worse.

Depressed, Yin Chang asked: “You saw us looking for you. Why didn’t you reveal yourself?”

Shao Junling kept his head down and didn’t speak.

Yin Chang asked: “Were you angry at me?”

Shao Junling flatly voiced an affirmative ‘uh-huh’. Anyone can see that this kid could hold quite a grudge…..

Yin Chang seriously asked Shao Junling: “If I make you angry again in the future, then what would you do? Keep avoiding me?”

Again, Shao Junling said nothing.

Yin Chang sighed in his heart. It seems, the rules of this family still have to be established. Otherwise, with this kid’s personality, more issues will come about sooner rather than later.

He coughed lightly and said: “It’s now water under the bridge. But in order to avoid this unpleasantness in the future, we’d better agree on three rules.”

Shao Junling looked at him suspiciously.

Yin Chang put up his index finger and sternly declared: “First, no matter what happens, whether it’s in front of me or in secret, you can never run away from home ever.”

Shao Junling: “…”

“Although we may not have the same blood, since father originally wanted to adopt you, I recognize you as my brother. I brought you back from the welfare institute and regarded you as family. If you want, you may tell others in the future that I am your brother. I will take good care of you until you turn eighteen. “

Shao Junling was stunned.

Yin Chang: “Do you have a problem with that?”

Shao Junling used his fingers to count: “There are still eight years left.”

Yin Chang: “Yes, eight years. For the next eight years, I’ll be responsible for your food, clothing, housing, and education. I’ll care for you when you are sick and protect you from harm. I’ll be here to help you when you need it. I’ll teach you what I think is right and I’ll point out when I think you aren’t doing enough. Although it’s a father’s responsibility, Dad is gone so it is up to me.”

Shao Junling looked up at him: “What about later?”

Yin Chang: “Later?”

Shao Junling stared at Yin Chang: “Eight years, later.”

Yin Chang: “Oh, when you’re 18 years old, you are considered an adult and will be responsible for yourself. You have to make your own decisions. If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences of your actions. Of course, you will probably still be in school when you’re 18 so you won’t have many worries. The family’s financial matters are another matter.”

Although Yin Chang decided to give Yin Dong’s fixed assets to Shao Junling, he was still too young to understand the nuances of finance and manage the accounts. Yin Chang didn’t want to burden him with this right now. When he is older and mature, he will tell him.

Getting back to the main point, Yin Chang confirmed it with Shao Junling: “You won’t run away from home. Will you promise me?”

Even though Yin Chang explained, Shao Junling was still hesitating. Was it possible that he was thinking about leaving?

“Will you?” He pressed him, face-to-face, with a question.

Shao Junling nodded awkwardly.

Seeing that he didn’t ask further questions, Yin Chang continued and put up another finger: “Second, you must learn to talk with me. Being a brother is a first for me and I’ll make mistakes in the beginning. If we can talk about our issues and admit our mistakes, we can improve our relationship. If I didn’t realize the matter on my own, such as yesterday’s situation, I would have continued to misunderstand and blame you and you would have continued to be mad at me. You must have patience and tolerance with me as well. Ok?”

Shao Junling: “……Okay.”

Yin Chang raised a third finger and said: “Third, there is a saying. A wise….“

Shao Junling: “?”

Yin Chang was about use the phrase ‘a wise person uses his mouth and not his fists’ but he quickly stopped because literally, Shao Junling did use his mouth. Instead, he simply commented. “A gentleman doesn’t hit, grab or bite others. In the future, you can’t fight with anyone.”

This request made Shao Junling reluctant. Maybe it was because he had been bullied before. Shao Junling clenched his fist and asked: “What about when other people are hitting me?”

“Well, if someone’s trying to bully you, you can fight back, but only to defend yourself and not too aggressively. You can’t tackle, bite and use tricks to….” Yin Chang couldn’t find a proper adjective to explain it. In his heart, when a man fights, he fights honorably without dirty methods. “Anyway, if you are interested in martial arts, I can bring you to a dojo to learn or a boxing gym to learn other forms of self-defense.”

Shao Junling’s eyes lit up and excitedly replied: “Okay!”

This was Shao Junling’s fastest and most straightforward answer since their conversation. Yin Chang was taken aback and couldn’t help but recall what he said to make sure it was alright. He didn’t think there were any problems with what he offered.

Learning martial arts can help cultivate ones’ mind and improves thier physical fitness. This is what Yin Dong said when he took him to learn Muay Thai. Since Yin Chang benefited greatly from his training, he knew it could help Shao Junling as well.

After the three rules were laid out, Yin Chang felt relieved. He grabbed a glass of water to drink from, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Shao Junling staring at him expectantly.

Yin Chang was surprised. Was this kid expecting to be brought to the martial arts gym right away?

“Do you want to say something?” Yin Chang asked him.

Shao Junling pointed at himself: “What about me?”

Yin Chang: “What about you?”

Shao Junling pointed to him, and declared bluntly:

“You, three, me, three too.”

Yin Chang: “???” Was it possible for Shao Junling to think that the three rules were a negotiation? Yin Chang already said he would take care of his needs and protect him, what else does he want?!?! Well, after thinking it over, it is a good thing. Shao Junling was proactively trying to communicate with Yin Chang for the first time.

Yin Chang raised his eyebrows and smiled: “Okay, what three conditions do you have? Let’s talk about it now.” He wanted to hear what Shao Junling would ask for.

Not surprising, the first thing Shao Junling said was “School.” Yin Chang assumed he didn’t want to go to school, but that’s definitely not possible.

Shao Junling paused for a while and then said: “I live in school. I don’t like it.”

“You don’t want to stay at the school’s dorms?” Yin Chang frowned before replying: “My work has started and I return home late every day.” He could arrange for a driver to pick up Shao Junling to and from school every day. However, Fiona isn’t here yet and thus, there wouldn’t be anyone home to look after him or cooks his meals.

“Well.…” He thought of a way to make it work than made a proposition: “You are taking remedial courses now to catch up with your classmates. When you have finished with them, you can stop using the dorms and live at home here.”

Yin Chang had estimated the time it would take for Shao Junling to catch-up and thought the housekeeper, Fiona, would have arrived by then.

Shao Junling thought for a while before speaking: “I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Yan Chang agreed to his request and thus set a goal for him. Taking it slow, listening to each other and talking out their issues was helping him communicate better.

“What else?” Yin Chang asked.

This time, while looking distressed, Shao Junling didn’t speak for a long time. Yin Chang assumed Shao Junling was withholding something unreasonable that would possibly disturb the fragile peace Yin Chang managed to obtain. The longer the wait, the longer Yin Chang’s anxiety grew. However, Shao Junling’s answer was least expected.

Shao Junling: “Nothing else.”

Yin Chang practically fainted.

Quickly, Shao Junling added: “But you owe.”

Yin Chang couldn’t laugh or cry. This kid really doesn’t want to give up an inch! Before he could say more, the intercom sounded.

Yin Chang was taken back. He got up slowly and walked to the elevator to answer the intercom. Pushing the button, the security guard’s face appeared on the screen: “Mr. Yin, there are four boxes of overseas parcels address to you. Are they yours?”

Yin Chang: “Yes. Send them up.”

Soon, a few security guards arrived at the door and neatly stacked the few boxes at the entrance. They were the boxes of clothes and toys that he had packed and sent back from abroad.

Yin Chang went to find a pair of scissors to open the cardboard boxed. Having talked things through with Shao Junling all morning, he no longer held a grudge. As a result, he followed Yin Chang around the house. Tentatively, he peeked out from behind Yin Chang to see what the commotion was about.

As he opened the boxes, Yin Chang encouraged him: “Come and take a look.”

While Shao Junling leaned over to look inside, his eyes widened suddenly. He grabbed the box and held it closely. Although he didn’t scream and shout to show his excitement like other kids did, it was clear by his expression how happy Shao Junling was.

Yin Chang smiled and said, “They are for you. Do you like them?”

Shao Junling nodded vigorously.

Yin Chang asked: “What do you say?”

He looked forward to the moment when Shao Junling said thank you to him, but he didn’t get his wish. Instead, Shao Junling commented: “Forgive you.”

Yin Chang: “???”

Yin Chang was stunned for a long time before reacting. Did Shao Junling think that he bought these toys to make amends for what happened yesterday

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The Perfect Relationship by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 25: I Don’t Want You

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Yin Chang slowly lowered his head onto the wheel. While on the phone, he didn’t dare tell Teacher Lin about Shao Junling’s disappearance. Now that Yin Chang understood the circumstance, it wasn’t surprising that Shao Junling didn’t show any remorse yesterday.

He replayed the events of last night in his mind eye. The harsh words that he spoke and Shao Junling’s shocked reaction. The two tears that fell from Shao Junling’s eyes and his running away. It was the first time he saw Shao Junling cry since coming home with him from the Welfare Institute.

Fiona’s teachings quickly came to Yin Chang’s mind. Without hope, a person wouldn’t realize they were living in a hopeless situation. However, once they experienced it and a better life, the disappointment and abandonment that a person would feel from withdrawing hope, would hurt more deeply than being hurt directly.

Mulling the circumstance over, Yin Chang’s stomach tightened into a ball. His anger turned into guilt and it was eating at his insides. He had to wonder, what the heck was so wrong that caused Shao Junling to lash out ? And, why didn’t Shao Junling say anything to him?

Yin Chang banged the steering wheel heavily in frustration. Sighing, he straightened himself up, turned the car on and drove back to his apartment at Huaihe. When he arrived, he was surprised to find Yao Manhuai waiting for him downstairs.

As the sky turned darker, he grew increasingly worried. It has been more then eight hours since Shao Junling’s disappearance. He commented: “Where could he go?”

Yao Manhuai was also worried. She frowned and replied: “He’s so young that I don’t think he would go far.  Let’s get the security guards to look around together…”

Yin Chang shook his head in disagreement. Ordinary children who’ve threaten to run away may not be able stay away from home for more then a night, but Shao Junling was different. Before he lived at the Welfare Institute, he lived on the streets. As a result, he knew what real suffering was. Shao Junling leaving his house would simply be like an animal returning to its natural habitat. Shao Junling had nothing to fear from being alone outside.

Even though Yin Chang was amazed at his actions, he was angry at Shao Junling’s attitude. However, when he thought of him alone, hungry and cold, Yin Chang felt horrible. “Auntie Yao,” he suddenly declared while he raised his head and looked at her in the eye. “If we don’t find him tonight, I’ll make a video and post it to my social media page tomorrow morning.  I’ll ask my fans to help me find him. I’ll reward a million to the person who finds Shao Junling. No, I’ll give the person as much as they want!”

After she heard his declaration, Yao Manhuai’s temples bulged in annoyance: “Don’t be impulsive!”

Yin Chang: “I’m not being impulsive. I am serious!”

In a serious tone, Yao Manhuai said: “Don’t think about ‘if’. We will find him! Let’s go inside and take a closer look at the community’s security surveillance.”

Just as they were about to walk towards the offices of the security department, they heard a rustling sound from behind them. Yin Chang looked back in alarm and unexpectedly, he saw the flash of a body move from the bushes to a nearby flowerbed. Yin Chang paused momentarily before he bolted forward suddenly in the same direction.

When the shadow saw Yin Chang suddenly move, the shadow immediately jumped out from behind the flower bed. Indeed, the figure was Shao Junling!

“Shao Junling, stop!” With the target sighted, Yin Chang chased after him. Since they were outside, there was plenty of room for Shao Junling to maneuver. With his long legs, Yin Chang caught up to Shao Junling in no time. Reaching out, Yin Chang grabbed the back of his collar.

Shao Junling yelled. Now captured, he struggled desperately without giving up.  Yin Chang panted and said: “Why are you still running? Don’t you know? I’ve been looking for you all day!!!”

Shao Junling thrashed around wildly, testing the strength of Yin Chang’s grip. Yin Chang was afraid he would break free. Since he didn’t want Shao Junling to escape again, he opened his arms and hugged him with all his might instead.

Eager to be free, in retaliation, Shao Junling bit Yin Chang’s hand.

“…Hiss!” Yin Chang trembled with pain, but still, he did not release his arms.

Clamping down on his jaw even harder, Shao Junling realized his method wasn’t working after a while. With tears falling, he cried out: “Let me go! I don’t want to stay with you anymore! You are bad!”

It was the most Shao Junling had spoken to Yin Chang since coming home with him from the Welfare Institute. However, he didn’t have time to savor the moment. Yin Chang focused on the best way to appease him. Not wasting time, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“Shhh..,Shh… “Yin Chang didn’t care about the pain on his hand. Instead, he anxiously coaxed Shao Junling and whispered in his ear, “It’s okay now, it’s me who is bad, Shh, don’t cry…”

As she was wearing high-heels, it took a few minutes for Yao Manhuai to catch up to them. Standing nearby, Yao Manhuai stopped when she saw them together. Yin Chang was kneeling on the ground with one leg and holding Shao Junling tightly in his arms from behind. He was apologizing to Shao Junling earnestly: “It’s my fault. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said it. I’m sorry. I’ll take it all back, okay?”

Yao Manhuai neither could interject nor speak. She could only stare blankly from behind. She watched Yin Chang lean closer to Shao Junling and whisper in his ear. Although Shao Junling finally stopped struggling, he continued to breath heavily from his earlier exertion against Yin Chang.

Now that it was evening, the sky darkened quickly and all of the street lights in the community lit up at the same time. Illuminating them in a spotlight, one of the beams of light happened to fall on Yin Chang and Shao Junling. On the ground, a silhouette of Yin Chang hugging his brother stretched across the ground.

When Yin Chang realized his brother had calmed down, he turned Shao Junling around to face him: ”Teacher Lin called me and told me what had happened with Xue ZI. Since you were defending me, why didn’t you explain it to me yesterday?”

Not pleased with the situation, Shao Junling continued to press his lips together. He didn’t answer Yin Chang.

Yin Chang continued: “I’ve told you before. If there is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you have to talk about it. If you don’t say anything, I will never know and I might misunderstand you.”

Shao Junling stared at Yin Chang blankly for a minute before dropping his eyes and looking away.

Yin Chang sighed. While he continued to hold his wrist with one hand to prevent Shao Junling from escaping, he gently stroked his cheek with the other hand. As Yin Chang brushed away Shao Junling’s tears with his thumb, his slightly frowned. Distressed, his brows wrinkled with regret. Letting out a deep breath he finally felt relieved because he had found Shao Junling.

Witnessing the scene nearby, Yao Manhuai felt the emotions in the air. Dragging him along, Yin Chang led Shao Junling Yao Manhuai and said: “Lets’ go inside first so we can talk about it.”

The three of them went upstairs. Yin Chang hid the key-card for the elevator to make sure Shao Junling couldn’t run away again. Afterwards, he slumped on the sofa and said tiredly: “Auntie Yao, will you help us order take-out for dinner?”

Yao Manhuai: “Hmm. Rest a bit now. I’ll handle it”

With two cushions separating them, Shao Junling sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. Now that there were a few minutes respite, Yin Chang finally noticed how dirty Shao Junling actually was from being outside.  God knows where he had been all day…. Yin Chang felt so tired that he didn’t feel like figuring it out. He simply wanted to relax and do nothing at home.

After eating dinner, Yao Manhuai left for her own house. Yin Chang went to the bath to turn on the hot water. Once it was set up, he got in. Closing his eyes, he cupped the water and let the warm water splash his face as he stroked his hair back with both hands.

Yin Chang thought a lot about how best to get along with him. When something was bothering Shao Junling, Yin Chang wanted Shao Junling to be able to take the initiative and come talk to him.

Before, Yin Chang did not worry so much about Shao Junling’s lack of communication. However, today’s events made it clear. If Shao Junling doesn’t take the initiative to express himself clearly, he may never change for the better and Yin Chang couldn’t bear the thought.

Yet another hurdle for the two of them to get over due to their communication issues. The last time Shao Junling’s inability to express himself caused a problem was at dinner when Yin Chang fed him super spicy food. Even though Yin Chang kept asking him if Shao Junling was alright and if he needed something, Shao Junling remined silent and simply continued to eat the spicy food despite his tears and whimpering.

After today, Yin Chang finally understood his mistake. He had erroneously thought Shao Junling had a lazy attitude and couldn’t be bothered to talk, but his emotional distress proved the opposite. Was it possible that the issue wasn’t because he didn’t want to be bothered but more simply, because Shao Junling found it difficult to speak?

Maybe he had serious expression barriers that were psychological in nature. Only when he was emotionally strained would he speak out. For example, when he was outside at the children’s home being bullied by the other kids. Today was another example. He finally spoke to Yin Chang after the shock of their fight.

…… What did he say?  Mulling the events over in his mind, Yin Chang soaked in the water.

Suddenly, he laughed. Who was the most qualified to talk about bad behavior? Even if it was the pot calling the kettle black, Shao Junling was right. He was bad. He should have listened to Shao Junling and thought about the situation more thoroughly. He should have remained calm and shouldn’t have said something so hurtful.

The stinging from his hand interrupted Yin Chang’s thoughts. When he turned his head to look at his hand, he was reminded of the bite that Shao Junling gave him.

As the wound wasn’t serious, he didn’t apply any special ointments. Getting out of the bath, he reached over for a dry towel and after wrapping himself up, he walked out.

It wasn’t surprising that Shao Junling was sitting on the sofa playing with a Rubik’s Cube already. Normally, as if he was doing homework, Shao Junling rushed and took a bath much faster than Yin Chang.

Yin Chang moved over to him and reached out to wipe the back of his ears to check for dirty residue. It was Yin Chang’s intuitive way to check if he had a clean bath.

As he was a little ticklish, Shao Junling shrunk his neck. Since his eyes were still red, it was more than likely that he had recently cried.

“Are you tired?” Yin Chang checked the time. It was almost nine o’clock at night. He asked, “Do you want to go to sleep? Teacher Lin gave you a day off so you don’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

As if he had some doubts, Shao Junling only blinked at him twice.

Looking at him, Yin Chang didn’t guess at his thoughts this time. Instead, he asked directly, “What do you want to say?”

Shao Junling blinked twice again. He began to show a worried expression on his face.

Yin Chang simply encouraged him. “Think about what you want to say. Don’t rush and tell me slowly.”

Shao Junling opened his mouth and after ten seconds of silence he managed to speak a few words, “What about you?”

After feeling so nervous, even if it was brief, it was a relief for Yin Chang to hear Shao Junling speak to him.

Shao Junling’s reaction somewhat confirmed Yin Chang’s conjecture in the bathroom. His ability to formulate his thoughts and articulate them clearly was too slow. Normal people wouldn’t have the patience to wait. Likely, Shao Junling’s long silence while he thought things in his mind would cause a listener to think Shao Jun wasn’t speaking on purpose.

Yin Chang asked Shao Junling to explain his question. “Are you asking me if I want to go to bed now? Or, are you asking me what I am going to do tomorrow?”

Shao Junling hesitated a moment before saying, “Tomorrow.”

”I will ah…… ” Pausing, Yin Chang raised his hand and rubbed Shao Junling’s hair. He smiled and said, “I’ll be at home with you. Okay?”

Shao Junling: “……”

One minute later, Yin Chang still had his hand on top of Shao Junling’s head. Staring at him intently, Yin Chang urged him: “What do you think?”

Shao Junling: “???”

Yin Chang: “I’m asking you if it’s okay.”

While Shao Junling’s ears turned red, he replied in a small voice: “Okay.”

Yin Chang smiled faintly. Since tomorrow normally was dance training, he decided to take a day off. Even for the weekend, Yin Chang decided they weren’t going anywhere. He wanted to stay indoors with Shao Junling because he wanted make sure Shao Junling understood the reasons for what had happened. In addition, he wanted to use the time to verify his own conclusion about Shao Junling.

After the fuss all day, both of them were very tired and didn’t talk much at night.

Once breakfast was finished the next morning, Yin Chang called Shao Junling over and said, “Come on, let’s talk about what happened yesterday.”

The author has something to say:【Vignette】

Shao Junling: Uncle Yin showed me videos of you. He had approached me and asked if I could be a good brother to you. You dare to dislike me!

Yin Chang: ???

　　——————

Yin Chang sat on the sofa to ask Shao Junling questions in his towel after his bath —

Shao Junling: Director! What’s wrong with him? He is playing foul! QAQ

Director (indifferent): No, he activated a strategy card.

Yin Chang (laugh): Is that alright?

Shao Junling: Is it ok? Whatever you want is ok! (Q//Q)

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CAPÍTULO 8 

HORAS EXTRAS 

En realidad, Gu Yu regresó después de cerca de cuarenta minutos. Ya era más de media hora después de las horas de trabajo. 

Un pequeño grupo de colegas que no necesitaban trabajar horas extras ya se habían ido. Todavía había un grupo bastante grande de personas en la oficina trabajando horas extras. Sin embargo, espontáneamente, muchos habían comenzado a empacar, incluyendo Zhu Hongzhen y Bi Lele. Al final, solo unas pocas personas tenían proyectos pendientes que necesitaban atención adicional. Por ejemplo, los miembros participantes del equipo de proyecto de las oficinas de la ciudad D. 

Por supuesto, Zhang Siyi no necesitaba trabajar horas extras, siempre que hubiera terminando su tarea. El teléfono en su bolsillo seguía vibrando. Sus amigos se dirigían al lugar indicado y compartieron la dirección en tiempo real en el grupo de WeChat. En cuanto al protagonista de la fiesta, Zhang Siyi quería ir, pero no se atrevía a irse. 

Ya que aceptó trabajar horas extras en la entrevista de la mañana, no iba a irse en el primer día de trabajo. ¡No quería morir! 

Antes, cuando Gu Yu no regresaba, Zhang Siyi pensó que quizás le habían engañado, y tal vez, la otra persona ya se había marchado. 

Mientras caminaba al baño, revisó sus mensajes y envió uno a su grupo de amigos para decir que iba a trabar un rato más y llegaría tarde. Zhang Siyi envió el mensaje, consolando a sus amigos, pen en realidad, lo envió para consolarse a él mismo porque no tenía idea de cuánto tomaría. Solo quería apresurarse a ir a cenar. 

Hasta que Gu Yu apareció de nuevo, la inquietud de Zhang Siyi desapareció. Aceleró la velocidad de su dibujo. Cuando Gu Yu pasaba, se detuvo a mirar su pantalla con cuidado especial. 

Zhang Siyi estaba muy nervioso. No sabía si estaba dibujando correctamente o no, pero al menos se quedó. ¿No era eso digno de reconocimiento? 

Gu Yu lo vio dibujando por medio minuto sin comentar, y finalmente dijo: “Si tienes hambre, puedes bajar y comprar algo para comer. Dibuja una porción de 1:50 e imprímela, después ven a mi oficina a verme”. 

Zhang Siyi: “…” ¡Oye, no quiero comer, quiero terminar el borrador e irme! 

Pasó otra media hora, y Zhang Siyi finalmente terminó la imagen antes de las 7:00 p.m. 

La imprimió de acuerdo a sus palabras, y fue con Gu Yu con alegría, pensando que no era muy tarde para tomar un taxi y reunirse con sus amigos. Sin embargo, pronto descubriría que era demasiado ingenuo. 

En ese momento, Gu Yu estaba sentado en frente de su computadora y navegaba por ArchDaily. Acababa de acomodar abajo su taza de té caliente de su mano y vio a Zhang Siyi entrando. Silenciosamente dijo, “Siéntate”, y sacó una regla y un lápiz de su portalápiz. Como un profesor que revisaba una tarea, Gu Yu meticulosamente miró a los dibujos. 

“¿Lu Qiao no te envió la información? ¿Viste cuántas personas usan este edificio?” Gu Yu preguntó. 

Zhang Siyi estúpidamente abrió su boca: “Ah”, solo quería apresurarse y dibujar, así que no pensó sobre cuántas personas hay en este edificio para comprender mejor cómo planificar los baños. 

Gu Yu usó un lápiz para suavemente dibujar y explicó: “De acuerdo a las pautas del Codigo de Diseño Arquitectónico, el número de baños para hombres es menos de 100 y uno está establecido para 25 personas. Si hay más de 100 personas, una adicional por cada 50 personas adicionales. El número de urinarios es el mismo que el de los inodoros; el baño femenino…”. 

Al escuchar a Gu Yu explicar lentamente estos términos como si fuera normal, se sorprendió. ¡No lo sabía! ¡Ah! 

“Los detalles del proyecto claramente decían que el flujo total del edificio era de 2000, y el promedio en cada piso de unas 120 personas. Por lo tanto, el número total de puestos en cada piso no excedía de seis. Veamos lo que dibujaste. Hay 8 baños para hombres y 10 para mujeres, un total de 18” Gu Yu levantó la mirada hacía él y dijo con una expresión seria. “Llenaste el plano del piso con demasiado. Creo que el diseñador debe tener problemas de micción frecuente y otros problemas digestivos”. 

Zhang Siyi: “…”. 

“Y” Gu Yu hizo una pausa, colocó la regla de su mano en la ilustración, y levantó sus cejas. “¿La puerta del compartimiento interior del baño tiene 500 de ancho? ¿todos los asientos son para niños de preescolar?”. 

Zhang Siyi: “…”. 

Gu Yu miró las escaleras que dibujó y preguntó: “Cuándo fuiste a la escuela, ¿aprendiste cuánto medían las escaleras normales?”. 

Zhang Siyi preguntó con aprensión: “¿150?”. 

La altura de la escalera de acceso en los hogares es de entre 180-200, y en los lugares públicos, entre 130-160” Gu Yu dijo precisamente el rango especifico. Mientras usaba el lápiz para encerrar las escaleras sobre el mapa, dijo: “3.2 metros… has dibujado 28 escalones. ¿Qué tan alto es cada paso?”. 

Tampoco esperó a que Zhang Siyi respondiera. En cambio, directamente tomó 3 libros de la estantería y los apiló para mostrarle. Señalando la altura de la pila, dijo: “Muy profundo, ¿quieres que las personas se caigan constantemente mientras intentan subir las escaleras?”. 

Zhang Siyi quería refutar porque usó el complemento de la escalera automático en el software. 

“Entonces, ¿ni siquiera leíste el documento esquema que Lu Qiao te envió?” Dijo Gu Yu bruscamente. 

Zhang Siyi estaba sin palabras por un momento – Sí, Gu Yu tenía razón. Estaba confundido y apresurado en terminar el borrador, así que se apresuró a terminarlo y cometió muchos errores. 

De una manera monótona, Gu Yu continuó señalando varios problemas como si estuviera comparando los precios de la carne y las verduras en su lista de comprar, pero para Zhang Siyi, la letalidad de estas palabras, mientras llegaba al punto, ¡era comparable a un cuchillo volador de un ninja, que golpeó su objetivo y dio en su punto vital! 

Además, Gu Yu no era expresivo como la exnovia de Zhang Siyi. Cuando ella se sentó, expresó sus sentimientos con fuerza, lo cual le hizo sentirse incómodo algunas veces. Las críticas de Gu Yu era muy lógicas y justificadas, eran simplemente irrefutables. 

En el fondo de su corazón, Zhang Siyi estaba ligeramente molesto. ¿Por qué Gu Yu veía claramente muchos problemas?, cuando miró su trabajo hace media hora, debió haberse dado cuenta de algunos problemas, pero nunca los mencionó. ¿Estaba haciendo sufrir a Zhang Siyi a propósito? 

Sobre la mesa, el teléfono de Gu Yu sonó de repente. Miró la pantalla. Esta vez, no salió del cuarto y respondió la llama en frente de Zhang Siyi. 

Finalmente, Zhang Siyi tuvo un momento para relajarse, y pensó por un momento en cómo compensar a sus amigos. Silenciosamente, escuchó a Gu Yu hablar por teléfono. 

“Lo siento… sigo trabajando” Susurró Gu Yu, su tono, no era diferente al que tenía cuando criticaba a Zhang Siyi, pero a diferencia del anterior, podía escuchar un poco de ternura. 

Zhang Siyi especuló en secreto, ¿de quién era la llamada?, ¿la novia del director? 

“Puedes comer por tu cuenta. Yo ya comí” Dijo Gu Yu. 

Zhang Siyi reflexionó lo que escuchó… ¿cuándo comiste?, ¿¿en el pequeño descanso de antes?? 

“… en el puesto de comida rápida debajo de la compañía…” Gu Yu bajó la mirada, y sus largas pestañas cubrieron sus ojos negros, y continuó la conversación. “Sí… la próxima vez comeré mejor… lo sé…”. 

Mientras Gu Yu escuchaba a la persona en el teléfono, continuó mirando el dibujo de Zhang Siyi y escribió lista de preguntas que le acaba de mencionar a Zhang Siyi en los espacios en blanco de la ilustración. 

“No, no hay nada urgente” Gu Yu miró a Zhang Siyi y dijo, “Hay un nuevo empleado, y estoy ayudándole con algo de trabajo inicial”. 

De repente, Zhang Siyi se sintió bien. Gu Yu tenía que poner a su novia (presuntamente) en pausa para estar con él en la oficina, trabajando horas extras. Por otra parte, Zhang Siyi aun quería reunirse con sus amigos y divertirse. 

“Está bien, te llamaré después”. 

Gu Yu colgó, y miró a Zhang Siyi. Rápidamente dejó su teléfono a un lado y señaló al borrador para continuar con su crítica: “El tamaño más pequeño de la puerta de un inodoro, y la escala ergonómica de las cosas son cuestiones que ya deberías conocer como diseñador. Sentido común básico que debe cumplirse. Tengo entendido que todavía no conoces las reglas del país, pero al menos debes conocer las especificaciones antes de diseñar”. 

En este punto, Zhang Siyi había sido avergonzado y quería cavar un hoyo y enterrarse. A este paso, se preguntó cómo fue capaz de graduarse de la universidad. 

Mirando a la abatida figura de Zhang Siyi, Gu Yu fue cauteloso para no decir demasiado. Suspirando, le devolvió los dibujos con las anotaciones y dijo: “Ve y corrige estos problemas”. 

Ah… ¿todavía tengo que terminar el dibujo antes de poder irme?… 

Zhang Siyi tomó los dibujos y regresó a su asiento. Vio el mensaje de Lu Qiao: “¿Sigues vivo? Estoy listo para salir del trabajo”. 

Zhang Siyi: “Estoy dibujando mi primer borrador”. 

Lu Qiao: “El plano del piso era simple. ¿Sigues dibujando eso?”. 

Zhang Siyi: “…”. 

Zhang Siyi: “¡Es muy difícil para mí!”. 

Lu Qiao: “Bueno, inicialmente, hacer un borrador y rendizar los planos las primeras veces fue complicado, pero se volverá más fácil. Después, sabrás cómo hacerlo más rápido, pero también, él jefe se volverá más estricto”. 

Lu Qiao: “Oh, por cierto, hay galletas gratis en el comedor. Si tienes hambre, puedes tomar algunas. Un poco más y puedes irte a casa. ¡Tú puedes!”. 

Zhang Siyi estaba conmovido: “¡Gracias!”. 

Al principio, no estaba nada hambriento. Ya que realmente quería celebrar con sus amigos, no planeó quedarse por mucho tiempo, pero ahora, se sentía famélico. 

Después de que Lu Qiao se fue, solo quedaban unas cuantas personas en la oficina. Zhang Siyi sacó su teléfono y no se atrevió a leer los mensajes en WeChat. Tenía miedo que sus amigos se decepcionaran, e incluso con más miedo de que Gu Yu lo descubriera, rápidamente le envió un mensaje de texto a Fu Xinhui: “¡Sigo trabajando horas extras, deberían comer primero, no me esperen!”. 

Después de enviar el mensaje, simplemente apagó su teléfono y se concentró en su trabajo. 

La quietud de la oficina no ayudó el asunto. Ahora que era el único que quedaba, se sentía solo. En el primer día de trabajo, entre las críticas de su jefe, la presentación de sus colegas, y sus amigos queriendo salir a cenar, Zhang Siyi se sintió encadenado. 

Mientras trabajaba en su computadora, corrigiendo el dibujo, comenzó a reflexionar sobre sus últimos años en la universidad. Claramente recordaba estar ocupado todo el tiempo, pero, ¿por qué parece que no aprendió nada? ¿Su situación sería diferente hoy si todas las horas que había pasado jugando con sus amigos hubieran sido usadas para estudiar? 

Entre más pensaba en ello, más incómodo se sentía. Era una diferente clase de inconformidad al vacío que deja una exnovia. Más bien, era una historia desgarradora de su propia creación. 

Continuó rehaciendo los planos, y continuó dibujando hasta las nueve en punto de la noche. Después de mostrarle los dibujos a Gu Yu, asintió, y Zhang Siyi fue capaz de irse a casa. 

Cuando salió de las oficinas, ya estaba oscuro afuera y no había muchas personas alrededor, lo que contrastaba con el vigoroso flujo de personas en las horas matutinas. 

Zhang Siyi tomó un profundo suspiro, y sus neuronas muertas revivieron cuando sintieron el fresco aire de la libertad. Encendió su teléfono y vio un punto rojo en la pantalla – llamadas perdidas, mensajes sin leer, y cien mensajes en WeChat… 

Zhang Siyi se preparó a sí mismo, y llamó a Fu Xinhui. Cuando se conectó, escuchó un rugido: “¡Zhang Siyi! ¿Dónde jodidos estás?”. 

Apartó el teléfono de su oreja por un momento mientras Fu Xinhui hablaba, después respondió: “Oh, bueno, acabo de salir del trabajo” Zhang Siyi se encogió de hombros y cautelosamente dijo: “¿Te veré ahora?”. 

Fu Xinhui: “Ya no tiene sentido. ¡Casi acabamos! ¿Sabes cuántas llamadas acabe de hacer? ¡Cómo te atreves a apagar tu teléfono!”. 

Zhang Siyi quería llorar sin lágrimas: “No, en serio era solo trabajo, lo siento” Ligeramente escuchó la voz de Su Yuan y Ren Mengyu por el teléfono, y ambas parecía un poco molestas. 

“No se vayan. Al menos déjenme verlos rápidamente. Después de todo, fui yo quien los invitó” Zhang Siyi buscó un taxi, apresurado a llegar al restaurante y apaciguar a sus amigas. 

Fu Xinhui, sin piedad, dijo: “No te molestes. Su Yuan ya se fue porque quería tomar el último tren a su nuevo departamento en el lado este”. 

[FIN DEL CAPÍTULO 8]