OHD Chapter 34: Somewhere Far Away

Chapter 34: Somewhere Far Away

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Zhou Kai’s parents returned from their trip the day before the parent-teacher meeting. Although Zhou Kai’s cold had gotten a little better, he still coughed whenever he was exposed to the cold wind.

Seeing her son, who had lost weight in just a few days, Zhou Kai’s mother felt a pang of heartache and said, “I shouldn’t have gone. You caught a cold and we weren’t even here. There was no one to take care of you.”

Zhou Kai’s father glanced at his son and, recalling the words he had scolded him with over the phone, felt a little guilty. However, he said to Zhou Kai, “You’re already so old. Can’t you take care of yourself when your mom and I aren’t home? And when your mom asked you that day, you lied and said you weren’t sick?”

Zhou Kai rubbed his nose and gave a nonchalant smile. “I wasn’t paying attention… I’m fine now.”

It was his own fault. He couldn’t expect his parents to rush back just because of his cold, especially after they had traveled so far and hadn’t had a chance to fully enjoy their trip. If that happened, Zhou Kai was afraid it would only make him feel more depressed.

Zhou Kai’s mother noticed her son’s faint smile, and her sharp eyes caught on to something off. She decided not to ask him directly in front of her husband. After he went to take a shower, she knocked on her son’s room door to have a heart-to-heart with him.

Zhou Kai was staring blankly at the practice paper he had to hand in the next day when he looked up to see his mom entering with a bowl of stewed snow pear water. He quickly grabbed a book to cover the paper.

Zhou Kai’s mother pretended not to see his action, smiling as she handed him the pear water. She sat on the bed. “It’s warm, the sweetness is just right. Drink it while it’s fresh.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Zhou Kai took the cup and sipped it. He cleared his throat and turned his body to face her, giving a small smile.

Zhou Kai’s mother looked at her son’s smiling face, yet noticed how sluggish he appeared, lacking energy. Her heart ached, and she gently asked, “Xiao Kai, have you run into some trouble?”

Zhou Kai quickly shook his head. “No, I’m fine, nothing’s wrong.” He drank the pear water without looking at her.

Zhou Kai’s mother observed his attempt to avoid her gaze. She patted the quilt on the bed and spoke softly, “You asked your dad about making money earlier. I thought something might have happened… But I’m glad to hear you’re okay.” She extended her hand, smiling at Zhou Kai, “As long as everything’s fine, we don’t have to worry.”

Zhou Kai felt a wave of sadness at his mother’s words and hurriedly drank the rest of the pear water.

The pear water was sweet, but as it went down, Zhou Kai couldn’t taste the sweetness.

Zhou Kai’s mother took the cup back, stood up, and patted his shoulder. “Finish up and go to bed early. Don’t study too late. Your health is more important.”

Zhou Kai nodded, watching his mom leave and close the door behind her.

Turning back to his desk, Zhou Kai stared at the book on top of the paper for a long time before finally removing it.

On the blank spot of the paper, Zhou Kai drew a long, slender snake, coiled up with no visible head. The body was shaded in black pencil, gleaming under the light.

Zhou Kai pressed his forehead to the paper, coughing a few times, feeling discomfort as he rubbed his chest. His hand brushed over the tattoo on his right side, hidden beneath his clothes.

He couldn’t quite remember how the past two weeks had passed. It felt like time had never been so difficult to endure, yet it had also passed too quickly.

He and He Ye, though they were both in the same cramped classroom, felt as if they were separated by an insurmountable distance. Despite having shared the most intimate of moments, their relationship had turned stranger than when He Ye hadn’t discovered anything about him.

Zhou Kai couldn’t look at He Ye, couldn’t engage with him, and the agony of it all felt unbearable. But once school ended, once they left the campus, they wouldn’t see each other again, and it made him wish the bell signaling the end of class would never ring.

“Shit… stop thinking about it… stop thinking about it…” Zhou Kai grabbed an eraser and began to rub out the little black snake he had drawn, not caring if the paper tore. He gritted his teeth and furiously erased the drawing.

But even after the image was erased, the pencil marks remained, stubbornly etched into the paper, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of them.

He grabbed his hair, taking a deep breath and letting out a long exhale, revealing a miserable smile.

Yeah, there was an indelible mark now. How could he forget? If He Ye didn’t have feelings for him, Zhou Kai could accept it. But He Ye… He Ye clearly felt something. He Ye was too harsh on him.

Zhou Kai thought bitterly, He Ye had been so cruel to him. He could pretend not to like him even if he did. He could pretend not to care even when he clearly did. He could fake not feeling the pain, no matter how much it hurt.

What a ruthless, formidable person. How had Zhou Kai ended up so hopelessly in love with someone like him?

He Ye had been cruel to himself too. The owner of the roast chicken shop even asked him if he had broken up with his girlfriend.

The reason for this question was clear—He Ye had changed. Before, he had been somewhat quiet in the shop, cool and detached, trying to keep his indifference in check at school. Now, though, he stood in the shop like a statue, lost and lifeless, with no energy at all.

The fat boss, seeing him like this for an entire week, sighed and shook his head, saying, “He’s probably been dumped.”

Another worker, chatting with the boss, added, “There are plenty of fish in the sea. He’s still young, and there will be more chances for him to find someone. Don’t worry too much about it.”

He Ye glanced at them but didn’t respond, instead turning his gaze toward the shop door.

The fat boss asked him again, but He Ye remained silent. The boss didn’t press further.

The owner looked at the two workers and said, “When the holiday approaches, business should pick up again.”

Fat Boss replied, “Business is good, but we might not be able to handle it. Our shop’s small, and Xiao Ye can only do so much—wiping tables, taking orders.”

The owner hesitated, eyeing He Ye, before responding, “We’ll see when the time comes. If it gets too busy, we can hire another person.”

He Ye didn’t hear their conversation. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

But all he could see was Zhou Kai’s tear-streaked face, as if it was branded into his mind.

He had to open his eyes again.

It had been two weeks, and it was the same every time he closed his eyes. When he went home, he didn’t dare to sleep in his bed. Instead, he lay on the long sofa in the living room, covering himself with an old military coat. When it got cold, he curled up into a ball.

The medication from the school infirmary had been sitting in his backpack all this time, but he pretended not to see it whenever he looked at it. Just like with Zhou Kai—whenever he saw him in school, in the classroom, he acted like he didn’t. It became second nature. But the process of forming that habit was painful.

He Ye thought to himself, a week didn’t work, two weeks didn’t work, maybe after a month or two, he would get used to it.

The longest he could bear was a year, because by next June, the college entrance exam would be here, and then they wouldn’t have to pretend not to see each other anymore.

Because after that, they really wouldn’t be able to see each other.

Zhou Kai was so smart, he wouldn’t have trouble getting into a good university. But He Ye? With his poor grades, the best he could do was get into a vocational college.

He Ye didn’t have the money to attend an expensive university, and he hadn’t thought about continuing his education after high school.

Once he graduated, he could just focus on making money.

In the classroom, parents sat with their children, some even bringing relatives. There was just one empty seat. Last year, there had been two, but this year there was only one.

Last year was the second year of high school, this year was the third year. Parents showed up because they cared.

Zhou Kai stood with the class president, vice president, and two other girls in the corridor in front of the classroom, staring at the only empty seat.

Zhou Kai remained silent, his gaze fixed on the seat.

The other four were chatting, while inside, the homeroom teacher began talking about the midterm exam, praising the top three students in the class. Zhou Kai and the class president were in the top three. The class president nudged Zhou Kai with his elbow and asked, “Have you thought about which university you want to apply to for the college entrance exam?”

Zhou Kai was nudged by the class president, his body swaying to the side before he steadied himself. He quickly averted his gaze from He Ye’s empty seat and turned his attention to the two sparrows perched on the power lines below. With a dry voice, he said, “I haven’t thought about it.”

The class president, not discouraged, continued talking about his own goals and told Zhou Kai, “You should start thinking about it. You need to know which universities and majors are good, so you’ll have a better idea when it comes time to fill out your application.”

Zhou Kai didn’t know, and he hadn’t considered any of that. The mere thought of graduating, of leaving this school, made him feel anxious and unsettled.

The class president kept talking, discussing the prospects of university life with the others, dreaming of the future.

The sparrows on the wire flew off together in pairs.

Blinking his dry eyes, Zhou Kai opened his mouth and suddenly said, “Maybe apply to somewhere farther away.”

The class president, assuming Zhou Kai was talking about his own aspirations, laughed and said, “Great minds think alike. The university I’m interested in is pretty far away too. It’s better to be far from home, away from your parents.”

Zhou Kai didn’t hear the class president’s words. He just thought that maybe if he went far enough, he could eventually forget.

If He Ye truly wanted him to stop liking him, then he would try, he would work hard to erase everything that had happened between them.

If that’s what He Ye really wanted.