Prologue
“Gao Shi De, you are very busy! You don’t even reply to messages during the day or night. As expected, the things you receive are not appreciated, it’s a curse.”
Though he was moaning, the corners of his mouth couldn’t hide a sweet smile. He had repeatedly checked the unread chats, swiping his finger across the screen, reading all the previous messages that he was reluctant to delete.
“Stupid.” Zhou Shu Yi smiled and cursed at the incomprehensible message Gao Shi De accidentally sent when he fell asleep as they chatted at night. So he lifted the lid of the piano, pushed back the chair and sat down in front of his Steinway him.
After pressing the video record button, his creation began to play, whose lyrics Gao Shi De had inadvertently completed using his melody. At the end of the song, Zhou Shu Yi picked up the phone and looked at the front camera as if taking a selfie, smiling at his boyfriend who was in Texas at a distance of 12,348 kilometers and a time zone of 13 hours.
“Idiot, are you okay? Your voice sounded tired in the previous vowel. Did something happen in the US? If there’s something, you have to tell me. I am a promising young man who is ready to take over the company, so I can give you some advice. And even if I can’t help you, I can still be the one to vent to, so don’t feel like you’re alone. I will always be by your side, no matter what.”
Then he hit the button to stop recording and send the video to the chat.
****************
Eleven months later in the Cheng Yi Group building, Zhou Shu Yi had shed his immaturity when he was still in school and wearing a tailored suit. Even with enthusiasm and ideals, he had had to face the rules established in the workplace.
Zhou Shu Yi wearily left the Cheng Yi Group building, looked at the towering buildings, and could not help but curse: “Old and stubborn!”
To make his father accept his relationship with Gao Shi De and wait for his lover’s return, he wanted to become stronger, so strong that the other could rely on him instead of just being a support, giving him a safe haven where to settle down. part the struggles and be able to live in peace.
Therefore, he had taken the initiative to join the Cheng Yi Group, after having successfully passed an interview. He had started at the bottom, working hard to build the strength of his future leader so that he would be recognized. The arrogant approach made him feel helpless as a first-time job seeker. Obviously he proposed feasible solutions, but they were rejected by the sentence: “You young people don’t understand.”
The obvious and profitable approach had largely been discarded due to somewhat antiquated old procedures, but after seeing the leak report, they accused the employees of failing to find adequate solutions.
Thinking about what happened in the conference room just then, Zhou Shu Yi angrily raised his hand, trying to throw the black briefcase on the sidewalk in front of the building. But after a pause he lowered his raised arm, holding the briefcase, and left it at his side, and his eyes took several deep breaths before opening them again.
After joining the company, many things had made him realize that emotions and impulses were useless things. In the fiercest battlefield of business, the key to victory often wasn’t who held the most chances, but who was best able to think objectively without moods and ups and downs clouding his judgment. In the past, Zhou Shu Yi would not have been totally convinced by the older workers’ practices and would have aired all his grievances, but now Zhou Shu Yi had chosen to remain silent for a while, using his results to silence the workers himself. opponents, and not take things in such a way that anger wins over him, as Gao Shi De said.
“If it breaks, you have to spend your money to buy another one. They are losses!”
“Mpf!” Thinking about what his lover had said, his anger and dissatisfaction instantly disappeared. He looked at the briefcase on his fingertips, smiled and said, “Yes, that would be a real loss.”
So he took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, clicked on the communication software to make a call, and after finding the number he hadn’t called in a while, due to a busy schedule, he dialed it.
“HELLO?”
He adjusted the cell phone closer to his ear as his eyes widened in amazement. He made sure he hadn’t dialed the wrong number, but why was a young woman’s voice answering the phone?
“Hi? I’m looking for Gao Shi De.” Zhou Shu Yi switched to the other side’s language and spoke politely, but he heard hoarse responses, as if he had just woken up, accompanied by the rubbing of clothes against the sheets as he got up.
“Shi De? Are you looking for it? He was very tired and fell asleep… Shi De, someone is calling you, do you want to answer?”
“Let me sleep 20 minutes… 20 minutes is fine…”
Finally when Zhou Shu Yi heard the familiar voice, he wanted to say a few words on the phone, but the woman who answered the phone spoke first.
“Sorry I don’t know who you are, Shi De is really tired. Call him tomorrow!”
After speaking, he cut the call directly.
Zhou Shu Yi looked at the cell phone screen returning to the main page, then looked at the photo with Gao Shi De on the screen, amazed.
“Didn’t I tell you long ago that when they get what they want, they don’t appreciate it? Is this guy so worth it?
“I think so, I think it’s worth it.”
[Gao Shi De, you are very busy! You never reply to my messages. Is it true that after you get that person you don’t need to like them anymore? I warn you, if you don’t reply to my text, I will disappear for a whole month… I won’t text you for another week.]
“He says he loves you, but you shouldn’t wait, it’s not worth your effort.”
“You don’t understand, Shi De is not the kind of person you’re talking about.”
[Hey! Are you OK? Why didn’t you read the message? Did something happen? If you have something to tell me, speak up! Don’t do it all by yourself. Remember, whatever happens, I will be by your side, do you understand?]
“You’re too young to understand how fragile a long-distance relationship is. Dad doesn’t want you to get hurt. I’ve seen too many situations where in the beginning they were full of trust and I believed that love could overcome the distance, but in the end they still couldn’t resist and broke up. Shu Yi, Dad says all this for your sake, and I don’t want you to be hurt in any way, Shu Yi...”
“Dad, don’t say anything, I want to think about it by myself…”
Since the day he’d made that call, he’d been back to those messages that hadn’t been read. He could feel that something happened to Gao Shi De during those days of separation; but whenever he asked, the other side always kept silent or changed the subject, not wanting to talk about the situation in America. Coupled with his father’s disapproving attitude upon learning of the affair with Gao Shi De, his suspicion and anxiety gradually made him waver from his initial firm belief.
He couldn’t help but open another browser window after sending the email and type “long distance love” in the search field. Then he’d read articles on the Internet, both those with happy endings and those that ended in breakups, and bit his lip with his teeth.
[It’s been a year, why didn’t you come back? Didn’t you say you’d be back after two months? You are hateful! I miss you and don’t want to wait for you, so since you are very busy I will fly to find you; even if the distance is 12,348 kilometers, I don’t want you to be far from me. Gao Shi De, you are dead. After seeing you, it doesn’t matter if you’re tired or not, you’ll have to get me something to eat right away. Also, don’t put carrots!]
****************
[Are you… still busy? So busy you didn’t reply to my message? One week has passed. Are you mad because I didn’t text you again? You may be busy, but are you really that busy you can’t talk to me? Anyway, I’m going abroad next week to help my father with his business. So don’t think about me, I’ll turn off the phone and not answer.]
Sitting at the window, he hesitated for a few seconds before releasing the thumb that was pressing the record button. He checked that the voicemail had been sent and set the phone to airplane mode.
He had made an excuse about going overseas for a meeting but was actually going to surprise his boyfriend who lived in Texas. He stared out the oval window next to the business class seat, the city of Taipei shrinking as the plane took off. He was anxious and restless, and would be until he landed 13 hours later.
After the plane landed, Zhou Shu Yi took a taxi directly to the address Gao Shi De had given him earlier, arriving in an area filled with greenery. After getting out of the cab, he saw that on Google Maps the destination was only a two-minute walk away. He looked at the landscape bathed in sunlight, remembering that it was the rainy season in Taiwan. He hadn’t seen the sun in Taipei for a long time, so he decided to take his luggage and walk. Since he was nearby, he wanted to breathe the same air as Gao Shi De and take a look at the scenery around him.
He was walking and gradually approached a park, the mild weather prompted many parents to go there to play with their children, and his mind was sinking into a sense of relaxation.
“Gao Shi De, you will be dead after I finish resting.” He pursed his mouth and smiled, released his left hand that held his luggage and spread his arms to feel the sunlight on his body.
After meeting him, he wanted to ask that idiot why he often said it wasn’t convenient to answer the phone at that time. Why did his voice always sound so tired when he finally had time to talk to him? And why did he always interrupt the conversation after a few words? And… who was the girl who had answered the phone for him that night?
“Gao Shi De, you… you must have a reason, something must have happened for you to act so indifferent towards me, right?”
The corners of the curved mouth slowly blurred, the outstretched arms gradually falling to his sides. In fact, flying to the United States himself had meant the end of his pride and his self-esteem. Gao Shi De was the first person he fell in love with without reservation, so he was very afraid, afraid of separation and indifference that lasted more than a year, as well as other reasons…
He was staring out at the front lawn when he saw a familiar face, sitting on the emerald green grass.
“Gao…” He simply stopped feeling anything as the scene before his eyes made him freeze.
“Oscar loves you, hug him.”
A strange blonde girl was holding the baby in one hand and a wicker basket in the other, she approached Gao Shi De and placed the still unspeaking baby in his arms. Gao Shi De, took the baby naturally and kissed him on the rosy cheek.
“Look! Your favorite!”
The blonde girl knelt on the grass next to Gao Shi De, opened the wicker basket and took out the picnic tablecloth and a cake decorated with cream and fruit, and smilingly handed it to the other person. The man didn’t refuse and took a bite directly from the cake, the girl naturally wiped the cream from the corners of his mouth with her fingers.
The three people who were surrounded by sunlight were like a beautiful painting. They were beautiful, unable to tolerate the existence of a fourth person. He wanted to run to ask what was wrong, but he just took a silent step back…
“Didn’t I tell you long ago that when they get what they want, they don’t appreciate it? Is this guy so worth it? He says he loves you, but you shouldn’t wait, it’s not worth your effort.”
“You’re too young to understand how fragile a long-distance relationship is. Dad doesn’t want you to get hurt. I’ve seen too many situations where in the beginning they were full of trust and I believed that love could overcome the distance, but in the end they still couldn’t resist and broke up. Shu Yi, Dad says all this for your sake, and I don’t want you to be hurt in any way, Shu Yi...”
The doubts raised by his father immediately appeared in Zhou Shu Yi’s mind. Indeed, the seeds of doubt had already been sown, and without his realizing it, they had quietly sprouted in his heart. Convinced that he didn’t believe those words, for the first time he had taken the initiative to fight against his father. He had done it because he didn’t doubt that love and he didn’t think it was a game.
But the scene he had seen with his own eyes had shattered his little remaining confidence…
You said on the phone that you were tired, but you weren’t tired at all, are you like a prince from a fairy tale smiling at his beloved princess? You said you’re too busy to reply to my text, but you’re here with a girl I don’t know, holding your son while you have a picnic in the park?
Gao Shi De, if you felt that this relationship had come to an end, you could tell me directly, I’m not so fragile and weak that I won’t let you go. Wasn’t being with me what you were thinking about? Were you embarrassed to offer us leave, so you stayed in the US and refused to return? Is that why you always hung up after saying a few words on the phone?
He had suddenly felt that arguing with his father to defend his love and even leaving the house to live alone, waiting for him, was just a joke. He had to be stronger and stop fighting unilaterally, making preparations for the future of “two people”.
However, the answer before him was already very clear. The future “two” to be built, for which he had worked so hard, had been quietly abandoned by one of the two people, leaving him alone on stage.
“Gao Shi De, you needn’t be afraid that he will get in my way. Since we’ve known each other for so many years, I’m letting you go. I wish you happiness…”
The muffled voice sent its last blessing to the man sitting on the lawn, he turned and silently took the suitcase leaving the place which, upon arrival, was full of expectations but which had ended up hurting him.
On the lawn, Gao Shi De said a few words to the blonde girl, who nodded, took the sleeping baby from her arms, turned and walked in the other direction. After both of them left, Gao Shi De took out his cell phone and messaged him in their chat.
[Shu Yi, there are some things I want to tell you in person, please give me more time. I didn’t say many things before, because I was afraid to complain in front of you and because we couldn’t see each other. I was afraid of wanting to bind you to my side and not let you go… Zhou Shu Yi, really. … I miss you… Shu Yi, haven’t you read the e-mail I sent you anymore? From the first email I sent you, I had no response. I know, you must be mad, I said I’d be back in two months, but it’s been two years. Do you want me to explain what happened?]
After sending the message, Gao Shi De sighed and lay down on his back on the grass, lifted his wrist with the bracelet, and looked at the magnetic metal buckle reflecting the sunlight. The “Only Yu” on the bracelet were the words engraved in the handwriting of his lover. Every day since he arrived in the United States, he often spoke with the bracelet, as if Zhou Shu Yi was standing beside him and listening to him in silence.
“Shu Yi, I didn’t tell you on the phone because I was afraid I couldn’t complain in front of you. Please wait for me. When my family problems are resolved, I will come back and explain everything to you in person. Shu Yi… I miss you… I really miss you… ” the man lying on the grass murmured, before looking at the blue sky and the bracelet he had on his right wrist.
****************
Taipei, Taiwan
“As of today, we don’t have to see each other anymore. Even if we do meet, we’ll just be strangers.”
Zhou Shu Yi weeping, took off the bracelet and threw it into the stainless steel trash can in the room.
Since the other person didn’t appreciate it, why should he wear it feeling the nostalgia that the other was causing him?
So he dried his tears and went to the bathroom, washed his face and left. Standing in front of the full-length bedroom mirror, he put on a suit and tie…
You once let me see only you in my eyes. This time, this time it’s my turn to tear your world apart.
“Gao Shi De, I will prove it to you clearly, Zhou Shu Yi will definitely have a better life without you.”
Then he took the black briefcase, straightened his chest and walked to the battlefield where he belonged.
