Xie Qingcheng had no response to that.
“And you’re familiar with the Skynight Club, right? It’s not a decent place at all—you can’t say it’s illegal, since it conducts its business properly and doesn’t cross the line, but everyone knows how shady things can get at nighttime entertainment establishments…”
Xie Qingcheng took a deep breath, and He Yu’s gentle, thoughtful visage seemed to appear before him once more. Regardless of whether that appearance of his was feigned, it still transformed into the cold, blood-stained face that had turned to look back at him in front of the broadcasting tower.
“I see.” Xie Qingcheng pressed a hand to his forehead as he leaned against the window. “Thank you, Lao-Zheng.”
“All right, then. You should listen to me more in the future and stop obsessing over your parents’ case. You need to let your heart breathe. I can’t bear seeing you like this.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Xie Qingcheng put on his jacket and headed over to the Skynight Club.
He thought of a younger He Yu standing in front of the sofa, unwilling to sacrifice his self-respect but also reluctant to see him leave; the sorrowful, stubborn boy who had forced himself to act as though nothing was wrong as he looked at Xie Qingcheng.
“Xie Qingcheng, I have a lot of allowance. I can…”
I can hire you.
I don’t want to sink into this maelstrom. Please save me…save me, okay…?
He never saw the words He Yu couldn’t say, the cries for help he couldn’t utter. He Yu’s own self-respect allowed him to preserve the last shred of dignity he had in front of Xie Qingcheng, but he missed his last chance to ask for help.
That year, Xie Qingcheng left He Yu. But when they met again, He Yu didn’t seem to resent him all that much. And in Xie Qingcheng’s time of greatest need, it was this child who had gone with him into the perilous lair of a beast—and nearly paid for it with his life.
When He Yu reached his hand out to Xie Qingcheng, he said that someone had once done the same thing for him. But Xie Qingcheng had done that because of his position, because of his job, because he had been performing his duties as expected of his station.
So then, why did this child do it?
Xie Qingcheng closed his eyes.
Zheng Jingfeng’s words echoed in his ears. He said that He Yu had gone to patronize the Skynight Club, that He Yu had a vile attitude…
Xie Qingcheng knew that He Yu had never acted like that in the past.
For the sake of acknowledgment, for the sake of others’ gazes, for the sake of reintegrating into society, and for the sake of stubbornly resisting his illness, He Yu never yielded to his desires; he never drank from Mephistopheles’s poisoned wine. He refused to sink into depravity, refused to admit defeat; he lived by working ten times, a hundred times, harder than ordinary people, striving for perfection in everything that he did. He was too afraid of disappointing others.
As a patient, he tried to rely on his own efforts so that others wouldn’t give up on him, so that they wouldn’t equate him with the deceased cases of #1, #2, and #3.
He had been doing his utmost to cry for help the entire time.
That was why he was so afraid of making mistakes, afraid that he wasn’t outstanding enough, afraid that others would be disappointed in him.
But in the end, he had still been abandoned.
“Xie Qingcheng, you might not be mentally ill, but you’re even more heartless than me.”
The words contained a restrained mockery, but that mockery had carried a heartfelt plea. And although Xie Qingcheng had heard those words, he’d failed to hear the boy’s hidden imploring as he wept tears of blood.
Xie Qingcheng knew.
In all of that, he had truly let He Yu down.
That child used to trust him so much. Even though he’d never been particularly kind to him, always dealing with him in a strictly businesslike manner, it was already an instance of sincere and equal treatment that was difficult to come by for He Yu.
He Yu hadn’t been wrong when he’d cursed at him. Xie Qingcheng was the heartless one, the one who had gotten everything wrong and failed to do anything right.
The club manager of the Skynight Club was a clever old man. His suit was crisply ironed, his face was overdone, and his personality was as slick as a rat that had scuttled out of a puddle of grease.
“Aiyo, Young Master He,” he groveled. “A rare guest, a rare guest…”
He’d overheard everything that had happened just now between He Yu and the traffic officers. Although He Yu didn’t come to Skynight very often, he was still considered part of the clientele. In the past, when he needed to network on behalf of his family, he’d brought clients here to relax. He usually only ever stayed for a brief while. He would chat for a spell with the people he brought over in that gentle, refined way of his, stoking the atmosphere, then he would head downstairs and sign the check, telling the manager to put the balance on his card before leaving.
But today, things were different.
The manager’s eyes gleamed as he noted that Young Master He had come alone today. The entire city had heard about what had happened at Huzhou University by now. Given He Yu’s leading role in that fiasco, the manager thought it completely normal that he would feel unsettled or behave erratically. He supposed that getting shot had made this young man reconsider his life and that he must have come to the conclusion that his days should be filled with more excitement. Thus, after finally seeing the light, he had come here to search for the true meaning of life, just like the other young masters of his generation.
To the manager, He Yu was a walking black Amex. He rushed forward and welcomed him with a smile. Even if Young Master He said that he wanted the manager’s mom to come sit and talk with him, the manager likely wouldn’t have hesitated to make a fucking long-distance phone call and buy her a ticket for the earliest flight in.
“Young Master He, which floor will it be for you tonight? I’ll arrange the best service for you right away…”
He Yu had only done the bare minimum to patch up the gunshot wound on his arm before heading out. He was still wearing a simple, long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt with a pair of jeans. He’d even put on a baseball cap that gave him a student-like aura. But from beneath the shadow cast by the brim of his cap, one could see that his almond eyes were enshrouded by an uncommon darkness.
When He Yu lifted his head, the extravagant, dazzling lights of the Skynight Club shone in his overcast eyes.
“The top floor,” he said.
This level consisted of a number of large private rooms. The waitstaff of these rooms were exceedingly secretive and had been personally trained by the owner, each one cleverer than the next. It was a place that was perfect for discussing all manners of business.
Of course, the price was likewise sky-high.
The eldest scion of the He family was really something else, the manager thought; he hadn’t even bothered to dress up properly and yet he was demanding access to the top floor. He was lucky that he ran into the manager himself today. If he’d been dealing with one of his slow-witted underlings instead, with this incredibly casual student getup he was wearing, Young Master He likely would have found himself denied entry.
The manager thanked his lucky stars that he had been able to avoid such a scene of carnage. Given He Yu’s unusual appearance and attitude today, this young man might actually end up tearing the place up if he was angered.
“Lead the way,” He Yu said mildly as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
The manager hastily bowed and said with a smile, “Yes, yes, come this way, Young Master He.”