That evening, the unlucky little Ji Ruan angrily sent a five-hundred-word message to President Gu, all composed of the phrase “You’re the big unlucky one!” with added exclamation marks.
At 5:30 the next morning, when President Gu woke up, Ji Ruan received a reply—
[.]
Ji Ruan was so angry that he lost his appetite for the entire day, but he ate an extra plate of cherries.
In the following days, President Gu went back to work, and Ji Ruan couldn’t see him all day and night.
At first, Ji Ruan completely indulged himself, lying in bed whenever he had nothing to do. It wasn’t that he had suddenly become so lazy, but that crying scene had exhausted him emotionally.
It’s said that tears can detoxify, but after a big cry, Ji Ruan only felt drained and had no energy for two whole days. It wasn’t until the third day that he finally felt recovered.
Laziness and social anxiety seem to be intermittent. At first, being a slob at home felt blissful, but after a while, it got boring.
On this day, after lunch, Ji Ruan was lying on the bed, eating cherries out of boredom, and hesitating about whether to ask Han Xiaolin to hang out when his phone rang at just the right time.
"Hello?" Ji Ruan quickly answered.
"Hey bro!" Han Xiaolin's distinctive voice rang out, "Come out and have fun!"
It was noisy on his end. Ji Ruan, holding a stuffed bear's ear, asked, "How are we having fun, and where?"
"Hey, we're having a graduation group event with lots of people!" Han Xiaolin exclaimed loudly. "We're meeting at the game center in Central Plaza. There's also a party tonight. Are you coming?"
"Yes." Ji Ruan got up and opened the wardrobe, "Wait for me, I'm heading out now."
"Sure, I just got here, not everyone has arrived yet. Take your time, no rush."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Ji Ruan casually changed into a T-shirt and shorts and headed to the kitchen to find Aunt Zhao.
Aunt Zhao had just finished washing the dishes when she saw a fluffy head pop out from the side of the wall, then she saw Ji Ruan blinking his big round eyes at her.
The elderly Aunt Zhao was immediately charmed, her heart fluttering as she waved, "Why are you hiding there, Ruan Ruan, come over here!"
Ji Ruan ran over and hugged Aunt Zhao's arm, pouting adorably, "Aunt Zhao, do you know when President Gu will be back?"
Aunt Zhao, being hugged by the fair and tender young boy, felt her head spin and pinched Ji Ruan's cheek, "Oh dear, I can't say for sure. He's been working continuously, he might not even come back this week."
"Is that so..." Ji Ruan's eyes twinkled, "Then Aunt Zhao, I want to go out and play."
Aunt Zhao beamed, "So that's what you wanted to say, you little rascal. If you want to play, go ahead. How are you going to have fun? Be safe!"
Ji Ruan replied seriously, "We're having a graduation group event at Central Plaza. There's a game center there, it's very close."
Aunt Zhao thought for a moment, "That's right ... I remember, lots of young kids gathering there... Alright, go ahead and let Uncle Zhang—"
"No need," Ji Ruan grabbed his phone and headed to the entrance, "I'll take a taxi, it's not far. Oh, and Aunt Zhao, I won't be back for dinner, we'll stay out late."
"Alright, alright," Aunt Zhao waved him off with a smile, "Go on, don't keep your friends waiting."
Just as Ji Ruan was about to change his shoes, he ran back and gave Aunt Zhao a big bear hug before leaving, leaving behind a fluffy back of his head and a waving figure:
"Bye, Aunt Zhao!"
Aunt Zhao, overwhelmed by the hug, felt dizzy with happiness. Even after Ji Ruan left, she couldn't stop smiling as she prepared to take a nap.
It was at this time that President Gu returned.
Half an hour after Ji Ruan left, Gu Xiuyi finally opened the villa door after being away for three days.
But the house was different from usual. There was no cheerful laughter from Aunt Zhao, nor Ji Ruan’s scrunched-up smiling face. It was unusually quiet.
It was as if the cold, lifeless days before Ji Ruan appeared had returned.
Suppressing a bit of discomfort, Gu Xiuyi wandered around the house.
First, he went to Ji Ruan's room and knocked but got no response. Worried that Ji Ruan might have turned off his cochlear implants and didn’t hear, he pushed the door open a crack and saw no one inside.
Gu Xiuyi entered, and checked the bathroom and closet, confirming Ji Ruan was indeed not there.
Next, he checked every floor of the villa, even the backyard pool, but still found no sign of anyone.
He took out his phone to call Ji Ruan but hesitated, unsure of what to say. After a moment's indecision, he found himself back at Ji Ruan's door.
"Hey Xiao Gu!" Aunt Zhao's voice came from somewhere, "Why are you back?"
Gu Xiuyi put away his phone and looked around, then saw Aunt Zhao standing on the first floor, in her pajamas with a towel, looking like she was about to nap.
"Nothing much," Gu Xiuyi coughed and went downstairs, "The Lingzhou project is over, I’m taking a few days off."
"Oh, that's rare. How many years has it been since I’ve seen you take a vacation?" Aunt Zhao raised her eyebrows in shock.
Gu Xiuyi skipped over the topic of vacation and pointed to Ji Ruan's room, "Where is he?"
Mentioning Ji Ruan made Aunt Zhao's face light up with a smile, "He went out to have fun with his classmates."
"Have fun?" Gu Xiuyi walked to the counter, "Where, and for how long?"
Aunt Zhao was drying her hair with a towel as she spoke, "He said it was a graduation party, with many classmates, at the arcade. He should be there for quite a while and won't be back for dinner."
"Really..." Gu Xiuyi took out a cup and poured water slowly. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he asked, "Wasn't he feeling unwell a couple of days ago? How come he's out today?"
"He wasn't exactly unwell," Aunt Zhao recalled, "just low-spirited. He seemed much better today, so I let him go out. After all, Ruan Ruan just graduated high school, it's normal for him to want to play. Better than being cooped up at home, right?"
"That's true..."
Aunt Zhao let out a happy sigh, "And he was being so clingy, how could I refuse him?"
The water that was about to reach Gu Xiuyi's lips paused mid-air. His tone rose, "Clingy?"
"Yes, he's really a little clingy monster..." Aunt Zhao noticed the odd expression on Gu Xiuyi's face, "What's wrong, Xiao Gu?"
"Nothing," Gu Xiuyi smiled lightly, "You should rest. I'm going to take a shower and then nap."
"Oh... alright." Aunt Zhao left, puzzled, while Gu Xiuyi stood there holding his cup, unmoving.
Clingy...?
Gu Xiuyi took a sip of water.
A clingy little monster?
He took another sip.
He shook his head to clear Ji Ruan's face from his mind and fully embraced his leisure time.
---
2:00 PM, Gu Xiuyi took a nap.
3:00 PM, he woke up.
3:30 PM, he watched TV.
3:50 PM, finding the TV too boring, he wandered around.
He wandered into Ji Ruan's room.
Due to a miscommunication, the room was decorated too cartoonishly, resembling a child's room, but Ji Ruan seemed to like it.
On the bed was a small wooden table with a fortune cat missing its claws. It looked ugly, but Ji Ruan liked to use it to eat cherries.
Gu Xiuyi nudged the bare claws and his lips curled involuntarily. Not bad.
A stack of A4 paper was spread out on the desk, with drawings Ji Ruan did when he was bored. Some were of Aunt Zhao, and they were quite good.
Gu Xiuyi glanced quickly through them, not finding any portraits of himself... not bad.
The plant Ji Ruan had brought back was growing well and looking greener... everything seemed good.
Before leaving, Gu Xiuyi noticed the big stuffed bear on the bed that Ji Ruan often hugged. He squeezed its belly. The feel was average. Why did Ji Ruan like to rest his face on it so much?
At 5:00 PM, after wandering through the entire villa with frequent backward glances, it was finally dinner time.
After dinner, he continued watching TV.
Ten minutes later, having browsed through all the channels, Gu Xiuyi threw the remote on the coffee table and lay back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling light.
In his nearly thirty years of life, Gu Xiuyi felt absurd for the first time.
How could someone dislike working and prefer vacations?
What was the point of such a boring vacation?
How did Ji Ruan manage to stay home for half a month and still enjoy it?
These profound questions could only be answered by Ji Ruan himself.
But the person who could solve Gu Xiuyi's lifelong doubts was nowhere to be found, having fun without a care, not even calling home.
That night, Gu Xiuyi took over Ji Ruan's spot watching rural family dramas with Aunt Zhao.
Aunt Zhao and Xiao An were engrossed, but Gu Xiuyi was utterly confused.
Why did the older brother from that family like the sister-in-law from this family? Why did the whole village dislike this sister-in-law? Why did this sister-in-law always hold her child and cry?
Ji Ruan would probably understand, he thought, finding an opportunity to ask him later.
As the clock approached midnight, Gu Xiuyi asked casually, "Why isn't Ji Ruan back yet? It's getting late."
Aunt Zhao, looking worried, was about to get her phone but suddenly turned to Gu Xiuyi, "How about you call him, Xiao Gu?"
"Me?" The corners of Gu Xiuyi's mouth twitched upward for a second before he suppressed it.
He picked up his phone, keeping his tone calm, "I'll ask him for you."
The phone rang for a long time. Gu Xiuyi and Aunt Zhao waited quietly until it was nearly about to disconnect when it was finally answered.
Gu Xiuyi put it on speaker. Before he could speak, loud noises burst from the other end.
Drumbeats, loud music, rhythms, and cheering mixed together, making Gu Xiuyi frown immediately.
"Where are you?"
Ji Ruan's weak voice, buried in the loud music, tried to shout, "Hel-lo——? Hel-lo——! Boss—— Gu——?"
Gu Xiuyi: "......"
Aunt Zhao looked horrified. Arcades didn't sound like this in her memory...
Gu Xiuyi's lips pressed into a thin line, his face cold, "Did you go clubbing?"
---
The author has something to say:
Gu Xiuyi: I took a vacation for my wife, and my wife went clubbing, leaving me alone at home.
Ruan Ruan: It’s a——grad——u——ation——party!
Gu Xiuyi: ...I need to go get him back.