TPIL - 25

Luo Andi slightly widened her eyes, suddenly stepping closer in quick strides, immediately coming to his side. She removed the cushion and sat beside him: “Xiao Xiao.”

Qi Xiaochuan’s heart skipped a beat, but on the surface, he just looked more irritable than usual. He frowned and shifted his body, deliberately avoiding physical contact as if showing disdain, saying: “What?”

“Actually...” she didn’t care about his reaction at all, only bashfully smiling and then leaning towards him, “there is something... I don’t know who to discuss it with...”

Qi Xiaochuan turned his head back expressionlessly.

His face conveyed “None of my business,” “How far can you go? Am I free to pick up trash?” and “My brain hasn’t been kicked by a donkey; why should I waste precious time listening to your nonsense?”

Inside, however, it was like fireworks exploding, meteor showers of glassy willow branches falling into the sea, and finding a lottery ticket worth a hundred million yuan while taking a walk outside.

He subtly changed his sitting posture, reluctantly crossing his arms, looking very reluctant to ask: “What is it?”

After a brief grin, Luo Andi quickly pursed her lips again, carefully saying: “Though it’s not really a big deal...”

She recounted the incident of meeting Su Yining’s aunt earlier that day.

“I understand, I know the reasoning. His aunt has indeed had a tough time. When she was young, she trusted the wrong person, thinking she had found her life partner but got swindled out of all her savings. She clearly envied her sister but could only rely on her... Just hearing about it makes one feel how bumpy her life has been. In this situation, Su Yining is essentially her emotional anchor. It’s understandable for her to be overly concerned and speak out of line. But...” At this point, Luo Andi dramatically clenched her fists, lightly pounding her chest, putting on an expression of helplessness, “But, I don’t know why she treated me as if I wasn’t a person, but rather an object. It really made me unhappy.”

Although she was pouring out her feelings, all he could think about was “So cute.” Struggling intensely between reason and emotion, Qi Xiaochuan felt deep pain, wanting to slap himself twice, continuing with a sour face to ask: “Why are you unhappy? Is it because someone talked to you like that, or because that person is Su Yining’s aunt?”

Luo Andi thought for a moment and then replied: “Mainly because of being talked to like that.”

He chuckled softly, leisurely telling her: “It’s normal. Not to mention, from childhood till now, who dares talk to you like that? Telling you to learn cooking? Using you to please them? Saying you should emigrate just because they say so? Thinking they’re royalty? Ridiculous.”

He was acting as if he were untouchable when he noticed her staring at him intently with an unclear meaning. Unconsciously raising an eyebrow, Luo Andi simply responded: “Didn’t Xiao Xiao also treat me rudely before?”

“...” Caught off guard by her sudden reference to the past, Qi Xiaochuan’s expression was as if he had swallowed a whole bottle of Liuwei Dihuang Pills, struggling for a long time before responding, “That was... because I was afraid of you.”

“Afraid of me? Why were you afraid of me?” She took this question seriously, persistently asking, “Was I harsh to Xiao Xiao?”

Harsh, very harsh, extremely harsh. But not malicious, rather fierce. He kept his distance from her, viewing her as a flood or a ferocious beast, only because she possessed wealth he lacked and relentlessly pursued him despite his disapproval. Luo Andi almost leaned onto his back, and since he used to do this as a child, he didn’t mind much. Qi Xiaochuan avoided eye contact, doing nothing but changing the subject: “Do you like him?”

“What?” She wanted to push him away, caught off guard by this unexpected question, her first reaction was to counter-question.

Qi Xiaochuan tried to make his tone sound like a detective questioning a suspect rather than a man interrogating a woman he was interested in: “Ahem, do you have those kinds of feelings for him?”

Luo Andi pulled her arm back, slowly straightening her body, pondering for a while, successfully turning their conversation into a grade-school after-class chat: “What kind of feelings?”

“Didn’t I say? Like, like, like.” He impatiently, deliberately showing impatience, possibly trying to cover up something else, “Do you like him?”

She stretched out her arm, her elbow touching her knee. Luo Andi was really considering it. “Hmm. Right now...” She looked at him, replying in a tone as if untying shoelaces, “I don’t have anyone I like.”

What to say, there’s nothing much to say.

Qi Xiaochuan looked back at her, his expression unchanged. He bowed his head, his entire face submerged in a gray shadow, saying: “Okay.”

He stood up and skillfully walked into the kitchen to help. Only to hear Mrs. Qi’s sharp voice asking: “Having beef tripe for dinner... why are you so happy, are you crazy?”

During dinner, Luo Andi sat opposite Qi Xiaochuan.

She wore slippers bought by his mother. Though called mother, she was actually his adoptive mother, occasionally scolding him, sometimes revealing estranged and sorrowful glances. Once, Qi Xiaochuan dreamed she called him an “ungrateful wolf,” though the actual situation was somewhat different. When he insisted on resigning, Mrs. Qi didn’t get angry, only bitterly smiled and sighed, “Why can’t he mature?” He knew he had worried his mother too much. No matter how much he did for the family, he ultimately wasn’t a qualified adopted son. There was no way around it; every bone in his body seemed to grow against the grain, causing even himself pain.

Luo Andi knew nothing about this, merely smiling and complimenting the delicious dishes.

Qi Xiaochuan’s father had obviously been in the garden earlier, but he came in particularly fast, perhaps waiting by the window for dinner. Sure enough, his first sentence upon entering was: “Some comrades are really funny, being an unlucky star of their age and still fretting over ‘like’ or ‘dislike.’”

Qi Xiaochuan exerted great effort to control himself from throwing the entire bowl of stewed soup at him.

Luo Andi ate two bowls of rice and kept saying “too full” on the way back. Qi Xiaochuan wanted to see her off, but she insisted not to, so he accompanied her to the station.

They strolled in the twilight, Qi Xiaochuan hadn’t eaten much, but Luo Andi remained as relaxed as usual. Without reason, he initiated a conversation, which was rare and akin to the sun rising in the west: “...you actually get upset over such things.”

“Huh? What?” Luo Andi looked over.

“Just, Su’s aunt.” He muttered, “You usually handle so many people, I thought you would no longer care. Otherwise, you’d surely get hurt easily.”

She blinked, as if spending some time digesting his meaning, then smiled and turned back: “Not at all. Though I might be a bit slow, if others bully me, I’ll be sad too.”

“Of course.” He reached out his hand without any other intention, just feeling like doing so for no reason.

Qi Xiaochuan patted Luo Andi on the head. Luo Andi showed no particular reaction, but after Qi Xiaochuan withdrew his hand, he felt anxious for a while, his palm and heart tingling slightly, wondering if it was thoracic outlet syndrome.

At the moment of parting, he stood in place, watching her walk forward. Luo Andi turned around, stepping backward while saying “bye-bye.” He remembered something and hastily added: “You need... to be a little cautious. You know you’re always too kind to people. If others have ulterior motives towards you and you’re willing, you can give them what they want. But if you’re not willing, you must say ‘no.’”

She smiled like a lovable stuffed animal: “I know.”

He hesitated a bit, but finally said: “No matter how you choose, remember to think carefully about who you truly like. Don’t force yourself.”

Luo Andi nodded, showing no indication whether she was listening or not. Qi Xiaochuan watched her walk into the crowd and disappear. Regardless of the outcome, I will support you. He restrained himself from making a sound.

The new Tai Chi tournament officially began, and Qi Xiaochuan started preparing half a month in advance, waking up forty minutes earlier than usual every day, running to the park early in the morning to seek advice from old men resembling janitors, encouraging each other and progressing together.

His secretary denied that this was a healthy hobby because once, while riding his mountain bike past the riverside, he encountered Qi Xiaochuan answering questions from passersby with the same stance he used to discuss annual financial reports with shareholders—questions like “how to transfer pension funds from the medical card,” “what exactly is Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party doing,” and “why can’t I catch fish with a rod.”

Qi Xiaochuan sneered at his objections, proudly proclaiming: “This year’s champion prize money is tax-deductible.”

Incidentally, this park was indeed a public welfare facility. After staying there for half a month, he met quite a few people. Even Zhu Peijie came for morning runs and spotted him watching people play chess by the park benches.

These chess masters had practiced for many years, evenly matched in their battles across the river. Qi Xiaochuan’s demeanor while spectating was so genuine that he nearly got mistaken by sanitation workers sweeping sunflower seeds for being part of a protection racket left over from anti-gang operations. He watched for a long time, unable to resist giving critical comments, quickly pointing out flaws in the game, angering an elder who had finally gained the upper hand to grab his cane and threaten to fight him.

He consistently changed his morning exercise location to the park and eventually achieved second place in the competition, beautifully losing to a retired university teacher who had recently moved to a nearby nursing home. The person previously taught philosophy and, seeing Qi Xiaochuan’s unique interests at such a young age, feared he might not take it well, so he specially chatted with him about life: “Who are you? Where do you come from, and where are you going? What are you living for?”

Daring to provoke him... Qi Xiaochuan sneered: “Next time, I will win.”

Little did he know, the Tai Chi Association immediately revised the rules to prohibit participants under sixty years old.

However, this philosophy teacher was quite interested in him. After one setback, he persisted next time, grabbing him for endless chatter, even treating him to dim sum. The shop was hard to book, requiring multiple turns to reach. Qi Xiaochuan was indifferent to any form of enjoyment but couldn’t refuse the teacher’s enthusiasm, being directly lured into the store.

He ate some siu mai and shrimp dumplings, the vermicelli was fragrant and flavorful, and he drank tea. Finally worn down by the other party’s persistence, he opened his mouth. The two chatted a bit, and oddly, Qi Xiaochuan thought, maybe today he had time because he remembered someone with a four-character name. Back then, they were like this too. Zhou Hanyaoji loved food immensely, and exploring restaurants was countless. Whenever he found something delicious, he would definitely drag him along.

As of today, only his widow relentlessly pursued him. Recently, she frequently called, slightly abandoning online contact but heard reports from the property security guards. An older woman often came to inquire about his affairs. Qi Xiaochuan was willing to make many amends for her, but letting her send him to hell as she wished was out of the question. Giving her all his assets was also impossible; after all, that was money he had worked hard to earn. Moreover, the company wasn’t solely his anymore. Even if he gave her all his shares, the board would likely still hire him to work, one of the few things Qi Xiaochuan felt somewhat confident about.

They finished eating, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Luo Andi carried a handmade eco-friendly bag, her naturally curly long hair flowing freely, wearing an oversized hoodie and long skirt, loosely stopping by the breakfast stall. Some stalls were busier than others, but she deliberately chose the quieter ones. She was a good-hearted person, a benevolent soul, a character from fairy tales possessing a “crystal-like heart.”

Qi Xiaochuan observed from afar, and his Tai Chi friend casually asked: “Someone you know?”

“Mm.” He continued drinking tea, his cup already empty, “Someone I like.”

The other person suddenly understood, but before he could follow up, a loud and flashy motorcycle roared by. It was hard to imagine anyone but Zhong Shiwei doing something so embarrassing. Wearing a jacket, he stylishly threw her a portion of private homemade steamed dumplings that required queuing to buy, leaving a cool silhouette as he departed. Not long after, a luxury sports car worth close to a million parked by the roadside. Recognizable even if burned to ashes, Su Yining’s man ran down eagerly, his actions exuding warmth, devoutly opening the passenger seat.

Su Yining sat in the driver’s seat, fastening Luo Andi’s seatbelt. They exchanged smiles, sweet and warm. Thanks to the convertible, everything was crystal clear, more dizzying than the front row in a movie theater.

The former university philosophy lecturer hesitated for a moment before finally commenting: “The person you like... seems to be liked by many people.”

“Yes,” Qi Xiaochuan calmly sipped his tea, composedly repeating, “the person I like is liked by many people.”