Chapter 50: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

Students were their perennial shared topic. Despite the headaches they caused, talking about them was genuinely enjoyable.

They both wanted the students to improve, so they discussed universal educational methods for high school and college.

This kind of conversation was like a refreshing rain in a fire field, easily overshadowing other thoughts.

While waiting at a red light, Song Fuzhi turned and smiled. “My parents asked if we have time to go home for a meal recently. They say it’s been too long since they’ve seen us and almost forget how we look.”

“Oh.” Shi Zhang hesitated for a moment, then nodded quickly. “Sure. I should be free on Sunday.”

“No need to rush.”

When the red light turned green,Song Fuzhi pressed the gas pedal slowly. “Just tell them a day in advance. They can buy groceries. My dad said he has been studying some amazing new dishes recently, but my mom says they taste terrible. She insists we go back and give them a fair evaluation.”

Shi Zhang laughed. “I see. We’ll make sure to be objective.”

Seeing Song Fuzhi’s focused driving profile through the window reflection, Shi Zhang kept a faint smile on his face, but a hidden chill surfaced in his heart.

He still remembered the story Teacher Wang talked about at the beginning of the class reunion—the love story between Song Fuzhi’s parents. A doctor and a teacher, delivering meals to each other across a fence every day, riding bicycles home together, freely in love, hand in hand until now.

Song Fuzhi possessed a pair of loving parents and a perfect family—a fairytale world that Shi Zhang could hardly reach.

From the beginning, Shi Zhang had concealed his true past. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t make any other choice.

Since childhood, Shi Zhang has been scolded for everything. He thought he had become numb to it, but when he truly faced Song Fuzhi, Shi Zhang realized he couldn’t openly reveal all of this in front of her.

He was a despicable person, sneaking into a banquet with a pair of ill-fitting glass slippers and attempting to blend into a feast with a pumpkin carriage.

Shi Zhang’s thoughts were straightforward. Give up the inheritance rights and cut off all ties with the Shi family completely.

Then, everything could continue peacefully and happily.

As for the relationship between him and his biological parents, from the beginning, it was an uncountable debt.

In the evening, the two embraced each other as usual, falling asleep together. The person in his arms had a slightly low body temperature but still exuded endless warmth.

Shi Zhang kissed Song Fuzhi’s forehead as usual, said “good night,” and quickly sank into a steady sleep.

Song Fuzhi woke up at three in the morning, lying quietly in bed, one side of which was empty but still retaining warmth. Shi Zhang had just left.

Actually, when Shi Zhang had just sat up, Song Fuzhi had already awakened.

He closed his eyes, feeling Shi Zhang getting up quietly, then circling around to his side, gently opening the drawer of the bedside table, and taking the cigarettes and lighter from inside.

Stepping out onto the balcony after a period of silence,Song Fuzhi heard the faint sound of a lighter.

Song Fuzhi silently closed his eyes, gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.

In fact, he had sensed that something was wrong this afternoon.

Someone unknown had suddenly visited Shi Zhang’s house, and he had stayed at home until Song Fuzhi got off work. Shi Zhang usually came back earlier.

Song Fuzhi initially thought he might be overthinking because Shi Zhang seemed normal that night, until he woke up from his sleep and heard Professor Shi, who was usually self-disciplined, smoking on the balcony.

Song Fuzhi frowned slightly. Shi Zhang must have encountered something, and he didn’t want to talk about it.

Song Fuzhi was concerned, subtly and indirectly asking Shi Zhang several times, but to no avail.

As usual, a few days passed peacefully, and Shi Zhang showed no signs of abnormality. Song Fuzhi, busy as he was, gradually let go, thinking that he might have overthought things.

It was normal for adults to have emotions that only they could digest, even if they were the closest lovers.

Moreover, Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang had only known each other for a few months at most. In terms of intimacy with Shi Zhang, Song Fuzhi was probably still not as close as Zhong Ziyan and Ouyang Xi.

 Looking at himself, Song Fuzhi had not completely opened up yet.

From hobbies to preferences in bed, he hadn’t talked about them, and he probably couldn’t speak about them in the short term.

Flash marriages have this kind of risk; everything needs time to adjust, and he believed they would eventually find a solution.

Song Fuzhi thought that one day they would be able to trust each other; at least then, Shi Zhang wouldn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to smoke in silence but could confide in him.

Late-night emotions tend to dissipate in the daylight, especially when surrounded by the chirping of birds, making the mood even more expansive.

Well, despite some noise, it was more comforting to witness the joy of life gradually growing.

The little ones shed their soft feathers bit by bit, becoming like young falcons, feeling like a red scarf would suit their necks.

Song Fuzhi stood by the window, looking at them in the distance, feeling that everything was adorable.

Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang had gradually reduced the amount of feeding. When the little birds grew up a bit more, their parents would take them away.

It was somewhat inexplicable and a bit reluctant.

Recently, FuFu’s account had not been updated, and the video’s popularity had indeed declined, but the accumulated views had reached nearly a million.

On this video platform, it might not be considered exploding in popularity, but it was enough to make Song Fuzhi a bit famous in the cosplay community.

These days, Song Fuzhi hadn’t posted any updates, and even his profile remained empty. He hadn’t replied to any comments, causing most onlookers to leave, with only a small number still persistently commenting.

Wuu wuu wuu, did Teacher Fu just post a video and run away? How can you abandon us like this?

I know you’ve been silent for so long because you’re preparing a new amazing cosplay, right? It must be. It must be.

I hope I can encounter such a well-built male Bodhisattva at the next comic con.

Ah, ah, ah, I thought I finally found the new gospel after Teacher Zhang retired, but why aren’t you updating?

Teacher Fu, say something; tell us if you’re still planning to create new works.

In these days, Song Fuzhi quietly read through all the comments. Most people praised him, while a small number said things like his face wasn’t clear, it was photoshopped, purely relying on special effects, not good-looking, and so on.

Song Fuzhi didn’t really care about these comments.

What surprised him was that a considerable number of comments mentioned Teacher Zhang.

They felt that after Teacher Zhang, Song Fuzhi had the best physique among hard-core cosplayers.

How should I put it? Having so many people mention Song Fuzhi in the same breath as the cosplayer he once admired gave him a strange feeling.

It wasn’t about succeeding in chasing stars, nor was it about meeting at the pinnacle; it was just… Song Fuzhi felt like he had gained a mysterious connection, almost like being a junior or senior, even though Teacher Zhang had already retired.

Song Fuzhi shared this discovery with Luo Luli, and she laughed heartily, saying that he could definitely surpass Teacher Zhang and create his own style instead of being his replacement.

Afterward, Luo Luli felt a bit regretful; she said, “If Teacher Zhang hadn’t retired now, you might become even more popular. With the high demand, you might even get a chance to collaborate with Teacher Zhang.”

Song Fuzhi smiled. “That’s highly unlikely.”

Song Fuzhi and she chatted casually, watching the birds outside grabbing meat.

Unexpectedly, bit by bit, the voices grew louder, and the sky had darkened at some point.

When Song Fuzhi realized it, the rain outside was already heavy. The parents of the red falcon spread and closed their wings, as if trying to gather their children under their feathers. The little ones huddled together pitifully and stopped chirping.

Song Fuzhi made a sharp inhale, interrupting his chat with Luo Luli.

They hadn’t noticed the weather issues because it hadn’t rained for a while.

Song Fuzhi saw that above Shi Zhang’s window ledge, there was actually a rain shelter that hadn’t been completely opened. If extended straight down, it could cover the little birds, but the rain was slanting outside the window, and this small rain shelter was insufficient.

Although rain was common in nature, this big family was right at the doorstep, and it would be good to shield some rain.

As the rain intensified, Song Fuzhi urgently sent a message to Shi Zhang: “It’s raining heavily outside. How do you open the rain shelter on your window ledge? Is there a button?”

Shi Zhang probably couldn’t make a call, so he replied with text: “It could be controlled remotely, but it’s been broken for a long time. You have to manually prop it open with a long pole.”

Song Fuzhi: “Do you have a long pole at home? Like a clothesline pole?”

Shi Zhang: “Yes, in the storage room. There’s a door to the left of the living room; you’ll see it when you open it.”

There was another commotion outside the window, with some little falcons flapping their wings, seeming to want to fly. It wasn’t clear if they wanted to escape the rain or just enjoy it to the fullest.

Song Fuzhi’s heart tightened. He had read reports about how young birds that hadn’t fully learned to fly could be grounded in the rain because their wings got wet. He feared that these rebellious youngsters might end up wandering away from home.

Finding a pole was urgent. Following Shi Zhang’s instructions, there was a door to the left of the living room. He opened it.

In front of him was a tightly closed door. Song Fuzhi, without thinking, grasped the handle and turned it, pushing it open.

In that instant, his brain sluggishly processed the information. Ah, Shi Zhang mentioned the left side of the living room, but isn’t this the right side?

Guilty, guilty, Song Fuzhi silently chanted. He really didn’t mean to intrude into private territory. He would leave right away.

But the door was already open, and the room’s furnishings were unexpectedly exposed to broad daylight.

Song Fuzhi stood still for two seconds, then abruptly slammed the door shut.

He silently ran to the left side of the living room without saying a word, took out a clothesline pole from the correct storage room, walked to the window ledge, and reached far out, slowly extending the rain shelter.

Raindrops fell heavily, and the little birds were chirping madly. Song Fuzhi’s heart also thumped wildly.

Not only was his heart pounding, but his eyelids were also twitching, one after another, bang, bang, bang.

Expressionless, Song Fuzhi fixed the rain shelter, but in his mind, the exaggerated and magnified replay of the scene he had seen a moment ago played with special effects.

What he saw seemed not to be Shi Zhang’s room but an entire, condensed, large-scale comic con.

Shi Zhang, his home, how could there be so many cosplay costumes?

Song Fuzhi, leaning on the clothesline pole, stood in the silent living room, resembling an elderly father with a stoop, staring blankly into the tiny eyes of the bird chicks outside the window.

Song Fuzhi thought, Teacher Song, oh Teacher Song, you must have a confused mind about birds.