Chapter 86 – He can understand you
 
There are still activities to participate in the day after his birthday so An Xumo only had time to pack the cake and take it back. He cleaned out all the things in the dormitory’s mini-refrigerator before putting the cake in.
 
After finishing up, An Xumo sat on the floor and looked through the photos he had taken today on his phone. The birthday celebration during the day, the expensive gifts for the various media, the honey banquet in the evening, the birthday cake that echoed the memories, and the letter from P University.
 
He looked at it and suddenly remembered something.
 
An Xumo stood up and hurriedly walked to the door, rummaging in the bag he had just returned. A light blue paper box revealed in the corner, his hand stopped and moved gently, taking out the paper box.
 
This is a birthday gift from Zhou Jinchen which he especially found and brought back from a pile of gifts today.
 
The outer seal was carefully removed and the box was cut open with a knife. An Xumo turned the box over and a carefully laminated photo fell out.
 
He was stunned when he first saw the photo.
 
There are three people in the photo who looked like a snapshot. In the most conspicuous position, there stood a handsome young man, and not far from him is a woman in a long dress holding a baby.
 
The expressions of the two people are somewhat solemn and you can see both their upright faces but the first thing An Xumo noticed is the little boy who looked less than one year old.
 
An Xumo looked at it for a long time, then slowly turned the photo over.
 
His heart was beating violently and the three names pasted on the outside of the laminated cover came into view.
 
He Wenbin, An He, An Xumo.
 
That boy was himself when he was a child.
 
The seawater submerged all around, the water filled his eyes, the body rose and fell with the waves, and the silence in the ears was empty.
 
An Xumo laid on his back on the floor, the light above his head shined down the photo as if it could project the two people in the photo on his side.
 
Those are the two titles he had called a thousand times in his dreams but he never got a response in reality.
 
Father, mother.
 
–
 
Early the next morning, the stylist was so busy applying ice, medicine, and makeup that she managed to barely cover An Xumo’s slightly swollen eyes and mouth.
 
Tang Tang looked like she wanted to say something until An Xumo asked her, she only said cautiously, “Xiao Mo, after you went back last night……did you meet Brother Zhou?”
 
“No, why do you ask?” An Xumo did not understand.
 
“…….” Tang Tang silently pointed to his eyes and mouth.
 
The changes from when she was on the set after the kissing scene…… how similar, and the eyes were swollen from crying.
 
“Oh, I bit myself.” An Xumo was a little embarrassed. He was a bit emotional yesterday and forgot about not biting his mouth.
 
Fortunately, today’s event is in the afternoon, the situation is not too serious. But Tang Tang’s words reminded An Xumo, he looked for his phone and sent a message to Zhou Jinchen.
 
“Thank you for the gift yesterday.” 
 
After getting the photo last night, An Xumo’s emotions got a little out of control for a moment and he forgot to say thank you to his brother. Now, when he calmed down and thought about it, sending things to the media, the Belgian cake, the P University notice, and that photo, each gift meant a lot to An Xumo.
 
He realized that some things seemed to have become different from before.
 
If the previous intimacy in front of people was for hype, these birthday gifts could no longer be the same reason. An Xumo didn’t think any deeper and he didn’t need to think much. The warmth and fullness of joy were enough to fill one’s chest and stomach.
 
The mobile phone buzzed for a while and a new message alert popped up.
 
“As long as you like it.”
 
“Happy coming of age.”
 
An Xumo repeatedly looked at the two messages and couldn’t hide the smile on his lips.
 
On his eighteenth birthday, he made a wish to live for himself. The wish hadn’t gone very far and the once heaviest shackles had become warm and soft.
 
–
 
Sixteen days after its release,《Different Roads》exceeded 2.6 billion at the box office, setting a new box office record for domestic films. Twenty-five days after its release, the total box office reached 3.5 billion. At the same time, the film announced a one-month interval of《Different Roads》’s release which basically spanned the entire summer season. The total box office forecast also rose from 4 to 4.5 billion.
 
The topics related to the movie remained hot and various marketing accounts and push messages were actively rubbing on the movie’s popularity. The cast and crew have celebrated several times and unlike ordinary purely commercial films,《Different Roads》has been selected for several major awards, aiming for a double harvest of box office and winning awards.
 
The actors in the movie have naturally been benefited. Not to mention, the two leading actors who were already film emperors, but An Xumo alone, in the month after the movie’s release, his Weibo followers soared by two million, and other related indexes are also rising. In addition to this, he is the first person among the current traffic idols to act in a high-grossing film of a big director. Obviously, he had opened up a gap with other traffic idols in his identity as an actor.
 
At the end of the second round of promotional activities, An Xumo finally gained a little free time. Since he was going to report at P University in September, the team finally resisted the company’s pressure and helped him put off his long-term activities for a few months, and only taking on some short-term activities and a script that would not start until two and a half years later.
 
The admission work for the national college entrance examinations was about to be completed and the team was planning to put out news that An Xumo is going to college in the near future. At this time, he is at a time when the discussion is high, and if he is not careful, he may be seized by someone to maliciously blacken him so the team is still in strict control of the processes.
 
But for An Xumo, what he is most concerned about on his mind now is another thing.
 
A few days after his eighteenth birthday, Zhang Zhiwei, who he had not seen for a long time, called. On the day of his birthday, he also sent his best wishes to An Xumo but this time, the phone call was a hundred times more surprising than the birthday wishes.
 
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhiwei told An Xumo that his mother wanted to see him.
 
It’s not that An Xumo did not think of using Zhang Zhiwei’s help to find his mother but at the time of the recording of《Different Roads》, Zhang Zhiwei said he had not been in touch with his sister (An Xumo’s mother, they’re not related by blood) for a long time. Later, when he contacted An Xumo about Ma Lao’s movie, he did not mention his sister again. When An Xumo slowly let down his guard, he could no longer find the right opportunity.
 
After receiving the photo that Zhou Jinchen found, An Xumo’s imagination of his mother was a little more real. Yet it never occurred to him that a few days later, the dream had become a reality.
 
Zhang Zhiwei explained that the reason An He took the initiative to bring up the meeting was An Xumo’s eighteenth birthday. He also said on the phone that An Xumo should not be angry with his family. Children are the heart of the parents, even if they had conflicts for a while, they couldn’t be angry for too long.
 
An Xumo’s dizzy thoughts were cooled down a little. When did he……get angry with his family?
 
After beating around the bush, An Xumo found that Zhan Zhiwei actually didn’t know his real-life background. The other side only thought that he was in conflict with his family and came out angrily to make his debut in the show business which is why he never mentioned anything about his mother. Because of this, An He also needed to rely on Zhang Zhiwei to get in touch with An Xumo.
 
An Xumo never mentioned anything about his family. The only reason why Zhang Zhiwei would think so is that An He’s statement possibly influenced him. An Xumo doesn’t know why the other party said so, but thinking about the Zhou family, he seemed to be able to find some explanation.
 
An He is abroad and needs to change her communication when she returns home. Zhang Zhiewi said he would give her An Xumo’s contact information, and when she arrives, she will contact An Xumo. An Xumo has been looking at his phone for the past few days, when he is busy, he will also give his phone to Tang Tang for safekeeping so that she can notify him as soon as she receives the message.
 
But after waiting for a few days, An Xumo hadn’t received a message from his mother but Xin Zimai came to the door.
 
“Do a checkup……?” An Xumo was a little confused, “Didn’t you just have a medical checkup recently?”
 
“It’s not a medical checkup, it’s like this,” Xin Zimai said after a moment of deliberation, “you know about your brother’s accident when he was twelve, right?’
 
The movie’s distribution account for《Different Roads》had not yet ended but many projects that previously lacked funding could now begin to move. Zhou Jinchen was too busy with his new investment company to get away and he wasn’t ready to make his own apology yet which is why Xin Zimai came over for him.
 
An Xumo frowned, “…… En.”
 
“After that, he recuperated for a long time. In fact, this injury is mainly on a psychological level. You should also find that Jinchen is indifferent to many things. These manifestations are all in fact rooted in his initial disease — Asperger’s syndrome.”
 
Xin Zimai briefly explained the disease to An Xumo, and then said, “Jinchen is a relatively special type. He did not show any abnormalities in his childhood. If he was properly educated, he may not be much different from other people. The problem is that at the age of twelve, he received a great mental stimulation, AS coupled with the accident which made him to have this kind of emotional sensitivity disorder he has now.”
 
When Xin Zimai finished his sentence, as expected, he saw An Xumo’s surprised expression.
 
Zhou Jinchen had already figured out that matter and it was only a matter of time before he confessed. After consideration, they decided to tell An Xumo the truth about Zhou Jinchen in advance. Therefore, when Zhou Jinchen apologizes, An Xumo could realize that the ruthlessness when he proposed the cooperation publicity was in fact actually partly due to his own mental illness.
 
Besides, they have another thing to say.
 
When An Xumo calmed down a bit, Xin Zimai continued, “At present, there is only special research on young autistic patients in China, and the diagnosis of adult AS patients is still very vague. Recently, Huashan Hospital where Jinchen is being treated is receiving a medical team from abroad. This team has done an in-depth research in the field of autism so we would like to take advantage of the few days they are in China to register you.”
 
An Xumo was silly stunned for a moment, “……me? Isn’t my brother who is ill?”
 
Xin Zimai tried to explain, “It’s just a simple checkup, not a treatment.”
 
Only then did An Xumo understand, “You mean, I might also be an AS patient?”
 
“It would be best to rule it out.” Xin Zimai said, “It’s just an assumption.”
 
An Xumo was a bit confused, “But I don’t seem to think I have anything similar to these symptoms?”
 
Xin Zimai asked, “How did you feel when you were surrounded by thousands of fans shouting your name? Do you feel concerned when you read those comments on the internet that cursed you?”
 
An Xumo thoughtfully said, “To the fans, it’s being thankful, right? Those remarks are nothing to be concerned about……”
 
Xin Zimai smiled bitterly, “Xiao An, do you know how many people who had made their debut for many years have no way to achieve such a calm state of mind?”
 
An Xumo hesitated, “Doesn’t this show that I have a good state of mind?”
 
“It also shows that your perception of external emotions is likewise very insensitive.” Xin Zimai said, “Xiao An, you really don’t want to go that much?”
 
After considering it, An Xumo finally agreed to Xin Zimai’s proposal. Subsequently, with an appointment for the next day, he went to Huashan Hospital accompanied by Xin Zimai.
 
The examination process was very boring and tedious, especially when the people he faced were speaking English. Fortunately, An Xumo went to school before and his English was not bad so he was able to complete the communication process smoothly for an unknown number of times.
 
When it was over, An Xumo left first and the delay for almost half a day is already the limit of his work can give.
 
Xin Zimai did not stay either but he kept an eye on the diagnosis results. Not long after the appointment, he received a call from Li Qiucheng.
 
As soon as the call hung up, Xin Zimai immediately dialed another number.
 
“The results are out, Xiao An has no symptoms of AS. Just tell him directly what you want to say, he can understand.” 
 
A low, magnetic voice came from the other end, “Good.”
 
“But……” Xin Zimai hesitated for a moment and said, “Jinchen, I have another thing to tell you.”
 
“Although Xiao An was not born with autism, but have……he seems to have undergone a very intense psychological trauma. The person who diagnosed him was from that professional medical team and the doctor who talked to him said that Xiao An, h-he has a high tendency for severe anxiety and depression……”