Chapter 84
When Ji’s Father received Lu Shenxing’s call and rushed to Hua Ting, it was seven in the evening.
Unable to get a taxi during rush hour, he had ridden his bicycle all the way.
Covered in sweat, Ji’s Father pushed open the bedroom door.
The young man was already asleep in bed, his head burrowed under the thin quilt, revealing only a small patch of his forehead. He was breathing with the soft, drawn-out sounds of a kitten.
His heart ached as he approached the bed, wanting to pull the quilt away.
“He just fell asleep. You’ll wake him,” Lu Shenxing, who was sitting by the bed, said, stopping him as he tucked Ji Wei in.
“The quilt is breathable,” Lu Shenxing added.
He hesitantly withdrew his hand and walked out of the bedroom with Lu Shenxing.
As he left, Lu Shenxing glanced at the young man, and only after confirming he was sleeping soundly did he gently close the door.
“Mr. Ji, has Weiwei ever been like this before?” Huang Bo asked as he brought out ginger cookies to serve the guest.
“And you are?” Ji’s Father didn’t know how to address him.
“I’m the butler of the house. You can just call me Old Huang,” Huang Bo introduced himself.
Ji’s Father nodded and followed Huang Bo to the sofa. He was in no mood for cookies, instead picking up a glass of warm water from the coffee table and clutching it tightly in his hands.
“Weiwei has never been talkative, not since he was little. I thought it was hereditary; his mother isn’t very talkative either. But in junior high, Weiwei stopped talking for entire days at a time. That’s when we realized something was wrong. We took him to the hospital, and he was diagnosed with autism.”
In those years, he had been so focused on getting transferred to Yancheng to be with Ye Zhi that he had neglected to care for Ji Wei.
“Autism?” Lu Shenxing’s brows furrowed, and his heart sank.
He had been reading books and materials on psychology recently.
The cause of autism is still unknown. Current research suggests that genetic factors are the main cause. As a developmental disorder, systematic treatment can alleviate symptoms, but it generally cannot be cured.
“When Weiwei was in junior high, we moved from Border Town to Yancheng because of my job transfer. He gradually became more cheerful. When he went for a follow-up visit at a hospital in Beijing in his first year of high school, the doctor said he could live like a normal child,” Ji’s Father said, his eyes turning a little red.
“Weiwei is actually a very sensitive child. He can feel how others treat him. Once, I was wiping my tears outside his hospital room, and he ran over and timidly said, ‘Dad, please don’t cry, okay? If I were a normal child, would Dad not be sad?'”
“So after he got better, I treated him like a normal child.” By the time Ji’s Father finished speaking, his voice was already choked with emotion, and his eyes glistened with tears.
Lu Shenxing handed him a napkin. He wiped his tears but ultimately couldn’t control his emotions and went to the restroom.
Five minutes later, when Ji’s Father came out of the restroom, he was still emotionally unstable, so choked up that he couldn’t form a complete sentence.
It was not a good time to ask any more questions.
Lu Shenxing stood up and bowed slightly. “It’s getting late. I’ll have someone take you home.”
He was about to speak again, but Lu Shenxing seemed to have read his mind and said in a gentle voice, “Don’t worry, I will take good care of Ji Wei.”
Ji’s Father looked at the composed Lu Shenxing and couldn’t hold back his emotions. “How can I be at ease when Weiwei is like that, and you’re acting like nothing’s wrong?”
“It is precisely because of this that I must remain calm,” Lu Shenxing said, his eyes lowered, a faint bluish tint under them.
Only then did Ji’s Father notice the man’s exhaustion. He knew all too well what a sick Ji Wei was like.
He wouldn’t speak all day, and in severe cases, he wouldn’t want to eat or sleep, just clinging to his drawing board or hiding in a corner, needing to be coaxed slowly. The amount of energy this required was undoubtedly immense.
He let out a slow breath. “Forget it. Take good care of Weiwei. I’ll come see him again tomorrow.”
Huang Bo understood and saw him out, arranging for a driver to take Ji’s Father home.
After seeing Ji’s Father off, Lu Shenxing walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the world, which was a vast darkness with only a few scattered lights.
Huang Bo sighed at the sight of Lu Shenxing’s back and poured him a glass of warm milk from the kitchen. “A-Xing, don’t take Mr. Ji’s words to heart. He’s not in a good emotional state today.”
“I know,” Lu Shenxing paused. “Any parent would break down hearing that their child’s illness has relapsed.”
But he couldn’t. Lu Shenxing’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
***
Early in the morning, a car from Yancheng Television Station was parked outside the shop. Liang Heng, dressed in an ill-fitting suit, nervously followed the station staff into the car.
They drove all the way to the entrance of the live broadcast hall.
Liang Heng retied his tie and asked anxiously, “Is it okay to go on the show like this?”
The staff member clearly had no intention of doing his makeup and nodded impatiently. “You can just go in.”
News valued timeliness. This wasn’t a variety show; of course, the sooner, the better.
The staff member took out his phone to check the live stream’s popularity. It wasn’t even nine in the morning, yet the number of viewers on the Yancheng Television Station’s official website had already reached eight hundred thousand.
This interview had been kept under tight wraps. Even he had only found out this morning that they were doing a tell-all about Ji Wei. Although it was rather inhumane, it was an order from above, and there was nothing they could do.
Liang Heng walked into the live broadcast room and sat down opposite the host. He felt even more awkward, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
Wu Huan had been at Yancheng Television Station for ten years and was an excellent judge of character. The Liang Heng before her was timid and cautious, a perfect interview subject.
With a few minutes left before the broadcast, she greeted Liang Heng. “Don’t be too nervous. We’re doing an interview, not interrogating a criminal. Just sit casually.”
Only then did Liang Heng realize his posture was tense. He adjusted his position and said embarrassedly, “Okay.”
Wu Huan seemed to be amused by him. “Really, don’t be nervous. You don’t have to tell everything exactly as it happened. It’s fine to exaggerate a little; the audience likes that. As for the payment, you don’t have to worry. You’ll be satisfied.”
Hearing her last sentence, Liang Heng was taken aback. Seeing Wu Huan still looking at him, he hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Wu Huan smiled again.
She took out a mirror and touched up her makeup.
At nine-fifteen, the live broadcast officially began.
The show hadn’t been announced in advance. The people tuning in to the station’s official website at this time were all long-time viewers of Yancheng Television. They were surprised to find that Old He Tells Stories, which was scheduled to air at nine-fifteen, had been replaced by a character interview hosted by Wu Huan.
—The Other Side of Influencer Ji Wei.
[Why the sudden program change? I was waiting to listen to Old He on my way to work.]
[Ji Wei? Didn’t he have a falling out with the TV station a long time ago? How could they still get him for an interview?]
[Ji Wei’s video was trending yesterday, and they’re doing an interview today. That’s so fast.]
However, to their disappointment, Ji Wei was not on the show. Instead, it was one of his elementary school classmates, who was said to have been his deskmate.
Even so, when someone posted news of the interview program on Weibo, it attracted over a hundred thousand viewers.
[?? What do you mean, ‘The Other Side of Ji Wei’? Yancheng Television Station is fucking trash. Do they have no heart?]
[But maybe something really did happen to Ji Wei. I heard he and Film Emperor Lu won’t be on this episode of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. I feel like that video from yesterday was really him.]
[+1, it’s pretty terrifying. I got goosebumps watching the video.]
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Liang Heng, Wu Huan got to the main topic of the day. “Yesterday, a video of Ji Wei painting as a child went viral online. Many people described it as bizarre and terrifying. Did he often draw things like that as a child?”
Liang Heng nodded. “He drew that painting in the classroom. School was already over, but he was still hunched over his desk, drawing. Everyone was standing around watching. I remember a classmate named Liu Fang recorded the video.”
“Do you find it scary too?” she asked.
Wu Huan frowned slightly. “It is quite scary. Why would he draw something like that? From a psychological perspective, he might have some psychological issues. What do you think?”
[Ji Wei’s fan here, can’t watch anymore. I’m speechless at how she’s diagnosing him with psychological problems without even meeting him. If he really has issues, isn’t what Yancheng Television Station is doing no different from feasting on human suffering?!]
[If you can’t watch, then leave. Sister Wu Huan just said ‘might have,’ not ‘definitely has.’ I don’t know why you’re all so angry. You’re the ones discriminating against mental illness.]
[I don’t know anything about psychology, but I just think this host is too biased. She’s been intentionally or unintentionally leading the interviewee. For a news program, it’s quite subjective.]
“Ji Wei’s memory is also very good. I still remember, he could recite the entire Chinese textbook from beginning to end without missing a single word. He also remembered what everyone wore on the first day of school,” Liang Heng continued, forgetting to answer Wu Huan’s question.
His words caught Wu Huan’s attention. “Reciting the Chinese textbook shouldn’t be that difficult, right? My neighbor’s kid can do it.”
“But he only looked at it for ten minutes.”
Liang Heng added another sentence.
“Are you sure it was ten minutes?”
Wu Huan asked in shock. Although elementary school textbooks weren’t thick, ten minutes would probably only be enough to flip through it once, not even enough to read the text carefully. How did he memorize it?
“I’m sure.”
Liang Heng replied.
[Ten minutes?! What kind of master is this?!]
[As a poor student, I’m truly envious. No wonder he got into Yan University while I’m at New Oriental.]
[I’ve seen Ji Wei’s show. His memory is truly terrifying. He can even draw A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains from memory without a single mistake. When I saw that, I had only one thought: what’s the use of my brain?]
The bullet comments were filled with envy, but Wu Huan clutched her heart. “That’s really a bit scary. I can’t imagine a normal person’s memory being that good.”
“That’s what we thought at the time too.”
Liang Heng suddenly spoke.
“‘We’? Do you mean you and your classmates?”
Wu Huan felt that this interviewee’s thinking was a bit disjointed.
“Yes. I hope you won’t cut the live broadcast.”
He answered sincerely.
“Why would we cut the live broadcast? So many viewers are watching. Don’t you all agree?”
She smiled at the camera, secretly raising her guard.
[What does ‘cut the live broadcast’ mean? Is there some big scoop?]
[Maybe he’s just trying to liven up the atmosphere.]
[Holy crap, the live stream has over eight hundred thousand viewers this early in the morning, and Ji Wei isn’t even here. I didn’t believe Ji Wei was popular before, but this is real popularity.]
“At the time, we all thought like you did. We thought Ji Wei was scary. No one dared to talk to Ji Wei, no one dared to get close to him. We looked at him like he was a monster.”
Liang Heng said slowly, “Gradually, Ji Wei became more and more silent. Sometimes he wouldn’t say a word all day. I don’t know if it was because no one talked to him, or if he really had another world. He became more and more distant, and then everyone said, ‘See, he really is a monster.'”
“In reality, it was just that we couldn’t understand his excellence, but he had to bear the blame.”
Liang Heng was silent for a minute.
The bullet comments were also silent for a minute.
Then, they began to scroll frantically.
[?!! Awwwww, I’m bawling. How could my Weiwei be treated like this?]
[Damn, even as a non-fan of Ji Wei, I’m crying. It’s so sad. He was hurt as a child, and now that he’s grown up, he’s being dug up and called a madman. If I were Ji Wei, I would have broken down.]
[I suddenly understand what the classmate meant by ‘don’t cut the live broadcast.’ The production team wanted him to say how abnormal and scary Ji Wei was as a child, right? Can Yancheng Television Station just go die!!]
[Damn, can we find out who the person who broke the story yesterday was? They’re so disgusting.]
[I’ve been a fan of Weiwei since The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. He’s such a good kid. Why does he have to go through this? I’m getting old, I can’t stand seeing this. My tears are worthless.]
Wu Huan felt that the interview was deviating from its intended direction. She didn’t know what would happen if this segment of the interview got out, so she quickly explained.
“My choice of words just now was a bit imprecise. Not scary, I actually meant to say surprised. I didn’t expect a child to be able to draw something like that.”
Her explanation only made things worse. The focus of the bullet comments shifted to her.
[Her hypocrisy is nauseating.]
[She kept trying to steer the conversation towards Ji Wei being psychologically abnormal. Personally, I can’t watch this famous host’s interviews anymore.]
[I won’t be watching Yancheng Television Station anymore either. It’s truly disgusting.]
Liang Heng just glanced at Wu Huan and continued, “Everyone said that being a monster was contagious. Even new students didn’t dare to befriend Ji Wei, so he had no friends at all.”
“He offered his favorite little cake to someone, but it was disgustedly stomped on and thrown away like trash.” Liang Heng lowered his head, not daring to look at the camera. “After that, he never brought little cakes to school again.”
“That person was me.”
He said softly, “Ji Wei, I’m sorry.”
He didn’t deserve forgiveness, but he still wanted to say sorry.
[I’m crying! Weiwei isn’t sick at all. Just because he draws different things, why is he treated like a monster?!]
[So many people under that video yesterday said it was scary. I can’t even imagine how sad Cub Wei would be if he saw the comments. Even if he is sick, it was forced upon him by others!].
[Neutral netizen here, I’m having a hard time breathing. Yesterday, when I didn’t know it was Ji Wei, I also posted a negative comment. I’m really sorry.]
[Awwwww, I’m so worried about Weiwei. He didn’t stream yesterday, and he hasn’t been on Weibo. I hope nothing happened. I’m at home crying like a dog.]
Before the interview was even over, a spontaneous movement to bless Ji Wei had started on Weibo. It began with fans, but more and more strangers began to post well wishes.
By the time the live interview ended, it had already climbed to the second spot on the trending topics.
[Three of Them] Ji Wei deserves an incredibly bright future. #Blessings for Ji Wei#
[Yi Huan] You must stay safe and sound. #Blessings for Ji Wei#
[Wei Wei Must Be Well] Cub Wei, mom’s heart aches for you. I’ve been crying for an hour, so scared of seeing bad news on Weibo. #Blessings for Ji Wei#
The third trending topic was a boycott of Yancheng Television Station.
[Got My Lu Wei Fix] Can Yancheng Television Station just go die! Are you happy feasting on human suffering! I’m so fucking angry I want to curse.
[A Glass of Coke] Thank goodness that interviewee had a conscience. I can’t even imagine what would have happened with someone else. Is this what a TV station calls responsibility?!
[Mountain Ghost] I won’t ask about anything else, just when is the station director going to step down?
When Liang Heng walked out of the television station, none of the staff gave him a pleasant look. They had hoped to boost the station’s reputation, but the audience was completely unsympathetic. Instead, they were being cursed at and asked when they would go out of business. Their bonuses were all down the drain.
He walked out of the station, unconcerned.
He didn’t notice that in a corner, a young man in a school uniform watched his retreating back before tucking a sharp scalpel into his backpack.
If he had exaggerated the facts today as the host had implied, he might not have made it back to the dessert shop.
***
Ji Wei slept for a very long time, all the way until the afternoon.
Huang Bo had woken up early and made a bag of small beef jerky. He walked into the room and placed it on the bedside table.
The young man’s head was buried under the covers. Sensing someone’s arrival, he immediately tensed up, not daring to move. But he smelled the beef jerky; it was especially fragrant.
He hesitated for a moment, planning to take it after the person had left.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, he slowly emerged from under the covers, retreated to the corner of the bed, and opened the bag of beef jerky.
He took a bite. It was really delicious.
He felt a little reluctant to eat more.
Lu Shenxing was sitting at the desk in the bedroom when his phone suddenly rang. He stood up, preparing to go to the terrace to answer the call.
The young man thought he was leaving. He shot up from the floor, walked up behind him, and tugged at the corner of the man’s shirt, refusing to move. He nuzzled his head against the man’s back.
Feeling the tug on his shirt, Lu Shenxing turned around.
Ji Wei quietly handed him a full bag of beef jerky.
Lu Shenxing held his phone and thought for a moment, then asked softly, “You don’t want me to leave?”
Ji Wei nodded.
“Trying to bribe me?” the man asked again.
Ji Wei thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Lu Shenxing wrapped his arms around his slender waist and rested his chin on top of Ji Wei’s head. Ji Wei’s body suddenly stiffened, but he didn’t push him away. The man’s voice came from above his head. “This is enough.”
Lu Shenxing pulled out a chair, sat down with the obedient young man in his lap, and answered the phone.
It was a very long call.
Lu Shenxing’s embrace was hard, and sitting on his lap was uncomfortable. Ji Wei shifted uncomfortably, wanting to break free from the increasingly hot embrace and return to his closet. Then, for some reason, he felt even more uncomfortable.
The man noticed Ji Wei’s reaction, paused his conversation with Professor Song, and asked seriously, “Is it because I’m too big?” His tone was slow and deliberate.
“You’ll have to get used to it,” he added.