Yesterday
Chapter 11
昨天 by 風弄 Chapter 11
Yesterday by Feng Nong
How could it have come to such a mess? I constantly changed buses all the way until I reached a train station. I myself had no idea where I wanted to go or which roads I went through. In any case, I just thought it would be the best option for me to choose the furthest destination when I bought the ticket. Now I was finally all tired out, my whole body was like a fox that has come up empty, standing at a corner of some unfamiliar town. It was already a long long time later. The early morning sunlight shyly popped its head in until it started to show its strength in lighting up the world. I numbly look at everything starting to come to live around me. People hurrying by me while I nibble on the hot dog in my hand. I bow my head and wander aimlessly. I pace around in a daze. It is as if the initial stages of my escape completely used up my energy. I"m like the battery powered rabbit that had ran out of power, straining with each movement. I casually buy a newspaper, copying the conduct of ordinary people, and scan the society pages. There is no news of YuJiang. I then search the finance and economics pages. Also nothing. I casually throw away the paper. That"s right. YuJiang is just a tyc.o.o.n from Hong Kong, nothing more. Even if he died, why would it be in the newspaper of this French town? I always considered him all-powerful but he is also just a man. I hobble to a street corner looking for a run-down inn. I have never been to such a place, filthy and decrepit, with rough characters going in and out, spitting on stools.
"I lost my ID card. Can I stay here?" I ask expressionless. The fellow that answered me was even more expressionless, using his hand to ring the bell on the desk.
"As long as you have money." I give the place a once over, wondering if this place specializes in lodging for escaped criminals and bandits. I resolutely enter inside. I shut myself in the room, not daring to leave. I don"t even dare to look at the person in the bathroom mirror that was split into two. Is that me? I stroke my chin. It has only been two or three days. It"s no longer smooth and fine like before with stiff bristles pushing through. With the scar on my forehead, it makes for a frightful appearance. From today on, I would have to live in seclusion.
I sneak out to buy a computer to act as window from which I spy on the world. Ai, don"t tell me this is how I"m going to spend my days from now on. I scour the newspapers and foreign news sites online. There is some good news, YuJiang isn"t dead. I sigh. I laugh out loud when I see the vigorous and sparkling photo of YuJiang on the slowly loading webpage. The scar that was left behind by the vase is unexpectedly similar to that on my forehead. The length and size is ironically extremely similar. The muscles on my face started to ache from my belly laugh. All this time I had put on a stiff face, practically not putting any of my facial nerves to use. There is also an exclusive interview with this young mogul online. It is full of YuJiang"s hypocritical modesty and towering heroic spirit. I sneer. But the last paragraph catches my attention ........
"...... very bold question. These days, medical innovation is so advanced. Why didn"t you remove the scar completely?"
"This scar, can serve as a good warning for me." ........... The interview ended right there. I inwardly curse that stupid interviewer. Why not add one more question? "Warning against what? What is it that you"re using it to remind you of?" My mood becomes heavy after I finish reading the interview. Overall, I feel that YuJiang has bad intentions behind that statement, some other hidden meaning. It"s possible that YuJiang knows that I will be paying close attention to this interview and added this fearful sentence at the end especially for me. Is he really that formidable? Or is it that I"m so terrified of his schemes that I"m jumping at my own shadow. I close the webpage with disgust. This scar, can serve as a good warning for me ......... I stroke the uneven scar on my forehead. That"s right. It can also serve as a very good warning for me. There is no news whatsoever of YuJiang suffering a surprise attack. It is as if the scar came out of thin air. What is YuJiang"s plan, concealing the incident? It can"t be that he wants to protect ........ me? I firmly shake my head. If I am implicated, the media will definitely investigate why I, a well-known heir, would commit such an act for no reason. Maybe they would completely uncover the matter between me and YuJiang. He is only thinking that prevention is better than cure. I told myself: this is only a way for him to protect himself. Once I decided such, I relaxed considerably. Looks like I"m not an runwaway criminal. I was only scaring myself. Recalling how I ran helter-skelter for days on end, hiding in such a place, I"m really incompetent. I continued searching the internet, acutely waiting for news regarding Huang enterprise"s bankruptcy. But I couldn"t find any news of Huang enterprise after turning the finance and economics website upside down. Can it be? I look through once again. There really isn"t anything. Aside from feeling stunned, I can"t say that I"m not pleasantly surprised. I jumped up from the chair. These few days I never had such a lively reaction. This whole filthy room, the only thing in common with my former self, is that newly bought computer. I immediately make a phone call.
"Ma? This is ShengSheng." Mom was astonished on the other end:
"ShengSheng, why did you disappear without a trace in a blink of an eye? Where did you go for so many days? This child, you are worrying mom to death ........ " Mom was chattering away while I listen, I heave a huge sigh. For mom to be able to chatter like this, Huang enterprise must have pa.s.sed through the rain to brighter skies.
"Ma, is the company business settled?"
"Ai, how would I know about company business? Your dad said it"s alright already." Thank heaven and earth, we definitely received aid from someone powerful. I won"t get a clear answer from mom on these things. It"s better for me to discuss this personally with dad. While I was pondering, mom already asked me over ten thousand questions:
" ........ where are you now? Why didn"t you notify us before leaving, kids these days, I was just mentioning to Mrs. w.a.n.g ........ "
"Ma, I"m coming back right away. Goodbye!" I hang up the phone in a flash. I rush into the washroom and shave excitedly, and change into a new set of clothes. I put the remainder of my cash into my pocket. I was unable to hold myself back from leaving this place. After settling my account, I walk out the door as if reborn. Life is really unpredictable. It turns out that emotions are really important. The small town that looked dismal and gloomy yesterday now appears beautiful and charming. There"s even a spring in my step.
I"m unable to hide my smile as I walk up to the window to buy my train ticket to return home. It"s a pity I don"t have my pa.s.sport, so I can"t take the plane. There will be a lot of free time on this very long journey. I happily buy a newspaper in order to fill up the time. The paper vendor looks at me strangely as if he hasn"t seen such a brilliantly smiling person buying a paper before. I strive to smile even more brilliantly hoping to infect him with my happiness. Once I got the paper in my hands, my happiness suddenly disappears without a shadow, without a trace. The photo of me myself is front and center on the front page. It"s a gigantic, no expense spared missing persons announcement. It is accompanied by an especially big front page headline --------- the son of the president of the renown Huang enterprise disappears without cause or reason!!! Below that, the subheading: Huge reward for any information on the whereabouts of this person. I glance sideways at the paper seller by my side. He is looking at me with extreme interest. I casually look at the other newspapers to see if they also have my photo. Sure enough. I shiver. I start to feel nervous yet grateful. Looks like I am so important, this for the current me, is definitely an injection of adrenaline. But I shiver. The contact information for the huge reward is alarmingly a Hong Kong number. Not only that, but it was actually Rong mansion"s number and YuJiang"s cell number.
I feel dizzy, maybe due to my not being used to my recent diet. I place my hand on the stone pillar in the station, cold air rustling up my back from my waist opening. The steam whistle is blowing loudly. I can"t go home! YuJiang is waiting for me. What about my parents? Why is he looking for me? That"s right, that scar, isn"t it always warning him? Reminding him to look for me, to look for the person that left him the scar, that let him shed blood, HuangSheng. I look at the train leave slowly, the train that was supposed to carry me happily home. I hatefully gnash my teeth at Rong YuJiang. Why didn"t that whack take his life? Only leaving a light touch of a scar. The sudden change is too much for me to accept and I shudder. I cover my head with my hands, almost wailing. It turns out that I am a little strong, yet a little not. I want to go home. I want to go back to mom and dad and just spill out all my feelings of having been wronged. Let mom direct the maid to prepare the bath water for me, to once more wear my comfortable pajamas, to sleep peacefully in my own bed. This is not an extravagant wish. Previously, I could easily stretch out my hand and receive this treatment.