“You! Even Manager Cui wouldn’t speak to me like that.” Manager Zhang’s face flushed red.
“I’m not him. Either we cooperate and resolve this as quickly as possible, or we drag it out. Your choice. But if you choose to drag it out, neither I nor our company will be responsible for the consequences.” Manager Zhang stared in surprise at the calm decisiveness that seemed completely at odds with An Zi Yan’s age and appearance. Even after An Zi Yan walked out of the office, he had not recovered. Mai Ding tried to smooth things over. “Manager Cui really did have something important to handle, which is why he asked us to come in his place. He takes your company very seriously. My boss might have a bad temper and terrible manners, but he’s the best. The absolute best.” Like a hopeless salesman trying to persuade someone how wonderful An Zi Yan was, he could not find enough words.
“I don’t have time to wait for you.” An Zi Yan’s impatient voice came from outside. Mai Ding still added a few more sentences before hurrying out. Despite saying he had no time to wait, An Zi Yan had been standing there the whole time waiting for him. Mai Ding walked beside him, still worried. “What if they insist that Manager Cui come back?” An Zi Yan said nothing and looked completely unconcerned. Mai Ding could do nothing with him, nothing with that personality of his. He was too casual, and there were far too many things he simply did not care about.
“Other than me, what else is important to you?” It took impressive shamelessness to ask a question like that. Sure enough, An Zi Yan did not even look directly at him. “Who are you?”
“I’m Mai Ding. My name is on your marriage certificate.” Mai Ding tilted his head and answered seriously. An Zi Yan could not resist pushing his head away. It was impossible to miss the affection hidden in his unpleasant tone. “Idiot.”
The sky had grown tired after crying and finally put away its tears. The rain stopped, though the day remained dark. Without meaning to, the two of them wandered into a nearly empty park. Mai Ding took out a tissue and wiped the raindrops from a bench, still thinking about work. At some point, an unleashed dog appeared in front of him. It stretched both front legs and yawned lazily, completely ignoring Mai Ding even though he was sitting right in front of it. A dog looking down on people? You dare ignore me? You’re exactly like An Zi Yan. Somehow, Mai Ding had started competing with a dog.
He held out a hand and made coaxing noises. “Come here, good dog. Come here.” He patted his knees, attempting to tame “An Zi Yan.” The dog ignored him, turned in a circle, and lay down. Mai Ding lightly stamped a foot to catch its attention. “I have something tasty. Come here.” An Zi Yan, who was making a phone call nearby, covered the receiver and turned his head. “Don’t tease random dogs.”
“Don’t worry. Animals are very spiritual. As long as I have a kind heart and show it no hostility, it won’t bite me. Otherwise, why would Snow White always have so many animals around her? Animals are much easier to get close to than certain humans.” Who could Mai Ding possibly be hinting at? An Zi Yan gave him a look and returned to his call.
Mai Ding stepped forward twice and reached out to touch the dog’s head. To his surprise, it bared its teeth and let out a low growl. Mai Ding started backing away, but the dog rose from the ground and charged at him, barking wildly. A phone suddenly flew into the dog and struck it. The dog yelped and retreated. An Zi Yan frowned slightly and looked at Mai Ding with concern. “Hey. Are you okay?” Mai Ding shook his head. Once An Zi Yan saw that he was fine, he added, “Looks like you don’t have a kind heart after all.” He used Mai Ding’s own words against him. Mai Ding protested, “I’m still kinder than you. It should bite you instead.” He regretted the words seven seconds later. The dog leaped toward An Zi Yan and sank its sharp teeth into his raised arm. Mai Ding gasped softly. This time An Zi Yan did not even move an eyebrow. He forcefully shook the dog off, and it finally ran away. Mai Ding grabbed An Zi Yan’s arm in panic, his voice trembling. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have cursed you. Does it hurt? We need to go to the hospital right now. Are you bleeding?” It was as though the dog had bitten Mai Ding himself. His face looked awful.
“Enough. It’s just a dog bite.”
Mai Ding knew it was only a dog bite, but he could not stop his body, fingers, and skin from going numb. An Zi Yan rinsed the wound first, then they took a taxi to the hospital so he could receive a rabies vaccination. Mai Ding barely spoke during the entire process. He either stared at the wound on An Zi Yan’s arm or searched for information on his phone. They returned directly to the hotel. To keep the wound from getting infected, An Zi Yan kept his sleeve rolled up. He leaned against the bed and turned on the television, his bitten arm hanging over the edge. Mai Ding stood beside him glaring at the wound as though it were some monster plotting how to hurt An Zi Yan. When Mai Ding continued saying nothing, An Zi Yan lifted his arm slightly, tilted his head, and looked at him. “Aren’t you going to comfort me?” His tone sounded like a rogue demanding attention.
“Does it still hurt?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“Who knows why you lie to me? You’re always lying.” Mai Ding sat at the foot of the bed, shoulders drooping, his hands rubbing nervously against his trousers between his knees. “I hate this feeling. I hate worrying because you’re hurt. If I hadn’t gone to tease that dog, if I hadn’t cursed you, then none of this would’ve… You might as well not have helped me in the first place. I’d rather have been bitten myself than have to feel this worried about you.” He was angry with himself, guilty and frustrated at the same time.
“Help you? I’m not that kind.” An Zi Yan nudged the side of Mai Ding’s thigh with his foot, signaling that Mai Ding was blocking the television. Mai Ding obediently shifted aside. “You don’t have to hide it. You did it for me. You got hurt because of me.” You needed a very thick skin to say something like that.
“I only did it for myself.” There was no trace of a lie in his voice. Mai Ding turned and stared at him. An Zi Yan was serious. Confused, Mai Ding asked, “I don’t understand. The whole thing was obviously for me. You were afraid I’d get hurt, so you protected me because I’m important to you.” Again, you needed a very thick skin to say something like that.
“I’d like you to stop flattering yourself.”
“Then give me a convincing reason.”
“Doesn’t it feel awful to worry because someone is hurt?” Instead of answering, An Zi Yan asked Mai Ding a question. Mai Ding nodded. An Zi Yan continued, “I don’t want to feel that. You can be the one who suffers.” It sounded brutally heartless, but that was only the surface meaning. An Zi Yan was telling Mai Ding to suffer instead, and Mai Ding chose to be moved by it anyway.
Let me flatter myself one more time. Do you mean you’d rather get hurt yourself than have to hurt because I was injured? You did it for yourself. You’re so selfish, so selfish that I want to love you even more. But I don’t know how I could possibly love you more. It already feels like this is the most I can love anyone.
I like you, An Zi Yan.
And when it comes to you, I like getting carried away too.
Mai Ding tirelessly repeated every instruction the doctor had given them. He was only wasting his breath. An Zi Yan played with his phone while pressing buttons on the television remote.
“Do I have to kneel and beg before you’ll listen to me?” The moment Mai Ding finished speaking, someone knocked on the door. He walked toward it in confusion. Room service? The instant he opened the door, he thought he was hallucinating. The young man outside wore a solemn expression and clasped his hands in a formal greeting. “Brother, it has been far too long. Do you still remember this humble one? Ah.” The young man sighed and gazed mournfully into the distance. “Time runs so very, very fast, while I pant so very, very hard behind it.”
What a crude and terrible poem!
It was not a hallucination. It really was Su Xiao Mi, the Su Xiao Mi whose entire life seemed to consist of eating and acting out dramas!! Mai Ding’s summary contained absolutely no personal bias and captured Su Xiao Mi with complete accuracy.