The windows in the San Francisco apartment were open, and the breeze blew the curtains into a large balloon shape. Shen Qi walked over, closed them properly, sat down on the sofa, and took a sip of water.
He had just finished packing all his luggage and was now looking at this brand-new place where he was going to live, his heart filled with a mixture of the joy brought by novelty and a trace of bewilderment.
Before his death, Shen Qi had always lived for others.
Except for when he was a child.
When his grandfather and mother were still around, he truly had a happy childhood, carefree and growing up wildly.
But ever since his parents began arguing over another woman, his grandfather passed away, and his mother successively passed away due to illness, his life changed.
It was not quite like being bullied by a stepmother like Cinderella, but he had no one to love him anymore. That was true.
Ever since his stepmother moved into their home with a younger brother, he became a marginal figure.
His words became fewer, his smiles became fainter, and gradually he became a compliant and sensible child who knew how to read people’s expressions and who everyone praised.
Later, after marrying into the Cheng family, it was no different.
He was still a marginal figure, still unloved.
But now, he could live for himself.
Shen Qi smiled relaxedly, planning to take a shower and sort out his current circumstances along the way.
Using the fake identity Yu An helped him secure, he transferred through several flights before finally arriving on the other side of the ocean.
After all, Yu An understood the law and knew very well how to exploit these loopholes. He handled the immigration procedures for him, perfectly allowing him to take root here under a new identity.
Shen Qi lay down in the bathtub and squeezed body wash into his hand. The white liquid was cradled in his palm, and he suddenly recalled the scene a few days ago when they came up with his new name.
At that time, he was staring blankly at the two characters Shen Qi on his ID card when Yu An suddenly slammed his hand on the table. “I have it! If you split the character Qi, does it not become Mu Xi? How nice does that sound?”
Shen Qi frowned. “It sounds like some kind of building material.”
Yu An rolled his eyes. “It is still better than Shen Qi which you thought of earlier. It sounds tacky and has the same pronunciation as your real name. There is no point in changing it.”
Shen Qi stuck out his tongue and said nothing.
“Then how about taking the homophone Mu Xi? It sounds nice and makes it hard to be associated with your real name.”
He was stunned for a moment back then, and then burst out laughing. “Mu Xi? My name is Mu Xi, and your name is Yu An. If the two of us are put together, are we plagiarizing a yogurt brand? Even the characters do not change.”
Yu An laughed as well, reaching out to pat his arm. “What time is it and you are still joking! But that is really hilarious.”
The two of them laughed over the name Mu Xi for a long time, and by the time they finished laughing, their eye rims were red.
“Xiao Qi, once you change your name, you must live a life full of hope from now on, understand?”
Shen Qi nodded.
“What am I going to do if I miss you when you are abroad?”
Shen Qi hugged him and patted his back.
“Xiao Qi, you must be happy.”
Shen Qi rubbed against his cheek, wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes, and said softly. “Okay, both of us will be happy.”
Two days passed, and Shen Qi had basically adapted to his new life.
His neighbors were an elderly couple who warmly invited him over as a guest. They were captivated by the Chinese food Shen Qi made, praising him repeatedly as a good child.
Downstairs was a flower shop. The female owner of the flower shop was East Asian, and they could occasionally chat for a bit. She would even share her homemade sushi with him.
Shen Qi was very good at English, so living here did not pose any major obstacles for him.
Coupled with the novelty of starting a new chapter constantly occupying his brain, he temporarily forgot about the mess back home.
That afternoon, he had just delivered some cookies he baked to the elderly couple and stepped into his front door when he heard the phone ring.
It was Yu An.
“Mhm mhm, I have adapted quite well. No need to worry. I am not lacking anything, thank you An’an.”
He clamped the phone between his shoulder and ear, carefully listening to the concern and nagging from the other end, responding patiently one by one.
After chatting for a long time, he finally thought of Cheng Yanzhou. Not daring to bring it up directly, he just asked in a roundabout way.
“Back home, did anything happen?”
“It is just like that, pretty much what we imagined. Oh! oh right! My gossip source told me that just today, your scumbag dad’s funeral plan was directly upended by Cheng Yanzhou.”
There was a hint of vindication in Yu An’s tone, along with some hesitation. “He turned the Shen family upside down and even released harsh words, saying that no one is allowed to hold a funeral until your corpse is found. Oh! Right right, he even established an investigation team and is looking everywhere for you, so you better hide securely.”
The hand Shen Qi used to hold the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white.
He had long guessed that Cheng Yanzhou would not believe he was dead, but he had not expected the other person to go to such lengths.
His chest felt as if it had been lightly pricked by something, the pain not obvious, but dense and prickling.
He steadied his mind before saying in a hoarse voice. “I know, thank you, An’an. This time, I really troubled you. You must be careful too.”
Yu An just smiled, but he knew what Shen Qi was worried about.
First, the things they did were illegal, and Yu An was a lawyer. This was no different from walking a tightrope, and if they were caught, it would mean cutting off his own future.
Second, Cheng Yanzhou’s influence far exceeded imagination. Once he discovered that Yu An was involved in the fake death plan, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“If,” Shen Qi spoke up again, his voice tightening, “if Cheng Yanzhou finds you, just say I forced you and I will bear all responsibility.”
“What are you saying? Why are you being so polite with me?” Yu An’s voice suddenly softened. “If you had not helped me gather the surgery money for my mother back then, I do not know where I would be now. I am not taking the thank-you money you gave; you have many places to spend money abroad, so keep it for yourself.”
Shen Qi wanted to say more, but his memory suddenly drifted back to high school. Yu An came from a single-parent family, and his mother suffered from a glandular disease, urgently needing surgery money. At that time, he scrimped and saved for a month to gather the last remaining gap for Yu An.
From then on, they became the closest of friends.
“Hello? Xiao Qi? Are you still listening?” Yu An’s voice pulled him back to reality.
Unconsciously, Shen Qi rubbed the corner of his eye, pressing down the surging emotions. “I am here. If you do not accept that money, the next time I return to China, once things are safe in the future, I will treat you to a good meal.”
“Alright, you better be prepared to bleed money then.” Yu An agreed with a laugh.
Seemingly suddenly thinking of something, Yu An lowered his voice. “Right, did that situation where you suspected your pheromones were leaking happen again? Is secondary differentiation really difficult?”
Busy getting settled recently, Shen Qi had almost forgotten about this matter. Hearing this, he touched the back of his neck.
There was no longer any scent emanating from there, no stinging pain, but a subtle warmth would occasionally well up, as if something was brewing in its sleep.
“No movement for now.”
He paused. “Maybe it really was just my imagination.”
Hearing this, Yu An felt relieved, and after giving a few more admonitions to eat on time and do not go out casually, he hung up the phone.
The phone screen went dark.
Shen Qi walked over to the window, lifted a slit of the curtain to look at the street scene outside: unfamiliar buildings, unfamiliar language, unfamiliar air.
There was no Cheng Yanzhou here, and no frustrating matters from the Shen family. It should have been great.
Yet after finishing this phone call, his heart felt completely empty.