4
Christmas Eve
John and Mina were discussing work-related matters, with numerous professional terms leaving Jiang Qi completely baffled. He could only wander around John’s house to pass the time.
It was evident that John’s career had been quite successful during the years before his imprisonment. The high-end apartment, spacious layout, floor-to-ceiling windows, open-plan kitchen, walk-in closet standard for successful professionals, various styles of suits, and neatly arranged ties—all spoke of his prosperity.
Even the typical home of an idol drama male lead would hardly surpass this.
Jiang Qi slowly meandered into the study. On the desk were three photo frames, all containing pictures with Mina. The work laptop was still on, displaying analytical reports Jiang Qi couldn’t comprehend. The bookshelf was filled with hefty volumes, each clean and dust-free, suggesting frequent use or regular cleaning.
Jiang Qi scanned from left to right: “Structural Dynamics,” “Basic Mechanics,” “Fundamental Bridge Architecture,” “Basic Machinery”…
Jiang Qi: ?
Wasn’t John studying biology? Why was he reading these books in his spare time?
And his reading tastes were quite eclectic.
After touring the entire house, Jiang Qi concluded that the younger version of John was indeed a successful winner in life.
The luxurious residence, exquisite decor, immaculate cleanliness, wine cabinet, model display case—all were present. Sports equipment like rackets and skateboards stored in the utility room showcased this successful individual’s diverse hobbies.
Returning to the open-plan kitchen near the living room, John and Mina were now discussing something Jiang Qi could understand.
“What a pity this year. I thought we could spend Christmas holiday together in the UK, but you don’t even get time off,” Mina complained while leaning against the kitchen island, waiting for the Roast Turkey in the oven.
The aroma of turkey had already filled the entire house, creating a strong Christmas atmosphere.
“The boss said we’ll get a long vacation after the new drug development is complete. We can go back then,” John replied tiredly, loosening his tie. Just as he was about to change into more comfortable clothes, Sunny called.
“Merry Christmas,” Sunny’s voice was equally gentle, though deeper than Mina’s. “I haven’t checked my phone since landing. I just bought some groceries and am heading to Dad’s place. Is there anything you’d like me to tell him?”
John’s smiling face instantly turned serious. “No need.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Sunny sounded resigned on the other end. “They’ve missed you all these years you’ve rarely returned home. Mom said last week she really misses you. She mentioned it’s been over a decade since you spent Christmas together, and she’d love to meet your beautiful girlfriend too.”
“Miss me?” John’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Empty pleasantries, most likely. Or perhaps she’s overwhelmed by her three new daughters and misses having a child who would do housework without talking back.”
“Don’t say that,” Sunny said softly. “She’s improved over the years, at least compared to when we were children, right?”
“Of course. Could there possibly be a worse mother than she was back then? I’ll never forget her cursing me, saying I wouldn’t live past 28.”
“John…”
“Alright, I’ll stop.” John paused, then couldn’t help adding, “But you really shouldn’t have taken custody of…”
Sunny interrupted John, “She’s our sister too, only fourteen years old.”
“At fourteen she’s already an addict! Alcoholic, good-for-nothing, she’s practically…”
“I used to be like that too,” Sunny said, “just not as bad as her. John, you can’t expect every kid raised in our kind of environment to turn out like you did. You managed to build a good life with your talent, but we’re not as clever as you. Often all we can rely on is luck.”
“Just like how I desperately wished for someone kind to help me when I was young – I’m her sister now. Shouldn’t I help her when she makes mistakes?”
John clearly wasn’t convinced, but he couldn’t refute her either, only muttering softly, “It’s not your responsibility.”
“But I have the ability to help.”
John completely shut up, giving up the argument.
“So don’t always hold prejudices against Dad. Although he’s not a qualified father, believe me, he likes you very much. He wouldn’t do such things to you.”
“He doesn’t like me at all.”
Sunny chuckled softly, “You’re so like my son. I wish he were as smart as you.”
John decisively hung up. Jiang Qi could almost hear Sunny laughing heartily with her phone thousands of miles away.
Just as John ended the call, the Roast Turkey was perfectly done. Mina was excitedly adding various side dishes to the platter holding the turkey. Seeing John had hung up, she asked, “That was Sunny, right? Quick, tell me the secret recipe for Apple Pie. There’s still time to bake one now.”
John: …
“I forgot to ask,” John said somewhat awkwardly.
He’d been bickering with Sunny and forgot the main purpose of the call.
Mina: ?
Mina spread her hands and took off her apron: “Well, although I rarely cook and wanted to make a lavish Christmas feast today, clearly someone doesn’t want dessert. So no dessert tonight.”
Just as Jiang Qi thought the couple might have a fight on Christmas Eve, the young lovers suddenly started showing affection again.
When the dishes were served, John pulled out the chair for Mina. They sat at the dining table, being all lovey-dovey as they began enjoying their Christmas dinner.
Jiang Qi: ?
The Christmas atmosphere filled the air.
After a few glasses of red wine, Mina’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she couldn’t hold her liquor well. Under the dim yellow light, the young couple sat close, whispering indistinct words. Mina laughed and leaned into John’s embrace, making Jiang Qi silently turn her head away.
Wait a moment…
Would there be some content not suitable for broadcast?
“Want to watch a movie?” Mina asked smilingly, snuggling in John’s arms, “I want to watch… sci-fi…”
Before she could finish, John’s phone rang.
It was a video call from Sunny.
“Just a moment,” John sat up straight, and Mina moved away from his arm to sit properly too.
“It’s Sunny’s video call,” John explained, answering the call.
The phone screen showed not Sunny’s face, but clean tiles.
“Sunny?”
A few seconds later, Sunny’s face appeared on the phone. Her stray hairs on both sides were slightly damp, her eyeliner was smudged, there were unmelted snowflakes on her shoulders, and with a white wall in the background, she looked utterly disheveled.
“Are you home? Is it raining outside? Are you at the station now?” John asked.
“I’m at the hospital.” The background noise from Sunny’s end was somewhat chaotic. “Wait a moment, let me find a quieter spot.”
“The hospital? What happened? Are you sick? Or is it your son…”
Mina overheard and moved closer. “Is Sunny sick?”
Sunny found a relatively quiet spot by the window. Outside, heavy snow was falling, perfectly fitting the Christmas Eve atmosphere.
“It’s Christmas Eve. There are hardly any doctors or nurses at the hospital. Everyone is overwhelmed,” Sunny said.
“Is it your son…” John could already tell Sunny was perfectly healthy.
Sunny sighed. “It’s Dad.”
“Him?” John’s tone cooled slightly. “Living in that kind of place, it’s normal for him to get sick.”
“He’s seriously ill.” Sunny looked helplessly at John, her voice tinged with sadness. “He collapsed while grocery shopping this morning and was brought to the hospital.”
“The community contacted Mom, but… you know how she is. I went to his place and found no one there. I only found out after calling Mom…”
“What’s wrong with him?” John interrupted Sunny. “Anemia? Enteritis? Gastritis? A fracture?”
“Those are minor illnesses.”
Jiang Qi saw John’s face instantly turn pale.
“It’s pancreatic cancer. The doctor said he was diagnosed three months ago.”
“Little brother, Dad doesn’t have many days left.”
John stared at Sunny’s face on the screen, searching for any trace that might prove she was lying.
“Pancreatic cancer.” John repeated the words, his lips twitching slightly as he tried to force a sarcastic smile but failed. “So, he kept such a serious illness to himself? Even if he needed money for treatment, he didn’t want to reach out to us?”
“No.” Sunny shook her head. “I checked his medical records. He hasn’t received any treatment.”
“Is he insane?” John raised his voice. “He has health insurance—I bought it for him! If he’d just asked… He hasn’t received treatment? Then what has he been doing all this time? Sitting at home waiting to die?!”
“Calm down.” Sunny seemed to have anticipated John’s outburst and spoke gently. “I don’t know why he’s doing this either. Dad is sleeping now. You can ask him yourself when he wakes up.”
“Sleeping?”
Sunny sighed. “The doctor said he hasn’t taken any painkillers. He came to the hospital for a few follow-ups, each time asking how long he had left. He refused treatment, refused medication. He hasn’t slept peacefully in a long time—his body is exhausted. The nurse gave him a painkiller injection. Whatever happens, let him get a good night’s sleep first.”
“I don’t know how painful pancreatic cancer is, but the nurse just told me some late-stage patients suffer so much they can’t sleep night after night, and even maximum doses of morphine don’t help. They’re in so much pain they can’t even muster the strength to speak while clutching their stomachs, and they’re afraid to breathe too deeply. The nurse asked me how Dad managed to walk to the supermarket. I can’t even imagine it.”
“He’s self-harming.”
“I’ve always felt like he’s been punishing himself for something all these years. He could have lived comfortably, but he insisted on staying in that tiny house. Yesterday, he was even out sweeping the streets.”
“You and he are really alike. You always complain to me about how eccentric he is, always say how much you dislike him, and get upset every time he’s mentioned. Yet you’re the one who bought him high-cost medical insurance, and you’re the one who asked me to install heating in his house.”
“Do you remember that police academy I wanted to attend back then? I never got any scholarship, not a single penny. I really wanted to go to that school, so I begged Mom. She told me to get lost, saying raising me was already expensive enough and she wouldn’t give me a cent. I had already given up, but then I desperately went to beg Dad instead.”
“I have no idea where he got the money, but he gave me the entire tuition all at once and told me not to bother him unless necessary.”
“Even the living expenses I gave you during your college years were from Dad. Since we were children, you’ve always been Dad’s favorite. If he could pay my entire college tuition, how could he possibly neglect you?”
“He’s truly a strange person. He has no past, no friends, no relatives, and he didn’t even let us inherit his surname. I lived with him for nearly ten years, but I know nothing about him. Although he never supported me for even one day after divorcing Mom, I can’t bring myself to hate him.”
“You’re just like me in this, aren’t you?”
John’s lips moved, but no words came out.
“Has he woken up?” John asked after a long silence.
“Not yet. The nurses will inform me when he does.”
“Let me know when he wakes up.” John ended the video call.
He and Mina remained seated at the dining table. The lavish feast on the table had gone cold, the scene identical to how it was dozens of minutes earlier, except the festive atmosphere had completely vanished.
John stared blankly at the dishes on the table, lost in thought.
Mina didn’t dare speak, nor did she know what to say. She simply sat quietly beside John, keeping him company.
Suddenly, John spoke.
“When I was little, I thought I was his most special child.”
“He would attend my parent-teacher meetings, buy me my favorite sandwiches, walk me to the street corner, and answer my questions—though somewhat reluctantly.”
“Although he never told me bedtime stories, never participated in school parent-child activities, never accepted the first gift I gave him, and never attended my graduation ceremony, I always felt I was special to him.”
“I hate him, I hate my family. For so many years, I’ve believed that if Sunny and I had been born into a normal family, our lives would be better than they are now. Yet I have to admit—my intelligence comes from him, my appearance from Mom. These are things they gave me.”
“I hate Mom, yet I don’t seem to hate him as much.”
“I hate that I wasn’t his most special child. Now I don’t even know whether he likes us or not.”
John just wanted someone to confide in, to share years of confusion and bewilderment.
Mina took John’s hand and comforted him, “Darling, although I don’t understand completely, I know that if a father doesn’t love his child, he wouldn’t remember what his child likes to eat.”
“My dad never remembers what I like to eat, even though I’ve told him many times. He’s never taken me to school either—he always has the driver do it. He doesn’t talk with me, he’s too busy. See, he doesn’t even spend Christmas with me.”
Mina stood up to pour John a glass of water: “When he wakes up, have a good talk with him. You can take a few days off to visit him—the boss will approve it. If you don’t mind, I can request leave to accompany you.”
Under Mina’s comfort, John’s mood visibly improved. Mina smiled at John and began helping him clear the dinner plates. John also stood to assist, but just as he picked up the barely touched Roast Turkey, Sunny’s video call came through again.
John hastily set down the turkey platter and answered the call.
Sunny was in the hospital room, her face not visible on screen. John could only see the open door of the ward and nurses rushing by.
“Is Dad awake?” John asked.
“No.” Sunny choked out, “He was too tired.”
“What?” John didn’t comprehend.
“He passed away.”
Both John and Mina froze simultaneously.
Mina stood awkwardly in the kitchen, uncertain. She wanted to go over and hug John, but after taking one step forward, she stopped moving. Although Jiang Qi had long known how the story would end, seeing John’s expression now made him feel inexplicably sad.
“I want to see him,” John whispered.
The phone screen shook unsteadily—Sunny’s hand holding the phone trembled continuously. In the frame, the elderly man on the hospital bed appeared as if merely asleep. A nurse stood by the bed calling for other nurses, waiting for the gurney to transport Old John’s body away.
Old John had become terribly thin.
His sparse hair was graying, his complexion sallow, his body covered with age spots. The severe fat loss from prolonged illness left his skin loose and sagging on his face. What should have been a fierce countenance now seemed somewhat gentle.
“He’s so thin,” John said.
“Yeah,” Sunny sobbed, “He’s lost so much weight these past few years. Many of his clothes hang on him like elephant skin.”
“I haven’t seen him for so many years. Last time I saw him, he didn’t have this many spots on his face.”
“His hair wasn’t white either.”
“The suit I bought him would definitely be too big for him now.”
“I wish he could have worn it back then.”
“I saved up for so long to buy it—he would have definitely liked it.”
As he spoke, John watched the phone screen with tears streaming down his face.