A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 27

Facing Shi Tian’s questioning, Zhou Sifu wanted to make a witty remark and change the subject as usual, but he found his throat dry the moment he tried to speak.

Shi Tian’s slightly cool fingers pressed against his skin. The fingertips felt smooth—clearly the hands of a pampered young master who had never done hard labor. In contrast, Zhou Sifu’s own fingertips were covered in thick calluses from building car models; he feared that even a light rub against his skin might hurt the boy.

Shi Tian, however, didn’t seem intent on letting him off. He continued to stare at him quietly in the darkness.

“Zhou Sifu,” Shi Tian repeated, his voice softer than usual. An indescribable emotion hid within his calm, dark eyes. “Just say it.”

“…”

Zhou Sifu thought, Damn.

This guy Shi is going to be the death of me.

After a few moments of silent eye contact, Zhou Sifu simply lowered his gaze and reached out to grab the wrist of the person on the bed.

Shi Tian clearly didn’t expect this move. He stiffened for a second and instinctively tried to pull his wrist away from Zhou Sifu’s palm.

However, Zhou Sifu’s grip was too strong. After struggling for a while, Shi Tian finally gave up.

Biting his lip slightly, Shi Tian glanced at the two other roommates sleeping soundly on the top bunks and lowered his voice significantly. “Zhou Sifu, what are you doing?”

“…”

In the end, Zhou Sifu didn’t say what was on his mind.

He just lowered his voice and patted the back of Shi Tian’s hand as if to himself. “Shi Tian, stop messing around.”

While telling Shi Tian to stop, he refused to let go. Eventually, he propped his elbow near the pillow and lay down right next to Shi Tian.

Feeling Zhou Sifu’s firm abdomen pressing against his own curled legs under the covers, Shi Tian’s earlobes suddenly turned red.

He held his breath and tried to bury his head in the pillow awkwardly, only to turn around and find himself face-to-face with Zhou Sifu.

For a moment, their noses almost touched. The boy’s sharp, handsome features were hidden in the shadows, his bright eyes reflecting Shi Tian’s silhouette.

Time slowed down in the silence. Their breaths mingled in the narrow space of the bed—one cool, one hot—entwining like living water and fire.

Suddenly, low footsteps echoed from outside the door.

A few seconds later, the dormitory door was unlocked from the outside. A flashlight beam, which had just been dimmed, cut through the darkness again, shining a bright circle directly onto Shi Tian’s bunk.

The male teacher on duty walked in with a security guard, barking at the two people on the bed, “What are you doing in here? Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”

Zhou Sifu’s body tensed up instantly. He glanced toward the floor and saw his discarded slippers and school jacket lying next to Shi Tian’s slippers. The teacher had clearly seen a clue from the window and decided to step in for a check.

“…Ugh, so annoying. You’re so loud!”

Cai Tianjie, sleeping on the top bunk, was woken up by the noise. He sat up groggily, one arm dangling over the bed rail.

Squinting his eyes and preparing to complain, his gaze fell on the bunk below, which was currently bathed in the flashlight’s glow.

“…Brother Zhou?”

“…Shi Tian?”

Unable to believe his eyes, Cai Tianjie rubbed them hard with both hands. He spoke with uncertainty: “…Why are you two sleeping together?”

The next morning, when Shi Tian walked out of the grade office holding a self-reflection essay, the skin under his eyes was dark.

Called to the office early in the morning, he and Zhou Sifu had spent half an hour racking their brains like a comedy duo to explain why they were in one bed. They finally got the homeroom teacher and the duty teacher to barely accept their excuse.

The reason was invented by Zhou Sifu. He claimed that Shi Tian had a fever last night and felt cold and unwell. Seeing how much he was suffering, Zhou Sifu—in the spirit of helping a classmate—proactively used his own body heat to warm the bed to make him feel better.

The duty teacher obviously didn’t believe it at first. “Then what were you two doing so sneakily when we walked in?”

Last night, when the flashlight hit the lower bunk, he clearly saw the two of them lying on their sides, foreheads pressed together, noses touching, their faces nearly joined.

That being said, teachers couldn’t make subjective assumptions about student motives, so he chose to listen to their explanation.

Hearing the teacher’s question, Zhou Sifu slapped his forehead with a look of deep regret. “Sigh, it’s all my fault.”

Standing behind him with his hands tucked back, Shi Tian slowly looked up. “?”

“Aren’t the monthly exams coming up in two days?” Zhou Sifu looked ashamed. “Everyone says the Study Rep knows the exam outline. Last night, I had a momentary lapse in judgment. Seeing Shi Tian was dazed and not thinking clearly, I thought I’d try to trick him into telling me what would be on the exam.”

“I didn’t expect him to be so tight-lipped even with a fever. I whispered in his ear for so long, coaxing and lying, but he wouldn’t tell me a thing.”

After finishing, Zhou Sifu looked the picture of disappointment.

Shi Tian: “…”

The Class 5 homeroom teacher and the duty teacher looked at each other and fell into silence.

Zhou Sifu’s words were obviously nonsense, but the teachers always had a hard time dealing with this guy. On one hand, he was a troublemaker, but he usually listened to Shi Tian; if Shi Tian told him to go east, he wouldn’t go west. On the other hand, while he seemed loyal, he often did things that made the teachers grit their teeth in frustration.

In the end, the two teachers consulted and decided to have them each turn in a new self-reflection before sending them back to class.

Back in the classroom, Shi Tian was about to sit down to prepare for the next lesson when he realized that, just like yesterday, the entire class’s eyes were fixed on him and Zhou Sifu.

Steadying himself, he asked An Xiaoying, who sat near the door, “What happened?”

An Xiaoying looked hesitant and just waved for him to lean closer.

When Shi Tian leaned down, An Xiaoying whispered in his ear, “…Shi Tian, did Zhou Sifu try to get handsy with you behind our backs last night?”

Shi Tian’s brow twitched. “…Who said that?”

An Xiaoying pointed her thumb toward the back of the classroom.

At a desk near the window, Cai Tianjie was leaning back in his chair, fanning himself with a textbook. He was telling the surrounding students vividly: “Then the teacher came in and asked what they were doing. I looked closely, and guess what? Brother Zhou’s hand was still holding onto Shi Tian, and he was practically on top of him. They were almost kissing.”

Before Cai Tianjie could finish, a half-piece of white chalk flew through the air and hit him right between the eyes.

Zhou Sifu brushed the chalk dust off his hands, his expression looking quite bad.

He kicked over a small stool in front of the podium, slung his school jacket over one shoulder, and glared fiercely at the whole class. “What? Is everyone so damn bored?”

Seeing the “little tyrant” about to blow up, the students quickly lowered their heads, not daring to gossip anymore. But occasionally, someone would still look up at the two of them with deep meaning in their eyes.

Seeing Shi Tian standing frozen at the classroom door, his earlobes red and unable to move, a rare flash of panic crossed Zhou Sifu’s face.

In his memory, a top student like Shi Tian usually had very thin skin. He knew Shi Tian liked to keep a low profile and never actively attracted attention; in this situation, he must feel very embarrassed.

Though Zhou Sifu was usually careless, he always considered Shi Tian’s feelings. Since meeting him, this was the first time he had seen Shi Tian look so helpless.

…What could he do to make Shi Tian feel better and less embarrassed?

After thinking hard with a frown, he finally seemed to think of something. He strode forward, put his arm around Shi Tian’s neck from behind, and pulled him into his chest.

“Stop talking nonsense. I don’t like men.”

He intentionally raised his voice in front of the whole class. “Shi Tian is my best friend from childhood. What’s wrong with best friends sleeping together or holding hands? Don’t let me hear any more gossip. I’ll beat up anyone who talks, got it?”

At his words, Shi Tian’s back suddenly stiffened, and his whole body seemed even more frozen than before.

Before Zhou Sifu could say more, the person in his arms suddenly grabbed his arm and said coldly, “Let go.”

Shi Tian pulled Zhou Sifu’s fingers off his shoulder one by one, turned around, and walked out of the classroom without looking back.

As he turned to leave, his lips trembled slightly, as if he were shaking with anger, or as if he had something he wanted to say.

With the lingering warmth of the boy’s hand still on his fingertips, Zhou Sifu stood frozen, suddenly feeling a bit lost himself.

From then on, the two of them didn’t speak for a long time.

As for how long, he couldn’t quite remember.

Looking through the car window at the silhouette of the person beside him, Zhou Sifu asked in a casual tone, “Does President Shi not plan to get out of the car?”

Shi Tian seemed to snap out of his thoughts. He slowly turned his head from the window and looked at the thick darkness outside. “We’re already here?”

“One kilometer away,” Zhou Sifu said. “Pier 2 is a private pier. We can’t drive there openly.”

Shi Tian frowned slightly, looking confused. “Then how do we get there?”

He remembered Zhou Sifu saying that the yacht carrying Cheng Xi would head straight out to sea. If his calculations were correct, the yacht should have left the pier by now.

“Go to Pier 3.” Zhou Sifu turned on the indicator and made a right turn at the intersection. “My people said a fishing boat will leave Pier 3 in fifteen minutes to deliver seafood for the party. We’ll get on that one.”

Hearing this, Shi Tian finally understood.

He had originally thought Zhou Sifu was going to take him onto the yacht to speak directly with his uncle. He hadn’t expected the reality to be different.

From the start, this man had no intention of doing things openly. He wanted to sneak onto the yacht without alerting anyone.

Fifteen minutes later, his thoughts were confirmed.

“…”

Looking at the two well-fitting suits that Old Zhao had brought for him and Zhou Sifu at the pier, Shi Tian suddenly felt a bit of regret.

He felt he must have lost his mind to come here in the middle of the night with Zhou Sifu instead of resting at the hotel after the lawsuit.

The fishing boat was docked at the pier, swaying slightly in the waves. Before boarding, Zhou Sifu gentlemanly extended a hand from the gangway to prevent him from falling.

Sitting on the wooden bench of the fishing boat, he asked Zhou Sifu loudly over the wind, “Are we just going to board like this? Won’t we be discovered by the people on the ship?”

Reaching out to adjust his suit collar, Zhou Sifu smiled faintly. “Once we’re on the yacht, you’ll know.”

The fishing boat sped across the waves. Soon, they saw a four-story luxury private yacht anchored in the quiet waters.

The yacht’s deck was lit up like day. A group of girls in bikinis and boys in swim trunks were moving among guests in formal suits, holding wine glasses and chatting happily.

The fishing boat slowly docked at the back of the yacht to unload. As soon as the two people waiting at the back saw Zhou Sifu, they immediately had the boats connected so they could board quickly.

“See, it’s not what you thought.” Stepping onto the yacht one after the other, Zhou Sifu said to him calmly, “Even here, as long as they aren’t wearing masks, these people don’t dare tear off their final layer of decency.”

“And after the cocktail party?” Shi Tian asked. “Are there no other activities?”

He gradually remembered that he and Ji Yuanlin had been invited to sea parties like this before. Because they attended as a couple, the host didn’t arrange any “reception staff” for them. But he knew very well that behind such parties, there were always shady dealings.

“You’d have to ask that person at your home.”

After taking the invitation from the person on the boat, Zhou Sifu gave one to Shi Tian. “As far as I know, while President Shi was working overtime every day, your husband and his little lover met at events like this.”

Shi Tian remained silent.

He knew Zhou Sifu was hinting that because he was too focused on work and ignored his partner’s private life, this situation had happened.

This time, he didn’t just endure the mockery. Putting the invitation into his breast pocket, he asked with a normal expression, “So, is this where Cheng Xi got in touch with you too, President Zhou?”

Zhou Sifu’s expression changed slightly. He was about to speak when the person beside him continued slowly, “Otherwise, I really can’t figure out how you two met.”

“……”

Walking onto the deck, Zhou Sifu turned slightly and politely made way for Shi Tian. “I didn’t realize President Shi was still so concerned about my private life.”

Shi Tian smiled openly. “The feeling is mutual.”

Going up the stairs from the deck, the two didn’t stop at the cocktail parties on the first or second floors. Following the guidance of Zhou Sifu’s contact, they went directly to the top floor of the yacht.

Hiding behind a half-open door with Zhou Sifu, Shi Tian saw the layout of the top floor.

The top floor was a semi-open large private room. The circular hall was filled with champagne tables and round chairs. About twenty well-dressed guests, both men and women, were gathered there. They all seemed to be the guests of honor for this party.

In the center of the hall stood a white Steinway piano. Beautiful melodies flowed from the musician’s fingers, echoing through the room.

“…”

The scene looked like a happy party, but Shi Tian felt a slight chill down his back.

He looked up and shared a silent glance with Zhou Sifu, who was half a head taller. He knew Zhou Sifu had also heard the sound hidden beneath the piano music.

The end of the hall was blocked by two large red curtains. He heard a strange, eerie crying sound coming from behind them. The crying was so quiet it was almost unnoticeable, but it was bone-chilling if you listened closely. It sounded as if someone were in extreme pain but was trying desperately to stay quiet so as not to be heard.

As the piano melody reached its peak, the voice behind the curtain grew weaker until it could no longer be heard.

Shi Tian looked troubled. He whispered to the man behind him, “…It’s Cheng Xi. He’s begging for mercy.”

A moment later, he heard Zhou Sifu speak calmly: “Want to go see?”

Asked so casually by Zhou Sifu, Shi Tian momentarily wondered if the man was moved at all by Cheng Xi’s situation.

The way he asked was like a parent taking a child to a circus, asking if they wanted to see the lion jump through a hoop.

After watching the hall for a while, Shi Tian whispered, “It looks like you need to be a specific person to enter. How do we get over there?”

The top floor had only this one large room, and outside was nothing but the endless ocean. There seemed to be no other way except to cross through the hall.

Zhou Sifu’s eyes deepened as if he were thinking.

After a while, Shi Tian noticed the man take his phone out and type something before sending it.

Zhou Sifu’s screen lit up again quickly. Looking at the reply, he leaned forward and whispered in Shi Tian’s ear, “Wait a little longer.”

About five minutes later, the ceiling lights suddenly went dark. An oval spotlight fell from above onto the white piano in the center of the hall.

The guests stopped talking and looked around curiously. Then, a low foreign male voice came over the speakers:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s showtime.”

“Please take your partner’s hand and lead them to the dance floor.”

As the words faded, the pianist adjusted his earpiece as if receiving an order. He raised his fingers and pressed them onto the black and white keys. Along with the beautiful piano intro, Paganini’s String Quartet No. 1 began to play.

The lights in the hall dimmed further as guests joined hands and moved to the center. Shi Tian realized this was their chance to blend in and cross the room.

He was about to turn and ask Zhou Sifu what to do next, when he noticed a hand with distinct knuckles extended from behind him. The palm was facing up, held steadily in front of him.

“President Shi,” Zhou Sifu’s lazy voice came from behind. “May I have this dance?”

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