Drunk On The Night Breeze - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Ruan Lingfeng’s hometown was actually not far from Yuncheng—about two hundred kilometers. It took a little over an hour by high-speed rail, a distance that was negligible compared to the thousands of kilometers he racked up on business trips across the country. As busy as he was, he wasn’t completely without days off. Yet, since the Lunar New Year, he hadn’t returned home once.

This time, hearing that his mother, Zhou Wanting, might be having health issues, he had to build himself up psychologically for a while before agreeing to go back.

Zhou Wanting had suffered a cerebral infarction two years ago. With careful attention, she could maintain a normal life, but a sudden relapse was always a danger.

Most people who met Ruan Lingfeng praised his good personality, noting how considerate he was and how he always took care of those around him. But sometimes, Ruan Lingfeng felt that wasn’t true. He felt he was quite selfish; his father was gone, yet he wasn’t even willing to go home and fulfill his filial duties.

Regardless, Zhou Wanting had Xiao Yu by her side.

Because Ruan Xinyu said she wanted to celebrate his birthday, he chose to go back on Sunday. He figured he could go in the morning and return at night; staying too long risked some kind of unpleasantness. When he got off the train and arrived home travel-worn, it was a glowing, healthy Zhou Wanting who opened the door. She looked robust and fit, without a single sign of illness.

Actually, Ruan Lingfeng had expected this. When he had asked Ruan Xinyu for details over the phone, his sister—who was a terrible liar—had been stammering and vague, only insisting that “Mom’s condition is bad.”

But he figured he couldn’t just never go home. Since they had made up an excuse to get him back, perhaps there was something important.

Ruan Lingfeng looked at the middle-aged woman whose features bore a resemblance to his own and said softly, “Mom.”

“You haven’t been back in so long, you’ve gotten thinner. Mom just finished cooking, hurry and change your shoes, wash your hands, and come eat.” Zhou Wanting looked to be in a great mood today, smiling as she took the things from Ruan Lingfeng’s hands. She glanced at them—cosmetics and health supplements for her, and several small gifts likely for Ruan Xinyu.

Ruan Lingfeng sent things like this back every so often. Even if he didn’t come home, he never neglected these gestures.

Ruan Lingfeng looked toward the dining room. Ruan Xinyu didn’t come running out to greet him with her usual energy. Instead, she sat at the table, her gaze darting around.

He looked again and saw an Alpha he didn’t recognize sitting at the table. Their eyes met, and they gave each other a nod.

Ruan Lingfeng asked in a low voice, “Do we have a guest?”

Zhou Wanting only smiled and said nothing. Once Ruan Lingfeng was settled in his seat, she began introducing them: “Xiao Liang, this is my son Xiao Feng, whom I told you about. He works in Yuncheng…”

She then went on a long spiel about this “Xiao Liang”—where he was from, where he graduated, his high-paying job—and added that he had no bad habits and a great character. Ruan Lingfeng understood: she was setting him up on a blind date.

He maintained a perfect smile and sat through the meal, answering every question and giving everyone at the table enough face. At the end of the meal, when it was time for the guest to leave, the blind date asked to add Ruan Lingfeng on WeChat.

Ruan Lingfeng said it was no problem and calmly pulled out his backup phone—he had actually anticipated this, so he hadn’t brought out his primary phone from the start. He used an alternate WeChat account on the backup phone to scan the QR code, saying they should “keep in touch when free.”

Once the man was gone, he let his smile drop. He asked coldly, “What is the meaning of this?”

“What do you mean, ‘what is the meaning’?” Zhou Wanting was actually feeling a bit guilty, but perhaps remembering she was his mother after all, she immediately toughened up and raised her voice. “Is that how you talk to your mother? You haven’t come back for so long, and as soon as you do, you’re here to upset me?”

Predicting the impending argument, Ruan Lingfeng said to Ruan Xinyu, “Xiao Yu, go inside.”

Ruan Xinyu looked like she wanted to say something, but ultimately didn’t dare to cross them and scurried back to her room.

Ruan Lingfeng didn’t want to say much: “I thought you weren’t feeling well?”

Zhou Wanting raised her voice: “Would you only be happy if I were actually sick? Do you want me to die of illness like your father for you to be happy?”

Here we go again. Ruan Lingfeng felt a headache coming on. “I don’t think that. I want you to be healthy and live a long life.” Even though his mood was poor, these were genuine words.

Zhou Wanting fell for this, softening slightly: “Are you upset because I didn’t tell you before bringing someone over? I’m doing this for your own good. Before, you said you were seeing someone, so I didn’t interfere. But you broke up with him and didn’t even tell me; I only found out because Xiao Yu let it slip the other day. Why did you break up?”

Ruan Lingfeng didn’t want to talk about those old messes, but he answered anyway: “He cheated.”

Zhou Wanting clicked her tongue in distress: “Oh… what he did was wrong, but Alphas are all like that, aren’t they? Besides, you have to think about your own illness. You can’t compete with other Omegas… You’re pushing thirty. That last guy had good prospects; you should have just turned a blind eye.”

Ruan Lingfeng thought to himself that he really shouldn’t have come back.

“Fine, it’s over, so it’s over,” Zhou Wanting continued. “The one who came today is actually quite good. I saw you two getting along well, and he said before that he doesn’t mind your illness…”

Regarding everything said previously, Ruan Lingfeng had intended to just brush it off to avoid trouble. But hearing that last sentence, he couldn’t take it anymore. He interrupted her rambling: “You just gave away my private medical information like that?”

He walked straight to the entrance, put on his shoes, grabbed his minimal luggage, and walked out.

Zhou Wanting was still shouting something behind him, but he shut the door hard, cutting her off. He couldn’t understand why he had come back. When he first saw her opening the door so energetically, he had thought that maybe she really was tricking him back just to celebrate his birthday. Even knowing the probability was low, he had still held a secret hope.

But no. His mother had only arranged a nonsensical blind date. She hadn’t even brought out a cake or said “Happy Birthday” during the meal.

What birthday? No one ever expected him to be born into this world anyway.

He took the elevator down and sat on a public bench in the complex, planning to immediately change his high-speed rail ticket to the earliest one back.

Soon, Ruan Xinyu came running down in her slippers, breathless. To be honest, Ruan Lingfeng didn’t want to talk to her either. He knew she likely didn’t do it on purpose, but he was currently in a state of mental chaos.

Ruan Xinyu apologized with reddened eyes: “Brother, I’m sorry. I accidentally let it slip about you and your ex… but I didn’t know Mom had found someone to bring over. She kept telling me she wanted to celebrate your birthday, which is why I helped her trick you into coming back. I really didn’t know she invited someone else.”

“I ordered a cake for you. It’s in the fridge. I didn’t want to share it with some random stranger, so I was going to bring it out after he left.”

Ruan Lingfeng was exhausted and didn’t want to hold a grudge: “I know. I don’t blame you. Go back inside.”

Ruan Xinyu asked, “What about you?”

Ruan Lingfeng said, “Going back to Yuncheng. I still have work.” Work was the ultimate excuse, always there to share his burdens in moments like this.

Ruan Xinyu sniffled: “I’m sorry.”

Ruan Lingfeng was always soft-hearted. He let his sister lean on his shoulder and rubbed her head: “I accept your apology… It can’t be easy for you at home. I’m selfish for letting you handle Mom’s emotions alone. I should be the one saying sorry.”

“That’s not it at all,” Ruan Xinyu bit her lip, only letting go after a long time, her voice trembling. “I know. Because I’m an Alpha, Mom always lets me do whatever I want.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s so unfair.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ruan Lingfeng said, though he thought to himself: It really is unfair.

But it didn’t matter. He didn’t have to listen to Zhou Wanting. He was free.

Ruan Lingfeng returned to Yuncheng. Having no other activities, he handled some work at home, but his mood remained low. Outside, the city lights were flickering on. Looking out from his window, he could see right into the living room of a neighbor, where a family was preparing dinner.

Seeing such a scene inevitably triggered old memories. For him, there had once been a warm and happy past with a family of four, before his father got sick. Although his parents were conservative—especially Zhou Wanting, who would occasionally say things about Omegas being inferior to Alphas that made him uncomfortable—they had never lacked for anything, they worried about him, and they loved him.

After his father died, things went downhill. Ruan Lingfeng still couldn’t forget, though he didn’t want to remember, that day at dinner when Ruan Xinyu showed him a funny clip online and he laughed. It was the most normal thing, but Zhou Wanting suddenly went mad, smashed his bowl, and grabbed him by the throat—he didn’t know where a petite middle-aged Omega got such strength, but she choked him until he could barely breathe.

While choking him, she cursed him: “What are you laughing at? How can you still laugh? You cursed your father to death. Why wasn’t it you who died!”

He was just starting high school that year.

Of course, Zhou Wanting apologized afterward, but similar incidents would play out occasionally. Zhou Wanting, who had said “Mom shouldn’t have done that,” would still torture him over various things the next time.

Ruan Lingfeng felt his mother likely had some mental health issues resulting from her husband’s death. Suggesting she go to the hospital only made her more unstable.

He felt he could understand her, but he couldn’t accept or forgive it. So after getting into college, he went home as little as possible. At first, he wondered if it was selfish to leave his sister alone with such a mother. But over time, he realized that, just as Ruan Xinyu said, because she was an Alpha girl, she never suffered that treatment.

Actually, today’s events were nothing compared to the past.

But today was his birthday. Couldn’t they have been just a little bit nice to him?

The family across the way sat together eating and watching TV. They seemed to see something funny, as the whole family burst into laughter. Ruan Lingfeng watched for a while then pulled the curtains shut. The loneliness that had long been standing by his side surged up and wrapped tightly around him. He felt it would be hard to defeat this loneliness on his own right now.

He picked up his phone and scrolled. He had nearly two thousand contacts on WeChat—his network wasn’t exactly small—but they were all various business partners. Not a single person he could actually talk to.

He remembered something. He hesitated over Tao Zhi’s chat box for a moment, then dialed a voice call.

The other picked up quickly: “…What is it?”

Ruan Lingfeng said, “Didn’t you say you were going to treat me to a meal?”

“Aren’t you back home?”

“I came back early,” Ruan Lingfeng asked. “Are you busy?”

He could hear a lot of noise on the other end; Tao Zhi was likely in some pub. Ruan Lingfeng’s call had been a bit impulsive, and he was starting to regret it. They weren’t even that close.

Just as he was about to say something to end the conversation, he heard Tao Zhi say: “It’s not that I’m busy… Fuck, I’m just not ready.”

Ruan Lingfeng was confused: “It’s just a meal. What do you need to be ‘ready’ for?”

“Fine, fine, it’s your birthday, you’re the boss,” Tao Zhi said. “I’ll send you a location. Come over yourself. I can’t leave right now to pick you up.”