Drunk On The Night Breeze - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Several days had passed since the unpleasant parting with Tao Zhi. With that matter resolved, Ruan Lingfeng’s chaotic life had returned to its normal track—going to work, leading his team to negotiate with partners, and after work, ordering takeout to eat hastily before dealing with chores or watching a movie alone.

But sometimes, Ruan Lingfeng wondered: Has everything truly returned to its original path? Perhaps the person back on that track was no longer the original him. His life now looked no different from the countless monotonous days of the past; it was as if the person named Tao Zhi no longer existed, yet the traces left behind by that man were everywhere.

Ruan Lingfeng took some time to tidy up his home, putting away the slippers, mugs, and sofa cushions Tao Zhi had used. He hesitated for a while about whether to throw them away, but decided that doing so would be overly dramatic. Their relationship wasn’t so deep that seeing these things caused him agony; besides, the items were still perfectly usable. He decided to keep them; next time a guest came over, they could use them.

Though, practically speaking, no other guests ever came to his home.

Ruan Lingfeng then thought of Tao Zhi’s home—a place that likely rarely saw visitors. He remembered during Tao Zhi’s rut, when he asked Chen Ping for the address, Chen Ping had mentioned that Tao Zhi was extremely territorial; even as his manager, Chen Ping wasn’t allowed inside.

Yet Tao Zhi had been completely defenseless around him. What had Tao Zhi been planning that day? He must have truly believed their feelings were mutual, perhaps thinking everything could be settled once they met face-to-face. Deliberately choosing his home was likely a gesture of opening himself up completely to Ruan Lingfeng. If things had gone according to Tao Zhi’s plan, what would have happened next? Would Tao Zhi have given him a tour of the house? An empty house, yes, but a place filled with Tao Zhi’s memories. Would he have talked about his past, sharing his history with Ruan Lingfeng?

Instead, Ruan Lingfeng had knocked on the door to Tao Zhi’s heart and used the blade of his words to mindlessly stab him several times before leaving.

Ruan Lingfeng felt guilty, yet he didn’t think his perspective was wrong. Even after being subjected to Tao Zhi’s later sarcasm and rebuke, he hadn’t changed his mind.

Over the years, he had come to understand that there was nothing about him personally worth loving. After all, even Betas, who are born without pheromones, can form loving couples, proving that people don’t need pheromone attraction to love one another. Yet, when he had no pheromones, no one loved him. Having finally met someone with whom he shared a mutual attraction, he could have very well used that attraction as a premise to enjoy a “normal person’s relationship.”

But he felt such self-deception was meaningless.

Tao Zhi was so young. Once he met more people and the pheromone attraction gradually faded, there would come a day when he would wake up to reality.

Regardless, Ruan Lingfeng was still grateful to Tao Zhi.

At the very end of that day, Tao Zhi hadn’t made things difficult for him. Ruan Lingfeng could still clearly recall Tao Zhi saying, “Then that’s that, I’ll walk you down,” and then leading him silently down the stairs, through the garden, to the gate.

He didn’t slam the door in his face or say anything unnecessary; it was truly dignified.

As Ruan Lingfeng drove away, he glanced back at the corner. Tao Zhi was still leaning against the doorframe, watching him.

Over the weekend, Ruan Lingfeng returned to his hometown.

There was no grand reason or urgent matter forcing him back. It was just that Ruan Xinyu had asked if he was free, as she usually did.

In the past, Ruan Lingfeng would have made excuses to avoid it. This time, he suddenly felt that hiding all the time was quite ridiculous. It was his own home; hiding because of unpleasantness with family was, frankly, a sign of cowardice.

Ruan Xinyu was incredibly surprised to hear he was coming back, saying she had only mentioned it in passing and hadn’t expected him to actually agree.

A while later, when Ruan Xinyu called him, she said: “Mom knows you’re coming back and wants to arrange another blind date. I just had a fight with her. She finally promised not to set you up with any more weird Alphas…”

But Ruan Lingfeng interrupted her: “It’s fine. Let Mom arrange it.”

Ruan Xinyu was shocked: “Brother, don’t be like that, there’s no need…”

Ruan Lingfeng said: “I want to see them myself.”

So, because Ruan Lingfeng was willing this time, the dinner was set in a private room at a local restaurant. There weren’t many people—just the three of them (mother and children) and the blind date his mother had found.

Before the formal introductions began, Zhou Wanting patted Ruan Lingfeng’s shoulder, her face full of relief: “You’ve finally grown up.”

Ruan Lingfeng just offered a small smile.

He didn’t know where Zhou Wanting found so many age-appropriate Alphas. After he’d declined the last one, she had found a new one. After the initial small talk, this man began acting as if Ruan Lingfeng was already “his,” working hard to show how much of a doting Alpha he would be.

He said: “If we end up together, you won’t have to work so hard running around outside. That job of yours looks unstable; it’s better if you just move back to our hometown. The money I make from my business is enough to support a family.”

Zhou Wanting chimed in from the side: “He really knows how to care for someone.”

Ruan Lingfeng actually had many ways to handle such people; playing along with a few polite remarks wasn’t difficult for him. During the first half of the meal, he was as proper as always.

Even if he internally thought the person sitting opposite him was an idiot, there was no need to show it. This had always been Ruan Lingfeng’s ironclad rule for social interaction.

But right now, he didn’t want to pretend anymore.

The reason he had asked to see these people was specifically so he could stop pretending.

So, Ruan Lingfeng smiled and said: “Mr. Wang, the only reason I’m here having dinner with you today is because my mother strongly wished for it. She’s getting older, and I want to accommodate her as much as possible. Of course, I also thought that if we were destined, we might develop further. However, as it turns out, I’m not particularly interested in you, so you don’t need to plan me into your ‘bright future’ just yet.”

The small room fell into a dead silence. No one expected the Omega, known for his mild temperament, to suddenly say such a thing.

Zhou Wanting was the first to react, quickly explaining: “The child is just shy, that’s why he’s saying that…”

Ruan Lingfeng: “I’m not shy. I’m just telling the truth.”

Mr. Wang, evidently rarely insulted to his face like this, turned red and white. After a moment, he found his words for a counterattack: “I didn’t even mind that you’re an Omega with a defective gland, and yet you dare to give me attitude? How ungrateful!”

Ruan Lingfeng kept smiling. He pulled his previous test results from his bag and said: “If you’re referring to the fact that we can’t smell each other’s pheromones… sorry, it’s actually because my development is more ‘advanced.’ I shouldn’t need to be more blunt. Ordinary Alphas aren’t worthy of me; it’s not your place to be picky.”

Though Ruan Xinyu was confused about the details, after the initial shock, she helped him out: “Exactly, how could a greasy Alpha like you be worthy of my brother?”

Chaos ensued.

In the end, the Alpha spat out a string of insults before storming out in a rage. Once he was gone, it was Zhou Wanting’s turn to wail: “You’ve completely humiliated me!”

Ruan Lingfeng was all smiles: “Mhm. If you don’t want to be humiliated again, don’t force me to do anything I don’t like in the future.”

Zhou Wanting made a move to hit him, but he caught her wrist directly.

Ruan Lingfeng added: “Mom, did you forget? I’m an adult now. I’m much taller than you and I’m a man. How could you possibly hit me?”

He wasn’t that thin, scrawny little kid anymore.

Zhou Wanting froze. When Ruan Lingfeng let go of her hand, she continued to shout in a rage behind him, but she didn’t dare strike again. Ruan Lingfeng had truly used force; when he let go, a red ring was clearly visible around her wrist.

Words like “ingrate” and “heartless” continued to pour from Zhou Wanting’s mouth, but Ruan Lingfeng felt as though he had put on a protective shield—he could no longer hear them.

After twenty-seven years, he finally experienced a late-coming rebellion, and it felt great.

Ruan Lingfeng waved to Ruan Xinyu: “Let’s go, sister. I’ll take you to eat something actually good.”

He then said to Zhou Wanting: “Don’t let these good dishes go to waste. Call your old friends over. Xinyu and I won’t be staying with you.”

Zhou Wanting: “…”

Walking out of the room, Ruan Xinyu still looked dazed: “Brother… that wasn’t like you at all. Are you sure you haven’t been possessed?”

Ruan Lingfeng laughed: “Really? Was I cool?”

Ruan Xinyu said: “So cool.”

“I used to think that you shouldn’t lay everything out on the table because it would be ugly and cause more trouble… but recently I found that maintaining a surface harmony doesn’t stop the trouble from coming,” Ruan Lingfeng went to put his arm around Xinyu’s shoulder, only to find she was already taller than him, making the gesture a bit awkward. He settled for patting her and continued, “I learned it from someone.”

Ruan Lingfeng thought of Tao Zhi again. The traces Tao Zhi left in his life perhaps included these indefinable qualities.

Tao Zhi was very blunt, very brave. He fought for what he wanted and decisively rejected what he didn’t. He was the polar opposite of Ruan Lingfeng, who never made his stance clear.

Having watched Tao Zhi for so long, he sometimes wanted to be brave once, too. He had rehearsed scenes of snapping at people he didn’t like in his head many times, but in the past, whenever he faced annoying situations, he always chose to handle them calmly.

Being brave felt good. Of course, he wasn’t completely brave; he knew he wouldn’t be building a life in this small county, he knew his blind date wasn’t someone capable of real revenge, and he knew his mother relied on him for support in her old age, so she couldn’t truly do anything to him. He made this “brave” decision only after weighing the consequences.

But for him, it was already a significant breakthrough.

He didn’t know if he would be this rebellious again, but once was enough for now.

It was just a bit of a pity—if he and Tao Zhi were still in contact, he would have told Tao Zhi about what happened today.

Ruan Lingfeng took his sister to a Korean BBQ restaurant. To be honest, neither of them had eaten much at the blind date dinner, and the food there wasn’t really what they liked anyway.

Now, the two of them sat in a corner of the BBQ place with empty stomachs. Ruan Lingfeng didn’t let the waiter help; he was having a great time grilling the meat himself. Ruan Xinyu played on her phone while waiting to be fed, chatting idly with him.

“Brother, what projects have you been busy with lately? Have you met any celebrities I like?”

Ruan Lingfeng said: “I was at the TV station for a while, I’m not sure what’s next.”

“Oh right,” Ruan Xinyu added, “Since you helped that Tao Zhi with his concert and it went viral, why didn’t you think to get me a ticket? He has a few more tour stops coming up. You understand my hint, right?”

Ruan Lingfeng paused briefly, then quickly said: “You have school.”

Ruan Xinyu: “Winter break is starting soon!”

Ruan Lingfeng placed a slice of steaming grilled pork belly onto Xinyu’s plate: “What’s there to see?”

“Of course it’s worth seeing,” Ruan Xinyu said. “It’s a dream collaboration between my own brother and one of my idols. How could I not watch? He thanks you at every single show.”

Even now?”

Ruan Xinyu stuffed the meat into her mouth and murmured while scrolling through her phone: “There was a show a few days ago… let me check the repo… it was the day after he trended for being ‘injured.’ He came out to clarify he was fine. In that show, he seemed to just thank the planning team generally and didn’t mention your name specifically. Maybe he forgot.”

Ruan Lingfeng placed a few more slices of meat on the grill, making no comment on Xinyu’s words.

Ruan Xinyu continued: “But the fan reports say he was super hyped during that show. I wonder what good thing happened.”

“He was hyped?”

“Yeah.”

Ruan Xinyu was still playing on her phone. Ruan Lingfeng was about to tell her to eat properly and stop playing; his mood was decent, and hearing more about Tao Zhi might ruin it. But suddenly, Ruan Xinyu gasped: “Holy crap.”

“What happened?”

“I saw a rumor on Douban, not sure if it’s true,” Ruan Xinyu began to recount. “A small indie band mentioned it. They said because they’re new and have nowhere to perform, they go to a small pub called ‘Turn Off the Moon.’ That pub provides a free stage for qualified musicians as long as they book in advance and pass a review, and they don’t even take a cut of the ticket sales. So this band goes there a lot to use the stage.”

Hearing the name of the pub, Ruan Lingfeng was stunned again, but he asked: “And then?”

“Well, they had a time slot booked and went there early to rehearse and test equipment. But when they got there, they found someone already there playing drums along to music. He was playing incredibly violently, like he was trying to smash the drums to pieces… The band went to argue, saying it was their turn.”

Ruan Lingfeng felt he could guess the rest: “…And?”

“And the guy completely ignored them and said the place wasn’t open. The lead singer was so angry he wanted to fight him, so he ripped off the guy’s mask and found it was Tao Zhi… Some people said before they’d seen someone looking like Tao Zhi at that pub, but it was always denied. This time Tao Zhi admitted it directly. So now everyone is discussing if Tao Zhi is the owner of the pub, saying he’s too overbearing, not even following his own rules. If he wants to play drums, he has plenty of places to go without stealing someone else’s spot,” Ruan Xinyu added. “But since no one caught it on video or took photos, no one knows for sure if it’s true. It is pretty funny, though—why would Tao Zhi fight a small band for a stage?”

It was almost certainly true, but Ruan Lingfeng didn’t say that. He only offered a word of defense: “Even if he is the owner, letting others use the stage is a favor; it’s within his rights to refuse…”

“But they had a booking,” Ruan Xinyu argued.

Ruan Lingfeng opened his phone to search for related info. Since there were no photos or videos, there wasn’t much discussion, but when he searched the pub’s name, he still found a few things.

One post on Weibo was likely from an employee at “Turn Off the Moon,” saying: The boss seems to have gone crazy. Whenever he’s free, he comes over to play the drums… no, to smash the drums… it’s been several days in a row, and he’s not opening to the public… He was here when I came to work this morning, and he’s still here when I leave. Is he really okay? [Dizzy emoji] If he’s okay, I’m not. I’m almost deaf, and my heart is about to be pounded out of my chest.

Ruan Lingfeng paused, his emotions suddenly becoming complex. He said to Ruan Xinyu: “Maybe he’s… just in a bad mood.”