Love Notebook of a Reclusive Beautiful Boy - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day was the day Du Yu was to start school.

A heavy snow had begun to fall outside. Aunt Fang had already pushed open the door and started getting Du Yu ready.

Layer upon layer, three inside and three outside; Jiang Sheng felt hot just standing by and watching, but Du Yu didn’t say a word. He stood there obediently, letting her manage him.

Du Yanyu also came in. This was the first time in ten years that Du Yu was leaving him; he was both happy and melancholy. This child—he hadn’t paid much attention before, but suddenly he had grown so tall. He was almost taller than Du Yanyu himself.

Aunt Fang was tidying Du Yu’s buttons. Du Yanyu waved his hand, signaling her to move aside, and then went over to tidy them himself.

“A-Yu has grown up.”

He said this with a touch of gratification. Du Yu was finally leaving him, heading toward the vast outside world. Du Yanyu was gratified yet worried. For ten years, the boy had hardly even left this attic. Now, letting him go out to study, would he truly be able to integrate into the lives of those young people?

But there was no other way; he could no longer let Du Yu stay in this tiny attic. At least let him know that there were many, many places in this world larger than this room. He needed to grow up.

After tidying the buttons, Du Yanyu stroked his face. The skin on his face was as smooth and tender as a newborn baby’s. A pair of clean, clear eyes looked at Du Yanyu, a face full of innocence, like the sky after a rain—clean and pure.

Du Yu had remained silent the whole time. As Du Yanyu stroked his face—this face so similar to Du Li’s—he suddenly, accidentally, couldn’t hold it back and cried.

It wasn’t the kind of sobbing cry of a young person; it was a sorrow rising to the heart, a silent, quiet shedding of tears. The tears slid down from the corners of his eyes—just those few drops. If he were to follow it with a yawn, Aunt Fang beside him would only think they were tears of sleepiness.

He was already a man in his fifties, with half his body in the grave. The upheaval ten years ago had harmed him, harmed the entire Du family, and harmed the child before him. He remembered very clearly that when Du Yu was small, he was very intelligent. Naturally gifted, when he was two years old, Du Yanyu would hold him and teach him Tang poetry; Du Yu would learn it after just one reading. Reading poetry and studying literature never required Du Yanyu to exert much effort; Du Yu was smart, and with just a mention, he would remember it firmly.

But now, even if one spoke to him for half the day, he might not necessarily answer a single sentence. Du Yanyu felt a sharp pang of distress. He wanted to silently turn and go downstairs, but suddenly, he heard Du Yu’s voice.

The voice was slightly green, carrying a child-like naivety: “Don’t cry.”

Du Yanyu froze. He looked at Du Yu, a bit dazed. Du Yu reached out his hand, gently wiped the tear from the corner of his eye, and repeated: “Don’t cry.”

Du Yanyu let out a laugh and wiped his eyes. “Papa is happy. Papa isn’t crying.”

Everyone in the room revolved around Du Yu. As soon as Du Yu spoke, even Aunt Fang became happy. “Look at our A-Yu, he really has grown up, he even knows how to care for Sir.”

“A-Yu is going to school, are you happy?” Du Yanyu asked with a smile.

Du Yu ignored his question, pointed at the photo frame on the desk, and said, “Mine.”

Aunt Fang turned her head to look, hurried over to get it, and handed it to Du Yu. “What else does A-Yu want?”

Du Yu didn’t answer her. Clearly, he wanted nothing else; besides that photo frame, he needed nothing.

Because it was snowing, Du Yanyu had the driver, Old Ma, drive the car directly to the front of the villa’s main entrance.

Yao Xiaohui had just come downstairs. She was accustomed to being a wealthy wife; she never needed to worry about household affairs. It was impossible for her to wake up before the sun was high in the sky. But today Du Yu was going to school, and the house was quite noisy. She couldn’t sleep, so she came down somewhat listlessly to see what the commotion was about.

She was Du Yu’s stepmother. Du Yu’s biological mother, Li Jiayi, had divorced Du Yanyu ten years ago and went to a Christian church in Jingang to become a nun. Years ago, when Du Yanyu’s real estate company ran into trouble, it was thanks to the help of Yao Xiaohui’s father. However, one of the conditions was that Du Yanyu must marry Yao Xiaohui. For the sake of the commercial kingdom he had built with his own hands, Du Yanyu agreed.

“It’s just going to school, is there any need to make such a big scene?” Yao Xiaohui said sarcastically.

She had always disliked Du Yu. If it weren’t because Du Yanyu worried about him, how could her own womb have remained silent for all these years? Previously, she felt that as long as Du Yu stayed in that attic every day, he didn’t offend her eyes. Now Du Yanyu had pulled this stunt, wanting him to go out to study. The thought of having to see Du Yu every day from now on made her practically burst with anger.

Aunt Fang tried to ease the atmosphere, saying with a smile, “Madam, it’s snowing outside. Sir is worried about the Young Master and wants to take him to school.”

Yao Xiaohui gave a laugh, her face full of false kindness. She slowly descended the stairs and said to Du Yanyu, “With so many people here, you don’t need to go. If you protect him like this, how is he supposed to grow up on his own? He’s almost eighteen; he can’t hide behind your back for his whole life, can he?”

Du Yanyu felt there was truth in what she said, so he didn’t say more. He called Jiang Sheng’s name and took him to one side.

Du Yanyu handed a gun to Jiang Sheng—it was a Beretta M9 pistol. His expression was serious, and his tone grave. “Jingang has indeed done a good job with the crackdown on gangs and evil in recent years, but such people can never be wiped out in a lifetime. Take this gun. I know that when you were in the police force, you had a nickname: the Eagle God. I trust you. With this gun, protecting A-Yu in the future will be twice the result with half the effort.”

In Jingang, guns were the hardest things to buy. In this regard, the police station was very strict. This Beretta was something Du Yanyu had recently had someone buy; he had originally intended to keep it for his own private protection.

Yao Xiaohui, with her sharp eyes, saw it and walked over smiling, speaking with hidden meaning for Jiang Sheng to hear: “Yanyu, really. Mr. Jiang was a police sergeant after all; how could he not have some real skill? Giving him this gun—isn’t that looking down on Mr. Jiang? Am I right, Mr. Jiang?”

Jiang Sheng naturally understood the meaning in her words. In truth, whether he had this gun or not made no difference to him. He gave a polite smile. “Mr. Du is indeed overthinking it. Without this gun, Jiang Sheng will certainly be able to protect Young Master Du well.”

Yao Xiaohui smiled with satisfaction. “See? What did I say? You should just keep the gun for yourself.”

Since Jiang Sheng didn’t want it, Du Yanyu didn’t press the matter. He handed the gun to Yao Xiaohui. “Put it away, then.”

Yao Xiaohui smiled with an air of virtue and went upstairs with the gun.

The snow fell heavily. Du Yanyu looked out the window at the garden covered by heavy snow. In his mind, he remembered a snowy day many years ago: Du Yu and Du Li were building a snowman in front of the house. He had been in this very spot, looking through the window as Du Li secretly threw a snowball at Du Yu, only for Du Yu to dodge it with effortless ease.

Back then, how smart Du Yu was. Stirred by the scene, he fell into a daze and murmured to himself, “A-Yu… he was originally very intelligent.”

Since the conversation had reached this point, and seeing that Du Yanyu didn’t seem to resent talking about it, Jiang Sheng spoke up and asked, “I wonder, why did the Young Master become the way he is now?”

Since both sides had signed a “death contract” (life-long bond), Du Yanyu treated Jiang Sheng as one of his own and told him about what happened back then.

“Du Yu originally had an older brother. If he were still here…” At this point, he paused for a second and looked at the tall Jiang Sheng beside him, who was half a head taller than he was.

A trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth—he didn’t even notice it himself. It was just mentioning Du Li and thinking of his eldest son, who was as smart as Du Yu, and thinking that if he were still alive… his heart felt a rare moment of happiness. But it lasted only an instant; that trace of a smile hung there for a second, followed by a surge of intense heartache.

“He would be the same age as you. If he were still here, he’d probably be about as tall as you. That child grew fast; when he was fifteen, he was already this high…” Du Yanyu gestured to the level of his shoulder for Jiang Sheng to see.

“He did grow fast. I wasn’t that tall when I was fifteen,” Jiang Sheng echoed with a smile. It wasn’t perfunctory; he simply knew that for a father to lose a son, the internal pain must be immense.

After mentioning it briefly like that, Du Yanyu continued. “Ten years ago, one day, I received a phone call…”

Du Yanyu didn’t speak in great detail—perhaps he didn’t want to—but halfway through, Jiang Sheng remembered something. In fact, he had heard of this.

It was two years ago when he was in the police force; he had heard teammates talk about it. They said there was a wealthy tycoon in Jingang whose two beloved sons were tragically kidnapped by bandits years ago. The kidnappers called and demanded fifty million in ransom, warning that if he dared to report it to the police, they would immediately kill the hostages.

The tycoon was panicked and had no plan. He originally intended to go alone with the ransom to get both children back, but his wife, worried the kidnappers would go back on their word, reported it to the police. The police intended to use a “covert operation” tactic, but the plan was seen through by the kidnappers. One child was shot dead on the spot, while the other, smaller child, was luckily saved by the police who suddenly charged in.

The matter had caused a huge stir back then, but the specific identity of the wealthy merchant had been kept secret. So it was the Du family’s business. No wonder Du Yu seemed so unwilling to speak; his most beloved brother had died right before his eyes. Anyone who experienced such an upheaval would find it hard not to change. Moreover, Du Yu was only seven years old at the time.

As for the reason Du Yu’s behavior seemed so naive, it was because he had remained living in his seventh year. When Jiang Sheng heard this reason, he was somewhat shocked. It was hard to imagine what kind of trauma could cause his thoughts and memories to stay frozen at age seven. Clearly, he was already such a grown man. It was truly difficult to imagine.

After finishing, Du Yanyu sighed again and summarized, “A-Yu cannot go through such things again.”

Jiang Sheng looked toward Du Yu in the living room. He had just finished his breakfast and was sitting very straight. The crystal chandelier happened to be right above his head; the white and blue lights shone on his face. His expression was very quiet, his lips pursed, and his gaze very flat. Actually, when he didn’t speak, he truly looked different.

Once things were ready, Jiang Sheng intended to take Du Yu to school. Several people were standing at the door. Du Yanyu tidied Du Yu’s hat and pulled up his zipper. Looking at the boy who was about the same height as himself, his heart felt a pang. He took his hand. “Is A-Yu cold?”

Du Yu’s gaze shifted from the garden to Du Yanyu, and he shook his head gently. Seeing that it was almost time, Du Yanyu looked at Jiang Sheng beside him, pointed to him, and said softly to Du Yu, “A-Yu, this is Jiang Sheng. Don’t be afraid when you go to school; he will protect you. If anything happens, tell him, okay?”

Du Yu was, after all, different toward Du Yanyu than toward others. He would still listen to his words. Du Yu’s eyes turned toward Jiang Sheng, looking at him with a clear gaze.

Du Yanyu asked softly, “Did you remember, A-Yu?”

Did he remember? Du Yu didn’t know.

The snow outside was still falling. Aunt Fang gave some worried instructions—not because she didn’t trust Jiang Sheng, but because she was worried about Du Yu. “Mr. Jiang, you must pay attention to safety.”

Jiang Sheng nodded. “I know. Go on inside, Aunt Fang.”

Du Yu stood at the main gate with his backpack. Below the steps was all snow, and the snowflakes were drifting fast. A few flakes landed on Du Yu’s cheek—icy and cool. They quickly melted, turning into water droplets against his skin. This chilly sensation soon caught his attention. He touched his face; it was a bit wet.

Jiang Sheng was about to open an umbrella when he suddenly saw Du Yu beside him tilt his head back. Even though he was wrapped up thickly in a scarf by Aunt Fang, tilting his head like that revealed his fair neck. He tilted his head very high. His voice was still naive; he looked at the sky with clear eyes and softly, slowly uttered a single word: “Flower.”

Jiang Sheng didn’t understand. He looked up at the sky too but couldn’t see anything special. He asked him, “What flower?”

Du Yu didn’t speak; he was still tilting his head back. From not far away, the driver, Old Ma, called out from the car window, “Mr. Jiang, it’s about time.”

Jiang Sheng held the umbrella over Du Yu and said softly, “A-Yu, we have to go.”

The edge of the umbrella blocked most of Du Yu’s vision. He lowered his head to look at Jiang Sheng, his speaking speed slow: “Flower is gone.”

Although there wasn’t any heavy tone in his voice—it was flat and full of naivety—for some reason, the way Du Yu looked at Jiang Sheng made Jiang Sheng feel as if the boy were accusing him, as if he had treated him unfairly.

He closed the umbrella and asked, “What flower is A-Yu talking about?”

Du Yu tilted his head back again. His clear, clean face looked up at the sky. He first uttered the first word with a long trailing sound: “Flow—er—”

He seemed to be talking to himself. Then he pointed his finger toward the sky and uttered the second word, again trailing the sound: “Wan—t—”

Even though the boy had never mentioned Jiang Sheng’s name from start to finish, Jiang Sheng truly wanted to be good to him. Because he had heard the story from Du Yanyu, no one could fail to harbor kind thoughts toward such a person.

He kept the umbrella closed and looked up at the sky, just about to ask him exactly what flower it was, when suddenly a piece of icy snow landed on his face. In a flash of insight, he suddenly knew what “flower” Du Yu was talking about.

It was snowflakes (literally “snow-flowers” in Chinese).

He let out a low laugh. Then he reached out his hand to catch a few snowflakes from outside. Before they melted, he asked Du Yu, “Does A-Yu want this?”

Du Yu looked at his palm and said, “Want.”

Jiang Sheng smiled kindly and gently grasped Du Yu’s wrist. His own palm cushioned the back of Du Yu’s hand as he slowly pulled Du Yu’s wrist out beyond the doorway. The snowflakes were drifting fast, and in an instant, several landed in his palm.

Du Yu withdrew his hand and looked down at the snowflakes. They felt cool against his palm. It was as if he had remembered something; he suddenly smiled—a very faint smile. When he smiled, dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth; he was exceptionally cute. Perhaps he hadn’t remembered anything at all and was simply feeling happy; a child’s happiness is always without a specific reason.

Perhaps because his smile was contagious, when Jiang Sheng saw him smile, he smiled too. Du Yu played with the snowflakes in his palm; he was a quick learner, and when the snow melted, he reached out again to catch some more. A faint smile remained at the corners of his mouth.

How could anyone want to harm such a simple youth?