by Cai Jun
She stayed silent, unable to answer.
The boy added mysteriously, “I have.”
“OK, you won. Can we not talk about this anymore? I will take you home.”
He muttered an address. The ever-patient driver stepped on the gas.
Ten minutes later, the BMW turned on to a narrow street. It took a lot of honking for the sunning elderly men and women to move and let the car pass, just barely fitting between the bicycles and motorcycles. If his boss hadn’t been there, the driver would have gotten out of the car to cuss at the crowd.
“Just park here.” Si Wang pointed at a shedding locust tree. He hopped out, said “Thank you,” and snuck inside an old three-story building. What types of families lived inside such greasy, peeling walls?
CHAPTER 16
One month later.
Si Wang became the new spokesperson for Erya Education Group. The principal told him he was needed for some school-promotion photos and took him to a photography studio. Si Wang was only later told it was for a commercial. Gu Qiusha’s assistants found his mother, his only family. They paid the woman 100,000 yuan on the spot to sign the contract.
Gu Qiusha invited Si Wang to her home for dinner. Wearing new clothes from a children’s clothing sponsor and walking into a basketball-sized living room, the boy blushed. In Gu Qiusha’s eyes, it only made him more adorable. She led him to the dinner table and introduced him to the family.
“This is my father, the chairman of Erya Education Group. He used to be a university president, Professor Gu Changlong.”
In his sixties now, Gu Changlong had dyed his hair a shiny black. He smiled and said, “Si Wang, I have heard about you. You are extraordinary—a genius, I think. Thank you for being our spokesperson.”
“Professor Gu, thank you for the opportunity. Hope you enjoy good health and appetite,” the boy said, using proper etiquette and very much pleasing Gu Qiusha.
Next, she introduced him to the man across the dinner table. “This is my husband, Erya Education Group’s CEO, Mr. Lu Zhongyue.”
“Hello, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Zhongyue seemed uncomfortable. He nodded awkwardly without saying anything.
Gu Qiusha said, “My husband is not very talkative. He used to be an engineer—you can ask him any math or science questions.”
“Great, math and science are my weaknesses. I need all the help I can get!”
“Let’s make a toast.” Gu Qiusha raised her glass of red wine. The maid had already brought out a lavish dinner made by the chef catering the party.
The boy toasted with juice. The dinner was a success. Gu Qiusha and her father peppered Si Wang with all kinds of questions, but nothing fazed him. Astronomy, geology, history, philosophy—he knew it all. Lu Zhongyue posed some military questions about German tanks in World War II, and the boy had answers for those, too.
Finally, Gu Changlong asked about the economy. The third-grader said, “In the next three years, the global economy should stay prosperous. Chinese real estate prices will double. If you want to invest cash wisely, buy real estate.”
“What else would anyone need with a son like this?” The old man sighed and looked at Lu Zhongyue. The younger man paled and lowered his head.
The boy didn’t linger after the meal. “Ms. Gu, I need to go home. I promised my mom.”
“You’re such a good kid.”
Gu Qiusha liked the boy more and more, and she couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. She asked the driver to take him home. Watching Si Wang get into the car, she touched her lips. It was the first time she’d kissed him, but it felt somehow familiar.
The mansion felt lonely; her father had already gone to bed. She’d forced both him and her husband to attend the dinner.
Feeling lost, she went up to the second floor. She saw her husband in the hall.
With a cold stare, he said, “That cop, Huang Hai, came looking for me today. He had questions about He Nian’s death.”
“Why ask you?”
“Because of him.”
She knew what he meant.
“You went to high school with him, and He Nian went to college with him.”
“You are also my husband. He Nian worked for our company before he was killed, and I found his body.”
“So now I am a suspect?”
“Nothing will happen to you, so relax.” She was about to leave but grabbed his arm and asked, “Why were you so cold to the kid today?”
“Is he your child?”
“He may as well be.”
Lu Zhongyue shook his head. “That is your right. It has nothing to do with me.”
He shook off her grasp, went into his study, and started another long night of playing World of Warcraft.
Back in her bedroom, she sprawled out on the spacious bed and stroked her lips and neck. The room didn’t smell like a man lived there at all. In fact, Lu Zhongyue hadn’t slept in this bed for three years.
They’d first met in March of 1995 at Shen Ming and Gu Qiusha’s engagement ceremony. Lu Zhongyue was sitting at Shen Ming’s table and was quite drunk. Shen Ming dragged her to the table to make a toast, but Lu Zhongyue couldn’t handle more drinking. He vomited all over the place.
Gu Changlong, like many of the guests, noticed Lu Zhongyue because of this incident. Gu Qiusha’s father was a comrade of Lu’s father. While the elder Gu was at the Education Bureau, the elder Lu worked in the county government and became an influential department chief. The two men had a good relationship. Gu Changlong often visited the Lu family and remembered Lu Zhongyue.
Lu Zhongyue majored in the sciences and after graduation worked at the steel factory on Nanming Road, just meters away from his old high school. He was the youngest engineer at the factory. But when the factory closed down, Lu had nothing to do. He met with Shen Ming to watch games and drink together. And since Shen Ming had very few friends, whenever he needed someone to hang out with, he’d grab Lu. That’s how Lu had become friends with Gu Qiusha. When they renovated the new apartment, Lu often came over to help, which made Shen Ming feel indebted to him.
In June of 1995, Lu Zhongyue was the one who told Gu Qiusha what had happened with Shen Ming. The Gu family had gone to Yunnan to get away from Shen Ming after the rumors and the trouble with the police. When they returned, a red-eyed Lu Zhongyue was waiting for them at the door.
He told them all the details, including how the police had found Yan Li’s body on Nanming Road. It was confirmed that Shen Ming had killed Yan Li, because the weapon was still stuck in the victim’s body—and it was covered in Shen Ming’s bloody fingerprints. Shen Ming escaped to the factory’s abandoned underground warehouse and was stabbed in the back by someone.
Gu Qiusha cried profusely, collapsing on Lu Zhongyue’s shoulders and soaking his shirt with her tears.
She felt so guilty.
Could she have saved him? What if her father hadn’t terminated his job and Party membership? What if she had tried to help him, or even just visited him in jail?
But she’d done nothing for him except project disappointment and desperation.
Gu Qiusha had known that her and her father’s actions would change Shen Ming’s future—that he’d be crushed, and robbed of ten years of experience. But she never thought he would choose to kill someone. She also could never have predicted someone killing him. Who was Shen Ming? What kind of hate did he have in his heart? If killing Yan Li was revenge, Shen Ming must have hated her and her dad just as much. If Shen Ming hadn’t been killed, would there have been more victims of his hatred? She went from feeling guilty to afraid.
Gu Qiusha was sick for a long time. After she got better, she went to Lu Zhongyue out of guilt. Lu was understanding. He missed his old friend, but he also said death was irreversible and one had to say good-bye to the past. Lu Zhongyue also admitted his frustration with life; compared to h
ard-studying and high-achieving Shen Ming, Lu was always the straggler. His job after college was arranged by his father through his government connections. He was unhappy as a factory engineer.
One summer day, she invited Lu Zhongyue to meet her at a bar. The two drank beer, then wine, and finally whiskey, until they were both very drunk. She woke up in a hotel room with Lu Zhongyue sitting in front of her, looking guilty. How could he have touched his friend’s woman? She didn’t blame him, however; she only held him and said, “Don’t ever mention Shen Ming again.”
Gu Qiusha married Lu the following year.
Gu Changlong readily agreed to his daughter’s decision. Not only was the Lu family old friends, but his daughter was still reeling from the past. It was necessary for her to overcome the pain, and marrying quickly seemed like the best way for her to heal.
But she never told her secret to Lu Zhongyue.
She was no longer that naive girl. Lu and Shen were different types of men. If Lu knew that his wife-to-be was infertile, he might not have pledged his eternal devotion. She needed to get married first.
Four years after the wedding, Lu became suspicious of his wife’s not becoming pregnant. When he insisted on a checkup, she finally told him about her condition. Lu Zhongyue picked a huge fight, but nothing came of it. Just two years earlier, his father had been investigated for corruption and fired from his job. If Gu Changlong hadn’t helped his in-laws smooth things over, the elder Lu would have been sentenced to at least ten years in prison. Plus, Nanming Steel Factory was still closed and Lu had no job.
It was the same year that Erya Education Group opened its doors. Gu Changlong appointed his son-in-law as CEO.
She and Lu were estranged, though they still faked intimacy in front of people. He was still respectful toward her father and he still worked diligently. Yet everyone called him a kept man, especially those who were resentful of his position.
Gu Qiusha often thought of Shen Ming on nights she couldn’t sleep.
CHAPTER 17
December 2004. A weekend.
The weather was getting cooler. The lone locust tree standing in front of the cluster of three-story gray buildings had lost all of its leaves.
Gu Qiusha stepped out of her car and told the driver to wait. She walked into the building’s dark foyer plastered with ads. Almost choking on the heavy cooking odors, she made her way up the narrow staircase, finally arriving on the third floor, where there was a common kitchen and bathroom. She knocked on a door and was surprised to see how young the woman who answered it looked. She had a face like a Chinese movie star.
“Is this Si Wang’s home?”
“I’m his mom. Who are you?”
“Hello. You must be He Qingying. I’m Gu Qiusha with Erya Education Group.” She tried to seem confident and aloof. Dressed in Hermès, she really stood out compared to the woman in casual house clothes.
“Ms. Gu. Wow, it’s you. Please come inside.” He Qingying nervously put down the sweater she was knitting and looked at her home as though she was seeing it for the first time. “I’m sorry for such a shabby home. Can I get you anything?”
“I’m glad Si Wang could be our company’s spokesperson. I know in the past, you’ve only been in touch with my assistant, but I wanted to visit myself and bring you some Christmas gifts.”
She took out a set of Chanel makeup. Si Wang’s mom shook her head. “No, I can’t accept this.”
“Ms. Gu, you’re visiting?” Si Wang came into the living room. Every time she saw this boy, it felt like a rainy day was being chased away by the sun. She smiled. “I’m here to see you.”
“I didn’t ask you to visit.” He lowered his head shyly and busied himself with tidying the sofa and table, making a place for her to sit.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not staying long.” She noticed a small bed next to the window and the locust tree right outside. “Is this Si Wang’s bed?”
“Yes. My bedroom is inside,” He Qingying answered awkwardly.
The woman had a great figure, and although she might have seemed inferior in front of the guest, Gu was jealous. Before coming to visit, Gu had read He Qingying’s file. The two women were the same age. Si Wang had gotten his mom’s looks. No wonder he was so gorgeous.
Suddenly, two thugs walked in and sat down like they owned the place.
“You have company?” one of them said.
Si Wang and his mom were shocked. The boy retreated into the bedroom. In a panic, He Qingying said, “I’m sorry, can you come back in half an hour?”
One of the men noticed the gifts and shouted, “You can afford Chanel? Where is the money you owe us?”
“Stop it! This isn’t mine.” He Qingying eyed Gu. “My old school friend was just showing me some of her things.”
Gu Qiusha took back the gifts and without missing a beat said, “How dare you trespass on private property. I could call the cops on you.”
She acted powerful so they would stop their intimidation. It worked. They left, promising they’d be back.
He Qingying shut her door, looking very troubled. “Thank you so much. I am so embarrassed.”
“Please let me know if I can do anything to help.” Gu Qiusha left her business card and returned the gifts to He Qingying. “I think this would look great on you.”
She was about to leave when Si Wang charged out. In a low voice he offered to walk her out. Then he said to his mom, “Don’t be afraid. Wang Er will be here in a bit. If those two come back, don’t open the door.”
Walking downstairs with Si Wang, Gu Qiusha thought about his amazing maturity. Stroking his face and smiling, she said, “Now I know your nickname: Wang Er.”
“My mom’s the only one who calls me that.”
They stopped at the bottom of the stairs and Gu Qiusha looked him in the eyes. “Si Wang, you walked me out for a reason. Do you have something to tell me?”
“Please.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “Please don’t come here anymore.”
“I understand. Will you come to my house then? I will send my driver.”
He nodded, serious beyond his years. Watching him caused in Gu Qiusha a pang of jealousy.
“You’re a good son to love your mother so much.”
“Since my grandparents died, she is my only family.”
“Your mom is a good woman.”
She looked up at the third-story window. Judging by her looks and manner of speaking, He Qingying seemed like an educated woman. She must have married the wrong man, and now she was paying for it, living in squalor with her genius son.
“Ms. Gu, are you going back?” Si Wang asked, pointing to her car and the napping driver.
“I don’t want to leave you.” She couldn’t resist touching his cheek. Some people had everything but precious children; some people had nothing except for priceless kids.
A horrible thought entered her mind, one she wanted to resist—to stamp out before it was too late. But staring into his crystal-clear eyes, she knelt down and whispered, “If I had a kid like you, everything would be different.”
Si Wang looked at her, baffled. He jumped away and ran back upstairs like she’d just given him an electric shock.
CHAPTER 18
Spring was late to arrive in 2005.
Gu Changlong felt tired all the time, and he needed to use the bathroom two or three times a night. It was hard to believe how fragile humans were. One seemed to age dramatically overnight, or even die out of the blue. He had never thought about death before.
Gu Qiusha walked into his study. Winter was still outside. Had she gained weight?
“Dad, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Is it important?”
“I want to adopt Si Wang.”
“Are you joking?”
“No, I am very serious. I’ve though
t about this for two months. I’ve considered everything. I have to adopt him. I love him.”
Recognizing her determination, Gu Changlong sighed. “Qiusha, you’re still so willful. Do you remember how you had to marry Shen Ming?”
“Please don’t mention him.”
“Fine. How about how you had to marry Lu Zhongyue? No regrets?”
“I don’t regret it.”
Gu Changlong knew his daughter’s marriage had gone bad long ago. He said, “The boy must be nine already. He won’t see you as his real mom. Why not adopt a two- or three-year-old?”
“He turns ten this year.” Any mention of Si Wang brought joy to Gu Qiusha. “It’s easy to adopt a baby, but who knows how a child might turn out. If he became another Lu Zhongyue, then what’s the point? Si Wang is different. He’s a fine piece of jade. He’s smart and understanding. Most adults can’t compete with him intellectually or emotionally.”
“Adults, indeed. Well you’re an adult. I won’t interfere. Did you discuss it with your husband?”
“When I told him I couldn’t get pregnant a few years ago, we talked about adopting. He wasn’t against it.” Gu Qiusha approached her father and touched his shoulders. “Dad, I want a child so badly.”
“The one you want has someone else’s genes.”
“Do you really want your son-in-law to take over? Dad, I know you have a lover. If you could give me a younger brother, I won’t complain.”
Gu Changlong was embarrassed and angry. “Shut up!”
“This kid is my last chance. Since the first time I saw him, I’ve felt close to him—like he was the person I loved the most in a past life. I can’t be without him. It keeps me up at night. I wish I could hold him right now.”
“You’re crazy.” Gu Changlong paced back and forth. “Adopting is not just up to you. Doesn’t he have parents?”
“I’ve investigated Si Wang’s family. His dad, Si Mingyuan, was an unemployed factory worker who went missing three years ago. The man’s residency was just canceled—so, legally, he is dead. His paternal grandparents died within a year of each other. His maternal grandparents died before he was born. His mom, He Qingying, is the only guardian.”
