Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 64
Chapter 64 Director You Loses His Temper?
2024-10-13 07:26 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
You Shulang got off the bus at Xicheng North Hutong and asked an old man who was squatting by the roadside selling candied hawthorns with his sleeves tucked in, and that’s how he found out the location of “Yayinge Opera Troupe”.
The alley was narrow and long; after walking for three to five minutes, I heard the melodious sounds of traditional opera.
Pushing open the carved dragon and phoenix-patterned reddish-brown double wooden door and lifting the cotton curtain, a beautiful, melodious, and pleasant sound clearly entered my ears.
There weren’t many people in the theater, only seven or eight individual patrons. You Shulang looked up at the private room on the second floor and saw someone craning their neck and waving at him.
Ascending the steps, You Shulang lifted the beaded curtain of the private room. Amidst the tinkling sounds, he announced: “You’ve arrived, Director You.”
A man sat beside an antique four-immortal table. He had bronze skin and an ordinary appearance, but his demeanor, imbued with a sense of untamed freedom, made him stand out.
You Shulang pulled up a chair and sat down, saying politely, “I’m sorry to have kept Young Master Fan waiting.”
The person drinking tea and listening to music was none other than Fan Yu, the second son of the Fan family. He leaned back in his official’s chair, grinning, and replied, “I wasn’t kept long. Director You even arrived ten minutes early.” He glanced at the candied hawthorns that You Shulang had casually placed on the table, his interest piqued. “Did you bring these for me?”
“I just bought it on the way. If you like it, Second Young Master, you can try it.”
Fan Yu didn’t stand on ceremony. He pulled a string of candied hawthorns from the plastic bag and stuffed it into his mouth: “I’ve only ever seen this in Chinese TV dramas before. I really don’t know what it tastes like.”
The rock candy coating was so sweet it made his eyes squint, but when he took a bite, the sourness of the hawthorn made him wince. He swallowed one whole and exclaimed repeatedly how delicious it was.
“Today I heard Peking Opera for the first time and ate candied hawthorn. I said, why doesn’t Fan Xiao want to go home? This place is so wonderful, with its vast land, abundant resources, and splendid culture. Most importantly, he has a beautiful woman by his side.”
Faced with blatant irony, You Shulang, as if oblivious to the implied meaning, lifted the lid of his teacup, blew on the floating tea leaves, took a sip of the emerald green tea, and slowly said, with a faint tea fragrance lingering in his mouth, “This is a play about the Peach Blossom Fan.” He then hummed a couple of lines, “I’m afraid eight or nine things in the world are ambiguous, and human relationships are only two or three parts of the truth.”
Then she added, “Now that it’s winter, it’s best to drink black tea. Biluochun tea is cooling in nature and not suitable for drinking at this time.”
The two sentences, which seemed to have no beginning or end, left me confused. You Shulang then gave his final explanation, covering the teacup with his lid to suppress the rising steam: “China is a vast country with abundant resources and a profound culture. It has no shortage of people who know the facts but not the reasons behind them to appreciate them.”
The knife, neither too soft nor too hard, was thrust back in. Fan Yu raised an eyebrow, savored it, and chuckled, “I experienced Director You’s prowess firsthand, but now you’re even more impressive.”
“What does the Second Young Master want with me?” You Shulang didn’t want to waste time with small talk and got straight to the point.
Fan Yu pushed the teacup away from the table, rested his elbows on the edge of the table, and asked with a look of curiosity, “I heard you and Fan Xiao broke up? Is it true?”
These words startled You Shulang. Not many people knew about his relationship with Fan Xiao. But now it seemed that Fan Yu was aware of it. You Shulang couldn’t tell whether he found out through Fan Xiao, Shi Lihua, or if the two of them had said it as a joke.
Thinking of this, You Shulang’s face darkened slightly: “Second Young Master, please speak frankly. If you’re going to beat around the bush, you might as well just enjoy the opera.”
Fan Yu pursed his lips, a hint of sinister intent finally surfacing beneath his casual and carefree demeanor: “Alright, then let’s speak frankly.” He glanced at You Shulang, “Fan Xiao tricked you like that, don’t you want revenge?”
When You Shulang received Fan Yu’s call, he had a pretty good idea of what Fan Yu was thinking. He wanted him to be a pawn in the power struggle between the two brothers. So when he heard Fan Yu’s words, You Shulang was not very surprised or astonished.
He withdrew his gaze from the graceful figure in blue on the stage and looked at Fan Yu. After a moment’s pause, he asked, “In your opinion, Second Young Master, how should I take revenge?”
The most unruly spectator on the official’s hat chair laughed and said, “There are countless ways to take revenge, but I can find you the simplest and most convenient one that will allow you to vent your anger and also bring you some benefits.”
“Oh? That’s great! Tell me more, Second Young Master.”
“Don’t you want to ask what benefits you can get first?” Fan Yu knew the tricks of winning people over. He crossed his legs and said, “I heard that you’re selling your house to pay back Fan Xiao’s money.”
He plucked another hawthorn from the bamboo skewer, wincing at its sourness. He chewed it haphazardly a couple of times, his voice muffled: “There’s really no need for all this trouble. Just do as I say, and you’ll get your revenge and this too.”
A check was pushed along the edge of the table: “Enough for you to pay off your brother’s debts, with some left over.”
You Shulang glanced at the number on the check, raised an eyebrow, and looked surprised.
“So much,” he said with a smile. “What does the Second Young Master want me to do?”
“It’s not difficult at all,” Fan Yu shrugged. “It’s just a matter of secretly installing a chip in Fan Xiao’s public computer.”
“And then what will he do? How can I vent my anger?”
“Then you just wait.” Fan Yu raised a finger and twirled it in the air, jokingly imitating the sound of a police siren.
You Shulang’s brows furrowed: “He committed a crime?”
Fan Yu chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.
“Would you feel relieved if he became a prisoner?”
Still reeling from the shock, You Shulang took a deep breath, calmed himself slightly, and turned his gaze back to the stage. He watched the woman in green, her long sleeves flowing, swirling around a peach blossom fan in her hand.
The person is gone, the smoke has already thickened; yellow dust has turned, the red sun rolls in. I fear that eight or nine things in this world are ambiguous, and human relationships are only partially concealed…
The long, mournful recitation conveyed a sense of heartache.
Holding the teacup with his long fingers, You Shulang took a sip of tea, placed the not-so-exquisite porcelain back on the table, and then said, “I’m sorry, Second Young Master, I can’t do it. I have nothing to do with him anymore, please settle your grudges yourselves.”
Fan Yu licked the rock candy residue from the corner of his mouth, still looking confident: “Director You doesn’t seem like the kind of person who doesn’t seek revenge. It seems my bargaining chips aren’t enough.”
He took a cell phone out of his pocket, swiped the screen, and saw several audio messages displayed on it.
Fan Yu looked somewhat smug: “These are all recordings of the third brother. Doesn’t Director You want to hear how he usually discusses you with others?”
“You were listening to him?” You Shulang raised his sharp eyelids.
“Our third son is cautious and shrewd, so we can’t eavesdrop. But we can start with the people around him, like that Shi Lihua.”
“You’re breaking the law!”
“No, no, no.” Fan Yu shook his ten fingers. “The people listening to Shi Lihua were from his family. I just found it interesting that the third brother was keeping a man, so I bought the recording to listen to it.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, you don’t know until you hear it, but our third son has really gone too far. Director You, please listen to this?”
“No need.” You Shulang’s expression suddenly turned cold and stern. “I’m not interested.”
He stood up and said, “Farewell, Second Young Master. I hope you enjoy the opera.”
As she walked out, her long fingers brushed aside the beaded curtain. Before she could even peek out, she heard a familiar male voice behind her.
“What for? It’s just because I’m bored, so I use him to kill time. Once I’m done with him and tired of him, I’ll dump him.”
“Since they’re so ungrateful, let’s coax them back and then dump them decisively!”
Amidst the soft humming, Fan Xiao’s voice reached You Shulang’s ears with exceptional clarity.
Her body suddenly froze! The hand that had lifted the curtain turned and gripped the beaded chain tightly!
The clanging and banging sound rang out, no longer crisp and melodious, but like the prelude to anger, stirring the chest.
“Director You, how can you tolerate this? I couldn’t tolerate it.”
Fan Yu glanced at You Shulang’s stiff back and confidently persuaded, “As far as I know, Fan Xiao is still interested in you. As long as you pretend to make up with him, gain his trust, and then find an opportunity to insert the chip I gave you into his work computer, everything will be fine. You get the money, you get your revenge, and I can bring him down. It’s a good thing for both of us, so why not?”
His fingers loosened, and after the initial anger subsided, only a sense of desolation remained in You Shulang’s heart. No matter how well he knew that Fan Xiao had done and said many evil things about him behind his back, it was nothing compared to hearing it with his own ears—it was shocking and chilling.
The voice that whispered “I love you” a thousand times in my ear now judges me with such cold disdain behind my back.
Those tender words that people cherish, those lips that have been kissed a thousand times, can turn into sharp words that wound the very person who just gave them the most tenderness.
His eyebrows slowly lowered, and even the powerful You Shulang couldn’t help but feel a hint of bitterness in his expression.
He didn’t turn around, but said coldly, “If you like to listen, then keep it to yourself. You and Fan Xiao are brothers, so it’s not surprising that you have some special hobbies.”
Amidst the swaying of the beaded curtain, You Shulang’s silhouette appeared desolate.
After leaving the theater, You Shulang randomly chose a side path in the alley and walked in. Only when there was no one around did he relax his back and lean against the wall.
Spring was approaching, and the wind was still chilly. You Shulang lit a cigarette with his back to the wind, held it between his fingers, and let it hang by his side. He didn’t even think to take a puff until the crimson light was blown out by the wind.
After an unknown amount of time, the iron gate beside us creaked open, and two elderly people with gray hair stepped out. The old couple had gone to buy groceries, and had exchanged a few words over some trivial matter. One complained while the other laughed, but the wind blew it all away, leaving only the two no-longer-young figures slowly walking away hand in hand.
You Shulang’s gaze followed them for a long time until the two turned the corner, then he looked away, took out his phone, and made a call.
It took a long time for the call to connect, and a lazy female voice came from the other end: “What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Bai Ting, can you do me a favor?”
“What kind of help?”
In a moment of silence, You Shulang recalled the audio files on Fan Yu’s phone. Each audio file displayed a recording date, and You Shulang had glanced at them briefly, noticing that the longest one was marked July 14th.
July 14!
You Shulang slowly clenched his fist, the veins on his forehead bulging: “Help me get someone drunk.”
