WT Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Family. No one can take you away from me.

Wen Shixi thought that once he became an adult, he would no longer be a child and could drink with his brother and go to many places together.

“Isn’t it still early?” Jiang Quanyu’s voice was the same as always, steady with a hint of extremely doting coaxing: “I still have time to think about it slowly. If you want something, just tell me, anything is fine.”

Wen Shixi smiled as he got into the car that would take him home.

“Anything is fine?”

“Of course, anything is fine.” Jiang Quanyu said, “Because Wen Shixi’s eighteenth birthday only comes once.”

The warm sun reflected on the car window, casting a halo of light.

Seven years of nurturing meant that Wen Shixi’s entire heart could only be shaped like one person.

But that day, the driver didn’t drive the car directly home. Instead, he obeyed orders and took Wen Shixi to a municipal hospital.

This was the first time Wen Shixi had seen the people in the hospital ward. His uncle told him that the two middle-aged men and women with faces full of vicissitudes and wearing hospital gowns were his biological parents.

A woman with years of kidney failure and a man working in a gravel processing plant suffering from pneumoconiosis. Two gaunt, hunched figures, two pairs of dry hands covered with fine lines.

Old, yellowed hospital gowns, an old-fashioned mobile phone with buttons, hard steamed buns and pickles. Everything was placed in that chaotic multi-person ward, filled with the heartache and hardship that Wen Shixi hadn’t faced for many years.

His small complaints from when he was young, in the face of such a reality, were like sand instantly weathered away, disappearing without a trace.

Wen Shixi couldn’t say a word.

He was wearing expensive school uniform from a noble school, his fingers were white and clean, and he couldn’t even begin to think about why his parents would abandon him.

Jiang Lian didn’t say anything, but the huge gap made Wen Shixi instantly understand that it wasn’t that the Jiang family was stingy with their love for him, but that without that blood relationship that went deep into the bone marrow, he and the people in that old house belonged to two different worlds.

After returning home, Jiang Quanyu noticed that Wen Shixi was in a bad mood, and had the servants make beautiful pastries in various ways. After Wen Shixi saw them, his face became even more unpleasant.

Late that night, Wen Shixi knocked on Jiang Quanyu’s door.

He seemed to have made a great decision, his face, which had shed its childishness, was filled with seriousness, and he solemnly asked: “If I grow into an excellent adult, can I become your real family, brother?”

Wen Shixi was smart enough to guess why Jiang Lian had taken him to the hospital.

Perhaps soon, he would have to leave the Jiang family.

But as long as he put in enough effort, went abroad to study, and participated in competitions, he would one day become a pianist like Jiang Yan.

He could always remove the title of adopted son, and also step on the humbleness and desolation he saw today, becoming an independent “Wen Shixi”.

That way, even if he wasn’t Jiang Quanyu’s real brother, he should still be able to continue to be Jiang Quanyu’s family, and be gazed at with that kind of gaze.

Everything would not change, as long as he could do better.

Words like “poverty” or “future” were not something worth being confused or afraid of for a boy of this age.

Wen Shixi thought for a long time, and the only fear was being separated from Jiang Quanyu.

For a long time, there had only been Jiang Quanyu in his life. Even if he knew that Jiang Quanyu wasn’t his real brother, he had lived in this family for too long, like a parasite.

To him, Jiang Quanyu was his family beyond blood, the blood he had to draw, the nourishment he relied on to live, and even the mucous membrane that had been attached to him since before he was born.

He couldn’t leave Jiang Quanyu, and it was impossible for him to leave Jiang Quanyu.

He had to cling to “brother,” like a dark, invisible dodder vine, entwining and relying on Jiang Quanyu’s life, guarding the feeling of being needed that only Jiang Quanyu could give him.

He had to be Jiang Quanyu’s brother.

At that time, Jiang Quanyu stood inside the door, his expression containing a hint of helplessness, and said in a low voice: “It seems that my Shixi has really grown up, and has begun to think about becoming an excellent adult.”

Wen Shixi lowered his head, his hands gently clasped together.

Then, he raised his head and asked cautiously.

“Brother, will we always live together?”

Perhaps Wen Shixi himself didn’t remember, but he had asked Jiang Quanyu many times like this childish question since he was a child.

Jiang Quanyu’s answer was as always.

“Of course, I said, no one can take you away from me.”

Whether it was a promise or an exaggeration, the not-yet-adult Wen Shixi couldn’t tell.

From that day on, Wen Shixi suddenly became busy.

His rebellious period seemed to have come a little late, like a madman, covering his heart that was both inferior and arrogant.

Jiang Quanyu could give him many things, but Wen Shixi didn’t need most of them.

He believed that people shouldn’t be greedy, so apart from Jiang Quanyu’s concern, he could work hard for everything else himself.

He was willing to exchange all the shares for the concern he wanted, so that maybe he wouldn’t lose it.

Students of that age seemed to be very silly. Wen Shixi didn’t understand what class differences were, and only foolishly thought that as long as he worked hard enough, he could get everything he wanted.

Although he had no feelings, Wen Shixi still secretly sneaked to the hospital again.

He handed over his pocket money to his unfamiliar parents and helped them pay off the medical expenses they owed.

But the monthly expenses required by the two were a deep abyss that could not be filled at all.

Even if Wen Shixi took out all his pocket money, it wouldn’t be enough at all if he didn’t ask Jiang Quanyu.

Although it was the college entrance examination season, the students in noble schools never needed to be nervous.

Wen Shixi had submitted his application to study at the Vienna Conservatory of Music early on, and was only waiting for the day to go through the formalities.

Waiting for the eve of studying abroad, Wen Shixi discussed with his friends in the class and worked part-time at the restaurant run by his friend’s family, and exchanged all the useless but expensive things that belonged to him for money.

He hid it from everyone because he absolutely couldn’t let Jiang Quanyu know about the world he should have existed in.

Wen Shixi lied that he was taking extra classes at school, stayed in his classmate’s restaurant until night, and then took the subway back to school, tiredly climbing into the special car that Jiang Quanyu had arranged for him.

His classmates thought Wen Shixi was like a fool. He was so good at playing the piano, he could earn more money by going to performances anywhere.

But Wen Shixi listened, but refused, saying: “No way.”

He had promised Jiang Quanyu that he would only play the piano for Jiang Quanyu.

He didn’t belong to himself, he only belonged to Jiang Quanyu.

However, under the reminder of his friends, Wen Shixi found several piano tutoring jobs.

The hourly fee for tutoring was much higher than that of a cashier, and because most of the time was on weekends, it was less likely to be discovered by Jiang Quanyu.

He was busy and had no direction, but sometimes late at night, he would carefully plan his future.

In those fantasies, even he himself didn’t realize that every picture he imagined had Jiang Quanyu’s figure.

Wen Shixi’s results in various international piano competitions in China were very good. After several discussions with the school teacher, he privately changed the school he was going to study abroad from the Vienna Conservatory of Music to the Aubervilliers National Conservatory of Music in Paris.

He had seen news online that Jiang Quanyu’s mother was once a resident soprano at the Carnier Opera House in Paris.

The Aubervilliers National Conservatory of Music has a lot of cooperation with local orchestras. If possible, he might be able to serve as an accompanist at the Paris Opera.

Wen Shixi knew that if he begged, Jiang Quanyu would definitely send him there in person.

Wen Shixi wanted to tell Jiang Quanyu there that he was very grateful to Jiang Quanyu for his years of training, and that he had already thought about his future path.

Moreover, he really wanted to be with his brother forever.

He didn’t want this sentence to be a joke to coax a child anymore, but a serious and solemn promise.

However, on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, Wen Shixi realized how ridiculous his younger self was.

Before going home that day, Wen Shixi had made the last call with Jiang Quanyu.

In the phone call, Jiang Quanyu said that he had already booked all the trips to Antarctica, and as for the gift, he would open it and see it after Wen Shixi came back.

After Wen Shixi returned home, he trotted all the way to Jiang Quanyu’s study to find someone.

He brushed past his uncle at the door and greeted him with a smile.

Then, he stepped into the dim room.

The study was not lit, only the desk lamp was on, quietly illuminating a corner of the room.

The application to study abroad that had been forcibly withdrawn was spread out on the desk. Jiang Quanyu sat behind the wide desk, his face sinking in a shadow, his expression was the darkness that Wen Shixi had never seen before.

Wen Shixi stood in front of the desk, picked up the paper documents on the desk, looked at them, his gaze flickered and moved to Jiang Quanyu’s face.

Wen Shixi didn’t understand: “Why did you cancel my application to study abroad?”

At this time, Jiang Quanyu had been immersed in the company for many years. The dignity and sharpness on his body were not concealed, and his eyes were as dark as an abyss.

Jiang Quanyu’s expression was indifferent, and he opened his mouth slowly.

“Shixi, you can’t go to Paris.”