Chapter 164: Secondary CP extra
Late in the afternoon, Nan Shan was writing yellow talismans, one after another, without stopping.
Master found it strange, pacing around the room with his hands behind his back, eyes fixed on his disciple. Finally, he couldn’t help but speak, “Nan Shan, you’ve been writing all afternoon; take a break; we don’t need so many.”
Nan Shan didn’t look up; the tip of the brush was suspended over the yellow paper with a drop of cinnabar ink.
He smiled and said, “There’s nothing else to do anyway. Writing more, we can give some to the neighbors to ward off evil.”
How strange.
Master found it odd, no matter how he looked at it. This kid was not usually so diligent. He usually fooled around during training and only drew talismans when told to, only being serious when performing exorcisms. Recently, he seemed to be creating tasks for himself.
“Have some tea.” Master specifically brought a cup of tea to Nan Shan and placed it in front of him, “Drink it.”
Only then did Nan Shan look up and say, “Thank you, Master.” He said that and then drank the tea in one gulp.
After a while, Nan Shan realized, frowning and pursing his lips, “So bitter…”
“You do realize, huh?” Master sat in his second-hand Tai Shi chair and said, “I thought you were so dedicated to promoting Daoism that you couldn’t even taste sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy anymore.”
Nan Shan was momentarily at a loss for words and put down the brush in his hand.
“Tell me, what’s bothering you?” Master looked like he had a supernatural understanding, just waiting for Nan Shan to complain.
“Nothing.” He answered quickly.
Unexpectedly, his lips were so tight. Master shook his head and said, “You can’t fool me, Nan Shan. You’ve grown up by my side. I can tell what you’re thinking from just one expression. Don’t forget, even your name was given by me.”
Nan Shan was silent for a few seconds, then smiled as usual and said, “Really, it’s nothing. Just haven’t been feeling well recently. Drawing talismans calms my mind.”
“Calm your mind, my foot.” Master got up from the Tai Shi chair and put his hands behind his back again, “Go out and have some fun. You’re so young and yet so worried. Look at the beautiful weather outside; don’t sulk. Go out and have fun. There’s no work now. Come back if there’s anything.”
Just as Nan Shan was about to refuse, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Both the master and the disciple were puzzled.
Master muttered, “No client appointment today.”
“I’ll go see who’s at the door.” Nan Shan said, then walked straight to the entrance.
The doorbell had rung only once. Nan Shan thought it might be someone at the wrong address, but he opened the door anyway. To his surprise, standing at the door was Wu You.
Wu You was wearing a clean, soft white hoodie with the hood up. His hand, stretched out, was about to press the bell again but stopped when he saw Nan Shan. He then said, “You really live here.”
Only then did Nan Shan remember that he hadn’t told Wu You his address. But in the previous timeline, Wu You had been here once.
Although the altar no longer existed in their current timeline, and the world had undergone significant changes within the industry, he and his master’s studio address hadn’t changed much, still in the same old apartment building, just on a different floor.
But he was still a bit surprised that Wu You would come to find him.
“Why did you suddenly come to find me?” Nan Shan was so surprised that he forgot to invite Wu You in, leaving them both standing awkwardly at the door.
“Can’t I come?” Wu You lifted his thin eyelids slightly. With his hat on, his eyes looked particularly large.
“That’s not what I meant…” Nan Shan was about to explain when Master walked out from inside.
“Oh, this kid is so cute.” Master smiled like Maitreya Buddha, his face full of kindness, “Kid, you look quite young. Who are you looking for? Encountered some supernatural event?”
Cute—those words already hit Wu You’s sore spot, Nan Shan thought.
Better not let Master say too much, lest Wu You get upset.
Nan Shan pressed his hands on Master’s shoulders, intending to send him back, “Master, you should…”
Unexpectedly, Wu You obediently bowed, “Hello, Master, my name is Wu You. I’ll be seventeen soon.”
Nan Shan was stunned, wondering why Wu You had changed his temperament today.
Wu You straightened up, his usual stern face showing a rare smile, and directed at Nan Shan’s Master, “I’m here to see Nan Shan.”
“Is that so?” Nan Shan’s Master turned his head and gave Nan Shan a look.
Nan Shan’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, “You came to see me, is there something?”
Wu You looked directly at Master, “Can I take him out for a while, Master?”
“Of course you can.” Nan Shan’s Master cheerfully pushed Nan Shan out and said to Wu You, “Just as well, Nan Shan hasn’t been himself all day, so listless. Take him out for a walk.”
Then he gave Nan Shan a slap on the back and said, “Cheer up.”
Nan Shan straightened his back and left the apartment with Wu You.
Wu You didn’t speak in the elevator, and Nan Shan thought he might be upset about something. As soon as they stepped out of the apartment, they were greeted by a sky full of fiery clouds. This city was either raining or smoggy, and good weather was rare. The sunset generously poured over the bustling avenue and glass curtain walls, and the artificial reflection made the city’s twilight even more dazzling.
Wu You always walked quickly, hands in pockets, hat on his head, looking like the most burdened child in the world.
Nan Shan quickened his pace, almost catching up to walk side by side with Wu You. But just then, Wu You stopped, turned back, and complained, “You walk so slowly.”
They approached each other with tacit understanding, one tall, one short, walking side by side.
“What’s wrong?” Nan Shan’s voice was low yet gentle, slightly lowering his head to look at him, “Did something bother you?”
Just moments ago, his master was asking about his troubles, but the moment he saw Wu You, he only wanted to solve Wu You’s worries and make him happy.
Wu You kept his head down, staring at their overlapping shadows on the ground, not speaking.
He knew he was doing something suspicious, asking Nan Shan out without talking to him, as if he was deliberately teasing him.
But he just couldn’t say it.
They crossed a street.
“You…” / “I…”
They both started speaking at the same time, then awkwardly stopped.
“You go first.” Nan Shan smiled at him.
Wu You noticed an iron bench nearby, so he walked over and sat down. Seeing Nan Shan sit beside him but keeping a 20-centimeter distance, he spoke softly, “I… I failed my midterm exams this time. After the holiday, the teacher is going to hold a parent-teacher meeting. I don’t want my parents to go.”
Nan Shan smiled, “You don’t want them to know?”
Wu You lifted his eyes slightly and nodded.
“So what should we do?”
Wu You was silent for a moment, feeling like Nan Shan understood and was deliberately guiding him to say it, but he also thought this idea was strange. Nan Shan wouldn’t do that.
“Can you go to the parent-teacher meeting for me?” Wu You raised his head and looked into his eyes.
The glow of the sunset fell entirely on Nan Shan, making even his plain, old Daoist robe look radiant, just like his smile.
“Is that okay? Won’t it be discovered?”
“It won’t.” Wu You tugged at the strings on his hoodie, “No one will tell my parents, and they are very busy recently.”
During the last gathering, Nan Shan had subtly learned a lot about Wu You’s family. He was worried, fearing Wu You might have the same experiences as he did, but fortunately, Wu You told him his parents were good people, just very busy and tired, so he was often home alone. Despite this, it was already much better than his previous days.
He was an only child, but his parents were very old, and they didn’t look much like him. Wu You had guessed that he might not be their biological child, but that didn’t matter. To Wu You, having a pair of parents who loved him was already a great fortune, and blood ties didn’t count for much.
“This time, it was my mistake. I don’t want them to know, afraid they’d worry.” Wu You lowered his brows and eyes, the sunset casting shadows on his lower eyelids through his lashes, “If they knew I regressed, they’d be very disappointed.”
Nan Shan looked at him as if he were a well-behaved kitten. He didn’t want the little kitten to be unhappy, so he smiled, “What should I pretend to be then? If the teacher asks.”
Wu You raised his head, still slightly frowning, “You agreed?”
Nan Shan nodded, “Of course, I’ll agree to anything you ask.” After saying this, Nan Shan suddenly felt he had expressed too much, so he nonchalantly brought the topic back, “You haven’t answered me yet, what should I pretend to be?”
Wu You thought for a moment and said awkwardly, “Brother… I guess.”
After he said that, he felt his ears heating up, “I can’t say you’re my dad; no one would believe that.”
Nan Shan laughed, “Being your dad is definitely out of the question, I wouldn’t take advantage like that.” He looked down and noticed his fingertips were stained with cinnabar. He rubbed his fingers and wiped away the mark, “So, brother it is.”
“I’ll send you the time and address later,” Wu You said, “Remember to come.”
“Of course, I’ll set an alarm.” Nan Shan smiled, “And I’ll take the opportunity to see if there are any ghosts or monsters at your school.”
Wu You looked at Nan Shan’s profile. He had expected Nan Shan to agree quickly, without much effort, not even needing to beg him. After all, he wasn’t as troublesome as Shen Ti—not difficult at all.
But he agreed too quickly, not giving him a chance to say more.
Actually, even if I said more, I wouldn’t know what to say.
Wu You thought a lot and couldn’t help but say, “Let me treat you to something since you agreed to help me.”
Nan Shan looked at him and said, “Let me treat you. I recently took on a big job, a wealthy man hired me to do feng shui for him. Actually, I don’t like doing feng shui, but I couldn’t resist, he paid too much.”
He said it so earnestly that Wu You wanted to laugh.
“I’ll treat you.” Nan Shan looked at him, once again showing that persuasive look, making it hard for Wu You to refuse.
Nan Shan smiled and asked him, “What do you want to eat?”
Wu You looked up, “Cotton candy.”
“That simple?” Nan Shan tugged at the string of his hoodie and said, “You can have a big meal.”
“I want cotton candy,” Wu You said.
Nan Shan didn’t try to persuade him otherwise and took Wu You around looking for a place selling cotton candy. Finally, they saw a small stall under an old virtual cinema, selling the most traditional cotton candy. The elderly man running the stall held a wooden stick, winding it around the machine that spun out the sugar strands, slowly rolling out a cloud-sized candy.
There were many people in line. Nan Shan told Wu You he’d stand in line, letting him wander around, but Wu You refused and stood by his side, keeping him company.
In front of them was a punk-styled couple. As they talked, they suddenly started kissing.
Wu You saw their tightly pressed lips and the vaguely visible entwining tongues, and his face suddenly felt like it was being pricked by many needles at once. He blinked quickly and lowered his head slightly.
He didn’t know how Nan Shan reacted, only that when he lowered his head, he accidentally saw Nan Shan’s clenched hand.
It seemed like everything was a hint, but maybe it was just a hint.
Finally, it was almost their turn. The sky suddenly started to rain, with large raindrops falling, staining Wu You’s white hoodie with gray spots. Strangely, the sky filled with sunset didn’t darken.
It was a sun shower.
The boy in the couple cursed the weather, and the vendor moved the stall further inside, handing them a pink cotton candy, then asked Nan Shan what flavor he wanted.
Nan Shan pulled Wu You by the arm, taking him under the cinema’s eaves, and told the vendor, “One strawberry flavor, one original flavor.”
The vendor quickly started making the new ones.
“I didn’t say I wanted strawberry flavor,” Wu You muttered softly.
“I remember you like strawberries,” Nan Shan wiped a raindrop from his face, “You don’t like it?”
Wu You slightly raised his head, staring at Nan Shan’s face.
When he smiled, it always gave an unreliable impression. Actually, it was a very handsome face, but it looked lazy, as if he hadn’t slept well, with no aggressiveness, no ambition, and no survival instinct. And most of the time, Nan Shan was smiling, as if he were a very happy person.
In rare moments, his face didn’t have a smile, his brow showed a sense of oppression, and his light-colored pupils revealed a hint of melancholy, which was very uncommon, like now.
“…I like it.” Wu You answered him belatedly.
Nan Shan’s mouth curled up, “That’s good. If the strawberry flavor isn’t good, you can have the original one.”
“Okay.”
While talking, the vendor had already made the two cotton candies and handed them to them, “If you like it, come again next time; I have many flavors.”
“Thank you.” Nan Shan took them and gave the pink one to Wu You. The sun shower didn’t stop; the pink cloud floated behind Wu You, held in his hand.
Wu You took a bite, eyes on Nan Shan, watching his lips touch the pure white cotton candy, biting off a piece, the sugar strands sticking to his teeth and lips, which Nan Shan used his tongue to lick back.
“Is it good?” Nan Shan also looked at him, noticing the pink sugar melting at Wu You’s mouth corner, even sticking to his cheek. Instinctively, he raised his hand, wiping it off with his warm fingertip, and said, “You got it all over your face, you’re really a kid.”
After wiping it clean, he touched Wu You’s clean face with his fingers.
Suddenly, Nan Shan was stunned, as if realizing his action was too intimate, not knowing what to say for a moment, just wanting to withdraw his hand.
But this time, he didn’t succeed in retreating.
Because Wu You grabbed his wrist.
Simply holding the cotton candy, the child, who habitually disguised himself, hiding all emotions, stopped his retreat.
Nan Shan was a bit surprised, but also had a sense of fate.
It seemed he always knew this day would come; he just tried to delay it, delaying until he felt he could speak out.
Too early would mean rashness, irresponsibility, and impropriety; he didn’t want to use his age advantage to manipulate an immature mind.
This was just one aspect.
Nan Shan feared a beginning.
He wasn’t particularly charming, maybe in a place like a shrine, what he learned could still be shown off, but now, if he stepped out, he’d most likely be called a “charlatan.”
Once it started, it might lead to disappointment, and after disappointment, it might lead to leaving.
He was someone abandoned since birth.
“I forgot to bring my medicine,” Nan Shan smiled, trying to break the atmosphere, “If I faint by the roadside, it’ll be troublesome, I’ll have to…”
“Nan Shan.” Wu You looked straight at him, with clear eyes filled with determination, doubt, and panic, like a student urgently seeking answers, knowing he might not get full marks, but just wanting to know.
“The morning of the last cycle, what didn’t you finish saying?”
Wu You’s eyes flickered, still holding his hand.
“You said if we could see the sun on October 25th, you’d tell me.”
