Male God Chapter 58

Minodayz: Oh My poor heart…. we see our puppy dog depart and I’m feeling so sad!!! I really hate farewell. If I had to title this chapter, it’ll be Farewell and be Well. I won’t spoil it but this is a nice chapter of recollection and farewells for some. We really have come so far with this story…. enjoy, might need tissue box handy if you are anything like me!!!

Don’t forget to check out Tranzgeek’s WASFIL Fanfic event !

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Chapter 58

In the end, Peng Zige finally left. As his classmates were trying to organise Peng Zige’s farewell, Su Zi’s trio received a text message from Peng Zige.

The usually rambunctious chatterbox, Peng Zige, left behind only four words upon his departure.

[Leaving now. Good-bye.]

Goodbye.

Hope to see you again.

With Peng Zige’s departure, the group of three fell into a long period of low spirits. When Su Zi had received Peng Zige’s text message, she had bawled her eyes out there and then. She cried so much that Li Erqin, who was sitting beside her trying to console her, in turn had frantically downed two bottles of water. That resulted in her having to make a mad rush to the toilet right before the evening self-study class.

After her bout of crying, Su Zi’s voice had become all hoarse, her nose was blocked and she spoke labouredly and with a heaviness. “So, Erqin, why in the world did you have to go and drink so much water?”

Li Erqin rubbed her hands. She had washed them so many times that day that they were dry and rough. “When I saw you crying this afternoon, I felt that you might dry and shrivel up at any moment.”

Su Zi was at an utter loss for words.

Rong Si, who was behind them, sighed.
(Minodayz : I’m laughing hard even as I’m breaking up from PZG’s departure but LEQ, even RS sighs! Hahahahaha)

Su Zi inquired, “If that was the case, then I would have been the one shrivelling up, so why did you have to drink so much water then?”

“I couldn’t resist….”

Time always seem to go by faster than most people would have expected. By the time Li Erqin noticed that Su Zi had slowly recovered her smile, and with their regular news updates from Peng Zige, they found themselves almost at the end of the second semester of their second year.

It was also the time for the high school third years to take their University Entrance Exams.

The early summer days were dry and hot.

On the first day of the University Entrance Exams, students in the second year were on exam break. Li Erqin had arranged to meet up with Rong Si and Su Zi at the library in the city centre. After the driver had dropped Li Zhengwen at the office, he had turned around to fetch Li Erqin as instructed.

After the violent incident at her school campus, Li Zhengwen had appeared on the surface not to have voiced any opinions on the matter. However, it was clear that Li Erqin’s personal safety had now risen to the level of Code Red *national security.
(TN: 草木皆兵 caomujiebing – literally soldiers (enemies) behind every grass and tree, to see threats everywhere and feel beleaguered.)

Li Erqin could only sit in the back of the car, propping her chin as she looked out the car window.

She happened to see a boy running in a hurry along the side of the road under the shade of the trees.

Ruan Mingxian?

Li Erqin quickly wound down her window and hollered out to him, “RUAN MINGXIAN!”

Ruan Mingxian had been running until his brain was rather addled. When he heard someone call his name from out of the blue, he unconsciously turned his head but didn’t slow down his running pace.

He swept a quick glance around and finally spotted Li Erqin in the backseat of a black car.

He waved at her as he carried on running, and he still had on his trademark smile as he said, “Hey! Long time no see!”

Li Erqin asked the driver to slow down and move closer to Ruan Mingxian. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking your University Entrance Exams?”

Ruan Mingxian nodded. “Yup. I’m rushing towards the examination centre now.”

Li Erqin took in the time. “You’re almost late already. I’ll give you a ride.”

Ruan Mingxian did not stand on ceremony. “Is that alright?”

Li Erqin nodded. “Quick, get in, we aren’t allowed to stop here.”

When Ruan Mingxian got in the car, Li Erqin handed him a bottle of water from the fridge in the car.
(Minodayz : i suppose the car LEQ is a HUGE car with minibar!)

Ruan Mingxian guzzled down a few mouthfuls before regaining the strength to speak. “Thanks.”

Li Erqin looked at him oddly.

Ruan Mingxian elaborated, “This morning Nuonuo was having diarrhoea and vomiting so I had to take care of her.”

“Is she better now?”

Ruan Mingxian knitted his brows and shook his head. “I’m not too sure.”

Li Erqin surveyed Ruan Mingxian’s face and asked, “Do you need my help?”

Ruan Mingxian was rather taken aback.

“If you are really worried, I can help take care of Ruan Nuonuo.” Li Erqin gave her best friendly smile. “The main thing is that this doesn’t affect your exams.”

Ruan Mingxian handed her the keys and address to his place. With sincere gratitude, he profusely expressed his thanks, “Thanks so much. I’m really very grateful.”

As the car gradually approached the school main gate, Li Erqin looked out the window before saying to Ruan Mingxian, “All the best, fighting! Wish you success!”

A smile curled up on Ruan Mingxian’s face. “Of course.”

＊＊＊

Having seen Ruan Mingxian disappear into the crowd, Li Erqin sent Rong Si a text message before instructing the driver to head towards the address Ruan Mingxian had given her.

Ruan Nuonuo had eaten something that had upset her stomach. It’s very common in summer time for people to get gastroenteritis. All the hot BBQ food and ice-cold watermelon that pair together so well also happen to be a lethal combination for those who can’t handle it.

Li Erqin had accompanied Ruan Nuonuo to a clinic near her place, and Ruan Nuonuo was put on a drip. Ruan Nuonuo’s complexion was pale as she laid on the bed sleeping. Meanwhile, Li Erqin had taken out her revision worksheets and was writing and working out some calculations in between checking up on Ruan Nuonuo.

Rong Si was walking behind Su Zi, and his nose took in the smell of disinfectant. As he took a turn into the entrance of the room at the end of the corridor, he saw Li Erqin with her head down writing on her revision worksheets.

Suddenly he recalled the day he had met Li Erqin for the very first time.

The weather was almost similar to this day, humid, and the hot smell of green grass mingled with the smell of disinfectant. Li Erqin had been unwell and as a result, was even paler than normal. Her attention was single-mindedly fixed on the swelling at the back of her hand.

Who knew how long she had been staring at it.

He couldn’t help but call out to alert her, only to receive an unexpected reply.

What Rong Si hadn’t anticipated then was all the unexpected events that would happen thereafter. Just like how he had never even considered that he would be in a relationship with anyone.

However, when you like someone, you like someone. He tried to resist but couldn’t hold it back. He tried to hide and conceal it but found that he couldn’t bury it either.

Might as well let it be then.

During the last summer vacation, Rong Si had gone with his dad on an expedition into some harsh environment. At one point, he had leaned on his sweat-stained backpack and asked his dad a question that he had been mulling over for a long time.

“If there is a love that has no chance of being reciprocated, how long can that love survive?”

Rong Si had inherited his father’s (MG) good looks and fair skin. It was only that at this moment, his father’s face was covered with dirt.

Rong Si’s dad turned back to face his son, not knowing when he had grown up so much to begin thinking about questions on relationships. He noticed the shadow of facial hair on his chin, a beginning of a beard. However, the one thing that hadn’t changed from his memory of Rong Si was his calm, remote expression.

He gave Rong Si a smile.

He was also one who wasn’t given to being expressive, but on those rare occasions when he did smile, it brought an especial gentleness to his mien.

Rong Si’s dad reminisced on his life and patted Rong Si’s head, replying, “A long time.”

Rong Si silently watched his father.

“I’ve loved your mum since I was 16.” Rong Si’s dad adjusted his position and laid down to look up at the star-filled night, “right ‘til this day.”

Rong Si was speechless as he raised his hand to cover his eyes. In regards to his parents, they had never tried to keep him in the dark. Their relationship was estranged, and his mum did not love his dad. His mum had someone else whom she loved dearly. Over time, there was no changing the fact that she loved someone else and the love was getting stronger and stronger every day, until finally there wasn’t any possibility of her staying together with his dad.

“Is it tiring?” Rong Si suddenly asked.

“No.” He remembered those early days in the relationship with Rong Si’s mum and couldn’t resist the corners of his lips lifting up into a smile. “It was beautiful.”

“But mum doesn’t love you.”

“In any relationship, there is no way to force the issue.” Rong Si’s dad finished organising his bag and laid down beside Rong Si. “Your mum has never cheated on me during our time together. She tried her best to fall in love with me. The rest was my own choice. Whether it was to leave her or to carry on loving her.”

“I always thought you would both divorce really quickly.”

“We won’t.”

“Why is that?”

In the still of the night, the chirps from the crickets broke through the quietness to ring loudly in one’s ears, but there was yet another sound that cut through the night and was clearly heard: his own father’s sigh.

In all these years, his father had traversed the world because of his work, but he had never revealed such an expression before. On this night though, Rong Si very clearly heard his father sigh, a sigh that carried with it heartaches and hurt.

Finally he replied, “That’s because all her hopes and dreams for her future were buried in the ground along with that person.”

“Rong Si!” Li Erqin’s surprised exclamation brought him back from his reverie.

He once again looked at his little chit of a girl. She was so delicate her features could seem somewhat cold and indifferent. When she was expressionless, her lips would gently arch down, and when she smiled, her eyes would gleam with the brilliance of stars. Most of the time her face was all stubbornness, and then there was the occasional blush that seemed to have escaped her control.

He walked to her side and quietly asked, “How’s Ruan Nuonuo doing?”

Li Erqin shook her head. “It’s quite serious. She has to be on the drip for three days.”

Su Zi looked up at the IV (Intravenous) bottle and then lowered her head to ask Li Erqin, “How did you come to be with Ruan Nuonuo?”

Li Erqin honestly replied, “On the way to the library, I chanced upon a frantically running Ruan Mingxian.”

Su Zi made a surprised expression. “That’s right. Ruan Mingxian is taking the University Entrance Exams today. Did he look frazzled?”

Li Erqin took a moment to recollect. “Not really. It’s just that he looked to be rather worn out from running.”

Rong Si laughed.

“What are you laughing about?” Li Erqin turned back to ask.

Rong Si touched his nose.

Su Zi sat opposite of Li Erqin. “Just now, we went past the neighbouring school and saw all these parents and guardians waiting outside the school gate. I was overcome with a strange sense of nervousness and anxiety.”

“There’s still a year to go,” Li Erqin said.

Su Zi reiterated, “Only a year to go.”

Li Erqin replied, “I feel nervous and anxious now too.”

Rong Si was beyond words.

＊＊＊

After the University Entrance Exams were over, Ruan Mingxian finally made a call to Li Erqin, intending to invite her out for a meal. However he was deterred by Li Erqin’s “Can I bring Rong Si along?”. Some time later, when he had received his notice of admission to University, he made another call to her.

It was a hot summer’s afternoon, and Li Erqin was eating a watermelon as she worked on the assignment that Rong Si had set for her. Then she unexpectedly received Ruan Mingxian’s call.

The normally carefree Ruan Mingxian spoke with excitement in his voice. “Li Erqin, I’ve been accepted!”

Li Erqin was sincerely happy for him. “Congrats!”

“It’s the University of my choice.”

Li Erqin once again offered a “Congrats indeed.”

Ruan Mingxian was reserved for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”

Li Erqin was confused. “What’s to thank?”

“For giving me a ride to the examination centre that day and taking care of Ruan Nuonuo.”

Li Erqin smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

“Li Erqin.”

“Yup?”

“I like you.”

It was still the same Ruan Mingxian who would take any opportunity to confess his feelings.
(Minodayz : I love RMX – seriously! He is sooooo steadfast and willing to put his heart out there time and again!!! I want to find someone good for you. Maybe I’ll have to fanfic a story for you my knight.)

Li Erqin felt that on such a happy occasion it wasn’t right to dash Ruan Mingxian’s happy mood, so after some consideration she spoke, “Thank you for liking me.”

It was still the same Li Erqin who would take every opportunity to reject Ruan Mingxian, although this time it was a gentle let down.

From the other end of the receiver came the sounds of Ruan Mingxian walking back and forth, his slippers making a scuffing sound on the floor.

When he spoke next, there was a hint of seriousness in his tone of voice. “You do know, right, that for me to like someone who doesn’t like me back is pretty pathetic. How about this, can you give me a reason why you don’t like me?”

Li Erqin replied without any hesitation, “I like Rong Si.”

“This I know.”

“I will continue to like Rong Si.”

Ruan Mingxian was quiet for a moment. “…and what else?”

“I don’t like you.”

Ruan Mingxian felt like his chest was battered with a thousand hammers. He felt stifled and hurt, but still he wasn’t able to change how his heart felt.

Sighing, he laughed at himself. “Forget it.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Ruan Mingxian swapped the phone to his other hand. “That’s it then. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

Ruan Mingxian had come to the end of his high school life. However, there was still no end to his teenage love, the kind of love that comes out from nowhere, has no reason to it and is solely confined to the two people in question and no one else.

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MInodayz Musing:

LEQ you are such a darling girl. Your compassionate heart is why RS & RMX love you to bits. I really enjoyed Rong Si’s reflection and the insight to RS and his parents. RS’s dad candor and his chat with RS does show maturity and depth of love. To finally end with RMX and his ‘final’ shot with LEQ, and still he acknowledges that his love wasn’t something he could reason nor question, it was just love. I find that beautiful even though my heart goes out for RMX. I like that he doesn’t pressure her nor get angry ~ he keeps on loving her his own way. What a guy!!!! I hope you’ll always stay friends with LEQ, but I sure want to find someone for you. Maybe in University – someone rather different from LEQ yet feisty and able to challenge you and keep you on your toes but would cherish all the love when you chose to give it to her….hmmmmm!!!!! I’m plotting! LOL

OH MY GOODNESS – 1more chapters to the end of this story and then we have 2 epilogues!!!! I hate farewells!!!! Might have to dig out the tissue box soon!!!!

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Translator: Minodayz
Editor: maripaz

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