Chapter 8 Dusk is Coming 03
After the Kongming lantern confession, the relationship between Yao Yizhou and I became subtle, and even the atmosphere when I was with him became subtle. There were always some people who made jokes about me and Yao Yizhou, which made me feel very embarrassed. Such obvious ridicule really made me not know what to do, and I began to hesitate whether I should agree to Yao Yizhou's confession.
Yao Yizhou was very casual about other people's teasing. His eyebrows and eyes were as gentle as the lake water that could not be melted. The tone of his voice when he spoke to me was still so gentle: "Xiao Ya, now everyone knows that I like you, so don't bother to compete with me. You have to consider me first no matter what."
I looked into Yao Yizhou's eyes and suddenly found his eyes extremely gentle and sparkling like the Kongming lantern flying high in the night sky that night, but his expression was a little childish, as if he was asking for forgiveness for having made a mistake, which made my thoughts of rejecting him that I had finally brought up several times disappear completely.
Helplessly, I could only bite the bullet and accept everyone's teasing. As time went by, I no longer felt it was abrupt, and I could even casually agree with everyone. Habits are really terrible things. The people and things that I originally planned to reject have become habits that cannot be changed or rejected over time.
Many times, when I think of Yao Yizhou, I find that I have become accustomed to his company without realizing it. Whenever someone mentions him, I can't help but smile. Although I often try to restrain myself from thinking about it, even though I know everything very well and I know that I shouldn't sink into this state of consciousness, many things are quietly changing and are completely out of my control.
I thought I still had a lot of time to spend with Yao Yizhou. I could think slowly and let go of my pride and worries. However, I didn't expect that the long river of time would be so hasty and cruel.
I can still remember that day, which was September 21st. There was a slight breeze and the temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. It was supposed to be a sunny day, but what happened that day is something I will never forget in my life, and it has become a pain that is suppressed in my heart forever.
After class that afternoon, I said goodbye to Yao Yizhou and went home. However, when I got home in a good mood, I found that the door of my house was open, many strangers gathered in the living room, and my stepmother was crying on the sofa.
Her face looked haggard, and the person sitting next to her kept comforting her. I was a little confused for a moment, but didn't know how to ask, so I could only stand aside and listen carefully to what those people I didn't know were saying.
"Where on earth would Xiaoye go? He is so young, where can he go?"
The stepmother kept crying and mumbling, and the woman sitting next to her comforted her softly, but the stepmother was almost in a state of collapse, and the woman next to her could only say some reassuring words to reassure her: "It's okay, your old Wen has taken many people out to look for him, don't worry, Xiaoye will definitely be found. Xiaoye is a lucky person, and he will be fine. Besides, children just like to play, and he probably won't go too far."
Although I didn't hear clearly what my stepmother and the woman next to her said, I still understood what happened, and immediately asked anxiously, "What happened to my brother?"
My stepmother looked up at me, sobbing softly with tears in her eyes, and said, "Xiaoya, Xiaoye left home after leaving a letter. He said he didn't want to study anymore, that he couldn't stand the conventional life now, and that he wanted to go out and explore the world, so we don't have to look for him anymore."
Ran away from home? My heart sank, and I suddenly remembered Wen Shaoye's puzzling behavior a few days ago. I was filled with regret. If I had told my family about his abnormal behavior earlier, I guess this situation wouldn't have happened.
"Xiaoye is still so young, where can he go? I don't know if he can eat or if he's hungry. He doesn't even have many clothes with him."
The stepmother leaned on the woman next to her and cried even more sadly. Seeing this, I hurriedly took out my phone and called Ji Chuan. He had been in contact with Wen Shaoye not long ago, so they should have their own contact information.
I walked out of the noisy living room and stood alone in the corridor.
The call was quickly connected, and Ji Chuan's familiar voice came from the microphone: "Xiaoya, you finally called me? Have you decided to forgive me?"
Before I could say a word, I could hear Ji Chuan's excitement from his voice. However, I didn't care about that at this moment. I frowned and said anxiously, "Ji Chuan, Shao Ye ran away from home. I want to ask you to help find him. Didn't you contact him before? You must have his contact information."
Ji Chuan on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted: "Don't worry, I'll try to contact him and look for him in the places he usually goes. Maybe I can find him."
"Please inform me immediately if you have any news about Xiaoye. The family is in chaos because of his sudden departure." As I spoke, my heart ached. I thought of how harshly I usually treated Wen Shaoye. I regretted it so much that I wanted to pinch myself a few times.
"Xiaoya, don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. You can also look for Xiaoye in places where he might be. Maybe he is there."
Ji Chuan consoled me on the other end of the phone. I nodded and said weakly, "Okay, I know."
After hanging up the phone, I dialed Yao Yizhou's number. Yao Yizhou answered the phone soon, and his voice was still so gentle: "Xiaoya, what's the matter?"
It was just a simple greeting, but who could have known that such a simple sentence would become the last straw that broke the camel's back. I couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Xiaoya, don't cry, tell me what happened?"
Yao Yizhou patiently comforted me on the phone. After a long while, my out-of-control emotions finally calmed down. He said in a staccato voice, "Yizhou, Xiaoye ran away from home. Now everyone in the family is looking for him. Please help look for him. You may find him."
"Xiao Ye ran away from home? When did it happen? Don't be anxious, tell me slowly, when did it happen?"
Yao Yizhou was still very rational, but my thoughts were extremely confused: "I don't know when it happened. I had breakfast with him this morning. After class in the afternoon, I returned home and many people at home said that he left a note and ran away. I don't know where he went. Over the years, I really didn't care about him much. Every time I spoke to him, he was fierce..."
"I'm going to go out and look for Xiaoye right now. Don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
After hearing Yao Yizhou's assurance, I felt really guilty: "Yizhou, do you think I am unworthy of being a sister? I didn't even know my brother was planning to run away from home. In fact, I really care about him, I just pretend to be cold on the surface."
Yao Yizhou sighed deeply and comforted me softly: "Xiaoya, don't let your imagination run wild. Xiaoye's running away from home has nothing to do with you. I'll go out and look for him right now. Don't take all the responsibility on yourself."
I nodded and said softly, "Okay, I'll wait for your news."
After hanging up the phone, I felt like I was exhausted. I squatted on the ground and thought for a long time. I found that apart from knowing that Wen Shaoye often went to play with Ji Chuan and Yao Yizhou, I knew nothing else. It seems that I can only pray that Ji Chuan and Yao Yizhou can find Wen Shaoye. Even if they can't find any clues to find him, it would be a good thing.
I got up and walked into the house, threw my backpack on the shoe cabinet, and hurried out to find Wen Shaoye.
In fact, I had no idea where Wen Shaoye would go, so I could only search the few places I remembered: the Internet cafe near his home, the game hall near his school, the Youth Palace, and several places that students often went to.
I searched from the afternoon until the lights came on at night, and when I didn't see Wen Shaoye in one place, I hurried to another place, not caring that my hair and back were already soaked with sweat, but I still couldn't see Wen Shaoye. I even found the little hooligan who had walked with Wen Shaoye and whom I had taught a lesson in an Internet cafe far from home, but who knew that the little hooligan saw me like a mouse seeing a cat.
At first I thought this was really going to happen, and that he knew the news about Wen Shaoye, so I was so excited that I couldn’t control myself. But when I caught him and asked him, I found out that he actually didn’t know anything about Wen Shaoye’s disappearance.
Even this person didn’t know about Wen Shaoye. I felt extremely desperate at the time and could only return home dejected.
It was almost ten o'clock in the evening when I got home. There were still as many people at home as when I left. I went up to my father and stepmother and asked anxiously, "How is it? Is there any news about Shaoye?"
My stepmother's eyes were swollen like walnuts. She sobbed and shook her head in silence, as if shaking her head had exhausted all her strength. I had never seen her like this before, and my heart softened. I wanted to comfort her, but after thinking for a long time, I couldn't say a word.
Time passed minute by minute, and the strangers who had gathered at home dispersed. Until it was almost eleven o'clock in the evening, only my stepmother and I were left at home sitting on the sofa in the living room.
My father couldn't wait any longer and went out to look for Wen Shaoye. I originally wanted to tell my stepmother about Wen Shaoye's abnormal behavior, but after thinking about it, I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth. I could only continue to regret it in my heart, regretting why I didn't pay more attention to Wen Shaoye when I first discovered that he was abnormal.
Waiting is a very painful thing, and my remaining patience was gradually exhausted. Just when I took out my mobile phone and prepared to call Yao Yizhou, the phone at home suddenly rang.
The ringing of the phone was like lightning that cut through the darkness. The phone was right next to my stepmother's hand, and she quickly picked up the receiver.
I couldn't hear what the person on the other end of the phone said, but I saw my stepmother started crying after a while. Just when I was wondering, my stepmother said excitedly, "It's good that Xiaoye has been found. Is he okay?"
I could understand my stepmother's hurried inquiries, and I could understand her worries and concerns even more. When I heard that Wen Shaoye was found, my heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.
Originally, I thought my stepmother would be happy to hear the news that Wen Shaoye had been found, but when she was concentrating on listening carefully to what the person on the other end of the phone said, her expression gradually became solemn. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt a sudden panic in my heart. I felt very uneasy, and my heart was pounding wildly, like a criminal waiting to be sentenced. I had a strange sense of tension in my heart.
My stepmother hung up the phone and looked at me with a frown, wanting to say something but stopping herself. After a long while, she calmed down and said softly, "Xiaoya, your classmate is in trouble!"
My classmate is in trouble? Is it Ji Chuan or Yao Yizhou? My mind suddenly went blank, and an ominous premonition filled my nerves, making my breathing quicken: "What do you mean my classmate is in trouble? What does that mean?"
"It's Yizhou, something happened to him!" My stepmother stretched out her hand as if she wanted to comfort me, but she retracted her hand halfway and looked at me with her red and swollen eyes, making it impossible for me to avoid this fact that I couldn't accept.
In an instant, I suddenly felt dizzy. It was only a minute, but I felt as if a century had passed. All the sounds in my ears were roaring, and the only thing in my mind was Yao Yizhou looking at me with a smile.
"How is that possible? I just talked to him on the phone. Didn't he help find Shaoye? How could something go wrong? Are you lying to me? I call you mom, please tell me you are lying to me, okay? Mom, I beg you, please tell me what you just said is false, okay?"
My stepmother looked at me with a sad face and shook her head: "Xiaoya, I didn't lie to you, Yizhou really got into trouble."
How could this be possible? How could something happen to Yao Yizhou? I still couldn't believe the bad news my stepmother told me. I buried my head between my knees. After a long while, I mustered up the courage and asked in an almost inaudible voice, "Where is he now?"
I felt that my voice was strange and ethereal, but my stepmother's voice was like the rumbling thunder in the night sky, which made me lose my composure instantly.
She said word by word: "Yizhou is now in the People's Hospital and is being rescued."
For a moment, I felt like the sky was falling. I stood up uncontrollably and rushed out of the door. I quickly ran outside the community and stopped a taxi. After telling the driver to go to the People's Hospital, I curled up in the back seat as if I had no strength left, huddled into a ball, trying hard to absorb the last bit of warmth in my body.
