A CERTAIN SOMEONE ( THE ON1Y ONE )

Chapter 101 - Loosening Up

“I Know, I’m Wrong, I’m Trying to Get a Lighter Sentence for Confessing,” Sheng Wang Insisted.

Sheng Wang's mind went vacant for a split second, and the mirth began fading away from the edges of his eyes, the corner of his lips.
Jiang Tian lightly bumped his cheek with the glass of milk. He received it and drank it. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Jiang Tian replying to the messages from his shixiongs in the group chat.
Sheng Wang watched for a while, and settled the glass down. He said to the person on the other end of the phone, “Sure, you set the time?”
Sheng Mingyang had been waiting for his reply. Upon hearing that, he smiled, “I’ll reach here in the afternoon, and will be free for these two days. Your father as of now isn’t as busy as you, so you should pick the time instead.”
Sheng Wang said, “Then how about tonight? What time will you arrive? I’ll go fetch you.”

When Jiang Tian looked over at him, he had already hung up.
“Do you have work again?”
Sheng Wang draped a hand on his shoulder, and tossed his phone by the table. “Mn. I snuck a look just now, do you have to treat the prof to a meal today too?”

Such is the world of adults, they get busier as the holidays arrive.
Snow swirled around in the air of Beijing during the New Year, the glorious dream of hiding away indoors for the day was killed in its roots by plans. Jiang Tian was summoned away by the shixiongs, mainly to celebrate the Gregorian New year with the professor, and also to gossip about the status of his relationship with his “old classmate” along the way. As for Sheng Wang, he went to see Sheng Mingyang.

Despite the poor show of weather, it was still the New Year after all, and everywhere was absolutely flooded with people. Sheng Wang reserved a table in Hot Pot Sun — it was less noisy here.

Sheng Mingyang took off his jacket, draping it over the back of his chair. He folded the sleeves of his shirt over his grey cashmere vest, and scanned around, saying, “Isn’t there a mall and restaurant below that block of yours? Why did you want to come all the way here?”
“Don’t you like the wagyu beef here quite a bit?” Sheng Wang said.
Sheng Mingyang stilled.
He did quite like the wagyu beef here, and had invited his friends and summoned Sheng Wang here for a couple of meals previously. Maybe he casually mentioned it in passing, or he didn’t explicitly state it, but either way he no longer had any impression. Unexpectedly, his son still remembered.

The father and son relationship between them for these few years had always been like this. Sheng Wang was filial, very filial; he took care of all sorts of things in all sorts of areas, right down to the smallest details, even to the point that it could be counted as serene. He grew up matching the expectations Sheng Mingyang held towards that tiny little thing years ago: outstanding amongst the crowd, handsome and refined. Rationally speaking, he ought to feel relieved and glad, but he would always feel desolate in certain moments.

People say that there has to be a tug of war between father and son on the issue of getting his say, just like male animals fighting over the territory; from controlling to being controlled. Some people could spend their entire lives fighting over this.
But they were different — he disliked poiseless racket making, neither did Sheng Wang like a war that disregarded the feelings of others.

Sheng Mingyang at one point thought that he was lenient; he and his son took up their own spaces equally, and got along in harmony. A long time later he then realised: he had never stopped drawing out his territory. Only, everytime his territory expanded, Sheng Wang would move to the side a little. He did it without putting up a fight, ending up going further and further away.
By the time he finally realised, he could not even catch sight of his shadow anymore.