Unbridled 15

Ding Ji was locked in his room by his aunt and was only let out after the ambulance arrived at 1:20 to pick up his grandma. His aunt stayed at home to take care of his grandfather, while the others followed the ambulance to the hospital.

His dad stopped Ding Ji from following the ambulance. “Go home.” 

“Brother, just give it up. How are you gonna stop him now?” his aunt frowned.

 “Just now, since I was in front of my grandparents, I held back from saying some things.” Ding Ji felt like his blood was boiling. If he didn’t say something, his head would have exploded from anger.

“My grandmother fell and couldn’t move, and the first thing you said when you came in was that you blamed them for notifying me. It really surprised me, you know. It wasn’t like I was shocked, it was like I was force-fed a mouthful of shit!”

“I already knew what the situation was like on the way here,” his dad frowned. “I knew about your grandmother’s condition! Do you think it’s appropriate to talk to me like this now?”

“The hell do you mean by appropriate!” Ding Ji lowered his voice. “You’re so calm and rational. You heard that your mother fell and couldn’t move over the phone, so when you saw the scene, you could remain calm and blame your genius son for not studying!”

“Ding Ji!” He didn’t know when his mom had come over. “Watch your tone! Who taught you to talk to your parents like this?”

“Do you know why your house is closer, but my uncle still notified my aunt first?” Ding Ji ignored his mom and looked at his dad. “Why didn’t he look for you first? Because he knows that you’re extremely apathetic; in fact, both of you are extremely apathetic!”

After finishing speaking, Ding Ji turned around and was about to get on the ambulance, but he thought about it for a second and walked back towards his mom. “Who taught me to be like this? I’ll tell you, it’s my grandparents! They taught me how to play and have fun while still being top 5 in the city. I can take the top 5 in the city with just a flick of my little finger!”

“Get in the car!” His little aunt pushed him. “You’re too agitated!”

His mom wanted to say something, but his aunt raised her voice. “Hurry up, don’t delay anything!” 

Ding Ji got in the ambulance and sat next to his grandma.

“Finished arguing with your parents yet?” His grandma’s voice was still weak.

“Not yet, I gave in to my auntie’s face,” Ding Ji pouted. “If I really wanted to argue, they would have to call another ambulance.”

“You’re so annoying,” his grandma said.

“I’m not.” Ding Ji held his grandma’s hand. “I’m so cute, I’m the cutest.”

His grandma had fallen pretty hard and suffered a pelvic bone fracture and a femoral fracture.

Fortunately, it was nothing too serious, and nothing was dislocated. Thus, surgery wasn’t necessary, but she needed to rest for a long time.

His grandma also had a fever, so she had some other tests done, but the results hadn’t come out yet.

Ding Ji was a little worried; he knew that many elderly people died from fractures, like Grandpa Zhao upstairs who died after a fall. He broke an important bone and never got up again, and half a year later he passed away.

“Grandpa Zhao’s fracture was serious and wasn’t in a good place, and he was also old,” Liu Jinpeng said on the phone. “How old is your grandma? Her health is good; last year when she helped your grandpa beat me up, she almost ran faster than me.”

“Just say you can’t run,” Ding Ji leaned against the wall in the hallway and laughed. “Come and accompany my grandma tomorrow, I’ll come after school.”

“Okay,” Liu Jinpeng said. “Is there nobody at your house to take care of her?”

“There’s someone,” Ding Ji said. “But I have to go to school, and I don’t feel at ease if there isn’t anyone at the hospital. If anything happens, somebody has to tell me.

“No problem, leave it to me,” Liu Jinpeng reassured him.

“What about your watermelons?”

“I’ll have Chen Laosi watch it for me,” Liu Jinpeng said. “He’s always wandering around that area anyway.”

After hanging up the phone, Ding Ji returned to the hospital room. After the examinations, his grandmother looked even weaker lying in bed, and Ding Ji felt heartbroken.

“The doctor said that your grandma’s condition is stable now, there’s no problem,” said his dad, looking at him with a dark expression, like a thunderstorm about to erupt at any moment. “You should go home first. You still have classes tomorrow.”

“No.” Ding Ji sat on the small stool beside the bed. “I’ll stay here in the hospital.”

“You should go back,” his grandma whispered.

“Don’t talk,” Ding Ji also whispered. “It’s no use trying to persuade me. You know my temper. Besides, you still have a fever, and I’m worried. I’ll stay here and keep watch. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go straight to school from here.”

“Ding Ji,” his dad gritted.

“You guys should go rest,” Ding Ji didn’t move from his seat.

“Little Ji, come with me,” his uncle stepped in to try and defuse the situation. “I don’t have anything to do tomorrow. I’ll stay here. You go back first…”

“No,” Ding Ji stubbornly refused.

It had been a long time since he had been this stubborn. When he was a child, he always argued with his grandparents for no reason. He would just be stubborn.

This time, his stubbornness had been triggered, and he had entered a state of stubbornness where no one could sway him.

“Come out for a moment.” His dad turned and walked out of the ward.

His mom glanced at him and followed suit, most likely going back to the car.

Ding Ji walked over and stood in front of his dad, waiting for him to speak.

“What you said today hurt us,” his dad scowled.

“Same goes for you, don’t blame me,” Ding Ji retorted.

“You’re about to take the college entrance exam, and you haven’t been studying properly,” Dad said. “Your mother and I are afraid that you’ll lose focus. Our first reaction was not to tell you about this. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Ding Ji said. “But I also want to tell you, first, no one notified me. I wanted to see my grandparents. This is the connection between relatives. Second, if no one had told me about this happening, I promise you, I’ll never go home again.”

“Your emotions got the better of you today!” His dad’s tone became more serious, and it was clear he was trying to control himself, but was on the verge of losing it. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. If you really don’t want to go home tonight, no one’s forcing you. But you must come back tomorrow! Your grandmother has someone to take care of her here. You don’t need to be here! Your top priority now is the college entrance exam! You’re not even close to the level you should be at!”

Ding Ji felt like he was suspended in the air, unable to kick or hit, and felt very uncomfortable.

According to reason, he should have shut up and let his dad go, so everyone could be quiet and whatever needed to be said could be discussed tomorrow.

But he now understood very well what impulsiveness meant; young people are impulsive, they are not stable, and they cannot control their emotions…

He looked at his dad and said, “Actually, you have no idea how well I have been studying. Your mind is filled with your imaginary version of my studying status. You think I’m not concentrating, you think I have not done my best, you think I should have a higher level, and you still think I should be a genius.”

“Is it just that I don’t think you’re concentrated?” his dad said angrily, voice trembling. “Why do you dare not tell us your exam results for the first and second exams? Is it only me believing so?”

“Why should I tell you?” Ding Ji said. “Even if I got first place in the city, you would still say that I should be the first in the province. Why won’t you admit that I can never meet the standards you think I should reach? Why won’t you admit that you are forcing me to prove that I am a genius?”

Today, his mom went to the car, leaving his dad to argue with him. Ding Ji felt it was a mistake for both of them. In terms of arguing skills, his mom was stronger, and his dad could be stopped with just a few words.

Now, he was silent.

“I will come to the hospital every day till my grandmother is discharged,” Ding Ji said. “I have been making my own decisions and taking care of myself since I was six years old. I grew up like this for more than ten years, and I still am like this…”

“But not anymore!” his dad suddenly shouted. “You need someone to take care of you now! We have to take care of you! You are my son! You have been living without rules for more than ten years!”

“I am your son?” Ding Ji laughed. “Do you know how old I was when I lost my first tooth? Do you know why I got into a fight with a classmate for the first time in kindergarten? Do you know what was the first song I learned to sing?…”

Ding Ji stopped in the middle of his sentence, suddenly feeling bored.

“I don’t need to know these things!” his dad interrupted him, his voice out of control. “Now you need to know your path! Your direction! You need to know that you are wasting your time…”

Someone from the ward next to them walked out and looked at them.

“Brother, you go home first, I’ll talk to Little Ji here.” His uncle also came out and pulled Ding Ji towards his grandma’s ward.

“I know! It’s you guys who don’t know!” Ding Ji struggled and stared at his father. “You haven’t been a dad for more than ten years, and now you suddenly want to enjoy being one? Adopting a son isn’t even this easy! You…”

Ding Ji didn’t finish his words.

His dad rushed over and slapped him in the face.

The sharp ringing sound covered the subsequent voice.

His uncle pushed his father away while saying something and pushed him towards the elevator. His dad pointed at him and moved his mouth, but he couldn’t hear what he said.

Amidst the ringing, Ding Ji watched the silent scene in front of him.

It wasn’t until his uncle dragged his father into the elevator that he slowly turned around and walked back to the ward.

When he saw grandma, he squeezed out a smile.

“It’s okay,” he said.

But he couldn’t hear his own voice.

Grandma looked calm and smiled at him, waving her hand. He walked over and sat down.

Grandma reached out and touched his face.

Other than a fiery dull pain on his face, he didn’t feel anything, and he didn’t know where she touched him.

Grandma didn’t speak either. After several minutes, the ringing sound in his ears disappeared, and he cleared his throat and heard the sound of the next ward calling for the nurse.

“Who do you have the temper of?” Grandma asked.

“You, ” Ding Ji said. “Grandpa always says so, that I’m stubborn and impulsive like you.”

“Did you hit your dad?” Grandma asked.

“No, my uncle pushed him away,” Ding Ji sighed.

“Still regretting it?” Grandma slapped him lightly. “If he wasn’t pushed away, did you want to hit him back?”

“You’re something else, old lady,” Ding Ji laughed, followed by a moment of pain on his face, and he grimaced. “You’re sick and you’re still digging a hole for me?”

“You two were still arguing and fighting outside,” Grandma said. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll get anxious and angry?”

“I couldn’t hold it in,” Ding Ji frowned. “I don’t know how this topic came up again. Ever since I had parents, it’s like I’ve become a genius who wastes his life… Do they really think I’m a prodigy, or do they just want a prodigy?”

Ding Ji lowered his head and after a while, he lay on the bed.

“Cry for a while,” Grandma gently touched his head, then patted him on his shoulder. “When your uncle comes in, I’ll tell you.”

Ding Ji didn’t say a word and buried his face in the covers.

[T/N: im gonna start sobbing its like 1am its too late for this]

“Ah… I’m so sad I could cry.” Lin Wuyu lay on the bed, clutching his stomach. “I never thought I’d be like this.”

“Xu Tianbo said he’ll bring a hot water bottle for you later,” Chen Mang pushed the door into the dorm. “I asked a few dorms and he’s the only one who has one.”

“That’s good enough. In this season when the cicadas are chirping, the boys’ dormitory can still procure a hot water bottle,” Liu Ziyi lay on his desk doing his homework.

“What were you thinking?” Luo Chuan said. “You didn’t have to eat so much ice cream even if it was hot.”

“The important thing is that you ate another half of a watermelon when you got back,” Chen Mang said. “I haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“Yeah,” Lin Wuyu turned over. “I haven’t had dinner yet either…”

He didn’t even understand himself. When the scooter was charging, there was so much food in the supermarket, but he had to ask Ding Ji to eat another box of ice cream with him.

Xu Tianbo brought a hot water bottle into their dorm and handed it to Lin Wuyu. “Hug it for a while.”

“Thanks,” Lin Wuyu lifted his clothes and put the hot water bottle inside, but after a second he took it out again. “Why is it so hot…”

“You have to hold it against your clothes,” Xu Tianbo instructed. “If it’s not so hot, it won’t be as effective in a few minutes.”

Lin Wuyu put the hot water bottle on his stomach over his clothes and towel. “If the canteen could deliver takeout, that would be great.”

“They wouldn’t deliver it now anyways,” Xu Tianbo said. “It’s already so late.”

“I’m getting a little sweaty and hungry.” Lin Wuyu put his hand that was covering his stomach in front of his eyes and looked at it in surprise. “This is all sweat?”

“Really?” Several people in the dormitory were stunned and gathered around.

“You’re not sweating on your face though?” Chen Mang felt his forehead.

Lin Wuyu was stunned for two seconds, then lifted the hot water bottle from his stomach. “Xu Tianbo?”

Xu Tianbo instantly reacted and quickly stepped back while laughing, “No way! It’s leaking? I didn’t know! Really! Maybe because it hasn’t been used for too long?”

“So unfortunate,” Lin Wuyu got off the bed holding the hot water bottle. “Never mind, I’ll bear with the pain. I haven’t been sick for a long time.”

It had been several years since he was last ill, he hadn’t even had a cold. This was probably the only thing that satisfied his parents.

He was very healthy.

The several people in the dormitory returned to their state of studying, and he walked out to the corridor.

Their row of dormitories all had their lights on, and the girls’ dormitory diagonally across was also brightly lit.

It seemed urgent; so many people were competing with you, would you dare not to compete? But looking in the opposite direction, you could also feel at ease. You were not alone in the competition; there were so many people competing with you.

“Do you want to eat something?” Xu Tianbo walked over with a box of something.

“Sure,” Lin Wuyu answered first, then took the box and looked at what was inside.

“Mung bean cake,” Xu Tianbo said. “Our dormitory is full of snacks, and this is the only thing that can fill your stomach.”

“Okay,” Lin Wuyu began to eat with his head down. “You don’t have to accompany me. Go study.”

“Did you move out from home?” Xu Tianbo leaned against the railing. “You didn’t tell me such a big thing. Are you not treating me as a friend?”

“…Who told you?” Lin Wuyu smiled.

“I guessed. I went to your dorm in the afternoon to borrow a plug, and noticed that your storage cabinet for miscellaneous items was cleared out to make space for your luggage,” Xu Tianbo said. “You’ve have lived on campus for three years, and have never brought so many clothes to school before.”

Lin Wuyu ate another piece of mung bean cake without saying a word.

“Is this about the rooftop incident?” Xu Tianbo asked. “I’ve been thinking about it, and this is the only thing I can come up with.”

“Yeah,” Lin Wuyu nodded.

“Okay,” Xu Tianbo sighed. “If you’re out, you’re out. It’s not a big deal. Just consider it as starting university early… If you need any help, just let me know.”

“I don’t have any money left,” Lin Wuyu frowned.

“I have some.” Xu Tianbo immediately reached for his phone. “I’ll transfer a few hundred to you first. Tomorrow, I…”

He stopped midway and turned to look at Lin Wuyu with a smile. “You almost tricked me out of money! I’m someone who has checked your balance before!”

“Thanks, really,” Lin Wuyu smiled and patted his arm.

They chatted for more than ten minutes in the hallway before Xu Tianbo returned to his dorm to continue studying.

Lin Wuyu put the last piece of mung bean cake into his mouth.

It tasted good but was too sweet. His throat was already sore, and now he wanted to find something salty to chew on…

Ah, he wanted to eat barbecue.

If it weren’t for the fact that his stomach felt uncomfortable when he came back with the watermelon today, he would have definitely detoured to buy some barbecue before returning to the dormitory.

Because he didn’t have any barbecue, he was starving. He ended up eating the whole watermelon, leading to even worse consequences.

He should have let Ding Ji treat him to a meal, as compensation for being cursed at for a hundred meters on the way.

Thinking of Ding Ji… he took out his phone.

Since becoming friends with Ding Ji, his social media circle had become very lively. Sometimes when he was tired of studying, he would open it and relax for a while.

“I’m going to do something big.”

“It’s starting!”

“The lights at XX building look like they’re from a horror movie, blood red. What kind of design is this?”

“The small seaweed snack that was free with my takeout is really delicious.”

……

Lin Wuyu sighed, wondering what this person was doing, as they had posted seven or eight moments in half an hour. Is business not good at the night market to be so idle?

Putting the phone back in his pocket, as he was about to go back to his dormitory to sleep, the phone buzzed in his pocket.

Lin Wuyu took it out and looked at it.

Ding Ji, not knowing if he had reached a certain level of idleness, sent him a message.

“Lin Wuyu, why do you think you’re a study god?”

If it were someone else, Lin Wuyu would have classified this message as a boring provocation and not bothered to look at it.

But Ding Ji was definitely not provoking him.

It was more like confusion.

Lin Wuyu didn’t speculate much, he would answer whatever question was asked.

“Because I am.”

Ding Ji looked at the message Lin Wuyu sent back on his phone, a simple, rough and confident reason.

“Do you think I’m smart, study god?”

After sending the message, Ding Ji wanted to retract it, as it sounded like something a foolish person would ask.

He didn’t know why he was chatting with Lin Wuyu about this inexplicably, and was worried that Lin Wuyu would think he was drunk.

But Lin Wuyu didn’t seem to notice and responded quickly.

“You are much smarter than the average person.”

While Ding Ji was still pondering what level of intelligence the average person was, Lin Wuyu sent another message.

“If not, I wouldn’t have advised you to find something worthwhile to do.”

“But you went ahead and started selling watermelons… So I’m confused.”

Ding Ji bit his pen and shook it up and down. He had been thinking about Lin Wuyu’s words, but when he saw this sentence, he couldn’t help but laugh. He dropped his pen on the ground without picking it up for a while.