Silent Era - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
On the afternoon of the next day, Bai Sihuan saw that Lin Xianyan had caught a cold and was still napping. He assumed she had asked her art teacher for leave and would not be attending painting lessons.
He breathed a sigh of relief and rummaged through his closet for clothes to wear when he went out.
“Tomorrow, wear that blue shirt I gave you.”
Remembering what Lin Heng had said to him yesterday, he dug out the blue shirt.
One minute he had just changed, and the next, Lin Xianyan hurriedly pushed open the door. “Sihuan! Sihuan! I’m going to be late! I’m going to be late!”
Bai Sihuan was stunned for a moment, blinking blankly before asking, “What? You didn’t ask for leave? But you have a cold…”
“Today is my professional exam. Professors from all the major art academies will be here. I have to go! Hurry, hurry!” Lin Xianyan didn’t give him time to politely decline or explain himself. He entered and pushed Bai Sihuan away.
Bai Sihuan hesitated for a moment, but still took Lin Xianyan with him.
He figured if he rode faster on the way there and back, he’d definitely make it to the time he’d agreed with Lin Heng. However, he encountered a severe traffic jam on the way back, and his bike slowly weaved through the traffic for hours before reaching home.
An entire afternoon had passed. When Bai Sihuan rushed home, the servants were already preparing dinner.
Lin Heng sat on the sofa, wearing a red shirt matching his own, his face gloomy, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Bai Sihuan walked up to him, his steps gradually becoming heavier with guilt. “Lin Heng, I…”
Lin Heng gave him a cold glance, his last word stammering in the curse he’d been about to utter. He went upstairs in silence, not even bothering to eat.
The housekeeper, who usually didn’t like talking to Bai Sihuan, had to remind him this time, “Today is Young Master Heng’s birthday.”
Bai Sihuan’s fingers trembled, and a feeling of guilt mixed with shame grew stronger.
After lingering for a long time at the door of Lin Heng’s room, Bai Sihuan finally knocked. At first, he knocked gently twice, then finally, with a little more force, three or four times, but the person inside didn’t answer.
Just as Bai Sihuan was about to leave in frustration, the door suddenly opened.
“Bai Sihuan, what do you mean?” Lin Heng leaned against the door, his anger suppressed to the extreme, but his questioning words were still cold and chilling.
Bai Sihuan hesitated for a moment before finally uttering, “Happy birthday.”
Lin Heng, furious, chuckled, “You stood me up, and now all you can say is Happy Birthday?”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have broken my promise.”
Seeing Bai Sihuan on the verge of tears, Lin Heng’s anger gradually subsided, and he softened.
He took a deep breath, trying to find something to say that might save the situation.
“What’s the point of saying all this? You have to make it up to me and spend my birthday with me tonight.”
“Don’t do this again next time. This is the last time.”
Before he could finish these words, Bai Sihuan’s phone rang.
Bai Sihuan glanced at the text message on his phone, hesitating, and whispered, “I have to go pick up Ah Yan…”
Time seemed to freeze after his last word, and the passion that had been burning in Lin Heng’s heart instantly vanished, cooling to ice.
“I’m fucking sick too,” he threw to the ground, in front of Bai Sihuan. With a bang, Lin Heng slammed the door shut.
Since that day, Lin Heng hasn’t spoken to Bai Sihuan again. A week passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the start of school, and the two were separated for a long time.
Lin Heng got into the same school as Bai Sihuan, and after entering high school, he began dating girlfriends, changing them at a rapid clip.
Ever since earning the title of “senior high school student,” Bai Sihuan’s academic pressure has intensified, and his workload has become increasingly demanding. Except for going to the bathroom, he wouldn’t leave his seat unless it was necessary, and his eyes wouldn’t move away from the exercises on his desk.
Sometimes, when he saw Lin Heng walking past the window with his arm around a girl’s shoulders, he would pause and stare for a moment, feeling an indescribable emotion, which would quickly fade. He would regain his focus and continue working on his homework.
Even after Lin Heng and Bai Sihuan attended the same high school, they still never spoke a word. At school, they acted like complete strangers. Sometimes, when they met, Bai Sihuan would try to say hello, but Lin Heng would simply pass by, hugging the new face next to him as if he hadn’t seen him.
Winter break arrived, and Bai Sihuan went home for the Lunar New Year. One day, Lin Xianyan came to Bai Sihuan with his phone and said, “Brother will be back tomorrow. Let’s think of somewhere to go, and he’ll take us.”
Bai Sihuan was thrilled. Lin Siying hadn’t been home in nearly three years, ever since she went to study in Vancouver with his best friend. The fact that she was actually coming home for the Lunar New Year this year made both Bai Sihuan and Lin Xianyan excited.
Bai Sihuan thought of Lin Heng and said to Lin Xianyan, “Let’s ask him when Lin Heng comes back.”
“Him? He wouldn’t want to go out with us,” Lin Xianyan said, curling his lips as if recalling something. “He always complained we were having too much fun and had no class. This young master only wants to go to some high-end place to drink coffee and enjoy the night view.”
Bai Sihuan said, “Is that so?” and stopped talking, but his enthusiasm waned. Without Lin Heng, this event seemed less exciting than he had expected.
That afternoon, a strange girl came to the Lin residence, holding a bottle of pesticide and threatening the maid, saying she would commit suicide at the gate if she didn’t open the door. The maid had no choice but to open the door and let her in.
Lin Heng was out on a date with his new girlfriend, leaving Bai Sihuan and Lin Xianyan the only ones home, so she approached them.
After entering, the girl sat down on the sofa in the hallway, crossed her legs, and said, “I’m pregnant with your Lin family’s child. If you don’t pay me, I’ll tell the media that your young master is a mischievous womanizer at such a young age, and even has a child outside.”
Lin Xianyan glanced at the “young master of the Lin family” present. He clearly didn’t think Bai Sihuan was such a person. He asked the girl, “Whose?”
“Who else could it be? Lin Heng’s. Don’t you remember me? He brought me to your house not long ago.”
Lin Xianyan, facing this arrogant and money-hungry guy, was not very happy. He snorted, “The girls he brings back could line up from here to Panyu Road. Who would remember you?”
Bai Sihuan said nothing. He went back to his room, took out the card Lin Siying had given him, and handed it to the girl. “I don’t know how much money is in it. See if it’s enough.”
The girl accepted the card without hesitation and smiled, saying, “Even a single hair from your Lin family would be enough for us to live on for half our lives. I need an abortion and want to go to a better hospital.”
Lin Xianyan frowned and said, “The hospital is closed today. Let’s wait until tomorrow. I’ll take you there.”
She didn’t bother to ask whether the girl’s unborn child was Lin Heng’s. If Lin Heng was going to provoke him, even if his porcelain was touched, he wouldn’t have the right to complain. Dealing with someone willing to pay for an abortion is easy; dealing with someone who’s desperate for fame and status is a real problem.
As brothers and sisters, they had to handle this matter if they could. If their parents found out, it would be troublesome, and if outsiders learned, the Lin family’s reputation would be ruined. For a family like theirs, reputation was paramount. This was a truth Bai Sihuan only understood much later.
That night, Lin Xianyan made three phone calls. The first was to Lin Heng, but he didn’t answer. The second was to his eldest brother, Lin Siying, to tell him about the situation. The third was to his eldest sister, Lin Musheng, to ask her to recommend a better hospital.
The girl stayed here for the night. Lin Heng stayed out and didn’t return.
Lin Siying arrived home at six in the morning the next day. This year, with no academic research required, it was a rare trip home. He’d planned to stay home, watching girl groups and livestreams, living the swanky lifestyle he’d always dreamed of, but he’d run into Lin Heng’s situation.
Before he could even say hello to Bai Sihuan and Lin Xianyan, he’d gone back to his room and slept for two hours.
A little after eight, Lin Siying got up. The three siblings took the girl to the hospital, and Lin Xianyan asked the eldest sister, Lin Musheng, to come with her.
This was Bai Sihuan’s first meeting with this sister, who had been kicked out of the house by Cheng Sutang early on and lived a life of constant discussion.
He’d heard that this sister hadn’t married well, was a down-and-out ballet dancer. She didn’t look as glamorous as them, dressed in plain clothes, and her skin wasn’t well-maintained, leaving her complexion sallow and withered.
Lin Musheng, a dozen years older than them, was still childless, having miscarried twice before. She had experience in this area and shared the same empathy as a “mother.” After arriving at the hospital and greeting his younger siblings, Lin Musheng approached the girl and had a gentle, personal chat.
Lin Siying had paid for the abortion, and Lin Musheng also contributed some money, saying he would buy her some supplements. Meanwhile, Lin Xianyan was looking at his phone’s status updates: Lin Heng had posted a picture of him shopping with his new girlfriend.
In the afternoon, the girl went in for surgery, and Lin Heng, upon hearing the news, had finally arrived.
Seeing him nonchalantly appear, his expression as if nothing had happened to him, Lin Xianyan flew into a rage and cursed, “Look at what you’ve caused!”
Lin Heng didn’t react much to his actions, smiling nonchalantly, “What kind of trouble have I caused? It’s just bringing someone to the hospital for an abortion. It’s not like the sky is falling.”
“If Si Huan and I hadn’t stopped her yesterday, she would have been in front of the media by now. How can you still be so carefree!”
“Si Huan, Si Huan… you’re calling me so affectionately. It looks like it won’t be long before it’s your turn to cause trouble!”
“What nonsense are you talking about!”
The two of them started arguing in the hospital corridor, just like every other argument they had. This should have been normal, but this time, perhaps it was the smell of the hospital’s medicine that gave Bai Sihuan a headache, and he felt dizzy.
Perhaps he hadn’t noticed, but from the moment the girl appeared, the moment she said she was pregnant with Lin Heng’s child, the moment she announced she wanted an abortion, until now, his mind had been spinning.
The argument between Lin Heng and Lin Xianyan had taken a turn. Lin Heng began to question Lin Xianyan: “In junior high, I took him to the hospital for medical treatment and injections, and I asked him to ride my bike to take you to painting class every day. Now, even when you bring a girl for an abortion, you two have to go together. How can you be so close? Do you really think of him as a brother?”
With a crisp “slap,” a burning slap appeared on Lin Heng’s face. Lin Siying, who had been standing quietly nearby for a long time, slapped him.
The slap silenced everyone. Lin Heng looked at Lin Siying in disbelief: “Brother, you hit me?”
“Why can’t I hit you? There are two lives lying in there now. Who left this mess? We’re helping you clean up the mess. What right do you have to be so sarcastic here? Listen to what you’re saying…!” This elder brother, even though he was good-tempered, finally lost his temper at this moment.
Although Lin Heng’s words were often uncontrollable when he cursed, this time, even Lin Siying couldn’t stand it.
Lin Heng turned his head away and sneered, “You’re helping me! That sounds nice, but how would I know who left that child?”
“How do you know? You didn’t touch her?”
Lin Heng’s lips moved, but he didn’t answer. He turned his gaze to Bai Sihuan, but Bai Sihuan simply lowered his eyes and stood in line with Lin Xianyan, as if he had enclosed Lin Xianyan in his own world.
Swallowing the words he was about to say, Lin Heng straightened up and said nonchalantly, “Yeah, it was bumped, so what? Buses are open to everyone, and I’m glad I didn’t mind the dirt. She let someone throw things in, and now you blame me for something that happened?”
Lin Siying raised her hand to slap him again, but Bai Sihuan stepped forward to stop him, “Brother, stop it.”
Seeing Bai Sihuan intervene, a glint of hope flashed in Lin Heng’s eyes. Then, Bai Sihuan said, “This is a hospital. It’ll affect others.”
The glint in Lin Heng’s eyes faded, and he looked at Bai Sihuan with a mixture of anger and resentment.
Bai Sihuan seemed to sense the complex, piercing gaze, and felt uneasy. He said, “I’ll go get some water,” and quickly left.
At that moment, Lin Musheng came around the corner. Seeing Lin Heng, her lips trembled, and she called out joyfully, “Ah Heng.”
Lin Heng acted as if he hadn’t heard, not even glancing at the older woman. He turned and followed Bai Sihuan.
Bai Sihuan bought five bottles of mineral water at the store. On this snowy day, his hands trembled with cold as he took the money. His vision was white, his mind seemed to go blank, and even his heart trembled with cold.
He wrapped his new scarf around his neck, shoved one hand in his pocket, and held a bag of water in the other. Turning around, he saw Lin Heng walking towards him.
Bai Sihuan took out a bottle of water and handed it to him.
Lin Heng took the water, was silent for a few seconds, and then asked Bai Sihuan, “Don’t you have anything to ask me?”
He held back the words, “Actually, I and her,” waiting for Bai Sihuan’s question, waiting for his own answer.
Bai Sihuan blinked twice, then finally said, “Remember to be more careful next time.”
Lin Heng choked back the words he was about to say. He took a deep breath and turned around, his steps unsteady due to his anger. He threw the bottle of mineral water in his hand and cursed, “Fvck!”