ADTCP Ch41

Brilliant fireworks faded in the night sky like bubbles, while the curling smoke of incense prayers drifted about. Everyone helped tidy up the spent firework shells in the garden, then went off to wash up and return to their rooms. By then, it was already late.

As the younger one, Tao Zhen stayed up until the end. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him; the moment he sat on the sofa, his eyelids started to droop.

Before he knew it, he had curled into a small ball. His messy blond hair fell over his smooth forehead and fine brows, making him look a few years younger. His cheek, pressed against his arm, bulged with a bit of soft white flesh.

The surroundings were quiet, with only faint footsteps from upstairs.

Zhu Wensheng watched the boy for a few seconds, but didn’t wake him. Instead, he bent down, slipped one arm under his neck and the other beneath his knees, and lifted him horizontally into his arms to carry him to his room.

In his sleep, the boy let out two faint, petulant hums. It was as though he sensed Zhu Wensheng’s presence, because he suddenly clung tightly to his arm.

Zhu Wensheng froze for a moment, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he crouched by the bed, tracing the boy’s brows and eyes with his gaze, letting him hold on as long as he liked.

After a while, Tao Zhen fully drifted into deep sleep. Muttering, he finally let go, rolling into the covers beside him.

Zhu Wensheng slowly withdrew his tingling arm, and for some reason, an indescribable trace of regret rose in his chest.

After some thought, he quietly fetched a towel from the bathroom to wipe Tao Zhen’s face, then brought over a basin of water to wash his feet. Finally, he slipped off his fuzzy sweatshirt and changed him into a big, comfortable T-shirt for sleeping.

Worried that the lights would wake him, he turned off the main switch before stepping out to wash up himself. On the way back, noticing that Tao Zhen had kicked off half the quilt, he instinctively turned back to tuck him in carefully.

He even made it to the doorway before stopping again. Uneasy, he finally lay down on the sofa in Tao Zhen’s room and stayed there through the night, returning to his own guest room only in the morning.

***

New Year’s Day. Firecrackers exploded outside.

Tao Zhen woke to the crackling noise, groggily sitting up. He couldn’t remember how he had ended up in bed last night, and gave up on figuring it out. After a shower, he bounded downstairs full of energy, greeting everyone with New Year wishes.

The elders couldn’t stop smiling, delighted as they shared a festive breakfast with him before getting ready to visit relatives.

Once bustling with people, the house quickly quieted again. Feeling a little reluctant, Tao Zhen urged them all to be careful on the road.

When he turned back, he saw Zhu Wensheng carrying a bag, clearly preparing to go upstairs and pack.

Tao Zhen’s heart skipped. He hurried to grab his wrist, lifting his face to look up at him.
“Ah-Sheng! You’re leaving too? Can’t you stay for two more days? Do you really… have to go now?”

Zhu Wensheng lowered his eyes, sidestepping with half-truths:
“I have something to take care of… At the end of the month there’s an important match out of town. I need to start preparing now.”

The match was only part of the reason. The other was the obligation of visiting the Si and Zhu families for New Year greetings. He could already guess how it would go, just like the past ten-odd years. It would be far from pleasant.

They would pressure him to quit fighting, dredge up old grievances, argue endlessly about the wreckage of a marriage long past. In truth, in that bitter stalemate, there had only ever been one true victim. Yet no one had cared about that person’s feelings.

“Zhenbao, thank you.”

His thoughts returned. Zhu Wensheng spoke softly:

“Spending New Year with you… made me really happy.”

“…”

Tao Zhen didn’t reply. He lowered his head, long lashes veiling his eyes. His cheeks puffed out slightly as he scuffed the floor with his toes, sulking with a faint, unexplainable sense of grievance.

Zhu Wensheng had only stayed a few days, and now he was leaving again, soon to be gone another month for the match. They wouldn’t see each other for a while.

But this couldn’t be helped.

No one could always stay by his side. Everyone had their own lives. It was normal.

“…Alright then.”

After a moment of self-persuasion, Tao Zhen perked himself back up and obediently said: “Then you have to call me when you can, okay?”

“Okay.” Zhu Wensheng paused, then added, “And when I can, I’ll watch your livestreams too.”

Tao Zhen blinked, startled. Somehow, the heaviness in his chest lifted, the sour ache soothed gently.

He swallowed, suddenly embarrassed at how clingy he’d been. Looking at Zhu Wensheng, he asked, “Did you already buy your ticket? How about I take you to the airport later?”

Zhu Wensheng gave a quiet “Mm,” not refusing his offer.

***

The flight was booked for 2 p.m. They packed a little, ate lunch, and arrived at the airport two hours early. Since it was New Year, the crowd wasn’t large, and getting inside went quickly.

While waiting to check in, Tao Zhen had already adjusted his mood. Curious, he asked about Zhu Wensheng’s fight at the end of the month:
“So where exactly are you going for the match? Will your club people go with you? And how come you never really mentioned competing before?”

“Manchester. A lot of people from the club will go, coach, strategy planner, nutritionist, assistants, manager, and so on.”

“The reason I didn’t mention it much before is that mixed martial arts is different from other competitions. Early on, fighters need to improve skills and exposure, so usually they have to compete every one to three months… that’s already considered frequent. For global events, schedules have to be coordinated, so the intervals are even longer.”

Zhu Wensheng explained patiently. Before he met Tao Zhen, he had just finished a match, his injuries hadn’t even fully healed then. He should have had another in November, but his opponent withdrew right before going on stage due to injury, which left him with a longer gap until now.

Tao Zhen nodded in sudden understanding:
“So this one’s basically your last match before signing with UFC, right? The big national finals?”

“You could put it that way.” Zhu Wensheng inclined his head. Noticing Tao Zhen’s shoelaces had come loose, he set his ID card aside and crouched to tie them for him.

Still lost in thought, Tao Zhen startled at the sight, instinctively bending as if to do it himself, but then his eyes caught on the thin ID card lying to the side.

Date of birth: February 29.

February 29? Zhu Wensheng was born on that day?

Not only at the end of the month, but a date that only comes once every four years. People born on this day always seemed destined for bad luck, after all, they couldn’t even celebrate their birthday every year.

While he was staring, Zhu Wensheng had already finished tying his shoelaces into a neat, perfect bow.

“I should head over now,” Zhu Wensheng said gently, picking up his ID. “Be safe on your way home.”

Tao Zhen snapped back to himself. With clear reluctance, he waved hard at him.
When the man disappeared from sight, Tao Zhen let out a long breath. A thought surfaced clearly in his mind, 

At the end of this month, Zhu Wensheng not only had an important final, but also a birthday.

A birthday that only came once every four years.
He had to do something for him.

But… what?

Give him money?

Too tacky.

A Maybach?

…He couldn’t afford that yet!

Frustrated, Tao Zhen slapped his own cheeks, almost wanting to roll on the ground, torn between despair and irritation. He let out a long sigh.
God, what on earth would Zhu Wensheng like? What would he want?

***

The plane slowly took off, rising above the soft clouds into the sky. Below, the scenery blurred into a hazy glow.

Zhu Wensheng rested for a bit on the plane. After landing, he went straight to the Si family with the New Year gifts he had prepared in advance.

Madam Si was fairly amiable, chatting with him with a smile. The old master, however, scowled the moment he saw him, scolding him endlessly about fighting as if forgetting past lessons.

Zhu Wensheng didn’t argue back, nor did he want to quarrel on New Year’s Day. When Li Min arrived, he seized the chance to leave for the Zhu household.

His grandfather erupted the moment he walked in, berating him for visiting the Si elders first and roaring that he was a descendant of the Zhu family. His grandmother tried to smooth things over, but even she had little to say to him, bringing up his abusive father instead, stubbornly defending him.

Zhu Wensheng lowered his gaze, sitting stiffly like a block of wood, listening silently. After fulfilling all the basic courtesies of being a grandson, he didn’t stay a second longer. Without eating, he left and went to his master Jiang Long’s home.

Just like every other New Year’s Day before, Jiang Long recognized the footsteps immediately, knew it must be the freshly tormented Zhu Wensheng.

With a weary sigh, he told his daughter Xiao He to greet him, while he carried out a clay pot of hot chicken soup, ready to serve a bowl to warm him.
When the door opened, Zhu Wensheng walked in, set down the gifts, and looked calm, so calm it felt like the heavy stillness before a storm.

Jiang Long and Xiao He exchanged a worried glance. Jiang Long stepped forward, patting his shoulder in comfort:
“It’s alright. Tonight, whatever you want to eat, I’ll-”

Before he finished, Zhu Wensheng suddenly seemed to return to himself. He looked normal, pulling out his phone.

“I’m fine, thank you, Master. I’ll just go make a call.”

Jiang Long stared in surprise as he stepped out into the courtyard. This was the first time in years.

The quiet courtyard was bathed in moonlight.

After two rings, a lively, cheerful voice answered.

It was the golden-haired boy, Tao Zhen, asking brightly how he was finding Nancheng, whether he’d finished his errands, whether he’d had time to rest.

Zhu Wensheng lowered his eyes. Just hearing that voice made his lips curve slowly upward.

He still cared about the things his elders had said.
But as long as he was immersed in the dream Tao Zhen had woven for him, he felt it didn’t matter at all.

“Mm. I’m done. I’m at Uncle Jiang’s now…”

He replied one by one, and at the end, his voice slowed.

“I’m fine. Really… I just missed you a little.”