A Song For A Summer’s Night - Chapter 116

Ten Years Ago:聽Venice, Northeastern Italy

It was near summer, a week before he was to return home to stay with his aunt, Xue Teegan, and his cousins. He spent years travelling to different countries, and though he was alone most of the time, he made the most of each trip.

Long Jie passed by a church; its bells chiming the hour. He glanced at the stain-glass windows of mosaics and detailed artwork of saints and angels. He loved the architecture of the churches, the buildings, and small, crumbling palaces in Italy.

And he also loved the saying: ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ because, in a foreign land, he will follow their customs.

He continued to walk alone,聽on the way back to the Italian-styled townhouse he and his parents were staying after spending the day with Han Ru and people they just met.

He walked over a large, white-stone bridge that arched above one of the canals, connecting to other waterways as Gondolas passed below.

Long Jie paused to look at his left, looking at the setting sun, sparkling against the water, glimmering white-gold at the horizon. He sighed; though he felt content with his family, and only friend鈥擧an Ru鈥擫ong Jie always felt like he was missing something.

He approached the red-white bricked townhouse; plants adorned the balconies and windows. He entered the house, chucking off his shoes. He went to his room, immersing himself in a game to pass the time.

He heard his parents enter an hour after he did.

He paused his game when he heard his parents raise their voices slightly, almost of if they were arguing. He strained his ears, silently standing, slipping passed the bedroom door.

He knew he had to be extra stealthy as the doors creaked, and the halls echoed. He stopped at the wall that divided the hall and kitchen; they wouldn’t be able to see him.

Long Jie heard his father, Long Huojin, open up a bottle of alcohol, pouring it.

“That boy looks like him! The one who has been hanging around Long Jie,” Xue Guangli said to her husband wearily.

“That’s impossible,” Long Huojin responded in denial.

“You see it too,” she told him in a harsh whisper. “You and I knew the man who murdered my mother well. We both grew up with Wang Weimin.”

Long Jie heard his father grunt. “Wang Weimin has been in jail for 16 years now,” he responded. “It’s not possible for him to have a child. You were the only one that dated him.”

Long Jie didn’t understand what was going on. He rarely heard his parents argue or have any disagreements.

“We don’t know that. And Han Ru has that look,” Xue Guangli said desperately, “And now he’s hanging around our boy. Don’t you find that a coincidence? What if he does something to Jie鈥?#34;

“Han Ru is only 16 years old. How could he have the motive to hurt our son?” Long Huojin snapped. Silence welled between his parents.

His mother broke the silence. “Wang Weimin was 22 years old when he killed my mother and set to ruin you. Please, it’s too suspicious that he found Jie on our trip to Venice, and suddenly he shows up to some of the countries we’re in.”

“Invited by Long Jie. Han Ru is the heir of a commercial banking operation. He often travels, too,” Long Huojin responded.

“And guess who he inherited from?” Xue Guangli questioned.

Long Huojin’s didn’t respond, connecting his wife’s words. “He’s inherited from his mother and Mr. Han.”

“You’ve heard the rumours. Mr. Han was infertile. And he mysteriously died,” Xue Guangli responded.

Long Huojin thought about it; she was right. Mr. Han couldn’t give his wife a child. “But, I don’t want to think badly of Han Ru. He seems to be precious. If this is true, had I known Wang Weimin had a son, I would have done anything I could to look after him.”

“We both didn’t know,” Xue Guangli said. “It could have happened anytime before the police arrested his real father. We heard the scandal around his mother; she was pregnant and didn’t tell anyone who’s child it belonged to besides Mr. Han.”

“When was the news of the scandal?” he asked.

“While I dated Wang Weimin,” Xue Guangli said.

Long Jie knew the story about the Wang’s. His parents grew up with Wang Weimin, the man who dated his mother first in their early 20’s while his father pined after her secretly. Of course, his mother was sensible enough to choose Long Huojin, who saved her from her crazy ex.

“Should we tell Jie?” Xue Guangli asked her husband.

“No,” Long Huojin answered. “If there’s anything in that boy that isn’t like his father, then there’s a chance he won’t hurt our son. Instead of accusing him of what he’s not, we’ll let him be friends with our son. Jie can change him.”

“You think so?” Xue Guangli desperately asked.

“I hope,” Long Huojin replied. “He’s still a child, and I want us to treat him well, to rewrite what went wrong between our families.”

Long Jie heard his mother exhale a breath. “You were always more optimistic than me,” she said, pecking him on the cheek.

“I just understand what it’s like to have a shitty father, and he had no father,” Long Huojin replied. “Which is why I will do anything to make our son happy, and we’ll treat Han Ru well.”

Long Jie didn’t stick around any longer; he silently dashed towards his room, locking it.

Was it true? He thought. Han Ru was a Wang, and he secretly hated him. But he thought they were friends. Long Jie felt like something in him break. He didn’t have consistent friends, but he knew Han Ru; he met him a year ago, and they stuck to each other like sap. He was his only friend.

Long Jie clenched his fists into white knuckles. He didn’t leave his home for the next few days, didn’t go anywhere.

Someone knocked on his bedroom. He opened it, thinking his mother came, but it wasn’t her, it was Han Ru.