Chapter 136: The Prize is Actually This?

“Dad, Mom, what do you think of those guys singing on stage? Does it sound good?” Zhang Yifeng asked.

“The first song was nice. I couldn’t understand the second one, but it sounded quite good too. It was full of emotion and very infectious,” Father Zhang replied.

“The second one was a Japanese song. I really didn’t expect those six people on stage to be able to sing a Japanese song so well. They’re amazing!”

“Fengzi, these six people on stage aren’t the idol stars you like, are they?”

“Did you dye your hair yellow just to copy them?” Mother Zhang asked curiously.

“Mom, of course not.”

“To be honest, I’d never even heard of these six people before today.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen them. I don’t even know what their names are.”

“They probably aren’t stars in the entertainment industry.”

“Otherwise, with their looks and skill level, they would have been famous across the country long ago.”

“As for me dyeing my hair, it really was just a whim.”

“It has absolutely nothing to do with them,” Zhang Yifeng explained.

“Then why did you bring us here out of the blue?”

“Mom, isn’t it nice here? After the concert is over, I’ll take you to see other sights in Jiang City.”

“Fengzi, you brat. You dyed your hair first, then suddenly heard that your mother and I were coming to find you. You were afraid we’d scold you when we saw it, so you deliberately brought us here, didn’t you?” Father Zhang asked tentatively.

“Hehe, Dad…” Zhang Yifeng scratched his head with a grin.

As expected, his father knew him well.

“Fengzi, you’re an adult now. As long as you don’t make any mistakes in principle, you can make your own decisions about your life from now on.”

“Your mother and I used to be very strict with you, telling you that you couldn’t do this or that. But think about it carefully, whenever you actually expressed your thoughts to us properly, didn’t we always take them into consideration?”

“Of course, as parents, we aren’t highly educated, and it was our first time being adults too. We relied on our own experiences for many things, and sometimes, we indeed didn’t do a good job.”

“In the past, we caused you a fair amount of grievance.”

“It’s reached the point where even though you’re an adult and have graduated, you’re still trembling with fear over dyeing your hair, afraid we’ll scold you.”

“Sigh, in the end, it’s because we controlled you too much and were too strict in the past,” Father Zhang sighed.

“Cough, Dad! Actually, if you and Mom hadn’t kept a tight leash on me, given how much I loved getting into trouble as a kid, there’s no telling how many messes I would have made.”

“Now, even my boss praises me for being mature, steady, and responsible,” Zhang Yifeng said.

“I’ve seen those short videos online saying that life is especially hard for adults these days.”

“Fengzi, it must be very hard and exhausting for you to struggle all by yourself in the big city, right?”

“From now on, your mother and I won’t nag you anymore. If you feel tired, just come home and rest for a few days.”

“If you have any difficulties, tell us in a timely manner.”

“Even if we can’t solve the problem for you directly, we can help you brainstorm, cook you something delicious, or take you for a walk in the mountains to look for wild produce. We can still do that much.”

“You must never keep everything bottled up inside.”

“I know, Dad. But… why are you acting so strange today?” Zhang Yifeng was a bit moved, but also a bit confused.

In his memory, his father was an honest man of few words.

He would never say such heartfelt things to him.

Why was he… so talkative today?

And exceptionally concerned about him?

“You know Ergou¹ from our village, right? I heard that half a month ago, he jumped off a building and committed suicide,” Mother Zhang said in a low voice.

“What? How did that happen?” Zhang Yifeng looked shocked.

Ergou was the childhood nickname of a playmate he had been close with in the village.

The boy had dropped out of high school in his second year to go work.

Last year or the year before, he heard that Ergou had used some savings to start a small business reselling mobile phones and made a lot of money.

When he returned home, he had driven back in a Mercedes he bought himself.

How could he suddenly commit suicide?

“I heard he made a lot of money in business and bought all sorts of things for his family. His parents were so happy, bragging all over the village about how successful their son was.”

“But then business went bad, and he lost a lot.”

“Combined with some other messy affairs and his parents’ constant nagging, he became somewhat depressed and couldn’t see any hope.”

“So, he killed himself.”

“Sigh, such a good kid, and so young. How could he just die like that?”

“You have no idea. When his parents heard the news of his death, their hair turned white overnight.”

“They kept blaming themselves, saying they should have noticed their son’s abnormalities earlier, comforted him more, and given him encouragement.”

“What a pity…”

“Fengzi, if you encounter anything in the future, remember to tell us at home. Rest assured, as long as it’s not something illegal or criminal, your father and I promise to stand by you. We won’t criticize you or scold you.”

“…Oh, don’t worry, Mom. Don’t you know what kind of person I am by now?”

“…”

Yao Yao didn’t continue listening to the words that followed.

She was so, so envious of that boy who was cared for by his parents.

Once, her parents had cared for her like that too.

But now? She wondered if her mother actually cared for her, or if her mother had become mentally ill because of the divorce and was now simply tormenting her.

Should she try to have a proper talk with her mother after going home?

If she tried her best and still couldn’t get through, then she would just have to endure it for now. Then, after graduating from high school, she would find a university somewhere very, very far away.

Her deskmate was right. She was still young and had a broader future ahead of her.

She couldn’t seek death over every little thing.

She had to become strong, to become powerful.

If her mother saw that she could stand on her own and provide shelter from the storm, would her mother finally let down her guard and sharp edges, calm her mind, and live a good life?

Before she could think further, Yao Yao soon heard the third song of today’s concert.

The very handsome lead singer said the name of the song was “Until the End of the World².”

This song was performed by all six people on stage together.

Their passionate performance quickly brought the atmosphere in the venue to its peak.

The entire audience began to wave their arms, clap, and cheer…

Even Yao Yao herself was swept up in the atmosphere at that moment, forgetting the things that had made her unhappy.

After the third song ended, it was actually time for a lucky draw.

The young man with yellow hair, Xu Ming, took the microphone to start the first round of the draw.

When Yao Yao heard what the prize was, she blinked. It was a chance to have lunch at the orphanage.

A prize? It was actually this?

How ridiculous.

But strangely enough, as soon as the people around her heard that the draw was starting and that the prize was a chance to eat a meal, they actually seemed incredibly excited and thrilled?

Translator’s Notes