Chapter 13 — The Day I Return

【Today I went to the industrial park. Director Lam told me to squat down and check the concrete grade.】 【Three years ago in the first laboratory in Geneva, fire prevention standards were not met, I had to carry a fire extinguisher myself and do the experiment for three months.】 I stared at this message. The brush stopped. How did he know what happened in Geneva? I have never mentioned that three-month period to anyone. Even Nguyen Tieu Ngu did not know that the laboratory's fire prevention level had problems. That was when I was at my poorest. I couldn't rent a good place, so I had to use a renovated house as an experiment. During those three months, every night before going to sleep I had to check the fire extinguisher pressure three times. He — How could he know? I slowly spit out the toothpaste and rinse my mouth. Then text back a message. 【How do you know this?】 After texting, I continued brushing my teeth. Unexpectedly, he replied back so quickly. Maybe he didn't sleep at all. 【I spent eight months in Geneva. The cafe is across the street from my lab, the third table is next to the window.】 My hand stopped. 【Every afternoon at 3 o'clock I will go out and buy a glass of Americano. Black cup. No sugar, no milk. When walking, I have a habit of keeping my head down, never looking to either side. Twice I was almost hit by a bicycle.】 I put down the toothbrush. 【I asked someone to upgrade the entire fire prevention system in your laboratory. The homeowner is the one in charge. He told me that "the government subsidizes uniform rehabilitation".】 I leaned against the sink, looking at the phone screen. Line by line appears. 【The month you lost 40kg, I had someone change all the snacks at the convenience store downstairs into hot food. From then on I started eating properly.】 【The day your thesis was published, I bought a thousand copies of that magazine. Don't know why I bought it. Just — want to buy.】 Last message. 【Jiang Tang. There hasn't been a day in these three years that I haven't watched over you. I just don't dare to appear.】 I stared at the screen. A very long time. Then slowly, slowly slid down to sit on the bathroom floor. The tile floor is cold. In the mirror my face is reflected. White. But my heart is beating crazy. Three years. He spent eight months in Geneva. Sitting in the cafe across the street looking at me for eight months. I had no idea. I didn't pay attention once. Because I always told myself not to look for your shadow anymore. I trained myself not to unconsciously look for that person's face in the crowd. It took me three years to overcome the conditioned reflex "whenever I see the back of a tall, thin man, my heart beats fast". As a result, he was less than twenty meters away from me. Look at me. Eight months. I held the phone, my finger paused on the message input box for a long time. Type a line. Delete it. Type another line. Delete again. Finally, I typed exactly six words and sent it. 【Why didn't you appear?】 He answered very quickly. 【I'm afraid you'll be sad when you see me.】 I laughed. Not a happy smile. It is a kind of feeling that cannot be put into words. Sour, complicated, wanting to kiss you but unable to open my mouth. I typed: 【So you kept hiding in the dark corner, secretly looking at me, thinking you were protecting me, then continuing to let me think I had been abandoned by the whole world.】 This time he didn't answer right away. Over about two minute. 【Sorry.】 I won't text back anymore. Turn off your phone, get up from the floor. The person in the mirror had red eyes. But not a single tear was shed. Take a deep breath. One. Two. Three. Alright. When he stepped out, his facial expression was back to normal. Nguyen Tieu Ngu was eating a sandwich on the sofa. When he saw me coming out, he waved: "Good morning! Today..."
“Plans change.”
"Huh?"
“Go to my mother's place today.”