Mistaken Canary Chapter 49 (Part 2)
Chapter 49.2
Zhuo Shu stepped into the theater just as the movie started playing, the lights dimming completely.
He quickly scanned the room but didn't spot Ying Tongchen. With the queue behind him urging him to move, he had no choice but to use the faint glow from the movie screen to find his seat. Once he settled in, he lifted his head again, searching.
Just then, a friend messaged Zhuo Shu, inviting him to a gathering. He declined without a second thought.
Turning his head, he spotted Sheng Wu a few rows ahead, slightly to the side. She was leaning in, speaking to the shadowed person next to her.
While he was distracted, a figure sat down beside him. Without looking, Zhuo Shu patted the person’s leg. "It’s too dark. Take a look—what are they doing?"
No response.
"Should’ve brought binoculars," he muttered, finally remembering to take off his 3D glasses. Squinting, he resumed his surveillance.
Just then, the eerie and unsettling soundtrack kicked in, and the screen abruptly filled with a grotesque, bloody scene, making the audience jump.
Sheng Wu let out a shriek, and in the next second, her seatmate pulled her into an embrace.
Zhuo Shu was stunned. He shot up from his seat, ready to rush over and separate them, when the person next to him suddenly said, "Don’t."
"Why not?!" Zhuo Shu growled. "If you won’t go, I will."
"Then go ahead."
"Of course, I’ll—" Zhuo Shu stopped mid-sentence, suddenly sensing that something was off. He turned to look and found the strikingly handsome person beside him leisurely watching the movie, a tub of popcorn in his arms. The glow from the screen illuminated his sharply defined profile.
At that moment, Zheng Zhinan's voice came from not far away, "Don’t be afraid, I got you baby."
Zhuo Shu: "..."
The stone in his heart dropped to the ground.
A movie patron complained, "Are you going to watch or not? If not, don’t stand there blocking the screen."
Zhuo Shu finally sat back down. He reached into the popcorn bucket, pulled out two kernels, and leaned over to whisper in Ying Tongchen's ear, "When did you find out?"
Ying Tongchen glanced at him, his voice stern. "What are you and Zheng Zhinan doing here?"
"He said you were stealing his woman and was planning to beat you up. Naturally, I couldn’t let him do that." Zhuo Shu ate his popcorn. "After all, we’ve got this relationship, right?"
"What relationship?"
Zhuo Shu’s ears turned red. "…If something happened to you, where would my younger sister ever find such a good teacher?"
"Fair enough." Ying Tongchen shrugged.
Zhuo Shu's eyes flicked around, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you on a date with that female teacher?"
"It’s not a date," Ying Tongchen explained. "She wanted to discuss something with me. She is quite fond of Zheng Zhinan, but she's not sure about his feelings. She was worried because that idiot's brain never seems to catch up, so she asked me to subtly probe him."
Zhuo Shu let out a breath of relief, but then he felt a pang of jealousy. Even Zheng Zhinan had someone who liked him! When would his own feelings ever see the light of day?
The eerie soundtrack started again, and Zhuo Shu pulled Ying Tongchen into a hug. "Don’t be afraid, I’m here."
Ying Tongchen shot him a side glance. "I’m not scared. Let go."
"...Oh."
"Focus on the movie," Ying Tongchen said.
"Oh." What’s a guy supposed to do when he’s in love with a fearless man!
As everyone around them screamed in terror, Ying Tongchen happily munched on his snacks, enjoying himself.
Zhuo Shu stared at his hands, feeling utterly useless, then glanced over at the seat ahead of him. He happened to catch Zheng Zhinan turning around.
Zheng Zhinan gave him a goofy smile and flashed a thumbs-up as a sign of thanks.
Zhuo Shu's vision turned red with jealousy, to the point where he felt like it was about to bleed.
In the time that followed, despite the constant jumpscares, neither Ying Tongchen's appetite nor Zhuo Shu's thoughts were affected.
Indeed, Zhuo Shu was thinking about how to confess his feelings.
Die early, transcend early—and what if he doesn't die at all?
At the very least, he had to reveal his hand eventually. It would make it easier to track, and he couldn’t keep pretending to be just a student’s guardian anymore.
After the movie ended, Zheng Zhinan and Sheng Wu stood up to leave.
"Ah, I forgot to say goodbye to Tongchen."
"Oh right, where’s Mr. Ying? We had planned to grab dinner together."
The couple turned around, only to find that there was no sign of the two men anymore.
At the near end of the movie, Zhuo Shu had already pulled Ying Tongchen out of the theater and into the park entrance. He stood there, wanting to say something but hesitating, his gaze lingering on Ying Tongchen.
"What is it?" Ying Tongchen asked.
Zhuo Shu scratched his neck, looking into his clear, bright eyes. He steadied himself, then asked in a low voice, "Have you ever thought about dating a student's guardian?"
The question struck Ying Tongchen unprepared; though it was anticipated, it still brought a surprising sense of joy.
The autumn sun shone warmly in the afternoon. His fingers tightened slightly as he observed the faint beads of sweat on Zhuo Shu's forehead, unsure whether they were from the warmth or nervousness.
"A student’s guardian... Which one?" Ying Tongchen unconsciously lowered his head, his ears faintly tinged with red.
Zhuo Shu was about to reply when Ying Tongchen’s phone rang. "—You’d better answer it."
Ying Tongchen quickly turned around and answered the phone, using the brief moment to calm his racing heartbeat. "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Ying Tongchen? This is the People’s Hospital."
Zhuo Shu waited for a moment, and saw Ying Tongchen's hand begin to tremble, almost losing grip of the phone. He took a few unsteady steps backward, nearly tripping on the stone steps.
Zhuo Shu immediately steadied him, worry flashing across his face. "What happened?"
"My old man's in the hospital," Ying Tongchen said, panic suddenly overtaking him. He hurriedly rushed to the side of the road to hail a cab.
"My car’s parked nearby. Wait here for me." Zhuo Shu took two steps but turned back in concern when he saw Ying Tongchen standing there, lost and dazed. He grabbed his hand. "Let’s go together."
After helping Ying Tongchen into the passenger seat, he fastened his seatbelt and sped toward the hospital.
"Which department?" Zhuo Shu asked. "Is he going to need surgery?"
"Emergency Department. He’s about to undergo surgery—I need to sign the consent forms..."
Though Ying Tongchen tried to keep his voice steady, Zhuo Shu noticed the slight tremor in his hand. Without a word, he reached out and gently held it. "It’s okay, we’ll make it in time."
Suddenly, a teardrop fell onto his hand.
Zhuo Shu froze.
"I need to sign..." Ying Tongchen murmured.
"We’ll be there in no time," Zhuo Shu replied, speeding up even more.
At the hospital, Zhuo Shu led Ying Tongchen toward the ward. There, he finally saw the handsome old man from the Moment’s photo—now hunched in bed, his expression pained, a stark contrast to the lively, energetic figure from the picture.
"How did you get here so quickly?" The old man weakly opened his eyes and glanced at Ying Tongchen, then at the man beside him, forcing a smile. "You even brought your boyfriend."
"!" Zhuo Shu looked at Ying Tongchen in disbelief. Me? Boyfriend?
Ying Tongchen quickly walked to the bedside. "What’s the diagnosis?"
"Sigh, just a small issue, appendicitis," the old man waved his hand dismissively. "At my age, it’s really embarrassing."
Ying Tongchen let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the doctor entered and said, "Oh, you’re awake? Please prepare yourself for surgery. Here’s the consent form, someone from the family needs to sign it."
A moment later, seeing that neither of them had moved, Zhuo Shu stepped forward. "I’ll do it."
The doctor asked, "Who is the patient to you?"
"He’s my father," Zhuo Shu said, shocking everyone.
Ying Tongchen's mouth twitched.
The old man, momentarily forgetting the pain, stared at Zhuo Shu in confusion. "What did you just say?"
"Dad, don’t worry. Tongchen’s dad is my dad, right, Tongchen?" Zhuo Shu said, then noticed Ying Tongchen's odd expression and instinctively thought he was about to reject his confession. He quickly added, "After all, we got a good relationship, right?"
"..." Ying Tongchen facepalmed.
After a long pause, the old man released his suppressed laughter, causing his internal organs to ache. He clutched his stomach in pain. "Ouch, ouch, I can't take it. Tongchen, take your little boyfriend out of here, he’s too funny. I’ll sign it myself."
Ying Tongchen helplessly glanced at Zhuo Shu, pulling him toward the door.
"Wait... what’s really going on?" Zhuo Shu was utterly confused.
The old man lay in bed, laughing uproariously. "Aiya! You called me ‘dad’ because of Tongchen, but I’m not his dad! Ha, looks like I’ve got myself a free son!"
Zhuo Shu: "?"
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Author's note: Zhuo Mollycolly and Zheng Zhinan really are quite the pair—one daring to teach, the other daring to learn.
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TL Note: Ha! I knew it! Megane-kun and I were speculating whether this old man was really the MC’s biological father or not. Since he’s always just referred to as ‘old man’, I was unsure, but now the cat’s out of the bag!