Mistaken Canary Chapter 55 (Part 1)
Chapter 55.1
The weather was growing colder, and before anyone realized it, Christmas Eve had arrived.
The campus was filled with a festive atmosphere. Each class had decorated Christmas trees in their classrooms, and students were exchanging apples* with one another. With wrapping paper and bows to tie, the school supermarket’s profits soared sky-high.
(TLN: Christmas Eve is called ‘ping an ye (平安夜; peaceful night)’ and the term for apple is ‘ping guo (苹果; sounds like ‘peaceful fruit’)’. While not the same character, the similarity in pronunciation has turned apples into a common gift of choice during Xmas Eve. )
In the Freshman Teachers’ office, a few student-gifted apples lay scattered on his desk. Ying Tongchen picked one up with a casual hand, shook his head, and let out a soft chuckle.
Fu Lu grinned. “I’m swamped with classes today and haven’t even had time to buy apples yet.”
A fellow teacher added in gossip, “Oh? And who would you be buying them for, Ms. Fu?”
“I’m planning to give one to my male god. If he accepts it, he’ll be my ninth first love.” Fu Lu laughed mischievously, then turned her head and spotted Ying Tongchen preparing for class. “What about you, Mr. Ying? Anyone you’re planning to give an apple to this year?”
"Childish nonsense," Ying Tongchen said without so much as glancing up. “As if giving someone a couple of apples could ward off illness and evil.”
Fu Lu clicked her tongue. “You are so uptight! My god, I seriously can’t even imagine how Mr. Ying and his partner even interact!”
The teacher across from them burst into laughter. “That’s on the premise Mr. Ying is even able to get into a relationship.”
Fu Lu smirked mischievously. “True! Mr. Ying is completely unromantic. How is he ever going to find someone?”
Ying Tongchen halted mid-stroke, looked at the apples on the table, and gave a slight shake of the head. It was nothing more than a marketing gimmick—stick them in a fancy holiday gift box, and suddenly, the price skyrockets. Nothing about it is really worth gifting.
…
After dinner, just as he returned to the office, Zheng Zhinan came rushing in from the neighboring office, carrying a plastic bag overstuffed with at least three pounds of regular apples.
“Hey bud, you’re not in charge of any evening self-study classes tonight, right?” Zheng Zhinan asked excitedly.
“I’m not, what about it?” Ying Tongchen tidied up his desk and packed up the apples he had received, ready to head home.
“I need a favor. I’m supposed to be watching over your class’ self-study tonight. Can you take over for me and I’ll help you next time?” Zheng Zhinan grinned sheepishly, pulled an apple from his bag, and stuffed it into Ying Tongchen’s hand. “I wanna go on a date with Sheng Wu.”
“No.” Ying Tongchen shoved the apple back at Zheng Zhinan. “And this is what you’re planning to give her?”
“Yeah! I bought so many—pretty impressive, right?” Zheng Zhinan patted his chest confidently.
Ying Tongchen suddenly realized that maybe those marketing tactics weren’t entirely pointless. Even though he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about these holidays, gifting an overstuffed plastic bag…
He picked up a beautifully wrapped gift box and said, “I think it might be better if you learned a thing or two from this kind of packaging.”
Zheng Zhinan waved him off. “That’s so boring. Everyone uses gift boxes—I want to stand out. Besides, I’m not falling for that scam. Those fancy boxes are overpriced. Instead of wasting money on packaging, I’d rather buy more expensive apples. Doesn’t that make me look like I know how to manage money well?”
“Fair point.” Ying Tongchen gave him a scrutinizing look. “So… is Sheng Wu into you because you’re good with money?”
“Of course not! Where does that leave my handsome face?” Zheng Zhinan nudged his shoulder. “Come on, bro, just do me this favor. Just cover for me this time...”
“No.” Ying Tongchen grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
“Why not? I have no other options—I have a date! It’s not like you have one.” Zheng Zhinan hurried after him.
Ying Tongchen’s lips curled into a smirk. “Who says I don’t?”
“Aren’t you single… Wait, what do you mean? You’re in a relationship?!” Zheng Zhinan stared at him in disbelief. “Since when? How come you never told me? Don’t tell me it’s that guy from last time—”
“Mr. Zheng~”
A sweet voice called out from not far away. It was Sheng Wu. “Where are you going?”
“Just a sec, I need to take care of something!” Zheng Zhinan waved back before quickly catching up to Ying Tongchen. “It was that guy, wasn’t it? Who is he, anyway? Now that I think about it, I should really thank him. If it weren’t for his advice, I never would’ve been able to win over Sheng Wu.”
Ying Tongchen stopped in his tracks and looked at him helplessly. “If you keep following me, your Sheng Wu might run off for real.”
Zheng Zhinan blinked, suddenly realizing something. “Wait… Did Sheng Wu just call me? Oh f*ck—gotta go!”
…
After returning home, Ying Tongchen set his things down and sat in the living room to rest. He glanced around at the familiar yet somewhat humble space, and for some reason, an odd sense of emptiness settled over him. He had never felt it was this quiet before.
After a while, he reached for his phone, opened his contacts, and dialed Zhuo Shu’s number.
A few rings later, the call was answered.
“Hey, have you eaten yet?”
“No,” Ying Tongchen replied. “You?”
“Me neither,” Zhuo Shu responded.
“I can make a reservation. How about we go—”
“Sorry, I have to attend a meeting first. I’m not sure when it’ll end… Things have just been hectic lately.” Zhuo Shu sounded apologetic. “Once this busy period is over, I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s fine. Go handle your work,” Ying Tongchen said.
“You’re not mad, are you?”
“No. I’m busy with classes all the time too, and you don’t get mad at me.”
Zhuo Shu chuckled, picking up his documents as he headed toward the conference room. In a quieter voice, he added, “Who says I don’t? I do get a little upset, but what can I do? Teacher Ying is just that dedicated to his work.”
Ying Tongchen smiled silently. Hearing someone on the other end calling for Zhuo Shu, he said, “Go on, get back to work.”
“Alright.” Zhuo Shu ended the call and pushed open the conference room door.
Tomorrow was Christmas, and next week was New Year's Day. The mall had a tight and complex schedule of events, and with year-end performance evaluations and inventory summaries piling up, the company had been exceptionally busy these past few days.
The meeting lasted an hour and a half. Only after finalizing the tasks for each department did they finally adjourn.
Zhuo Shu returned to his office and quickly immersed himself in work again, hoping to wrap things up soon so he could go find Ying Tongchen. But there was too much to do—tedious and endless tasks which weren’t so easily dealt with.
He rubbed his temples and continued reviewing the reports.
Mi Shu knocked on the door. “Chairman Zhuo, I’ve finished all my tasks. I’m heading out.”
Zhuo Shu looked up.
“My boyfriend’s waiting for me downstairs,” Mi Shu said with an apologetic smile. “He’s been waiting for a while.”
Glancing at the time, Zhuo Shu realized it was already 9:30 p.m. He nodded. “Go on, then.”
“Alright, you should head home soon too.” Mi Shu slung her bag over her shoulder and jogged out of the office.
A few minutes later, Zhuo Shu received a call from Mi Shu.
“What’s wrong? Have you finally realized that work is your true love and decided to come back for overtime?”
“That’s impossible!” Mi Shu whispered into her phone, glancing toward a certain spot in the lobby. “Chairman, Mr. Ying is downstairs.”
Zhuo Shu froze. “What? When did he get here?”
“I asked the security guard—seems like he’s been here for a while. But… it looks like he’s run into some trouble.” Mi Shu lowered her voice, stealing another glance at Ying Tongchen and the two men across from him. “Anyway, you should come down and check it out yourself. I’m heading home now.”
Ying Tongchen hadn’t expected to run into anyone familiar here. He had been waiting downstairs for a while, watching employees leave one after another. Figuring Zhuo Shu would be done soon, he chose not to interrupt his work and instead sat on one of the lobby’s lounge sofas.
Time ticked by. He glanced at the bag beside him, rubbed his hands over his knees for a moment, then shifted uncomfortably and turned his gaze elsewhere.
But that casual glance led to an unexpected sight—Liu Li’ang walking in through the front doors with another man. They approached the security desk and directly asked for Zhuo Shu, requesting that the guards let them through.
The security guards, however, refused, stating that without an appointment, they couldn’t grant entry.
While they were speaking, Liu Li’ang suddenly noticed Ying Tongchen sitting nearby. He immediately walked over. “What are you doing here?”
“None of your business,” Ying Tongchen replied. “What are you here for?”
“This is my senior. He’s looking for a job, and I thought his qualifications suited this place, so I brought him to try his luck.” Liu Li’ang seemed to recall something, suddenly leaning in to scrutinize Ying Tongchen’s face. The more he looked, the more old memories surfaced. He quickly turned to his companion and asked, “Senior, doesn’t he look like that guy from the ‘Snow White’ play back then?”
Not wanting to entertain him further, Ying Tongchen stood up, grabbed his bag, and prepared to leave. But as he turned, he heard the stranger beside Liu Li’ang say his name.
“Tongchen? Ying Tongchen, is that you?”
Ying Tongchen turned back to look at the man. His complexion was sallow, his eyes dull, and his expression somewhat uneasy. Ying Tongchen didn’t recognize him.
“You don’t remember me?” The man gave an awkward smile. “It’s me—Bea Liar.”
Ying Tongchen's pupils flickered slightly. It was hard to reconcile the person standing before him with the bright, handsome young man he once knew. After a brief pause, he gave a faint nod. "Mm."
"You two know each other?" Liu Li'ang asked, surprised. "No way, no way... Could you really be my princess from back then?!"
Ying Tongchen shot him a cold glance. "Move aside."
Liu Li'ang was taken aback by the frosty look in Ying Tongchen’s eyes and quickly stepped back to give him space.