One Useless Rebirth

Looking at Di Qiuhe’s open collar and his striking facial features in the dim light, the Bully He Bai took a deep breath, sat up, fanned himself with the hem of his pajamas and tried to calm himself down. Then he sat up, pulled up the quilt in a rude way to cover Di Qiuhe, lay down and hugged the guy, patting him on the back while whispering, “Once there was a mountain...”

Di Qiuhe wrapped his limbs around He Bai’s body and made a request, “I’ve heard this. Please tell me another.”

“... A long time ago, there was a...”

“I’m twenty-three years old, and I want to hear a coming-of-age story.”

He Bai paused. Looking at the guy who made annoying demands but had child-like glowing eyes, he thought for a while, turned his head while relaxing the body, closed his eyes and said, “Once upon a time, there was a child called He Bai...”

Di Qiuhe was surprised and finally stopped disturbing him.

He Bai opened his eyes to shoot a glance at Di Qiuhe, relieved, and continued his telling.

Before this tomb-sweeping, he hadn’t visited his parents for a long time, nor recalled his past. If his stories could make Di Qiuhe well-behaved, He Bai was absolutely willing to come clean even about his family tree.

The room was very quiet, and Di Qiuhe’s temperature pretty warm. He Bai’s voice dropped when his memories came flooding back.

He recalled his happy childhood when the family travelled widely, his parents’ tragic death before he came of age... as well as making joyful acquaintance of the three roommates after entering the university, learning about photography with curiosity and doing tiring but meaningful part-time jobs...

He Bai paused when he spoke of his coming summer vacation in the sophomore year.

Di Qiuhe felt puzzled and looked up at him, “Why do you stop talking?”

“Because you know things that happened afterwards.” smiled He Bai. He lay on his back in the bed when a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Slowly closing his eyes, He Bai asked, “Di Qiuhe, what do you think your future is like?”

With his arms empty, Di Qiuhe put his hands under his head, looked at He Bai’s indistinct visage and replied, “I’ll achieve success and win recognition.”

Remembering his dazzling fame in the last life, He Bai nodded his agreement, “Sure, you will.”

Di Qiuhe’s eyes were fixated on He Bai’s smiling mouth when he continued, “And live a peaceful life with the one I love.”

He Bai’s smile faded when the picture where Di Qiuhe fell down a building consciously flashed through his mind. He asked, “How long is it?”

“It depends on how long my lover lives.” Di Qiuhe replied in a gentle voice when he slowly reached out his hand under the quilt and pinched a corner of He Bai’s pajamas.

What a romantic answer it was!

He Bai couldn’t help laughing, while his voice lowered, “It must be such a blessing to be your lover, for you will love... love...” His eyes closed completely before he finished the sentence.

As He Bai dozed off, Di Qiuhe slowly approached him, held the guy in his arms and kissed him on the forehead, saying in a low voice, “Will you be my lover? I’ll love you with all my heart.”

Awake from a sound sleep, He Bai found Di Qiuhe was gone, with a note left on the bedside cabinet.

Di Qiuhe: I’m heading for the set, and Assistant Wang will drive you to the airport later. Remember to have breakfast and send me a text when you arrive, for I’m probably too busy to answer your call.

He Bai put down the note and shook his head when thinking of what Di Qiuhe did last night. Then he got up, washed his face and packed up the luggage.

At lunchtime, the plane arrived in B city. He Bai sent a text to Wang Boyi as soon as he got into a taxi to make sure all the crew members were having lunch, and then he dialed Di Qiuhe’s number.

“Are you getting to B City?”

He Bai quickly got through, and Di Qiuhe’s gentle and pleasant voice came with a slight distortion.

He Bai suddenly found himself somehow ill-adapted to his voice, paused and replied, “Yes, I’m taking a taxi to my school. Are you having lunch?”

“Yeah, why don’t you eat something before going back to school?”

“I had a late breakfast, and I’m not hungry now.”

“Remember to eat something when you arrive at the campus.”

“Okay.”

After an everyday conversation, both of them kept silent, while no one hung up, and the atmosphere became quite awkward.

For some inexplicable reason, He Bai felt ill at ease. He turned his head to look out of the window at the familiar smoggy air and tried to utter something to end the embarrassing silence, “What do you have for lunch? Don’t be a picky eater. Vegetables are also good for your health.”

“Sure, I’ll finish it.” answered Di Qiuhe. He paused and asked, “Bai, when will you come to the set?”

The atmosphere still seemed strange.

He Bai rubbed his cheek, and replied purposefully, “Do you miss me?”

“Yes, I do.” Di Qiuhe responded honestly.

He Bai: “...”

There was another silence. Finally, Di Qiuhe opened his mouth, “I have to go, for the director hurries me. Text me when you get to school, and I’ll give you a call when my work is finished.”

He Bai ruffled his hair, made a vague response and hung up quickly.

It’s still weird... Could it be said that his mood changed seasonally as autumn came? He looked at the mobile phone and pondered it over. After a brief hesitation, he called Niu Junjie and said seriously, “I miss you, bro.”

Half a minute later, Niu Junjie’s voice broke the silence, “Bai, are you recalling old memories at tomb-sweeping sights, or...haunted by ghost?”

He Bai: “...”

After He Bai was back, the whole dormitory dined out and then went to the court to play basketball. Exhausted by the sport, He Bai lay down on the ground when a relieved smile spread over his face.

Having spent several days with Di Qiuhe, He Bai nearly forgot how to get along with friends on a normal basis. Luckily, he had three roommates, with whom he was able to return to normal status.

The holiday wound up, and He Bai continued to engage himself in his study and part-time job.

It took him a few days to sort through all the photos taken on the set, and then he carefully retouched a poster and handed it to Xu Yinrong. One day later, Xu called him and informed that there’s something about cooperation that needed discussing with Jiang Guanshan.

“You’re still an employee of Yi Ka, so you have to tell them about it before you take the appointment.” Xu Yinrong soothed him kindly, “Just take it easy. Director Jiang suggests you shoot with the crew members so that you could accumulate more experience. He won’t insist it if you are short of time. Academic performance is more important to you. You are already a junior and about to have an internship next year, so your main task now is to lay a good foundation.”

He Bai nodded. Seeing Xu Yinrong’s grey hair and softening eyes, he was open about his decision, “Mr. Xu, I decide to resign from Yi Ka and concentrate on my studies, only to do part-time work during vacations. A full-time job overworks me now.”

Xu Yinrong was quite surprised, “Have you made up your mind?” He was well aware that his student always had a sense of gratitude. In order to repay Yi Ka for their offer, he would rather exhaust himself hurrying between two places, but now...

“Yes, I have. I’ll submit my resignation next week. It’s October, and there will be publicity surrounding Little Mermaid’s winter collections. When it’s done, I’ll not leave Yi Ka until they find a photographer to replace my job.” explained He Bai. Then he added, “From October to next January, there will be a constant market for winter wear. Despite long cycle, the working intensity is moderate, so I can cope with it. During the period, Yi Ka, I believe, will be surely able to find a perfect photographer to succeed me. Besides, Director Jiang’s shooting on location can last about three months, and he’ll come back to B City before next Chinese New Year, when I’m in winter holiday and can just shoot on set.”

Xu Yinrong took the calendar and calculated the time, his eyebrows unknitted. He nodded, “Sure, in this way, you can save both time to study and trouble on the go. Well, I’ll discuss specific arrangements with Jiang on your behalf, and you can focus on Yi Ka’s work for now. Remember to explain the situation to your leader and carry out your last duties.”

“Yes, Elder Xu.” nodded He Bai. Relieved, he was sentimental about his departure. His cooperation with Yi Ka was kind of ill-considered, for which Sister Lin had been bothering to accommodate the team to his identity as a student. He owed her a lot on making the decision to leave, which made him extremely guilty.