Chapter 115 Climbing the window ledge to see you
Pan Lei couldn’t possibly sit still. He entered the guest house room, dropped his luggage, and dashed back to Tian Yuan's house. The security door[1] was firmly shut. He could only hear curses and crying from within, with no trace of Tian Yuan's voice. He got immensely worried, wondering if Tian Yuan was all right. His parents didn't beat him up while I was gone, did they? What if he actually was beaten? Even if his in-laws didn't like him, he couldn't be bothered about that in the current circumstances. He began pounding on the door. He intended to tell them that if they wanted to cut ties with Tian Yuan, they should do so as soon as possible so that he could take Tian Yuan away. They may not want him, but the Pan family did. The Pans were eager to welcome him into the family.
With a thud, the door swung wide, revealing Father Tian's visage behind the security door. Pan Lei extended his neck and peered inside. Where is Tian’er? Is he not in the living room?
"Why the hell did you return? Hurry up and leave."
"Where’s Tian'er? Where is he?"
Pan Lei sorely wanted to push his father-in-law away and break in, but it was Tian Yuan’s house, no matter what. He couldn't be arrogant, so he could only be worried.
There had never been a place where he couldn't get in. He had even broken into the Burmese government's military bases, but he would not dare to do it here.
"Who are you to care about our family matters?! What's wrong with you?! Get out of here!"
Father Tian refused to open the security door to keep Pan Lei out.
"Tian'er, baby, let's go home! Come on out and let's go back!"
Pan Lei was unable to enter since his father-in-law was blocking the door. He could only peer in and shout. As long as Tian'er came out, they would return immediately.
"Stop shouting and get lost!"
Pan Lei's yells were heard by his mother-in-law, and Mother Tian hurried over like a crazed woman.
"It's all your fault! You misled my son! You and I cannot exist together[2]!"
The elderly lady had run out with a kitchen knife. Her demeanor suggested that she wanted to hack Pan Lei to death, and that at worst it would be a life for a life. Father Tian, fearful of things getting out of hand, quickly slammed the door shut.
"Why are you making so much trouble! What will we do if something really happens? Just keep an eye on Tian Yuan. Don't let him out. Don’t let him go back until he admits his mistake!"
"That b**ta*d, b**ta*d! I won’t spare him. What a sin! Oh Tian Yuan! You’re going to infuriate me to death!"
Pan Lei was already nervous, and the screaming from inside the apartment jolted him even more. Tian Yuan appeared to be under house arrest and being held by his in-laws. So, what should he do now? Tian Yuan's parents were both scholars, regardless of everything else. Why were they ranting and causing havoc? Why were they so unreasonable? Even if they disagreed, there was no reason for them to cause such a commotion. They had clearly imprisoned Tian Yuan and intended to separate them through emotional coercion.
Tian Yuan's mother was the wicked Queen Mother of the West(the Goddess of Heaven), not his family. How did the Cowherd and Weaver Girl end their relationship? What caused Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai to turn into butterflies? What happened to Romeo and Juliet? It was because there were too many unreasonable people who held onto false beliefs and made trouble between the pair of lovers.
Moreover, they were wrong to be so authoritarian. Tian Yuan had to get to work. If he stayed at home, he would almost certainly lose his job. They were simply irrational. {TN: pot meet kettle}
When Pan Lei beat on the door a couple more times, Father Tian screamed at him to leave immediately. The neighbors all came out, as if they were enjoying a good show. Pan Lei was absolutely enraged at this time. He had to see Tian'er today, no matter what; he had to bring Tian'er back with him, no matter what. What would happen to the couple if he couldn't take him immediately away? The consequences of their seniors' separation could not happen to them. They couldn't turn into stars separated by the Milky Way, nor could they become butterflies, let alone commit suicide with their wishes unfulfilled.
Pan Lei went downstairs and circled the old building to determine the location of Tian Yuan's house.
His apartment was on the fifth floor, so he could climb up from the outer wall rather than the stairs. The problem was that Tian Yuan couldn’t accompany him down from the fifth floor. It was just too perilous. He was trained to climb steep surfaces, but Tian Yuan couldn’t, and he couldn’t climb down from the fifth floor with Tian Yuan on his back without a protection rope and safety belt. He did not dare to take the risk. He was terrified of his baobei falling.
It didn't matter. He'd climb up and at the very least check on him. Was he beaten or otherwise harmed by anyone? If his parents didn't let him go by the time it got dark, he'd call 110[3], force his way in, and take Tian Yuan away.
Pan Lei had no trouble climbing up the exterior wall because every resident had put an anti-theft box grill. He merely had to step on them to get to the top. In truth, the anti-theft box grills were weak and had been in disrepair for a long time. He couldn’t put his entire body weight on them and had to rely on one hand to hold on to the pipe. The Boston ivy creepers had been on the wall for a long time, making it a little slick. He had to take extra care at every step.
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| Box grill: The spacing between the bars and the design vary greatly. This image is just to help you visualize. |
This type of wall climbing had become second nature to him after years of practice. There would be no mishap as long as he was cautious. His every step was precise, and his pace was not slow. He quickly crossed the second floor and reached the third floor. Someone had stopped downstairs and was peering up at him at this point. What is he up to? Is this young man playing wall climbing outside the building? Or does he intend to jump off the building? He needed to relax a little if he intended to jump off the building. This person appeared to believe that climbing a wall was perfectly all right.
When his foot slid, Pan Lei gripped the pipe tightly but did not fall, prompting the person downstairs to exclaim. It would be disastrous if he fell now that he was on the fourth story.
Pan Lei took a deep breath, focused his thoughts, and continued his ascent.
He gripped the pipe and pushed the upper half of his body onto the fifth-floor window ledge first, with the rest of his body hung outside. He had the advantage of height, and he could easily see the panoramic view of the room on the fifth level. With his other arm, he clutched the anti-theft box grill on the fifth floor, his body dangling outside the building.
He arched his neck and peered inside. Bingo! His Tian'er was sitting in this room. He was correct! He was correct to make the effort to scale the wall. He could finally see Tian Yuan.
He knocked on the window with his arm outstretched.
Tian Yuan was sitting on the bed, alone and sad, contemplating how he would persuade his parents to accept Pan Lei when he heard Pan Lei's voice. When he heard his mother shouting and crying, he was about to open the door to see Pan Lei. He tried to open the door but couldn't get the doorknob to turn. His mother had done the terrific job of locking the door from the outside. He pounded on the door, pleading with his mother to let him go. Since they couldn’t accept it, they should let him go. He’d return with Pan Lei.
His mother quarreled with him across the locked door. Tian Yuan was exhausted, truly exhausted. He visited home for a joyful purpose. How could it have gotten to this point?
Were he and Pan Lei truly going to call it quits? Was it necessary for them to break up? There was no one in this world who treated him as well as Pan Lei. He just couldn't let go. They had agreed to be together for the rest of their lives. In this lifetime, neither of them could withdraw halfway through.
Pan Lei kept assuring him that he(TY) needed to be on his(PL) side, and that he(PL) was certain he could win over his in-laws. Tian Yuan was distraught and at a loss at the moment. He had not anticipated such a hostile attitude from his folks.
He was surprised when he heard someone suddenly knock on the glass. This was the fifth floor, the fifth floor! Who would come knocking on his window?
When he peeked out the window, he saw Pan Lei smiling and waving at him. His head and shoulders rested on the anti-theft box grill outside the glass, while the rest of his body appeared to be suspended.
Tian Yuan's face blanched with horror. This is the fifth floor! What if he slips and falls? What if he doesn't grip it tightly enough? He opened the window quickly, not daring to think about it any longer, and seized one of his arms, forcefully pulling it.
"What, what are you doing climbing up here? It’s so dangerous!"
"Obviously, I was worried about you. Are you okay? Did they beat you?"
Pan Lei gently stroked Tian Yuan's face and examined it closely. His face was swollen and his eyes were bloodshot. Damn! Can you not make me so worried! Looking at his aggrieved appearance hurt more than digging out his heart.
"Baby, be good. I’ll find a way to get you out, and then we’ll go home tonight. It doesn’t look like your parents will agree. I’ll call my parents and have them speak with your parents. Perhaps the older generation will find it easy to converse. If it doesn’t work, I’ll approach my grandparents and ask them to speak with them. Don’t be angry and make yourself sick. Don’t worry, okay? Your face hurts, right? Mother hit you quite hard. In fact, she isn’t happy about it. Don’t hold grudges towards her. Mother simply cannot accept it right away. She’ll figure it out after some time. Baby, you have suffered."
Tian Yuan reached out and grasped his arm. His eyes were tearing because of his grievances, complaints, and heartache. The beatings hurt. Pan Lei’s care made him feel like a child who vents all of his grievances and misery when he sees a family member. He felt more and more sad. He couldn’t endure since Pan Lei had spoiled him. He wanted to cry, wished to complain, and desired to be soothed by him.
Pan Lei was distressed to death when he peered into Tian Yuan’s red eyes. He held him in the palm of his hand, kept him in his heart, and treated him as if he were an ancestor, but now his baby had been wronged.
"There, there, listen to me. I’ll figure out a way to take you out tonight."
He'd rappel by tying a safety rope from the top floor. He'd destroy the box grill, carry Tian Yuan down from the fifth story, and flee.
"Go down quickly! This is far too dangerous."
Tian Yuan knew he'd find a way to get him out, but hanging from the fifth level was too unsafe. He didn't have any form of security on him.
"Let me take a look at you again."
Tian Yuan stretched his arms through the opening in the box grill, allowing Pan Lei to hug him. It was only about an hour. How could he possibly miss him so much? How could he be so averse to parting?
When they got home, they'd live their little lives, be quiet and serene, laugh and quarrel, and cuddle with each other. Everything would be all right. It was also 10,000 times better than hugging across the security grill, which felt like he was visiting his lover in jail.
"If they hit you, just dodge. Don't respond to force with force. Don’t retort if they scold you. You must remain silent at this time. I’ll have a solution by evening."
Tian Yuan nodded and kissed Pan Lei’s palm.
"Be careful when you descend. Don’t worry! Step firmly and then move down; don't fall."
"I'll be fine, trust my skills. Tian'er, don't cry! Cry when we get home, okay? If you cry right now, I can't do anything about it. Endure, you must endure. Everything will get better."
Tian Yuan's tears, which he had forcibly held down, almost burst forth again, but he nodded. Pan Lei sighed with relief. He could calm down and figure out a means to get him out as long as he was obedient and didn't cry or get beaten.
Footnotes:
[1] An additional door between the main door and the outside. Usually, a security door’s upper part has vertical bars.
[2] To have irreconcilable differences.
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