Christmas Monsoon - 149 (Infuriating)

Today's 6/8
————
There were people outside in the corridor, and Kruger was a little embarrassed to speak, but he still forced himself to say, "Did I wrong you last time?"
Xu Yicong crossed his arms. "What last time? I've forgotten about it."
Kruger chuckled, his beard twitching slightly. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to your explanation back then."
When this arrogant German first met her students, his self-introduction emphasized that they should call him Professor, not "Professor Kluge," because most Asian students couldn't pronounce the German word "Kluge" correctly. Now, the most haughty professor in the college is apologizing to her.
Xu Yicong, of course, didn't think he had a change of heart. She remained seated, but the class gossip never failed her. She knew Noyce's capabilities, but she didn't know that the position he had painstakingly secured would collapse so quickly. Kruger kept him as his assistant, but soon found that he was nowhere near as comfortable to work with as his previous two assistants. Although he was still happy to be flattered, progress was impossible to advance. After enduring and pushing him for over a month, he finally lost his temper. Unexpectedly, Noyce, without any panic, planned to jump ship to a testing agency—not the one Kruger often had him and Xu Yicong pick up and drop off reports at, but a new company founded by the head of that agency, the kind that was at odds with his old employer. Noyce had no intention of telling Kruger; the news was given to him by an old friend of Kruger's.
Kruger then realized how much trouble he had caused behind his back. Xu Yicong felt that Kruger had spent too much time in the academy and had become quite immature. It was easy to see that Noyce could do the same thing to Xu Yicong as he could to Kruger. This listless boy saw everyone as pretty much the same; he was a heartless, manipulative machine.
When Kruger yelled at Xu Yicong, he was blatantly protective of his own. Now that he has no one else to rely on, he knows very well who is useful and who he should ask for help from.
Kruger said, "Come back, I'll give you a raise."
Xu Yicong smiled and said, "I'm a second-generation rich kid, you know? My brother is extremely wealthy, so I don't care about my salary."
Kruger was very modest, saying, "Name your terms."
Xu Yicong put his hands into the pockets of his white coat. "I have no conditions. If you let me come back, I will come back. I'm counting on you to help me graduate."
Kruger, sensing her disapproving look, didn't dare believe she was truly without grounds. Without uttering a word, he decisively expelled Noyce from the academy, leaving him to fend for himself. Calculating the time, it was half a month earlier than she and Xu Huansi had initially estimated.
While Xu Yicong was working on data in the lab, he drifted off and started thinking, with his chin in his hand, what Xu Huansi would say if he were there.
It was raining outside the window, the deep green of late summer soaked through. She thought he would reward her with a hot pot meal and then say, "My sister is really amazing."
She exchanged her thick stack of wages for cash, held it in her hand, weighed it in her hand, and planned to tell him later that he had taught her quite well.
Throughout the autumn, Xu Huanyi stopped joking around with her. He barely contacted her, and during their few phone calls, he always changed the subject. Xu Yicong didn't ask any questions. Instead, she bought dozens of private lessons, got a British driving license, and worked herself to the bone every day. She would go home, collapse into bed, and sleep soundly without even dreaming.
Except for one time. On Christmas Eve, she accompanied Kruger to a dinner party and was looking down to eat gingerbread when someone bent down to look at her face and asked, "Aren't you Xu Huansi's sister?"
It turned out to be Charlie, whom I had met once before. He asked, "Don't your family come home for Christmas every year?"
She then remembered her important task and went to the balcony to call her grandmother. Her grandmother said, "I'm in Japan. It's snowing, and it looks beautiful."
Xu Yicong said softly, "Merry Christmas."
Her grandmother only told her that the recent treatment plans had all failed and the situation was not good. Last night, Xu Huansi had a fight with the doctor and made the doctor leave in anger. "He can really make people angry. That female doctor has a very good temper."
Xu Yicong wanted to laugh while listening on the other end of the phone, but she didn't say anything. Her grandmother asked, "I'm coming over. Do you have anything to tell me?"
Aside from not arguing with doctors, especially female doctors, she had nothing else to say, so she said nothing. But probably because she had a little to drink, she dreamed about him that night. She seemed to still be in high school, lying on Xu Huansi's bed eating snacks and talking on the phone, discussing with her classmates where to go for Christmas Eve. Xu Huansi had just returned from South Africa, pacing back and forth, loosening his tie, changing clothes, and packing his luggage, when he kicked her in the butt, saying, "You're not allowed to go anywhere."
Congcong jumped up, clutching her bottom, dodging him as she said, "I've already made plans!"
Xu Huansi threw down his suitcase, pressed her down on the small sofa on the balcony, and clenched his chin as if to hit her. Xu Yicong was so scared that she closed her eyes. "Merry Christmas! It's not like I didn't want to say Merry Christmas to you! Besides, didn't you also make plans... Never mind, never mind, I won't call you a womanizer anymore, just don't hit me!"
A cool sensation ran down her neck; a necklace had appeared. Xu Huansi fastened the necklace for her, flicked her forehead, and placed a card in her hand. "Go wherever you want. Look at you, so pathetic."
The necklace pendant was a small six-pointed star, almost Xu Yicong's first proper piece of jewelry—she didn't think of it as jewelry at the time, just wore it for fun. Later, when Jin Susu saw it, she exclaimed, "Wow! I've seen this in the auction catalog! Does your brother need a little sister?"
Xu Yicong woke up, got up, and looked out the window. It was snowing! She remembered a news article Jin Susu had written before, which said, "The world shares the same temperature." Tokyo and London shared the same temperature.
More than a month later, Xu Huanyi finally called after a long time. Xu Yicong was kneeling on the ground grooming the Great Sage. When he answered, he instinctively held his breath, "Second Brother?"
Xu Huanyi remained silent for a long time. Xu Yicong could hear his footsteps, which seemed to be hurrying along the empty corridor. With a soft sound, he opened the window. The cold Tokyo wind blew through the microphone. He took a breath and finally said, "He had surgery the day before yesterday. He woke up today, so don't worry."
Xu Yicong held her phone and buried her head in the big dog's warm, soft fur.

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Christmas Monsoon - 149 (Infuriating)

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