The Unsettling Return of Callum Xia Chapter 10

Callum Xia was finally able to put on his clothes before he was about to leave. Theo Shen helped him button the buttons very considerately.

The process was very peaceful, the two of them kept a safe distance, Theo Shen's movements were always polite, and there was not even a hint of ambiguity.

"Be careful on the way back." Theo Shen lowered his eyes and buttoned the top button of the other party's collar.

The one Callum Xia wore had a slightly off-set collar, so buttoning it up made him feel like he was being strangled.

"Those photos..."

Theo Shen sighed: "I'm working on the darkroom these days. I'll put it away after washing it. You don't have to worry."

Callum Xia defended: "I'm not worried about the pornographic photos scandal..."

Theo Shen looked at him quietly, and Callum Xia was speechless. In the end, he could only mutter "Forget it" as if giving up, and tugged on the buttons of his shirt that were too tight around his neck. The sunken house door.

As a result, after arriving home, the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Callum Xia sat on his bed for a long time, still feeling a little stuck in his heart.

He was clear about his feelings for Theo Shen, which had not changed in so many years. He would not be satisfied with whatever the other person wanted or did, but of course it was impossible to say that he would not be humiliated at all when he was naked and taking pictures for such a long time.

Mainly, he still couldn't understand Theo Shen's thoughts.

Callum Xia is not so slow that he doesn't understand emotions. When Theo Shen gives him a blowjob, he wonders if the other person also likes him a little bit. But when he is asked to take pictures without clothes, Callum Xia wonders if Theo Shen is just Likes to bully him.

It's not impossible for someone who is almost forty years old to like to have fun, but Callum Xia is actually quite timid.

He has such deep love and doesn't want to be let down.

But he's also afraid that the other person will think he can't afford it and won't even like him anymore.

After struggling for a long time, Callum Xia finally adjusted himself. He thought that since the other party had that intention, he should take the initiative, so he sent a message to Theo Shen.

"Would you like to have dinner together tomorrow?" Callum Xia followed with a cute Pikachu emoticon.

After a while, Theo Shen replied to him: "I'll go home for dinner tomorrow."

Callum Xia couldn't control his nervousness when he was rejected. His heart was trembling and he didn't know how to respond. Anyway, he was very sad and felt that he was doing something unnecessary.

Theo Shen asked again: "Where did your emoticon come from?"

Callum Xia: "The girls in the company gave it to me, so I saved it."

Theo Shen said: "It's so cute."

Callum Xia posted a few more: "Pikachu, of course it's cute."

"I didn't say Pikachu." Theo Shen replied, "I said you."

After entering late autumn, it rarely rained in the southern town. Theo Shen rarely drove his large pickup truck, and the guards at Yuyuan couldn't help but look at it a few more times when they let it go.

After Zhang Ning and Shen Congshan retired, they moved to Xiangcheng District, which is very far away from the park to the south and north. Theo Shen drove for 40 minutes to get there, turned off the engine and sat in the car for a while.

The rain outside was getting heavier, but Theo Shen didn't want to go out too much. He didn't bring his e-cigarette, so he could only endure it when he became addicted.

In the end, Zhang Ning sent him a message: "I've seen your car, where are you?"

Theo Shen replied: "Just come up."

Zhang Ning left the door open and was waiting for him. Theo Shen took off her damp windbreaker first and put her shoes outside the door. Zhang Ning came over with the slippers and wanted to bend down and hand them to his feet.

"I'll do it." Theo Shen didn't let her really bend down. He took the shoes and put them on himself, and asked casually: "Where's Dad."

Zhang Ning rubbed her hands, and she looked a little nervous: "It's in the study room."

Theo Shen said "hmm".

Zhang Ning: "Would you like something to drink?" She added, "I made red bean soup."

Theo Shen: "Then let's have red bean soup."

Zhang Ning seemed very happy and went to the kitchen to pour him soup.

Theo Shen looked around the living room and found that it didn't seem to have changed much from the last time he left in his memory.

Suddenly there was a coughing sound upstairs. When Theo Shen looked up, he saw Shen Congshan standing at the door of the study looking at him.

After a long silence, Shen Congshan slowly said: "I'm back."

Theo Shen still said "hmm" with neither salt nor blandness.

Zhang Ning happened to come back with red bean soup, Theo Shen took it and said "thank you".

It was okay not to say thank you, but as soon as he said thank you, Zhang Ning's expression became uncomfortable again.

Theo Shen lowered his head and drank the soup. Shen Congshan had already come down. The two old men were watching him drink. So after taking a few sips, Theo Shen couldn't drink it anymore.

Zhang Ning wiped her face as if to cover up, and whispered: "Let's eat."

Shen Congshan agreed and went into the kitchen to help her serve the food. Theo Shen sat still and waited until the others left before drinking the whole bowl of red bean soup.

It was still a little awkward while eating.

Theo Shen didn't want to talk, and his parents couldn't force him. The three of them had their own food, and the frequency of picking up food was low. In the end, Shen Congshan couldn't help but speak first: "How is work...?"

Theo Shen scooped up a bowl of soup: "It's pretty good, very relaxing."

He used to work as a stock market securities analyst in the United States. It can be said that he was risking his life. He had to go to the company building before 7 o'clock every morning, and then stare at four computers at the same time from the opening to the closing of the market, doing what he did. Okay, there are many hairlines that are in danger, but fortunately Theo Shen has not followed in this footsteps.

So before returning to China, Theo Shen had thought about it. He wanted to find a relaxing job, preferably as a way of providing for his retirement.

"Why don't you live in the villa I bought before?" Theo Shen remembered it after eating and asked Zhang Ning.

Zhang Ning: "Why are the two of us living in such a big house? I'll rent it out for you."

Theo Shen frowned: "Are you short of money?"

Shen Congshan coughed and said calmly: "My idea is to help you save more money for old age."

... Theo Shen didn't know what to say for a moment.

Zhang Ning looked at him and said earnestly: "Stay a little longer? It's still raining outside."

Theo Shen glanced outside, and sure enough it was still raining.

So the three of them sat in the living room in silence, not knowing what to say.

"That young man named Xia." Zhang Ning said suddenly, "Are you married?"

Theo Shen glanced at her: "No."

Zhang Ning said "Ah". She seemed a little disappointed and a little relieved, and said with a complicated expression: "Not yet..."

Theo Shen smiled: "Well, I got in touch with him."

Shen Congshan's expression wasn't very pretty, but he didn't say anything and just lay on the sofa with his arms folded.

Zhang Ning was obviously at a loss: "This, this is it... That's okay, you, you guys can get in touch... um..."

"We have a good relationship." Theo Shen said calmly, "I will bring him back for dinner next time I have time."

...

Theo Shen left before the rain stopped. Zhang Ning escorted him downstairs. When Theo Shen was about to hold an umbrella, Zhang Ning suddenly pulled him.

"Mom..." Zhang Ning said intermittently, she was a little choked, "Mom is reading, I have read a lot, and I understand... Mom supports you, really, don't, don't hide. With mom..."

Theo Shen didn't speak. He looked down at his mother.

The old lady was really old and her back was rickety. He had only been away for fifteen years, but she seemed twice as old.

Theo Shen stretched out his hand and hugged the other person gently.

Zhang Ning's whole shoulders were shaking as she cried, repeating a few words over and over again.

"I don't blame you." Theo Shen whispered, "Thank you, Mom."

Zhang Ning was the first to discover Theo Shen's ulterior secrets.

She was tidying up the room for her son, who had just come back from college after a rare weekend break. She touched the fallen camera, which contained a pile of newly developed photos, all showing the sleeping face of a strange boy.

Zhang Ning is not stupid. In that era when homoS3xuality was rarely mentioned, she realized that her son was abnormal.

When Theo Shen came back that night, Shen Congshan almost beat him to death.

This is the first time Theo Shen has been beaten since he was a child.

He is by no means a good boy in the traditional sense, but his excellent grades more than make up for it.

Shen Congshan said, if you change, I will let you continue to go to school, otherwise you don’t have to go to school. You don’t go to school, you just go to Fcuk men. Isn’t that disgusting?!

Theo Shen didn't say anything or agree. This was his usual tactic. He also did it when he was being trained before. He didn't admit his mistakes or correct them, and he continued to go his own way after that.

As expected, Shen Congshan did not let him go to school the next day. The couple took leave and took their son out of the province overnight. It was not until a long time later that Theo Shen found out that he had been taken to some so-called mental correction center.

Zhang Ning sat with him in the corridor outside, while Shen Congshan was talking to the doctor in a white coat inside.

The voice came out vaguely.

"This disease can be cured, leave it to us."

...

"It doesn't take long, half a year is enough."

...

"We have cured many of them, aren't they all married now?"

Shen Zuoshan came out of it and reached out to grab Theo Shen. The latter struggled and pulled at the flesh that had been severely beaten last night, and he hissed in pain.

Zhang Ning said anxiously: "What did the doctor say?"

Shen Congshan said impatiently: "Just leave it to them."

The man in the white coat looked around at Theo Shen and asked with a smile, "What's your name?" Speaking in less than standard Mandarin.

Theo Shen kept his mouth shut, and Shen Congshan slapped him without saying a word.

"Hey, hey." The white coat said with a fake smile, "Don't fight, don't fight. Violence is not good at solving problems. Leave it to me."

Shen Congshan pulled Zhang Ning out, and before leaving, he said harsh words: "If you can't be cured, I will treat you as dead!"

The white coat groaned a few more times, seemingly unable to bear it. He sat opposite Theo Shen and said, "You see how angry you make father, why bother, right?"

"Doctor." Theo Shen raised his head. His entire face was swollen, and it was painful to look at.

He grinned, as if smiling, and said slowly: "Don't treat me anymore, just treat me as dead."

Later, Theo Shen realized that he had really said this too early.

He can't die. It should be said that life is almost worse than death.

Because he is already an adult at the age of 20, it can be said that it is not easy to control him. In addition, Theo Shen is not the type to be controlled in the first place. The director of the correctional center in white coat sent four men to keep an eye on him all day long.

There will be a special correction time from 1 to 5 p.m., and four people will take turns asking him if he still likes men.

If he said he liked it or didn't answer, he would get electric shocks.

Theo Shen didn't know how many times he was asked this question. He didn't open his mouth the whole time until he was shocked to the point of becoming incontinent or fainted.

No one thought that Theo Shen could last so long.

In the correctional facility, everyone was an obedient lamb, except him.

He didn't participate in aerobics, didn't listen to the speeches at the meeting, didn't eat, and he couldn't let Theo Shen receive electric shocks from morning to night in a white coat, because by the end, he had obvious signs of dehydration.

Zhang Ning was invited over two months later, and she called her son through the bars-like dormitory.

Theo Shen was tall and thin, squatting in front of her like a skeleton.

"Can't you consider us?!" Zhang Ning covered her face and burst into tears, "How can you like men? How can you be worthy of us..."

Theo Shen looked at her calmly and said, "Mom, even if I like a man, I'm still your son."

Zhang Ning said angrily: "I don't have a son like you!"

"Mom." Theo Shen sighed, "Take me away."

Zhang Ning: "No, I can't leave until it's cured. Mom will stay with you."

Theo Shen said: "It can't be cured."

Zhang Ning: "Whoever said it can't be cured can definitely be cured."

Theo Shen stopped talking. After a long time, he suddenly said: "I'm about to die, will you save me?"

"?" Although Zhang Ning didn't understand why he asked, she still said firmly, "You won't die. Mom won't let you die."

Theo Shen smiled weakly: "Okay."

Zhang Ning was about to say something, but suddenly her neck hurt, as if she was being pulled by something. Then with a "crash" sound, Theo Shen actually tore off the golden Buddha statue that had been hanging around her neck for more than ten years through the iron railing. .

"Mom." Theo Shen shook the golden Buddha gently, "You want to save me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swallowed the whole golden Buddha into his mouth.

Buddha finally came to save him.

Theo Shen thought.

It seems that I am about to cross this boundless sea of   suffering.