Chapter 17
"Now I know, all people around me are lying to me. They are all poker-faced, wearing some well-made masks. The only one who is not lying to my face is my father, the one who has always beat me to death ever since I was a child. I hated him to the core, but after all these happenings, these tragedies, he is the only one who cared for me, sincerely, without ulterior motives."
"I like knowing the fact that I really exist in the eyes of people around me as me, not just some scumbag son of a company owner. I feel less lonely. Living this shitty life is lonely itself, but them noticing me made me feel feelings I did not feel before. I would rather pick real insults than fake compliments."
Tanashiri, the bad boy, is having an emotional and mental breakdown inside. He wanted to cry, loudly, to be heard by his father, as he regretted what he had done to his father, all his wrongdoings, but he cannot do it. He cannot wake up, hug him, and tell him that every
Chapter 18 It is an early Monday morning, and there’s an aching sensation in my chest. Why is my life this way? It is been months and I dreaming of that man every time I fell asleep who looks like me. I should be scared, because he looks like me, but I am not. Seeing him makes me feel at ease, and makes me want to talk to him some more. But when I try speaking to him in my dreams, I just wake up, not blurting even a single word to him. It is frustrating. “Hiraya, wake up!" I know who is screaming my name. The one shouting loudly is my mother. Hearing my name is very disappointing, sometimes, even disheartening. It is not like any other common Filipino names. Having that name makes me an easy target for bullies in school. My mother is a Filipino language teacher. She adores the Filipino language very much. My name means product of a person’s faith, ideas, and goals. Sometimes I am thankful to her for naming me Hiraya, because I usually do
Chapter 19 Tanashiri's POV (Speaking in the Filipino language) "Something is wrong. Something is really wrong. I can feel it." He turned around and scrutinized everything before his eyes. The snow he wants to feel and see when he was a toddler, was here, in front of him. Whenever his father promised to take him and his mother abroad to see some snow, he is always screaming with glee. He always had these sparkling eyes when his father mentions snow, except when he grew up to be a young man. That is when he realized that his father is only fooling him, giving false promises. His mother's lips are smiling, but her eyes are empty. His mother's face is painted vividly in his mind now that he is old enough to remember things and read between the lines. It is like her mother's face is painted gray, even if her smile and voice are sincere. His mother endured it all, all the sadness, and pretended that she is loved dearly.
Chapter 20 "The winter came in too early this year, I noticed. It is not the start of December, and here it is, the snow is already here." Tanashiri is walking hastily, speaking and blabbering about anything, even nonsensical things. But his wardrobe is hindering him from walking faster. He is irritated with what he is wearing, it is burdensome in weight. He is almost near to stumbling. He is slowly becoming another. "Master Qiu, you are becoming bizarre today. You are speaking things out of the blue. You never were like that in the past, you are always calculating and careful about what you are to say, and you do not speak when it is not necessary. You hated unnecessary noise, and now, you are saying something about the weather? Maybe the medicine you took yesterday just kicked in, or you have another serious illness right now. This must be really something." His servant noticed. Li Jhie, Master Qiu's most trusted servant, and his childhood friend is
Chapter 21 "Master Qiu, where are we really going? The servants are becoming tired and out of breath. Please be considerate, Master Qiu. You are wearing thick clothes made of silk and linen, the traditional clothes, and we are wearing thin ones. Please do not make us suffer this much." Li Jhie held into a canopy outside a restaurant. He wants to fall to his knees. He is tired. "Yep, it is cold. I am so sorry for making you tremble with cold. "You are my servants, all of you. You should take care of me and keep up with me, obeying my every order. Understood?" The servants are shocked by Master Qiu's rude response. He is usually kind and considerate in the past. "Okay, I am sorry." "Little kid, you should be kind, or else, I will fully take over your body, forever. You should know how to be considerate and polite, for your life is dependent on me. In this world, You are me, I own you fully. You should not do anything I do no
Chapter 22 "We are tied by our interaction strings again. Let us communicate with each other in a calmer and more diplomatic manner, okay? From now on, we can now use this body to talk and act in what we want, take turns some time, as long as it is with the prescribed conduct. Please use your common sense. You are already a young adult and can differentiate what is right from wrong." "Well, whatever floats your boat, Master Unknown." Master Qiu smiled at Tanashiri, and Tanashiri, in return, glared at him. Then, they both felt a familiar feeling-a feeling felt by every human; a threatening storm. Tanashiri is used to feeling this when he was in his own body. He is feeling this, every time, because he is a glutton. He wants to eat, every time and anytime. He loves food and will eat and buy what he wants. Because, well, he is filthy rich. He is fond of different cuisines. But his palate loves Asian cuisine the most. He loves stir-
Chapter 23 Master Qiu turned his back quickly from his servants. And like a veteran track-and-field athlete, he had gone sprinting towards the public restroom. Shutting the door closed and leaving all his servants outside, he breathe deeply, trying to calm himself to tell himself that the storm is going to end soon. He is still out of breath, with his thoughts racing, and is in a state of panic. "I should not allow myself to be discovered that I am not alone in this body. I should be careful with my own actions. Know how to be a good actor, Tanashiri." "Do not worry, Master, I am good at anything. Just tell me what should I do." "My goodness, if I would have known that I will be brought in this kind of situation, I should have studied more about Asian Studies in my college years way back in the 2000s." "I forgot to speak Mandarin because I did not speak and write it for many, many years, and also, basic e
Chapter 24 Master Qiu and his servants are sprinting towards their home in Shanghai-a bustling place filled with the usual structures a commerce center has. Schools, houses, hospitals, factories. Tanashiri is just beginning to marvel at what is around him. "I never thought that I would see Shanghai with my two eyes in the 1930s. This looks more picturesque than what I saw in school textbooks!" Master Qui's energy preserved and only allotted for use for one day is beginning to be drained. It is like, he is carrying Tanashiri's body in his back. He is filthy, and Master Qiu's beautiful and expensive changshan dress is soiled with his own dirt. The people around him stare at him like he is an exotic animal worthy of display in an animal museum. They are laughing, pointing their fingers at him, and covering their noses with their spare handkerchiefs. "Master Qiu, that traditional dress is brought from a faraway town. You really did
Chapter 25 They are staring at the array of clothes around them, from fancy suits and traditional clothes, there is so much to choose from. Tanashiri's head is spinning because the clothing is colored brightly. They are in the most expensive men's store in Shanghai, to choose what will Master Qui will wear. Each of the salesmen working in the men's store holds a Western-style designed suit in their left hands and Chinese traditional men's clothes in their right hands. They have been that like for approximately two hours. They are sweating a lot despite the bad weather. He's been treated like a Master even if he looks like a beggar. He smells bad, too. The salesmen are sweating, too, because they are fighting the urge to cover their noses. They had to endure the awful smell that is polluting the store; they cannot do that in front of Master Qui. It will make them look rude. "Master Qiu, you should choose now. We are running late with yo
Tanashiri woke up with a throbbing headache, with my father and mother sleeping beside me. They are seated close to each other. They seemed to have reconciled. I am in the hospital again after fainting. I fainted after seeing that girl on the train. Tanashiri headed toward the bus stop, all by myself, and boarded the bus. Thankfully, the bus conductor helped him carry his things and put them in the designated area of the bus. He sat in the remaining empty seat on the bus. He cannot drive his car because he still cannot move normally his limbs after his deep coma. He left his mother and father, still dozing off near his hospital bed. They have a lot of talking to do, so I must leave them by themselves. I know they are exhausted from watching me all night, all year that I have been in a coma. I wonder how my Q-boy's doing. Tanashiri took some pills and fell asleep again. This time, he did not have any dreams. It is just a pitch-black type of sleep, but not a deep sleep though.
I felt a warm wind gushing to my face, and I woke up, smiling.Yes, I woke up, in an unfamiliar place.I tried to move my legs, but I cannot. I tried to lift my arms, but when I did, I saw that I am on an intravenous drip. These intravenous connections are burdensome, I have got so much work to do in the office. I turned my head to the left, and there is my best friend, Lisha. Thank God she was in my life. My person and her name mean goodness, reality, and joy), and this creature is sleeping. She may be sensed my sudden movements, and she was awoken by my grunts."Oh, you are already awake, I thought you are going to meet the Lord, I guess it is not yet your time," Lisha laughed.Hiraya tried to remove the pins and needles inserted in her arm and hands. Lisha frowned, but still acted cutesy toward her friend.Nope. I am still sleeping. This all feels like a dream, and I know you also feel that, don't you?"Ouch! That shit hurts! You pinched me! Stop!"Lisha put down her handbag from
It is an early Monday morning, and there’s an aching sensation in my chest. Why is my life this way? It is been months and I dream of that man every time I fell asleep who looks like me. I should be scared because he looks like me, but I am not. Seeing him makes me feel at ease, and makes me want to talk to him some more. But when I try speaking to him in my dreams, I just wake up, not blurting even a single word to him. It is frustrating. It's been months since she, and Lisha left China without a word to their superiors. A handful of incident reports are made by the two to explain why they left the group.“Hiraya, wake up! Hearing my name is very disappointing. It is not like any other common Filipino name. Having that name makes me an easy target for bullies in school. My mother is a Filipino language teacher. She adores the Filipino language very much. My name means the product of a person’s faith, ideas, and goals. Sometimes I get thanks to her for naming me Hiraya, because I usu
"God, please listen to my cries. I learned this language because I think I will be nearer to you when I use this. I seldom talk to you, but this time, I will try. I am a normal boy. I have all the material things, but I still feel that something is missing. It was like that until I met Jouri. God, you know that I love her, don’t you? But we met at the worst times. Why did it come to this? How?"Why does this feel nostalgic for me?"I want to say bitter words to you, but it will be of no use. Maybe because I acknowledged you too late. I met Jouri too late. I am just thankful that you let me meet her. I feel so privileged to meet a woman like her.""גאָט, ביטע הערן צו מיין געשריי. איך געלערנט דעם שפּראַך ווייַל איך טראַכטן איך וועט זיין נירער צו איר ווען איך נוצן דעם. איך רעדן זעלטן צו דיר, אָבער דאָס מאָל איך וועל פּרובירן. איך בין אַ נאָרמאַל יינגל. איך האָבן אַלע די מאַטעריאַל טינגז, אָבער איך נאָך פילן אַז עפּעס פעלן. עס איז געווען ניט ביז איך באגעגנט דזשורי. גאָט, איר וויסן אַז איך
"I need to get to her, fast, or else, everything I did will be in vain," Qiu spoke to himself.Tanashiri is playing with the knotted strings with his bare hands which are now full of blood.He is now considering escape, for his well-being.After all, he is physically fully healed, and his spiritual existence roaming the times is just the problem. Once he came back to his world, everything will be back in its original state. He, being the new CEO of the company, and his family, now, will be at peace with each other.He will change his ways.But he cannot afford to leave his friend, and his curiosity is getting the best of him and his decisions.He is curious about the order of things in the past.Qiu, Li Jhie, and Li Jingjing are still running along the streets of Kaifeng. Understandably, anarchy is still everywhere.They ran until they are out of breath, and out of tears.Tanashiri sees a live BDSM he always watches in Manila, except that he is not watching it from the internet. Every
"Where is Jouri?"He woke up and searched around. They are in a big rundown hut, with the roofs decaying and snow running down from the ceiling.Jouri is not around. Everyone, men and women, young and old, are lining up to get some food from the soldiers.Scraps."Sir Qiu, get your ass moving around, time is fast ticking, we should get out of here fast," Tanashiri's voice is shaking inside his head.Tanashiri is scared out of his wits.He wants to leave, and knows the way, but does not want to leave his pal."Ano ba itong napuntahan ko, what an unlucky life," ani Tanishiri.Qiu gave him the chance to get out, but he did not heed his advice.Their own heads are in turmoil right now.He continued to walk with his feet and knees beaten up, and certainly, he knows the place.He looked left and right, and he calmed down a bit when he saw two people. Li Jingjing and Li JhieA usual scene of people scrambling for food and place to stay. Everything is in chaos. Noises of people crying, shou
The streets are in chaos. Everybody is shouting, the Japanese soldiers are searching every area, especially households and stores. Upon walking outside every area they searched, they are holding papers. Land titles. The vehicle is still full of people, disarray, when Jouri and Qiu looked at each other,unexpectedly. They seemed to read each other's minds. Qiu looked away, and searched for an opening. He saw that there is an empty seat at the back of the vehicle. A man had a heart attack minutes ago, and he was pushed out of the bus by one of the passengers. Qiu suddenly kicked his way out of the first row, and caught hold of Jouri's hand. 跳! Qiu and Jouri jumped from the vehicle. They tripped themselves all the way across the street. They are now safe. It is kinda silent in that area. Or they thought it was. They are now sitting on a cold brick, hiding themselves from the chaos. They are both breathing heavily, but Jouri's breathing is more frantic. And audible. Qiu put hi
A boom can be heard from a distance."Run! Run everyone! The protective walls and gates have fallen!"Everyone ran in different directions, except the four. Why did I jump in time? My time spent here is not enough! I want to change everything!Bombs continued to destroy the town meters away from them, and jets started covering the skies above them."Li Jhie, take Lady Jinging to a safer place! Fast!"Li Jhie ran near Li Jingjing's carriage seat and lend her a hand to get off the carriage.She cannot run fast because of her heavy dress."Take off your head ornaments and shoes, My Lady," Li Jhie said, softly.She took off her ornaments and shoes, then, quickly, he piggybacked her."Hold tight me tighter."Li Jhie carried Li Jingjing on his back.Meanwhile, Jouri is still standing, alone, at the entrance of the alleyway.What the hell is this woman doing?Qiu dragged her out of the alleyway.What are you trying to do, boy?A bus was passing by and it was filled with passengers, and a s
I am not adopted. I am a real member of the family, my family that was left behind on Poland soil. All her life, Jouri thought she is just adopted because she does not look Jewish. Because of it, the neighborhood, and her schoolmates, mocked her, and her appearance. "Your grandmother is Chinese, and she tried her luck in Poland. There, she met your grandfather, who is a Jewish businessman. You look like Chinese, unlike your siblings, because your grandmother's genes are more dominant in you," the frail-looking rabbi told her. She ran out of the restaurant as fast as she could, far, far away into the alleys of the streets of Shanghai to hide her mixed feelings. She does not know if she feels happiness, sadness, or both, knowing that she is not somebody her parents saved from an unknown orphanage. Jouri is enjoying her reverie when she heard three deep, loud sounds that echoed in her ears. Joyous conversations began to fill the place. People are starting to crowd in her place, and