Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 10

Chapter 10

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After several days of being dragged to bars by Xu Nian and destroying his body, Xu Yan decided to quit drinking – If he continued like this, everyone in the bar would know about his breakup. Thanks to Xu Nian, someone else knew about his breakup too. When the call came in, Xu Yan was doing push-ups on the balcony. Without checking the caller ID, he answered, "Stop bothering me, okay?" – It was a new number and only Xu Nian had it, so Xu Yan naturally assumed it was his brother.

"It's been a month since we last talked, how have I become a bother already?" Ji Huai's voice was laced with laughter.

Xu Yan sprang up from the floor. "How is it you?"

Ji Huai was his best friend since adolescence, shoulder to shoulder through thick and thin. They had braved the trials of entrance exams together, creating a good story – a good story in the eyes of the girls.

Back then, Xu Yan was still a fresh-faced high schooler, full of vigour and positivity. Ji Huai, on the other hand, was the opposite, reserved and reluctant to speak to strangers, exuding a gloomy aura. Xu Yan had overheard girls saying that someone like Ji Huai easily triggered their maternal instincts.

Xu Yan had asked them, "Have you all been mothers?"

One girl explained, "Ji Huai seems like the kind of person who's been hurt, has a protective shell, and doesn't easily open up. It makes people want to get inside his heart and give him some warmth."

"..." Xu Yan opened his mouth "How many tragic novels have you read?" Then turned to Ji Huai, "Have you been hurt? Do you have a protective shell?"

Ji Huai was cracking an egg he had snatched from a friend in the next class and replied, "I've been hurt. Two days ago, I scraped my foot while climbing the wall, you know that."

Xu Yan: "..."

The reason their friendship was legendary was probably due to their inseparable bond and contrasting appearances. One was sunny and the other melancholic, both striking in looks and arrogant in behaviour. Nowadays, people might say they have "good chemistry". Xu Yan didn't mind the rumours, he even hooked his arm around Ji Huai's neck once and joked, "Why don't we give it a try?" Ji Huai had brushed him off, saying, "What about the school belle you went to the movies with yesterday?" Xu Yan had laughed heartily, "I'd forgotten all about that!"

Anyway, those were carefree and glorious days, with the best of friends and the prettiest girls. They played ball, fought, skipped class to surf the internet, crammed for exams, and wrote papers together. After graduating from high school, Ji Huai went to England. They had met a few times since, once even running into Shen Zhi.

That time Ji Huai came back for Chinese New Year, he drove straight to Shen Zhi's villa and called Xu Yan. Xu Yan, excited, changed clothes and headed out. Although he knew Shen Zhi wasn't interested in where he was going, Xu Yan still informed him, "I'm meeting a friend, so I won't be back for dinner."

Shen Zhi was standing on the balcony at the time, watching Xu Yan run all the way to the gate and give Ji Huai, who was standing by the car, a big bear hug. They chatted and laughed for a bit before getting into the car and leaving. When Xu Yan returned home that evening, he found the house completely dark – despite it being early. He went upstairs and stood in the dark bedroom, softly asking, "Are you asleep?"

There was no response for a long time. Xu Yan, thinking Shen Zhi was truly asleep, prepared to grab his pyjamas and take a shower. Just as he passed by the bed, his wrist was suddenly grabbed, and he was pulled onto the bed. Xu Yan was confused. "You're not asleep? Why didn't you say something earlier?" Shen Zhi remained silent, and with the dim lighting, Xu Yan couldn't see his expression, he could only ask, "Did you eat dinner?"

Shen Zhi finally spoke, "No."

Xu Yan frowned, "Why didn't you eat?"

Shen Zhi let go of his hand, sounding a bit annoyed, "None of your business"

Xu Yan asked, "Are you upset because I didn't make dinner for you?" He found it a bit funny, "Even housekeepers get a day off. I just missed one dinner, you're not seriously..."

"I just didn't want to eat," Shen Zhi coldly interrupted, "you don't need to overthink it."

"Fine, fine, I'm overthinking it. Go back to sleep, I'm going to shower." Xu Yan stood up and, after a moment's thought, sighed. "You know, I was pretty happy after meeting my friend, but now you've completely killed my mood."

"You didn't have to come back." Shen Zhi said.

Xu Yan stood by the bed. The darkness turned into a tangible weight, pressing on his chest until he could barely breathe.

"Yeah, you'd be thrilled if I never came back, wouldn't you? Would you want to set off fireworks if I disappeared forever?" Xu Yan suddenly felt a surge of anger and the desire to completely piss Shen Zhi off, so he continued, "But you're dreaming. I won't. I just won't. I'll keep coming back. I'll keep clinging to you."

... Forget it, truly hurtful words couldn't come out, so he resorted to this childish provocation. What made it worse was that Shen Zhi wasn't even angered. He merely remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Boring." – It was indeed boring, he couldn't bring himself to say harsh words, and the other was so fed up that he couldn't be bothered to react. Xu Yan felt like a fool.

......

Enough, once again the conversation veered towards Shen Zhi. Xu Yan needed to find a way to eradicate these irritating memories one day.

"Why couldn't it be me?" Ji Huai's laughter came through the phone.

Xu Yan deliberately checked the number on the screen and was pleasantly surprised, "You're back in China?"

"Mhmm, I came back a couple of days ago. I was planning to visit you, but Xu Nian told me you had already returned." Ji Huai said. "I'm back for a vacation and will leave after the New Year."

Xu Yan didn't say anything. He rushed back to his room and opened his laptop, the mouse clicking rapidly. Ji Huai asked, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for flights." Xu Yan said seriously. "I'm planning to go to Lhasa for a few days, come with me."

Ji Huai chuckled softly on the other end, "Okay."

When they were heading to the airport, Xu Nian acted as the driver. He grumbled all the way about how he also wanted to go to Lhasa, how he hadn't been out for a while, and how work was driving him crazy... Xu Yan responded with a cold laugh, "You seem pretty free every day." Xu Nian turned back and glared at him, but Ji Huai just smiled and patted Xu Nian's head. "We can go somewhere together when you have time."

Xu Nian immediately looked like a dog that had been petted, grinning foolishly, "Ji Huai Ge is always good to me."

Speaking of which, Xu Nian and Ji Huai had a good relationship back in the day. Xu Nian was a year below Xu Yan and Ji Huai, and going to other classes and grades was common for him. Ji Huai wasn't like Xu Yan, who would run off at the first sign of trouble and leave his younger brother behind, he often helped Xu Nian escape from the clutches of the school principal. Xu Yan remembered that one of Xu Nian's birthday wishes in high school was to swap brothers – to have Ji Huai instead.

After getting out of the car, Xu Yan had just put his luggage on the ground when Xu Nian leaned in and whispered – though Ji Huai could hear it clearly from the side. Xu Nian said, "Ge, let me tell you something. If you absolutely have to be with a guy, if that person is Ji Huai Ge, I'm okay with it."

Ji Huai glanced at Xu Nian, his expression calm but ambiguous, and didn't say anything. Xu Yan looked at his brother with a complicated expression, "Xu Nian, if I ever become homophobic, it'll definitely be your fault."

"Then I'll consider it a good deed." Xu Nian said, satisfied.

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi: Has he admitted his mistake and come home yet?

Assistant: Mr. Shen, Mr. Xu has already boarded a plane to Lhasa with another handsome guy.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Hi everyone! I think I am going to post Wilderness Vegetation on the weekend, two chapters per week.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 30, 2024 by Angel

Edited: June 2, 2024 by Angel