Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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When the WeChat call request sounded, Xu Yan's phone was in Ji Huai's hand – Ji Huai was taking tourist photos of Xu Yan in front of the Potala Palace. "Someone called Dr Liu," he said, waving the phone at Xu Yan. "they're calling you." Xu Yan was taken aback, he walked over to take the phone and stared at the screen for two seconds. His thumb hesitated to press the answer button or hang up.

"Your doctor?" Ji Huai asked him.

Xu Yan, feeling a bit dazed due to mild altitude sickness, shook his head and said softly, "Shen Zhi's." Then he answered the call, just as he had done countless times over the past few years, and said with a smile, "Hello, Dr. Liu."

"Ah, Xiao Xu, Shen Zhi hasn't been here for several months, has he? I'll arrange a time in the next couple of days for him to come in for a follow-up. He's a busy man, so you'll have to keep an eye on him and make sure he comes in, okay?"

It was cold, and the wind in the Sunshine City in winter was like a knife, cutting against one's face. Xu Yan looked at the majestic Potala Palace, wanting to refuse, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the dry, cold wind rushed in, making him speechless. He desperately wanted to say, "I can't do this anymore, please don't contact me about it in the future," but he couldn't. It was difficult – Shen Zhi's hand was injured because of him.

He didn't want to recall the specifics; memories could easily make one confused and soft-hearted. Xu Yan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Okay, I'll let him know and contact you before he comes."

After ending the call, Xu Yan stood there, his hair blown about, looking somewhat desolate. Ji Huai didn't say anything either and stood with him. A few minutes later, Xu Yan opened his friends list, found Shen Zhi's assistant, and asked her, "Miss Li, are you on this business trip with Shen Zhi?"

The assistant quickly replied, "No, the second assistant is with Mr. Shen this time. Do you need anything, Mr. Xu?"

Xu Yan: "No, when Shen Zhi returns, let him know that Dr. Liu is urging him to go for a follow-up and acupuncture. Make sure to inform him in advance. In the future, I'll have Dr. Liu contact you directly. Thanks."

Assistant: "Got it, I will inform Mr. Shen as soon as he returns. Thank you, Mr. Xu."

Xu Yan: "You're welcome."

After sending the message, Xu Yan smiled, feeling much more relaxed. Just as he was about to put his phone in his pocket, it rang again, this time with an unfamiliar number. Ji Huai remarked, "You sure are busy." Xu Yan was puzzled but still answered, and immediately regretted it upon hearing the voice on the other end –

"Xu Yan." Meng Yuwan got straight to the point, "Hello, I'm Shen Zhi's mother."

Xu Yan's head hurt even more. He said, "Mhmm, I know. Hello, Auntie."

Meng Yuwan's tone was leisurely: "I heard you went back home, are you planning to stay for a few days?"

She was clearly asking a rhetorical question, and Xu Yan couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush. He replied directly, "No, I'm staying here for good."

Meng Yuwan chuckled lightly, "You are an obedient child."

Obedient? Not really, I just want to keep a bit of my dignity – Xu Yan thought. He forced a smile and said, "Mhmm-hmm, Auntie. Do you have anything else? If not, I'll hang up. The signal here isn't very good."

The signal was indeed poor, and the wind was strong, making it painful to have a conversation, but "poor signal" had become an overused excuse in both real life and TV dramas, turning it into a form of avoidance. Naturally, Meng Yuwan assumed Xu Yan was uncomfortable and didn't want to face the conversation, and she thoughtfully delivered the final blow, "Alright, but there's one thing I want to tell you. Shen Zhi is getting engaged next month. If you have time, you're welcome to attend."

It felt like the wind was no longer cutting his face but his eyes, making his eyes sting painfully. Xu Yan suddenly found it hard to breathe, likely because his altitude sickness had worsened. He looked at the distant colourful fluttering flags, steadied his breathing, and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry, but I probably won't be able to make it."

"That's unfortunate." Meng Yuwan had naturally anticipated this answer, she continued, "Shen Zhi has been busy flying around to select locations for the wedding photos, and he's very tired. If you don't have anything important, please don't disturb him." Such a subtle warning, cautioning him to stay out of Shen Zhi's life.

Business trip... Shen Zhi had stood at the door in the early hours of the morning and told him he had to go on a business trip, but he was actually preparing for his wedding. Xu Yan felt a tightness in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He slowly squatted down, resting his head on one hand, his voice muffled as he whispered, "Of course, please rest assured... If there's a chance, convey my congratulations to Shen Zhi on his wedding." Though there would be no such chance, he had been completely erased from Shen Zhi's life – After all, he was just a wishful and shameless presence, better gone.

Xu Yan forgot how the call ended; the wind was too strong, sweeping through his head and body, leaving him in complete chaos. He had known that Shen Zhi was going to get engaged, but when the fact became a specific date, it still had the power to suffocate him. Xu Yan knew he wasn't invulnerable; after all, he... had loved Shen Zhi for six years.

A hangnail hurts for three days after being pulled out, let alone someone who had been in his heart for over two thousand days and nights. It was like having a piece of flesh cut from his heart. With time, the wound would heal, but the missing piece would always be gone, never to grow back, hurting his body.

It hurt his body so much. Shen Zhi, I just wanted to love you. How did it come to this? Why does it hurt so much?

Xu Yan turned off his phone and squatted down at Ji Huai's feet, head lowered. Ji Huai didn't ask or say anything, just stayed quietly with him. After a long time, amid the howling wind, Ji Huai heard Xu Yan's hoarse voice ask, "Ji Huai, why is Lhasa so cold?"

"It's winter, it's cold everywhere."

"Mhmm." Xu Yan nodded, then added, "Let's go to Hainan next time, I want to bask in the sun."

Ji Huai looked at Xu Yan's wind-tousled hair and said, "Alright."

When Shen Zhi got off the plane, his assistant was already waiting in the hall and took the contract and documents from his hands. After getting in the car, the assistant briefly reported on the company's status over the past few weeks, concluding with, "Mr. Xu Yan contacted me."

Shen Zhi, who had been leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, opened them and asked, "What did he want?" It had been half a month, the WeChat blacklist was still in effect and his calls couldn't get through. When he tracked down Xu Yan's new number and called, it was turned off... Thinking of this, Shen Zhi frowned impatiently.

"Mr. Xu said that Dr. Liu is urging you to go for a follow-up."

Dr. Liu, a respected traditional Chinese medicine doctor and a friend of Shen Zhi's father, knew that Shen Zhi often neglected his follow-ups – not intentionally, but because he easily forgot when busy, so he asked Xu Yan to make sure Shen Zhi went to the clinic on time. Before each follow-up, Xu Yan would remind Shen Zhi tirelessly, like coaxing a child. Whether during intimate moments, meals, before bed or upon waking up, repeating that an appointment had been made and he must not forget to go... This would always make Shen Zhi tell him to shut up.

"Tell him to talk to me directly." Shen Zhi responded, frowning. He didn't know what game Xu Yan was playing by having the assistant relay the message and didn't want to guess.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mr. Xu also mentioned that from now on, Dr. Liu will contact me directly."

Shen Zhi looked at her, his voice low, "What does he mean by that?"

The assistant felt a bit uneasy. She was adept at handling work matters, but personal issues of her boss... After considering for a moment, she concluded, "Mr. Xu likely means that I should be the one to remind you about your follow-ups from now on." She knew this was redundant; Shen Zhi surely understood Xu Yan's underlying message. However, that was as much as she could say, anything deeper was beyond her grasp as an outsider.

The car fell silent. Shen Zhi stared out of the window, expressionless. After about half a minute, he murmured, "Still throwing a tantrum." The assistant glanced at his profile, sensed the low pressure, and refrained from responding lightly.

Upon arriving home, Shen Zhi got out of the car while his assistant took the contracts to the office. Standing at the door, Shen Zhi suddenly lost the desire to push it open. He knew all too well that the house was empty inside; no one would greet him with a smile, ask if he was tired, suggest he take a rest or offer to cook something for him... Shen Zhi was troubled by this uncertainty – not knowing how long Xu Yan would keep sulking or when he would come back.

He entered, went upstairs, and found everything spotless. During his business trip, the cleaning service had come regularly. The bed was neatly made, with a pillow and an ugly crocodile plushie on it – a leftover from a company annual party two years ago. Xu Yan had seen the crocodile on a chair at the hotel when he went to pick up Shen Zhi. He asked why no one wanted it, and Shen Zhi casually said he could take it if he liked. Xu Yan happily brought it home, washed and dried it, and placed it on the bed, where it had stayed for over two years. Initially, Shen Zhi found it annoying, but eventually, he didn't bother with it anymore.

In the bathroom stood two electric toothbrushes, one black and one pink. When they first moved in together, Xu Yan had carefully examined Shen Zhi's toothbrush, wanting to buy a matching set. Unfortunately, the set only came in black and pink. Shen Zhi used the black one, and buying another of the same colour would cause confusion, but Xu Yan insisted on having a matching set, so he gritted his teeth and bought the pink one. When Shen Zhi's toothbrush broke midway, Xu Yan immediately found another set – a white and black one. Shen Zhi stubbornly bought the same black one again, so Xu Yan continued using his pink one.

Xu Yan's clothes still hung in the walk-in closet. They each had their own wardrobe because Shen Zhi didn't like mixing his clothes with others', but he often found Xu Yan's shirts, T-shirts, and hoodies in his wardrobe. Each time he found one, he would toss it back to Xu Yan, who would feign surprise and innocence, saying the clothes had grown legs and crawled over by themselves, nothing to do with him. A few times, his act went too far, and Shen Zhi, angered, would pin him down in the closet, making him beg for mercy on his knees, tearfully swearing to keep his clothes in order from then on.

......

There were too many traces of Xu Yan in the house, evidence that a few days of absence and a couple of cleaning sessions couldn't erase. This was why Shen Zhi was confident Xu Yan would return – Xu Yan couldn't possibly leave for good. Shen Zhi had faced that conclusion every day for four years, how could the person who vowed to haunt him for the rest of his life give up so easily?

Yet, something felt off – resigning, going home, blocking him, turning off his phone... Standing in the silent room, Shen Zhi sensed that something was wrong. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, or maybe he didn't want to entertain that possibility. He was exhausted and should have taken a good rest, but instead, Shen Zhi went downstairs, picked up his keys, and drove out.

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The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi: I'll reluctantly come find you again, I hope you won't be ungrateful.

Xu Yan: Again?! Didn't we make things clear last time?

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

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

Translated: May 31, 2024 by Angel

Edited: June 8, 2024 by Angel