Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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The next day, Shen Zhi didn't go to the company. He had turned off his phone before going to bed the previous night but still felt a throbbing pain in his temples. He got up to look for sleeping pills and searched around, but to no avail. Only then did he remember that Xu Yan had hidden his sleeping pills long ago, saying that such things were best not consumed.

Shen Zhi had asked him: "Where did you hide them?"

Xu Yan had replied: "In the most dangerous place."

At that time, they had been sitting side by side on the bed. After Xu Yan finished speaking, Shen Zhi suddenly reached towards Xu Yan's lower back. When his fingertips were about to slip into Xu Yan's pyjama bottoms, Xu Yan grabbed his hand, looking a bit flustered and unsure, "Wh-what are you doing?" Shen Zhi rarely made such moves, so even the usually shameless Xu Yan blushed instantly, stammering as he spoke.

Shen Zhi withdrew his hand and said, "Didn't you say you hid them in the most dangerous place?"

Xu Yan was taken aback and mumbled, "It's not like I hid them there."

Once a person fell into reminiscing, it became even harder to fall asleep amidst the emotional fluctuations. Shen Zhi opened his eyes; the spot on his right was empty. He reached out and touched the little crocodile. After just a brief touch, he quickly withdrew his hand. He couldn't remember how long it took him to fall asleep after that.

From downstairs came the faint sound of the doorbell. Shen Zhi was woken up by the noise. He looked at the clock, then got up, threw on a jacket, and went downstairs. When he opened the door, the housemaid from his parents' home was standing outside with three or four cleaners. Shen Zhi looked at the stern-faced group before him and asked, "What's going on?"

"Madam asked me to bring people to clean the house."

"The house is very clean," Shen Zhi said expressionlessly, "There's no need to clean."

"Madam said to pack up all of Mr. Xu's things, or that you should move to another house," the housemaid said slowly. She had worked under Meng Yuwan for nearly thirty years and had always acted like an elder, involving herself in everything when Shen Zhi was a child. It was only in recent years that she had restrained herself a bit.

"There's no need," Shen Zhi replied again.

"Please don't make it difficult for us. If we can't complete this task, it will be hard to explain to Madam."

Shen Zhi frowned, a hint of suppressed impatience in his expression. "Just clean and leave. Don't touch my things."

The housemaid nodded slightly and signalled to the cleaners behind her, who then walked past Shen Zhi into the living room. Shen Zhi turned and went back upstairs to wash up. His head still hurt, his wrist was uncomfortable, everything felt awful. He casually ran his hand through his hair, stood quietly in front of the mirror for a few seconds, and then opened the door to leave.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a cleaner standing by the bed, stuffing the little crocodile into a huge black garbage bag. Voices came from the walk-in closet, and Shen Zhi heard the housemaid say, "Take down all the clothes from this closet and put them in the garbage bags."

In an instant, Shen Zhi felt a rush of blood to his head, accompanied by the heat of annoyance and irritation. With a cold expression, he walked over, snatched the bag from the cleaner's hand, and then strode to the walk-in closet door. He stared at the housemaid and the cleaner, who were stuffing Xu Yan's clothes into a garbage bag, and said slowly and firmly, "I said don't touch my things."

"These are all Mr. Xu's things, right?" The housemaid, wearing rubber gloves, looked like she was really dealing with garbage. She picked up one of Xu Yan's hoodies and said, "We haven't touched any of your things. We're just packing up the useless things."

Shen Zhi closed his eyes briefly. He knew this was Meng Yuwan's intention. She had long wanted to completely remove Xu Yan from his life. This tug-of-war had been going on for four years, ever since Xu Yan got together with him... So what? Shen Zhi opened his eyes and said, "Get out."

He had never been so rude before. The housemaid was stunned, her face showing a bit of embarrassment, and her expression became stern, resembling Meng Yuwan somewhat. "This is Madam's request. Please mind your words. We..."

"Get out," Shen Zhi interrupted her. "This is my house, it's not for others to worry about. Convey this message to her. Leave the things and get out."

The house became quiet again. Shen Zhi stood there for a while, then took the things out of the garbage bag. The bag was clean, and the clothes weren't dirty. Shen Zhi put them back in their original places one by one. The last item was the little crocodile. At first, he put it in the closet, but after a second, he took it out, left the walk-in closet, and placed it back next to Xu Yan's pillow.

After work, Xu Yan drove to Ji Huai's house. He hadn't encountered Tang Yunyan all day and finally felt relieved. Even though he and Shen Zhi were over, the whole situation was still a bit awkward. He didn't understand why Shen Zhi, after chatting well with Tang Yunyan last night, had ended up following him to his neighbourhood. There was no need to reveal their relationship in front of her.

"Our Young Master Ji, you really have it easy." As soon as Ji Huai got in the car, Xu Yan's tone was dripping with sarcasm, "Just eating, playing, and sleeping every day. I'm so envious."

"You've only been working for two days." Ji Huai leaned back in the passenger seat, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Is the restaurant booked? Where is it?"

"I'll send you the location." Ji Huai took out his phone. "I also invited Xu Nian."

"Oh, he actually has time today and didn't go looking for his girlfriend?"

"He said she's on a business trip again," Ji Huai replied.

After driving for a couple of minutes, Xu Yan suddenly realised, "Damn, today's Xu Nian's birthday."

Ji Huai wasn't surprised. He smiled and said, "Is that so? Perfect timing, we can have dinner together and celebrate his birthday."

Before Xu Nian arrived at the restaurant, Xu Yan made a last-minute request in the kitchen for a small cake. He also remembered he hadn't prepared a gift, so he decided to give Xu Nian some money later to show his appreciation. When he returned to the table, Xu Nian had already arrived and was talking with Ji Huai. Upon seeing Xu Yan, Xu Nian immediately asked, "Ge, where's my present?"

"I'll give it to you later," Xu Yan said guiltily.

"Forget it. You didn't prepare anything. I saw through you long ago." Xu Nian raised his hand, showing off a beautiful bracelet on his left wrist like a child showing off a toy. "Look how good Ji Huai Ge is to me!" The bracelet was clearly custom-made, very understated, but likely quite expensive.

Xu Yan was taken aback and asked Ji Huai, "When did you get him a gift?"

"I brought it back when I returned from abroad. Since it's Xu Nian's birthday, I gave it to him." Ji Huai's expression was calm, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Xu Yan couldn't quite pinpoint what was off but nodded and sat down to eat.

In the evening, Shen Zhi returned home. He hadn't turned on his phone all day, and Meng Yuwan hadn't come looking for him, clearly holding back to see what her son would do. When he entered, his parents were already having dinner. Shen Zhi said nothing, pulled out a chair, and sat down. The old housemaid, who had received two "get out" orders that morning, brought him his utensils. Shen Zhi nodded and said, "Thank you." The housemaid didn't look at him and silently returned to the kitchen.

After a few bites, Meng Yuwan set down her chopsticks and asked coldly, "Shen Zhi, why didn't you go to the company today? Your phone was off. What if something happened at the company? Could you bear the loss?"

Just as Shen Zhi was about to speak, Shen Ming said, "Let's eat. If you have anything to say, let's talk after we finish eating, why do you always speak to our son as if he's a subordinate?"

"If he did everything right, would I need to be like this? Besides, it's not my place to worry about it." Meng Yuwan tossed her napkin lightly onto the table and went upstairs.

Shen Zhi calmly continued eating his meal. His mother had always cared deeply about his performance because his excellence reflected on the Shen family's reputation and, more importantly, on Meng Yuwan's personal image. She had put a great deal of effort into raising her son, aiming for perfection, expecting Shen Zhi never to make mistakes – But Shen Zhi had made mistakes, and serious ones at that.

"The company's matters are almost settled," Shen Ming said, putting down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth.

"Mhmm." Shen Zhi nodded. "Dad, it's thanks to you this time."

"Your mother wanted you to come back today probably because she thought there were things I needed to discuss with you." Shen Ming sipped his tea and spoke slowly. "You've always been clear-headed and measured in your actions. What's been going on with you lately?"

Shen Zhi kept his head down and didn't respond. Shen Ming looked at him. "When you were with Xu Yan in university, do you remember how things were at home?"

"Yes," Shen Zhi replied.

"Your mother and I thought you were just being young and impulsive and that it would pass. We cut off your allowance for a year as a warning, but you still brought him home and lived with him." Shen Ming frowned. "After graduating, you suddenly said you wouldn't pursue further studies and wanted to take over the company. We thought you were genuinely interested in inheriting it, but it turned out you just wanted to pay off the house."

The villa Shen Zhi lived in was a birthday gift from his parents for his nineteenth birthday. Most of his earnings after joining the company had been returned to his parents, giving him the confidence to assert ownership of the house when throwing people out. Growing up in a certain circle meant accepting its rules. Shen Zhi had seen too many peers who, despite their flashy, wealthy appearances, would become destitute if their families cut them off, eventually having to lower their heads and admit their mistakes – Shen Zhi didn't want to be that kind of person.

Shen Ming's words seemed to recount Shen Zhi's life over the past few years. He realised that many of his decisions were, to some extent, influenced by Xu Yan, even if unconsciously. For instance, his real ambition was to pursue a master's degree in law, but as graduation approached, he abruptly chose to give it up because he felt certain things needed to be addressed sooner.

"Your mother has been in charge of your upbringing, insisting on her own methods and not wanting my involvement. Fine, I didn't interfere. But now I want to ask, Shen Zhi, what are you thinking? Lately, your state can only be described as a complete mess."

Shen Zhi stared at the plate of steamed pork ribs – one of Xu Yan's favourite dishes. Unfortunately, he was never good at making it. After many failed attempts, he'd end up frustrated in the kitchen, saying he must be born a Sichuanese in his next life. Thinking of this, Shen Zhi's lips curled slightly, the smile vanishing quickly before Shen Ming could notice.

"I will handle my personal matters," Shen Zhi said.

"What else is there to handle? Now that he's gone, isn't this the best outcome?" Shen Ming's face showed faint anger. "Shen Zhi, if you don't like him, there's no need to waste any more time on this."

"I don't dis–" It was as if he was strangled by the throat, stopping him from speaking further. Shen Zhi suddenly froze. After a while, he looked at Shen Ming and said, "I will do my job well, but how I spend my private time is my own business."

"Shen Zhi." Shen Ming stared at him. "Don't let us down again."

Shen Zhi clearly replied, "I can't guarantee anything other than my work." He stood up, pushed back his chair, and nodded to Shen Ming. "Dad, I'm going back now. You and Mom rest well."

He suddenly felt an urgent need to resolve something, or perhaps not resolve, but confirm it. Therefore, he had to see Xu Yan. Shen Zhi had a feeling that every time he saw Xu Yan after he left, something in his mind became clearer. Although he didn't know what it was, he was sure there would be an answer eventually.

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi (raising a gun): Get out, don't touch my wife's things!

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Sorry for no update yesterday, I had a dragon boat competition. We didn't take home any hardware, but we left with a 2km race completed under 10 minutes, and that was worth more to us than the medals, so we were happy!

Double upload today to make up for the missed chapter!

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

Translated: June 25, 2024 by Angel

Edited: June 27, 2024 by Angel