Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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On the second day of the New Year, Xu Yan went to Shen Zhi's city. He wasn't there to see Shen Zhi, but for his university roommate's child's one-month celebration. Due to a heavy snowstorm, his trip to Hokkaido had been delayed by two days, otherwise, the schedule would have been too tight, and Xu Yan might not have been able to come.

After finishing lunch and leaving the hotel, Xu Yan bid farewell to his roommates and walked down the steps to find his car. His phone rang, it was Lin Mian calling. Ever since she had contacted him that day, she had been intermittently calling to bother him, saying things that lacked substance, such as "Shen Zhi is sick, aren't you going to see him?", "Shen Zhi and I are not getting engaged, do you want to consider getting back together with him?", "Happy New Year, Shen Zhi just got out of the hospital and drove away, is he coming to see you?"...

"Hello, Miss Lin."

"Xu Yan." The wind was loud on the other end as Lin Mian spoke, "I'm going to jump off a building."

"Oh," Xu Yan replied, "Which floor?"

"The thirty-sixth floor, the rooftop."

Just as Xu Yan was about to tell her not to joke around, Lin Mian suddenly started crying and said, "My parents have arranged another meeting with someone for me. I don't want to get engaged. What can I do...?"

Xu Yan suddenly realised she might be serious. He clutched his phone tightly and asked, "Where are you?"

"Xu Yan, I'm a bit envious of you, after all, Shen Zhi knows how to regret. But no matter what I do, he won't turn back." Lin Mian answered irrelevantly and then hung up the phone. When Xu Yan called back, it was immediately disconnected.

His head was in a whirl. He didn't know if Lin Mian was just throwing a tantrum or if she was truly desperate, but her emotional state was too unstable, and something might really happen. Without thinking, Xu Yan called Shen Zhi. The call was quickly connected, and after a moment of hesitation, Shen Zhi asked, "Xu Yan?"

"Lin Mian told me she's going to jump off a building, I don't know if she's serious." Xu Yan spoke quickly. "I asked her where she was, but she didn't say, only that she was on the thirty-sixth-floor rooftop."

"She's been staying in a hotel these days, I'll have someone check." Shen Zhi pressed an internal line and instructed his assistant. Within half a minute, he received a reply. "She's staying in a hotel that indeed has a thirty-sixth floor. I'm heading there now."

"Send me the hotel name," Xu Yan said.

"Okay," Shen Zhi replied. "Drive safely."

When he reached the hotel, Xu Yan looked up but didn't see anyone on the top floor. He hurried into the lobby and heard someone call him, "Xu Yan."

It was Shen Zhi, who must have just arrived. He reached out to Xu Yan. "The police have already been notified. Take the VIP elevator, it'll be faster."

Xu Yan ran over and was pulled into the elevator by Shen Zhi.

As the numbers slowly climbed, Xu Yan pulled his hand away. Shen Zhi squeezed his now-empty palm and then said, "Lin Mian has been having constant conflicts with her family."

"What's going on with her and her boyfriend?" Xu Yan asked.

"Her boyfriend is starting a business and isn't in a good situation." Shen Zhi said, "Their family backgrounds are too different. During their last argument, her boyfriend suggested breaking up. In a moment of impulse, Lin Mian agreed. After that, our families started discussing engagement."

"Lin Mian thought her boyfriend would try to stop her, but he hasn't seen her since. Lin Mian's under a lot of pressure and might be unable to cope."

Xu Yan nodded, not wanting to think too much. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out, climbing half a flight of stairs to reach the rooftop.

Lin Mian stood with her back to them inside the low wall. Xu Yan didn't dare to alarm her and called softly, "Lin Mian."

Lin Mian turned around, her eyes red and her face streaked with tears. She was dressed thinly, her long hair flying in the wind. She choked and said, "I feel terrible."

"I know. Come over here first, it's dangerous standing there." Shen Zhi said, "I'll solve everything for you."

"You can't solve this," Lin Mian shook her head. "My parents want me to marry someone else, and he won't talk to me... I'm being driven crazy."

Xu Yan couldn't believe that the lively little princess from not long ago had become like this. He asked, "He won't see you, so you're going to jump off a building for someone who doesn't care about you?"

Lin Mian wiped her eyes without saying a word. The weather was not good today; dark clouds loomed, and she stood there in her white nightgown, looking like the only white cloud. Xu Yan said, "I know you're very sad, but if you act impulsively today, there's no turning back."

"Be good." He reached out to her, "Come here first, it's too cold outside. You're dressed so lightly, you'll catch a cold."

Lin Mian looked at him with teary eyes, her mouth quivering. She seemed to be persuaded, but before she could take a step, chaotic footsteps echoed from the stairwell, followed by a woman's frantic cry, "Mian Mian! Why are you doing something so foolish!"

It was Lin Mian's parents. Xu Yan instinctively turned to look and then quickly turned back, only to see Lin Mian swiftly stepping onto the low wall, shouting emotionally, "Why are you here?!"

"Come down first, okay? Please, Mom is begging you," her mother pleaded.

"Look at what you've become!" her father said sternly, "Get down now!"

Lin Mian suddenly became quiet – that wasn't a good sign. She turned around and took a step forward. Her nightgown fluttered in the wind, as if she were about to fly. Her mother screamed and fainted, and her father, finally realising the gravity of the situation, spoke with a trembling voice, "Mian Mian, don't be impulsive. It's our fault. Please come down."

Xu Yan calmly said, "Lin Mian, your mother has fainted. Aren't you going to check on her?"

Lin Mian hesitated and turned her head. At that moment, Shen Zhi, who had moved around to the other side, took a swift step and grabbed her waist, pulling her down and rolling to the ground with her. Xu Yan rushed over to them, Lin Mian had already fainted. He knelt down on one knee and picked her up. Shen Zhi, lying on the ground clutching his right wrist, said, "Take her to the hospital." Xu Yan nodded and carried Lin Mian away from the rooftop.

Lin Mian was sent to a private hospital. Xu Yan and Shen Zhi explained the situation and apologised to the firefighters and the police. Shen Zhi's ill-fated right hand was once again bandaged because he had hit it as he fell to the ground. Fortunately, it was only a graze and not a fracture or dislocation. Lin Mian woke up soon but refused to see her parents. When Xu Yan and Shen Zhi returned to the ward, it was raining heavily outside. Lin Mian leaned against the pillow, her face pale and forlorn.

"Why did you only call me?" Xu Yan asked her.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to find me, and I wanted to say a few last words to someone," Lin Mian replied. "Xu Yan, you're amazing. You let go just like that and never looked back."

"I used to chase after people all the time, which was too exhausting. Now, I want to move forward." Xu Yan walked over and began peeling an apple for her. "Don't be foolish in the future."

Lin Mian looked at the bandage on Shen Zhi's wrist and said, "I'm sorry."

"Apologise to the firefighters, the police, and your parents," Shen Zhi said.

Lin Mian nodded obediently.

Xu Yan handed the apple to her and got up to wash his hands. He glanced out the window and suddenly froze, "Why is that man running in the rain?"

Hearing this, Lin Mian quickly threw off the quilt and got out of bed, rushing to the window. They saw a man running through the cold winter rain towards the hospital building. He stopped to talk anxiously with a security guard, probably asking for someone. Xu Yan turned to see Lin Mian's red-rimmed eyes – he was looking for her.

The security guard offered the man an umbrella, but he waved it away and rushed back into the rain.

Lin Mian watched for a while, then suddenly squatted down, burying her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

"When I was with him, he didn't have a penny to his name. Now he has his own company. Everything was getting better, so why doesn't he want me anymore?" Lin Mian cried. "I know he's under a lot of pressure at work, but I've been very understanding. Why did he break up with me just like that..."

Xu Yan wanted to tell her that as people enter society and start making a living, they gradually realise the severity of real-life problems. He might have realised during his struggle that he could never provide her with a life comparable to her original family. Men often have this tragic yet helpless sense of pride, which is unavoidable.

Xu Yan and Shen Zhi left the ward and saw the man standing drenched in front of the bodyguard. His lips were pale and he was shivering slightly, but he still spoke steadily, "I'm Lin Mian's... friend, I heard she was ill."

Shen Zhi gestured for the bodyguard to let him in.

Zhou Chen stood inside the ward. Lin Mian had already returned to her bed and refused to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"When will you grow up?" Zhou Chen stood rigidly, asking, "Why would you joke about something like this?"

Lin Mian's shoulders drooped, a sign of crushed expectations. "Yes, I have a very annoying princess syndrome, don't you always say that?"

Zhou Chen's throat moved, and he turned to leave. Lin Mian immediately called out, "Zhou Chen!"

"I just want to ask you." Tears fell onto the quilt as Lin Mian spoke. "Do you still love me?"

The heavy rain lashed against the windows, and the room was silent. After a long while, Lin Mian heard Zhou Chen say, "No."

"I see." Lin Mian suddenly smiled and looked at his back. "I won't bother you anymore."

Zhou Chen said nothing, opening the door and walking out without looking back.

Xu Yan and Shen Zhi stood in the dim hallway. Xu Yan leaned against the wall, silent for a while. He then lifted Shen Zhi's wrist to check the bandage, which was tightly wrapped. There were small scabs from previous hospital stays and no obvious scars from the burns, thankfully. 

After looking for a few seconds, Xu Yan let go and said, "It will hurt on rainy days." It wasn't a question; he knew well that bone injuries tend to ache in wet weather, and Shen Zhi was no exception. Xu Yan had always made sure he used hot compresses.

"Mhmm," Shen Zhi replied.

Xu Yan seemed to want to say something else, but Shen Zhi suddenly reached out and hugged him. Caught off guard, Xu Yan found himself pulled into Shen Zhi's embrace. Shen Zhi held him tightly, something they had never done before – their previous embraces were always in bed, driven by desire and necessity.

Shen Zhi buried his face in Xu Yan's neck, his warm breath brushing against Xu Yan's skin, and seemed to relax. Xu Yan slowly raised his hand, his palm sliding up Shen Zhi's waist, between their tightly pressed bodies, and over his chest. Shen Zhi's breath deepened, but Xu Yan ultimately only pressed against Shen Zhi's shoulder, using a bit of force to push him away coldly.

"I have something to do, so I'm going back now," Xu Yan said.

Shen Zhi lowered his hand. "I'll take you to the hotel to get your car."

"No need." Xu Yan brushed past him, heading to the door and pulling it open to leave.

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi's Diary: Today, I held my wife's hand for seven seconds. I also hugged my wife for fifteen seconds. When I hugged him, I thought he was trying to seduce me, but it turned out he was just pushing me away (couldn't help but put down my pen and cry softly at my desk).

‿︵‿︵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: July 6, 2024 by Angel

Edited: August 11, 2024 by Angel