Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 47

Chapter 47

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After returning from Beijing, Xu Yan threw himself into shooting a perfume advertisement. It took more than a week, but he finally finished it. Wang Wen'an listed the upcoming work arrangements. Xu Yan looked through them and saw that the next cover would feature Yu Xue, which had been decided long ago. The shoot would take place on a small island, but he hadn't had a chance to scout the location yet because he was too busy.

"How about letting another photographer go and have a look? Or should I go?" Wang Wen'an suggested.

"It's fine, I'm used to scouting locations myself for my shoots, it helps me keep track. Yu Xue's schedule is even tighter, she doesn't have time to wait for us to discuss positions and angles on-site." Xu Yan flipped through his schedule. "Next Sunday works, I have a day off and no other plans, I'll go check it out myself."

"It's probably going to rain," Wang Wen'an immediately checked the weather forecast. "Right, it says it will rain, but it's unclear if it will rain all day. If the weather is bad, the light won't be good, and it might be a wasted trip."

Xu Yan nodded. "I'll decide when the time comes."

Today, he got off work early and had arranged to have dinner at home with Xu Nian. After dinner, the family sat in the living room and talked about the new house Xu Yan had bought. Xu Shen asked how the renovations were going, and Xu Yan replied, "It's still just a bare shell."

Xu Shen: "......"

"Aiya, the designer Ge found is too busy, he'll probably have to wait until fall to start construction."

"It can't be helped, I looked at so many samples and only liked his style," Xu Yan said. "Anyway, it's not urgent, once the designer is ready, I'll leave everything to him."

After chatting for a while, Xu Yan and Xu Nian left home. When they reached the car, Xu Yan, with his hand on the door handle, thought for a moment and then turned around to ask, "What's wrong with you today? You seem unhappy."

Not only had he spoken less, but he had also been absent-minded. Earlier, while drinking tea, he had mistakenly picked up Xu Yan's cup several times.

Xu Nian hung his head. "I don't know."

"Where's your wife?"

"On a business trip, she hasn't told me when she'll be back."

Xu Yan looked up at the sky and sighed. "Get in my car, let's go have a drink."

They went to their usual bar, and Xu Yan asked the owner to open a bottle of wine. The owner asked if they wanted to mix it with red or green tea or other beverages. Xu Nian waved his hand. "No mix, just straight."

Xu Yan glanced at him – His brother was clearly aiming to get drunk tonight.

"Did you have a fight?" Xu Yan asked.

"No, I just feel..." Xu Nian frowned. "Jie is acting strange."

"How so?"

"Actually, there's no difference, she's almost the same as usual, it's just my own feeling, hard to explain." Xu Nian gulped down half a glass of wine. "She's always so busy, on business trips. I'm busy with work too, so we hardly get a chance to talk."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know, maybe just..." Xu Nian looked at the table with a grievance. "Maybe I just miss her, it's been too long since we've spent quality time together."

Xu Yan laughed. "If you miss your wife, tell her, it's no use being miserable here."

"That's the problem, I feel she's so tired lately, not wanting to talk. She says nothing's wrong when I ask, and I suddenly can't bring myself to say all the things I want to."

"I understand," Xu Yan said. "Wait until she gets back and have a proper talk. You've been married for over three years. You can't let such small things get in the way."

Xu Nian slowly nodded, took out his phone, and opened WeChat. "I'll ask her when she'll be back."

After asking, they chatted for another half an hour. During that time, Xu Nian kept checking his phone every few minutes, but there was no reply from Ye Xuan. Xu Yan watched as his brother's expression grew more downcast. Not knowing what to say, Xu Yan, knowing it was a matter between the couple, could only pour him more wine to try and numb his sadness while comforting him, "She's probably busy or asleep, business trips are tiring, it's understandable."

"I'm fine, I'm okay," Xu Nian said, downing another bitter drink.

He drunkenly lifted his eyelids and saw Xu Yan also looking dazed, resting his chin on his hand and holding a wine glass with the other, staring at it as he turned it around. After hesitating for a long time, Xu Nian mumbled, "Ge, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

Xu Nian sat up a bit and looked at Xu Yan. "Since you returned to the country, has Shen Zhi come to see you?"

Xu Yan stopped twirling his wine glass and stared at the swaying liquid. "Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason, just curious." Xu Nian picked a small dried fish from the plate and slowly chewed on it. "I used to think he was an arrogant rich kid with a bad temper."

"That's an exaggeration," Xu Yan said flatly. Arrogant was too harsh, at most, he was indifferent to others. As for a bad temper, it was more like emotional coldness...

"Mhmm, but then I heard he gave up being a CEO, cut ties with his family, and went to study law. I thought he was pretty... how can I say it, daring, considering there must have been plenty of people waiting to see him fail."

"I've worked with him too, and objectively speaking, his professional skills are really strong... Maybe highly intelligent people tend to be lacking in other areas?"

Xu Yan, already drunk and muddled, only managed to grasp the key point. He asked, "You worked with him?"

"Oh, right." Xu Nian was the kind of person who spilt everything when he drank too much. "Just... last year, I... What was I doing? Oh, I was handling an acquisition and hired Yixin's law firm as consultants, their partner recommended Shen Zhi."

"Ge, you know we must separate personal and professional matters, right? Even though I was biased against him, the partner's attitude made it clear they wanted Shen Zhi to lead, so I didn't refuse..."

"I reviewed all the materials Shen Zhi prepared, er, due diligence reports, opinion letters, and such. At that time, I was amazed... how did he manage to do all that in such a short time? Later... I had a meal with the law firm's partner, I learned Shen Zhi had turned down other work to focus solely on my project. And... in the beginning, it was Shen Zhi who proposed to take charge of this project and said he was willing to take over without compensation."

"The manager coordinating with him said that Lawyer Shen would send materials and address issues at four or five in the morning, but... but no matter when you contacted him during the day, he would respond promptly, as if he didn't need to sleep."

"Ge, does he really not need to sleep?" Xu Nian, emboldened by alcohol, asked Xu Yan. "When you guys used to be together, did he sleep? Is he some kind of AI?"

He did sleep, not only did he sleep, sometimes he even lazed in bed, requiring Xu Yan to gently remind him about morning meetings, pleading with him not to be late. Initially, Shen Zhi would remain motionless until Xu Yan threatened to kiss him if he didn't wake up, which he did, showering Shen Zhi's face with kisses until he finally opened his eyes and asked Xu Yan to stop.

Xu Yan rubbed his eyes. "I forgot."

"Anyway, what he produced was impressive... Later, he even provided an extra few hundred pages of analysis, after he had thoroughly understood the company's situation... investment and risk assessment advice. I've never seen a lawyer put in that much effort for free..."

"Besides, he has managed a large corporation after all... Ah, he's genuinely more professional than some investment analysts, and our legal department was impressed. Several departments, including market investment, are now... still use his materials for reference... me too, those materials are truly useful."

"I admire his brain, but Ge, if he ever comes looking for you again..." Xu Nian took a big gulp of wine, feeling indignant. "You need to think it through and not let yourself be hurt again. You know best if you're suitable for each other."

"Even if he comes to you with a hospital admission form, don't let your heart soften, okay?"

Xu Yan frowned. "What hospital form?"

"Oh... I let it slip," Xu Nian said, regretting as he rubbed his neck, still dazed. "I heard he went to Beijing on a business trip and ended up in the hospital last week. Not sure if he's out now; he might still be in a hospital room in Beijing."

"Their profession is taxing on the body. Shen Zhi, with his caseload and revenue targets at the law firm, likely faces immense pressure. It's no surprise he can't bear it..." Xu Nian's head nearly hit the table as he started to fall asleep.

Xu Yan zoned out, recalling the last time he saw Shen Zhi in Beijing – thin, pale, fragile, and unsteady, exuding exhaustion from his bones. However, in other encounters, like the first time in the studio, the second time in Tang Yunyan's workshop, and the third time in the hotel elevator, Shen Zhi appeared restrained and normal.

He then remembered the next day when he and Lu Sen were checking out and overheard the lobby manager on the phone, saying things like, "Send the luggage to the hospital, don't leave anything behind, be careful," "Have the kitchen prepare a nutritious meal and deliver it to the hospital at noon," and "Take note of all the requirements and make sure everything is arranged properly." At that time, Xu Yan had wondered which VIP was receiving such treatment. Now, connecting the dots, it must have been Shen Zhi.

"Oh!" Xu Nian suddenly sat up straight, looking at his phone. "Jie called me."

He answered the call, responding cheerfully. Xu Yan heard him mention the name of the bar. Xu Nian's face then began to darken, and by the time he hung up, he looked ashen. He lifted his head. "Ge, Jie said she just got off the plane and is coming over now, she has something to say to me."

Xu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Xu Nian sat there stiff and dazed, saying nothing. Xu Yan wanted to comfort him but didn't dare, even less so dared to imagine what Ye Xuan might say.

Over half an hour later, Ye Xuan entered the bar. Her tall figure made her especially noticeable as soon as she walked in. Xu Yan raised his hand to wave at her, whispering to Xu Nian, "Pull yourself together."

Xu Nian barely managed to lift his head.

"I'll go to the restroom, you two... talk." As Ye Xuan approached, Xu Yan stood up with his glass, his drunkenness making his speech a bit slurred.

No one questioned why he needed to take his drink to the restroom. Xu Nian scooted further into the sofa and gave Ye Xuan a pale smile. "Tired? Sit down and have something to eat."

Ye Xuan glanced at the snacks on the table. "No thanks."

Xu Yan leaned against the bar, watching Xu Nian's table from a distance. He saw Ye Xuan say something, and Xu Nian seemed to be unable to hold it together. Then he suddenly shuddered, staring at Ye Xuan before raising his hand to cover his face, crying.

The more he watched, the more anxious Xu Yan felt. He began to think rapidly about what to do if Ye Xuan really asked for a divorce.

Xu Nian cried for about a minute, with Ye Xuan calmly watching him the entire time. Xu Yan gritted his teeth, straightening up to return to the table and ask what was going on. Just as he was about to step forward, he saw Xu Nian wipe his tears and start typing on his phone. Soon, Xu Yan's phone lit up with a WeChat message from Xu Nian: Ge, I'm going to be a father.

Xu Yan stared at the screen as it went dark, then let out a long sigh of relief, smiling as if relieved, but his eyes were sour.

Returning to the table, he handed a few tissues to his tearful brother and congratulated Ye Xuan, "Congratulations, you've worked hard."

"I had a last-minute check before my trip. I didn't get the results before I left, then the doctor contacted me to confirm the pregnancy." Ye Xuan smiled. "I was quite panicked too, if I had told Xu Nian, he would have flown out to find me immediately, so I decided to come back and tell him in person."

She held Xu Nian's hand. "I've been feeling distracted and low these past few days, missing Xu Nian a lot, so I ended my work early to come back."

Xu Nian, still teary, hugged her, smearing tears on Ye Xuan's light blue shirt. "Honey, boo hoo hoo..."

In the end, Ye Xuan drove them home. Xu Nian, worried about his drunken state affecting her, sat in the back with Xu Yan. He leaned against Xu Yan's shoulder, sniffling. "Ge, love is so great."

Xu Yan: "......"

Xu Nian: "Ge, I hope you're happy too."

Xu Yan: "Okay."

Xu Nian: "Ge, are you happy now?"

Xu Yan: "Happy."

Xu Nian closed his eyes contentedly. "Me too."

Ye Xuan glanced at Xu Nian through the rearview mirror, her lips curling into a gentle smile.

When they reached the apartment complex, Xu Yan got out of the car. Noticing he was unsteady, Ye Xuan offered, "I'll help you upstairs."

"It's okay, it's okay, there's really no need, it's just a few steps to the elevator. You two be careful on the way home."

Xu Nian waved at him deliriously. "I'll have the driver bring your car over in the morning... to the underground garage. Ge, goodnight."

"Alright, goodnight."

"Ge, did I tell you? I'm going to be a father."

Xu Yan smiled, his nose a little sour, unsure if it was from being moved or happy for him. "Really? Congratulations."

As the car drove away, Xu Yan regained his senses and slowly made his way to the garbage can. In his hand, he had been clutching a small dried fish since Ye Xuan had entered the bar. After the rollercoaster of thinking his sister-in-law was asking for a divorce, and then finding out his brother was going to be a father, the small dried fish had been warmed in his palm the whole time.

Xu Yan tossed the dried fish into the garbage can and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. He crouched beside the flower bed, his head spinning. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, feeling drowsy but unable to muster the energy to move. When drunk, everything looks like a bed, and he wished he could just lie down and sleep right there.

A sudden coolness touched the back of his neck. Xu Yan shivered slightly, opened his eyes, and looked up – Shen Zhi was leaning over him, his suit jacket draped over his arm.

The sound of insects buzzing in the grass and the sight of mosquitoes dancing in the streetlight filled the air. Shen Zhi gently touched Xu Yan's neck and said, "There are too many bugs outside, let's go home."

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi: Hi, wife, I’ve been discharged from the hospital.

[That day, Xiao Shen had a breakdown after being triggered and having a nightmare. Essentially, he was so excited about his wife finally coming back that he tried to get close to him but was met with a firm rejection and blows like finding out his wife had a girlfriend, leading to a mental breakdown of "I really don't want to live anymore." Even after being discharged, he still needs to pull himself together and work hard to win his wife back. Things should be a bit sweeter from here on (hopefully).]

‿︵‿︵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: August 13, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 12, 2024 by Angel