Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 49

Chapter 49

---

A brand-new day, eight o'clock, the weekday alarm rang right on time. Xu Yan's head jerked suddenly, and he groaned with a frown. He groped for his phone to turn off the alarm, his eyelids feeling like they were glued shut, unable to open.

On the bedside table was a glass of water. Xu Yan's throat felt so dry that it was as if it were about to catch fire, so he reached out to grab it and started drinking. Halfway through, he looked down at the glass, his messy memories slowly piecing themselves together – after Xu Nian and Ye Xuan had gone back, he had crouched downstairs, thrown up when he got home, taken a call from Yu Xue, and then fallen asleep.

It felt like something was missing... No time to think further; he had a shoot at ten. He struggled to get up, took off his shirt, and went to wash up. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Xu Yan thought for a moment and decided to cook some porridge before taking a shower. He left the bathroom and opened the door, simultaneously hearing the sound of water coming from the kitchen. For a moment, he thought he had left the tap running last night. But no, Xu Yan turned his head to see a laptop and a stack of documents on the coffee table in the living room, along with a suit jacket on the sofa...

Jacket – wallet – photo–

He remembered.

Xu Yan rubbed his face. The subconscious mind was quite frightening, his brain had directly blocked out the memories of last night involving Shen Zhi.

Shen Zhi, having finished washing his hands, walked out of the kitchen to see Xu Yan standing at the door, shirtless, rubbing his face. Thinking Xu Yan had a headache from a hangover, Shen Zhi immediately walked over, pulled down his wrist, and gently lifted his head by pressing the back of his neck, "What's wrong, feeling unwell?"

"No," Xu Yan pulled his hand away, "just not fully awake."

Shen Zhi relaxed and asked, "Hungry? I made some congee."

Xu Yan looked up at him, wondering when this pampered young master, who had never touched kitchen chores, had learned to cook. He asked, "What kind of congee?"

"Lean pork and vegetable congee."

Without saying a word, Xu Yan walked towards the dining table. Shen Zhi stood behind him, looking at his back, "Aren't you going to put on some clothes first?"

"Tell me, Lawyer Shen, which law states that one must wear clothes at home?"

His tone was lazy and casual. Shen Zhi inexplicably smiled and said, "None."

Xu Yan's entire body wilted, and he had a headache, especially as the conversation from last night began to clear up in his mind. It wasn't a big deal, but it certainly wasn't appropriate.

"Working today?" Shen Zhi asked.

"Yes. Why haven't you left yet?"

"I have some things to handle here, I'll go back in the evening." Shen Zhi paused, then tentatively said, "I'll take you to the company."

"No need."

The congee was a bit hot, so Xu Yan was forced to eat slowly. Shen Zhi sat opposite him, watching him the whole time without saying another word. After finishing the last mouthful of congee, Xu Yan took the bowl to wash it. Shen Zhi stood up, "I'll wash it."

"No need." Xu Yan bypassed him and walked to the kitchen sink, "Pack up your things and leave, I need to go to work."

Shen Zhi had a remarkable ability to turn a deaf ear to such remarks. He poured a cup of hot water for Xu Yan and let it cool on the side. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you remember what you said last night?"

"I don't remember," Xu Yan replied.

"You said..."

"'You said' doesn't count." Xu Yan immediately interrupted him, "You studied law, you should know better than anyone that words need evidence." He knew those words weren't particularly outrageous, but he still vehemently resisted having his drunken babble brought up. It was the last shred of dignity for a drunk person.

Shen Zhi said nothing, pulling out his phone. Xu Yan warily turned his head and saw him opening the voice recorder.

"You even recorded it?" Xu Yan was astonished, not at being recorded, but at the fact that Shen Zhi would actually do such a thing.

But Shen Zhi immediately switched back to the home screen, looking at Xu Yan with a faint smile. "No, I'm just joking," he said. "It's okay if you've forgotten, I can start over from the beginning."

After all, he had heard it with his own ears and had tasted a bit of sweetness, even if only a little.

After showering and getting ready, Xu Yan called Xu Nian from his room. He was sure that Xu Nian, being that drunk, would have forgotten all about telling the driver to bring the car back. As expected, this was the case. Since waiting for the driver to bring the car over would take too long, Xu Yan decided to take a taxi.

When he exited the room, Shen Zhi had just finished packing. Despite having been refused once, Shen Zhi still offered, "I'll take you to the company."

"No need, I'll drive myself."

"Didn't your car get driven away yesterday?"

Xu Yan paused for a second. "The driver already brought it back for me."

"I was in the living room the whole time, no one came to the door to deliver the car keys," Shen Zhi said.

"......" Sure enough, lying to a lawyer was a mistake, Xu Yan thought. So, he directly said, "I'll take a taxi."

"Let's go together. I need to go to your company to pick up some documents anyway."

Xu Yan suspected he was lying but had no evidence. He remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing, and left the apartment. Shen Zhi followed him out the door.

"I took a shower in your bathroom last night," Shen Zhi said suddenly while driving.

Xu Yan thought he had discovered some alien creature in the bathroom, but after waiting a long time without Shen Zhi saying anything else, Xu Yan realised he was seriously reporting the fact.

"Got it," Xu Yan replied.

Shen Zhi's phone rang. Xu Yan instinctively looked up, but Shen Zhi quickly ended the call. The name on the screen was obscured by the back of his hand, and Xu Yan only saw a character "Lan."

The rest of the journey was silent. After more than half an hour, the car stopped at the entrance to the company. Xu Yan unbuckled his seatbelt, said "thank you," and got out, heading straight for the studio. Wang Wen'an had texted him earlier saying that the preparations were almost done and they would start as soon as he arrived.

Shen Zhi, who claimed to have come to the company to pick up documents, sat in the car motionless, watching Xu Yan's figure disappear from view before picking up his phone and returning Lan Qiuchen's call.

"I was just driving."

"Didn't you say you were coming back yesterday?"

"Mhmm, I returned last night."

"I've seen your medical records from Beijing, when are you coming over? I'll arrange another check-up for you."

"Next week. I have to handle some matters that were delayed due to the hospitalisation, and I have a business trip the day after tomorrow."

"You..." Lan Qiuchen was exasperated. "Forget it, it's useless to try and persuade you." With that, he hung up.

Shen Zhi remained calm, switched back to the navigation screen, and started the car again.

On Saturday night, Xu Yan checked the weather forecast, which indicated thunderstorms for the next afternoon. He had originally planned to go out in the morning when it wouldn't rain, but a last-minute shoot meant he only had half a day left.

Xu Yan decided to go at noon, roughly scout the area, and leave before the rain started. Yu Xue had arranged a small motorboat for him, which was convenient for him to go back and forth with, making Xu Yan a bit excited. The last time he had ridden a motorboat was in Langkawi, which had been over half a year ago.

Plans often can't keep up with changes. The shoot the next day took longer than expected. By the time Xu Yan reached the pier, it was already past one in the afternoon. Fortunately, the sun was still shining, and there were no signs of rain yet. Xu Yan strapped on his camera, got a brief overview of the motorboat's operation from the driver, and then set off towards the small island.

It was close, only a ten-minute ride. Xu Yan parked the motorboat by the beach and walked inland. He passed through a tree-lined path and saw a small villa. Behind the villa was a highland with a fully transparent sunroom perched on top. Through the glass, he could see clusters of pale purple flowers, which Yu Xue had mentioned were lilacs.

The villa’s door was locked, surrounded by cameras. Last night, Yu Xue had sent Xu Yan the password for the main gate but then suddenly remembered and said the door had a double lock, password and fingerprint, which outsiders couldn’t open. Xu Yan didn’t mind, he hadn’t planned on going inside anyway.

The island wasn't too big. Xu Yan walked around it, finding the scenery similar to the seaside, with the flower house being the most unique feature. He returned and entered the sunroom by inputting the password. A delicate fragrance greeted him. Xu Yan had never closely observed lilacs before, but today, he realised they were truly beautiful, like an oil painting.

He imagined Yu Xue wearing light makeup, standing amidst the flowers – it would be perfect. The chief editor and the planner had a good idea this time. Yu Xue usually had a glamorous image, and her photo style could become monotonous. This time, they opted for a fresh, different approach to change things up.

The timing was perfect too, right during the lilacs’ blooming season.

Xu Yan took a few empty shots, carefully examining every corner, pre-setting angles, planning compositions, and adjusting the lighting... As he was engrossed in his work, he suddenly looked up – disaster, the light was gone.

The sky had darkened abruptly, and the wind picked up suddenly. Xu Yan looked at the dark clouds through the glass ceiling, then checked the time on his phone. He swore he would set an alarm for tasks in the future and not let himself get lost in the moment.

Hurriedly packing up his equipment, Xu Yan tried to leave the island before the rain started, but the weather was unkind. He heard a few splatters, followed by the sound of hail on the roof. Water began to stream down the glass walls as the downpour began.

Fortunately, being inside meant he didn't have to worry about getting wet, but being alone on a gloomy island wasn’t a pleasant experience. Xu Yan wasn’t scared, just filled with a sense of melancholy. Perhaps this was life, the more you wanted to avoid something, the more it found a way to happen to you, proving the unpredictability of fate.

He sat on a wooden chair. It was past three o’clock, the weather forecast said it would be cloudy by six, so waiting another two hours should be... BOOM! A thunderclap struck the ground, startling Xu Yan so much his heart almost exploded. He stood frozen, watching the storm outside with lightning illuminating the scene intermittently.

“Xu Yan... Xu Yan...”

Distant shouts accompanied by a tapping on the glass came faintly. Xu Yan froze, starting to shiver unprofessionally, unsure if he was hallucinating or encountering a ghost. Neither prospect was appealing. He pulled out a simple tripod from his bag, extended it, and held it as a weapon, moving towards the sound. The best way to overcome fear was to face it, Xu Yan told himself. Cowardice was shameful, it was either do or die today...

Another flash of lightning revealed a tall figure outside the glass door, knocking. The scene was straight out of a horror movie. Xu Yan abandoned his resolve to face his fear, thinking instead about the best escape route.

“Xu Yan!”

Startled, Xu Yan dropped the tripod and ran to open the door.

In an instant, wind and rain rushed in. Xu Yan quickly pulled the person inside, shutting the door forcefully to protect the lilacs.

Turning around, Xu Yan saw Shen Zhi, drenched and panting, his white shirt clinging to him, hair slicked back, revealing a smooth forehead. Behind him, vast lilac flowers swayed in the dim light, their fragrance mingling with the scent of rain-soaked earth, creating a tangible reality.

Rainwater streamed down Shen Zhi’s pale face like tears. For some reason, Xu Yan was reminded of the night three years ago when he and Shen Zhi had their falling out. In that dark private room, if he could have seen clearly, Shen Zhi’s face would have been streaked with tears, choking out an apology.

———

The author has something to say:

Shen Zhi: Wife, don’t be scared. I’m coming!

Xu Yan: Thank you, I wasn’t scared before, but you nearly scared me to death.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Nexy Chapter

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: September 25, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 19, 2024 by Angel