Wilderness Vegetation Chapter 59

Chapter 59

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Xu Yan had been busy to the point of exhaustion since his return, never coming home before midnight, and even taking a two-day business trip to Hangzhou. Shen Zhi wasn't idle either, although he was on leave, he continued working on the project, albeit with a much more regular schedule compared to his usual workdays.

The day before the trip to Hangzhou, Xu Yan drove out for an on-location shoot, heading out alone to scout the area. The suburban roads were under construction, with one lane closed, forcing all vehicles to use the other. Although Xu Yan drove carefully, an Audi suddenly veered towards his car, causing him to brake hard. The collision jerked both him and the car violently.

It seemed like either an attempted hit-and-run or a scam. Xu Yan got out of the car, took photos of the scene and the other car's licence plate, and called both the traffic police and his insurance company. The driver didn't get out immediately, so Xu Yan knocked on his window. The door finally opened, and Xu Yan stepped back, covering his nose – the driver had vomited inside the car.

Drunk driving, drunk driving in broad daylight, it was unbelievable.

However, handling such a one-sided accident was simpler. Xu Yan spent about an hour at the traffic police station. Wang Wen'an called to inform him that the photography team and the artists had arrived at the location. Xu Yan completed the necessary paperwork, signed off, contacted his driver, and hurried to the set.

On the way, Xu Yan briefly messaged Xu Nian on WeChat, who called him immediately, asking if he was hurt.

"Physically, no, mentally, a bit," Xu Yan replied.

On the other end of the line, Xu Nian started singing the theme song of Ultraman Tiga.

That idiot always had a way of making him feel better, and Xu Yan indeed felt much more at ease.

After hanging up, Xu Yan opened Shen Zhi's WeChat, intending to tell him about the incident but then closed the chat box after a moment's hesitation.

It was just a minor issue, after all, and no one was hurt, so there wasn't much to say.

He didn't want to admit it, but he still felt the after-effects, lacking a sense of security – he was afraid of not getting a response, afraid of disturbing the other person, afraid of being ignored. He knew Shen Zhi had changed, but to avoid any disappointment, these trivial matters... he'd rather not mention them.

After the shoot, Xu Nian picked him up, and they went to the traffic police station again. Xu Yan was exhausted and had to go to Hangzhou early the next morning. Although they had planned to have dinner at their parents' house, they decided against it. Xu Yan went home, showered, and fell asleep immediately.

The day before returning from Hangzhou, Xu Yan sat on the hotel bed, going through the schedule Wang Wen'an had given him. He confirmed that he would soon return to a more normal work schedule, without consecutive late nights.

He collapsed on the bed, realising he hadn't had a proper conversation with Shen Zhi lately. Just as he was about to call him, Shen Zhi sent a WeChat message: Still busy?

Xu Yan looked at the screen and smiled, then replied: Just finished, back at the hotel.

Shen Zhi then called. After a few seconds of silence, Shen Zhi asked, "When will you come back tomorrow?"

"In the afternoon, but there's a reception in the evening that I need to attend," Xu Yan replied. "Are you busy?"

"It's okay." Shen Zhi paused, still somewhat awkward when it came to discussing daily trivialities. He added, "I'm going to Beijing the day after tomorrow, there was an issue with a previous case."

"Is it troublesome? How long will you be gone?"

"Not troublesome, I'll be back in a day or two," Shen Zhi said. "I'll go from the airport near you."

"Why?" Xu Yan asked, though he already had a faint guess.

"Before my flight, I'll visit your place," Shen Zhi slowly said. "To see you."

The words came through clearly, and Xu Yan felt a warm tingle in his right ear and neck. He squinted his eyes sleepily and chuckled, "Alright." He was so tired that his brain wasn't functioning properly, so he added, "My car should be repaired in a couple of days."

He realised what he had said only after the words left his mouth, but Shen Zhi was already asking, "What happened to your car?"

"It's..." Xu Yan pursed his lips and said, "My car was hit a couple of days ago."

Shen Zhi remained silent.

For some reason, Xu Yan felt a bit guilty and reported the situation honestly, "The other driver was drunk and hit the front of my car, broke a headlight, but that's it. I wasn't hurt, I swear."

It took a while before Shen Zhi asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

The tone wasn't accusatory or displeased, instead, it sounded somewhat disappointed and sad. Xu Yan hesitated for a moment and then said, "I guess I'm still scared, afraid that it would be like before when you had no reaction or found it annoying." As he spoke, he felt a twinge of sadness. He realised he hadn't fully moved past his fears and still harboured worries and comparisons.

On the other end of the phone, there was a faint rustling of fabric, as if Shen Zhi had stood up. Xu Yan heard him take a light breath.

"Xu Yan," Shen Zhi's voice was very low, "you don't have to be afraid of these things now."

"We don't have much time together, and I want to know what's happening in your life."

"In the future, you have to tell me everything, whether it's something happy or if you're in danger, you have to let me know, okay?" Shen Zhi said. "If you don't say anything, I'll be very worried."

Xu Yan had already sat up from the bed, feeling unsteady and suddenly realising – they were both still in a state of insecurity.

"Okay," he replied.

On the day Shen Zhi left for Beijing, he knocked on the door just as Xu Yan had finished freshening up, still groggy from having only slept a few hours. He had gone to bed at around three, and it was now just past eight.

As soon as the door opened, Xu Yan hung his head and planted it against Shen Zhi, who held him tightly. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, but it felt like a long time.

"What time is your flight?" Xu Yan asked.

"Ten past ten," Shen Zhi replied. "I'll stay for half an hour and then leave."

Xu Yan nodded, turned back into the room, and lay down on the bed again. After a while, Shen Zhi came in, closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently squeezed the back of Xu Yan's neck. "I brought you breakfast, it's in the kitchen, remember to eat."

"Okay." Xu Yan struggled to get up, his hair a mess. He looked at Shen Zhi for a moment, then reached out and grabbed his tie. The curtains were drawn, and in the dim light, Xu Yan studied the pattern on the tie and asked, "Is this the one I gave you?"

On their first Valentine's Day together, Xu Yan had given Shen Zhi a tie. That very night, Xu Yan had found himself bound with it in various ways.

"Yes."

Xu Yan hesitated to speak, before finally saying, "...... You still use it?"

He hadn't expected Shen Zhi to clean up the tie and wear it proudly. At the time, he had felt a bit distressed, the tie wasn't cheap and had special meaning as a Valentine's gift. How could they ruin it just because of what happened in bed?

"Why wouldn't I use it?" Shen Zhi retorted.

Xu Yan was silent for two seconds before muttering, "Pervert."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who would know it......"

"Okay, okay." Xu Yan quickly covered his mouth. "No need to say the rest."

With nothing more to say, the room fell silent. Shen Zhi's dark eyes stared at Xu Yan, who lowered his hand and looked away, still feeling Shen Zhi's gaze on his face. He turned back, met Shen Zhi's eyes for a moment, then looked down. Shen Zhi's lips were well-shaped, and when slightly pursed, they had a cool, silent allure.

Xu Yan leaned in and kissed him.

"I drove for an hour to get here," Shen Zhi suddenly said.

"What do you want?" Xu Yan asked, a faint smile on his face.

Shen Zhi said nothing, but pulled Xu Yan by the neck and lowered his head to kiss him. Xu Yan opened his mouth, but before he could stick his tongue out much, Shen Zhi pressed it back. The air was filled with soft panting, swallowing sounds, and the wet sounds of their tongues intertwining. Kissing on the bed could easily lead to trouble, and by the time Xu Yan realised this, he was already lying on the bed, with Shen Zhi kneeling between his legs, hands braced on either side of his shoulders. Xu Yan was mindful not to wrinkle Shen Zhi's shirt and trousers, so he didn't dare hold onto him or wrap his legs around his waist. Instead, he could only grasp the hanging tie. It felt cool and smooth against his palm, a comfortable sensation.

They were so focused on kissing that they only snapped back to reality when Xu Nian opened the door with a key and called out, "Ge."

Xu Yan's eyes flew open, staring blankly at the person on top of him. Shen Zhi looked up towards the door. As Xu Nian's footsteps approached, Xu Yan finally reacted, pushing Shen Zhi away and scrambling off the bed. As Xu Nian turned the doorknob, Xu Yan managed to lock the door.

In his haste, Xu Yan's ring finger hit the door, and he hissed in pain.

Shen Zhi immediately got off the bed and reached for his hand to check his fingers. Xu Nian knocked twice from outside. "Ge, are you still asleep?"

Xu Yan gasped in pain and used his other hand to push Shen Zhi towards the bathroom to hide. Once Shen Zhi was inside, Xu Yan unlocked the door and forced a sleepy smile, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I tell you yesterday, Mom made dumplings. You didn't have time to come home for dinner, so I brought some over." Xu Nian suddenly got angry. "What's going on with you? Did you block me or something? Do you even check my messages?"

"Of course I do," Xu Yan dismissed his concern. "But I've been too busy and sometimes forget." He put his arm around Xu Nian's shoulder. "Let me see the dumplings Mom made."

But Xu Nian craned his neck to peek into the room. "Why are you acting so weird? Are you hiding someone in here?"

"What could I be hiding?"

"You tell me!" Xu Nian exclaimed, "That delicate little sister-in-law you mentioned last time!"

Xu Yan felt a headache coming on.

"You said I might be disappointed, is that what you meant?" Xu Nian mused aloud. "What kind of disappointment is that? But does sister-in-law know you've been with men before?"

"There's no way I, someone who's been with a man, could possibly turn around and harm a woman, what do you think I am?" Xu Yan replied.

"Did you find a little 0?" Xu Nian jeered, "Got a photo? Come on, show me the delicate flower."

Xu Yan wouldn't dare tell him that the "delicate flower," standing at over six feet tall, was currently hiding in the bathroom. Today was definitely not the right time to come clean – Shen Zhi had a plane to catch, and Xu Yan had a shoot at nine. Work had to come first.

"I have to go to work, I don't have time to chat with you," Xu Yan said, pushing him towards the door. "You hurry off to the office, I'll send you a photo later."

"You said it, you promised!" Xu Nian left, happy and satisfied. As he stepped out, he noticed a pair of men's leather shoes in the entryway and chuckled, "Berluti, Ge, you sure are extravagant, claiming you're broke after buying a house but still wearing shoes that cost over ten thousand."

Xu Yan lied with a straight face, "I bought them a long time ago."

After seeing off the annoying sibling and closing the door, Shen Zhi walked out of the room and looked at Xu Yan, saying, "Delicate flower."

Xu Yan rubbed his nose. "I was just joking with him back then."

Shen Zhi didn't say anything else. He walked over and took Xu Yan's hand to check his bruised ring finger. "Does it still hurt?"

"I'm fine. You should head to the airport, when you get back, I'll probably have some free time," Xu Yan said. "Then I'll come over to your place."

"For what?" Shen Zhi looked up at him.

Realising the ambiguity, Xu Yan quickly changed the subject, heading towards the room. "Wait a minute, let me take a photo."

"Why?"

Xu Yan turned back with a smile, "To show Xu Nian the delicate flower."

It was still relatively early when the shoot wrapped up that evening. Xu Yan went home, showered, and lay in bed. He opened his phone and saw a message from Shen Zhi: Does your hand still hurt?

Xu Yan was surprised Shen Zhi still remembered about his finger. Feeling playful, he replied: Broken.

He set his phone aside to get a drink of water. When he returned, he saw Shen Zhi's response: Okay.

Broken, okay? Xu Yan checked the chat log and realised he had sent "射了" (shooting) instead of "折了" (broken).

Shen Zhi: Does your hand still hurt?  

Xu Yan: Shooting.

Shen Zhi: Okay.

Xu Yan was so embarrassed that he wanted to curl up. He quickly corrected himself: I meant broken! Sent the wrong word!

Feeling a sense of dread, Xu Yan exited the conversation, just as a chat from Xu Nian popped up. Xu Nian had already sent numerous messages: Are you there? Show me the delicate flower.

It was hard to imagine a grown man being so nosy. Xu Yan replied: Don't you have anything else to care about in your life?

Xu Nian: Yes, I'm going with Jie for her prenatal checkup in a few days, hehe.

Xu Yan: Congratulations!

Xu Nian: Mhmm-hmm, okay, now show me the delicate flower.

Without hesitating further, Xu Yan sent a photo of Shen Zhi. He was too lazy to play coy or hide. Going forward, no matter who asked about his love life, his answer would always be Shen Zhi – except for his parents, who he needed to consider how to tell seriously.

A while later, Xu Nian replied: Haha, Lawyer Shen is really handsome.

The background of the photo was clearly Xu Yan's home, it was impossible for Xu Nian to miss it. His obvious attempt to avoid reality made Xu Yan's heart ache.

Xu Yan: This is the delicate flower you wanted.

There was a long silence from Xu Nian's end. Xu Yan stared at the chat window, and after five minutes, sent another message: Xiao Nian, I told you I might disappoint you, and I won't let you down.

Xu Yan: You're the first to know about this.

Xu Yan: Nian Nian, you know your brother loves you, right?

Still no reply. Xu Yan sent another message, only to be greeted with a red exclamation mark – Xu Nian had blocked him.

———

The author has something to say:

Xu Nian: No longer willing to smile.

Shen Zhi: Wife, just shoot, it's okay.

Xu Yan: WeChat is a place of heartbreak; I've uninstalled it.

[Sorry, I miscalculated. Xu Yan hasn't discovered Shen Zhi's illness yet, so this chapter will be light and brainless.]

‿︵‿︵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: October 7, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 27, 2024 by Angel