TL: Hua
Chapter 19: Departure
In the darkness, Shen Ci silently clenched his palm.
He clenched it so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh, leaving crescent-shaped marks on his palm, yet he felt nothing.
Xie Yu lay beside him, warmth continuously radiating through the quilt. If Shen Ci wanted to, he could just roll over and fall into Xie Yu’s arms.
The sleeping Young Master Xie was easy to deal with, pliable to his will. If asked to hug, he would hug; if asked to let go, he would let go. But Shen Ci just quietly gazed at him, his dark tea-colored eyes cast down, emotions hidden beneath his eyelids.
The hotel’s air conditioning was on, and the bedroom was warm like a charcoal stove. The quilt was made of top-quality down, with highly fluffy feathers from white geese in the Siberian ice fields, providing excellent warmth.
But Shen Ci still felt cold.
—
The next morning, when Xie Yu woke up, Shen Ci was already gone.
He gargled toothpaste foam, asking the system vaguely, “Why didn’t he wait for me for breakfast?”
Shen Ci used to leave directly at first, then waited for him for breakfast for a while, and now he was gone again.
The system, having completed its plot duties, was shut down and more bewildered than Xie Yu: “What’s going on? I don’t know.”
Xie Yu waved his hand: “Never mind, it’s not a big deal.”
He ate as usual, went out to stroll, acting like a profligate rich second generation. The system was silent for a long time, then quietly reappeared beside Xie Yu more than half a month later.
“Two pieces of news, which do you want to hear first?”
Xie Yu: “Whatever.”
System: “In the past half-month, Shen Ci has visited Lin Yin in the hospital again.”
Xie Yu hummed. In the original novel, Shen Ci was no ordinary person and was very good at seizing opportunities, so he wasn’t surprised.
“What else?”
“Also, Xie Yuanshan found out about your investment. He threw a huge tantrum in the company conference room in Los Angeles and bought a flight back, rushing here.”
Xie Yu casually opened a shopping website and tried to pay with his credit card, but the screen showed “payment failed.”
His card had been frozen.
Xie Yu wasn’t flustered at all. Xu Qingshan had set up an offshore account for him with a few million in cash, enough for him to live lavishly for several years.
Sure enough, that evening, his phone rang wildly. He answered, and Xie Yuanshan’s gloomy voice came through, suppressing immense anger, almost gritting his teeth: “Xie Yu, come home right now.”
Xie Yu mumbled “uh-huh, uh-huh,” perfunctorily agreeing.
He was then at a stall eating wontons. After hanging up, he unhurriedly finished his wontons and even drank two sips of soup before getting into the car and leisurely driving home.
Xie Yuanshan was furious. Upon seeing him, he immediately wanted to strike him, but Xie Yu was no longer a weak child. Standing at over 1.8 meters tall, he towered over Xie Yuanshan. To slap him, Xie Yuanshan would have to stand on his tiptoes.
Xie Yuanshan scrutinized him. Xie Yu stood in the shadows of a wall corner, his dark tea-colored eyes hidden in the darkness, cold and indifferent, as if he would retaliate without hesitation if Xie Yuanshan dared to lay a hand on him.
“…”
Xie Yuanshan averted his gaze, abandoning the idea of striking him. He spoke stiffly: “Wasting your days with bad company, look at the state you’re in. Pack your bags and get yourself to City C.”
Xie Yu stood with his hands in his pockets, completely unfazed by the punishment: “What time is the flight?”
Xie Yuanshan was utterly fed up with Xie Yu, wishing he could just throw him out of the country on the spot. His secretary checked the system and booked a flight for him for tomorrow afternoon.
Xie Yu was well-prepared and accepted it calmly. That night, he packed all his luggage, then, according to his character’s requirements, called He Zhiyuan and Zhou Yang one by one, weeping about his terrible predicament and inviting them to gather tomorrow morning for a farewell party.
Of course, Xie Yu couldn’t actually cry. He pinched his nose, forcing out two choked sobs: “Brothers, I won’t be able to see you for a long time.”
The system, accompanying him, painfully clicked its tongue.
It was a bit disgusting.
He Zhiyuan, feeling disgraced after the Lin Yin incident, had returned to his ancestral home in Beijing and hadn’t been to Jiangcheng for a long time. Now, grounded by his family, he couldn’t make it tomorrow.
Zhou Yang, however, readily agreed. They chatted and chose their usual bar by the river.
According to the original text, Shen Ci was hospitalized at this time. No matter how much Young Master Xie enjoyed himself, he was still afraid of getting someone killed, so Shen Ci had nothing to do with tomorrow’s gathering, which became just Xie Yu and Zhou Yang.
Xie Yu disliked He Zhiyuan, and his impression of Zhou Yang was mediocre—not particularly fond, but not disliking either. The two had a few cocktails at the bar, then walked along the river.
Zhou Yang asked him, “Are you really going for five years, not coming back even once?”
Xie Yu smiled: “I’m really going.”
Zhou Yang inhaled, blowing smoke rings towards the river: “That biological father of yours really isn’t a good person… By the way, I heard he froze your cards. Are you short on cash? Want your bro to lend you some?”
Xie Yu shook his head: “No need, I’m not short on cash, but there’s indeed something I need your help with.”
Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow: “We’ve been friends for over ten years; just say it.”
Xie Yu: “Keep an eye on He Zhiyuan and make sure he stays away from Shen Ci.”
Zhou Yang’s hand, holding the cigarette, paused.
In the original story, He Zhiyuan wanted to get with Shen Ci and did, but he was a three-minute wonder. Once he had him, he wasn’t interested anymore and didn’t bother Shen Ci again. But this time, Xie Yu had guarded Shen Ci so strictly that He Zhiyuan couldn’t even touch him. He Zhiyuan was itching with desire, and who knew what he might do?
Zhou Yang was startled: “This is the first time I’ve seen you care so much… Alright, I’ll cover him. Before you come back, He Zhiyuan won’t be able to lay a finger on him.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“It’s nothing, don’t mention it.” Zhou Yang teased, “But Young Master Xie, if you like him so much, aren’t you going to leave him more money?”
Xie Yu: “I did.”
Given the original owner’s persona, it was impossible for him to leave money for Shen Ci. So Xie Yu found Xu Qingshan and had him set aside a portion of the donations to the mental hospital as a contingency fund. If Shen Ci’s grandmother ever had an emergency and needed money, it could be disbursed from there. If Shen Ci asked, they would say it was a charitable donation, and his family’s number just happened to be chosen.
Shen Ci had no idea Xu Qingshan was connected to him and wouldn’t associate it with Xie Yu.
They talked about some other trivial things, then each went their separate ways.
Xie Yu retrieved his luggage from the hotel, two large suitcases. He counted the important items one by one, and the small kraft paper bag he had found previously was carefully stored in the inner lining of the suitcase, with an extra layer of tissue paper.
The system curiously peered, “What exactly is this?”
Xie Yu pushed it aside, latched the suitcase, and went downstairs with it.
He got into the secretary’s car and was sent to the airport. After passing security and settling down at the boarding gate, he pulled out the system screen and opened the novel page.
Before Xie Yu went abroad, there was one last plot segment.
He took a deep breath and dialed the number.
The default phone ringtone sounded. After three seconds, the call connected, and Shen Ci’s hushed voice was heard: “Xie Yu?”
He sounded like he was in the lab, his voice very soft. In the background, there was the clinking of glass test tubes, the rustling of a pen sliding across scratch paper… These sounds were very peaceful, like the sleep-inducing white noise in ASMR.
Xie Yu held the phone, seemingly lost in thought, and didn’t speak for a long time.
“Xie Yu?” The other side called again. Shen Ci must have gone outside, as the rustling of fabric from a folded lab coat came through the receiver, followed by the swipe of a card, footsteps, and finally, the chirping of birds.
The prolonged silence made Shen Ci feel a little uneasy. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “…What’s wrong? Did something happen? Should I come to the hotel to find you?”
“No need,” Xie Yu heard his own calm voice. “In the future, you don’t need to look for me either.”
“…”
A long silence.
The receiver was quiet, with nothing but the noisy background sounds of the campus.
After a long while, Shen Ci asked softly, “What do you mean?”
Xie Yu: “I’m going abroad. My flight is this afternoon, and I won’t be back for five years. The contract is void.”
He paused, then laughed, adopting the cynical tone of a playboy: “Congratulations, Assistant Shen, you’re free.”
These were the original lines. Young Master Xie, before going abroad, didn’t forget to mock his pathetic canary. His tone should have been cold and twisted, but Xie Yu was serious.
He was truly congratulating Shen Ci on breaking free from his shackles and regaining his freedom.
“…”
Another long silence.
After a good while, Shen Ci finally spoke. His clear voice came through the receiver, sounding a little muffled: “What time is your flight? Should I see you off?”
Xie Yu: “No need, I’m already at the security gate.”
This line wasn’t in the original script; he had added it himself. But after thinking, Xie Yu added, “Goodbye.”
Xie Yu hung up the phone.
The next time they met, it would be at the mental hospital.
Xie Yu’s phone screen went completely black, reflecting his profile. The young man’s brow arch and nasal bone formed a beautiful curve, his eyes hidden in shadow, dark and dim.
“Passengers for City C, please note, flight JC5846 is now boarding; please proceed to…”
The announcement sounded. Xie Yu looked up, put his phone in his pocket, picked up his ticket, and boarded the plane.
The flight lasted twenty hours. Xie Yu leaned by the window. The retractable screen showed that they flew over Japan, passed through the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and crossed the Pacific Ocean. Looking down from the window, the azure blue sea was distant and deep, connecting with the sky.
The system silently nudged him: “Aren’t you happy, Host? We can travel all over the world now!”
Being a newborn and inexperienced system, it immediately pulled up hundreds of online guides, spreading them before Xie Yu excitedly: “Look at this! Seven days and six nights in Iceland, including the ice blue cave and the Blue Lagoon hot springs! And this one, a first-time casino experience in Las Vegas, with pretty dealers in uniforms…”
Xie Yu lazily pushed it aside: “We’re on a plane. How do you still have internet?”
System: “…Gaa?”
Xie Yu: “Shut down.”
System: “.”
It tried to explain that as a high-tech system, its internet connection wouldn’t interfere with communications, but Xie Yu had already spread a magazine over his face, refusing to interact.
Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi if you like what I’m doing. There will be bonus chapter for every kofi (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)
Hmm… will people think that Shen Ci was abandoned like all the other ‘playthings’ that the original host had?