TL: Hua
Xia Shu’an drifted in and out of awareness, unable to distinguish between day and night. Everything was a blur until a man’s voice faintly broke through the fog of confusion.
“Xia Shu’an, you win; as long as you wake up, I will set you free.”
“Xia Shu’an, wake up quickly.”
“Xia Shu’an!”
“Xia Shu’an!”
——
“Beep, beep—” The electrocardiograph made a steady sound, and a dazzling white light suddenly rushed into the young man’s eyes in the white room. His eyelids unconsciously trembled, and before he was conscious, he heard a shout in his ear, and the sound of footsteps rushed out of the room.
“Doctor! The patient in ward 1302 wakes up!!”
“An An!!” The woman rushed to the bed.
Then, there was another round of chaos. Ten minutes later, doctors, nurses, and Xia Shu’an’s parents surrounded the bed to check Xia Shu’an from head to toe.
Finally, the doctor concluded, “Since Mr. Xia has woken up, it means that he has successfully passed the critical period. Next, he just needs to follow the doctor’s instructions and recover.”
As soon as the words fell, Mother Xia’s eyes overflowed with tears, but this time it was different from countless times before; these were tears of joy.
Xia Shu’an gently stretched out his hand: “Mom, hug me.”
Mother Xia burst into laughter and carefully went forward to hug him. Father Xia followed. After a long and thrilling 20 days, their family finally hugged each other again.
Xia Shu’an was still in a daze when he woke up. He had slept for more than half a month. After his parents explained, he found out that the person who hit him was Yang Han. What was most shocking was that this person was the culprit who caused their family to go bankrupt. It was he who designed a series of events and used media opinions to cause the company to go bankrupt.
After Yang Han was arrested, the events that the Xia family was criticized and accused of were clarified, and Father Xia was finally vindicated.
When Father and Mother Xia said this, they avoided mentioning Shen Boyan, but Xia Shu’an knew that he was the one who did it. Shen Boyan’s methods were ruthless. Yang Han was probably forced into a desperate situation and finally targeted Xia Shu’an with his car.
“Okay, okay, now your father can finally hold his head up when he sees his old friends.”
The two elders pretended to be happy, looking like they had finally gotten what they wanted after all the hardships. The thin and pale young man on the bed had a faint smile on his lips, nodded with bright eyes, his long black eyelashes trembled slightly, and slowly hid the light in his eyes.
After more than a month, nearly two months later, Xia Shu’an was finally discharged from the hospital. The day of his discharge was sunny, and the sky was clear, as if the whole world was celebrating his return.
Xia Shu’an took a deep breath and got in the long-awaited car. Xia’s parents still live in their old house. Xia Shu’an has lived in this place for more than 20 years, so he is naturally very familiar with it.
After he woke up, he received countless contacts from friends and colleagues. During his recovery in the hospital, many people came to see him. Lu Xin and Chu Wenzhi came almost every day, but it was only after they were driven back to work that the matter was finally resolved.
Now that Xia Shu’an has been discharged from the hospital, he has also made appointments with many friends, but Xia’s parents are still worried about him. Every time he goes out, he has to bring medical care with him, like a critically ill patient. Two months passed like this, and everyone got used to Xia Shu’an’s recovery. The car accident seemed to have been a thing of the past.
For the Xia family, there is now another important thing: reopening the store.
Although the Xia family’s reputation has been cleared, what is lost is lost. Fortunately, after so many years, the two elders did not dwell on the past. It’s rare that they now have both the time and reputation, so they thought about reopening the old store passed down by the previous generation.
As soon as this idea came out, many old friends of the Xia family supported it; some contributed money, and some contributed labor. Soon, they renovated the store and waited for it to officially open in two days. On the opening day, although it was just a small restaurant, many heavyweight figures came, such as local old brand owners, food gourmet, editors of food magazines, and even editors of unrelated entertainment reports. Everyone came to join in the fun, which attracted many curious passersby to stop and watch.
Xia Shu’an also came to help. He finally became a free-moving person from a person who needed special care. Even the socializing that he wasn’t good at became a pleasure. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon, people flocked into the store. The whole store was full of people. Xia Shu’an was not able to take a break until everyone was seated.
At the entrance, congratulatory flower baskets were constantly delivered and placed, creating a lively atmosphere for nearby neighbors.
Xia Shu’an wiped his forehead and walked to the door of the store. Suddenly, a teddy bear shaped doll walked across the street, swaying. The doll was particularly tall, more than two meters tall. Although it was winter now, it was probably quite hot wearing this.
Seeing the “teddy bear” coming straight to their store, Xia Shu’an couldn’t help but take a few steps forward, with a smile on his face.
“Teddy Bear” stood in front of him, with his hands behind his back and his tall furry body swaying. Xia Shu’an didn’t know what kind of big man was inside such a tall doll, coming here to sell cuteness for money. It can be seen that money is not easy to make these days.
He tried his best to not think that there’s a person inside and reached out his hand to greet him with childlike innocence.
“Hello, Teddy Bear.”
Teddy Bear swayed again, and his two hands stretched out from behind with a rustling sound. He took out a bunch of flowers and handed them to Xia Shu’an.
“Is it for me?”
“Thank you.”
The doll covered its face shyly.
Xia Shu’an should have long since passed the age where he would be happy to see dolls, but perhaps the change in his mentality and the rebirth allowed him to look at this accustomed world from a new perspective. He held the flowers to his chest and said with a smile:
“Thank you to the person who sent the flowers for me.”
“Teddy Bear” made an OK gesture and opened his arms that were 1.5 meters long.
“You want to hug me?” Xia Shu’an smiled and went forward to hug him. The teddy bear then shyly ran away. Xia Shu’an returned to the store in a good mood.
A friend came down from upstairs and asked, “What’s wrong, Xiao Xia? Someone sent you flowers, ah. Is it your boyfriend or girlfriend?”
Xia Shu’an blinked:
“Human friend.”
“Stop joking.”
Father Xia’s store was successfully opened. In the first few days, Xia Shu’an went to the store to help. After the store stabilized, he didn’t go there often. The leave he took for the car accident was about to end, and he had to go back to work.
His workplace is a bit far from home, and he’s in his thirties. It’s really embarrassing to still live with his parents—he is a typical advocate of the idea that children should leave their parents and fly on their own when they grow up.
Xia Shu’an found a place to live by himself, but his parents still told him to go home for dinner every week. His new apartment is in a good location and the environment is also very quiet. The nearby park is suitable for walking. He is now very calm inside, with expectations for the future in his calmness. He spent every day brimming with energy.
Although he’s in his early thirties, his face is still very tender. That tenderness isn’t the youthful kind that could be pinched, but the beauty that transcends time and age. Because of the precipitation of years, his temperament is now more stable and warm than when he was in his early twenties, as if a beautiful jade has been blessed by time.
Therefore, he has only lived in the new community for a week, and more than two hands of uncles and aunts have asked for his contact information. He even began to think about whether to lie and say that he has a partner.
Life in the new home is relatively peaceful. On this day, Xia Shu’an came back from work and happened to see the open elevator, so he squeezed in before the elevator closed. There was another person inside, a man who looked about the same age as him.
Xia Shu’an smiled at him politely, and the man returned the greeting. When the elevator reached the fifth floor, the man suddenly spoke:
“Are you a teacher at Rongchuan University?”
Xia Shu’an was startled and replied:
“I’m not a teacher, but I’m a staff member of the school laboratory.”
“So that’s how it is.” The man smiled and said:
“I’m also a graduate of Rongchuan University. I went back during the anniversary celebration, and I remember seeing you.”
“Really? What a coincidence.”
Meeting classmates from his alma mater, Xia Shu’an was also a little interested.
“What class are you from?”
“xx class.”
“Me too!”
“What’s your major?”
“Finance.”
“Then I’m not, I’m majoring in agronomy.”
“No wonder you had grass in your hair the last time I saw you.”
“Really? That’s so rude of me.” Xia Shu’an widened his eyes, and the man laughed.
After learning that his schoolmate lived in the same building, Xia Shu’an quickly became familiar with him. The two of them would meet up for tea, play ball, walk, and chat from time to time. He knew that the other party worked in a well-known local securities company, that his family was also local, and that he had no girlfriend or boyfriend.
Xia Shu’an had been gay for only five years. He doesn’t have much practical experience with the legendary saying that gay people have a special radar for their own kind. However, he has had gay experiences and can feel that the other person treats him differently.
He felt very complicated. He didn’t want to fall in love or have a romantic relationship with others, but if he had to say it directly, he didn’t know how to say it. Was it better to ask the other party if he had thoughts about himself?
Xia Shu’an, who had never had a normal love experience in his life, was entangled for two days. One day when he woke up, he suddenly found that he didn’t have to be entangled.
Because when he woke up this morning, he habitually picked up the phone beside him and saw a message sent by the man, which read:
[Shu’an, the company arranged for me to study abroad. Time is tight. When you see this message, I will probably have left. I’m very happy to have known you for the past half month. I hope everything goes well for you and I wish you a smooth-sailing future.]
Xia Shu’an: “…”
Okay.
Since someone had already made the choice for him, Xia Shu’an went back to his old days, carefree and worry-free.
But recently he has added another worry: he always feels as if someone is following him.
This feeling comes and goes. It’s better during the day. When he comes home from work at night, the night in December is particularly desolate. Even if the lights are on on the road, it’s difficult to hide the coldness. At this time, he suddenly feels that there are cold eyes staring at him in the alley. This feeling is really indescribable.
He really wanted to call the police.
On this Friday, after getting off work, Xia Shu’an went home as usual. He now has a psychological shadow on driving, so he takes the subway to and from work. Because he didn’t want to cook, he took a detour to a delicatessen and took a shortcut through the garden on his way back.
At seven o’clock in the evening, shadows overlapped in the garden, and the leaves on the trees had basically fallen off. The bare branches swayed in the wind, and occasionally a sad cat cry was heard.
Xia Shu’an gathered his down jacket and walked quickly through the path. Suddenly, three young people came out from another road. Two of them had dyed yellow hair, and one had dyed red hair. Their clothes were also very unique, which almost blinded Xia Shu’an.
The three people were originally talking among themselves, but when they saw Xia Shu’an, their eyes suddenly brightened, and they walked towards him in a self-confident and cool manner. The leading boy had a frivolous expression: “Hey, handsome guy, where are you going in such a hurry? Come play with us.”
Xia Shu’an took a step back and smiled:
“I’m sorry, I need to go.”
He glanced at another road and was about to walk past quickly, but one of them blocked his way.
“Don’t rush to leave.”
This section of the whole garden was particularly quiet. A little further away, it was facing the road. Xia Shu’an took a deep breath and rushed out quickly. The others were stunned and chased after him.
“Damn it, don’t run–”
Only ghosts would stop.
One of them was about to catch up to Xia Sh’an, but suddenly a powerful hand reached out to pull him back. The thug crashed into a person who appeared out of nowhere, feeling like he had hit a wall.
He looked up with stars in his eyes and said bluntly:
“Who the hell are you?!”
A man wearing a coat who seemed to be two meters tall looked at him coldly. The moment he saw his gaze, the thug suddenly felt a chill and couldn’t help but shrink his neck.
The man’s eyes were murderous, not like the viciousness of street thugs pretending to be strong. That was the look that only people with real ability and courage would have.
“You—”
“It turned out to be you.”
A warm voice suddenly sounded, and a figure came from one end of the road. The man still had a faint smile on his face, exposed under the orange light. The soft light played across his face, and his smiling eyes held a gentle warmth.
Xia Shu’an looked at the young man held by Shen Boyan and said, “It’s okay, go ahead, I’ll pay you the balance.”
The young man moved his feet with difficulty, and then he felt the grip on him loosen, and as soon as he hit the ground, he flew off with his two brothers and ran away.
Xia Shu’an watched them go away, then turned back and walked slowly to Shen Boyan. Because of the cold, he still put his hands in his jacket pockets; white steam came out of his mouth:
“Long time no see, Shen Boyan.”
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