Chapter 200 Encountering Bai Yujin in the City

Because both Shen Jin and Yan Yu were very handsome, the waiter was not impatient at all, even though they asked a lot of questions.

After all, the two of them standing there looked like they were advertising for their store.

"Madam Rong's story is a long one. Would you like to sit down and talk about it slowly?" the waiter asked tentatively with a smile.

Anyway, she wouldn't lose out by chatting with two such handsome and good-looking guys.

Upon hearing the waiter's words, Yan Yu paused slightly: "Is this alright? Will it be too much trouble for you?"

"No, no, let's sit down over there and talk. Anyway, we don't have many customers in this shop often. The manager isn't here today, so let's chat without worry. It's fine," the waiter said to the two as he walked towards a chair.

Yan Yu was slightly relieved and led Shen Jin over with the waiter.

The three of them sat down at a table in the store, and the waiter was willing to chat with them for a while.

"Then let me tell you about Madam Rong's matter. I know a little about it," the waiter said to the two of them.

"Okay, thank you." Shen Jin nodded quickly and said to the waiter.

The waiter smiled and began to recall what had happened a year ago. He was surprised that these two handsome young men were so gossipy and interested in such things.

"If I remember correctly, at that time, Madam Rong and the Rong family were extremely heartbroken. Madam Rong cried even harder and searched everywhere for Rong Jin, the eldest son of the Rong family." The waiter thought for a while and spoke based on some fragments of his memory.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jin's expression immediately changed. He gritted his teeth, remained silent, and continued listening.

"Anyway, it's not just Madam Rong, but also Master Rong, the young master of the Rong family Rong Lan, and the young master of the Luo family Luo Zheng, all looking for Rong Jin." The waiter, unaware of Shen Jin's abnormality, continued.

Hearing that so many people were looking for him, Chen Jin's breath hitched for a moment, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

He couldn't even imagine what they must have felt when they couldn't find it.

When Yan Yu heard the waiter say that Luo Zheng was also looking for Shen Jin, his mood immediately soured. He sullenly remained silent.

"I remember they later went to the deep mountains to look for Rong Jin based on some clues. Those deep forests were really difficult to navigate, and it took a long time to find their way in. Unfortunately, they still couldn't find him." The waiter sighed and said with some regret.

As Shen Jin listened to the waiter's description, he imagined their helplessness and despair at the time, and felt very uncomfortable.

Unable to comfort Shen Jin, Yan Yu could only reach out and gently grasp Shen Jin's hand, his palm lightly covering Shen Jin's hand and holding it gently.

When Yan Yu first grasped Shen Jin's hand, Shen Jin's hand trembled slightly, but quickly calmed down and made no further movements, simply letting Yan Yu hold his hand.

"Because they couldn't find Rong Jin, the Rong family was immersed in grief, as if they were completely devastated. Madam Rong fell ill during that time and was heartbroken for several months." The waiter became somewhat emotional as he said this.

Shen Jin was right; Madam Rong fell ill because of him.

Thinking this, Chen Jin clenched his fists even tighter, his nails digging deep into his flesh, and he gritted his teeth.

Beside him, Yan Yu looked at Shen Jin, whose eyes were already red. Shen Jin took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions, his fingers curling up slightly.

Yan Yu felt a pang of heartache and gently patted Chen Jin's back to comfort him.

"And then what happened? Did Madam Rong get any better?" Yan Yu asked the waiter.

"It got better later. Madam Rong recuperated for several months, and the Rong family took good care of her. That's when her condition improved," the waiter replied to Yan Yu.

Upon hearing that his mother's health had improved somewhat, Shen Jin breathed a sigh of relief, but he still felt a pang of sorrow and his emotions were difficult to calm.

"How is Madam Rong now?" Shen Jin continued to ask.

He was actually somewhat afraid to ask this question, after all, Madam Rong's illness was all because of him.

"She's doing quite well now, much better than before, but she's still a bit weak and probably can't handle any more stimulation," the waiter replied after a moment's thought.

Shen Jin had already thought of the answer, so he wasn't surprised. He just nodded slightly, feeling particularly guilty.

Shen Jin felt he had let them down, and suddenly missed them terribly, wanting to go back and see them... But a year had passed, and in everyone's hearts, he was probably already dead...

Would it seem abrupt if I suddenly reappeared in their world...?

Yan Yu carefully observed Shen Jin's emotions. Seeing Shen Jin so upset, he felt bad for him too.

Yan Yu reached out and gently patted Chen Jin's back, whispering comfortingly, "It's alright, it's nothing."

The waitress also sensed that something was off about the two people; they both seemed a bit strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and there was an indescribable feeling about the atmosphere.

"Um, what's wrong?" The waiter hesitated for a moment before asking Yan Yu.

Yan Yu looked up at the waiter, forced a smile, and replied, "It's nothing."

After saying that, he gently patted Chen Jin's back again.

At this moment, Shen Jin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all his sad emotions, and looked at Yan Yu.

"Let's go," Shen Jin said to Yan Yu.

He has lost all interest in buying clothes; all he can think about is how the Rong family has been looking for him for so long.

Hearing Shen Jin's words, Yan Yu didn't say anything more, but simply nodded: "Okay."

Then, Yan Yu looked at the waiter and said, "Could you please wrap up those items that I just picked out?"

The waiter quickly responded and then wrapped up the several outfits that the two of them had just picked out.

Afterwards, Yan Yu helped Shen Jin and himself pick out a few more items. After the sales assistant packed them up, they paid and left the clothing store together.

During this time, Shen Jin didn't say a word, just waited quietly for Yan Yu, feeling very depressed.

Yan Yu came to Shen Jin's side, took Shen Jin's hand, and led him outside.

"Let's go," Yan Yu said to Shen Jin in a low voice.

"Hmm." Shen Jin responded sullenly, this time finally having no intention of shaking off Yan Yu's hand.

His thoughts had already been drawn away by his family, so he didn't care whether they were holding hands or not.

Behind them, the waiter watched the two walk out hand in hand, and remained stunned for a long time.

Even after leaving the clothing store, Shen Jin was still unable to shake off that sadness.

"Are you still sad?" Yan Yu asked Shen Jin.

Hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin turned to look at him: "When I think about how long they've been looking for me, I feel so sorry for them."

Yan Yu was stunned for a moment, then felt extremely distressed.

"It's alright, don't worry, don't think too much about it." Yan Yu quickly comforted Shen Jin, "The situation back then was unavoidable... it was a matter of life and death."

Shen Jin's mood did not improve at all; he was still filled with self-blame.

Madam Rong's health was already poor, and it was because of him that her illness became so serious.

In this situation, Yan Yu didn't know what to do to cheer up Shen Jin, so he just clumsily patted Shen Jin's back gently.

"It's okay, you don't feel bad anymore." Yan Yu reached out and put his arm around Shen Jin's shoulder, patting him gently.

"Hmm." Shen Jin lowered his eyes, responded softly, and didn't say anything more before pushing Yan Yu away.

The two walked slowly like this. Yan Yu did not say anything to comfort Shen Jin, but gently patted Shen Jin's back with his palm.

Yan Yu didn't want Shen Jin to go to sea with those people again, because it was too dangerous. What if something happened?

So Yan Yu tentatively asked, "Then, do you want to go back and take a look?"

Upon hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin stopped in his tracks, a hint of emotion flashing across his face.

"Go back?" Shen Jin looked up at Yan Yu and asked calmly.

“Yes, don’t you really want to know how they are doing now, whether they are doing well, and do you miss them a lot?” Yan Yu looked at him. “Then why do you still seek thrills and adventures and go out with other people, instead of going back to your warm home?”

“I…” Shen Jin remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

Yan Yu knew that Shen Jin was already hesitating, so he quickly pressed his advantage: "They all miss you very much, and they will be very happy to see you. Rather than wandering outside, why not go back?"

Hearing Yan Yu say that they must have missed him, Shen Jin's heart was immediately thrown into turmoil.

For a moment, Shen Jin didn't know what to do.

He had always been alone, traveling around every day, and he always tried to control himself from thinking about them. But now, hearing Yan Yu say those words, he finally couldn't hold back anymore.

After struggling for a while, Chen Jin still couldn't come up with an answer. A multitude of emotions surfaced, and he could only shake his head gently.

“Going back is a good thing. You can see them then. They’ll be very happy to know that you’re not actually dead,” Yan Yu said, trying to persuade Shen Jin.

As he listened, Shen Jin's emotions suddenly erupted, and he forcefully covered his head.

"I don't know..." Shen Jin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sometimes he didn't even know what he was thinking before his head started to ache.

He was a little irritated and scratched his hair in frustration.

Seeing Shen Jin's actions, Yan Yu was startled and quickly reached out to embrace Shen Jin tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay. Don't think about it if you don't know. It's alright." Yan Yu comforted Shen Jin, gently patting his back.

After being comforted by Yan Yu for a while, Shen Jin's emotions gradually calmed down, and he remained silent.

"It's alright, it's alright now, no rush, no rush, take your time to think it over." Yan Yu gently reassured Shen Jin, "You can do whatever you want when the time comes..."

Shen Jin pursed his lips, not saying a word, looking extremely dejected. Yan Yu sensed Shen Jin's despondency but couldn't comfort him, so he could only hug him tighter, giving him some warmth and strength.

Seeing Shen Jin like this, he felt as if his heart was about to break. He really couldn't bear to look at him, and his heart ached.

Shen Jin had already begun to hesitate, but had not yet made a decision.

He used to be able to control himself from thinking about them, but now that Yan Yu said that, he couldn't stand it anymore.

The two remained silent for a while.

It was nighttime, and the street where they were was particularly lively, with many people coming and going. No one noticed their sadness.

Yan Yu took a deep breath, forcing himself not to think about unhappy things anymore.

“Shen Jin, this street looks really fun. Let’s take a stroll and see if there’s anything interesting.” Yan Yu looked at Shen Jin, smiled, and said to him.

Yan Yu wanted to cheer Shen Jin up, hoping that by changing Shen Jin's mood, Shen Jin might stop thinking about the Rong family and wouldn't feel so bad.

Upon hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin glanced up at the scene on the street, then looked away, lowered his eyes, and said nothing.

"How about we go for a walk together?" Yan Yu asked, tugging at Shen Jin's hand when Shen Jin didn't answer.

“…Okay.” Shen Jin was silent for a moment before replying.

Hearing Shen Jin agree, Yan Yu then led Shen Jin on a slow walk through the bustling street, strolling around for a while.

Shen Jin knew that Yan Yu meant well, so she did not refuse him and walked slowly with him.

"Look, there are candied hawthorns." At this moment, Yan Yu saw someone selling candied hawthorns and said to Shen Jin, "Want some candied hawthorns?"

"Hmm." Shen Jin looked at the bright red candied hawthorns and nodded.

Seeing that Shen Jin nodded, Yan Yu smiled happily and bought a string of candied hawthorns from the shopkeeper for Shen Jin.

Shen Jin took the candied hawthorn and forced a smile.

As he spoke, Shen Jin picked up the candied hawthorn and took a bite; it tasted very sweet.

"Is it delicious?" Yan Yu looked at Shen Jin and asked with a smile.

"Mmm, it's delicious." Shen Jin nodded in response to Yan Yu's question, and then handed the candied hawthorn to Yan Yu: "Would you like to try some?"

Yan Yu was stunned for a moment when he saw Shen Jin's actions.

A moment later, Shen Jin realized his actions and felt awkward. He tried to pull back, but Yan Yu quickly grabbed Shen Jin's hand and bit off a candied hawthorn from Shen Jin's hand.

"It's delicious." Yan Yu successfully ate the candied hawthorn and immediately smiled happily.

Shen Jin pursed his lips and remained silent.

The two then continued walking.

Although this street isn't particularly luxurious, it's bustling with people and sells all sorts of delicious and fun little things.

As Yan Yu walked, he saw many trinkets and wanted to buy them for Chen Jin.

"Do you like this?" Yan Yu picked up a small rattle drum, shook it, and asked Chen Jin.

Looking at that cute little rattle drum, Shen Jin actually found it very adorable.

But this was something for children to play with, and Shen Jin felt a little awkward looking at it. Even though he liked it, he still shook his head: "I don't like it."

When Shen Jin said he didn't like it, Yan Yu was about to put the rattle back, but Shen Jin's gaze remained fixed on it, which made Yan Yu laugh. Shen Jin's eyes were clearly saying that he liked it.

"It's a real shame if you don't like it." Yan Yu put the small rattle drum back in its place and sighed.

Seeing that Yan Yu had put it back, Shen Jin was immediately unhappy, but he didn't know what to say and could only sulk.

"Then let's go somewhere else to have some fun," Yan Yu said to Shen Jin as he stood up.

“…Oh.” Shen Jin glanced reluctantly at the rattle drum and responded in a muffled voice.

Yan Yu suppressed a laugh as he looked at Shen Jin.

As the two continued playing and were leaving the store, Yan Yu turned back, picked up the rattle drum, and smiled, "I still quite like this. If you don't want it, I'll buy it for you."

When Shen Jin saw that Yan Yu had bought the small rattle drum, his eyes lit up, but he didn't show his happiness too obviously.

So Yan Yu bought the rattle drum and walked with Shen Jin. On the way, Yan Yu deliberately played with the rattle drum, making Shen Jin's heart itch to play with it.

Finally, Yan Yu couldn't help but laugh and decided to stop teasing Shen Jin. He then handed the rattle drum to Shen Jin, saying, "I think I can't hold any more in my hands. Can you hold it for me?"

Upon hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin immediately became happy. He reached out and took the rattle drum, shaking it in his hand, and the rattle drum made a crisp sound.

The two then continued their stroll and saw many interesting things.

"Are you feeling better now?" Yan Yu asked Shen Jin.

Shen Jin knew Yan Yu meant well, so he nodded and said he was fine. In fact, he was still a little heavy-hearted, but he didn't show it.

Yan Yu patted Shen Jin's hand without saying a word.

At this moment, the two passed by a small roadside stall where people could win prizes by throwing darts at balloons.

"Want to play this?" Yan Yu stopped Shen Jin here and asked him.

Shen Jin looked at the prizes, each one a very cute plush toy.

“I want this one.” After a moment of silence, Shen Jin pointed directly to a plush toy and said to Yan Yu.

Seeing Shen Jin's actions, Yan Yu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay, I'll bring it to you," Yan Yu replied with a smile.

As he spoke, Yan Yu picked up a dart, asked the shopkeeper which balloon corresponded to the doll, aimed at the balloon, and threw it directly at it.

With a "pop," the balloon burst, hitting the shop owner squarely. The shop owner was startled, and several passersby couldn't help but look over.

Soon, the boss realized what was happening and took out the plush toy and gave it to Chen Jin.

"Thank you," Shen Jin said to Yan Yu as he took the plush toy.

Yan Yu smiled but didn't say anything.

Afterwards, the two continued playing. Yan Yu bought many nice little trinkets for Shen Jin, which Shen Jin liked very much.

Before long, Shen Jin's hands were filled with small toys.

"Am I being too flashy?" Shen Jin looked at the huge pile of trinkets he was holding and couldn't help but smile as he asked.

"No, no, I have money. I'll buy whatever I like," Yan Yu replied.

Hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't a matter of whether or not he had money; it was just that carrying so many things was too eye-catching, and he didn't know what to do with the toys in the end.

At this moment, Shen Jin saw several children, some as young as a few years old, following behind him.

The children were staring intently at the toy in his hand, their faces filled with longing.

Chen Jin smiled, squatted down, picked up a toy, and gently shook it at the children. Their eyes lit up immediately.

"Do you like them?" Shen Jin looked at them and thought they were very cute.

"We love it!" the children all nodded in agreement.

Yan Yu watched as Shen Jin started chatting with them and couldn't help but smile.

“Then call me brother, and I’ll give it to you,” Shen Jin continued.

Upon hearing Shen Jin's words, the children were overjoyed and hugged him tightly, threatening him and repeatedly calling him "brother."

Chen Jin's mood finally improved because of these children.

So, Chen Jin distributed his toys to them: "Don't fight over them, just pick the ones you like."

The children all responded.

Soon, all the trinkets we had bought were taken away by the children.

"Thank you, brother." The children thanked Shen Jin.

Chen Jin smiled and patted each of their heads in turn.

Seeing that Shen Jin had become happy, Yan Yu, who had been observing from the side, also smiled.

After the children left, Shen Jin continued to play with Yan Yu, but he was tired and not as excited as before.

"Are you hungry?" Yan Yu asked Shen Jin again, deciding to find a place to eat first.

Upon hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin nodded.

So Yan Yu took Shen Jin to a famous restaurant in the city to eat.

The two chose a window seat on the second floor and sat down.

Before, in the mountains, they ate very casually, basically just enough to fill their stomachs. Now that they're back in the city, Yan Yu brought Shen Jin to this restaurant for a very sumptuous meal.

Now, the table in front of the two of them is filled with all kinds of dishes, a dazzling array.

However, Shen Jin had no appetite and just ate his rice casually, without even picking at the side dishes. His mind had long since wandered off somewhere else.

Seeing Shen Jin so distraught, Yan Yu felt a pang of heartache.

"Shen Jin, eat more, and don't think about those unhappy things for now," Yan Yu sighed and said to Shen Jin.

As he spoke, Yan Yu picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and placed it in the bowl in front of Shen Jin.

"Health is the foundation of everything, you must take good care of yourself. If you don't eat more, you'll become nothing but skin and bones," Yan Yu said while putting food on Shen Jin's plate.

Shen Jin didn't speak, and ate all the food Yan Yu had given him, though he was still somewhat absent-minded.

Afterwards, Yan Yu peeled shrimp for Shen Jin to eat.

"You don't need to peel it for me." Seeing that Yan Yu was peeling it for himself, Shen Jin quickly said.

"It's okay, I just like peeling shrimp for you." Yan Yu smiled and continued peeling shrimp for Shen Jin.

Hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Jin felt helpless but didn't say anything more, letting Yan Yu peel the shrimp for him.

The two hadn't eaten at these restaurants in a long time. They had been traveling in the deep mountains, and the food seemed to taste different after they returned to the city.

Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, yet enjoying their meal immensely, they suddenly heard a waiter nearby say with a smile, "Mr. Bai, good evening, this way please."