Chapter 103: Crossing Adversity Gu Xingjue rubbed for a long time...

Gu Xingjue rubbed Chen Song's eyes for a long time. When Chen Song opened his eyes, the light was no longer glaring, and Gu Xingjue's deep and cold eyes were smiling at him.

Chen Song had just woken up and was still feeling a little hot and his chest was stuffy.

Gu Xingjue stroked Chen Song's hair, smoothing down his curly hairs. "It must have been the day you told me you were selling your house. I couldn't bear to see you without a home."

Chen Song lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while. Gu Xingjue stood up to get the small table by the wall. He heard Chen Song say softly behind him, "This doesn't seem to be my home either."

Gu Xingjue paused, then turned around and walked to the bed with the small table in hand. He placed the small table on the bed and asked, "Then where is your home?"

Chen Song fell silent. Gu Xingjue touched his cheek and said, "Yes, it will happen in the future."

Gu Xingjue brought the food from the coffee table to the small table, picked up a piece of mapo tofu and passed it to Chen Song. Chen Song took the chopsticks and ate it himself. Gu Xingjue smiled, picked up his own bowl and chopsticks, and ate with him.

"How much did you spend on it?" Chen Song said.

"Nothing less, just the same as what you sell."

Chen Song put down his chopsticks and looked at him.

Gu Xingjue smiled and said, "Well... two hundred."

When he first approached someone to buy it back, the owner objected, saying he had just moved in and that he'd only agreed if he paid two million. Unexpectedly, Gu Xingjue agreed without hesitation.

Chen Song's eyes immediately turned cold: "Are you sick? You spent two million to buy this shabby house. Did you get the money from the wind?"

"I do seem to be a little sick." Gu Xingjue looked at him, his black eyes like an unfathomable sea.

Chen Song's heart skipped a beat. "What disease? What's wrong with you?"

Gu Xingjue's body was covered in scars, like a discarded scrap of metal, not a normal person at all. If it were just a skin injury, it would be fine. But what scared Chen Song the most was cancer or some other life-threatening illness.

"I love you to the core. I will die if I can't see you." Gu Xingjue said with a smile.

Chen Song: “…”

"Are you kidding me?" Chen Song glared at him. "Do you know I really thought you were sick?"

Chen Songqing's face flushed with anger. Gu Xingjue quickly hugged him and patted his back. "Oh, oh, I was wrong. Don't be angry, honey. I really feel that way. I'm not kidding. Okay, okay, don't be angry anymore. I'll buy you a small cake, okay?"

"Gu Xingjue."

Chen Song's voice was indifferent and distant. He had spoken to him in such a cold tone many times before. Gu Xingjue was very scared. This was the sound of Chen Song saying he was leaving him.

Gu Xingjue's blood froze, and he stiffly let go of Chen Song without answering him. The two of them were silent for a while, and Chen Song said, "I owe you too much, money, and kindness. I'm afraid I will never be able to repay you in this lifetime. I'm such a shabby person, and I won't have any great future. You, you may not have taken relationships so seriously before, but you can really be a good lover now."

Chen Song paused, clutched the quilt, took a deep breath, and said, "You can find someone very good instead of wasting your time on someone as insignificant as me. You've wasted enough, really."

Gu Xing's resolve was trembling, but he suddenly laughed. Thousands of complicated emotions surged in his heart, and many words came to his lips but could not be uttered. No matter what he said or did, Chen Song still would not believe him, still hated him, and still wanted to drive him away.

"Well," Gu Xingjue began to clear the dishes. He lowered his eyes, and Chen Song didn't see the bloodshot in them. "Okay, I understand. I'll leave when you're well. Just be patient for a while."

Chen Song opened his mouth, unable to speak. The two of them were caught in an unusually depressing atmosphere. The words spoken by both sides were like poisoned knives piercing each other's hearts, sometimes venomous, sometimes icy. The heart-wrenching pain and suffocation were engraved in their bodies in the silence.

Chen Song thought that Gu Xingjue would still beg him, cling to him and bother him like before, but he didn't expect that he would agree so readily.

Chen Song clenched his whitening fingers, his short nails digging into his flesh. Perhaps, this was the best ending for the two of them. Wasn't this what he had always wanted? But why did he feel so uncomfortable when it really came true? Wasn't this what he wanted? Then what exactly did he want?

Gu Xingjue cleaned up the dishes and left. Before leaving, he turned off the lights and told him to have a good rest.

The old house had very poor sound insulation. In the darkness, Chen Song heard the clanging sound of dishes being washed in the sink downstairs, the sound of running water in the toilet downstairs mixed with a few dog barks. That was the sound of Chen Baisui struggling to take a shower, the sound of a hair dryer, the sound of going upstairs, entering the room at the back door on the second floor, and coming out to a small toilet built outside the stairs. There was the sound of running water again, the whirring sound of a hair dryer, and the sound of the door of the back room closing.

Everything returned to silence. There was no sound at all in the middle of the night. From time to time, the sound of electric cars returning from overtime work and men's coughs could be heard outside the house.

Chen Song couldn't fall asleep with his eyes closed, feeling a bit hot in his chest. He glanced at his phone. The screen was blindingly bright. He half-squinted his eyes and saw the time. It was 2:47 AM.

Chen Song turned on the bedside lamp, got out of bed, and opened the wardrobe. A deep woody scent filled his face, along with a hint of desiccant. The clothes inside were neatly folded, some of his old clothes, and some new clothes. Some of those new clothes were bought for him by Tang Shihe, and some by Gu Xingjue.

Chen Song picked up a set of cotton pajamas at random, opened the bottom layer, and paused when he saw two boxes of brand new underwear.

“.......”

This probably wasn't bought by Tang Shihe, but by Gu Xingjue. This was the brand that Gu Xingjue often bought for him in Country Y, and the box had been opened, indicating that Gu Xingjue had already washed it.

Chen Song chose a white one and took it to the bathroom. He took off his shirt and stood in front of the mirror. His skin was white and delicate, even though he was bony. The scar on his left arm was even more obvious, like a disgusting, ugly centipede gnawing at this flawless jade.

This is the scar Chen Song got after the car accident. According to Gu Xingjue, when he was found, his body was covered with glass shards, bleeding profusely, and his whole body was cold. The wounds in other places were not big. After they healed, Gu Xingjue often applied ointment to him, and there were no scars left except this one.

A shard of glass, as thick as two fingers, grazed his bones, nearly piercing his arm. The wound was so large that it required stitches, leaving behind this scar. Chen Song didn't feel much about it, because the wound had healed by the time he woke up, and when his senses gradually regained, he didn't feel any pain.

But when Gu Xingjue said this, his eyes turned red and tears came out, as if he was the one who was hurt.

Chen Song touched the scar, the raised centipede-like pattern making him feel even more depressed. He could no longer feel the pain there, but the tangible feeling of falling off the cliff that night, the suffocating feeling of slowly watching his own death, still lingered in his mind for a long time.

The scar prevented him from performing delicate surgeries on his arm, a devastating blow to his medical career. He felt completely useless, unsure of what else he could do and questioned whether he would continue practicing medicine.

Chen Song took a shower and dried his hair, still feeling a bit hot. He went downstairs to get a glass of water. The sensor light at the stairwell was still on, so he didn't turn it on. He stepped on the floor barefoot. There was no dirty dust sticking to his feet, as if they had been mopped clean.

Chen Song opened the refrigerator, but there was no ice water. He had no choice but to get a glass and pour water from the kettle. The kettle was filled with boiling water, and the glass was not insulated. Chen Song was burned so much that he reflexively let go, and the glass hit the ground hard, splashing the boiling water onto his calf. Chen Song stood there in a daze, his reflexes still a little slow, and he didn't react until the boiling water had flowed to his feet for a while, and then he took two steps back.

There were hurried footsteps upstairs, the sound of a door opening, and then Gu Xingjue rushed down: "What's wrong?!"

Gu Xingjue turned on the light. Chen Song looked up at him and blinked.

Gu Xingjue was not wearing any clothes on his upper body, revealing his firm muscles. He was much thinner than before, but he still looked very powerful, with a kind of lean beauty, and there were many...scars on his body.

Gu Xingjue didn't even have time to put on his slippers. He roughly avoided the broken glass and went to Chen Song and picked him up. Chen Song's eyes suddenly widened and he put his hands on Gu Xingjue's shoulders. Gu Xingjue's body was very hot, even hotter than the water.

"Is it painful anywhere?" Gu Xingjue looked at his fair calves, which had a few red spots but no other injuries. He carried him to the sink in the bathroom and rinsed him with cold water.

"Put on your shoes--" Chen Song's voice became smaller and smaller, because when he saw the scar on Gu Xingjue's back, his heart seemed to be squeezed tightly.

The scar left by the strong acid had ravaged the smooth skin into a horrible mass of flesh. Chen Song's heart was pounding and he couldn't breathe. All the blood in his body flowed back, as if it was going to flow into his eyes. His eyes instantly turned red and sour. He quickly lowered his head, but the scar was still imprinted in his mind for a long time.

"Put on your shoes." Chen Song held Gu Xingjue's hand.

Gu Xingjue took his hand away and said gently, "I'll put it on after I shower you. You still let me wear it, but why don't you wear it yourself? It's dangerous to always be barefoot, don't you know? Didn't you wear slippers when you showered just now?"

Chen Song didn't say anything, because Gu Xingjue was right. But he just didn't like wearing socks and slippers at home. It felt restrictive, and the floor was cool and comfortable.

"The bathroom is very slippery. It's easy to slip if you don't wear slippers. You have to wear them from now on. You never listen to me every time I tell you. If you do this again next time, I will go in with you..."

Gu Xingjue suddenly stopped talking. He didn't know how many next times there would be. He only knew that Chen Song hated him.

"Does it hurt?" Gu Xingjue asked in a hoarse voice.

Chen Song shook his head.

After showering with cold water for a while, Gu Xingjue wiped his legs clean, then carried him to the table outside and applied medicine to him from the medicine box.

The ointment was very cool, but Chen Song felt even more irritated. He was particularly hesitant, not knowing how to deal with the relationship between the two of them. He didn't know what to do with Gu Xingjue.

Go on, how can he go on, he doesn't know how to love, he always makes Gu Xingjue get hurt a lot.

It’s so painful to end. Both of us will suffer. No matter what we do, it will be painful.

He still doesn't have the courage to be happy.

"I want a tattoo."

Chen Song spoke, breaking the silence between the two.

Gu Xingjue paused while applying the medicine and asked, "Why do you want a tattoo?"

"The scar on my arm always reminds me of that night." Chen Song thought Gu Xingjue would persuade him not to get the tattoo, saying that he would regret it, but he didn't expect him to just ask him the reason.

"Have you decided what tattoo you want?" After applying medicine on him, Gu Xingjue put on a pair of slippers, took a broom and started cleaning.

Chen Song looked at him, thought for a while and said, "Hmm..."

“Per aspera ad astra.”

"What does it mean?" Gu Xingjue asked, "Is this Russian?"

"Latin," Chen Song said, "it means—"

"Go through adversity and reach the stars."

"Okay, I'll take you there." After mopping the floor, Gu Xingjue came over and picked up Chen Song, "I want a tattoo too."

Chen Song could actually walk up the stairs by himself, but he didn't refuse Gu Xingjue. He boldly touched the scar on Gu Xingjue's back and asked, "Do you want a tattoo here?"

"No tattoo here," Gu Xingjue carried him upstairs, "I'll tattoo wherever you want."

“Why isn’t there a tattoo here?”

"Why do I want a tattoo? It's a medal, and I won't use any marks to cover it up. The skin graft area is just for survival, and I didn't want to transplant it anyway."

Chen Song's eyes flickered slightly, and he retracted his hand and shrank it in front of him: "Then what do you want to tattoo?"

Gu Xingjue raised the corner of his lips, with a smile in his eyes: "Secret."

"Let's go tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah." Chen Song looked up at him.

Gu Xingjue lowered his eyes and looked at him: "What's wrong?"

"I thought you would tell me not to get a tattoo."

Gu Xingjue put Chen Song on the bed and covered him with a blanket. "I support everything you want to do. You didn't get up to take a shower so late, can't you sleep?"

Chen Song was silent for a moment and said, "It's okay, maybe he just slept too much. Where's Sui Sui? Now that he's had a bath, I can ask him to come and sleep with me."

"That little room next to it, the one below the bathroom on the second floor. It used to be a storage room, but I turned it into a luxurious doghouse. I'll go get it now."

"Um."

Chen Baisui was quite lively when he saw the light of day again. After being scolded by Gu Xingjue, he lay down quietly beside Chen Song and fell asleep.

The next morning, Gu Xingjue took Chen Song to get a tattoo.

Tang Shihe was originally going to come over to cook for them, but Gu Xingjue said they were out for a while and would come back that evening after finishing their business. Tang Shihe happily agreed, saying that they should go ahead and she would go buy some more food and cook for them at home.

The tattoo parlor is located near Vancouver's Edge Arts Centre, a popular tourist destination with its beautiful scenery, historic houses, and rice paddies. It's autumn now, and a patch of pink hibiscus flowers draws many visitors.

Outside the tattoo shop was a small courtyard surrounded by a wooden fence. It was filled with flowers and plants, and a swing chair wrapped in vines, making it look cozy and romantic. Gu Xingjue opened the door for Chen Song, and the bell rang. The two of them entered the shop one after another.

"You're here." They were greeted by a woman dressed in a punk style, with wheat-colored skin, dreadlocks, and many tattoos on her slender body. What caught Chen Song's attention most was that her bright face was covered with nails, on her eyebrows, nose, and mouth.

When she saw Chen Song, she paused, then smiled with her bright red lips and extended her hand towards him: "Hello, call me Ruisi, you must be Gu Xingjue's careful master."

Chen Song shook her hand, his palms sweating a little, so he wiped them on his clothes, then shook hands with her: "My name is Chen Song. Hello."

"Stop teasing him, Ruisi. Where's your husband? You two should tattoo us together. I told you so on the phone yesterday." Gu Xingjue pulled Chen Song's hand back.

"He's gone to buy you some very popular flower cakes here. He should be back soon. You can go up and sit first." Ruisi took Chen Song's hand again and led him away. "I want to get a tattoo of Chen Song. You can do it for him."

"Okay, don't tease him. He can't stand being teased. He's a serious person." Gu Xingjue let go of Chen Song's hand and told her, "Be gentle and don't hurt him. If it hurts, tell her, okay?"

Chen Song nodded and followed Ruisi.

Ruisi smiled and took Chen Song upstairs. She asked Chen Song to sit on the small bed by the window on the left, and then prepared the tools: "How did you make that young man become so serious now? It turns out he was crazy."

"Have you known each other for a long time?" Chen Song asked.

"Well, I forgot. It's been such a long time. We met when we were racing in the north. He was so arrogant, but he still lost to me." Ruisi smiled.

Chen Song's eyes flashed with curiosity: "You are very powerful."

"Hahaha, yeah, I think so too." Ruisi smiled confidently and brightly. "He's so obsessed with his reputation that he insists on competing with me all the time and never beats me. I've always been number one there. It makes those grown men really mad, but they have to admit defeat."

Chen Song smiled along.

"When I was little, everyone told me to be a good girl and study hard. They told me that a girl couldn't achieve anything by racing. I didn't believe it. Maybe I'm just born rebellious. The more people didn't like me, the more I tried to do it to convince them. Why couldn't a girl do it? I just didn't believe it. Now everyone is slapping me in the face. I'm a professional racing driver."

"Yeah, but I retired later. Haha, things change. I found a man and became a tattoo artist together."

Chen Song had no interest in exposing people's scars, so he just silently suppressed his smile.

Ruisi is bright, free, free and cheerful. Perhaps she is the kind of person that Chen Song aspires to be.

"I am a doctor. I had some accidents and can no longer pick up the scalpel," said Chen Song.

"Is this the place I want to get tattooed today?" Ruisi pointed at Chen Song's arm.

"Um."

"So what do you want to do in the future?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Haha, life is only 30,000 days long, so enjoy yourself while you can. Do whatever you want and don't bother with so many other things."

Chen Song was stunned: "What if I don't know whether the path I'm going to take in the future is right or wrong?"

"Live in the present," Ruisi's bright eyes stared straight at him. Chen Song could see the fire burning in them. "Being prepared for danger in times of peace is a major concern for someone like the emperor. As a small figure like me, I just need to take care of myself and be happy at this moment. There's no point in worrying about the future, because the development of things is always uncontrollable and changes rapidly."

"Like right this second, I'm seeing you, talking to you, getting ready to tattoo you, and I'm so happy."

Chen Song looked at her, and the trapped beast in his heart seemed to gain energy and encouragement, constantly shaking the cage, trying to get out.

"Per aspera ad astra." Ruisi handed Chen Song the iPad to show him the design and smiled. "It's that popular Latin proverb, 'Through adversity, reach the stars.' I've had several people get tattoos of this. I design it differently for everyone. How do you like your design this time? Let me know if there are any changes you need."

The smooth and graceful letters danced like dancers in a charming and moving manner, dotted with planets and sliding meteors, just enough to cover his scar.

"It's beautiful, no need for revisions."

"Okay, let's get started~"

The doorbell rang.

Ruisi smiled and said, "My husband is back."

Gu Xingjue and a man could be heard talking downstairs. A moment later, a man dressed elegantly and wearing silver glasses came up. Seeing Chen Song, he smiled warmly. "Hello, I'm Gu Xingjue's friend, Lin Qiuze. This is my shop, and the one who tattooed you is my lover, Wu Ruisi."

Chen Song was stunned. He had never expected that Ruisi's husband was so handsome. He imagined that he should be as wild as Ruisi. Chen Song even thought that he was a bald man.

Because there was a tattoo shop near the junior high school that was run by a shirtless bald man.

"Hello, my name is Chen Song." Chen Song concealed his surprise and smiled politely.

But everyone could still see Chen Song's surprise.

Ruisi laughed heartily, holding her belly. "Hey, don't look at him like this now. He used to have a crew cut! Hahahaha, I don't know what possessed him to have to look like this. He's just pretending. Gu Xingjue is the same."

Chen Song asked, "Gu Xingjue also has a crew cut?" Chen Song imagined it for a moment, and for some reason a picture popped up in his mind:

Gu Xingjue, with his rainbow-colored haircut, drifted in front of him on his Ghost Fire motorcycle. He raised an eyebrow and whistled at him: "Oi~ Little brother, are you alone?"

Gu Xingjue: “….”

Ruisi and Lin Qiuze laughed so hard that they fell over.

Gu Xingjue walked over to the small bed next to Chen Song and sat down, sneering at the two of them: "I don't have such ugly hair. I've never been a non-mainstream person."

"You're fucking bullshit," Ruisi said. "The guy who shaved his head and dyed his hair green was a dog!"

Gu Xingjue glared at her: "Shut up, everyone has been young before."

"Hey Chen Song, do you know, hahaha, he used to wear riveted leather pants and leather boots, gold chains all over his body, leopard print and all that, just like a brainless nouveau riche, hahaha. Oh, he was even standing there with a briefcase, like a debt collector, hahaha." Ruisi said as she stood up to perform for Chen Song.

Chen Song couldn't help laughing out loud. This seemed funnier than that crew cut.

Gu Xingjue wanted to stop this crazy woman from talking nonsense, but when he saw Chen Song laughing, he didn't say anything. After the tattoo was finished, Wu Ruisi and Lin Zimo dug out all his secrets, leaving nothing behind.

After the meeting, both parties said goodbye and Gu Xingjue drove Chen Song to Tang Shihe's house for dinner. Chen Song seemed to be in a particularly good mood along the way. Although Gu Xingjue was happy to see Chen Song happy, he was still a little depressed and very embarrassed.

Chen Song noticed his discomfort and started a conversation: "What did you get tattooed on?"

Gu Xingjue turned the steering wheel and said, "It's not a secret."

Chen Song didn't look at him anymore. Gu Xingjue smiled and said, "Do you really want to know?"

"I don't want to." Chen Song's voice was muffled.

Gu Xingjue stopped at a red light and lifted his long sleeves to show Chen Song: "Then I beg you to take a look."

Chen Song then moved the corners of his lips, turned his head to look at the string of English, and unconsciously read it out: "Love..."

Chen Song paused, skipping his name, "until death do us part."

Love ChenSong untill death do us part.

The crushed moonlight reflected in Gu Xingjue's eyes, full of tenderness, he said:

"Love Chen Song till death."

Chen Song's eyes flickered as he thought, perhaps the tattoo wasn't meant to cover something, but rather to represent...

Carve the soul of supreme freedom on the broken bodies that trapped them,

This is their declaration of war against a thorny fate.