Chapter 132 Extra

Parallel World-Previous Life (IV)

The weather has been very good these days. There are often students exercising in the school playground. The dense shade of the trees brings a hint of coolness. When the car was parked in the temporary parking space, Xiao Zhou noticed that his boss's attention was on the playground.

Seeing Chen Qizhao opening the door and about to leave, Xiao Zhou couldn't help but say, "Boss."

Chen Qizhao said nothing, opened the car door and got out.

A luxury car stopped on the school road. The students passing by couldn't help but look over here. When they saw the man in a suit getting out of the car, their eyes shifted to him. Xiao Zhou saw his boss get off the car, said a few words to the driver, saw a school leader coming from afar, and hurriedly got off the car to deal with him.

Without the refreshing air conditioning in the car, the summer heat rises little by little.

Chen Qizhao took off his coat and hung it casually on his hand. He walked to the playground and saw students playing basketball on the court. The college students are young, with immaturity still on their faces. The scorching sun is nothing to them and cannot stop them from running on the field.

Chen Qizhao simply found a shady place to sit, and the stuffy feeling seemed to gradually go away.

He looked at the people on the field, young... and full of energy.

At this time, a basketball came out of the court and rolled to Chen Qizhao's feet.

His eyes shifted slightly and he heard students shouting inside the field. He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the ball and threw it into the field.

The young student took the ball smoothly and said in a cheerful voice: "Thank you!"

Chen Qizhao lowered his eyes slightly and glanced at the time on his watch.

The atmosphere in the classroom was lively, and the lecture content had entered its final stage. Shen Yuhuai stood on the podium, and the last structural formula of this lesson was being explained on the electronic screen. Professor Shen is a specially appointed teacher of S University. His classes are always full. He has very high professional achievements and is one of the most popular teachers at S University in the past two years.

Chen Qizhao entered the classroom from the back door. This was a large class that could accommodate hundreds of people.

Standing at the end of the classroom and looking forward, Shen Yuhuai's figure became very small. Chen Qizhao leaned against the door. Although he couldn't see his face clearly, he knew what clothes Shen Yuhuai was wearing, including how many buttons on his shirt were fastened.

The voice coming through the classroom microphone was somewhat ostentatious. Shen Yuhuai spoke in a very flat tone, as if there were not many ups and downs in him. He was gentle and aloof, and he always had this face when he went out.

How to say it? Like the warm sun in winter.

It's cold around you, but hot when you see it.

Chen Qizhao recalled the time when he first came into contact with Shen Yuhuai. At that time, he had a very bad temper. When he was under pressure from all sides, he would always lose control of his temper. Occasionally, when he couldn't control it, he would lose his temper with people close to him.

When he was young, he was used to being arrogant to his family members. Later, when no one listened to him, his temper changed with his age and experience.

Some people say that he is moody, and Chen Qizhao thinks they are right.

He does have some issues, and he really can't control himself.

It wasn't like this at the beginning. When the two of them were together, he would express his negative emotions because of company matters, and he would lose control of his emotions because of being troubled and tortured in the business world. However, when he lost his temper at Shen Yuhuai, Shen Yuhuai would never refute or argue.

That peaceful atmosphere always reminds him at critical moments, like calm and soothing music, gradually smoothing out his violent ups and downs.

Shen Yuhuai would never argue with him over trivial matters, even if the problem came from Chen Qizhao himself, Shen Yuhuai could always judge his emotions, and wait until the anger passed before talking to Chen Qizhao properly. Later, as time went by, he would no longer complain impulsively in front of Shen Yuhuai, as if seeing him was like putting a kind of shackles on himself, and a long buffer zone would appear before he exploded.

It's about having a meal with him during a busy work day, or spending time with him in a quiet cafe during his free time.

Chen Qizhao's patience was developed through such contacts. He thought his temper had begun to improve, but in fact it was only limited to the peculiarity of one person. He couldn't control himself when he should, but he would never lose his temper in front of Shen Yuhuai.

When I heard his voice, all my anxiety seemed to stop.

Even though he was useless, Shen Yuhuai never seemed to dislike him.

He couldn't find another person who was as patient with him as Shen Yuhuai.

There is a cool air conditioner in the classroom, the temperature is not low, and it can barely blow away the summer heat.

Shen Yuhuai raised his eyes slightly, his sight lingering on the back row of the classroom, he vaguely saw a person, wearing western trousers and a white shirt, exactly the same as what someone wore when he went out in the morning.

"Professor Shen's class covers too much."

"Is it that bad? A lot of the things he taught are not in the textbook... I heard from seniors who took his lab classes that he taught more in the lab."

"Ah! Is he teaching graduate students? Do I still have a chance?"

"I don't know. Professor Shen seems to be very busy. I haven't seen him participate in other activities in the school. I heard that some people wanted to invite him to be a judge in the competition, but he refused."

The class was coming to an end with some discussions going on.

The bustle seems to follow the sultry weather outside, filling the cold corners little by little through countless cracks, creating a lively and vibrant world.

Chen Qizhao listened, listening to both Shen Yuhuai's lecture and other people's discussions.

The students sitting in the back row suddenly saw the man standing at the back door. The man stood casually. He was wearing a decent suit, but one could feel a unique temperament from his posture.

His suit jacket was hanging on his arm, his close-fitting shirt had a few buttons undone, and his eyes were looking forward, as if he was listening to a lecture, or as if he was looking at Professor Shen in the distance.

The students couldn't help but discuss in a low voice. They had never seen such a strange young leader, but they couldn't tell who the other person was.

Finally, the school bell rang, and more people noticed the man standing at the back of the classroom.

"Wow who is that handsome guy?"

"It doesn't seem like he's a leader... When did the Chemical Engineering Department get such a handsome instructor?"

"Could it be the teacher? I just saw his watch, and it seems to be this number."

“Quiet.” Shen Yuhuai’s voice was slightly deep, and the classroom fell silent instantly.

Chen Qizhao looked at Shen Yuhuai, the distance between them was a bit far, but he knew that Shen Yuhuai was also looking at him.

After Shen Yuhuai finished assigning the classwork, the class was finally over in the classroom.

Chen Qizhao looked at the man next to the podium. He packed his briefcase, but was stopped by several students when he was about to leave. He stopped and had to stay where he was to explain the problem to the students.

The noise suddenly inflated, but then it was like a deflated ball, and as the students left, they were all isolated outside the classroom.

Chen Qizhao stood up straight, and no longer stayed at the back of the classroom, but walked a few steps forward and stopped in the middle of the classroom, from which he could just see Shen Yuhuai's face, and also see how serious he was when explaining to the students.

There were other students in the classroom. When they saw that the man in the suit not only did not leave but came into the classroom, they shifted their attention to him.

After Shen Yuhuai finished explaining the last question to the student who asked the question, he looked up and saw a workaholic sitting in his classroom. At this time, Chen Qizhao should be in a high-rise building in the city center, sitting in a conference hall listening to more top students talking about project investment, instead of here, listening to noisy voices and materials classes that sounded like a mystery.

"Why are you here?" Shen Yuhuai picked up the briefcase and walked to Chen Qizhao's side.

Chen Qizhao raised his head slightly, "I seem to be a little late, there is no seat for you in class."

Shen Yuhuai looked at him and said helplessly: “Then stand back there for half an hour?”

Chen Qizhao added: "I am no longer a student."

Shen Yuhuai opened his hands slightly.

Chen Qizhao followed and held his hand. The other party exerted force and he stood up from his seat. "I don't think I have ever picked you up after get off work since you came to S University."

In the past, when Shen Yuhuai was at the Ninth Research Institute, he worked from nine to five when he was not busy with experiments.

Chen Qizhao was different. He went to work early and got off work late. His working hours were never fixed. Once he had some free time, he would drive to the outside of the Ninth Institute and wait until Shen Yuhuai came out of the laboratory and saw the message on his phone. Then they would drive to a restaurant for dinner.

Shen Yuhuai often traveled when doing research, visiting research institutes all over the country, and was often absent when encountering confidential experiments.

Later, something happened in the laboratory, and he spent more time teaching at S University, but Chen Qizhao never came because he was too busy.

Shen Yuhuai smiled: “So you came here specially today?”

Chen Qizhao paused and replied, "Yeah."

Shen Yuhuai was going to the office after class, so Chen Qizhao followed him. Shen Yuhuai's office was near the experimental building, some distance from the teaching building. When he went into the office to talk to other teachers, Chen Qizhao stood in the corridor outside the office, looking at the lighted laboratory opposite, and watching the young students walk to the cafeteria after class.

Chen Qizhao looked at it for a long time without realizing it. He didn't hate this feeling.

"Professor Shen, is that your friend outside?" Another young teacher in the office looked outside out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to have seen Professor Shen coming here with someone.

Shen Yuhuai paused slightly after hearing this, followed the other person's line of sight and looked out, and finally said in a gentle tone: “Well, he came to pick me up from get off work.”

The young teacher was stunned for a moment, Shen Yuhuai had already nodded to her and quickly left the office.

Her eyes followed Chen Yuhuai and saw him walk to the man. In the end, the two of them walked side by side and soon left her sight.

Will a friend come to take over the shift? But it's really strange, there seems to be no one around Shen Yuhuai to take over the job.

Shen Yuhuai is already in his thirties and has been teaching at S University for several years. He is both talented and handsome, well-educated, and has a good personality. Several older professors in nearby offices were keen on finding a partner for Shen Yuhuai, but he refused every time... After so many times, he said he had someone he liked, and the old professors stopped pestering him.

But a few years have passed, and Shen Yuhuai has not yet married.

The two walked downstairs, and during the process they met many students, all of whom greeted Shen Yuhuai.

"These are all laboratory buildings, and there are many students from the Chemical Engineering Department." Shen Yuhuai explained a few words, and saw Chen Qizhao looking at the laboratory buildings outside, so he said: "That's not the chemical engineering laboratory building, that's the computer laboratory building."

Chen Qizhao nodded. No wonder he saw so many computer rooms when he came here.

Shen Yuhuai noticed that Chen Qizhao looked at him a few more times, and when he walked towards the car, he deliberately took a longer route and passed through two computer laboratory buildings.

Xiao Zhou and the others had already gone back, so Chen Qizhao got into Shen Yuhuai's car as a matter of course, and when the air conditioner in the car cooled down, he realized that he had sweated a lot because of the hot and humid air.

The car was driving smoothly. After Chen Yuhuai got in the car, he spoke less. Chen Qizhao also felt a little sleepy and rested with his eyes half closed.

But today the road seemed a bit long, and when he turned a corner, Chen Qizhao opened his eyes slightly.

Shen Yuhuai was still driving, his eyes looking straight ahead seriously.

Chen Qizhao secretly observed the other person's profile. Shen Yuhuai didn't seem to have changed much over the years, but when he looked closely, he found that there were more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

He thought to himself, so many years have passed, and it turns out that neither of them is young anymore.

The traffic outside the car window was accompanied by some horn sounds, and the familiar street scene appeared in the field of vision.

Chen Qizhao closed his eyes again. Many scenes seemed to appear in his mind, but in the end he thought of nothing...

The car turned into the underground garage, and Shen Yuhuai pushed the person.

Chen Qizhao stretched his body slightly and followed Shen Yuhuai out of the car.

While in the elevator, they discussed what to eat in the evening.

"I'm going to take a shower. I sweated a lot this afternoon." Chen Qizhao said.

Shen Yuhuai said: “Yeah.”

After taking a hot shower, Chen Qizhao finally had the energy to look at the messages accumulated on his phone all afternoon. There were business calls he hadn't answered, and work he hadn't had time to deal with... After he came out of the shower, he walked towards Shen Yuhuai while talking on the phone, and when he opened the door, he could smell the fragrance spreading from the kitchen.

Chen Qizhao stopped talking midway.

Xiao Zhou on the other end of the phone was confused: "Boss?"

"It's okay." Chen Qizhao continued to speak, but his eyes were always looking towards the kitchen.

I didn’t see Shen Yuhuai coming out, I only heard some sounds of pots and pans.

When Chen Qizhao finished the call, Shen Yuhuai also came out of the kitchen and saw the man sitting on the sofa. Maybe because of the hot weather, he didn’t wear that kind of long pajamas today. Instead, he wore loose short home clothes, shorts and short sleeves, and only a thin coat to cover his scarred arms.

Shen Yuhuai hasn't seen this kind of outfit for many years.

Chen Qizhao seemed like a person who was forced to mature. Ever since he was shackled with hatred, he has always treated others in a mature manner. I always wear a suit when I’m working, and my daily attire is also relatively mature… I face the world fully armed.

Shen Yuhuai looked at it a few more times.

Chen Qizhao noticed the gaze and asked, "Are you done with your work?"

"Let it simmer for a while, it will be ready soon." Shen Yuhuai sat down for a while, opened the drawer and took out the remaining plasters from the past two days, "Why didn't you put it on after taking a shower?"

Chen Qizhao tore off the plaster on his hand when he was taking a shower. Since it didn't hurt, he just stopped sticking it on. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Shen Yuhuai insisted on holding his hand, tearing open the plaster and sticking it on the original injury, “The weather has changed a lot recently, you have to at least complete one process. If you don’t take good care of it, it will hurt again next time the weather gets cold.”

Chen Qizhao was holding his hand, and his eyes followed him involuntarily.

“Xiao Zhou told me that the doctor recommended that you go for physical therapy?” Shen Yuhuai continued to ask while putting on the medicine.

Chen Qizhao responded, thinking of the doctor's instructions when he went to the hospital, "I did say that."

"I've been busy with work... Now it's over. I take some time every week to go to the hospital for physical therapy." Shen Yuhuai rolled up his coat sleeves, looked at the scars, tore open the plaster and applied it to the joints, "I have to take good care of it so that it won't hurt so much in the future."

It was already evening, and the setting sun outside came in through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, casting beautiful orange rays of light on the ground.

It was like a light breaking through the haze, illuminating the unlit corner, and the sky was dyed orange, it was a sunset glow.

Two people were sitting on the sofa, one sitting cross-legged and the other sitting sideways.

Chen Qizhao had one hand held by Shen Yuhuai. He straightened his waist, and when the other party lowered his head to press the wound, he moved closer from the side, and his cold lips touched the corner of Shen Yuhuai's mouth.

Both sides stopped their actions and did not cross the line any further, as if they were both testing the boundary that was about to collapse.

The light seemed to be climbing inward, and yet it seemed to stop somewhere.

When Chen Qizhao pressed against him, the minty smell on the other person was closer, and he asked, "Will you accompany me to physical therapy?"

Shen Yuhuai looked into his eyes, “There’s always time on weekends.”

They were too close, the darkness in each other's eyes was clearly visible, and they were framing each other's faces, making it feel intimate and ambiguous.

"Yeah." Chen Qizhao lowered his head and looked at the other person holding his hand without letting go. The warmth of the contact passed through his fingertips and gradually penetrated into his bones. "Every time I look at it, I still think it's so ugly. What do you think about the day I wear a wedding ring..."

Shen Yuhuai leaned over and kissed him, first at the corner of his lips, then moved to his lips.

Before he could finish his words, the sudden response prevented him from saying more.

The restrained yet gentle contact gradually broke through that layer of boundary, years of armor collapsed, and unspeakable emotions poured out.

The room gradually darkened, the orange light gradually faded away, the sunset was about to disappear, and night was about to come.

The two of them sat on the sofa and kissed each other little by little.

After the kiss, they separated and looked into each other's eyes.

After a long time, the man's restrained and low voice appeared in each other's ears.

"It will look beautiful when I put it on you."

Scars are beautiful medals, and love is like fireworks in the night sky.

In the years that followed, I was free and brave, ordinary and brilliant.