Chapter 136 Extra

Later (IV)

When I walked out, I met a lot of people.

There were already many people coming out after get off work, and Shen Yuhuai had become famous in the institute recently, so many people habitually greeted him when they saw him. Chen Qizhao followed Shen Yuhuai and watched him talking to someone without saying anything to interrupt him.

Shen Yuhuai's appearance hasn't changed much in the past few years, except that his youthful sharpness has become more restrained, and he is more worldly-wise in his dealings with people.

"What's wrong?" Shen Yuhuai looked at him.

Chen Qizhao glanced at a few people in the distance who were looking back, "Teacher Shen is very popular."

In his previous life, Chen Yuhuai often went on business trips to all corners of the country. Sometimes he would disappear for half a month or a month, and the longest time was nearly three months.

At that time, Chen Qizhao was also busy with work, so even if he wanted to meet someone, he would just schedule a time on WeChat, wait for Shen Yuhuai to see the message and reply to him, and then choose a free time. The two met seldom, and each time they stayed together for a short time...especially when they were busy later, they might not see each other once a month.

Chen Qizhao didn’t think there was anything wrong with not seeing her for half a month, but when he was living alone during this period, he always felt that something was missing.

The wind on autumn nights was particularly cool. The G City Research Institute was in the suburbs, a little far from the city. After Chen Qizhao and Shen Yuhuai came out, they vaguely saw many people waiting for the bus. The two of them first went to Shen Yuhuai’s residence to put their things, and finally took a car to the city together.

The two of them had dinner in the city at night, and after dinner, Shen Yuhuai took Chen Qizhao to visit several local night scenes.

Shen Yuhuai has been here for such a long time, but he actually seldom comes to the city. When he has time, he basically stays in the laboratory, hoping to resolve things as soon as possible and return to S City. However, Liu Sui and his colleagues in the institute often come out, and he occasionally sees their Moments.

The two of them were walking by the stream. The cool autumn breeze carried the scent of water. There were other people walking on the embankment.

Without the hustle and bustle of the city, the countryside in G City is quiet. At night, there are only the chirping of insects and the faint smell of cooking smoke.

It was almost eleven o'clock before the two returned to the hotel.

Chen Qizhao's hotel was half an hour away from the institute. Shen Yuhuai did not return to the institute. On the way, he received a reply from Chen Qizhao's assistant Xiao Zhou, and learned that Chen Qizhao had handled some work in advance in order to stay in G City for a few days, and also took two days off from school.

There was a big bed in the room, and the lone suitcase was pushed into the corner.

“This dress should be wearable.” Chen Qizhao picked and chose from the suitcase, took out two pieces and threw them to Shen Yuhuai, “Go take a shower.”

Shen Yuhuai saw the things in the suitcase, which were full. He took Chen Qizhao's bath towel, and glanced at the things pressed at the bottom of the suitcase. He asked, "Do I wash alone?"

Chen Qizhao squatted and looked up at him.

The two looked at each other for a while, and Shen Yuhuai went into the bathroom with a bath towel, “Then I’ll go in first.”

The hotel's bathroom has a frosted door that is a bit transparent, so Shen Yuhuai could just see an outline when he went in.

Soon, the sound of dripping water was heard. Chen Qizhao stopped for a while and took something out of the suitcase.

The warm water in the bathroom had just been adjusted, and the hot steam covered the mirror.

The frosted door that was not closed tightly was pushed open. As soon as Chen Qizhao walked in, a wet hand pulled him and held his hand against the frosted glass. The dissipated heat made a hazy light float in the bathroom.

Chen Qizhao raised his head and kissed Shen Yuhuai, and the water from the shower splashed on both of them.

They backed away little by little, and finally the two of them bumped into the shower room. The water falling from the sky completely soaked Chen Qizhao. Chen Qizhao could hardly open his eyes. He had no time to breathe in between kisses, but he could feel the scent of the other person enveloping him.

The warm water flowed along with the rising body temperature, and the emotions that had not been seen for half a month seemed to be aroused at this moment.

The water flow of the shower was stopped, Chen Qizhao opened his eyes, and his sore eyes caught a glimpse of Shen Yuhuai's back. There was a mirror outside the shower room, and the mirror reflected the embarrassed figures of the two. Amidst the bizarre lights and colors, he saw himself in the mirror and it seemed as if he had returned to a long, long time ago.

After being reborn for so long, some memories were almost forgotten.

He hadn't taken care of his hair during this period, and his hair seemed to have grown a little longer. It stuck to his face wetly, overlapping with his reflection in the mirror, just like his miserable previous life. But when he saw himself in such a miserable state and thought of his ridiculous past, he did not have the same emotional fluctuations as before. It was as if he was looking at another person's life through a mirror.

“What are you looking at?” Shen Yuhuai let go of him slightly.

Chen Qizhao's gaze moved from the mirror to the face close at hand, and he did not answer.

The two people's eyes were slightly red due to the stimulation of the water flow, and the heat in the bathroom caused the temperature to gradually rise.

The dark and painful past seems to be not worth mentioning at this moment.

Chen Qizhao blocked Shen Yuhuai's mouth, turned on the shower head next to him, and cold water fell from the sky.

The kiss went all the way down, and finally bit Shen Yuhuai's neck.

…

The next morning, when Zhou Yaoyao arrived at the tutor's office it was still early and she saw several teachers discussing something. The instructor asked her to print out the materials needed for today, so she stood next to the printer, listening to several teachers talking while printing.

This brings up the fact that Shen Yuhuai was picked up after get off work yesterday. It turns out that many teachers have seen it.

She learned from other people that Teacher Shen's wife came here specifically from S City. Zhou Yaoyao inexplicably thought of the boy she met yesterday. They had been waiting there for a while, and the boy had been waiting opposite and had not called Teacher Shen.

I can’t describe the feeling, but I just feel that the other party has become accustomed to waiting for Teacher Shen to get off work, and won’t call to urge him, nor will he be anxious.

I don’t know why, but I got a very special feeling when I watched it.

It’s as if waiting is not an annoying thing, but full of anticipation.

"Yaoyao, are you ready?" someone asked.

"It'll be ready soon." Zhou Yaoyao sorted out the documents.

"Isn't Teacher Shen here yet?"

"Today is really unusual. Teacher Shen usually arrives very early."

Zhou Yaoyao just noticed that Teacher Shen had not come to the office today. Teacher Shen’s team has been in the institute for more than half a month. Every time Zhou Yaoyao comes over, she can see Teacher Shen working at his workstation. Teacher Shen always comes very early. Many people come to the office on time, but he always arrives half an hour or an hour earlier than others.

She glanced at the clock in the office and noticed that it was only a few minutes until half past eight.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door.

The footsteps were a little quicker than before. The people in the office looked outside and were stunned when they saw a strange figure. It took them a while to react.

"Teacher Shen?!" a researcher who was nearby asked in surprise.

The attention of the other people in the office shifted to Shen Yuhuai. Shen Yuhuai did not bring a briefcase today. He wore a slightly trendy jacket, black and white with a few English prints. The zipper was almost pulled to the top, and the lining inside was not visible.

Shen Yuhuai’s previous attire was very monotonous, with a simple dressing style. He could wear a solid-colored coat with a light-colored lining inside.

But today his dressing style is completely different from usual, as if he suddenly came alive.

"It's late." Shen Yuhuai said.

"Not too late, just right."

It's just time to go to work.

Shen Yuhuai responded and went to the workstation to get a few documents, “Is Liu Sui here?”

"He went to the laboratory and was told that they brought the computer over for you." someone else said.

As soon as someone came over, the pace in the office quickened, and seeing Shen Yuhuai go to the laboratory, the others stopped chatting and followed him.

Zhou Yaoyao printed out something and hurriedly delivered it to her tutor, then stood outside the glass window waiting for other people to make arrangements.

"Teacher Shen went out with someone last night, and it was Teacher Liu who helped him get the computer this morning."

"He entered the office on time this morning, and a few senior professors were teasing him just now."

"Don't think that Teacher Shen is in a good mood today."

Maybe because of the discussion among others, her attention was focused on the man in the laboratory. She saw that the lining under his white coat was also quite special, with a black background and white prints. The white marks seemed to be crawling out of the collar. It was very special. Teacher Shen had never worn this style of lining before.

Zhou Yaoyao was thinking about it when she saw several teachers coming out to discuss data and her tutor called her over.

When she passed by, Shen Yuhuai happened to be standing next to the tutor. When she was watching from behind, she noticed a faint red mark on the side of Shen Yuhuai's neck where his shoulder rested. He suddenly realized and thought about Teacher Shen's dressing style today.

This style... is more like the guy in the lobby yesterday.

In the next few days, when Zhou Yaoyao got off work, she also saw Teacher Shen getting off work.

After the laboratory issues were resolved, Teacher Shen did not stay in the laboratory for long waiting for other results, but went to and from get off work on time. Zhou Yaoyao occasionally went out early and could see Teacher Shen’s lover waiting in the hall on time. When Teacher Shen came over, the two walked out side by side.

She heard from a colleague who added Teacher Shen on WeChat that Teacher Shen went out to play with his lover after work these days and posted a few messages on WeChat Moments, but there were no photos of him.

The weekend before yesterday, I saw Teacher Shen and his wife shopping in a famous specialty store in G City. It seemed that they were going to take things back for people, and they bought a lot.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day of return. The Ninth Institute had been of great help during this period. Zhou Yaoyao went to the airport with her tutor to see people off for the return flight. She saw Teacher Shen standing outside, looking down at the message, as if waiting for something.

After a while, Zhou Yaoyao noticed that Teacher Shen was looking outside, and when she looked over, she saw the young man walking towards her with a suitcase.

The two stood outside the crowd, and Teacher Shen said a few words to the other party. A smile hung on the young man's lips, which was different from the cold face he had when he stood in the lobby of the research institute. Now that he was relaxed, everything became a little different.

Teacher Shen's eyes were gentle and there was a hint of smile on his face when he spoke.

At the end of the conversation, Teacher Shen suddenly adjusted his position, lowered his head and leaned very close, as if he was kissing.

Zhou Yaoyao immediately avoided her gaze, and when she looked again, the young man had already gone through security check with his suitcase, and Teacher Shen had returned to his gentle and elegant appearance, except that he was less smiling when interacting with others.

Just like the spring breeze, once it passes, it can never be seen again.

There wasn't much expression, but she just felt that they must love each other very much.

Above the clouds, everything is quiet and peaceful.

In the quiet cabin, Shen Yuhuai glanced sideways slightly, and the person next to him sat slouched, staring out the window in a trance.

He did not make a sound to disturb the other person, but followed the other person's gaze and looked towards the distant place.

After a long time, Chen Yuhuai withdrew his gaze. He hadn't turned the next page of the book for a long time.

His eyes were a little dry, Shen Yuhuai pinched his brows and adjusted his posture slightly, but the fatigue from rushing to make progress in the past few days crept up on him little by little.

When Chen Qizhao turned his head, Shen Yuhuai had already fallen asleep.

The man's hand was still on the book, his eyes were closed, and the sound of his steady breathing could be heard.

Chen Qizhao suddenly slowed down his movements. He called softly in Shen Yuhuai's ear, but Shen Yuhuai did not respond.

He asked the flight attendant for a blanket, then lightened his movements, took the book from Shen Yuhuai's hand, and carefully took off his glasses.

As he moved outward inch by inch, Chen Qizhao noticed the man's slightly longer eyelashes and the slight blue color under his eyes. He paused, his gaze lingering on the other person's eyes for a long time. He had seen Shen Yuhuai's eyes many times before, and he knew how beautiful these eyes were when they were open.

The glasses had been taken off, and Chen Qizhao turned slightly and kissed the other person on the forehead.

But just after the kiss, Shen Yuhuai's hand was on his hand. The man did not open his eyes, but Chen Qizhao inexplicably felt that he was still looking at him.

The kiss on the forehead then moves down to the corners of the eyes and the corners of the lips.

Shen Yuhuai did not open his eyes, following the other party's movements and responding to his kiss.

Chen Qizhao let him go and said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear: "My mom said she asked Uncle Zhang to pick her up at the airport and she will come to my house for dinner tonight."

Shen Yuhuai responded: “Yeah.”

Chen Qizhao added: "After we finish eating, let's go back to the apartment. I asked Xiao Zhou to find someone to clean it yesterday."

Shen Yuhuai: “Okay.”

Chen Qizhao put away his things and asked quietly as he sat back down, "Are you sleepy?"

Shen Yuhuai's voice was a little hoarse, his hands changed from pressing to interlacing his fingers, and the folded hands were placed between the two of them, "I'm sleepy."

Shen Yuhuai leaned slightly towards Chen Qizhao, his voice lazily: "Want to sleep for a while?"

"Yeah." Chen Qizhao seemed sleepy too.

The body temperature of the two people is conveyed through their folded hands, and the presence of the person next to them feels particularly real.

The truth seems to have diluted all the haze. It is neither a mirage nor illusory. What remains is a long and smooth road ahead.

The people he loved were still there, and he was no longer walking alone.

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