Chapter 41 [VIP]

Under the meticulous care of Han Shu and Han Wenyu, Xu Ying recovered well. The tubes were removed ten days later, the stitches were removed half a month later, and she went home to recuperate.

After all, it was a ten-centimeter wound on her neck, and speaking would cause some discomfort due to the vibration in her throat. So most of the time, she would silently read books, prepare lessons, and study past exam questions. At most, she would face Han Shu's laser-eye attacks, which he would pretend not to see.

As for the non-iodized salt in the kitchen salt shaker, more than half of it has been used up.

Wen Zhiyu would send Han Shu several videos of the three cats every day and inquire about Xu Ying's situation every two to three days, but the beginning and end of the chats were always a bit awkward, and the reason was obvious.

In mid-September, Ms. Xu had her first follow-up examination. The doctor said there were no problems and she could consider returning to work, but she still needed to pay attention to her diet for a period of time.

Xu Ying considered that the students she was teaching were in their second year of high school and were eager to go back to work, but Han Shu and Han Wenyu stood on the same side, and both sides compromised, finally deciding to return to school after the National Day holiday.

Han Shu also decided to return to Hainan Island after the National Day holiday.

"Going again? Are you addicted to being a useless person?" Xu Ying was furious and slammed the book onto the sofa. "You'll be 26 in a few months, how can you still be so childish?"

Han Shu pried a few pieces off the white tea cake and threw them into the teapot. "Mom, you haven't answered the questions I asked you."

Xu Ying, who had been leaning forward aggressively, slowly leaned back upon hearing this, her brows furrowing.

Han Shu smiled and said, "The causes of thyroid disease are genetic and emotional. You need to maintain a good mood to recover better."

Xu Ying snorted coldly, "If it weren't for you, I'd be in a perfectly good mood!"

“You are a mother, and a teacher.” Han Shu paused, “but first and foremost, you are yourself… I’m all grown up now, and I’m perfectly capable of deciding what kind of life I want. Why are you so worried about me and so angry about me?”

"That requires me to trust you first. Think about what you've done: quit your job, ran away from home, went to Hainan Island to learn some ridiculous surfing thing, didn't do anything serious and then asked me why I'm angry?"

“But I was extremely unhappy in that job. I felt half-dead and listless every day, and I was incredibly depressed. I did think about sticking with it, but if I stayed any longer, I would have mental problems.”

"Everyone else is fine, but you're the only one who has a problem?"

During this time, Han Shu calmed down a lot. Facing Xu Ying's questioning, he remained calm and composed. "Because this job is not my choice, including my major, my hobbies, my clothes. Every single thing is decided by you... I know you mean well, but these are not what I want, and I am not happy at all."

Xu Ying's brow twitched a few times, and the scar across her neck trembled as she swallowed. "What did you say?"

Steam rises as boiling water is poured into the teapot, scattering the tea leaves as they are rinsed.

“I have always listened to you and Dad and never disobeyed you. This is the first time I want to try more possibilities according to my own ideas… When I was a child, the blessing you wrote on the first page of my first diary was to grow up healthy and happy. Does it still count now?”

After dinner, Han Shu returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. At the foot of the bed was a desk and bookshelf. The top shelf was filled with a whole row of diaries, the second shelf with the university textbooks that Ms. Xu had insisted on keeping, and down to the second to last shelf, all were written by Ms. Xu. Only in the bottom, hidden corner were some "unorthodox" suspense and fantasy novels.

She turned over to reach for the handbag hanging on the back of the chair, took out Wen Zhiyu's new book, and examined the bookshelf again.

If Xu Ying were to see it, it would inevitably be thrown to the bottom again. But she didn't want that.

Han Shu placed the book beside his pillow, turned over, and dialed Wen Zhiyu's number.

Before the other person could even speak, she said with a smile, "Wen Zhiyu."

"Mm," Wen Zhiyu replied.

Having not heard his voice for a long time, Han Shu felt a little unfamiliar with it, and this unfamiliarity made her even more excited.

"What are you doing? Working?"

"No, I'm practicing double knee raises."

Han Shu sat up abruptly. "Skateboard? You've been practicing behind my back!"

A deep laugh came from beside him, "Hmm, making progress secretly."

"...I won't accept this!" Han Shu said indignantly. "What if no one's wrestling with me then?"

"I'll gain experience from falling, so you won't have to fall anymore."

"That's true." Han Shu lay back down, satisfied. "Then you can practice, I won't disturb you—"

"—I'm just about to go back."

The air conditioner was set to 24 degrees Celsius. Han Shu buried his face in the fluffy silk quilt, hiding his smile.

Wen Zhiyu realized his lapse in composure and awkwardly cleared his throat, "I'm going back."

Han Shu held his voice tight, "Okay."

She was in the northern part of the city, raising her hand and spreading her fingers to feel the air currents of Hainan Island, breathing in the warm, earthy fragrance, and listening—

“Listen,” he said.

Wen Zhiyu seemed to have switched to speakerphone, and countless tiny, vivid sounds, mixed with static, entered the small bedroom.

Friction produces a regular friction sound, and a slight bump on an uneven road surface produces a crisp impact sound. After acceleration, the vibration is synchronized with the heartbeat and the direction of blood flow.

"Bang!"

When quickly closing the board,

Han Shu opened his eyes. "We're home."

"We're here." Wen Zhiyu pushed open the door. "Want to see the three cats?"

When asked about the video, Han Shu snorted in rejection, saying, "I've already seen it."

After a brief rustling sound, it fell completely silent. Han Shu twitched his ears, but could only catch the sound of his own breathing.

They were all somewhat unfamiliar with each other.

Han Shu fiddled with the strap on his phone case, his eyes darting around, and he had an idea in mind. "Ask me a question."

Wen Zhiyu seemed not to have heard clearly, "Huh?"

"It's time to collect the room fee, Teacher Wen! Quickly ask me a question."

Wen Zhiyu practically spat out the words through gritted teeth, "You haven't been around lately..."

Han Shu replied matter-of-factly, "I wasn't there, but my things are! And the three cats are there too! Hurry up, ask a few more."

Wen Zhiyu chuckled, but before he could laugh out loud, he became annoyed again, "You can ask me anything?"

"Hmm... I can only ask about the Divine Gold."

Thinking about how "Eating Bones" externalizes human desires into bones of different colors, shapes, and sizes, Han Shu found it incredibly interesting and was eager to hear the great writer's new ideas, so he waited with great anticipation.

After a moment of silence, Wen Zhiyu asked, "Will you come to Hainan Island again?"

A hand gripped Han Shu's heart tightly, making her gasp for breath and lose her composure. "I already said it's about the divine gold... no backing out. Next!"

Wen Zhiyu then asked, "When are you coming?"

"..." Han Shu couldn't stay lying down any longer and sat up again. "Teacher Shen Jinwen, Shen Jin! Where did your reading comprehension skills go?"

"Isn't this crazy enough?" Wen Zhiyu muttered.

Han Shu's eyes widened, her hand forming the shape of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, as if she really wanted to crawl along the phone line and strangle him. "Hey! Are you cursing at me?"

“…No.” Wen Zhiyu said in a muffled voice, finally giving in. “If every one of your teeth could talk, which tooth would you ask what question?”

Han Shu chuckled, "Then I'll ask the wisdom tooth that hasn't grown in yet if it's happy?"

Wen Zhiyu also smiled.

"How did you come up with all this?" Han Shu asked with a smile and a sigh.

"Ahem!" Wen Zhiyu said embarrassedly, "Last night I dreamed that I was grinding my teeth, and then my teeth scolded me for bullying them."

Han Shu clutched his stomach and laughed uncontrollably for a while before stopping. "So, talking teeth are your new subject?"

"Yes, I have some initial ideas."

Wen Zhiyu brushed it off, so Han Shu didn't ask any further questions. She was very curious, but inspiration is a writer's most private and precious thing, so it was better to wait until the story was finished before asking.

"Okay, that counts as one question. Ask another one."

"Still asking?"

"Of course, three cats, three questions."

"..."

Wen Zhiyu thought for a long time, but finally had to give up, "I can't think of anything."

Han Shu immediately said, "Then I'll ask, and you answer."

"Can."

"First, if you discovered you'd been deceived by someone close to you, for a long time, and this lie caused you a lot of pain and loneliness, what would you do?"

Wen Zhiyu pondered, "They'll probably be very angry, but it depends on their motives and the circumstances."

Han Shu blurted out, "How angry?"

Wen Zhiyu asked suspiciously, "What did you lie to me about?"

"No!" Han Shu laughed awkwardly, his forehead beaded with sweat from his guilt. "It was something I thought of while watching a movie with my mom today; it has nothing to do with reality."

Fortunately, Wen Zhiyu didn't ask any further questions.

"I also want to ask..." Han Shu recalled the figure in black in the rain and the cold, tactile tapping on the whiteboard, "On the day I checked in, the check-in requirements were that I must be over 25 years old, married, and have children. Why were these requirements set? Was there a reason?"

This question was clearly unexpected by Wen Zhiyu. After a long while of deep breathing, he answered in a low voice, "My initial idea for the accommodation was that the person would be married with children and having an affair, but no one would admit it that way."

"Is this the realistic subject matter you envisioned?"

“It’s not just a hypothetical scenario, it’s reality.” Wen Zhiyu sighed repeatedly at the end of his sentence. “I want to write about my biological parents, but I just can’t figure out their motives. So I don’t know where to begin.”

Biological father and biological mother.

Cheating.

Died young.

Welfare home.

Han Shu's eyes narrowed as he suddenly remembered the question Wen Zhiyu had asked while lying on the stairs on the second day of his stay.

"Your husband accidentally pushed you off the stairs, and you're lying here, your last sight being the cracked roof. What would you be thinking in your final moments?"

She still remembered his expression and tone when he said those words—calm, indifferent, as if he were merely recounting an insignificant dream or a trivial plot from a novel. But if this were a real experience, how could he remain unmoved?

She seemed to have uncovered a secret that Wen Zhiyu had kept hidden deep in his heart, and this realization left her breathless.

"Hello?" Wen Zhiyu's voice seemed to come closer again from afar. "Are you still there?"

"Ah—yes, I'm here." Han Shu chuckled awkwardly. "My mom just called me, I have to go over there."

Wen Zhiyu immediately said, "You go ahead and do your work."

"Okay, get some rest. Goodnight."

Goodnight, you too.

Han Shu is having trouble sleeping.

The underlying reasons for Wen Zhiyu's care and concern for her were becoming increasingly clear, yet he remained cautious and restrained. His avoidance of any abrupt or awkward physical contact, his occasional unspoken words hidden deep within his heart, and his secret waiting for her to finish surgery downstairs at the hospital without letting her know—all these had their reasons.

She must confess to Wen Zhiyu as soon as possible.

But she didn't dare...

Han Shu rubbed his head haphazardly, his heart simultaneously filled with both sweetness and annoyance.

On October 8th, Xu Ying went to work with her bag, while Han Shu went to the airport empty-handed.

Before takeoff, she sent a WeChat message to Wen Zhiyu.

[Invincible Strong Cabbage: There's a cat delivery at 3 PM, don't go out.]