Chapter 80: To Sink to Ashes or to Farewell?
When Rong Lan, who was about to turn her head, heard these words, she was slightly taken aback. It was as if the taut string in her heart had been gently touched, and she was unable to calm down for a long time.
Rong Lan repeatedly tried to calm her overwhelming emotions, striving to remain composed before speaking in a low voice: "...What?"
He was trying to say, "We've never met before. When did you first see me?" Why this feeling? Is it... a sense of déjà vu?
These words floated into Rong Lan's mind, but he desperately suppressed them in an instant. He didn't ask them, but just stared at him intently, as if he wanted him to see right through him.
Perhaps the gaze was too intense, causing Shen Jin to tremble instinctively. The strange feeling from before temporarily dissipated, and he became somewhat dazed again, blinking his eyes.
After a long while, under Rong Lan's unwavering gaze, Shen Jin shook his head and stammered, "It's nothing, I just remembered wrong..."
He wasn't afraid of Rong Lan; on the contrary, he felt very close to him, but he couldn't understand why there were many things about him.
As Rong Lan pursed her lips and looked away, Shen Jin suddenly said, "Oh, I remember now!"
Rong Lan turned around abruptly: "What?"
Shen Jin was a little confused as to why he was reacting so strongly, but he still obediently answered him: "...Well, I saw you once at the hospital before, not long ago, I remember..."
"I see..." Rong Lan forced a smile. He didn't have any recollection of it, but he had indeed been to the hospital before. It wouldn't be strange if the other party happened to see him there.
He is still deceiving himself, making a fuss over nothing.
"Go take a shower," Rong Lan pointed in another direction, "I'll find you some clean clothes later. Do you know how to use the water heater?"
Even though she knew that the person in front of her was just a stranger, Rong Lan didn't know if she was bewitched, but she couldn't help but pay more attention to him and spoke to him more gently.
When this was mentioned, Shen Jin became very proud. He immediately raised his chin and loudly told him, "I can do it! Someone taught me before, so I can definitely do it myself!"
"That's good." Rong Lan smiled, her whole demeanor softening instantly. Looking at Shen Jin's proud expression, as if he were waiting for praise, she suddenly wanted to reach out and pat his head.
...Just like when he was a child, when he would act cute and wait to be praised by his brother, his brother would smile and pat him on the head.
But his outstretched hand remained frozen in mid-air.
Rong Lan knew that one cannot live in the past forever. Some things are ultimately just the past, unattainable and never to be returned to.
The principle is so simple, and many people can understand it, so why can't they put it into practice?
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand as if nothing had happened, Shen Jin tilted his head, as if he had seen through him, and said with an innocent smile, "Do you want to touch my head?"
Rong Lan's smile froze slightly, and she weakly retorted, "...I...I didn't."
But Shen Jin didn't listen. Instead, he shouted, "I think you do!"
Rong Lan's emotions were mixed, and she shook her head blankly: "...No."
Shen Jin ignored him completely, and instead, as if promoting a product, stuck his head out, patted his own head, and said with great enthusiasm, "Come on, feel it!"
Rong Lan: "..."
Before Rong Lan could even think about what this person was thinking, Shen Jin had already grabbed his hand, placed it on his head, and patted it a few times; his hair was very soft.
Rong Lan was stunned for a moment, her ears turned red involuntarily, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
Shen Jin looked at his slightly reddened ears, smiled with some confusion, and said, "What's so embarrassing about patting someone's head? You're so strange!"
Rong Lan pursed his lips, unsure of what to say, and could only turn and leave, leaving Shen Jin alone in the spot, not understanding what was wrong with him, and finally could only wander to the bathroom to take a shower.
He's been wandering around the mountains these days. Although there's water in the mountains, it's nothing compared to the bathroom at home, especially since the bathroom is so big and has lots of shower gel so he can shower and smell nice.
When Rong Lan brought him the clothes, she hung them outside the door and said calmly, "The clothes are hanging outside the door. You can just reach out and get them later."
Shen Jin, who was already in the bathtub taking a bath, nodded and smiled when she heard his words, "Okay, thank you!"
Shen Jin stayed in the bathroom for a while. After taking a bath, he didn't get up to change his clothes. Instead, he sat in the bathtub in a daze, thinking about all sorts of random things.
Before, when I was in the mountains, I was in the deep forest and didn't have the leisure to think so much. But now that I've left the mountains and finally arrived at a safe place after a period of escape, I can't help but start to overthink things whenever I'm at ease.
A considerable amount of time has passed since he escaped from Yan Yu. Even though Shen Jin wasn't very good at counting days, he could tell that a long time had gone by, and Yan Yu should be going home now.
If Yan Yu returns and finds him gone, having already run away, how will he react? Will he be worried? Or will he think it's good that he's gone, since he's no longer a troublesome person, and he still has Xie Li...?
“Oh, right, Xie Li…” Shen Jin murmured the name blankly, his eyes instantly dimming. He buried his pale face in his knees, staring at the bubbles in the water. “Will A Yu know that he was the one who tried to harm me…”
Shen Jin didn't know many people, but Xie Li was one of them. At first, he felt that Xie Li was a gentle person who made him like and feel at ease at Yan Yu's residence. However, it turned out that the other party did not think that way. Instead, he wanted to find someone to harm him.
This made Shen Jin feel somewhat sad and upset, and at the same time, very resentful. He muttered under his breath, "I haven't done anything to you, so why are you all always like this..."
Neither Yan Yu nor Xie Li questioned what he did; they simply did whatever they thought was right.
Shen Jin shook his head, patted his face, and forced a pale smile: "Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. They've all run away, and it doesn't matter anymore..."
While he was thinking of Yan Yu, Yan Yu was once again by Xie Li's bedside.
Because of the stress, Xie Li's condition worsened, and he needed to stay in the hospital for observation. His condition did not seem very optimistic, and he could only speak intermittently, which was very difficult and distressing.
He repeatedly questioned Yan Yu about why he doubted him and treated him that way, as if he were talking in his sleep. Tears would occasionally stream down his pale face and fall onto the pillow, making him look pitiful and heartbreaking.
The doctor sighed and said, "The patient's condition is unstable. We've already told you not to give him any shocks, otherwise his condition will get worse. Why can't you listen to us?"
Yan Yu pursed his dry lips, his mind in turmoil. On one side was the missing Shen Jin, and on the other was Xie Li, whose condition was critical. He simply didn't know which side he should take care of.
Seeing that he didn't speak, the doctor continued earnestly, "You all need to be careful. You're so young, don't treat your lives like a joke."
Yan Yu nodded. When the doctor left, he sat down on the chair next to him, looking at Xie Li, who was pale on the hospital bed, and then at the sky outside the window. He was lost in thought again.
Just then, the phone rang.
He answered the phone, and a man's voice came through, respectfully addressing him as "President Yan."
"Hmm," Yan Yu said absentmindedly, his thoughts wandering, "How did it go?"
After a moment of silence, the other party said, "We have been searching the area, but we haven't found any trace of Young Master Shen yet."
Yan Yu's lingering hope sank even further, gradually plummeting to rock bottom. He remained silent for an unknown amount of time before finally pinching his brow and speaking abruptly, "I understand."
The other person thought that after waiting a moment, they would receive some other instructions, but instead, they heard this. They had no choice but to ask, "So, what's next..."
“Keep investigating,” Yan Yu said. “Investigate all the nearby security cameras. If there’s anything related to him, track it down immediately. There will always be some clues.”
"Okay." The other party hung up the phone without saying a single unnecessary word.
Yan Yu took a deep breath, put his phone back in his pocket, rubbed his face, looking haggard, and stared out the window into deep thought.
He wondered what if things weren't as Bai Yujin said? What if he ran away simply because Shen Jin didn't like him...?
So... should I continue searching?
After all, almost half a month has passed, and there is still no clue. It's as if that person is deliberately avoiding him and refuses to show up.
Yan Yu stood up from his chair, intending to go out for a smoke to calm down and think about what to do next, when Xie Li, who was lying on the bed, suddenly screamed, "No...no!"
Yan Yu was just passing by his bedside when Xie Li suddenly grabbed his clothes, forcing him to stop and ask in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Xie Li showed no signs of waking up, as if he were dreaming. His eyes were still slightly red. He shook his head helplessly, his voice hoarse as he murmured, "Don't go...don't leave me..."
A tear rolled down his reddened eye, making him look very pitiful.
Yan Yu felt as if his heart was blocked, an unbearable tightness. All sorts of things, big and small, were stuck together, making it hard for him to breathe, and he felt more exhausted than ever before.
His friend said he brought this on himself, because he didn't need to think so much; he could have simply made one decision—a decision between these two people.
Should we sink to the ashes, or should we part ways?
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