Chapter 19
For a moment, Zhou Wangchuan didn't understand what Shang Mu was talking about.
Between the two of them, Shang Mu had always been the one who didn't want him, abandoning him time and time again, leaving only his receding figure behind. But now, Shang Mu's tone was so aggrieved, as if he was the one being abandoned.
While Zhou Wangchuan was stunned and silent, a voice came from the other end of the phone: "Heh... forget it if you don't want it."
"No." Zhou Wangchuan said subconsciously.
He paused, then spoke more clearly: "I didn't want you."
He didn't know why Shang Mu said such a thing, and he didn't have time to think deeply about it. When Shang Mu spoke to him in this tone, he could only carefully comfort him. This was a habit deeply rooted in his heart over the years, a conditioned reflex that didn't require any rational thought.
There was another silent breathing sound on the phone.
Zhou Wangchuan explained, "I'm going abroad to attend a seminar. This seminar is held every year. Last year's was in City C. Do you remember?"
Shang Mu: "Yeah."
Last October, a seminar was held in City C, a beautiful coastal city. October was also peak travel season, so Zhou Wangchuan invited Shang Mu to go with him.
The two had just had a fight, and Shang Mu was still in a bad mood on the way there. When he arrived at the hotel, he insisted on booking a standard room, but was told by the front desk that only king-size rooms were available.
When they went to the beach, Shang Mu, with a cold and expressionless face, splashed water all over Zhou Wangchuan. Zhou Wangchuan couldn't dodge and had to get splashed with water.
Finally, soaking wet, they returned to the hotel to shower, where they rolled around in the bathroom until late at night. Bruise after bruise from the tiles covered both of their bodies, forcing them to call the front desk in the middle of the night for safflower oil and alcohol swabs.
The next night, Shang Mu insisted on eating seafood again, and developed acute gastroenteritis. He vomited and had a high fever, and was sent to the hospital by Zhou Wangchuan in the middle of the night for an IV drip.
After taking two large bottles of medicine, it was dawn. Shang Mu weakly said, "I will never eat crabs again in this life," and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhou Wangchuan drank a cup of coffee to perk himself up, then forced himself to rush to the meeting. There, as a representative of outstanding young doctors, he shared two real-life surgical cases. When the meeting was over, he rushed to the hospital. The doctor, probably feeling embarrassed about the previous night, had already been discharged and flown back to City A.
Shang Mu became visibly uncomfortable when this matter was mentioned: "Why bring it up?"
Zhou Wangchuan said, "It's just that kind of seminar, but this time it's overseas and will take about two weeks."
Shang Mu: “Oh.”
The phone fell silent again. Zhou Wangchuan waited patiently for a while. Seeing that he had nothing to say, he said, "Take your medicine and have a good rest. If you still feel uncomfortable, remember to call me."
"Oh." Shang Mu paused and said, "I'm hanging up."
Zhou Wangchuan said, "Okay."
Only after the call was disconnected did Zhou Wangchuan realize something was wrong. Shang Mu always hung up on him directly, sometimes even before he could finish his words. When did he become so polite?
Even after the plane landed on the other side of the earth, Zhou Wangchuan still didn't understand.
After settling in at the hotel, Zhou Wangchuan hesitated for a moment and sent a message to Shang Mu. He was afraid that Shang Mu had deleted him, so he sent a "." first.
The expected red exclamation mark did not appear, but another message immediately appeared in the chat box.
Shang Mu:?
Zhou Wangchuan withdrew the period and sent him a message asking: Is your stomach better?
The next second, a phone call came.
Before Zhou Wangchuan could be surprised, he subconsciously picked up the phone.
"It still hurts." Shang Mu's muffled voice came.
Zhou Wangchuan asked, "How does it hurt?"
"It hurts, so much so that I can't breathe."
Even as he said this, his breathing was steady and calm, and his words were full of energy. Zhou Wangchuan knew that he was already well.
Zhou Wangchuan knew Shang Mu well. When he was truly in pain, Shang Mu would endure it silently. If he exaggerated the pain, it was usually because he was being coquettish.
Wait, acting like a spoiled child…?
Zhou Wangchuan heard the sound of someone turning over on the other end of the phone and asked, "Are you lying down?"
"Um."
"It's quite cold at night in autumn. Fill a hot water bottle and hold it while you sleep. Your stomach is already in poor condition, so don't catch a cold."
Shang Mu said, "Trouble."
Zhou Wangchuan glanced at his watch. It was already early morning in China, so he said, "Let's go to bed early."
"oh."
Shang Mu paused after he finished speaking, then said: "Hey..."
"What's wrong?" Zhou Wangchuan heard the awkwardness in his tone and asked patiently.
"Um..." Shang Mu hesitated for a while, then said awkwardly, "You're experiencing jet lag, so make sure you get some rest."
Zhou Wangchuan was stunned.
After Shang Mu finished speaking, he seemed to regret it and said stiffly: "I'm going to sleep."
Zhou Wangchuan stared at the hung up phone, unable to recover for a long time. He could not quite understand Shang Mu's attitude.
He thought that after that quarrel, Shang Mu would cut off all contact cleanly and neatly, so that he would never be able to find any trace of him and would disappear from his world.
Two phone calls a day is very rare even when they are not arguing, let alone after they have clearly proposed breaking up.
Zhou Wangchuan thought Shang Mu might be nostalgic for his care and warmth. Even after too much liquor, one needs a glass of tea or water. In Shang Mu's heart, perhaps he was that glass of water. Even though he didn't love her, he could still get by.
It didn't matter, he thought. They had argued countless times, and they always made up in the end. This time was more intense than any of the others, more hurtful.
But it doesn’t matter, nothing matters.
Zhou Wangchuan thought that after this half month was over, he would piece together his broken heart and values and return to Shang Mu again, even if Shang Mu did not love him.
Then, wait for the next shattering.
This year's seminar is more grand than previous years, and many top scholars and doctors in the field have been invited. Each session will take up most of the day.
In the past, Zhou Wangchuan undoubtedly enjoyed these seminars, not only listening attentively but also taking notes, researching materials, and engaging in discussions and debates. But this year, he felt somewhat lazy, lacking any interest in anything.
Shang Mu's words that night still echoed in his ears from time to time, questioning his beliefs and values.
After a meeting, he walked along the street towards the hotel. Passing by the wide circular square, a flock of white pigeons flapped their wings and landed at the feet of passers-by.
Zhou Wangchuan stood there and watched for a while, and the phone in his pocket vibrated.
"The host you follow, 'Masked Man', is now live~"
It was nighttime back home. Shang Mu sat on a chair in his study, wearing only a thin white shirt. His collarbone shone softly in the moonlight, like jade. He sat in a relaxed position, the moon hanging overhead.
The brass rose mask dutifully covered most of his face, revealing only his delicate jaw and slightly pale thin lips.
He said, "Hello everyone, long time no see."
The barrage immediately exploded:
“I thought the anchor was missing!!!”
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh hubby!!! I'm going to lick your collarbone first as a token of my respect!!"
"Long time no see, the anchor is still so good-looking~"
Shang Mu first thanked everyone for the gifts, then said, "Today I'm here to test a new drug for everyone. The code name is..."
He picked up the bottle, looked at it, and read: "Alpha-14."
Zhou Wangchuan, who had registered a fake account and was now in the livestream, felt relieved. He had used some tricks to ensure that whenever Shang Mu received medication from a foreign company, he would also receive a portion. He had tested the properties of this Alpha-14, and it was considered mild.
Shang Mu swallowed a pill with warm water.
As he swallowed it, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, triggering another wave of comments:
"OMG, the anchor's Adam's apple is so beautiful, I'm drooling..."
"Wow, wow, wow, hubby!!!! Let me kiss you, let me kiss you!!"
"As a guy, I have to say, the host's Adam's apple is so pretty..."
Zhou Wangchuan looked at the comments and felt a little uneasy. Then he also posted one.
"Long time no see, I miss you so much."
Shang Mu probably felt that the armchair was uncomfortable, so he put a cushion behind his waist, leaned back and chatted with the barrage.
He usually doesn't respond to the comments of infatuated people, and only chooses comments of normal chat to communicate.
"Is this the first time I've seen a streamer live at home? Wasn't it always in a hotel before?"
Shang Mu said: "Indeed, I'm at home, my boyfriend's house."
A series of “????” immediately appeared in the barrage.
"No, when did my husband get a boyfriend without telling me???"
"No, I can't accept it. Go cry for a while..."
One commenter asked: "Is the anchor's boyfriend at home?"
Shang Mu said nonchalantly, "My boyfriend ran away and I haven't heard from him in a few days."
Zhou Wangchuan, who was in the live broadcast room: "..."
The medicine must have taken effect. Shang Mu sat up a little straighter and said, "Five minutes after taking it, I felt a burning sensation in my stomach, but it's not serious."
He said, reaching out to touch his stomach, pressing gently.
After chatting for a few more words, Shang Mu leaned back, letting his waist sink into the soft pillow. His voice became softer: "The pain goes down to the center of the abdomen, and there is a twisting feeling. Hmm... It's not serious."
"If it's not serious, take another one. The anchor is always so reserved. I really want to see him break down in pain!"
"Is it really not serious? The host's voice seems weak."
Zhou Wangchuan also posted: "One is enough, it's just a test."
Shang Mu became quieter, pursing his lips and hunching his back. He pulled a pillow against his stomach and read the comments with a blank expression. His gaze fell on the gray avatar of the number one on the list, a look of deep thought.
The live broadcast room was silent for a few minutes. Shang Mu's Adam's apple moved up and down, as if he was trying to hold back the urge to vomit.
Zhou Wangchuan sent another message: "Let's get off the air, it's getting late."
Shang Mu didn't know whether he saw this message or really wanted to vomit, but he just said "See you next time" directly and decisively and cut off the connection.
Zhou Wangchuan knew the properties of this medicine. It would make people want to vomit after the pain. He estimated the time and made a phone call.
"……Hello?"
His voice was slightly hoarse after vomiting. Zhou Wangchuan knew the whole story, but he could only pretend to be confused and asked, "What's wrong with the voice?"
"Nothing." Shang Mu threw himself on the soft bed, gently kneading his abdomen with his fingers, and said softly, "My stomach feels uncomfortable. I vomited just now."
Zhou Wangchuan had studied the properties of every medicine he received and had an "antidote" for each. Upon hearing this, he said, "There's a green box in the drawer next to the TV cabinet. Take one of the medicines in it and you'll feel better."
Shang Mu suddenly asked, "Are you enjoying it?"
Zhou Wangchuan asked, "What?"
"Oh, nothing." He was a little disappointed.
There was still some burning pain in his stomach, but he relaxed now and didn't need to hide it, so he breathed softly.
The panting sound transmitted through the telephone signal added a touch of ambiguity.
Zhou Wangchuan was shocked.
When the two of them were making love in bed, Shang Mu would often make such sounds, and he would often say this -
"Don't breathe like that, baby."
Before he even realized it, he had said it.
Shang Mu suddenly stopped talking, a faint blush spreading across his pale face. He felt embarrassed and annoyed: "What do you care!" Then he hung up the phone.
Then he paused for a few seconds, called back, and said reluctantly, "Wrong number."
Zhou Wangchuan said, "It's okay. Take the medicine and rest early."
Shang Mu turned over, pulled the quilt over his abdomen, panted twice, and said nonchalantly: "My stomach is uncomfortable and I can't sleep. What should I do? I want you to rub it for me."
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