Holding the lab report the doctor handed me, I stood there stunned for a moment before snapping out of it and quickly taking my phone out of my pocket. At that moment, even Ye Zhi, who was usually very aloof, came over, concerned about whether the so-called negative result the doctor had mentioned was good or bad.
I wasn't quite sure, so I asked Ye Zhi next to me, "Does a negative result mean I don't have HIV?"
"That's what the encyclopedia says... Look, negative, which means no HIV antibodies were detected in this test, so Chen Jin is not infected with HIV!"
My gaze settled on the keyword Ye Zhi was pointing to, and suddenly I felt a sense of ease and relief...
Chen Jin escaped a disaster!
I smiled and said to Ye Zhi, "I have to tell Chen Jin this good news right away; he was really shocked this time..."
I thought Ye Zhi would be as happy as I was, but she asked me from a very different angle: "Do you think he will restrain himself after this experience? ... I've heard that once a man goes down the path of self-indulgence, it's very difficult for him to turn back."
I thought for a moment and replied, "I think he will definitely turn back, because in the face of life and death, all love and desire are insignificant... Do you think anything is greater than the will to live?"
Ye Zhi remained silent, which I took as a tacit agreement. I then said to her, "I've thought about it, and what you said makes sense. I don't think we can tell him the result too easily. Humans are very forgetful creatures. We need to really put him on the brink of life and death so that he can truly remember this lesson!"
What do you want to do?
"Scare him, scare him."
As I spoke, I found my call history with Chen Jin on my phone and then called him back…
...
In a split second, Chen Jin answered the phone, showing how anxious he was for the results. Before I could even speak, his breathing was already heavy and erratic. He swallowed hard before asking, "How is it? Have the test results come out?"
Where are you now?
"Never mind where I am... Have the test results come back yet?"
I sighed and said, "Since coming to Dali, you've been living a life of complete self-indulgence. You think being a womanizer is a man's nature; but you haven't considered what this unrestrained freedom will bring you... You can't live your whole life relying on wishful thinking. Anything that seems impossible to you actually has a certain probability. You're doing this every day, so the probability will definitely increase infinitely..."
Chen Jin interrupted me with a shout: "Stop talking!"
There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone. After a long while, he spoke again, as if he had lost his soul, saying to me, "What's the point of saying all this now... I deserve it."
"Where are you now? I'd like to come and talk to you."
"Let me be alone for a while... I always felt that my life was just beginning, and I never felt that I needed to summarize anything. But now, looking back, what I have experienced is the longest road I have ever walked in my life... I really regret it, but unfortunately there is no medicine for regret in this world!"
After saying that, Chen Jin hung up the phone. When I called back, he refused to answer; later, he simply turned off his phone.
I felt a little uneasy, so I asked Ye Zhi beside me, "Won't he be unable to handle the shock and do something foolish?"
"It's possible that many seemingly optimistic people aren't as resilient to setbacks as we might think... Besides, this is indeed a significant blow... Let's find someone else as soon as possible."
...
I called Nicole and Ia, and they both said they hadn't seen Chen Jin in the old town. So Ye Zhi and I drove to the lakeside road. I thought Chen Jin would be by Erhai Lake because, like me, he had regarded Erhai Lake as a totem in his heart since the day he came to Dali. So when he felt down, he would always habitually go to Erhai Lake to find a little comfort.
After driving all the way from "Majiuyi" to "Longkan", I finally spotted Chen Jin on a rock near the pier... He was facing away from the coastal road, surrounded by a jumble of cigarette butts, some finished, some only half-smoked...
I gestured for Ye Zhi to wait for me in the car, and then walked towards Chen Jin alone...
I patted him on the shoulder, and he turned to look at me with a blank stare.
I smiled and said to him, "Ye Zhi said that some people are only optimistic on the surface, but their ability to cope is not as good as that of ordinary people... I was afraid that you might do something stupid and come all the way from Ma Jiuyi to here... Hehe, she can also misjudge people sometimes, but you are fine now."
Two lines of tears streamed down Chen Jin's face as he put another cigarette in his mouth.
I continued, “I’ve never felt that the world is so beautiful… especially in Dali. Look at these flocks of red-billed gulls, flying here from the north every year, seeing countless beautiful landscapes along the way… I think this is the meaning of life, and it’s the same for people. It doesn’t matter how many years you live, as long as you’ve lived life to the fullest… So don’t be too sad. If you really consider having countless women as the joy of living, then your life has been worthwhile… without regrets!”
"Bullshit... What kind of brother are you?!"
“It’s okay. If you feel better by scolding me, then go ahead and say whatever you want to say… I’ve tried my best. I can’t find a better reason to comfort you than to say this.”
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
