Chapter 89

Chapter 89 - 89 088 Xie Shang goes mad for Changling (One more)

Chapter 89: 088: Xie Shang goes mad for Changling (One more) Chapter 89: 088: Xie Shang goes mad for Changling (One more) Xie Shang had a diving license. At two a.m., he submerged himself into the deep sea.

There was no scent of lime in the ocean, no Chinese honeycomb. He dived deep, closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them.

“Xie Shang.”

Wen Changling was also in the ocean.

On the shore.

Manager Wan of the dive shop and his four best scuba instructors were present. The night’s sea breeze was strong, making people’s hearts restless.

Manager Wan’s heart was almost in his throat: “How long has he been down?”

An instructor beside him said, “He’s been seven minutes over the designated time.”

Mr. Xie did not like to be disturbed while diving. In the past, it was fine, but today Mr. Xie was very unusual, ignoring the buddy system and going deep diving alone.

This was flirting with death.

Whose heartbeat was really being tested here? Mr. Xie was someone who had experienced extreme diving, but Manager Wan was not; he had a weak heart and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, frequently checking his watch: “Why hasn’t he come up yet?”

He couldn’t be concerned with that anymore.

“Hurry down and get him, if something happens...”

Manager Wan couldn’t even imagine it – that was the apple of Xie Family’s and Su Family’s eye.

Just as the four instructors were about to dive in, there was a disturbance on the surface.

Mr. Xie had surfaced.

Manager Wan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over: “Mr. Xie.” He observed him carefully, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

After leaving the dive shop, Xie Shang drove by himself onto the mountain ring road. He rolled down all the car windows, floored the accelerator, the streetlights zipped backwards, the roar vibrating his eardrums, the oncoming wind wildly reckless.

After coming off the mountain ring road, at the intersection there was a convenience store open twenty-four hours.

Xie Shang parked the car by the roadside, entered the convenience store, and bought cigarettes and a lighter. The cigarettes were a brand he had never smoked before, chosen at random; the tobacco was coarse, irritating his throat.

However, he thought it was alright; the discomfort brought on by the low-quality tobacco could slightly alleviate the suffocating feeling of his heart being crazily compressed. That suffocation was similar to free diving into the deep sea without any protective gear, where the intense pressure differential made it hard to breathe.

At four twenty-eight a.m., He Dongzhou’s phone rang. He thought he had read it wrong, confirmed the caller and the time again.

It was indeed Xie Shang.

“Young Master Xie the Fourth, don’t you dislike staying up late? Do you know what time it is?”

Xie Shang didn’t say a word.

He Dongzhou threw off the blankets and sat up: “You woke me up and then fall silent, what’s the meaning of this?”

“Dongzhou.”

Xie Shang’s voice was off.

He Dongzhou hummed, waiting for him to speak.

“Do you love your Miss Little Scar?”

This was the first time Xie Shang had asked about He Dongzhou’s love life.

He Dongzhou didn’t joke, answering seriously: “I do.”

“To what extent would you go for her?” Xie Shang was outdoors, passing cars were honking, overlapping voices of two distinct tracks at night had an odd sense of fate, “Would you betray your loved ones for her?”

If anyone else had asked this question, He Dongzhou wouldn’t have found it strange, but the one asking was Xie Shang. He Dongzhou never believed Xie Shang could truly fall in love with anyone. Even though Gu Yihuan kept ranting about Xie Shang being in love, He Dongzhou always felt that Xie Shang lacked worldly desires.

Now, He Dongzhou had changed his mind.

He answered: “I could die for her.”

Xie Shang cursed: “Madman.”

The world had gone mad.

Xie Shang hung up the phone and lit a second cigarette.

He wouldn’t go to such lengths; that person was Miss Wen, he wouldn’t.

*****

Xie Shang stayed at Jade Curtain Garden for two days.

He Dongzhou happened to live nearby, right below Xie Shang’s floor. Gu Kaiyun came over to bring Xie Shang some sleeping pills, and Gu Yihuan insisted on coming along. Gu Yihuan really did talk a lot.

Recently, another “agency” had contacted him, and he found it reliable, but he still wanted Xie Shang to help check it out. He analyzed a whole bunch.

“Fourth brother, what do you think?”

Xie Shang was at the other end of the sofa, lifting his eyelids: “What?”

He was not feeling well mentally, his fatigue profound.

“Are you even listening?”

“No.”

“...”

Gu Yihuan wanted to reiterate, but Xie Shang had already lowered his eyes, his eyelashes drooping lazily.

He Dongzhou was making coffee, and Gu Yihuan walked over.

“Have you noticed if Fourth Brother has been a bit,” Gu Yihuan whispered, “unstable these past few days?” He seemed irritable about everything and lacked motivation for anything.

Yesterday, when Gu Yihuan played a video game with Xie Shang, Xie Shang had blown him up.

He Dongzhou glanced over to the living room and simply said, “Don’t provoke him.”

Gu Yihuan looked out the window. It wasn’t even thundering or raining.

Xie Shang stood up: “I’m going to take a nap.”

Gu Kaiyun cautioned him, “Don’t take pills anymore, you’ve taken too many these last couple of days.” He had given Xie Shang sleeping pills the day before yesterday, and when he checked just now, a lot were missing.

Xie Shang hummed a response and went to the bedroom.

He drew all the curtains, and his phone buzzed on the table. He stood watching it for a while before picking it up. No light penetrated the room; the phone’s screen’s glow illuminated his face, while the surrounding darkness created a sharp contrast, casting his outline like an image in a black and white film.

Wen Changling: “Are you coming back for dinner tonight?”

Wen Changling: “Granny Zhu is making chestnut chicken tonight, she’s asking if you’re coming back.”

Xie Shang didn’t reply, tossing the phone back on the table. He went to the nightstand, took out a pill bottle, and disregarding the doctor’s orders, poured himself one.

*****

“Fourth Brother has been acting quite strange these past couple of days.” Even though the house was soundproofed, Gu Yihuan still lowered his voice, “Yesterday, he played chess with Old Man Zhang from the neighborhood and actually lost.”

Gu Kaiyun was on a phone call.

He Dongzhou stirred his coffee, asking, “Which Old Man Zhang?”

“Zhang Dake.”

The chairman of Dake Real Estate, famously bad at chess but addicted to it.

Gu Yihuan guessed on a hunch, “Could it be that he’s had a fight with Miss Wen?” Otherwise, why wouldn’t he return to the pawn shop?

Not showing up to coax her after a fight, unqualified.

Gu Yihuan mentally deducted points from Miss Wen.

Hearing the door open, Gu Yihuan instantly looked up and saw Xie Shang coming out of his room, not even ten minutes into his nap, “Fourth Brother, why are you up again? You’re not sleeping?”

“I’m going out for a bit.”

Xie Shang, having taken sleeping pills, couldn’t drive, so he called for a car. The driver’s ride was very steady, and with his eyes closed, Xie Shang felt somewhat groggy, half-asleep. At one point, he opened his eyes; the skyscrapers and crowds seemed to retreat, their forms distorted. Perhaps the sleeping pills were taking effect, as reality and dreams began splitting and entangling, leading to a slight ringing in his ears and a sense of bewilderment.

The car stopped, but he made no move to get out immediately.

“Sir,”

The driver reminded, “We’ve arrived at Dihong Hospital.”

Xie Shang thanked the driver and got out of the car.

His timing was unfortunate, as there was a disturbance in the emergency department, the commotion giving him a headache. He wasn’t the sort to meddle in others’ affairs and without a second glance, passed straight through.

A shout rang out: “Changling!”

The man pushed with force, and Wen Changling bumped into a cart full of medical supplies. She didn’t fall, but the cart tipped over, scattering tools and medicine across the floor.

The man quickly picked up a pair of scissors, pointing them at Wen Changling. His face twitched slightly, and in a frenzied state, he yelled, “How many times do I have to tell you, I’m in pain!”

“Give me Fentanyl now!”

“Give me Fentanyl!”

Engulfed in angry outbursts, the man brandished the scissors at Wen Changling.

Wen Changling’s gaze fixed, and suddenly Xie Shang’s shadow invaded her pupils. He picked up a chair and, without hesitation, smashed it down on the man’s neck.

The man hit the floor instantly.

A female medical staff member screamed in panic.

In the chaos, Wen Changling saw Xie Shang, expressionless, walking towards the man, lifting the chair, and smashing down again and again. His calm demeanor was terrifying, as if he was lucidly going insane.

The man wailed and pleaded for mercy.

Useless, Xie Shang held a grudge. He pinned down the man’s hand that had pushed someone, picked up the scissors from the ground.