CH 21

When Shen Huiming was in high school, he wrote a composition on the topic “The life I want to live”.

At that time, he wrote that he hoped that one day he could travel around the world and leave his footprints in every place where there was a story to tell.

Of course, this dream was never realised simply because of nothing more than a lack of time.

In recent years, he suddenly discovered that people always skillfully put shackles on themselves. When he first started his business, he wished to have 48 hours a day to work. At that time, he thought that he would retire early when he had made enough money and that he should not spend all his life at work.

However, the more time passed, the more he found that he couldn’t stop, not only because it was impossible to ‘earn enough’ money, but more importantly, he was carrying a whole company, many projects and a stable livelihood for dozens of employees on his shoulders.

He couldn’t stop.

It was the same for getting hospitalised for the operation. The doctor had said a long time ago that he had to take care of his health, and even when the doctor ordered him to be hospitalised, he put off coming to the hospital until the end of a project.

“What’s on your mind?” Suo Yang brought a chair over and sat near the edge of Shen Huiming’s bed.

Shen Huiming turned the page and said with a smile, “Wondering if you can do fortune-felling.”

Shen Huiming’s speech tempo was completely normal, but when he said the words “Wondering if you”, Suo Yang’s breath unconsciously soared.

When Shen Huiming finished his words, he knew that he had thought too much and started to laugh at himself again. He had to admit that his thoughts were more active when he was hung up by Shen Huiming.

“Why do you say that?”

Shen Huiming told Suo Yang about the beautiful life he had imagined in his middle school days, “I really dared to think about it at that time, but it is probably like this in adolescence, not thinking about things that are too realistic.”

After hearing what he said, Suo Yang laughed softly, “In fact, there is a profession that can really do that.”

He pointed at himself, “Travelling around the world and leaving footprints in countless cities.”

Shen Huiming was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “It really is.”

The two looked at each other, and Shen Huiming said, “I never thought that my adolescence dream would be fulfilled by you for me.”

Suo Yang likes this kind of ambiguous rhetoric as if the two of them were involved in a past life and a present life.

He found that he still seemed to like those romantic settings in his bones, but he knew very well that romance in this world is like stargazing in the daytime; you knew it was there, but it just wouldn’t let you find it.

The same goes for love.

“Do you know what I wanted to do when I was in middle school?”

Shen Huiming asked curiously, “An astronaut?”

Suo Yang smiled, “Why an astronaut?”

“Actually, it could also be a pilot, it feels like you enjoy the feeling of flying.”

“I really enjoy this feeling now. I’ve been working for many years, but I still find the experience of going through the clouds amazing,” Suo Yang suddenly smiled slyly, “However, this is me now. Back in middle school I actually wanted to be an archaeologist.”

“Archaeologist?”

“Yes, wearing a small vest, take a small shovel, and go digging in a deserted place.” Suo Yang smiled, “It was a time when I was lulled into a fascination by various tomb-raiding novels.”

Shen Huiming laughed, “I didn’t expect you to read those novels.”

“Of course I do.” Suo Yang also laughed, “At that time, I didn’t listen properly in class, so I put the novel in the middle of the textbook and read it secretly.”

“I was the same, but I thought you’ve always been that kind of good student.”

The two started chatting like this, perhaps because Shen Huiming on the hospital bed lost his usual impeccable elite style, which made Suo Yang relax his nerves subconsciously.

The two were no longer trying to go through the motions of a back-and-forth through a relationship that had not yet fully unfolded. Rather, like two perfectly ordinary friends, chatting about grounded and light-hearted topics.

Shen Huiming said, “Then I should be glad you didn’t go to the archaeology with a small shovel.”

“How so?”

“In that case, the two of us may not meet.” Shen Huiming looked at him with a smile, “After all, if I could still have a chance encounter with you doing that kind of work, either I’d be a grave robber and be caught by you, or I’d be living in a tomb.”

Suo Yang was amused by his words and couldn’t help laughing. The two men, who had removed their delicate masks, were actually joking around like that.

Ever since the two met, it seemed that Shen Huiming could surprise Suo Yang every time they met.

In his past experience, the more people got along, the more boring they became, and he himself was a prime example of this.

He was very aware of his significance. Because of his appearance, it was easy for people to be interested in him, but often, after spending time with him, he would become more and more boring.

The legendary “A beautiful beauty, but have no soul”?

He was never one of those people who, the deeper you dug, the more stories there were to tell, and while he was superficially light-hearted, he was indeed always empty.

He was a pool of water, too clear to even keep fish alive.

He was waiting for someone to oxygenate his pool of water so that water plants could grow at the bottom of the lake and the suffocated fish could come back to life.

He suddenly felt that Shen Huiming seemed to have this possibility.

But the problem was, it was only a possibility. Suo Yang was full of expectations, but he didn’t dare to jump to conclusions.

It was a good idea to socialise as friends first. After all, a ‘favourable impression’ did not translate to ‘love’. There were many prerequisites for falling in love, and they were not yet at that stage.

There was no need to be in a rush, provided that Shen Huiming was willing to take the time to take it slow with him.

The two of them had been talking for more than an hour when the nurse came to do rounds.

Only then did Suo Yang remember that he hadn’t even asked Shen Huiming what kind of surgery he had undergone.

When the nurse left, he asked Shen Huiming, “Will you be in the hospital for a long time? If it’s stomach surgery, it’s quite serious, right?”

Shen Huiming didn’t tell him too much and really didn’t want the other party to think that he was using his illness to seek sympathy.

“If I recover well, I can go home to recuperate in a few days.” Shen Huiming said, “Actually, it’s my own fault. I don’t pay attention to my health usually, and even after the doctor reminded me, I didn’t pay attention to it. It was all my own doing.”

When Suo Yang looked at the man who had lost a round of weight in front of him, he couldn’t say that he felt distressed, but he did feel that it was quite unpleasant.

“Even if you’re busy with work, you also need to pay attention to your health,” Suo Yang said. “If your body breaks down, there will be nothing left.”

Shen Huiming looked at him with a smile in his eyes and said softly, “Yes, it’s true that I didn’t care before, but I’ll have to care more in the future. After all, apart from work, I have the motivation to live longer.”

Suo Yang looked at him.

Shen Huiming smiled, “Okay, I won’t say it anymore. It’s weirdly embarrassing to say it too bluntly.”

As soon as he said this, Suo Yang understood even if he didn’t say the next words.

“Even if it wasn’t for this,” Suo Yang looked at him, looking down and flipping through the ‘On Love’ that was placed by the hospital bed, “you should still live a good long life.”

Shen Huiming watched him flip through the book to the page with the bookmark.

Suo Yang saw that on that page, Shen Huiming had underlined a certain sentence with a pencil—What do I love about her? Almost everything about her.

It was like a hint, evoking his fantasy of what Shen Huiming was thinking when he read that sentence.

Was the other party also asking himself what he loved about him?

But Suo Yang believed that they were just two people who did not know each other, and no one would love everything about the other.

He closed the book and said with a smile, “It’s time for me to go.”

Shen Huiming was a little reluctant, but he had to let the man go.

Suo Yang stood up and stacked the books beside him.

“I’m flying to London this afternoon.” Suo Yang said, “Eleven hours.”

“It’s hard work.” Shen Huiming sat on the hospital bed and looked at him because he knew that the other party was leaving, but he didn’t know when the next meeting would be. As a result, his eyes were reluctant to blink.

“It’s not too hard,” said Suo Yang, smiling, as if on purpose, “It’s still nineteen hours to New York, remember?”

Shen Huiming smiled, “Of course I remember.”

The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, and then Suo Yang prepared to leave.

“By the way,” Suo Yang said to Shen Huiming before walking away, “recuperate well, our bet is still on. I will wait for you on the plane. If there is a chance.”