Chu Ruochun slept for a full three years, and then he woke up.
When he first woke up, his mind didn’t quite process what was happening. He thought he might have been reborn with his memories intact. Later, he realized that couldn’t be the case; he hadn’t made any preparations before sleeping. At most, he had gone through another cycle, but he wouldn’t retain any memories.
Until he heard familiar voices and saw the outlines of people through the glass. He hadn’t gone anywhere; he was still Chu Ruochun, just sitting in a different place.
In fact, during these three years of sleep, he had faintly heard voices around him. He gradually broke free from the barriers that had bound him, and the voices in his ears became clearer. On this particular day, there were many voices, so he decided to listen and see what was happening. That’s when he woke up.
Chu Ruochun smiled lightly at the familiar and handsome man before him. The man hesitated for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.
“You finally woke up, just in time for New Year’s Eve today.”
Feng Qi used to think that if he woke up, he might cry out in sorrow or laugh foolishly. But now, he felt surprisingly calm. He reached out and embraced Chu Ruochun, holding him close.
“Waking up is the best thing that could happen. From now on, you won’t go anywhere,” said Feng Qi as he gently stroked Chu Ruochun’s long-untrimmed hair.
Chu Ruochun nodded. His legs were still weak, and he needed rehabilitation.
Feng Qi carried him downstairs to the living room.
Seeing Chu Ruochun awake, everyone surrounded him, bombarding him with questions. Chu Ruolin hugged his waist and cried loudly.
Chu Ruochun patted his head. “You’ve really grown taller.”
Chu Ruolin cried so hard that he hiccupped, making everyone burst into laughter.
After sitting for a while, Chu Ruochun closed his eyes and fell asleep again. This caused some panic among the people around him. Feng Qi immediately took him to the hospital for an examination. Luckily, his attending physician was on duty that day. After a thorough check, they confirmed that he was fine. It was just that, having just woken up, his body needed time to adjust. His current sleeping pattern wasn’t that of a vegetable; he was simply in deep slumber and would wake up again when he had rested enough.
But in reality, Chu Ruochun had only slept for three hours after the examination and then returned home.
Dinner on that day was a bit delayed, but they managed to catch up.
Although he could only eat some liquid food, listening to the sound of the Spring Festival Gala on the TV and the voices of everyone around him felt so familiar and warm.
Everyone was so happy, maybe a little too happy.
In just a few days, Chu Ruochun could walk normally, and he could start eating regular meals without feeling exhausted and falling asleep immediately afterward. His body was stabilizing.
Feng Qi also checked the condition of his soul and body, and it was stable and secure. As long as they didn’t do anything reckless, his soul wouldn’t become unstable.
It was truly a turn of the tide. Before, it was Chu Ruochun who released Feng Qi’s soul, and now it was Feng Qi who was stabilizing Chu Ruochun’s soul.
There were quite a few people who knew that Chu Ruochun had slept for three years, mostly people he had helped in the past. After he woke up, Director Jiang came to see him twice. The first time was to confirm his physical condition, and the second time had his own agenda, asking if Chu Ruochun wanted to join the country’s special department.
Chu Ruochun shook his head and declined. He still wanted to be free. He had no attachment to money or fame; his only desire had already been fulfilled. Now, he was just a relaxed individual, taking care of kids and animals, drinking tea, and watching the news every day. That made him very happy.
He was still young, and his body recovered quickly. After the New Year, there were no major issues.
A lot had happened in these three years, not just for him but also for Feng Qi, Chu Ruolin, and others around them, as well as in the entertainment industry. Chu Ruochun enjoyed hearing Feng Qi tell him all about it, finding it quite fascinating.
After he had discussed it with Jiang Yu’an before his coma, he had decided to spend just one more year in the entertainment industry. It coincided with the end of their program with Chu Ruolin, which lasted almost a year. The effect was significant; Chu Ruochun’s fanbase had surpassed ten million. However, as his entertainment career started to soar, he gradually disappeared from all the programs in the industry. His fans were bewildered and even protested against the company, wondering why they were hiding him at such a crucial moment.
The company was also helpless. Just when they were at their wit’s end, Feng Qi terminated Chu Ruochun’s contract with the company. The company officially announced on their official Weibo account that they had ended their cooperation with Chu Ruochun, and both parties would go their separate ways.
Netizens criticized their company as being foolish, but Jiang Yu’an had no regrets. Instead, he used this opportunity to promote new talents.
Could they retain Master Chu? No.
Chu Ruochun had rested enough, and his body had fully recovered. The medical examination report from his attending physician showed that everything was back to normal.
After finally reuniting after five hundred years, the two of them began to consider their future.
Chu Ruochun and Feng Qi were not just brothers; they also had deep feelings for each other, but fate had tragically separated them before they could be together.
Now, with both of them settled, they could start thinking about these matters.
Living together was a natural choice.
During Chu Ruochun’s three-year slumber, Chu Ruolin had been living with Feng Qi.
Chu Ruolin rushed out with his backpack. He had woken up late, so he was running a bit behind schedule.
Chu Ruochun walked him to the door and said, “You’ve just had breakfast, don’t run around.”
Chu Ruolin waved at him while getting into the car. “Got it, big bro. You can head back, don’t catch a cold.”
Over the past three years, this kid had grown into a considerate young man, and the cold wind blowing around him now carried a warmth with it.
After Feng Qi announced his retirement from the entertainment industry, he had been taking care of Chu Ruochun. Of course, he didn’t want to sit idle; even though he left the entertainment circle, he still had his own company, which he handed over to Gao Xuesheng to manage, becoming a silent boss behind the scenes.
Now, he had dedicated himself to being Chu Ruochun’s personal nutritionist.
He brought in a plate of sliced fruits and said, “Have some.”
Chu Ruochun naturally didn’t refuse and ate with a relaxed and contented expression.
After eating two apple slices, Chu Ruochun asked Feng Qi, “What are your plans for the future?”
Feng Qi looked at him and said, “I’ll follow your lead.”
Chu Ruochun’s eyes held no reluctance as he responded, “In the past, I always had a goal, and that made me feel motivated to do anything. Now, when I relax, I suddenly don’t know what I should do.”
In every life, Chu Ruochun’s work was closely related to metaphysics, and suddenly detaching from it didn’t seem quite real to him.
Feng Qi offered a suggestion, “Well, how about we occasionally help the special department with some small tasks? If you want to live in seclusion, I’ll accompany you.”
Chu Ruochun nodded and said, “Alright.”
After staying indoors for a long time, Feng Qi and Chu Ruochun decided to go out for a walk.
Standing on the bustling street, Chu Ruochun said to Feng Qi, “I’ve never properly lived as an ordinary citizen.”
Feng Qi gently held his hand and said, “Then from now on, let’s live as ordinary people. Ruochun, let’s start dating.”
Chu Ruochun returned the squeeze of his hand and nodded, “Sure, how do we go about it?”
Feng Qi didn’t have a clear answer. While he knew there were many dating bloggers and love experts, including those featured on the dating reality show they once participated in, providing numerous tips and tricks for love, when it came to their own relationship, he felt a bit stuck.
Although he had lived for so many years, he had never really studied the art of dating.
Arriving at the mall, it was just about lunchtime, and Feng Qi took him to have lunch.
Chu Ruochun felt quite comfortable with the feeling of not having to think about anything.
They chose a fusion restaurant that offered dishes of various cuisines, and the food tasted pretty good.
Chu Ruochun tried a red tea latte, which he didn’t usually drink, and found it surprisingly enjoyable.
He thought to himself, ‘Maybe this is just fine.’
Watching his senior brother so lively and being able to go out for a meal together, he didn’t need anything more.
Feng Qi knew what was on his mind. He said, “We will also age, get sick, and eventually leave this world.”
Chu Ruochun nodded and said, “Yes, perhaps my previous obsession was just because I couldn’t let go.” Now, all he wished for was his senior brother’s well-being, and a peaceful and long life.
Feng Qi knew that his junior brother spent most of his time pondering the Dao, while he had veered off that path with him.
Forget about those past matters. They had finally come together, so why waste their precious time?
He used a small fork to pick up a French fry and brought it to Chu Ruochun’s lips, saying, “Here.”
Chu Ruochun opened his mouth and bit into it without feeling embarrassed at all.
Their interaction was captured by a live-streaming camera set up a couple of tables away.
These days, there were livestreamers everywhere, and the restaurant wasn’t short of food influencers. Some were invited by the restaurants, while others came voluntarily.
Today’s streamer had some fame. Usually, he would livestream himself cooking at home, but today, he hadn’t prepared all the ingredients and wanted to try something different, so he started a live broadcast during his meal to interact with his fans.
The camera on his phone happened to be facing the table behind them, and sharp-eyed fans caught a hint of something different.
— Has anyone noticed how handsome those two guys at the table behind are?
— Yes, you’re not alone!
— Why do I feel like I’ve seen them before? Particle, zoom the camera out a bit; we want to see the handsome guys.
Particle, the streamer, turned his face slightly and said, “Am I not handsome enough?”
Indeed, the streamer was quite good-looking, which was the main reason he stood out among all the cooking streamers.
Considering that he didn’t want to disturb others while they were eating, Particle streamer never turned around to look at the two handsome guys.
But on the phone screen, it was quite visible. At first, there was nothing remarkable about it until one of them fed the other.
— Oh my, oh my! A couple feeding each other!
— Wait, why does he look a bit like Feng Qi?
— Feng Qi? Didn’t he retire from the entertainment industry three years ago? It can’t be.
— It really is!
Particle was startled. The famous actor Feng Qi, who retired at the peak of his career, was here?
He couldn’t help but zoom the camera closer and study carefully.
He was a relatively new streamer who had just started, so he hadn’t seen Feng Qi in person. But he was a fan of Feng Qi!
He had watched many of Feng Qi’s classic movies multiple times.
He covered his heart and said, “I need to get an autograph!”
— Go for it, young man!
— Sob, it’s Feng Qi, let me see!
— Can I really run into Feng Qi when I go out now?
— Ahhh, is Feng Qi gay?
Particle grabbed the pencil and paper from the menu and rushed over. He knew it wasn’t polite to interrupt someone’s meal, but this was the legendary actor, after all!
At this moment, Particle completely ignored the comments in the live chat.
As he approached, the camera captured both Feng Qi and the person sitting across from him.
Particle was a bit nervous. “Um, is that you, Feng ge? I’m your fan. Could you please give me an autograph?”
Feng Qi’s expression tightened slightly, but when he saw that Chu Ruochun was smiling, he agreed, “Sure.”
At this moment, the fans in the live chat were left stunned for a second!
The person sitting across from Feng Qi, the one he had just fed a french fry, looked extremely familiar.
㇐Wow!
㇐Ahhhh!
㇐Seriously, can someone tell me what’s going on?
㇐Is that Chu Ruochun?
