Zhou Huiyue said, “A little bit.”
“But it isn’t that bad.”
Zhou Huiyue’s standards seemed incredibly low in comparison.
Yu Juan was stunned as he watched Zhou Huiyue swallow the last green pill. There was no change in his expression as he did, as if it really was like what he had said– as if all the pills had the same taste.
Perhaps this was just how a protagonist should be. Yu Juan, though, really hated taking medicine and equally hated its bitter taste.
He could remember taking a lot of medicine before his death in an attempt to recover, but it was all in vain.
So he absentmindedly answered, “I really hate it.”
Zhou Huiyue asked in a slightly indifferent tone, “Is that the second requirement?”
Yu Juan took a while to react. “What?”
Zhou Huiyue said, “The things you hate are forbidden?”
Yu Juan’s first reaction was whether he should thank this person for not saying the word “fiancé” again this time.
In fact, he was actually a bit reluctant to bring up this matter. It was somewhat strange, and it seemed like he was using this engagement as a pretext to restrain Zhou Huiyue. However, since the latter already brought it up himself, he couldn’t just ignore it– otherwise, it might make him seem indifferent; as if he had an ulterior motive.
So he nodded and answered honestly, “Yeah.”
Zhou Huiyue stared at Yu Juan’s side profile as he recalled what the latter had said to Sun Qibai a few days ago in the morning.
Bugs, pills, cigarettes.
There were a lot of things that Yu Juan hated.
*
The wheelchair was a customised model with a low production rate, which meant it would take a while– still, after having placed the order, Yu Juan was endlessly worried about when it would be shipped out. The doctor matter was also still under consideration. Yu Juan had posted on the local medical forum, looking for a doctor who offered home visits for diagnosis and treatment, and the prices were quite high after several discussions. However, because he still hadn’t figured out the frequency of Sun Qibai’s visits and how to sneak the doctor inside, the plan and its specifics couldn’t be determined yet.
Moreover, after having checked the map, Yu Juan determined that the nearest town was a few dozen kilometres away– though there was a village not too far from here.
Yu Juan believed that, as long as it was a place with people, there should probably be someone who could help.
Early the next morning, Yu Juan brought his backpack and headed to the village a few kilometres away.
Following the GPS, Yu Juan walked what could be considered the most difficult journey of his life.
He looked at the rocks that were raised in the small stream before glancing at the GPS which clearly showed that this area could be passed through, then finally understood what Lu Xun meant by “the Earth originally had no roads, but one is made when more and more people walk a certain path”.
It was almost noon by the time Yu Juan finally reached his destination.
The village was small, about a dozen of houses scattered near each other, but there was nobody in sight.
Perhaps the weather was just too hot.
That was what Yu Juan thought as he walked further inside, intending to look some more.
Under a big locust tree sat an old lady. When she raised her head and saw Yu Juan who was walking hesitantly, she called out to him.
Yu Juan’s steps halted, then he walked towards her.
The old lady, who was surnamed Liu and had a head full of white hair, asked gently, “Whose family’s child are you? I’ve never seen you here before. Did you come to visit your relatives?”
Yu Juan had been raised by his grandparents, and, as a child, he was the type that was really liked by grandpas and grandmas. In an extremely patient tone of voice, he answered Grandma Liu, “I live in a house south of the mountain.”
Grandma Liu squinted a bit as she listened, “Ah, there. I remember that the owner of that place was a kind and beautiful woman who seemed to be surnamed Kang, though it’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen her come here.”
Yu Juan’s smile faded as he said in a low voice, “She passed away.”
Grandma Liu sighed, “I had guessed as much; nobody will keep the house clean and tidy if not for a woman. So, who are you? A family member?”
Yu Juan nodded. “Something like that. I came here to hang out since I finished taking the college entrance exams this year.”
This couldn’t be said to be a lie.
While they were talking, an old man came over with a watermelon. He smiled upon seeing Yu Juan, then he said to Grandma Liu, “You only like those handsome-looking young kids.”
Grandma Liu gave the old man a blank stare before smiling until her eyes crinkled. “Little Yu’s really good!”
Yu Juan looked at them with a small smile as he remembered how his own paternal grandparents had loved each other and grown old together just like this.
The old man cut the watermelon and served Yu Juan a piece. This year’s summer had good weather, so it was quite sweet. Yu Juan chatted with Grandma Liu while slowly eating.
They talked so much that Grandma Liu was reluctant to part with him. She had the old man pack up some fresh fruits and corn from inside the house as parting gifts.
Yu Juan thought that this was too generous.
Grandma Liu insisted, “These are the things we grew ourselves. I’m giving them to you because I want to, so there’s no way I can possibly charge you for it.”
Yu Juan was somewhat torn.
He had no cash at hand, and he couldn’t exactly refuse Grandma Liu’s kindness either since it might hurt her feelings.
Grandma Liu hadn’t intended on making things difficult for him, so she thought for a bit before saying, “It just happens that my grandson came over to spend his summer vacation. He has a lot of homework that we don’t understand, so could Little Yu help out?”
Yu Juan stared at the loving kindness in Grandma Liu’s eyes, then nodded.
*
Zhou Huiyue sat by the window.
The view was quite good here, and it was possible to see everything happening outside through a hidden space among the trimmed branches.
At present, though, it was quite peaceful. There was nothing going on.
Zhou Huiyue was on a call with Hang Jingshan.
Hang Jingshan was the cooperative partner Zhou Huiyue had found after regaining consciousness again. Their meeting should have originally taken place in a few years, but it happened ahead of schedule this time around.
Zhou Huiyue didn’t have much difficulty in convincing the other party to work with him.
Looking at the overall situation, the possibility of failure was really high; however, if they succeed, the profits would far exceed the losses.
The twenty-two year old Zhou Huiyue had regained consciousness a bit too late– by then, the situation was already hopeless.
After returning back to life, Zhou Huiyue didn’t have many expectations. Since he had lived through this before, he wouldn’t spend his time on the what-ifs– like what if he had woken up a few days earlier, or what if the car accident had never happened.
He wouldn’t dream of such unrealistic things.
Withstanding physical pain as well as the inability to stand, Zhou Huiyue only wanted to calmly do whatever he could.
As for who was the real mastermind behind those matters, Zhou Huiyue knew it clearly.
It was the Bai family.
Bai Yi was after the core technology of his company, but he wasn’t willing to cooperate and wanted to seize it for himself. Since the Bai family had an indisputable position in Baicheng, he had planned to slowly force Zhou Huiyue away. However, the matter became complicated when Zhou Huiyue was revealed to be the Zhou family’s missing child. Bai Yi became impatient, and was worried that a further delay would bring trouble– so, he orchestrated the car accident before taking the opportunity to bribe the insiders of the company and get what he was looking for.
At present, though, Zhou Huiyue used other matters to hinder Bai Yi so that the latter didn’t have time to personally interfere with the company.
Hang Jingshan had come from another area– his family was famous there; his arrival in Baicheng didn’t attract much attention since it was common for younger generations to come to Baicheng seeking opportunities.
Once the cooperation was settled, Hang Jingshan took care of many matters for Zhou Huiyue.
Zhou Huiyue was indeed trapped here, but it was also a way to deceive people since it wasn’t the appropriate time to act yet.
The two had kept in contact this whole time, but Hang Jingshan still recounted the most important things in detail once more.
Zhou Huiyue then unhurriedly talked about the retaliation plans he had already thought through a long time ago one by one.
Hang Jingshan sometimes found it really hard to understand Zhou Huiyue’s character– the latter was far too tolerant and decisive. He had personally seen Zhou Huiyue’s medical record, and it was an injury so severe that it couldn’t be faked.
They also discussed the company’s future plans.
Zhou Huiyue made the arrangements one by one.
Hang Jingshan didn’t end the call. The habits and behavior of rich people were sometimes odd, and Hang Jingshan was also like that; so, he said, “Oh, right, I heard that your fiancé went to Zijin Mountain Villa.”
This place was once known as Zijin Mountain Villa, but everyone had already forgotten about it today.
Zhou Huiyue didn’t reply.
Hang Jingshan asked with a smile, “I heard that he went to break off the engagement, so how come he’s staying there? Is he planning to do something? Monitor you?”
He was quite willing to help his business partner solve this small issue. “It’s not very convenient with him there, right? There are a lot of things you can’t do. How about I help…”
Zhou Huiyue interrupted, “No need.”
He lowered his head, intending to hang up, but suddenly realised something.
The time between noon and two o’clock was usually when Yu Juan would have his lunch, but it wasn’t the case today.
He wasn’t in Zujin Mountain Villa.
Yu Juan was an adult, so he had both the ability and the rights to travel alone. It was just that the area was surrounded by the wilderness and the seemingly endless mountains and towering trees, with mosquitoes, snakes, and rats everywhere.
And Yu Juan was a cherry.
A soft and fragile cherry that could fall off with just the slightest touch.
After thinking for a few seconds, Zhou Huiyue said, “Go find out Yu Juan–”
He paused for a bit, then continued, “Yu Juan’s classmate’s phone number.”
It was quite sudden, so Hang Jingshan thought that it was an important matter. “Who’s Yu Juan? Why are you looking for…”
He hadn’t been in Baicheng long enough to know about everything, and only when he reported the name to his assistant did he remember– he asked with some doubt, “Is that your fiancé?”
Zhou Huiyue’s eyes were half-closed as he looked at the silhouette of the unending mountains in the distance through the window frame. “Yeah.”
*
Yu Juan stayed at Grandma Liu’s house the whole afternoon, explaining to Liu Zijun, who was about to take the exams for junior high school, the questions that he couldn’t understand from his textbook.
Halfway through, he suddenly received a message from his former classmate asking if he would like to take part in a graduation trip. Yu Juan wasn’t familiar with these people, nor did he like these types of activities, but he turned the other party down politely since the latter was kind about it.
Yu Juan might not have a lot of patience for kids, but he still earnestly answered all the questions.
Liu Zijun, though, felt that every second was more like a year.
Why was he met with such a cold gaze from the handsome young man who obviously had a soft smile when facing his grandmother? It made him feel as if he would be committing a great offense if he didn’t study properly.
Yu Juan finally said after turning the book to a new page, “There’s no other question.”
Thinking that this torture was ending at last, the boy almost took his last breath.
However, Yu Juan dutifully downloaded several questions that focused on Liu Zijun’s weak points before sending them to his iPad.
The boy looked as if he had just experienced how evil the world could be, his face as white as a sheet of paper.
Yu Juan gave a mean smile, “Happy holidays.”
Yu Juan tactfully turned down Grandma Liu’s invitation to stay for a meal and returned home with his acquired bounty that comprised of half a watermelon, two large clusters of grapes, as well as a few corns.
It was almost dusk, so the weather wasn’t too hot. Yu Juan was tired by the time he reached the manor since he brought back quite a number of things with him.
He put them down before sorting them out one by one. Only when he turned around did he notice Zhou Huiyue on the second floor with his wheelchair– the latter hadn’t said anything this whole while despite looking as if he had been staring for a long time.
Zhou Huiyue’s shadow stretched onto the stairs from the glow of the setting sun.
Yu Juan climbed the stairs until he stepped on the edge of Zhou Huiyue’s shadow.
He hesitated for a bit when he thought of a possibility, then he asked with uncertainty, “Are you…”
Yu Juan hadn’t informed Zhou Huiyue before going out. By the time he came back, the sky had already almost darkened.
It was easy for someone unfamiliar with this place to get lost since it was surrounded by mountains.
Could Zhou Huiyue have been waiting for Yu Juan’s return since he noticed the other wasn’t in his room?
However, since it might seem like wishful thinking on his part, he didn’t continue.
Zhou Huiyue said, “I was waiting for you.”
With half-closed eyes, he added in a calm tone, “I can’t go look for you, after all.”
“I should at least make sure you’re safe.”
Those words were obviously not accusatory, but it still made Yu Juan think that he might have done something wrong.
He froze for a few seconds, then blinked as a hint of sadness settled in his heart.
Zhou Huiyue could only wait behind, unable to go outside to do whatever he wanted.
Yu Juan made an impulsive decision, “Let’s exchange numbers, then.”
Yu Juan was someone who rarely changed. A lot of scheming people had tried to approach him when he was left with a huge inheritance after his grandparents passed away.
Yu Juan was much too proud, wanting to walk his own path alone.
Yu Juan originally had no intention to get too close to Zhou Huiyue since they weren’t destined to walk the same path in life, thus having no opportunity to meet again. It didn’t matter whether the other viewed whatever he was doing as caring for him or as a way to get revenge.
It will all be over once he leaves, anyway.
He said, “Next time, you can call me.”
Zhou Huiyue replied, “Okay.”
Yu Juan really did look tired. After giving Zhou Huiyue his phone number, he crouched down on the stairs and raised his head to look at the other.
This was the first time he was observing Zhou Huiyue from this angle– from here, the latter’s smooth and sharp jawline looked obvious; he had a cold and serious type of beauty.
Yu Juan thought for a bit before saying, “I went to the nearby village and bought candies from a small shop.”
He thought that he might have been a bit biased. Back when he was terminally ill, the one thing he wanted to do the most other than open the window of that room was precisely to eat sweets.
Just because Zhou Huiyue was fine with it didn’t mean he liked the bitter taste.
There shouldn’t be anyone who did, right?
That was why he bought the candies as soon as he saw them.
Yu Juan asked slowly, “Would you like one?”
Zhou Huiyue lowered his head and looked straight at Yu Juan. The latter’s green eyes reflected the evening sun, as exquisitely beautiful as the clear waves that would sparkle in the sun.
He asked in a serious tone, “Did you eat these after taking bitter medicine?”
Yu Juan turned his head away, not acknowledging the question. Only a short while later did he give a vague hum in response.
Why did this person manage to hit the nail on the head…
Perhaps because the awkward atmosphere had settled, Yu Juan opened the bottle of candies and took one out before placing it in his mouth.
“So sour! How could the boss deceive people!”
The next second, Yu Juan’s face wrinkled, looking particularly cute.
When Yu Juan raised his head, he noticed a faint smile on Zhou Huiyue’s face. It was an expression that was completely different from his previous one.
After being momentarily stunned, Yu Juan got angry– it made him feel like the other was basking in his misfortune. For some reason, as he took out another candy, he felt the urge to have Zhou Huiyue experience the taste.
The candy was held between his fingers, some icing sugar staining his fingertips. For a brief moment, he accidentally brushed against Zhou Huiyue’s lips.
Yu Juan’s breath was moist and hot like summer.
Meanwhile, Zhou Huiyue’s one was cold. With a particularly low body temperature, even his lips were colder than Yu Juan’s fingertips.
Yu Juan regretted it almost immediately.
Just as he wanted to retract his hand, Zhou Huiyue suddenly opened his mouth and bit into that very candy.
And ate it.
Yu Juan’s cheeks flushed red; it was definitely because the weather was too hot that he had done such an irrational and silly thing.
He retreated a step before going to the other side of the stairs, pretending to be indifferent as he walked away when, in fact, he was actually trying to flee.
In the dim and only remaining light of the sun, Zhou Huiyue gazed fixedly at Yu Juan’s back.
