Chapter 103 Extra 3: Going Home Together
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
White bandages were slowly being removed.
“You’ve recovered well; you can be discharged now.”
A group of blond, blue-eyed medical staff surrounded the bed, congratulating their patient on his recovery.
One by one, the white bandages fell into a white porcelain tray, which a nurse then carried away.
Xie Shiyu sat on the pristine hospital bed, holding Chu Feng’s phone for a selfie. He asked in Chinese, “Wife, how do I look? Have I gotten more handsome?”
Chu Feng, who was packing their belongings, reached out to take the phone from him. “Just as handsome as before. Let’s go.”
Just before Chu Feng pulled his phone away, Xie Shiyu managed to set his own recent selfie as the phone’s screensaver. The person in the photo had deep-set features and was smiling at the camera with raised eyebrows. There were some small scars on the side of his cheek from a skin graft surgery, still not fully healed. These scars were fine, like scratches from sharp paper, and instead of detracting from his appearance, they added a bit of a tough, unapproachable aura.
Xie Shiyu got out of bed and said goodbye to the medical staff who had meticulously cared for him during his stay.
Nowadays, he could walk for most of the day. The doctors advised resting for 15 minutes if he walked for more than two hours. If he had to continue walking, he should consider using a wheelchair.Apart from that, he no longer needed a wheelchair. In modern life, sitting in a wheelchair was similar to sitting in a car, at a desk, in an office, or on a high-speed train – long periods of walking weren’t necessary.
After completing the discharge procedures, Xie Shiyu walked out of the hospital as lightly as before. He reached for the bag slung over Chu Feng’s shoulder. “Let me carry it.”
Chu Feng quickly dodged, not letting the recently recovered Xie Shiyu carry anything heavy. He looked at Xie Shiyu as if he were a fragile glass vase, an item that needed careful handling.
“Just focus on walking properly.” Chu Feng carried the backpack, held the suitcase in one hand, and used the other to open the Uber app to call a car to the airport.
Xie Shiyu, now fully recovered and no longer confined to a bed awaiting surgery and recovery, felt brimming with energy. Being forced to keep his hands empty while watching his wife carry all their luggage made him feel uncomfortable.
The taxi arrived promptly, and the trunk opened automatically. Chu Feng put the suitcase inside. Standing at 1.8 meters tall and quite strong, the luggage was not heavy for him.
Click.
Chu Feng opened the car door and got into the back seat, with Xie Shiyu sitting beside him, placing his backpack on the remaining space of the seat.
The hospital wasn’t far from the airport, about a 20-minute drive.
The buildings along the street receded continuously, and the sycamore trees, resembling oil paintings, shed leaves in the wind, which fell onto the benches lining the street.
At the end of the road stood a wide expanse of buildings: the airport.
Chu Feng watched the foreign airport, with a white streak trailing across the blue sky from a plane that had just taken off.
Sitting in the car, he could hear the faint rumble of planes taking off and landing.
A common sound, yet when it reached Chu Feng’s ears, it turned into a giant hornet, stinging him. The shadows of the past poured into his mind – waiting at the airport for someone who promised to return, staying up all night watching news reports of the missing flight, eyes red and sleepless until the rescue team finally informed him that there were no survivors.
Chu Feng’s previously relaxed hand clenched tightly, his state becoming tense. The faint noise of planes taking off and landing amplified in his mind thousands of times, buzzing incessantly…
“Chu Feng, Chu Feng.”
Suddenly, a warmth spread across the back of his hand.
Chu Feng snapped back to reality, finding Xie Shiyu holding his hand tightly. “I’m here. Don’t overthink.”
Chu Feng’s nose tingled, holding back his emotions. His face showed no apparent change, but his shoulders trembled slightly.
To an outsider, Chu Feng might seem emotionless, but Xie Shiyu knew how much he suffered and how hard the past two years had been.
He had just noticed Chu Feng’s relaxed fingers tightening into a death grip at the sound of the plane, the tips of his fingers turning white from the pressure.
He could only imagine what Chu Feng had endured during those days after the plane crash.
The taxi stopped at the airport parking lot.
Xie Shiyu naturally picked up the backpack from the seat—
Halfway through, the strap was pulled.
Chu Feng: “I’ll carry it. Don’t move.”
Xie Shiyu smiled and moved Chu Feng’s hand off the strap, saying, “I’m discharged now, no longer a patient. What’s wrong with carrying a bag?”
Chu Feng didn’t let go.
Xie Shiyu thought for a moment and then pretended to ponder, saying, “If you really want to carry it, that’s fine. But I just got discharged, and I have a lot of energy. If you don’t let me carry the bag during the day, I’ll have nothing to do and accumulate all that energy for the evening, making me very spirited. By the way, do you like ragdoll cats? How about tonight at the hotel…”
The backpack strap was instantly released.
Chu Feng turned to get out of the car, but Xie Shiyu was a step ahead, already grabbing the luggage from the trunk.
Chu Feng, now empty-handed, watched Xie Shiyu with his backpack and luggage and asked, “Aren’t you tired carrying so much at once?”
“Not at all.”
Xie Shiyu freed one hand to hold Chu Feng’s.
“I’m back now, so you don’t need to carry anything.”
He led him into the airport, which had previously been a source of psychological trauma for Chu Feng.
A plane roared down the wide runway, taking off into the sky and leaving a white trail through the clouds.
Under the vast blue sky, they were going home together.
***
China, H City
Lin Lan followed the usual custom of placing a few chrysanthemums in front of a photo of Brother Xie at home.
This year, his cousin was acting strangely. Not only did he not go to the cemetery to pay respects, but he also didn’t stay home, absorbed in the Dream City game. Instead, he had gone to M Country.
Lin Lan didn’t dare tell Chu Feng’s parents. M Country was a taboo topic for Chu Feng’s family. After Brother Xie’s accident, his cousin had said he was going to their vacation villa in the U.S. to relax. However, he ended up playing games there to the point where his consciousness couldn’t return, almost becoming a vegetable and nearly dying in the hospital.
But his cousin claimed there was important business in the U.S., so Lin Lan guessed it might have been related to a major international project for Brother Xie’s company, with his cousin, as a top executive, going to negotiate.
Otherwise, Lin Lan couldn’t imagine what would cause his cousin to miss Brother Xie’s memorial day. After much thought, he could only assume it was related to the company.
Even more strangely, his cousin seemed to have disappeared in the U.S., having been there for nearly two weeks. Lin Lan’s parents recently called him to visit, so he left a WeChat message for his cousin and went.
Late that night, when Xie Shiyu returned to his home after two years, this is what he saw:
His wife’s bedside was adorned with a wall of his photos, with two withered bouquets of chrysanthemums below.
Xie Shiyu: “…”
Chu Feng: “…”
Xie Shiyu: “Do I have a tombstone too?”
Chu Feng: “… Yes. Do you want to… visit it?”
“… Let’s do it another day,” Xie Shiyu said with a smile. He put down his backpack and luggage and, while Chu Feng wasn’t paying attention, slipped into the study.
This was where he used to keep his sketchbooks.
Without making a sound, Xie Shiyu opened a drawer. He hadn’t hidden these books because hiding them would arouse more suspicion. Instead, he had left them openly, containing all his “big plans” in doodles that couldn’t be deciphered without specific knowledge.
Shhht—
He pulled open the drawer.
Xie Shiyu froze. The drawer was empty.
All the sketchbooks he had drawn since he was a child were gone.
Want to show your support? Come donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
