Chapter 12
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
During his morning of solitary work, Sui Yang realized he was very distracted. No matter the situation, every few minutes he wanted to open the camera and see what his little bunny was doing at home.
He specifically notified the housekeeper not to come and clean the house today. Xie Min turned up the volume of the movie playing in his house.
The entire lazy bunny was lying on the couch, barely moving from its position for an hour. It reminded Sui Yang of the time when Xie Min lay on his bed, holding a phone to play games. Because he was too lazy to change positions, Xie Min’s hand became numb that he couldn’t hold the phone, accidentally hitting himself in the face. This made him sit up and sulk.
In the afternoon, after Sui Yang finished a meeting for a new project, he suddenly realized that the little bunny on the couch had disappeared.
He immediately returned to his office, carefully checked other cameras while turning on the speaker and asked, “Xie Min, where are you?”
“I fell into the carpet,” Xie Min’s voice came from an unknown location, “your living room couch is a bit slippery.”
“…Should I come home?” Sui Yang enlarged the footage and finally found where Xie Min was—a small depression in the center of the white wool carpet, with a hint of pink peeking through the white fur, outlining the shape of the little bunny’s ears.
“It’s okay,” Xie Min politely refused, “the carpet is also comfortable. I had found a suitable viewing position that wouldn’t block my view. Just focus on your work. Don’t suddenly talk to me, it’s a bit scary.” He hid in the wool, determinedly giving a command.
Sui Yang stopped speaking, stared at the screen, and contemplated whether he should have the secretary cancel the evening dinner appointment and go home directly. However, at the next moment, he received a call from Master Yi.
He turned off the speaker connected to the home camera and answered the phone.
Master Yi informed him on the other end that the originally scheduled appointment with a good client suddenly had to be rescheduled. He asked Sui Yang if he wanted to take the opportunity to fill in the vacant spot and have an early consultation.
Since Xie Min wasn’t in the office, Sui Yang should have refused. However, he found himself hesitating almost none at all and said “yes” without thinking.
The video connected, and a middle-aged man with a goatee and wearing a Daoist robe sat across from him. Sui Yang had seen this Master Yi at several production line opening ceremonies, but they had only exchanged nods and barely spoken.
Master Yi rolled up his sleeves and gave Sui Yang a slight smile. “Mr. Sui, may I ask what you would like to consult about today?”
The situation and atmosphere seemed somewhat fantastical.
As an atheist, it was currently difficult for Sui Yang to fully disclose the situation he and Xie Min had encountered to a strange Daoist. He was also unsure of the depth of Master Yi’s knowledge, making it even harder to reveal everything.
After a moment of contemplation, Sui Yang said, “Well, I have a friend who had a car accident. The injuries aren’t particularly severe, and all the post-surgery indicators are normal, but he hasn’t woken up yet. I was wondering if the Master could help me figure out the reason?”
“There could be many possibilities,” the Master stroked his beard, pondering. “Mr. Sui, what did the doctors say?”
“The doctors couldn’t come up with a definite conclusion,” Sui Yang replied. “They only suggested continuing to observe.”
“There are many factors that can cause a person not to wake up,” Master Yi paused and continued, “Could you provide me with your friend’s birth details? I will calculate and see.”
This request wasn’t unreasonable, so Sui Yang gave him Xie Min’s birth details. On the other end of the video, the Master began to close his eyes slightly and murmured to himself.
Sui Yang wasn’t accustomed to seeking divine intervention. Waiting for the Master to read the fortune felt a bit awkward. He suspected that if Xie Min were present, he might have gestured to end the video call and laughed at him for being scammed.
The Master didn’t calculate for long before suddenly opening his eyes, furrowing his brow, and staring at Sui Yang. “Your friend didn’t fail to wake up, but rather, he has used the Soul Awakening Talisman, which was made by his humble Daoist.”
Sui Yang was taken aback, while the Master seemed lost in thought. “Because this talisman requires a lot of effort, I haven’t made many of them in recent years. I’m curious how your friend got hold of it.”
Sui Yang looked at the Master, and in an instant, a forgotten memory flooded his mind.
Many years ago, Sui Yang had met this Master whom Wu Kaikang mentioned for the first time. It was when the company relocated to a new factory site, and Wu Kaikang had invited the Master to perform a ritual.
After the ritual, Master Yi and his disciple went to the lounge to get some water. The other executives in the company showed indifference towards him and quickly left when they saw him coming.
Sui Yang politely chatted with him for a while, and the Master suddenly mentioned that Nanyuan had provided generous donations and he wanted to give Sui Yang a gift. Then, his disciple took out an envelope, intending to make a talisman for Sui Yang.
Taking the yellow paper out of the envelope, Master Yi spoke some vague words to Sui Yang and spread the paper on the table. Sui Yang wasn’t particularly interested in these matters and didn’t have a deep impression. He only remembered that the Master asked him to write the name of an important person on the talisman.
Sui Yang initially intended to refuse, but unable to withstand the Master’s enthusiastic urging, he took the offered pen and hesitated for a moment before writing the name “Xie Min” on the paper.
Master Yi put away the yellow paper, and Sui Yang immediately put it out of his mind, never expecting to recall it one day.
“The reason for using this talisman is that his soul is unable to bear his own physical suffering,” Master Yi explained to Sui Yang. “He is currently inside a lifeless object that resembles a human form. Mr. Sui, you don’t need to worry too much. When his health improves a bit, he will naturally return. Right now, there is nothing I can do. Although it is possible to forcibly send your friend back, he may have to endure unbearable pain.”
Sui Yang didn’t expect to find out so effortlessly why Xie Min had become a little bunny.
With mixed emotions, he thought of Xie Min, who was still at home, watching movies hidden in the wool carpet. After some contemplation, he said, “Master, I have an unusual request.”
Despite the difficulty, Sui Yang simply informed Master Yi about Xie Min’s situation. Disregarding the Master’s dumbfounded expression, he made a request, “I would like to have another conversation with you tomorrow morning, similar to today’s discussion, but please don’t mention the talisman. Just inform him that it’s because he couldn’t bear the pain and transferred into an inanimate object. Also, don’t mention any forced solutions. Let him know that he will naturally return when he recovers.” Sui Yang calmly added, “The price is negotiable.”
After ending the video call, Sui Yang sat in his office, staring blankly for a few minutes.
He was still struggling to accept the bizarre reality. Once again, he opened the surveillance video from his home, and the pink ears of the little bunny were still visible amidst the white wool.
“Since the car accident wasn’t severe, it should only be a matter of time for him to return to his original body,” Master Yi explained to him, “The mentioned drowsiness is likely his body adapting.”
This wasn’t the first time Sui Yang made decisions he thought would be better for Xie Min without consulting him, so he mostly felt uncertainty and numbness. Xie Min had also made decisions without consulting him, Sui Yang thought to himself.
Moreover, Xie Min was genuinely afraid of pain, so there was no need to let him know that there was an option to forcefully leave the little bunny.
Sui Yang distinctly remembered how Xie Min’s face would contort with pain when he was injured.
For example, on the rainy morning of December 20th during their second year of high school in Yuhai City.
Xie Min wanted the driver to take a detour to pick up Sui Yang at Baoqi Garden, but his father overheard the conversation. His father got angry, and Xie Min argued with him, resulting in his father throwing a cup that shattered and cut Xie Min’s hand, causing it to bleed.
Xie Min ran out of the house without an umbrella and took a taxi to pick up Sui Yang. Along the way, he even stopped at a pharmacy to buy bandages and dressed the wound himself in the car.
When Sui Yang got into the car, he saw that Xie Min’s hair and face were wet, and his hand was wrapped like a bun. He asked him what happened, but Xie Min insisted that he had injured himself by falling and refused to tell the truth.
Sui Yang stared at him for a moment until he reluctantly spoke up. Xie Min grumbled, “That’s just the way my dad is, he praises others while belittling me. He used to go and inquire about what you were studying every day, even forcing me and Xie Cheng to study the same thing.”
Usually, Sui Yang would crack a few jokes and tease Xie Min, making him jump up and argue playfully. But that day, Sui Yang was in no mood for any jokes. He just wanted to know the reason behind Xie Min’s injury.
Whether due to blood loss or the cold, Xie Min’s cheeks were pale.
His eyes slightly raised, normally expressionless and difficult to approach, he appeared neither fierce nor proud that day. He just seemed a bit pitiable.
Seeing Sui Yang remain silent, Xie Min pushed him and said unhappily, “That’s enough, no more staring at me.”
Sui Yang asked the driver for tissues to help Xie Min wipe his face and hair. He untangled the crooked bandage, and he re-disinfected the wound with the iodine swab provided by the pharmacy. The driver watched them through the rearview mirror while the rain pounded on the car roof, creating a loud noise.
Xie Min’s wound was long and narrow, but not deep. As soon as the iodine swab touched him, he started to cry out, telling Sui Yang, “It hurts so much, be more gentle.”
“Go to the school’s medical room first,” Sui Yang remembered saying, “If stitches are needed, we’ll go to the hospital.”
“Hopefully, no stitches are needed,” Xie Min began to negotiate and asked, “Will getting stitches be very painful?”
Sui Yang didn’t possess that kind of knowledge either, so he reassured him, “They should be able to administer anesthesia.” Xie Min reluctantly said, “Okay.”
Despite his previous noisy behavior, Xie Min was actually well-behaved in front of Sui Yang. When Sui Yang was serious, he listened attentively.
Over the years, Sui Yang often found himself vividly recalling the past. Dr. Zhuo disagreed with this practice, believing it would only harm his mental state.
However, Sui Yang had difficulty controlling himself. He thought about Xie Min’s cold hands and feet, his strong temper, his pampered complaints, and Xie Min’s good nature, along with the grievances he had suffered for him.
Now Sui Yang no longer had the authority to glare at Xie Min and make him listen. Even if he earnestly tried to persuade him, Xie Min might not necessarily accept his advice.
In the surveillance video, Xie Min, hidden in the wool, suddenly shifted slightly, revealing a bit more of the pink color. He was deeply engrossed in watching movies, seemingly determined to catch up on all the films he had missed during the ten-year hiatus.
As a little bunny in his home, it was at least more relaxing than enduring pain in the hospital.
Sui Yang rationalized his decision this way and was willing to take responsibility for it. After all, Xie Min didn’t need to stay by his side for too long.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
