Difficult to Complete chapter 11
On Monday after work, Gu Yan ran into Shen Qi. Shen Qi’s car had been rear-ended by a luxury car, and it was pretty badly damaged. Fortunately, Shen Qi was fine, though he had a scrape on his forehead, probably from hitting the steering wheel.
When Gu Yan passed by, the traffic police and insurance company representatives were already there. Shen Qi stood to the side, his face pale. When he saw Gu Yan, his eyes flickered as if he wanted to say something but swallowed it back.
Not knowing why, Gu Yan got out of his car and walked over to check the situation. Just as he was about to leave, Shen Qi called out his name: “Gu Yan…”
Gu Yan hadn’t intended to turn around, but he heard the insurance company representative say, “Mr. Shen’s friend, right? That’s good. The car needs to be towed for repairs. You should take your friend to the hospital to get that forehead injury checked out. I’ll contact you later! Um, sir—”
Gu Yan rubbed his forehead in frustration, regretting getting involved.
“Get in.”
The two of them didn’t speak on the way. After arriving at the hospital, they went through the procedures of registration, payment, and examination. Shen Qi followed behind Gu Yan, trying a few times to say something but eventually holding it back. Gu Yan noticed but didn’t ask.
There was nothing to ask.
The examination results came back quickly. Shen Qi didn’t have any major issues, just a minor concussion.
After the wound was bandaged, he needed to stay for observation for half an hour. Gu Yan went to the convenience store at the hospital entrance and bought hot porridge and oden, handing one portion to Shen Qi:
“Have something to eat first.”
Even though he wasn’t happy about it, since he had already brought him here, he couldn’t just leave the injured person alone in the hospital. He couldn’t bring himself to do that.
Shen Qi accepted the hot porridge and ate slowly, saying, “Thank you.” He didn’t say anything more. Gu Yan also didn’t say anything, sitting in the empty seat next to him and eating his own portion.
By the time Gu Yan finished his food, Shen Qi’s bowl of porridge was still full. His face was even paler than at the accident scene. Gu Yan suspected he wasn’t feeling well and asked:
“Is something wrong? Do you feel unwell or feel like throwing up?”
This was a concern the doctor had mentioned earlier, as a concussion might make Shen Qi feel nauseous or want to vomit. If it was severe, they would need to see another doctor. That’s why they needed to stay in the observation room.
Shen Qi didn’t look up, still keeping his eyes half-closed, stirring the porridge on his lap with a plastic spoon: “No.”
The porridge, which was hot when bought, had cooled down completely and had become lumpy.
Gu Yan suddenly thought about the accident he had years ago while racing with friends.
During that time, City A had been raining for over half a month. Although it had stopped the day before the race, the mountain roads were still wet. His car skidded on a sharp turn, almost sending him and the car down the mountain in a disastrous crash.
Gu Yan ended up placing third in that race, and the crowd went wild. The electronic screen in the viewing area replayed the exciting moments of the race, with Gu Yan’s thrilling escape shown over and over.
His friends cheered and whistled, lifting Gu Yan up high and then catching him securely.
Everyone said he was born to race.
Only Shen Qi. Only Shen Qi sat alone in the viewing area, his face pale, his gaze cutting through the jubilant crowd to glance at him, a cold look that hid deep fear and dread.
That was the first and last time Shen Qi went to watch Gu Yan. After that, Gu Yan never raced again.
That night, Shen Qi didn’t speak a word to Gu Yan. Even when Gu Yan pushed him down on the bed and forced him to beg, Shen Qi remained silent.
Eventually, Shen Qi suddenly hugged Gu Yan’s arm and cried. He cried so hard that despite Gu Yan’s own discomfort, he couldn’t bring himself to move.
He could only gently comfort the sobbing Shen Qi, taking more than half an hour to calm him down, as Shen Qi continued to whimper in his dreams, gripping Gu Yan’s collar tightly.
Since then, Shen Qi had developed a significant aversion to driving. At that time, nearing graduation, Gu Yan planned to use their savings to buy a car for commuting. But Shen Qi refused.
He wouldn’t drive himself or let Gu Yan drive. Even when a car approached them on the road, Shen Qi would push Gu Yan towards the sidewalk and stand on the roadside. It wasn’t until six months later that things started to improve, and they bought their first car.
Gu Yan recalled these fine details hidden in his memory and thought that Shen Qi must have cared about him at least a little. At least the worry and anxiety back then couldn’t have been entirely fake.
Otherwise, Shen Qi’s acting would be too impressive.
He then thought that perhaps today’s rear-end collision reminded Shen Qi of the near-fall from the cliff and his own fearful state at that time, which was why he had such a strong reaction.
Thinking of this, Gu Yan’s heart inevitably softened: “Don’t be afraid. It’s okay now.”
This was the first time he spoke to Shen Qi in a relatively gentle tone after their breakup, and he felt a bit awkward.
Yet, on every day before this, he had treated Shen Qi with a tenderness a hundred or a thousand times greater and never felt anything was wrong or awkward.
Then he saw Shen Qi’s shoulders tremble, and only then did Shen Qi look up, his eyes red: “Mm.”
After this response, tears fell immediately, dripping into the bowl of porridge, mixing with the sticky rice porridge, and disappearing.
Gu Yan’s heart softened a bit more.
Even now, he still couldn’t bear to see Shen Qi cry. His cold expression unconsciously softened, and he took out a tissue from the bag and handed it to Shen Qi:
“Don’t be afraid. It’s all okay now.”
He repeated his earlier words, which sounded somewhat perfunctory.
Gu Yan really didn’t know what else to say to Shen Qi. He was inherently not good with words and could only think of a few comforting phrases.
If it had been Tang Yan or any other friend here today, they could have given Shen Qi a hug, but he couldn’t.
Even though his heart ached, he couldn’t give Shen Qi the kind of hug a friend would.
There were only two or three tissues, which would be used up quickly, but fortunately, Shen Qi’s tears came quickly and went away just as fast, so Gu Yan didn’t have to make another trip to the convenience store for more tissues.
Half an hour had nearly passed when Shen Qi stood up first and said to Gu Yan, “Let’s go. Thank you for today.” His earlier breakdown had been put away, and his tone was now polite and distant.
Gu Yan nodded and took the uneaten porridge, packing it together with his own. He threw the leftovers into the trash can by the door.
Shen Qi didn’t let Gu Yan drive him back; he took a taxi at the hospital entrance. Gu Yan didn’t insist, and they politely said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Shen Qi was always very careful when driving. Over the years, he had never even run a red light, and the few fines he had received were merely for parking violations. So when the car crashed into him today, he was completely stunned, unable to believe he had been in a rear-end collision.
But more than that, he couldn’t believe it was such a coincidence that he ran into Gu Yan.
From the accident scene to the hospital and then home, he felt as if everything was unreal, lost in a haze.
His thoughts were chaotic, alternating between the violent jolt and instant blackout when the car hit him, and the terrifying emergency braking and sharp turns Gu Yan had made years ago on a mountain road during a race.
Memories and reality intertwined, and he felt as though he was floating in the air, viewing both Gu Yan and himself in two different times and spaces from a third-person perspective.
This disorientation only eased a little after he took a hot shower. The doctor had advised him not to bathe or shower for too long that night, but Shen Qi couldn’t help it.
He stayed in the shower for a long time and only realized afterward that he had several missed calls from his mother.
Shen Qi returned the call, and it connected quickly. His mother didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly:
“Xiao Qi, do you have any money over there?”
Shen Qi dried his hair with a towel, carefully avoiding his injuries. “Mom, it’s not even the end of the month yet.”
The company paid salaries at the end of each month, and Shen Qi would transfer a living allowance to his parents on that day.
“I know. I’m asking how much you have in total. Your dad and I want to buy a new house.”
After the series of shocks tonight, Shen Qi felt that his mild concussion might have worsened, making him hear his mother’s seemingly absurd request. How could he afford to buy them a new house when he was still renting his own place?
His mother might have also realized her request was abrupt, and she continued:
“Your distant cousin came by today. Remember, she bought a house last year, and last month she bought another one. Your cousin came over, pretending to bring us some fruit, but she was actually here to brag.”
His distant cousin was just an ordinary office worker who married a KTV manager and had a child a few years ago, but got divorced last year.
But she was very capable, buying one house after another, and she boasted endlessly in front of relatives and friends about how capable her daughter was and how many houses they owned.
His mother had been humiliated by that, and although she pretended to praise his cousin, she would always come to Shen Qi to complain. Shen Qi had heard it so many times over the years that he was almost used to it.
But never before had she been so direct about wanting to buy a house. It was clear she was very shaken this time.
“Your dad and I thought we should give you some face too. We can’t let people look down on you. What’s the big deal about buying a house? We can buy one too.”
His mother spoke about buying a house as if it were as simple as going to the local market to buy cabbage, but Shen Qi could only smile wryly at the phone. He wasn’t as capable as his cousin, so let them look down on him. He certainly couldn’t come up with that much money.
“I don’t have that much money.”
His mother sounded a bit dissatisfied. “Isn’t your job at the toy company well-paid? If necessary, we can sell our current place and buy a bigger one.”
Shen Qi wanted to say it wasn’t that simple. He had mostly spent money from Gu Yan for his living expenses, and although he had saved up some money, it wasn’t enough to buy a house.
Moreover, he was currently renting, and the rent, utilities, and other expenses all added up. His savings seemed to be draining away. High salaries in big cities came with equally high living costs.
“Mom, let them say what they want. I don’t care. I really can’t come up with that much money.”
Shen Qi felt dizzy, unsure if it was from the hot shower or the aftermath of the accident. Either way, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with his mother’s requests.
There was no point in discussing buying a house; it wouldn’t change the fact that he couldn’t afford it.
His mother seemed to sense his reluctance and ended the call reluctantly, saying, “We’re doing this for you. Alright, you should rest. Your dad and I are going for a walk.”
Author’s note:
Don’t worry, Xiao Gu won’t soften easily. Whenever you think he might, remember the storyline. Pursuit till the end～