Decayed Vulgarian chapter 62
Wavering
On the other side, taking his mother to the hospital and back, Shen Xun finally relaxed.
After the doctor’s examination, it turned out his mom had just eaten something bad. The doctor prescribed some oral medication and advised her to be careful with her diet in the future.
Shen Xun noted down the instructions in his phone and sent them to her phone. On the way back, he finally had the mind to look at the photos and videos sent by Meng Yuan Cen, replying briefly to a few messages.
Meng Yuan Cen, seeing Shen Xun finally responding, asked about his mother’s condition. Shen Xun honestly answered, saying it was a false alarm.
The conversation went round and round, returning to their usual life’s trivial matters. Photos and videos from Meng Yuan Cen kept coming.
Shen Xun adjusted the phone screen, zooming in on the resplendent palaces in the photos. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret. He thought that perhaps the next time he takes annual leave, he might have the opportunity to make up for this regret.
But even with annual leave, there’s still the possibility of being called back to work by the leaders. Each time he traveled, there was great uncertainty. He always had to rely on luck.
For the entire morning, it seemed as though Shen’s father was invisible. When Shen Xun sent his mom to the hospital, his father didn’t go along. Now, upon seeing her return, he casually asked about the doctor’s results and added, “I said you were making a mountain out of a molehill.”
That comment didn’t sit well. Shen Xun was about to retort but only let out a heavy sigh.
Repeatedly scolding himself, he realized that an argument would affect his mother’s mood and disturb the home’s atmosphere. Besides, Shen Taian always had this attitude, incapable of changing his ways, making no sense arguing with him.
Even though Mrs. Shen had only eaten something bad, her discomfort was evident from her expression. So, Shen Xun took on the task of cooking under her guidance. He managed to prepare a few delicious dishes, feeling a sense of accomplishment and having a clear mind.
Except for three occasions when Shen Taian started scolding him because the food was delayed, there was even a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. When Shen Xun returned home after taking Mrs. Shen to the hospital, it was already 1:30. He had started cooking late and his pace was slow.
Unable to hold back, Shen Xun coldly said without looking back, “If you think it’s slow, then don’t eat.”
After the dishes were cooked, Shen Xun took a few photos and sent them to Meng Yuan Cen with the words “I cooked today.”
The reply came: “So impressive/Drooling.”
Shen Xun covered his mouth, suppressing a laugh. Suddenly, his mom’s voice reached his ears, “Who are you chatting with? You even sent her photos of the food you cooked?”
He felt a little guilty and reluctantly restrained his smile. He vaguely replied, “Just a friend.”
Mrs. Shen responded with an acknowledging sound, but there was a hint of shrewdness in her expression.
Because lunch was delayed, dinner was postponed by an hour.
Outside, it was dark, but the room was well lit. After dinner, Shen’s father left, leaving Shen Xun and Mrs. Shen alone at the table. However, for once, the conversation was about normal everyday topics, but unexpectedly, marriage was not mentioned. It made Shen Xun feel as if he had narrowly escaped a crisis.
At 9 PM, it was time for Mrs. Shen to sleep. Before she left, she specifically reminded Shen Xun, “Don’t rush back early tomorrow. At least have lunch before leaving.”
Shen Xun found it puzzling, “Mom, don’t worry, I won’t get up early.”
The light in Mrs. Shen’s room went out, making the Shen household much quieter.
At this hour, Shen Xun was usually full of energy. After freshening up, he got into bed and didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy. Shen Xun decided to bother Meng Yuan Cen; he assumed he hadn’t slept yet.
Indeed, ever since the two started dating, Shen Xun hadn’t learned Meng Yuan Cen’s healthy schedule. Instead, he had successfully turned Meng Yuan Cen into a night owl.
Whispering through the phone under the covers, Shen Xun listened to Meng Yuan Cen’s flirtatious late-night talk. It felt like they were cheating on someone with the way they talked, despite being thousands of miles apart.
“Now, you have to do as I say, got it?”
“Mm.”
“Kneel on the bed, undo your shirt button by button, both hands running along the edge of the collar, fingers squeezing the raised area, pressing, rubbing… Imagine it’s me touching you.”
Shen Xun couldn’t fathom that although they were thousands of miles apart and could only hear each other’s voices through a voice call, Meng Yuan Cen still managed to successfully seduce him.
The next morning, as Shen Xun had said, he was sound asleep early. Unfortunately, before the sun was high, Mrs. Shen woke him up, saying they were expecting guests.
Shen Xun, yawning, got dressed. “Who is it?”
“It’s your father’s friend, Uncle Chen. He’s helped your father a lot in the past.”
Shen Xun racked his brain for a long time but couldn’t recall this person. He had no memory of him.
Around 10 AM, the mysterious Uncle Chen finally appeared. However, he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by a girl, Chen Si Ran, with short and neat hair.
Uncle Chen and Shen Taian engaged in conversation, leaving Chen Si Ran alone in the spacious living room.
Shen Xun actively served tea and water, bringing dried fruits and preserves. While coming out, he encountered his mom, who took hold of his arm and whispered, “Make sure to take good care of our guests.”
Thinking back to her unusual reminder the night before, Shen Xun had an epiphany. Frowning, he asked, “Mom, tell me the truth, is this another matchmaking setup?”
Mrs. Shen avoided the question. “Uncle Chen and your father are indeed old friends from many years ago. They’re just having a meal to catch up. Chen Si Ran is our guest, so, of course, we should take good care of her.”
So, she indirectly confirmed it, arranging a blind date without his consent again?
Annoyed.
Pushed to sit in the living room, Shen Xun found himself facing Chen Si Ran. Fortunately, she was also quiet, sitting there shelling pistachios. She occasionally glanced at her phone, and since no one was watching TV, it had turned into background music.
Shen Xun quite liked this situation, far more comfortable than engaging in awkward conversation.
Suddenly, his phone beeped with messages from Meng Yuan Cen.
Pretending to move aside to pour some water, Shen Xun bent down to type. However, before he could send a message, he was caught in the act by his mother.
“Chatting, huh?” She patted Shen Xun’s head. “Leaving your guests hanging in the living room, isn’t that rude?”
Under his mother’s gaze, Shen Xun obediently returned to sit in front of the girl, forced to initiate a rather unusual topic. He noticed that the plate of pistachios had significantly decreased. “Let me get some more pistachios.”
Chen Si Ran nodded and thanked him.
As Shen Xun moved to get the pistachios, he realized his mother was still at the door. He sighed, “Mom, if you keep watching me, the food in the pot might burn.”
With a smile, his mother scolded him lightly and finally turned back to the kitchen. “I should say, I’m better at cooking than you.”
Cracking each pistachio into the plastic plate, Chen Si Ran picked them up, removed the shells, and quietly chewed. Suddenly, Uncle Chen appeared in the living room. Chen Si Ran lifted her head, initiating the first conversation with Shen Xun, “What do you do?”
Shen Xun didn’t evade the question. “I’m a forensic scientist.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Si Ran hesitated. “I’m in the funeral business.”
Shen Xun was surprised. The funeral business was familiar to him; he had been to the funeral parlor many times before. “Funeral directors work really hard.”
Chen Si Ran sighed, expressing, “Forensic scientists work hard too.”
After this, she felt a kind of bond between them due to their professions. They talked briefly about people’s misunderstandings about forensic scientists and funeral directors, social prejudices, and stereotypes. In a few words, they communicated their bitter sentiments without explicitly stating them.
When Uncle Chen left the living room, she fell silent again, not saying a word.
Observing the empty plate, Shen Xun silently added more pistachios for her.
After a brief pause in conversation, Uncle Chen once again entered their view, and Chen Si Ran put down her phone, initiating a conversation, “Why did you become a forensic scientist?”
“I thought forensic science was cool when I was young.”
“Ah, it’s similar to why I wanted to become a funeral director.”
Shen Xun concurred in a soft tone, “Funeral directors are indeed cool.”
Chen Si Ran nodded, then raised her head, glancing into the next room.
Looking back, she noticed Shen Xun’s slightly puzzled expression. Chen Si Ran sighed, possibly because their similar professions brought them closer. She spoke softly and sincerely, “I’m sorry. I actually already have someone, but I haven’t made it public yet.”
She paused with a touch of guilt, “I’m not planning on getting to know anyone else, However, if I keep silent and just use my phone, my dad will start nagging about everything. He meddles with everything, but my marriage has nothing to do with him—sorry, I got carried away.”
Shen Xun considered and spoke softly, “Actually, I have someone too.”
“Ah?” Chen Si Ran was surprised, then couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s great! When our parents are around, we’ll just pretend to chat for a few minutes. The rest of the time, we’ll mind our own business. She already isn’t happy that I was forced to come here for a blind date. If I keep chatting with you and ignore her messages, she’ll be even more upset.”
Hearing Chen Si Ran’s explanation, Shen Xun suddenly remembered that if Meng Yuan Cen knew about today’s arranged meeting, he probably wouldn’t be happy either. Should he tell him about this situation? Keeping it a secret seemed like causing unnecessary trouble.
The issue was that in the future, his mother would likely arrange more blind dates for him. Not speaking up now might become a potential issue between him and Meng Yuan Cen.
This was becoming more and more of a hassle.
Shen Xun mulled over numerous possible solutions and how to communicate with Meng Yuan Cen without causing further problems. Countless brain cells were exhausted, and a headache started to brew.
Unfortunately, at this point, Liang Yan inconveniently sent a message. Opening it, there were only two words, devoid of any information —
[Are you there?]They were quite familiar, so why the roundabout way of asking? Shen Xun replied: [Speak if you have something to say]
The other end remained silent for a long while. It displayed that the person was typing for a while. After two minutes, a message arrived, but it was just a single line.
[She called me yesterday and said she wants to get back together with me]Even without Liang Yan explicitly naming her, the use of “she” already hinted to Shen Xun who was being referred to.
He replied in disbelief: ?
Liang Yan: Sigh.jpg
Before, Liang Yan and Fang Yun had a few small arguments. Fang Yun’s family was wealthy. Once, their disagreement over spending habits led to a real breakup. Liang Yan was quite sad, and Shen Xun consoled him for a long time.
Unexpectedly, after the breakup, Fang Yun came back to pursue Liang Yan. Liang Yan asked Shen Xun for advice, which Shen Xun sincerely didn’t recommend. However, Liang Yan reconciled with Fang Yun despite his advice.
Shen Xun later realized that when it comes to romantic relationships, one cannot use absolute rationality to judge. In the future, he’d refrain from intervening in matters between couples. After all, he couldn’t help much.
To avoid bringing personal emotions to Liang Yan, Shen Xun took a deep breath. To avoid emotional ambiguities through text, he sent a voice message: “If you want someone to talk to or share your emotions, I’ll listen seriously. But if you want advice, I’m sorry, I might not be able to provide you with anything useful.”
Liang Yan: I know if you give me advice, it won’t be to reconcile. I’m just upset. I feel like I need to consider this thoroughly before deciding. If we break up, it should be a clean break, never to meet again.
The implications in the text were evident, and Shen Xun felt a bit frustrated. “Just with one call, she made you feel this way?”
Liang Yan revised his message, and after sending a rather long passage…
[I’m quite spineless. I can seem indifferent and carefree, but I can’t deceive myself. I know my true feelings. Even though she was the one who suggested breaking up, it was a mutual and peaceful breakup. My memory idealizes her. I have a lovesick brain, or it’s also possible… We were together for eight years, and the emotional investment was too high. So, subconsciously, I don’t want to end up with nothing. Do you understand?]Shen Xun certainly couldn’t understand. He’d never been in love with someone for eight years, so he could only try to empathize. “It means that Fang Yun is your ‘moonlight’.”
[Possibly… yes.]Shen Xun remained silent for a long time. He couldn’t figure out what to say. Liang Yan was just so inflexible in his feelings for Fang Yun. He didn’t know whether to praise him for his depth of emotion or scold him for his stubbornness. “I thought when you started talking to Meng Yuan Ning, you were planning to completely let go of your feelings for your first love. But every word you just said implies a clear tendency towards a particular choice.”
…Is that so?
“Yes, it is.”
The other end remained silent for a long, long time.
[I’m sorry to her]This time, the “her” referred to a different person. Shen Xun finally exhaled a breath, unable to argue with such a fixed mindset. He hadn’t expected Liang Yan’s choice this time to lean toward Fang Yun. “Honestly, your words sound pretty ‘player.'”
Maybe he should have recognized some hints a long time ago — such as that night when Liang Yan went to the bar to drink, or when Liang Yan, after being picked up, kept reminiscing about the past.
From the kitchen, Mrs. Shen’s voice cut through the air, asking him to help with setting the table. It turned out it was already midday. With so much happening at once, the frustration reached its peak at this moment. Shen Xun took a slow breath and switched to the messaging window.
[I have guests at home, and I have things to take care of here, Let’s talk later.]