The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 55
Looking at the tightly closed door, Chen Xian didn’t completely understand what had happened. He thought everything would be fine once Jiang Ying left. He didn’t know why Shen Jixue was so angry.
He wanted to comfort Shen Jixue, but Shen Jixue ruthlessly pushed away his hand. “You…”
“Why are you always like this!” Shen Jixue sternly questioned, “You’ve already been taken advantage of by her once. Haven’t you learned your lesson?”
Chen Xian felt embarrassed by Shen Jixue’s questioning. He suddenly realized that Shen Jixue didn’t want him to lose face in front of others, which was why he had driven Wu Bie out as well.
For some reason, he felt a pang of guilt and spoke with less confidence, “I know, but it’s just a train ticket…”
Chen Xian thought he was being cautious. If Jiang Ying was telling the truth, then a train ticket wasn’t a big deal.
But Shen Jixue didn’t buy his explanation. He argued back, “You keep saying you know, but you don’t know at all. You shouldn’t even buy a train ticket. You should feel glad, even gloat.”
Chen Xian might think he was selfish, and Shen Jixue admitted it. He was selfish. He had seen the coldness of people, and one should be selfish. If others were not good to him, he wouldn’t repay them with kindness.
“I really hate it when you act like this!” Shen Jixue shouted, his chest heaving with emotions. He both loved and hated Chen Xian’s kindness.
Without Chen Xian’s kindness, he wouldn’t be here now. If it weren’t for Chen Xian’s extraordinary compassion, he wouldn’t have the chance to stand in this home again.
But… not everyone was as kind as Chen Xian. If you helped them, they might not be grateful. They might even resent it.
Chen Xian being kind to him was enough. Why did he have to care about others? Shen Jixue was selfish. Perhaps because Jiang Ying was Chen Xian’s ex-wife, his possessiveness was stronger. Despite having no status, no standing, and no right to be angry, he couldn’t help but get angry at Chen Xian.
“Can’t you just ignore others? I’m selfish. I want you to be kind only to me!”
Although Chen Xian didn’t belong to him, Shen Jixue shamelessly wanted to monopolize all of Chen Xian’s kindness.
“You always say I don’t understand, that I’m still young. But I know what I want better than anyone. I like you. You can ignore me, you can hate me, but you can’t deny my feelings. Not even you, Chen Xian. I just like you.”
Chen Xian was at a loss. Was this a confession? He had never heard such a passionate declaration of love in his life.
“You…”
He just wanted to touch Shen Jixue, but Shen Jixue struggled violently. He pressed on, “What are you trying to do? Do you want Jiang Ying to come back? Is this your way of driving me away?”
Chen Xian was taken aback. He never had such intentions. He was just worried Shen Jixue might overthink, so he even avoided speaking harshly. Yet, Shen Jixue was still so sensitive.
“I didn’t, I never thought that.”
Chen Xian felt a bit flustered. Though he hadn’t done anything wrong, Shen Jixue’s repeated questioning made him feel a false sense of guilt towards him.
Shen Jixue acted as if he couldn’t hear Chen Xian’s words. “If you dislike me this much, I’ll leave. I just don’t want you to be deceived.”
“What are you talking about?” Ignoring Shen Jixue’s struggles, Chen Xian pulled him close, glanced at the injury on his foot, sighed, and made him sit by the bed. “I told you, it’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?” Shen Jixue demanded.
“Huh?” Chen Xian couldn’t keep up with Shen Jixue’s pace. Just a moment ago, he looked pitiful, but now he was so forceful while questioning him, like… like a wife checking on her husband. “Since I divorced her, I never thought about getting back together.”
This was a matter of principle.
“Of course, you wouldn’t remarry her.” Shen Jixue seemed still angry. “She’s not stupid. She knows you well and only mentioned the child to gain your sympathy. You’d definitely be soft-hearted towards the child.”
Chen Xian felt choked, unable to refute.
“I just don’t want you to be deceived, Chen Xian.”
Knowing that Shen Jixue was genuinely concerned for him, Chen Xian couldn’t bear to speak harshly. He softened his voice, “A train ticket is just a few hundred bucks.”
“You don’t have any money right now.”
Shen Jixue might have misunderstood. Though he had invested most of his money in the ship, he had kept some for living expenses, so it wasn’t as dire as Shen Jixue thought.
“It’s not that bad. I still have some money.”
He chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood, but it backfired. Shen Jixue’s expression remained serious.
“This amount might not mean much to you, but to me, it’s a big deal. Thinking about having no money makes me upset. If my family had money, my dad wouldn’t have had to find work and wouldn’t have been hit by a car.”
Chen Xian’s smile froze. Even if Shen Jixue couldn’t see it, he didn’t want to appear flippant. Shen Jixue had a trauma, making him particularly sensitive.
“Sorry, I won’t help again.”
Shen Jixue knew Chen Xian was trying to appease him. “It’s harder for you not to help than to climb a mountain.”
That’s just how Chen Xian was. Shen Jixue liked him for this, and besides, Chen Xian hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t need to apologize.
“Why are you apologizing?”
So aggressive. Chen Xian sighed inwardly. Shen Jixue was hard to appease. “I see you’re upset. Shouldn’t I apologize?”
“Do you care if I’m upset? Do you apologize just because I’m upset? What about me liking you? You pretend not to see it and avoid me. You are nice to those who deceive you and so tolerant, yet so cruel to me?”
Was he avoiding Shen Jixue? Okay, maybe he was, but not for the reasons Shen Jixue thought. It wasn’t out of malice; it was because he couldn’t handle Shen Jixue’s relentless pursuit.
“You still haven’t answered my question.” Shen Jixue seemed disappointed. “I said I like you.”
Chen Xian had never faced such a tricky situation. Even with Jiang Ying, there hadn’t been such blunt and honest conversations.
How should he answer? The options were to accept or reject. But he couldn’t agree with Shen Jixue, and he feared Shen Jixue would leave if he refused.
Chen Xian couldn’t believe he was being forced into a corner by a boy ten years younger. His mouth was dry, and he swallowed hard.
“I understand.”