The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 59

When Shen Jixue mentioned his father, the atmosphere immediately tensed. Chen Xian moved closer to him, speaking earnestly, “Xiao Shen, what are you really thinking? What do you really want to do?”

Initially, he thought Shen Jixue was determined to go back with his uncle. But now, judging by Shen Jixue’s attitude towards his uncle, it was clearly not the case. Although Shen Jixue was right under his nose every day, Chen Xian couldn’t figure him out.

“I never said I wanted to leave. I just wanted Shen Jun to come over.”

Chen Xian looked at Shen Jixue’s innocent face, which was so misleading. Indeed, he had never said he wanted to leave.

“I want to know what Shen Jun is up to. He’s so secretive. If he wants to come and get me so badly, let him. Someone like him wouldn’t offer to take me back unless there was something in it for him. I didn’t expect it to be news about my father’s case.”

“I didn’t expect he wouldn’t even spare the last bit of my father’s possessions. To him, it’s an unexpected windfall. To me, it’s my father’s life. He even covets my father’s life.”

As he spoke, his expression briefly turned fierce and sinister, making Chen Xian think he was seeing things. Quickly, Shen Jixue exhaled, his expression returning to normal, looking as pitiful as ever.

“He’s only after money. I’m just making him chase after it. It’s the only way to mess with him. Unlike my dad, he won’t lose his life.”

“Shen Jixue!” Chen Xian shouted sternly. He grabbed Shen Jixue’s shoulders and turned him around. “Don’t get stuck on this.”

Shen Jixue pouted, facing Chen Xian. “Are you afraid I’ll go down the wrong path and kill him?”

Who wouldn’t be afraid?

Shen Jixue had experienced a huge family upheaval, and now he was blind. He must feel unbalanced and resentful, and if he fixated on this, it would be easy to go astray.

“I’m not that foolish. He’s not worth it.”

Shen Jixue had just asked Chen Xian what the driver who caused the accident looked like. If the driver looked malicious and wicked, he could hate him for a lifetime. But he was just an ordinary person. When his father was out looking for work, he was as worn out as the driver. The accident was just an unfortunate incident.

If it were before, Shen Jixue might have been consumed by his resentment, blaming everything on that driver and Shen Jun. But now, he wanted to follow his plan: to cure his eyes, return to school, find a job, and live well, as a way to honor his parents’ lives.

Hearing him say this, Chen Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

He had worried all night for nothing.

Shen Jixue raised his arm and broke free from Chen Xian’s grip. “Because besides wanting to mess with my uncle, I also wanted to scare you.”

As he spoke, he became aggrieved. “I said scare, but I can’t really threaten you. Does it matter if I leave or stay?”

Chen Xian was at a loss for words. After a moment, he found a lame excuse. “I was just worried you’d be deceived. Your uncle…”

“I thought you couldn’t bear to let me go. Turns out, as long as you find someone reliable, you’re perfectly fine with me leaving.” Shen Jixue was a bit disappointed. How could he have any leverage to threaten or scare Chen Xian? He was just betting on Chen Xian’s feelings for him, a bet Chen Xian wouldn’t lose.

Chen Xian hurriedly explained, “I didn’t mean that… I wanted you to stay, but you were so determined…”

“I wouldn’t trust someone who deceived me once, except you. You asked me what I was thinking, didn’t you? Shen Jun is detestable, and so are you.”

Chen Xian was rendered speechless. He was used to being the nice guy and had never been called detestable before. He couldn’t even think of a retort.

“I…”

“You said you understood, but what do you mean by understanding?”

Shen Jixue didn’t fully face Chen Xian, and their eyes didn’t meet. Even so, Chen Xian felt defeated.

Since he didn’t answer, Shen Jixue answered for him.

“You understand, meaning you neither reject nor accept. Me liking you is my business. It has nothing to do with you, right?”

It seemed right, yet also not right.

“Doesn’t that make you detestable? You see me liking you, but you’re not responsible at all. It’s all my fault.”

Chen Xian was bewildered by Shen Jixue’s flawless logic. He didn’t mean it that way, but the way Shen Jixue put it made it sound different, as if he really was being unreasonable.

“See, you bully me because I can’t see. As long as you’re silent, I can’t do anything about it. I can’t hear your voice, see your expression, or know what you’re thinking.”

“Forget it. If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.” Shen Jixue took a step back. After all, he liked Chen Xian, not the other way around.

For some reason, Chen Xian felt from Shen Jixue’s tone that he was a bit disappointed. He didn’t dare look into Shen Jixue’s eyes and clumsily changed the topic.

“What do you plan to do about your uncle?”

Since Shen Jixue had said to forget it, he didn’t plan to continue making things difficult for Chen Xian. “When he arrives, it’ll probably be dark. He won’t find me in the hospital or a public phone on the mountain. Even if he finds a phone, it’ll be too late. When he comes back to find me, who knows how late it’ll be? I’m not treating my eyes in that hospital anyway.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow. If you can have surgery, we’ll arrange for hospitalization.”

“He might come back here.”

Chen Xian patted Shen Jixue’s shoulder to reassure him. “That’s fine. You’ll be in the hospital, and he won’t find anyone here. Let’s see what he does.”

“But what if he causes trouble for you?”

Chen Xian sighed. He might be a pushover, but he didn’t think his image in Shen Jixue’s eyes was so weak that he couldn’t handle Shen Jun.

“I might not be as tall as you, but I’m smart enough not to be bullied.”

As it grew dark, Chen Xian’s landline rang again. It was an unfamiliar number. Shen Jixue asked Chen Xian to put it on speaker. Shen Jun’s angry voice came through.

“Shen Jixue, where are you? I’ve searched the hospital up and down, and the nurse said there’s no one by your name. You never even came!”

Shen Jixue lowered his voice. “Uncle, there are too many patients there, no beds. Chen Xian took me back.”

“What… nonsense! They said you never came. Are you trying to fool me?” Shen Jun was indeed anxious, his attitude much worse than before.

Shen Jixue spoke calmly. “The hospital sees so many patients a day. It’s normal if they don’t remember me since I wasn’t admitted.”

“You…” Shen Jun couldn’t argue with that. He couldn’t see Shen Jixue or the money, making him uneasy. He lowered his voice and asked, “Is Chen Xian beside you?”

Shen Jixue mimicked his tone, speaking softly, “No, he went out with a friend.”

“Does he know about the money?”

“He doesn’t. Didn’t you tell me not to mention it?”

Finally, something was going smoothly. Shen Jun took a deep breath. “It’s fine if you’re not admitted. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to the hospital myself. Let’s not trouble Chen Xian.”

Shen Jixue agreed readily. After hanging up the phone, he turned to help Chen Xian pack up.

The toiletries were all ready at home. Chen Xian also packed Shen Jixue’s change of clothes into a bag, checking everything thoroughly.

“That’s about it. It’s just these things. Since it’s close to home, if we forget anything, I can come back to get it,” Chen Xian said, patting away nonexistent dust from his hands. He felt a bit awkward; once they finished packing, it would be time for bed. Their relationship was now at a stage where it was awkward to sleep apart but even more awkward to sleep together. They had to go through this every night, making it even more difficult to talk about.

“Then I’ll head over.”

“Okay.”

Chen Xian felt uncomfortable with Shen Jixue’s indifferent attitude. He stood there for a moment, confirming that Shen Jixue had nothing more to say before returning to the next room.

It wasn’t particularly late; the night market downstairs was still bustling, and the noise from people drinking was loud and clear. Chen Xian lay on the bed, unable to sleep. He kept thinking about Shen Jixue, his pitiful expressions and the questions he had asked.

Suddenly, a slight creak interrupted his thoughts. There seemed to be some movement in the living room. Just as he was about to get up, he heard the sound of the door lock turning. The door was gently pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in.

Shen… Shen Jixue.

Chen Xian propped himself up on his elbow, intending to sit up, but for some reason, he lay back down. In the darkness, he turned his back to Shen Jixue, unable to see clearly and only able to listen, his heart itching with curiosity.

Shen Jixue felt the edge of the bed, then without a word, climbed up and lay down slowly.

The guest room was smaller than the master bedroom, with a single bed. Shen Jixue lay on his side at the edge of the bed and hugged Chen Xian from behind.

Chen Xian was as stiff as a rock, regretting his decision to pretend to be asleep. Now, he was stuck in a dilemma.

Shen Jixue’s hand slid under his armpit and finally rested on his chest. Leaning against Chen Xian’s shoulder, Shen Jixue suddenly said, “I know you’re not asleep.”

Chen Xian’s breath caught. There was no point in pretending anymore. He moved inward to make space for Shen Jixue, who took the opportunity to hold him tighter.

“I’m going to the hospital tomorrow, and I won’t be back for a while.”

Chen Xian’s heart was pounding. He tried to distract himself by moving Shen Jixue’s hand to his abdomen, as if that would hide his racing heartbeat.

Just as he was beginning to relax, he felt something soft against the back of his neck—a light kiss from Shen Jixue.