The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 68

In the following days, Shen Jixue noticed that Chen Xian was deliberately avoiding him. This avoidance was subtle, but every time they were alone and he tried to kiss him, Chen Xian would unobtrusively dodge.

Once or twice could be shyness, but repeated occurrences were rejection. Previously, Chen Xian never rejected him. What had changed to make Chen Xian’s attitude shift so noticeably?

One evening after dinner, Shen Jixue quietly listened to Chen Xian clean up the dishes. Lin Qiao had been taken out to eat by her parents, leaving only him and Chen Xian in the ward.

“Chen Xian?” Shen Jixue’s hand gradually moved from the edge of the table to Chen Xian’s arm, fearing Chen Xian would struggle, he held tightly. “Are you avoiding me?”

Chen Xian froze at the question. Was he really that bad at hiding his feelings? Even someone blind could tell. “No.”

Shen Jixue wasn’t so easily fooled. He pressed on, “No? You clearly are. If you weren’t, why would you avoid my kisses?”

Chen Xian’s mind buzzed. He hadn’t expected Shen Jixue to ask so directly and frankly, as if kissing him was natural and avoiding him was unacceptable.

“I…” Chen Xian almost bit his tongue. “You… kissing me… it’s just… not right…”

Shen Jixue pressed further, “Not right? If you thought it was wrong, why didn’t you reject me from the start?”

Shen Jixue’s pointed question left Chen Xian defenseless. He stammered for a long time before coming up with a feeble excuse.

“Xiao Shen… you’re too young… and I’m a man… When your eyes heal… you’ll have better choices…”

A surge of anger rushed from Shen Jixue’s chest to his head. He tightly gripped Chen Xian’s wrist, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He had said he didn’t want to hear these grandiose excuses; they were just Chen Xian’s pretexts.

How infuriating. How could Chen Xian be so infuriating? Always claiming to act in his best interest but never expressing his true feelings.

“You…”

A familiar female voice interrupted Shen Jixue’s anger. It was Lin Qiao and her father at the door.

“Now you can rest assured. Stay positive; mindset is everything.”

Lin Qiao’s father, seeing both Chen Xian and Shen Jixue, couldn’t help but share his joy. “Everyone’s here. We just met Lin Qiao’s doctor, and he told her to relax. The chances of a successful surgery are high, which can finally put this girl at ease.”

Lin Qiao stuck out her tongue at her father, feeling much lighter, and ran to the bedside. About to speak, she noticed something was off with Shen Jixue and Chen Xian, especially Shen Jixue, whose arm was overly tense, fingers white from gripping too hard.

“You guys…” her gaze flicked between them.

Chen Xian, uncomfortable under her scrutiny and wanting to end the conversation with Shen Jixue, seized the opportunity to press Shen Jixue’s hand. “I’m glad it’s nothing serious. I’ll leave now.”

Seeing Shen Jixue still reluctant to let go, Chen Xian lowered his voice, “Xiao Shen, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

With others present, Shen Jixue couldn’t hold on to Chen Xian. He released him and slumped onto the bed, feeling drained. He wanted to remind Chen Xian that he would remove the bandages tomorrow.

But he was angry. If Chen Xian didn’t care, why should he remind him?

Chen Xian practically fled the hospital. Knowing Shen Jixue couldn’t chase him, he still walked far, drenched in sweat and out of breath.

He wasn’t sure if he had just cleared things up with Shen Jixue or answered his question. Shen Jixue was smart enough to understand his intentions, even if he spoke in riddles.

Chen Xian comforted himself while slowing down his pace, surrounded by the roaring sounds of passing cars. He hadn’t heard someone calling him from behind until a heavy pat on his shoulder startled him.

“Hey!”

The voice, so close, made Chen Xian jump. Turning around, he saw Wu Bie, panting and scowling at him.

“I’ve been calling you for ages. Are you pretending to be deaf? The more I call, the faster you walk,” Wu Bie said, annoyed.

Seeing Chen Xian’s bewildered and frightened expression, Wu Bie continued, “What guilty conscience are you hiding? Just one call and you’re this scared?”

For a moment, Chen Xian felt his heart stop when he recognized Wu Bie, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

“No…”

Wu Bie noticed the thermos in Chen Xian’s hand and asked sarcastically, “Are you delivering food to Shen Jixue again?”

At the mention of Shen Jixue’s name, Chen Xian’s expression turned strange and awkward.

“Are you on something? Why are you so shocked at the mention of Shen Jixue? What scandalous business are you up to with him?” Wu Bie, straightforward as ever, remarked at Chen Xian’s overly dramatic reaction.

“No! Nothing!” Chen Xian nervously denied, his voice betraying his anxiety.

Their conversation hurried along, and Wu Bie didn’t bother with Chen Xian’s exaggerated responses. “If you’re free tomorrow, come with me to Zhang ge’s place.”

“What time?”

“Eight or nine in the morning. It won’t take long. After that, you can still deliver food to Shen Jixue,” Wu Bie said disdainfully, not holding Chen Xian in high regard.

Shen Jixue again. Just hearing his name seemed to trigger something odd in Chen Xian. He hurriedly nodded as Wu Bie continued talking, both unaware that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Once they entered the dormitory courtyard, Shen Jun finally emerged from behind a tree.

Earlier, when Chen Xian had said Shen Jixue had gone home, Shen Jun had made a special trip to his hometown but found no trace of Shen Jixue. He then checked the massage parlor where Shen Jixue had worked, but he was nowhere to be found there either.

When he finally came to his senses, he realized he had been tricked. How could he accept this? He couldn’t bear being tricked, nor could he give up on the compensation.

He had deliberately returned, squatting at Chen Xian’s door for several days. He hadn’t seen Shen Jixue at all. He had followed Chen Xian several times and noticed he frequented the hospital. Although it was inconvenient for him to go directly to the hospital, now he had caught his chance. Tomorrow morning, he would go to the hospital first to see if Shen Jixue was there. If he was, Shen Jun would take advantage of Chen Xian’s absence to make Shen Jixue disappear. Shen Jixue was blind; Shen Jun was confident he could handle him.

Early the next morning, after Shen Jixue’s routine examination, it was time to remove the gauze. The doctor gave him a list of precautions, but Chen Xian hadn’t shown up yet, causing Lin Qiao to whisper, “Isn’t Chen Xian coming? Didn’t you tell him you were getting the gauze removed today?”

Shen Jixue was taken aback. If even Lin Qiao remembered, how could Chen Xian forget? Chen Xian had a very good memory; he clearly just didn’t want to come.

The doctor paused, clearly asking if he should wait for a family member. Shen Jixue made up his mind. “Just me. Let’s do it.”

Lin Qiao shrugged. Were they fighting?

Without Chen Xian’s company, Shen Jixue felt miserable. He even felt a bit despondent. However, as the doctor gently removed the long-covered gauze, his turbulent heart calmed at this moment.

The gauze was gently removed, and the irritating feeling gradually subsided. In its place was an inexplicable excitement.

His eyes were covered in a layer of mist, and the blurry light floated before him. As the final layer of gauze was removed, the haze disappeared completely, replaced by clear, bright light.

Subconsciously, Shen Jixue raised his arm. His eyes stung from the light, and tears couldn’t help but flow. After a long time, his blurred vision gradually cleared, and everything around him became real.

He looked at the strangers beside the bed one by one, each one familiar and yet unfamiliar. His gaze finally landed on a girl with a bright smile. Before he could speak, she exclaimed, “Shen Jixue! Do you see me? I’m Lin Qiao!”

Shen Jixue certainly recognized her. Even if he hadn’t seen Lin Qiao’s appearance, there was a strange familiarity. He was infected by Lin Qiao’s smile, and his mouth curved into a smile. “Hmm.”

“How is it?” Lin Qiao waved her hand in front of his eyes. “Can you see clearly?”

Shen Jixue nodded desperately. At this moment, he could see every detail clearly, all those things he was about to forget appeared so real before his eyes.

But… Shen Jixue’s heart sank as he looked around. He didn’t see the person he most wanted to see.

“Shen Jixue, come for the examination first,” the doctor interrupted.

….

Shen Jun was afraid of being deceived again, so this time he was much more cautious. Before going to the hospital, he deliberately went to the dormitory building of the shipping company. He hid in a corner and waited until Chen Xian and Wu Bie hurried out of the door before he dared to come out.

“He’s really gone.”

“Huh? Aren’t you…?”

Shen Jun turned around at the sound of the voice and saw a middle-aged woman in her fifties coming down from upstairs with a basket of vegetables. He felt that the other party looked familiar but couldn’t remember where he had seen her.

Aunt Wang walked up to Shen Jun, looked him up and down, and said, “Are you Shen Jixue’s uncle? Didn’t I tell you that Shen Jixue has left? Why are you here again?”

Suddenly, Shen Jun remembered that this was Chen Xian’s neighbor. He tightened his coat, pretended Aunt Wang had mistaken the person, and walked out, “You’ve mistaken the person… I just came to the wrong place.”

Aunt Wang watched Shen Jun’s retreating figure and muttered, “It’s definitely him, I’m not mistaken!”