The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 81

 Extra 3- The Gays!

“What?” Shen Jixue looked at Chen Xian in shock, not understanding what Chen Xian meant.

Chen Xian sighed inwardly, knowing Shen Jixue would react this way. He pulled his wrist and sat him down on the bed, patiently explaining further.

“The domestic market isn’t good now, so they’re planning to run ocean ships. Wu Bie and I definitely have to go check it out first.”

Shen Jixue bit his lip, his cheeks tight with tension. When Chen Xian used to run ships domestically, he would be gone for months. Now running ocean ships would mean being away even longer.

“With these resources and connections, we are aiming for long-term development. It might take a year or two. Once everything is settled, I’ll settle down in an office and stay home, commuting with you every day.”

Despite Chen Xian’s seemingly laid back demeanor, he was actually quite restless. Those partners who invested were already in management positions, issuing orders from their offices, but Chen Xian and Wu Bie still preferred to stay on the ship. Although it meant a higher salary, it was insignificant compared to the dividends.

Chen Xian resented being confined. He was used to life on the ship, and retiring early to sit in an office was more challenging for him than hard labor.

The wind on the river was free, and Chen Xian was like a quietly flying bird. He seemed calm but was actually restless.

But…

Before Shen Jixue could speak, his eyes reddened.

Chen Xian’s heart sank, and he quickly pulled him into his arms. “Why are you getting teary over a few words at your age?”

Usually, Shen Jixue was quite composed when talking to neighbors and colleagues, but with Chen Xian, he easily got emotional.

“You already… only come back every few months… If you go out to sea… will we not see each other all year?” Shen Jixue choked, trying hard to suppress his sobs. He wanted to talk calmly with Chen Xian, but he couldn’t control his emotions and handle the situation smoothly.

Chen Xian patted his back to calm him down and comforted him, “It will be at most two years. Actually, there are experienced colleagues on the ship, so it might not even take two years.”

“If they… are experienced, why don’t you let them go instead?”

Chen Xian’s hands paused. He held Shen Jixue’s arms, “I have a selfish reason. I’ve been sailing for so long, always domestically. Occasionally, I dream of sailing abroad.”

It was different from traveling for leisure; this was his career, his job, and his passion.

From the moment Shen Jixue was with Chen Xian, he knew they were destined to spend more time apart than together. But when it came to facing the reality, he needed a lot of time to convince himself.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll leave? Like Jiang Ying did.”

Chen Xian’s grip on Shen Jixue’s arm tightened subconsciously, “I’m afraid, that’s why I’m discussing it with you.”

“This isn’t a discussion; you’re informing me of a decision you’ve already made.” Shen Jixue looked at Chen Xian with tears in his eyes, “If I don’t want you to go, will you agree not to go?”

Chen Xian’s gaze was gentle, without a hint of hesitation, “Yes.”

Shen Jixue’s nose twitched, and tears welled up. Chen Xian wouldn’t lie to him. If he asked him not to go, he wouldn’t. But that was Chen Xian’s dream, and it would turn into a lifelong regret because of him.

“Ah Xue… don’t cry. I won’t go.”

Chen Xian clumsily wiped Shen Jixue’s tears, but Shen Jixue frowned and avoided his hand.

“You… you know I like you, and I can’t live without you… so you do whatever you want… you think I’ll always be here waiting for you…”

Chen Xian was startled, “I never thought that.”

He always felt indebted to Shen Jixue. He was dull and uninteresting, not knowing how to respond to Shen Jixue’s passion. Being liked by Shen Jixue was his luck.

“What if… what if I change my mind? What if I like someone else? Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you worried? Are you that confident?”

“If you meet someone better… and that person treats you well, and you like him, I won’t make things difficult for you if you like him…” Chen Xian suddenly felt insecure. Being liked by Shen Jixue was his luck. His love was always about fulfilling Shen Jixue’s needs, including the possibility of him changing his mind.

Shen Jixue suddenly pushed Chen Xian away, “If you can let me go so easily, you don’t care about me at all!”

Chen Xian looked steadily at Shen Jixue until his tears fell on the back of his hand, “Ah Xue, you’re mistaken. I’m not as confident as you think. If you were determined to leave, keeping you would only make you suffer. I can’t guarantee anything else, but I can promise I won’t change my heart.”

Chen Xian really couldn’t understand why someone could change their feelings so easily, why they could take back the emotions they had given so effortlessly.

He sighed inwardly. He shouldn’t have brought this up to Shen Jixue, knowing it would upset him. Holding Shen Jixue’s hand, he said, “Alright, stop crying. This isn’t settled yet. Actually, I don’t really…”

“You want to go.”

Shen Jixue bluntly interrupted Chen Xian’s half-hearted denial. He knew this was what Chen Xian wanted. He loved Chen Xian and the freedom Chen Xian embodied. He wanted to support him and didn’t want to be an obstacle on his path to his dreams.

“I promised you, you can go wherever you want, and I’ll always wait for you.” Shen Jixue threw himself on Chen Xian’s shoulder, crying bitterly, “Do you… think I’m useless… having no dreams, just waiting for you…”

Chen Xian felt very guilty. His dream required Shen Jixue to make sacrifices, to accommodate him. “I think I’m the one who’s useless, making you accommodate me.”

“But… you took care of me a lot at the beginning.” Shen Jixue didn’t feel like he was accommodating Chen Xian. He wanted to take care of him, always remembering how good Chen Xian was, but he always felt like he wasn’t doing enough.

Chen Xian was ashamed, “What kind of care was that? It was just because it was inconvenient when you couldn’t see.”

“You might not think it was care, but to me, it was.” Shen Jixue felt he could never repay him, never clear the debt he owed Chen Xian.

Chen Xian gently rubbed the back of Shen Jixue’s head, “You have dreams. You wanted to get into college, and you did. Your eyes recovered, you found a job, and you want a stable life. Dreams aren’t measured by their height or grandeur.”

“I achieved everything else, but what about this last thing?” Shen Jixue stood up and looked down into Chen Xian’s eyes, “At most two years, promise me.”

Tears were about to fall into Chen Xian’s eyes. He held Shen Jixue’s back, “At most two years, I promise you. And if you’re home, there’s a task I have for you.”

Shen Jixue blinked, a tear falling on Chen Xian’s nose, “What?”

“Let’s buy an apartment, one with an elevator. You’ll oversee the renovation. Get one close to Wu Bie so we can take care of each other in the future.” Chen Xian wiped the tear from his nose, “We can’t get married, but we can be on the same household register, and the house will be in your name.”

Chen Xian knew a marriage certificate couldn’t guarantee anything, but without one, there wasn’t even legal protection. He wanted to give Shen Jixue some security.

“Then if I get mad, I’ll kick you out of my house.” Shen Jixue pouted.

Chen Xian went along with him, “Alright, if you get mad, you can kick me out.”

The more Chen Xian accommodated him, the more Shen Jixue couldn’t bear it, “I guess I have a reason to hate ships. I hate them because they always take you away from me.”

Chen Xian felt a pang of sorrow, “I’ll be back, and besides, a ship can’t stay on the water forever; it has to dock eventually.”

Shen Jixue persisted, “What if… what if someone else falls for you? A woman shows interest in you, even if you don’t reciprocate, what if she’s persistent…”

He didn’t believe that someone like Chen Xian wouldn’t attract attention. There would always be people who, like him, saw Chen Xian’s virtues. If he wasn’t by Chen Xian’s side and it was a passionate, outgoing foreign woman…

“I’ll tell her I’m married,” Chen Xian answered firmly and gently. To him, being on the same household register as Shen Jixue was equivalent to being married. He would remain faithful to the marriage. He kissed Shen Jixue’s hand, “I love you.”

The warmth on the back of his hand had not yet dissipated. Shen Jixue expected Chen Xian to come up with many self-deprecating excuses again. Hearing him answer so frankly, he felt this was enough. He sat on Chen Xian’s lap, as if pleading, “Kiss me.”

Since they weren’t leaving right away, Chen Xian’s heart softened at these words. He leaned in and kissed Shen Jixue.

Shen Jixue grabbed Chen Xian’s hand and put it into his pants, “Touch me.”

It was daytime. Chen Xian glanced at the slightly open door. The iron door was closed, and the wooden door seemed to be closed too. It was noon, quiet, with probably no one around.

Shen Jixue acted spoiled, and Chen Xian enjoyed it. Soon they were rolling onto the bed.

…

There was news of a new real estate development about to go on sale. Wu Bie planned to call Chen Xian and Shen Jixue to queue up at the sales office. Houses were hard to buy nowadays and had to be snatched up quickly.

Wu Bie carried a bottle of sports drink and walked to Chen Xian’s house. The iron door was locked, but the wooden door inside was open. He habitually reached in to unlock the iron door and pushed it open. There was no one in the living room.

“Where is everyone?”

Just then, there were rustling sounds from the bedroom. Without much thought, Wu Bie walked directly to the bedroom, which had a gap in the door.

Instinct made him stop pushing the door once he heard the sounds inside, but his wicked curiosity forced him to peek through the gap. Just one glance, and his mind went blank. He saw Chen Xian shirtless on the bed.

He had long known that Chen Xian and Shen Jixue were in that kind of relationship, and naturally, they would do such things. He also knew that Chen Xian, the disgrace of the shipping company, was the bottom. He only saw Chen Xian, but his imagination filled in the rest… Seeing it in reality still shocked him immensely.

He quickly withdrew his hand, silently screamed, and ran out of Chen Xian’s house.

“What was that sound?”

Shen Jixue covered Chen Xian’s mouth with his hand, listening carefully to the outside. The house was silent, except for their pounding hearts.

“I’ll go check.” Chen Xian got up, holding onto the edge of the bed, and pushed open the bedroom door. The living room was empty, the iron door was locked, and the wooden door was open.

Shen Jixue followed, grabbing a piece of clothing to drape over Chen Xian’s shoulders.

“Must be the wind.”

Chen Xian was about to close the door when Shen Jixue pushed him back into the room and shut the door himself, then returned.

“We’re not finished yet.” he said, pressing down on Chen Xian.

….

Wu Bie leaned against his own door, heartbroken. The scene just now left a bigger shadow on him than the first time he watched porn. His heart was bleeding.

His good brother, why did it turn out this way…

Author’s note:

Here’s a little extra

To give Wu Bie, this straight man, a small shock for casually entering other people’s houses!

This is the last extra chapter.