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Chapter 107: Wouldn’t someone living here alone feel lonely?
A bright black sports car drove onto the mountain road. The vegetation was lush, emitting various plant scents, and slate-colored clouds filled the sky. Underneath, there were also mountains and forests, with colors like ink paintings. Chen Wengang, through his sunglasses, observed this world coated in black.
Huo Niansheng pressed on the gas pedal. The sports car couldn’t unleash its performance in the bustling city; it belonged in the outskirts. The speed brought forth a swift wind, blowing against their faces.
Unconsciously, Chen Wengang took off his sunglasses, resting his arm on the open car window, with the glasses’ leg between his lips.
Huo Niansheng sought a topic for small talk: “It’s been a while since I last went to see…” He glanced at Chen Wengang, “…Wengang?”
Chen Wengang remained silent, his profile reflected in Huo Niansheng’s peripheral vision. He lightly nibbled on the end of the glasses’ leg, displaying a subconscious anxiety, before suddenly reacting, “What did you just say?”
Huo Niansheng chuckled, “Although this place is remote, there are actually quite a few people living around. There’s a horse ranch nearby, as well as a reservoir. Camping and fishing are both possible. And the road we’re on now, at night, a group of street racers always show up.”
Chen Wengang nodded, “They’re definitely attracted to the lack of traffic police here.”
The allure of excitement is irresistible to young people. Throughout the year, this mountain road is a paradise for motorcycle enthusiasts. The drivers are mostly youngsters, like wild creatures hiding during the day and emerging at midnight.
The modified engines roar loudly, and the car stereos blast at full volume, playing death metal music. People shout and scream, sometimes even intruding into private property. Chen Wengang occasionally wakes up to distant noises in the middle of the night.
Excitement aside, danger is inevitable. One year, Chen Wengang heard about a car accident outside. It was a street racer who tripped over a protruding tree root, sending both him and his car flying. When he was found, his head was flattened. He had his girlfriend in the car, who miraculously survived. In this dull place, the housekeepers talked about it for days.
The villa halfway up the mountain wasn’t just an independent building; it came with a spacious courtyard outside, resembling a small estate.
After passing through a loose wire fence with a sign that read “Private Residence, No Entry,” it took another ten minutes to reach the villa’s entrance. A low stone wall enclosed the courtyard, adorned with ivy climbing over it, remaining green all year round.
Chen Wengang got out of the car at the entrance.
This place was where he had been imprisoned for several years in his past life.
He subtly eyed Huo Niansheng’s back, seemingly oblivious, parked the car in the courtyard, and walked inside after closing the gate.
At the entrance, there stood a group of angels in the fountain pool. Huo Niansheng glanced inside, as if checking the maintenance status.
The water in the pool was clear and odorless, indicating it had been changed regularly. However, the fountain was turned off, as there was no one to admire it in the absence of the owner, saving on electricity costs. The entire estate was devoid of any signs of life, like an uninhabited realm hidden in the wilderness.
Chen Wengang also looked around, but before he could retract his gaze, he accidentally bumped into Huo Niansheng’s back.
Huo Niansheng waited for him on the steps, turning back to hold his hand. “Why aren’t you watching where you’re going?”
“I…just saw a squirrel, it ran into the window.”
“Wasn’t it a rat?”
“It had a big tail, definitely a squirrel. Since no one lives here, the little thing might consider the house its territory.”
Huo Niansheng smirked, pulling him inside. “Let’s go see if it’s still there. If it is, we’ll catch it.”
The squirrel was very clever; upon hearing the commotion, it darted away, leaving behind a trail impossible to catch up to.
The villa halfway up the mountain was actually managed by a few staff members: a security guard, a gardener, and a housekeeper. They were responsible for maintaining the basic condition of the house, and that’s about it. If the owner intended to move in officially, relying solely on these few individuals wouldn’t suffice.
The housekeeper had received a phone call in advance and was waiting to greet the employer.
Chen Wengang shook hands with him, knowing that maintaining such a large house incurred considerable costs in terms of manpower and maintenance. Even for smaller properties like the one Zheng Bingyi gave him, it still required five or six staff members to manage. That was one of the reasons he had to sell it. Either let it sit and depreciate or keep a house full of servants—neither lifestyle suited him.
The interior was tiled with diamond-patterned tiles, and the lofty living room soared three stories high, making one feel insignificant standing in the middle.
As the sun set, nearing evening, the air was filled with a peaceful and subdued atmosphere.
Dinner was prepared by the housekeeper, who was skilled in the culinary arts and doubled as the chef here. It was said that the dining needs of the three employees were all taken care of by him. However, this middle-aged man specialized in Western cuisine: charcoal-grilled spare ribs, red wine braised beef brisket, and squid ink pasta with seafood gratin.
It was already quite satisfactory. Chen Wengang jokingly said he was wasting his talent, suggesting he could be a chef elsewhere instead of being stuck here looking after the house.
The housekeeper modestly replied with a smile, “I just like to experiment with various international recipes and cooking techniques during my free time when work isn’t busy. I’m far from being a professional chef.”
But he didn’t dine at the same table as the homeowner; instead, he went upstairs to the back with the security guard and the gardener, the two old pals, to eat together.
When Chen Wengang turned back, only he and Huo Niansheng were left in the dining room.
This meal felt a bit dull.
Whether it was due to their mood or for some other reason, there was always an inexplicable barrier between them.
In their daily lives, whether they ate at the apartment or at the old house, they were very intimate together. However, here, the sparse conversation felt inadequate to fill the vast space.
Moreover, Chen Wengang felt an additional layer of unease in his heart; he couldn’t figure out Huo Niansheng’s reason for bringing him here.
This trip was completely inexplicable, and there wasn’t anything worth visiting until they arrived at the study. One of the bookshelves was sliding, revealing the door of a safe.
Huo Niansheng didn’t hesitate to show Chen Wengang what was inside after entering the password.
The most eye-catching items were the stacked gold bars and gold nuggets, not light in weight, shining brilliantly.
But besides these precious metals, there were also many paper documents, securely locked in the safe, each undoubtedly important.
Chen Wengang tightly pressed his lips together, feeling like his throat was stuffed with cotton, unable to speak for a moment.
Huo Niansheng wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. “I just felt like it’s time for you to see some things. If… ” He nudged his head. “If anything were to happen to me one day and you needed any documents, you’d know where to find them.”
Chen Wengang closed his eyes. “I don’t know.”
Huo Niansheng tried to reason with him. “There are unforeseen events in life, not that accidents are guaranteed to happen, but it’s about being prepared for them.”
Chen Wengang gritted his teeth. “I never thought about anything so ominous. Should I also make a will when we get back, worrying in advance about what will happen after I die?”
Huo Niansheng calmly looked at him. “You can.”
Chen Wengang took a deep breath, his chest heaving heavily.
Huo Niansheng observed his reaction. “It’s a good habit to make a will early; everyone should have that awareness.”
He still had his arm around Chen Wengang while taking out the document bag with his other hand. “Whether you accept it or not, I’m seven years older than you. There might come a day when I’ll be the one to go first, and then you’ll have to know what to do on your own.”
Chen Wengang couldn’t bear it anymore. “I know what to do when that time comes.”
Huo Niansheng fell silent, staring at him sternly without saying a word.
Chen Wengang threw the document bag to the ground and said word for word, “You don’t need to worry. When the time comes, I’ll go die.”
He didn’t want to lose his temper at Huo Niansheng, but his head was pounding, his mind buzzing.
He could only use overwhelming anger to cover up the fear deep in his heart. It was as if only by uttering harsh words could he stop the other from saying another word.
So this outburst of anger erupted inexplicably, utterly unreasonable. For anyone with assets, dealing with inheritance issues early on was the wise choice.
Chen Wengang didn’t dare to look at Huo Niansheng’s expression again, realizing his loss of control only made him feel more frustrated.
He left the study and stood in the corridor for a moment, feeling pitifully alone. In fact, he was familiar with every layout and structure here. Seeing the living room beside him, he turned the doorknob and slowly walked in.
The living room had a home theater system, but Chen Wengang had no interest in selecting anything. However, he needed a bit of noise, so he reached out and turned on the TV.
After a while, someone pushed the door. He curled up on the carpet, tears streaming down his cheeks, flowing into his ears and hair.
Huo Niansheng approached gently, bending down to look at him. “Why are you crying?”
Chen Wengang remained motionless.
Huo Niansheng sighed, reaching out to embrace him. He rolled over, his chest silently heaving, wetting the shirt on Huo Niansheng’s abdomen.
Huo Niansheng didn’t mention what had just happened or Chen Wengang’s inexplicable reaction. Instead, he sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa with Chen Wengang, watching the big screen on the wall together.
The movie channel was showing a very old classic film, set in the 1920s, telling a poignant love story between a French girl and a wealthy Chinese young man in Saigon, Vietnam.
The impoverished French girl was approached by the son of a Chinese tycoon. The young man fell in love with the white girl, and she, wanting to try her luck with a rich man, was chauffeured around in a black car and taken to his mansion, where they lived a life of luxury together.
They had secret meetings, intimacy, and baths. The young man loved her and wanted to marry her, but she never admitted to loving a foreigner. The young man’s wish was cut off by his father, and under parental pressure, he married a woman of equal status whom he didn’t love. She boarded a ferry bound for France. Perhaps, standing at the bow of the ship, the girl no longer had the confidence that she had never loved this lover deeply.
The pier was deserted, and the twilight swallowed her up.
Close to midnight, the roar of motorcycles again echoed into the bedroom.
It shouldn’t have been heard, but due to the disrepair of the wire fence, some street racers thought that since no one lived here, they could vandalize some areas and boldly integrate the interior of the estate into their paths.
Chen Wengang got up and put on his clothes.
He walked around the first floor. There was also a small liquor cabinet in the living room, but it was locked. More wine was stored in the cellar, and no matter where, the keys should be with the housekeeper. He could only sit dryly in the living room for a while.
When he returned to the bedroom, Huo Niansheng woke up. “Where did you go?”
Chen Wengang lay down with his back to him. “It’s nothing.”
Huo Niansheng grabbed his shoulder. “Is there something you can’t tell me?”
Chen Wengang’s heart felt sour and soft. He sat up, his hand on Huo Niansheng’s face, his thumb stroking his temple, cheek, and lips.
Chen Wengang lowered his head, gently parting his lips. Huo Niansheng groaned and held him tightly, quickly taking control.
In the darkness, clothes were scattered on the floor, and low, hoarse voices sounded like both torture and pleasure.
In the morning, as if nothing had happened the day before, Chen Wengang said he didn’t know what to do, and Huo Niansheng took him fishing at the reservoir.
Having come all this way, they spent the day nearby, chatting with the fishermen they had just met, going to one of their homes for lunch, scaling and gutting the fish, and then braising their catch for lunch. In the afternoon, they went horseback riding at the nearby equestrian center.
Returning to the villa in the evening, the pool shimmered with waves. Chen Wengang changed his clothes and sat by the poolside.
He watched Huo Niansheng swimming in the darkness, the water splashing white, shimmering under the illuminated lights. When Huo Niansheng reached the other side and returned, swimming to his side, trying to emerge from the water, Chen Wengang reached out and pulled him, but Huo Niansheng seized the opportunity to push him down onto the ground.
He suddenly asked, “What do you think of this place?”
Chen Wengang propped himself up on his chest. “What do you mean?”
Huo Niansheng looked deeply at him. “Wouldn’t someone living here alone feel lonely?”
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