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Chapter 112: In the beginning, you who is unaware and I, a naïve youth.
In the evening, Sister-in-law Fang Qin had to leave. But Huo Yuxiang was unwilling to go, his eyes glued to the bucket, staring unblinkingly. Hearing that others were going to have a picnic by the sea, asking him to leave now was like taking his life.
Fang Qin had no choice but to leave her son behind: “Don’t play too wildly, let your uncle bring you back early.”
Jiang Cai also squatted by the bucket, her eyebrows dancing with excitement, looking at the Buddha’s hand, mussels, prawns, and blue mussels inside. These were found in the crevices of large rocks, a significant victory.
As the sun set, Chen Wengang asked her to get the pot from the trunk, and they set up a fire by the sea.
Water was poured into the pot, with a bit of scallion added, then cooking wine, sugar, and salt. As the pot boiled, the fresh aroma of the clear soup became irresistible.
Huo Yuxiang was covered in mud, with mud spots all over his face. Chen Wengang caught him and wiped him down with a handkerchief moistened with mineral water.
Jiang Cai sat on a portable small stool, sniffing around the pot, when she heard Huo Niansheng ask: “Has no one looked for you recently?”
She was startled and instinctively sat up straight: “I guess so? Does Huo Jingsheng speaking ill of you to me count?”
Jiang Cai turned her head, and Huo Niansheng was also sitting on a small stool. The stool was too small for him, his long legs spread to the sides, elbows resting on his knees, chin in hand, smiling faintly: “What do you think?”
She didn’t know what to say, anyway, both of them were step brothers, neither looked like a good person. But relatively speaking, Huo Jingsheng seemed more cowardly. Occasionally, when they met before, he hinted to Jiang Cai that Huo Niansheng would not give her a penny in the future.
Jiang Cai reported truthfully: “He said you treated him that way.”
Huo Niansheng smiled slightly: “Don’t worry, I won’t treat you like that.”
When it was completely dark, the driver took Jiang Cai and Huo Yuxiang back.
Another car stopped by the roadside, and Huo Niansheng threw the pots and bowls that needed to be washed back into the trunk.
Chen Wengang stood behind him, looking up. The winter Milky Way was not as bright as in the summer, leaving a dim tail. The stars hung overhead, seeming to be frozen in the chilly weather, emitting a clear, faint light.
Huo Niansheng grabbed his hand: “Are you cold?”
Chen Wengang lowered his head and rubbed his knuckles: “It’s okay, what about you?”
His fingertips were icy cold, and Huo Niansheng’s palm was several degrees warmer: “You’re comparing with me? You’re afraid of the cold and yet you wear so little.”
In the afternoon, for convenience, they had taken off their outerwear and left it in the car. Chen Wengang pulled his hand back and grabbed the coat from the front seat. Huo Niansheng put his arms into the sleeves, then extended an arm to wrap him inside as well. Chen Wengang felt his body warmth and breath, as well as the night wind being blocked outside.
This position was just right, at an intimate and cozy distance. If he tilted his head up, he could reach Huo Niansheng’s lips.
Huo Niansheng unconsciously lowered his head slightly, and Chen Wengang placed his hand on his chest. They kissed under the gaze of the stars and the sea, lips and teeth meeting, yet their bodies did not cross any further boundaries, like young boys experiencing the stirrings of love for the first time, filled with longing and tentative steps into the beginning of romance.
After a long time, Chen Wengang spoke, but what he said was, “I want to see a psychologist.”
Huo Niansheng maintained the position of wrapping him with his coat: “Sure.”
Chen Wengang thought for a moment: “I just don’t know if it will help.”
Huo Niansheng patiently waited for him to open up.
Chen Wengang pressed against his chest, his thoughts resolute: “There are many things I may never be able to confide in others. And then, I thought… if there’s still one person in this world I can confide in, it’s only you.”
Huo Niansheng said happily: “Alright. Then tell me.”
Chen Wengang, in his embrace: “I’ll tell you, but I haven’t figured out how to say it yet. Give me some time to prepare, okay?”
Huo Niansheng didn’t ask why: “You go see a specialist first. If the specialist can’t solve it, remember I’m still here.”
Chen Wengang nodded with his eyes downcast.
On the way back, he drove. Chen Wengang was very quiet throughout the drive, silently gripping the steering wheel.
It seemed like he had finally let go of some knots in his heart, but he didn’t relax because of it. Instead, another nerve was pulled taut, with various voices whispering in his head. The part of Chen Wengang’s personality that just wanted to escape started to act up again. However, the fact was, by intuition, he probably realized that for someone he saw day and night, Huo Niansheng might have already noticed those awkward and abnormal aspects about him.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made some probing gestures or asked some tentative questions.
Occasionally, Chen Wengang felt the impulse to confess everything. Carrying a secret alone was a heavy burden. He just couldn’t make up his mind, after all, once said, there would be no turning back. Would he talk about past pains, estrangements, suspicions, illnesses, separations by death… How much did Huo Niansheng already know, what would he think, and how would he view those things once he knew?
People can talk about physical pain, but how do you explain mental exhaustion?
Where did those wasted years go?
In the silent atmosphere of the car, Huo Niansheng turned on the car radio, his expression still relaxed. Chen Wengang turned on the signal light, and a knowledgeable female voice on the music channel announced: “Next, we will bring our listeners a collection of classic hits…”
Her voice faded, and the music’s prelude began—
In the beginning, you who is unaware and I, a naïve youth
Our connection in this world, arise because of life’s silent & hurried standstill
Perhaps it’s the fault of this human realm, or maybe the karma of previous lives
The sacrifice of a lifetime in exchange for our crossing of time
Coming is easy, leaving difficult – caught up in the wheel of life
Partings come easily, meetings difficult – thousand years of love and misunderstandings
The heart that should originally belong to you, it continues to grab tightly at my chest
For such is the unpredictability of human emotions after the changing faces of many lives
…
Chen Wengang set his deadline for Christmas.
Coincidentally, if you count his previous life, that day was also his death anniversary. In any case, from Christmas to New Year, there would be a continuous holiday. By then, he would undoubtedly spend it with Huo Niansheng. With the festive atmosphere, it would seem easier to talk about certain things.
Xiao Gao beside him brought him back to reality: “Chen-ge? Chen-ge?”
“What’s the matter?”
“This document needs your signature as acting chairman. Please check if there are any issues.”
Chen Wengang glanced through it, made a few marks with his pen on the paper: “Done.”
Outside, three or four colleagues passed by the doorway discussing: “We agreed that this year we must go on vacation to the Maldives…”
Xiao Gao turned and asked Chen Wengang: “Where are you and President Huo planning to go? At least take a trip to Europe, or maybe a vacation on a small island?”
His eyes were envious. Chen Wengang frowned, tapped the table, and admonished him: “First, do your own work well. In the workplace, it’s not a bad thing to inquire less about others’ private matters and to have more boundaries.”
Xiao Gao retreated sullenly.
There were less than two months until the end of the year, and the streets were already starting to show signs of festivity.
Chen Wengang packed up and left work, seeing the red and green colors appearing in store windows and on people’s clothing. He passed through the bustling streets and headed straight to the children’s hospital.
The hospital was even more crowded than the streets, a different kind of bustle.
When the weather is cold, it is a high season for respiratory diseases. Recently, the flu has been rampant, and many children at the welfare home have been coughing and running fevers one after another. Even many staff and volunteers have caught it.
Director Liu has been so busy that he has had to personally take care of the children. Since Chen Wengang has a car, he frequently helps by transporting the children to and from the hospital.
Many orphans have underlying health conditions, and their physical health is generally poor. When they get sick, it can easily turn into pneumonia. Therefore, he is particularly worried about Diandian and Tongtong, especially since heart disease cannot withstand a cold. Fortunately, these two children are currently fine.
While waiting in line to get medicine, Chen Wengang, wearing a mask, checked the news on his phone.
There have been some major events in society over the past two months.
Wang Qiming, who organized the yacht party, was probably still indulging in his vices when his two uncles were taken away from their posts for investigation. This was followed by a series of actions, with recent news focusing heavily on the Wang family. The situation in official circles changes rapidly, but it’s not entirely unpredictable. Since the authorities had started investigating the Wang family, they had undoubtedly already formed an investigation team and gathered substantial evidence.
Wang Qiming’s shady dealings on the high seas provided ready-made evidence, implicating him in indirectly accepting bribes through gambling activities.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. With the Wang family in trouble, those who had received their protection were undoubtedly also implicated.
As the end of the year approached, the Huo Group held a shareholders’ meeting. Chen Wengang attended, quietly casting his vote and listening intently. Many people were whispering about Second Uncle Huo. His gray market activities were an open secret. If he had foresight or was quick to react to rumors, he should have shut them down quietly. But honestly, whether it was too late now was uncertain.
By mid-December, Chen Wengang felt inexplicably restless after returning from a meeting with his advisor at school.
Huo Niansheng had gone on a business trip to Southeast Asia and hadn’t contacted him all afternoon.
Even if he had to take a flight or was resting, Huo Niansheng would not go several hours without replying to his messages.
If it weren’t for passing the graduate school interview and needing to stay behind for the school’s review, Chen Wengang would have chosen to go with him. But they were, after all, two independent adults, and couldn’t be together 24/7.
Now, Chen Wengang was a bit annoyed. He would rather give up everything than let something happen to Huo Niansheng.
Chen Wengang called him. After confirming that no one was really answering, he stopped dialing blindly and instead contacted Lawyer Zhu, Yu Shanding, Amanda, and other subordinates of Huo Niansheng that he knew.
Lawyer Zhu comforted him on the phone: “Don’t worry. Being out of touch for an afternoon doesn’t really count as missing.”
Chen Wengang said: “Since he didn’t inform you in advance, it must be an unexpected situation.”
Lawyer Zhu could hear his voice but couldn’t see his expression, so he couldn’t accurately judge his emotions. In fact, Chen Wengang sounded quite calm. The truth was, the more uneasy he felt, the calmer his mind became.
Panic was useless.
He hung up the phone and directly called Huo Zhenfei: “What exactly is going on?”
Huo Zhenfei seemed to be extremely busy on the other end, with subordinates constantly approaching him to talk. He answered Chen Wengang in a distracted manner. Chen Wengang was very patient, waiting all the while. Finally, Huo Zhenfei sighed: “Alright, just come to my office directly.”
Chen Wengang hurried to Huo Corporation’s building.
He entered the elevator and, before pressing the button for the top floor, turned to press the button for the 19th floor first.
Chen Wengang went to the General Manager’s office with a file bag, which he casually placed on the table. Huo Zhenfei didn’t pay attention to what he was carrying.
As for the trouble, it had indeed come knocking. Huo Zhenfei rubbed his face: “It’s exactly what we feared most. The nightclubs that Second Uncle invested in have a lot of shady dealings. We had hoped to handle it quietly, but he was too greedy. With the Wang family being investigated so suddenly, there’s no way we won’t be implicated now. As you can see, I’ve spent the whole afternoon communicating with the PR team. Even if we have to accept scrutiny, Huo Corporation will, but this news absolutely cannot break out widely. It has to land softly.”
“He used your family’s foundation to launder money,” Chen Wengang said. “Shouldn’t you be implicated?”
“…” Huo Zhenfei didn’t speak, just looked at him.
“I’m not really an ignorant young person. Since he’s involved in drugs and p*ostitution, the money must have a channel to be laundered,” Chen Wengang said. “Rather than being subject to high commissions from underground banks outside, it’s obviously more convenient and quick to use your own channels. The Huo Foundation runs projects like plain water, yet the accounts are numerous and complicated. Do you expect me to believe there’s no problem?”
Author’s note:
The lyrics “In the beginning, you who is unaware…” are quoted from “Rolling Red Dust.”
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