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Chapter 52: This thought also made Huo Niansheng laugh at himself.
He opened his eyes again, nearly twenty hours later.
Chen Wengang glanced at his phone to confirm the time, finding the room empty.
Huo Niansheng had left at some point.
Half-awake, he stumbled into the bathroom, glancing at the mirror, finally noticing the few scratches on his face.
They were all very light surface wounds, and the doctor said paying attention would leave no lasting marks. It was all thanks to Uncle Lin for saving his life. It was only at this moment that he seemed belatedly aware, and a sense of fear emerged—his fear wasn’t of death but rather of the reluctance to lose the many things he had finally gained.
He remembered a saying, “The greatest joy in the world is to regain what was lost, and the greatest sorrow is to lose what was gained.”
As he stepped out of the bathroom, something struck him. Chen Wengang suddenly looked toward the bedside, where the note from before remained untouched.
Heading downstairs, he heard Zheng Baoqiu answering the phone in the living room, “Okay, okay… I understand.”
Chen Wengang walked down the last staircase and heard her turn around and tell Zheng Maoxun——
“The driver in the accident didn’t make it. He was in the ICU for two days; they say there’s no hope.”
“Oh, so it’s a case of reckless driving. But with the driver gone, what can the police do?”
Chen Wengang bid them a good morning.
Seeing him coming down, the two quickly changed the subject.
In truth, he didn’t care, but Zheng Baoqiu seemed to take it seriously, and even Zheng Maoxun fell silent, avoiding any mention of the accident.
Of course, this kid wasn’t usually like this. Maybe he was being dominated by his younger sister. Chen Wengang couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Pretending not to notice, he accepted their kindness and sat down to have breakfast with them.
The family members of the driver who caused the accident were said to have come from out of town and received some insurance compensation. But having lost the breadwinner, the family was plunged into despair. Uncle Wang handled the aftermath with the traffic police, and Chen Wengang heard about it when he returned.
Uncle Lin returned home after a week in the hospital.
The day he was discharged, he was welcomed home like a hero by his family. Colorful balloons spelling out “welcome” hung in the house, and the younger ones hugged him one by one. Zheng Yucheng walked with him to a corner and said a few words privately. Uncle Lin raised his hand and patted his shoulder comfortingly.
Seeing Chen Wengang, Uncle Lin leaned on his crutch and walked over to him.
Chen Wengang tried to support him, “How do you feel? Are your hands and feet still numb?”
Uncle Lin shrugged him off, “What support? I just need a cane for a while; I’m not some emperor!”
Chen Wengang grinned, and Uncle Lin pointed at his face and said, “Take care of that wound, don’t splash water on it these days, and avoid soy sauce.”
“I know, everyone who sees me these days reminds me. I’m being careful.”
Satisfied, the old man went on to instruct others. He needed to rest for a while; delegating tasks was crucial.
The housekeeper had served in the Zheng family for many years; his position was unquestionable. Zheng Bingyi was in a good mood that day, even agreeing to let Zheng Baoqiu order pizza and party hamburgers, things that usually didn’t meet his standards. Uncle Lin teasingly scolded her, saying he didn’t even know who was celebrating whom.
Taking advantage of the good atmosphere, the whole family joyfully took a photo in front of the living room sofa.
In a few days, the family photo was washed and framed, hanging on the photo wall.
***
In the sweltering heat of summer, life continued as usual.
Chen Wengang occasionally bumped into Qi Tongzhou at the Love Home. He actually signed up as a volunteer through an interview with Director Liu.
Previously, Chen Wengang wanted to clear up some things with him, but the other party seemed to have sensed something and behaved properly, refraining from being overly friendly.
However, Chen Wengang glanced at his friend circle online—Mu Qing’s appearances were increasingly frequent.
They appeared together in many photos, and their schedules seemed highly synchronized, from morning tea shops to bungee jumping spots, high-altitude hot air balloons, beach resorts…
It seemed like Qi Tongzhou had a rich and fulfilling summer.
Li Hongqiong invited Chen Wengang out for dinner to discuss the Old City renovation project.
Their fields were worlds apart; he knew nothing about real estate development. His familiarity was limited to the old city area where he had lived and walked around. There were no large supermarkets nearby, only various street markets offering fresh vegetables, live poultry, and fish, and longstanding eateries exuding a down-to-earth atmosphere. Each faded sign behind these old shops held a tradition. Li Hongqiong was drawn to this sentimentality.
Li Hongqiong was treated, but Chen Wengang chose the venue, taking her to a twenty-year-old restaurant famous for its fried pigeon. Their conversation flowed naturally throughout the meal. As they neared the end, Li Hongqiong wiped her hands, remembering something, and casually asked about Mu Qing.
Chen Wengang teased, “Miss June wants to investigate personally again?”
Li Hongqiong apologized, “My previous actions were inappropriate. I won’t do it again. As for asking about him, there’s another reason. They’re considering a collaboration with an art gallery, and since I have a stake in it, it’s natural to want to understand the potential partner. Of course, I understand if you think I’m gossiping behind your back; you’re probably not that kind of person. I just got carried away. Let’s just forget I asked.”
Busy with various tasks, the summer vacation passed by in the blink of an eye.
On the old street, Lu Chenlong helped Chen Wengang hire a construction team to renovate his family’s old house. Due to severe leakage issues, they finally opted for a major renovation, renting a warehouse to move out the furniture, redoing the plumbing and electrical work, as well as laying new floor tiles.
Chen Wengang couldn’t conveniently commute back and forth every day, so most of the time Lu Chenlong acted as the supervisor on his behalf.
The construction team was not affiliated with a decoration company; they were hired directly by the contractor, relying solely on word-of-mouth recommendations from acquaintances. Lu Chenlong didn’t know where he found them, but they offered high cost-effectiveness. The quality of workmanship was guaranteed, but there was a lack of input from a designer regarding aesthetics.
Huo Niansheng received several photos from Chen Wengang and was asked which floor tiles were suitable.
He chuckled and called back, “You want me to be your consultant?”
Chen Wengang asked, “Would Mr. Huo be willing to help?”
Huo Niansheng told him to arrange a time and drove him to the furniture city to check out the showroom.
“I want to keep it simple,” Chen Wengang said, looking at the website beforehand as they drove. “So, we won’t need custom-made furniture for the entire house. It’s a bit too late to communicate with the construction team from the design stage. We can continue using the old furniture to reduce formaldehyde.”
Huo Niansheng steered the wheel, eyes fixed ahead, “Your call.”
As he said those words, he felt a subtle sensation, as if they were an ordinary couple discussing the future look of their home on the way to the hardware market. Considering the age of Chen Wengang’s family house and their inability to afford a new property, they could only buy a second-hand old house.
This idea might have made Huo Niansheng chuckle inwardly, but in truth, the feeling wasn’t bad at all; perhaps it was intriguing enough.
They spent the whole day visiting five or six flagship furniture stores, exploring both high-end and mainstream brands.
Huo Niansheng showed remarkable patience. Even if they compared prices at three different stores, which essentially meant not buying anything, he didn’t seem too impatient. Sometimes, Chen Wengang glanced back at him, seeing him absent-mindedly standing by the display, not in the same state as other customers who were diligently selecting items. Yet, from time to time, he would pick something up, discussing it with the salesperson, as if he were about to make a purchase at any moment.
Huo Niansheng was indeed considering his own house.
Perhaps in his own property portfolio, there had never been a need to put in so much effort. After all, as long as he expressed his desire, there would naturally be plenty of people to create the desired effect for him. However, when the two of them wandered around, it felt different from simply enjoying the final outcome.
Seeing a glass-shaped wall lamp, a light-colored fabric sofa, or a uniquely patterned mosaic cabinet… inevitably, thoughts arose about where these items would fit in the house, whether they matched the style, and if they would be practical.
Thus, they needed to decide on a style for the house first—whether it would be modern and minimalist, American country style, or if they should paint one wall Bohemian blue.
Or perhaps, whether it would be pleasing and convenient to live in with whoever shared the space with him in the future…
No wonder advertisers say that nowadays they don’t sell products but scenes.
As he turned his head, Chen Wengang was trying out a mattress with an elegant set of bed linens on the double bed. The salesgirl was encouraging him to lie down and try it out. Huo Niansheng, envisioning that scene, just wanted to stack those soft and plump pillows under his waist.
But truth be told, since the last time in the car, Huo Niansheng hasn’t touched him again.
That almost-crying expression lingered in his mind for several days; its power was overwhelming. Afterwards, Huo Niansheng still came to find him, about four or five times. Their dates followed the usual routine—booking a restaurant for dinner, watching newly released movies, attending ballet performances, and listening to concerts.
Or whatever Chen Wengang wanted to do, Huo Niansheng would accompany him, just like today.
Following some unspoken understanding from before, the final destination was always a hotel room. Now, it seemed their pace had changed; they didn’t want to end up in bed every time they met. Even if they found it hard to part before saying goodbye, Huo Niansheng never took the final step.
Chen Wengang didn’t raise any objections to this.
He didn’t even find it strange.
The longer they spent together, the more apparent his detachment from worldly matters and his equanimity became—whether there was a physical relationship or not, it didn’t matter to him. It seemed like everything revolved around Huo Niansheng. Yet, in the end, it was still Huo Niansheng who held the reins.
Huo Niansheng thought that even if someone bowed down before Chen Wengang, he would probably just smile and say, “Is that so?”
This thought also made Huo Niansheng laugh at himself.
A small accident occurred at the end of their itinerary that day.
The salesgirl assumed they were a couple looking to buy a property together, “We have a promotion for this latex mattress. If you two decide to place an order today, we’ll give you a pair of ornaments. They’re exquisitely crafted; look at these little clothes, all hand-sewn…”
Chen Wengang took the pair she mentioned, one groom in a suit and one bride in a wedding dress. The clothes could be removed, and when laid down, their eyes would close—a toy children liked to play with. She said, “Actually, this ornament alone is not cheap. It’s only available as a gift today…”
Suddenly, Huo Niansheng said, “You take a look first.” Then he left abruptly.
Chen Wengang waited for two minutes, realizing something, and returned the ornaments.
He made his way to the safety passage, but it was empty inside. Stumbling in the stairwell, there was a person with red forhead, with broken skin, and a suspiciously sharp corner protruded from the red fire extinguisher box above.
Huo Niansheng was squatting beside him, browsing through his phone.
Chen Wengang pushed the door open and then closed it quietly as he returned to Huo Niansheng’s side.
Huo Niansheng gave a faint smile, “What are you doing here?” He stood up, opened the photo album, selected all folders, deleted them, and then emptied the recycle bin. Only then did he throw the phone back to the paparazzo and ask, “Where’s your camera?”
The paparazzo kept saying, “I don’t have more.” Under his stern gaze, he finally pulled out a compact camera. He was hesitant one moment and defiant the next, calling this an infringement of personal rights and property damage.
But he remained lying down, unsure if he fell from the stairs or was afraid of getting beaten if he stood up.
Huo Niansheng took out the SD card, was about to break it, thought better of it, and just stuffed it into his pocket with a sneer. He then threw the camera back at him. The camera collided with the phone, and the paparazzo yelped, feigned toughness, and accused them of violating freedom of speech.
Chen Wengang watched silently.
Huo Niansheng pushed the door open, gesturing for him to leave first, “Alright, let’s go.”
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