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Chapter 6: I know the kid Uncle adopted.
Zheng Baoqiu blinked, still not quite understanding, but she seemed to treat it as a strange tacit understanding among men, so she didn’t blame Chen Wengang for taking matters into his hands. The clerk handed over a long rectangular box tied with a dark ribbon, and Chen Wengang helped her hold it.
This task was considered finished, but when Zheng Baoqiu went out shopping, she basically didn’t follow the theme of immediately going home.
There’s an old saying, “Since it came, let it come all the way.” This perfectly suited her mentality in any shopping place.
Then she dragged Chen Wengang to measure almost half of the mall with her feet.
Zheng Baoqiu held up a piece of clothing and said, “Help me decide, is it this denim lace jacket or the one with satin and embroidery that we just saw?”
Chen Wengang carefully examined them for a while and said they both looked good, just in different styles.
Zheng Baoqiu felt his opinion was completely useless, so in the end, she decided to get both.
Chen Wengang played the role of a bag carrier and followed Zheng Baoqiu as they walked and stopped. Not a single shop window with lights could escape her discerning eyes. The driver escaped unscathed because he was guarding the dog at the pet center; no wonder her two brothers didn’t want to accompany her.
Chen Wengang didn’t mind spending time with her while shopping.
When he first came to Zheng’s house, Zheng Baoqiu was still a first-grade little girl who plucked the small butterfly on her dress and gave it to him to play with. Since then, Chen Wengang has regarded her as a little sister. Over the years, he has always had a kind of indulgence toward Zheng Baoqiu.
For Zheng Baoqiu, with a bunch of older brothers at home, only he was the one she could talk to about anything.
Zheng Yucheng was not bad to her, but his relationship with her mother and second brother was subtle, and it was not suitable for deep conversation. Zheng Maoxun was a clueless straight male, and talking to him about personal matters would only be infuriating.
Only Chen Wengang was reserved and steady, and all secrets placed with him were safe.
As for Mu Qing… well, forget about Mu Qing. He was often the target of Zheng Baoqiu’s complaints.
In fact, Zheng Baoqiu disliked this cousin, who was only a year older than her, but she only talked about it privately with Chen Wengang, feeling that he was excessively scheming, always using her to convey messages since childhood. Once a grudge was formed, she became even more critical of him, and everything he did was wrong.
The two gossip behind others while shopping, mainly Zheng Baoqiu talking and Chen Wengang keeping it secret for her.
As she spoke, she once again brought up the disliked person. Whenever she mentioned Mu Qing, Zheng Baoqiu complained about him, recounting how he insisted on picking the same style of new items as Chen Wengang every quarter. She claimed that if he accidentally clashed outfits, he would sarcastically mock and taunt others.
Chen Wengang thought for a long time but couldn’t remember these trivial matters.
In terms of this, he actually had no complaints. Every quarter, many luxury brands would send new catalogs to SVIP customers for priority selection. To be fair, the Zheng family had never intentionally treated him unfairly in terms of clothing, food, shelter, or transportation. If it weren’t for Zheng Bingyi paying the bills, let alone wearing the same outfit, he wouldn’t even have the chance to encounter these luxury brands. Being meticulous about such matters was really pointless.
When they passed a men’s clothing store, Zheng Baoqiu insisted on dragging Chen Wengang in.
On a whim, she said she wanted to pick two special outfits for him that absolutely wouldn’t clash with others. However, the style of this brand looked like someone had spilled a palette of colors, and Chen Wengang handed the fluorescent hoodie back to the clerk—it was just too much to wear for him.
Finally, he found what might be the only basic white shirt in the store and asked, “Is this okay?”
Zheng Baoqiu shook her head like a tambourine: “No, no, of course not. It’s too ordinary.”
Chen Wengang was close to asking for mercy, “What exactly do you want? Do you want to dress me up like a Christmas tree?”
Zheng Baoqiu’s dark, grape-like eyes scanned back and forth, freezing on another auspicious dragon and phoenix silk shirt.
She urged Chen Wengang to try on that grandiose yet elegant designer masterpiece, “If you’re going to try one, try that one!”
Chen Wengang couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, while Zheng Baoqiu teased him, playfully suggesting that the purpose of handsome guys was to serve as clothes hangers.
Meanwhile, two or three other customers in the store had turned their heads to watch the scene, and a nearby female store clerk suppressed a smile:
“Sir, your skin is fair; just give it a try. It’s okay even if you don’t buy it.”
In the end, Chen Wengang reached out his hand.
Zheng Baoqiu smiled with joy.
Before he could take the clothes from Zheng Baoqiu’s hand, someone handed him another cloth hanger: “How about trying this black one?”
He saw the appearance of the person clearly—tall and straight, almost the same height as a model, dressed in brown plaid hunting attire, black hair combed backward, peach blossom eyes with a hint of mockery—the textbook image of a playboy.
Zheng Baoqiu turned her head, surprised and delighted: “Cousin! What a coincidence to bump into you here. When did you arrive?”
It was a voice that couldn’t be more familiar.
The waters in the sea dried up, and the rivers disappeared.
Chen Wengang felt as if he had fallen into a dream.
It was unmistakably Huo Niansheng.
He unexpectedly emerged from the dusty memories, vividly appearing in front of Chen Wengang.
Chen Wengang’s ears buzzed.
In his chest, there was no longer a heart, but a pacemaker had taken its place, and the noisy sound rushed to his eardrums, making him unable to hear anything.
Time rewound crazily frame by frame, each film frame displayed Huo Niansheng’s face with a smile—mocking, arrogant, gentle, sinister. Like a montage, they flickered and alternated rapidly before finally freezing on the unfamiliar person in front of him.
Huo Niansheng observed him with interest.
Zheng Baoqiu was oblivious to any anomaly and pulled Chen Wengang closer: “Cousin, do you still remember? This is—”
Huo Niansheng smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with pleasure: “I know, the kid Uncle adopted.”
Instead, he turned to ask Chen Wengang, “Do you still remember me?” As he spoke, he extended his hand and said, “We met at a banquet before.”
Chen Wengang took a moment to react but extended his hand hastily.
The two shook hands briefly and then separated.
The warmth in Huo Niansheng’s palm burned his skin.
Chen Wengang lowered his eyes. Huo Niansheng’s hand had prominent knuckles, long and powerful fingers, visible veins, and calluses on the sides of the index finger and in the gap between the index finger and thumb, traces left by frequent shooting practice. He remembered that Huo Niansheng used to practice shooting often, and he was very skilled.
Ten years. He had been separated from Huo Niansheng for ten years, more than 3,600 endless days and nights.
Now, this person stood under the glaring lights, and he feared that if he spoke, moisture would fill his eyes.
What was supposed to be a dream come true, but Chen Wengang’s back was covered in a layer of sticky cold sweat, almost making him shudder.
“How could I forget?” When he lifted his eyes again, his voice was calm, and he smiled: “Young Master Huo, nice to meet you.”
“I seem to be older than you by a few years, so just like Baoqiu, you can call me cousin.” Huo Niansheng exchanged pleasantries with him, “I remember you were close to Zheng Yucheng back then. You two always seemed to be hiding together. Is he not with you today?”
“We’re just shopping; why should we call him?” Zheng Baoqiu interrupted, “He and my second brother only know how to spoil the fun.”
“So, what did you buy?” Huo Niansheng’s attention returned to her.
“We bought everything; we are currently looking at clothes.” Zheng Baoqiu urged Chen Wengang to try again.
“Otherwise, forget it.” Chen Wengang forced a smile: “Let’s try another time. Today…”
He cleared his throat before saying he was tired. Zheng Baoqiu naturally didn’t believe it, thinking he was just avoiding it. Huo Niansheng also observed with a teasing gaze. Zheng Baoqiu snatched the black one from Huo Niansheng’s hand without even looking at it, taking it off the hanger.
Then both shirts were stuffed into Chen Wengang’s hands.
Suddenly changing his mind, Chen Wengang went to the fitting room and locked the door.
He hung one shirt on the hook and leaned against the door. After a few seconds, he slowly knelt down. The other shirt fell to the floor.
Certainly, he wasn’t tired; his heart had been uncomfortable since just now, beating irregularly. The experience of years of panic disorder gave him an ominous premonition. He hadn’t thought he would have an attack at a time like this.
Unfortunately, most of the time, there were no warnings or greetings. Often, it was like this, a few seconds of time, saying it would happen, and it happened.
His hands and feet went numb, limbs didn’t respond, and his chest, including his back, ached faintly, unable to breathe, and powerless.
Chen Wengang furrowed his brow, enduring not only physical discomfort but also an indescribable fear, as if being locked in a gloomy tomb. In the hallucination, he could smell the damp and decaying scent of the soil, even hear mice running around him, and see maggots breeding and crawling on his body.
The fear of death threatened him, like a tightening net constantly squeezing, continuously depriving him of the ability to breathe.
The people outside were unaware, and Zheng Baoqiu was chatting with Huo Niansheng.
She asked her cousin, “Why did you come back so soon?”
Huo Niansheng replied, “What, am I not welcomed?”
“Of course you are! It’s just that others say you’re expanding your territory in Zhang City; I thought we wouldn’t meet for a while.”
Huo Niansheng, with his hands in his pockets, casually looked toward the fitting room. Nonchalantly, he said, “I’m not going on a pilgrimage tens of thousands of miles away.”
Zheng Baoqiu laughed heartily, “That’s true; it’s just in the neighboring city. You can come back to stay every day if you want.”
After chatting for a while, Huo Niansheng suddenly raised his hand and looked at his watch, “Why hasn’t your Wengang-ge come out yet?”
Only now did Zheng Baoqiu realize, “Could he be feeling embarrassed and leave quietly?”
Huo Niansheng glanced at the fitting room and was about to walk over when his phone rang in his pocket.
He glanced at the screen showing Yu Shanding’s name, then stepped outside to answer the call. After the conversation, he returned, bidding farewell to Zheng Baoqiu, saying he had something to attend to and had to leave.
“Well, go ahead and take care of your matters.” Zheng Baoqiu felt a bit disappointed, waving to him, “I’ll go find Wengang-ge.”
As she walked out, Huo Niansheng paused for a moment, calling a male clerk, “Please go and check the fitting room number 3.”
***
A panic attack typically lasts for one to thirty minutes. Chen Wengang didn’t realize how long it had been until he heard someone knocking on the door.
A voice came through, “Is there anyone inside? Do you need help?”
Dazed and confused, he managed to lift his hand and weakly knock back on the door.
The male clerk used a key to open the door, and upon seeing the situation, he was startled and half-knelt down, asking, “Sir, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Chen Wengang was supported by him, recovering a bit and able to speak, “Low blood sugar.”
He was assisted outside the fitting room, and a group of people immediately gathered around.
The crowd surrounded Chen Wengang, letting him half-sit and half-lie on the sofa to rest. Zheng Baoqiu was in a panic, sandwiched in the midst and looking somewhat pitiful. She wanted to call an ambulance and also had to make a call to find the driver, but Chen Wengang stopped her, saying it wasn’t necessary and reassuring her that he was fine.
He was well aware of his own condition, a disorder of the sympathetic nervous system. Even going to the hospital wouldn’t provide a straightforward solution.
The staff brought mint candies and chocolates for the guests. Chen Wengang took one mint candy, and the bittersweet taste spread in his mouth.
Chocolate had no actual effect; it only provided a bit of psychological comfort with its sugar content, but it still made him feel somewhat better.
He lifted his eyelids; the bright and glaring lights were still there, but the figure was no longer seen among the crowd.
Huo Niansheng had left early, which wasn’t surprising.
Chen Wengang felt more at ease without him watching the commotion here.
After resting for a few minutes with no further issues with his bodily functions, Zheng Baoqiu guiltily suggested giving up shopping.
The clothes in the fitting room were tidied up by the staff and brought out for their consideration.
Zheng Baoqiu, not in the mood to try on clothes, waved it off, but Chen Wengang said, “I’ll take the black one.”
The staff asked, “Do you want us to get you a new one?”
Chen Wengang replied, “This one will do.”
Without hesitation, Zheng Baoqiu handed her credit card to the staff, and Chen Wengang had no intention of using her money, saying he would pay for it himself.
As it turned out, they didn’t need to argue at all. The staff politely refused, smiling, “The gentleman who was with you just settled the bill.”
“For the black shirt?” Zheng Baoqiu confirmed.
“That one, plus the two you both liked just now, three in total,” the staff smiled professionally. “He said you can buy whatever you like today. Besides these, if there’s anything else you want, it will be put under his name.”
Chen Wengang was taken aback, while Zheng Baoqiu accepted it calmly, “Alright, help us pack them up. We won’t need anything else.”
The staff skillfully handled the silk, folding the clothes and placing them into a bag with the store’s logo.
As she handed over the bag, she added, “Oh, by the way, the gentleman asked me to pass along a message.”
“What did he say?” Zheng Baoqiu asked casually.
“He said that this gentleman must look good in anything he wears.”
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As someone with panic disorder, I really felt that dread when he was describing it. The author is so good at writing this from the first chapter.