MNL Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Photograph. Thank you, Xu Jing.

Chapter 71 Photograph. Thank you, Xu Jing.

The ninth day in Sanya.

Xu Jing woke up before dawn. This was the safest morning for Xu Jing’s phone, because the alarm only rang once and he got out of bed.

Xu Jing took a bag out of his suitcase. He carefully opened the bag, revealing a damaged photograph inside. The woman in the photo was wearing a white dress and had long black hair that reached her waist. Even with such poor image quality, one could still see her captivating beauty. She stood under a peach tree, facing the camera with a warm and bright smile that moved people’s hearts.

“Indeed, good genes,” Xu Jing smiled unconsciously. After carefully putting the photo away, he left the villa.

This story started before coming to Sanya. Qin Xin has a cousin named Qin Yan, who used to come to his house for dinner every now and then when Xu Jing was young, but later Qin Yan went to Sanya because of work, and he never saw this aunt again. Once, when Qin Xin was on the phone, Xu Jing accidentally learned that Qin Yan is now a national-level cultural relic restorer. He immediately thought of what Shen Yan said on the night before the competition, so he secretly took the photo without Shen Yan knowing, wanting Qin Yan to help restore it.

Qin Yan only came back from a business trip last night. If it weren’t for the fact that this aunt said she was so tired that she couldn’t even open her eyes, Xu Jing couldn’t wait to go to her that night.

Qin Yan’s place is more than forty kilometers away from the hotel. The bumpy ride took almost an hour. Xu Jing was afraid that the photo would get a smell on it, so he endured it all the way. As soon as he got out of the car, he rushed to the side of the road to throw up.

According to Qin Xin, Qin Yan now earns no less than Xu Huaiyang. Why would she choose to live in such a godforsaken place? Xu Jing looked around, and the only thought in his mind was:

If he disappeared here, no one would notice for ten days or half a month.

After throwing up one round, Xu Jing hadn’t taken a few steps when he felt nauseous again. He quickly put the bag containing the photo on a clean stone and squatted by the bushes to dry heave.

This was the first time he had been so carsick. Xu Jing’s face was as white as paper. He struggled to take out his phone to call Qin Yan. When he turned around, he met an extremely terrifying smiling face.

Xu Jing: “…”

Looking back, Xu Jing didn’t understand why he didn’t react much at the time. It was because his heart seemed to have really stopped beating at that moment.

Seeing Xu Jing’s reaction, Qin Yan laughed for a full five minutes.

“A-Aunt,” Xu Jing called out word by word, sounding somewhat through gritted teeth.

“No more laughing, no more laughing. I’m going to suffocate if I laugh any more.”

Qin Yan stood up straight, and Xu Jing finally saw what his aunt, whom he hadn’t seen for more than ten years, looked like.

Qin Yan’s appearance is nothing like Qin Xin’s at all. Qin Xin has a light and elegant temperament, but Qin Yan has a standard strong and striking appearance, with sword-like eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. Her features are extremely sharp, and when she doesn’t smile, her eyes involuntarily reveal a kind of aggressiveness, which makes people feel afraid. Moreover, she is very tall, only four or five centimeters shorter than Xu Jing.

Qin Yan glanced at the vomit by the bushes and asked strangely, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you throwing up like this?”

Xu Jing didn’t want to mention the word “car” at all. He asked, “Why do you live in this kind of place?”

“What’s wrong with this place? Isn’t it pretty good? Beautiful scenery, birds singing, and very quiet. It’s great.”

“Heh.”

Living people don’t want to come, and dead people can’t get out. How could this ghostly place not be quiet?

Xu Jing followed Qin Yan into the house. Although the environment here was extremely bad, fortunately Qin Yan lived in a small villa, which was cleaned very well. The overall decoration style was also very simple, all black and white. Apart from some necessary daily necessities, there was nothing else. It was obvious that the owner was on business trips all year round.

“My workplace is on the second floor. Come with me.”

Xu Jing followed behind Qin Yan again. The back in front of him felt very familiar. He suddenly remembered that he seemed to often run behind Qin Yan’s ass like this when he was a child. When Qin Xin wouldn’t let him eat candy, Qin Yan would secretly buy it for him. When Qin Xin asked him to learn to paint, Qin Yan would take him out to skateboard secretly. His childhood was filled with a lot of happiness because of Qin Yan. He even seemed to have declared that his favorite person was his aunt, and the first thing he would do when he grew up was to marry his aunt!

But because the psychological shadow caused by meeting Shen Yan for the first time that night was too big, he chose to forget these things along with the doctor’s hypnosis.

Qin Yan walked to the middle door on the second floor, and while opening the door with the key, she said, “Come, let me see the photo.”

Xu Jing carefully took the photo out of the bag and handed it to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan took the photo and glanced at it, her brow furrowing slightly. She said, “I seem to have seen this woman somewhere.”

Qin Yan took the photo closer and, after thinking for a while, said, “Zhong Yiqiu.”

“You know her?”

“Yes, she asked me to repair a jade pendant before.”

“You still remember something from so long ago.”

“Of course. Didn’t you see this face? The real person is hundreds of times more beautiful than this. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman,” Qin Yan praised without hesitation.

“How do you have her photo? Do you know her too?”

Xu Jing shook his head and said, “I know her son.”

“I see. So, where is she? Why would she want to repair such an old photo?”

“She’s gone,” Xu Jing said.

Hearing this, Qin Yan was stunned. She lowered her head, looked at the photo in her hand, and her expression was a little lost.

“She’s already gone…” Qin Yan seemed to be hit by something, murmuring blankly, “How could this be? She’s so young.”

Qin Yan’s reaction made Xu Jing feel a little strange, but he couldn’t tell where this strangeness came from. He only saw Qin Yan gently stroking the corners of the photo with her fingers, and then said to Xu Jing, “Go to the room opposite and wait for me. There’s breakfast inside. If you’re hungry, eat something first. If you’re sleepy, you can lie down and sleep. Judging from the degree of damage to this photo, it will take at least five hours to repair. I will try my best to restore it to its original state.”

“Okay,” Xu Jing said, “Thank you, Aunt.”

Qin Yan entered the studio, and Xu Jing also felt a little hungry at this time, so he walked into the room Qin Yan mentioned. The curtains in the room were half-drawn, and all the furniture was still black and white. Coupled with the desolate environment outside, it looked a bit gloomy. Xu Jing couldn’t help but wonder if his aunt would become mentally abnormal after living in this kind of place for a long time.

No, he felt that Qin Yan already had this tendency, especially when she scared him at the door just now.

Fortunately, there were still steaming buns and soy milk on the table, which added a bit of warmth to the room and made it look less scary.

After Xu Jing finished eating, he sat on the sofa and fell asleep without realizing it. He didn’t know how long it had been when he suddenly heard two shouts from outside his dream, and a hand was forcefully poking him.

“Wake up, Xiao Jing, don’t sleep.”

“I’m going to spank you if you sleep any more.”

Such familiar words. Xu Jing opened his eyes hazily and saw Qin Yan looking at him with a smile, her almond-shaped eyes bent.

He was a little dazed. Maybe Qin Yan often said this to him when he was a child.

“Is it fixed?” Xu Jing asked immediately after waking up.

“Of course. Take a look at who your aunt is. The national-level first-class restorer is not just a name,” Qin Yan handed the brand-new photo in her hand to Xu Jing, “Here you go.”

Xu Jing looked at the photo in front of him, which was so clear that he could even see the texture of Zhong Yiqiu’s skin. There was a bit more joy in his eyes.

He thought that Shen Yan would be very happy if he saw this photo.

“Are you and her son on good terms?” Qin Yan asked, looking at Xu Jing’s expression.

Xu Jing nodded and said, “Very good.”

“No wonder you’re so concerned. Does her son look like her?”

“Yes, but not really.”

“Then he must be a handsome guy, just like our Xiao Jing.”

Qin Yan’s tone was very gentle, especially with such an aggressive face, which made Xu Jing a little embarrassed.

“I was originally planning to see your mother, but I received a temporary notice that I have to go to Yunnan this afternoon to restore a Qing Dynasty mural,” Qin Yan sighed, a little regretfully, “I’ll have to do it next time.”

After listening, Xu Jing was quiet for two seconds and said, “Aunt, are you leaving again?”

“Yes, what’s wrong? Are you reluctant to part with me?”

“No.”

Qin Yan looked at Xu Jing’s expression and felt that Xu Jing was even more cute than when he was a child. She joked, “Don’t be shy. Didn’t you say when you were a child that you would marry your aunt when you grow up?”

So many years have passed, who can prove that he said such a thing before? Xu Jing pretended not to understand and said, “Did that happen?”

Qin Yan narrowed her eyes, “I have a recording, and I’ve kept it.”

“…” Xu Jing was a little speechless, “You’re so boring.”

“Hahahaha, just kidding. The next time we meet may be when you get married. Don’t worry, Aunt will definitely come and give you the biggest red envelope.”

Xu Jing didn’t say anything. What would Qin Yan think if she knew about him and Shen Yan? Would she also find it strange, disgusted, or even condemn him like a normal person? Or would she stand by his side without hesitation and support him? Xu Jing’s inner thoughts were more inclined to the latter.

“I’ll take you back.”

“No need, you should rest for a while.”

She just came back from a business trip and hadn’t rested for long. She also got up early and worked all morning. Even the donkeys in the production team couldn’t do this much. Xu Jing felt a little unbearable. After putting the photo in the bag, he said to Qin Yan, “I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.”

“Okay, then pay attention to safety on the road. Remember to find your aunt if you need anything.”

Xu Jing nodded and left the villa.

The ride back was bumpy again, and as expected, Xu Jing threw up again as soon as he got out of the car. This time, because there was something in his stomach, he threw up even harder, seeing stars, his eyes blackening, and tears and snot all came out. Xu Jing’s mysophobia was so severe that even he dislike himself. After returning to the room, he directly threw the short-sleeved shirt worth more than eight thousand into the trash can, and then ran to the bathroom to take a shower.

It was obvious that nothing was dirty, but Xu Jing still washed for almost an hour. He only wiped himself dry and walked out of the bathroom after smelling the scent on his body and making sure there was no odor.

Then, Shen Yan, who was sitting on the bed, looked up and saw Xu Jing appearing in front of him completely naked.

Shen Yan was stunned, and Xu Jing felt like his brain had been struck by lightning.

“Fuck.”

A curse word blurted out. Xu Jing rushed back to the bathroom like a flash, took a bath towel, wrapped his key parts tightly, and released his hand only when it hurt his flesh. Then he stood in front of the white ceramic tiles, messed up for a while alone.

Shen Yan waited a little impatiently, thinking that Xu Jing had disappeared out of thin air inside. He was about to get up and catch the person, only to see the person inside walking out calmly with an expression of wanting to become a monk, as if the Buddha’s light of saving all living beings was radiating around him.

It’s just that his face was a little red.

“What are you shy about? It’s not like I haven’t touched it before,” Shen Yan commented impolitely, “It’s quite big.”

“…” The corner of Xu Jing’s mouth twitched, and he casually dealt with it, “Not as big as yours.”

“That’s true,” Shen Yan smiled, “Do you like it?”

Xu Jing pretended not to hear and walked away. He felt that he was also sick, not even blowing his hair and comparing his bird size with Shen Yan here.

“Why don’t you answer?” Shen Yan followed behind Xu Jing. He followed wherever the other party went. The room was already big, but he forcibly followed all the way from the bedside to the sink, “Speak, do you like it?”

Xu Jing was so annoyed that he had no choice but to perfunctorily say, “I like it, I like it, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll leave you homework tonight. Write an essay in English praising it.”

Xu Jing: “…………”

Did he look like a retard?

Shen Yan smiled and took the hair dryer from Xu Jing’s hand, slowly and methodically blowing his hair for him. His movements were very gentle, and he didn’t stop underneath. Through several layers of cloth, something stood tall, topping him for a full ten minutes.

“…”

Holy shit.

It can really top.

There is no need for tall people to be brave when the sky falls. Shen Yan can just go out and take off his pants.

·

The twelfth day in Sanya.

The weather was clear and sunny. The hotel prepared a beach camping package for top VIP guests, with a one-stop all-inclusive service from equipment to food.

Shen Yan was wearing a light blue striped shirt today, the cuffs loosely rolled up. He sat lazily on the beach, propping himself up with his hands and leaning back. The sunlight shone on his face, revealing a faint smile in the extremely beautiful eyebrows and eyes of the young man. The whole person looked like a beautiful boy who ran out of an anime.

Xu Jing couldn’t help but secretly take a picture of his profile.

After a while, Xu Jing suddenly realized that Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang were gone. He was wondering where people went when he heard a voice not far away.

“Pair of sevens.”

“Pair of twos.”

“So big? Then I’ll bomb, four fives.”

“…”

Xu Jing looked in the direction of the voice and found that the two old people were rolling up their sleeves and playing cards with some strangers, and they were having a great time.

His parents… really play mahjong and poker privately.

Taking this opportunity, Xu Jing slowly moved to Shen Yan’s side, admired this beautiful face up close for a while, and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Shen Yan narrowed his eyes, seemingly enjoying the feeling of the sun shining on his body very seriously.

“Nothing, I just feel like I’ve come alive a little.”

Shen Yan’s tone was relaxed, as if he was just making a joke, but Xu Jing’s heart was sour when he heard it. He touched his pocket and said to Shen Yan, “Close your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Close your eyes, hurry up.”

Although he didn’t know what Xu Jing was going to do, Shen Yan still obediently did so.

After a few seconds, he heard the person next to him say, “Okay.”

Shen Yan subconsciously thought it was some kind of prank, so he smiled and opened his eyes to see how Xu Jing was going to mess with him, but when he saw what was in front of him clearly, Shen Yan’s smile froze on his face.

It was an extremely new photo, and the corners were all processed very perfectly. Under the sunshine, the woman’s smile in the photo was particularly clear.

Shen Yan took the photo from Xu Jing’s hand, even his fingertips were trembling.

“Now, it’s not old anymore.” Xu Jing bent his eyebrows downwards, with a shallow smile.

Shen Yan lowered his head and stared at the photo for a long, long time, as if he wanted to engrave the person inside in his mind forever. He stroked the outline of the photo back and forth, and the hand holding the photo was still reluctant to use force.

“When did this happen?” Shen Yan’s voice was hoarse and unclear.

“That’s not important. What’s important is that you can be happy.”

A gust of wind blew, skimming across the sea, gently stroking the hair of the two.

Shen Yan’s eyes flickered, and he raised his head with a smile.

“Thank you, Xu Jing.”