ASSHKHME Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Separated by Mountains and Seas

After staying in the hospital for nearly half a month, Chen Zhuo was finally discharged.

A gentle breeze brushed past his hair, bringing the stifling heat of midsummer. Xie Yu urged him to get into the car and enjoy the air conditioning.

Chen Zhuo was wearing a simple, solid-colored T-shirt. His hair had grown longer and was clipped back with a small hairpin given to him by one of the nurses, revealing his smooth forehead and handsome features.

Leaning out of the lowered car window, Chen Zhuo said to Xie Yu, who was busy loading luggage into the trunk, “Little Yu, it’s so hot. I want to eat ice cream.”

The trunk was packed full. Xie Yu wondered when he had moved his home to the hospital. He closed the trunk and looked at Chen Zhuo. “You just got discharged, what ice cream are you talking about? You look like ice cream.”

As he spoke, he walked to the passenger side, leaned down, and kissed Chen Zhuo’s lips, smiling. “Tangerine-flavored ice cream, sweet.”

Cars were coming and going in the parking lot. Chen Zhuo pulled his head back into the car. “Sweet indeed. Hurry up and get in. I feel like I’m soaked in disinfectant. I want to take a shower, a big one!”

Xie Yu went around to the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove away from the hospital, dotingly saying, “Okay, then we’ll go home and wash up. I’ll scrub your back for you.”

It was a bright sunny day. The air conditioning in the car was blowing vigorously, and sunlight fell on half of Chen Zhuo’s body through the window.

Chen Zhuo asked, “Auntie should be discharged soon too, right? How’s she recovering?”

Xie Yu glanced at the small hairpin on Chen Zhuo’s messy curly hair, thinking it was really cute.

He said, “She’s recovering well. The stitches have been removed. She could have been discharged earlier, but my dad was worried and wanted her to stay in the hospital for the full postpartum period.”

Chen Zhuo looked at Xie Yu, hesitatingly asking, “Xie Yu, do you think I should go see Auntie? But I’m afraid that seeing me will affect her mood, so I don’t dare to go. But I also feel like I should apologize to her in person.”

Xie Yu held the steering wheel with one hand and squeezed Chen Zhuo’s hand when he had a free moment. “You didn’t do anything wrong, what are you apologizing for? I’m the one who offended Sun Yaozong, I’m the one who insisted on taking you to the hotel in the middle of the night, and I’m the one who insisted on kissing you in the elevator. It’s all my fault for not being mature enough…”

He gently comforted, “Baby, don’t think so much. Actually, my mom really likes you. It’s just that she can’t accept the fact that we’re dating right now. Let’s take it slow, don’t rush.”

As he spoke, Xie Yu glanced at Chen Zhuo, and found that this prickly little hedgehog’s mood hadn’t improved because of his comforting words.

He sighed helplessly, “Chen Xiaozhuoer, you’re such a stubborn mule! Fine, how about we go to the mall sometime and buy some gifts to congratulate our mom and our sister on being discharged from the hospital? Don’t worry, I’ll convey your sentiments.”

Now was not a good time for a mother-in-law/son-in-law meeting.

First, Chen Zhuo’s mental state had just stabilized. In case a small conflict arose during the meeting, he might lose control of his emotions and get stuck in a dead end.

Second, his parents seemed to be adopting a cold treatment approach, not mentioning him and Chen Zhuo at all. Every time he tried to subtly test their attitude, they would always steer the conversation to other topics, as if he and Chen Zhuo had never come out of the closet.

Something strange was definitely going on. Xie Yu was terrified that his parents would cause trouble for him and Chen Zhuo behind their backs.

In short, distance creates beauty. It was best not to meet.

Hearing what Xie Yu said, Chen Zhuo perked up again, his eyes lighting up. “Good idea, then I’ll pay, I’ll buy. I have to do something, otherwise I won’t feel good about it.”

Seeing that he was happy, Xie Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He chuckled, “Okay, you choose, you buy.”

Cheng Tangyu was discharged from the hospital on a weekend. Xie Yu got up early, went to the flower shop to pick up the flowers that Chen Zhuo had ordered in advance, and drove to the hospital.

Cheng Tangyu usually enjoyed playing tennis and doing yoga, so her physical condition was very good. Although she had been weakened this time, she had recovered well under Xie Liangjun’s careful care.

Xie Liangjun followed the secretary to handle the discharge procedures, as some places required a family member’s signature.

The one-month-old Xie Youning was being held and coaxed by the nanny.

With someone specially assigned to pack the luggage, Cheng Tangyu sat on the sofa resting, surprised to accept the flowers that Xie Yu handed over. “Oh, son, your taste has improved a lot? Finally, it’s not baby’s breath Match everything.” (Match means to pair with, or to match)

Xie Yu carefully assessed his mother’s emotions, and quietly said, “I didn’t buy them.”

Cheng Tangyu paused in her action of smelling the flowers, looking somewhat uncomfortable. After a moment, she said, “Xiao Zhuo sent them?”

Xie Yu said “Mm” and took out a wooden box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a safety lock. “There’s also this gold lock, Xiao Zhuoer sent it to Ningning. He asked me to tell you that he’s very sorry, and apologizes for disappointing your love and care for him.”

After a while, Cheng Tangyu took the gold lock and sighed, “It would have been so nice if Xiao Zhuo was a girl. Or if you were a girl? But you’re both boys, what’s the deal with that?”

Xie Yu sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “Two sons, isn’t that good too?”

Cheng Tangyu glared at him. “It’s easy for you to say. Only parents know the kindness of their parents. You kids won’t understand the hardships of being a parent. Forget it, I won’t talk about it. Since it’s a gift for Ningning, I’ll accept it. Thank Xiao Zhuo-gege for Ningning.”

Xie Yu knew when to stop, and smiled. “Okay.”

—

After the final exams, it was summer vacation.

In another half a month, Chen Zhuo would fly with three other students from the architecture school to the other side of the ocean, which was eight hours behind Jiangbei.

Xie Liangjun had also arranged for Xie Yu to intern at a branch of the group, starting from the grassroots level, concealing his identity, and rotating through different positions. Before officially entering the group’s headquarters after graduating from college, he should try to familiarize himself with the business of each department.

Xie Yu originally wanted to postpone his internship by half a month, but Chen Zhuo didn’t agree, telling him to do what he should do and not delay his own progress. The two of them should move upward together.

Xie Yu went to work at the company, and Chen Zhuo didn’t give up his part-time jobs.

He had accumulated a little fame online, and his manuscript prices had risen a lot.

If he worked diligently, he could earn more than 5,000 a month, much more than Xie Yu’s 3,000 internship salary.

However, because Xie Yu couldn’t help but cling to him every minute and every second after getting off work, he couldn’t work diligently, and those 5,000 would be greatly reduced.

The price of sweetness.

In the two weeks before going abroad, Chen Zhuo cooked meals for Xie Yu at home every day, trying out different recipes and improving his cooking skills by leaps and bounds.

And after Xie Yu was full, he would torment him in different ways.

Constantly venting his uncontrollable longing for him even before they were separated.

Nearly 15,000 kilometers, a direct flight takes at least 14 hours. Across the vast Pacific Ocean, he would no longer be able to hug Chen Zhuo into his arms to comfort him at the moment when the thunder rumbled…

Chen Zhuo understood Xie Yu’s reluctance. He felt the same way.

The closer the time of separation came, the thought of giving up going abroad would pop up more and more frequently, only to be forcibly suppressed by reality again and again.

He firmly believed that this separation was for a better reunion in the future.

Xie Yu buried himself in Chen Zhuo’s neck, aggrieved. “I really want to force you to stay. I’m already starting to miss you. I miss you so much, Chen Zhuo. How am I going to get through these two years? You’re so heartless, I can’t bear it.”

Chen Zhuo’s eyes welled up with tears. He raised his arms and hugged him. “Baby, I can’t bear it either. I miss you too, but we have to become better versions of ourselves for each other. Only in this way can we stand together side by side in the future.”

He tilted his head and kissed Xie Yu’s ear, somewhat choked up. “I love you, I love you so much, Xie Yu. I want to be with you forever, so… just two years, can we endure it?”

Chen Zhuo rarely took the initiative to express his love to him.

Xie Yu was stunned for a moment, then kissed him like crazy, tearing at him. “I love you too, Chen Zhuo, I love you so much…”

In the days leading up to their separation, they made love every day, constantly confessing to each other, saying ‘I miss you,’ saying ‘I love you.’

Chen Zhuo’s twentieth birthday happened to be the day before he went abroad.

Because he had to sit on a plane for a long time, Xie Yu was afraid that he would be uncomfortable, so he didn’t torment him anymore.

Accompanied by Xie Yu’s a cappella rendition of the birthday song, Chen Zhuo crossed his hands, closed his eyes, and sincerely made a wish.

Opening his eyes, he saw two men’s couple rings in front of him.

Simple platinum plain rings.

Engraved on the inner circle: “Separated by mountains and seas, but mountains and seas can be leveled.”