Sun Rain Chapter 34

Fu Xuanliao was not good at remembering things, and he was even less inclined to waste brain cells on insignificant people.

Therefore, when faced with Zhang Hao, who claimed to be his junior and approached him with boundary-less flattery, he felt only resistance and annoyance.

Yet, Zhang Hao was exceptionally thick-skinned. He failed to notice that Fu Xuanliao didn’t want to waste words on him. After being rejected when suggesting a small gathering at Heting Club, he offered to treat him to dinner. When that was rejected, he changed it to just sitting nearby. When that was rejected again, he had a backup plan, pointing to the smoking area down the steps: “Then how about we chat there for a bit? Five minutes is all I need, I won’t take up too much of your time, Senior.”

Seeing that avoiding him this time wouldn’t prevent the next, Fu Xuanliao figured it was better to explain things clearly now to save future trouble.

Walking to the smoking area, Fu Xuanliao didn’t take the offered cigarette. Zhang Hao slapped his forehead: “My bad, I didn’t check beforehand. Turns out Senior doesn’t smoke.”

Fu Xuanliao was too lazy to explain further and went straight to the point: “Why are you here?”

Besides being thick-skinned, Zhang Hao was also very articulate and talkative. Once he opened up, he wouldn’t stop. In just three minutes, Fu Xuanliao learned all about his family structure, profession, hobbies, and even that he was at the hospital today to bring food to his mother, who had broken a bone after slipping on the stairs.

“My mom is picky, she only eats crayfish from this one place.” Zhang Hao held up the insulated container. “The doctor won’t let her eat heavy flavors while hospitalized, so she asked me to sneak it in later. See, I even prepared disposable gloves. I’ll peel the shrimp and feed her, one for me, one for her. Eating a little bit should be fine.”

This display of “filial piety” made Fu Xuanliao look at him with slight respect. He patiently listened to Zhang Hao talk about his family situation and was surprised to find that it wasn’t as unreliable as he had imagined. At least the man was running a legitimate business, and his sincerity seemed genuine.

After the conversation, the two exchanged numbers. Zhang Hao said, “Our factory in the development zone is quite large, and the building materials we produce meet national standards. Senior is welcome to visit and offer guidance.”

Fu Xuanliao thought for a moment and said, “Not in the next two months. Let’s schedule it when I have time.”

Zhang Hao expressed understanding: “Brother Gao told me that Young Master Shi the Second is hospitalized.” He then looked a bit awkward. “Last time, I was blind and almost mistook him for someone you were keeping…”

The last two words were omitted, suggesting they weren’t a flattering description.

However, it was normal for people like Zhang Hao, who hovered on the edge of Fengcheng’s top social circles, not to know the full situation. Fu Xuanliao had originally intended to tell him that he was the one being kept by Young Master Shi the Second, but remembering that Shi Meng hadn’t been found, he wasn’t in the mood to say more. He said goodbye and prepared to leave.

Having achieved his goal of making a connection, Zhang Hao happily escorted Fu Xuanliao to the parking lot, not forgetting to flatter him along the way: “Your relationship is truly wonderful. A campus romance that lasted until now, it’s really enviable.”

Fu Xuanliao stopped, his brows slightly furrowed: “What campus romance?”

“You and Young Master Shi the Second, isn’t it? I even saw him once in the teaching building, going to your classroom and putting something in your desk.”

Zhang Hao nudged Fu Xuanliao with his elbow, teasing, “I understand the romance between young couples. Speaking of which, he must have put a drawing in there, right? I saw it was just a thin piece of paper.”

Hearing about something being put in his desk, Fu Xuanliao was stunned: “Are you sure… it was him?”

“Yes, Young Master Shi the Second is Shi Mu, right? I could never mistake that face. The one I saw outside Heting Club last time, he looked the same years ago, also cold and quiet.” Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow. “Later, when I heard that Senior had come out, I realized that you two had been together back then!”

Late at night, Fu Xuanliao drove aimlessly through the streets.

He had absorbed a lot of information in a short time, piece after piece overturning his established perceptions. Even if he was sober, it was difficult to immediately prioritize and organize it all clearly.

His mind was a mess, filled with complex thoughts about Shi Meng: his background, his fate, his obsession, the injuries he had suffered, and… his interactions with him back then.

Reflecting carefully now, Fu Xuanliao realized that the few sketches he received back then had no signature. According to Shi Mu’s drawing habits, even a casual sketch would have the character “Mu” left in the bottom right corner of the paper.

Zhang Hao knew very little about the Shi family, probably only that there were two young masters. He had matched the face and name based on his own guess, which was why he repeatedly confused the two. But visual memory is far more reliable than hearsay. Since the face couldn’t be faked, the person he mentioned who went to his classroom and put something in his desk could only have been Shi Meng.

Realizing this, Fu Xuanliao fell into deeper confusion.

Shi Meng back then had almost no interaction with me. Why did he send me drawings?

Me running on the sports field in the drawings, and me sleeping on the desk… did Shi Meng see all of that with his own eyes?

Then was it Shi Meng on Christmas eight years ago? Why did he vehemently deny it when I became suspicious and asked him to confirm?

Is there something else that I have been wrong about all this time?

After the false clarity caused by frequent stimulation, extreme fatigue followed the headache.

Having gone without sleep for several nights, the car was warm. Fu Xuanliao leaned on the steering wheel and unconsciously closed his eyes for a while.

He wasn’t sure if he had actually fallen asleep, but he saw constantly changing scenes before his eyes and heard fragmented, noisy sounds in his ears.

First, he saw eight-year-old Shi Meng hiding under a table, hugging his thin body into a ball. When he approached, the person under the table looked up, and he realized that person had round eyes and smiled innocently. This face was clearly Shi Mu.

Then he saw himself walking on the school sports field, and the person beside him was kicking a soccer ball and chatting with him. It should have been a scene involving Shi Mu, but when he turned to meet the gaze, he found it was Shi Meng’s slightly upturned eyes.

Shi Meng told him his dream was to become a painter and asked if he wanted to be his exclusive photographer.

Shi Meng also always followed him secretly, taking down the gift he had tied to the top of the Christmas tree. Seeing the watch inside, he smiled slightly in the night of the first snow.

In the chaotic timeline, even the person who accompanied him to the Amusement Park in high school became Shi Meng.

Shi Meng wouldn’t stand him up. They ate ice cream together, rode the Roller Coaster together, and shouted each other’s names at the highest point.

He also caught Shi Meng, who had secretly come to his classroom to watch him take a nap. The thin wrist was grasped in his hand. The usually cold-faced Shi Meng was rarely flushed, and when asked why he was there, he looked away and mumbled nothing.

…

The phone ringing woke him up at 2:30 AM.

Seeing that it was Jiang Rong calling, he thought there was news of Shi Meng. As soon as he answered, Fu Xuanliao asked, “Did Shi Meng go back?”

Jiang Rong paused on the other end, then sighed: “No, he hasn’t returned.”

Fu Xuanliao hadn’t yet fully recovered from the earth-shattering shock and the recent dream. He silently restrained himself, parked the car next to a commercial plaza, slumped his shoulders, and raised his hand to rub his face hard several times.

When he looked up and saw the scene before him, Fu Xuanliao’s heart instantly softened.

Just a few months ago, Fu Xuanliao had picked up the sugar-roasted chestnuts Shi Meng had queued up to buy for him here. They shared an umbrella, standing among countless couples without seeming out of place.

They went to the Amusement Park, ate ice cream together, and rode the Roller Coaster… Only now did Fu Xuanliao truly understand that those weren’t cold acts of possessiveness, but acts of affection, wanting to create memories that belonged to them.

They also went on a suburban vacation after the first snow. Shi Meng stood under an umbrella in the center of the fountain, looking up at the sky, his smile as pure as a mushroom unaware of the world’s hardships.

“He must be so heartbroken to have run away from the hospital,” Jiang Rong said over the phone. “Go find him. Bring him home.”

Thinking back to a few days ago, when Fu Xuanliao called home and instructed, “Call me if Shi Meng comes home,” Jiang Rong felt distressed. Fearing she might discourage him, she only reminded him to be safe on the road and said nothing more.

Fu Xuanliao softly “mn-ed,” agreeing.

But where did the mushroom go?

He was injured, and he didn’t have an umbrella. It was raining outside. Where could he possibly run off to?

Starting the car again, Fu Xuanliao decided to temporarily compose himself and head home first.

He had been busy these past few days and hadn’t had time to prepare a change of clothes for Shi Meng.

Searching aimlessly was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was better to leave it to the professionals. Maybe he would be found before dawn.

Everyone had their roles. What he needed to do now was prepare to take care of the injured little mushroom.

When Shi Meng returned, Fu Xuanliao thought, he wouldn’t rush to ask him about the past.

If he was unwilling to talk, there must be a reason. It was enough that he came back safe and sound. They still had plenty of time to slowly resolve misunderstandings and find a normal way of interacting.

Thinking about it another way, if Shi Meng had grown up surrounded by love, he wouldn’t have developed such an extreme and stubborn personality. The past cannot be undone, but starting now, compensating him for what he missed was still possible.

After all, he never asked for much—a brief Saturday, a slightly unsuitable bracelet, a casual nickname like “mushroom”—and his face would light up with happiness.

Having thus convinced himself to calm down, Fu Xuanliao drove down to the underground parking lot. The car slowly reversed, settling into its designated spot.

Just before getting out, the side mirrors automatically folded in. Fu Xuanliao caught a glimpse of a moving shadow in his peripheral vision. Looking again, it was gone. He shook his head, thinking the prolonged lack of sleep was causing hallucinations.

Opening the door and stepping out, a nearby pillar blocked his view. Therefore, when someone darted out from the side and pressed a sharp object against his lower back, the first thought that popped into Fu Xuanliao’s mind was—I was careless.

He hadn’t expected to be ambushed in a place covered by surveillance, nor had he expected that days of fatigue would affect his reaction speed. Normally, an attacker wouldn’t even have a chance to draw a knife.

In fact, Fu Xuanliao still had a chance to turn the tables, because he sensed that the person behind him had very little strength, and the knife pressed against him wasn’t being plunged in fiercely.

The person behind him was breathing shallowly and trembling, like someone recovering from a long illness or suffering a severe injury.

Realizing who his attacker was, Fu Xuanliao stood motionless, though a storm raged in his heart.

Then he let out a sigh of relief, thinking, it’s good that he’s found. It’s good that he’s okay.

Just as the words “How are you” were about to leave his mouth, the person behind him spoke first.

“Fu Xuanliao.”

As these three words drifted into his ears, Fu Xuanliao jolted, nearly turning around immediately in his haste.

The person behind him didn’t give him the chance, following up quickly: “I’m used to it now, used to keeping you tied to my side.”

It sounded like a statement about someone else’s life, the light voice almost devoid of inflection, yet Fu Xuanliao detected the weariness of powerlessness within it.

“Fu Xuanliao.” Shi Meng called his name one last time. “Give me a little more time, okay?”

This reminded Fu Xuanliao of a night last winter. He had driven Shi Meng back to the Shi residence. Shi Meng hadn’t rushed inside but stood at the door, requesting to go out again the following Saturday, using the same pleading “okay?”

But at the time, he was eager to escape and hadn’t agreed. Afterward, they never had such good times again.

So, for the first time in five years, Fu Xuanliao did not resist Shi Meng’s coercion. He allowed himself to be led into the back seat of the car in the darkness, the knife pressed against his waist, and then had his hands firmly bound in front of him with hemp rope.

The driver was a man of few words. They sped for dozens of kilometers in silence, arriving at the nearest coast to Fengcheng just as dawn was breaking.

The fare was paid using the three hundred-yuan bills from Fu Xuanliao’s suit pocket. That suit jacket was now draped over Shi Meng. Fu Xuanliao remembered there were two more bills inside, which Shi Meng must have used to buy the knife and rope.

The rain had stopped. The morning was calm, and the water temperature was low. A few early fishing boats hoisted their sails, heading toward the reddening horizon.

Fu Xuanliao was told to wait by the dock. He saw Shi Meng speak to an old man on the shore, pointing to a small fishing boat docked nearby, and handing the old man a set of seemingly valuable commemorative coins.

After the old man helped untie the mooring rope, Shi Meng turned back to Fu Xuanliao and said, “Get on.”

Fu Xuanliao had never heard Shi Meng mention knowing how to sail, but he got on anyway.

He wanted to tell Shi Meng, “You don’t need to tie me up, I won’t run,” but seeing Shi Meng’s frequent, watchful glances, he refrained.

After years of confrontation, he had never once yielded to him. This time, he might as well listen.

Shi Meng was seriously injured and unsteady on the wooden plank used to board the boat. Fu Xuanliao raised his bound arms for him to use as a handrail, and Shi Meng didn’t refuse.

However, once on the boat, he ignored Fu Xuanliao, walked to the engine, and pressed the start button.

The oil and water pressure readings on the dashboard changed, and the boat began to move with a rumbling sound.

Through the front window, Shi Meng looked out at the boundless sea, squinting his eyes against the flickering sunlight on the waves.

His hands were wrapped in thick gauze, his lips were bloodless, and in the morning light, his skin was pale, almost transparent. He should have been lying in a hospital bed, not sitting in this old fishing boat.

But he had no intention of turning back.

Because the boat carried the most precious treasure of his life. They were slowly drifting away from the dock, heading toward the deep sea.

To say their final goodbye.