Chapter 91: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (91)
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
In the end, it was Shen Tangqing who broke the silence first.
“Lin Mu, are you and Brother Geng doing okay?”
“I’m okay, but Ah Geng went abroad.”
“Abroad?”
A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Tangqing’s eyes. Wasn’t Zhou Geng studying? Why did he suddenly go abroad?
Lin Mu sighed, his voice carrying a bit of gloom.
“Mn, Big Brother Zhou fell ill. He is accompanying him abroad right now.”
Since Shen Tangqing “passed away,” he and Zhou Geng hadn’t interacted much. He only knew that Zhou Shuli went abroad for treatment at the beginning of the year and hadn’t returned since. Father Zhou, who originally resided abroad, returned to take over the company again and took Zhou Geng along to familiarize him with the family business.
It wasn’t until last month that Zhou Geng went to Country Y and hadn’t come back since. He had called twice to ask about Zhou Shuli’s condition, but Zhou Geng only choked up and said, “Not too good.”
Lin Mu had planned to go to Country Y to visit after returning from Wuxian.
Shen Tangqing frowned. In the original plot, Zhou Shuli’s health had always been very good. Why did he suddenly fall ill?
“Not too good? Is it a very serious illness?”
“It seems to be a problem with the immune system. The specific cause hasn’t been found, but Ah Geng said…” Lin Mu paused, lowering his voice. “The situation isn’t good, maybe…”
Shen Tangqing’s heart sank. Lin Mu didn’t finish his sentence, but Shen Tangqing understood what he meant.
He had always had a good impression of Zhou Shuli and treated him like an older brother in his heart. If he was really doing as poorly as Lin Mu said, now that he knew, he should make a call to ask about him no matter what.
“Do you have Brother Zhou’s phone number?”
Hearing this, Lin Mu knew Shen Tangqing wanted to ask about Zhou Shuli. However, he didn’t have Zhou Shuli’s number.
“No, I have his WeChat, but I don’t know if he’s using it. Should I send his contact card to you?”
Shen Tangqing frowned. “Give me Brother Geng’s number. I’ll call Brother Geng to ask about Brother Zhou’s situation…”
Lin Mu’s fingertips paused slightly.
Zhou Geng also liked Shen Tangqing. Although they were brothers, theoretically speaking, they were love rivals. He wasn’t very willing to let Zhou Geng step into his destiny with Shen Tangqing.
But reluctance was just reluctance. He knew this wasn’t the time to be jealous, so he gave Zhou Geng’s number to Shen Tangqing.
After saving the number, just as Shen Tangqing was about to put away his phone, Lin Mu stopped him.
“Shen Tangqing, let’s add each other on WeChat.”
After speaking, he looked at Shen Tangqing with eyes full of expectation. “Come back to Beijing with me, okay? If you don’t want to go home, you can come to my house.”
“I can support you…”
“…”
Shen Tangqing looked at Lin Mu.
The redness at the corners of his eyes had returned to normal. His thin lips were pressed into a line. His brows and eyes, usually carrying a nonchalant air, now appeared somewhat nervous.
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Tangqing shook his head.
“Lin Mu, once we walk out the door of this coffee shop, let’s never contact each other again. Let’s pretend we never knew each other.”
Lin Mu froze instantly, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water over him unexpectedly.
His thin lips pressed even tighter. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word, as if he had suddenly lost his voice.
The sunlight outside the window spilled in through the glass, cutting a clear boundary of light and shadow between the two.
Shen Tangqing lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting shallow shadows beneath them.
Lin Mu looked at him. It took a long time before he found his voice, carrying an imperceptible tremor, as if trying his best to suppress emotions that were about to burst the dam.
“Why?”
Shen Tangqing looked up. There was not a single ripple in his eyes, only a calmness bordering on cruelty.
“No reason. I just don’t want you to appear in my life anymore.”
Lin Mu’s heart felt as if it had been ruthlessly squeezed. Dense, prickling pain spread out, making even breathing feel suffocating.
His face turned pale instantly.
The person he thought about day and night was right in front of him. Clearly, he still had a chance. How could Shen Tangqing say such heartless words?
He wanted to question him, wanted to go crazy, wanted to tell Shen Tangqing how sad and difficult it had been for him during the days Shen Tangqing “left.” He wanted to beg for Shen Tangqing’s pity.
But looking at Shen Tangqing’s indifferent face, all the words were stuck in his throat.
In the end, he only dryly spat out a pale and powerless sentence.
“I just… like you…”
“Lin Mu, I told you very clearly back then. I don’t like men.”
Shen Tangqing’s tone had no fluctuation. He paused, then added with a cold face, “And I don’t like you either.”
These words were like a sharp knife, stabbing fiercely into Lin Mu’s heart, hurting him so much he couldn’t breathe.
Didn’t meeting Shen Tangqing here prove they were fated? Why—why did his heart hurt so much?
Shen Tangqing didn’t speak again, nor did he even glance at Lin Mu. He simply picked up the coffee on the table, which had gone cold, and took a sip. The bitter taste slid down his throat, yet it couldn’t suppress the complex emotions at the bottom of his heart.
He knew Lin Mu truly liked him. But some feelings were doomed from the start. He didn’t like men, and it was impossible for him to like Lin Mu. Rather than dragging things out and giving him false hope, it was better to make a clean break once and for all; it was better for everyone.
Putting down the coffee cup, Shen Tangqing stood up and picked up the jacket draped over the back of the chair. His tone was so flat no emotion could be heard.
“I’m leaving first. Goodbye.”
Lin Mu sat where he was, as if all his strength had been drained away. He didn’t move, just watched his retreating figure.
It wasn’t until that figure disappeared at the entrance of the coffee shop that he slowly lowered his head and buried his face in his palms.
Between his fingers, warm liquid slid down silently, smashing onto the cold tabletop and blooming into a small dark stain.
This time, it wasn’t tears of joy like when they first met. He was truly sad, so sad that he couldn’t control his sorrowful emotions at all. He just felt his heart ache as if he were dying.
He didn’t understand why liking someone could be so painful…
Shen Tangqing walked out of the coffee shop, hailed a taxi at the intersection, and went straight home.
After sitting on the sofa, looking at Zhou Geng’s phone number saved in his contacts, Shen Tangqing hesitated.
He was afraid Li Qiulan would find him.
But then he thought, it had been almost a year. Li Qiulan couldn’t be that persistent. He should have given up looking for him long ago…
Thinking of this, Shen Tangqing breathed a sigh of relief and finally pressed the dial button.
Just as the ringtone was about to end and Shen Tangqing thought no one would answer, a hoarse and somewhat exhausted voice finally came from the receiver. “Who is this?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Tangqing felt a bit emotional.
“Brother Geng, it’s me, Shen Tangqing.”
The breathing on the other end of the line stopped abruptly. Immediately after, there was a flurry of urgent noises, as if the phone had slipped and been hurriedly caught.
Zhou Geng’s voice suddenly rose, carrying disbelief and shock.
“Tangtang… You are Tangtang?”
Recommended Reads
