Chapter 40: Sending Huo Chen Home
Huo Chen hadn’t left.
He had always been busy. This time, forced by his parents to go on the variety show, and with the program team demanding phones be turned over, he simply handed everything over to his assistant to manage.
Once he got his phone back, it was a bombardment of messages.
He could only borrow the Village Chief’s table to work temporarilyāthe Village Chief gave him his daughter’s desk. By the time he finished processing matters, three hours had passed.
He didn’t see Lin Huaizhi.
Before he could sort out those indescribable little emotions in his heart, Sister-in-law Wu thought he was looking for Lin Huaizhi and explained the situation to him.
Huo Chen didn’t like the feeling of being wet and sticky, but the rain was getting heavier. He glanced at the gloomy weather and ultimately borrowed a raincoat and went out.
He circled around but didn’t see anyone.
Finally, he saw a jacket on a ridge. It was dark blue linenāLin Huaizhi’s.
Huo Chen’s brow jumped.
He almost ran over. Lin Huaizhi was under the ridge. Behind him was a steep downward slope covered with various cut grass and trees, with short roots still left in the soil.
If he hadn’t arrived in time, one could imagine what Lin Huaizhi’s fate would have been.
Huo Chen suppressed his overly fast heartbeat. He wanted to scold him for not knowing the severity of thingsāwhy not contact Sister-in-law Wu first upon finding the person and wait for rescue in place? But seeing Lin Huaizhi’s teary eyes, all words were instantly blocked in his throat.
He hadn’t known Lin Huaizhi for long; saying he understood him would be an exaggeration. But Lin Huaizhi didn’t look like the kind of person who would easily reveal a weak side to others.
He had seen Lin Huaizhi cry in the mud house before.
People are always fragile when sick, wanting to find the person or thing that gives them the most peace of mind. It’s not strange to shed tears regardless of whether they find it.
But could he also be the person who gave Lin Huaizhi peace of mind?
Otherwise, why did Lin Huaizhi cry?
Perhaps Lin Huaizhi didn’t cry. It was just because he was looking up; rainwater fell into his eyes and flowed out, so it looked like crying.
The trembling voice was nothing more than fear of falling.
Huo Chen suppressed all his thoughts, along with his heart that hung in his throat. “I’ll pull you up.”
Speaking again, Lin Huaizhi’s voice no longer trembled. He didn’t grab Huo Chen’s other outstretched hand, but simply said, “You pull Sister Caiju up first. Take her to see a doctor; her leg is cut and won’t stop bleeding.”
“What about you?”
Lin Huaizhi adjusted his body, finding a relatively comfortable position. “Did you bring a knife?”
Huo Chen shook his head. “No.”
Lin Huaizhi wasn’t disappointed. “Then do you have any equipment that can dig soil?”
Huo Chen was silent for a moment, then took a fountain pen out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Lin Huaizhi.
A fountain pen is a long, cylindrical object; it could indeed be used to dig soil. However, contrasting with Huo Chen’s character setting in the novel, Lin Huaizhi thought he would actually carry a knifeāeither a long machete or a dagger.
A fountain pen… was acceptable too.
Lin Huaizhi dug two holes in front of him with the pen. The root systems of the plants in the soil were intricate; even with a knife, it would take a while to cut. These served perfectly as his anchor points.
Grabbing the roots inside the holes, Lin Huaizhi bent down and untied the cloth strips wrapped around his waist. Just as he was about to ask Huo Chen to pull Sister Caiju up, the young men from the village who came out to search also found their way over.
“They’re here!”
With everyone lending a hand, the men quickly pulled Sister Caiju up. When they wanted to pull Lin Huaizhi, they found he had already climbed up with Huo Chen’s help.
The young man’s body wasn’t exactly burly.
But it was solid.
And very white. Even though the rain was heavy, Huo Chen could directly experience that whiteness through the curtain of rain.
…
Jinzhai Village had a village doctor. After Sister Caiju was brought back, the doctor disinfected and dressed her wound, and the bleeding stopped quickly. Sister-in-law Wu gave her a hot bath, and after she took her medicine, let her sleep in her own home.
The Village Chief looked grateful to Lin Huaizhi. “Thank you so much. If not for you, I don’t know how much Caiju’s mom would have suffered today.”
Lin Huaizhi smiled. “It wasn’t all me. Huo Chen helped a lot too. If he hadn’t arrived in time, I’m afraid my good intentions would have led to bad results and I might have dropped Sister Caiju.”
The Village Chief expressed a thousand thanks to Huo Chen beside Lin Huaizhi as well.
“By the way, I put Sister Caiju’s basket on the kitchen table. There are two eggs here too.”
Lin Huaizhi took two red hard-boiled eggs out of his pocket.
Hard-boiled eggs aren’t afraid of pressure, but they can’t handle crazy pressure. After all this tossing and turning, the shells were shattered, and the eggs didn’t escape a bad fate either.
They were just short of having the yolks squashed out.
Seeing those two eggs, the Village Chief suddenly realized. “So that’s it!”
Seeing both of them looking at him, the Village Chief explained, “Here, when people get married, we give the newlyweds red eggs to eat, symbolizing wishing for a son soon. Caiju’s mom used to talk about Qingtian’s marriage. This time, someone in the village must have gotten married, and the scene touched her emotions.”
The Village Chief sighed.
“They are all pitiful people. The eggs are smashed like this, they can’t be eaten anyway. Throw them out.”
…
The rain finally lessened.
Zhou Ning said he had arrived outside the village.
Lin Huaizhi invited Huo Chen to travel together. Huo Chen didn’t make a sound but nodded, so they booked the same flight.
Lin Huaizhi was too tired.
He originally wanted to talk to Huo Chen and ask for his phone number, but he started getting drowsy as soon as he got in the car. In the end, he didn’t even know how he got on the plane or how he got off.
Zhou Ning drove the car over from the parking lot.
Lin Huaizhi rubbed his throbbing temples and smiled at Huo Chen. “There are a lot of people getting off the plane right now; there’s a wait for taxis. Shall I drop you off?”
“No need.”
“Need.”
Lin Huaizhi’s attitude was almost forceful. He put Huo Chen’s suitcase into the car and pushed Huo Chen in.
“Address.”
Having already gotten into the car, getting out again would be a bit pretentious, so Huo Chen gave an address. The black Mercedes then slowly drove out of the airport.
Zheng Xiuang, watching this scene, was completely dumbfounded on the spot.
Wait, what does the Boss mean? He just left in someone else’s car? What about him? He had been diligent and conscientious recently, not making a single mistake!
Just because the Boss went on a dating show, he was getting fired??
But he didn’t ask the Boss to go on the dating show! Besides, if the Boss didn’t agree himself, no one could really force him to go!
Zheng Xiuang took out his phone with trepidation and dialed a number with even more trepidation.
“BeepāSorry, the number you dialed is currently on another call, please try again later…”
Hung up!!
His call was hung up by the Boss!!
Just as Zheng Xiuang was falling into despair, Huo Chen glanced at the young man who had fallen asleep leaning on his shoulder not long after getting in the car, then lowered his eyes to press on his phone.
[Bring all documents to Jialan Garden.]
Seeing the text message, Zheng Xiuang instantly sprang up like a carp. He was alive again!
…
Jialan Garden wasn’t the first property in Huo Chen’s life. He had many properties all over the country, but in Long City, the place he lived most often was Jialan Garden.
An old, small apartment complex.
The location was quite good; a shopping district was two kilometers away on foot, and the subway was less than a kilometer away.
The old complex’s parking lot had no restrictions; anyone could enter. Zhou Ning parked the car and was just about to turn around and call out when he ran into Huo Chen’s slightly warning gaze.
Zhou Ning: “…?”
What did that mean?
Relying on the boss liking you, you’re pushing your luck with me? Let me tell you… Zhou Ning’s inner monologue came to a screeching halt when his gaze touched Lin Huaizhi resting on the man’s shoulder.
Zhou Ning: “?”
Zhou Ning: “??”
Zhou Ning: “???”
Looking at his own boss sleeping very sweetly on Huo Chen’s shoulder, Zhou Ning only felt his brain buzzing.
What happened to frequent insomnia?
What happened to high vigilance, waking up as soon as someone approached?
Boss, are you still my boss?
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