Chapter 18 Chapter 18

Shen Yuan played with his friends all night, racing on the mountain road during the day, and staying up late to watch the game at night. He was drunk, with empty bottles and snack bags piled on the floor, and the room was filled with a strong smell of alcohol.

A group of people stayed at his house, pushed away the heavy garbage, slept on the floor, and threatened not to stop until they slept for twelve hours.

Who would have thought that a phone call came in the early morning and disturbed his sweet dream.

After hanging up, the other party kept calling. His friend was woken up

by the noise and his tone was not good: "Shen Yuan, can you throw your broken phone away?" He was also very annoyed, cursed, rubbed his eyes and sat up, forced to wake up a little, and when he saw the flashing avatar on the screen, he jumped up from the sofa.

"Fuck, it's my brother! My brother!"

His friend threw a pillow in his face, and he rushed out of the house in a panic.

"...Brother? What's wrong with you? It's only 7:30 here." He cleared his throat and said carefully.

Since the last incident, Shen Zhi has not contacted him.

He has seen clearly that a mere cousin is nothing. His brother is not a saint. Once the pillow talk blows, his mind will be completely confused.

He is afraid, very afraid. With a few words from the surname Feng, he lost a house and a car. The surname Feng was unhappy, and Shen Zhi told him to get out of the country.

His mother cried and his father scolded him, but Shen Zhi said that he would pay for the tuition, and everyone had no objection.

The whole family depends on that company for their livelihood. Now that the uncle is gone, Shen Zhi naturally has the final say.

The uncle once told him that there is only one heir to the company, but the only son does not make progress and only knows how to hold a drawing board. He naively said that his cousin could inherit the company while painting, but was scolded back.

Over the years, it has become more and more obvious that he has been in the company much longer than Shen Zhi, and even his mother said that he is the only heir.

He has never mentioned these things on his own initiative.

If Shen Zhi does not give it, he has no reason to ask for it.

He was afraid of his cousin since he was a child. This gentle and beautiful man kicked him into a five-meter-deep swimming pool because he said "You don't have a mother" ten years ago.

His fear and dependence on Shen Zhi were already at that time - growing up in an empty swimming pool, a bottomless current, endless struggles and begging for mercy.

His parents were reluctant, but Shen Zhi would really beat him up and beat him so hard that he couldn't get out of bed for three days. The reason might be laziness, skipping school, not doing homework, etc.

But in the impression of the same period, it was also him who picked him up and dropped him off at school, signed for him to attend parent-teacher meetings, apologized for him after a fight, paid money and cleaned his ass... When his parents quarreled and divorced and he was rebellious at a young age, it was him who led him out of the abyss and gave him the missing family affection.

The fear, admiration and dependence of many years intertwined to form an absolute deterrent, and his obedience was an instinct branded deep in his soul.

Even if he grew up and became tough, he dared to make jokes, lie and resist. But instinct is still instinct.

He wants Shen Zhi to be good, sincerely.

This complete lunatic had a very hard life in the first half of his life, and he deserved to live a normal life in the future.

Now there is another lunatic like him, how can he feel at ease?

Chen Zhi's voice was abnormally low and hoarse: "The medicine you gave me... is there any antidote?"

"The one that helps with sleep? Where does the antidote come from? Can't I just get enough sleep?"

"But I have a headache now. I slept for a whole day... I took three or four pills."

"You took too much. They come in half a pill at a time. There's nothing I can do. Go to sleep again." Shen Yuan had no choice, "Why did you take so much?"

"...I was tricked," Chen Zhi took a deep breath, "Where is Feng Ran's home that you found last time? Also, can you find the contact information of his friend? His last name is Ren."

Shen Yuan blinked, his mind turned quickly, and said, "I'll send it to you. Do you want to go find him?"

"He owed me a debt a few days ago, check that too."

"What's the matter, did you have a fight?"

"Don't worry about it," Chen Zhi said, "Secretary Cheng will contact you for a meeting soon. If I find out you're fooling around again..."

"No way, I'm a very good person, really."

"You'd better." Chen Zhi yawned, "That's it."

Feng Ran's hometown is more than a thousand kilometers away from Jiang City. You have to take a plane to the provincial capital first, and then take a one-hour train.

It was already nine o'clock in the evening when he got home.

That year, he went to a foreign country alone for someone. After leaving, he never returned home. During this period, no one visited except his sister.

He opened the familiar door with the key unskillfully, and was greeted by the strong and choking smell of dust and camphor.

The refrigerator and wardrobe were almost empty, and dust accumulated everywhere. There was a mark when you touched it, and there was almost no place to step.

After doing a thorough cleaning, he suddenly felt very hungry. He chewed a bag of noodles in his schoolbag to fill the emptiness in his stomach.

He took out his mobile phone and called Ren He.

——Three consecutive lines were busy.

When did Ren He start talking on the phone?

Putting down the phone, the room was quiet. The boundless loneliness was like a silent, all-devouring beast, opening its mouth and swallowing him into its stomach.

He was flustered, as if he was trying to hide something. He looked through the list and found a group of old friends. When they learned that he was back, they were all excited and immediately arranged a dinner party to talk about the people and things they had missed in the past few years.

After all, they were old and hadn't seen each other for many years. They were drunk and didn't open up to each other. They were polite to each other. As the night deepened, people went home one after another.

After the party, his heart was empty again, as if a piece was missing. He stood at the door of his house and habitually unlocked it with his fingerprint. He was stunned when he touched the different texture.

Of course he knew what this meant. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. He never expected that there would be such a day for him.

He finally felt the withdrawal reaction of breaking up.

He didn't know when he fell asleep on the sofa, and it was the afternoon of the next day when he woke up.

There was a rhythmic knock on the door beside his ears. He opened his sleepy eyes and thought he was still in the small rental house.

"The door is not locked," he said with his eyes closed, "come in directly."

The person outside the door was silent for a moment, and then started knocking on the door again, with heavier movements.

Feng Ran finally reacted.

He was at home, not in Jiang City.

The person knocking on the door could not be Chen Zhi.

He walked over slowly, the door opened, his eyelids fluttered, and his whole body froze in place.

"How...it's really you."

Shen Zhi stared at him, with a smile in his eyes, but he couldn't hide his tired face.

Feng Ran didn't give in, and the two of them were deadlocked at the door.

"I missed you so much." After saying this, Shen Zhi slowly fell forward and fell into his arms.

Feng Ran was as still as a mountain: "Why did you come?"

"I want to see you, I feel a little dizzy now...Do you have any medicine at home?"

"I don't have anything at home."

Shen Zhi seemed to be really uncomfortable, his whole body was burning, and his warm breath fell on Feng Ran's neck. He leaned forward inconspicuously.

"Come in and lie down."

Feng Ran poured him a glass of water, his mind in a mess.

"How did you know my address? Did your brother tell you? How did he find it?"

"The house is in your name, and it can be found by searching." Shen Zhi did not hide it from him.

Seeing that Feng Ran did not speak, he said again: "You left too hastily, I really..."

"It's very boring."

"What?"

"You are very boring like this." Feng Ran repeated.

His tone was light, but it hit Shen Zhi's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I think it's worth it." He raised his head and said after a long time.

Feng Ran couldn't stand this atmosphere anymore: "I'm going to the Internet cafe, you take a rest."

Shen Zhi tried to dissuade him: "It's very hot outside."

Feng Ran didn't look back. It was not

until he walked a distance that he remembered that before leaving, he threw the key to the Internet cafe to his sister, and it was not in his hand at all.

Just when he didn't know where to go, he turned around and saw a familiar bar.

He hadn't been back for a few years, and his old friends were gone. Everyone was a new face. Feng Ran didn't feel like chatting up someone, so he ordered a glass of wine that looked okay and drank it slowly in a corner.

He was in a bad mood, his hair was messy, and he was wearing only an ordinary T-shirt and jeans. In the eyes of others, he seemed to have deliberately created a sense of decadence. Although he was sitting in the corner, he was very eye-catching, and his good looks were not organized. From time to time, people looked at him, but the person involved was completely unaware.

Shen Zhi might have had a heat stroke. The weather was indeed hot, but there was no water, electricity, or air conditioning at home.

Will there be an accident... He took out his mobile phone to check repeatedly, but there was no new news.

Shen Zhi was so thoughtful, it should be impossible for him not to ask for help when something happened.

"Handsome guy, are you alone?"

Feng Ran looked up. This was a good face, with a clavicle chain wrapped from the neck to the waist, and his pants pulled down very low, revealing his thin muscles with smooth lines. He was the type he would have been interested in before.

But unfortunately, he was not interested today.

"Are you here to travel? Or on a business trip?" the young man asked.

"I'm a local."

"Your accent doesn't sound like one."

"Really?"

Feng Ran was sure that the other party would lose his patience after just a few words.

"How does this wine taste?"

Feng Ran didn't even taste it: "It's just so-so."

The young man was determined to talk to him, so he just sat next to him.

"What kind of wine do you usually drink?"

Feng Ran finally looked him in the eye: "I drink a little bit of everything, depending on my mood."

"Is this... gin?"

"Scotch whiskey, it seems to have condensed milk." Feng Ran shook the glass.

There was still half of the wine left, and the young man stretched out his hand, as if to hint at an invitation. Feng Ran didn't move, he took the glass on his own initiative, took a sip, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, reminiscent of the feeling of liquid sliding down his throat.

"It is indeed Scotch whiskey. It's okay, and mine is not bad either, specially blended with lemon and chamomile, the taste is very special, do you want to try it?" The young man's smile was very clean.

He also smiled, but before he could speak, someone behind him said,

"Didn't you say you went to the Internet cafe?"

The man leaned against the wall, his hands on the back of the chair, his face was very weak, but he managed to glare at the third party in an unfriendly manner.

"So you have a boyfriend." The young man was a little embarrassed.

"It's my brother." Feng Ran looked at him and said word by word.

Shen Zhi suddenly approached, held the back of his head, and kissed

him hard. The moment their lips and tongues touched, Feng Ran pushed his shoulders away fiercely.

Shen Zhi staggered and fell on the bench in the back row. The collision of tables and chairs made a loud noise, and the room was extremely quiet for a while.

His fingers brushed the corners of his lips, and his eyes rarely flashed a deep and gloomy look, like a lone wolf whose territory was invaded. But it was only for a moment, he stood up, calmly straightened his collar, and looked at the young man with eyes as if to say: Why don't you get out?

The young man's face turned blue: "You... not that bad, I'll just leave."

"Sorry." Feng Ran had to say.

Chen Zhi stared at the direction the man left and said, "Have you added his contact information?"

Feng Ran's hair was pulled several times, and the back of his head hurt badly. He seriously suspected that this grandson of Chen Zhi did it on purpose.

"Are you following me?" He asked back, "Aren't you sick? How come you are so strong?"

Chen Zhi caught up with him in less than two minutes. There were not many roads to choose from in this place, so it was easy to follow.

He took a long step, stepped in front of Feng Ran, leaned over and surrounded him with his arms, looking down at him: "What are you going to do with him? Drink a glass of wine together, and then, sleep in the same bed? Feng Ran, if I didn't get on the plane and didn't travel a long distance to see you, how many times would you have booked a room? My coming here will hinder your pursuit of flowers and willows, right?"

Feng Ran wanted to explain, but this made him very angry.

"Yeah! We've fucking broken up," he stretched out his finger and tapped Chen Zhi's shoulder, "Who I sleep with is none of your business, does it bother you?" Chen

Zhi's breathing quickened. Yu Guangzhong and others had already noticed their argument, and tried their best to control their emotional outburst, saying softly: "I don't agree!"

"I don't need your consent to break up." Feng Ran drank the rest of the wine, "Chen Zhi, don't take yourself too seriously. I used to give in to you, but now in my heart and eyes, you are my mother's stepson, my younger brother, and at best just an ex-boyfriend. It's that simple."

Chen Zhi held Feng Ran down, blocked his lips, bit hard, and vented his grievances. The lips were so soft, and there was still the smell of wine between the teeth, why did the words he said were so harsh? Feng Ran

was fed up with his kisses without any warning. But to him, this trick was just a child's play, which could be easily cracked.

He reached out and gently pinched Chen Zhi's chin, tilted his head slightly, deepened the kiss, and then bit his tongue hard in an invisible place.

After a few seconds, Chen Zhi sat aside with his mouth covered, his eyes full of grievance.

Feng Ran got up and walked out. The noise just now was too loud, and the waiters and other guests were quietly waiting to see the show, and he would not give them this opportunity. After

leaving the bar, Shen Zhi stuck to him like a plaster and grabbed his arm.

He did not shake him off, but walked straight forward and said, "Go home when you get better, I'll buy you a ticket. Uncle Shen needs you more, go home. This is not the place you should come."

"But I need you."

"It doesn't matter, I'm always here." He suddenly looked back at him, his tone calm, "I won't block or delete you. If you are bored or have something to say to me, I can call you at any time. Or you can come to me and stay at my house for a while, it's all fine."

"No, I want us to be like before, why, Feng Ran, nothing happened to us, everything has been explained clearly, you still won't be fine."

Feng Ran didn't know what to say for a moment.

Shen Zhi was always walking half a step behind him. This city was both strange and familiar to him. He knew exactly which street Feng Ran lived on, where he went to school, where he went to play, and where he worked. It was all because Shen Yuan's information was too detailed.

But now those cold place names, a few color pictures, and the world in front of him corresponded one by one, and he was overwhelmed. Even though the two of them were having a rather unpleasant quarrel, he still felt a peaceful joy in his heart.

He came to Feng Ran's city, the land where he had spent more than 20 years. It was as if he

had a glimpse of the years he had never participated in.

They didn't know how long they had walked, just like the day before, and they walked into the dusk again.

Shen Zhi never spoke first, and Feng Ran couldn't stand silence.

"We can't go back. If you must ask why, it's not your and your brother's fault," Feng Ran regained his casual aura, leaned casually against the long railing by the river, and curled his lips, "I'm tired of it. I'm so sorry."

Shen Zhi looked at him without blinking, calm and without waves. After a long time, he spoke slowly, as if he had made a great determination.

"Actually, you just cheated. That person's name is He Chuan, right?"