Chapter 64 Self-Deception

Chen Shuze obediently dropped Feng Ran off at He Chuan's house.

Before leaving, he rolled down the window and looked at Feng Ran: "When are you going to confront Shen Zhi?"

Feng Ran was unhappy and said, "Don't worry about me and Shen Zhi all the time. His health is more important right now."

He didn't understand why Chen Shuze was always controlling him now? Wouldn't it be better to just live a clean and peaceful life without misunderstanding or disturbing him, just like before?

He attributed this change to the change in Chen Shuze's identity and status. They used to be equal classmates, but now they were superiors and subordinates. Chen Shuze got used to meddling in his work and extended this control to his daily life.

With this analysis, he suddenly felt a little reluctant to work around him.

Chen Shuze said, "I was having dinner with his brother, and his brother looked at me as if he wanted to eat me."

"You might be overthinking it," Feng Ran said absentmindedly. "I'm leaving. Be careful on your way."

Back at the house, He Chuan had already gone to bed. He fed Xiaobai cat food and then went to sleep.

Shen Zhi's surgery was scheduled for the morning, and when Feng Ran arrived at noon, he was just emerging from the operating room.

Shen Yuan was visibly relieved to see him arrive alone.

Shen Zhi's anesthesia hadn't worn off, so Feng Ran stayed by his side for a short while before leaving. Shen Yuan stopped him, saying, "He's still awake."

Feng Ran said, "It's time, I need to go to work."

"How much did Chen Shuze charge you? I'll pay double."

Feng Ran smiled, "I'll earn what I deserve, not a cent more."

He took a taxi back to the office under the scorching sun. As he entered the office, Chen Shuze, recognizing him from the hospital, said indifferently, "I thought you were going to be absent without a valid reason."

Feng Ran felt like he was being attacked from all sides.

A new person had finally arrived in finance, and for several days, he left work on time.

He visited Shen Zhi every day. When Shen Zhi couldn't eat, he'd buy him some fun gadgets, order him a few movies to watch with him, or simply sit quietly by his side, watching the sun sink through the window, the sky turning from fiery red to deep blue.

Chen Zhi asked if Chen Shuze was having any troubles, and Feng Ran said, "No, he's finally acting like a normal person."

Chen Zhi would constantly advise him, "If you're not happy, just quit." He wished Feng Ran were by his side 24/7.

The surgery was a success, and with the constant medication and IV drips, Shen Zhi's pale face finally began to show some color. Though still thin, he looked much more lively.

Especially when Feng Ran entered, it was as if all spring had suddenly descended upon Shen Zhi, the hospital room transformed into a warm haven, filled with tenderness and a brightened face.

Feng Ran lowered his head to fiddle with the prescribed medication. The various shapes and colors of the pills, placed in small, transparent, sealed bags, had a uniquely artistic quality.

Hearing Shen Zhi's words, he replied perfunctorily, "It's not that serious yet. Let's leave it this way for now."

Shen Zhi, oblivious to the reasoning, simply assumed he was just trying to make money and said nothing.

He hadn't had sex with Chen Shuze in the past few days, annoyed by his subtle attempts to taunt him.

That day, Chen Shuze finally lost his temper a little: "You're not going home or to the hotel. You're obsessed with the office, aren't you?"

"If you need something, go find a gigolo."

"What's wrong with you? Am I not as good as your ex? Didn't I treat you well? Why can't you walk or even get hard when you see him?"

Feng Ran frowned and blurted out, "If you keep doing this, I'm quitting."

Chen Shuze, caught off guard by the idea of resigning, said incredulously, "You can just say that?"

Feng Ran replied, "You say it as if I'm asking for a divorce. What's all the fuss?"

With that, he walked out of the office to find the new male intern.

The male intern, a recent graduate student, was handsome, smart, and very obedient. He kept calling Feng Ran all sorts of nice things, which Feng Ran found quite appealing. The two of them were always close.

If Chen Shuze hadn't forbidden it, the intern would have just put a chair next to Feng Ran's desk and started working together.

As soon as Feng Ran walked out, he immediately came up to him and said, "Brother, I ordered an iced American coffee for you. Can you teach me how to read this clock?"

"Thanks," Feng Ran took the coffee and glanced at his monitor. "Want to learn? Let's go to my place."

They went into the office, talking and laughing. The intern called out "Mr. Chen," but Feng Ran completely ignored Chen Shuze.

As soon as he sat down, he heard a loud sound of documents falling on the table behind him.

Feng Ran had planned to go directly to the hospital after work that day, but he didn't expect Chen Shuze to pester him and assign him a lot of work.

He estimated that he would have to work overtime for about three hours. He

sat down and buried his head in his work, not noticing that Chen Shuze had slipped away after seven o'clock.

When Chen Shuze arrived at the hospital, Shen Yuan was already there. Through the door, he could hear their conversation.

Shen Yuan said, "Just focus and stop thinking about him. The doctor said you need more rest and sleep after surgery, and you haven't slept all day."

"I can't sleep without him."

"You'll be even more sleepless if he comes!" Shen Yuan's voice grew anxious. "Don't I know you? You're like a maniac!"

Chen Shuze coughed softly, and Shen Yuan fell silent. Shen Zhi called softly, "Feng Ran?"

He pushed the door open, and when he saw it was him, the light in his eyes dimmed.

"Mr. Chen," Shen Zhi smiled politely. "Where's Feng Ran?"

Chen Shuze said, "He's still at work. He came here today because Ruoruo wanted to video call you. My mother has mentioned it several times. Do you think it's convenient?"

Shen Zhi readily agreed. After tidying up a bit, he called the little girl and also spoke with Chen Shuze's mother. The child had grown a lot fatter and had his own little bedroom. He showed Shen Zhi all his toys.

Ruoruo gestured to ask Chen Zhi where Feng Ran had gone. Chen Zhi was surprised and replied to Ruoruo, saying, "She actually still remembers Feng Ran."

Chen's mother said happily on the other end of the phone, "Yes, Ruoruo has grown up. What a coincidence, Xiaoze, isn't Feng Ran your friend from college? The other day I was looking through your old college photos, and Ruoruo recognized him at a glance. This kid..." Chen

Zhi looked up and asked, "You and Feng Ran knew each other in college?"

Chen Shuze's smile froze on his face.

Feng Ran was the last one to leave the company. After

a long time of not being able to get a taxi, he dragged his tired body to catch the last subway, and was at a loss as to which stop to get off. Should he

go home or go to the hospital.

When he was hesitating, Chen Shuze's message came.

"There was a little accident." "

?" Feng Ran sent a message.

"Chen Zhi knows that we knew each other in college."

"If he knows, he knows." Feng Ran didn't take it seriously.

Perhaps seeing that he didn't care, Chen Shuze didn't say anything and asked, "Are you still going to the hospital?"

"What did you say to him?"

"Just that they knew each other. That's all.

" Feng Ran said, "Go ahead."

Knowing he'd be subjected to another round of interrogation, he'd taken precautions. He hadn't expected Shen Yuan to wait for him downstairs in the inpatient department.

Feng Ran wandered over, and Shen Yuan looked at him and asked, "Are you and that Chen Shuze serious?"

"What's serious and what's fake?" Feng Ran didn't even glance at him, and walked back upstairs.

Shen Yuan said, "Do you take my brother for a fool?"

Feng Ran, who'd been working overtime until now, was annoyed by being questioned for no reason.

He stopped and looked back at Shen Yuan. "I don't take him for a fool, and you don't take me for a fool either, okay? You tried every trick in the book to get me here, and I did. You asked me to persuade him to be hospitalized, and I did. I've done everything I could for him, right? Now, you're bashing me for my personal problems again? You want me to wear chastity pants for him, and watch over him and serve him day and night?"

Shen Yuan didn't dare to speak, and stood still.

Feng Ran glanced at him, then pressed the elevator button.

He pushed the door open, and Shen Yuan, as usual, extended his hand to him. Last night, after the IV drip, no one noticed, blood was returning from the catheter, leaving a bruise on the back of his hand. Feng Ran

shook his hand;

it was ice-cold. "The air conditioning is too low," he said, finding the remote and turning it up two degrees.

Chen Zhi said, "You got off work late today. Are you tired?" "

Yeah, Chen Shuze is a bit of a jerk

." Chen Zhi smiled, and Feng Ran smiled. Chen

Zhi added, "You were on the phone with Ruoruo today, and she still remembered you."

"So smart?" Feng Ran was a little surprised. "I thought she'd forgotten me long ago."

"You should have forgotten him," Chen Zhi said. "Ruoruo found a photo of Chen Shuze from college. It was a photo of you two. She recognized you right away."

Feng Ran blinked. So that was it.

He and Chen Shuze had a photo together?

— How could that be? Those four words were his first thought.

He and Chen Shuze had always pretended not to know each other outside their rental apartment. The

number of people who knew about their relationship couldn't be counted on one hand. Let alone taking a photo together. Not to

mention, he had no memory of the photo at all.

He asked, "What photo? Where was it taken? I don't remember."

Shen Zhi said, "I don't know. Chen Shuze said he doesn't remember either, but he'll go back and look for it later."

"Oh,"

Shen Zhi asked, "You guys back then..."

"We weren't in the same profession, so we weren't very familiar."

"Then how did you meet?"

"I forgot." Feng Ran truly forgot.

Shen Zhi wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he didn't say anything.

He stayed late that night again.

The next day at the company, Chen Shuze approached him casually to talk, but suddenly changed the subject and asked him to go on a week-long business trip with him.

There were three other people going: one veteran from the previous company, and two who had joined the company after Feng Ran.

The male intern was envious when he heard about this and begged Feng Ran to talk to Chen Shuze and take him along.

Before Feng Ran could say anything, Chen Shuze stood behind them and said lightly, "Xiao Tang, you should worry about getting a permanent position first. Once you get a permanent position, you will have plenty of opportunities to travel." "

Mr. Chen," the male intern was startled, then smiled awkwardly, "You're right, the main thing is..."

Chen Shuze added, "The office is not a place for romance."

Feng Ran almost laughed out loud.

Chen Shuze glanced at him and told him to go back and take care of the business trip arrangements.

Feng Ran was already familiar with it, so Chen Shuze certainly knew it.

So he responded tacitly, went into the office and closed the door. A few seconds later, Chen Shuze followed in with a stern face.

Feng Ran asked, "What are Mr. Chen's instructions?"

Chen Shuze said, "Forget about you. I don't even want to talk about you. You're always philandering around. I don't know what kind of person you are. That kid, he only has his eyes on you all day long. The work he was given was too little, but he couldn't complete it, or he just messed up the work that FAW handed in. His team leader always told me that his resume was very impressive at the time, but I didn't expect him to be clueless when asked. I had high hopes for him among the interns, but what about him now? He lacks the ability, so he can learn, but what about him? His attitude is a problem. This can't go on."

"Oh."

Chen Shuze reached out and patted him on the waist, saying, "What does 'oh' mean?" "

It means agreement." Feng Ran said, "Is there anything else that Mr. Chen needs to say?"

"Okay, there's nothing for you to do today. Go back and pack your bags."

Feng Ran smiled at him and left.

When Shen Zhi was told about the business trip, he was the first one to disagree.

He didn't say it directly, but when Feng Ran mentioned it, the corners of his mouth drooped.

"Can't I just not go? I really want to see you every day."

Feng Ran smoothed his hair and said, "Just for a week, and then I'll keep coming every day. Until you're discharged."

"Can we call while you're gone?"

"No problem."

"Video?"

"Okay, video."

Shen Zhi finally felt a little happier. He figured he'd have to stay in the hospital longer, no matter what.

Suddenly, something struck him. "Is Chen Shuze going?"

"Yes."

He paused. That uncomfortable feeling returned. Suddenly, a thought struck him, a realization dawning on him.

Feng Ran, Chen Shuze. What

was going on between them... He suppressed his panic. He thought he shouldn't doubt Feng Ran, but his mind was uncontrollably flashing through countless fragments.

They were things he'd been vaguely uneasy about but hadn't pursued, things he'd ignored with his eyes wide open, things he couldn't bear to admit, things he'd lied to himself, things he'd realized only too late.

It's nothing. It's impossible. He repeated these words over and over in his heart, pale and timid.

He didn't even dare to ask Feng Ran for confirmation.

He heard his own voice coming from afar: "Then be careful and remember to think of me."

Feng Ran replied vaguely, stood up, and said that he had to go back to pack his luggage and get some rest.

The flight was at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, so he had to get up at 4 o'clock.

Chen Zhi's heart fell slowly with the sunset. As Feng Ran left, the whole world slowly faded.