LC chapter 45

 

The whole morning, the sky was gloomy. Uncle Tong thought it was going to rain, so he moved all his flowers indoors early on. However, by noon, not a single drop had fallen; it was just gloomy.

Lin Ruan came back from school, still panting slightly from running. He asked Uncle Tong, “Has Sir come back?”

“He’s in the greenhouse,” Uncle Tong replied.

Lin Ruan put down his backpack and ran toward the greenhouse. He pushed open the door a little to peek inside. Because of the gloomy weather, the greenhouse was dimly lit. Zhan Xi was wearing a simple shirt with the sleeves rolled up and was watering the hanging plants.

Lin Ruan pushed the door open, walked in, and called out, “Sir.”

Zhan Xi turned to look at him and smiled. “So happy? Did something good happen?”

Lin Ruan nodded and sat in a hanging basket, swinging back and forth. “Professor Fang’s teacher wrote me a letter agreeing to take me on as a student.” He looked at Zhan Xi and asked, “But he wants me to stay in Shanghai for a year. Sir, can I go abroad after I finish school?”

Zhan Xi’s expression turned serious. He turned to look at Lin Ruan. “Are you going to school in Shanghai?”

Lin Ruan nodded, still excited.

“No.” Zhan Xi refused decisively. Lin Ruan clearly didn’t understand. “Why not?”

Zhan Xi pressed his lips together. “You promised to go abroad with me. How can you go back on your word?”

Lin Ruan tried to reason with him. “But this opportunity is rare. Can’t I go after a year?”

Unlike Zhan Xi, Lin Ruan didn’t have such sharp political awareness and couldn’t see the underlying turmoil in the south.

Zhan Xi softened his expression slightly and explained, “The south may become unstable. Shanghai and Nanjing are important cities that gather multiple powers. It’s not a safe place.”

Lin Ruan hadn’t expected this reason. Currently, the south was still peaceful. Giving up such a rare opportunity because of potential future risks made Lin Ruan reluctant.

“Sir,” Lin Ruan called out, not knowing what else to say.

Zhan Xi came over and pinched the back of his neck. “Be obedient. We won’t go to Shanghai, all right?”

Lin Ruan looked up at Zhan Xi. “Sir, are you saying that you want to take me abroad to avoid a possible war?”

Zhan Xi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Is it really calmer abroad?” Lin Ruan asked.

“But I’ll be by your side. I can protect you,” Zhan Xi said, looking at Lin Ruan. “Shanghai is different. I can’t go with you.”

“Then I’ll go by myself.” Lin Ruan blurted out, but immediately felt uneasy. The words were out; there was no taking them back.

Zhan Xi’s voice deepened in warning: “Lin Ruan.”

Lin Ruan lowered his head, silently expressing his dissatisfaction. Zhan Xi didn’t speak, and the air became heavy. Outside the greenhouse, a wind had picked up, blowing the hanging leaves around. Suddenly, large raindrops began to fall, hitting the greenhouse’s glass roof with loud plopping sounds.

Looking at the heavy rain outside, Lin Ruan suddenly asked, “Sir, do you think I can only live by your side? Without you, will I not be able to live properly?”

Zhan Xi looked at Lin Ruan. He hadn’t expected this question, but that was indeed how he felt.

The freedom Zhan Xi gave Lin Ruan was always limited.

His silence was equivalent to consent, and Lin Ruan immediately felt wronged. In the past, Lin Ruan might not have minded this sudden grievance, but now, he felt deeply wronged.

He thought he had matured and learned many truths. He had clear thoughts about the future and knew what he should do. He thought he already had the independent personality Zhan Xi had mentioned, but to Zhan Xi, nothing seemed different.

Lin Ruan felt lost for the first time in a long while, as if he had been sent back to square one.

He ran out of the greenhouse. The rain was heavy, and in a short distance, Lin Ruan was soaked through. He went upstairs, leaving a trail of wet footprints.

Whenever Lin Ruan was upset, he would go to sleep. This time was no exception. He took off his wet clothes, threw them at the foot of the bed, and curled up in the blankets as if they could protect him from his sadness.

Lin Ruan woke up late at night. The rain was still falling loudly against the windows. He felt a fever coming on and his throat was extremely dry. Zhan Xi sat beside the bed, wiping Lin Ruan down with alcohol.

Perhaps because he was sick, Lin Ruan had little energy to manage his emotions. Just looking at Zhan Xi, tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes like beans.

“I want to go to Shanghai.” His voice was hoarse and full of stubbornness. He was eager to prove something to Zhan Xi.

Zhan Xi wiped Lin Ruan’s hands without looking at him.

“Are you sure?” Zhan Xi’s voice was deep, with some anger.

Lin Ruan nodded slightly. He wanted to become truly independent. He thought that, once he became independent, he would understand Zhan Xi’s unspoken words and unreadable expressions.

He didn’t want to be confused anymore. He wanted to know what it meant to like or love someone and what kind of marriage Zhan Xi wanted.

Zhan Xi exhaled deeply, controlling his temper. “Lin Ruan, you’re sick now. Let’s discuss this after you recover, okay?”

“Will you agree once I recover?” Lin Ruan asked.

Zhan Xi seemed to sneer coldly. “You can try to convince me.”

Lin Ruan pouted, looking aggrieved. He rolled over and faced away from Zhan Xi, saying nothing more.

Unexpectedly, his fever worsened from being in the rain. Lin Ruan’s fever didn’t subside. The doctor prescribed antipyretics, but they didn’t work, and his condition worsened.

Zhan Xi had never anticipated this. The entire Lan Mansion was caught off guard and thrown into chaos. That night, Uncle Tong emerged from Lin Ruan’s room, deeply worried.

After hesitating for a moment, he went to find Zhan Xi. Zhan Xi was in the study, frowning as he made calls to the hospital. After a while, he hung up.

“Sir.” Uncle Tong put hot tea on Zhan Xi’s desk. “Did the hospital find anything about Lin Ruan’s illness?”

Zhan Xi shook his head.

Uncle Tong said, “There’s something I’m not sure if I should say.”

“Say whatever you want, Uncle Tong.” Zhan Xi rubbed his brow.

After hesitating, Uncle Tong said, “Lin Ruan’s illness is somewhat like yours was when you were young—high fever, unconsciousness, and a very sinister appearance.”

Zhan Xi’s expression changed. “Really?” he asked Uncle Tong.

Uncle Tong nodded. “When you were sick, everyone thought it was an ordinary cold. But somehow, it got worse and worse. You were bedridden and unconscious, refusing food and water. Doctors came and went, but there was no improvement. In the end, they had to try other methods.” Uncle Tong looked at Zhan Xi and asked, “Do you think we should find some feng shui practitioners to take a look?”

Zhan Xi seemed thoughtful and murmured, “I’ll do it.”

Seeing that Zhan Xi had made up his mind, Uncle Tong quietly left.

Zhan Xi’s people were everywhere in Beijing City, and any disturbance could be discovered within a day. Strangely, however, they couldn’t find Suanzi. Zhan Xi had to prepare for the worst—the Suanzhi had already left the city.

Zhan Xi was extremely self-controlled and remained rational in this situation. Besides the Suanzi, he contacted many other feng shui masters. Most of them could not explain Lin Ruan’s condition. One particularly skilled master said that Lin Ruan’s symptoms were definitely caused by a feng shui practitioner. However, he couldn’t fix it; only the one who caused it could.

Within a day, the whole city knew that Lan Mansion was looking for a feng shui master. The good and the bad came, mixing truth and lies.

Zhan Xi drove them all away and continued tracking the Suanzi’s whereabouts.

On the third morning, Suanzi came to Lan Mansion himself.

Zhan Xi stayed in Lin Ruan’s room all night. Lin Ruan had grown thin, his face pale and his breathing weak.

Zhan Xi took Lin Ruan’s pulse and, for the first time, wondered if his past sins had brought this punishment upon Lin Ruan.

That morning, he came downstairs. The main door was open for ventilation. Suanzi strolled in, wearing a black silk coat and a red agate bead bracelet, exuding an unrestrained, carefree aura of the Jianghu.

Without Zhan Xi needing to speak, Suanzi walked in and asked directly, “Where is the person?”

“Upstairs.” Zhan Xi asked, “Can you save him?”

The Suanzi nodded. “No one but me can save him.”

A harshness appeared in Zhan Xi’s eyes. “You made him like this?”

“It was my master.” Suanzi rarely spoke ambiguously. He said straightforwardly, “When your life was in danger, my master tied your fates together. Rise together, fall together. That’s why Lin Ruan was able to save you.”

Suanzi looked upstairs. “Now, the time limit for that method has arrived. I’m going to untie your fates.”

“Then afterwards, he will be fine?”

Suanzi nodded calmly and looked at Zhan Xi. “Do you know what it means to untie fates?”

Zhan Xi didn’t speak. Suanzi walked upstairs. “It means the bond tied by humans has come to an end.”

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