After Marrying Bigshot Vegetable Boss - Chapter 47

Yu Lan felt content after the drama he had watched and received a concerned message from Zhong Jiale: “Everything alright?”

 

“Nothing happened, at least it’s no longer my problem,” Yu Lan replied, briefly summarizing the dramatic scene he had just witnessed.

 

Zhong Jiale seemed even more excited than he was and immediately called him: “Wow, so that Song something is actually your cheap brother’s childhood friend? Now that he’s discovered what’s beneath his exterior…”

 

“Just thinking about it is thrilling! I should have secretly followed you down; it’s such a shame I missed that scene,” Zhong Jiale’s tone was filled with regret, “Why did you leave? You didn’t even finish watching the show?”

 

“Lost interest,” Yu Lan said casually, “It was better to head back early.”

 

“Oh, your book is still on the desk. Aren’t you coming back to get it?”

 

“Just keep it for me,” Yu Lan only then remembered he had forgotten his book but didn’t want to return, “I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

 

“Alright,” Zhong Jiale still couldn’t help but add, “Even though you used to be eager to go back, it felt especially obvious today.”

 

“Really?” Yu Lan was already in the car, looking out the window.

 

Zhong Jiale seemed to be nodding on the other end of the line: “No, no, it’s different.”

 

“Is something up?” he asked, “Do you need my help?”

 

Since the incident yesterday, Xi Jun hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. If it turned out that the person was still unconscious and the news got out, it might be discussed by others.

 

“Really not,” Yu Lan’s voice even carried a hint of amusement, “Just think of me as busy heading home for dinner.”

 

“Right. It can’t be…” Zhong Jiale started to say but suddenly stopped, feeling it was inappropriate to continue.

 

Yu Lan pretended not to hear, and they chatted a bit more before ending the call.

 

When he got home, there was no one else around. The kitchen staff asked when he planned to have dinner.

 

Though he had just said he was busy heading home to eat, Yu Lan waved his hand, saying he wasn’t hungry and would just grab a snack later. Then he quickly headed upstairs.

 

As he approached his room, Yu Lan felt a moment of obvious nervousness.

 

He had been out all day; what if something supernatural happened again?

 

But this thought lasted only a moment. Fearing the disappointment of an unfulfilled expectation, Yu Lan quickly buried the thought deep in his mind.

 

He took a deep breath before pretending nothing was amiss and turning the doorknob.

 

—Everything before him was familiar: the mechanical beeping of the heart monitor and the man lying with his eyes closed on the treatment bed.

 

Yu Lan unconsciously stroked the magical bead on his wrist before walking over to touch Chu Wang’s fingers.

 

Once wasn’t enough, so he turned them over and held them tightly.

 

Yu Lan swore he only glanced up briefly and definitely didn’t search like he had the day before.

 

But when he looked down again, a slight disappointment was unavoidable.

 

He sat down beside Chu Wang but didn’t release his hand.

 

“Now I can only talk to your body,” Yu Lan fiddled with his fingers, speaking softly.

 

“So it really was cheating before?” he said with certainty, “It’s been quite a while; it’s enough.”

 

Yu Lan tried to hook his little finger, but Chu Wang remained unconscious and unresponsive.

 

That day’s unconscious movements seemed to have been an accident. He still slept quietly, showing no difference from the first night they met.

 

Yet it was obviously different.

 

Yu Lan looked down at him and spoke as if making small talk: “Yu Ling came to find me today.”

 

“He seems to think I’m taking advantage of you being unconscious and that he wants to see me suffer when you wake up,” he spoke in a whisper-like tone, with no other emotions, as if discussing someone else’s affairs, “Then I threatened him, saying that starting today, for every day you wake up late, he would suffer one more day.”

 

Yu Lan laughed at this, seeming quite satisfied: “That’s right; this is what I should be saying.”

 

But Chu Wang remained quietly lying there, with no reaction.

 

Yu Lan pressed his lips together, his face showing no sign of disappointment, maintaining a bland expression.

 

He even glanced in the mirror and spoke to himself as if addressing Chu Wang: “I seem perfectly normal. Why did Zhong Jiale ask so many times today?”

 

“I mean, I mean…”

 

But the last part remained unsaid.

 

It turned into a light sigh.

 

In the following days, Yu Lan continued his routine of attending classes and going home.

 

Yu Ling’s reputation seemed to have subtly shifted over these days. Word had spread that Yu Lan was not the only child in the Yu family, and that he was the older brother, with a complicated relationship with the younger brother from the neighboring school.

 

However, once this news came out, everyone realized that Yu Ling had always considered himself the only child of the Yu family, which contradicted his previous claims.

 

But since Yu Ling had taken leave and wasn’t attending classes, people couldn’t get any new developments directly from him. Naturally, some curious individuals tried to ask Yu Lan indirectly.

 

To Yu Lan’s surprise, whenever others from different departments tried to gossip, just getting a hint upon entering the classroom, some people who rarely interacted with him would proactively step in and say, “What does this have to do with you?”

 

Yu Lan was astonished by this scene and asked Zhong Jiale: “Did you tell them to say this?”

 

“How could I?” Zhong Jiale replied with a look of wrongful indignation, “It’s their own initiative!”

 

“But you’re from our department. Even if you’ve been gossiping before, shouldn’t you stick with us?” Zhong Jiale said.

 

“But…” He hadn’t talked to them much before, “Why help me?”

**Chapter 47**

 

“Why all these questions?” Zhong Jiale frowned, as if finding the question strange, “Everyone likes you and helps out; what’s the big deal?”

 

Yu Lan had not been particularly warm before and had even used marriage as an excuse to brush off many people.

 

In Yu Lan’s view, he could gain others’ favor or goodwill in his own way, so he was quite skilled at it.

 

“Well, I didn’t know at the time that you and my brother were… that kind of relationship,” Zhong Jiale, seeing Yu Lan still puzzled, offered an example, “We get along quite well, don’t we?”

 

Yu Lan nodded, though he felt embarrassed to admit he initially thought Zhong Jiale was concerned about him due to his genuine nature and also his duty as class monitor.

 

He wasn’t skeptical of the existence of genuine goodwill without reason, but he had developed a self-consistent system over time.

 

He was indeed skilled at making people like him.

 

However, Yu Lan had simply wanted to return to his classes and hadn’t intentionally tried to improve relationships with his classmates.

 

“Exactly. Last time you went out with Yu Ling, people even praised you for having a personality, much better than him.”

 

Yu Lan blinked, feeling his throat dry: “Really?”

 

“Oh, and they said you’re straightforward, and you’re definitely better looking than your cheap brother.”

 

This remark made Yu Lan laugh: “Got it.”

 

“We’re all the same age; how many hidden agendas could there be?” Zhong Jiale said, “If they think you’re a good person, they help you block out the gossip. What’s the problem with that?”

 

Yu Lan seemed to finally believe it a little.

 

Just then, some unfamiliar faces, trying to sneak in during the break to catch the gossip, were spotted. When their intentions were uncovered, a girl in the front row said, “Why are there so many people coming these days? The teacher likes to call on people to answer questions in this class, and if you’re not prepared, no one will help.”

 

The people standing at the door looked uncomfortable but still tried to find Yu Lan, scanning the room. The girl slapped her book on the desk: “If you’re not here to attend the class and only to gossip, can you leave?”

 

The intruders, startled, didn’t dare to continue and quickly made up an excuse to leave.

 

Zhong Jiale said, “See, it’s not just me thinking like this.”

 

Yu Lan was a bit stunned. The girl had turned her head at that moment, and their eyes met.

 

She waved generously and mouthed what seemed like “No need to thank me.”

 

Yu Lan wasn’t sure what expression he wore but managed to give her a faint smile.

 

It seemed… Zhong Jiale was right.

 

Yu Lan had always thought of himself as quite smart.

 

He learned quickly, was good at reading people, and thought things through well. He didn’t wallow in self-pity and had never faced any particularly difficult problems.

 

But now, he felt like he was a bit slow-witted.

 

That day, he didn’t head home immediately after class or have someone pick him up. Instead, he opened his phone, followed the navigation, transferred on two buses, and got off alone.

 

It was a suburban cemetery, and although many places in this world differed greatly, such places were generally the same once you walked in.

 

A few days earlier, Yu Lan had secretly arranged for this. Today, he received news that it had been prepared according to his requirements.

 

He had chosen a spot with a good location. Yu Lan walked over to the brand-new tombstone.

 

“Aunt Liu, I’m here to visit,” he placed a bouquet of flowers, “I really can’t find another place to pay my respects, so just consider that you can hear me.”

 

“Have I already been smashed by that brick in the old world?” Yu Lan’s tone was light, as if he had accepted this fact, “But I don’t know how the director and the others dealt with it. Maybe now, in that world, you’re lying next to it.”

 

Yu Lan smiled and after a while, put away his smile: “I dreamed of you that day.”

 

“It was a… very strange dream,” Yu Lan sat beside the tombstone, thinking and saying, “A person you haven’t met appeared.”

 

“He was extremely good-looking, the kind you would like most when watching TV,” Yu Lan described earnestly, “Anyway, it’s hard to explain why I met him, so just take it as a funny story.”

 

“He seemed to have a good temperament… his emotions were stable. It’s just that sometimes I’m not used to how wealthy people speak. I need to get used to it…” Yu Lan hesitated, his voice dropping, “But I don’t know if there will be another chance to get used to it.”

 

“But he’s really good to me.” Yu Lan fiddled with the small leaves on the bouquet, his voice growing quieter, “He even confessed to me.”

 

“I know you’re going to say that everyone will like me, that it’s normal, and that I should give it a try if I like him…”

 

His face turned slightly red: “If I tell him we’re still technically married, wouldn’t that shock you?”

 

Yu Lan ran his fingers through his hair: “Forget it. I’m all confused and don’t know what I’m saying. I just came to chat with you.”

 

“I’m doing well here. Everyone is very nice to me,” Yu Lan didn’t want to bring up the Yu family situation in this context, nodding and saying, “Really, I have friends and classmates now, and they’re all very good.”

 

Yu Lan repeated “good” many times, as if this straightforward expression was the most direct way to convey his feelings: “So I’m fine, and you don’t have to worry about me.”

 

He traced the newly engraved words on the tombstone with his finger, sounding a bit hesitant: “But I don’t know what the future holds.”

 

“I wish you were still here,” Yu Lan said softly.

 

“I dreamed he came to keep you company.”

 

“I actually, I actually…”

 

“If possible, I’d like him to come see you.”

 

“He should agree, right?” Yu Lan gazed at the sky, speaking almost like a whisper, “It seems he has never refused any of my requests.”

 

“He…”

 

**Chapter 48**

 

At this point, Yu Lan felt as if the heaviness in his heart had dissipated almost instantly, his heart beating anew, filled with blood and hope.

 

Suddenly, Yu Lan stood up from beside the tombstone.

 

The slight gloom in his eyes seemed to have lifted, and he flashed a smile at her: “Thank you, Aunt Liu!”

 

Yu Lan felt like he could have rushed to embrace the tombstone. It was as if the weather had cleared in an instant.

 

He blinked, and although everything in front of him remained the same, he felt as if everything had changed.

 

It felt fresh, eager, and bright.

 

Yu Lan practically ran out of there.

 

It was a bit far from the Chu family’s residence, and calling a driver would be troublesome. He took a taxi, gave the address, and held his backpack tightly, barely blinking.

 

The usual taxis could only take him to an entrance two kilometers away. Yu Lan didn’t mind and, as if there was an urgent matter, jumped out of the car and started running, gasping for breath, not stopping for even a moment.

 

He usually didn’t exercise much and ran urgently. By the time he finally arrived at the courtyard, the person opening the door was startled: “Mr. Yu?”

 

Yu Lan’s forehead was drenched in sweat, and he was so out of breath he could barely speak. Just as he was about to wave his hand to say he was fine, he suddenly saw the doctor from the neighboring building walking towards him—

 

“Mr. Yu, you’re back?” The doctor’s tone was also excited, “The person responsible for cleaning heard the monitor in the room making noise…”

 

Just hearing this, Yu Lan’s already unstable heartbeat surged again.

 

“It seems Mr. Chu’s condition has changed!” Time was tight. Both of them hurried upstairs, and Yu Lan heard the doctor say, “It might mean he’s about to wake up!”

 

Yu Lan didn’t know what kind of mood he was in as he rushed up.

 

He felt he must look quite disheveled, with messy hair, sweaty ends, and his backpack still hanging loosely on his shoulder as he moved closer to the bedside.

 

Perhaps due to previous experience, this time the doctor didn’t ask him to wait aside but directly had him sit by Chu Wang’s bed: “You can hold his hand.”

 

Yu Lan had already taken his hand before the doctor finished speaking.

 

It might be an illusion, but Yu Lan firmly believed that today Chu Wang’s hand felt even warmer than before.

 

His fingertips touched Chu Wang’s pulse, which beat steadily, in clear contrast to Yu Lan’s own racing heart.

 

Perhaps because his heartbeat was too fast, Yu Lan self-deprecatingly laughed: “If you don’t wake up, I think I’ll end up needing to get a dynamic ECG soon.”

 

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Chu Wang’s hand.

 

Yu Lan noticed the moisture on the oxygen mask and, somewhat distracted, thought that Aunt Liu was indeed his lucky charm.

 

The last time he dreamed of her, Chu Wang showed signs of waking up early. And this time, right after visiting her, Chu Wang had shown new changes.

 

“Regardless of whether you remember or not when you wake up,” he spoke softly to the unconscious Chu Wang, “I still want you to accompany me to visit her.”

 

Yu Lan continued talking, focusing on Chu Wang.

 

The heart rate was rising, the breathing was steady and more rhythmic than before.

 

But Yu Lan could barely see these details, only staring at the closed-eyed man, sometimes blurry, sometimes clear.

 

“It’s been four days,” Yu Lan said, “A few things have happened these days, including today. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”

 

“Right, four days… Forget it, don’t think about Yu Ling for now.”

 

Yu Lan was a bit incoherent, feeling like he was almost heating Chu Wang’s hand from holding it so tightly.

 

After the basic examination, the doctor and the butler left the room. Xijun was still out of town. After a phone call, he instructed Yu Lan to eat and not to be too anxious.

 

However, Yu Lan seemed a bit stubborn. He acknowledged everyone’s advice but seemed not to really listen.

 

Dinner was served, but he seemed to be oblivious to the aroma of the food. From the moment he arrived, he hadn’t even put down his bag and just stayed there.

 

Soon, the room was left with just the two of them.

 

“The doctor said it would be soon,” Yu Lan said, “It’s been three hours.”

 

He knew his words were unreasonable, so he only whispered to Chu Wang after others had left.

 

Though Chu Wang couldn’t hear him now.

 

“Mr. Chu, if I wake you up before Aunt Liu returns, would I be the first to see you wake up?”

 

“But never mind. Anyway, you heard what I said last time.”

 

Yu Lan remembered clearly. At that time, he was so nervous that he told Chu Wang he would give him an answer when he woke up.

 

“It’s probably good if you didn’t hear it. Thinking about it now, if you wake up and don’t remember anything and then ask me who I am, that would be awkward.” Yu Lan gently played with Chu Wang’s fingers, puffing his cheeks as he spoke quietly.

 

“But you did hold my hand at that time, and everyone saw it. If, I mean, if you wake up and don’t remember, it can’t be denied. Don’t get angry and lock me up in a mental hospital.”

 

“Alright, I don’t think you’d do that anyway. I still have confidence in you.”

 

Moonlight had already streamed in. By night, Yu Lan seemed to have finally spoken himself tired.

 

Chu Wang, lying still, remained quietly asleep.

 

Yu Lan’s mouth felt dry, so he decided to stop talking.

 

He stared at Chu Wang for a while, and then, almost instinctively, lowered his head and buried his face in Chu Wang’s palm.

 

Chu Wang’s hand was large enough to almost cover Yu Lan’s face. Yu Lan found it oddly amusing, closing his eyes and rubbing his nose against Chu Wang’s palm.

 

Chu Wang’s hand wasn’t particularly delicate. Yu Lan felt the lines of his palm and smelled the clean scent of disinfectant.

 

This scent seemed to reassure him. Yu Lan let himself close his eyes, resting briefly in Chu Wang’s hand.

 

But it seemed there was indeed a change.

 

Yu Lan’s eyelashes brushed against Chu Wang’s palm. Just as drowsiness was beginning to set in, he suddenly felt…

 

The large hand supporting his face gently moved.

 

The warmth of Chu Wang’s fingertips brushed against his lips, seeming to tighten slightly, as if trying to envelop his face—

 

Yu Lan, half-awake, looked up in that instant.

 

He met a pair of calm, deep eyes.

 

It’s happening, finally, almost six thousand words~~