Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Lin Xiaotang kept picking at the dry skin on his fingers, not daring to look at Gu Shenhan.

Xiao Ke turned his head straight with one hand: "Don't avoid it; avoiding it won't do you any good."

Gu Shenhan glanced at his watch: "I'll give you two more minutes."

Lin Xiaotang was clearly picking at his hands faster. He turned slightly sideways and cautiously glanced at Gu Shenhan again, as if weighing something.

After a moment, Gu Shenhan pretended to stand up.

"Wait!" Lin Xiaotang said, "I, I do have some photos of Xiao An. But, but I have conditions."

"What conditions?"

"I want to see Xiao An."

"That's not impossible, but I want the things first."

"Then I can only give you one for now."

Lin Xiaotang bit his lip, terrified but sticking to his plan.

Seeing this, Gu Shenhan agreed for now. Lin Xiaotang then found encrypted files on his phone and sent three photos to Xiao Ke. He said, "We took a lot that day. I'll give you the rest after I see him."

Xiao Ke forwarded them to Gu Shenhan. Looking at the photos, Gu Shenhan had to say the person looked exactly the same, even with the same hair length. But he had a strange feeling that the Rong Yuan in the photos wasn't his partner.

The Rong Yuan he knew occasionally showed worry and helplessness in his eyes, but most of the time he was positive and even had a certain assertiveness. In short, he looked soft but wasn't the type to be easily manipulated.

The person in the photos appeared melancholic, timid, compromising, and evasive.

Though only the eyes were different, the temperament was distinctly different.

"And the clothes? They are indeed with you, right?"

"Yes," Lin Xiaotang said. "I went to the hospital with Xiao An the day he fell into the water. I helped him store the clothes, and his family didn't ask me for them. I planned to return them after Xiao An woke up, but he..."

At this point, Lin Xiaotang's expression was clearly unnatural: "But he didn't remember."

Gu Shenhan said to Xiao Ke, "Bring him over first."

With that, he hung up. Xiao Ke put away his phone: "Are you coming with me now, or do you want to pack first?"

They were near a Hanfu shop where Lin Xiaotang often helped out.

Lin Xiaotang asked weakly, "Can I, can I come back after I go?"

Xiao Ke was speechless and frowned: "Why not? My boss is a legitimate businessman, not a human trafficker. No need to be so nervous."

Lin Xiaotang said "Oh," feeling that this didn't reassure him at all—in fact, it made him more uneasy. He said, "Then I won't pack anything. The clothes you want are stored somewhere only I know. When needed, I'll have someone I trust mail them. Don't worry, they won't be lost."

In the afternoon, Gu Shenhan hurriedly finished up his work at the company and waited for news from Xiao Ke. During this time, he repeatedly looked at the photos Lin Xiaotang had sent. He also looked at the photos he had taken of Rong Yuan recently. The more he compared, the more differences he found.

Could a person really change that much just from losing his memory? He found it hard to believe now.

Just then, Rong Yuan sent him a text: "Honey, are you still busy? Can I video call you? I saw something fun!"

Gu Shenhan directly initiated a video call.

Rong Yuan answered immediately, turned the front camera to the rear camera, and said in a slightly lowered voice: "Honey, do you see?"

A pair of praying mantises were stacked on top of each other. Rong Yuan said, "Look, this little baby wants its mama to carry it!"

Gu Shenhan: "..."

Rong Yuan switched the camera back to the front: "Honey, why aren't you saying anything? Am I disturbing your work?"

Gu Shenhan smiled: "No disturbance. But is it possible they're a couple?"

"How could it be? The one on top is obviously much smaller. And to become a couple this late in the season? Won't the babies freeze?"

"Mantises are like that—the male is smaller than the female," Gu Shenhan said. "And their eggs can survive the winter. When the temperature and humidity rise around April or May next year, lots of baby mantises will hatch."

"I see." Rong Yuan felt embarrassed to keep watching, as if he was intruding on their private moment.

"Any discomfort this afternoon?"

"No, I'm much better." Rong Yuan was walking in the yard. "You get back to work. I'll wait for you to eat together."

"I have something tonight, so I might be late. If you're hungry, eat first. Don't wait for me."

Rong Yuan nodded: "Okay. Honey, if you drive at night, be careful."

After the video ended, Rong Yuan looked back at the two mantises and saw that the bigger one was eating its partner! Startled, he gripped his phone tightly and asked Teacher Dolphin why this happened. After getting the answer, he was a bit speechless.

The male mantis really had it rough.

Is this what happens when there's no emotion, only instinct?

Rong Yuan inexplicably thought about how when he had called Gu Shenhan that morning, Gu Shenhan had declined the video. That seemed to be the first time.

It also seemed to be the first time Gu Shenhan wasn't coming home for dinner.

Although he understood that people in business sometimes had to socialize, Gu Shenhan rarely went out at night for social engagements. At least, he hadn't seen it happen yet.

Was he deliberately avoiding him? After the test, had he indeed discovered something different about Rong Yuan?

And the question about the ice cellar—at the time, he had thought Gu Shenhan was just curious, but on reflection, it didn't seem like something Gu Shenhan would ask. He had been in Gu Shenhan's study many times; there was a whole wall of books, at least a thousand, and quite a few were about ancient culture.

Besides, Gu Shenhan had never asked him about such things before.

When Rong Yuan entered the house, he saw Lu Yi polishing a vase. He went over and stood beside her, hesitating as if to speak.

Lu Yi asked, "What's wrong, madam? Is something the matter?"

Rong Yuan said, "Lu Yi, before... did the master ever bring anyone home? I don't mean ordinary friends, I mean... that kind... you know what I mean?"

Lu Yi understood immediately and laughed: "No, the master is very disciplined. He seldom even drinks when socializing. Why do you suddenly ask, madam?"

Rong Yuan said, "He said he won't be home for dinner tonight."

Although it was a monogamous system here, in his experience, powerful men often had multiple wives and concubines. And recently he had seen a term online called "mistress," which meant that in this world, people might still take lovers outside marriage.

At other times, he might not have thought so much. But he had just undergone the test, and he didn't know if Gu Shenhan was saying it didn't matter while actually having discovered something.

Lu Yi said, "It's normal not to come home for dinner. Everyone has things to do. Madam, don't overthink it. Look, before, the third floor wasn't accessible to just anyone, but now the master has turned his astronomy room into your embroidery studio. Doesn't that show you're always in his heart?"

Rong Yuan thought about it and had to agree. If Gu Shenhan didn't care about him, he wouldn't have specially cleared out a room for him. And even if he left Gu Shenhan now, he could support himself. What was there to fear? If Gu Shenhan really had someone on the side, then he wasn't worth holding onto!

Rong Yuan called out, "Chef Cui! I want sweet and sour spare ribs and spicy squid for dinner! Also blanched lettuce! And make it plenty!"

Lian Dong responded from the kitchen, "Madam, my master went to the basement to look for red wine as an ingredient. I'll tell him for you in a moment!"

Rong Yuan said okay and bounded upstairs two steps at a time, thinking he needed to prepare his outfit for going out tomorrow.

He was going to the Lianshan headquarters, so he couldn't dress too casually.

·

There were no plane tickets available for that day, so Xiao Ke chose to bring Lin Xiaotang by high-speed rail, and they arrived at seven in the evening.

Gu Shenhan had already eaten something simple. Instead of meeting them at a restaurant, he had Xiao Ke bring them to an apartment he had bought as an investment.

Lin Xiaotang looked very nervous. Sitting on the sofa, he barely perched on the edge, wringing his hands. "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu."

Gu Shenhan said, "Don't be nervous. I just want to clarify some things with you. Your sister Lin Xiaomei says you've been acting jittery lately. Do you know why?"

Lin Xiaotang started picking at his hands again. "I-I was just scared on the day Xiao An fell into the water. And after Xiao An came back, he didn't remember me, so... maybe I had a couple of nightmares and said some things in my sleep, and my sister keeps harping on it."

Gu Shenhan lit a cigarette. "Not everyone's time has the same value. You'd better think carefully before you answer. If you're honest, you'll be well rewarded."

Lin Xiaotang frowned at this. "Mr. Gu, I didn't come here for a reward. I..."

"What is it?"

"I just want to see Xiao An, see how he's doing."

"What if he's doing well, what if he's not?"

"If he's doing well, that's the best. If not..."

"What can you change?"

"..."

"You see, you know yourself that there's nothing you can do. So your wanting to see my wife is more than that. As far as I know, you visited him a few times before he was discharged, but you haven't contacted him since he left the hospital."

He had asked Rong Yuan about it at the time. Rong Yuan had said only one classmate had contacted him, but he didn't know them and didn't talk much.

That person wasn't Lin Xiaotang. Lin Xiaotang should be considered a friend, not a classmate.

Lin Xiaotang suddenly hissed and looked at his hand—he had drawn blood from picking at it.

Xiao Ke handed him a tissue. After thanking him, Lin Xiaotang still couldn't figure out how to say it, simply replying, "Mr. Gu, I just want to see Xiao An. I really don't mean anything else."

"Then why didn't you contact him by phone, and only want to contact him now that we've found you?"

"I've been blocked."

"Blocked?" Gu Shenhan found that strange. Rong Yuan didn't even know what blocking meant, let alone block anyone. Besides, his young wife's WeChat contacts were so few you could count them on one hand.

"Yes, I can't call or text him. It must be his aunt who blocked me. They don't want me to see him anymore, and they don't like Xiao An wearing Hanfu. Later when I went to find him again, he had already been taken away by you."

"Then what about the ghost you mentioned?"

"It's... I felt he was acting strange after being rescued. Mr. Gu, I really just want to see how he is now. If he's not well, there's nothing I can do, but I thought, as his good friend, I could at least talk with him. If he's truly doing well, I won't bother him in the future."

Gu Shenhan stared at him expressionlessly.

After a moment, he said, "I need to discuss the meeting with my wife. You can stay here for now, or if you're not comfortable, you can go to any hotel you like. I'll cover your meals and accommodation. But during this time, I hope you won't say anything unnecessary to anyone, especially your sister, or anyone else trying to get information about my wife."

Lin Xiaotang nodded. "Don't worry, I understand what you mean."

Gu Shenhan said, "I'll let you know tomorrow whether you can see my wife. If not, naturally someone will escort you back."

Lin Xiaotang asked, "So, I'm staying here alone?"

Xiao Ke said, "There's also me."

Lin Xiaotang thought it over. He had nothing worth taking, and these people probably just wanted to figure out Rong Yuan's situation. In that case, even if he stayed at a hotel, he'd still be watched until this matter was resolved.

But regarding the clothes, he could only talk about them after seeing Rong Yuan.

Gu Shenhan went home, showered first, then had a simple dinner. He casually mentioned to Rong Yuan that someone wanted to see him.

Rong Yuan's first reaction was, "Honey, you don't really have a mistress, do you?"

"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough—" Gu Shenhan choked for a long while. "You... what mistress?"

"You came back with a scent I've never smelled on you before. Also, you rejected my video call this morning. And now you say someone wants to see me—it sounds like you're bringing in a concubine to introduce properly."

"Lu Yi! What TV drama has the lady been watching these days? Don't let him watch anymore—my clever wife is turning into a little fool." Gu Shenhan made a motion of tapping Rong Yuan with his chopsticks. "Where would I get a mistress?"

"Then who is it?"

"Lin Xiaotang. I wanted something from him, but he insists on seeing you first before handing it over."

"What thing?"

"Photos and clothes."

"..." So it really had started—he was being suspected!

"If you don't want to see him, I won't force you. We can retake the photos and buy as many clothes as you want. But if you're willing, I don't think it's a bad idea."

Rong Yuan hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I'll see him."

If Gu Shenhan had started to suspect him, he would find a way to get to the bottom of it anyway, because from what Rong Yuan had observed, his husband wasn't the type to give up halfway. Besides, he also wanted to meet Lin Xiaotang.

So they set the meeting for the next morning.

Both Rong Yuan and Lin Xiaotang requested to meet alone, so Gu Shenhan didn't get too close to disturb them. But he didn't go to the office either—instead, he watched the two of them talking on the lawn in the yard.

It was far enough away that he couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't tell who looked more like the one with a mistress!

If not for the fact that they both looked too submissive, he would have suspected his wife had something going on with the other guy.

Lin Xiaotang looked at Rong Yuan and felt awkward. He felt this person was completely unlike the good friend he remembered. When his hair was long, it was still similar, but now that it was cut short, only his face looked the same. He said, "Xiao An, are you... really Xiao An?"

Rong Yuan's heart raced a little, but he still smiled and said, "I am Rong Yuan. Sorry, I don't remember you. But it's not on purpose. Also, is your sister treating you well now? If you need any help, you must tell me. I saw your sister once before, and I wanted to contact you then to ask how you were doing, but I didn't have your number in my phone."

His aunt didn't allow him to see this person, nor to wear Hanfu, so the number must have been deleted.

Lin Xiaotang had thought over and over on the way about what to say when they met. Hearing this, some words became hard to say.

"What's wrong? Do you have something you can't talk about?" Rong Yuan genuinely cared about this matter.

"The clothes you wore are at my place."

"So?"

"More than half of the clothes Xiao An wore that day were made by me. I remember the fabric and colors clearly. I also have photos. But the clothes you wore have different cuffs from Xiao An's. The fabric and colors are different."

Rong Yuan's face drained of color: "What... what do you mean by that?"

Lin Xiaotang said, "I want to know where Xiao An went. Do you know? I'm not trying to threaten you. I just want to know if he's doing well. He's my only good friend, and now he's gone."

Lin Xiaotang's eyes began to well up: "I know you're not him. But when I said that, your uncle and aunt said I was crazy, and if I said it again they'd sue me. I can't find him, and I don't know what to do. Do you know some kind of magic? Or are you actually a spirit? Are you human?"

Rong Yuan: "..."

He had been feeling a bit sad and scared, but now he was a little embarrassed.

Lin Xiaotang looked at Rong Yuan anxiously: "Did you hide Xiao An away?"

Rong Yuan said, "No. First, show me the photos you took that day! Then I'll answer your question!"

Lin Xiaotang pulled out the photos. Rong Yuan looked and saw that indeed, the clothes the original Rong Yuan wore had different sleeves from the ones he had worn when he arrived. The difference was quite obvious. His cuffs were jade-white with embroidered orchids. The clothes the original Rong Yuan wore had sleeves of sky-blue, with no embroidery but printed with the character for 'fortune'.

If he showed the photos and clothes to Gu Shenhan, then Gu Shenhan would definitely know something was wrong!

Rong Yuan's confidence faltered: "Then I'll tell you, I don't know where he went either. Do you believe me? I guess he might have gone to my original home. But I'm not sure, and I don't want to lie to you."

Lin Xiaotang's eyes blurred with tears: "So he's not coming back?"

Rong Yuan said, "I don't know. I really don't know any magic, and I'm not a spirit. I'm still trying to get used to it here. I've only just learned numbers and the alphabet. I know fewer than twenty English words."

Lin Xiaotang found that kind of sad and asked innocently, "Then what English words do you know?"

Rong Yuan ticked off on his fingers: "apple, pig, I, you, fly, wifi, oh, oh, oh mushroom???"

Lin Xiaotang: "..."

The two young men stared at each other, each seeing pity in the other's eyes.

From about twenty meters away, Gu Shenhan had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and asked Xiao Ke, "What do you think they're talking about?"

Xiao Ke said, "It's too far away to tell. But Lin Xiaotang showed his phone to your husband, probably showing the photos? That set of clothes is still key."

Gu Shenhan thought the same. He'd realized it by chance. Xiao Ke was fast enough, so Lin Xiaotang probably wasn't prepared.

Rong Yuan thought the same and then asked Lin Xiaotang, "So that set of clothes—are you going to show it to my husband?"

Lin Xiaotang asked, "Do you want him to know about your situation?"

Rong Yuan said, "Not yet."

At least until I have a baby. By then, whatever the outcome, I'll accept it.

Lin Xiaotang said, "Then I'll give him the new one I made. After what happened to Xiao An, I made one based on his, and I wore it a few times to make it look a bit used. I figured if you're a decent guy, I'd give him the new one. If you're a bad guy, I'd trade the one you wore for Xiao An."

Rong Yuan let out a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Xiao Tang. Can I call you that?"

Lin Xiaotang felt like crying again. Thinking his good friend was really gone, whether dead or alive, his heart ached like it was being pricked by needles.

He nodded: "Then you have to take good care of yourself from now on. And if by any chance you dream of Xiao An or anything, remember to tell me."

Rong Yuan said okay. Then Lin Xiaotang went to find Gu Shenhan: "Mr. Gu. I'll give you the clothes. If you can, come with me to pick them up. I have to go back today."

Gu Shenhan had Xiao Ke escort him again and bring back the clothes.

He still didn't believe it. Two people who looked the same, clothes from two eras couldn't be exactly the same? Even if the style was identical, the fabric craftsmanship couldn't be the same.

Machine-woven and hand-woven were still different. It was useless for these two college students to coordinate their stories.

Rong Yuan asked, "Husband, what are you smiling about?"

Gu Shenhan said, "I'm smiling because you're cute."