If Shen Mingjin had lived for over twenty years and seemed to have had a smooth and uneventful life except for amnesia, then Shen Mingjin was now certain that Xu Duwan’s appearance was specifically there to bring him misfortune.
Fortunately, Xu Duwan didn’t drink as wildly as last time, and he didn’t vomit. He just obediently lay in Shen Mingjin’s arms, licking his moist lips and letting out a few moans from his hoarse lips, murmuring that he felt uncomfortable. One moment he said he wanted to eat sesame buns, and the next he said he didn’t want to eat them. He was more fussy than a three-year-old.
Having no other option, Shen Mingjin helped him up from the chair and patted his back intermittently, like coaxing a child.
”What ants? There are no ants. How could there be ants in the bun?”
And who is Shen Lian? He doesn’t remember him at all.
”have………”
Hearing that Shen Mingjin didn’t believe him, Xu Duwan felt even more aggrieved. He pursed his lips tightly and rubbed his forehead against Shen Mingjin’s shoulder, looking just like some soft, harmless little animal angrily complaining to its owner.
”I bought this for you…”
”Shen Lian doesn’t want me to get close to you… so he always teases me like this…”
Only a pervert like Shen Lian would do something as childish as putting ants in a black sesame bun.
Xu Duwan had excitedly brought breakfast for Shen Mingjin, but while he was in the bathroom, Shen Lian tampered with it. If Xu Duwan hadn’t noticed something was wrong and taken a bite, Shen Mingjin might have eaten the bun covered in black ants.
The thought of his hands being crawling with ants made Xu Duwan feel even worse. He felt nauseous but couldn’t vomit, and his face was very pale. When Shen Mingjin touched his back, it was completely soaked.
Shen Mingjin immediately picked him up, half-hugging and half-carrying him, protecting Xu Duwan in his arms.
Jiang Ruoling came out of the restroom and saw that Shen Mingjin seemed to be taking Xu Duwan away. He hesitated to speak until Xu Duwan obediently nestled in his arms without any struggle. He was completely different from before Shen Mingjin came. Jiang Ruoling’s expression was complicated and hard to describe.
After a long pause, he sighed, took a key from Xu Duwan’s pocket, lit a cigarette, and said to Shen Mingjin:
”Can you drive? Hedong Road, Qingbiyuan, 22nd floor, room 902, take him home.”
”drive.”
Shen Mingjin nodded, took the keys, glanced at the BMW logo on them, and said nothing.
He helped Xu Duwan to the underground parking lot, put him in the passenger seat, and leaned over to fasten his seatbelt.
To be fair, Xu Duwan is quite good-looking, except for his bad temper and strong fists, but none of that detracts from his good looks.
His appearance is on the delicate side, with long, dark eyelashes, porcelain-white skin, and soft features and jawline. When he’s not angry, he looks like a soft, smooth dough ball.
Shen Mingjin stared at his sleeping face for a while before finally remembering to start the car.
Qingbi Garden is a well-known wealthy area in the east of the city. When Shen Mingjin entered, he was questioned by security guards. It wasn’t until Xu Duwan was awakened by their voices and angrily cursed that the security guards softened their attitude and let Shen Mingjin in.
Xu Duwan has several cars in his garage, but this car is not driven often, so the security guards did not realize that it was Xu Duwan.
”Okay, we’ll be there soon.”
Seeing that Xu Duwan was feeling nauseous, Shen Mingjin comforted him while backing the car into the garage. He then opened the car door, helped Xu Duwan up the stairs from the basement, and pressed the button for the 22nd floor.
Perhaps because he was back in a familiar environment, Xu Duwan finally stopped making a fuss and behaved himself until he entered the door.
Xu Duwan’s door was an electronic door. Shen Mingjin stood at the door for a while, trying to figure out how to open it. Xu Duwan was drunk and couldn’t say the password, so Shen Mingjin had to hold his fingers and press them one by one, trying to unlock it with his fingerprint.
Xu Duwan’s hands were smaller than Shen Mingjin’s, and they felt warm and soft to the touch, which distracted Shen Mingjin for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, the door was already open.
”Beep! Welcome home!”
The door lock loosened and bounced slightly outwards. Shen Mingjin quickly snapped out of her daze, went inside, and turned on the light.
Xu Duwan’s house features LED strip lighting that extends from the entrance hall into the rooms, giving it a sophisticated feel. In addition to the sofa, the living room walls are covered with small glass shelves for storing things, many of which are old items that clash with the overall decor, causing Shen Mingjin to pause in surprise.
Seeing that Shen Mingjin had his back to him and his attention was entirely focused on the furniture, Xu Duwan was a little angry and said loudly:
”We need to hold hands!”
”……What?”
Shen Mingjin quickly looked away from the room’s decor, turned to look at Xu Duwan who was clearly angry, and asked:
”What’s wrong with you?”
”Why aren’t you holding my hand anymore?”
Xu Duwan felt a little wronged and moved the hand he had just used to test fingerprints: “You were just holding my hand.”
”…We were doing that to open the door, but we don’t need to now.”
Shen Mingjin tried to reason with the drunkard:
”And it wasn’t just holding hands…”
Upon hearing this, Xu Duwan puffed out his cheeks as if he were truly angry. Without even changing his shoes, he walked into the room with a sullen face, threw himself onto the bed, rolled himself up in the blanket, and curled up in the corner like a ball, remaining motionless.
Afraid that he would suffocate, Shen Mingjin quickly took off his shoes, walked to Xu Duwan’s side, patted him through the blanket, and said with amusement:
“Aren’t you hot?”
”……..”
Xu Duwan ignored him, and no matter how Shen Mingjin coaxed him, he refused to come out.
Having no other option, Shen Mingjin scratched his head and started searching the room for the air conditioner remote.
However, Xu Duwan’s room was quite large. He searched the room but couldn’t find the remote control. Instead, he found a photo album on the table, which was full of his photos.
Looking at himself, who was clearly several years younger, Shen Mingjin gradually showed a hint of surprise.
He pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn’t resist his curiosity. He moved his fingertips and slowly scrolled down.
These photos are clearly from his teenage years, with varying backgrounds. Some are even obviously cut from other people’s photos, showing his profile. The only similarity is that his facial features and appearance were much more youthful than they are now, but in all of them, he has a cold, expressionless face and looks rather impatient.
Shen Mingjin’s fingertips slowly traced the slightly yellowed photos, looking at each one carefully. He noticed that he seemed to have been wearing a jade necklace around his neck back then, but it had disappeared from his body now.
Moreover, back then, there always seemed to be a young man with him. Shen Mingjin looked closely and realized it was the same young man he had met at the antique shop today, whose name seemed to be… Shen Lian?
It seems that I and the other person used to have a decent relationship?
But why did the other person tell him they were finally back that day? Had he told him where they had been before? Is there any necessary connection between this and the fact that they were rescued at the beach and then lost their memory?
Does he… know the inside story?
As Shen Mingjin pondered this, he slowly closed the photo album, then couldn’t resist rummaging through the drawer again. He found a stack of love letters inside, some torn and some untouched, some clean, and some with overlapping black footprints, looking like they had been violently damaged. But the first line of all of them began with the name Shen Mingjin, while the signatures at the end varied, some were Xu Duwan, and some were someone else.
Shen Mingjin didn’t recognize those people. He only glanced at the love letters signed by Xu Duwan and found that they were covered in black footprints, and some of the paper was crumpled and seemed to have tear stains.
Shen Mingjin paused, put the love letters back in their place, stood up, and felt a mix of emotions.
He looked around and only realized a moment later that Xu Duwan’s house had central air conditioning, with the switch installed on the wall.
Shen Mingjin slapped his forehead, turned on the air conditioner, then turned around and dug Xu Duwan out of the blanket.
Xu Duwan was already sweating profusely, his face flushed, and his black hair clung messily to his forehead. He looked up at Shen Mingjin and complained:
“Why did it take you so long to come find me?”
”You’re right here, what’s there to look for?”
Shen Mingjin asked, “Do you still feel like throwing up?”
”…” Xu Duwan hummed a few times upon hearing this, kicked off the cumbersome blanket, and whispered:
”I feel terrible.”
”Where does it hurt?” Shen Mingjin asked patiently again.
”Head, stomach, waist, knees…”
It seemed like there wasn’t a single part of Xu Duwan’s body that wasn’t sore; Shen Mingjin couldn’t tell if he was going to get beaten up or go drinking.
”Why are your knees hurting from drinking so much?”
Knowing that he and Xu Duwan might have known each other before, Shen Mingjin’s gaze softened as he looked at Xu Duwan. He slowly moved closer to Xu Duwan, gently pressing his fingertips on the other’s temples.
”Does your head still hurt?”
”pain……..”
Xu Duwan reiterated his previous statement.
Shen Mingjin sighed helplessly, “How about I call the doctor?”
”…….No.” Xu Duwan, who was drunk, was always bold and skilled: “If you kiss me, it won’t hurt anymore.”
Shen Mingjin: “…….”
He was silent for a moment, then slapped Xu Duwan’s expectant face, and said coldly:
”Do you really have a headache?”
”Really?” Xu Duwan pushed Shen Mingjin’s hand away, looking at him innocently with his watery eyes, and said aggrievedly:
”You don’t believe me.”
“…” Shen Mingjin looked at him, and Xu Duwan met his gaze, his expression open and without any guilt.
In the end, Shen Mingjin gave in and stood up, saying:
”I’ll go get the doctor.”
”You’re not allowed to go.” Xu Duwan looked at Shen Mingjin’s back and seemed to have been suddenly provoked. He got angry, frowned, and grabbed Shen Mingjin’s wrist with lightning speed.
Before Shen Mingjin could react, he was surprised to find that Xu Duwan had suddenly become incredibly strong. In a dizzying moment, Xu Duwan pushed Shen Mingjin onto the bed, rolled over, and knelt down on Shen Mingjin’s waist and abdomen, pinning him beneath him.
Shen Mingjin’s dark pupils reflected Xu Duwan’s drunken face. He opened his mouth, about to ask what the other wanted to do, but saw the other pressing on his wrist, pursing his lips and looking at him intently. Then, without thinking twice, the other pressed down and bumped his forehead into Shen Mingjin’s teeth.