A President’s Out-of-Body Experience

Gu Xiaoshan again regretted it. He should not have said such words to Renzi, although they were true. He should have just lied to him, and kept him in the dark about this. Renzi would not have been able to register the lie, and after hearing it, he would also be very happy.

Gu Xiaoshan understood that the last thing he wanted was for Renzi to be unhappy.

In this suffocating silence, it was a text that saved the awkwardness. It was sent to Gu Xiaoshan by the lawyer, asking him to sign some documents. Finishing the noodles, Gu Xiaoshan thanked Renzi before he left.

The aroma of the instant noodles was like this grief, very inexpensive and pronounced. With the windows and doors closed, the smell would not be able to dissipate. Looking for a distraction, Renzi too chose to head outside. However, it was different from the walks people usually took as a distraction. Renzi did not walk aimlessly. There was a destination that he wanted to head to, and it was the location that had been reported in the articles Old Mister Yu sent to him — a sea that glimmered like glass under the setting sun.

The scenery there was as though that of a painting, and was a scenic spot. It might be because of that reason, Tang Guoguo, who styled herself as a romantic, chose that place to threaten to commit suicide with her son. It might also be because of her love for this scenery, Tang Guoguo had built a villa so close to the sea, calling it home. Renzi suddenly wanted to see how that sea looked like. From the side gate of Tang Guoguo’s villa, he would be able to reach the pier with the best view of the place.

Under the golden light of the setting sun, it was the best time to take in the scenery.

Before Renzi’s arrival, there was already another person there. After signing the relevant documents, the lawyer told Gu Xiaoshan that he was free to return back home. Gu Xiaoshan also knew it, and had Xu Yunyun book a ticket home for tomorrow. He too did not want to stay at this place any longer, but now that it was time to depart, he could not help but revisit this place. Dressed in a white shirt, standing by the shore, he looked leaner than usual. Looking both fragile and insignificant, from behind, Renzi almost did not recognise that this was the indestructible Brother Xiaoshan of his memories.

With the setting sun, the sea breeze was a little warm. Renzi’s cheeks heated up, and when he was about to call out to Gu Xiaoshan, Gu Xiaoshan suddenly took off his shirt, shoes and socks, slowly wading through the waves. Frantic, Renzi rushed forward without thinking. He even forgot about removing his shoes, and followed him into the sea — under the crashing waves, Renzi then realised, not only did he forgot to remove his shirt, shoes and socks, he also forgot that Gu Xiaoshan used to be the city’s youth champion for the 100m freestyle event, and most importantly, he forgot the fact that he had failed his swimming exam…

Not only had Renzi failed his swimming exam then, by now, he had not swam in many years. Upon entering the water, he sank like a stone, there was not even time for him to say his last words! Instead, it was Gu Xiaoshan, floating amidst the currents and immersed in the embrace of his memories, who suddenly realised that someone had fell in behind him. He no longer had the time to reflect on his life, immediately turning back to save the victim. When he reached the shore, and finally saw the victim’s pale face, his own face turned pale too.

“Yu Yunren!”

It sounded almost like a howl. He gritted his teeth, but his teeth started chattering— as though he was very cold. However, that should not be the case, as it was now summer.

Renzi seemed to have regain consciousness with that yell. He slowly opened his eyes, and with his blurry vision, the dripping wet Gu Xiaoshan in the setting sun looked like a god to him. Blushing, Renzi articulated, “You… You’ll… you’ll be the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport…”

“What?” Gu Xiaoshan did not hear it clearly, and leaned down closer, wanting to understand what Renzi said. However, Renzi fainted again. Anxious, frustrated, and upset, Gu Xiaoshan’s eyes drilled into Renzi’s face. That skin was pale as though it was about to turn translucent, and the veins on his neck were very distinct, causing Gu Xiaoshan to feel as though his heart was about to shatter into hundreds of pieces.

When Renzi woke up, an IV drip was inserted in his arm. Next to the drip sat Gu Xiaoshan. He was dressed in black and white, his face solemn. Renzi nearly thought that he was being “paid respects to”, and so slapped himself on his cheeks. Feeling the pain, he spoke, “I’m still alive?”

Gu Xiaoshan snorted. “You also knew that you could have died doing that?!”

Renzi refuted him self-righteously. “You know it too? Why did you try to jump into the sea then? I was so worried!”

Hearing the words “I was so worried”, Gu Xiaoshan was both annoyed and helpless. In the end, he could only tuck Renzi firmly into the bed. “But I’m a swimming champion.”

Renzi unreasonably shot back, “Even so, you still can’t jump into the sea!”

Gu Xiaoshan saw how energetic Renzi was, and he felt less worried. He then made a sarcastic remark, “Oh? A swimming idiot like you can jump in, but a champion like me cannot?”

Speechless, Renzi thought over it, then gave in. “Then, neither of us would jump in again, ok?”

Gu Xiaoshan agreed. “Sure, I feel that this suggestion’s pretty good.”

Renzi then thought of something else, and he was flustered. “Dad doesn’t know about this, right?”

“I don’t dare to tell him either.”

Renzi relaxed. “Good, good, if not he would worry more.”

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoshan felt a little peeved. “You’re afraid that he would worry, but you’re not afraid that I’ll worry?”

Renzi turned his head. “It’s not like I’m your friend anyway!”

Knowing that his words had caused trouble, Gu Xiaoshan coaxed him. “Of course, a person can have many friends, but in my heart, there’s only one of you. No more, no less.”

After hearing this, Renzi’s ears burned.

Gu Xiaoshan noticed that there was no more anger on Renzi’s face, and so was relieved. He was about to call a nurse over, but Renzi suddenly caught his hand. “You too.”

Gu Xiaoshan did not get it. “What about me?”

Unexpectedly, Renzi was a little bashful, “Umm, you’re also that… in my heart, you’re also that one. No more, no less.”

Gu Xiaoshan was taken aback. He did not look at Renzi, but stared at the IV drip. Watching the fluid dripped drop by drop, after a while, Gu Xiaoshan then pressed the call button, requesting for a nurse’s assistance.

Actually, Gu Xiaoshan chose to enter the waters before his departure was to bid farewell to his past, and he wanted to force himself to walk out from under that shadow. Now that Renzi had rashly entered the waters and nearly drowned, it instead gave Gu Xiaoshan another big trauma.

Gu Xiaoshan thought, there was definitely something amiss about this place. In the future, it was better that he still remained a little superstitious, and avoid this place for good.

The next day, Gu Xiaoshan spoke to Renzi. “I’m going back, you’ll stay here and recuperate.”

Renzi was in disbelief. “You’re going to leave me here?”

“The doctor says you’re not in any danger, and only have to stay here under observation for a couple more days. I still have to go back immediately for work, so I won’t be able to accompany you, the Second Young Master Yu, to relieve your boredom now.”

In Renzi’s ears, Gu Xiaoshan’s words sounded a little snide. This was because Gu Xiaoshan had always been very patient with him, and rarely ever spoke to him so sarcastically. Hurt by his cold tone, Renzi replied pitifully, “You weren’t like this before.”

Gu Xiaoshan wanted to tell him that he sounded like that sort of irritating girlfriend again, but he was aware that he could no longer crack such jokes with Renzi anymore. With this in mind, his heart was also slightly sour, just like when he wanted a drink of fruit juice in summer, only to bite into a lemon wedge. Gu Xiaoshan scratched at his nose. “Because I’ve already admitted to you that I don’t see you as a friend. In that case, I’ll just be frank. I’m not a naturally considerate and gentle person. I value wealth and status, so I need to go back to work, and cannot slack off at any moment in time.”

Gu Xiaoshan intensely regretted saying such words, as he looked at Renzi’s face.

If it was someone else, Gu Xiaoshan might still tease and flirt with him as though nothing had happened. However, as it was Renzi, he could not play with his feelings in this manner. He really did not expect that Renzi would one day become gay, and he never ever thought that Renzi would one day have such feelings for him.

To tell the truth, Gu Xiaoshan was panicking.

As such, Gu Xiaoshan did not know how to handle this situation. He did not dare to carelessly crack such jokes with Renzi, and also did not dare to express any extraordinary concern towards him. However, he also was unwilling to say anything that would make Renzi unhappy. He could only tell him, this was only one of Renzi’s whims, if he treated him coldly for awhile, Renzi would cool down. Just like how Renzi suddenly chased after Gu Xiaowu, his feelings would calm down in about three or four months. It was like the interest of a silly dog suddenly chasing after a butterfly, it looked intense, but it was only a short moment of passion.