Chapter 864: Shen Qing and Huo Chen Side Story 02

Huo Chen shoved the medicine into Shen Qing's mouth as quickly as possible.

He feared this person might have an accident, breaking into a sweat in his anxiety; fortunately, after a few minutes the medicine took effect and Shen Qing's heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

"Are you alright?"

Huo Chen asked carefully, "I didn't say anything either—why are you so angry?"

"Let go."

Shen Qing was not used to close contact with others, let alone at such a close distance.

"Oh," Huo Chen hissed, secretly thinking this person was indeed strange—looking like an angel but with such a cold attitude.

"Who exactly are you? Are you also a child of the Shen family? I've never seen you before."

"It's none of your business. Get out of here."

Even though Shen Qing had no strength left, he strained to push this person away, but Huo Chen found it awkward to exert force, so he could only leave half-heartedly.

After returning, Huo Chen never mentioned this to anyone; later he often used the excuse of coming to play and sneaked up to meet Shen Qing.

Perhaps because he had no playmates during his lonely youth, Shen Qing never said it outright, but after a few meetings he actually began to look forward to Huo Chen's visits.

"And then what happened?"

Qiao Xu obediently listened to Shen Qing recount their story, and couldn't help but become more curious about what came next.

"Afterward… he still came to see me every few days, and when the visits became frequent, my father finally found out about this."

Shen Qing looked at the pair of Huo Chen and his companion who had been driven out to the private room to drink, and his gaze toward Huo Chen softened considerably.

"At that time, Huo Chen already knew the secret of my background; after it was exposed, he said, 'If the Shen family can't take proper care of me, he can take me away.'"

The Shen family's power and pedigree could not match the Huo family's; even if his father were stricter, he would not pass up this opportunity to forge a good relationship with the Huo family.

So he finally moved out of the Shen family's upper floor, began living with Huo Chen, and confirmed their romantic relationship.

When his health prevented him from attending school, Huo Chen would have teachers come to tutor him at home; when the weather was nice, he would take him to the amusement park to play, even if they only rode the tamest carousel.

When his illness flared, he was no longer alone, curled up on a cold bed, feeling life and death intertwined, each second seeming to hover on the brink of the underworld.

Huo Chen would feel heartbroken, holding him and coaxing him over and over, calling his name.

Those were the two happiest years of his life.

But someone like him might not even be allowed by heaven to enjoy too much happiness.

"Afterward, my father began aggressively acquiring small and medium-sized enterprises, seizing the best opportunities to expand the Shen Corporation's sectors, and consequently made many enemies."

"There was a person… who somehow heard that my father was not childless, that I existed as his son, and thought keeping it secret was to protect and care for me… He found where I and Huo Chen lived and set a fire…"

Hearing this, Qiao Xu's heart clenched; he patted Shen Qing's hand and said, "All right, if you don't want to continue, we can stop here."

Shen Qing shook his head, lowered his gaze, and continued.

"I was overcome by smoke, fell ill, and the signal was cut off; that day Huo Chen wasn't home… I thought my life would end just like that."

But he still saw Huo Chen.

Huo Chen, returning home alone, still holding the gift he had brought for him, rushed in without hesitation, exerting all his strength to try to pull him out.

But the flames were too intense at that time; when Huo Chen found him, they could barely escape together.

After waking up again, I was no longer in the country.

Saying this, Shen Qing's voice trembled slightly: "My father said that the head of the Huo family knows my heart surgery has a high failure rate and does not allow me to stay in contact with Huo Chen."

"I heard from domestic friends that Huo Chen lost his memory of me; perhaps after carrying me out of the fire, I had already suffered heart failure and stopped breathing, and he thought I was dead."

He did not want their story to end like this; this should not be their fate.

So he endured with all his will to undergo heart surgery, while secretly keeping in touch with the underground black market from his father.

Shen Qing knew that only the black market's medicine could cure him.

Over these five years, everything he has done has been to prepare for returning home.

After the story ended, it was the highly empathetic Qiao Xu who burst into tears even before Shen Qing did.

He wiped the tears from his eyelashes, sobbed, and hugged Shen Qing, saying, "You're so brave, so amazing."

Those five years, summed up in a single offhand sentence, were actually endured by Shen Qing day after day.

"It's good that you reunited, and good that Huo Chen fell in love with you again."

Otherwise Shen Qing's life would have been unnecessarily bitter.

"Yeah…"

Shen Qing murmured, once again meeting the gaze of the doubting Huo Chen who had looked in, slowly raising a smile: "It's good that we reunited."

So the five years of suffering now seem to have meaning.

Huo Chen and Jin Chen entered together.

"Why are you crying?"

Jin Chen sat beside Qiao Xu, gently wiping the tear stains from the corners of his eyes with his fingertip.

"Because I heard a story."

Qiao Xu sniffed, snuggled into Jin Chen's arms, wiped away all his tears, and whispered softly into his ear.

"Brother, Shen Qing is so amazing."

Hearing that, Jin Chen could roughly guess what story Qiao Xu had heard.

"Yes, he's amazing, and Xiao Xu is amazing too."

Jin Chen rubbed the top of the person's head in his arms, saying, "Earlier Huo Chen drank some wine and recalled a lot; let's go home and leave them some space."

"Okay."

Qiao Xu shook his leg and said, "Carry me out."

Jin Chen and Shen Qing exchanged a glance, nodded politely, and said, "Xiao Xu needs to go home to rest; you two continue."

"Go on, go on."

Huo Chen lay buried in Shen Qing's embrace, his voice muffled as he waved a hand, saying, "I want to talk to Xiao Qing—idle people, clear out."

Jin Chen: '……'

Remember to call a designated driver later; I don't want to go to the police station to pick someone up.

After saying that, he left with Qiao Xu on his back, a suit jacket hanging in the crook of his arm.

After getting back in the car, Qiao Xu had not yet shaken off the emotions from the recent story, leaning against the window and lost in thought.

Suddenly, he heard a sentence from Jin Chen.

Don't project yourself into Shen Qing's past story; our own story is already grand enough.

"Mm… okay," Qiao Xu muttered, "Are you the tapeworm in my stomach? How do you know everything I think?"

I'm your husband; guessing your thoughts shouldn't be difficult.

Jin Chen's lips curled in a smile, his gaze shifting from the front of the car to the passenger seat with a teasing glance.

We're home!

Qiao Xu snorted, "Still calling you husband? We haven't even gotten engaged—don't even think about making me Change Address."

Either you call me husband, or how dare you not!

He pointed and gestured.

Got it, got it—engagement is definitely a must.

Jin Chen had a sudden inspiration.

——

Later, Qiao Xu finally got the grand engagement ceremony she wished for, already more romantic than many families' weddings.

His body had completely cleared the toxin residue, growing healthier under Jin Chen's nourishment.

Later, on the day Huo Chen finally regained all his memories, he took the ring design he had prepared five years ago, added his longing and emotion, crafted it into a one-of-a-kind ring, and proposed to Shen Qing—a wedding and heart-flutter long delayed by five years.

All the stories now have happy endings, even if the process was tumultuous.

But life is ever-changing; as long as the heart-flutter remains, even if delayed or weathered by storms, there will be a moment when souls entwine and burst forth with an eternal bang.