Chapter 18
Author: Mr. Big Horn
Thinking about having someone like that at home seemed nice.
But trying it out, he realized it was far better than he had imagined. Every detail of life became more vivid and lively because of that person. The morning sunlight was no longer harsh, and every breath felt sweet.
God knows how hard he tried to restrain himself at the airport, stopping himself from doing something irreversible.
He was proud of his self-control.
Though there was a subtle sense of regret…
After all, if he had kept Su Jinxin with him…
Stop, stop, he couldn’t think like that.
Yan Zhen pressed his fingers to his temples. There were too many differences between him and Su Jinxin — insurmountable gaps that couldn’t be bridged by Yan Zhen bending down or Su Jinxin standing on tiptoe. In fact, without this twisted contractual relationship, they wouldn’t have even crossed paths. The only connection might have been Su Jinxin seeing him on TV someday.
A single word from him could change the fate of hundreds, if not thousands, of ordinary people like Su Jinxin. Moreover, Su Jinxin was one of the most vulnerable among ordinary people, alone and unable to handle much risk.
He had seen it often: friends whimsically keeping someone around, only to discard them when bored. He remembered the empty eyes and the bloodied scenes of those abandoned souls who committed suicide.
Even if they couldn’t be together, he didn’t want Su Jinxin to end up like that.
Su Jinxin was more sensitive and easily hurt than others.
Things insignificant to others could be magnified in Su Jinxin’s eyes, causing him great joy or unbearable agony, sleepless nights, and endless torment. Just mentioning he had “gained weight” after dropping him off at school led to him frequently catching Su Jinxin secretly checking his stomach in the mirror, eating less and less.
Su Jinxin’s cautious, obedient demeanor was very endearing. Yan Zhen genuinely liked it and felt comfortable and cared for. But now, he wanted Su Jinxin to be comfortable, free, and happy.
So those dark thoughts were best left unthought.
He said that, but his mind was uncontrollable.
For several days, outside of work, Yan Zhen felt dazed. His mind was filled with thoughts of Su Jinxin, yet it seemed he was thinking of nothing at all.
He found himself inexplicably scrolling through the two photos of Su Jinxin on his phone while drinking coffee. He had taken these secretly when Su Jinxin was staying at his house. Before this, he didn’t dare keep any on his phone, fearing it might get lost and leak to the paparazzi, ruining Su Jinxin’s life.
He stopped to look at young men on the street who were small in stature and dressed similarly to Su Jinxin.
He was distracted several times a day.
Even his assistant asked if he needed a short break after the exhausting merger case.
His friends, knowing it was his “break” time, invited him out. Drinking and joking around was fun, but everyone had someone in their arms except him, making the scene awkward. Someone would always come up to accompany him, but he didn’t feel like dealing with people. Before going home, he had to change his jacket because the smell of the party was strong, and Su Jinxin could easily notice. Then he remembered: Su Jinxin wasn’t there, and no one cared where he had been.
He also realized he had been staying in his villa for several days. Normally, during work, he would stay at the apartment near his office.
Everything was in disarray.
Feeling down, Yan Zhen received a call from Ye Hongxuan: he had sponsored an art exhibition featuring the most talented emerging artist, with the most impactful sculptures, still being set up. Would Yan Zhen like to see it?
Ye Hongxuan was the most extravagant of Yan Zhen’s friends, spending money lavishly but with the keenest eye. Anything praised by him was bound to be good.
Yan Zhen had started learning about art and investing in it for Su Jinxin. He would attend good exhibitions to broaden his horizons whenever he wasn’t too busy.
So he agreed.
The exhibition was indeed impressive.
Even though the setup wasn’t complete and the lighting was off, the sculptures conveyed a deep pain and vibrant life force. Yan Zhen walked forward slowly, listening to Ye Hongxuan’s introduction:
This artist had just graduated, causing a sensation abroad. If he continued at this pace, his future was limitless. If one wanted to buy his work, now was the time before they became unattainable… His story was also legendary, with a mysterious sponsor behind him…
Yan Zhen listened absentmindedly, thinking about arranging a grand exhibition for Su Jinxin someday. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a separate exhibition room: “What’s this?”
“Oh,” Ye Hongxuan glanced, “this is an independent series, so it has its own room…”
It was a series of human body sculptures.
Only the torso parts.
Made from the classic material, marble.
There were seven in total.
The last one seemed unfinished, covered with a cloth.
All were in extreme poses that seemed almost impossible. One could feel the despair and struggle emanating from the bodies without getting too close.
A shadow crossed Yan Zhen’s face.
He quickly walked to the nearest sculpture and examined it closely. Suddenly, his ears buzzed, and he couldn’t hear Ye Hongxuan’s descriptions about the “fusion of traditional materials and modern expressions.” His blood rushed to his head, his temples throbbed, and his vision went red:
This body had lain peacefully in his arms just days ago, far from this twisted form.
Now Yan Zhen knew whose exhibition this was.
Ye Hongxuan noticed something was wrong, waving a hand in front of his face and calling “A-Zhen” several times before Yan Zhen snapped out of his turbulent emotions: “This room must not open.”
“What?” Ye Hongxuan didn’t understand.
“I’ll buy this entire series,” Yan Zhen said, then added, “And any new pieces in the future should go directly to my home.”
“A-Zhen, you…”
“What? Afraid I can’t afford it?”
“Of course not, just…”
Before they could finish, there was a loud bang from a door being slammed, followed by a voice filled with disappointment: “You’ve let me down too much!”