Zhu Maolin came back earlier that day.
The sky just went dark, and yet it was not even 7:00 p.m.
There were no slippers in front of the house, and no food served on the table that had already turned cold. The only similarity was that the house was still quiet.
Hou Chen Yuhan was not at home.
Zhu Maolin didn’t even know that she was not at home at this point. He could probably check before coming back, but he didn’t know why he didn’t do it.
He tried to pick up his phone several times… Several times he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Soon after, Zhu Maolin brought out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen, turned on the TV, and watched it while eating. However, he didn’t know whether the noodles tasted good or not, or what were the lines on the TV.
It was really quiet here. Zhu Maolin liked a quiet working environment, so his office was also quiet. However, the two different silences gave off completely different feelings.
Should I continue working in the study? Zhu Maolin suddenly had this idea… I should be better off finishing the noodles first.
In the living room, only a warm-colored fluorescent light was turned on to embellish the room’s coldness.
Halfway through the meal, his wife – Hou Chen Yuhan, opened the door and came in with a bag in her hand… It was a bag from the convenience store and supermarket downstairs. The bag should be food.
Hou Chen Yuhan probably never thought of this happening. When she returned home and opened the door, she saw this person who had been sleeping in the same bed for many years. She was standing in the doorway with no expression on her face, seemingly a little overwhelmed.
Zhu Maolin looked at his wife and said, “The work went well today. I manage to come back early.”
Hou Chen Yuhan nodded stiffly.
Zhu Maolin stood up hurriedly at this time, rubbing lightly on the clothes around his waist with his hands, and then he quickly picked up the bowl on the table. He did not know what he should do.
But, what did he want to do with the bowl?
Zhu Maolin had no idea why he would do this… He looked at Hou Chen Yuhan, the person next to the pillow, and finally said, “Um… I just prepared some noodles. But, I don’t know when you will come back… Let me serve another bowl for you now.”
He quickly put down the bowl of noodles. When he found something to do, it was as if he had found his lifesaver.
“It’s all alright. I bought something to eat.”
Hou Chen Yuhan also spoke up quickly and got a bento from the bag. She did it as if to prove something. “Uh… if it’s not filling for you, I can share some since I don’t eat a lot?”
“I have enough.” Zhu Maolin also shook his head quickly, “Actually, I’m almost full… I’m heading to the study. I have not finished my proposal.”
Hou Chen Yuhan nodded, “Then, I will also have something to eat first.”
Zhu Maolin lowered his head and walked quickly into the study. Hou Chen Yuhan went to the dinner table quietly and opened the bento.
In fact, she didn’t know the smell of the things inside. Soon there was the sound of music from the study, Hou Chen Yuhan also found her earphones, plugged them into the phone, and plugged her ears.
It was still the warm fluorescent light. No other lights were turned on.
Gradually, it was late at night.
When he got his free time, it was already half past one in the middle of the night… Zhu Maolin checked the time. He sighed and shut the computer off.
People who were persistent in their work tend to ignore the passage of time… This was the best way for Zhu Maolin to spend time.
He also took a bath and returned to the room. He found that his wife Hou Chen Yuhan was already asleep… He didn’t want to admit that his tense nerves quietly relaxed.
He lay down quietly.
“The doctor asked me to treat it before I can do it again. But I wonder… Should I try another hospital?”
*Bright light…* It was the dim nightstand lamp on Hou Chen Yuhan’s side that was switched on.
“Are you still asleep?” Zhu Maolin was startled, then said subconsciously, “Are you… planning to change?”
“I do not know.”
“Let’s try another one.”
“En.”
“Good night then.”
“Good night.”
Hou Chen Yuhan reached out and turned off the light.
…
Two days had gone. In the evening, Professor Trevor once again left the place where Wang Yuechuan lived in the name of relaxation and then directly arrived at Liu Zixing’s home.
All the funds that Professor Trevor could prepare have been put in place in these two days. He did it at all costs. He made the judgment after realizing the supernatural power that exists in the world.
Compared with the mysterious magic, “Book of the Dead,” and the things described in the Soul Chapter of this book, Professor Trevor found the wealth in this world worthless.
When Professor Trevor arrived, Liu Zixing greeted him politely. Professor Trevor habitually looked around Liu Zixing’s house.
The Liu Family started the jewelry business, so Professor Trevor did not find it surprising that they owned such a luxurious mansion. It was just that in the professor’s memory, most of the wealthy people in this country seemed to be low-key no matter their social standing. The family still couldn’t hide the characteristics that portrayed their wealth.
They seemed to believe in the principle of being reserved with their wealth. However, Professor Trevor felt Liu Family’s mansion was a bit empty. For example, despite the rigid clearing, there was a shallow circular trace at the doorway.
There should have been a vase or something… Professor Trevor even thought that this vase might be lavish.
Why?
Professor Trevor had similar discoveries in many places in the living room.
For example, it was an ornamented Chinese cabbage [1] placed on a conspicuous cabinet. Professor Trevor knew very well that this was not a sapphire cabbage carved from jade, but a very low-end cheap plastic product.
[1] Though I don’t know why there is a decoration in the Chinese Cabbage model. But, here’s a sample product: https://www.amazon.com/Cabbage-Creative-Decoration-Business-Opening/dp/B08HSVY9FQ
