Chapter 35
Xie Zhang turned off airplane mode after they landed.
Shielded by Xie Zhang’s hand, Song Jingmo peeked at his phone screen.
Xu Yi had initially sent a single “.”, then, after a pause, a polite smiling emoji.
Xie Zhang casually swiped the notification away.
Song Jingmo giggled, rolling around in Xie Zhang’s hand.
Wait, what was that?
A shadow tendril stopped Xie Zhang from clearing the notification, pulling it back.
It was an unsaved number, the message stating that the target hadn’t cashed the check but had been hospitalized with a sudden brain hemorrhage.
Although the message didn’t name names, Song Jingmo knew who it was referring to.
He felt a pang of guilt.
Could it be… because of his shadow boxing?
He found the master’s number in Xie Zhang’s contacts and sent a message, describing his actions in the parking garage.
Xie Zhang, after a reassuring pat on Song-shadow’s head, seeing someone approaching, tucked him into his pocket.
Song Jingmo, nestled comfortably in Xie Zhang’s pocket, peeked out through the gap, looking up.
The handsome man was bathed in sunlight, his hair shimmering with a golden halo.
He poked Xie Zhang.
Xie Zhang stopped, looking down at him.
The chibi shadow rummaged through his shadow, pulling out a pair of sunglasses, polishing them with his miniature form, then offering them to Xie Zhang.
The tinted sunglasses emerged from Xie Zhang’s pocket, a shadow tendril peeking out beside them.
Xie Zhang chuckled, taking the sunglasses and putting them on, indulging Song Jingmo’s playful suggestion.
Song Jingmo folded Xie Zhang’s handkerchief into a neat little square, then settled on top of it, swinging his legs.
He clung to the edge of the pocket, observing the scenery and the passing crowds, occasionally glancing up at Xie Zhang.
Thirty-year-old Xie Zhang was refined, reserved, exuding a mature charm that captivated Song Jingmo.
So different from the uncertain, troubled twenty-three-year-old he remembered.
Leaving the airport, they were hit by the full force of the sun.
The sea breeze carried a salty tang, the heat clinging to their skin.
This wasn’t where they’d first met, but it was the starting point of Xie Zhang’s impulsive solo trip seven years ago, the destination randomly chosen when he’d booked his flight.
Song Jingmo had been to J City before.
The Song family owned a vacation villa there, transferred to his name after he turned eighteen.
He often spent winters there, escaping the cold, dry northern weather.
Xie Zhang stood by the roadside, his expression unreadable, lost in thought.
A shadow tendril pulled his hand into his pocket, and Song-shadow, perched on his fingers, began writing on his palm.
Xie Zhang, his mind flooded with memories of seven years ago, his lips curving into a smile, asked softly: “You really want to go to the place I stayed before?”
Song Jingmo slapped his palm.
Xie Zhang, no longer questioning, hailed a taxi, giving the driver an address.
Song Jingmo, hearing the name, suspected it wasn’t a hotel.
When they arrived, the chibi shadow peeked out of Xie Zhang’s pocket, staring at the… car rental agency… If it weren’t for the difficulty of explaining paranormal activity, a large black question mark would have materialized above his head.
Xie Zhang was clearly familiar with the place.
He even remembered the owner’s name, greeting her warmly as “Sister Liu,” then waiting patiently as she emerged from her reverie.
“Xiao Xie! My, you’ve grown! You look so different…”
She emerged from behind the counter, excitedly taking his arm.
Their interaction wasn’t just that of a customer and a business owner.
Song Jingmo was intrigued.
Xie Zhang asked gently: “Sister Liu, is that car I rented still available?”
“Oh, that was ages ago! These cars are for long trips, they don’t last that long! Besides, it was already an old clunker back then!”
“Same route? Listen to me, this model is perfect for that!”
Xie Zhang took the keys, signed the contract, paid the deposit, then started to ask: “Sister Liu, I…”
“Look at you, in such a hurry, and dressed like… The shop’s in the back; go pick something out, then come back to pay.”
Xie Zhang, his question answered before he could ask it, smiled: “Okay.”
“Honestly! Everyone who takes this route comes alone the first time, then brings someone the second time. You’re still alone! Making a living is important, but so is settling down!”
Song Jingmo poked Xie Zhang repeatedly inside his pocket.
He wanted to jump out and give Sister Liu a live demonstration of Xie Zhang’s Suddenly Appearing Lover.
Xie Zhang, his hand reaching into his pocket to soothe his agitated lover, smiled, his eyes softening.
“Sister Liu, I’m not alone.”
“My partner is here with me.”
…
The route followed the coastline, winding through mountains, the city’s heat and noise replaced by the vast expanse of sky and clouds.
Song Jingmo rolled down the window, the chibi shadow leaning out, enjoying the breeze.
Xie Zhang, watching him, suddenly asked: “Momo?”
Song Jingmo turned to him.
“Want to try something… exciting?”
The chibi shadow raised both hands enthusiastically.
Xie Zhang pressed the accelerator, the car lurching forward.
Song-shadow, caught off guard, was flung out of the window, his screams echoing through the air as he flew like a black kite.
Initially panicked, he quickly regained his composure, spreading his arms, embracing the wind and the sea.
Xie Zhang slowed down, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he listened to Song Jingmo’s shrieks and laughter.
Song Jingmo, having had his fun, remembering he had questions for Xie Zhang, retracted his shadow string and climbed back into the car through the open window.
He smoothed his hair, which hadn’t been ruffled by the wind, then, deciding against sitting on the steering wheel, settled on the rearview mirror.
The chibi shadow sat on the shadow swing, a tiny shadow cat in his arms, tilting his head, looking at Xie Zhang.
The scene was so endearing that Xie Zhang couldn’t help but laugh.
Song Jingmo pinched Xie Zhang’s reflected lips into a duck face, huffed, and formed a shadow microphone, offering it to him.
【Come on, spill it!】
【You were only twenty-three! How did you dare drive this route alone?】
The AI voice echoed through the car, the shadow microphone almost touching Xie Zhang’s lips.
Xie Zhang had been meaning to tell Song Jingmo that he could now hear most of what he said, but he’d held back.
He paused, then said: “I worked at Sister Liu’s car rental agency for four months.”
【Because you lacked experience?】
Song Jingmo found this… strange.
Xie Zhang said softly: “No, because I didn’t have any money.”
Looking at his lover, frozen on the shadow swing, he saw the troubled, reckless young man from seven years ago.
He’d thought he’d never share this part of his past with the person he cherished most, the one he feared losing most.
But now, hearing the calmness in his own voice, he realized it wasn’t as difficult as he’d imagined.
A shadow tendril gently caressed his cheek. Song Jingmo, speechless, suddenly wanted to hug him.
“If you wanted to rent a car without a local driver, you had to pay a hefty deposit.”
“I only had two thousand yuan.”
He paused, then added:
“Less than two thousand yuan.”
