CTS 47

Shen Mo realized he had lost composure. He wiped his face messily with his hand and tried to cover it up. “I think I slept too much this afternoon…”

The man gave him a long, deep look. His eyes were so dark, it was impossible to read his emotions. After a while, he bent down, picked up the last brush, and placed it back into Shen Mo’s hand.

Shen Mo’s fingers curled involuntarily. He managed to hold the brush, but the pain made his face go pale. He called out softly, like pleading. “Zhou Yang…”

The man let go, and the brush fell to the floor again.

He stared at Shen Mo and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Shen Mo took a breath and instinctively hid his right hand behind his back. “Maybe the injury just hasn’t healed yet. Once it’s better, I’ll be fine.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Even if it doesn’t heal, it’s okay. I just won’t draw anymore. I can still find another job. Sales or insurance or something. I might even earn more.”

The man didn’t say anything.

After speaking to himself for a while, Shen Mo quickly escaped into the kitchen. He splashed cold water on his face. Once he had calmed down, he opened the fridge, pulled out a few ingredients, and cooked a simple meal.

Dinner was unusually quiet.

They both had their own thoughts and hardly spoke. After the meal, the man opened his laptop and sent out a few emails, then went to sleep on the sofa. Shen Mo lay in the bedroom, watching the figure on the sofa through the open door. He noticed that the man kept tossing and turning, seemingly unable to sleep well all night.

Shen Mo also kept waking up. The next morning, he felt drained. But he had made up his mind. He locked up everything related to drawing in the cabinet and went out to look for work.

His condition hadn’t fully healed. He still couldn’t recognize faces, which ruled out sales or insurance. But other types of jobs were easier to find. Within two days, he got a part-time job as a stock clerk at a nearby supermarket. There was no need to sign any contract. He just agreed on the pay with the boss and started working.

Shen Mo was careful and hardworking. On his first trial day, he left a good impression on the boss. He didn’t go home at noon and had lunch with the other workers in the break room.

In the afternoon, he was standing by a shelf restocking items when someone suddenly called out to him.

“Shen Mo!”

The two syllables came fast and urgent, as if filled with an emotion too complex to name.

Shen Mo recognized the voice. He turned around and sure enough, it was his Zhou Yang.

“Zhou Yang, what are you doing here?”

The man wasn’t wearing a jacket. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his tie loosened. He looked completely different from his usual calm and indifferent self. He strode up to Shen Mo and pulled him straight into his arms.

Shen Mo bumped into his chest, startled. “What’s wrong?”

The man held him even tighter and called his name in a low voice. “Shen Mo?”

“Mm.”

“Shen Mo…”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Shen Mo.”

Shen Mo heard the rapid beating of a heart but couldn’t tell if it was his own or the man’s.

The man closed his eyes for a moment, then quickly reined in his emotions. He slowly let go, looked down at Shen Mo’s face, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Working. I found a job as a stock clerk. Today’s my first day on trial.”

His expression seemed to be suppressing something. He said coldly, “You left without even a note?”

Shen Mo let out a soft “ah,” finally realizing what had happened. “You thought I disappeared?”

He asked cautiously, “Have you been looking for me all this time?”

The man neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply said, “You’re still not fully recovered. Don’t run off like that again.”

Shen Mo noticed his uneven breathing, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. He didn’t know how long he had been searching. Shen Mo quickly agreed and asked, “You’re usually so busy. How come today…?”

The man glanced at his right hand and said, “I happened to be free and went home during lunch.”

Shen Mo guessed he had been worried.

But it really wasn’t such a big deal. He simply couldn’t draw anymore. Working at a supermarket was fine too, wasn’t it?

Since Shen Mo’s shift wasn’t over, the man didn’t force him to leave. He waited in the car outside. Sometimes when Shen Mo turned around while stocking, he would see that familiar car parked across from the supermarket.

He got off work at three in the afternoon. As he left, his coworkers gave him odd looks. Many had witnessed the hug between him and Zhou Yang earlier. Shen Mo felt a little uneasy, unsure if he would still be welcome at work the next day.

After dinner, the man went back to sleeping on the sofa as usual.

Shen Mo had worked all day and soon grew sleepy. The man, however, was still tossing and turning on the couch. Eventually, he gave up and walked step by step into the bedroom.

Shen Mo, half-asleep, patted the empty space beside him and invited him over.

The man only sat at the edge of the bed. He reached out toward Shen Mo’s temple and paused before gently brushing his hair. His voice was especially hoarse in the night.

“I saw your drawings. They’re really good.”

Shen Mo smiled. “Of course they are.”

The man said, “Quit your job at the supermarket.”

Shen Mo wasn’t too happy. “Why?”

In the darkness, the man reached for his right hand but only held the tips of his fingers. He spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s get your hand treated properly, and you can keep drawing.”