Chapter 35 — Impromptu Road Trip (1)

The tie was giving him trouble.

Lin Che’s phone was propped up against the tap of his bathroom sink replaying that same video from months ago about tying a tie, and Lin Che looked in the mirror and simply frowned.

He had not expected to be back on the day of his wedding. After all, he had died many times and come back in the Holy Land instead, but it wasn’t like he could change things anyway. It was a shame that he was unable to carry on from that spawn point, especially since the last two hours before his suicide had been about exploring out the potential branches from completion, and now, seemingly, all of that effort had gone to waste.

Still, there were so many things he could do now, especially now that he was not associated with the Shen Clan.

So step one of this new life was to block every single contact related to the Shen Clan — starting with Shen Bowen. It felt so, so satisfying to hit that red button on his contact, and Lin Che even smiled a little just thinking about what his reaction would be.

The second step was to change out of his wedding outfit and put on something a bit more practical before texting Xu Fang.

Lin Che prepped a large camping bag with miscellaneous items of clothing and whatever snacks were in the fridge. Then, he lay in his bed for the last time, and pulled out his phone.

You home?

The reply came almost immediately.

Yeah what’s up?

I’ll be there in 15. Pack a bag.

???

Lin Che pulled himself out of bed and stretched his shoulders before collecting his bag and stepping outside. The taxi he’d booked before packing had finally arrived, and Lin Che did not wish to keep the driver waiting.

He stepped out of his door, and took in a fresh breath of freedom. After two months of paralysis, it was good to be back on his feet.

***

Xu Fang lived right next to his antique shop, which was situated in between two other shops: one was a make up shop with bright screens flashing with images of models and products, and the other an estate agents with similarly bright screens instead showing the interiors of properties and hefty price tags. In contrast, Xu Fang’s antique shop hadn’t seen an update to its exterior since his grandfather’s generation.

Xu Fang’s reasoning was that it added to the charm of the shop and it was very fitting for an antiques shop to look outdated.

Meanwhile, when Lin Che asked the driver to drop him off at the antiques shop, the response was: “The old wooden place off the high street?”

Lin Che knocked on the door and waited a couple of seconds before being greeted by a tired-looking Xu Fang still in his pyjamas.

“Hello!” greeted Lin Che, with a grin extending towards his eyes.

“Morning,” yawned back Xu Fang. “You seem… chipper. Come on in.”

Upstairs, Xu Fang’s living room was neatly organised with a small, green backpack on the sofa nearest to the door. It was the type of travel bag specifically designed to cater for airline standards for a carry-on bag, ensuring that everything fit in a compact frame so that the user could travel for as cheap as possible.

“What was this about packing a bag?” asked Xu Fang, picking up his bag and coddling it like a baby. “You’re lucky I keep one of these spare, because I definitely would not have gone through the hassle of tidying up and looking for everything to squeeze into a bag I’ve kept under my bed in case I ever feel that urge to travel again.”

“Right, yes, of course,” replied Lin Che. “We’re going on a road trip for about a week.”

Xu Fang nearly dropped his bag on the floor. “An entire week? I can’t keep the store closed for that long.”

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“Why not?”

“Because I need to eat and pay rent?”

“Pretty please.”

“No.”

“Come on, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When have I ever asked you to go on a trip?”

“That’s precisely why I’m saying no.” He paused. “Look, Lin Che. I’m excited to go on a trip with you, but telling me to cancel all plans without notice is pushing it. Especially when you’re out here looking so manic.” Xu Fang placed a hand on Lin Che’s shoulder. “Do you need me to call you a doctor?”

Lin Che paused for a moment, seriously considering how to respond to that. Then, it hit him.

“How’s Fang Ruoyan doing?” he asked.

Xu Fang froze.