Chapter 63#

For people in Hong Kong, Shigu Island, which is far from the main island, is equivalent to a back garden for stealing a moment of leisure, and the scenery has always been impeccable.

In the morning, Yan Zishu went for a walk on the beach. A thin milky white mist rose on the sea surface, misty and fantastical, like a dream. The beach was also white, and the coastline on both sides extended infinitely to the left and right in silence. At this moment, not even a shadow could be seen, and at first glance, it was uninhabited.

In fact, most people haven’t gotten up at this hour.

The locals’ habit is always to get up late and go to bed late. Especially since Shigu Island just held the Bun Festival yesterday. After the exhausting carnival, they needed sleep even more. This is an annual traditional event on the island, and tourists are very prosperous. Yan Zishu also went out to join in the fun, setting up altars and performing ritual operas. But by the time of the bun snatching competition, he had already started to feel tired, and after a hasty look, he had to go back.

On the towering and spectacular Bun Mountain, hundreds of strong and healthy young men swarmed up, climbing up like a human pyramid. The more buns one grabbed, the greater their fortune. With the sound of gongs and drums and shouts of encouragement, the scene was quite spectacular.

However, for intense sports like this, Yan Zishu would have nothing to do with them for at least a few years.

Stabbed several times, plus falling from a high altitude, besides the knife wound in the abdomen which greatly damaged his vitality, the penetrating wound in the chest wall caused severe traumatic pneumothorax. Although he survived and recuperated for half a year, he can still only do some low-intensity activities now. He can’t be tired, can’t run, can’t laugh loudly, can’t use a vacuum cleaner, and even a minor ailment like a cold could trigger a lung infection.

Before going back, Yan Zishu bought a Ping An Bun (Peace Bun) at a small stall on the periphery of the ceremony as a token gesture, which could be considered a good omen.

The palm-sized lotus paste bun was printed with “Ping An” (Peace) in red characters, white, chubby, and likable.

Having walked through the gates of hell once, looking at these two characters again, he felt they were even more precious.

In fact, although he was left with ailments, Yan Zishu felt that his luck was hard to explain. When he was lying in the hospital bed and couldn’t do anything else, he had seriously analyzed what necessary conditions he relied on to survive:

For example, first of all, when he fell into the sea, he was lucky enough to encounter floating objects falling from the ship. Even though he was unconscious for a while in the middle, he actually held on to it with the instinct of survival; secondly, he didn’t expect to encounter a fishing boat sailing at night in that kind of weather.

Usually, when a person is soaking in the sea, the target is so small that it is almost difficult for ordinary ships to spot even in good weather. He was dying at that time and didn’t have the strength to splash around, but luckily, on the cruise ship before, Yan Zishu had rummaged through the survival kit equipped in every room and saw a whistle inside. It was very small, so he stuffed it into his pocket.

For a kidnapped person, it seemed like a useful tool? Might as well take it.

Just between this one thought, it saved his life.

It was dark and raining heavily, and finally, it was the whistle for help that attracted the attention of the fishing boat.

Yan Zishu treated that whistle as a talisman and still hung it by the bedside now.

However, the conclusion he reached was that this experience was extremely accidental and unreproducible.

In other words, if it happened a second time, he might really lose his life.

Because Wen Biao had made a preparatory plan for absconding, the offshore waters where he drove the cruise ship were not far from Hong Kong. What Yan Zishu encountered was a Hong Kong fishing boat. Subsequently, he was sent to the hospital for treatment. He lost too much blood and his life hung by a thread, struggling for a long, long time before he was out of danger.

After waking up, he lay in the hospital bed, feeling that he might be treated as a stowaway, expecting that police officers would soon come to question him.

Just as he was weakly thinking about how to explain the sequence of events, he met Zeng Peirong, who was volunteering at the hospital.

It was the daughter of that important client of Yinghan Group, the “Jewelry King” of Hong Kong, Zeng Chuyi.

Before, when Yan Zishu and Fu Jinchi were relatively unfamiliar, they had jointly received Zeng Chuyi and his son and daughter.

But he didn’t see that this Miss Zeng Peirong, although born into a wealthy family, didn’t have any vain style and would regularly take time to join volunteer work, which led to this fate.

To be precise, she was the one who recognized Yan Zishu first.

Zeng Peirong heard about Yan Zishu’s encounter and later told her brother Zeng Zhanpeng.

Yan Zishu didn’t expect that even if something happened to him in Dongcheng, he wouldn’t know which trusted person to ask for help, but in the unfamiliar Hong Kong, he unexpectedly received the helping hand of friendship from these siblings.

When he first woke up, Yan Zishu hadn’t passed the critical period. his condition was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and his physical condition affected his emotions. At that time, he was always in a state of lingering fear, with only one thought: to resist getting involved with the plot and anyone in Dongcheng again.

Mainly, what’s the use? Not to mention that there was no one who could take care of him, but instead, who knew how much melodrama it would attract.

Although his relationship with Helen and others was okay, he couldn’t ask them to put down their work to help him do anything, right? As colleagues, there was no such logic. As for Fu Weishan and the circle of people related to him, he would thank God if they didn’t cause him trouble.

Being naturally strong-minded, he absolutely didn’t want more people to see him in a state where he was difficult to take care of himself and weak and easily bullied.

As for Fu Jinchi…

Yan Zishu looked at the ceiling and thought, forget it, better not.

Admittedly, at the critical moment, he remembered old feelings and was willing to risk his life for the other party.

But valuing a person and wanting him to live doesn’t mean you are suitable to be tied together.

They are completely two different things.

If discussing love and affection, Yan Zishu really dared not provoke this ancestor again. If they continued to be entangled, who knew how much his life would be shortened.

Out of the above considerations, at least until he could control his own life, Yan Zishu didn’t want to expose the fact that he was still alive.

Admittedly, deceiving everyone wasn’t that easy. Speaking of which, it was also hateful. The identity named “Yan Xin” he originally prepared for himself, since it was dug out by Fu Jinchi, naturally lost the effect of concealing his name. There were also living problems. Food, clothing, and expenses always cost money, but as long as Yan Zishu used his commonly used bank cards, Fu Jinchi would most likely be able to monitor it.

Therefore, Yan Zishu didn’t have much hope originally. If he couldn’t hide it, then so be it. It was a matter of sooner or later.

Unexpectedly, relying on this playboy Zeng Zhanpeng, he actually got things done.

Speaking of which, when Zeng Zhanpeng first met Yan Zishu, he actually wanted to hit on him, but was later scared off by Fu Jinchi. But Zeng Zhanpeng had a good mentality, similar to the psychology of people seeing handsome men and beautiful women in bars and nightclubs and wanting to go up and strike up a conversation to add a friend. If it works, it works; if not, regret it a bit and forget it. There are so many good-looking people in the world, they can’t all be yours, right?

Meeting again now, he didn’t talk nonsense anymore and acted just like an ordinary friend.

Zeng Zhanpeng found a way to help Yan Zishu solve his identity and visa issues in Hong Kong.

The name on his medical record card now is William YAN.

Although a bit perfunctory, it was enough to cope for a while.

Yan Zishu had to ask the other party for help, so he inevitably had to name names and instruct clearly who should not know.

However, hearing Fu Jinchi’s name, Zeng Zhanpeng scratched his head and said with a bitter face but honestly: “William, it’s not that I don’t want to help to the end, but you know Mr. Fu—I don’t think this can be kept secret forever.”

Yan Zishu smiled on the hospital bed: “I’m already very grateful for this.”

Of course, he knew that this deception could only last for a while, and Zeng Zhanpeng couldn’t fabricate a formal identity out of thin air.

But at least it allowed Yan Zishu to have a period of quiet recuperation where he didn’t have to think about anything, which was already worth being grateful for.

The reason Yan Zishu gave the Zeng siblings was that he had offended people in Dongcheng. He could only guarantee that he was not a wanted stowaway. The two gave their trust. Yan Zishu was so thin that he lost his shape and his spirit was also very poor at that time. Zeng Zhanpeng couldn’t particularly understand his situation, but he looked a bit sympathetic. Anyway, there was no better idea, so he finally respected his own wishes.

Even Yan Zishu’s hospitalization expenses here relied on Zeng Zhanpeng helping him transfer a sum of money from a foreign account for emergency use.

Foreign banks were generally harder to check. He hoped that whether it was Fu Jinchi or anyone else, their hands didn’t reach that long, at least discover it a little later.

During that time, it was difficult for him to interpret his own mentality. It certainly couldn’t be called good. Once a person gets into a hospital bed, it always means giving up some self-esteem. Doing various checks, inserting and unplugging various tubes, privacy really counts for nothing in front of nurses and care workers.

He couldn’t do anything himself and had to rely on others for everything, but because of this, he owed Zeng Peirong and Zeng Zhanpeng a big favor.

Although Zeng Zhanpeng solved the urgent need, he was soon forced by his old father to make progress and was sent to the mainland branch to expand business.

Therefore, Zeng Peirong came more often afterwards.

Compared to when they first met last year, Zeng Peirong had already attended university and shed much of the childishness of a little girl.

Originally, Yan Zishu absolutely didn’t want to bother her. He had some male chauvinism in him. Even if he was in a desperate situation, how could he open his mouth to a young girl? Unexpectedly, Zeng Peirong acted more maturely than he thought. She was a Christian and had a familiar team of coworkers in her church. Learning that Zeng Peirong’s friend was alone in Hong Kong, some coworkers, out of kindness, spontaneously organized to take turns taking care of him.

At that time, if it weren’t for physical reasons that he couldn’t get out of bed, Yan Zishu might have had to bow and thank people every day.

These large and small kindnesses supported him through the relatively difficult times.

But hospitals in Hong Kong were expensive. Later, when Yan Zishu was discharged, some coworkers who had gotten along relatively well introduced him to the sanatorium on Shigu Island and helped contact them. He has lived there until now.

Life on the island is slow-paced, far from the hustle and bustle, making it a good place to cultivate the mind and body. Zeng Peirong still kept in touch with him. Just now she sent a message to Yan Zishu, saying that she would go to the monastery on Shigu Island to attend a retreat in two days and could meet then.

Yan Zishu replied with a smile: Great, looking forward to it.

As he walked back from the beach, the sun also began to rise. The thin mist dispersed, and the sea color was clear blue. Many fishing boats floated on the distant sea surface, drawing white lines on the sea. The scenery here, no matter when or where, seemed like it could be directly hung up with a picture frame.

There are quite a few outlying islands like Shigu Island outside the main island of Hong Kong. Like small diamonds dotting the sea, travel back and forth relies entirely on ferries. Without a boat, one can’t come in or go out. Many times, there is a feeling of being forgotten by modern society.

Yan Zishu stayed on the island for a long time, and his sense of security also rose. Sometimes he even felt that he worried too much. Maybe he had long been forgotten by others.

But there’s nothing bad about this. Why should life have so many heartbreaking dramas? It’s better to forget each other in the ordinary world—