Axolotl Translations

“……” Shangguan Yu’s voice was cold, “I can change my clothes and take a shower by myself. There’s no need for anyone to carry me—at most, just give me a hand.”

Wang Hao pouted, realizing he had once again stepped on Shangguan Yu’s sore spot. He quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright! I didn’t say anything, okay?”

The two shifted the conversation to other topics, casually chatting about various things.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Zuo Zhou was fuming: Damn, damn, damn! What are they talking about? Can’t they speak louder? I can’t eavesdrop properly like this!

By noon, Zuo Zhou had finished preparing lunch, meticulously plating each dish with care.

The table was set just like in a Western restaurant. In addition to the main courses—steak and spaghetti Bolognese—he had also prepared some wine and fresh bread as appetizers.

As Shangguan Yu and Wang Hao took their seats, Wang Hao was so stunned by the setup that his jaw nearly hit the floor. For a moment, he was unable to find the words to speak.

“T-this… this…” Wang Hao stammered in shock. “Xiao Zuo, you’re something else! This is practically restaurant-level!”

Zuo Zhou chuckled. “I just followed an online tutorial. I wanted to make sure Brother Yu eats well. And of course, since Brother Hao is visiting, I had to make it look decent too.”

Saying that, he glanced at Shangguan Yu with a mix of pride and anticipation. “Brother Yu, what do you think?”

“Not bad.” Shangguan Yu gave a slight nod, the corners of his lips softening into a barely perceptible smile. “You worked hard.”

Hearing this, Zuo Zhou’s heart instantly felt sweeter than honey.

The meal went on harmoniously. At first, Zuo Zhou barely spoke, quietly listening to Shangguan Yu and Wang Hao’s conversation. But when he heard Wang Hao mention his girlfriend, his whole demeanor suddenly changed.

Wang Hao said, “Shangguan, after lunch, I’ll take you out for a bit. I’ll bring you back after dinner. I won’t be coming over tomorrow—I have to take my girlfriend to get her hair done.”

Shangguan Yu was about to refuse, ready to tell Wang Hao to head home after lunch. But before he could even open his mouth, Zuo Zhou—who had been silently focused on eating—suddenly spoke up.

“Brother Hao, you have a girlfriend?”

Shangguan Yu: …

Wang Hao grinned. “Yep! Hehe, we’ve been together two months. We’re still in the honeymoon phase.”

Zuo Zhou’s interest was immediately piqued. With great enthusiasm, he asked, “Oh? How did you two meet? What’s she like?”

That was all it took to open Wang Hao’s floodgates. With enthusiasm, he recounted how he and his girlfriend met, got to know each other, and fell in love. He even took out his phone, eagerly flipping through photos and passing them around for Shangguan Yu and Zuo Zhou to see.

“This was taken last month when we went on a road trip. That day, we went rafting, and both of us got completely soaked. She even caught a cold afterward—it lasted a few days, I was so worried… Oh, and this one was taken before we started.”

In the photo, Wang Hao and a young girl with delicate features and a soft, graceful temperament stood side by side, both wearing helmets for rafting. They smiled at the camera, radiating the sweet atmosphere of a young couple in love.

“She’s really beautiful!” Zuo Zhou praised sincerely. And you two complement each other so well—such a perfect match.”

“Of course! Hahaha…” Wang Hao grinned proudly. “Everyone who’s seen Qiu’s photo says the same thing.”

“Shangguan, you haven’t met Qiu yet, have you? Let’s all go out for a meal sometime. There’s this hot pot place I took her to last time—the flavors are super authentic, you’d love it.”

“Oh, right! Shangguan, did I ever tell you? Guess who I ran into the last time we went there?” Wang Hao suddenly paused, a teasing smile on his lips.

“…Who?”

“Old Xu! He was having dinner with some colleagues. When he saw me, the first thing he did was ask about you.”

“Oh.” Shangguan Yu’s reaction was indifferent, as if he had no particular interest in Wang Hao’s story.

“He heard about you going abroad for treatment, so when he saw me, he asked if you were back yet. I told him you had just returned, and he seemed really happy. Said we should all get together sometime…”

Shangguan Yu gripped the handle of his knife tighter and tighter, the veins on his hand standing out and his knuckles turning white. He forced himself to remain calm and, with his usual indifference, said, “There’s no need. I’m not in the mood to meet people and reminisce right now.”

“Ah…” Wang Hao awkwardly scratched his head, a little hesitant. “Shangguan, I know it’s been hard since… the incident, but it’s been over a year now. You can’t keep shutting yourself away from the world. Sometimes, it’s good to get out and connect with others…”

Seeing Shangguan Yu’s expression visibly grow colder by the second, his whole body tensed up, as if he might drop his knife and fork and flip the table at any moment.

Seeing Shangguan Yu’s expression grow colder with each passing moment and his whole body tense as if ready to snap, Zuo Zhou quickly stood up, holding the plate of bolognese pasta, playing the mediator. “Come on, eat your noodles before they get cold. Brother Hao, you should eat more.”

Wang Hao wisely fell silent, casting a helpless look at Shangguan Yu before shrugging in surrender and pushing his plate toward Zuo Zhou, mouthing a quiet thank you.

Shangguan Yu put down his knife and fork, his steak barely touched, his appetite completely gone.

The atmosphere turned tense, and the meal didn’t end on the most pleasant note. Wang Hao had originally planned to persuade Shangguan Yu to go for a walk and relax, but now, he didn’t dare say another word.

After sitting in silence for a while, Wang Hao finally spoke, ready to leave. “Alright, I’ll head off. I’ll come visit again another day.”

Shangguan Yu gave a quiet “Mm” and then turned to Zuo Zhou. “Xiao Zuo, see him out.”

After saying that, Shangguan Yu immediately turned his wheelchair and went back to his room.

Zuo Zhou: “Alright, Brother Yu.”

Wang Hao: “…”

As Zuo Zhou escorted Wang Hao to the elevator and waited for it to arrive, he casually asked with feigned curiosity, “Bother Hao, who exactly is this ‘Old Xu’ you mentioned earlier?”

“Oh, Xu Jun. He’s a senior executive at Haode Real Estate. We’ve worked together before, so we’ve had quite a bit of contact. He’s a friend, I guess,” Wang Hao replied.

“Oh.”

“What’s up? Why do you ask about him?”

“Nothing, just curious,” Zuo Zhou smiled lightly, pulling out his phone. With a sincere expression, he added, “Brother Hao, can we add each other on WeChat? Right now, you’re the only one still in contact with Brother Yu. Sometimes, I’m not sure about his habits or preferences. Could I ask you some things on WeChat?”

Wang Hao, without suspicion, immediately took out his phoneand added Zuo Zhou as a friend. Afterward, he sighed, sounding a bit down. “Sigh, Shangguan wasn’t like this before. That car accident really changed him. He refuses to go out and always keeps things to himself. I’m really worried about him, afraid he’ll develop some kind of problem from being locked up in his own world.”

“Xiao Zuo, make sure to talk to him more. If anything happens, just contact me directly. You can message me or call me anytime, my WeChat is the same as my phone number.”

“Alright, thanks, Brother Hao.”

After sending Wang Hao off, Zuo Zhou stood by the elevator for a moment.

is reflection appeared on the closed elevator doors, his brow slightly furrowed slightly, deep in thought: Xu Jun? Where did this guy come from…?

When he got home, Shangguan Yu had already gone to his bedroom for his afternoon nap. Zuo Zhou quietly tidied up the kitchen and then returned to his own room.

While doing the housework earlier, Zuo Zhou couldn’t stop thinking about what Wang Hao had said, and the more he thought about it, the more “Haode Real Estate” seemed oddly familiar.

So, after going back to his room, Zuo Zhou searched on his phone, and sure enough, he confirmed his suspicions.

Haode Real Estate was one of the top-ranked real estate companies in Luocheng. Many large-scale residential projects in the city, and even across the province, were developed by them.

In that case, it wasn’t surprising that Shangguan Yu, who used to work in the construction industry, had some interaction with Xu Jun. But what caught Zuo Zhou’s attention was Shangguan Yu’s reaction when Wang Hao mentioned him.

It had been cold, almost bordering on anger.

Although Shangguan Yu rarely showed any signs of happiness these days, moments when he was clearly upset, like today, were rare.

Zuo Zhou couldn’t help but wonder what role Xu Jun had played in Shangguan Yu’s past.

But fortunately, Xu Jun was not a part of Shangguan Yu’s current life.

Zuo Zhou reassured himself by thinking this. Then he turned his phone over and placed it beside him, clasped his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, lost in contemplation.

At the same time, in Shangguan Yu’s room.

He sat quietly by the window, gripping his phone tightly.

The screen displayed a friend request on WeChat, from someone named “Xu.” The note read, “It’s me, Xiao Yu. Don’t avoid me, let’s talk, okay?”

The request had been sent yesterday.

Shangguan Yu hadn’t accepted the friend request.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated again. He picked it up to see that Xu Jun had sent another request.

“Xiao Yu, I still love you. It’s been a year, and I can’t forget our past. Please give me another chance, okay?”

Shangguan Yu furrowed his brows, a wave of frustration sweeping over him. He quickly swiped the screen back to the home page, unwilling to look at any messages from Xu Jun.

Yet the phone’s vibrations continued, relentless.

Shangguan Yu didn’t want to deal with it anymore. He tossed the phone onto the bed and then hurriedly wheeled himself out of the bedroom, as if fleeing.

The living room was empty, mirroring the emptiness inside Shangguan Yu’s heart. He took a deep breath, but was soon overwhelmed by a suffocating sense of heaviness. Memories slithered into the broken parts of his soul like venomous snakes, their poison rapidly spreading through his veins with each heartbeat, paralyzing him.

“Xiao Zuo!” Shangguan Yu called out loudly. He urgently needed someone, someone who could calm his restless heart, or else those painful memories would devour him whole.

“Coming!”

Zuo Zhou answered, rushing out of the room like a gust of wind.

When he reached the living room and saw Shangguan Yu’s pale face, he immediately knelt beside the wheelchair, looking up at him with concern. “Xiao Yu, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Mm.” Shangguan Yu tried to steady himself, but his voice still trembled slightly. “Please, get me a glass of water.”

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