Rebirth: Different Way [(重生) 殊途]

Chapter 7

Five years later

"Shen, I heard you're going back to China, come out for a drink sometime."

"Shen, we're having a farewell party for you, join us Friday night at King Bar at 7 pm sharp, oh."

"Shen, it's Old John, I need to talk to you."

It was a very ordinary single apartment, not very big but very empty because of the few items in it.

In one corner of the apartment, Shen Xi was bending down to pack his luggage while listening to the messages on the phone absent-mindedly. Compared to five years ago, Shen Xi's figure was considerably taller, with the youthfulness of a teenager beginning to fade and the outline of a young man becoming more apparent. Due to regular exercise, Shen Xi's physique was lean but perfectly muscled, a far cry from his thinness of five years ago.

Unlike Shen Ji and Shen Cheng who looked like their father and Shen Rong who looked like his mother, Shen Xi resembled neither his father nor his deceased mother. At first glance, the grown-up Shen Xi looked more like a replica of his uncle, Han Yu. Without the gloomy and violent aura of his youth, the current Shen Xi looked gentle and introspective.

The phone messages were still playing one after another, most of them coming from one person – Old John.

Defeated by his perseverance, Shen Xi had to stop what he was doing, grab the phone and call back.

"Hi John, it's Shen."

"Thank God, Shen, you finally contacted me. I think we need to talk."

Even through the phone line, Shen Xi could feel Old John's relieved mood on the other side.

A warm current surged through Shen Xi's heart, "Thank you, John, but I don't need to."

"Shen, believe me, hatred can never save our hearts." Old John rushed to speak, only to be interrupted by Shen Xi.

"I don't need saving, thank you! Goodbye!"

Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi simply unplugged the line. The expression of Old John blowing his beard and glaring after he couldn't get through flashed in his mind, and the corners of Shen Xi's mouth slowly curled up.

Old John that Shen Xi had been talking to was a kindly and compassionate old man who ran a psychological clinic near the residential area where Shen Xi lived. Since Shen Xi went to him four years ago because of continuous nightmares, Old John had become Shen Xi's exclusive counsellor.

Shen Xi once described to Old John his past life as an absurd dream. Perhaps because there was too much resentment in Shen Xi's words, Old John insisted that Shen Xi needed to learn to let go of the hatred in his heart if he wanted to get rid of the nightmares.

Shen Xi did not take Old John's words seriously. Hatred was the only thing that kept him going, and without it, what was the point of his rebirth?

While recalling the soft-hearted old man, Shen Xi quickly packed his luggage. Soon the last thing was put away. Shen Xi looked at the empty room, turned and left with his luggage without any nostalgia.

The place where Shen Xi lived was still a long way from the airport. Busy packing up in the past few days, Shen Xi didn't have a good rest. Therefore, as soon as he got in the car, Shen Xi took the time to close his eyes and rest.

Speaking of which, Shen Xi's scheduled return to China was three months later, which was also the time when Fang Luowei appeared in Zhongjing in his previous life. Unfortunately, plans never kept up with changes, and a phone call a few days ago changed Shen Xi's agenda.