Fading Shadows

After leaving the hospital, Hu Chen Mu and Ming Shen returned to their small seaside home. The tension from the diagnosis still hung in the air, but for a moment, they found solace in simply being together.

Ming Shen leaned his head against Hu Chen Mu's shoulder as they sat on the porch, watching the waves crash against the shore. The evening light bathed them in warmth, though both knew that their time together was running short.

"I missed this," Ming Shen murmured, his voice soft. "Being home with you."

Hu Chen Mu wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. "This is where you belong. No hospitals. No doctors. Just us."

Ming Shen smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I hate that I'm making you go through this."

"You're not making me do anything," Hu Chen Mu replied, gently brushing a strand of hair from Ming Shen's face. "I'm here because I want to be. With you."

The silence between them was comforting, but Hu Chen Mu's mind kept drifting to the unspoken truth. Ming Shen was fading, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. All he could do was hold on to these fleeting moments.

A few weeks later, as Hu Chen Mu returned home from picking up some medicine for Ming Shen, he found Yan JingJi waiting outside the house. His sharp eyes followed Hu Chen Mu's every movement, cold and calculating.

"What do you want?" Hu Chen Mu asked, his voice tired but not defensive. He wasn't interested in a confrontation. Not anymore.

Yan JingJi crossed his arms, his expression hard. "It's time you take responsibility, Hu Chen Mu."

Hu Chen Mu sighed, already sensing where this was going. "What now?"

"You're going to give your father the kidney transplant he needs," Yan JingJi said, his voice low. "I don't care what excuse you've been hiding behind. This time, you're going to make things right."

Hu Chen Mu looked at him, feeling an old flicker of resentment. But unlike before, he didn't feel the need to fight back.

"Fine," Hu Chen Mu said, surprising Yan JingJi. "I'll give him the transplant."

For a moment, Yan JingJi seemed taken aback back then he thought it was all just a joke he said because after that for four months Hu Chen Mu was not in contact with them. 

Hu Chen Mu seemed indifferent, as if the fire that once burned within him had gone out.

"You're not fighting me on this?" Yan JingJi asked suspiciously.

Hu Chen Mu shook his head. "There's no point. It's the right thing to do."

Yan JingJi studied him, confusion and doubt flashing in his eyes. He had expected Hu Chen Mu to resist, to put up a fight like he always did. But this was different.

"Why?" Yan JingJi asked, his voice quieter now. "Why are you so willing to give up everything?"

Hu Chen Mu glanced back at the house, where Ming Shen was resting inside. He turned to Yan JingJi and said simply, "Because there's more to life than what we've been fighting over. I'm done with all of this."

For a long moment, neither spoke. Yan JingJi's eyes softened just a little as he processed Hu Chen Mu's words. But he didn't press further. He gave a small nod.

"The surgery will be in 1 more month" Yan JingJi said before walking away.