Chapter 51
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Luo Wencheng thought, this must be the most subtle and tactful rejection he had ever heard.
He thought again that Lu Chong's perceptiveness was simply terrifying; the man had seen through his mind even though he revealed only a little bit of it.
At the same time, Lu Chong's decisiveness was terrifying as well. As soon as Luo Wencheng showed a little bit of intention, Lu Chong immediately rejected him. And he even took care of his face and didn't say it directly, he went around in such a big circle.
Should I say he was heartless, or should I thank him for his thoughtfulness?
Luo Wencheng thought about a lot of things for a while.
He thought about the past, the future, his struggles, his hesitation, his wanderings, the torment he had gone through, and how all of that was wiped away by Lu Chong's decisive hand.
There was only one path left in front of him.
This was also good.
This path was also good.
Luo Wencheng repeated this to himself twice in his heart. As if completely exhausted all of a sudden, he blinked, feeling that the sun was a little too dazzling, making him dizzy. He slowly lowered his head, not daring to move too fast or too much, afraid that something would run out of his eyes.
"Is there any misunderstanding? You're so good, sir, how could he not come back? Or, was he delayed by something, or…"
He clumsily, subconsciously tried to find something to say to relieve the awkward, suffocating, helpless emotions. As he said that, his heart ached for Lu Chong.
He felt sorry for Lu Chong.
Lu Chong was so good; he kept looking for that man for so many years, waiting for him for so many years. Why wasn't that man willing to show up?
How could he not show up, just making one wait for him like that?
It was so pitiful.
What a pity.
Such a good year.
Such a good man.
Such a good man but he had to look for that person year after year, he was lonely, he couldn't even get lively for the New Year. He lived alone in a big house with only one cat with him. That cat was also old and dying…
The pain in Luo Wencheng's chest was almost suffocating.
Luo Wencheng looked at the ground and murmured, "Have you looked for him everywhere? What about the search notices, what about the advertisements? What's his name, what does he look like, where did he go to school, how old is he, maybe I can help look for him…"
Lu Chong stood there and looked at him. For a moment, he almost wanted to step forward and hug the young man, but he restrained himself after all.
He couldn't do that anymore, couldn't give more false hints.
Lu Chong didn't know when something between the two of them began to become different, and when he noticed it, it seemed too late.
Luo Wencheng was still young and had too much dependence on him, who helped him and saved him, so that it was normal to have a wrong perception of the relationship between them; it was he himself who did the wrong thing.
But it was impossible for him to be indifferent either, especially when the Luo family's trash was pressing step by step and Luo Wencheng needed him; otherwise, with this child's sensitivity, stubbornness and even hidden extremes, it was almost impossible to predict how the situation would develop.
Finally everything was over, but he didn't have time to slowly distance the two of them, so he just…
He didn't want to hurt Luo Wencheng, but there were some things that probably would be better to cut through quickly.
This thought made him take advantage of the situation.
Luo Wencheng was a smart child and would understand what he meant.
"I will find him." Lu Chong said suddenly.
Luo Wencheng's voice stopped abruptly; he paused for a while before he raised his head, looked at Lu Chong and said, "Really?"
"Really."
Luo Wencheng smiled: "That's good, that's good."
Because he hadn't eaten lunch yet, Lu Chong asked Luo Wencheng to go back first, while he himself stayed behind. This time Luo Wencheng didn't object and obediently got into the car, went back, ate his lunch, said hello to Uncle Ding, and went back to his room as if nothing had happened.
After closing the door behind him, he stood in a daze.
Looking around his room, he was wondering if he wanted to move out.
Suddenly there was a thin scratching sound outside the door. He walked over and opened the door, and saw the big cat squatting on the floor, retracting her front paw modestly, swinging her big tail and looking up at him. A pair of dark amber cat eyes shone brightly as she gave out a soft "meow".
Luo Wencheng's eyes slowly curved in a smile: "Ribs."
He bent over and picked up the big cat, rubbed against her furry face, kissed her forehead and sat on the balcony with her in his arms: "Let's bask in the sun."
Kissed and touched, Ribs was very happy. She turned over and begged for a belly rub, meowing a few times.
When facing Lu Chong, she was not so gentle and well-behaved.
Luo Wencheng's heart was softened by her adorableness, and he quickly rubbed her belly and scratched her fur.
After a while, Luo Wencheng went to bring a drawing board and set it up in front of him, sketching with one hand.
His right shoulder recovered well and he could move his arm more flexibly, so as long as he didn't lift his arm too high or use it for too long, it was not too hard to draw.
He painted the distant scenery for a while, and the big cat lay on his lap. When he was tired, he took a nap with the cat.
Lu Chong came back late, looked at the hall and asked Uncle Ding, "Is Wencheng upstairs?"
"He went upstairs after lunch and never came out." Uncle Ding didn't know what happened, but he was keenly aware that something must have happened.
Sure enough, his master's face showed a rare moment of hesitation, "There's nothing unusual about him, is there?"
"No, same as usual. By the way, Ribs went to play with him and never came out either." Uncle Ding said after a moment's thought.
Lu Chong nodded, went upstairs, looked at the door of Luo Wencheng's room from a distance, didn't go over and went directly into the study.
Luo Wencheng had a dream. In his dream, he lived here quietly and safely for another half a year. Finally, he took a suitcase and said to Lu Chong, "Sir, I want to go on a trip."
He happily said goodbye to Lu Chong, just like saying goodbye to an ordinary friend, and his heart was full of stability and satisfaction.
Luo Wencheng woke up. It was already dark and the wind was a little cold, but the big cat in his arms was warm, like a small heater.
"Meow." Ribs was awake too.
"If you are hungry, let's go eat." He went out with the cat in his arms and at the entrance of the stairs met Lu Chong who was also going downstairs.
Luo Wencheng froze, but he remembered saying goodbye calmly and lightly in his dream, and his heart also became calm and light. He smiled and said: "Sir."
Lu Chong greeted him and glanced at him. There was no sign of tears or sadness, although the young man had really looked like he was going to cry during the day.
The two went downstairs together, and Luo Wencheng suddenly said, "Sir, I would like to live here for another half a year… it won't even take half a year, just a few months, and I will move out when the time comes."
Lu Chong's heart stagnated when he heard the caution in his tone.
He almost said, you can stay here as long as you want.
"Okay." He finally said instead, paused, and then added, "Choose a place where you'd like to live, I will arrange it for you then."
Luo Wencheng smiled: "Good, are you going to give me an apartment? Then I thank you in advance, sir."
Luo Wencheng started school again.
He was driven to school by Zhou Qian every day. No matter how many classes he had, he left at seven o'clock in the morning and didn't return until five or six in the afternoon.
When there was no class, he either went to the library to read or to the club, and in any case never went back earlier. This was the case every day, very regularly.
Before his case was overturned, the school was full of strange gazes, the kind full of disgusted contempt that people didn't dare to express. But after the case was overturned, those who had talked about him on the forum or cursed him behind his back were somewhat embarrassed.
Luo Wencheng found that he was more popular than before, more people approached him for activities in the club, more people greeted him on the way, and teachers and students looked at him more kindly.
Luo Wencheng thought this was good.
A painting competition was held in the city. The theme was animals. After Luo Wencheng asked Lu Chong if he could paint Ribs, he spent two days painting a portrait of Ribs and took it to the competition.
There was nothing special about the painting, just the way Ribs squatted in front of his door that day, swinging her tail and looking up at him. The cute little girl was chubby, and Luo Wencheng's delicate brushstrokes brought her fluffy, healthy fur to life. Her round amber eyes were full of innocence and concern that saved him from despair that day.
Zheng Chang and the others looked at it and said that this was a magical painting. People who were in a good mood felt happy when they looked at it, and people who were in a bad mood felt warm when they looked at it. But after looking at it for a long time, for some reason one would feel puzzling, even inexplicable sadness.
This picture soon won the award.
Luo Wencheng was awarded by the school and then qualified to continue participating in the provincial competition.
The members of the club asked Luo Wencheng to invite them to celebrate.
Luo Wencheng readily agreed.
Some people heckled and said that they wanted to go to "Golden Glory". Now everyone knew that "Golden Glory" was Lu Chong's business. Luo Wencheng smiled and said it was fine, but Zheng Chang had the good sense to avoid awkwardness and the group ended up going to a very famous KTV.
Luo Wencheng actually didn't mind. It was okay to go to "Golden Glory", just call Lu Chong and tell him, but KTV was fine too.
A group of people ordered drinks and then howled songs. Luo Wencheng also sang a love song without making a fuss. The rest of the time he was drinking silently, feeling that the wine was not intoxicating or having any taste, so he poured himself a full glass.
Zheng Chang next to him was taken aback: "Wencheng, can you drink?"
If he got drunk badly, who would be responsible? Zheng Chang was the only one in the group who could take responsibility.
"What did you say?" The karaoke was so loud that Luo Wencheng didn't hear him clearly.
Zheng Chang had to say it again loudly.
Luo Wencheng smiled and took a big sip: "It's okay, I used to be a bartender." After a pause, he said to himself, "It's not like you can die from drinking anyway."
Zheng Chang couldn't hear what he said, but when he saw him like this, he didn't try to stop him anymore.
He didn't know why, but although Luo Wencheng, who had returned to school, was more talkative and sociable than before and often had a smile on his face, Zheng Chang felt that this Luo Wencheng was somewhat unreal.
How to say it? Zheng Chang was the one Luo Wencheng spent the most time with, and after watching him for a while, Zheng Chang felt that he was pretending, pretending to be happy, pretending to be normal, and he felt tired for him, like watching a string that was so tight that it was about to break.
After Luo Wencheng drank two glasses of wine, he began to feel abnormally hot. He was very sensitive to alcohol. Even if it was a very low degree wine, he would be groggy after two glasses.
He poured himself a third glass, brought it to his mouth and put it down abruptly.
With a crisp sound, the wine spilled out, causing everyone to look over. The singer also stopped, and the room suddenly became quiet.
Luo Wencheng held his somewhat dizzy head and gasped a little, saying to himself: don't allow any gaffe, Luo Wencheng, it's ugly to drink like this to drown your sorrows, don't you know? Be good; isn't everything good?
You are happy, everyone is happy.
It's like nothing happened.
It's like nothing has changed.
He stood up and said to everyone with a smile: "Two glasses of wine are a bit too much for me. You guys go on, I'll go out and get some fresh air."
Zheng Chang wanted to follow but Luo Wencheng stopped him. He got out of the room and went to the restroom at the end of the corridor to wash his face. Then he looked at himself in the mirror and said in a daze: "I overestimated myself. It's too difficult. It's too difficult."
Obviously living under the same roof with that man but not being able to touch; obviously feeling sad inside but pretending to be happy.
He didn't want to leave. He thought it was good to live together, to have face-to-face meetings every day, but now it seemed that this was just a kind of torture for himself.
With some thoughts, it was okay as long as you held back and didn't touch them, but once you touched them, you couldn't take it back and pretend that nothing had happened.
Perhaps it was time for him to leave.
Another man came in and rushed to the sink to throw up.
Luo Wencheng leaned aside, as if he didn't notice anything, until the man finished vomiting, rinsed his mouth and washed his face, and looked up at him, saying in amazement: "Luo Wencheng?"
Luo Wencheng looked over lazily, and it took him a few seconds to recognise the man: "Wei… Xingheng?"
Chapter 52
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
His lazy glance suddenly made Wei Xingheng freeze in place.
Luo Wencheng's skin was extremely fair, with the kind of amazing delicacy. His cheeks were red because of drinking, his eyes were also a little red, and his lips were even redder and more charming.
But he was probably depressed. He leaned against the wall decadently, his bangs falling down, casting shadows over his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and looked very indifferent, but his handsome, exquisite face revealed a bit of arrogance.
Wei Xingheng stood still.
Then he heard that faint, lazy voice pronouncing his name.
Wei Xingheng, who had drunk a lot of alcohol, had an almost immediate reaction.
Luo Wencheng changed his position, leaning against the wall to face Wei Xingheng, and looked up and down at him: "What a coincidence. Had too much to drink?"
Wei Xingheng smiled slowly: "Yes, there is a client who wants to sing, and he has to drink while singing, so I can only drink with him."
"So bad? With your drinking capacity, it is not easy to drink until you vomit."
"Compared to Zhao Jianping and Zhang Dong, I am much better."
Luo Wencheng tilted his head, and because of the effect of alcohol, his reaction was a bit sluggish: "Oh? What happened to them?"
"You don't know? After testifying in court that day, as soon as they got home, they were beaten up by their families, their legs were almost broken, and they were kicked out of the house. I don't know where they beg for food now. By contrast, I can still dress decently and come out to socialise." Wei Xingheng smiled at himself and looked at Luo Wencheng, "What do you think, am I much luckier?"
Luo Wencheng's eyes drifted a little. That afternoon he was rejected by Lu Chong. How could he be in the mood to pay attention to other things? He really didn't know what happened to Zhao Jianping and Zhang Dong.
"However, you don't seem to have much of a spring in your step. The one in your family is so protective of you, and he is willing to let you have troubles?" Wei Xingheng said.
The words "the one in your family" made Luo Wencheng's heart sink. The carelessness on his face slowly faded. He turned around and washed his hands, then walked to the door, swaying slightly.
Wei Xingheng was also a veteran of love affairs, so how could he not see what was going on with Luo Wencheng? He stared at Luo Wencheng's handsome, slender back, the beautiful butterfly bones under his shirt and his thin, slim waist. There was fire in his eyes; his head was burning. He stepped forward and hugged Luo Wencheng's waist, breathing out ambiguously: "It seems you have fallen out of favour."
Luo Wencheng stopped in his tracks and glanced at him coldly: "It seems that you are looking for death."
"Can death be worse than I am now? I accompany people to drink every day. The guys who used to be unworthy to carry my shoes can now pretend to be the bosses in front of me!" Wei Xingheng laughed, saying to Luo Wencheng, "I am better than Zhao Jianping and Zhang Dong, but they deserve it. What did I do wrong? Why did you convict me with them?"
Wei Xingheng suddenly took a step back and ripped open his clothes, exposing the white strap on his chest: "Look, look, do you know what this is? My old man beat me up. Not only were those two idiots beaten that day, I was also beaten up as soon as I went back! He broke three of my ribs! In front of so many people, I was held down and hit with a stick again and again. My uncles, my cousins, everyone who wanted to fight with me, all laughed like crazy. Do you know what I felt? I wanted to kill someone!"
Just because his old man was afraid of Lu Chong, he was going to kill his son and throw him in front of Lu Chong to sell his good deeds. If it weren't for his mother's hard work, the same thing that had happened to Zhao Jianping and Zhang Dong would have happened to him. And now, in fact, it wasn't any better. The family wouldn't let him go back, his money was frozen and he was thrown into a small company that was about to go bankrupt. In order to survive, he had to bend his knees every day and take turns to suck up to people!
"Tell me, what do you think I did wrong, I wasn't even involved in the drugging of your drink, why should I suffer this!" Wei Xingheng grabbed Luo Wencheng and shouted at him.
Luo Wencheng slowly broke the grip on his collar.
Even if you didn't participate in the drugging, weren't you the one who encouraged him to be idle and do nothing?
Yes, at that time, Luo Wencheng was ignorant and had no discernment; he couldn't blame others for it. But in his previous life, Zhao Jianping, Zhang Dong and Luo Wenjun went out of their ways to humiliate him. When did Wei Xingheng not watch?
The great hatred had already been avenged. Luo Wencheng actually didn't feel much hatred anymore. He was not interested in remembering and thinking about it again, so facing Wei Xingheng's resentful, reluctant face, his heart remained calm.
"Don't tell me this. It's not me who did that to you. If you want to blame, you can blame your Wei family for being weak. If you want to blame, you can blame yourself for having a bunch of timid and ruthless relatives. If you want to blame, you can blame…"
He threw Wei Xingheng away, looked at him coldly, and said word by word: "Whether in your own home or in Haining, you, Wei Xingheng, are insignificant."
Because he was insignificant, he was thrown out to calm the anger.
In fact, Luo Wencheng was not sure if there was any pressure from Lu Chong behind this, but based on his understanding of Lu Chong, the man could at best engage in suppression of business, not personal injury.
The Wei family was so scared that they couldn't bear the pressure, and before anyone said anything, they panicked and beat Wei Xingheng up and drove him out to curry favour. Who was to blame?
Luo Wencheng walked towards the door when his arm was suddenly grabbed and yanked back.
It was his right arm that was yanked. The force caused a tearing pain in his shoulder that had not yet fully healed. Luo Wencheng was already unsteady on his feet. He took a few steps back, hit the wall heavily, holding his shoulder and bending over. The pain was so bad that he couldn't make a sound for a while.
Wei Xingheng locked the door, turned around, pinched Luo Wencheng's chin and pushed him against the wall: "You can be noble now and I'm insignificant, you ass seller…"
Before he finished speaking, Luo Wencheng, who was bent over and hadn't been fully lifted up by him, suddenly pressed his back with his left hand and pushed him down. His knee slammed into Wei Xingheng's abdomen fiercely, and his left arm quickly delivered an elbow strike on his spine.
This blow was extremely cruel, but after all, the strength was insufficient. If it was sufficient, Wei Xingheng wouldn't be able to get up from the floor. But at this moment, although Wei Xingheng was in extreme pain, he still reacted quickly and pushed Luo Wencheng back.
Without pause, Luo Wencheng kicked, but his kick was blocked by Wei Xingheng.
Normally, Luo Wencheng should have retreated after his movement failed. However, he didn't. Even though his leg was blocked, using it for support, he turned around and kicked with his other leg.
Wei Xingheng was caught off guard; the bridge of his nose was hit by the hard sole of Luo Wencheng's shoe. He suddenly fell back. In a burst of violent suffocating pain, two streams of blood gushed out of his nostrils.
Luo Wencheng also fell heavily to the floor, the impact causing severe pain all over his body. His head was dizzy.
Yet in just two seconds, as if by tacit agreement, they both rose from the floor at the same time, one holding his right shoulder, the other his nose, one with a cold gaze, the other with a fierce face, breathing heavily as they stared at each other, confronting each other.
Then, at the same moment, they lunged at each other in silence, tearing and fighting like two wild animals.
This was a completely desperate fight.
Why were they fighting? There seemed to be many reasons, but none of them were so bad as to kill each other. But in fact, there was no need for a reason. They were drunk, they were in a bad mood, and they disliked each other. One friction can create a big flame. What's more, between men, as long as there is anger, who cares if three times seven is twenty one; no one will step back even if they die.
Of these two, one had his right arm almost ruined, and the other had three broken ribs. Wei Xingheng was a member of the family that had specially trained him since he was a child. His physique and skills were first-class. In contrast, when Luo Wencheng was still Luo Ershao, he didn't like to suffer hardships and had no fighting skills. But he had also learned a little in those three years in prison, and in the ten years of his previous life, he didn't have a shortage of fights either. Coupled with the pain at midnight every day, even though Luo Wencheng was thin, he was in really good health and he was not at disadvantage.
In addition, he had a 20% bonus; no matter what he did, he could do it very well, including fighting. So although he had no systematic training, he naturally knew what to do, and some angles were extremely tricky.
The two of them fought, grabbing each other and rolling around, but no one obviously had the upper hand.
Until Wei Xingheng found that Luo Wencheng had difficulty moving his right arm and attacked him exclusively on the right side. Luo Wencheng's right arm was hit and the severe pain caused him to suddenly lose his strength. He was dizzy and was pressed face forward against the restroom door with a loud thud.
Luo Wencheng pushed against the door with his left hand. His right arm was twisted behind his back at an extremely distorted angle, and he grunted in pain.
The two of them gasped violently together, both with bruised noses and swollen faces. Wei Xingheng looked a bit more miserable; Luo Wencheng's mouth was bleeding and his cheekbones were red. Wei Xingheng sneered and said, "Show me fight again, I can't see it, it's pretty good to fight!"
"Knock, knock, knock!"
There was an anxious knocking on the door, and Zheng Chang's even more anxious cry followed: "Wencheng, are you in there? Wencheng!"
Wei Xingheng was startled.
Luo Wencheng took advantage of the moment of his distraction but didn't reach out to open the latch of the door. Instead, he stretched out his left hand, grabbed Wei Xingheng's face and stepped back violently. When Wei Xingheng's back hit the wall, Luo Wencheng let go of his hand and slammed his head backwards.
There was a bang.
Luo Wencheng was a few centimetres shorter than Wei Xingheng, and the back of his head hit the bridge of Wei Xingheng's nose. The nose that had finally stopped bleeding suddenly broke completely. Wei Xingheng screamed. Luo Wencheng also knocked himself almost unconscious, and the two fell down at the same time.
Half of Wei Xingheng's body pressed on top of Luo Wencheng.
At the same time, the toilet door was kicked open, and the door panel slammed against the wall, making a second loud noise.
There was a circle of people outside, but that circle of people was more than half a metre away from the man in the front.
The man in the front was extremely tall and imposing. Just looking at his long legs and his posture of kicking the door, you could see what a terrible explosive power was hidden in his body.
When the man saw the situation in the restroom, his already dark face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Chapter 53
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Wei Xingheng still couldn't figure out the situation. He got up instinctively and tried to choke Luo Wencheng.
Lu Chong strode over, grabbed him and punched him.
This punch to the stomach was more lethal than all Luo Wencheng's previous punches and kicks combined. Wei Xingheng, who was already bleeding, almost felt that his stomach was about to be punched through and lost consciousness. Lu Chong threw him away and knelt on one knee to look at Luo Wencheng intently.
"Sir?" Luo Wencheng looked at the man in front of him in amazement, trying hard to get up.
Lu Chong helped him up carefully: "Where are you hurt?"
"It's all skin injuries… ouch!" Luo Wencheng slowly straightened his right arm twisted behind his back to its normal position.
Lu Chong's face was displeased but he didn't say anything to him here: "Let's go back and talk about it."
As soon as he helped Luo Wencheng up, Luo Wencheng smiled at the group of onlookers outside: "Sorry for spoiling everyone's fun. I'll treat you another day to make up for it."
How would anyone dare say anything? They were scared almost to peeing in their pants by Lu Chong's face, okay? So they hurriedly asked Luo Wencheng to go to the hospital first.
After the two left, everyone wondered what to do with Wei Xingheng, who was half-dead on the floor in the toilet.
But soon they knew they didn't need to worry, because two men in black came in, picked up Wei Xingheng and dragged him out like a dead dog.
Everyone was silent for a while looking at each other with the unreal sense of having peeked into the shadows of the black society and a deeper appreciation of Classmate Luo Wencheng's background.
Meanwhile, Luo Wencheng was taken to the private hospital where the old specialist who had operated on him was summoned from home and was on standby. After seeing Luo Wencheng's situation, he put a shoulder brace on him again and explained a bunch of matters with a serious face.
Lu Chong asked, "That's all?"
The expert almost muttered: do you want me to take a knife and cut him again to cure him right away? For doctors, patients who don't take their bodies seriously are the most annoying. But at any rate, he remembered Lu Chong's identity and said, "This is the only way for the time being. Using a surgery again may affect the functionality after healing. But if he continues to mess around, this arm will really be ruined."
Lu Chong wrote it down and thanked the expert.
The other injuries were skin injuries and bruises. After a brief treatment, Luo Wencheng obediently got in the car with Lu Chong.
The car was as quiet as if no one was there. Luo Wencheng was still a little groggy from drinking. It took a long time before he thought of a question: "How did you get there, sir?"
Lu Chong didn't speak for a long time, and Luo Wencheng thought he wouldn't answer, when he said, "The monitor alerted us."
Luo Wencheng was dumbfounded for a while before he understood.
He had been drinking, his heart was beating fast and his blood pressure was going up, so Lu Chong knew about it through the little device he was carrying.
He knew and rushed over?
Luo Wencheng thought for a while; from the moment he drank the first glass of wine to the time when Lu Chong kicked the door, it was twenty minutes at most.
He turned his head to look at Lu Chong's cold and hard profile. Alcohol was playing tricks on him. He leaned over a little, tilted his head and stared at Lu Chong boldly, looking up from below: "Sir, you came there at once?"
Lu Chong ignored him.
Luo Wencheng waited for a while, and said to himself with certainty and some loss: "Mr. Lu is angry and ignores me."
Lu Chong finally turned his head to look at him, facing a pair of moist eyes, black and bright, with thick fluttering eyelashes, so beautiful as if thickened and lengthened by a make-up artist.
The young man looked at him with a big grin, his eyes much bolder than usual, showing a bit of stupidity and childishness that he didn't usually have.
This expression was so clear and direct.
The emotions in these eyes were no longer disguised; there was softness and attachment, and something even more sticky and hot.
Lu Chong raised his hand almost uncontrollably.
He did struggle, his hand paused halfway, but in the end, it ghosted over to the young man's cheek.
The cold fingers fell on the reddened warm cheek, wandering over the delicate, silky skin to the chin, and then Lu Chong's thumb rubbed the corner of the bruised mouth as he asked, "How much have you had to drink?"
Luo Wencheng thought for a while: "Two glasses?"
He lowered his head like a kitten and rubbed against Lu Chong's palm, as if he wanted to rub all the heat that made him feel uncomfortable into this big hand. Then he lunged forward; his free left arm encircled Lu Chong's waist as he buried his face in Lu Chong's arms and rubbed hard again, calling coquettishly: "Sir."
Lu Chong leaned back. The weather was getting hotter and he didn't wear much. The temperature of Luo Wencheng's body was transmitted very clearly through the thin cloth, and his hair seemed to be directly rubbing over his skin. The hair that was very soft to the touch made his heart itchy, and he was in a daze and a little bit in pain.
Lu Chong's expression didn't change much. He seemed to have no reaction to the sudden extra weight and heat in his arms. His hand stagnated in the air for a moment and fell gently on the back of Luo Wencheng's head.
He held the young man in his arms.
The driver in the front was simply dumbfounded.
He didn't see it wrong, did he? Master and Young Master Luo…
He had already driven into the garage, and he didn't even know if he should make a sound to remind them to get out of the car.
It wasn't until Uncle Ding came over and knocked on the car window that the two people hugging each other separated. Lu Chong calmly led Luo Wencheng out of the car, then accompanied upstairs, all the way to Luo Wencheng's room. He didn't go in, but gave Luo Wencheng the medicine he carried: "Take a shower, rub in the medicine and go to bed early."
He turned around to leave, but his wrist was caught. Luo Wencheng looked up at him with an aggrieved expression: "Sir, I can't rub it in. The injuries are on my back and on my shoulders. I need to rub it well but I only have one hand."
Lu Chong looked at his right shoulder in the brace: "I'll find someone to help you."
"I don't want them, I just want you." Luo Wencheng interrupted him. The two looked at each other. The drunkenness on Luo Wencheng's face dissipated a little bit. He looked at Lu Chong steadily, almost stubbornly. Suddenly, he pulled Lu Chong into the room, slammed the door shut with his foot and pressed Lu Chong to the wall with his left hand.
"Sir, you have feelings for me, don't you?"
He looked at the left side of Lu Chong's chest and tapped his fingers lightly there: "Just now, it was beating so fast and heavy. I could hear it clearly. If you didn't have feelings for me, why would you react like this?"
He raised his head slightly to look at Lu Chong, and said in a very certain tone: "Lu Chong, you like me."
Luo Wencheng might be a little drunk, but he would never be so drunk that he was delirious and let his emotions leak out to the point of being coquettish.
He just wanted to take this opportunity to be reckless and to test the waters with that tiny hope he had.
He also knew very well that Lu Chong could see through his little tricks, but Lu Chong not only didn't stop it but also condoned it, and even his heart beat faster.
If he didn't have any feelings, then what were feelings?
Lu Chong lowered his eyes and looked at him calmly. He didn't refute or push him away. With Lu Chong's strength, as long as he didn't want to, Luo Wencheng, who could only use one hand, couldn't even pull him into the room. But he didn't show resistance from start to finish.
For Lu Chong, such a reaction was actually a tacit acceptance.
Surprise uncontrollably welled up in Luo Wencheng's heart and his eyes lit up.
"Am I right? Am I right?!" He tugged at Lu Chong's clothes, impatiently waiting for a confirmation.
Lu Chong closed his eyes and used almost his strength to maintain the calmness on the surface. After opening his eyes, he didn't directly respond to Luo Wencheng's question, but whispered: "Wencheng, I don't want to deceive you or hurt you, but I once promised one person that I would never like the second person in this life."
Luo Wencheng's expression stiffened for a while, his heart aching: "But, but hasn't it been many years since then?" He didn't want to poke Lu Chong's wound by saying that maybe that person would never come back, nor did he want to say that not every promise was worth guarding for a lifetime. That was not his place to comment on the past.
Much less could he say: am I not worthy of you giving up that promise?
He looked at Lu Chong, "It's been more than ten years, it's been long enough, hasn't it? Why don't you give yourself a chance?"
"I never thought about it…"
"Then think about it now!" Luo Wencheng said anxiously, "Wouldn't it be good to give yourself a chance and give me a chance too? One's life is really very short… Lu Chong, sir…"
He almost begged in the end. He knew that he only had this one chance, and he couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if he heard a negative answer from the man's mouth.
The firm "no" in Lu Chong's heart couldn't be uttered after all.
When he looked at Luo Wencheng like this, he only felt his heart ache.
It was an emotion that he could hardly restrain anymore. The only thing he wanted to do at the moment was to hug the young man in front of him and soothe his panic so that he stopped showing this anxious and helpless expression.
It was an emotion he had never felt before, even for that person.
Lu Chong raised his hand and, under Luo Wencheng's expectant gaze, gently put it on his head, rubbing it as he had done many times before, comforting him: "Let me think about it, okay?"
Luo Wencheng let out a sigh of relief.
He was about to say something, but suddenly his face changed and he bent down, holding his stomach.
Lu Chong panicked: "Wencheng!"
Luo Wencheng hung on his arm, clenching his wrist and looking at the time. It was midnight.
He exhaled in a low voice; this time it hurt more than ever, probably because of the alcohol he had consumed.
And there were many bruises on his body; although his bones were not hurt, his whole body tensed with this pain, and his injuries, large and small, were affected. He was hurting from head to toe; there was no place where it didn't hurt.
He couldn't stand still, saying intermittently: "Help me… go to bed."
Lu Chong picked him up and carried him to the bed, then propped him against the bedside and asked, "Do you want to call a doctor?"
He knew Luo Wencheng's special situation. He would have an attack once a night, on time, without exception. There would be no use even if the doctor came.
Moreover, Luo Wencheng himself was very secretive about it.
Luo Wencheng gritted his teeth and shook his head.
Lu Chong looked at him for a while, then suddenly turned and left.
Luo Wencheng's eyes were already wet with sweat, and he watched Lu Chong's blurred figure walk away. He raised his hand to remove the monitor that was beeping on his body, threw it away, turned his head and buried his face in the pillow, biting the corner of it.
There seemed to be countless knives cutting his stomach, searing hot, sharp knives.
Luo Wencheng counted the time silently and tried to think about something else to divert his attention.
He didn't hear the footsteps approaching again until his face was turned forcefully but gently, and a warm towel lightly wiped it.
"Sir… sir?" He hadn't left?
Lu Chong wiped his sweaty face until realising there was no end to wiping it. The sweat seemed to be flowing like rain, and Luo Wenchang's hair and clothes were almost drenched.
Lu Chong was shocked.
The last time he was in the surgery room, it was not so serious. Now Luo Wencheng's condition seemed to be worse than last time. If this continued, even if he didn't die of pain, he would be very dehydrated, right?
He had no idea what kind of psychological condition would cause such pain.
Could it be that both he and Dr. Wang guessed wrong, and it was not a psychological condition at all?
However, Luo Wencheng had absolutely no physical illness, unless it was completely undetectable at the current medical level.
Lu Chong couldn't calm down anymore. Panicking, he knelt on the side of the bed, touching Luo Wencheng's face: "Shall I call a doctor to help you?"
Maybe the doctor could give him a painkiller injection or just put him to sleep; this was just too painful.
"No…" Luo Wencheng shook his head, "Sir… stay with me… talk… talk to me."
Lu Chong was silent for a moment, put the towel aside, got up and took off his coat, then lay down on the bed and took Luo Wencheng into his arms.
Luo Wencheng leaned over.
Every time this pain in the early hours of the morning helped Luo Wencheng expel the impurities in his body; that was why his body and skin were so good. After more than half a year, there were no more impurities, but he had drunk wine today. The wine was poisonous to him, which was why the reaction was so violent this time. As his sweat continued to flow, the smell of wine was getting heavier and heavier.
Lu Chong noticed it, but he didn't think too much. He lowered his head and kissed Luo Wencheng's forehead. Perhaps because it was something he had wanted to do for a long time, or maybe he was purely thinking about comforting Luo Wencheng; in short, this action was so natural that Lu Chong didn't even realise it. Then he kissed Luo Wencheng's face again and said softly, "What do you want to hear from me?"
Luo Wencheng's whole body froze.
He was on the verge of fainting from pain but not really fainting. He looked up at Lu Chong in a daze, seeing the worry and tenderness in his eyes. It was as if he had received great encouragement, and his resolution was suddenly boosted. He sprang upwards, craned his neck and kissed Lu Chong on the lips.
Lu Chong went very still.
Without waiting for his reaction, Luo Wencheng already occupied the position that he had earned by kissing. Half of his body was pressed over Lu Chong. Originally Lu Chong was lying on his side, but he was pushed flat by Luo Wencheng. His lips never left. On the contrary, the robber intensified his attack.
What pain, it all seemed to be forgotten.
Lu Chong hid the shock on his face, watching Luo Wencheng's eyes gradually dim. He hesitated for two seconds, choosing between pushing him away and holding him tightly. He chose the latter and responded with a forceful kiss.
Chapter 54
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
The early morning sun shone through the window, and the man sleeping on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
The first feeling was that in his arms resting on the pillow there was an extra weight and heat that had never been there before.
Lu Chong looked down at the young man in his arms. Luo Wencheng was sleeping very heavily; his fine hair was messy on his forehead, and the bruises on his face and at the corners of his mouth became even more eye-catching after the night, looking a bit shocking on his fair skin. His lips were much redder than usual, slightly swollen, and even rubbed raw in two places. This was evidence of the frantic kissing last night.
Lu Chong watched silently for a long time, then carefully withdrew his arm, lifted the quilt and got up.
He was in his crumpled pyjamas, and Luo Wencheng was naked down to his waist.
After Luo Wencheng's pain ended last night, both of them were covered in sweat. Luo Wencheng was already dehydrated and out of strength. Lu Chong fed him water, carried him to wash, and then applied medicine. After he finished his work, it was almost two o'clock.
Because of Luo Wencheng's arm, Lu Chong didn't put the pyjamas top on him. At the moment when he lifted the quilt, he saw many blue and purple traces on his skin. Although they were all from the fight, they still appeared strangely charming and seductive on Luo Wencheng's young and beautiful body.
Lu Chong glanced twice, silently withdrew his gaze, tucked in the quilt and quietly walked out of the room.
Uncle Ding happened to be in the corridor and saw Lu Chong coming out of Luo Wencheng's room. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, but this surprise was not particularly great.
He also knew Luo Wencheng's situation. He was in pain; Master stayed with him all night, feeding him water and taking care of him. It seemed that there was nothing, but Master being capable of such a move already meant something in itself.
Lu Chong was looked at but his face remained calm. He just said to Uncle Ding: "Wait for him to wake up, prepare some light food for him, and call Dr. Wang over."
"He's already waiting," Uncle Ding said. In fact, Dr. Wang was called over in the middle of the night last night but never came in handy. However, Master didn't say let him go, and even though Dr. Wang lived in the house next door, he didn't go back.
"Okay, tell him to come to my study."
Luo Wencheng slept straight until noon.
There was no source of heat next to him, and he lay on the bed in a daze.
He remembered how crazy he had been yesterday when he had plunged in for a forceful kiss. He touched his lips that still hurt a little. How could he have been so bold?
And a little later Lu Chong's passionate response left him overwhelmed and stunned with surprise.
He recalled that scene, and his face grew hot. Even taking a shower later, although he did it by himself, half because he was really weak and half because he pretended to be weak, Lu Chong practically accompanied him the whole time, also applying ointment and rubbing in medicine wine later…
Luo Wencheng closed his eyes, grabbed the pillow where Lu Chong had been lying and hugged it in his arms, taking a deep breath. The ecstasy and restlessness in his heart almost overwhelmed him.
Ah ah ah, how could it be so good?
He couldn't even believe that he had succeeded in confessing his love. Well, he didn't seem to make a clear confession, and Lu Chong didn't give him a clear answer.
But it had been confirmed, ah, Lu Chong liked him, and the two had taken a big step forward in their relationship. Could it be any better than that?
After the excitement was over, he lay flat carefully, his whole body aching. Wei Xingheng didn't pull any punches, especially as far as his right shoulder was concerned. Now it was in constant pain. Luo Wencheng had some regrets in his heart. If it weren't for his injury, if it weren't for the inconvenience of using his right arm, would it be more than just a kiss last night?
Oh, Luo Wencheng, what are you thinking?
He got rid of those unhealthy thoughts and began to think about business.
Thinking about his future.
Now that the relationship had been determined, death was definitely not an option.
He remembered that when the one-year period expired, he had two ways to go: either to die straight away, or just like when he was reborn, to hand over the hope and love in his heart.
When he was reborn, he thought it was very funny, because he felt that things like love and hope would never be possible for him to have again in his life. Who would have thought that in just over half a year, he would have them again. He felt that his heart was now filled with these two things, so full that it was almost overflowing, his whole being bubbling with happiness and excitement.
But the thought that after the year was up he would lose his love for Lu Chong made his heart that was burning hot at the moment feel as if it had been violently immersed into ice water.
He had already experienced the power of that mysterious voice, which took away his hope and love without a hint of ambiguity. It was as if his many complex emotions for the Luo family had been emptied out in an instant, leaving only a clear and solid hatred.
He was worried that it would be the same with Lu Chong at that time. He would clearly remember all the bits and pieces about this person, he would clearly know that he loved this person, but he wouldn't feel a shred of love and tenderness for him in his heart.
What kind of situation would that be? Luo Wencheng couldn't imagine it.
Should he hide the truth from Lu Chong and pretend that he still loved him, and then by his side silently build up his love for him again? Or should he tell him the truth and let him help and work together?
He was afraid the former would easily cause misunderstandings. Lu Chong was such a keen person. He would be able to tell whether Luo Wencheng was sincere to him. But the latter would be too hard and too unfair to him, right?
And after the first year like this, in another year, would this process have to be repeated again? As long as he was alive, would every new year of life have to be exchanged for the love and hope of the previous year? Every year, would he and Lu Chong have to start all over again?
Can Lu Chong persevere? And Luo Wencheng himself, under such circumstances, could he really fall in love with Lu Chong again within a year every time?
If he couldn't hold on, he would die. If he couldn't love, he would die without new love and hope to exchange for his life. It was a road without end, full of predictable hardships and pain. He had been worried about it before, that was why he struggled to suppress his feelings.
Luo Wencheng was lying on his side, holding the pillow in his arms, looking at some point in nothingness in front of him.
His gaze was silent and empty, uneasy and dazed at the thought of such a future; but soon, his eyes became firm again.
For Lu Chong, he was willing to try and work hard. And if it was Lu Chong, he would also be willing to help him and stay with him.
Luo Wencheng took a deep breath and said to himself: "Cheer up, Luo Wencheng, there are no obstacles that can't be overcome. Now it is the best situation possible."
He got up, changed his clothes one-handedly with some difficulty and combed his hair.
This hair Lu Chong personally washed for him. The more Luo Wencheng looked at it, the more he liked it; he seemed to be able to feel Lu Chong's fingers gently running through his hair.
In a rare moment, he looked in the mirror and checked his appearance.
Was the collar turned up? Was his shirt creased? Was his hair messy?
The bruises on his right cheekbone and at the corner of his mouth were so unsightly, greatly damaging his appearance. And the slight swelling and redness of his lips caused him to chuckle secretly. That kind of excitement, sweetness and a hint of anxiety made him feel not like himself anymore.
After looking in the mirror enough and getting in the right mood, he put on a smile that looked quite calm and collected, so that he didn't look so jittery and impulsive. Then he opened the door and went downstairs.
However, he didn't see the person he wanted to see.
Uncle Ding told him that Lu Chong had something to do and went out.
What could it be that required Lu Chong to go out and do something in person?
The corner of Luo Wencheng's mouth dropped slightly, and then he said to himself as if nothing had happened, "A newcomer cannot win against an old one".
Lu Chong was undoubtedly a person capable of lingering feelings, which was one of the reasons why Luo Wencheng liked him, so he didn't mind his past and didn't want to explore it. As long as Lu Chong had him in his heart now, as long as Luo Wencheng was standing next to him, this was enough. He would try his best to change the object of Lu Chong's affection from the person in the past to him now.
After he finished breakfast plus lunch, Dr. Wang came with another doctor and said he wanted to see how he was recovering from his injuries, sort of a daily consultation.
Luo Wencheng was taken aback for a moment. He didn't have to think about it; he knew that this was Lu Chong's arrangement and he accepted it graciously. However, he was keenly aware that the new doctor was secretly observing him. In just a few sentences of conversation, he asked Luo Wencheng if he felt anxious and if he had ever had any psychological shadows.
Of course, the other party asked very carefully. Most people would think it was just an ordinary conversation, but Luo Wencheng was not an ordinary person.
He was very sensitive to the emotions of others.
When he figured out the other party's purpose, he said directly, "You don't need to come up with some special approach, there are some things I will tell Mr. Lu personally."
The man and Dr. Wang glanced at each other, and both of them smiled bitterly. Luo Wencheng was too defensive.
Luo Wencheng politely sent the two of them away. He was not offended or displeased, because he knew that Lu Chong cared about him. He decided that he would tell him the truth about things that should be known to Lu Chong.
Luo Wencheng went to find Ribs to play for a while, but he had nothing to do in the afternoon. Because of his injury, he once again stayed at home. After thinking about it, he went to cook for Lu Chong. This time it was different from the past. He was full of love and warmth, and everything he made was love food.
In his heart, he was looking forward to what kind of reaction Lu Chong would have when he ate these dishes, and what kind of evaluation he would give.
Lu Chong came back very late, and Luo Wencheng couldn't see anything different from usual from his expression and demeanour.
Luo Wencheng, on the contrary, became a little nervous.
He was like a young boy who had just furthered the relationship with his lover. He was sentimental, shy, uneasy and awkward, but fortunately, he was someone who had lived to his thirties after all. No matter how complicated the emotions in his heart were, as long as he wanted, he could make his expression invulnerable.
Then he took the freshly made noodles and went to Lu Chong's study.
He knocked on the door and entered smoothly. The spacious study was very simply furnished, and the man stood by the window with his back to the door, with his arms crossed on his chest, looking at something or thinking about something, leaving Luo Wencheng only with his tall, cold back.
Luo Wencheng's footsteps paused, and he called out softly, "Sir."
The man turned his head and looked at him with calm eyes: "You are here."
Luo Wencheng didn't see any strange emotions in those deep eyes and asked Lu Chong, "You haven't eaten outside, have you? Would you like some noodles?"
Lu Chong said in a gentle voice: "You can leave it here." He paused and added, "I heard you have something to tell me."
Luo Wencheng did intend to tell him, and he was working on the draft before he came in, but at this moment he felt it was inappropriate.
There seemed to be nothing wrong with Lu Chong's eyes and tone, but he still faintly noticed something.
Maybe it was because Lu Chong stood there and didn't approach; maybe it was because he went out for a whole day, and after he came back, he had no intention to look for Luo Wencheng.
Or perhaps it was the fact that such a stoic and bland performance was in itself wrong.
Luo Wencheng hated his sensitivity a little bit at this time. He told himself not to be too pretentious, but his heart full of joy and excitement gradually sank.
He put the noodles on the table and said after a moment of silence: "I haven't figured out what to say yet."
"Then come to me anytime you think about it." Lu Chong was also silent for a while, "Tonight, you will still…"
Luo Wencheng thought a lot for a moment, and then said in a relaxed tone: "No, it was so serious yesterday because of drinking, and it will be much better today." He didn't plan to rely on this to get anything from Lu Chong. Although he knew that as long as he said he needed Lu Chong, Lu Chong would probably come to accompany him tonight; but he didn't want to do that.
"I can make it through tonight by myself."
As he said that, he glanced at the table inadvertently. There was a very large drawing spread out on it. It was a concept drawing of the amusement park after it was completed. It was colourful and dazzling. Luo Wencheng could see how beautiful, how gorgeous it was with just a glance.
Luo Wencheng's fingertips lingered for a moment on the edge of the white porcelain bowl as he whispered, "I'll leave first, then."
He went out calmly, and gently pulled the door close behind himself. At the last moment, Lu Chong suddenly said, "Wencheng, I'm thinking about something."
Luo Wencheng couldn't figure out whether Lu Chong's words were simply explaining something, or if he was worried that he might think of something because of his cold attitude and said it to comfort him.
He couldn't guess what this man was thinking, especially at this moment.
He nodded and closed the door, standing in the doorway for a moment longer before walking to his room.
Perhaps Lu Chong was still hesitating, or perhaps he was thinking about how to make a break with the past.
Luo Wencheng slowly walked along the corridor, analysing calmly in his mind.
More than ten years of feelings and more than ten years of waiting were really not something that one could give up easily. Lu Chong said he still had to think about it. It was okay, he could wait.
Watching the door close, Lu Chong slowly let out a sigh of relief.
It was still evident, wasn't it?
He gently stroked the concept drawing of the amusement park on the table.
"Lu Jiuding (Lu Chong's name before he was called Lu Chong), do you think there really are people in this world who only like one person for the rest of their lives?"
"There will be."
"I don't believe it. One keeps saying that he likes that person the most and swears to live and die together, but in a while it will change. This is the case for adults. The adults are like that, they love one for a while, but then they say that time is too cruel and dilute everything, and then they say that they are too lonely and start looking for another one. If they can't do it, they can't do it, and no one will blame them. They just have to make it sound good, and in the end, they have all kinds of excuses. Hypocrites!"
Chapter 55
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
"Lu Jiuding, I'm leaving! I'm not coming back when I leave this time!"
"Then I'll find you."
"No, you can't find me."
"Can't you not leave?"
"But I'm going home… Hey, are you sad? Don't be sad, you will meet other friends, and I also have many friends."
"……"
"Say something, you're not going to cry, are you?"
"…I just want you to be my friend."
"Hey, how can someone your age be more coquettish than me? Just treat it as if I moved. When your good friend moves, you will be very sad first. You will miss him every day. But after a while, you will forget him. And you will make other friends soon, just like one doesn't like the same person forever."
The young man in his memory said it with certainty and confidence.
And he himself in his memory was sad and resentful at that time and said in a sullen voice: "I won't. I won't make other friends. I… I will only like you."
"Hey?" The young man suddenly became shy, scratched his head, and then showed a distressed expression, "But if we can't meet, you will soon forget me."
"I won't."
"You will."
"I won't!"
"You will definitely!"
"……"
"……"
The two looked at each other childishly, and finally the other party lost the battle, squatted on the ground and plucked the grass: "But it will really take a long, long, long time for us to see each other again. Will you really not forget me?"
"I won't." He squatted down happily and cautiously, "I will never forget you for the rest of my life."
"Well, then let me count, ten years, you will be able to see me in ten years… Hey, no, it's thirteen years… Well, maybe it's not enough, then at most fifteen years. I will definitely come to you in fifteen years, okay?"
In his memory he was stunned: "Ten, fifteen years? So long?"
"Hey! Who just said that it doesn't matter if it is for the rest of your life?"
"But, but, you can tell me your address, and I'll find you," he said cautiously.
"I told you you can't find me." The young man muttered, "It's useless to look for me."
"What if you don't come in fifteen years?"
"Well, that would be me forgetting about you."
"……"
"Oh, I'm joking. If I don't come to you, you, you build an amusement park in Beicheng next to Haining, in the wasteland where we hid together. A big, big one. I will definitely come to play there when I see it, and then you will find me!"
"An amusement park?"
"Yes ah, but don't worry, I'll come to you first, we'll build the amusement park together, I'll draw the plans, you'll pay for it."
"Good."
"Then it's a deal, let's pinky swear!"
"Fifteen years." Lu Chong gently stroked the concept drawing of the amusement park, "You said fifteen years, but it's been sixteen years, and you still haven't come.
"You are right, no one can only like one person for the rest of their lives. I betrayed my promise and I can't control my heart.
"I even thought at one point that I would just leave it like that, live my own life, take control of the people around me, and just let you be a thing of the past.
"I almost did that too."
When he hugged Luo Wencheng and when he kissed Luo Wencheng, he really thought about it that way. The warmth at hand was too tempting. The young man's eyes, words, body temperature, smile, everything was far more attractive to him than he had expected. This kind of predictable, palpable happiness could make the calmest person lose his mind.
Especially after he had been alone for so many years.
"Isn't it awful?
"After all, I have become what you hate the most."
Swinging from side to side, happy with the new and tired of the old, ungrateful…
Lu Chong smiled wryly and propped himself up on the table, his tall, upright body hunched down for the first time, as if he was already overwhelmed.
……
Luo Wencheng's life had become ordinary again.
He was waiting for Lu Chong to give him an answer, but it seemed difficult for the other party to respond.
Lu Chong even started not coming back at night.
He hadn't even stayed out at night after he politely rejected Luo Wencheng at the amusement park.
Luo Wencheng looked at his hands and asked himself in his heart, was he pushing too hard?
Should he have played dumb and stayed dumb? Once the window paper was pierced, the two of them couldn't maintain even a superficially calm and friendly relationship.
Downstairs, there was the sound of Lu Chong coming back. Luo Wencheng's dazed eyes slowly focused, and his expression became fierce a little bit.
It was either 1 or 0, either life or death. He didn't want to live a life where he didn't know the end, where he was guessing and waiting every day.
Everyone is a man, so why do you want to squirm like a woman? Just say one word, whether it works or not.
He opened the door of the room just as Lu Chong came up from downstairs. He paused when he saw Luo Wencheng: "Still awake."
Luo Wencheng walked over step by step and looked up at him quietly. The man was still calm, and his eyes were still filled with the familiar warmth. If you ignored the bloodshot eyes, ignored the tired look and the dodging gaze, nothing had changed.
"You haven't slept well for a few days, have you?" Luo Wencheng asked suddenly.
Lu Chong: "I have been… these days."
"Have I made it difficult for you?"
Lu Chong didn't say anything.
"Have I made you feel very painful?"
Lu Chong closed his eyes: "Wencheng, I have thought about it, I…"
Luo Wencheng suddenly took a step back. Just now, the bravado of either death or life, like a punctured balloon, disappeared without a trace. He avoided Lu Chong's gaze: "I'll make you something to eat."
Then he hurriedly went downstairs.
This was the longest time Luo Wencheng had ever spent making noodles.
He made them again and again, bowl after bowl, before he finally made a bowl that he was satisfied with.
The chef who got out of bed in the middle of the night to help him because Luo Wencheng was half-disabled was confused and distressed: "Aren't those bowls good? What a pity to throw them away."
Luo Wencheng murmured in a low voice: "For the last time, of course it must be the most perfect."
"What did you say?"
"It's nothing. There is a good beginning and a good end," he said slowly, then added with a smile, "You can serve it to Mr. Lu for me."
"Won't you go by yourself?"
"My hands are sore, I can't carry it." Luo Wencheng said, "I'll go to bed first."
Luo Wencheng went upstairs without looking in the direction of Lu Chong's room. He slowly walked into his own room and slowly looked around the room.
This was the same action he had done after returning from the amusement park back then, but the difference was that this time, after looking around the room, he slowly opened the wardrobe and began to pack his things.
There didn't seem to be much to pack, though. Every piece of clothing and every item in here had been added since he had come in here; none of it belonged to him.
He had come to this place, entered this room, avenged himself, fulfilled a long-cherished wish, done what he had wanted to do in his life, and now it was time to leave.
He had come with a calculating heart, and now it made sense for this heart to leave a little wounded.
He stood on the balcony in the wind, watching the sky brighten from the deep blackness little by little and the sun rising from among the clouds, casting a million rays of light.
The sound of servants walking around in the villa reached him, and some people started watering the garden.
There was the sound of a car starting downstairs; that man was probably going out.
Luo Wencheng straightened his clothes, picked up his drawing board and went downstairs.
Walking by the kitchen door, he saw the servant pouring a bowl of noodles into the trash can.
A bowl full of perfectly good, well done noodles.
"What a pity, not eating a single bite of such good noodles."
"It's a pity about the noodles, it's a pity about those pastries and snacks, Young Master Luo has been making them for ages."
"Forget it, just get used to it. This is only a two-day portion, it's been like this for most of the previous year. It's a pity that Young Master Luo's heart is in it."
"Who says it isn't. I sometimes want to persuade him not to do it, but I dare not speak."
"You guys say this has been the case for most of the previous year?" An indifferent voice suddenly sounded, and the two servants were startled: "Young Master Luo!"
"You guys say," Luo Wencheng walked into the kitchen and looked at the noodles that were dumped in the trash can together with some small pastries and other dishes he had made in the past two days, "This has been the case for most of the year? All dumped like this?"
The two servants looked at each other and said boldly: "Yes ah. Master doesn't touch what you make, and others don't dare to touch those things. In the end, they can only be dumped like this."
Luo Wencheng looked at the things in the trash can. Those things used to be so beautiful and exquisite, but now they became a pile of garbage pasted together, disgusting to look at.
Luo Wencheng's body swayed slightly, and he supported himself on the door frame.
A shadow appeared in the corner of his eye. He raised his eyes; his vision was a little blurred. He lowered his head and blinked. When he looked again, it turned out that Lu Chong, who had gone and returned, was standing not far away, looking at him with a complicated expression.
Luo Wencheng slowly straightened up and looked at him: "Why didn't you just tell me?"
Before Lu Chong could answer, he smiled again: "Were you worried that I would be embarrassed to eat and drink for nothing here?"
He smiled, but this smile was more ugly than crying. Lu Chong looked at him steadily without saying a word.
Luo Wencheng himself probably realised that he was laughing ugly, so the smile slowly faded away. He walked over slowly, trying to say something, but he didn't seem to know what to say. After a while, he said, "I'm leaving, but before I leave, I want to ask you one last question."
Lu Chong said, "Go ahead."
"You have a deep affection for that person, right?"
"Yes."
"Then did you hesitate in the past few days, or did you make a decision but didn't know how to tell me? In the process, were your feelings for me and your feelings for that person placed on the same scale, or were you worried that I would be sad after you explained it to me?"
Lu Chong didn't answer immediately.
He hesitated.
Luo Wencheng said calmly: "I want to hear the truth."
"Both." Lu Chong paused for a moment, "Mostly the latter."
Luo Wencheng smiled in relief, thinking to himself, sure enough. But that "both" was a comfort, right?
After all, it was not exactly his self-indulgence, he just… overestimated his weight.
He said, "Thank you, I see. In the past few days and for more than half a year, I have caused you a lot of trouble. And while it would be nice to say that I'd be at your disposal if you needed me in the future, I don't think you have much use for me, and you probably don't want to see me again. So…"
His voice was very soft, very soft: "Let's leave it at that."
He bypassed Lu Chong and walked out the door. Zhou Qian appeared: "Young Master Luo, do you want to use the car?"
"No need." Luo Wencheng shook his head, "None of that will be necessary in the future, thank you so much for this time."
He strode out of the gate and onto the road outside. After walking for about five minutes, there was a platform. A bus just stopped. He didn't see which way it was, so he went straight up.
In the villa, Zhou Qian looked, somewhat puzzled, at his master who was standing motionless outside the living room, wondering if he should go after Luo Wencheng.
At this point, Lu Chong finally reacted, and suddenly shouted: "Lao Ding!"
These two words were heavier than ever before and contained a hint of anger.
Lao Ding, who was hiding somewhere just now, walked out.
Lu Chong looked at him coldly: "Why?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"Can't you even control the mouths of the servants?"
The two servants were still hiding in the kitchen, leaning against each other and trembling.
Lao Ding's expression didn't change as he said calmly: "I just did what I had to do."
"This is what you had to do?"
"When that kid first came, I also liked him very much, especially when the things he made were to Master's liking and when Master said more and smiled more because of him. But these days, the existence of that kid seems to have become more and more distressing for Master. I wish he could make Master come out of the past, but since he can't and Master has already made a decision in his heart, his presence has become redundant and the source of troubles. So it is best for him to leave."
Lao Ding analysed it respectfully and methodically: "Doesn't Master think so too? If you can't do it, sir, then let Lao Ding do it for you."
In a situation like the present, revealing that Luo Wencheng's so-called love food was garbage that would eventually be dumped was like a slap in his face. On the one hand, it showed him that what he thought he could do for Lu Chong was a joke, and on the other hand, it was impossible for anyone with shame and self-respect to continue living here after having his heart thrown to the trash like this.
This was the simplest, most peaceful and effective method available.
Although it might really hurt a bit.
Lu Chong was naturally aware of this, and while he knew that the two of them should distance themselves, he couldn't bear to hurt Luo Wencheng, even if it meant politely hinting to him to move out.
In fact, he had already planned to give this villa to Luo Wencheng and find another place to live for himself. He delayed moving just because he was worried about hurting Luo Wencheng.
He wanted to find a way to have the best of both worlds, but there was no such thing as having the best of both worlds.
He couldn't blame Lao Ding either, because the person who hurt Luo Wencheng was ultimately him.
The food was not something Lao Ding wanted to dump, he was the one who refused to touch it.
But that didn't mean that he could tolerate Lao Ding doing this.
He said coldly: "Go back to Beijing."
Chapter 56
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
"Go back to Beijing." A cold, emotionless sentence came out of Lu Chong's mouth. He stopped looking at Lao Ding and bypassed him to go upstairs.
A look of surprise appeared in Lao Ding's eyes as he watched Lu Chong's back. He finally bowed his head and said, "Yes."
Lu Chong hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Luo Wencheng's room and opened the door. It was an extremely tidy room. The quilt on the bed was neatly spread, and there were no items on the bedside table or desktop. At first glance, it looked a bit like a hotel waiting for a guest to stay.
Lu Chong was taken aback, as if sensing something. He went to open the wardrobe. The clothes inside were neatly stacked, occupying only one compartment, as if to make it easy for people to collect them.
The bathroom was also clean; there was not a drop of water on the floor or countertop, the towels were folded up, and there were the cup, the toothbrush, toiletries and other items next to them, as if they were garbage to be taken away.
Lu Chong couldn't get back to his senses for a long time.
"Meow~" There was a delicate sound, and Ribs dragged her fat body in gracefully and glamorously, circling around the room. She didn't see the person she looked for, only the big cold man of the house.
"Meow!"
Ribs squatted at the door of the bathroom and yelled fiercely at the man inside, as if asking him for someone.
Lu Chong looked down at Ribs and after a while squatted down and touched her head: "He's gone."
"Meow!"
"He was going to leave." Lu Chong said in a daze, "He was going to leave in the morning."
Everything can be done once but not again. With his stubbornness and self-esteem, how could Luo Wencheng linger, bearing his attitude, pretending that nothing happened?
Lu Chong just didn't expect that the young man was so decisive and so straightforward. But even so, he still had to suffer humiliation for nothing before leaving.
"Meow!!" Ribs reached out to scratch him. Go after him, you stupid shit shovelling officer!
"You want me to go get him back? But I'm the one who forced him away."
"Meow…" Ribs tilted her head and looked at him for a while, then left sullenly, her fat belly rubbing against the floor. From behind it looked like a carpet with four legs sliding slowly, indescribably dejected.
Lu Chong had been restraining himself from thinking about Luo Wencheng all morning. He handled various documents from Beijing as usual, paying attention to the progress of the amusement park as usual, without showing the slightest sign of abnormality.
It was only at noon that Zhou Qian came to report, somewhat hesitantly, that Luo Wencheng had not gone to school at all.
Lu Chong thought that he had probably gone somewhere to take a walk or just in a daze.
He told himself not to worry about it, but still instructed Zhou Qian to go and look for Luo Wencheng.
He also quietly sent a few extra men to assist Zhou Qian.
After an hour, nothing was found.
After two hours, there was no news.
After three hours and four hours, there was still no news.
More and more people were sent out, but they didn't bring the slightest useful news. Finally, when it got dark, Lu Chong couldn't sit still. After thinking for a minute, he expanded his search to the entire Haining, all hotels, hostels, libraries, cinemas, shopping malls, and reached into the transportation system to thoroughly investigate the flights, trains and buses that left Haining today.
After all, he didn't have a lot of manpower in Haining, and he hadn't infiltrated the local forces. Such a large-scale search was bound to alert many people, so soon many people knew that he was looking for someone.
But doing so was also effective. At eight o'clock in the evening, Lu Chong received tangible news. Luo Wencheng left Haining by train at 12:15 this morning. The destination was a city outside the province.
When Lu Chong heard the news, his whole body was shocked.
Luo Wencheng didn't take anything with him, and he didn't have any money on him. What was he doing, going so far away?
He stood up, sat down again, called Zhou Qian over, telling him to rush over there immediately.
"Find him, but don't alarm him, just make sure he is safe."
He looked at the two things in his hand, one was a key to a small apartment next to Haining Academy of Arts and the other was a black bank card with no limit.
This was prepared by him in the morning for Luo Wencheng.
He gave the card to Zhou Qian: "If he needs it, give him this."
"Yes." Zhou Qian took the card with both hands, and seeing that Lu Chong had no other instructions, he excused himself and left quickly.
At the same time, in "Golden Glory", Liu Weizhi was practising on his two old friends.
One was naturally Lao Ding, and the other was Zhou Yishan.
"Lao Ding, it's all your fault. You were driven away by Master but you still have to drag me along with you." Zhou Yishan drank a glass of wine and yelled in displeasure.
Lao Ding didn't say anything. Liu Weizhi said with a smile: "Master is angry, it's good for you to go back first. It just so happens that Master has been in Haining for so long, and those people in the north are a bit bouncy, especially the Chen family. I heard that they have been prancing very badly recently."
"Huh, a bunch of fleas, that Chen Jingqiu, his brother-in-law is dead, his son is ruined, his wife turned against him, his own lair is a mess. If he dares to reach his paws to Master, see if I don't chop off his paws." Zhou Yishan said disdainfully, and tsk'ed at Lao Ding again, "Lao Ding, ah. You are really not doing very well this time. There is no room for us to get involved in Master's personal affairs. You did that, and Master just told you to go back to Beijing. If it was me, I'd knock out your teeth."
Liu Weizhi glanced at him, and then looked at Lao Ding: "Lao Ding also did it for Master's good but it was indeed a bit too much. Master has never liked us to play tricks on our own initiative."
"Then what would you do in his place?" Zhou Yishan asked.
Liu Weizhi slowly and methodically polished the glass in his hand, "Probably find Luo Wencheng and have a good talk. He is a reasonable person, he can be persuaded, why make things too ugly?"
Lao Ding suddenly smiled: "In that case, you wouldn't end up much better than me. I thought about it all day and finally figured out that Master didn't punish me because I made my own decision."
"Why then?" Zhou Yishan asked.
Lao Ding looked at his two old friends and smiled: "It's getting late, time to go. Lao Liu, you will be the only one by Master's side from now on, take care of him for us."
After speaking, Lao Ding picked up his things and left.
Zhou Yishan said in discontent: "This old guy is the most annoying when he says half of it." He finished drinking the wine in the glass in one gulp and went after Lao Ding to continue questioning.
Liu Weizhi's movements slowed down and finally stopped.
He smiled and sighed. He understood what Lao Ding hadn't finished saying. Master was angry not because Lao Ding made his own decision, but because Lao Ding stretched out his hand to Luo Wencheng and made Luo Wencheng sad and embarrassed.
It was not so much anger, but actually more like self-defence after feeling distressed, right?
"…inverse scale?" His fat face was thoughtful.
"Manager Liu, Zhou Qian has already left." A waiter came over and said.
Liu Weizhi nodded: "Send more people to follow, make sure nothing goes wrong."
It was not very peaceful recently, or rather there was no real peace around Master. They could protect him in Haining, but it was hard to say what would happen if he left Haining. And now, there were probably a lot of people who knew that Luo Wencheng was Master's inverse scale, right?
……
At half past eight, Luo Wencheng walked out of the rail station.
On the night of early May, the wind was quite cold, and the city was north of Haining, so the temperature was even lower.
Luo Wencheng tightened his windbreaker, found a taxi that looked more reliable and went to a four-star hotel with a good reputation.
After using his ID card to get a room, Luo Wencheng put down the drawing board, turned on the heating, took off his coat, sat on the bed, took out his wallet and calculated his money.
He was not as pitiful as Lu Chong thought, at least he was not penniless. When he left, he took the 10,000 yuan that he won in the competition, and then the 10,000 yuan red envelope that Lu Chong had given him for the New Year.
Twenty thousand yuan; the taxi and the hotel deposit were more than a thousand yuan. The rest, if he was frugal, was enough for him to survive till death, but it was not enough for what he had to do.
He took out a small notebook with some things he had reorganised.
Zhang Qihui: 48 years old, claiming to be from M City, with a heavy accent, graduated from junior school, about 1.75 metres tall, decent looking, dark-skinned, has a small burn mark on his left arm, walks with a slight limp, loves to eat fish, is strong. During the conversation, he revealed that he had worked in a car repair shop in his hometown after dropping out of school, and then went out to work together with his wife Lan Xiufang after getting married.
Lan Xiufang…
Luo Wencheng flipped to the back, not looking at the page in detail but rubbed gently the last line "Died of obstetric disease at the age of 23, the details are unknown", and then turned back to the first page.
Zhang Qihui, this was the name of his biological father.
As a son, and with such a clear lead, it was impossible not to look for him; and it just so happened that Luo Wencheng didn't know what to do with his remaining few months, so he decided to find him.
"It's better to find a detective when you're clueless like that." Luo Wencheng looked at the little money he had and shook his head, muttering to himself, "I should have asked Lu Chong for some money before I left, I wouldn't have had to pay it back anyway."
He got out of bed and took out the drawing board, set it up and started a draft with a pencil.
Last time, he won the city competition and directly advanced to the provincial competition. Although he had left school and left Haining, this competition was meant to be open to the public, except that it might be easier to get noticed with a recommendation from the school.
Now that he had the honour of being the city champion, it didn't matter if he had a school connection or not.
He would continue to participate in the competition, not only for the considerable prize money, but also because the organiser would arrange for the winners to go abroad to visit the painting exhibition.
It would be September at that time, and the end of September was the end of the year.
He didn't want to die in the country.
But if he went abroad with the organisers, he didn't know if he would fall asleep and not wake up, and if he would make it difficult for the organisers.
Maybe he could make an excuse that it was not easy to go abroad and he wanted to travel on his own, and then leave alone quietly and unnoticed…
But then he would become a missing person, right?
Luo Wencheng paused and thought for a while in silence. He didn't feel very good. What if… what if that man went looking for his whereabouts?
If he couldn't find him, it would be too troublesome.
It was better to die in a clear way.
The next day Luo Wencheng went out. After asking the receptionist, he found an agency that had a good reputation and was reliable, and hired it to find Zhang Qihui.
The agency really looked very reliable, but the cost was a bit high. When Luo Wencheng went out again, he had five thousand yuan less.
It was just a deposit, and he would have to pay more if they found someone.
Luo Wencheng felt pressure.
He started looking for a part-time job.
He looked good, talked well, and his clothes were still the same ones he wore in Haining. Most people looked at him and considered him high-end. What ordinary people didn't see was that he dressed expensively but his pockets were empty, so when he said he was looking for a part-time job to experience life, it was easy to find a job.
He found an old job, bartending. Every night from 7pm to 10pm, not working later. Because of his excellent skills, he made a name for himself after only two nights, and the manager who had looked at him with disdain immediately changed his face.
However, after all, the bar was a mixed bag, and his looks were there. There were always people who tried to strike up a conversation or grope him. There were even people who followed him after he got off work.
Although those people always lost him inexplicably halfway through and the hammer in his bag never had a chance to appear, Luo Wencheng resigned after only working for half a month for safety reasons. With a little salary and a lot of tips, he walked away very gracefully.
While working as a bartender, he also got some jobs painting.
With the student ID card of Haining Academy of Arts, it was quite easy.
Every morning, he would teach the children in the studio and in the afternoon he would take on commissions. Some people simply wanted his paintings, while others were looking for him as a gunman (somebody who produces a piece of work for somebody else to pass off as their own). As long as the price was reasonable, Luo Wencheng basically did not refuse anyone who came. The price was defined according to the painting's simplicity or complexity, and varied from tens to hundreds, or even thousands.
The day after he quit his job as a bartender and was about to find another job, news came from the agency.
He went over and heard that Zhang Qihui was indeed a real person, and his biography was correct. Twenty years ago, he returned to his hometown in the countryside of M City. By then the rumours that his child was lost and his wife died spread around the countryside for a long time.
However, because the rumours had spread for too long and there were too many talks about his hard life and incompetence, or maybe because there were too many unreliable matchmakers on his doorstep, Zhang Qihui didn't stay in his hometown for too long, but left a few months later.
He was never heard from again and never came back.
The reason why it took the agency half a month to reply to Luo Wencheng was because they tried to find out where Zhang Qihui had gone, and only called him after finally finding the exact address.
Luo Wencheng walked out of the office with the new address, thinking that the agency was really reliable, and of course it was true that he was broke now.
He thought it was a good thing he was so diligent, otherwise he wouldn't have known where to get the money for his evening meal.
He worked through the night on several paintings and went to turn them in early the next morning before finally handing in the room money for the new day before twelve o'clock.
He didn't plan to reduce the accommodation fee of more than three hundred yuan a day. However, there were not many people looking for him to be a gunman. His income from painting alone was limited, so he thought for a while and found a job in the kitchen.
It was a small restaurant, not very formal. With many pots and pans of dishes to cook every day, it was also hard work, but it was better this way because the salary was paid daily, the boss was generous, and the customers were indicative. If the dishes were cooked well, there would be more people, the attitude of the guests would be enthusiastic, the turnover of the restaurant would be high, and Luo Wencheng's bonus on the day would be high.
Unlike in a big restaurant, where to make noodles you had to get reviewed, have a health certificate and a qualification certificate, where there was a lot of competition in the back kitchen and you couldn't just leave if you wanted to, otherwise you would lose wages and bonuses.
After observing Luo Wencheng for many days, Zhou Qian, who was secretly following him, wrote in his email to Lu Chong that day: "Young Master Luo is very short of money, but he also makes money very quickly, and he doesn't seem to need that bank card."
A few minutes later, in the study of the three-storey villa, this email appeared on the computer desktop in front of Lu Chong.
Chapter 57
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
It was a week's worth of information on what Luo Wencheng had been doing, whether he had encountered any difficulties, and what his mental state was.
With one email a week, Lu Chong didn't seem to make himself look like a voyeur. He asked people to follow Luo Wencheng just to ensure his safety, so that he was not troubled by unknown dangers, poverty and unfamiliar life.
But he would read the emails very carefully every week.
Luo Wencheng was living a very fulfilling life, a very busy and hard life. The person who had never worried about food, clothing or shelter was now working hard for money every day.
Bartending, painting, cooking, all of it was hard work. Was his shoulder well enough to bear it?
And his illness, was it getting better? Or was it more serious?
Lu Chong rubbed his forehead. But in the end, as several times before, after much deliberation, he didn't interfere. However, he asked Zhou Qian to arrange for two of his men to go ahead and check the situation with Zhang Qihui.
It was good to find a relative, but if the relative was not a good one, or would bring trouble, it was advisable to be prepared.
Luo Wencheng stayed in M City for twenty days or so to save up enough money and to complete and send off his artwork for the competition, before finally setting off to leave.
When he checked out, the hotel manager was quite sad to see him go. He had spent more than 10,000 yuan on accommodation at the hotel and had a good temper, going out early and returning late. Who wouldn't like such a stable and trouble-saving customer? So when Luo Wencheng was leaving, the hotel manager also gave him a small gift.
Luo Wencheng didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. It was a very exquisite bedside glass lamp. There were two sentences written on the box: "There is always someone waiting for you to come home. There is always a light that is lit up for you."
"Heartbreaking, bro."
Luo Wencheng patted the lamp and left it on the bus.
The bus went directly to the rail station. Five hours later, at 2pm, he got off the train. This was another strange little city.
The agency didn't give Luo Wencheng a specific address, but gave him a copy of the certificate of Zhang Qihui's long-term car rental, proving that Zhang Qihui had been a taxi driver there for a long time, carrying goods and transporting people.
Luo Wencheng thought about going to this taxi company to find out the news first.
"Yongxing Town, there is still a place for one person left to Yongxing Town!"
"Is there any to Xitou Town? Going right away!"
"……"
On the small square in front of the exit, minivans and hatchbacks were parked in a mess. The owners raised their voices, enthusiastically soliciting customers. Luo Wencheng checked that he needed to change a few buses to get to Xitou Town, his destination. He was a little tired and didn't want to squeeze in the bus, and he didn't see any more regular-looking taxis within his sight.
He hesitated, choosing between staying here for one night or going to Xitou Town today. Seeing that there was still time, he walked towards one of the hatchback cars: "Xitou Town?"
"Hey, Xitou Town, get in the car and we'll go!" The owner said hurriedly.
Luo Wencheng felt that the man looked familiar at first glance, but he couldn't tell why he looked familiar. After thinking about it, he nodded to indicate that he was getting in the car. The taxi owner quickly put his drawing board in the back of the car, handling it carefully, and then came over to open the door for Luo Wencheng.
Luo Wencheng sat in the back seat. The car was very neat and tidy, and there was a small neck pillow in the back seat, which was very comfortable. When Luo Wencheng saw that the driver really started immediately, he couldn't help but ask, "Not waiting for two more people?"
"Hey, it's a little late today. I'm rushing back to pick up the kids. You can take a nap for a while. It'll take nearly two hours," the driver said with a smile.
Luo Wencheng didn't expect that the car would really pick him up alone. He was inexperienced and worried that he would be taken somewhere, so he didn't dare to sleep. He casually asked, "Do you pick up the children by yourself?"
"I don't usually pick them up, I let them go home by themselves. But it's their birthday today. I promised them to take them to pick the cake." The driver opened the chatterbox. "In fact, I used to pick up passengers in town but today, there was a guest who had a lot of luggage and was in a hurry. The fare was high, and I just drove to the city. I thought I'd wait another two minutes and go back empty if I really didn't have any customers, but I didn't expect to wait for you."
Luo Wencheng smiled faintly: "That's quite fateful."
"That thing just now is a drawing board, right? Are you an artist?"
"I'm not an artist, I'm just painting."
"That's impressive, a creative artist, no wonder you have an unusual temperament. Where are you going in Xitou Town?"
"To find someone," Luo Wencheng said vaguely, "You can just let me out in the liveliest place."
After saying this, he leaned back and swiped his mobile phone, bored. He was drifting off to sleep when the driver's phone suddenly rang, and he picked it up.
"Qihui, ah…"
Luo Wencheng raised his eyes abruptly.
The voice coming from the mobile phone was actually not obvious, but Luo Wencheng's ears were very good, and he could hear those two words clearly.
Homophonic?
Luo Wencheng looked at the driver's profile, and when he looked at it, he remembered where the familiarity came from.
He took out the copy of the car rental from his bag, with a one-inch photo in the upper right corner.
Although it was a very blurred and distorted picture, it was really similar to the driver in the front seat.
In particular, the copy showed that the rented car was also a hatchback.
Luo Wencheng waited for the driver to finish his phone call and asked quietly, "Master, how old are you this year?"
"48 years old."
"48 years old? Those children shouldn't be too young either."
The driver said without suspecting anything: "The eldest is almost twenty, and the two younger ones are not ten yet."
Luo Wencheng observed him, thinking that his age was right and his facial features were right. His skin was not very dark, but he drove the car all year round, so it wouldn't be much darker. His Mandarin was very standard and there was no accent, but the accent could be completely corrected. His height was only a little shorter than Luo Wencheng's, so he was indeed 1.75 metres.
"Master, what is your name?"
"My surname is Zhang."
Luo Wencheng was eighty percent sure by now.
He was in a complicated mood; could there be such a coincidence?
For the rest of the journey, Luo Wencheng kept secretly observing the driver, who was likely his biological father.
The interior of the car and the driver's clothes were very neat. It could be seen that Zhang Qihui was someone who paid attention to hygiene; but his clothes were washed white, indicating that he was either thrifty or not well-off.
The service was attentive and pleasant, the attitude was kind, and his way of talking was quite humble. This did not mean that he had such a personality, but rather that he valued customers and his job.
Luo Wencheng didn't see any family photos or anything like that in the car, but according to the driver's words, there were at least three children.
Luo Wencheng lowered his eyes slightly. He didn't have any feelings in his heart. It was good if this man was doing well. Originally, he was just looking for peace of mind on this trip.
When he drove to Xitou Town and saw that it was past 4:30, the driver was obviously a little anxious and looked at the time frequently.
Luo Wencheng thought it was almost time for primary school to be over.
"How about I take you to the shopping mall? It's the busiest place at this time of day, and there's plenty of food."
Luo Wencheng said, "No, don't you have to pick up the kids? Just drop me off by the school by the way."
"That's fine." The driver was happy that he wouldn't have to take a detour and would go straight to the school just in time for the end of the lessons.
Five minutes later, Luo Wencheng got off the car at the No. 1 Primary School in Xitou Town, put a drawing board on his back and found a noodle shop diagonally opposite the school gate to sit down.
From here he could just see the hatchback car, which looked a little dusty, mingling with the group of cars and other vehicles waiting to pick up the children.
The students poured out in waves, and the entrance of the school was noisy and crowded, but Luo Wencheng still clearly saw a boy and a girl of the same age running out of the school territory hand in hand, waving from afar to the driver standing next to the hatchback car. The driver went over and touched the heads of the two, and then the three of them got in the car together.
"Your beef noodles." The lady boss came up with a large bowl full of beef noodles, and the amount of beef was very sufficient. She looked at Luo Wencheng with some curiosity. The young man looked very delicate. Just sitting there and doing nothing, he gave people a very cultured impression. Looking at him, she couldn't resist asking: "I've never seen you before, are you from out of town?"
"Yes." Luo Wencheng took chopsticks of noodles, and suddenly thought of something: "Lady boss, can I ask you something? Have you heard of the primary school across the street recruiting teachers?"
"Are you a teacher? What do you teach?"
"Art. Music is fine too."
The lady boss thought for a while, "I haven't heard of it, and this semester is almost over. Even if there is a shortage of teachers, they won't recruit at this time, right?"
Luo Wencheng was taken aback for a moment, and said with a smile: "That's true."
Luo Wencheng found a small hotel near the school and stayed there to think of ways to get closer to his target the next day. He didn't expect to go out early in the morning and see a brand new recruitment notice at the door of the hotel.
The No. 1 Primary School in Xitou Town was offering a summer art class and was looking for an art teacher?
Luo Wencheng vaguely felt something was wrong, but he still went to the school.
The assessment that the principal, the teaching director, and the head of the art department participated in together was very formal for a small-town primary school. After the assessment was over, he was asked to go back and wait for the notice. After another day, he was called and informed that he was hired. He was also told to come to class in the afternoon and teach the last art class of the third grade, because the original art teacher was not feeling well and asked for leave.
Luo Wencheng hung up the phone and thought for a while. If it was what he thought…
With this guess in mind, he walked into the third-year class in the afternoon and took a look. The two children of the driver were indeed sitting upright in the classroom. When he took the student register and checked it, the girl's name was Zhang Yutong and the boy's name was Zhang Yuyang. They were dragon and phoenix twins (boy and girl twins).
He put down the register, lowered his head and smiled, and then said to the children: "Teacher Liu has asked for leave. I am your substitute teacher. My surname is Luo. Today is the final exam of your art class. The exam topic is…"
While Luo Wencheng was supervising the exam and dealing with some minor problems of the students, he was observing two children surnamed Zhang. Without such a show he wouldn't be actually sure of their identity, but with such a show he could be absolutely sure.
He looked at the two children, then picked up his mobile phone and took a picture of his own face, vaguely seeing very few traces of similarity.
He and Zhang Qihui were not very similar either. Was it because he looked more like his mother? However, many children were not very similar to their parents; it was quite rare when you could say blood relationship from the appearance.
Moreover, after his rebirth, because of the nightly pain, his body was detoxified and refreshed. At the same time, his appearance also had undergone some hard-to-detect changes, which couldn't be seen with the naked eye. But if you took out a photo of him when he first got out of prison compared with the present, it would actually be different. The overall feeling was a lot more refined.
The lesson was soon over, and when Luo Wencheng returned to the office with a stack of drawing paper, the head of the art department asked, "Have you seen any good candidates for the interest class?"
Luo Wencheng noticed a trace of nervousness in the man's eyes and some stiffness in his movements. He took out two sheets of drawing paper, smiled and said, "Zhang Yutong and Zhang Yuyang are very good at painting."
"Ah, they are." The head of the art department looked a little surprised, "They are indeed very well-behaved and smart, but their family conditions are not very good. I heard that they will help their family during the holidays, and their parents may not let them participate."
"What can such small children do? Can you tell me a bit about their family?"
Chapter 58
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Zhang Qihui was taken aback when he received a call from the class teacher saying that she was going to do a home visit.
His wife, Wang Ruhua, walked out carrying a basin: "What's the matter?"
Zhang Qihui hurriedly went to help: "It's so heavy, just leave it here and I'll do it." In the small courtyard, he took the wet sheets from the basin and put them on the clothesline, saying, "The school teacher said that she was coming to visit us. She wants Tongtong and Yangyang to participate in the art interest class. She said that there is an art teacher from a big city who has won an award."
"An art teacher from a big city? Isn't it amazing? Then let them go, it's good for children to learn something." Wang Ruhua pounded her sore waist and saw her husband hesitate, "Is it expensive?"
"It's free, just go to school two days a week."
"Then what else do you think about? Such a rare opportunity." Wang Ruhua said suddenly, "You're not worried about Xiao Jie, are you?"
Zhang Qihui said hesitantly, "Xiao Jie has never learned things like this. It was originally agreed that the two little ones would go and watch the shop during the vacations, help him, or do some work together."
Wang Ruhua's eyes suddenly reddened, and she said with amusement: "Xiao Jie is a twenty-year-old adult. Can he compete with such a young brother and sister? You underestimate him too much. If he knew that we were worried that he would be unhappy and caused his younger brother and sister to lose such a good opportunity, he would be sad."
Zhang Qihui was a little embarrassed when he heard this. Suddenly, he thought of the young man who was in his car that day. That art student looked different from other people. Zhang Qihui felt naturally moved. He hoped that his children would grow up like that, even if only a little bit. He said, "Then I will call the teacher and ask them to come over tonight?"
"Okay, I'll go buy some food. Come home early in the evening."
"Okay."
Wang Ruhua watched him drive out of the old street with a satisfied smile on her face.
Meeting this man was the luckiest thing in her life. If it weren't for him, neither she nor her son would survive till now, not to mention have such a good life.
Luo Wencheng and the class teacher of the third-year class were walking along the old street. The class teacher obviously didn't know as much as the head of the art department. Although she didn't understand why there was suddenly an art interest class, this was a good thing for the school and the students, so she readily cooperated. She was just a little nervous walking with this new art teacher.
Up close, this young man's skin was so white and fine that it almost looked artificial. He was so good-looking and elegant, with such a good temperament. Although he was a little too young… The class teacher reminded herself that fortunately she was married, otherwise her heart would break when the other party was going to leave.
"This is the home of Zhang Yutong and Zhang Yuyang. Their father is a taxi driver and their mother is a housewife. She is not in good health. She usually looks after a small shop. They also have an elder brother. His legs are not very good and he can't speak. He sits in a stall repairing shoes and umbrellas," the class teacher said. She was worried that Luo Wencheng would react inappropriately if he didn't know the situation of the family.
Luo Wencheng nodded while listening. The head of the art department had told him about that.
Walking across a narrow old concrete arch bridge, he saw a small stall with a space opened up on the side with a small machine for shoe repair, a few toolboxes, a few pairs of shoes and some umbrella parts.
A young man was sitting on a chair fixing the sole of a shoe.
Hearing someone approaching, he looked up and was startled when he saw the two of them.
"You are the elder brother of Zhang Yutong and Zhang Yuyang, right? I am their class teacher. This is the new art teacher, Teacher Luo," the class teacher introduced.
"Ah ah." The young man pointed to the empty chair behind the counter of the small shop, and then pointed in the direction of the alley, probably meaning that the shop owner was at home, and then picked up the crutches on the side to stand up.
He was a little nervous and anxious doing so in front of people, and looked a little embarrassed. Luo Wencheng watched from the side, until the young man almost fell, and Luo Wencheng reached out to hold his arm.
Luo Wencheng was considered thin, but he was healthy thin. However, this young man was really thin, and not tall, and his whole body showed a kind of unhealthy paleness and weakness. But if you looked closely, his eyebrows were clear and he didn't have the gloomy feeling that some disabled people had.
"Ah ah." He nodded to Luo Wencheng a little shyly to thank him. Luo Wencheng let go of him, helped him put some things outside the door back inside the stall and then pulled down the rolling shutter door.
The young man was particularly embarrassed, especially when Luo Wencheng put away the tattered, old leather shoes sent by a particularly frugal person to repair. The young man felt ashamed of being seen with such dilapidated shoes.
The class teacher also had a weird feeling, thinking that the seemingly gentle but alienated new teacher was a little too enthusiastic at this moment.
"Let's go." Luo Wencheng locked the door and gave the young man the key.
The young man nodded and led the way.
He was on crutches; his right leg was fine, looking just a little weak, but his left leg was deformed, and only his toes could touch the ground.
Zhang Shujie, who was 20 years old this year, was the son of Zhang Qihui's wife, Wang Ruhua, and her ex-husband. Zhang Shujie was abducted by human traffickers when he was just three years old. After determining that the chances of finding him were very slim, Wang Ruhua's ex-husband divorced her on the grounds that she had failed to look after the child, and promptly married someone else.
Wang Ruhua, however, didn't give up and kept looking for her son. It just so happened that Zhang Qihui heard about her and actively helped her in her search. Finally, they found Zhang Shujie after half a year. But at that time, Zhang Shujie's legs had been ruined and his throat was damaged to make him mute. He was sent by the human traffickers to beg in the streets.
The devilish gang was brought to justice by the police, but the damage done couldn't be undone, so Zhang Qihui took on the burden of looking after the mother and son, using the compensation he received and all his savings to give Zhang Shujie medical treatment. Because he was still young, the state of his legs had improved a little, but regaining his voice was out of the question.
Luo Wencheng walked slightly behind, looking at Zhang Shujie, thinking about the information he had received. The head of the art department, whether because he was a gossipy person by nature or had been given certain orders, in any case spoke in great detail.
When they walked into the Zhang family's house, they saw a very small yard, very neatly cleaned. Although the house was low and narrow, it was also clean and had a warm aura. Obviously, the mother of the family put a lot of care into it.
"Teacher Luo!"
"Teacher Luo!"
The twins who helped their mother with housework ran out and gathered around Luo Wencheng, shouting happily. It could be seen that they liked this good-looking new teacher very much.
"Teacher Huang, Teacher Luo… ?" Wang Ruhua was shocked. She didn't expect this art teacher to be so young and so good-looking.
At this moment, Zhang Qihui also drove back and was stunned when he saw Luo Wencheng: "It's you!"
"Master Zhang, I didn't expect to meet again." Luo Wencheng smiled and stretched out his hand.
Zhang Qihui hurriedly wiped his hands on his body and shook his hand.
There was an inexplicable feeling in his heart, but it quickly turned into simple joy as he warmly greeted the two teachers and welcomed them into the house to sit down.
Everyone enjoyed an ordinary but hearty dinner. The final decision was made that the two children would participate in the interest class. The class teacher left first, and Luo Wencheng stayed behind to guide the two children through a drawing session.
The house was small, and the dining table was given to the three of them to paint. The brightest light was above their heads. Zhang Shujie was sitting not far away doing some manual work. Luo Wencheng noticed his frequent glances, turned to him and said, "Do you want to paint too?"
"Ah? Ah…" Zhang Shujie waved his hand quickly.
Luo Wencheng smiled and said, "Come and try it, anyway, there are a lot of pens and paper here."
The materials were all brought by Luo Wencheng himself. The things he used were all professional and of very good quality. Even a layman might be tempted to play around when seeing the pens and pencils laid out.
Zhang Shujie's expression was obviously moved.
Luo Wencheng gave the two little ones a wink, and they very cleverly went to pull him along: "Brother, Brother, come on, come on, let's draw together!"
Zhang Shujie moved over on his crutches, his hands shaking when he picked up the sketching pencil.
Luo Wencheng said gently: "Don't worry, look at this apple and slowly draw it on the drawing board in front of you."
Zhang Shujie took a deep breath. His hands were still shaking for a while, but after two minutes, they became stable. He was very focused on painting the apple on the table. Luo Wencheng stood behind him for a while, and his gaze changed slightly.
In fact, the level of painting of the twins was quite average. The children were imaginative and unrestrained, but it was hard to say whether they were better than other children. It was just that Luo Wencheng wanted an excuse to contact the family, that was why he said that they painted well.
But Zhang Shujie really painted very well. Except for the crooked lines at the beginning, the second half of the apple was very beautiful, and it was quite a bit similar to the real thing.
"Have you painted before?" Luo Wencheng asked.
Zhang Shujie shook his head nervously.
Luo Wencheng pondered for a moment, and began to formally teach him the way to hold a pencil and some basic techniques of sketching, and then pushed the rectangular pencil case of the twins closer to him.
"Be clean when you reach the frame, be simple, the lines should be straight, and the hand should be steady… The shadows should be in the same direction, the strokes neat, you can't smear them back and forth…"
Zhang Qihui stood outside the house, looking at the four people inside. His three children were all earnestly painting. The young man sometimes answered questions, sometimes looked at their drawings and bent over to teach them how to draw.
He was dressed in a bright white shirt and a long dark green windbreaker. He was tall, white and gentle, a particularly good-looking young man who didn't match the humble house or his three children at all, but looked as if he did.
"He's really a good teacher. He doesn't look too big, he's so enthusiastic and patient." Wang Ruhua said happily from the side. Turning her head to see that her husband's eyes were red, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, I'm going to make some supper, we can't let the teacher go hungry." Zhang Qihui sulkily went into the cramped kitchen.
Wang Ruhua looked at him, looked at Luo Wencheng in the room, and understood.
Her husband must have remembered his first child.
If that child was still alive, he would be about the same age, right?
Wang Ruhua knew that the child was stolen, which directly caused the death of her husband's first wife. It was precisely because he had had a similar experience that he would help her so much at that time. He was looking for and saving Zhang Shujie as if he were his own son, even looking a little crazy. She remembered that after Xiao Jie was recovered, the big man ran out and squatted on the ground bawling, startling everyone.
Later, for the same reason, he stayed to take care of them. After getting married, he resisted having his own biological child for many years, and she knew that he would never forget his first child.
Luo Wencheng stayed until nine o'clock and was pulled to eat a bowl of poached egg noodles before leaving. Zhang Qihui insisted on seeing him off but Luo Wencheng refused again and again until managing to dissuade him.
He wanted to walk alone.
The cold old street was not more spacious than an alleyway, the street lights were dim and the wind blowing from the river was just the right temperature. Luo Wencheng walked silently by himself, feeling very calm.
There was no excitement or loss, no joy or sadness, he just silently thought about what to do next.
The situation of the Zhang family was not optimistic. For a family of five, Zhang Qihui and Wang Ruhua had a very limited income. The main income was coming from Zhang Qihui, but the income from driving was just that. If it was an ordinary family, it would be enough for food and clothing.
However, Wang Ruhua and Zhang Shujie were not in good health. They got sick a lot all year round. Even if they were not sick, Wang Ruhua's health had deteriorated significantly after giving birth to the twins. Now she had to take medicine every day, and the medicine was quite expensive.
A slight accident, or a serious illness, could crush this family.
Besides, the two younger ones were getting bigger and bigger, but Zhang Qihui was almost fifty years old. How many years more could he drive a taxi?
Luo Wencheng counted the money he had on hand. The money he had earned before was now less than 30,000. If he could win the prize in the competition, it would be only 100,000, and he couldn't guarantee that he would win the competition.
Luo Wencheng exhaled gently, stopped and suddenly said, "Come out."
Chapter 59
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
The surroundings were quiet. Luo Wencheng waited for a while and said, "Do you still want to hide?"
After a while, a figure came out from the shadows: "Young Master Luo."
Luo Wencheng turned his head and looked at the other man: "It's really you, Zhou Qian. How long have you been with me?"
Zhou Qian didn't answer.
Luo Wencheng didn't have to have this answer either. Zhou Qian probably followed him since he left Haining. He didn't deliberately conceal his whereabouts. He used his ID card wherever he had to use it, because he felt that there was no need to hide. If some people wanted to find him, even if he was careful everywhere, he would still be found.
But he originally thought Lu Chong would not look for him.
The man was more soft-hearted and more affectionate than he had thought.
Luo Wencheng was a bit lost in thought and asked Zhou Qian, "Did you arrange for me to meet Zhang Qihui and become a teacher at the town's primary school?"
"The ride in Zhang Qihui's car was really a coincidence. The teacher part was arranged by us." Zhou Qian looked up and asked, "How could you tell?"
"You may have arranged it well, but the principal and teachers at school are not too good at acting." And as soon as he wanted to get into the school, this opportunity appeared. The town had never had any interest classes in the past. Wasn't it too coincidental?
Luo Wencheng's tone eased: "Since you are here, do me another favour."
"Just say it."
"I want to arrange a secure future for the Zhang family. See if you can help me set up an education fund to support the two children's studies in the future until they graduate from university… No, until they work for two years. Don't use my name, just make them think there are enthusiastic people in society," Luo Wencheng said as he walked.
Zhou Qian made a note. This matter was very simple: "That's it?"
"I have to think about other things."
Although the situation of the Zhang family was difficult, it was not insurmountably difficult. It was mainly health problems and future problems. With the protection of the education fund for the two younger ones, a big burden would be removed from the family.
But compared to this, Zhang Shujie's problems were actually more serious. He had almost no future in life to speak of. This was not only a financial burden, but also a heavy mental burden.
Luo Wencheng found that Zhang Shujie did have a talent for painting. It would be nice if he could go this way. He started going to the Zhang family to tutor him every day, sometimes staying for an afternoon, and then he would come back after the interest classes of the two little ones were over, have dinner by the way, and teach the three of them in the evening.
Only Zhang Shujie systematically studied painting every day, and the two little ones just drew a variety of things, from cartoon characters to some strange things. Sometimes Luo Wencheng would teach them some maths, sometimes English, and sometimes even fun crafts like making carton models.
On one occasion, he even took a carrot and carved some cute little animals for the children.
His carving skills were learned while he was in prison, saving food and going hungry. They were not very good, but not bad either. However, when he thought that the original intention of learning carving was to please Luo Kaifang, he didn't like to use this craft. As a result, the twins were so fascinated that they instantly gave up painting and became obsessed with carving, which caused Luo Wencheng to have another job teaching carving.
Zhang Qihui felt it was too much trouble for him, but Luo Wencheng said he would only be here for two or three months, and he didn't know many people, so he had nothing to do every day. He happened to have a relationship with their family, and there was no place to go if he didn't come to their house to spend his time.
Now that he had accepted Lu Chong's help, Luo Wencheng was no longer in such a hurry to make money. Xitou Town had no beautiful scenery, but it was also attractive. He drew houses, water, bridges and rice fields every day. The days were also leisurely.
That day, he sat under the big tree at the bridge to paint a portrait. Luo Wencheng often came to the Zhang family's house, so he was a bit familiar with the people nearby. Today, an old man shyly asked him to paint a portrait of him.
Luo Wencheng had nothing else to do, so he agreed.
The twins suddenly ran over and squatted aside for a long time before Zhang Yutong, the sister, finally said, "Teacher Luo, can you teach us to carve a lamb?"
"Why do you want to carve a lamb?" Luo Wencheng asked. A lamb was not so easy to carve. These days, they basically learned to carve small flowers and simple characters out of the melon skin. Every time he saw the twins holding a carving knife in such small hands, Luo Wencheng felt it was very dangerous.
"We want to give it to Big Brother. Today is Big Brother's birthday. He is a Sheep," the little girl said tenderly.
Luo Wencheng turned his head to look at Zhang Shujie, who was drawing a shoe in the stall.
Zhang Yuyang, the younger brother, said: "It's not Brother, it's Big Brother."
Luo Wencheng was even more confused.
The old man whose portrait was painted said, "It's that big brother of yours, isn't it?" Then to Luo Wencheng he said, "There is another eldest in their family, I heard that he was taken away by traffickers when he was very little. Hey, it's also very sad."
Luo Wencheng was dumbfounded, then thought about it; he was indeed a Sheep, and it was indeed his birthday today, his birthday according to the lunar calendar.
"Do you celebrate your eldest brother's birthday every year?" He asked with a complicated expression.
"Yes! Dad will buy a very beautiful little cake, and Mom will make a lot of delicious things," the younger brother said.
The sister added: "Each of us will give gifts to our big brother every year. We put them in a big box and we will give it to him when he comes back."
Luo Wencheng fell silent, and it took a long time before he said to the two of them: "You go get a piece of modelling clay, and I will teach you how to carve."
Eventually Zhang Shujie also put down the drawing board and joined in. Luo Wencheng sat under the big tree in front of the stall, teaching the three of them to carve lambs.
Zhang Shujie chose white modelling clay in a disciplined manner.
Zhang Yuyang chose a golden colour: "Gold is cool."
The little girl mixed a special colour by herself: "This colour is beautiful."
It was not so much carving as sculpting. After an afternoon, the three conscientious people all made lambs with their own characteristics, while Luo Wencheng found a piece of wood and carved a wooden sheep.
The sheep was sheep-like, chubby and curly, half-lying on its side very comfortably, without any worries.
"Teacher Luo, is this also for Big Brother?" The little girl looked at this little sheep with starry eyes, so cute! And then she looked at her own sheep, so ugly, but ugly in a cute way too.
Luo Wencheng looked at the sheep and put it in the little girl's hand: "Well, it's for your eldest brother, you can take it home for me."
"Isn't Teacher Luo coming?"
"No, Teacher has something to do, so I'll go first." Luo Wencheng went back to his place. This was the apartment Zhou Qian had arranged for him after their meeting; it was much better than the hotel before.
Luo Wencheng stood in front of the window and looked at the fields in the distance. He stood for more than an hour. The dim sunlight stretched his shadow longer and longer. When it reached the door, Zhou Qian knocked: "Young Master Luo, it's time to eat."
Luo Wencheng didn't move, and after a while he said, "Zhou Qian, what do you think I should do?"
Zhou Qian asked, "Are you asking if you should recognise the Zhang family?"
"Yes."
"I don't know what you think. If it were me, I would. Mr. Zhang obviously misses you very much. Let him know that you are still alive and well, it will be a great comfort to him. If you are worried that living together will be uncomfortable, just go on as relatives in the future, seeing each other several times a year…" Zhou Qian said, "Of course, this is just my opinion."
Luo Wencheng sighed and murmured, "It would be great if it was just that simple."
"If you can't make up your mind, ask Master?"
Master, ah…
Luo Wencheng propped himself up on the wooden windowsill and lowered his eyes slightly. The setting sun dyed his eyelashes with a somewhat intoxicating colour, making his face as gleaming and delicate as jade. He was silent for a moment: "Let's eat."
……
After nightfall, Luo Wencheng couldn't help it. He went out for a while, and unknowingly came to the Zhang family's house again. Not far away, he saw Zhang Qihui holding a lit candle, sitting under the streetlamp by the river, whispering something to himself.
Quietly approaching, Luo Wencheng saw that there was a seven or eight inch cake with a candle lit on it, small and cute.
And Zhang Qihui was not talking to himself, he was talking to a photograph.
"Xiufang (his first wife's name), ah, I'm doing well now…
"It's just that I miss our son…
"I don't know how he is doing.
"Do you know that we have an art teacher here, who is only twenty-two years old? He is very good-looking and very nice. At first glance, he is from a good family and has a good education. It would be great if our son could be like him…
"He can do whatever he wants, he can be anywhere, just don't let him be like Xiao Jie… I'm really scared, you don't know how scared I am…
"I have raised two more children, and I haven't dared to talk to you in detail for so many years, you won't be angry, right?… You should be angry too. I didn't want to have children anymore, but when people are getting older, they look at the house that is always empty and they feel uncomfortable… Now, it's much better now…
"Xiufang, if you can hear it, just listen to me, don't worry about anything, live your own life, just get over that hurdle…"
Luo Wencheng retreated silently. By the brightly lit water, he lifted his hand to touch the dense drooping branches of a willow tree.
He suddenly stood still, took out his mobile phone, found a contact, looked at it for a long, long time, and finally dialled it.
It was picked up quickly.
"Hello, Wencheng."
Luo Wencheng's heart seemed to be rattled, and there was a sudden sourness in his mood of sadness and joy.
"Sir, today is my birthday," Luo Wencheng said, "Can I ask you for something?"
There was a pause over there: "Go ahead."
Luo Wencheng looked up at the night sky dotted with sporadic stars, and a smile lifted the corners of his lips: "Wish me a happy birthday."
At the same moment, Lu Chong parked the car on the side of the road and also looked up at the night sky from the car window. He held up his mobile phone and said in a low and clear voice, "Wencheng, happy birthday."
"Thank you, sir."
Beep…
Beep beep…
The call was neatly hung up.
Lu Chong put down his mobile phone, opened the small drawer next to him, and took out a delicate royal blue gift box from inside. This was the birthday gift he intended to give out, but he was counting according to the Gregorian calendar. There should be five days left. Now it seemed that the already embarrassing gift might not be ever given out.
"Drive on."
The car drove to the villa, and as soon as Lu Chong entered the door, the servant said anxiously, "Sir, Ribs has been asleep all afternoon and refuses to get up for dinner no matter how much she is called."
Lu Chong flinched and quickly walked inside, "Where is she? Did you call the doctor?"
By the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, in front of Ribs' favourite cushion, Dr. Wang was squatting. Turning his head, he shook it slightly at Lu Chong.
Lu Chong froze. The big black and yellow cat on the cushion was sleeping, curled in a ball, her fat belly heaving.
Lu Chong walked over, squatted down gently and stroked the cat's back. A handful of cat fur fell out with his movements and floated over his hand.
"…How much longer?" Lu Chong asked calmly.
"Not much." Dr. Wang pushed up his glasses and sighed, "Spend more time with her these days. Let her go whatever she wants, whether to eat or to play."
But from the looks of it, she probably couldn't eat or play anymore.
Lu Chong carefully took the big cat into his arms: "I see. Write a recipe what is suitable for her to eat now."
……
The weather was very hot. When the primary school started, the results of the provincial painting competition also arrived. Luo Wencheng won second place this time. The organiser notified him to come and receive the award. Luo Wencheng refused to attend, but agreed to go abroad to visit the painting exhibition and conduct some exchange studies.
Luo Wencheng went to see Zhang Shujie. Zhang Shujie expressed his desire to continue to study painting rather than continue to repair shoes and umbrellas and look after the shop day in and day out, or rack his brains to find another way to earn his living.
Luo Wencheng then asked Zhou Qian to step in and make a contact with the Disabled People's Federation in the name of a social sponsor. He wanted to send Zhang Shujie to a formal painting training institution outside to study, and he named a well-known master.
The money was in place, the connections made, and Zhang Shujie's situation was also there. The Disabled People's Federation had no reason to refuse, and agreed to operate on the surface on his behalf, and also promoted Zhang Shujie as a typical local model, attracting donations from the community and setting up a fund to specifically support the study and work of people with disabilities.
After the dust settled on this matter, Luo Wencheng had no more worries. He said goodbye to the Zhang family and was personally sent to the airport by Zhang Qihui early one morning.
He would first go to the provincial capital, and then go abroad with the award winners.
But just after boarding the plane, he received a call from Lu Chong.
Luo Wencheng was surprised. The last time he called Lu Chong was an accident. He warned himself that he could no longer contact Lu Chong. He didn't expect Lu Chong to call himself.
He picked up: "Sir?"
"Wencheng, you… can you come back for a visit? Ribs wants to see you."
Chapter 60
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
After getting off the plane, he got into the car and rushed back as quickly as possible. Before dark, Luo Wencheng came to the three-storey villa again.
He walked in quickly. The man he hadn't seen for four months hadn't changed much, but the cat in his arms had changed a lot.
The original shiny and smooth fur had fallen out, revealing pieces of skin here and there; the original fat body was deflated, as if there was only a skeleton and some skin left.
Luo Wencheng was stunned.
He didn't even care to look at Lu Chong, his attention was all on the big cat, and when Lu Chong walked towards him, he naturally took the cat from his arms.
"Ribs, I'm back, Ribs." In his hands, the cat was light and bony, and her eyes were weak and tired, with little energy.
Luo Wencheng remembered that when he first came here, this big cat pounced on him on the stairs and grabbed his face with fierce energy, and then spinned around him, lively and active, lazily and nimbly dragging her fat belly. Tears fell from his eyes.
He raised his arms, rubbed his face against the big cat, and said in a trembling voice: "Ribs, open your eyes and see who's back, didn't you want to see me?"
The cat raised her eyelids and licked Luo Wencheng's chin: "Meow…"
"Ribs." Luo Wencheng kissed her.
"Meow…" The big cat licked him.
"Ribs."
"Mee…."
Lu Chong watched as one man and one cat kissed each other, and warmth gradually rose from the bottom of his eyes.
When the two of them had had enough of making out, they sat down on the sofa. Luo Wencheng hugged the cat and asked, "How long has Ribs been like this?"
"About half a month now." Lu Chong looked at the cat who had closed her eyes again in Luo Wencheng's arms after the moment of affection had passed, and was panting hard, "At first she just shed some fur, didn't move around much and had little appetite. But yesterday she suddenly became active, always going to your room, sniffing and meowing, looking for you everywhere, and not letting anyone take her away."
Luo Wencheng's eyes were a little red again, and he cautiously touched the big cat: "Is there no way?"
Lu Chong looked at the cat and said in a low voice, "It's time."
Luo Wencheng lowered his head and buried his face in the sparse cat fur, unable to control his expression.
He thought he was calm enough to face death with a straight face, but at this moment, because of the imminent departure of the cat, he still felt uncontrollable heartache.
Luo Wencheng was almost inseparable from Ribs, holding the cat wherever he went and whatever he did, and the big cat seemed to have completely forgotten her owner and would meow and yell if Luo Wencheng was away for a short while.
For dinner that day, she ate a little more. She slept next to Luo Wencheng at night very peacefully. The next day, she was in good spirits and lay in Luo Wencheng's arms, kneading him with her paws and playing with him.
However, in the afternoon, her spirits quickly waned.
The sun was still high at that time. Luo Wencheng was sitting on the carpet in the patio with Ribs in his arms. The sun shone brightly on them. He felt that the cat in his arms that was quite active just now was slowly moving less and less, and her limbs were softening little by little.
Luo Wencheng realised something and met Lu Chong's gaze.
There was no need to say anything. The two saw the same emotion in each other's eyes. Lu Chong stretched out his hand and gently placed it on the top of the big cat's head, rubbing it with his thumb tenderly.
"Mee…" Ribs stretched out her front paw. Lu Chong held it in his hand, "Good girl, go to sleep in peace."
The big cat opened her eyes wearily and slowly, looking at Lu Chong. Her bright yellow round eyes were full of affection. Then she rubbed her face in the crook of Luo Wencheng's arm and slowly closed her eyes.
The cat's tail fell down, Ribs' body in the hands of the two men was losing its temperature little by little.
Luo Wencheng raised his head, his eyes flushed, looking at the brilliant flowers and plants in the courtyard and the warm sunset, and suddenly felt an inexplicable fear.
Not because of death, but because of parting.
Ribs' body was quickly sent for cremation. Lu Chong didn't choose to bury the ashes in the backyard of the villa, but took them to the amusement park under construction.
He told Luo Wencheng that Ribs was picked up here.
"When she was picked up, she was only the size of a palm. It was a newborn little kitten abandoned by her mother. She seemed to grow so big in the blink of an eye." He talked about the funny and embarrassing stories of Ribs over the years, "She was like a child to me, and she was the only one who kept me company over the years."
Luo Wencheng looked at his slightly red eyes. This was the first time he had seen Lu Chong like this. His nostalgia, his reluctance to part, his melancholy and his deep suppressed sadness all made him look extremely fragile and soft at this moment.
Luo Wencheng forced himself to look away; if he looked any further, he was afraid he might be unable to resist hugging the man.
"In fact, you should be happy for her. She has lived for almost seventeen years, longer than most cats. She has been active and happy all her life. She only felt pain in the last half a month. It's already very good, isn't it? And she had an owner who loved her so much. She received the best care and the best love from you. She accompanied you, and you were also with her. There should be no regrets."
Luo Wencheng looked at the small mound of earth where the ashes of Ribs were buried, right between two trees, with the amusement park for company, where it would be lively and would not feel lonely, and at the same time where no one could disturb this cat that slept here.
He said softly: "So don't feel sorry, sir. Parting is always inevitable. All we can do is to grasp every day before we part. And after parting, with a feeling of blessing and gratitude, it's good to miss each other once in a while."
Lu Chong turned his head, stared at Luo Wencheng and slowly asked, "You are leaving too, aren't you?"
Luo Wencheng smiled and didn't look at Lu Chong: "I have already left, but this time I'm going abroad and I don't plan to come back again. I want to travel, look around, and stay for a while if I come across a place I like. Maybe I'll meet someone who likes me and I also like him, then I might stay with him and live out this life."
Lu Chong suddenly reached out to him and brushed away the tears that rolled down from his eyes.
Only then did Luo Wencheng realise that he was crying: "I really…" He lowered his head and wiped away his tears, then turned his face away and looked at the undulating hills and the vast sky in the distance, and smiled, "At that time, I won't think of you too often, sir. Whether I'm happy or not, I won't contact you again, sir. I won't ask for blessings on my birthday. Sir, you don't have to miss me or send anyone to follow me. You don't need to know my whereabouts, otherwise I will think that you are concerned about me, sir, and I will feel uncomfortable."
The more he said, the more he tried to control his emotions, the more tears surged down and the more he wiped them away. He stopped in tears and laughter: "Really… I really, why am I acting like a girl?"
Before he finished speaking, he was forcefully embraced.
Luo Wencheng stood still in a daze, looking down at the feet of the two of them next to each other.
He suddenly said, "Lu Chong, I really like you."
He felt the arms holding him stiffen for a moment and then start to loosen.
He raised his head and looked at the man so close to him, so obviously within reach.
If he could, he really didn't want to leave.
"So I want to ask you one last time, is it really not possible?"
Lu Chong looked down at his amber eyes that were almost transparent by the oblique sunlight. From a distance came the sounds of the amusement park construction and the noise of trucks transporting various building materials. It all sounded so distant, with only the young man clear and dazzling in front of him.
His heartbeat seemed to become very slow at this moment, then he closed his eyes, lowered his arms and took a step back: "I'm sorry, Wencheng."
Luo Wencheng looked at him steadily, and smiled softly after a long time: "It's okay."
He didn't expect to get the answer he wanted, but… he was not reconciled in the end.
You know what? I really, really, really want to live for you.
With you, live.
He smiled again, turned around, took two steps and turned back: "Do you know? I have a secret, a big, big secret, but I only tell it to the people who love me the most and only love me."
Lu Chong looked at him; his face seemed a little pale as he slowly said, "There will be."
"Well, you think so too, how could a good person like me not find someone?" Luo Wencheng said with a touch of arrogance and content, "If you don't like me, naturally more people will, okay, it's not like it's the matter of life and death." He looked at the time: "I should go, there are a lot of people waiting for me in the provincial capital."
Lu Chong also smiled: "I will see you off."
"Okay." Luo Wencheng waved his hand at the little earth mound over there, "Ribs, I'm leaving, I will come back to see you next time I have a chance! But that may be ten years, eight years or more years, don't miss me too much!"
There was a car parked on the side of the road. Lu Chong had personally driven here to bury the ashes of Ribs, and now he had to take Luo Wencheng to the airport.
Luo Wencheng sat in the passenger seat, propping up his cheeks and sighing regretfully: "I can't believe I forgot to get a driving licence this year, otherwise I could have been a driver for you, sir."
After a while, he said, "But sir, this is the second time you have been a driver for me. I guess this is a treatment that most people can't even think about, right?"
And then, "I just saw that the online tickets are gone. Sir, can you really get me a ticket?"
The chattering didn't stop.
Lu Chong drove smoothly and remained silent.
He was originally a little absent-minded, but the voice in his ears kept talking and talking, gradually awakening some of his memories.
That person was also long-winded and kept talking and talking to him. It was also when they were about to be separated, and also in the car; Lu Chong recalled in a daze, the feeling of deja vu, the hazy intuition… Something that had been incomprehensible for more than ten years seemed to strike him like lightning and a certain nerve suddenly twitched.
Lu Chong stepped on the brake.
Luo Wencheng's body lurched forward because of inertia, and he looked at Lu Chong in shock: "What's the matter?"
Lu Chong's expression seemed even more shocked than his, that kind of horror, that kind of disbelief, and he looked at Luo Wencheng with a gaze that was completely incomprehensible.
Luo Wencheng was so confused and creeped out by his look that he was at a loss for words.
"Sir?"
Lu Chong grabbed Luo Wencheng's wrist, his expression almost vicious: "You…"
"Bang!"
The car was hit hard, jumped and skidded for a few metres, both people falling forward at the same time.
Lu Chong looked at the back of the car and his face suddenly changed. He immediately stepped on the gas and grabbed the steering wheel.
Luo Wencheng accidentally bumped his head, and his vision was black and dazed for two seconds. He struggled to regain his senses and saw the front of a huge, hideous truck hitting from the rear on Lu Chong's side.
Their car had been hit just now and crashed into the mud on the side of the road. The tires sank into a pit, and the whole car was tilted. No matter how good the performance of the car was, it couldn't be driven out for a while.
With another "bang", the truck hit the black car again. Next to it was a slope, and then there was a large area of wasteland. From a distance, you could see the black car being hit by the truck like a toy. It flew out and even rolled in the air several times.
The truck, too fast for its own good, also came crashing down, dumping steel all over.
In the end, most of it hit the car.
Luo Wencheng saw the ground moving away and then approaching again. For a long time, his vision was full of blue sky.
Then he was pressed down by an embrace and couldn't see anything.
There was only an endless roar of impact in his ears.
He couldn't feel the vibration and flipping of his body, nor could he feel the slightest pain, and finally even the deafening impact went far away.
All he could feel was the hot blood on his cheeks that seemed to be drowning him.