Silence is like gold. If you are in trouble, just give up on me...

For Cheng Sizhou, Yu Ming's sudden resignation was like a bolt from the blue.

The museum is a public institution, and getting in isn't easy. If you don't make a big mistake, you'll have a life of plenty. Why did Brother Yu resign? He resigned without a word. Didn't he care what his master and mistress thought, or what he thought?

The curator said Yu Ming had visited him last week. Even if his superiors had offered some harsh words, arguing that their research on the porcelain fragments was detracting from their work, it would have been him who should have been summoned, criticized, or even fired, not Yu Ming, who had more seniority, more experience, and a calmer disposition.

After working together for six years, Cheng Sizhou felt that he didn't understand him at all and had no idea what was hidden under that icy face.

Fortunately, Dengbo’s resignation process is quite long. When he comes back from leave, I must ask him clearly what is wrong with him that requires him to resign.

That day, after work, before I even walked out the corner door, Ms. Wang sent me a message: "I've sent you the location of tonight's dinner party. Don't be late."

Cheng Sizhou replied: "Okay, I'll go home and change my clothes."

The master had been in the hospital for almost two months. His parents, his wife, and he were constantly worried about Mr. Jiang's condition. Although they had hired a nurse, they didn't dare to leave him alone, and they took turns looking after him.

Taking care of Mr. Jiang is important, but life must go on.

Seeing that Lin Xin was frowning and depressed all day long, Wang Xinxin was afraid that she would ruin her health, so she thought of inviting the two families together for a meal and a chat to help her relieve her emotions.

So Cheng Sizhou agreed to Ms. Wang's proposal, but he was anxious to go back to Yangliuan first, because the audio recorded by Zichuan for him mentioned Wen Duo's past, which matched what the curator said.

Fortunately, he placed the USB flash drive on the coffee table in the living room and it did not disappear out of thin air like the piece of paper.

In fact, after Zichuan left, he immediately imported the audio into his mobile phone. He wanted to take some time to listen to it, but when the familiar voice sounded, he couldn't help it. He just wanted to drop everything and go to him regardless of everything.

One night in the hospital, his master's wife cried again. He comforted her for a long time before coaxing her to sleep.

Afterwards, the crying sound lingered in his mind, and his heart felt like it was being weighed down by a heavy stone, making him feel nauseous and want to vomit.

He wanted to go to a deserted place and use Zichuan's voice to comfort himself, but as soon as he put on his headphones and walked into the bathroom at the end of the corridor, he ran into his father coming out.

Cheng Xuecheng didn't allow him to wear headphones in the hospital because headphones would block out sounds and he wouldn't be able to hear others calling him, which was also considered impolite.

When he first saw Dr. Cheng, Cheng Sizhou felt a surge of sensation on his scalp and was drenched in cold sweat. He didn't dare let his father know what he was listening to, nor did he want to hear anyone, including his parents, criticizing Wen Zichuan again.

Before being exposed, he quickly deleted the audio and took off his headphones as if to cover up his crime, and was lucky enough to survive those two icy gazes.

Later, work and taking care of his master occupied all his time, and he had no time to export it again.

The rental house was quiet. Cheng Sizhou locked himself in the bedroom. He was even afraid of being disturbed, so he locked the door.

Wen Zichuan's voice flowed slowly in his ears, like spring water, like pearls and jade, with a unique ending that was delicate and soft, telling the story of his parents.

The content of the audio fills the gap in the curator's memories.

In 1996, Wen Duo went abroad. It was not until five years later that he returned to Fengbo, where Wen Zichuan had told him that he would have a stress reaction on rainy nights.

At the end of the audio, there is a long silent track, which makes people think that it is over.

But Cheng Sizhou couldn't bear to turn it off or fast forward, so he just waited, waiting to hear if Zichuan had anything else to say to him.

Sure enough, at the end of the progress bar, Wen Zichuan's voice sounded again. He said, "Brother Zhou, I know you love your family very much, and we have never thought of opposing them. But my existence has always affected your relationship with them. If you feel embarrassed, you can choose to give up on me. I don't blame you. Just like you have been my fan for a long time, I can also like and love you one-sidedly. Brother Zhou, I have always loved you, but I hope even more that you can live happily like before."

Hearing this, Cheng Sizhou's face was covered with tears.

He understood Wen Zichuan, understood why he paused for a while before continuing, and understood how long he hesitated before he could record these words calmly.

Perhaps in the eyes of those who know him, he has always been taking care of Wen Zichuan, but in fact, whenever he has no way out, Zichuan will silently stand by his side and open up a new path.

But now, this path requires him to give up Wen Zichuan. If he does this, no one will unconditionally accept him and will not give up on him no matter what the circumstances.

Without Wen Zichuan, what's the difference between him and the walking dead? What's the point of living like that?!

The fuse of longing was ignited. Although Cheng Sizhou knew that Wen Zichuan should be busy, he still dialed the familiar number for some unknown reason.

The ringing lasted for more than twenty seconds, tormenting him for more than twenty seconds. He wanted to hear Zichuan's voice so much, but he was afraid that after hearing it, he would run to the place where he was filming to find him without caring about anything else.

The call was connected, but the person on the other end was waiting for him to speak first. There was silence on the receiver. Cheng Sizhou was terrified and hung up in a panic. Then he hugged the phone and burst into tears.

The crying sounded so hoarse and mocking that even he himself found it extremely unpleasant.

In the past, people said that he was cowardly, timid, and irresponsible. Now he is not only cowardly, but also very fragile.

Accidentally dropping his chopsticks while eating, or the traffic light suddenly turning red just as he was about to cross the road, these little things would push him into an emotional abyss, and he would be unable to get out of it for a long time.

Unfortunately, even crying didn't let him cry enough. Ms. Wang called to urge him to come back. He swallowed his tight throat, pretended to be fine, and said he would be there soon.

The belated catharsis drained Cheng Sizhou's strength. He went to the restaurant for the dinner with a wooden face.

As soon as he entered the private room, he was immediately shocked by the scene in front of him. In addition to his parents and his master's wife, Dr. He and his granddaughter He Mengpian were sitting in the main seat.

"Xiao Zhou is here, sit here." Lin Xin was in an unusually good mood. She waved at Cheng Sizhou, motioning him to sit next to her.

Cheng Sizhou stopped at the door, unable to move his feet. If he sat on the left side of his master's wife, he would also be sitting on the right side of He Mengpian.

He glanced at everyone present and was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong sense of deception.

He agreed to come because Ms. Wang told him that it was a family dinner. Then why did Mr. He and He Mengpian appear at the family dinner?

Or is the family dinner just an excuse, and their purpose is still to match him with He Mengpian?

Seeing that he didn't move, Cheng Xuecheng's expression immediately turned cold. Wang Xinxin frequently signaled with her eyes that Cheng Sizhou was the last one to arrive, which was already disrespectful enough to the guests. He was still standing at the door. What a disgrace!

Lin Xin slowly stood up, holding the edge of the dining table. She was old, and she didn't know when she started to walk with a limp.

She walked to the door, led Cheng Sizhou in, and pushed him to sit down: "Xiao Zhou is already this big, but he is still like when he was little, embarrassed to see guests."

Doctor He smiled and said, "How can we be considered guests? I watched Master Cheng grow up. He was always in the hospital, calling me 'Grandpa He, Grandpa He'. Later, I went to school and stopped hearing him call me. I'm not used to it."

"That's right," He Mengpian immediately replied, "Cheng Sizhou and I were classmates in junior high school and high school. We were in the same school but different classes. We've known each other for a long time and are very familiar with each other."

The He family was well-off, and He Mengpian grew up in luxury. She had a clean and decent appearance and a lively and outgoing personality.

What’s more important is that Cheng’s parents and Dr. He have been colleagues for decades and know each other well. The fact that both sides can have dinner at the same table proves that the parents are satisfied with the basic conditions of both children.

When He Mengpian was speaking, Ms. Wang looked at her with a loving smile. The more she looked, the more she felt that Cheng Sizhou should let go of his stubbornness and try to spend more time with a girl with a clean family background and an open personality. If he could accept it, wouldn't that be much better than hanging out with the boy from the Wen family?

The elders chatted for a few minutes, and then the dishes came up. They toasted each other and the atmosphere was very good.

The only one who was out of place was Master Cheng, who remained silent as gold throughout. He had a dazed look on his face. If no one came to see him specifically, he would just sit there without saying a word, isolating himself from the hustle and bustle around him.

Lin Xin noticed his abnormality. Since she didn't drink, she poured some juice and clinked glasses with him. "I know you're sad, thinking your master is still lying in the hospital, how can we eat, drink and have fun here. But Xiao Zhou, your mother is right. No matter how difficult life is, we have to move on. If your master wakes up, he definitely won't want to see you and me so depressed."

"Master's wife..." Cheng Sizhou knew that she was an exceptionally strong woman. She lost her daughter when she was young and her husband was seriously injured when she was old, but these things could not defeat her. She comforted herself and came to comfort him.

Lin Xin approached him and continued, "Do you remember? On New Year's Eve, your master asked you if you had a favorite girl. He was always thinking about you and hoped you would find someone who would understand and live a loving and happy life." She paused, as if gathering her courage, before continuing, "You are the child of our two families. You must live twice as happily as An Yi, and see what the future holds for me, An Yi, who never grew up."

"Master's wife, I..." When mentioning Jiang Anyi, all Cheng Sizhou's preparations became ill-considered. He couldn't say in front of Lin Xin that he liked men, liked Wen Zichuan, and would never get married and have children in this life.

"Your father said that even though your master hasn't woken up, he can still hear," Lin Xin smiled. "Yu Ming called this morning and said he has a girl he likes. If you're also... that would be double happiness. Maybe your master would be so happy that he'd wake up."

Cheng Sizhou thought, "Brother Yu asked for leave, could it be that he's going to pursue Yangyang?" That's great, I hope they can finally get married.

He didn't listen to what the elders said later. Although he was sitting there, his mind was not there.

He was also thinking about his "lover" and hoped that one day, he and Zichuan could also "get married".

After dinner, Cheng Sizhou first sent Lin Xin home, and then returned to Yangliu'an alone.

He Mengpian sent him several messages, but he really didn't want to read or think about them. He went to the bathroom to wash off the smell of wine and food on his body. When he was thinking about whether to call Zichuan again, Yu Ming, who had not been contacted for several days, suddenly called.

"Cheng Sizhou, Xu Yang...something happened."