0078 Encountering a Star (1)

This is the first of three "Star Diary" entries from Fuze's perspective, titled "Encountering the Stars."

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The year Qi Le returned from her studies in Florence, she suddenly decided to open a dog farm. She knew that if she asked her grandfather for help, he would definitely scold her, so she came to me for the start-up capital and land.

I am indeed wealthy. I still have a piece of land in the western suburbs that my second brother gave me years ago. It has been idle for a long time, but now its value has increased several times over. Many people have inquired about the whereabouts of this land. This is one of the few times I am grateful for my "connections." At that time, my second uncle was returning to Beijing after his aid mission to Tibet. There were some changes in the political arena, and my family members were closely protected. People who came to inquire couldn't even get my surname, so the hype gradually faded away.

Logically speaking, I should give Qi Le face. Old Master Qi has helped me a lot, and the kindness of the Qi family cannot be forgotten with just a few paintings and calligraphy.

But I hesitated.

I always felt that with her personality, she wasn't up to such a great responsibility.

When Qi Le stormed into my apartment, I was signing a not-so-important contract in the study. Listening to the "anger" emanating from her skirt, I felt a little guilty, but I also felt more and more that my thoughts were right.

However, when she asked me why, I couldn't quite explain. Taking advantage of my distraction, she saw the photo frame on my desk, noticed the obvious change in my eyes behind the frame, and snatched it without a word.

My heart skipped a beat. Seeing her wide eyes, I knew there was no need to do anything more.

I was indeed negligent, because Lingling would never enter my study, so I lived there somewhat "unrestrainedly." Many beautiful memories, like those in a dream, were laid bare before me.

Qi Le asked me in surprise, "You've ever owned a dog?"

Qi Le asked in surprise because everyone knew that her mother was allergic to animal fur, so she rarely went to the zoo when she was a child. At that age, everyone lived in a compound, and there were very few things that her friends didn't know, especially something as big a deal as owning a dog.

I continued to look down at the contract terms, not wanting to pay her any more attention. I was also feeling a bit annoyed, as if I'd been spied on, but after a while, I still nodded at her.

I lied.

Xingxing isn't my dog. I lied because I didn't want her to ask too many questions.

Because those are memories that I can never easily open, like Pandora's box.

That beautiful, dreamlike yesterday, because of her, has been able to support me through the long winter nights year after year.

So even if she forgets, I will always remember.

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In the winter of 2001, my father sent me to Province D. I thought we were moving the whole family there, but my father passed away three days later.

That autumn, my older sister went to study in the United States. In the summer... I can't recall it anymore. My doctor told me to try not to think about that day, but if I really couldn't help but touch on the memory, I shouldn't force myself to forget too much, because desensitization training is also a very important part for me.

So the so-called "family" was just me and my dad, which made my idea of ​​a "whole family" seem so ridiculous.

I cried many times after my father passed away, which caused a lot of trouble for the nanny who took care of me at the time. Especially after the accident in the summer, my body became much weaker and I often caught colds.

One night I had a fever and cried, insisting on finding my mother. Actually, I was old enough to understand things, but perhaps I was particularly vulnerable because I was sick, and I didn't even remember that my mother had left.

The nanny had no choice but to contact my father in the middle of the night.

My father was at the military base; it took half an hour of phone calls to reach him.

I told him I wanted to see him, and after a long silence on his end, he finally responded, and I was able to sleep peacefully.

Having been here for a month, I have never looked forward to tomorrow so much, even with a fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius and bruises all over the back of my hands.

Of course I didn't see my dad.

Even my grandfather didn't know where he was at that time, let alone me and the nanny. Of course, he couldn't possibly abandon tens of thousands of soldiers just because his child had a minor illness.

I think I suddenly understand why Dad sent me here. Mom had always said that people should be punished for their mistakes. But back then, when Mom punished me for eating too much of the chocolate my aunt brought back from Germany, Dad always came to my rescue, and Mom would punish both of us. Although we always got away with it after some arguing, Mom often nagged because Dad spoiled me too much. Even the guard uncle said the commander really doted on his youngest son.

Now that Mom is gone, Dad has finally learned to be fair in rewarding and punishing, and I won't run away from punishment like I did when I was little. However, this time I didn't commit a small mistake like stealing chocolate, so even though it's so painful, I will definitely bear it.

I didn't tell my dad or the nanny that I always have trouble falling asleep at night.

P.S.: Hooray, looking forward to comments!