Chapter 22 Lu is dejected; of the two people who once existed, only he remains.

Tears seemed endless, dripping continuously.

Why is it that what she wants to keep, she can never keep?

Relatives, lover, the Shi family, and... her children.

She couldn't be kept.

She tried everything to hold onto it, but like sand slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she gripped it, it all vanished in the end.

So powerless.

Shi Nian covered her stomach with her hand, and finally clenched her fist.

It's still not strong enough.

She cannot stay by anyone's side for a while, nor can she rely on anyone as her safe haven.

She needs to work hard.

She wants to hold her career firmly in her grasp.

She wants to cover up the Shi family's territory.

She wants to find out the truth behind her father's death.

And Mom...

She had to do it with all her might so that the pain would stop.

Shi Nian cried for a long time, until she had no tears left to shed.

The pain seemed to have disappeared, and she became numb.

It's good to be neither happy nor sad.

Thinking this way, Shi Nian felt that she could continue to persevere.

When Lin Zhihuan and Fu Jinyan returned, Shi Nian had already tidied herself up.

"Come on, Niannian, have some porridge." Lin Zhihuan opened the insulated container and said with a smile, "Try it and see if you like it."

Shi Nian took it; it was a vegetable and meat porridge, and it smelled delicious.

Under Lin Zhihuan's expectant gaze, she took a bite, and the fragrance lingered in her mouth.

“It’s delicious,” Shi Nian said.

"Eat more if you like it," Lin Zhihuan said, looking at Shi Nian's pale face. "Get well soon."

Shi Nian nodded vigorously.

She will get better.

Fu Jinyan, who was standing to the side, also told her some of the things he had learned from his communication earlier.

While these people were communicating, on the other side...

Lu Yanzhi opened his eyes on the sofa.

The suit jacket he wore yesterday was covering him, and the ashtray on the table was full of empty cigarette butts.

This is his apartment next to his company. He would stay here temporarily when he was very busy with work. After marrying Shi Nian, he rarely stayed here anymore.

The dizziness in his head made him feel unwell, and subconsciously, he picked up his phone, which was placed to the side.

He scrolled down the message page, unconsciously skipping countless messages, and found Shi Nian's chat window after flipping through several pages.

The message he sent her back then was still the same: "I told you yesterday that you weren't feeling well and couldn't go to Grandpa's. You absolutely have to come back to the old house with me this weekend."

He frowned slightly and tossed his phone aside.

Lu Yanzhi sat up, rubbed his temples, then stood up, barefoot on the ground, and walked to the bathroom.

He turned on the tap and splashed a handful of cold water on his face.

Trying to wake myself up quickly.

But for some reason, what flashed through his mind was a similar drowsy state he had experienced many years ago after working several all-nighters for company affairs.

She always stayed by his side, sharing his hardships, handling company affairs with him, and experiencing the company's transformation together.

I remember that day, he also used cold water to quickly wake himself up, and Shi Nian stood beside him with a clean towel.

When she saw him turn around, she wiped the water off his face like she was wiping a puppy, and then rubbed his hair, which was wet with cold water.

As he frowned and took off the towel, she reached out and gently massaged his temples.

"Will it be any better?" Her gentle voice still lingered in my ears.

Hearing her voice, his weary heart seemed to calm down a little.

"We should have results today," she said then. "Ah Zhi, what do you want to eat? I'll cook for you tonight."

He had already tried Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world for business or other reasons, but his favorite food was still the food she cooked for him.

Simple, homey, yet warm enough.

Before he could even say what he wanted to eat that day, the phone rang.

The news was unexpectedly good.

It was a better solution than he had imagined.

He put down his phone, turned around and hugged her, then spun around in front of the sink.

His sudden action startled her, and when he put her down, her eyes still held a fright like a deer's.

So cute.

He chuckled softly, then lowered his head and kissed her.

"Splash..."

The water from the tap was still washing the sink.

Many years later, Lu Yanzhi looked up at himself in the mirror.

His face was covered in water, and water was dripping from the ends of his hair.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked tired and dejected.

He was the only one standing by the sink.

With a slight frown, Lu Yanzhi turned off the tap, took a clean towel from the cabinet next to him, and wiped himself clean.

He tossed the towel into the laundry basket, walked to the wardrobe, and took out the clothes he was going to wear that day.

He was wearing a shirt, trousers, and a suit, but he stopped when he reached for his tie.

There were no spare ties in this apartment.

When Shi Nian was still alive, she never forgot these things.

Lu Yanzhi pursed his lips tightly.

What flashed before my eyes was Shi Nian's incredulous and hurt eyes when she fell down the stairs and looked at him last night.

"Ding-dong!"

Just then, the apartment doorbell rang.

Lu Yanzhi opened the door and saw Han Wei standing there.

When Han Wei saw him, she smiled sweetly despite her frail appearance.

"Good morning, Yanzhi! I brought you some fresh flowers, look!"

Approaching her were Han Wei's latest floral arrangements, blooming fragrantly, which, combined with Han Wei's smiling face, created a fragile and delicate beauty.

It inspires love and care.

The words Lin Yuchen had said to him standing in the wind at dawn flashed through his mind—

"If you like Han Wei, then you should stick with Han Wei. You shouldn't care about Shi Nian at all."

"Lu Yanzhi, the only thing you can do now is to let her go."

Lu Yanzhi pursed his lips slightly.

Lin Yuchen's condescending and lecturing manner disgusted him.

Is Shi Nian using this method to force him to submit?

She throws tantrums, acts, and now she's trying to spite Lin Yuchen by getting closer to him.

He hated this feeling of being out of control.

"What's wrong, Yanzhi? Don't you like this bouquet of flowers?" Han Wei asked softly from the side.

As his thoughts returned, Lu Yanzhi reached out and took the bouquet of flowers.

“No,” he said.

If Shi Nian tries to force him like this, then he will let her know that he, Lu Yanzhi, is not someone who can be easily coerced!

“I really like it,” Lu Yanzhi said to Han Wei.

Han Wei only has six months left.

Her illness has its reasons, and he needs to take care of her; it is his responsibility.

"That's good." Han Wei smiled again.

Afterwards, the two went out together.

Paparazzi were following them.

Not long after, a sensational tweet swept the trending topics—

"Lu Yanzhi and Han Wei walked out of the apartment together. The usually meticulous CEO Lu was not wearing a tie. Did he forget or something?"

The photos included scenes of Han Wei delivering flowers to Lu Yanzhi's apartment in the morning and the two of them coming out of the building together.

This immediately sparked the curiosity and attention of onlookers.

There are all sorts of opinions online, but the only difference this time is that Shi Nian has officially responded.