Chapter 52

Song Xinghuai brought a fruit basket, which contained not only apples and bananas, but also a bright red dragon fruit.

After he put his things down, he stood there until he was sure there was no one else in the ward before speaking: "Congratulations, you're still alive."

Xia Lanzheng had only suspected it before, but after hearing this sentence, she was sure that Song Xinghuai did know a lot.

He suppressed the expression on his face and said calmly, "You know what happened that night."

Song Xinghuai smiled indifferently: "I don't know. The plot is messed up. I was involved in Lu Yanqing's affairs. It was completely unexpected."

Xia Lanzheng didn't respond immediately, and Song Xinghuai looked down at him.

"I thought you wouldn't help me. To be honest, I'm quite surprised. Thank you. I owe you my life again."

"Again?" Xia Lanzheng keenly sensed something was wrong. "What do you mean?"

"The first time, you were rescued by the Chu family and lay in the hospital for two whole months." Song Xinghuai's eyes drifted away, as if recalling something from long ago. "I secretly went to see you, but the moment you completely lost consciousness, the world reset itself."

It took Xia Lanzheng a long time to digest these words. He felt a little cold and pulled the quilt over his thighs.

"Why?" He asked these three words after a long time.

Why does it sound like he is the protagonist? Why doesn’t the world follow Song Xinghuai’s perspective?

Song Xinghuai was a little surprised and his tone rose slightly.

"Why? Only you know the answer to this question. I can't tell you the reason."

Xia Lanzheng swallowed, his mouth dry. He drank some water through a straw, moistened his lips, and holding the cup in both hands, asked, "Who were you with before? I mean, in the normal world."

"..." Song Xinghuai stared at him for a long time, and couldn't help but sit down and said, "What are you misunderstanding? It's not about anyone."

Xia Lanzheng retorted: "Cheng Lan, Su Cheng, Lu Yanqing, you clearly have a very good relationship with them!"

The chair under Song Xinghuai slid and made a rustling sound. "You don't know anything? I'm just...taking advantage of the situation to get a better opportunity. My brother is about to have surgery."

Xia Lanzheng's hands were shaking so much that she couldn't hold the cup anymore, and water leaked out, flowing from the back of her hands to the floor.

Song Xinghuai took the water cup and for a moment he didn't know whether he should continue talking. Xia Lanzheng seemed completely unable to accept it.

"Tell me," Xia Lanzheng glanced at Chu Linchuan outside the ward and moved closer to Song Xinghuai, "Is there anything else I want to hear?"

Song Xinghuai picked and chose his memories. There was no Shura field, no messy love lines. Those cannon fodder who pushed Xia Lanzheng into the sea were not venting their anger for Song Xinghuai.

Many powerful forces were involved in this matter, and Xia Lanzheng, as the favored young master of the Chu family, suffered an unexpected disaster.

Xia Lanzheng was speechless and frightened after hearing this. In short, it completely fits the routine of melodramatic literature.

And Song Xinghuai... Song Xinghuai is a very hardworking worker.

Which fan fiction did he come up with this outfit from?

"I hate Cheng Lan the most, what a rude kid."

Song Xinghuai sneered.

"Su Cheng is a psychopath. He locks himself in a small room all day long to make art..."

"Lu Yanqing, this person is quite interesting."

"It may seem unapproachable, but it's actually better to be approachable, as long as I do my job well."

Xia Lanzheng was in the process of reshaping her worldview, her throat so hoarse she couldn't utter a word.

He crossed his legs and hugged a blanket before he felt safe: "Where's Lu Yanqing's brother? Have you found him?"

"Who knows?" Song Xinghuai shook his head and said, "I only know that there is such a person. So last time at his house, I handed over this bargaining chip first. I didn't expect him to take the bait so easily."

Xia Lanzheng marveled at Song Xinghuai's hidden talent and blankly handed him an apple: "So... have you saved enough for your family's surgery?"

"That's enough," Song Xinghuai took the apple and took a bite. The apple wasn't ripe, and the sourness made him frown. "So I'm going to quit the game early... But this job at Xingpai is not bad, I'll continue."

"Don't eat it if it's sour," Xia Lanzheng threw a banana to him, "You can come to me if you need anything."

Song Xinghuai glanced at the door, stood up and smiled, without being polite to him: "Thank you, I will."

Chu Linchuan opened the door and came in, pointing at his watch: "Twenty minutes have passed, are you done talking?"

"We're done talking, Mr. Chu. I'll be leaving first."

Song Xinghuai stood by the bed for two seconds. Before leaving, he turned his back to Chu Linchuan and bent down to wink at Xia Lanzheng.

"Xiao Xia brother, live well, thank you."

Chu Linchuan kept staring at this side, and when Song Xinghuai bent down, he finally couldn't help but step forward.

Song Xinghuai stood up after saying this. Xia Lanzheng saw Chu Linchuan's face. He was startled and pulled Song Xinghuai's sleeve: "Wait."

Chu Linchuan and Song Xinghuai frowned at the same time, and Song Xinghuai turned around and asked what was wrong.

Xia Lanzheng stood up from her knees and hurriedly leaned over to whisper in Song Xinghuai's ear: "Is it true that I have no blood relationship with the Chu family?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xinghuai subtly looked at Chu Linchuan who was standing at the head of the bed.

"No," he smiled and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Don't worry, you are indeed the child that Chu Lang brought back from the orphanage."

*

Today is the sixth day and 21 hours that Xia Lanzheng has been resting at home.

A flashlight-like light shone in from the yard, flickering and swaying left and right, and finally found Xia Lanzheng's figure.

Xia Lanzheng was trying to fall asleep and prepare for tomorrow when he was suddenly blinded by a flash. He opened his eyes and looked to the window. Chu Linchuan was standing under his window holding a cell phone and hooked his finger at him.

He knew what Chu Linchuan was going to do, so he put on a coat and ran out, following the scent and found the person in the yard.

"Wow, today's is the delicious starch sausage."

Chu Linchuan was amused by him and handed over the snacks he brought: "Sleeping so early today?"

"I'm a little sleepy," Xia Lanzheng reached out to take it, "Why is there only one? Did you steal it?"

Chu Linchuan made a silencing gesture to ask him to keep quiet: "What did I steal? I just bought one."

Xia Lanzheng took a bite of the warm sausage and muttered, "Two for five yuan, one for three yuan, Chu Linchuan, you're losing money."

Chu Linchuan was too lazy to argue with him. He took a tissue and unfolded it, shaking it. "What did Song Xinghuai say to you last time?"

Xia Lanzheng paused chewing. Chu Linchuan would ask this every time he saw him, and the snacks he brought seemed like a bribe to him.

"I've already told you it's nothing," Xia Lanzheng took the tissue and stuffed the remaining sticks over. "Just consider it a secret between him and me."

Chu Linchuan held the wooden stick and said in a dragging tone: "You and him have quite a few secrets."

Xia Lanzheng could tell there was something else behind his words and didn't respond.

He didn't answer, so Chu Linchuan continued, "It's okay. Zheng Zheng and I have secrets too, right?"

They stood in a dark corner and ate secretly. They had different snacks in a week: milk tea, octopus balls, grilled sausages... Yang Yuxiao didn't let Xia Lanzheng eat, so they kept talking secretly.

It's indeed a secret.

But Xia Lanzheng knew that this was not what he was talking about. The real secret was what Chu Linchuan said in the ward -

"I like you."

"Whatever you say is what it is," Xia Lanzheng's face changed slightly, and she walked into the house with her hands behind her back. "I'm going to bed. Bye."

Chu Linchuan didn't go with him. He watched him go into the house and stood in the yard, lighting a cigarette. The light in Xia Lanzheng's room flickered on for a moment, then quickly dimmed. Only then did he flick the butt of his cigarette and head back inside.

The wind was a bit strong at night and the curtains were blown up. Yang Yuxiao quickly pulled them with his hands, revealing a small corner.

"Here, it's happening again. It's been going on for several days."

Chu Lang glanced outside and saw his second son turn around and twist a cigarette. "Hasn't he stopped smoking in a long time?"

"I didn't smoke it, I just lit it for fun." Yang Yuxiao shrank back, wanting to laugh but frowning. "Don't you think they're weird? Chu Linchuan knew I'd discovered it a long time ago, but he still secretly asked Zheng Zheng to come downstairs. Isn't that childish?"

Chu Lang sat by the window, deep in thought. He lowered his head and suddenly met Chu Linchuan's gaze. The words he wanted to say were suddenly swallowed.

Yang Yuxiao laughed and pulled the curtains shut: "See, I told you, Lin Chuan knew it all along."

Chu Lang was silent for a while, then frowned: "Why does Zheng Zheng suddenly want to go traveling?"

"Hmm?" Yang Yuxiao returned to bed, groped for his phone under the pillow, and glanced at the new message notification. "Zhengzheng is sick. It's good for him to go out and relax. We can't keep too close an eye on him."

Chu Lang sat alone for a while, erasing Chu Linchuan's previous look from his mind, and then turned off the desk lamp: "Well, you are right."

I hope so.

*

The next morning, the Chu family gathered at the breakfast table.

Today's breakfast lacked Xia Lanzheng's favorite osmanthus cake, but several people picked up their chopsticks naturally. Chu Lang and Chu Linyu talked about work, and Yang Yuxiao looked at the music score and prepared for class.

Chu Linchuan sat in front of the steaming porridge and waited quietly for a while, then realized something was wrong: "Where's Xia Lanzheng?"

The conversation at the table stopped and everyone looked at him.

"I'm going on a trip," Chu Linyu said strangely, "Did you forget?"

Chu Linchuan paused as he was about to pick up the spoon. Travel?

"I was just about to ask," Yang Yuxiao took the spoon and poured him a bowl of porridge, "Lin Chuan, where did Zheng Zheng go traveling?"

Chu Linchuan suspected that his memory was confused and he had no idea what they were talking about: "You ask me?"

"Did you drink too much last night?" Chu Linyu laughed and said, "Are you still drunk?"

Chu Lang didn't say a word from beginning to end, his eyes swept across Chu Linchuan's face.

It was a rare occasion that Chu Linchuan didn't argue with Chu Linyu. He glanced at the table without osmanthus cake, and then looked at the few people who looked natural.

...No wonder you went to bed so early last night. Did you want to leave early today?

He didn't even say hello, is he the only one at home who doesn't know about it?

Yang Yuxiao touched his arm and said, "Zheng Zheng sent me a message last night, saying she had told me the destination. It was quite mysterious."

Chu Linchuan smiled wryly: "What did he say?"

“This…”

Yang Yuxiao drank a mouthful of porridge and imitated Xia Lanzheng's usual tone vividly, but with an upward sound at the end, which sounded a bit proud.

"He said this is a secret between him and you."

Chu Linchuan: "..."