sorry

Ling Chu, who followed behind, looked distressed and serious. He really hadn't expected Song Zi'an's condition to suddenly worsen without warning. He had a strong premonition, a feeling that things were too strange, but he didn't have time to think about it. He hurriedly stepped forward to comfort Song Zicheng and said, "Zicheng, cheer up. Zi'an needs you right now. There must be a way. Trust me."

Ling Chu's gentle, firm, and reassuring voice calmed Song Zicheng down a bit. He stared at Ling Chu blankly and nodded.

Lu Zhiyan, standing to the side, took in every detail of the conversation and expressions between the two. He neither moved nor spoke, but simply looked at the two who were extremely intimate and familiar, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

Sitting by the hospital bed, Song Zicheng stared intently at Song Zi'an, who lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed. For a day and a night, Song Zicheng had been sitting quietly like this, without eating or sleeping. The stray hairs hanging down in front of his eyelids could not hide the worry in his eyes. In an instant, Song Zicheng looked as if he had aged several years. He was listless, lifeless, and extremely haggard.

Lu Zhiyan, Ling Chu, and Jiang Yuebai took turns trying to persuade Song Zicheng to rest, but he seemed not to hear them. He sat there motionless, refusing to eat or drink, and no one could get him to utter a single word.

Everyone knew perfectly well what Song Zicheng was thinking, but no matter how much they thought about it, they were still wrong.

Song Zicheng, who had been standing motionless like a mountain, suddenly stood up from his chair. He shakily drank a glass of water, opened his phone which he hadn't looked at in a long time, and his fingers flew across the screen.

Time ticked by, and Song Zicheng was running out of time and patience. For Song Zian, he was willing to do anything, even if it meant going against his own heart.

A brand-new Audi A6 was parked under a tree-lined path near Jingbei University. It was two or three in the afternoon, the hottest time of day. When Song Zicheng arrived, he was drenched in sweat. He stood by the car, panting, and knocked on the window.

"Senior, I told you we'd meet again, didn't I? Wasn't that right?" Lu Zhize leaned back in the car and looked at Song Zicheng with a sly smile.

Ignoring his teasing, Song Zicheng went straight to the point: "Let me see that document again."

Lu Zhize chuckled and held the prepared document up in the air. Just as Song Zicheng reached out to catch it, Lu Zhize suddenly raised the document up and said jokingly, "Senior, you'd better read it carefully."

After saying that, he loosened his grip, and Song Zicheng caught the document that had fallen into his hand with a clean and decisive motion. His expression turned serious as he carefully read each and every word, page by page.

Having done the necessary preparations and consulted relevant materials beforehand, he could understand the contents of the documents and the professional terminology. When he finally saw Li Bin's signature indicating his willingness to donate and the doctor's signature, the hope he had been desperately pursuing was revived.

After reading it, Song Zicheng sighed silently. He looked at Lu Zhize with his tired eyes and asked, "If I help you get the documents, can you arrange surgery for my brother?"

"Of course, I mean what I say."

Song Zicheng stared intently at Lu Zhize's face, trying to find a flaw in his hypocritical and cunning expression. He didn't trust Lu Zhize, but in this urgent situation, he had no other choice.

"Okay, remember what you said." Song Zicheng said this and left, not wanting to say another word to Lu Zhize.

On the way back to the hospital, Song Zicheng struggled with his thoughts and prepared himself mentally for a long time. The inner turmoil, hesitation, and pain were magnified hundreds or thousands of times. The two little voices in his heart kept shouting and fighting. When he returned to the ward and saw Song Zian lying motionless on the bed, all his hesitation and doubt were instantly defeated.

His brother doesn't have much time left, and he can't wait any longer.

When Lu Zhiyan arrived at the hospital after get off work, Song Zicheng was still sitting in the same position, staring blankly at Song Zian. This couldn't go on any longer. No matter what, he had to kidnap Song Zicheng today.

Lu Zhiyan stepped forward and tentatively asked, "Go back, have a meal, take a shower, and get some sleep. You'll wear yourself out if you keep going like this."

There was no response.

Lu Zhiyan frowned, his hands hanging at his sides already itching to drag Song Zicheng away, when he finally heard Song Zicheng utter the first word he had spoken in a day and a night: "Hmm."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and as if afraid that Song Zicheng would change his mind, he immediately pulled him away.

As the car approached the apartment complex where Song Zicheng rented, Lu Zhiyan heard a voice beside him: "Let's go to your place."

This was one of the few times Song Zicheng had taken the initiative to go to his apartment since they had known each other for so long. Lu Zhiyan was a little surprised and delighted, but he didn't feel that anything was strange or inappropriate. He didn't know if Song Zicheng was acting too naturally or if Lu Zhiyan simply didn't notice, or if Lu Zhiyan had some good news to share with Song Zicheng today. He thought that Song Zicheng would be happy to hear it.

When Song Zicheng came out after taking a shower, the dinner that Lu Zhiyan had ordered had already been delivered and was neatly arranged on the dining table. Although there were only two people eating, the number and quantity of dishes on the table were far greater than that.

Seeing Song Zicheng's slightly puzzled and confused look, Lu Zhiyan explained, "I didn't know which one you would like, so I bought them all."

After saying that, he pulled out a chair, took Song Zicheng's arm, and gently helped him sit down: "Eat quickly."

Song Zicheng was really hungry. He picked up his chopsticks, lowered his head, and started eating in silence. Seeing that he was eating too fast and was afraid that he would choke, Lu Zhiyan quickly poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Song Zicheng: "Eat slowly, don't rush."

After taking a shower, Lu Zhiyan assumed that Song Zicheng was already fast asleep in bed. When he quietly opened the bathroom door and came out, he saw Song Zicheng sitting upright on the bed, staring at something with his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

Lu Zhiyan went over and called out several times before Song Zicheng came to his senses. He reached out and took the two glasses of milk from the bedside table, handing one to Lu Zhiyan and drinking the other in one gulp.

After finishing his milk, Lu Zhiyan lifted the covers and crawled inside, preparing how to tell Song Zicheng the good news. Unexpectedly, he suddenly felt dizzy, weak, and collapsed onto the bed, losing consciousness.

Although the nights in September are a bit cool, you still need to turn on the air conditioner to get a good night's sleep. In the dimly lit bedroom, the air conditioner displays a red number of 25 degrees Celsius—what a comfortable temperature.

Looking at the unconscious Lu Zhiyan, Song Zicheng first sighed deeply, then slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the self-blame and heartache in his eyes were incongruous with his expressionless face. He bent down and kissed Lu Zhiyan's lips.

There was no deep kiss, no lingering, just a light, fleeting touch, a kiss that, though light, carried a deep sense of reluctance and longing.

Song Zicheng's lips gradually left Lu Zhiyan's face. He reached out and slowly traced Lu Zhiyan's face with his palm, from his eyebrows to his nose and then to his lips, carefully touching every inch of his face and gazing at him intently, as if this was the last look between the two of them at the moment of life and death.

"sorry."

In the quiet bedroom, Song Zicheng could be faintly heard uttering those three words. The words were indistinct, but Song Zicheng had indeed managed to say them with difficulty.

Song Zicheng stared blankly for a few seconds, then draped the blanket over Lu Zhiyan and got out of bed decisively.

The safe was in an inconspicuous and unconcealed location, placed in a cabinet under the desk. Song Zicheng bent down and squatted down, staring at the combination on the safe for a few seconds, pondering.

He didn't know the password. Although he had occasionally seen Lu Zhiyan open safes before, he hadn't bothered to look up the specific password. Now, the situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and try.

The first thing I entered was Lu Zhiyan's birthday, which is incorrect.

The number of times the safe can be used is limited; each attempt wastes an opportunity, taking you further and further away from success. Looking at the mere two chances remaining, Song Zicheng's breathing quickened involuntarily. His brow furrowed, his index finger bent against the edge of his teeth, and his eyes slowly darted around.

Suddenly, he thought of something and hurriedly opened his phone and opened a search app. "Beep beep beep beep," a few crisp beeps rang in his ears.

With a click, the safe opened.

The document on top immediately caught Song Zicheng's eye. He took it out, glanced at it, and put it in his backpack after confirming that it was correct. Just as he was about to close the safe, a flawless white jade thumb ring and a pair of richly colored agate earrings caught his attention.

His hand, which was outstretched in mid-air, paused. His gaze lingered on the white jade thumb ring. He recalled carefully that when he first saw Lu Zhiyan in the bar, aside from his stunning appearance at first glance, it was this thumb ring that left the deepest impression on him.

Song Zicheng had neither the time nor the inclination to examine it carefully. He glanced at it briefly, then looked away, closed the safe, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left. Just before turning off the lights, he glanced at the bed a few times. With a "thud," the entire room was plunged into darkness. No one could see the expression on Song Zicheng's face, but his slender figure appeared even more forlorn and helpless in the darkness.

"I got the documents, where am I supposed to find you?" Song Zicheng, standing by the roadside, sent a message to Lu Zhize, looking at the few cars on the road.

It was past ten o'clock, not too early, not too late. Although Song Zicheng was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open, he couldn't fall asleep until there was a definite solution or news about his brother.

Song Zicheng stood by the roadside for more than half an hour before he heard the message notification from his phone. Because he had been standing for too long, his whole body went numb the moment he moved his foot slightly. After a while, a car was already driving towards him on the road.

Actually, Lu Zhize saw the message when he sent it, and by the time he received the reply, Lu Zhize had already sent someone to pick him up.

Sitting in the car, looking at the unfamiliar scenery outside, Song Zicheng's heart was pounding with nervousness. He clutched the documents in his backpack tightly to his chest, as if grasping at a lifeline.

This was his only, and only, bargaining chip.

After driving for quite some time, from a road with very few cars to a place with almost no cars and people, Song Zicheng looked at the completely unfamiliar surroundings and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.