Chapter 268 Collapse
After a few rounds, the bodyguard was completely defeated. He sat down on the bench angrily, took out his mobile phone and started scrolling frantically.
Xia Lili was trying so hard to hold back her laughter that her stomach ached - she hadn't been talking loudly to the old man just now, but the old man had clearly heard everything!
With such acting skills, the Oscars owe him a little golden man!
Xia Lili set up her small stool, took out the water-soluble colored pencils, and concentrated on sketching the scene of the old man and the sycamore tree on the drawing paper.
She first made a draft with colored pencils, then gently smudged it with the tip of the pen dipped in clean water. After a while, a watercolor sketch appeared on the paper.
Just as she was admiring her work, her phone suddenly rang. Chang Yue's voice came from the receiver: "Lili, where are you? The barbecue is ready, come and eat it while it's hot!"
——"Okay, I'll be right there."
Xia Lili glanced at the lonely figure of the old man under the sycamore tree, thought for a moment, picked up a utility knife, cut out the painting, and handed it to the old man: "Mr. Shen, this painting is for you, if you don't mind."
Mr. Shen glanced at Xia Lili, smiled and shook his head: "Thank you...little girl."
"Please keep this painting for me."
The bodyguard heard the noise and sneered: "Who do you think we, Mr. Shen, are? You accept any junk you want."
Mr. Shen looked at the bodyguard at this time and began to hear again: "Xiao Zhao, what did you say?"
The bodyguard suddenly lost interest in speaking, curled his lips speechlessly, and stopped talking.
Xia Lili felt that it would be inconvenient for the old man to collect the painting.
She nodded, put the painting into the sketchbook without wasting time, said goodbye to the old man, and went back to enjoy the barbecue.
The family was happily enjoying the barbecue, and during the meal they made a video call to Xia Xubai who was far away overseas.
When the call was connected, the sea breeze was gently blowing the corners of Xia Xubai's clothes.
He stood on the California pier, his khaki trench coat fluttering in the wind, a beige scarf casually draped around his neck, his slender fingers pinching a bag of golden French fries, and he looked like a model from a fashion magazine.
Assistant Yu Shou held up his mobile phone, and Xia Xubai smiled gently in the camera.
Xia Lili's voice came from the receiver: "Brother, are you used to living there?"
"Don't underestimate your brother's ability to adapt." Xia Xubai raised his eyebrows, his fox eyes filled with smiles.
He turned to face the ocean, "Just in time for sunset. Let me show you the California sunset."
Through the screen, warm light seems to penetrate the picture.
Xia Lili had heard of the sunshine in California, and now she saw that it was indeed beautiful.
"Although I can't see it, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my body."
Xia Xubai was speaking softly when suddenly a seagull swooped down and accurately snatched the fries from his hand.
"Hahaha!"
The three members of the Xia family on the other side of the screen were laughing together, and Xia Lili was laughing so hard that she slapped her thigh.
Xia Xubai rubbed his ears pretending to be wronged: "Mom and Dad, you guys are laughing too loudly. My ears are almost deafened."
After a pause, he asked expectantly, "Would you like to come here for Christmas?"
Xia Lintian immediately waved his hand: "Don't celebrate Western festivals!" His tone was firm but he couldn't hide his smile.
Chang Yue gently replied, "Neither of us has ever been abroad, so we might not be used to it. Let's wait for you to come back."
She turned to look at her daughter, "Lili, do you want to go?"
"Sure!" Xia Lili's eyes sparkled. "I'm curious about your current overseas work!"
"It's settled then!" Xia Xubai waved happily, the sea behind him shimmering with golden light. "I'll be waiting for you to come over!"
The family spent a leisurely and pleasant day in Yunze Park.
After this outing, Xia Lili fell in love with this vibrant park and would come here every morning to run and collect folk songs.
This place can clear her mind and make her feel very relaxed.
Every time Xia Lili went for a morning run past the sycamore forest, she would always see Mr. Shen sitting alone in a wheelchair.
The morning light filtered through the gaps between the sycamore leaves, casting mottled shadows on his hunched shoulders, but could not illuminate his deep eyes.
The old man always maintains the same posture, staring quietly at the lake in the distance.
Next to the wheelchair was an open old book, its pages trembling gently in the breeze.
Occasionally, fallen leaves would float onto his knees, and he would just lower his head slightly and gently brush them away with his wrinkled hands.
There were groups of elderly people doing morning exercises in the park, their laughter and chattering echoing.
Only he was like a silent island, out of tune with the hustle and bustle around him.
Even the bodyguard who was responsible for looking after him always stood a few steps away, looking down at his mobile phone, and rarely talked to him.
Nothing happened these days, and Xia Lili was happy and relaxed, having a happy vacation.
Three days later, there was a heavy rain at night. The rain was extremely heavy, the wind was very strong, and the lightning and thunder were quite scary.
Xia Lili stayed in her room, enjoying watching movies and TV series on the projection screen.
On the morning of the fourth day, Xia Lili opened the window and found that the drizzle from last night had stopped.
The sun shines through the clouds onto the moist ground, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of grass and soil.
This kind of weather is perfect for morning exercise. She packed up her painting supplies neatly, rode her electric scooter and headed straight for Yunze Park.
During my morning run, that familiar figure appeared under the sycamore tree as promised.
Mr. Shen still sat quietly in the wheelchair, as if he had become one with the sycamore tree.
These days, Xia Lili noticed that the old man often stayed from early morning to dusk, almost never leaving the shade of the tree.
Through intermittent conversations, Xia Lili learned that the old man was already 98 years old.
Having lost his ability to move, he really can't do anything else in his daily life except looking at the scenery and listening to audiobooks.
As for the unpleasant bodyguard beside Mr. Shen, he automatically ignored Xia Lili when he saw her.
"Morning, Mr. Shen!"
Xia Lili waved and greeted Mr. Shen in the wheelchair.
Mr. Shen also raised his wrist with difficulty to respond to her.
Xia Lili met the other person's old eyes, and her vision became blurred.
Xia Lili slammed on the brakes and stayed where she was.
The hallucination picture is a familiar scene, exactly under this sycamore tree.
Mr. Shen was sitting in his wheelchair under the sycamore tree as usual.
Suddenly, accompanied by a creepy breaking sound, the tall sycamore tree fell down without warning, and the thick trunk directly hit the old man in the wheelchair.
Blood immediately gushed out from the old man's head, staining his silver temples red.
It all happened so quickly and suddenly that even the bodyguards who were nearby had no time to react.
When he came to his senses, the bodyguard's face was pale. He took out his cell phone and dialed 120 with a trembling voice: "Hurry, hurry up! Yunze Park Wutong Forest is here..."
The sirens of the ambulance soon broke the morning tranquility, and medical staff quickly rushed to the scene to provide first aid.
But everyone knew what such a serious injury meant to a man who was nearly a hundred years old.
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