Chapter 49
The dinner ended in a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.
Ruan Ning came out of the kitchen after finishing her work. The moment she saw Ji Zhiqi's face, she was stunned - isn't this the person she met in the hospital today?
Ji Zhiqi noticed Ruan Ning's gaze and was slightly startled. He then stood up and greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie. I'm Ji Zhiqi."
Ruan Ning quickly put away her strange expression and put on a gentle smile again, but that smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey, good boy, come and sit down. Auntie made everything today, try it and see if it suits your taste."
During the meal, the family seemed to be talking and laughing happily.
After dinner, Ji Zhiqi played chess with Song Tianheng, while Song Huishu helped Ruan Ning clean up the dishes.
When grandpa looked tired and went to rest, Song Shiyu and Ji Zhiqi sat side by side on the sofa, sharing interesting content on their mobile phones.
Ruan Ning looked at the intimate posture of the two with a complicated look in his eyes, and finally made up his mind.
She walked closer, her tone gentle but unyielding: "Xiaojiu, Mommy wants to talk to Zhiqi alone for a few minutes, is that okay?"
Song Shiyu was a little surprised, but still nodded and gently held Ji Zhiqi's hand to comfort him.
Ji Zhiqi took a deep breath, followed Ruan Ning upstairs and into the study.
Ruan Ning poured him a glass of water. The moment the study door closed, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
She sat down, looked straight at Ji Zhiqi, and said straight to the point: "The person in the hospital today was you, right?"
"It's me, aunt." Ji Zhiqi did not try to hide it, his voice was low.
"Your illness...does Xiaojiu know about it?" Ruan Ning's tone was calm, but with a heavy sense of pressure.
Ji Zhiqi's fingers gripping the water cup tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white. "He doesn't know. Please... don't tell him."
"I can see that Xiaojiu really likes you." Ruan Ning's voice trembled slightly as she tried to remain calm. "But you don't tell him the truth, Ji Zhiqi. Have you ever thought about this? If...if one day you really leave, what will you do to Xiaojiu? Will you let him suffer the memories of you all alone for the rest of his life? In a sense, hiding this from him is too cruel."
“…” Ji Zhiqi clenched his hands suddenly, his nails digging deep into his palms, and his drooping eyelashes hid the pain and struggle surging in his eyes.
Ruan Ning's tone grew increasingly serious, even pleading. "Do you want him to suffer long-term pain, or short-term? It all depends on your decision. If you truly care about his own good, I advise you... to stop thinking about him as soon as possible. You're being selfish by dragging him along like this. You could just walk away and leave him to suffer alone with his memories. As a mother, I can't bear to see him endure such pain in the future. You're a smart child; you should know what's best for both of us."
She sighed, her tone softening, but even more desolate: "Auntie knows you're a good child, but... your fate is too shallow, so you should make plans early."
Ji Zhiqi slowly raised his head, and the suppressed anger and despair deep in his eyes flashed by, and finally turned into a dead silence.
His voice was hoarse, almost squeezed out from between his teeth: "Okay, Auntie... I know what to do."
Ruan Ning's words were like a blunt knife, cutting into his heart with every word.
She was absolutely right. He was a selfish person. He was greedy for the warmth in front of him, but he might push the one he loved most into an endless abyss in the future.
"I will talk it over with him in the next few days..." Ji Zhiqi added, each word carrying a thousand pounds of weight.
Ruan Ning looked at him with a complicated expression, but ultimately said nothing more.
Song Shiyu, who was downstairs, felt a little uneasy after seeing the two of them talking for so long.
Seeing Ji Zhiqi coming down, he immediately went up to him and asked in a low voice, "What were you talking about? It took so long."
Ji Zhiqi tried to force out a smile that was no different from usual, sat down beside him, and avoided the main point: "Nothing, Auntie just asked about some things about my family."
Although Song Shiyu felt puzzled, he did not ask any further questions since he did not want to say more.
After saying goodbye to his parents, he left the old house with Ji Zhiqi.
On the way back, Ji Zhiqi was unusually silent, just looking at the night scene passing by outside the window. His profile looked particularly cold and distant in the flickering light and shadow.
Song Shiyu tried to speak several times, but was blocked by the aura of refusal to communicate around him.
After returning home, washing up and lying on the bed, Ji Zhiqi actually slept with his back to Song Shiyu for the first time.
Song Shiyu was extremely puzzled. He kept thinking about what happened tonight, but he couldn't figure it out. Finally, he fell into a deep sleep in confusion.
After confirming that the breathing of the people around him had become even and long, Ji Zhiqi slowly turned around.
He gazed greedily at Song Shiyu's sleeping face in the dim light coming through the window, as if he wanted to carve his image into the depths of his soul. After a long moment, he stretched out his trembling arms and carefully and tightly embraced her. His hot lips pressed against Song Shiyu's slightly cool ear, and he whispered a desperate and affectionate confession:
"I love you, Song Shiyu."
Even though the person in his arms couldn't hear him, he still hugged him with all his strength, as if this was the last hug in his life.
The next morning, when Song Shiyu woke up, the seat next to him was empty.
He touched his phone and saw the message from Ji Zhiqi, which only said that he had an urgent matter and needed to return to his home abroad, and his return date was uncertain.
Song Shiyu curled his lips, a little unhappy: "You didn't even tell me in advance that you were going home..."
He leaned against the window bored, looking at the gray sky outside.
At this moment, the ringing of the cell phone broke the silence.
"Hello?"
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Song?" a strange voice came.
"It's me, who are you?"
"Hello, Mr. Song. I'm a doctor at the veterinary hospital. Do you remember the little white dog we rescued earlier? All its injuries have been healed and it's recovering well. Would you like to adopt it yourself, or would you like us to find a foster family for you?"
Song Shiyu held the phone and hesitated.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to raise a baby, he’s just worried that he’s too busy with work to take good care of a little life.
But when he thought of the puppy that had lost a leg and was shivering, his heart softened and he made a decision.
"I'll adopt it. I'll send you the address, please."
The doctor was very efficient and the puppy was delivered to the apartment within a few hours.
It seemed a little timid, huddled in the corner of the flight box, making a slight "humming" sound.
Song Shiyu's heart softened all of a sudden, and he quickly placed an order for various dog supplies.
He placed the puppy in the soft nest. The little guy sniffed the new environment and perhaps felt safe, so he soon curled up and fell asleep.
Song Shiyu looked at its peaceful sleeping face and thought: A name... Let's wait for Ji Zhiqi to come back and choose one together.
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