Chapter 38 Long Distance
With a slight exertion of his palm, he cupped her small face; she was a bit too tall.
Although Su Pu's eyes were closed, the upper half of his face that was exposed, with its bone structure and the delicate features between his brows and eyes, sounded like the tolling of a huge bell, creating a deep and distant boom.
The melodious chimes echoed, connecting Li Jichuan's youthful heartbeat eight years ago with his current bewilderment and confusion.
Who was that silent boy in the changing room during my senior year of high school?
Buzzing—
The continuous vibration of his phone pulled Li Jichuan out of that thick cloud.
“Echo”.
As Li Jichuan's voice rang out, Su Pu slowly woke up and found herself sleeping with her head on someone's hand. Startled, she shrank back into the bench.
Li Jichuan felt a chill in his palms and clenched them in disappointment, but his thoughts were drawn to the voice on the phone.
When did this happen?
Li Jichuan asked.
"Actually, the public relations department detected the public opinion last week, but you were busy taking care of Chairman Li at the time and couldn't spare the time, so the matter was intercepted and handled by General Manager Li. He deliberately didn't let the public relations department pass on the message."
The "President Li" mentioned by the secretary refers to Li Jichuan's aunt, Li Shuwen.
As it turned out, the matter was not resolved smoothly; instead, it escalated, and by the time it reached Li Jichuan, it had reached a point where it threatened the reputation and standing of the Li family.
Li Jichuan closed his eyes in anguish and rubbed his tense brows.
"Okay, I understand..."
"Help me book the next available flight to Yunnan, I'll go directly from the hospital."
The secretary acknowledged, and Li Jichuan hung up the phone.
When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the curious gaze of the little mute boy.
Those eyes were so transparent; they couldn't hide any emotion.
Gazing into those eyes makes you feel a little more relaxed and cheerful.
"What are you looking at?" Li Jichuan feigned a fierce expression. "Have you never seen someone so busy every day?"
Su Pu shook his head, thought for a moment, and then nodded in affirmation.
I've seen busy people, but I've never seen anyone this busy...
Li Jichuan held the phone in his hand, weighing it in his palm, feeling as if something was missing.
“I have to go on a business trip. There’s a workers’ strike at a manor in southern Yunnan that’s made the news and the public reaction is very bad. I have to step in.”
Su Pu quickly grabbed Li Jichuan's hand, cherishing their precious time together, and massaged him, almost as if to coax him.
"Su Pu, do you pity me?"
Li Jichuan's words were half sarcastic and half sincere.
Su Pu shook her head and pinched his tiger's mouth hard, the muscle that usually gets tense most easily due to emotional stress.
He was just very reluctant to part with it.
Uncle Wang once told him that after Mr. Li's car accident, he reduced his travel plans and would not even go to other companies in the city unless necessary.
She spends her days shuttling between her apartment and the company compound, and occasionally visits her grandfather in the hospital.
Li Jichuan is such a strong-willed person!
He dislikes being treated as a special case, with others casting either pitying or gloating glances at him wherever he goes.
But now, with the incident happening so suddenly, he has no choice but to bow his head and take on the responsibility of managing the group.
In particular, ever since the news of Old Master Li's critical illness spread, the entire Li family has been in turmoil.
At this point, it is even more necessary for Li Jichuan to stabilize the situation and fully take over the empire built by Li Peirong.
Su Pu could not even imagine how heavy the responsibility was on this person's shoulders, and how strong the resistance he had to face.
The driver noticed the message, informed them that he was waiting downstairs at the hospital, and announced their departure.
Su Pu stood up, waved to him casually, and pointed to the insulated container she had brought.
Li Peirong is currently unable to eat on her own and is relying on intravenous nutrition to maintain her vital signs. The thermos contains the lunch that Su Pu brought for the two of them.
Su Pu told Li Jichuan: Don't worry, even without your supervision, I will try my best to finish my meal and won't go hungry!
Li Jichuan understood and nodded with a smile.
"take care of yourself……"
Su Pu indicated that he understood.
Li Jichuan blinked; saying any more would only make things seem sentimental.
However, their relationship doesn't seem to have reached that stage yet.
Swallowing his sour remark, Li Jichuan remotely controlled his wheelchair and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
...
Su Pu walked into the ward, put down the thermos, and stroked the old man's withered hand.
The old man is still asleep.
Su Pu stared intently at him, a sudden unease rising in her heart, and she quickly ran to the window.
Thankfully, we made it in time.
He saw Li Jichuan leave the inpatient department and get into the car, supporting himself as he did so.
The driver folded up his wheelchair, put it in the trunk, and then jogged to the driver's seat.
The taillights were red, but the car didn't move. Li Jichuan opened the car door again, leaned forward slightly, and suddenly looked up.
Their gazes collided unexpectedly, and their hearts ignited simultaneously.
They gazed at each other silently, neither doubting whether the other had seen them, even without exchanging words.
You must have seen it!
Finally, the person downstairs couldn't hold back any longer and silently uttered the words they had wanted to say earlier.
Su Pu's eyes suddenly widened, his gaze shifting, and he nodded emphatically.
The person downstairs was finally satisfied, their eyes filled with tenderness, and they closed the car door.
Su Pu stood by the window, unable to calm her racing heart for a long time.
After finally calming down a bit, I was filled with happiness again and smiled to myself.
"Wait for me to come back."
Li Jichuan said to him.
Su Pu tiptoed and nimbly spun around in place.
Of course!!!
...
At 8 p.m. that evening, Li Jichuan sent a message saying that he had arrived safely in southern Yunnan, but he would be very busy in the near future and might not be able to contact him frequently.
Su Pu replied that he understood and asked Li Jichuan if he had eaten dinner.
I didn't receive a reply until noon the next day saying "I've already eaten," and I don't even know which meal I ate...
Life without Li Jichuan feels like something is missing.
Su Pu's longing for him grew stronger each day, but she dared not disturb him too often, for he must be very busy.
Fortunately, Li Peirong's health has improved a lot during this time.
After the doctor allowed him to eat some liquid food, thanks to the two nutritionists in the family, the old man gained two pounds and his spirits improved.
This is truly cause for celebration!
One afternoon, Su Pu finished work and rushed over to visit the sick man, bringing a cup of wine made with the shop's new beans.
As soon as Old Master Li smelled the coffee, his eyes lit up.
Uncle Wang scolded him, calling him a "mischievous old man," and scooped up a few spoonfuls of coffee with a small spoon, putting it between his lips.
Li Peirong squinted, looking completely satisfied.
Uncle Wang smiled and told Su Pu, "I think Mr. Li's love for coffee is probably due to the influence of Old Master Li."
Su Pu exclaimed in surprise: "So Grandpa likes coffee too!"
"He loved it!" Uncle Wang recalled exaggeratedly. "Before he was hospitalized, he drank at least three or four cups a day. But Mr. Li, on the other hand, surpassed him, drinking at least four or five cups a day! The two of them were competing to see who could drink more coffee!"
Hearing this, Li Peirong couldn't help but feel embarrassed and smiled shyly.
Uncle Wang chuckled, seeing that Su Pu was particularly interested, and noticing that Old Li was in good spirits today, he simply took out two thick photo albums from the storage cabinet in the ward.
"Would you like to see some old photos of Ogawa?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Li and Su Pu nodded in agreement.
Su Pu is really looking forward to learning about the past of the person she likes!
Uncle Wang opened one of the books, and the three of them began with Li Jichuan's birth photo, reviewing his childhood and adolescence one by one.
"This photo shows him when he was just a month old, during his first birthday celebration."
Su Pu asked curiously, "What did you catch?"
Uncle Wang and Old Li exchanged a glance and laughed together.
"His eyes darted around several times, but in the end he didn't grab anything, hahaha."
Su Pu smiled too, how unique!
"Finally, the old lady explained that Xiaochuan's world is much broader, freer, and more expansive than any of these. 'The ocean embraces all rivers'—that's what it means!"
Old Master Li nodded weakly.
After flipping through a few more pages, Uncle Wang smiled and pointed to one of them.
"This was the first time the kindergarten had organized a trip to the amusement park. All the other children were scared by the spinning airplane and cried loudly, but Xiao Chuan kept a straight face and had no expression."
"The teacher thought he wasn't afraid of this, but when he brought it back to us that night, Xiao Chuan saw the old lady and his little face scrunched up like a rag. He started crying as soon as he was hugged!"
"We then realized how strong-willed this child was; when he was scared, he would rather endure it than make a sound."
Su Pu affectionately touched Xiao Li Jichuan's chubby face, not feeling that he was weak at all.
On the contrary, I think he is very strong.
Thankfully, Li Jichuan, who had been so stubborn, finally received a warm hug that allowed him to release his emotions without worry.
She flipped through several pages, each photo telling a vivid story. Su Pu listened, sometimes bursting into laughter, and sometimes genuinely finding Li Jichuan adorable.
Finally, the first photo album came to an end, and Li Jichuan had grown into a young boy.
"This was when they were in the third or fourth grade of elementary school. Their school organized a study tour to a guesthouse village in the nearby mountains."
Unconsciously, Uncle Wang's voice became a little heavy as he looked at the child in the photo, wearing a school uniform, squatting on the ground and carefully stroking the kitten.
"There were a lot of people there that day, several grades and several cars. When they left, I didn't notice and left him behind."
"But the child is calm and composed. When he realized he was alone, he didn't cry or make a fuss. He borrowed a cell phone from someone in the village to call us and then waited for us to come and pick him up."
"This photo was taken by a freelance photographer who went there to collect folk art at the time."
It's definitely a photographer's work; the composition is beautiful and the image is very clean.
Just looking at it makes people feel comfortable and warm inside.
Su Pu asked, still wanting more, "Are there any other photos of Mr. Li as a child?"
Uncle Wang shook his head. "That's all."
"That day, Mr. Li's parents drove into the mountains to pick him up, but they got into a car accident."
"After that, Mr. Li became very resistant to having his picture taken, and he rarely smiled so carefree anymore."
Su Pu never expected that Li Jichuan's happy childhood would come to an abrupt end at this time.
Li Peirong had already told him what happened after that, which was also the reason why the old man could not forgive himself until the end of his life.
Li Jichuan lost both his parents at such a young age. Old Master Li felt sorry for him because he was weak and alone, but he also appreciated his emerging talent. So he began to train him with extremely strict discipline.
While other children were still enjoying the pleasures of childhood and slowly searching for their life goals, Li Jichuan's goals had already been cruelly set for him.
Li Peirong paved a seemingly smooth and easy path for him, but it required him to sacrifice all his happiness and freedom to achieve it.
A fine, persistent pain spread from Su Pu's heart, gradually engulfing his entire body.
If we go back a few days, Li Jichuan asked, "Su Pu, do you feel sorry for me?"
This time, Su Pu would nod without hesitation, and then hug him without saying a word, enveloping all his pain.
It turns out that saying was true: the beginning of liking someone is feeling heartache.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
