Chapter 181 Apology
The living room of Yunshen Pavilion was quiet. Lan Xichen had just finished a multinational meeting. He took off his glasses and rubbed his brows. Then he saw Lan Sizhui standing at the door with his head lowered, his eyes red, like a rabbit drenched in rain.
“Si Zhui?” Lan Xichen put down his glasses, stood up and walked over. Seeing the faint red marks on the back of his school uniform, his brows furrowed instantly. “What’s wrong?”
Si Zhui didn't say anything, but bowed deeply first, his voice with a strong nasal tone: "Uncle, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his schoolbag and handed it over. It was the self-criticism he had written in Lin Mo's woodcarving shop. The handwriting was crooked, and there were a few tear marks on the page, blurring out a few words.
Lan Xichen took the self-review and read it slowly. Written on the paper were the following sentences: "Shouldn't have gone to the bar with Jin Ling and the others," "Shouldn't have disobeyed Lin Yan," and "Shouldn't have made everyone worry." Each one was written with sincerity, and at the end, written in red pen, he said, "I will definitely learn to say no in the future."
"Do you know where you went wrong?" Lan Xichen's voice was gentle, yet filled with unquestionable seriousness.
"I understand." Si Zhui lowered his head, twisting the corner of his clothes with his fingers. "Bars are not places for minors. I shouldn't have been curious, and I shouldn't have succumbed to temptation... Also, I made my uncle worried and made Brother Lin angry."
When he said the three words "Brother Lin", his voice choked again, tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall - Grandpa Lin said that he should learn to be sensible and not cry all the time.
Lan Xichen felt a mixture of pain and anger at seeing him like this. He had been busy until late last night and had indeed neglected the child. If Lin Yan hadn't discovered it in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
"Go to the study and write another self-review. Think carefully about how to write the word 'reject'." Lan Xichen's voice became deeper. "When you're done, deliver it to Lin Yan yourself."
"Yeah!" Si Zhui nodded vigorously, turned around and ran towards the study. The pain in his back made him stagger a little, but he didn't dare to stop.
In the study, Sizhui hunched over his desk, writing his self-criticism stroke by stroke. The sunlight from the window shone on the paper, casting a long shadow. As he wrote, tears fell again, landing on the words "Lin Yan," leaving a small smudge of ink.
He recalled Lin Yan's cold, hard face last night, and his avoided hand this morning, and felt a lump in his stomach. Grandpa Lin said Lin Yan was just being stubborn, but he was still afraid, afraid that the brother Lin who would smile and hand out candy would never come back.
He wrote and tore, tore and wrote again, until the sun set in the west, when he finally walked out of the study, holding a neatly written self-criticism. There were no more tear marks on the paper, only the last sentence, "Brother Lin, I'm sorry," was written so heavily that the tip of the pen pierced the paper.
He didn't go back to his home, but went straight to Lin Yan's villa.
The doorbell rang for a long time before it opened. Lin Yan was standing behind the door, wearing a gray home suit, with messy hair and red bloodshot eyes that were more obvious than in the morning. It was obvious that he hadn't rested well.
When he saw Si Zhui, his eyes flashed for a moment, then returned to their coldness. He stepped aside to let him in without saying a word.
Sizhui lowered his head to change his shoes, his fingers nervously gripping the paper, his fingertips rubbing red. The living room was silent, with only the sound of their breathing.
"Here." Si Zhui handed over the self-criticism, his voice as soft as a mosquito.
Lin Yan took it and unfolded it. The handwriting on the paper was much neater than it had been this morning, with every mistake clearly noted. The last sentence, "I will learn to say no, and I will also learn to cherish Brother Lin's concern," made his Adam's apple roll.
"Yeah." He responded lightly and put the self-criticism on the coffee table. He didn't say forgiveness, nor did he say not forgiveness.
Si Zhui looked at his cold and hard profile, and the grievance in his heart surged up again. He clutched the corner of his clothes, mustered up his courage, and gently tugged at Lin Yan's sleeve, his voice tinged with tears: "Brother Lin... please don't be angry with me, okay? I really know I was wrong..."
Lin Yan didn't turn around, but his shoulders stiffened slightly.
"I'll never run around with Jin Ling and the others again. I'll listen to you and learn how to say no..." Si Zhui's voice became increasingly quiet, and he couldn't hold back his tears. "If you're still angry, just hit me a few more times. Don't ignore me..."
As he spoke, he wanted to kneel on the ground, but Lin Yan grabbed his arm.
"Nonsense!" Lin Yan's voice finally rose and fell, with a little imperceptible tremor, "Who said I was going to hit you?"
Si Zhui raised his head and looked at him with tears in his eyes, his eyes full of grievance and expectation: "Then you...are you not angry anymore?"
Lin Yan looked at his red eyes, the lingering tear marks on his face, and his lips trembling slightly with nervousness. The defense line in his heart finally snapped.
Last night, he waited at the door of the guest room, listening to the suppressed sobs from inside, tossing and turning in agony. This morning, he left with a deliberately sullen expression, but even after the car had driven a long way, he couldn't help but look back again and again. When he received a call from Lin Mo and learned that Si Zhui had gone to him to cry, he wanted to fly back immediately...
In the end, he still couldn't bear to be cruel.
Lin Yan sighed, reached out, and clumsily took Si Zhui into his arms.
The little person in his arms was startled at first, then, as if grasping a lifeline, he clung to his waist tightly and burst into tears. Tears rubbed his chest, and his cry was filled with deep grievance, fear, and the relief of having lost something and then found it again.
"Wu...Brother Lin...you finally paid attention to me...I thought you didn't want me anymore..."
"Silly boy." Lin Yan's voice was low and hoarse, filled with helplessness and heartache. He raised his hand and gently patted Si Zhui's back, his movements as gentle as if he was protecting a fragile treasure. "When did I ever say I didn't want you?"
"You just... You ignored me and didn't even hug me..." Si Zhui rubbed against his arms like a spoiled kitten, "Don't do this again..."
"Okay, let's not do this anymore." Lin Yan's voice was soft and messy. He lowered his head, rubbing the tip of his nose against the top of Si Zhui's head, and smelled a faint woody scent - the scent of the peach wood pendant he had given him. "From now on... I'll listen to your explanation."
Sizhui nodded in his arms, her sobs gradually fading, but she still held him tightly, afraid that if she let go, the embrace would disappear. The pain in her back seemed to slowly dissipate in this warm embrace, and her heart felt like it was filled with something warm and sweet.
The setting sun shone through the French windows, gilding the two embraced figures. Lin Yan looked at the little man in his arms who gradually calmed down, and gently stroked the clothes on his back with his fingertips, where traces of ointment still remained.
He knew that this punishment might be a bit harsh, but seeing the clarity in Sizhui's eyes and the strength with which he gripped the corner of his clothes, he knew that the pain was not in vain.
"Are you hungry?" Lin Yan's voice was very soft. "I'll go make noodles for you."
Si Zhui shook his head in his arms, then nodded, his voice muffled: "I want to drink the tomato and egg noodles you cooked."
"Okay." Lin Yan smiled and rubbed his hair. The coldness in his eyes had long disappeared, leaving only the indelible tenderness.
The aroma of tomatoes, sweet and sour, mixed with the mellow aroma of eggs, soon wafted from the kitchen, filling the room. Si Zhui sat at the dining table, watching Lin Yan busy at the stove. Suddenly, he felt that all the grievances and fears he had felt just now had turned into a sense of security and warmth.
It turns out that Brother Lin’s embrace, just like before, can dispel all the anxieties.
It turns out that learning to say no is important, but learning to forgive and learning to cherish the person who is willing to be angry for you and worry about you is more important.
He looked at the steaming noodles in the bowl, picked up his chopsticks, ate in small bites, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
The sunset outside the window dyed the sky red, like a warm painting. The lights in the living room came on, illuminating the figures of the two young men, a quiet and beautiful scene.
Some wounds need time to heal; some misunderstandings need hugs to resolve. And they still have a long time to grow up and learn how to love and protect.
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