Luo Zhi's good mood lasted until the moment she left the room and took the elevator to the hotel lobby.
When Luo Zhi saw the figure sitting in the distance, he stopped.
Luo Zhi didn't pause, turned around and wanted to go back to the elevator.
Unfortunately, the people in the lobby had obviously been paying attention to what was happening here. When they saw him appear, they immediately stood up and walked over quickly.
When the elevator door closed and opened again, the girl had already stopped him: "Second brother!"
Luo Zhi pressed the up button of the elevator with one hand and frowned slightly.
There were large gaps in his memory, but his body still responded to this name that was too strange and too old. Even though I couldn't hear Luo Cheng's voice, just seeing the shape of her lips still made a hidden stinging pain rush up my spine before I was aware of it.
The elevator door slowly opened behind Luo Cheng.
Luo Zhi lowered his eyes and raised his hand to lower the brim of his hat.
He whispered an apology and was about to take a few steps to the elevator, but was suddenly hugged by Luo Cheng.
"Second brother." Luo Cheng looked up at him and pursed his lips, "Are you still angry with me?"
Luo Zhi didn't have enough strength to pull out his arm. He tried several times, but he could only stop and watch the girl's lip movements quietly.
Some blurry, fragmented and chaotic images vaguely emerged in his mind, but in the end they could not be pieced together into continuous fragments.
So Luo Zhi had no choice but to ask her: "Why am I angry with you?"
After he asked this question, Luo Cheng's expression was obviously flustered and frozen for a moment.
There was almost no smile on that bright face. Luo Cheng twisted the corner of her clothes and lowered her head to hide her guilty conscience.
She took this as Luo Zhi's mockery and questioning of her, and her instinctive panic took over for a moment, which was overwhelmed by the disgust and resistance that she had suppressed, and soon turned into unreasonable shame and annoyance.
...She knew that Luo Zhi must be holding a grudge against her.
Because he was resentful of what she had done before, he deliberately pressed her with this kind of question and embarrassed her in public.
She really shouldn't have left without saying anything after discovering that Luo Zhi's condition was unusual, and then lied when Brother Chen Bai asked her about it.
But if Luo Zhi hadn't staged a suicide farce to threaten their family members, how could this have happened?
Although she was wrong, could it be that Luo Zhi would never learn to reflect on herself and feel ashamed? How dare you act like a victim and question her here...
Luo Cheng lowered her head to hide her thoughts, and her fingertips, which were twisting the clothes, had turned slightly white.
She disliked Luo Zhi so much, and this resistance deepened when she learned from her eldest brother some things that she had forgotten because she was too young.
——It was not until yesterday that she found out that her father and brother’s cold treatment of Luo Zhi was actually because when they were young, Luo Zhi was once lost from her mother’s hands because she was willful and playful.
Fortunately, Luo Cheng was lucky and escaped from the bad guys within a few days. He happened to be found by the police not far away and returned home safely.
It was because of the stimulation of this incident that my mother began to lose consciousness.
Luo Cheng was too young at the time, and she was careless and forgetful. She had no memory of the experience at all... But in recent days, for Director Gong's documentary, Luo Cheng has seen a lot of real cases. When she closes her eyes and thinks about it, she feels a chill down her spine.
What if she was really lost?
If it were really lost, what kind of life would I have to live and what kind of suffering would I have to endure?
She was only a few years old at the time, and Luo Zhi almost ruined her life. How come she never felt any guilt?
These thoughts were so vivid that they completely overwhelmed her instinctive fear of the tragic past recorded after she learned that the prototype of "Little Flame" was actually Luo Zhi.
Luo Cheng even felt that she was ridiculously naive—she actually still cared about Luo Zhi.
It was obviously her brother Luo Zhi who almost caused her to get lost, but Luo Zhi never admitted it. She never even felt the slightest bit of guilt for almost causing her own sister to suffer the same fate.
…
If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't turn against Luo Zhi now, Luo Cheng would almost lose control of his temper and would just walk away like he did every time before.
But after all, she still needs Luo Zhi's help with something. Luo Cheng was thinking about the agreement with Director Gong Hanrou. He took a deep breath, readjusted his state, smiled sweetly and looked up: "Second brother..."
She just called out again against her will and suddenly stopped talking. She was stunned for a moment and met Luo Zhi's gaze hesitantly.
Luo Zhi didn't know how long he had been looking at her.
The expression in those eyes was serious and gentle, so gentle that it seemed as if he was looking at someone he had no impression of and was not familiar with.
Although I still know who the other person is, I have begun to feel like a stranger because we have been apart for too long or we have experienced so much.
Because we had already become strangers, I didn't know how to respond to the other person's enthusiasm, so I apologized politely with a bit of friendly distance.
Luo Cheng stood still.
…For some reason, she suddenly felt a little flustered.
It shouldn't be like this.
It was obvious that every time Luo Zhi looked at her, no matter whether he was hiding it with a nonchalant smile or a gentle and indulgent attitude, there was still a subtle sense of loss underneath the disguise.
Luo Cheng couldn't help but clench her palms lightly. It was the first time she realized that she had always seen that look so clearly.
Every time Luo Cheng saw the sadness in Luo Zhi's eyes, he actually felt a very hidden and unspeakable joy in his heart.
She knew that Luo Zhi was overly tolerant and accommodating to her, so she often used this to punish Luo Zhi for destroying their family - Luo Cheng regarded this as justice in her heart.
She was protecting her second brother Jane and her mother, venting the anger of her father and brother who were annoyed and exhausted, and protecting her own home.
As for people like Luo Zhi, they certainly deserve it.
Luo Cheng never thought that one day, these emotions would disappear from those eyes without any warning.
So, even after such a big fight, when Director Gong Hanrou asked her if she could bring the person involved, Luo Cheng subconsciously agreed without even thinking about it.
...Will Luo Zhi agree to her request now?
What if Luo Zhi doesn't agree to come forward?
The last time I went to see director Gong Hanrou, her performance wasn't very good.
If I can't bring Luo Zhi with me, will I lose this opportunity completely?
Luo Cheng couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She tried her best to calm herself down, clasped her palms with her fingertips, and told them her backup plan: "Second brother, come with me. I want to celebrate your birthday again..."
As she spoke, she reached out to pull Luo Zhi, but Luo Zhi remained standing there.
"My birthday has passed, and I have something important to do now."
Luo Zhi shook her head gently: "Sorry, Xiaocheng."
Luo Cheng didn't expect that he couldn't be persuaded. She became angry for no reason and blurted out: "What if my family wants to celebrate your birthday again?"
After these words were spoken, there was finally a slight change in those eyes which had always been calm and gentle.
Luo Zhi slowly frowned.
He didn't seem to understand Luo Cheng's words. After thinking for a while, he slowly repeated, "Your family?"
"Yes." Luo Cheng bit her lower lip. She actually didn't discuss this with her parents and eldest brother, but Luo Zhi was adamant, so she had to take it one step at a time. "Mom and Dad, eldest brother, second brother...Brother Huaiyi, we are all in Wanghai, and we want to have a meal with you..."
Luo Zhi saw the key words in her words: "Wang Hai?"
"It's the villa of Brother Chen Bai." In order to hide his guilty conscience, Luo Cheng continued, "Don't you remember? Aunt Ren lived there when she was recuperating, and didn't you live there before? It's very quiet, and the scenery is also very beautiful. Brother Chen Bai lent it to us, and Brother Huaiyi accompanied Mom to recuperate there, and Dad and Big Brother are here today too..."
She spoke so fast that Luo Zhi couldn't make out her lip movements, but the context of the matter was not difficult to guess after all, and the cause and effect had been vaguely connected in her mind.
It turned out that this was the trap waiting for him in Wanghai.
…
If he really couldn't help but go to the Ren family villa according to the text message Ren Chenbai sent him, he would run into this happy family.
Luo Zhi is very familiar with what will happen next.
Ren Chenbai likes to do this very much.
Push Luo Zhi into their house without any warning, and then don't worry about anything, just wait for Luo Zhi to be punished by the family rules, or be kicked out in disgust.
Then he took Luo Zhi back to Ren's house and told Luo Zhi that he could only rely on himself.
When she was young, Luo Zhi was deceived more than once because she trusted Ren Chenbai too much.
Unfortunately, this time there was an extra Luo Cheng who couldn't keep his mouth shut. Although he didn't know how Luo Cheng found him, the coincidence of the two groups of people allowed him to be prepared in advance.
Luo Zhi still looked at Luo Cheng apologetically: "Xiao Cheng, I really have something important to do. I won't bother you anymore."
His condition began to decline slightly. Seeing Luo Cheng's face suddenly turned disappointed and cold, he was suddenly stirred by a headache and felt nauseous and dizzy. Countless similar or even colder and more sarcastic faces of Luo Cheng suddenly popped up in his memory.
Luo Zhi's body shook slightly.
He reached out to hold onto the wall, closed his eyes, turned around and quickly walked out of the hotel.
The sky outside the hotel was overcast, but not correspondingly cool. The air pressure was so low that it made people feel chest tightness, the air was hot and sticky, forming an inseparable mass, and even the wind was slow to flow under the thick clouds.
Luo Zhi walked out of the revolving door of the hotel. He took out his cell phone and was about to confirm the direction to the beach when a bright white flash suddenly pierced into his field of vision without any obstruction.
The bright light temporarily deprived him of his eyesight, which in turn caused an even more overwhelming wave of dizziness.
Luo Zhi's consciousness was completely blank for a few seconds. He felt someone pulling him, as if someone was shouting something and asking him to answer, or as if it was a live broadcast. More hands reached out, as if trying to force him to face the camera. In the chaos, someone pushed him hard, and his right leg suddenly gave out...
…
When did he injure his right leg?
In the exceptionally quiet darkness, Luo Zhi thought quietly, and then found the answer in a fragment of memory.
...Twelve-year-old Luo Zhi retreated to the edge of the balcony.
This was also one of the times when he was tricked by Ren Chenbai into going home.
He forgot that he didn't eat pineapples when he was a child, which made Mrs. Luo sick. She hung her hand that was pierced by the fork, with blood dripping down.
"I lost my sister?" Twelve-year-old Luo Zhi's eyebrows and eyelashes turned pale. She stared at the hysterical Mrs. Luo in front of her. "Mom, tell them that I lost my sister?"
Mrs. Luo looked terrified and confused.
Her hair was all messed up by herself, and she was crying and laughing at the same time, but she didn't answer Luo Zhi's words.
Not only did she not answer, Mrs. Luo stared at him with bloodshot eyes as if she was looking at some horrible monster.
Hearing that Luo Zhi had gotten into trouble again, and even implicated Mrs. Luo, Luo Chengxiu had to put down his work and hurried over with Luo Jun.
Luo Jun supported his sick mother and soothed her softly and skillfully. When he looked at Luo Zhi, his face was grim: "Luo Zhi, apologize to your mother."
Luo Zhi shook his head.
"Apologize!" Luo Chengxiu shouted in a deep voice. He didn't want to shock his wife, so he tried his best to control the volume. However, his anger became more intense because of this forced suppression.
Luo Chengxiu looked at this useless second son. The repeated incidents had exhausted his patience. His rage finally turned into cold disgust and disdain: "Will you never be able to be like Huai Yi and make me feel less worried?"
The twelve-year-old Luo Zhi still hadn’t gotten rid of his habit of asking for trouble. He was in so much pain that his eyes turned pale and his ears kept ringing, but he still insisted on speaking clearly word by word: “Dad, big brother, it wasn’t me…”
Luo Zhi couldn't figure out many things at that time.
He saw his eldest brother using the tie clip and cufflinks he gave him, and saw his father keeping the first-place trophy he won in the competition in the bookcase in the office, so he thought he at least had the qualifications and the need to explain.
But I couldn't finish what I said that day.
Mrs. Luo suddenly screamed hysterically and interrupted him.
She struggled to push her eldest son away, and pointed at Luo Zhi with a trembling and skinny finger: "You are not my son! You are a devil, a liar, and you are here for revenge. You can't be my son..."
Then Mrs. Luo rushed over and pushed him hard with both hands.
Luo Zhi lost her balance and fell from the second-floor balcony.
He fell into the lotus pond used for landscaping downstairs and survived, but still broke his right leg.
Later, Aunt Ren took him away, took him to the seaside villa, and took care of him personally for three months.
Later, Aunt Ren gave him the car.
He lost the car.
…
Boundless, pitch-black flames suddenly rose up, burning a spot beneath his ribs, slowly burning it to ashes, leaving only pale, cold embers.
Luo Zhi's heart seemed to be grasped by a hand, squeezing it suddenly without any warning. His chest heaved rapidly, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.
He lay in a room that was all too familiar to him.
Even without turning on the lights or confirming anything, Luo Zhi could still recognize the room.
This was his residence in Wanghai Villa, where he had been recuperating from his leg injury for three months. Those were the three most relaxing and enjoyable months of his life.
There is no Luo family, no nightmares, and even no Ren Chenbai.
Aunt Ren came to see him every day, accompanied him in walking practice, and listened to him play the guitar. He and Aunt Ren happily decorated their new car, looking forward to his coming of age.
Aunt Ren didn't know that his leg injury actually healed in more than a month, but he couldn't help but pretend to be lame for three months.
He was like a greedy thief, indulging in happiness that did not belong to him with an uneasy heart. He enjoyed it for three whole months before he was finally willing to give everything back.
Why is he here?
Luo Cheng brought him back secretly, and because he was afraid that his father and elder brother would be angry if they knew, he hid him in this room.
Why did Luo Cheng bring him back?
Because he was blocked by Li Weiming's fans at the hotel entrance, he accidentally fell and lost consciousness during the scuffle.
Why were Li Weiming’s fans able to block him so accurately?
Because that's how Luo Cheng found him. She found those posters who live-broadcasted Luo Zhi's location on the Internet and paid them to continue to confirm Luo Zhi's exact location...and this exact location was not only provided to Luo Cheng.
...Jian Huaiyi really takes good care of Luo Cheng.
Luo Zhi relaxed her arms and leaned back against the head of the bed.
He coughed a few times due to the rising dust, closed his eyes and waited for the palpitations and dizziness to pass, then fumbled to turn on the ambient light under the bed.
In the dim and soft light, the entire picture of the room emerged.
Since the day it lost its owner, it seemed that no one had ever come here, and no one had even tidied or cleaned it.
Luo Cheng never thought that he would be exposed in the live broadcast. She was completely terrified and hurriedly brought the unconscious Luo Zhi back. She was afraid of being scolded by her father and elder brother, so she could only hide him in the only old room that was unattended. Of course, she had no time to hire anyone to clean up.
There was a thick layer of dust everywhere, as if a certain moment in time was frozen and then thrown into an invisible corner without any care.
When you look back at it many years later, all that are left are those familiar scenes that have been forgotten by time, while all other people and things are completely different from what they were before.
Luo Zhi least wanted to come to Ren's house.
He was choked by dust and couldn't stop coughing. Luo Zhi turned his eyes away, trying his best not to pay attention to more details, but those images surrounded by dim lights seemed to automatically drill into his mind.
The memory had already begun to blur due to being too old, and it was not until this moment that it was finally slowly eroded by the new images.
The windowsill that was once filled with vibrant flowers and plants became empty, with large patches of gray and mottled white. Circles and dots of mold crawled out in the corners, forming absurd shapes of varying depths.
The bookshelves that were once filled with books became empty, and the solid wooden shelves welcomed termites or some other new residents. The winding lines climbed strangely along the edge, and one of the wooden boards was almost hollowed out, with sawdust and powder scattered underneath.
The thick clouds that had been brewing for the whole day did not disappear. The dark sky was filled with large masses of lead gray, and heavy rain poured down on the ground again. The wind that had been silent during the day also came to life, whistling through the branches and leaves that were shaking constantly due to the rain.
The guardrail outside the window has been completely rusted, and the dark red rust pokes out in the bright lightning, looking as frightening as a wet streak of blood.
…
Luo Zhi withdrew his hand and looked at the bloodstain on his palm.
His legs seemed to have turned into stone, as did his body. It would be great if he could really turn into stone, then he wouldn't have to waste his time trying to resist the violent attack of his memories.
But he was not a stone after all, so he could only watch his last suit of armor rusting and crumbling like a ridiculous knight who was defeated by a windmill.
He finally became covered with spider-web-like patterns along with his armor.
No blood oozed out, only a few grayish-white cold ashes that dispersed with a single blow.
"Luo Zhi?" Luo Chengxiu's voice came from outside the window, "What are you doing here?"
He had just handed over his work and was preparing to go to a family dinner. When passing through the garden with an umbrella held by his assistant, he unexpectedly saw someone who shouldn't be there.
Luo Chengxiu frowned and looked at Luo Zhi who was standing in front of the window.
Over the years, his feelings towards this naughty second son went from disappointment to frustration, to undisguised disgust, and finally to nothing but disgust.
But this time, Luo Zhi looked inexplicably strange.
Luo Chengxiu knew that he was sick, but he was just a young man in his twenties and he would be well again after a few illnesses. What was there to say?
Luo Chengxiu frowned. He didn't know what was so strange about Luo Zhi, but she was inexplicably annoying and made him feel upset.
…as if the whole world owed him something.
Luo Chengxiu couldn't understand why Luo Zhi was so pretentious even though they were obviously his sons.
"I'm asking you a question." Luo Chengxiu's tone was cold. "What are you doing here? What are your plans? Do you want to cause a scene here?"
Luo Zhi seemed to be awakened this time. Her eyes moved and stopped on the person outside the window.
Luo Zhi recognized his lip shape, then tilted her head slightly and thought for a while: "What am I doing here?"
He spoke very slowly, almost as if he was learning to speak word by word. His voice was hoarser than usual, and his tone had a special kind of slowness.
Luo Chengxiu's expression turned cold: "You ask me?"
Luo Zhi did not answer him this time. Instead, she lowered her eyelashes, figured out the answer to the question, and slowly said, "I don't know."
Luo Zhi said softly: "I don't want to come here."
The way he spoke still seemed strange, and he was a strange person too. I don’t know if it’s because of the light from outside, but his pupils seem to be dilated, very dark and still, empty and without a focus.
Seeing him like this, Luo Chengxiu's anger, which had already risen to his chest, suddenly lost its focus and dissipated in the pouring rain.
"Then don't be an eyesore here." Luo Chengxiu said in a deep voice, "Go wherever you need to go. No one will care about you."
In his impression, Luo Zhi has always been unteachable, stubborn and rebellious by nature, causing unrest to everyone, and is the shame he is most reluctant to mention.
Looking at the pale and quiet Luo Zhi in front of him...for unknown reasons, Luo Chengxiu suddenly felt extremely strange and irritated.
He finally attributed it to the damn weather.
Luo Chengxiu couldn't help but curse silently. He brushed off the rain that rolled onto his clothes, signaled his assistant not to waste any more time here, and turned around and left quickly.
In his peripheral vision, Luo Chengxiu seemed to see Luo Zhi tilt her head slightly, and her pale eyelashes gently curved.
…
It was not until I sat down at the warm and bright dining table that I felt relaxed in the lively family atmosphere and the aroma of delicious food. Luo Chengxiu suddenly realized that Luo Zhi had not been looking at him from the beginning.
Luo Zhi's gaze stopped on the sea level shrouded in night.
Then even the eyes were dyed the color and temperature of the sea little by little.
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