Luo Jun thought that he would forget about this matter soon.
He doesn't remember many things, mostly because there is no need. Especially regarding his impression of Luo Zhi, he and Luo Zhi were not that familiar with each other - one of his partners was quite surprised when he mentioned this.
But the fact is, no matter what others think, Luo Jun and Luo Zhi are not very familiar with each other.
There was a big age gap between them. When Luo Zhi was born, he was studying abroad. He went to the company for internship during the summer vacation and spent very little time at home.
What was Luo Zhi like at that time?
He didn't have a very deep impression of him. He just remembered that he was a very lively and cheerful child. He liked to run around behind him and when he saw him reading, he would read along with him.
Two years later, he had a younger sister, and now he had two little kids chasing him everywhere, making so much noise that he had no choice but to go to the study to find some quiet time.
Later one day, when Ren Chenbai reminded him, he suddenly realized that as long as he was at home, Luo Zhi would not be noisy at all.
Not only did she not make a fuss, but as soon as she found out that her elder brother wanted to read, Luo Zhi would quietly take her younger sister to the toy room.
She was not even as tall as the table, but she stood on tiptoe holding a toy to tease her sister, and then she held her sister and rocked her gently and patiently, coaxing her until she fell asleep.
...When was the last time Luo Zhi acted like a fool in front of him?
Luo Jun thought he would not be able to come up with an answer, but human memory never behaves in a timely manner.
The more he couldn't control his irritability and tried to clear his mind of the endless thoughts, the more those memories kept coming back to him.
It’s Luo Zhi’s sixth birthday, he knows it, he knows it, so please stop bothering him all the time.
He knew it was Luo Zhi's sixth birthday.
He did not go back to the study to read that day. He watched Luo Zhi pacing back and forth in anxiety because her parents hid the gift from him. But because he was there, she did not dare to rummage around.
He thought this game was really boring, so he put down the book, went over, picked up Luo Zhi and carried her on his shoulders, allowing Luo Zhi to discover the gift on top of the bookcase.
Luo Zhi was so happy that she lost her mind. She sat on his shoulders proudly, swung the gift back and forth, and sang loudly with great joy.
After finally venting her anger and calming down, Luo Zhi remembered that her elder brother didn't like quarreling, so she slid to the ground with the gift box in her arms and looked at him cautiously.
Luo Jun didn't expect that he could recall so many details.
He even remembered that he was not angry. He opened the gift with Luo Zhi and said happy birthday to her.
He also seemed to have casually promised Luo Zhi that he would wish him a happy birthday every year from now on.
Little Luo Zhi wore a golden birthday crown and closed her eyes and made a devout wish to the candles on the cake, wishing that every birthday in the future would be happy.
I wish every birthday in the future to be happy. I want to celebrate them with my elder brother, parents and younger sister.
…
That was Luo Zhi’s last birthday.
Luo Zhi went missing on her seventh birthday. That day, his mother took him and his little sister to the aquarium. When they came back, he was so dazed that he could hardly stand, and he hugged his father and cried loudly.
It took them a long time to finally calm their mother down, and from Mrs. Luo's intermittent narration they learned the whole story of the accident that day.
Both children were missing. After coming out of the aquarium, Luo Zhi insisted on buying snacks from the roadside. Her mother disagreed because she thought they were unclean, so Luo Zhi got angry. Even though they had already walked a long way, he secretly took his younger sister back to buy it when his mother wasn't paying attention.
The mother was so frightened that she hurriedly chased after them, but the two children disappeared just after she turned a corner.
Then we called the police, offered a reward, conducted investigations...we changed one agency after another that specialized in finding people, but in the end it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, my younger sister was sent back by the police after more than a month.
Luo Cheng was not seriously injured and was in good health, but he was very frightened and couldn't explain what had happened.
Her father hired a kindergarten teacher who specialized in early childhood psychological counseling to take care of her for a long time before she recovered.
But even if it was only for more than a month, it had already caused extremely severe stimulation to the mother.
Mrs. Luo began to have auditory and visual hallucinations from time to time, nightmares all night long, and occasionally she would suddenly cry and scream, and no matter how much she was persuaded, she would not stop.
After Luo Cheng came back, the situation improved slightly, but Mrs. Luo's condition was too unstable and no one dared to leave Luo Cheng to her. Luo Cheng was not very close to Mrs. Luo, but soon she started crying for her second brother, and even when she fell asleep she murmured for her second brother to accompany her.
Perhaps inspired by Luo Cheng's story, Luo Chengxiu coaxed his sick wife into saying that he was going to school to pick up his son, and then took Mrs. Luo to the orphanage.
Those specially selected children, who were about the same age as Luo Zhi, were led to the reception room. Mrs. Luo, in a daze, hugged Jian Huaiyi from inside.
Then Jian Huaiyi was brought back to the Luo family and obtained the identity of the young master of the Luo family and everything that came with this identity.
The young master of the Luo family was not originally named Luo Zhi, let alone Jian Huaiyi. The name was chosen with the help of Ren Chenbai's mother. Next to it is the character for fire, which means blazingly hot, bright and spotless.
Three years later, the lost child returned to the Luo family. Amid her mother's collapse and hysterical screams of fear, the younger sister was also frightened and started crying. Luo Chengxiu hastily added a stroke to the place where his name was placed on the newly-issued identity registration form, and the radical for "fire" became a crooked radical for "wood".
The boy who was brought back was no longer the same as he remembered. He was a fist shorter than the adopted son, thin and silent, standing not far away, out of place in the chaotic farce.
The boy's chest rose and fell slowly as he looked at each family member, and finally cast his gaze quietly on Luo Jun.
This time, Luo Jun's memory didn't bother him.
Because he didn't do anything at all.
Why didn't he do anything at that time?
Perhaps just as Jian Huaiyi said, he was eager to find someone to take responsibility for not taking good care of his mother and not protecting his sister.
...Perhaps even Jian Huaiyi overestimates him.
He just felt that this matter had nothing to do with him.
By the time Luo Zhi was seven years old, the total time he and Luo Zhi had seen each other was less than half a year. After Jian Huaiyi was adopted, he returned to China to be with his mother and sister, and slowly learned how to be a brother.
At that time, he couldn't help but think that Luo Zhi was willful. Why does the whole family have to be in turmoil just because of a name? Why do you care so much about these insignificant little things?
As he thought this, there was probably some impatience and condemnation in his eyes.
Ten-year-old Luo Zhi stood under his gaze, the color on her face gradually fading away until she turned completely pale. He slowly lowered his eyes. The sharp bite of the tiger's fangs left an inconspicuous wound at the corner of his lip, and blood oozed out quietly.
Then Luo Zhi walked to the counter, picked up a pen, and wrote over and over again the name that her father had changed.
That unexpected disaster, which came out of the blue, completely changed the fate and life trajectory of everyone in the family.
After that, Luo Zhi never had another birthday.
...And now he was sitting here, doing something that seemed so boring to him that it was ridiculous.
Luo Jun put out the cigarette between his fingers bit by bit.
While on the boat, he spoke coldly to Luo Zhi, thinking that Luo Zhi was playing tricks on him, and questioned why Luo Zhi had secretly followed him on board.
He didn't notice that Luo Zhi was not in good condition at all. Is this so hard to see? When he recalled it now, he could find too many unusual details, but he just thought that Luo Zhi's abnormality was due to being drunk.
Jian Huaiyi was right, even now he was still selfish.
Because of the possibility that Luo Zhi was dead, he began to recall his memories endlessly.
He kept searching for Luo Zhi in his memory, trying to prove that he was not the worst person to Luo Zhi.
At this point, he still just wanted to prove that he was not the culprit.
…
The time it takes for the ferry to dock is actually shorter than expected.
As soon as he got off the boat, Luo Jun realized why Jian Huaiyi didn't mind the trouble and went out of his way to put on such a show.
Because of that "push", Jian Huaiyi fell into the water - although the boat was about to reach the shore, the water was not deep and he was quickly rescued, but to be on the safe side, the boat owner still called the police.
He was suspected of committing acts of intentional injury on the boat, so he was taken away for questioning before seeing his family.
The inquiry was a fair and impartial one, and was only intended to investigate the circumstances at the time. Luo Jun was not embarrassed. He knew that Jian Huaiyi was not trying to embarrass him, but wanted this time difference.
With this time difference, Jian Huaiyi will see his family, parents and Luo Cheng before him.
Luo Jun had no doubt about Jian Huaiyi's ability to tell stories.
So, when he walked out of the interrogation room, looked at the empty waiting area outside, and confirmed that there were no new messages or calls on his phone, he had almost guessed what had happened during the two hours he was interrogated.
Now Luo Jun sat on the bench, continuing to go through his memories, racking his brains to find someone who had treated Luo Zhi worse than himself, to serve as evidence that he was not the culprit.
Not long after they got ashore, a heavy rain suddenly broke out outside. While the police were questioning, the heavy rain was almost blowing the trees off the window, making people wonder if a typhoon had made landfall unexpectedly.
After the rain stopped, the weather, which had been cloudy for many days, suddenly became better.
The sunlight was so bright that it was scorching, and the sky seemed to have been thoroughly washed. The gloomy clouds seemed to have all turned into rain, and the blue was extremely dazzling.
Then he suddenly remembered that he actually remembered what Luo Zhi looked like when he was drunk.
Luo Zhi was very well behaved after getting drunk. She loved to talk but her voice was very soft. There was mist in her eyes and she was smiling with her eyes curved.
At that time, the team led by Luo Jun had just signed an important contract and was holding a celebration party at a wine estate. They happened to meet people from Huaisheng Entertainment who were also participating in the team building.
Luo Jun's team has a department head, an elite female manager in her early thirties. He was usually powerful and decisive, but he was so moved by Luo Zhi's obedience that he pulled everyone in his department to sit over and listen to his story.
The weather that day was also so blue that it was blinding. Luo Zhi was sitting under a tree, telling about a nightmare she had.
The nightmare was about him playing hide-and-seek with a group of people.
The rules of hide-and-seek here are somewhat different from those in other places. Everyone stands in a circle and walks around singing nursery rhymes. When they sing the last sentence, everyone raises their hands and points at someone at random.
The person who is pointed at the most cannot move for ten seconds.
During these ten seconds, everyone will scatter and disappear, leaving only the person who was pointed out standing there.
"This isn't a nightmare." A new girl was curious. "Isn't hide-and-seek fun?"
…
Luo Zhi did not answer her question, but continued to smile with his eyes curved, but the mist in his eyes was getting deeper and deeper.
The hazy water vapor did not accumulate in the end.
It was not until this time that Luo Jun finally understood why this was a nightmare.
Luo Zhi was pointed out by everyone as the culprit who lost her sister and made her mother sad.
Then they were able to hide successfully, without having to be visited by guilt and self-blame, and continued to live their lives with peace of mind, leaving Luo Zhi standing there.
Then Luo Zhi was left there by them.
Luo Jun stopped the ridiculous act of searching his memory. He had read the list of all the rescued people ten times, word by word, but he did not find the name he was looking for.
Luo Zhi is not good at playing this game, and now Luo Zhi is out.
This nightmare that lasted too long finally ended with Luo Zhi.
Luo Jun flipped through his phone again and again. He didn't know what he wanted to find. Should he find a lawyer to sue Jian Huaiyi? There's no point. Jian Huaiyi knows his temper too well and knows what he will do.
He was on the rescue boat, listening to Jian Huaiyi express his thoughts word for word, and suddenly realized what kind of person he was.
This is what he is like. Because he refused to face the fact that "it was him who failed to protect his brother", he didn't want to see Luo Zhi at all. He disliked Luo Zhi more than anyone else and wished Luo Zhi would disappear. He used all the evidence to prove that Luo Zhi was not a brother who should be treated well.
Because he refused to face the fact that "it was he who failed to protect his brother", he could only stand by coldly, watching the child whose name was taken away by others being thrown into a corner where no one cared.
…
Luo Jun swiped his phone and saw a phone number in his contacts.
He suddenly sat up straight, as if he had grasped the last straw. The veins on his hand holding the phone even bulged. He had to take several deep breaths before slowly pressing the call button.
The other party did not pick up the phone.
Luo Jun was not surprised. He plugged in his headphones and dialed a few more times.
Finally, the connection prompt tone came from the headset.
Luo Jun's heart began to beat violently.
He squeezed the phone hard to make the voice stable enough: "Mr. Ming."
He introduced himself as briefly as possible, and then got straight to the point: "Sorry to bother you... My brother was on the cruise ship that had the shipwreck on your company."
Luo Jun chose his words with difficulty. He didn't know the other party, and the circle that the Ming family belonged to did not allow him to squeeze in easily. This was just a small reward from a business negotiation.
If this was still a business negotiation, Luo Jun could calmly choose the most appropriate attitude without being humble or overbearing.
But he is the murderer who is still on the run, and he still holds on to such ridiculous and selfish thoughts, trying to clear himself of the crime.
"He is not on the rescue list." Luo Jun continued in a low voice, "I would like to ask you to check..."
The other party paused, as if picking up something: "What's it called?"
"Luo Zhi." Luo Jun held his breath unconsciously. The air was almost completely blocked in his chest. He could almost hear his own heartbeat. His hands pressing the earphones were cold. "The character for wood, only..."
There was a rustling sound of papers on the other end of the line.
The other party said: "I'm sorry."
Luo Jun's throat moved slightly.
He wanted to say something else, so he opened his mouth and smiled as calmly as he could: "What?"
Why apologize?
What are you apologizing for?
He was sure that Luo Zhi was not on the rescued list, he almost memorized the list... The other party answered so quickly, where did he see Luo Zhi's name?
What other lists are there besides the rescued ones?
"The family should have been notified." The other party asked, "They didn't tell you?"
Luo Jun was speechless. He sat there motionless, the coldness moving up his palm inch by inch and clamping his entire arm.
He didn't say anything, so the person on the other end apologized again and hung up.
…
The sky is as blue as if it had been washed, and the sunlight is scorching.
It was as if the sunlight was stirred and dissolved by the wind, and the sea water turned into a clear and transparent blue-green color, hitting the hull and brushing away the snow-white foam.
The overly young "Mr. Ming" hung up the phone.
He handed the phone to the crew member beside him, left the deck and returned to his own suite.
The sea breeze pushed aside the curtains, and a bit of sunlight slipped in silently and landed on the pillow.
The person on the bed was sunken in the soft bedding, pale and quiet. If it weren't for the faint rise and fall of the chest when breathing, there would be almost no sign of life.
Perhaps he was too tired, he didn't notice the several pieces of paper music scores that were placed back next to his pillow, and he was still sleeping soundly.
The guitar and drawing board were squeezed beside the bed, looking aggrieved. The inexpensive but good quality travel bag was hanging on the solid wooden clothes hanger, perhaps bragging to the new neighbors about the ups and downs it had experienced.
The expensive painting "I Have Never Done Anything Bad" by a Mr. Huo Miao who wished to remain anonymous, which he practiced in the rain, returned to the drawing board.
It was crumpled and soaked in water several times, and even after being repainted by the cruise ship's resident professional painter, the writing on it was already very blurred.
So "Mr. Ming", who has not yet successfully paid the bill, had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed.
Mr. Ming moved gently, took his hanging hand, and slowly wrote the forty-seventh "hmm" on his palm.
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