The video footage finally stopped at the edge of the stage.
Luo Chi sat there. He put his guitar aside, supported himself on the stage floor with both hands, and tilted his head back quietly.
He was wearing a simple T-shirt and the light was so bright that it cast a silhouette on him. The sweaty short hair was a little messy, and because of the angle of the camera, the edges had a soft halo that seemed almost touchable.
This strong light will make the field of vision appear white when looking directly at it. Ming Weiting looked at the whiteness, then he withdrew his gaze, turned to Luo Chi sitting on the sofa, and wanted to speak.
"At this time."
Luo Chi curved his eyes before him, and suddenly said seriously: "If fans want to say it, I won't believe it unless I sign it."
This is obviously almost a big adventure. Ming Weiting repeated it exactly as it was without hesitation almost the next second after Luo Chi finished speaking.
He didn't know the right tone, so it still sounded a little stiff, but what he said still made Ming Lu next to him look over quickly in surprise.
Meeting Ming Weiting's gaze, Ming Lu coughed lightly, stood up and quickly went to make tea for a few people.
Sitting on the sofa next to the fireplace, Ming Weiting refuted what he had just said and explained rigorously: "I have no doubts."
Ming Weiting raised his hand and touched Luo Chi's short hair which was warmed by the fireplace.
Luo Chi hasn't taken care of his hair recently, so it's a little longer than before. With her hair hanging down and leaning back on the sofa covered with a thin blanket, she looked almost younger than she did in the video.
"It's cool now," Ming Weiting said. "It's always cool."
Luo Chi's earlobes turned red due to his praise, and even the corners of his mouth curled up. He tried to move his right hand which had been hanging by his side.
Ming Weiting noticed something and was about to ask, but suddenly remembered what he had just said: "Signature?"
Luo Chi nodded.
Ming Weiting stood up immediately: "Wait for me."
There were actually things prepared on the cruise ship for Luo Chi to sign, but they were not brought down for the time being. Ming Weiting went to Ming Lu to ask for a large sheet of paper and a pen, and carefully spread the paper out for him on the coffee table.
Luo Chi supported his right hand with his left hand and took the pen he handed over.
…
When Minglu returned to the sofa with the brewed tea, Luo Chi was still writing the signature.
Luo Chi seems to be extremely patient in everything he does and never feels frustrated. Supported by Ming Weiting, he lay on the coffee table and wrote slowly, stroke by stroke. There were several times when it looked like he was about to lose his grip on the pen, but he immediately retracted his fingers in time.
Fortunately, the two words "flame" are not difficult to write. The more Luo Chi wrote, the more he felt comfortable with the painting. He even felt unsatisfied after finishing the last stroke, and added a simple sketch of a flame for free at the end.
Luo Chi looked at the paper from left to right and was quite satisfied. He handed it to the lucky fan solemnly: "Keep it."
"Keep it." Ming Weiting nodded, "Hang it in the office and read it ten times a day."
It didn’t come to this point, Luo Chi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He had been lying on the coffee table for too long and felt a little dizzy when he stood up. His consciousness went blank for a moment. When he slowly woke up, he found that he was being hugged by Ming Weiting.
Luo Chi was carried back to the sofa. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Mr. Shadow and felt better: "Next round?"
Ming Weiting touched his forehead and said nothing more, but put a few more soft pillows beside him: "Okay."
The conch was still lying on the tray. Ming Weiting held his fingers, pressed against the conch body and gently pushed it, and the conch began to spin in the tray.
Luo Chi had no strength in his hands at all. He used just the right amount of force, and the conch turned a few circles on the tray and slowly stopped, with the tip of the conch stopping in his direction.
"It's my turn." Ming Weiting asked him, "Are you tired?"
Luo Chi did not get the chance to ask questions and was still regretting that the conch had turned half a circle too long. He came to his senses and looked up when he heard the words.
Perhaps because he was not familiar with this game, Ming Weiting asked very simple questions. It's so simple that it's a waste of opportunity in a game like this.
Luo Chi took a deep breath and was about to answer when he suddenly felt the soft warmth of his fingertips.
Ming Weiting bent down and reminded him in a gentle voice: "Tell him the truth."
Luo Chi’s words “not tired” just stayed in his mouth.
He was reluctant, but was restricted by the rules of the game. After a long while, he whispered, "Tired."
He was unaware that his head and neck were weak, and he had to be held by Ming Weiting to sit up straight. He just felt lost for admitting this. He drooped his eyelashes and looked at the thin blanket covering his legs.
Ming Weiting asked softly: "Why don't you sleep?"
This time, after waiting for a long time without getting a response, Ming Weiting raised his head and just saw Luo Chi's lips tightly pursed.
Only one question may be asked at a time. Luo Chi did not answer with confidence, but looked at him with his eyes narrowed, with a smug and sparkling look in his eyes, and the loss he had just felt was swept away in an instant.
Ming Weiting was somewhat helpless. He moved his fingers and pressed his forehead: "Five years old."
Big Flame never minded admitting that he was childish. Encouraged by the victory, he reached out his hand and pushed the conch to start spinning.
Luo Chi's strength was not enough, and the conch tip only moved a little distance before stopping in front of Ming Lu.
Minglu was a little surprised and looked at the two of them.
He wanted to ask Luo Chi whether he liked the villa and if there was anything he wanted to modify. After all, this villa belongs to Luo Chi, so the facilities and arrangements should be based on Luo Chi's wishes, so as to make him live as comfortably as possible.
Ming Lu thought about it and was about to speak when he suddenly met Ming Weiting's gaze and followed the previous conversation.
Minglu could only cough: "...Why don't you sleep?"
Luo Chi couldn't believe it and looked at him accusingly with wide eyes.
Now even Minglu couldn't help but smile. He picked up the teacup, pretended to drink tea, and moved back.
This question should not be difficult. Ming Weiting had actually noticed that Luo Chi was extremely sleepy tonight and refused to close his eyes. He was willing to be dragged by Luo Chi to play games, but he still couldn't help but care about Luo Chi's physical condition.
Ming Weiting was still squatting in front of the sofa, looking up at Luo Chi, waiting for his answer.
This time, Luo Chi took longer to think about his answer than before.
Luo Chi leaned back on the sofa, his body almost sunk into the pile of soft pillows. His head and neck rested on Ming Weiting's hand, his eyes fixed on the corner of the villa that was not illuminated by the lights.
Ming Weiting slowly frowned.
He noticed that Luo Chi's condition seemed to have changed a little, so he held Luo Chi's hand and lowered his voice: "Don't ask anymore."
"Change the question." Ming Weiting said, "Do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?"
Luo Chi was really attracted by this question. He blinked his eyelashes slowly and his eyes lit up: "Is it okay?"
sure. Ming Weiting originally wanted to take him there, but the beach needed to be renovated, so it was delayed until now: "There are beach chairs and ice drinks."
Luo Chi immediately became excited, and he subconsciously invited Mr. Shadow: "Come with us, I'll drive—"
The words came out of his mouth without thinking, and then his chest suddenly tightened up. It was as if I suddenly took a step in the air and fell down defenselessly, but my heart remained in the same place.
Luo Chi sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace with his eyes open, looking at the flickering fire inside.
He saw Mr. Shadow reach out and hug him, and then turn the conch so that the tip is facing him, giving him the opportunity to ask questions.
…
Luo Chi's chest rose and fell gently.
He opened his mouth to speak, but for the moment he couldn't find the sound, and just felt very cold.
Why is it so cold? It’s obviously warm in the villa. This is his favorite villa.
Of course Luo Chi had already noticed the changes in the villa. He was so familiar with this place that he would immediately notice even the slightest difference. Now that so many places had become different, it was impossible not to feel strange.
Because of this subtle, inexplicable strangeness, a long-lost vague uneasiness quietly grew.
"...Tomorrow." Luo Chi said softly.
Ming Weiting held his arm still, allowing him to lean firmly against the sofa and soft pillow.
Luo Chi slowly moved his fingers and held Mr. Shadow's arm.
He spoke slowly, trying hard to raise his eyes, and answered the truth just now: "I don't want to... go to the beach."
After Luo Chi said this, he felt that it was inaccurate. He moved his throat and wanted to correct it, but the more anxious he was, the more difficult it was to express his thoughts clearly.
"I don't want to go to the beach alone." Ming Weiting held his hand, "I want to go with my aunt."
Ming Weiting had his back to the fireplace, and the backlight made it difficult to see his expression clearly. His shadow fell on Luo Chi's legs.
He followed Luo Chi in calling her "Auntie" with a gentle tone, and because of the originally cold and heavy quality in his voice, the words seemed particularly gentle and solemn.
"I also want to invite Mr. Shadow and bring him to play together." Ming Weiting asked softly, "Really?"
Luo Chi pursed his lips until they turned pale and nodded vigorously.
It's not that I don't want to go to the beach.
He wanted to go to the beach with Mr. Shadow and Aunt Ren.
He took the lucky fan home and forgot to invite him in until dark.
I finally remembered, but I fell asleep before I even entered the door.
On the way back to the villa, Luo Chi had a very short dream.
He dreamed that he brought Mr. Shadow back and showed Mr. Shadow to Aunt Ren.
…
Aunt Ren in the dream was still a little wary of Mr. Shadow.
Of course, this cannot be blamed on Aunt Ren at all. This incident dates back to a long time ago, when Luo Chi was probably twelve or thirteen years old... not long after the bonfire party.
Not long after that, a very strange person suddenly knocked on the door and wanted to invite the twelve-year-old Luo Chi to travel around the world and play the guitar.
Aunt Ren was of course furious and kicked the man out without saying a word. From then on, she became very wary of anyone who intended to kidnap Little Huomiao.
But it’s not like ten years ago.
Luo Chi has already reached adulthood, so it’s okay if he really wants to travel the world, but he just needs to come back more often.
Aunt Ren has been in poor health in recent years, and she must recuperate in a very safe place. She can no longer take him around to run around and play. But he could travel everywhere and bring back all the scenery he saw to Aunt Ren.
You can also bring back the ones you like.
In the dream, Luo Chi cooked a large table of food and gave the tenderest vegetable cores and peeled shrimps to Aunt Ren, but he quickly took away the wine that Aunt Ren had secretly taken out.
Luo Chi didn't know why he was nervous. He sat in front of the table and had no choice but to concentrate on eating rice and picking up shredded potatoes in front of him. He secretly looked at Aunt Ren and Mr. Shadow, his ears feeling hot and red.
He was so nervous that he didn't seem to hear clearly what Aunt Ren and Mr. Shadow were talking about. He just focused on eating shredded potatoes with rice.
He seemed like he hadn't eaten a big meal in a long time. He wanted to get better quickly, so he ate and chewed hard. Aunt Ren poked his cheek and called him little squirrel.
The little squirrel swallowed the food, held the conch with red ears, and found a big piece of hot paper to write his name, and then wrote Mr. Shadow, and drew a flame in the middle.
He held the paper high behind Mr. Shadow, afraid that Aunt Ren wouldn't see it.
…
Dreaming about this is so natural and unbelievable.
Luo Chi asked Aunt Ren and Mr. Shadow to sit on the sofa and chat while he went to clean up the dishes and found an opportunity to take the bottle of wine back and hide it.
He also wanted to check whether there was any alcohol in Aunt Ren's safe - the doctor said Aunt Ren must not drink alcohol, but Aunt Ren was always greedy and sometimes would drink secretly when he wasn't paying attention.
Luo Chi had already developed a habit. He absentmindedly pressed the password for the safe, only to find that he had entered the wrong password.
He tried Aunt Ren's birthday over and over again, and then tried his own birthday, but he couldn't open it from dawn to dusk.
He wanted to ask Aunt Ren, but fell down as soon as he stood up.
Perhaps because the noise he made was too loud, Aunt Ren knocked on the door and asked him what happened, her voice sounding extremely anxious.
He curled up on the ground, his head hurt so much that he had no strength to stand up, and his whole body was shaking.
The dizziness and tinnitus had actually been going on for a long time, and he even had trouble finding out when they first occurred... It seemed like he had indeed had headaches a few times, but these did happen often.
When he was brought back and sent to the hospital for examination, the doctor said that his old injury would have sequelae.
He suddenly found that he couldn't stand up with his right leg and his hands were completely powerless. What was more troublesome was that his head hurt so much that his consciousness began to blur and all his strength was drained from his body. He could only bite down and swallow his moans as much as possible.
He closed his eyes and prayed over and over in his heart that he would get through it quickly, regain the strength to stand up quickly, and then immediately go to Aunt Ren to apologize and explain that he just accidentally fell.
...Later, the pain finally passed.
He opened his eyes and found himself still in the living room, warming himself by the fire on the sofa with Mr. Shadow.
Because it is so close to the sea, the temperature is very low even in summer nights and the wind is cool, so the temperature of the fireplace becomes very comfortable.
Feeling warm and comfortable, he gradually relaxed from the dream and played Truth or Dare with Mr. Shadow to pass the time.
He played while trying to stay awake, secretly glancing at the door, wondering when Aunt Ren would come back.
…
Ming Weiting hugged Luo Chi and gently rubbed his hair.
He kept talking to Luo Chi in a low voice until Luo Chi's breathing became steady, then he hugged Luo Chi and lay down on the sofa.
Mr. Shadow stood in front of the sofa, covered Luo Chi with a thin blanket, and promised to wake him up immediately as soon as Aunt Ren came back.
Luo Chi slowly relaxed in the promise and closed his eyes.
Ming Weiting was still holding Luo Chi's hand.
He touched Luo Chi's closed eyelashes, adjusted the thin blanket, and raised his eyes to meet Ming Lu's gaze.
...Two days ago, Minglu went to the crew of "Flame".
After learning about Minglu's identity and purpose, Gong Hanrou brought Zhao Lan over personally, invited him to the reception room, and talked to him a lot.
After connecting "Flame" and the identity of the child mentioned by Ren Shuangmei, Gong Hanrou finally matched up many things.
In their correspondence and phone calls, Ren Shuangmei often couldn't help but talk to her about an overly sensible child, either boasting or worriedly.
Gong Hanrou had always mistakenly thought that the child Ren Shuangmei was talking about was Ren Chenbai.
"It's been mentioned many times... I just never thought about it carefully before."
Gong Hanrou pressed her forehead and smiled bitterly: "If you didn't want me to be reminded of that story, you would probably mention it in every letter."
These days, Gong Hanrou has been sorting out what they talked about.
She and Ren Shuangmei originally felt that they had a lot in common and became pen pals. They didn't meet up intentionally, and they only contacted each other occasionally by phone. Most of the time they wrote letters.
In the letters sent by Ren Shuangmei, she always couldn't help but mention a child.
He is smart and capable, and can learn anything once taught. Everyone likes him. His only shortcoming is that he is too sensible.
He is too sensible. If he fights with others outside, gets hurt or wronged, or gets bullied, he never tells anyone when he gets home.
However, every Hui can get revenge on her own, which is very similar to her and is particularly worthy of encouragement and should be continued.
But he refused to tell her anything, and his legs hurt so much that he couldn't sleep all night. It was not until the third day when she found the light on in the room that she caught him red-handed.
I didn't say anything, not even telling her how much pain I was in, for fear that she would worry.
…
After the disease was diagnosed, Ren Shuangmei actually talked with Gong Hanrou several times.
At that time, Ren Shuangmei was no longer able to write letters, so they chatted on the phone. In fact, Ren Shuangmei doesn’t care at all about how long she can live. She just feels a little regretful that she hasn’t had enough fun in this life, and she can’t let go of her family.
I can't let go of my family, some things at work, and most importantly, I can't let go of my child.
"He took good care of himself just to keep me from worrying."
Ren Shuangmei sighed with a headache on the phone: "What should I do if I can't worry about him in the future?"
Ren Shuangmei asked, why not just make a bucket list, including mountain climbing, diving, surfing, hang gliding, bungee jumping and skydiving, and let the child try them all for her one by one?
…
She rejected the idea before it even took shape. Ren Shuangmei felt that the child would definitely like diving, surfing and hang gliding in the future. She didn't want him to be sad because of thinking about her while playing these games.
Ren Shuangmei was about to record a few affectionate words for the child again, but she was really not in the mood for that. After brewing for a long time, she ended up blushing and even felt embarrassed to say those words that she could usually say openly.
In the end, Ren Shuangmei decided to find someone to make a guitar using the surfboard the child gave her.
That surfboard was super cool, the wood was warm, smooth and strong, she loved it and wanted to take it away.
No, I'd rather give it to that child who makes me worry so much.
That way, whenever the kid played the guitar, she would be able to hear it.
…
Minglu was silent for a moment, then looked at the tired director in front of him and said, "Yesterday, you went to the hospital."
"I made a mistake." Gong Hanrou pressed her brows hard, "I thought the child was from the Ren family..."
She kept the guitar for Ren Shuangmei and promised to give it to the child when he was most sad.
She went to attend Ren Shuangmei's funeral and heard from Ren's family that Ren Shuangmei's son was hospitalized because he couldn't bear the shock and has not woken up yet...
"I went to the hospital." Gong Hanrou regained her composure and whispered, "I went to see that person."
She didn't want to call Ren Chenbai's name anymore, and just briefly described the situation at that time.
She was taken to a special care ward.
The patients there are all highly aggressive and violent, and there is a potential for serious endangerment to the safety of others. They are basically sent for compulsory medical treatment and are controlled by sedatives and restraints every day.
Gong Hanrou has made relevant documentaries and knows that most of these people have lost all their rationality and are just immersed in endless confusion and frenzy every day.
So she was even a little surprised to see only a few patients who were awake.
...In fact, if Xun Zhen hadn't reminded her, the identity information would have matched, and Gong Hanrou wouldn't even be sure that was the former heir of the Ren family.
The man was so thin that he looked unrecognizable, his face was pale, his eyes were dark and lifeless, but he was indeed awake. He recognized Gong Hanrou at a glance, and almost stumbled over, grabbing the railing tightly.
"Let them drive me crazy, please, any way you want, even dreams. Can't they hypnotize me? Let them hypnotize me."
The man didn't notice Xun Zhen standing by, and stared at Gong Hanrou with his eyes slightly bulging. He lowered his voice very low, "Please, Aunt Gong, just let me die. Put me in your pocket and throw me into the sea, and let them let me go..."
Gong Hanrou ignored his nonsense and just asked him where the guitar was.
"He was conscious but his mind was confused... He made up a story for himself that Shuangmei lived with the Luo family's child and that the two people came to torture him every day."
Gong Hanrou whispered, "I feel very disappointed when I hear that."
Neither Ren Shuangmei nor Luo Chi looked like the lady of the Luo family who was also admitted to this ward. No matter how disappointed or regretful you are towards someone, it is impossible to do such a thing.
"Sometimes he remembered that the two men were no longer alive, and sometimes he didn't. When I asked him for the guitar, he thought I was asking for it on behalf of Luo Chi."
Gong Hanrou said: "Not long after... he suddenly started shouting hysterically, saying he had done nothing wrong."
"He said that he was right to hide the guitar and not give it to Luo Chi."
Gong Hanrou whispered, "He said Luo Chi couldn't bear this blow and would faint while holding his guitar. Luo Chi's health is not good, and this kind of stimulation will make Luo Chi's condition worse..."
She felt both heartbroken and disgusted, and really didn't know what to say. She just stood outside the window in silence.
The man's face soon changed again, and he kept admitting his mistakes to somewhere in the air in panic, apologizing endlessly, and begging his "brother" to look back at him.
When leaving the hospital, Xun Zhen said to Gong Hanrou that not everyone can go crazy.
Unlike those people in the Luo family, this individual condition is very typical. It is an extremely paranoid state of emotional deficiency, and it is difficult to go crazy.
This kind of fully awake despair, trapped between illusion and reality, will probably accompany this once promising heir of the Ren family for the rest of his life.
…
"There's no point in talking about this anymore... I guess there's probably no need to visit him in the future."
Gong Hanrou smiled bitterly: "According to what he said, the guitar should be in the Ren family's villa by the sea."
"He was disgusted by it, so he had it thrown into the storage room and never touched it once... This is probably the only good news I can give."
"Take it away and let it go where it belongs."
Gong Hanrou pressed her forehead hard.
She was silent for a long time, then said softly, "It's originally the wood for surfboards. It's so free, and I think I'll love the sea."
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