Come to France with me.
This was the first time Lu Zhiyan had mentioned his mother to Song Zicheng in all the time they had known each other.
Song Zicheng knew a little about Fang Zhiyi. When he was researching Lu Zhiyan online, he specifically looked at the reports about his mother.
The mother and son were practically identical. When Song Zicheng first saw Lu Zhiyan, he was stunned by his extremely alluring face. When he saw Fang Zhiyi's photo, he couldn't help but marvel at the existence of such a charming and intellectual woman in the world.
The report said that Fang Zhiyi, accused of plagiarism, ended her life due to the public outcry and abuse. Later, he saw another report that Lu Zhiyan, only twenty years old, had collected various pieces of evidence to clear his mother's name.
Since then, Song Zicheng, hailed as a rising star and genius in the design world, declared that he would never again pick up a pen to design anything. This statement caused a great stir at the time, with various trending topics expressing regret and sorrow for this rising star.
No matter how arrogant or mature a person is, they will always show their soft and childlike side in front of their mother, and Song Zicheng had never seen this side of Lu Zhiyan before.
Song Zicheng's hand gradually moved to the back of Lu Zhiyan's head, stroking his hair with extreme tenderness and affection, again and again, as if this could soothe the wounds and sadness in his heart.
“How could that be? You are your mother’s only relative in this world. You are the continuation of her existence in this world. Blood is thicker than water. Your mother’s blood flows in your veins. How could you not be related? Are you silly?” Song Zicheng said gently to comfort her.
Lu Zhiyan released his arm and pulled Song Zicheng to sit on his lap. The two faced each other and looked into each other's eyes. Song Zicheng could clearly see Lu Zhiyan's reddened eyes, with a few tears welling up in them, looking at him with teary eyes.
Song Zicheng opened his arms and bent over to hug Lu Zhiyan. The moment he touched him, Lu Zhiyan pulled him closer and rubbed him against his chest. The two of them were pressed tightly together, and the fragrance and warmth emanating from their recent showers were even more intense between them. This hug, which was full of a sense of security, softened Lu Zhiyan's heart. His unease and anxiety were instantly soothed. He really liked this hug.
“Why don’t you come to France with me this summer? My mom loves France the most, and I want to take you there. Is that okay?” Lu Zhiyan asked softly.
“Okay.” Song Zicheng agreed readily.
More than a month passed quickly. Song Zicheng was extremely busy these days, dealing with final exams, passport and visa applications, packing luggage, and taking Zian for a follow-up examination. Everything was proceeding in an orderly and methodical manner.
On the day of departure, Song Zicheng woke up very early. He glanced out the window and saw that it was just getting light, probably around four or five o'clock. Although he hadn't slept much the night before, he was very energetic at the moment. Even though he closed his eyes and tried to sleep a little longer, he just couldn't fall asleep.
He walked to the window and looked at the dawn breaking through the sky, feeling a rare excitement. His last trip was three years ago; in those three years, he had only traveled between Beijing and Anhui. He was both looking forward to and anxious about this trip.
"Brother, are you awake?" Song Zicheng, who was standing by the window in a daze, was suddenly brought back to his senses by Song Zian's words.
"Come in."
Song Zi'an pushed open the door with a creak and walked in. "Brother, I can't sleep."
Song Zicheng stroked his hair and said gently, "Brother too, shall we wash up and double-check our things?"
“Hmm,” Song Zian nodded.
Lu Zhiyan arrived early as well. When he came in, he was carrying a bag of dim sum from a popular restaurant that Song Zicheng had seen online. Song Zicheng didn't know how Lu Zhiyan knew he wanted to eat at this restaurant, as he remembered that he had never mentioned it.
Before takeoff, Song Zicheng sent a message to Jiang Yuebai and Ling Chu respectively, telling them that he was going abroad and not to worry. At first, he planned to tell them when he treated them to a meal, but after thinking about it carefully, he decided against it.
July in France feels like late summer or early autumn; the temperature is neither too high nor too low, and a simple T-shirt and jeans are just right for the weather. Stepping out of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Song Zicheng looked at the unfamiliar place and the unfamiliar people before him, and only then did he truly realize that he had actually flown for more than ten hours, crossing ten thousand kilometers, to arrive in this romantic country.
The person who came to pick me up at the airport was a young man with a very European appearance, but he spoke fluent Chinese: "Hello, Mr. Lu."
After saying that, he took the suitcase from Song Zicheng, reached out and opened the car door, considerately shielding the top of the door with his palm. As Song Zicheng got into the car, he nodded and said thank you.
The car didn't drive long before turning onto an exceptionally wide and clean road. On both sides of the road were flowers of various colors, blooming vibrantly and freely. They swayed and moved in the wind, as if warmly welcoming the visitors.
What followed was a series of villas that came into view and gave people an absolute visual impact. Before we could take our time to admire them, the car had already come to a smooth stop.
Song Zicheng, who had just gotten out of the car, was slightly taken aback when he saw the Baroque-style villa in front of him. The villa was very large, with four floors, and the place where they were standing was a large, lush green lawn that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.
At this moment, a woman who looked to be about fifty years old came out from inside. She smiled kindly at Song Zicheng and Song Zian and said, "Hello, I am the housekeeper here. You can call me Aunt Liu. Welcome to our place."
Song Zicheng smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Aunt Liu." Then Song Zian added a similar comment.
After such a long flight, even if they ate airplane food and fell asleep on the plane, the three of them were still starving and sleepy when they landed.
As soon as they entered, a rich aroma of food wafted over them. Lu Zhiyan was the first to walk to the dining table, followed closely by Song Zicheng.
"Aunt Liu, are the guest rooms all ready?" Lu Zhiyan asked.
"Everything's packed up," Aunt Liu replied from the side.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Aunt Liu."
After dinner, Song Zicheng followed Aunt Liu upstairs. Two guest rooms had been prepared, but since it was Song Zian's first time in this unfamiliar place, or perhaps because the villa was too big and he felt unsafe, he clung tightly to Song Zicheng's clothes and followed behind.
"Mr. Song, this is your room," Aunt Liu said, then pointed to the room next door, bending down to speak to Song Zi'an.
"Zi'an, that's your room."
Song Zi'an refused, shaking his head and saying, "Brother, I don't want to sleep alone, I want to sleep with you."
Looking at his younger brother's nervous face, Song Zicheng patted his hair and said, "Okay, you can sleep with your older brother."
“Aunt Liu, we don’t need that guest room. My brother can sleep in the same room with me. You can just call me Xiao Song from now on. Thank you for your help.”
Song Zicheng spoke each word with impeccable manners and grace, making his already handsome face even more charming. Aunt Liu looked at him with admiration, then smiled with satisfaction: "You're welcome."
"Knock knock knock"
"Enter."
After finishing his meal, Lu Zhiyan did not lie down to sleep, but was sitting in his office chair in the study.
The girl who entered was very young, in her early twenties, with a typical East Asian appearance. She wore a simple yet elegant white dress, and her jet-black hair flowed down her back, seemingly floating in the air with her every step.
"Mr. Lu, you wanted to see me?"
"You don't need to go to the company for the next two weeks. Just come here at eight o'clock every day. There are other tasks for you to do, starting tomorrow."
Song Zicheng slept for a long time, and before he knew it, it was past ten o'clock. When he woke up, Song Zian was still sleeping soundly in his arms. After a long flight of more than ten hours, Song Zian looked not very well.
Song Zicheng's heart tightened. He touched his younger brother's forehead and, finding no fever, breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly dressed and stood by the window, lost in thought.
Song Zicheng had a habit since childhood. Most people's first thing after getting up and dressing is either to wash up or to go to the toilet, but he was different. Every day, no matter how early or late he got up, he would stand in front of the window and stare blankly at the scenery outside, as if this could drive away the drowsiness of a night's sleep and make his brain more awake.
This time was no exception, but everything outside the window was no longer the familiar environment he knew. He stared blankly at the famous sycamore trees in the distance, and inexplicably recalled the time when he took a second foreign language, French, and the teacher talked eloquently in class, recounting her wonderful study abroad life.
At the time, Song Zicheng was preoccupied with making money through part-time jobs, but now that he has actually witnessed this scene, he is still moved and touched.
It was almost lunchtime when Song Zi'an groggily woke up. As the two went downstairs, Song Zicheng held his younger brother's hand and asked worriedly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Song Zicheng shook his head; "No, I'm just a little sleepy."
"If you feel unwell, be sure to tell your brother immediately, okay?"
"Um."
Song Zicheng had barely taken two steps down the stairs when he saw a girl sitting at the dining table. The girl was facing away from him, and although he couldn't see her face clearly, he could tell from her elegant and upright posture and the sharp angles of her profile that she was very beautiful. Song Zicheng frowned unconsciously as he looked at her, a serious expression flashing across his face.
Upon hearing footsteps, the girl quickly stood up and greeted Song Zicheng: "Hello, Mr. Song, I am Dong Yue."
The girl's gentle smile was so bright and sunny, yet Song Zicheng felt a strange, subtle feeling. He walked to the dining table, smiled at the girl, and said hello.
At this moment, Lu Zhiyan, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke up: "Dong Yue is a doctoral student in clinical medicine. During her time in France, she will be monitoring Zi'an's health."
Upon hearing this, Song Zi felt apologetic for his earlier rudeness and said sincerely, "Miss Dong, thank you for your help during this time."
The day after Song Zicheng had rested, his trip to France officially began.
"Cafés on the Left Bank of the Seine"
I hold a cup in my hand, savoring your beauty.
...
The Seine River described in the lyrics has now become a tangible image in Song Zicheng's eyes. In the evening, at sunset, the sky is tinged with a grayish hue. As you travel by boat along the Seine, passing under bridges, you can see the magnificent, glittering Eiffel Tower standing on the riverbank.
This reminded him of a short video he had seen on his phone before, and another popular song started playing in his ears.
"Flew over 10,000 kilometers"
Counting the distance between myself and you
How did I end up going to Paris alone?
Searching for the scenery we once talked about
...
At this moment, in this scene, these lyrics both fit the occasion and seem out of place. Tilting his head, he saw that he wasn't alone. To his left was his most important younger brother, and to his right was Lu Zhiyan, whom he had known for a short time over the past twenty years but who held a significant place in his life.
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