How could you forget me at this time?
Even though the car was still some distance from the villa, they could already see Song Zi'an and Dong Yue standing at the door waving at them. The closer the car got, the clearer they could see the excited smile on Song Zi'an's face.
As soon as Song Zicheng opened the car door, Song Zi'an immediately ran over, hugged his waist, and shook him. He looked up and said with wide eyes, "Brother, you're finally back."
Song Zicheng patted his head, reached out and picked up his younger brother, pinched his cheek with his right hand, and said gently, "Did you miss your older brother?"
"Yes, of course I've been thinking about it, I think about it every day," Song Zian said, pouting.
After saying that, he glanced at Lu Zhiyan behind him and said, "I also miss Uncle Lu."
"Uncle Lu misses you too," Lu Zhiyan said, touching Song Zian's little hand.
After the three of them finished exchanging pleasantries, Song Zicheng turned his gaze to Dong Yue, who was standing to the side, and said in a sincere tone, "Dr. Dong, thank you for your help these past few days!"
Dong Yue smiled and shook her head, "It's nothing. Did you guys have fun on this trip?"
Song Zicheng nodded and recounted his experiences and observations over the past few days at the dinner table. Song Zian and Dong Yue listened attentively, occasionally letting out a gasp of surprise. Lu Zhiyan's face remained expressionless, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes as he looked at Song Zicheng.
The villa was exceptionally quiet at night, perfectly complementing the tranquility of the evening. Only the occasional chirping of cicadas in the trees broke the stillness of the night.
Today is the middle of the month, and the bright moon in the sky is like a salted egg yolk mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Its translucent yet slightly yellow moonlight shines down in beams, illuminating the streets of Paris at night.
At this moment, Lu Zhiyan, who was standing by the window smoking, looked at the moon with a furrowed brow. He held the cigarette butt between his slender fingers, took a light drag and slowly exhaled. The smoke swirled around him, but it could not hide the melancholy on his face.
"President Lu, Li Bin's attitude is very firm. No matter what conditions we offer, he is unwilling," Dong Yue reported solemnly from behind.
Lu Zhiyan exhaled a puff of smoke: "Have you figured out the reason?"
"The truth is still unclear, but what we do know is that someone offered Li Bin a very high price. And that's not all. Judging from Li Bin's hesitant manner, he seems to be very afraid of that person."
Lu Zhiyan gently crushed the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt between two fingers, and it went out instantly. His face was gloomy, and his voice was hoarse and heavy as he said, "Continue to investigate. We must find out who is behind this. No matter how much it costs, we must keep Li Bin firmly under control."
"Yes." Dong Yue looked at Lu Zhiyan's melancholy figure and hesitated before continuing, "Smoking too much is bad for your health."
Lu Zhiyan turned around and glanced at Dong Yue, chuckling softly, "I'm smoking less now than before."
He paused after speaking, his tone softening as if he were talking to his younger sister: "You don't have a boyfriend yet?"
Dong Yue did not answer.
“You’re not getting any younger, you can start looking now. If you find someone, be sure to tell me, and I’ll give you my opinion. My mom and I both want you to be happy.”
Dong Yue was a girl that her mother, Fang Zhiyi, donated twenty years ago. That year, her mother went to a small mountain village in Guizhou in search of inspiration. There, she saw little Dong Yue, who was only six years old, with disheveled hair and wearing tattered clothes and slippers, cutting grass in the fields.
Fang Zhiyi walked straight over. Her white, shiny, and delicate leather shoes looked out of place on the muddy yellow earth. When she reached the girl, she took out a piece of candy from her bag. The little girl frowned as she looked at her, her eyes filled with longing for the candy and curiosity about Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi smiled gently and held the candy out to the girl further: "Here you go!"
The girl hesitated and slowly extended her dark, muddy hand, blinking her clear, bright eyes as she said, "Thank you, sister!"
Fang Zhiyi talked to the girl a lot and learned her name, how many siblings she had, why she didn't go to school, and so on.
Before leaving, she turned back and asked Xiao Dongyue, "Do you want to go to school?"
Xiao Dongyue nodded in confusion, but her expression was firm. You could really see her love and dedication to reading through her eyes.
Later, her wish came true. With Fang Zhiyi's help and her own talent and hard work, Dong Yue made great strides and ranked first every year. Even after Fang Zhiyi passed away, she prepared a large sum of money for Dong Yue's education before she left.
In Dong Yue's eyes, Fang Zhiyi was such a gentle and kind person, and she was a benefactor in her life. Without her, there would be no Dong Yue today. Therefore, she was also full of gratitude for Fang Zhiyi's only son, Lu Zhiyan.
Dong Yue is a very free-spirited and decisive person. Since learning about Lu Zhiyan's sexual orientation, she has decisively given up her feelings for him. For so many years, Lu Zhiyan has been alone, lonely and in pain. Now she has seen Song Zicheng. In fact, when she first saw Song Zicheng, she did not think there was anything special about this man. He was just a bit good-looking.
But after getting to know him, she admired Song Zicheng and was impressed by him. She could also see that there was affection in the eyes of both Lu Zhiyan and Song Zicheng when they looked at each other.
“Xiao Song is a very good person,” Dong Yue suddenly said.
Lu Zhiyan was surprised that Dong Yue would suddenly mention Song Zicheng. He paused for a moment, then smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection: "Yes."
The three of them stayed in France for nearly a month. Before returning home, Song Zicheng bought many gifts. He bought Dong Yue a fountain pen that was very easy to use and Aunt Liu a silk scarf.
As the car drove away from the villa toward Charles de Gaulle Airport, Song Zicheng felt a pang of reluctance as he looked at the somewhat familiar scene before him.
This trip to France was of great significance to him. During this journey, he rediscovered the free-spirited, youthful self that he had long suppressed. For the previous four years, he had been racing against time every day, daring not to slack off or relax even for a moment. He wrapped himself up and disguised himself layer by layer, and after so long, even he himself could not distinguish which one was the real him.
He gained a lot this month. Happiness, joy, excitement, the unknown, novelty... all kinds of emotions intertwined, making each day of his life exceptionally meaningful and valuable. Every night when he lay in bed, his mind was no longer filled with complicated and trivial matters. He even felt a sense of curiosity and excitement, looking forward to what new things he would encounter when the sun rose the next day.
From the outside in, from body to mind, Song Zicheng felt as if he had been reborn, filled with high spirits. He made up his mind to greet each day with a brand new look after he returned.
After returning to the capital, Song Zicheng immediately took his younger brother to the hospital for a check-up. Unfortunately, Ling Chu was off that day, so the two did not see each other. After returning, Song Zicheng slept for a full day and night, making up for all the sleep he had missed.
Having just finished, Lu Zhiyan held the limp Song Zicheng tightly in his arms. Looking at the lingering flush on Song Zicheng's face, he asked, "When you invite your friends to dinner tomorrow, what are you planning to tell them you went to France?"
At this moment, Song Zicheng was still not clear-headed. It took him a while to react to what Lu Zhiyan said before he slowly and weakly replied, "Before boarding the plane, I explained in the group that there was a person in France who was a bone marrow match for Song Zian. I went there to find out more about the situation, and the French hospital also has a special treatment plan for leukemia."
Song Zicheng's reason was both appropriate and inappropriate, but overall there was little to disclose, except for one point.
"Then where did you get the money to stay in France for a month?" Lu Zhiyan asked again.
Song Zicheng hadn't thought about this question carefully and found it difficult to answer for the time being.
Seeing Song Zicheng's furrowed brows and speechless expression, Lu Zhiyan tapped his brow with his finger and chuckled, "So slow to react, where did your usual quick wit go?" He took Song Zicheng's hand and placed it on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "How could you forget me now? I'm a donor to your hospital, so of course I'm the one who's funding your trip abroad."
Upon hearing this, Song Zicheng looked as if he had just realized something, his brows gradually relaxing as he said blankly, "Oh, right."
The August sun in Beijing was exceptionally scorching. Even sitting quietly at home, sweat would trickle down your forehead, down your cheeks, and finally drip onto the floor, forming a small puddle. To avoid the sweltering heat, Song Zicheng set his dinner time for 7 p.m.
Ling Chu and Jiang Yuebai appeared at the entrance of the private room of the barbecue restaurant at the same time. "You're here, please have a seat," Song Zicheng said to them.
After the three of them ordered their food, they all put their phones down in tacit agreement. Song Zicheng then took out two gift boxes from his bag and placed them in front of Ling Chu and Jiang Yuebai respectively: "These are gifts for you."
Ling Chu and Jiang Yuebai remained silent and motionless, only glancing at each other before Jiang Yuebai finally spoke, asking, "What have you gained from your month-long trip to France?"
Song Zicheng has indeed gained a lot in the past month or so. Although he has spent most of his time sightseeing in France, he is most concerned about the most important thing.
"Yes, we've already contacted a matchmaker and got to know a research institution that specializes in leukemia. Although we haven't gained much, overall it's very good news, and I have full confidence in Zi'an's surgery."
For a month and a half after returning from France, Song Zicheng lived a peaceful life. After his trip to France, his relationship with Lu Zhiyan had grown closer. Although neither of them said it outright, their daily interactions resembled those of a couple deeply in love. With very few classes in his senior year, Song Zicheng found a job as an intern at a nearby high school. As an intern teacher, he had a lot to learn, but overall he wasn't very busy.
Every day after get off work, he would go home to cook dinner, watch TV with his younger brother while waiting for Lu Zhiyan to come home for dinner, and then the two of them would wash the dishes together. After dinner, he would take Song Zian to the park for a walk, to admire the flowers and enjoy the cool air.
During this period, the two had a perfect understanding and were very harmonious. So much so that during the three years that followed, when Song Zicheng was deeply remorseful and felt guilty, he would use this short period of one and a half months to heal himself whenever he was tormented by longing in the quiet of the night.
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