Please help me tie my tie.
The night before Song Zicheng returned to Anhui, Lu Zhiyan made love to him. Fortunately, it only happened once, otherwise Song Zicheng would never have had the strength and energy to sit on the high-speed train for such a long time today.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and Lu Zhiyan had only been injured for a little over half a month. So before leaving, Song Zicheng bought a large amount of tonics for the apartment. Last night, when he was lying in bed after finishing, he mentioned again, "Find a professional caregiver to take care of you."
Unlike last time, Lu Zhiyan did not refuse, but simply hummed in response. It was unclear what the meaning of his hum was.
The weather was sunny today, with the sun high in the sky early, its warm rays shining on the earth.
Song Zicheng and Jiang Yuebai had arranged to meet at the high-speed rail station at eight o'clock. After having breakfast, he was carrying his suitcase and preparing to hail a taxi when Lu Zhiyan, who had just come out of the bedroom, was wearing a formal suit and holding a black tie in his left hand.
"Help me tie my tie."
Song Zicheng's phone, which was on his suitcase, remained lit up. Lu Zhiyan glanced at it and, seeing Song Zicheng tying a bow tie around his neck, said, "I'm going to the company later, so I'll drop you off at the high-speed rail station on my way."
"No need to trouble yourself, I can just take a taxi myself," Song Zicheng said quickly.
Although Song Zicheng had never been to Clarté Joaillerie, he had specifically searched for related information online and he clearly remembered that the company's location was definitely not in the same direction as the high-speed rail station.
He couldn't tell if Lu Zhiyan simply wanted to give it to him, and even if he did, he didn't need it; he didn't want Jiang Yuebai to see Lu Zhiyan.
"I said I'd give you a ride on my way," Lu Zhiyan repeated, his tone firm and leaving no room for refusal.
"I understand." Song Zicheng stopped arguing with him.
The half-hour drive passed quickly. When Song Zicheng took his luggage from the trunk, Lu Zhiyan was still sitting in the back seat and hadn't gotten out of the car, which made Song Zicheng feel much more at ease.
"Goodbye, Uncle Lu." Song Zian waved his little hand to say goodbye to Lu Zhiyan.
Lu Zhiyan rolled down the car window: "Goodbye, Zian," then turned his gaze to Song Zicheng, "Send me a message when you arrive."
“Mm,” Song Zicheng replied.
As the two figures completely disappeared into the vast sea of people, Lu Zhiyan slowly withdrew his gaze, the gradually rising car window reflecting the serious and heavy expression on Lu Zhiyan's face.
Since their last argument, Lu Zhiyan has never returned to the Lu residence, and naturally, he has never seen Lu Changhe again.
When the elevator stopped at the top floor, Lu Zhiyan took several seconds to get out. He stood in front of the chairman's office, hesitated for a while, and then knocked on the door.
Sitting in his office chair, Lu Changhe had been staring at Lu Zhiyan's arm ever since Lu Zhiyan came in. Only when Lu Zhiyan approached did he ask, "How did you get that?"
"It fell." The two short words are concise and to the point.
Lu Zhiyan spoke casually, his face devoid of any emotion, as if he had simply tripped and scraped his skin.
He didn't want to say much to Lu Changhe. The thought that he had been broken for over half a month and his dear father had only just found out made him inexplicably want to laugh. Over the years, he had long since become numb to it, and now his heart was completely unmoved, only finding it utterly ridiculous.
Lu Changhe didn't act out any fatherly affection. It seemed that concern and anxiety were not appropriate between the two of them. He simply said, "How could you be so careless? You should be more careful in the future," and then the topic returned to normal.
“Since your arm is injured and it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll let your younger brother go on that project in France. He’s only been with the company for a short time and needs more experience.”
As soon as Lu Changhe finished speaking, Lu Zhiyan suddenly stood up from his chair, his face filled with anger, and his voice rose several decibels: "No, I have to go to that project."
His sudden outburst surprised Lu Changhe, but not much: "It's just a small project, you don't need to go in person, your brother can go. You can stay home and recover."
Lu Zhiyan's anger grew stronger. He took half a step forward, bent over, and placed his left hand on Lu Changhe's desk. His eyes were bloodshot, and he said firmly but with a trembling voice, "You know what that project means to me. I said I must go. I am determined to get this project."
After saying that, he closed the door and left without looking back, leaving Lu Changhe sitting blankly in his chair, sighing softly. He pulled out the left drawer and took out a simple ring. He held the ring tightly in his palm, as if he were caught in a whirlpool of memories.
"Lu Zhize, come out here." Lu Zhiyan pushed open the conference room door, his cold voice instantly silencing the entire room.
Lu Zhize slowly stood up under everyone's gaze. His innocent and confused look made Lu Zhiyan even angrier. Lu Zhiyan took him to his office and closed the door.
"You want to take over that project in France?" Lu Zhiyan got straight to the point, without saying much more.
"yes."
"I'm warning you, I'm determined to get the French project. I advise you to give up on that idea now." Lu Zhiyan could no longer hide his anger.
Lu Zhize asked the question knowing the answer already, determined to push Lu Zhiyan's bottom line: "What if I insist on having that project?"
Lu Zhiyan narrowed his fierce eyes slightly, looking at Lu Zhize as if issuing a warning: "Then we'll see."
The atmosphere was at an awkward, frozen point, surrounded by a thick layer of tension; the slightest spark could ignite a fiery conflict between the two.
Lu Zhiyan squinted and stared fiercely at Lu Zhize. Lu Zhize was no less fierce, his expression tense, with an eerie atmosphere on his face. Suddenly, he sighed and said with a half-smile, "Since you are so persistent, brother, then I will not participate in this project."
Seemingly surprised by Lu Zhize's response, Lu Zhiyan observed his expression and secretly pondered, feeling that Lu Zhize was hiding some unsavory and despicable scheme beneath his calm exterior.
He couldn't see through or guess what his younger brother was up to. His brother had wild ideas and acted without leaving a trace. He had always regarded him as a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh. Now, he didn't know what evil he was plotting in his heart.
Regardless, since Lu Zhize said so, he naturally had to give him a way out: "I hope so."
The high-speed train from Beijing to Anhui takes less than five hours. The three of them sat together. Song Zi'an liked to sit by the window, resting his head on his hand and looking at the scenery along the way with his eyes wide open. When he got tired, he would take a nap and wake up just in time to arrive at the station.
The high-speed rail station, which I hadn't seen for a year, still felt so familiar. With the Spring Festival approaching, the station was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, heel to heel. Jiang Yuebai walked ahead, Song Zicheng tightly holding his younger brother's hand, struggling through the crowd. After more than ten minutes, they finally caught their breath in an open area.
Although it was past mealtime, they had only eaten some bread and snacks on the high-speed train. Now that they had gotten off the train, their hunger was even more pronounced.
"Are you hungry?" Song Zicheng asked, turning around to look at the two people behind him.
“A little. My parents have already prepared dinner at home and are waiting for us. Let’s take a taxi,” Jiang Yuebai said.
"OK."
Song Zicheng and Jiang Yuebai lived in the same community, one in building 10 and the other in building 15. It wasn't far from the high-speed rail station to their place, only about twenty minutes. The three of them got off the bus at the entrance of the community.
The three of them stood in a row with their luggage, looking up at the gate of the residential area. Little Song Zi'an's face was full of excitement, while Song Zicheng's expression was complicated, mostly joyful and secondarily sad.
Nine months have passed since I last returned from Qingming Festival. Time flies. In the blink of an eye, spring, when everything was reviving and flowers were in full bloom, has turned into winter, when everything is withered and covered in ice and snow.
Jiang Yuebai seemed to sense the sadness in Song Zicheng's heart. She patted Song Zicheng's shoulder, and when the two looked at each other, Jiang Yuebai smiled and said softly, "Let's go."
In stark contrast to the bleak atmosphere, the neighborhood was decorated with red lanterns, colorful flags of various colors, and ambient lights wrapped around the trees, creating a festive scene.
Song Zi'an jumped up excitedly. He walked briskly ahead, glancing back with a smile every now and then.
Song Zicheng originally wanted to go home first to put his luggage away, but Song Zian kept saying that he was very hungry, so he had no choice but to take his luggage and follow Jiang Yuebai upstairs.
As the elevator ascended, Song Zicheng took out two exquisite gift boxes from his backpack. Jiang Yuebai only glanced at them and said, "Didn't I say we didn't need to buy gifts?"
"It's just a small token of my appreciation. My aunt and uncle have helped me a lot, and it's rare for them to come back once a year. Giving them a gift is what I should do."
Jiang Yuebai didn't say anything more. With a "ding", the elevator came to a steady stop on the 12th floor. Before the three of them even reached the door, the door to room 1201 was opened from the inside.
"Oh, you're finally back!" Bai Ning said happily as she stood by the door.
"Mom." Jiang Yuebai, who was walking in front, greeted her first, followed by Song Zicheng, "Hello, Auntie," and finally Song Zian's soft, sweet voice.
Bai Ning smiled kindly at them, then stepped forward, touched Song Zi'an's little face, and took his little hand to walk into the house.
"Zi'an, you've become even more handsome! Have you missed your Aunt Bai?"
"Of course I've thought about it!"
"Oh, Auntie missed you too!"
When Song Zicheng came in last, he closed the door behind him. As soon as he entered, a wave of warm air hit him, making him feel very comfortable.
Just then, Jiang Yang was carrying dishes out of the kitchen. Song Zi'an greeted him sweetly, "Hello, Uncle Jiang," and Song Zicheng followed suit.
Jiang Yang saw that they were smiling broadly and said, "Alright, alright, go wash your hands and eat. You must be starving."
Song Zicheng handed the two gift boxes to Jiang Yang and Bai Ning respectively: "Auntie, this is a silk scarf I bought for you. Uncle, this is tea I bought for you."
"I've told you so many times, don't bring gifts, don't bring gifts, you child, you never listen again." Bai Ning looked at Song Zicheng with a hint of reproach.
"Uncle and Aunt, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it!"
It was already 2 p.m. when they finally started eating lunch. The table was piled high with steaming dishes, making them even hungrier than before.
Jiang Yang and Bai Ning had already eaten, and they sat at the table, looking at the children with gentle eyes. Bai Ning would occasionally use her chopsticks to put food into Song Zi'an's bowl, who was sitting next to her.
"How is Zi'an's health now? He looks much better than when I last saw him," Bai Ning asked, looking at Song Zicheng who was engrossed in his meal.
“Zian’an’s health is quite stable right now; the checkups over the past few months have all been normal,” Song Zicheng said.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yang and Bai Ning relaxed considerably, their faces showing joy and relief. Bai Ning patted Song Zi'an's head gently and said, "Eat more meat."
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