Chapter 14
Lu Huai's last words did not seem to have any effect on Jiang Yun.
As usual, he reported his work to senior management in an orderly manner, assigned tasks to his subordinates, attended endless online meetings, and reviewed and signed all kinds of complex and awkward confidential documents.
This day seemed no different from any other ordinary day in the past seventeen years.
Only after completing all the work did Jiang Yun come to the Starry Sky Lounge on the top floor of the spacecraft.
The Starry Sky Lounge is one of the most popular pastimes.
No one can refuse to have a drink with colleagues under the panoramic sunroof after a busy and stressful work, talking about interesting things not related to work, and chatting about their families waiting for them to come home in the capital.
There are nebulae in all directions that seem to be within reach, as if you are at the center of the vast universe.
It was already early morning when Jiang Yun arrived at the lounge, and the only person left in the lounge was a robot bartender dressed as a clown.
Jiang Yun sat down at the empty bar and asked the bartender for a glass of brandy.
The lights in the lounge were deliberately dimmed, and the dusk-like color slowly flowed on Jiang Yun's cold and pale face, and was blocked by his long eyelashes, casting a faint shadow under his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time or how many cups he had drunk, a voice rang in Jiang Yun's ears: "You've drunk too much, Jiang Yun."
Jiang Yun didn't look up. He looked at the reflection of the person on the wall of the wine glass, and the corners of his mouth, which were filled with the lingering aroma of wine, raised habitually.
This is the smile he must have as a diplomat, and he has practiced it countless times.
Even when facing people he doesn't like or even hates, as long as it is necessary in diplomatic occasions, Foreign Minister Jiang can always show a perfect and impeccable smile at the first moment.
"Does Lieutenant Colonel Morris really like to wander around late at night?" Jiang Yun sneered. "Last time it was the training room, and this time it's the lounge."
Perhaps because he drank too much brandy, Jiang Yun's voice was much lighter than usual, almost soft, which made Morris panic.
Morris sat down next to Jiang Yun, his turquoise eyes fixed on the Omega's slightly tipsy face, suppressing his emotions. "I heard Lu Huai's last words."
Jiang Yun raised his eyelids, a hint of drunken confusion in his eyes: "...Hmm?"
Oh, yes—last words.
Other senior executives are also qualified to listen to Lu Huai's last words. Everyone should know that Lu Huai no longer loves him.
Morris took a deep breath and with difficulty averted his gaze from Jiang Yun's face. He forced himself to stare at the wine glass in Jiang Yun's hand and said, "I understand Lu Huai. The reason Lu Huai said this is just because he wants you to forget him. He doesn't want to see you trapped for the rest of your life by those two short months. He hopes that your next journey will be happier without him. He...he doesn't want you to be alone forever."
Jiang Yun looked at Morris for a long time and wanted to laugh: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, you came to tell me this, do you think I don't know this?"
Morris was stunned: "You know?"
"How could I not know?" Jiang Yun wanted to laugh more and more as he spoke. "Although I gave birth to Lu Chao, Lu Chao's emotional intelligence is not inherited from me."
Morris didn't understand: "If you know, why..."
Why are you still so sad?
"Because Colonel Lu is always like this, isn't he?" Jiang Yun casually turned his wrist, the brandy in the glass swaying gently with his movements: "Why doesn't Colonel Lu understand? The more he is like this, the more people..." Jiang Yun's voice became softer and softer, and finally he almost whispered: "I can't forget it."
Can’t forget... Jiang Yun finally admitted that he couldn’t forget Lu Huai.
Morris's chest tightened, and an impulse surged in his heart. He blurted out: "Jiang Yun, tell me the truth, seventeen years ago, were you already in love with Lu Huai?"
Jiang Yun didn't answer Morris's question right away. He looked at the wine glass in his hand, then at the intertwining nebulae outside the window, as if trying to think hard about the problem.
Then he shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe... not yet?"
"Look," Morris said with a wry smile, "you're still lying."
Jiang Yun's drunkenness dissipated somewhat as his rational thinking took hold, but his words were still soft and warm. "At that time, I was too young. I hadn't graduated yet, I was still with my parents, and I... I was probably still growing taller. I didn't quite understand the weight behind the word 'love'. I only knew that I loved being with Colonel Lu, and I looked forward to having breakfast with him every day. I only knew that I had to wait patiently for Colonel Lu to come and take care of me—I knew Colonel Lu would solve all my unhappiness for me."
He didn't lie, he didn't lie to Morris, and he didn't lie to himself.
Even though he was so sad for Lu Huai, even though he didn't dare go back to No. 5 Qianshui Road, even though he didn't want to recall the past with Lu Huai.
He still didn't realize that he had fallen deeply in love with Lu Huai seventeen years ago.
"But...if you ask me, if Lu Huai were still alive, would I fall in love with him? I can tell you that I definitely would."
Morris froze suddenly.
"But he didn't even give me the time to fall in love with him. He just left me first." Jiang Yun looked at the position of his left ring finger and murmured softly: "Sometimes I don't even know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for me."
If he didn't love Lu Huai at that time, he could start a new life at any time.
If he loved Lu Huai very much at that time, he could also take this love and their child and wait for Lu Huai firmly for the rest of his life.
But Lu Huai...died just when he was about to fall in love with him.
——We could have been very happy.
——We definitely could have done it.
The words "We could have" rolled and polished back and forth in his seventeen years, almost becoming part of his bones and blood.
He really didn't know what to do with all these what-ifs and what-not.
Later, he gradually realized that some assumptions were meaningless in themselves.
If Lu Huai were still alive, you would definitely fall in love with him.
But now that Lu Huai is gone, will you not fall in love with him?
Morris had a thousand words to say to Jiang Yun, but they were all stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them. He could only tell Jiang Yun: "Lu Huai doesn't want you, he just has no other choice."
Jiang Yun nodded tiredly: "I know."
"It's okay, Jiang Yun. You're still young and you have plenty of time." Morris forced an encouraging smile. He didn't know what to do to make Jiang Yun feel better, so he could only say this high-sounding words: "You will definitely get better in the future, and there will be a day when you can let go."
"Let it go... there's still plenty of time..." Jiang Yun's eyes lost focus for a moment, and he suddenly said, "Colonel Lu used to tell me this all the time. He always said we had plenty of time, that he could take me to many places, that he could make breakfast for me forever—but what happened?"
Morris had never seen Jiang Yun like this before, and his Adam's apple rolled again and again: "Jiang Yun..."
Jiang Yun realized that he was about to lose control when he found that his tone was full of complaints.
He must have been really drunk, otherwise how could he have said this to Morris?
Jiang Yun closed his eyes, rubbed his brows and said, "Sorry, I lost my composure."
"It's okay," Morris said in a deep voice. "You can tell me anything you want. When you're feeling down, it always feels better to talk to someone."
Jiang Yun sighed and leaned back in his chair: "I want to rest for a while, you go back first."
Of course, Morris couldn't leave Jiang Yun alone in the lounge.
Jiang Yun did not ask him to leave again. He remained silent patiently until Jiang Yun's breathing became shallower and shallower and his long eyelashes stopped trembling.
Jiang Yun fell asleep.
Morris didn't want to disturb the sleeping beauty, but he also didn't want Jiang Yun to sleep in the lounge. After struggling, he decided to carry Jiang Yun back to his room.
Morris stood up and was about to pick up Jiang Yun by the waist when he heard a voice: "Uncle Morris."
Morris turned and looked.
Jiang Mu came to the lounge at some point, with his arms folded, looking at him coldly.
Jiang Mu had always been a well-behaved, gentle child, as warm as a spring breeze. It was the first time Morris was looked at like this by Jiang Mu, and his heart sank. "Xiao Mu, why are you here?"
"Lu Chao disobeyed me and secretly played games. I wanted to tell Dad about it." The boy must have just gotten out of bed; his hair was a little messy, but he was still dressed elegantly. He talked about trivial matters among children, but his expressionless face resembled Jiang Yun in diplomatic occasions. "Then the assistant sister told me that Dad came to the lounge."
Morris said, "Yes, your father is in a bad mood today."
Jiang Mu glanced at Jiang Yun who was lightly sleeping, and said slowly: "Excuse me, what do you want to do with my father?"
Morris explained awkwardly: "Your father was drunk, I just wanted to take him back to his room."
"Thank you for your kindness, but you don't have to worry about it." Jiang Mu's tone was cold but polite. "My brother and I will take Dad back."
Morris couldn't force it in front of the children, so he said, "Okay, then you all should go to bed early."
After Morris left, Jiang Mu first took off his coat and put it on his father, and then used the communicator to contact his younger brother.
Perhaps he felt the presence of his sons. When the two were about to take him back to the room, Jiang Yun suddenly moved his fingertips slightly, and then slowly opened his eyes.
Jiang Yun's face was slightly red due to the alcohol, his breath was unusually hot, and even his glands were silently releasing a little bit of pheromone.
"Dad?" Jiang Mu bent down, raised his hand and touched Jiang Yun's forehead, and asked with concern: "Are you okay? Do you want some water first?"
"Dad, are you in a bad mood?" Lu Chao also came closer to Jiang Yun, his handsome face magnified in Jiang Yun's vision: "Why did you drink so much? Did someone make you sad?"
Jiang Yun tried hard to keep his eyes focused on the children.
...His two treasures, the two treasures born to him and Colonel Lu.
He took Jiang Mu's hand from his forehead and held it in his palm.
Then he looked at Lu Chao.
Although he didn't know who Lu Chao inherited his emotional intelligence from, he always knew who Lu Chao inherited his looks from.
Lu Chao was looking at him, those eyes were looking at him.
It’s not the Jiang Yun of the past, but the Jiang Yun whose youth has passed and whose beauty is no longer there.
Jiang Yun raised his hand and wanted to touch those deep and bright eyes.
But the strong sleepiness still defeated him at an inopportune time.
Jiang Yun's hand slowly fell down uncontrollably.
He fell into a deep sleep.
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