The turmoil of this conflict soon subsided, and the next day, neither of them mentioned it again. Whether it was the art exhibition or drinking, Chi Qiu didn’t mention it again and Lu Ming too, didn’t take the initiative to mention it.
At first, facing such an atmosphere, Chi Qiu was a little uncomfortable. He opened his mouth several times, but before speaking, he closed his mouth embarrassingly. No matter how upset Chi Qiu was, Lu Ming’s expression remained unchanged.
His and Lu Ming’s lives were also the same, seemingly unchanged from before.
Sometimes intimate, sometimes respectful.
Lu Ming was still the same good companion who was always on the line at two o’clock every day, unfailingly attentive to Chi Qiu. He would buy flowers for Chi Qiu, would take Chi Qiu to concerts, and would also respond to Chi Qiu’s needs——whether it was trivial matters in life, or his not-so-diligent bed affairs.
If not for his emotional indifference, Lu Ming would be a perfect partner.
However, it was this kind of ‘good’ that made Chi Qiu more and more confused.
This was an unsolvable question, and the more Chi Qiu cared about it, the more unhappy he became. Gradually, Chi Qiu’s heart began to learn to reconcile with himself.
He thought that they still needed time to bond. He told himself countless times that he was willing to wait for Lu Ming.
In the afternoon of a working day, when Lu Ming was still working at the company, Chi Lanyan suddenly came over without a word of greeting. Carrying some of Chi Qiu’s favorite food, she rarely appeared in the Lu family’s villa with a gentle attitude.
When Auntie Zhang saw her, she was nervous for no reason.
In a hurry, Auntie Zhang hastily brought tea and put it in front of Ji Lanyan, who always loved to pick on her. But today, Chi Lanyan did not say a word, her mood was so calm that it was unbelievable.
Auntie Zhang raised her head curiously and found that Chi Lanyan, who had always been delicate in the past, had come over today without even wearing makeup.
The bare face made Chi Lanyan look haggard in front of them. She was visibly thinner, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes became much clearer.
It seemed that in a place that Chi Qiu could not see, Chi Lanyan was suffering.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Faced with such a Chi Lanyan, Chi Qiu worriedly held her hand and asked: “Is something wrong, why didn’t you tell me?”
Chi Lanyan lowered her head. She organized words in her heart for a long time before saying slowly: “I plan to divorce Lin Yuming.”
Chi Qiu was stunned, almost unresponsive.
He heard Chi Lanyan say: “In fact, I have been thinking about getting a divorce for many years. In the past, Xiao Xia wouldn’t let me get a divorce. She always felt that I was biased towards you, and I also felt that I owed her…But she has grown up now. As a mother, what I should do and what I can do, I have done all of it. If she still resents me, there is really nothing I can do.”
Chi Qiu held her hand tightly: “Mom…”
“Xiao Qiu, it’s mom’s fault. I shouldn’t have remarried in the first place. All these years, you have suffered so many grievances, ba?”
“No! You have always been very protective of me, I have not been wronged.”
Chi Lanyan sighed: “No matter how much I protect you, I couldn’t protect you completely and the protection might not be right.”
It was also because of her ‘protection’ that caused a deviation in Chi Xia’s heart and a huge crack appeared in the relationship with Chi Qiu. It was something that Chi Lanyan could not repair.
“I’m not a good mother, neither to you nor to Xiao Xia.” She looked at the kind and understanding Chi Qiu as she rubbed his hand. Her eyes were slightly wet and the voice had a slight tremor: “That’s why Xiao Xia would rather run away with someone and contact his father only, rather than communicate with me properly. In fact, if she really doesn’t not like Lu Yinliang, how can I force her to get married?”
All said and done, it was her fault. She was not a gentle mother, and she was not a mother who could make her daughter feel at ease.
“I’m not a good mother,” she repeated.
Chi Qiu could not bear Chi Lanyan’s self-blame and kept shaking his head: “Don’t say that.”
In Chi Qiu’s heart, Chi Lanyan was indeed a good mother, but every family had their own difficulties. It was already hard enough for her to be busy with work and take care of her family by herself.
Chi Lanyan patted his hand, pretending to be relaxed and pursed the corners of her lips: “I come over here today, just want to tell you about this matter. I’m already communicating with Lin Yuming. When the consultation is done, I’ll go and do the formalities. He has completely moved out of the house now. You, ah, just come back home whenever you want to, that’s your home too.”
And there was no longer anyone in the family who would treat Chi Qiu with cold eyes.
“Mom…”
“In the past, I was always worried that Lin Yuming would treat you badly, and that in the future, Chi Xia would be influenced by him and would leave you alone. So I worked hard to run the company and intended to leave you with enough money…thinking that even if Chi Xia doesn’t care about you in the future, with this money, you won’t be starving and freezing. You can hire someone to take care of you.”
Chi Lanyan smiled wryly, lamenting that her idea was too simple.
Even Chi Qiu was shocked. He always thought that Chi Lanyan was also the one who didn’t want to divorce, thinking that Chi Lanyan, like Chi Xia, wanted to maintain the peace of the family.
In the end, the person who was as miserable as himself was Chi Lanyan, who was caught in the middle.
“But what is the use of having money alone. It’s best to have someone to care for and someone to remember.”
Like her, the surface looked bright and shiny, but the home was a mess, so she often felt lonely. Every time she worked late until late at night, when she came home, she was greeted only by a cold bedroom.
She was very afraid that Chi Qiu would also be like her in the future, guarding a home alone.
But it was fine now.
Chi Lanyan pursed up the corners of her mouth, showing a look of gratitude and said with a sigh of relief: “Now, you’re married to someone you like and he likes you too. Xiao Qiu, I’m really happy that you can live a happy life.”
A large part of her worry was gradually put down. Perhaps it was because Chi Qiu had found his own happiness that Chi Lanyan was able to muster up the courage to divorce Lin Yuming. Even if this divorce would make Chi Xia extremely disappointed in her, would make Chi Xia refuse to promise to take care of Chi Qiu in the future… But now, Chi Lanyan was not afraid.
This was a rare heart-to-heart conversation between the mother and son. Chi Lanyan was very happy and talked a lot.
Chi Qiu’s eyes turned red when he heard it, and he clenched Chi Lanyan’s hand with both hands, never letting go.
Before Chi Lanyan left, Chi Qiu hurriedly proved to her: “Mom! From now on, from now on we will all have a good life. You really don’t have to worry about me. I am very happy now, Lu Ming loves me very much and treats me very well. I will live a very good life. You can rest assured.”
Chi Lanyan touched his face and said gratefully, “I know, silly boy.”
…
That night, Chi Qiu wanted to tell Lu Ming about Chi Lanyan’s decision to get a divorce. He waited on the sofa in the living room late at night, alone, hugging a pillow.
Auntie Zhang kindly reminded him, “Sir, you should call Mr. Lu if you have anything to do. He said he has to work late tonight and probably he will be back very late..”
Chi Qiu shook his head, “It’s not something that has to be done urgently, no need to call.” He was afraid of disturbing Lu Ming working overtime and said very understandingly: “It’s just that I don’t have anything else to do and I’m not sleepy, so I want to wait for him to come back.”
“Sir, Mr. Lu has instructed me that I shouldn’t let you wait for him like this when he’s working overtime.”
“Then I’ll go to bed when it’s time, is that okay?”
Auntie couldn’t persuade him so she brought him some fruits.
But while Chi Qiu waited silently, Lu Ming appeared in the box of a restaurant. He contacted the private detective who had helped him investigate Chi Qiu——Lin Ye, again.
And just two hours before Lu Ming contacted Lin Ye, Lu Fengshen had called Lu Ming.
It just so happened that Lu Ming also had something to ask Lu Fengshen.
Both of them spoke in unison——
Lu Ming: “Did you meet with Xia Zhiyan?”
Lu Fengshen: “Zhiyan came to see me yesterday.”
Both of them: “…”
Lu Fengshen gave a sarcastic laugh and said in wonder: “You’re so well-informed?”
In this case, Lu Fengshen stopped going around in circles. He cleared his throat: “Zhiyan came to me specially yesterday. He said that he did something wrong to you back then, and he has always been deeply sorry.”
“…” Lu Ming was getting tired of hearing these words.
“Lu Ming, although I don’t know what happened between you, but his attitude is very sincere. He said he wants to get your forgiveness, and hopes that can help Chi Qiu.”
“Chi Qiu?” Lu Ming’s indifferent expression rose with a slight ripple.
For some reason, he seemed to dislike the names Xia Zhiyan and Chi Qiu appearing together.
Lu Fengshen actually did not want to get involved in this matter, but Xia Zhiyan’s apology was so sincere that he had to make this call to Lu Ming.
Lu Feng Shen said: “Do you know that there is a well-known ophthalmologist in Country X? I heard Zhiyan say that it is difficult to make an appointment with this doctor. Money alone is not useful, he also selects his own patients. I don’t know what connections Zhiyan has made, but he said he has already talked to him. In these two months, you can take chi Qiu there at any time.” He thought, “Chi Qiu’s right eye is an acquired blindness and it can also perceive light, so there may be a way to treat it.”
Lu Ming raised his eyebrows and had deep doubts about Xia Zhiyan’s ‘good intentions; he dared to confirm it: “Xia Zhiyan is not so kind.”
Lu Fengshen did not refute him on this point, he only said: “I know you are cautious, so I asked someone to check this doctor yesterday. The result is the same as what he said. It’s true”
He was Lu Ming’s own uncle, so naturally he would not harm Lu Ming and Chi Qiu.
However, Lu Fengshen really came at a bad time. Lu Ming had only just discovered the secret of Chi Qiu’s feigned blindness and he didn’t plan to break it at all. If he accepted Lu Fengshen’s suggestion, Chi Qiu would be in a difficult situation.
For this reason, Lu Ming flatly rejected Lu Fengshen: “Chi Qiu’s eyes have not improved even after so many years of treatment, which means that these are of no use.”
Lu Fengshen wanted to say something, but was directly interrupted by Lu Ming: “Uncle, I hope you can stop interacting with Xia Zhiyan.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t want to make things too complicated before, so I didn’t tell you.”
Now, it was Xia Zhiyan himself who started it and wanted to reveal the old matter. Lu Ming had to say it, and it was a kind of a wake up call for Lu Fengshen: “The reason Xia Zhiyan could become a designer was because he stole mother’s design draft.”
Even if this design had long been retrieved by Lu Ming, this incident would be the deepest flaw in Xia Zhiyan’s life.
Lu Ming didn’t understand; Xia Zhiyan was already a well-known designer, so why did he risk his reputation and ruin by approaching him again and again.