This time, Lu Fengshen ran for nothing.
He returned to the Lu family’s villa and as soon as he entered the villa, the windows were closed and the curtains were drawn. The room was lifeless, just as lifeless as Lu Ming.
Now that there was no Chi Qiu, this villa returned to how it was in the past; full of gloom and damp smell.
Unable to stand it, Lu Fengshen pulled the curtains open. He pulled the decadent Lu Ming out of the bedroom and asked him to take a shower before forcing him to sit at the dining table.
“I made soup before leaving home and it’s just stewing through now.” He deliberately pulled his tone upward in an attempt to lighten the mood. He quickly stir-fried two simple dishes and brought them to the table together.
Lu Ming, under his urging, picked up chopsticks like a puppet, chewing and swallowing.
Lu Fengshen served him a bowl of soup and thoughtfully placed it in front of him: “I just went to Chi’s house and found out that you and Chi Qiu are getting divorce.”
Lu Ming paused, thinking that Lu Fengshen wanted to ask something.
In the end, Lu Fengshen just got up, patting Lu Ming’s shoulder as he sighed: “It’s good, Chi Qiu is a thorough person who can afford to let go.” He was trying to persuade Lu Ming, “Your start with him was originally a mistake. Your grandmother and I have always disapproved of you doing that. Now that the relationship is broken, you should try to be optimistic.”
Lu Ming did not answer.
After a long time, Lu Fengshen lowered his head and took a bite of rice. After swallowing, he said: “The matter on Lu Rongtian’s side…you should let it go. It’s been so many years since your mother passed away. You torture yourself like this, we also feel sad when we look at you. To put it bluntly, revenge is revenge, but the tortured ones are living people. Your grandmother and I, as well as your deceased grandfather, all wish you well.”
After saying a bunch of things, Lu Ming still didn’t answer anything.
Lu Fengshen knew that he could not persuade him so he patiently put away his words and planned to continue it next time. He took a sip of the soup and rounded himself off, boasting: “Well, let’s not talk about it. You can try this soup. I got up early in the morning to cook it for you, it tastes really good. You haven’t eaten well these days, you need to make up for it.”
Lu Ming looked at the bone soup with chopped green onions floating in front of him. He lowered his head to take a sip but couldn’t taste anything. In order to live up to Lu Fengshen’s good intentions, Lu Ming bit the bullet and drank half a bowl of soup.
Lu Fengshen, who was satisfied, put vegetables into his bowl: “Eat something light, let your stomach ease up first.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Ming opened his mouth with a thank you that stunned Lu Fengshen.
Lu Fengshen stopped his chopsticks and said with a smile: “Finally willing to talk?”
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Ming fell silent again.
Lu Fengshen hesitated for a moment: “Lu Ming, I spoke to your grandmother on the phone yesterday. She wants you to hand over the company to someone else. You, as before, follow me back to her place to live for a while.”
Lu Ming hesitantly raised his head and looked at Lu Fengshen.
Lu Fengshen was embarrassed by him, and coughed: “Let’s take a good rest and relax.”
On the other hand, Lu Fengshen was still thinking about the ophthalmologist.
“Also, I’m thinking…Anyway, you and Chi Qiu have already decided to divorce, so either he regains his sight or not, he will have no relationship with you in the future. When I have time, I will make another trip and give the doctor’s contact information to Chi Qiu’s mother. The Chi family and the Ji family are an influential family, there will always be a way to contact and make arrangements for it.”
He wouldn’t make the arrangements for them, so as not to make others uncomfortable. After all, the Chi family now didn’t want to have any contacts with this side.
Of course, Lu Fengshen was thinking that his nephew had caused such a big problem for the Chi family, so he must repay something to them. Besides, Lu Fengshen’s impression of Chi Qiu was not bad. To be frank, he also liked Chi Qiu. If possible, he very much hoped that Lu Ming and Chi Qiu could be together for life.
But, the matter had come to this, he would not force it.
Who knew, Lu Ming blandly spoke: “The ophthalmologist thing, you shouldn’t be bothered, Chi Qiu won’t be able to use it.”
“Why are you still so stubborn?” Lu Fengshen enlightened him, “Now it’s you who did something wrong. You should apologize to him. I don’t even know what you’re stubborn about?”
“Uncle.”
“You speak, I’m listening.”
Lu Ming put down his chopsticks, looking tired, but he was determined and decisive: “I will arrange things for the company myself. Then, before grandpa recovers, I will go abroad.”
Lu Fengshen thought Lu Ming had figured it out and was about to answer when he heard Lu Ming say: “I’ll go abroad alone, but I’m not going to Grandma’s.”
“What did you say?”
Lu Ming said firmly: “I want to go to the place where Mom passed away.”
Lin Ye once told him that if he wanted to recover his memories, it was better to start looking for them from the place where they were lost. Perhaps going to an old place and looking at the old things would really help him.
Now, he must face the past before he can stand in front of Chi Qiu again. The time left for him was not much.
Naturally, Lu Fengshen was very uneasy about his decision and wanted to accompany him.
Lu Ming then repeated again, “Just me.”
As soon as he finished, a few dead leaves fell from the trees planted in the front yard of the villa.
There was a gust of wind and autumn was fully here.
The scenery of Xingxi City had become quite sluggish, not as gentle as the spring, not as brilliant as the summer, and not as solemn as the winter. Autumn gave people the feeling of endless loneliness.
Just like Chi Qiu, born in autumn and was as quiet as autumn.
Chi’s house a few days later.
Chi Qiu had just recovered from a serious sickness. His body was weak and he was particularly lethargic. At noon, when he woke up, the bedroom was quiet. Chi Lanyan was not around him as usual; while accompanying him, she handled the work at hand.
Chi Qiu reached out and touched the empty glass of water beside the bed. Unable to find anyone to get water for him, he walked out of the room with hazy eyes. His movements were light, probably because he had just woken up with little strength. He was so confused that he didn’t wear slippers so he didn’t even make a sound when walking.
When he approached the living room, faintly, he heard Lin Yuming and Chi Xia talking.
Recently, because Chi Xia had finally returned home, Lin Yuming, as her biological father, would come over to see her from time to time. Considering Chi Xia’s mood, Chi Lanyan did not refuse Lin Yuming’s disturbance.
At this moment, neither Chi Lanyan nor Auntie Su were in the living room. He didn’t know if they went out or in the kitchen.
Chi Qiu quietly stood aside and rubbed his eyes, hesitating whether to go over and greet them.
It was just that Chi Xia’s stranger-like attitude towards him has made Chi Qiu feel very awkward to live at home. Even if Chi Qiu wanted to take the initiative to say a few words to her, she seemed very reluctant.
In order not to wrong Chi Xia, Chi Qiu had clearly told Chi Lanyan that she should be more concerned about Chi Xia who had just returned home, instead of worrying too much about his own condition.
But anyone with a discerning eye could see that apart from crying a lot, Chi Xia’s relationship didn’t make her feel down for too long. Chi Lanyan was also surprised to find that Chi Xia’s ability to recover from her feelings far exceeded that of the delicate-minded Chi Qiu.
Therefore, compared to Chi Xia, Chi Lanyan was actually more worried about Chi Qiu. She gave six points of her concern to Chi Qiu and four points to Chi Xia.
What she didn’t expect was that just two points of concern could make the situation go out of balance and increase the conflict in the family again.
So, at this moment, Chi Qiu was not sure whether his rash greeting would arouse Chi Xia and Lin Yuming’s disgust.
…………
Just as he was hesitating, Lin Yuming blurted out words that made Chi Qiu glad he didn’t take a step forward.
Lin Yuming’s voice was not loud, his tone was consistently gentle and elegant, but the words he said were full of meanness: “When I came just now, I bumped into Lu Fengshen, Lu Ming’s uncle, at the door. He gave your mother a business card of a foreign ophthalmologist. Xiao Xia, dad is not saying you’re not being defensive at all, but they are still thinking of treating Chi Qiu’s eyes until now.”
The fact that he could say such words meant that Chi Lanyan and Aunt Su were not at home.
He pulled Chi Xia to stand on the side of the door and seemed like he wanted to leave once he finished speaking: “And don’t you think it’s strange? Chi Qiu is about to get a divorce, how can they be so kind to him?”
Chi Xia pursed her lips, looking indecisive like Lin Yuming when he was young: “He helped me before, I don’t want to worry about it.”
“You stupid child…” Lin Yuming became anxious, “Don’t say anything else, he is going to divorce now, and he comes back to the Chi family early. This is really obvious. With your mother’s temper, how much of Chi family’s business can she leave to you?”
Once divorced, Lin Yuming’s attitude towards Chi Lanyan sharpened. He taught his daughter, for fear that she would suffer any loss.
He said bitterly: “Dad knows that Chi Qiu has always helped you when you were outside. But have you ever wondered why he helped you?”
“He…”
“You have to know that when you take over the company completely, he is a burden that will depend on you for the rest of your life. Your mother also wants you to take care of him, doesn’t she? He’s been good to you; to put it bluntly, sooner or later you’re going to have to pay it back.”
“…”
“You listen to dad, the matter of going to the company for an internship shouldn’t be delayed any longer.”
Lin Yuming’s meaning was clear; Regardless of whether Chi Qiu could regain his sight or not, he wanted Chi Xia to settle down in the company as early as possible, consolidating her contacts and enriching her experience.
In this way, even if Chi Qiu would be sent to the company after he regained his sight, even if Chi Xia had a little stumbling block, Chi Lanyan, a ‘businesswoman’ could immediately distinguish who was the most suitable heir.
Chi Xia was actually disgusted by Lin Yuming talking about this with her, and her tone gradually became colder: “Dad, it’s getting late. Mom and Aunt Su will be home in a while. You’ll fight again. I’m really tired, you should go.”
“Xiao Xia!”
Chi Xia tightened her brow: “Dad! He’s been blind for so many years, these eyes aren’t going to get better just by saying so.”
“What if?”
“Even if there is a what-if, he missed all kinds of education long ago and is a disable person. What can he compete with me?”
“…”
“You also said that he is a burden and of little use. Besides, if he wants to fight with me, he can’t compete with me in anything.” She didn’t want to listen to Lin Yuming’s chatter anymore and said conceitedly, “Don’t worry.”
What Chi Xia didn’t know was that this one sentence, ‘don’t worry,’ completely made Chi Qiu give up the extravagant hope in his heart.
Chi Qiu quietly went back to his bedroom and closed the door.
In the quiet environment, Chi Qiu’s heart was numb and he couldn’t even feel the pain that Chi Xia brought him. His disappointment was the water overflowing the container, easily drowning out his heartache.
Perhaps this should be due to Lu Ming’s blessing. Chi Qiu’s heart had been broken to pieces that he would no longer have difficulty breathing because of a little setback. But also because of this, Chi Qiu’s heart was no longer complete, and even the layer of ‘if the family lives in harmony all affairs will prosper’ protective film on the top were gradually falling off.
Without this layer of film, Chi Qiu could know that a person’s heart was so hot that it could make people confused and make mistakes again and again.
He thinks he could protect the secrets of a family, but in fact, he was cheap enough to make people laugh.
No one would appreciate him.
In Lin Yuming’s and Chi Xia’s hearts, he was always a threat, someone who should not exist in the Chi family.
In the past, Chi Qiu was concerned about Chi Lanyan’s mood and worried about Chi Xia’s grievances. But now, Chi Qiu began to reflect on himself, reflecting on his own yielding and forbearance, whether it was really right.
Among them: For Chi Qiu, Chi Xia was a percussion of many years of dripping water and piercing stones; For Chi Qiu, Lu Ming was a sudden awakening with a heavy blow.
Chi Qiu stopped in place, full of thoughts, and finally woke up completely.
