Chapter 51#
The time was 10:31.
Lu Lin stared at the default avatar. About five minutes passed, or perhaps ten. He turned off the screen, pulled out his chair, and stood up.
Without changing his clothes, he went into the lounge and took a long black down jacket. It was custom-made and could withstand temperatures of minus 30 degrees.
Taking the elevator to the parking lot, the trunk was full of fishing gear. He drove to his private lake.
In the dead of night, the lake surface was quiet.
The temperature had risen in the past two days, and only a few large, unmelted blocks of ice floated on the lake. Late at night on the second day of the Lunar New Year, a single lamp shone alone.
Lu Lin only set up a chair and a fishing rod.
The blurred light and shadow reflected on the water surface, motionless. The empty valley was so quiet that it seemed even the wind had stopped.
But his heart couldn’t be calm.
Time passed gradually, and the horizon showed a creamy luster.
The float finally moved. Lu Lin didn’t pull the rod. His black eyes were distant, watching the violently shaking float. Only when it quieted down did he lift the rod.
The fish naturally escaped.
The bait was gone too.
At seven o’clock, Lu Lin reeled in his rod and returned to the parking lot. Having not slept all night, he showed no signs of fatigue. Often staying up late for overtime and business trips, sleeping for about two or three hours a day was enough for him.
Driving back to the city.
He didn’t go to the company, nor did he go to the old residence. He went to the large flat where Yan Heqing had lived.
Just like the night he left on the Little New Year, nothing more, nothing less. Lu Lin changed into slippers, took a shower in the bathroom first, came out tying his bathrobe, then went to the kitchen to boil an egg, heated two slices of bacon bread, opened the refrigerator to get water, and his gaze swept over the few unopened boxes of blueberries.
He didn’t like sweets. The fruits he ate in a year could be counted on two hands.
After looking for a moment, he took out a box of blueberries, washed them with water, and brought them to the living room together. Dining alone, the dining room was very quiet. He thought of the last time he sat here eating, with Yan Heqing sitting opposite him.
The simplest egg noodles he had ever eaten, yet also the most delicious.
Lost in thought for a moment, Lu Lin cleaned up the dishes, washed them in the kitchen, and his hair was almost dry. Returning to the bedroom, passing by the guest bedroom, he stopped, stepped forward, and turned the doorknob.
The door opened. The re-washed bedding exuded the scent of laundry detergent, laid out neatly. The curtains were tied back, the straps tied into two exquisite auspicious knots.
Just then, the assistant called.
The amusement park opening day was set for the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first lunar month. Besides the daytime opening activities, Lu Lin wanted the planning department to come up with several plans for evening activities.
The planning department submitted them only the day before the holiday.
Nothing new, just the light shows and fireworks shows that other parks had.
With only about ten days left until the 15th, and Lu Lin still hadn’t finalized the plan, the assistant called to ask about the situation.
Lu Lin looked at the auspicious knots and had a plan. “Release sky lanterns.”
Releasing sky lanterns on the Lantern Festival was a custom, but linking it with an amusement park, the assistant was stunned for several seconds. After hanging up the phone and savoring it slowly, he realized this was truly a brilliant plan.
The tourists invited for the opening were children from welfare homes all over the country.
Light shows and fireworks shows were certainly dreamy, but letting them write down their wishes and release them into the sky to pray for blessings was more meaningful.
However, releasing sky lanterns required reporting and recovery work, and the cost was several times higher than lights and fireworks.
The amusement park wasn’t considered a key project of the Lu Corporation. It was really surprising that their President Lu invested so much in it.
At six in the morning, Yan Heqing got up on time.
After the seven-day Spring Festival holiday ended and the vehicle management office opened, he could sign up for Subject 1.
He wasn’t signing up for a driving school.
He now had nearly 100,000 yuan in savings. With a budget of 50,000, he could buy a decent second-hand car. He knew an empty, uninhabited place suitable for practicing driving, and he could get his driver’s license in about 45 days.
Having a car made fishing convenient.
It also made it convenient for him to send Xu Qiaoyin away.
If his deduction was correct, Xu Qiaoyin was currently locked up in the holiday villa by Lu Muchi.
In the original book, he was locked in the holiday villa for three years. He knew every room and every decoration like the back of his hand.
Lu Muchi loved Xu Qiaoyin and longed for motherly love, but he used extreme methods to try to keep Xu Qiaoyin, which was exactly what Xu Qiaoyin couldn’t accept.
A canary whose wings had once been broken, after experiencing more than ten years of freedom and dreams, would not be willing to return to another golden cage.
She had ideals, love, and a broader world.
Now he just had to wait.
Wait for the moment Xu Qiaoyin wanted to escape the cage.
Yan Heqing gazed calmly at the fried egg in the pan, sizzling and fragrant, and turned off the heat.
Picking up the egg and placing it on the clear soup noodles, sprinkling a few grains of verdant green onions, a simple bowl of egg noodles was ready.
Yan Heqing stood in the kitchen, quickly finished breakfast, and then returned to his room to brush up on the Subject 1 question bank.
Going through it quickly once, Yan Heqing took his phone. After those 32 missed calls yesterday, Lu Muchi didn’t call again.
With his style, if he wasn’t tied up with something, he would have come to the door to vent his anger long ago.
Yan Heqing remembered that at this time, Lu Changcheng was hospitalized.
Qikang Hospital.
The top private hospital in the capital.
Lu Lin also went.
In the original text, Lu Muchi told Lin Fengzhi about this. Lin Fengzhi ran to the hospital wanting to pretend to bump into Lu Lin, but Lu Lin left after staying for a very short time.
It turned into Lu Muchi and Lin Fengzhi being alone together.
Last time Lin Fengzhi said he wanted to return something to Lu Muchi.
There had been no follow-up.
Lin Fengzhi must have returned it. It wasn’t the first or second time he got angry, returned things to Lu Muchi, and threatened to break off relations.
It was just that if the two met, given their emotions at the time, it couldn’t have been calm.
It was highly likely that Lin Fengzhi returned it but didn’t see Lu Muchi.
Yan Heqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he dialed Lin Fengzhi’s number.
Lin Fengzhi hadn’t slept all night. He hugged his knees and looked out the window, not reacting even when his phone buzzed.
Gu Xingye pushed the door open carrying breakfast.
Seeing Lin Fengzhi’s appearance, he frowned heavily.
It was the first time he had seen Lin Fengzhi so down.
Since they met, Lin Fengzhi had been like a little sun that was always enthusiastic. In his world, there were no sad or difficult things.
Gu Xingye slowed his steps and went over. The phone was still ringing, and he saw the caller ID directly.
Yan Heqing?
Gu Xingye felt the name was a bit familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere. Two seconds later, he remembered.
One day before the New Year, his supervisor messaged him privately, saying that a brilliant student from software engineering was transferring to their class next semester.
The name was also Yan Heqing.
The supervisor praised this Yan Heqing to the skies, looking like he had found a treasure.
Gu Xingye put down the breakfast and asked, “Who is Yan Heqing?”
Now the three words “Yan Heqing” were Lin Fengzhi’s switch. He immediately turned his head, looking at Gu Xingye in panic, his voice rising extremely sharp, “What did you say!”
Gu Xingye was stunned for a moment and pointed to his phone. “Your phone.”
Lin Fengzhi then looked at the phone. Seeing the flashing “Yan Heqing”, he bit his lip hard. Just as it was about to end, he answered it.
He didn’t speak first, biting his lips tightly.
Through the receiver, Yan Heqing’s voice was cool and gentle, “Fengzhi, have you finished your business?”
Lin Fengzhi knew Mother Lin had called Gu Xingye. With Mother Lin’s personality, she must have said he went out for something.
Lin Fengzhi also knew it was impolite for him to run away after inviting Yan Heqing as a guest, but he couldn’t control it. He was afraid to face Yan Heqing.
He felt inferior, and also… jealous of Yan Heqing.
Mom originally wanted to adopt a girl, but changed her mind when she saw Yan Heqing at the welfare home.
And they were clearly twins, but Yan Heqing was not only taller than him, more refined than him, but even his grades were better than his.
Everyone liked Yan Heqing. Where Yan Heqing was, everyone would forget him.
He… had no confidence anymore.
Lin Fengzhi said in a low voice, “No.”
“Ah, is that so.” Yan Heqing chuckled lightly. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll look myself.”
Lin Fengzhi released his upper lip and asked in a small voice, “Look at what?”
“I want to buy a second-hand car.” Yan Heqing was a bit troubled. “But I know nothing about cars.”
Know nothing???
The depressed and lost emotions instantly dissipated because of these two words.
Yan Heqing didn’t understand.
He understood!
Lin Fengzhi got up quickly. “My business isn’t urgent for now. I’ll accompany you to choose a car first! Where shall we meet?”
He walked out, said a few words, hung up the phone, suddenly turned back, and looked at the bewildered Gu Xingye with burning eyes. “A-Ye, if one day the whole world abandons me, will you still stand by my side?”
Gu Xingye was silent for a moment, a smile rippling from the corner of his mouth. “I will.”
At the same time, Lu Lin was woken up by a phone call.
Lu Changcheng was hospitalized.
——
Lu Lin arrived at Qikang Hospital in half an hour.
When Lu Lin arrived at the ward, the doctor was measuring Lu Changcheng’s blood pressure. Lu Muchi had guarded him all night and was catching up on sleep on the sofa. Lu Han was standing by the hospital bed.
Lu Changcheng glimpsed Lu Lin’s arrival and snorted neither lightly nor heavily.
Lu Han pretended to just see Lu Lin and greeted him with a smile, “A-Lin, you’re here.”
Lu Lin nodded and walked behind the doctor to inquire about the situation.
On the sofa, Lu Muchi woke up. He was really afraid to see Lu Lin, so he wrapped the quilt tightly and pretended to be still asleep.
The doctor explained Lu Changcheng’s condition in detail. It was the old problem, high blood pressure. Not serious, but he needed to be hospitalized for observation.
“Alright, you’ve been here.” Lu Changcheng said with a cold face. “You can go.”
The nurse removed the instruments. Lu Han adjusted the sleeves of Lu Changcheng’s hospital gown, glancing at Lu Lin and saying, “Dad, you kept talking about A-Lin, but when he comes, you chase him away again. Father and son…”
Lu Changcheng interrupted him. “Father and son? Are there fathers and sons who eat New Year’s Eve dinner separately? I think he only has one Lu family in his heart, not our Lu family!”
The doctor and nurse silently withdrew from the ward.
Lu Han achieved his goal and said no more. He waited for Lu Lin to speak.
As a result, Lu Lin really left.
“Contact me if anything happens.”
Lu Changcheng trembled with anger. Staring at Lu Lin’s retreating back, his chest heaved violently with rage. Lu Han quickly comforted him, “Dad, don’t be angry, calm down, calm down…”
The ward was on the 2nd floor. Lu Lin didn’t take the elevator but walked down the stairs.
The parking spot was in the hospital courtyard. Buckling his seatbelt, Lu Lin glanced at his watch.
11:45.
He drove out of the hospital, planning to find a place to have lunch before returning to the company.
On the way, he received a call.
Xie Yunjie invited him to play golf.
“No time.” Encountering a red light after coming out of the hospital, Lu Lin stopped the car steadily.
Xie Yunjie’s voice echoed in the car, “Besides working and fishing, can’t you find something else to do?”
Lu Lin didn’t reply. Suddenly, his gaze froze.
On the sidewalk with few people, it seemed Yan Heqing walked by.
In the bar, the out-of-place Yan Heqing.
Falling into the ice hole, the sober and cooperative Yan Heqing.
On the hospital bed, the pale and weak Yan Heqing.
Yan Heqing on the Jing University Honor Roll.
Yan Heqing who invited him to eat boiled fish under the rain eaves.
Yan Heqing who said “Happy New Year” to him.
Yan Heqing harboring countless secrets.
In winter, the sky was dim, and the air quality in the capital was poor, shrouded in gray.
And the young man became the only bright color.
Xie Yunjie’s voice sounded again, “President Lu? Old Lu? Are you listening?”
The red light began to flash.
9, 8…
Lu Lin spoke, “That night at the bar, you asked me what I was doing in the private room.”
Xie Yunjie said “Ah”, reacting for a while. “That bachelor party? Yeah, what about it?”
3, 2…
Lu Lin turned on the turn signal. At the last second, he changed direction. “I was looking at him.”
The phone hung up.