Chapter 59#
When he was a child, a certain comic book was popular in his class for a while.
It was passed around one by one, but before it was Yan Heqing’s turn, it was confiscated by the teacher and put into her desk.
It was returned to that classmate only after the holidays began. By the time the holidays were over, the class started to follow stars—basketball stars, movie stars—and no one mentioned comics anymore.
Later, when Yan Feng was a bit older, Yan Heqing was cleaning his room and swept out a few comic books. He flipped through a few pages, but was caught by Zhao Huilin, who pointed at him and scolded him for the whole morning.
She scolded him for not learning good things, coaxing Yan Feng to spend money recklessly, and buying messy picture books for him to read.
That time, Yan Heqing got a scolding and a few slaps.
The first time he truly read a comic book was at a recycling station. It was an old pocket-sized comic book, and the binding was loose, but Yan Heqing remembered it was a beautiful afternoon.
The sun was bright but not scorching, feeling comfortable on his face. In the backyard of the recycling station, there were piles of tires stacked vertically, which people could sit on.
He sat inside a tire, the sunlight above his head mostly blocked by the tire.
No one called him to cook, no one called him to mop the floor, and no one called him to run errands to buy alcohol.
It was especially quiet, with only the sound of turning pages and the occasional breeze.
He couldn’t remember the story content clearly, only remembering the traces of sunlight falling on the black and white images.
Yan Heqing quietly flipped through the comic.
It was obvious that it wasn’t a new book, but it had been kept very well by its owner, without a single crease.
On the coffee table was a plate of sliced pink pineapple and the Cube of Light. On the opposite wall were colorful strips of light.
It was as if he had returned to that day, surrounded by piles of waste tires, with sunlight quieting the world.
The delivery slip didn’t have the sender’s name or contact information.
Yan Heqing did nothing and quietly accepted this gift.
Unexpectedly, for the next few days, Lin Fengzhi didn’t contact him again, nor did he post on WeChat Moments.
In a blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, and the Vehicle Management Office resumed work.
Yan Heqing brought his materials—ID card, a bareheaded photo, and the physical examination certificate from his freshman enrollment—and was the first to arrive at the window.
He filled out the motor vehicle driving license application form, submitted the materials, and soon passed the review at the window, scheduling Subject 1 for five days later.
Coming out of the Vehicle Management Office after signing up, someone advertising handed him a business card, “Self-study, right? An old master with 30 years of driving school teaching experience, provides training cars, charges by the hour, the faster you learn, the cheaper it is.”
Just as Yan Heqing was about to take it, his pocket vibrated slightly.
A call came in.
He took out his phone; the caller ID showed Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing walked to a quiet place and answered, “Lu Lin?”
At the same time, the first morning meeting after the New Year had just ended at the Lu Corporation headquarters. In the elevator with Lu Corporation employees, people were chatting in low voices.
“President Lu actually ended the meeting early today!”
“I timed it. Except for special meetings, President Lu always ends meetings in twenty minutes, not a second more or less. I once suspected he had OCD.”
——
In the huge conference room, only Lu Lin remained.
Hearing Yan Heqing’s voice, Lu Lin put down his fountain pen, “Finished signing up?”
Yan Heqing reacted for a second, then remembered that Lu Lin had answered the call from the driving agency for him last time.
He replied, “Mn, just came out of the Vehicle Management Office.”
“Do me a favor. I’ll be your accompanying instructor for Subject 2 and 3. I’ll also provide you with a training ground identical to the Subject 2 exam site.”
Subject 2 required reference points for dimensions. Yan Heqing had planned to mark them out on an open space himself. Now that Lu Lin offered proactively, he had no reason to refuse, “Okay.”
Lu Lin’s voice was steady; almost no one could hear any emotion in his words, “You haven’t asked what the favor is.”
“As long as I can help,” Yan Heqing replied generously, “I will definitely do my best to help you.”
Lu Lin didn’t take the opportunity to say what the favor was, “Contact me after you finish the Subject 1 exam.”
Both tacitly didn’t mention yesterday’s events.
Hanging up the phone, Yan Heqing noticed shared bicycles across the street.
Work had started, and the roads were becoming congested again.
He changed his mind, didn’t go to the bus stop, and crossed the zebra crossing to scan a shared bicycle on the opposite side.
He didn’t know if his parents had taught him when he was young, but the first time he rode a bike in junior high, he knew how to ride as soon as he got on.
He scanned the code with his phone. At this moment, a WeChat friend request suddenly popped up.
Yan Heqing clicked it open.
The profile picture was a patch of blue sky, with the remark, [Yang Rucheng.]
Yan Heqing knew this name.
The vice dean of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, and also his future mentor.
Yan Heqing accepted the friend request. Before he could type to ask, Yang Rucheng had already pulled him into a group.
[20XX Biological Science Class 2]
As soon as Yan Heqing entered, [Old Yang] @everyone: New classmate Yan Heqing has joined the group! Applause, welcome, flowers!
[Li Xinyu]: Applause!
[Jiang Tao]: Welcome!
[Wang Jiang]: Flowers!
A long row of copy-pastes.
After a moment of silence, [Old Yang] @[Gu Xingye]: Where are you?
Gu Xingye was in the laboratory. By the time he noticed the WeChat message, it was almost midnight.
He walked out of the laboratory, washed his hands clean, fished out a piece of bread from his bag, tore it open with his teeth, and chewed while replying to the message.
He didn’t copy: Welcome new classmate.
After a slight pause, he still @[Yan Heqing] at the end.
He still remembered Lin Fengzhi’s abnormal behavior last time. The name Yan Heqing wasn’t common, let alone in the same city.
Yan Heqing stood against the wall for 15 minutes. There was more sweat on his face and neck than the previous few times. He walked into the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he just happened to see Gu Xingye’s mention.
Turning off the radiator and getting into bed, Yan Heqing replied with two words.
Same as replying to other classmates.
[Thank you.]
With Gu Xingye’s appearance, the originally silent group became lively again.
Looking at the names, most were girls. Biological Science Class 2, including the transfer student Yan Heqing, had only 42 people. Girls were even scarcer, only 6.
Now only 2 hadn’t appeared; the other 4 had all popped up.
[Li Xinyu]: So late! Gu Xingye, you’re in the lab again!
[Liu Minmin]: Gu Xingye, you’re awesome! Published another paper in CE!
[Sun Yingzi]: School starts after the Lantern Festival this year?
[Zhou Yun]: …So many night owls…
Gu Xingye was handsome. The Peking University forum once held an anonymous vote for the department hunk. He became the department hunk of the School of Life Sciences with a lead of over 800 votes over the second place.
Some boys’ sour words came through the screen—
[Tsk tsk, it takes the department hunk to liven up the group atmosphere. No one pays attention when we talk.]
At this time, the remaining two girls suddenly popped up.
[Zhou Wuyou]: Yan Heqing??! Is it Yan Heqing from Software Engineering?
[Zhan Pingting]: Yo yo yo, the Software Engineering department hunk actually transferred to our class!
In the Software Engineering department hunk vote, Yan Heqing surpassed the second place Fu Helang by 1500 votes.
Yan Heqing didn’t pay attention to these things. After replying thank you, he had already turned off his phone and gone to sleep.
After that night, Yan Heqing didn’t look at the class group again.
Lu Muchi must have been taught a lesson by Lu Changcheng; he hadn’t contacted him for a while. Lin Fengzhi also seemed to have disappeared.
After Yan Heqing finished the Subject 1 study hours, he returned to his usual two-point line routine.
Studying at home, volunteering at the welfare institute.
Just like that, the day of the Subject 1 exam arrived. The score came out immediately after submission: 100.
Subject 2 could be booked in 10 days.
Tomorrow was the Lantern Festival, and the welfare institute was going to participate in the opening event of the Lu Corporation Amusement Park.
Yan Heqing didn’t contact Lu Lin; he would tell him in person tomorrow.
Going to the amusement park, the children at the welfare institute were very excited. When Yan Heqing arrived at the welfare institute at seven the next day, they were already dressed neatly, carrying school bags, and lining up to get on the bus.
The bus body had a simple Lu Corporation logo, and there were 6 buses in total.
Yan Heqing went to the 5th floor.
Lu Corporation had sent wheelchairs. This time, except for a few children who were not suitable for going out, everyone else could go.
The paralyzed little boys and girls on the 5th floor had changed into new clothes before dawn and were waiting eagerly.
The welfare institute staff were all middle-aged or elderly, so the task of carrying them downstairs fell on Yan Heqing’s shoulders.
As soon as Yan Heqing arrived at the 5th floor, several Lu Corporation employees had just come out of the dormitory carrying children on their backs.
The assistant was arranging things in the corridor. Catching a glimpse of Yan Heqing, he walked up quickly with a smile on his face, “Student Yan, you’re here.”
Yan Heqing understood immediately.
No matter how much charity work was done, it couldn’t be so detailed. It was Lu Lin who sent people to help him.
Suddenly, crying came from the girls’ dormitory ahead. Yan Heqing and the assistant rushed in at the same time. A male employee stood helplessly on the spot, and on the bed next to him was a little girl crying in fear.
The male employee was so anxious that he stammered, “I didn’t touch her and she cried…”
The assistant’s expression changed slightly. He had considered finding female employees to help, but carrying paralyzed children down five floors was too difficult for most girls. He still apologized, “It was my lack of consideration. I should have found a few female employees.”
Yan Heqing walked to the bedside, squatted down and asked softly, “Xiao Rong, what happened?”
Seeing Yan Heqing, Xiao Rong whispered shyly.
She rarely saw strangers, let alone a strange man. She wasn’t familiar with him and instinctively resisted, so she was scared to tears.
“I didn’t mean to, Brother Yan…” Xiao Rong bit her lip.
Understanding the sequence of events, Yan Heqing raised his eyes and said appropriately, “It’s okay, I’ll carry her.”
He skillfully carried the little girl on his back and walked out of the room.
The assistant didn’t hesitate and immediately messaged Lu Lin, telling him what had just happened.
Lu Lin replied after a few minutes.
“Install an elevator.”
The assistant replied to Lu Lin and immediately contacted the elevator company.
Yan Heqing walked down the stairs slowly.
Xiao Rong wasn’t light, and with the thick winter clothes, carrying her downstairs was a bit strenuous.
“Brother Yan.” Xiao Rong lay on his shoulder and suddenly blurted out, “Did the uncle who sent us the Cube of Light last time not come?”
Lu Lin was actually only 30, but his face was handsome and cold, and everyone listened to him. The impact on these children who had almost no social interaction was too great. Unlike Yan Heqing, whom they contacted frequently, they were both afraid of and revered Lu Lin.
In Xiao Rong’s heart, particularly powerful and good men were called Uncle (Bobo), which was also an affectionate term, like Uncle Dean, Uncle Director.
His long eyelashes moved slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in Yan Heqing’s eyes. “He is waiting for you at the amusement park.”
Xiao Rong blinked, “Oh oh, I heard the uncle with glasses say that it was Uncle (Bobo) who invited us to the amusement park to play! The amusement park has that kind of very big and beautiful Ferris wheel to ride, where you can see very high and far places. Brother Yan, have you ridden it?”
“No.”
“Ah.” Xiao Rong cupped her mouth, then giggled, “Then you can ride it today too!”
Yan Heqing’s voice was very light, “Mn.”
The children from the fifth floor were the last batch to get on the bus. Aunt Zhang ran over, her face covered in sweat, “Xiao Yan, you go with this bus. We’ll gather at the amusement park. Oh my god, so many retired old employees came today too. I have to take care of them. Really, trying to mooch off any benefit…”
Yan Heqing agreed, counted the number of people on the bus, and set off when it was correct.
The amusement park was in the suburbs, a two-and-a-half-hour drive.
On the first day of opening, the park declined all media and didn’t even have any promotion on the internet.
Only amusement park enthusiasts posted a few inquiries in the super topic.
A mighty fleet of buses drove continuously into the Dream Amusement Park.
Besides the Rainbow Bridge Welfare Institute, there were welfare institutes from all over the country. They were picked up in advance by Lu Corporation’s private planes and stayed at the amusement park’s theme hotel last night.
The bus Yan Heqing was on could already see the main gate. The gate was decorated with colorful sculptures of various cute small animals, vivid and lifelike.
The bus moved slowly in the crowded traffic. Outside was light and playful music resounding through the park. The children were already restless, pressing against the windows to curiously examine the completely different dream world.
The amusement park seemed like another dimension, with only happiness.
After a while, the bus drove into the amusement park and stopped at a temporarily designated parking spot.
Except for the park’s transport vehicles, other vehicles, including employee vehicles, were prohibited from entering the park during operating hours. Only today was a green channel opened for children from welfare institutes nationwide.
The bus door opened, and there was a ramp for wheelchairs. Yan Heqing moved the children onto wheelchairs one by one inside the bus and pushed them off.
Xiao Rong was the last one.
Pushing her to gather with Aunt Zhang and the others ahead, after a few steps, Yan Heqing looked diagonally forward.
Beijing A1111.
Lu Lin had arrived.
However, Yan Heqing didn’t see Lu Lin for the entire day.
At dinner time, after playing bumper cars, the Rainbow Bridge Welfare Institute gathered to eat at a nearby restaurant.
The theme of this restaurant was a forest animal party, with simulated forests and bushes, a trickling stream with colorful fish swimming in it, and every dining table was a 20-meter-long log table.
The menu was specially customized for children—pork chop buns, omurice, roasted chicken wings and legs, various cute animal dim sum buns, and fresh fruit.
And, pineapple fried dough stick shrimp.
Yan Heqing ordered a portion of pineapple fried dough stick shrimp.
He lowered his head to eat. Since entering the restaurant, he always felt a gaze watching him.
He looked up and followed the gaze to the other side of the long table, finding it was an elderly person.
It should be an old employee of the welfare institute.
Yan Heqing nodded politely, and the old person also smiled at him.
A few minutes later, the broadcast sounded.
“Dear children, have you finished your meal? The sky lantern releasing event starts in half an hour. After eating, hurry back to the Gathering Plaza, right in front of the carousel. Come and claim your sky lantern! Write your wish on the sky lantern, and the wish will come true!”
Cheers rose one after another in the restaurant, and the children who hadn’t finished eating sped up.
Yan Heqing just learned there was a sky lantern releasing event.
After Xiao Rong finished her omurice, he pushed her and followed the crowd towards the Gathering Plaza.
It was almost eight o’clock, and the sky was completely dark. The street lamps in the park and the orange light strips overhead were all lit up.
Every few meters there was a large bubble machine constantly spitting out bubbles. It had been spitting from day until now. The temperature today was actually a bit cool on the face, but no one cared, and they even tried to catch the colorful bubbles in the air.
In different tourist areas, the songs played on the broadcast would change according to the theme.
Approaching the Gathering Plaza, from afar, in the joyful air, drifted a very unexpected song.
[There once was a ship that put to sea
the name of that ship was the Billy of Tea]
…
It was the song Yan Heqing and Lu Lin listened to together at the boiled food stall in the rain on the Peking University food street last time.
The children didn’t understand the lyrics, only feeling the tune was particularly joyful.
Xiao Rong even danced along with her hands.
She was so happy today that she forgot her sadness. Usually, when her legs were touched, she would lower her head and stop talking. Today, her eyes were constantly curved into cute crescents.
One sky lantern for one child. Yan Heqing collected one for Xiao Rong and handed her an uncapped water pen at the same time, “Make a wish. Ask me if there are words you don’t know.”
Xiao Rong took it happily, staring at the candlelight inside with delight, resting her chin on the pen cap to think about her wish.
After a while, the pen tip landed, making a scratching sound, then stopped abruptly.
Xiao Rong raised her small face and looked at Yan Heqing strangely, “Brother Yan, where is your sky lantern?”
Yan Heqing explained, “I don’t—”
“Here.” A large sky lantern appeared in front of Yan Heqing.
Candlelight poured down. He looked up slightly, and Lu Lin came into view.
And behind Lu Lin, countless sky lanterns slowly rising into the sky, vast and boundless.
A second later, he took it, “You gave it to me, what about you?”
“I’ve released one.” Lu Lin took the fountain pen clipped to his chest pocket, unscrewed the cap, turned the nib towards himself, and then handed it to Yan Heqing, “Make a wish.”
Yan Heqing had made wishes many times.
But the simplest one, wishing for his mother to appear in his dreams, had never come true.
Later, he stopped making wishes.
The corners of Yan Heqing’s lips lifted slightly, “I don’t need to.”
“How do you know if you don’t try.” Lu Lin seemed to see through his thoughts and stuffed the pen into his hand. Their warm and dry palms touched briefly, “Maybe it will come true this time.”
Her fingertips touching the pen body, Xiao Rong also pulled Yan Heqing’s hem, smiling innocently, “Brother Yan, let’s make a wish together!”
Yan Heqing lowered his head, looking at the lampshade dyed pale orange by the candlelight. He held the pen and seriously wrote a few words.
[See the sunrise on March 4th, 20XX.]
He didn’t cover it, and Lu Lin saw it.
20XX, two years later.
Yan Heqing’s wish was to see the sunrise two years later.
Something surged in the bottom of Lu Lin’s eyes. He looked deeply at Yan Heqing, watching him focus on releasing that sky lantern.
Ten minutes ago.
Lu Lin met Aunt Zhang on the way, accompanied by the old employee of the welfare institute.
The old employee learned that Lu Lin was the sponsor of this benefit. Eyeing his expensive suit, she realized he was a super rich boss!
Recognizing Yan Heqing in the restaurant reminded her of the past, “Oh my, could you be the big boss who wanted to adopt Yan Heqing back then? But you don’t look like it, not that old…”
Lu Lin stopped walking.
The old employee exclaimed repeatedly, “Yan Heqing is really handsome. Handsome when he was young, and still so handsome when grown up. I’ve never seen such a good-looking child. It’s been more than ten years, and I could recognize him at a glance!”
“It’s a pity his fate was so bad. His parents were burned to death by fire, the whole house was burned down, and he went to the welfare institute with his younger brother…”
“A big boss as kind-hearted as you wanted to adopt him, very rich, the kind who runs a big company, but he ran away and disappeared! In the end, his brother was adopted. Sigh, people, fates are just different…”
…
The emotion in the black eyes grew stronger.
Yan Heqing suddenly turned his face. He reached into his pocket, fished out something he had kept in his inner pocket all day, and held it up in front of Lu Lin.
“Look.”
Lu Lin’s gaze shifted then.
The light fell on Yan Heqing’s fingertips; it was a gleaming silver one-yuan coin.
Boiled in boiling water for a long time, it faintly smelled of cooled boiled water.
Before Lu Lin could move, Yan Heqing’s other hand grabbed his right hand first.
The warm coin fell into his palm.
The young man’s voice was drowned out by the cheers around them, but every word crashed clearly into Lu Lin’s chest.
“This is the lucky coin I ate.”
At the same time, his eyes curved, reflecting the sky full of sky lanterns behind him, “Aunt Zhang said it represents good luck again and again in the new year.”
“Now, I give it to you.”