A burnt smell came from the kitchen. Ling Zeyu turned back and turned off the stove; the eggs were burnt. He glanced at his wrist, wondering if Bai Yanfei would have eaten his breakfast if he had gotten up a little earlier.
Sitting alone at the dining table, eating a lonely breakfast, Ling Zeyu didn't forget to tidy up after finishing his meal. If he didn't, Bai Yanfei would be angry when he came back, and if he was angry, he would kick him out.
Bai Yanfei left in a hurry and didn't take his keys with him. Ling Zeyu picked up the keys, locked the door, and then went downstairs to the community to have a set of keys made. It was normal for him to make a set of keys since Bai Yanfei didn't take them with him.
Ling Zeyu had never liked rainy days, but he loved the weather after it rained. The fresh air after the rain was just like his current mood—refreshing and bright. He hummed a little tune, thinking about what delicious food he could cook for Bai Yanfei when he got home that night.
He was in a good mood today; he felt the sun had come out and the rain had stopped, and he was fine again. Even if Bai Yanfei swept him out the door with a broom, he wouldn't leave.
Although Mu Bai's account was leaked, he also learned that Bai Yanfei still had feelings for him.
That night, when Bai Yanfei told Mu Bai about the past, he was almost going crazy. But he couldn't reveal himself, and at the same time, he realized that what he had done back then was even more excessive than he had imagined. So he felt that whatever Bai Yanfei did to him was normal; Bai Yanfei needed to vent.
Ling Zeyu went back to the company. In the lobby, a woman was sitting.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" Ling Zeyu carefully confirmed that the person sitting on the sofa in the living room was Rong Xuanke.
"I came to check, everything's fine."
"Weren't you on vacation? When did you come back? Did you come back to remarry?"
Rong Xuan's smile faltered: "Do you think there's still a chance for me and your dad? He hasn't shown any interest lately..."
Rong Xuan stopped talking halfway through her sentence.
"Never mind, let's not talk about it. Where did you go?"
"Just got back from Yan Yan's place, came to the company to check on things. With you two causing such a ruckus, Dad's become a workaholic again, while I've gotten some free time. So I've gone back to filming, thinking of making one film a year, so I can continue doing what I want to do. In ten or twenty years, I'll move behind the scenes."
"Okay, that works too." Rong Xuan took a sip of tea. "Then I'll be going now."
A minor incident couldn't dampen Ling Zeyu's good mood; his mind was completely focused on Bai Yanfei. He didn't need to worry about his elders' love lives; his father was as stubborn as a mule and never bothered to go back and try to win back his wife.
Ling Zeyu left again around 2 or 3 pm.
"Come back!" Ling Tianxu called out to Ling Zeyu, who was about to leave work early. "What time is it? Are you off work already?"
"Huh? What else? Isn't that what you're here for?" Ling Zeyu shrugged. "Yan Yan didn't bring his keys when he went out, so I have to go back first, otherwise he won't have the key to open the door. I'm leaving now, Dad, you can continue."
"Sigh—" Ling Tianxu sighed in exasperation, "That brat!"
Ling Zeyu drove his car to Bai Yanfei's company building. It was almost time to leave work, and he waited for Bai Yanfei to come out.
Beep beep beep—
"I'm downstairs in your office building, in the parking lot. I have the keys."
"..."
"knew."
If it weren't for that "key," Bai Yanfei wouldn't have wanted to talk to Ling Zeyu at all.
The weather outside was lovely, which was Bai Yanfei's favorite kind of weather, but at this moment he felt particularly conflicted.
Ling Zeyu's car was easy to spot; a few people were watching from a distance, but none dared to take pictures. Bai Yanfei walked to the car, and Ling Zeyu opened the door.
"Give me the key."
"Get in the car first, I'll take you home. What do you want to eat tonight? Curry rice? Or do you want some pan-fried steak? I saw there's curry and beef in the fridge."
"The key," Bai Yanfei repeated.
"Get in the car."
After a brief standoff, Bai Yanfei sat in the back seat.
“No one has ever sat in the passenger seat of this car.” Ling Zeyu reversed the car with one hand. He was particularly charming when he was focused on doing something. Bai Yanfei glanced at him a few times and then looked away.
When can you sit next to me?
"In your dreams."
"What did I do to make you angry?" Ling Zeyu slowly started the car. The company was not far from Bai Yanfei's home, and it took less than half an hour to drive there.
After going upstairs, Ling Zeyu went straight into the kitchen without even changing his clothes. His Yan Yan had a stomach ailment and couldn't go hungry, so he had to cook quickly.
What did you have for breakfast?
"I didn't eat."
"You're not allowed to skip meals from now on. Is it because there's not enough time? I'll eat earlier tomorrow so I can have some."
"Don't do these things anymore." Bai Yanfei snatched the knife from Ling Zeyu's hand. He didn't throw away the meat on the cutting board because he had bought it and he was worried about the money he had spent.
Ling Zeyu stared at the knife in Bai Yanfei's hand: "The knife is dangerous. Don't hurt yourself. Put the knife down first."
In the kitchen, one person is holding a knife, while another person watches them nervously; the scene is undeniably eerie.
Bai Yanfei loosened his grip, and the knife fell to the ground. He squatted down and helplessly hugged his knees.
"Yan Yan..."
"sorry."
Bai Yanfei turned his head away; his eyes were red and filled with tears.
Chapter 119 is still missing something.
"I'm sorry... I..." Ling Zeyu squatted down in front of Bai Yanfei and hugged the helpless Bai Yanfei. "It's my fault, don't cry."
Bai Yanfei shook his head, sobbing softly in Ling Zeyu's arms as Ling Zeyu patted his back.
"Alright, alright, if there's anything bothering you, just tell me, okay?" Ling Zeyu coaxed Bai Yanfei like a child, and Bai Yanfei shook his head in his arms.
After Bai Yanfei went abroad, he realized how stifling Bai Yanfei's life had been. He wished he could send the two elders of the Bai family back for a second chance, because they were both sons, yet Bai Yanfei had experienced nothing but unfair treatment.
"I want to go see my grandma."
"Okay." Ling Zeyu patted Bai Yanfei on the back. "Let's go tomorrow. What time would you like to go?"
"Let's go as soon as we wake up in the morning," Bai Yanfei said, trying to calm himself down.
Ling Zeyu's shirt was soaked, with a mixture of snot and tears on it. The shirt looked expensive. Bai Yanfei took a tissue to blow his nose, sniffed, and walked outside into the living room.
...
That night, Bai Yanfei did not drive Ling Zeyu away. Grandma's grave was in a cemetery halfway up the mountain, which could be reached by car.
The next morning, Bai Yanfei got up early. Ling Zeyu's morning grumpiness was nothing compared to Bai Yanfei's.
Bai Yanfei bought some of the fruits that his grandmother loved to eat. He got into Ling Zeyu's car and looked at the increasingly desolate scenery outside the car window, sighing at how things had changed.
There were many tombstones in the cemetery. Bai Yanfei would fly back every year on the anniversary of his grandmother's death, carrying her favorite foods. Ling Zeyu reached out to help him carry them, but Bai Yanfei shook his head and refused.
Walking towards the cemetery, the path was already overgrown with weeds. Indeed, aside from special occasions, no one comes to this place.
No one from the Bai family would come here. Bai Yanfei would stay here for a while every time he came back in the past two years, and Su Kai would accompany him back. He would talk to his grandmother about his feelings in front of the cemetery.
Cemeteries are usually filled with eerie winds, but Bai Yanfei was never afraid. He believed his grandmother wouldn't harm him, and he wished she could appear in his dreams every day.
Only in his dreams could he reunite with his grandmother.
Walking along the winding path, he saw only a few scattered people around, all with heavy expressions on their faces, some with swollen eyes from crying. Bai Yanfei tried not to look too sad; his grandmother didn't like seeing him with a gloomy face, and he wanted to see her happily.
After walking for more than ten minutes, we arrived at my grandmother's grave. Next to it was a woman's grave. The woman in the photo had a gentle smile and her features were very similar to Bai Yanfei's.
Bai Yanfei reached out and stroked the woman's photograph; this was his birth mother. Bai Zhenrong had brought him here when he was a child. He was too young then to understand why Bai Zhenrong was crying in front of this grave and making him kneel down.
But seeing the photo gave him a sense of familiarity. Every time he returned from the cemetery, Bai Zhenrong would be unhappy for several days. Zhang Rongrong would also throw tantrums and act out towards Bai Zhenrong during those days.
Bai Zhenrong never brought him here again after that, and he didn't dare to come to the cemetery alone. It wasn't until he learned the truth that he came a few times on his own.
He begged Su Kai to bury his grandmother and mother together. Su Kai was in a difficult position at the time, but in the end he granted his request.
“Someone wanted this land back then, and I bought it for a hefty sum.” Ling Zeyu spoke softly from behind Bai Yanfei. “During the two years you were away from the country, I would come to see them whenever I had time, which was also… on your behalf.”
Bai Yanfei knelt on the ground, his fingers stroking the photograph pausing.
"You bought this land?"
"Didn't Su Kai tell you?" Ling Zeyu knelt down beside Bai Yanfei as well. "I'll tell you when we get back."
Ling Zeyu poured wine and placed flowers with great practiced ease.
"I've said enough. I'll take good care of Yan Yan."
"Who gave you the nerve? Get out of here, I don't want to talk to you."
Bai Yanfei nudged Ling Zeyu, and Ling Zeyu walked to a more distant place.
Bai Yanfei remained silent for a long time. He sat in front of the two graves, turned his head and saw Ling Zeyu standing far away, looking at him.
Occasionally, a cool breeze would blow, causing the flowers in front of the grave to tremble. Petals would fall to the ground and scatter in the wind, as if a distant friend had heard the call and was waiting for a reply.
Bai Yanfei was dressed rather lightly, and a gust of wind caused the wisps of hair on his forehead to flutter. A smile played on his youthful face as he slowly began to recount his achievements over the past two years, his demeanor resembling that of a primary school student who had just received an award and was asking his parents for a reward. It was just a pity that the people who would have given him those rewards were no longer there.
Another gust of wind blew by, and Bai Yanfei shivered, rubbing his arms. He'd forgotten his coat; it was in the car. Ling Zeyu seemed to sense something, walked over, took off his coat, and draped it over Bai Yanfei.
"It's getting windy, don't catch a cold."
After leaving his coat behind, Ling Zeyu returned to where he had been. He kept looking at Bai Yanfei, afraid that Bai Yanfei might be scared. He wanted Bai Yanfei to know that as long as he turned around, he would know that he was still there, and that he would appear immediately if needed.
"I think I've fallen in love with him again." Bai Yanfei sighed. He looked at the woman in the photo. He had never met his mother, but he had always felt that his mother must have been a very powerful person who dared to love and hate.
Su Kai told him a lot about his mother, and every time he listened, he felt that his mother was very adorable. If she were still alive, would he be able to make her happier?
Bai Yanfei glanced back; Ling Zeyu was still waiting in the distance.
"I don't know if what I did was right. My senior said I was just being soft-hearted. Seeing how much someone I used to like did for me made me realize that I still love him."
“He hurt me so much before, but I was still happily making excuses for him. But his current behavior makes me feel like he might like me too.”
Bai Yanfei poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and continued speaking.
"Humans are so contradictory; they only learn to cherish things when they lose them."
"Oh right, Lu Qianyi said that we could either keep trying or find a guy to act in and test him out, but I don't want to. I was with Lu Qianyi before because he was my benefactor, and I was just repaying his kindness."
"It's so hard—I don't even know if I still love him, but I can't bear to send him away."
Bai Yanfei changed his posture, hugging his knees and sighing.
"Mom, when you were with Dad, were you also struggling like this? He was so good to you back then, otherwise you wouldn't have built your business from scratch together." Bai Yanfei stroked the woman's photo. "I don't know what to do now. He's very good to me now and is trying to win me back, but I always feel... something's missing..."