Shen Moyu stood with his back to the study door, facing a quiet corridor, while behind him came the jarring and helpless sounds of things breaking coming from the study.
After a long silence, Su Yi spoke, sounding somewhat weary: "I'm sorry, Shen, you must have found this amusing."
Shen Moyu turned to look at Su Yi, pursed her lips for a long time, and finally answered, "No, I understand."
Su Yi nodded with a wry smile and walked ahead of Shen Moyu with somewhat unsteady steps.
That slightly hunched back always carried a hint of sadness. Shen Moyu didn't chase after him because he knew that Su Yi was secretly wiping away tears.
For Su Jinning, his mother's death was a heart-wrenching pain, and also a deception he could never forgive.
But for Su Yi, the death of his lover was something he could never heal in his lifetime.
The cruelest thing in the world is not the separation of life and death, but that he can only watch helplessly as his loved one passes away, without giving him any chance to save him.
He hid everything and endured it all alone, just so he could see Su Jinning grow up carefree.
He went downstairs to the living room, where Su Yi was sitting on the sofa, holding a photo frame with a picture of the three of them taken a few years ago.
Su Yi's tears fell onto the woman's face, which he gently wiped away, stroking the photo frame again and again.
Shen Moyu dared not look anymore, afraid that he would also be unable to hold back his tears.
He paused for a long time before saying softly, "Uncle, it's getting late, I should go home now."
Su Yi noticed movement behind him, hurriedly put down the photo, and stood up, hastily wiping away the tears on his face. In the blink of an eye, his expression transformed into a smile: "Ah, okay...okay."
He stood up again and escorted Shen Moyu all the way to the front door.
"Uncle, no need to see me off." Shen Moyu forced a smile. Then, subconsciously, he looked upstairs. Through the glass window of the study, he could vaguely see Su Jinning's huddled figure.
From the moment he closed the study door until now, so much time has passed, but his movements haven't changed.
Su Yi patted the dust off his shoulder and smiled kindly, "Be careful on the road."
Shen Moyu nodded, then couldn't help but glance back at the study, and then at Su Yi. Suddenly, she couldn't bear to leave.
He was afraid that Su Jinning might do something foolish due to her emotional state. He paused for a long time, then blurted out, "Uncle, don't overwork yourself."
Su Yi seemed surprised by his words, and remained stunned for a long time, until his eyes welled up with tears again.
He sniffed, stepped forward, and patted Shen Moyu's shoulder with a look of satisfaction, his voice hoarse: "You're a very good kid."
Shen Moyu lowered his head and remained silent.
He felt Su Yi give his shoulder a firm squeeze, as if to express his gratitude.
Chapter 71 White Birch
Around eight o'clock in the morning, a light drizzle was still falling, but the city had already entered its first round of busy activity.
Shen Moyu bypassed the crowded station and stopped by the roadside to hail a taxi.
Shen Moyu had a sleepless night, his mind a jumble of thoughts as he eagerly awaited the next day. He didn't know what time he fell asleep, only that he woke up with a terrible headache. Thinking about Su Jinning's condition yesterday, Shen Moyu was so worried that he rushed out without even eating breakfast.
"Knock knock knock."
Shen Moyu, tossing his rain-soaked hair, knocked on Su Jinning's door.
The door opened, and Shen Moyu and Su Yi looked at each other, both somewhat stunned.
"Hello, Uncle." Shen Moyu greeted him with a smile.
He seemed somewhat surprised that Su Yi hadn't gone to work.
Su Yi wiped her oil-stained hands on her apron: "Come on in. It's raining quite hard outside, are you alright?"
Shen Moyu smoothed his damp hair, shivering from the cold, but still smiled and shook his head. "It's okay, I'm not too cold."
Su Yi gestured for Shen Moyu to sit down, then turned and went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of hot water, handing it to him: "Drink some hot water to warm yourself up."
"Thank you, Uncle." Holding the warm glass, Shen Moyu instantly felt much warmer. He couldn't help but look upstairs: "Uncle, is Su Jinning... still in the study?"
Su Yi pursed his lips and nodded helplessly. "Yeah, last night I called him out to sleep, but he wouldn't say a word and even locked the door." He sighed heavily, somewhat embarrassed. "I knew he didn't want to see me, so I didn't force my way in."
Shen Moyu frowned, but it was expected.
He put down the hot water in his hand, looked at the still steaming breakfast on the table, and asked worriedly, "Where's breakfast? Didn't he eat it?"
"He didn't eat." Su Yi said, rubbing his face, his expression grave. "I thought his stomach wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I made some chicken soup and left it by the study door for an hour, but he still didn't bring it in."
Shen Moyu bit his lip, feeling somewhat helpless. But considering that his stomach had been upset yesterday and he had even vomited blood due to anger, he knew he wouldn't be able to endure it without taking medicine or eating.
He walked to the dining table, looked at the bowl of chicken soup that Su Yi had just heated up, and scooped up two spoonfuls: "I'll take it to him."
Hearing this, Su Yi's bitter expression finally eased: "Okay, thank you for your trouble, Mo Yu."
Shen Moyu carried the chicken soup upstairs, and Su Yi watched him leave from behind. He wanted to go up with him, but he was afraid that Su Jinning would see his emotions, which had just calmed down, and then explode again, so he could only stand quietly at the corner of the stairs and wait.
Shen Moyu gently knocked on the door, but before she could speak, a furious roar came from inside: "I said I'm not eating!"
The voice was a little hoarse, as if it hadn't been drinking water for a long time. Shen Moyu hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door and said gently, "Brother Ning, it's me."
This time, the room was completely quiet.
Shen Moyu knew he probably wouldn't get angry at her directly, so she mustered her courage and said a few more words: "Brother Ning, your stomach was upset yesterday, and you vomited all day. If you don't eat or drink today, your stomach won't be able to take it."
After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes slightly in fear, as if waiting for Su Jinning to yell at him.
But a moment later, he only heard a sigh, followed by Su Jinning's soft reply: "I don't want it, you can take it away."
Shen Moyu listened intently to his bitter and hoarse voice, and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
He gently grasped the doorknob, as if someone would open the door at any moment.
"Brother Ning, don't worry, I won't say or ask anything." Shen Moyu lowered his head and continued to assure him, "I just want you to eat something. I won't bother you."
Perhaps his words did have an effect, or perhaps he knew best what Su Jinning hated most.
The door just opened like that.
Su Jin stood there quietly, looking at him indifferently, her hand... clutching the jade pendant her mother had left her.
The aroma of chicken soup wafted over, but he had no appetite whatsoever; in fact, the smell made him want to vomit.
He stepped aside, as if to make way for Shen Moyu.
The moment Shen Moyu saw him, the huge weight in her heart finally lifted, and her tense heart felt much lighter.
Fortunately, he was willing to see me, otherwise my uncle might not have been able to do anything about him.