Bi Yuan didn’t know how long he had stayed at the hospital that day, nor did he know how he had left. All he knew was that when he emerged from the hospital again, he felt like an abandoned child.
Surprisingly, that night, Bi Yuan returned to the main house to spend the night.
“You, why did you choose such a young wife? Look at the mess you’ve gotten yourself into. At your age, you’re acting like a child, yet you don’t even have someone to take care of you…”
Feeding the old man his midnight snack, Bi Yuan felt a pang of emotion.
Recalling that year, when he returned home and overheard the young maid discussing her schemes with her lover in the room, Bi Yuan couldn’t remember how he had felt at the time. Back then, the old man had been sitting in the room, just as he was now, being fed by the young maid, his eyes as innocent as those of a three-year-old child.
“Do you think I should hate you?” Wiping the old man’s mouth, Bi Yuan looked at the carefree old man and spoke with a touch of resignation.
“If you hadn’t brought a young wife home, what would my life be like now? Would it be better than it is now?” He spoke hypothetically to the old man, who was now completely unaware of his surroundings.
That night, Bi Yuan slept restlessly. In his dreams, the loving smile of his deceased mother appeared repeatedly, and he murmured, “Mom…”
In the middle of the night, he woke up from a dream about his mother’s death. He sat on the bed for a long time, his mind replaying the events of the past years like a movie. Finally, he couldn’t help but bury his face in his hands, shaking his shoulders as he cried.
How much he longed for even a little bit of maternal love. His longing for his mother had never ceased for a single day. He longed to feel his mother’s warm embrace once more, to be like Xu Yang, who could bury his head in his mother’s soft bosom and cry his heart out when he was tired or sad.
But now, all that accompanied him was the cold, lifeless room and the insincere concern of those around him.
It couldn’t be denied that Bi Yuan envied Xu Yang, even resented him. Though Bi Yuan possessed the wealth and riches Xu Yang lacked, Xu Yang, in turn, possessed the familial love and affection that Bi Yuan could only dream of.
Isn’t life so fair? It gives you one thing and takes another away.
Since that day, Bi Yuan has not seen Xu Yang again. It was as if Xu Yang had never appeared in his life, never calling or sending a text message.
Bi Yuan’s life seemed to have returned to normal, but there were some differences.
Besides wandering aimlessly in the studio, watching Li Mu manage the company and mentor new employees, he spent the rest of his time at the old house, accompanying the elderly Mr. Bi, who no longer recognized him, for an entire day. Sometimes, even his two sisters, who occasionally came home for meals, began to wonder if Bi Yuan was ill.
Li Mu usually didn’t interfere much in Bi Yuan’s life. Sometimes they wouldn’t speak to each other for months, and the studio was mostly managed by Li Mu. But the two had grown up together and were always considerate of each other. Whenever there was something to discuss, they always found common ground.
That day, Bi Yuan was pushing the old man to the garden to soak up the sun. The temperature difference between day and night was significant in early autumn, and the morning was still a bit chilly.
While combing the old man’s hair and massaging his scalp, he was also coaxing him, promising to take him out for a nice meal after the haircut. Lin Ayi, who was cleaning, ran out of the house and picked up the phone that had been left on the coffee table, saying it had been ringing for a long time.
Closing the door saw that it was Li Mu’s call and felt a bit puzzled.
“Where are you?” Li Mu’s voice came through as soon as the call connected.
“I’m working as a caregiver, combing the old man’s hair. What’s up?”
“Come to the studio.”
“What? Haven’t seen me in a few days, miss me?” she teased Li Mu on the other end of the phone.
“You have to clean up your own mess, right?” Li Mu’s voice sounded a bit helpless.
“Me? I’ve been a good girl lately, I haven’t caused you any trouble.”
Thinking about how he hadn’t been to the studio much lately, except for necessary decision-making meetings with Li Mu, he had spent most of his time at the mansion with the old man. Although he sometimes teased the new junior staff, he wasn’t as promiscuous as before, sleeping with anyone he wanted.
Li Mu’s sudden remark left Bi Yuan feeling confused.
“Xu Yang came to the studio early this morning to look for you.” Li Mu sighed. He had warned him not to provoke the other party, but he refused to listen.
That day, Bi Yuan had called him to ask for help investigating a case in the operating room at the hospital. When the results came in, Li Mu was startled and finally understood why Xu Yang had written “urgently in need of money” on his resume.
When he called back that day, Li Mu felt uneasy. On one hand, he felt sympathy for Xu Yang’s situation, but on the other hand, he felt that Bi Yuan had gone too far this time.
When Xu Yang came to the door, Li Mu was a bit surprised.
Though he didn’t know the details of their relationship, Xu Yang’s demeanor suggested he had come to confront Bi Yuan, yet he carried himself with a calm composure, his face adorned with a gentle smile, much like the day he had come for the interview.
Li Mu had assumed that Bi Yuan would come to the studio after breakfast as usual, so he asked Xu Yang to wait. However, after waiting all morning without seeing Bi Yuan, he finally remembered to call him.
“Why didn’t he call me?” Xu Yang had been waiting for him all morning?
Bi Yuan suddenly felt confused. If he was looking for him, why didn’t he call him? But upon reflection, Xu Yang had rarely initiated contact with him before; it was usually Bi Yuan who called Xu Yang more often. Perhaps Xu Yang hadn’t even saved his number.
Thinking of this, Bi Yuan felt a bit uneasy. He hung up the phone, hurriedly told Aunt Lin a few words, left the old man with the nanny, and drove to the studio.
Xu Yang hadn’t expected Bi Yuan to be absent from the studio. Now he was blaming himself for rushing over without clarifying the situation first.
Xu Yue’s condition had stabilized after the surgery. After observing her for a while, the doctor said there were no signs of rejection, and she could be discharged in a few more days, requiring only regular follow-ups. Xu Yang was overjoyed, and Xu’s mother finally showed a rare smile. The three of them were incredibly happy in the hospital room.
When settling the bill for Xu Yue’s initial surgery, Xu Yang suddenly remembered Bi Yuan and felt guilty.
Xu Yang felt guilty.
Actually, it wasn’t his fault. Xiao Yue’s surgery took the whole day, and Xu Yang didn’t even know when Bi Yuan left. After that, he devoted himself entirely to taking care of Xiao Yue, staying up all night and day at her bedside, observing her every move, and calling the doctors and nurses to check on her at the first sign of any change. All his thoughts were on Xiao Yue.
Xu Yang was an ordinary person. He had been hoping for Xiao Yue’s surgery to go smoothly for three years, and now that he finally had the opportunity, it was only natural for him to devote himself entirely to it.
But Xu Yang still couldn’t help but feel guilty. So, after picking up Xiao Yue from the hospital and taking care of everything at home, Xu Yang hurried to the studio to thank Bi Yuan in person.
But upon arriving at the studio, he realized he had come without informing anyone beforehand and had come empty-handed, which was improper etiquette.
Therefore, when he saw Bi Yuan, Xu Yang felt a bit embarrassed.
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