The night was dark and the horizon seemed to be covered in thick ink. It was so dark that there was not a trace of starlight.
In the courtyard, the wooden street lamps were dim. Lu Shiyuan leaned half of his body against a pillar. He tore open the cigarette box, took a cigarette, held it in his hand, and gently tapped it against the cigarette box.
He put the cigarette in his mouth and tilted his head slightly. The light from the lighter illuminated half of his face more clearly.
After taking a puff, he raised his hand to extinguish the cigarette.
The cigarette from two years ago had already changed its taste.
It was just like how his relationship with Su Xianyi had changed in the past few years.
"Are you smoking?"
Lu Shiyuan looked towards the source of the voice. "Grandpa."
The old man was wearing pajamas. The night was cold, so he put on a coat. "Did you have some troubles at work?"
"No."
Elder Lu sized up his grandson."Could it be… You have a love life?"
That expression was almost like seeing a ghost.
"..."
Elder Lu gathered his coat. "It's love. There's both bitterness and sweetness."
"I'm not in a relationship yet."
"Oh," the old man said meaningfully. "Is it unrequited love?"
Lu Shiyuan was silent.
The old man took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand. He patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Lu Shiyuan lowered his head and looked at the cigarettes in his hand. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. What did this little old man mean?
**
On the other side.
Su Xianyi had already eaten her fill and watched as Su Cheng fought with the lobster in front of him.
As he ate, he complained about his father's "abuse and brutality" over the years, as well as his resistance.
"Has he really hit you since you were young?" Su Xianyi lowered her head and helped him peel the crayfish.
"Yes, he did. The first time was in elementary school... In any case, when writing essays at that time, did the teachers like to assign topics to our parents? I complained about my dad in my essay."
"He saw it?"
"Maybe it was because I described it too miserably that the teacher thought I was abused, so she specially came to visit and gave my father a parenting lesson."
"What happened after that?"
"My butt hurt for half a month, and he even forced me to write an essay."
"The title was 'I Have a Good Father,' and the entire piece was full of flattery towards him."
When Su Cheng talked about this experience, his face was filled with despair.
"Also, when I sneaked into an internet café in high school, the other parents caught their kids and brought them home. But he went straight to the police station to report that they had opened up a channel for underaged people to surf the internet and took down the internet café."
"Cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots, how awesome."
Su Xianyi really couldn't hold it in.
She was peeling the prawns again. When her fingers exerted a little force, the juice in the prawn's head spilled out and accidentally stained her clothes. "I have to go to the bathroom."
There was oil in the soup, and she was worried that it would stain her clothes. If it had been too long, it would not wash off.
"I'll go with you. I'm full, so I'll go wash my hands."
It was close to midnight, and the lobster restaurant was getting more and more prosperous. There was an endless stream of people eating supper. As soon as the two of them came out of the private room, they met a group of people.
There were about seven or eight men and women.
Su Xianyi only raised her head and glanced at the oncoming people. She didn't pay attention to them, but the group of people spoke first.
"Su Cheng?"
"Isn't this our good boy? A good student should go home at this time. The college entrance examination is coming soon. You still have time to come out so late. Go home. Drink some milk and sleep."
"Are you guys crazy? He has guaranteed admission, so he is awesome!"
..
A few of them laughed, but Su Cheng ignored them.
These words made her feel uncomfortable, especially in the next sentence. "Yo, our good student has a girl too. She's quite pretty."
Su Cheng frowned and his gaze turned cold.
At this moment, a girl walked out from behind the group of people with a smile. "What nonsense are you talking about? They're siblings."
Su Xianyi's gaze fell on her. It was a familiar face, Cai Huimin.
Their gazes met and she smiled. "What a coincidence, Miss Su. We meet again."
"It is quite a coincidence."
"Then we'll leave now. We didn't manage to eat last time, let's get together another day."
Su Xianyi only smiled.
After the group of people left, Su Cheng came up to her. "Sis, how do you know these idiots?"
"..."
"We can fight with the heavens and the earth, but we can't fight with idiots."
Su Xianyi cleared her throat. "Are you very familiar with them?"
"Not really. Kingstown is only so big. There are a few people who come from well-to-do families. They've gone out to eat with my dad before. The rest of them are just morons."
"Judging from their tone, there's a conflict between the two of you?"
"Look at me, I'm smart, handsome, and my family background is not bad. I'm the standard male lead of television dramas and novels. Who doesn't envy me?"
Su Xianyi smiled bitterly. She had really underestimated his narcissism.
Su Xianyi didn't take this encounter to heart and went back to sleep. Su Cheng, on the other hand, was full of energy. He didn't sleep in the middle of the night and went to play games.
--
Around midnight, Su Xianyi was woken up by a knock on the door. She hurriedly got out of bed, only to see Su Cheng clutching his stomach, hunching his back, and screaming in pain.
"What happened? Where does it hurt?" Su Xianyi instantly woke up.
"I don't know."
Su Cheng couldn't explain. His face was exceptionally pale, and his lips were pale.
"To the hospital." Su Xianyi made a prompt decision.
It was already past three in the morning. It was not easy for the two of them to hail a taxi when they left the neighborhood. Fortunately, the security guard on duty had a small van that helped send them to the nearest hospital and they were admitted to the emergency room.
When he arrived at the emergency room, the doctor on duty pressed his abdomen slightly, and he cried out in pain.
The doctor asked what he had eaten recently, and Su Xianyi found out that after eating the crayfish, he had also secretly drunk two bottles of iced coke when he went home.
"I'll get him some medicine for acute gastroenteritis. He'll stay behind for observation after he takes it. If necessary, he might have to stay in the hospital for a few days."
When Su Cheng heard that he would be hospitalized, he wilted.
When Su Xianyi went to get the medicine, she was in a hurry and unexpectedly bumped into an acquaintance.
"Little niece? Why are you at the hospital at this time?"
"Xiao…Uncle?" Su Xianyi looked at Xiao Dongyi. "You're on duty tonight?"
"No, there was a surgery that lasted until two in the morning. I just ate something and was about to go home. Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's not me. It's my younger brother."
Younger brother?
Although Xiao Dongyi couldn't share his juicy gossip, he couldn't stop his enthusiasm for getting more gossip. Using the excuse of helping, he accompanied Su Xianyi to get medicine and went to visit Su Cheng.
Although Su Cheng's condition improved after taking the medicine, the doctor still suggested that he stay in the hospital for observation.
**
On the other side.
Lu Shiyuan had been tossing and turning that night. He had just closed his eyes for a while when he was woken up by the phone.
When he saw the caller ID, a chill appeared in his eyes.
"It's so late. You better have something important to say."
Xiao Dongyi chuckled. "Didn't you say that your girl likes you? You even emphasized that she likes you very much. Then, do you know that she has a little puppy by her side?"
"The boy is quite good-looking, handsome, and sunny."
"Young and full of vigor. What an enviable age."
"..."
The more Lu Shiyuan listened, the darker his face became.
Who knew that the young man Xiao Dongyi had mentioned was lying on the hospital bed, his face pale and on the verge of death.