"A birthday gift?" Lin Tianran heard someone say this to him for the first time in his life. He tried to remember the last time he celebrated his birthday but couldn't recall it from his hazy memory.
"Yeah, it's just a week away. On that day, you must keep it free for me," Li Yicheng not only remembered but seemed very thoughtful about it.
"I haven't celebrated my birthday for many years," Lin Tianran shook his head, "But how did you know when my birthday is?"
"Of course, I know. From now on, I won't miss any of your birthdays. I promise," Li Yicheng made it sound like a commitment to him but also to himself.
Lin Tianran suddenly took a deep breath. "Having a friend feels so wonderful."
But he wished his friend could be a bit less wealthy. Then, the gap between them wouldn't feel as vast as the Milky Way, and Lin Tianran wouldn't have this sense of unattainability in his happiness, as if everything wasn't quite real.
After trying all sorts of ways to buy something for Tian Tian, Li Yicheng had to give up.
So, he decided to carefully choose a gift and give it to him on his birthday, which would surely be a pleasant surprise.
"How about watching a movie?" Li Yicheng asked as they passed by a movie theater.
"A movie?" Lin Tianran had never been inside a movie theater before. In fact, he rarely watched TV. The dormitories at the factory didn't have TVs, and he could only catch the news from the TV in the cafeteria or occasionally when he went to the supermarket.
"There's a new movie out recently that I've wanted to see for a long time, but I've been so busy with work, and there's been no one to go with me," Li Yicheng said with sudden enthusiasm, gazing at the movie posters displayed by the cinema, eagerly.
He wasn't really a movie enthusiast; his previous words were just a casual remark. However, being able to watch a movie with Tian Tian was something he longed for!
Creating more memories that belonged to just the two of them made Li Yicheng feel truly happy.
"Is it expensive to watch a movie?" Lin Tianran looked around but didn't see any prices listed on the posters, so he voiced his concern.
"It's not expensive," Li Yicheng was about to suggest experiencing an IMAX screening for a little over a hundred yuan, but Lin Tianran immediately replied, "Then, let me treat you this time. You treated me to dinner earlier, so it's my turn now!"
"Sure," Li Yicheng went along with it. "Let's watch a regular 2D movie."
Lin Tianran nodded and then went to buy tickets.
Regular 2D movie tickets weren't expensive, and it was a weekday with fewer people, so there was a discount.
The two tickets added up to only sixty yuan, well within Lin Tianran's budget.
Lin Tianran returned with the tickets, looking elated. "I got them! Let's go!"
"Great," Li Yicheng nodded indulgently, as if it was back when they were children, and he was leading him to play around the factory. He followed Lin Tianran to get the tickets checked.
They watched a big American blockbuster, with an average plot but captivating special effects that kept the audience's eyes glued to the screen. Explosions here, and crashes there. Lin Tianran was experiencing this visual feast for the first time, and he was so engrossed that he followed the storyline with intense focus.
Li Yicheng looked at him, his eyes reflecting the light from the movie screen. It was as if there was a galaxy in his eyes, absolutely beautiful. What movie could compare to Tian Tian?
Suddenly, Li Yicheng remembered a classic line: "You're standing on a bridge watching the scenery, and the people under the bridge are watching you."
Wasn't this exactly them?
Just as they finished watching the movie, Li Yicheng's phone made a 'ding' sound. He checked it and saw a message from Manager Fang.
"Mr. Li, Professor Maxon's report is out."
Li Yicheng glanced at Lin Tianran and replied, "Alright, you arrange a private room, and I'll treat the professor to dinner tonight."
Seeing that he seemed busy, Lin Tianran suggested, "Yicheng, shall we head back?"
"Sure," Li Yicheng agreed. They roughly estimated that it was almost dinner time, and Li Yicheng had to make a brief trip back to the factory before returning to the city.
Old Wang was utterly shocked when he saw Lin Tianran returning in the car driven by the young boss.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Li even rolled down the car window and reminded him, "Remember to come for training tomorrow at noon!"
Lin Tianran nodded, feeling a bit shy.
He greeted the stunned Old Wang and then walked slowly back to the dormitory, reminiscing along the way.
For someone like him who was usually bound by work, today was an exceptionally exciting day. First, he went for a health check, and then he was with Li Yicheng, enjoying a cheerful meal and having fun. If he could have this every day, where every day was fresh and exciting, it would be wonderful.
But how could that be possible? He would never forget his true identity.
And people with certain identities should have certain lives.
"Hey!" Suddenly, a voice called out from behind.
Lin Tianran turned around, and it was Yao Wang.
Yao Wang's eyes had finally recovered from the swelling, and his handsome appearance was back.
Yao Wang had just finished work and was about to retrieve his car when he unexpectedly encountered the security guard who had punched him that day. The guard immediately stopped him.
"President Yao, what's the matter?" Lin Tianran finally realized who he was and didn't dare to offend him.
"You, come here!" Yao Wang beckoned to him with a crooked finger.
Lin Tianran could only obediently approach him.
"Well, you, where's the photo I asked you to hang up?"
"Huh? It's right here," Lin Tianran instinctively reached out to grab it. "Hey, where's the photo?"
Right, this morning, when he had taken Li Yicheng's car to the health check, Li Yicheng had taken it from him.
"How did it disappear?" Lin Tianran could only play dumb. "It was here just now. Could it have fallen somewhere?"
Seeing Lin Tianran's half-believable act, Yao Wang laughed darkly. Lin Tianran felt a shiver down his spine and could only gulp nervously, then hurriedly left, following his previous path. He bent down and looked around, pretending to search for the photo.
"You'd better not be lying to me, or if I find out you're lying, hehe," Yao Wang said with a sinister smile.
Lin Tianran, feeling guilty, just mumbled something and quickly walked away.
This Yao Wang is truly difficult to deal with.
"Professor Maxon, you're here," Li Yicheng and Manager Fang had reserved a private room at a luxurious downtown restaurant, ordered a table full of delicacies, and even opened a bottle of fine wine to entertain this orthopedic master they had invited from overseas.
"Mr. Li, hello," Professor Maxon entered the private room with a few companions and greeted Li Yicheng with a warm Western-style hug.
"Come, come, please have a seat quickly," Li Yicheng hurriedly instructed Manager Fang. "Call the waiter to serve the dishes."
Manager Fang replied with an "Okay" and left to ring the service bell.
"Professor, thank you so much for today," Li Yicheng expressed his deep gratitude. He had put in a lot of effort to invite this esteemed figure in the medical field, and Lin Tianran's hopes for his leg were now pinned on him.
"Not at all, Mr. Li, you're too kind," Professor Maxon looked gentle. He turned to whisper to his companions, and one of them took out some examination reports from a document bag. These were X-rays, MRIs, and more that had been taken for Lin Tianran today.
"These are Mr. Lin's images. Please take a look, Mr. Li."
Li Yicheng received the images and earnestly examined them one by one. Although he wasn't a doctor and didn't understand medical techniques, the images of the leg bones taken from different angles made him furrow his brows.
Each image clearly revealed that the patient's lower left leg bones were severely twisted and deformed compared to a normal person's straight leg bones.
"Mr. Lin's leg was not completely treated after the accident in his childhood. Due to his young age and relatively fragile bones at the time, the bone graft support method should have been used, but instead, traditional fusion fixation was employed, resulting in subsequent inadequate bone support in his left leg during his physical development. This led to the deformity you see in the images," Professor Maxon carefully explained to Li Yicheng.
"Bones like these will seriously affect the patient's ability to walk, causing unimaginable pain. In the future, it will also lead to osteoporosis and bodily pain as he ages."
Every word from the professor felt like a sharp dagger, stabbing Li Yicheng's heart with each sentence.
His hands, holding the images, were trembling. "So, Professor, is there any way to treat and reverse this?"
"Mr. Lin's bone injury occurred during childhood, which is the optimal treatment period for such injuries during bone growth and development. Mr. Lin has missed that window. However, medical techniques have advanced since then. If we follow a treatment plan step by step, we can still maximize the correction of the existing deformity," Professor Maxon explained Lin Tianran's first-phase treatment plan to Li Yicheng.
For the next six months, Lin Tianran would need to wear a corrective brace daily, avoid climbing stairs and lifting heavy objects, and increase calcium intake.
After six months, he could come to the United States for bone correction surgery.
Based on the surgical recovery results, they would plan the next phase of treatment.
"I'll have Mr. Lin's corrective brace customized as soon as I return to my country. Once it's ready, it will be express shipped to you, which should take about a week," Professor Maxon said. "These six months are the foundation for the surgery, so please make sure there's no slacking off. After half a year, bring Mr. Lin to the United States for the operation."
"Alright, thank you, Professor," Li Yicheng tightly shook Maxon's hand.
"Mr. Li, the dishes are here," Manager Fang entered with the waitstaff.
"Oh, right," Li Yicheng poured a glass of wine for the professor, "Professor, please try some authentic Chinese cuisine."
"Sure, I won't hold back then, haha," the professor raised his glass, finished it in one go, and exclaimed, "Great wine, great wine!"
Support me a milktea if you like my translation:
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mirori
Paypal: mymy26198@gmail.com