When you view the world from a different perspective, you'll realize that many things are different from what you think.
Lu Zhengfei always believed that he was protecting Chen Qianqing well, but it wasn't until he became Chen Qianqing himself that he realized this so-called protection was just his own wishful thinking.
At that time, Chen Qianqing was still weak, and a single negligence was enough to deeply hurt him.
Whether it was Lu Yiqin appearing in the hospital room, Liu Jingyang spewing hurtful words, or the deliberately placed lipstick mark on Lu Zhengfei's collar, they all conveyed one fact - Chen Qianqing's situation was far from what he had imagined.
Because of his poor relationship with Lu Zhengfei, even if he encountered someone who harmed him, Chen Qianqing wouldn't seek help from Lu Zhengfei. He continued to endure silently until he reached his breaking point.
And this is one of the causes of the tragic ending for both Lu Zhengfei and Chen Qianqing - without communication, the truth remains unseen.
After returning home from school, Chen Qianqing saw Lu Zhengfei sitting in the living room with a gloomy expression.
Chen Qianqing didn't smoke, so Lu Zhengfei rarely smoked in front of him. However, today was an exception. Lu Zhengfei sat in the living room with a full ashtray in front of him.
Using his cane, Chen Qianqing walked in without any change in expression upon seeing Lu Zhengfei. He sat down next to the sofa and started biting into an apple, completely ignoring Lu Zhengfei's presence.
"Qianqing." It was evident that Lu Zhengfei had been sitting on the couch for a long time. When he saw Chen Qianqing return, he extinguished his cigarette and said, "Yesterday..."
"Give me a cigarette." Chen Qianqing interrupted Lu Zhengfei's words after finishing the apple.
"When did you start smoking?" Lu Zhengfei was taken aback, then his eyes filled with anger. "Who taught you to smoke?"
Chen Qianqing replied, "Give me a cigarette, and then you can talk about yesterday."
Lu Zhengfei hadn't expected this attitude from Chen Qianqing. He thought Chen Qianqing would at least show some anger. But when he truly wanted to discuss the matter with Chen Qianqing, all he saw was indifference.
Yes, indifference, as if nothing he explained had anything to do with Chen Qianqing.
After a moment of silence, Lu Zhengfei reluctantly handed a cigarette to Chen Qianqing.
Chen Qianqing wanted to smoke, but he didn't. He didn't intend to do anything harmful to his body, not even smoking. So he placed the cigarette near his nose, smelling the tobacco, finding some satisfaction in satisfying the craving without actually smoking it.
"It was done by Ruan Wenhong," Lu Zhengfei said. "He deliberately marked my collar with lipstick."
Ruan Wenhong was Lu Zhengfei's cousin. In fact, neither Lu Zhengfei's father nor his mother supported his relationship with Chen Qianqing. However, Lu Zhengfei wasn't that foolish. He didn't reveal his infatuation with Chen Qianqing until he had complete control over their family, preventing any interference.
But even so, Lu Zhengfei's family still disliked his favoritism towards Chen Qianqing.
With his head lowered, Chen Qianqing tore the tobacco apart, then took a sip of water before saying, "Is that all you wanted to say?"
Lu Zhengfei was stunned. Previously, Chen Qianqing would never say such things to him. The deeper meaning behind these words made him panic. Could it be that Chen Qianqing had already accepted him??
Chen Qianqing coldly observed Lu Zhengfei's expression, as if watching a pitiful and naive child. "Lu Zhengfei, being with me is not a problem. The problem is, do you want to be with me as we are now?"
Can only use breaking legs, closing doors to be together, and then walking towards destruction as an ending?
"I understand." Lu Zhengfei is not stupid. He may be impeccable in his career, but in matters of love, he is not even comparable to the old Chen Qianqing. Chen Qianqing felt exhausted when he saw that Lu Zhengfei understood. If he had someone by his side who could remind him of his mistakes back then, he and the old Chen Qianqing probably would not have reached that point.
After that, Chen Qianqing and Lu Zhengfei didn't encounter any major events. Lu Zhengfei identified the person who had been sabotaging him for six years after the incident with Lu Yiqin. The person followed him not because they wanted to harm Chen Qianqing, but simply because they didn't like how obsessed Lu Zhengfei was with Chen Qianqing, just like how Ruan Wenhong let Lu Yiqin insult Chen Qianqing.
Lu Zhengfei didn't show any mercy towards this person. Today, he could sabotage Chen Qianqing just because he didn't like him, and tomorrow he could do even worse things.
Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.
After May 1st, Chen Qianqing would start preparing for the final exams. In order to facilitate his review, he resisted Lu Zhengfei's protest and stayed at school for two weeks, going to the library with Zhu Mao every day. He barely passed all his courses with a bit of excitement.
During this period, Lu Zhengfei visited Chen Qianqing a few times and had someone bring him lunch and dinner every day.
"Qianqing, is this person your brother?" Zhu Mao asked while eating.
"No, he's my friend," Chen Qianqing replied.
"He's really good to you..." Chen Qianqing smiled and didn't say anything.
After the grades came out, it was summer vacation.
Because of his leg and Lu Zhengfei's disagreement, Chen Qianqing didn't plan to go home this summer.
When Liu Huamei came to take care of Chen Qianqing, she knew that he wouldn't be going home for the summer vacation, but she still called him during the final exams to remind him of some things and asked him if he was going back.
"Mom, I'm not going back." Chen Qianqing said to Liu Huamei on the phone, "Take care of yourselves, and come over to visit when you have time. It's much cooler here than in C City."
Liu Huamei smiled and agreed. She was initially worried about Chen Qianqing, but knowing that Lu Zhengfei was with him, she wasn't as worried. After all, there was someone taking care of him, so she wasn't afraid of anything happening.
Chen Qianqing was speechless about Liu Huamei's trust. He didn't know what made Liu Huamei trust Lu Zhengfei so much, to the point where she calmly handed him over to Lu Zhengfei. After all, back then, Liu Huamei was very suspicious of him.
Chen Qianqing not going home happened to align with Lu Zhengfei's wishes. He originally planned to take Chen Qianqing out to play, but Chen Qianqing directly said, "Can I go out with you with crutches?"
Lu Zhengfei could only ask Chen Qianqing how he wanted to spend this summer vacation.
It's funny to say, but Chen Qianqing has never had a so-called summer vacation. His every break was packed with tight schedules, and rather than saying he was on vacation, it was more like studying in a different place.
"I don't want to go out." Chen Qianqing said, "I just want to stay at home, read some books, and rest."
Lu Zhengfei wanted to say something, but eventually held back. Chen Qianqing had really changed a lot. In the past, if he had something unhappy, he would definitely keep it all to himself, but now, he would directly speak it out, even with a taste of impatience.
Lu Zhengfei speculated that Chen Qianqing really wanted to spend this summer well with him.
But the truth is, perhaps spending it well is fake, and impatience is the truth.
In fact, the relationship between the two was still harmonious, the only thing they couldn't agree on was... making love. Yes, making love. After being deceived by Lu Zhengfei once, Chen Qianqing developed a skill. Even when he was sleeping, he could wake up very quickly when Lu Zhengfei approached him.
Lu Zhengfei didn't like it when Chen Qianqing struggled too much, so he wanted to take advantage of when Chen Qianqing was sleeping, just like last time. But clearly, his plan wasn't going to be so easily executed.
Chen Qianqing woke up too easily, almost every time Lu Zhengfei approached him, he could see Chen Qianqing, who should have been sound asleep, open his eyes and stare at him. That gaze made Lu Zhengfei feel embarrassed.
Chen Qianqing also knew that things couldn't go on like this forever, and sooner or later Lu Zhengfei would explode. So he had been thinking and preparing for a long time, and finally said to Lu Zhengfei, "Lu Zhengfei, let me use my hand for you."
At that moment, Lu Zhengfei was calmly watching the news. When he heard Chen Qianqing's words, his tablet fell to the ground, and he quickly stood up and touched Chen Qianqing's forehead with his hand. "Are you running a fever?"
Chen Qianqing: "..." Looking at himself, who is so useless, he feels an overwhelming sadness.
Lu Zhengfei saw that Chen Qianqing's expression didn't seem like a joke, and he said, "Are you sure you want to do it with your hands?" It may be unbelievable, but Lu Zhengfei harbored a special affection for Chen Qianqing's beautiful hands that played the piano, so when Chen Qianqing said he wanted to help him with his hands, his first reaction was joy.
How could Chen Qianqing not know what Lu Zhengfei was thinking? He had clearly told himself to endure, but when he saw the look in Lu Zhengfei's eyes, he was still angry. "Lu Zhengfei, can't you have some self-control? Don't think that I don't know what you're thinking!"
Lu Zhengfei said, "How could you possibly know what I'm thinking!"
Chen Qianqing said, "You're fucking gloating, aren't you? Don't think I'm blind just because you're smirking!"
Lu Zhengfei: "..." Huh, is it really that obvious...