Yan Heqing didn't ask about the itinerary, got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. The attractions at Twenty Bridges are relatively concentrated, and after a traffic jam of about ten minutes, they arrived at their destination quickly.
Upon getting off the bus and seeing the familiar lake, Yan Heqing realized it was the landmark of the Twenty Bridges, the twenty ancient bridges.
When playing bluffing, Yan Heqing had already seen these bridges on the cards.
The twenty ancient bridges are not connected; they are scattered in different areas, and it would take two days to explore them all on foot. There are ferries for boating on the lake, but they are too crowded. After discussing it, Lu Lin and Yan Heqing decided to rent bicycles.
The sun was out, but not too hot; it was quite pleasant to ride a bicycle around the lake.
The place was packed with tourists during the holiday. I went to several bike rental shops before finally finding the last one. It was pink with a frame, and thankfully, it could carry someone on the back.
Lu Lin couldn't sit in the back seat; he couldn't find a place to put his legs, so he continued to be the driver.
Yan Heqing sat down; he had long legs, but he managed to sit down with a little effort.
Lu Lin hadn't ridden a bicycle in a long time, so he wobbled a few times when he started, but it stabilized after a while.
Yan Heqing took out his phone to take pictures of the lake and mountain scenery. After a while, he thought of something, "Was your grandma's bicycle like this?"
Lu Lin recalled for a few seconds, "Pretty much. I just removed the back seat."
Yan Heqing asked in surprise, "Remove the back seat?"
" Xie Yunjie and Chu Ziyu are always trying to hitch a ride," Lu Lin said calmly. "Let's just get rid of them once and for all."
"You have a good relationship with them." Yan Heqing finished taking the picture and turned off his phone, his face reflected on the screen.
Yan Heqing had friends when he was in elementary school, but he had to wash dishes after school and on weekends, so he didn't have time to play with them, and gradually no one asked him to play with them anymore.
In junior and senior high school, he was popular with girls, but most of the boys ostracized him, and only a few studious boys would ask him questions.
As for university, he lost the opportunity to make friends before he even started. Now he's realized it, but he doesn't have the time or the desire to make friends, and he's unsure if he'll still be around in two years.
"What are you thinking about?" Lu Lin interrupted his thoughts.
A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the fresh scent of earth after the rain. Yan Heqing suddenly leaned her head against Lu Lin's back, closed her eyes, and felt the breeze. "I'm thinking, the wind here is so nice."
Lu Lin smiled, "If you like it so much, we'll come back during the holidays."
Yan Heqing didn't answer; he simply pressed his forehead closer to Lu Lin's back, feeling his warmth even through his shirt.
Even with bicycles, it would be afternoon by the time they circled the Twenty Bridges. After returning the bicycles, they randomly went into a pan-fried dumpling shop by the lake for dinner.
Returning to the old house, unlike the crowded tourist attractions, this place deep within the scenic area was quiet and peaceful.
Hot water poured down from the showerhead, washing away the fatigue of a long day.
Yan Heqing dried her hair, changed into her pajamas, and left the bathroom.
Lu Lin was on the phone in the main room.
"I make decisions solely for the benefit of the Lu Group."
"It doesn't matter who Lu Muchi is."
The other person's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet room; it was Lu Changcheng, "I really shouldn't have given birth to you!"
Lu Lin remained unmoved. "My mother gave birth to me."
Lu Changcheng hung up the phone in a fit of rage.
Lu Lin put down his phone and stood up. He had already noticed Yan Heqing coming out, so he went over and took the towel from him, helping Yan Heqing dry his hair. "Are you going to sleep?"
Yan Heqing was still thinking about the contents of the phone call she had just overheard.
Does the Lu Group have a project that conflicts with Lu Muchi?
I was suddenly flicked on the forehead. "Fell asleep standing up?"
Yan Heqing collected her thoughts, slightly raised her eyes, and happened to see Lu Lin's superior nose. "When are you going back?"
"My flight is tomorrow night," Lu Lin offered. "How about we try contacting your relatives? If we can, we can visit them tomorrow."
Yan Heqing lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them. "No need. My relative contacted me and brought a photo of my mother."
He looked up again, gazing intently at Lu Lin. "I'm very grateful to him, extremely grateful. How can I possibly express my gratitude enough?"
Lu Lin smiled. "If I were him, knowing you're so happy would be the greatest gratitude I could ask for."
Yan Heqing remained silent for a few seconds, then tiptoed and kissed Lu Lin on the corner of the mouth. "I'm asking for a reward."
That night, Lu Lin took cold showers all night but still couldn't calm down.
The next day, instead of visiting any tourist attractions, Yan Heqing strolled around the city center of Twenty Bridges and bought several souvenirs.
After lunch, we went to the airport.
The plane took off on time and landed at Capital International Airport at nine o'clock. After stepping out of the cabin, Yan Heqing was in a daze for a few seconds before he truly felt that time had restarted.
Yan Heqing went to the restroom, washed his hands, took out the SIM card, and put it into the new phone.
As soon as I turned on the computer, dozens of messages popped up.
Most of them were Lu Muchi, and a few were numbers that were not saved.
May 2nd, [This is Lin Fengyi. Your phone is off. I just wanted to let you know that his situation isn't good.]
He was naturally referring to Lin Fengzhi.
On May 3rd, [his situation worsened.]
On May 4th, [He's alright now; although he still doesn't speak, he's finally willing to eat.]
Yan Heqing did not reply first; he contacted Ge Tongyuan instead.
When Ge Tongyuan heard that he had returned and brought him a gift, he was overjoyed, "Thanks! I have another day off tomorrow, do you want to come over to my house? It's not far from Beijing University, just 13 subway stops away!"
Yan Heqing smiled. "I can't go. I'm going to see Fengzhi tomorrow. Want to come along?"
Ge Tongyuan readily agreed. "Sure!"
They agreed to meet at the subway station tomorrow. After hanging up the phone, Yan Heqing replied to Lin Fengyi, "I'll go see him tomorrow."
Lin Fengyi thought Yan Heqing wouldn't respond, but after receiving the reply, he stared at it for a long time to confirm before leaping out of bed and running to knock on Lin Fengxian's door, "Brother, it's my turn to go to the hospital tomorrow!"
Fearing that Lin Fengzhi lonely, Mother Lin stayed at the hospital to keep him company and arranged for Lin Fengxian and Lin Fengyi to take turns visiting him.
Lin Fengxian opened the door, looking suspicious. "Which day? Didn't you go today?"
Lin Fengyi made up an excuse, "The day after tomorrow! I have something to do the day after tomorrow, let's switch."