The island was quiet, with the occasional sound of waves crashing in the distance.
The window was open, and moonlight streamed in, casting a glow of fireflies across the floor. Yan Heqing was not asleep.
Having slept enough during the day, his mind was now unusually clear, and he felt no sleepiness whatsoever.
He lay on his side, looking out the window. After a while, he heard the rustling of clothes behind him, and a warm sensation approached. Lu Lin pulled him into his arms.
Lu Lin pressed his chin against Yan Heqing's neck, his hands slipped around Yan Heqing's waist, enveloping his hands and gently rubbing them to warm them up.
"It's so cold, should we close the window?"
"I'm not cold," Yan Heqing said softly. "Did I wake you up?"
"Who can you disturb by being so quiet?" Lu Lin chuckled softly, pinching Yan Heqing's index finger, and gradually the tone changed as he played with Yan Heqing's fingertip.
It wasn't delicate or soft; it had thin calluses on its hands.
Lu Lin loved the feel of it. "If you can't sleep, let's chat."
Yan Heqing turned his head slightly. The moonlight was bright, and he could see clearly even without the lights on in the room. However, Lu Lin's chin was close to his neck, and due to the limited angle, he could only see Lu Lin's vague outline.
His attention was piqued. "What are you talking about?"
Lu Lin smiled. "What do you want to talk about?"
Yan Heqing was caught off guard when Lu Lin stroked the calluses on his hands and asked, "Why do you like biology?"
Yan Heqing thought for a moment, and realized it was around the time he was in sixth grade.
I rushed home after school at noon to cook for Yan Feng, and ran into Yan Feng and a few other kids squatting under a tree downstairs.
They found a magnifying glass somewhere and used it to roast a grasshopper with a broken leg in the sunlight.
The group laughed as they watched the grasshopper struggle. Yan Heqing never dared to be mean to Yan Feng, but that day he was furious and snatched the magnifying glass away. The other children scattered, and Yan Feng stared at him blankly. After a few seconds, his lips trembled, and he burst into tears and went upstairs.
"I'm going to tell my parents that you bullied me!"
Yan Heqing knew he was bound to get a beating later, but he didn't care. He squatted down and gently picked up the grasshopper. The grasshopper was missing a leg, but it was still struggling in his hand.
Yan Heqing released it back into the grass.
"It disappeared quickly," Yan Heqing recalled. "At that time, I felt that life was great."
"It is so fragile, yet so strong."
He chuckled softly, "But after the college entrance exam, I found out when I checked the schools that biology majors don't make money."
Lu Lin understood.
Wanting to make money quickly, Yan Heqing sought out Lin Fengzhi and applied for software engineering, a field that could generate income.
But what happened at the start of his freshman year that made him decide to fight back against his "creditor," and also made him give up on Lin Fengzhi, start pursuing his own dreams, and live for himself.
Lu Lin felt only a slight numbness in his heart, yet it caused him excruciating pain.
He felt he was very close to the answer.
Yet it's still very far.
As night deepened and the moonlight faded, seeing that Yan Heqing was still not sleepy, Lu Lin hugged him tighter. "Shall I sing you a song?"
Yan Heqing didn't like listening to music, but he was genuinely curious about Lu Lin singing.
"Um."
Lu Lin's lips brushed against his ear, his voice low and deep, "In my arms, in your eyes..."
Yan Heqing remembered; it was " By the By Lake Baikal ".
No wonder Lu Lin can sing it; he must have heard it when he was learning the harmonica.
"On one day, you became clear and mysterious, like the By Lake Baikal."
Yan Heqing's eyelashes fluttered. "It seems like he sang something wrong."
He remembered; this was the end. Lu Lin added a final line.
Lu Lin stopped singing, his magnetic voice making everyone's heart flutter with laughter, "It's been too long, I only remember this line."
He whispered again in Yan Heqing's ear, "You are clear and mysterious, like the By Lake Baikal..."
With just this one sentence, Yan Heqing was actually coaxed to sleep. He closed his eyes and seemed to return to that tranquil sea.
There is a night sky, a vast ocean, a Lu Lin, and beluga whales.
That was the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen.
*
The following morning, without disturbing Lu Ruchan, Lu Lin and Yan Heqing returned to the capital.
After the plane landed and returned to the city, around lunchtime, Lu Lin first took Yan Heqing to have lunch before sending him back to his old house.
50 Hertz and 51 Hertz were playing in the garden. They were cared for by a dedicated keeper. Both of them had shiny fur. 51 Hertz had grown quite a bit, and 50 Hertz had also grown noticeably larger. When Yan Heqing returned, both of them ran over, grabbed his legs, and wagged their tails wildly, making soft, babyish "whimpering" sounds.
Yan Heqing squatted down and hugged both of them at the same time. They licked his cheeks enthusiastically, but Yan Heqing didn't mind. Even though the licking tickled him, he just smiled. Lu Lin liked to see Yan Heqing so relaxed. He squatted down and stroked Yan Heqing's hair. "Stay here for the next few days. You make a list of things to prepare for the wedding, like who to invite, and I'll arrange it."
Yan Heqing looked at him, "Are you going out?"
Lu Lin remained noncommittal, his dark eyes filled with tenderness. "Leave the rest to me, okay?"
A few seconds later, Yan Heqing nodded. "Are you coming back for dinner?"
Lu Lin smiled, "Come back, and I'll have dinner with you every single day of the holiday."
Lu Lin went to the hospital.
There were bodyguards at the hospital entrance, and the security was even tighter on the floor where Lu Muchi was staying.
Everyone who came to visit was stopped, except for Lu Lin. Even the bodyguards didn't dare to stop him, exchanging bewildered glances. Lu Lin didn't make things difficult for them. He stopped at the elevator entrance and said calmly, "Go report."
A bodyguard nodded quickly, "Yes!" and jogged to the ward.
Lu Changcheng knew that Lu Lin had returned. Yesterday, he had already asked Lu Han to bribe Lu Lin's driver.
He couldn't get through to Lu Ruchan when he called her last night, and when he sent someone to the sanatorium villa, it was empty. He knew that Lu Lin had taken her away.
Lu Lin was wary of him; in his heart, he only ever recognized the other Lu Family!
Lu Changcheng actually hoped that Lu Lin would never come again, out of sight, out of mind!
Lu Muchi attempted suicide as soon as he woke up, and only tranquilizers could keep him asleep and prevent him from making a fuss. He had to be injected five times in just two days. He did not want Lu Muchi to become dependent on tranquilizers.