"Companies sent ships to supply the whalers, and the sailors called those ships Wellerman."
Yan Heqing suddenly turned his head, his clear eyes reflecting the raging rain. He asked earnestly, " Mr. Lu, what do you think the ending will be? Will the whalers catch the whale, or will the whale fight back and kill them?"
Lu Lin's gaze was deep as he countered, "And what about your ending?"
Yan Heqing smiled, then looked away at the rain. His delicate eyelashes fluttered occasionally, and he also had very beautiful lower eyelashes, each one as distinct as if painted with a fine brush.
"I don't know, but I hope the whale wins."
Lu Lin also turned to look at Yu, picked up the slightly cooled white radish, took a bite, and whether it was because the radish was stewed thoroughly or because listening to music really made it taste better, the mouthful of sweet soup was more delicious than the radish that cost hundreds of yuan a serving at the hotel.
After slowly finishing his radish, Lu Lin spoke again, "You like whales?"
There was a whale in the ocean that emitted a sound at a frequency of 52 Hertz, while its kind emitted sounds at frequencies between 15 and 25 Hz, and they could never receive the signals it emitted.
Yan Heqing's WeChat is 52 Hertz.
After finishing a skewer of beef balls, Yan Heqing lowered his head slightly and pulled out a skewer of tofu. "Mmm," he said, taking a bite.
Do you want to go see it?
Yan Heqing suddenly stopped, this time looking at Lu Lin. "An aquarium? No." He paused for a second, a faint light flickering in his eyes. "It's not about the ticket price, I just don't want to see them locked up."
"They're whales from the ocean." Lu Lin also pulled out a skewer of beef balls. "When the weather's nice, we go out to sea and often encounter groups of whales and dolphins."
He finished No. 1 Primary School beef ball in one bite, then turned his head to meet Yan Heqing's gaze. "Want to go sea fishing together next summer?"
*
Lu Lin returned to his residence in the city center.
This is one of his properties, a large 300-square-meter apartment with a terrace and swimming pool. It's close to Lu Group's headquarters, so he usually goes back here when he works late.
He first took a shower and changed his clothes, then returned to the living room. He mixed a Negroni, the same one Yan Heqing had mixed at the bar, with a few drops of olive juice added.
Located in the heart of the bustling city center, the high-rise apartment was eerily quiet. Lu Lin took a sip of his drink, put down his glass, picked up his phone from the coffee table, dialed a number, and as soon as the call connected, his dark eyes flickered slightly before he hung up.
Almost the next second, the phone rang.
The person opposite asked respectfully, "Boss, what can I do for you?"
"No," Lu Lin said.
Okay, I won't disturb your rest. Good night.
Silence returned. Lu Lin logged into WeChat, and the first message was his chat with Yan Heqing.
Open the mini program --
The shimmering beluga whale in the ocean gradually transforms into a golden fish, splashing sparkles of light on the surface.
It was over quickly. Lu Lin picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back slightly, drank it all, put the glass down, got up and walked to the entrance, grabbed his coat, and put it on as he walked into the elevator.
Three hours later, around eight o'clock, the temperature at the villa on the hillside was lower than in the city, and the snow that fell last night had not yet melted. Lu Lin entered the house and had just taken off his coat and changed his shoes when the nanny pushed Lu's mother out.
Lu Zhichan was over sixty years old. Years of chemotherapy had robbed her of all her hair. She wore a soft hat for warmth and was very thin, a whole size smaller than her peers. The pain of her illness was undeniable, but the moment she saw Lu Lin, her withered eyes instantly brightened. She smiled and asked, " A-Lin, what brings you here?"
She needs to rest absolutely because of her illness, and Lu Lin will come to visit her one day a week.
Not today.
Lu Lin quickened his pace, then squatted down in front of Lu Zhichan and carefully tucked the blanket in. In previous years, Lu's mother's legs had also become weak, and she would feel cold to the bone even in the summer, so she had to cover herself with a blanket all year round.
Lu Zhichan's eyes were full of affection. She struggled to raise her hand; it was dry and withered, like bones covered with a layer of soaked white skin. She gently stroked Lu Lin's head. "Is your father causing trouble again?" She coughed softly a few times. "Don't pay attention to him. Just do what you want to do."
Lu Lin looked up and smiled, "No, I just stopped by to drop by. I'm leaving right away."
Lu Zhichan didn't point it out.
Lu Lin stood up, nodded to the Lu Lin, who then handed him the wheelchair and went back to her room. Lu Lin slowly pushed Lu Zhichan to the living room, asking, "Did you eat the ginseng from last time? I'll have someone bring some more."
"There's more. If you can't eat, keep it for yourself." With the child here, Lu Zhichan became a bit more talkative. "You did a great job at the Rainbow Welfare Institute. That child, she has no relatives, it's not easy for a woman out there. Help her as much as you can. Your father and brother have let her down so much."
The child she was referring to was Xu Qiaoyin.
Lu Lin nodded, "I will."
"And you?" Lu Zhichan suddenly turned around, her smile warm. "Have you met a suitable child? If you have, you must bring him to meet me. I don't mind the noise."
Upon reaching the living room, Lu Lin stopped his wheelchair, massaged Lu Zhichan's shoulders, and said with deep, dark eyes, "Yes, I'll bring it when I have it."
The mother and son chatted for a few more minutes. Seeing that Lu Zhichan was not in good spirits, Lu Lin pushed her back to her room to rest, carried her to bed, covered her with the blanket, and squatted down. "I'll tell you a story."
Lu Zhichan closed her eyes contentedly, "Okay."
A group of sailors were hunting a whale at sea. They injured the whale, but still failed to catch it.
Lu Zhichan waited a while, but nothing came of it. She opened her eyes and asked, "And then?"
Lu Lin's gaze was deep. "There is no ending. What kind of ending do you hope for?"
Lu Zhichan didn't hesitate, "Of course I hope the whale can escape back to the sea."
Lu Lin smiled and didn't say anything more. He checked Lu Zhichan's blanket one last time, said "Sweet dreams," got up and left, turning off the light and closing the door.
After giving the nanny and the in-home doctor some more instructions, Lu Lin drove away.
--