Chapter 2

Watching Cai Xiaobing hug Bingbing and wave at the hotel entrance, Liang Yuan started his car and turned onto the main road. On the way to the hotel, Xue'er, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had remained silent, and the ambiguous atmosphere had permeated the entire car.

Liang Yuan placed his hand on Xue'er's thigh, applying a slight pressure. Xue'er's legs parted slightly, but she quickly clamped down on his hand. Liang Yuan gently pinched the inner side of her thigh, his eyes fixed on the road as if he hadn't noticed her flushed cheeks and misty eyes. "I'll take you back to the music college," Liang Yuan said softly. Xue'er's eyes were a bit red, and Liang Yuan glanced at the rearview mirror, squeezing her thigh firmly. "Don't overthink it. I have a meeting tomorrow morning, which has been scheduled for a long time. If I stay with you tonight, I won't be able to do anything tomorrow." Xue'er suddenly leaned over and kissed Liang Yuan on the cheek, then turned her head away, blushing. Liang Yuan felt the force of her legs clamping his hand lessen...

Watching Xue'er enter the dormitory of the music college, Liang Yuan touched his lips, feeling as if a lingering fragrance still remained.

Just as he turned onto the Second Ring Road, his phone rang. After answering, his mother's voice filled the car.

"Mom, it's so late, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Checking up on you, to see if you're out fooling around."

"How could I? Listen, it's so quiet here," Liang Yuan said, even though his mother wasn't there, he still glanced at the rearview mirror and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.

"What's Dad doing?" Liang Yuan carefully changed the subject.

"Surfing the internet, still reading the news."

"I wish I hadn't taught Dad how to use the internet. He's getting old, you should advise him to go to bed early and not stay up late."

"You know your father's temper. He was just slamming the table and cursing a moment ago."

What can we do? Having an old radical at home is a real pain!

Father, a farmer by birth, fought in the Zhenbao Island conflict in 1969 against the Soviet Red Army at its peak, and has a bullet wound on his shoulder. He was a soldier under Sun Yuguo.

After being transferred to the railway system, he was promoted to the head of the car service segment in 1987. During a routine patrol, he caught someone trying to steal railway equipment and took the suspect to the duty room for questioning. However, the suspect accused him of unreasonable beating and torture. At the time, the railway system was undergoing a rectification campaign, and Father was used as a negative example, criticized throughout the Shengjing Railway Bureau.

Later, he was transferred to the office of diversified operations and then became the manager of a subsidiary company (which actually managed the bathhouses and canteens of the car service segment). It wasn't until the suspect was caught again years later that the truth came to light, and Father was exonerated. With the help of his comrades, he was transferred to the land bureau of Benxi City as a nominal deputy director. In 1998, on the eve of the real estate boom, he retired early in response to the call for younger cadres.

Father was a firm believer all his life, though not as incorruptible as Hai Rui, he was still clean and upright, with no regrets. Mother once joked that Father was a great proletarian military and revolutionary leader, but as for being a politician, his rank was too low, and the title of director was just a nominal position. Old Liang still had a lot to work on.

While other children's启蒙读物 were fairy tales by Andersen and "One Thousand and One Nights," Liang Yuan's were Party magazines. In kindergarten story sessions, other children told stories like "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "Little Red Riding Hood," but when it was Liang Yuan's turn, he talked about how the excellent Party member, the factory manager of Shijiazhuang's First Plastic Factory, Zhang Xingrang, invented the "Full Load Work Method," which greatly improved production efficiency and employee benefits... The kindergarten teacher was bewildered, and Liang Yuan spoke for five minutes before reluctantly stepping down, becoming a legend in the car service segment and a prodigy.

Five stripes mean nothing! Compared to my combat power of 5, they're just trash, Liang Yuan thought more than once.

Old Liang was proud, but Mother was furious, throwing the Party magazines into the storage room. From then on, Old Liang lost the right to tell bedtime stories. It's said he resisted, but Mother labeled him a revisionist, and he never recovered.

Liang Yuan smiled and chatted with his mother, making small talk.

Ten minutes later, Liang Yuan wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and sighed. Phew, finally fooled her. If Mother found out about the drunk driving, she would surely turn him in to the police for reflection. Mother believed in encouraging education, so she let Liang Yuan grow up freely, except for things that were dangerous to himself or others. When Liang Yuan did dangerous things like wild swimming as a child, Mother would beat him without asking questions. In this aspect, Old Liang was more open-minded, believing that boys should have some adventurous spirit and that it was normal to be a bit rough and tumble. Unfortunately, after the Party magazine incident, Old Liang's authority in this area declined, and he and Liang Yuan were often suppressed together, leading to a miserable life until today...

Liang Yuan returned to his doghouse, took a can of beer from the fridge, turned on the stereo, and "Cold Rainy Night" by Beyond played. Huang Jiaju's clear, hoarse voice filled the room. Thinking of the few words in Feifei's email and the decade of silence from Jiajia, he became lost in thought.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, Jiajia can't dance for you anymore. Jiajia misses you so much, and wants to hug you again." Liang Yuan tried to turn over, but his body felt as heavy as a mountain. He could only see Jiajia's black hair and white thighs. Jiajia knelt beside him, her face as if being gently caressed, or perhaps it was an illusion. He could hear Jiajia's murmurs, but only the words "Jiajia" and "Brother Xiaoyuan" were clear. Liang Yuan strained to listen, but the thighs in front of him became increasingly white and bloodless. The noise in his ears grew louder and more chaotic, drowning out Jiajia's words. The noise became so overwhelming that Liang Yuan felt his breath was about to stop, his chest as if pressed by a mountain. Suddenly, the sound became clear again, filled with Jiajia's characteristic gentle and soft voice, full of reluctance, "If only life could be like the first meeting." Liang Yuan struggled and the sunlight flooded in...

Jiajia's voice, full of reluctance, echoed in his ears, as if imprinted on his soul. He sat on the bed, feeling restless, and smiled bitterly. He decided to visit Peru this week to ask Feifei how Jiajia was doing.

He opened the fridge, took out a piece of bread and a bag of milk, and put them in the microwave. He rushed to the bathroom, turned on the water, and brushed his teeth. Liang Yuan wolfed down his breakfast, checked his watch, and tidied his hair. He opened the door, turned around, and heard a light sound. A scent of Chanel No. 5 filled the air. Liang Yuan swore he had never seen anyone use No. 5 so perfectly. He felt slightly dizzy, and a sweet, soft female voice said, "Brother Xiaoy