They Regretted it After Their Hearts Turned to Ashes

From time to time, the cruise ship will have quite stunning fireworks displays.

Choose the night when it is clear and windless, the water surface is calm and the view is the best, and the sea is the most peaceful and vast.

The fireworks bloom in the night sky, and the colorful lights are reflected on the water, filling the field of vision in one breath, making people wonder whether they are in reality or a dream for a moment.

The fireworks are fleeting, and Mr. Ming Xiao, who is slowly paying off his debts, put his easel on the balcony, always trying to find the most suitable opportunity to record the short moment.

But in the end, when the painting was written, it was slightly different from what was expected.

……

Xun Zhen came to Ming Chi for a return visit, and was quite curious about this new painting, which was halfway in progress. Before leaving, he secretly asked Manager Ming: "Is the painting a firework show?"

As the first friend who hugged Captain Ming first, Dean Xun got the ticket as he wished.

Unluckily, the timing was unlucky, and he bumped into several domestic and foreign seminars that he had to attend one after another. Xun Zhen finally escaped a week later, and hurried to the nearby port to board the ship.

A question like this should have been asked by Ming Chi himself.

Ming Chi is the kind of postoperative patient who is quite worry-free for the team - he does not deliberately conceal his condition, regularly checks up, actively cooperates with return visits, and the recovery speed is quite surprising.

If you don't consider that you often work too hard during rehabilitation and always forget to rest and relax, this kind of performance should be set by Corey as an example.

So, of course, it wasn't that Dr. Xun Zhen's visit was unwelcome.

It's just that the living room is too quiet, the atmosphere is too unsuitable to disturb, and it's not suitable to stay at all.

Xun Zhen checked the scale again, signed it with satisfaction, folded it up and put it away, and couldn't help but think of what he saw just now.

In fact, there is really nothing special.

It's just that Mr. Ming finished his work and was painting with Mr. Xiao at home.When Xun Zhen came for a return visit, the two of them stopped to entertain him, and Ming Chi made him tea.

Described in this way, it does seem quite ordinary and plain.

……

But if you were sitting on that sofa at that time, waiting for the pale water vapor and the aroma of tea to rise together.Watching Mingchi concentrate on skimming off the tea foam, sealing the pot and dividing the cups, and seeing Mr. Ming focusing on Mingchi sealing the pot and dividing the cups, one will automatically feel that the third person in this space is quite redundant.

In that room, Dean Xun, who didn't have time to take his wife on board due to work reasons, drank three cups of tea, watched the scenery outside the balcony, and admired the unfinished painting for a long time.

Finally, when Ming Chi finished filling out the scale, Xun Zhen took the initiative to grab the scale, bid farewell and left, and took the door behind him in a considerate manner.

……

Xun Zhen came back to his senses, saw Ming Lu's searching expression, and reacted: "There is no problem with the painting."

"Combined with the previous changes in painting style, composition and color, his condition is very stable."

Based on the results of Ming Chi's answer, Xun Zhen analyzed it purely from a psychological point of view: "I probably won't need to take the scale frequently in the future."

Ming Lu nodded, and answered his question just now: "It's not a fireworks show."

"No wonder." Xun Zhen's last doubt was solved, and he couldn't help but wonder, "What is that?"

The day Xun Zhen boarded the boat, he happened to catch up with a fireworks show, and was deeply impressed by the dizzying splendor.

The atmosphere of the performance was not so deserted, the fireworks filled the sky with lively and lively competition, half of the sky was bright, and the snow-white hull of the cruise ship was reflected in colorful colors.

Ming Lu put down what he was doing and looked up at him.

Xun Zhen was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head to check his clothes, but found nothing wrong: "Director Ming?"

"President Xun." Ming Lu took a chair, "Sit."

Director Ming checked the timetable, took out his pocket watch to check the time, and put it back in his pocket: "It may take a long time to explain this matter."

……

The matter starts from the port where Xun Zhen boarded the ship.

The ship traveled for a week and berthed at a fixed port of exchange in the route, where passengers boarded and disembarked.

Not only Xun Zhen was on board at that port, but also a car.

A limited-edition collection car of the same model, same production line, and manufactured at the same time as the car given by Mrs. Ren back then, with exactly the same configuration.

"This car is very popular. The former wife asked us to order it."

The heir of the multinational jewelry group came to deliver the car and explained to Minglu: "I looked good at first, so I ordered one myself. I have been collecting it all these years, and I haven't started driving it yet."

He had business to discuss this time, so he didn't travel on the ship, but the place where the business was discussed happened to be not far from here, so he brought the car here by the way.

Also coming together is the old Mr. the founder of the group who has already aged.

The old man is nearly ninety years old, and his body is still quite strong. In the past two years, he has been traveling around the world with a few friends who have never made friends, and he happened to come here to see the sea.

"I didn't tell the old man about those things." The heir said to Ming Lu, "I heard that the kid is here, so the old man wants to meet and have dinner and chat."

"It's just right, the old man said that the inspiration for the design last time came from a friend's drawing."

The heir smiled: "According to the rules of our industry, whether it's remuneration or profit sharing, he has to negotiate in person."

Ming Chi heard what Uncle Lu had said about the dinner, took a blanket to the study, and took a nap with his husband all afternoon.

Before dinner, Ming Chi took another hot shower, without a cane, and followed Uncle Lu off the boat to the reserved restaurant.

The old man really didn't know those things.

He was already quite old, and it was too early to worry about human relations, and the business had been handed over to young people, but occasionally he personally made a couple of jewelry design drafts.

This design is related to the newly mined diamond mine.That mining area yielded a lot of pigeon blood rubies, the color is pure and saturated, and the overall quality is quite high.

The old man was thinking about the design plan, and he just received the "Sunset" from the Ming family, and he was immediately inspired.

Throughout dinner, they talked mostly about color inspiration.The old man discussed with his friend for a while, and proposed several new design ideas, which were asked Ming Chi one by one.

Ming Chi comprehended quite quickly, and immediately grasped the way after listening to the explanation. When asked his own opinion, he also tried to speak while thinking.

After all, he doesn't have a deep understanding of design, so his opinions are inevitably not professional enough.But also because he was not constrained by the inertial thinking, the seniors were quite surprised, and they chatted with him all night.

After a meal until the moon was sinking, the few friends hadn’t had a good chat yet, and the old man poked them away one by one with a cane, leaving the children alone to talk a few more words.

The old man said he wanted to see the sea, Ming Chi helped him to the terrace, and suddenly the old hand grabbed his wrist.

……

The moon was fading, but the old man's eyes were still sharp and bright, looking at the young man in front of him.

After Ren Shuangmei passed away, the child she would bring to parties for tea and gently pushed out to chat with her back, never appeared in their sight again.

It's ten years in a flash.

In the eyes of older people, ten years is actually not a long time. After all, when put into the whole life, it is just a short period that is not so long and not so short.

But older people are easy to miss, just like the dinner that Ming Chi came to today.

These friends who came to see Ming Chi sat at the table in the same way back then, quizzed the child on various questions half-jokingly, and were quite surprised and admired by the answers that far exceeded expectations.

Friends are still those friends, with different ages and hobbies, and they get together for a while when the interest comes.

The child seemed to be the same as before, without any unpleasant traits in this decade.It is still as pure and thorough as before, but it is more calm and stable than then.

The only change seems to be Ren Shuangmei who is no longer there.

"The pictures you sent."

After a while, the old gentleman said: "I have read all of them, and they are all very good."

Ming Chi's eyes lightened slightly.

Over the years, he has been keeping in touch with the old gentleman.Ming Chi sent the painting, and the old man would send him a letter back.

Those letters are still there, carefully preserved, and Ming Chi has re-read each letter, and the old man will give quite professional opinions and comments on his paintings every time.

The grandfather of the founder is not as strict with him as he is with the students, and the opening remarks every time are "every one is very good".

Ming Chi took out a note and a pen from his pocket, and wanted to write it down, but the old man held down his arm.

"We won't talk about painting today." The old gentleman signaled that he could put away his pen, "We've already talked about enough paintings, too many."

The old gentleman said, "Let's talk about you."

Ming Chi was about to put away the pen and paper, but was startled when he heard this, and stopped his movements.

"You're thinking about something." The old man looked into his eyes.

"You are thinking, the paintings sent to me should not be in the wrong order, and the change of painting style is very reasonable."

The old gentleman looked at him: "A child with great talent, encountered some sad things, passed it smoothly, and grew up smoothly."

"That's it." Ming Chi rolled his eyes and put the note back in his pocket, "Grandpa, I'm doing really well now."

The old gentleman also smiled.

This sentence is also the same as ten years ago - at that time he liked this child's talent very much, and wanted to take this child named "Huo Miao" away from Ren Shuangmei.

Since the child is far away from relatives, he can stay in his own home, study design with him, go to school and live abroad, and become a designer in the future.

He found that children are interested in car toys, so he told them that there is a garage at home where they can play with all the cars, and life at home will be super good.

At that time, not only Ren Shuangmei disagreed, and she would not let go of the child, even the child himself absolutely disagreed.

The kid politely bowed and thanked him, then tried his best to open his eyes seriously, and looked at him seriously.

"Grandpa." The child gripped the corner of Ren Shuangmei's clothes tightly, stood up straight with his chest up and his head held high, and was extremely proud. "I'm living a very good life now, and I'm the luckiest person in the world."

The old gentleman still raised his hand as before, and slowly rubbed the kid's head.

"I have grown up and have the ability to live a good life for myself, so I no longer need to be protected and cared for."

"Of course there is no doubt about that," said the old man.

He spoke slowly, seeing the same little pride in the eyes of the young man in front of him, he couldn't help laughing, and shook his head slightly.

"I heard that the car Shuangmei gave you broke down."

The old gentleman asked softly, "How did you break it?"

Ming Chi came back to his senses, lowered his gaze, and thought about it seriously.

In fact, he can't remember this incident anymore, but considering the cause and effect, and the pictures stored in the phone, he can probably guess: "I didn't protect it well."

"I should have protected it." Ming Chi said, "I—"

The old gentleman shook his head slowly: "There is nothing more important than people."

"Shuangmei actually left a car for you back then." The old man said, "You know, it was entrusted to us to order a car at that time, and we ordered two cars together, just to prevent such things."

Ming Chi was startled.

He looked at the old man seriously, slowly bent his fingers, squeezed them, then pursed his lips and shook his head: "Probably not."

Auntie would not reserve a second car for him.

Because if there is no accident, he will never let the first car break down.

As for the accidents that happened later, they were so unexpected and unpredictable that even my aunt could not have imagined them at the beginning.

"Uncle ordered one?" Ming Chi thought for a while, and immediately figured out what was going on, "Grandpa, may I ask—"

He knew the request was presumptuous.But that car is a limited edition, and most of them are bought for collection after leaving the factory, and have never been reproduced since then, even if the price is increased, it is difficult to buy again.

"Excuse me... does uncle often open it?"

Ming Chi took a deep breath, he had never made such a request to anyone, and now he was almost a little embarrassed: "I—"

The old man looked at him quietly for a while, and seeing that he still couldn't say that, he sighed.

The old man beckoned, signaling Ming Chi to come to the terrace.

"The source of inspiration for the last set of designs was your "Sunset", and you should be given a dividend or reward."

The old gentleman took the initiative to bring up this matter, and asked softly, "What do you want?"

Ming Chi was stunned, then shook his head: "Grandpa is my teacher."

"need nothing."

The old gentleman nodded and held his wrist: "The consolation made up can be seen through at a glance."

"I want to buy that car with my own money, but I don't know how to say it, and I don't know how to ask."

"I remember that Shuangmei put a lot of effort into correcting you."

The old gentleman walked to the railing of the balcony: "You can say what you want."

Ming Chi was pulled over by him, and he also reflected on himself, and felt that this point was indeed much worse than his 13-year-old self.

He simply changed his mind, took a deep breath and was about to speak, but when he looked up, he glanced across the parking lot under the terrace, but suddenly froze.

Ming Chi turned around, he couldn't help but carefully looked at the parking lot outside the window, and then turned back to look at Grandpa.

"Shuangmei put a lot of effort into correcting you."

The old man said: "You are the most obedient child I have ever seen. You will not forget what she taught you for no reason, and you will not fail to meet her expectations for so many years."

"So today when I saw you for the first time, I was thinking about it."

The other hand of the old man took out the car key from his pocket and put it in Ming Chi's hand: "This kid, when he grew up, the world treated him very badly."

Ming Chi held the bunch of keys.

His chest rose and fell several times, and his fingers tightened unconsciously, until the key was firmly pressed against his palm, and he finally thought of shaking his head.

Ming Chi shook his head slowly: "No."

"No, Grandpa." Ming Chi whispered, "I am the luckiest person."

Holding the bunch of keys firmly, he bent down and bowed.

"This is your reward."

The old man interrupted before he could thank you, and reminded him: "Remember what Shuangmei taught you."

Ming Chi swallowed the words forcefully, clutched the bunch of keys again, couldn't help pursing the corners of his mouth, his ears turned red.

The old gentleman smiled: "Little friend."

The corner of the child's mouth was raised up.

The child has grown very tall, no longer being hugged and rubbed his ears tightly, and no longer being dragged by the hem of his clothes, but he still stands proudly with his chest up and his head upright.

Ming Chi stood up straight, and said softly, "I am the luckiest person."

He gripped the bunch of keys too tightly, and when he curled up his fingers, he accidentally touched the button of the remote control.

Ming Chi is too familiar with the remote control of this car, and when he sensed this, he immediately raised his head almost reflexively, and quickly walked to the railing to look over.

The same car as in memory was parked not far away.

Stop at a place where he can be there in a few minutes if he just runs quickly.

The car received the signal and made two crisp beeps. The lights of the car suddenly turned on, illuminating the ground in front of it.

……

Probably some kind of childish hallucination that only children have.

The pendant hidden in the shirt burned, touching his chest lightly in the heartbeat, and greeted him.

His car flashed its lights twice in the night and smiled at him.