MVP in the next examination room

Yuan Che knew that Dong Meng was at home, but still took out the key and opened the door.

Dong Meng obviously didn't expect him to come back at this time, he was startled: "Why did you come back at noon?"

Yuan Che stood in the entrance, his eyes swept around the room, and finally fell on the disposable paper cups on the coffee table that had not been put away, and said nonchalantly, "Someone came here just now?"

"No," Dong Meng's eyes dodged for a moment, and then he picked up a rag to wipe off the water stains on the coffee table without any trace, and took down the paper cup, and said in the same tone as usual, "Have you eaten, do you have something to do when you come back?"

Looking at her expression, Yuan Che didn't feel the slightest bit of sentimentality after learning of his father's serious illness. He didn't know if he hadn't been notified, or he really didn't care about it.

The relationship between Dong Meng, his father, and his younger brother has always been a mystery. Yuan Che has been able to look at people since he was a child. Although he was puzzled by this, he couldn't ask directly. He only heard sporadic reasons in the few words of his grandfather when he was drunk.

But he always felt that there was some more hidden conflict, otherwise it wouldn't be such a deadlock.

Yuan Che changed his shoes and walked inside, finding a suitable reason for his sudden return: "In a few days, the school will organize a competition away from home, and I will come back to show my birth certificate."

The competition is fiction, but the birth certificate is real.

Dong Meng was not clear about the procedures needed to go outside to participate in the competition. Yuan Che said so, and she didn't question it. After tidying up the coffee table and the surrounding things, she straightened her waist and said, "I'll look for it for you. It should be in the cabinet."

Dong Meng entered the bedroom, the living room was so quiet that a needle could be heard, Yuan Che stood where he was, and could clearly hear the sound of his heart pounding against his chest.

While waiting for a certificate, for the first time, he clearly experienced what Jin Luo and the others called waiting after the monthly exam.

A "sentenced" mood.

It's just that the impact of this "sentence" is far greater than the sentence after the monthly exam.

Dong Meng rummaged in the bedroom for a while, and came out with a dark red certificate: "I found it."

Yuan Che took it from her hand and opened it for a few glances.

It was the first time he had seen his own birth certificate.

Name, date of birth, place of birth, height, weight...

Items are clearly listed on the yellowed paper, with eye-catching red badges on the left and right sides.

Closed to prove that Yuan Che's palms holding the red book were already sweating.

Dong Meng asked next to him: "Do you need anything else?"

"No need," Yuan Che realized that his voice was a little hoarse as soon as he opened his mouth, "... Mom, you were born to me in the early morning?"

With the birth certificate here, are those unsubstantiated suspicions self-defeating?

Dong Meng didn't expect that he would ask himself this, and an unspeakable emotion flashed in his eyes for a moment, subconsciously dodged Yuan Che's gaze, and said, "...um."

Yuan Che caught the dodge of her eyes, was silent for a while, and finally didn't ask any more: "I'm going back to school first... Did you receive a call from uncle today?"

Dong Meng was silent for a moment, his eyes darkened, and he said in an uneasy tone: "The factory is too busy right now, and I really can't leave. After I finish my two days of work, I will drive you to see him."

Yuan Che didn't know whether her reason was true or not, so he didn't say anything more.

Dong Lin followed the navigation and drove to the gate of Shengjing Middle School. Yuan Che was already waiting by the side of the road.

I haven't seen him for many years, but this nephew is much taller than him, and his appearance has become more handsome and heroic, but right now Dong Lin has no intention of reminiscing with him, his face is full of exhaustion.

"The doctor said the situation is not good. During this time, ask the old man what unfulfilled wish he has, and help him fulfill it as soon as possible." Dong Lin's voice was duller than usual, and sighed, "I'm afraid it will affect his mood, so I don't tell him now. , but the old man himself may feel that he has talked to us a lot in the past few days...and said he wants to see his grandson."

When he called Dong Meng to tell her father was seriously ill, she could hear that she was not sentimental, indifferent, but she was silent on the phone for a long time, and finally said that it would take two or three days to come .

Dong Lin was afraid that his father would not be able to wait for that time, so he could only take Yuan Che over first.

------------

In the afternoon, Tang Ran stared at the vacant space to his left, frowning in a daze.

Yuan Che didn't come to class all afternoon, and he also pondered all afternoon, whether this person took sick leave for a cold, or a way to escalate the cold war with himself.

However, Tang Ran obviously overestimated himself. In Yuan Che's mind, between the cold war and class, the latter was undoubtedly more important.

After class.

Tang Ran stood between dormitories 416 and 417, standing still for a long time, and finally put Ren Yuzhen's shoulders on her shoulders to forcibly abduct him from the dormitory, pointing to the door of 416: "Go in and take a look."

Ren Yu really finds it difficult to take up the role: "...Brother Ran, why don't you go in by yourself?"

Tang Ran's tone was as cold as in the morning: "I'm not familiar with him."

... No matter how blind you are, you can see that the two of you are having an argument.

Ren Yu was really puzzled: "What happened to you and Brother Yuan?"

"It's nothing." Tang Ran didn't want to mention it, and raised his chin towards the door in front of him. "It's a brother, so I can help you see what's going on inside."

Ren Yu was really helpless, so he had no choice but to knock on the door twice, and tentatively called out: "Brother Yuan?"

No one answered inside, Ren Yuzhen cleared his throat and said, "I'm coming in—"

He said and pressed the doorknob.

Unexpectedly, it didn't open.

Ren Yuzhen turned his head and spread his hands towards Tang Ran, expressing that the situation was limited and there was nothing he could do to help.

The bedroom doors are uniformly assembled anti-theft doors of a well-known domestic brand. There are three reasons why they cannot be opened from the outside. One is that the door is locked from the outside after people leave; The possibility is relatively low, that is, someone locked the door with a key from the inside.

The school committee muttered in a low voice: "Could it be locked from the inside?"

In the blink of an eye, Ren Yuzhen came back to his senses and found that Tang Ran had turned around and ran away in a hurry—the dormitory supervisor was brought in after a while.

The dormitory supervisor was dragged to the door of 416 by Tang Ran, who had a dignified expression and claimed to suspect that a student had fainted in the dormitory, and looked up at the familiar house number. He slapped his head and said to Tang Ran dumbfoundingly: "You are a The class? This student asked for leave today and doesn’t live in school, didn’t he tell you?”

Tang Ran: "..."

Ren Yuzhen: "..."

Tang Ran asked: "What leave, sick leave?"

"No," the leave note didn't write too much detail, the dormitory manager briefly recalled it, and replied, "It seems that there is something to do at home."

Ren Yuzhen watched as the anxious expression on Tang Ran's face quickly faded away, quickly restored the cold expression before knocking on the door, thanked the host, and then walked towards 417 as if nothing had happened.

...I really don't understand these two people.

----------

The smell of disinfectant water from the hospital permeated the nostrils, and the medical staff pushing the nursing cart hurried back and forth in the corridor, and family members who looked haggard or anxious were sitting on the chairs on both sides.

The walls were blindingly white.

This is Yuan Che's third day in the hospital with the old man.

The light diffused over the white window sill, spilled into the ward, and hit his face without a trace of a smile.

"Go to sleep for a while," grandma came over, bent down and said to Yuan Che, "You haven't slept for a long time, how can your body bear it like this?"

Yuan Che shook his head and stood up from the chair: "I'm going to wash my face."

On the hurdle of life and death, Yuan Che's grandfather seemed calmer than his family. When he heard the sound, he opened his eyes with some difficulty, and his voice was hoarse: "You all go to rest for a while, I don't have any needs here. Hand in hand."

Grandma Yuan Che sighed, leaned down and whispered in his wife's ear, "The child is worried about you."

"Does he know?" The old man coughed a few times, waved his hands and said, "Don't worry, I won't be able to go for a while... You say, I'm so old, I've eaten what I should have in this life, I've seen everything that should be seen, and I have no regrets, I feel that I have lived enough..."

From the corner of her eye, grandma saw Yuan Che coming out of the bathroom, and signaled grandpa to shut up with her eyes: "Okay, you're not done talking nonsense."

The old man smiled, beckoned Yuan Che to come over, and said to his wife, "Why don't you go out for a walk first, and I'll have a few words with him."

The door of the ward closed with a soft sound.

Yuan Che sat down by the bed, and the old man stretched out his bony hands to cover his.

Too many things happened these days, and one thing after another couldn't get rid of in his mind. Although Yuan Che was not used to writing his emotions on his face, it was not difficult for those who knew him to see the clues.

The old man said a lot to him like a sigh, intermittently, like an old gramophone that has been in disrepair.

Yuan Che listened quietly with lowered eyes, answering a few words from time to time.

"You have something on your mind," the old man said slowly, stroking the back of his hand at last, "Although I haven't studied for a few years, I have traveled a lot... Tell Grandpa?"

Yuan Che looked at the old man lying on the hospital bed, and the question that was pressing in his heart surged up countless times.

After a long silence, Yuan Che closed his eyes forcefully, and said in a hoarse voice, "Have you... met my biological father?"

------------

Tang Ran leaned forward, put his elbows on his separated knees, clasped his fingers, rested his chin on it, and looked down from the balcony.

On the third day after Yuan Che disappeared, he was uncontrollably distraught.Staying at school, I always unconsciously look at the vacant seat on the left and bedroom 416 with the door closed.

Although Teacher Ren had personally confirmed what the housekeeper said—Yuan Che had indeed asked for a few days of personal leave because of family affairs, Tang Ran always felt uneasy.

Tang Minghua was busy with his affairs these few days, so he simply moved back home and lived under the same roof with Gao Xiaohui and the pair of young twins.

After getting along with her before, Tang Ran's attitude towards Gao Xiaohui is not as cold and rigid as before, and he can even talk to her normally when he is bored.

At this time, Gao Xiaohui hugged her daughter and sat on the side of the terrace, letting the sun only shine on the girl's little feet.

Turning her head to look at Tang Ran's frowning brows, Gao Xiaohui said with a light smile, "What's wrong? Did you quarrel with your father again?"

"..." Tang Ran glanced at her, and said in a dull voice, "No."

Gao Xiaohui thought he was just covering it up, so she persuaded herself: "Xiaoran, in fact, you are quite like your father, with the same temper and personality... If you can communicate with each other without yelling, take a step back, sit down and have a good time." Let's talk a few words, I think the communication will be much smoother than now..."

Gao Xiaohui's gentle voice filled her ears, and Tang Ran's thoughts actually started to drift away when she said "You look like your father".

His first reaction was to refute Gao Xiaohui.How can it be?How could his temper be like Tang Minghua's?

Tang Ran was a little angry. This kind of anger came from hearing that "I look like the person I hate the most"-that kind of strong desire to control, self-righteous and unreasonable, how could I have it in myself?

But as Gao Xiaohui's unique gentle and gentle voice entered the eardrums, he had to calm down and examine himself.

He thought of the quarrel with Yuan Che during this period, the cause, the process... each item was disassembled before him.

Tang Ran found sadly that his desire to control Yuan Che had already begun to show signs.

Where did the other party go, who did he meet, what was the reason for... He wanted to know, and he felt angry and chilled by Yuan Che's concealment—because he firmly believed that his desire for knowledge was based on his knowledge of Yuan Che. Above Yuan Che's concern.

In all fairness, it wasn't too late for Yuan Che to come back that night, but he was just restless, and it wasn't just for Yuan Che's safety.

Tang Ran suddenly felt scared for a while, he didn't know when he became like this.

Gao Xiaohui noticed that Tang Ran's face was becoming more and more ugly, and after finishing the last sentence, she asked him cautiously: "Are... are you okay?"

Tang Ran waved her hand, stood up and walked into the room. At the same time, she pulled out her mobile phone and called Yuan Che again.

It's still off.

Tang Ran took a few steps irritably and called Shang Xiao.

Looking at the caller ID on the screen, Shang Xiao did a full five seconds of mental construction before answering the phone with a guilty conscience: "Hello, Brother Ran."

Tang Ran's tone sounded anxious, and he came up and asked directly: "Where is Yuan Che now? Did he tell you where he went? I have something to ask him."

Shang Xiao was lucky enough to have a conversation with Yuan Che before he turned off the phone, and he immediately confessed: "He went to his uncle's house, saying that a relative is seriously ill."

Tang Ran didn't expect this kind of personal leave. After a moment of silence, he said, "Is there any other way to contact him? I have something to tell him."

"His phone is turned off now, and I can't find him." Shang Xiao said helplessly.He paused, then tentatively said to Tang Ran, "Well, Brother Ran, I have something to say and I don't know whether I should say it..."

Tang Ran lowered her head irritably and pinched the center of her brows, and said, "Say it."

"That's right, Yuan Che is really used to being alone." Shang Xiao carefully weighed the degree of betraying his brother, "As far as our relationship is concerned, there are many things that he even hides from me. It's not that he can't trust me, He got used to it, and basically kept everything to himself, as if opening his mouth would exhaust him to death."

After Shang Xiao complained about Yuan Che, he finally said to Tang Ran hesitantly: "The messy things in his house were widely spread in the old building where he used to live. He said everything. I don't know the specifics. Anyway, His dead father is not a good thing, Yuan Che treats him... a bit shadowy, he is actually not as arrogant as he looks at all."

Shang Xiao said a few more words one after another, and then hooked up the phone, Tang Ran's mind went blank for a moment.

He suddenly recalled sitting in the Lanhuo Internet cafe, Qin Shuo had a cigarette in his mouth, his eyes were full of gossip, and told him those things that he didn't know were true or not.

The injury on Yuan Che's body... did it really happen like this?

The lights in the equipment room that were on all night, the long marks on his left shoulder, the sleeping pills in the suitcase, and the obscure and evasive emotions in his eyes...

Tang Ran suddenly wanted to slap himself.

He wanted to see Yuan Che.

Tomorrow, Yuan Che's personal leave will expire.

If it wasn't for Shang Xiao, he wouldn't be able to tell the address of Uncle Yuan Che's house. Tang Ran really wanted to take a taxi and rush to him.

----------

Ward.

Grandpa Yuan Che's eyes dimmed obviously, he loosened his grip on Yuan Che's hand, and after a long time, he let out a weak but complicated and unspeakable sigh.

My thoughts couldn't help but go back to that summer 16 years ago.It was clearly a dark memory buried in the deepest part, but the old man could still clearly remember that it was the end of June.

The old couple was busy making milk powder at home, and the grandson lying on the bed was crying so hard that his face was flushed, and his fingers were half-stuffed in his mouth, pulling out a few strands of crystal clear saliva.

The daughter and son-in-law quarreled violently during this period, so they sent their grandson to take care of them for a while. The child who is less than four months old cannot drink breast milk and can only be fed milk powder every day.

The old couple clumsily prepared the milk powder, tested the temperature with the back of their hands, and hurriedly put the nipple of the bottle into the child's mouth.

At this moment, someone knocked on the courtyard door.

The old man got up and went outside to open the door, leaving his wife inside to look after the child.

There was a young man standing outside the door. The moment he saw him, the old man's face darkened.

The young man said, "Uncle..."

"Who is your uncle?" The old man lowered his voice, his face was clearly not welcome, "What are you doing here!? Hurry up!"

"Uncle, don't be like this, let me take a look at the child." The man's tone was almost pleading, "I know the child is here."

The old man's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he only sent him one word: "Get lost."

"Listen to what I have to say," the young man leaned against the outer door with his shoulders, pleading, "I discussed it with Xiaomeng, and she doesn't want to live with Yuanming anymore, so I'll take the child away first and put her in a good place." He, come back and pick up Xiaomeng, we will get the certificate, and the family of three will live a good life together..."

The old man recalled this, closed his eyes in pain, and didn't want to think about it any more, but when the screen turned, another scene appeared in front of him uncontrollably——

Dong Meng yelled at him hysterically: "Why do you hand over the child to him!!! I never told you, don't look for him! Don't let him see the child—"

After the man took the child away that day, he never came back.

It is a scam that I have not discussed with her from the beginning to the end about how to arrange my son and then come back to pick up Dong Meng.

They called the police.

The young man was a temporary worker in the factory. After taking the child away, he also left City C.

It was not until the police investigated that they found out that the name, household registration, and copies of certificates he provided to the factory...without exception, the entire identity was fake.

From then on, it was as if the world had evaporated, never to be seen again.

After the child disappeared, Dong Meng was in a daze, his whole body seemed to have been sucked out of his soul, his mental state had problems for a while, and he was almost expelled from the factory.

For the sake of the children of old employees, the leader approved Dong Meng's sick leave and asked her to go home for a while, and then come back to work when she is well.

Dong Meng recuperated at home for a while, his mental state recovered a bit, and he began to pack his luggage, saying that he was going to find his son.

In the vast crowd, this move is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. How could it be possible for her to find someone who is difficult for the police to find by herself.

But not long after, Dong Meng really brought back a child from outside.

The child is a boy, more than four months old, in good health and in good condition, the only problem is... he is not Dong Meng's son.

The old couple were worried, and asked her where she brought the child, but Dong Meng kept silent. Later, when he was forced to ask urgently, he just yelled that this is a child that no one wants.

But not long after, the old couple saw a missing person notice from the provincial news.

A couple in City B paid a lot of money to find a child. The child's appearance and age matched the child Dong Meng carried back.

The old man showed the missing person notice to Dong Meng, with careful words, and advised her to return the child to the couple as soon as possible, but Dong Meng was stimulated by this move, she picked up the child and rushed to the window like crazy, mouthing Li repeatedly said that this was her own child, and if they forced her, she would jump off here with the child in her arms.

Silence, concealment, hysteria...

All kinds of images flashed through his mind, the old man's eyelids trembled in pain, and he struggled inwardly.Is letting this truth out of the sky the least harmful and the smallest option?

Yuan Che's deep voice came from beside his ear: "A few days ago, two people I didn't know came to me."

The old man's eyelids trembled violently, and he opened his eyes suddenly.

"I want to know the truth," Yuan Che looked down into the eyes of the old man, "Grandpa...can you tell me?"

------------

Dizzy, the white light suddenly became extremely dazzling.

Yuan Che stood up with a blank expression, and walked towards the window, intending to close the curtains.

I don't know if I got up in a hurry, and I was caught off guard for a while.

...It turns out that sometimes the truth is more ridiculous than speculation.

This was the only thought that came to Yuan Che's mind before he fainted.

***

The old man left, on the same day.

He didn't have a good rest for several days in a row, and his food and water intake was far below the normal amount. During the period when Yuan Che fainted and then woke up, "grandfather" had already quietly left.

Yuan Che's face looked a little paler than before he fainted.

Seeing his condition, Dong Lin and his wife were extremely worried. While grieving over his father's death, they cheered up and called the doctor to check Yuan Che.

"Hypoglycemia, take a good rest these few days, it's not a big problem." The doctor came to this conclusion after the examination.

"But in his current state, how could it be just hypoglycemia?" Dong Lin looked at his nephew worriedly, and questioned involuntarily.

Yuan Che stared out the window blankly, as if he was cut off from the hustle and bustle around him.

He kept repeating in his ears, the few words "grandfather" said to him.

Child, we are sorry for you.

Dong Meng has finally found a reason for his complex and incomprehensible, schizophrenic feelings towards him.

...like a dream with bizarre twists and turns.

***

Yuan Che refused Dong Lin to send him back to school, and boarded the car back to City C by himself.

The phone was charged and turned on, and countless messages flooded in instantly, among which Tang Ran's missed calls accounted for dozens of them.

Tang Ran.

The moment Yuan Che saw these two words, Yuan Che's heart felt hot for no reason, and a slight fluctuation finally appeared on his face that had been numb and empty for a long time.

He closed his eyes, leaned against the back of the chair while clutching the phone, a faint sourness spread from his mouth.

As if just waking up from freezing, many indescribable feelings finally surged slowly in his chest.

Yuan Che moved his finger, opened WeChat, typed three words into Tang Ran's chat box, and sent.

Almost at the same time, the phone vibrated with a new message.

[Tang Ran]: I'm sorry.

[Yuan Che]: I'm sorry.