Tao Xi walked into the ward, Fang Zuqing on the bed and Ye Yurong sitting beside him both looked at him.
The moment the eyes of the two old men touched him, he seemed to feel a slight tremor, and the eyes full of heavy emotions made him suddenly a little uncomfortable.
He was dumbfounded for a while, standing in the same place not knowing what to shout, but Yang Zhengming, who was on the side, helped him take away the fruit in his hand and put it on the bedside, and the other side Zuqing said, "This is what Tao Xi bought for you. ."
Ye Yurong quickly stood up from the chair, as if her eyes were red at the first sight of Tao Xi, she took two steps towards Tao Xi, but did not dare to walk in front of Tao Xi, she waved at him, her tone softly called:
"Son, come and sit here."
Fang Zuqing was wearing sick clothes, with a hanging needle on the back of his hand. His old face was sullen and ill, and he seemed to have aged a lot overnight. When he saw Tao Xi coming in, the hand with the hanging needle was stunned. Trembling all the time.
Tao Xi walked to the chair beside the hospital bed and sat down on the chair under the gaze of the three people.
Yang Zhengming brought another chair over and wanted to help Ye Yurong sit down, but Ye Yurong didn't sit down, but turned his back and wiped his tears with the back of his hands, then poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Tao Xi, asking him with concern Have you eaten breakfast? Are you hungry
Just like in the conference room yesterday, Tao Xi took the glass of water with both hands and said thank you softly.
He could feel the cautious attentiveness of the old man, and he could also feel the heavy and deep shame behind this attentiveness.
He picked up the warm water that Ye Yurong poured to him, lowered his head and took a sip.
Ye Yurong finally sat down beside him, the eyes of the two old men fell directly on him, Tao Xi felt that the eyes seemed to have weight, he curled his fingers and wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
Obviously the closest person by blood, but also the most unfamiliar person.
This awkward atmosphere lasted for more than ten seconds. Fang Zuqing spoke. He seemed to have difficulty speaking, but he still tried to clear his throat. Like all parents, he asked Tao Xi, "Have you asked the school teacher for leave?"
Tao Xi nodded and said, "I'm asking for leave."
The two old men have been scrutinizing the seventeen-year-old boy in front of them. These eyes are so similar to their daughter. They were a little shocked when they first met in the conference room yesterday, but now they are full of unspeakable pain. .
Ye Yurong looked away, took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his eyes, then stretched out his hands and gently held Tao Xi's hand, Tao Xi did not resist, but lowered his eyes.
Ye Yurong looked down at Tao Xi's hand, her eyes were red again, these slender hands, like her daughter, were born suitable for holding brushes and should not suffer a little bit, she dared not imagine the past seventeen Years, what kind of life did her grandson live.
After a long silence, Tao Xi heard his grandmother tremble:
"Child, I have wronged you over the years."
Before she could finish speaking, a few tears fell from her dim eyes and fell on the back of Tao Xi's hand.
Tao Xi shrank indiscernibly as if he had been scalded, and his eyes were a little swollen.
He finally just shook his head in silence.
"That family, how are they treating you?" Ye Yurong couldn't help asking the question she wanted to ask the most. She looked at Tao Xi eagerly, with fluke expectations in her tone.
Fang Zuqing, who was sitting on the hospital bed, also cast his eyes on Tao Xi's face and asked the same question silently.
Tao Xi didn't know how to answer this question. The seventeen years of life seemed to flash in his mind only briefly. Too many emotions were stacked together, pressing down on his throat and tongue. He finally said:
"I've been doing fine."
But this answer didn't seem to give the two old men any comfort, they both fell silent, and Yang Zhengming, who was standing by the side, didn't speak.
They had heard Su Yun tell a lot about Tao Xi last night, but they didn't have time to be surprised why the secretary of the Lin family knew so much.
They know how poor the family is. The adoptive father works outside all the year round, and there is a sick sister. They know that Tao Xi has excellent grades and is the first in the county. They can come to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School through the funding project of the Lin family. Reading, I also know that he has inherited his mother's painting talent, and even if it has been delayed for many years, he can still be shortlisted for the top national competitions.
If a child wants to have a good life, he can't leave the strong support of his parents. Their children walk the most rugged road in the world and become excellent people.
But this road was supposed to be a smooth and smooth road.
He walked this road alone for seventeen years, over the mountains and mountains, and went home after all the hardships and dangers, but they witnessed the child they raised, almost cut off and ruined his future.
They even used adult weighing calculations to force him to sign a letter of understanding. Those compensation clauses that they thought were sincere and ironic were obvious. It was what he should have since he was born, but they were used by them. It's absurd and hateful as a condition for forcing compromise.
They hated Guo Ping so much, and they hated themselves so much.
Now their children are still willing to take the initiative to visit them and tell them that they are doing well.
Ye Yurong turned his face away and couldn't bear to ask any more. Fang Zuqing's old face covered with ravines was cyan, and there was unresolved sorrow and remorse in his cloudy eyes. He used the hand with the needle inserted in it to reach out to Tao Xi tremblingly.
Tao Xi hesitated for a moment, then took Fang Zuqing's hand back. He heard the gray-haired old man in front of him say to him in a hoarse voice:
"Child, grandpa is sorry for you, you can blame me for hating me. I am sorry for my daughter and my grandson. I promised her to raise her child well and let him grow up healthy and happy, but I let her He has suffered for so many years outside alone, and he has finally returned to the door of his house, and he has to suffer the grievances of my old man..."
He started to cry in the middle of his speech. This old professor, who was never stern, had never cried so much except after his daughter's death. He clung to Tao Xi's hand tightly and hunched his waist as if to make amends.
Tao Xi felt the uncontrollable trembling of the old hand, and the guilt that came from his head was too heavy, wrapping him tightly, making him feel dull, and even his breathing was a little sluggish.
He took a deep breath and tried to calmly say to the old man, "You didn't feel sorry for me, I won't resent you, really, I've had a really good life these years."
But the two old people were still very excited, and Ye Yurong couldn't bear it any longer. She tentatively stretched out her hands and took the boy in front of her into her arms.
Tao Xi did not resist, and leaned stiffly in Ye Yurong's arms. He had never been hugged by his grandma before, and at this moment, he was as helpless as a child who was hugged by an adult for the first time, his hands and feet were awkward.
Ye Yurong patted his stiff back gently, just like grandma used to hold her sister Tao Le. He heard his grandmother cry and say to him:
"I'm sorry, it's my grandmother's fault. I didn't bring my grandson home sooner. My grandson wants to go home. I don't even know. I left him alone for so long..."
Tao Xi's Adam's apple rolled suddenly, he closed his eyes forcefully, the long-storing tears in his eyes silently soaked his grandmother's clothes.
Yang Zhengming looked at the two old men and children in front of him, and tears finally fell from his already red eyes.
How many seventeen years are there in life, can the old man have another seventeen years in his remaining years? Fate has made such a cruel joke, and those years will never come back.
Tao Xi didn't know how long his grandmother held him and cried. In the end, he and Yang Zhengming comforted the two old people. Ye Yurong wiped away the tears, held his hand and asked a lot of questions, and asked him about his childhood, whether he was sick, eating Is it good or not, have you been bullied at school...
In fact, there is no point in retrospecting these pasts. Tao Xi picked some ordinary things and answered them simply.
They didn't mention Guo Ping, nor Yang Duole. The former made them hate them to the core, while the latter, a child raised by them, was obviously still in a numbness and didn't know what to do.
Tao Xi noticed their evasion and didn't say anything. After he had a conversation with the two old men, seeing Fang Zuqing's tired expression, he planned to say goodbye. He just stood up when he suddenly heard the sound of the door being opened.
He turned around and saw Yang Duole standing at the door, his eyes collided with him.
Yang Duole stared at Tao Xi for two seconds, and then his eyes wandered over the other three people in the ward. There was no expression on his face, and he turned around and walked away in the next second.
"Yang Duole!" Fang Zuqing on the hospital bed shouted sharply, coughing violently after shouting.
Yang Duole's back was stiff and stopped, but he didn't look back.
Ye Yurong was about to go forward and hold Yang Duole, but seeing Fang Zuqing coughing, he had to bend down to give Fang Zuqing a good breath, but Yang Zhengming had already strode forward and grabbed Yang Duole's arm, saying coldly:
"How long do you want to hide?"
His original intention was how long would Yang Duole escape from admitting his mistakes, but Yang Duole obviously didn't understand that. He violently broke away from Yang Zhengming's hand, looked at Yang Zhengming and sneered:
"Isn't your own son here? Or are you going to hold a marriage recognition ceremony and specifically call me over to hand over your son's identity to him?"
Yang Zhengming's face became extremely ugly. He finally contacted Yang Duole yesterday, and only told him about Fang Zuqing's illness and asked him to come to the hospital, but Yang Duole refused. He didn't expect Yang Duole to come today. Met Tao Xi here.
He suppressed his anger and said solemnly to Yang Duole: "Let's not talk about it, just talk about the good things you did yourself, slander Tao Xi for plagiarism, and almost ruin other people's games, shouldn't you apologize to him for this? ?!"
Fang Zuqing finally stopped coughing, the old man became furious after the great sorrow, his face was abnormally blue and purple, he stretched out his trembling fingers and pointed at Yang Duole and shouted:
"Come here and apologize!"
The old man was really angry. He found that Yang Duole seemed to have long known about Tao Xi's true birth. He once couldn't figure out why Yang Duole framed a classmate who had nothing to do with him. Now that everything is clear, he was even more furious.
Facing his grandfather who had loved him since childhood, Yang Duole didn't retort any more. He bit his lip tightly and stared at the floor with dark eyes, but he remained unmoved.
Ye Yurong finally couldn't bear it, and persuaded bitterly: "Lele, if you do something wrong, you must admit it and repent. You have made such a big mistake, and you should apologize to Tao Xi."
Tao Xi stood in the ward, watching the farce with cold eyes, put his hand in his pocket and touched the phone, regretting not leaving earlier.
Yang Zhengming kept his face calm and stopped talking. Ye Yurong was still persuading him. After about three minutes, Yang Duole finally raised his head and looked at Tao Xi. He took a step, walked slowly towards Tao Xi, and stood one step away from him.
Tao Xi looked calmly at the pale man in front of him. In the past, he hardly dared to look at this man. He seemed to be unable to hide the unwillingness and hatred in his eyes after staring for a second. In his eyes, just like him in the past, he was full of strong resentment.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Yang Duole's bloodless lips moved, not loud enough for everyone to hear.
Tao Xi frowned and looked at Yang Duole without saying a word, his eyes cold.
"Yang Duole!" Fang Zuqing was almost heartbroken. He didn't expect that Yang Duole was still obsessed, and Ye Yurong sighed anxiously.
After all, this is the child they have raised since childhood. No matter how disappointed and angry, the 17-year relationship cannot be dissipated overnight. They do not want to hurt Tao Xi again, nor do they want Yang Duole to go further and further on the wrong road. Brook moves towards irreconcilable contradictions.
After all, they no longer have the position to defend Yang Duole.
However, Yang Duole turned a deaf ear to the anxious reminders of the two old men. He seemed to be remembering something. He stared at Tao Xi and said with a certain tone:
"You've known it for a long time, since you came to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School, you knew it from the first day you saw me."
He paused, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, and continued, "You deliberately curry favor with Lin Qinhe, deliberately approached Yang Zhengming, deliberately in front of me, and mentioned to Mama Luo that you are going to participate in the art competition, and that you are Qiao Henian's student. , because you know that these are the most stimulating to me. You deliberately painted the contest submission in front of Xu Ziqi in the bedroom, because you heard what I said to Guan Fanyun that night, didn't you?!"
Yang Duole spoke faster and faster, and at the end, his chest began to rise and fall heavily, his eyes stabbing at Tao Xi as if he wanted to gouge out his flesh.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Yang Zhengming's forehead jumped with blue veins, he couldn't help but stepped forward and grabbed Yang Duole's arm and pulled it back, but Yang Duole broke away again.
Yang Duole kept staring at Tao Xi, blood in his eyes, and continued hysterically: "It's been so long, so many opportunities have been placed in front of you, you never say it, because you're not reconciled! You're afraid of them Even if you recognize you, you won't drive me away, so you plan to take revenge on me, don't you?!"
Fang Zuqing coughed violently after hearing this nonsense. Ye Yurong was angry and anxious. She, who had never said a harsh word to Yang Duole, couldn't help but scolded her with great disappointment:
"Lele! We didn't teach you this since you were a child. Why do you blame others for your own mistakes? No one is forcing you to make mistakes!"
But Yang Duole didn't listen at all. He believed that Tao Xi was deliberately taking revenge on him, and stared at Tao Xi without giving in, as if he had to admit it.
But Tao Xi looked calm from beginning to end. He ignored Yang Duole's repeated questions and said:
"Yang Duole, you should go see your biological mother."
Yang Duole's pupils shrank suddenly, as if he heard something that made him extremely disgusted and fearful, he gritted his teeth and said, "Did Tao Jian ask you to persuade me? You tell her, I won't go even if she dies. Look!"
Tao Xi looked at Yang Duole's expression like avoiding snakes and scorpions, thinking of the woman who was still on the hospital bed waiting to see her biological son, a trace of absurd sadness came into his heart, he said:
"I just feel worthless for your mother. She stole my name for you and let you occupy my life for seventeen years, but you can only live like this ridiculous."
"I'm ridiculous?" Yang Duole seemed to be stimulated by this sentence, and shouted almost hysterically, "Do you think I want this name and such a life?!"
His eyes swept across the faces of the other three adults, he laughed suddenly, and said, "I'm always looking for the shadow of a dead man, I've had enough of this kind of life!"
The faces of the three adults changed when they heard the words.
"Yang Duole, do you know what you are talking about!" Yang Zhengming frowned fiercely and interrupted coldly.
"Isn't it?" Yang Duole looked at Yang Zhengming with sharp eyes, "Aren't you disappointed that I'm not like her?"
As if he had been suppressed for a long time, he finally found an opportunity to break out, and smiled miserably to himself:
"Yes, I don't look alike, I don't know how to draw, and Qiao Henian refused to accept me as a student, but what can I do, what can I do! I also studied hard for a long time, but I just couldn't. Yes, it doesn't matter what you say to me, but you can't hide the disappointment of me on your face!"
Yang Duole's chest heaved violently, his eyes were red, and his pale face was full of tears.
"Lele, we didn't..." Ye Yurong looked in disbelief at the child she had raised in front of her. She never knew he had so much resentment towards them.
But Yang Duole obviously didn't finish venting his grievances, and his face was a little distorted when he cried: "Those relatives joked behind my back that I'm not biological, it's your fault, you all told me it was a joke, don't take it to heart, But any of you know that I'm afraid!"
"Every time I have blood drawn in the hospital, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that you will go to the paternity test quietly. Every time I have nightmares, I dream that I am fake. When you find the real thing, you will lose me immediately!"
Yang Duole raised his hand and pointed at Tao Xi, showing an ugly smile, and said, "Now the real Yang Duole is back, you have achieved your wish, and you don't have to be disappointed with me again, isn't it great?"
The two old people looked at Yang Duole, whose eyes were red and weeping, with a shocked expression. They opened their mouths but didn't know what to say. Yang Zhengming frowned and said nothing.
Ye Yurong was still distressed after all, and took a tissue to step forward to wipe Yang Duole's tears, but suddenly heard Tao Xi, who had not spoken, say:
"You put all the faults on others and pick them all up yourself, as if the whole world is sorry for you, do you want them to feel guilty for you?"
Yang Duole's choking sound stopped.
Tao Xi looked at Yang Duole coldly, as if looking at a child who only cried and cheated, and asked indifferently:
"You know how they have treated you in the past ten years. You know in your heart. You dare to say to your grandparents who have been calling you for so many years, have they ever felt sorry for you?"
Yang Duole bit his lip and didn't speak.
Fang Zuqing sighed, Ye Yurong didn't open her face and wiped her tears, Yang Duole's words really hurt them.
"Your relationship with them for so many years, even if they know you're not biological, they won't leave you alone. It's not that you don't know this, you're just unsatisfied, and you're not willing to give me a little bit of it, right?"
Tao Xi looked straight at Yang Duole, but Yang Duole remained silent and did not speak.
He took a step closer to Yang Duole, took a look at the resentment on his face, and said coldly:
"Yang Duole, what they are disappointed is not that you are not like my mother, but that they raised you with their hearts and gave you so much love, but you have only learned to be selfish and resentful. You say that I am unwilling, but you are like this. What should I be unwilling to do?"
Yang Duole suddenly raised his eyes to look at him.
Tao Xi turned a blind eye to the resentment in Yang Duole's eyes, and was extremely tired of this farce. He simply said goodbye to the two old people and walked outside the ward.
Not long after walking out of the ward, Yang Zhengming caught up behind him, took his arm, and quickly let go.
Tao Xi stopped, looked at Yang Zhengming, and asked politely, "Do you have anything else to do?"
Yang Zhengming looked at these indifferent eyes, and felt mixed feelings. He said to Tao Xi in a somewhat pleasing tone:
"Move back here. Grandpa and I hope you can come back. The room at home is already being arranged."
There was a faint cry from the ward, and Tao Xi was silent and did not answer.
Seeing that Tao Xi didn't speak, Yang Zhengming added: "If you're not used to living there, I have a house. If you have any ideas, let me know. You can arrange it as you feel comfortable, as long as you are willing to come back and live."
This is their original plan. Their children have no reason to live outside. Let Tao Xi go back to Fang's house first. If Tao Xi can't adapt, Yang Zhengming is going to let Tao Xi live in a house he just bought. , the property will naturally belong to Taoxi in the future.
Yang Zhengming expected that Tao Xi would agree, but saw that Tao Xi's eyes turned to the end of the corridor. At that moment, his eyes were as bright as the evening stars. At that moment, Yang Zhengming was a little dazed. Fang Sui used to look at him with such bright eyes. .
"Thank you, but don't bother."
Yang Zhengming was stunned when he heard Tao Xi say this, then Tao Xi said goodbye to him, and walked quickly to the other end of the corridor.