Light blue lights dimly shine in every corner of the hall. The piano on the side of the hall plays soothing music. Waiters wearing tuxedos and black ties carry food trays and shuttle back and forth in the hall, as graceful as cats.
Don't make any sound.
This is the most exclusive French restaurant in Ninghai City, and the people who come and stay there are all leading figures in Ninghai's political and business circles.
The French restaurant is closed tonight and has been reserved by Zhou Rong, president of Tenglong Group. The entire hall is dimly lit and empty except for the waiter and the piano player.
At the door, more than a dozen bodyguards in black suits were waiting, with stern expressions on their faces, lined up in a formation outside the restaurant door. They were majestic and awe-inspiring.
At 7 o'clock in the evening, a row of cars drove slowly, and a Rolls-Royce extended-version RV in the middle, illuminated by neon lights, added more dignity and momentum.
As soon as the Rolls-Royce stopped, Zhou Mei got out of the car first and walked to the other side of the car door. Wei Yang's piano music was like mercury spilling to the ground, punctuating the silence between the two.
Zhou Rong burst into tears and stared at the young man in front of her whom she had missed for twenty years. Her still charming eyes greedily scanned every inch of his face, looking at the hard work and vicissitudes of these years on his face.
Zhou Rong's tears rolled down like broken pearls after leaving numerous traces.
After twenty years of hard work, he has grown into a man, and what makes Zhou Rong heartbroken the most is that there is no trace of his parents in his life trajectory, and he has to rely solely on himself to get through it. He is tired and hurt.
He suffered the pain silently alone, but she has never been able to participate in her son's life.
Not being able to participate in their son's life is the greatest sorrow for parents.
How did he survive these years? How many looks and ridicules did an orphan with a blank background suffer? How much humiliation and suffering did he endure in order to survive? Who did he talk to when he was hurt? Who did he talk to when he was wronged?
...In all the ups and downs, there is no trace of my parents. How unfortunate and painful!
Ye Huan pursed her lips and looked at the beautiful middle-aged woman in front of her expressionlessly, her body trembling slightly.
This middle-aged woman who was crying was probably the answer he had been looking for for twenty years.
Standing in front of her, Ye Huan felt his body getting cold.
Hatred, resentment, bitterness...these feelings are tumbling over and over in my mind.
He had sworn countless times that if he saw his parents, he would scold Yun Yun and beat him up. But when they actually met, Ye Huan looked at Zhou Rong's pained look. Ye Huan found that all the vows he had made in the past were nothing.
He couldn't say a single word of the meaningless harsh words now.
Do you know how hard I have worked all these years? If you don’t want me, why bother letting me come to this world? Why did you abandon me back then?
Now he didn't want to ask any of the questions he had accumulated for many years. He just stood opposite Zhou Rong with an expressionless face, watching the woman cry heartbrokenly for him, but he showed no sign, as if he had just met a stranger.
The two of them stared at each other for an unknown amount of time. Zhou Mei wiped the tears from her cheeks and forced a smile and said, "Let's go in for dinner, sit down and chat."
Ye Huan turned his head and looked at Zhou Mei with numb eyes. Zhou Mei was hurt by his empty and dull gaze. She stretched out her hand, gently took his arm, and half-supported and half-draged him into the restaurant.
The three of them sat down, and the waiter served a variety of delicious exotic dishes and desserts.
Neither Zhou Rong nor Zhou Mei had any intention of eating, they just stared at Ye Huan without blinking, as if he would disappear into thin air in the next second.
Ye Huan picked up the knife and fork and cut the beef on the plate with stiff movements, one after another.
Zhou Rong hurriedly took the plate and carefully helped him cut the beef into small pieces, her tears never stopping.
In twenty years, this was the first thing she did for her son.
Today she finally tasted what it feels like to be heartbroken. In other words, for the past twenty years, her heart has been hurting without stopping for a moment.
Tears, drop by drop, fell into the plate with steak.
Ye Huan took the plate, forked the small piece of beef silently, and ate it one bite at a time.
The waiter respectfully opened a bottle of Lafite red wine from Bordeaux, France.
Zhou Rong stretched out her hand, took the bottle, and carefully poured wine for Ye Huan.
Ye Huan buried his head in eating and ignored it.
During the entire process, the three of them remained silent, with no introductions or greetings. An indescribable sense of suffocation weighed heavily on the hearts of the three of them.
After taking a few bites, Ye Huan pushed the plate, curled his lips and said, "It tastes bad."
Zhou Rong said hurriedly: "Tell me what you want to eat."
Ye Huan glanced at her coldly, without saying a word, picked up the red wine glass and drank a gulp of it.
After drinking, he wiped his mouth carelessly with his sleeve, licked the wine stains at the corner of his mouth, frowned, and said, "This tastes bad, it's sour."
After saying that, he put down his wine glass, and Ye Huan slowly glanced at the luxurious lights and furnishings of the restaurant, with a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"This place really doesn't belong to me..."
Zhou Mei felt anxious when she saw that Ye Huan had decided to leave. She stood up and said, "Ye Huan, if you're not used to the food here, let's stop eating. Let's go eat at the food stalls. In fact, we all like to eat at the food stalls."
Zhou Rong nodded eagerly and nervously.
Ye Huan glanced at Zhou Rong noncommittally and stood up expressionlessly.
The motorcade drove to the old city in a mighty manner.
Arriving at an alley in the old city, there was a busy and noisy food stall. The greasy stall owner was holding a cigarette and flipping the food in the pot.
After getting off the car, Zhou Mei waved away the bodyguard, and the three of them quietly walked into the stall and chose a clean table to sit down.
"Boss, please bring some dishes and two bottles of Erguotou!"
In the stall, Ye Huan finally regained some vitality.
Zhou Rong's eyes were always red. Listening to Ye Huan's angry shouting, Zhou Rong couldn't help but shed tears.
He... seemed to be able to regain his vitality only in poverty.
Looking at the food stalls full of oil smoke and stains, Zhou Rong's heart became more and more painful. Has he been living in such an environment all these years? Zhou Mei said that sometimes he couldn't even afford to eat such a food stall.
, he... how miserable is he?
The food was served very quickly and was steaming hot. The boss threw it on the table and looked at him sideways: "We won't take credit today, right?"
Ye Huan quickly pointed at Zhou Mei and smiled: "She will pay for it today, don't worry, we will never take it on credit."
Zhou Rong's tears rolled down her face.
"Ye Huan, these years... I, I... these years..." Before Zhou Rong could finish her words, she was already out of breath from crying.
Ye Huan unscrewed the wine bottle, took a long gulp of wine, and let out a long breath.
After eating a few mouthfuls of food, Ye Huan put down his chopsticks and said with a forced smile: "There's something wrong with the wine today. It's a little on top. Go out and get some fresh air. You guys can eat first."
After saying that, Ye Huan hurriedly walked out of the stall.
Zhou Rong followed him and watched Ye Huan squatting at the entrance of the alley, his head lowered and his shoulders shaking.
Zhou Rong cried bitterly and shouted: "Ye Huan!"
Ye Huan turned around, tears rolled down his face, crying like a child.
Seeing Zhou Rong's heartbroken look, Ye Huan forced a smile, wiped away the tears and flowed out again, unable to stop them.
"I really want to tell you how I got here all these years, and I also want to ask you why you didn't show up until now..." Ye Huan's body shook, and his eyes showed deep fatigue and pain.
Zhou Rong shook her head, crying and shaking her head: "I'm sorry, Ye Huan, I'm sorry..."
After saying that, Zhou Rong stepped forward and hugged Ye Huan tightly, using all her strength in her life.
Ye Huan cried silently, tears washing down his face. After years of bitter suffering, until now, he seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength. He knelt softly on the ground, silently lowering his head, letting the tears flow.
An ancient poem that Qiao Mu taught him when he was a child suddenly came to mind.
"The childish boy held up his clothes and asked why it was too late to come back."