MLROCSHR Chapter 64
by VolareThe car moved slowly along the streets of Shangjiang City. Qi Luzhi sat in the back seat, his eyes occasionally darting to the scenery outside the window. Lian Xun leaned against his shoulder, sound asleep.
The streets ahead became increasingly unfamiliar; Qi Luzhi had never seen those street signs and buildings before. He couldn’t help but frown slightly.
When Lian Xun said they were going to Shangjiang, Qi Luzhi naturally assumed he was returning to the Lian Family Manor.
Now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
The head on his shoulder stirred. Qi Luzhi lowered his head, his tone gentle, “You’re awake?”
“Mmm.” Lian Xun sat up, rubbed his eyes, and glanced out the window. “Aren’t we there yet?”
“So, where exactly are you taking me?” Qi Luzhi asked.
Lian Xun turned to look at Qi Luzhi, a mysterious smile on his face. “You’ll know when we get there.”
The closer they got to their destination, the more uneasy he felt.
He didn’t know if his decision was right or wrong.
“Alright, I’ll wait and see. Let’s see if this is a surprise or a fright.”
Qi Luzhi’s lips curved slightly. He placed a large hand behind Lian Xun’s head, his fingers unconsciously stroking the side of Lian Xun’s neck. He didn’t speak again.
The car passed through two narrow alleys and stopped at a crossroads.
Any further, and the car couldn’t go in.
The two got out of the car. Qi Luzhi followed Lian Xun further into the alley, looking around with growing confusion.
At the end of the alley, a large, rusty iron gate came into view. It was wide open. Several patches of cement in the small yard were damaged, but the area was meticulously clean.
A middle-aged woman with simple clothes and graying hair was sitting on a small stool with her back to them. Several children surrounded her, chattering noisily.
“Grandma, Grandma, I want candy too!”
“Me too, me too!”
“Okay, okay, don’t rush, everyone will get some.” The woman smiled kindly, calmly distributing the candies in her hand to the children.
“Aunt Director,” Lian Xun called out at the entrance.
The middle-aged woman turned around. When she saw Lian Xun, she was initially delighted. Then her gaze fell on Qi Luzhi beside him, and the smile on her face froze for a moment, her expression becoming complex.
Joy, anticipation, bewilderment.
At this moment, Qi Luzhi’s aura suddenly dropped, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his cold and sharp eyes sending shivers down one’s spine.
Even the children in the yard were intimidated by his terrifying presence and scattered in all directions.
“Come, come in and sit down, don’t just stand there.” The Aunt Director slowly stood up, supporting her knees, and invited Lian Xun and Qi Luzhi to enter.
Qi Luzhi lowered his eyes to look at Lian Xun beside him, his expression softening a little. “You better give me a reasonable explanation.”
“Come on, let’s go inside first.”
Lian Xun smiled and took Qi Luzhi’s hand, urging him not to be impulsive.
After entering the house, the Aunt Director poured tea for the two of them, casting a grateful glance at Lian Xun.
She hadn’t expected that Qi Luzhi would actually come.
“Mingbao, have some tea.”
The Aunt Director pushed the cup towards Qi Luzhi, unsure of where to begin.
Lian Xun was the first to break the silence. “Auntie, who were those children just now?”
“Oh, them.” The Aunt Director seemed more relaxed as she spoke of them. “The old orphanage couldn’t sustain itself anymore and closed down. The children were all transferred to a larger welfare home in the city.”
“It’s good, too. This way their living environment will be better.” The Aunt Director sighed.
“Then, I found a job as a cleaner at the University, and I usually live here. Those children are all from nearby neighbors’ houses; they like to come here to play. Maybe it’s because I always give them candy.”
The aunt looked at Qi Luzhi deeply and continued, “I genuinely like these children, and those from the former welfare home. I want them to be well more than anyone else.”
Qi Luzhi remained silent, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
He knew these words were meant for him, but the trauma that had been deeply etched in his heart for so many years couldn’t be soothed with just a few words.
“If you just wanted to say this, then I understand.” Qi Luzhi stood up. “Lian Xun, let’s go.”
“Hey, don’t be in such a hurry.” Lian Xun grabbed Qi Luzhi’s sleeve and frantically winked at the Aunt Director, signaling her to get to the point.
Seeing that Qi Luzhi was about to leave, she became anxious, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes.
“Hey, Mingbao, to be honest, Lian Xun came to me a while ago, and I only then understood why you secretly left the welfare home and haven’t been willing to see me for so many years.”
Qi Luzhi glanced at Lian Xun and sat back down.
He wanted to hear how the director would try to whitewash her own dirty deeds from that year.
“I didn’t deliberately stop you from having a good life, but those two people really had problems.”
The Aunt Director wiped away a tear and continued, “It’s my fault for being negligent. I didn’t investigate thoroughly before letting them see you, giving you hope and then shattering it with my own hands. It’s right for you to resent me.”
“What problems did they have?” Qi Luzhi frowned, his expression inquisitive.
“That couple only met you once and were already rushing to adopt you. When I thought about it afterward, it didn’t seem right, so I specifically inquired about them. Only then did I find out that their identities were fake. Before adopting you, they had also adopted several children in other cities, but none of those children were ever heard from again. I was afraid that if you went with them, something would happen to you.”
Hearing this, Qi Luzhi gripped the teacup tightly, his eyes filled with shock.
He had once thought he had missed out on a lifetime of happiness, but unexpectedly, he had narrowly escaped a wolf’s den.
How ridiculous.
Lian Xun leaned close to Qi Luzhi’s ear and whispered, “I’ve confirmed it; what Auntie is saying is true.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me the truth back then?” Qi Luzhi asked the director.
“Hey, you were just a child back then. What would be the point of telling you all this?”
The Aunt Director sighed deeply. “There were many children in the home. I knew you were sensitive, but I still neglected your feelings, thinking that you would eventually come to terms with it. I didn’t expect this incident to leave such a big shadow on you…”
Qi Luzhi raised his head, looking into the Aunt Director’s eyes, which were filled with love and guilt.
His heart gradually calmed down. The resentment that had accumulated for many years seemed to be blown away by the wind, leaving only emptiness and loss.
It was hard to say who was right and who was wrong in this matter; it was just a series of unfortunate coincidences that had created a regret.
What Qi Luzhi had been obsessing over all along wasn’t not being adopted, but that no one loved him.
After Lian Xun came into his life, he had actually slowly let go of it.
Even if Lian Xun hadn’t brought him to see the director, even if he had never known the truth, those childhood traumas would have been slowly nourished and watered by Lian Xun’s love, blooming into new flowers of hope.
Now that he knew the truth, Qi Luzhi felt shock, relief, and a sense of apology for his impulsiveness as a child.
The director must have been very worried when she found out he was gone back then.