His whole face showed utter despair. He even wished he could strike a pose like the Thinker right then and there to ponder his life.
Lu Zhihang finally staggered out of the bathroom, looking completely drained, after nearly an hour inside.
Lin Wan was still giggling on the bed. Seeing her like this, Lu Zhihang gritted his teeth in annoyance. He was tempted to pin her down on the bed right away, but in the end, he gave up. He walked listlessly into the living room of the suite and called the front desk to order breakfast.
By the time Lin Wan finished tidying up and came out, the breakfast had just been delivered to the room.
Lu Zhihang arranged the food on the table and waved at her. "I've ordered some Taiwanese specialties and your favorite breakfast. Come and eat quickly."
Lin Wan nodded and took her seat.
When they were halfway through the meal, Lu Zhihang's phone, which was in the bedroom, suddenly rang. Both of them were startled by the sound. After a few seconds, he got up and went into the bedroom to answer it.
What Lu Zhihang didn't expect was that the call wasn't from the company harassing him about renewing his contract, but from his own mother.
Mrs. Lu's tone on the other end of the phone was very serious. "I heard you've found a girlfriend?"
Lu Zhihang was taken aback for a moment and then nodded. "Yes."
"I heard she's just an ordinary girl?" Mrs. Lu continued seriously.
Lu Zhihang couldn't help laughing and crying. "Mom, can you stop pretending? What did you say before? As long as I could find a girlfriend, you wouldn't care about her background at all. Can you come up with a different excuse?"
Hearing her son expose her without hesitation, Mrs. Lu stopped pretending. She let out a cold laugh and said, "I don't mind, but I'm afraid someone doesn't even want to bring her back for me to meet. I still don't even know what she looks like. All day long, I just hear Lu Yao bragging about this sister - in - law in front of me. She makes her sound like a celestial being that's rarely seen on earth!"
Lu Zhihang was amused and burst out laughing. He hadn't expected Lu Yao to praise Lin Wan in front of their mother. After all, he had used her for that kind of thing before. Given the little girl's personality, it was already a miracle that she didn't cause trouble.
"Did she really say that?" Lu Zhihang asked with a smile.
"Of course it's true. I'm really eager to meet her. When I watched you accept the award yesterday and heard what you said, I became even more curious about the person who has bewitched my son and niece so much." As Mrs. Lu spoke, her tone softened, which showed that she wasn't really angry before.
Lu Zhihang laughed. "Wait a few more days. I'll ask for her opinion. If it's okay with her, I'll bring her back to meet you."
"Call me before you come. I'll make some preparations." Mrs. Lu finally sounded happy. She nodded contentedly.
Lu Zhihang was helpless. "Come on, what preparations do you need to make? It's just a meeting. If it's too formal, she'll get nervous."
"Alright, alright, I know. Just remember to call me!" Mrs. Lu sounded a bit impatient, raising her voice slightly.
Lu Zhihang sighed. "Okay, I'll definitely call you."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Zhihang walked out of the bedroom with his phone. Lin Wan had already finished her breakfast and was playing with her phone on the sofa. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Lu Zhihang. "Are you done?"
Lu Zhihang smiled. Since he was almost full, he didn't go back to the dining table. Instead, he walked over and sat down next to Lin Wan. He pulled her into his arms and said, "It was my mom on the phone."
The person in his arms visibly stiffened at this. It took a long time for her to mumble an "um" without saying anything else.
Lu Zhihang was unhappy when he saw this. He asked, "Don't you want to ask me anything?"
"What should I ask?" Lin Wan hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.
Lu Zhihang said casually, "Like what Mom called for and what instructions she gave."
A black line seemed to appear on Lin Wan's forehead. She was a bit helpless. After hesitating for a long time, she quietly repeated Lu Zhihang's question.
Lu Zhihang was helpless but had to answer. "My mom wants to meet you and asked if you're available."
Snap!
The phone suddenly slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground. Even Lu Zhihang was startled by this sudden situation. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Lin Wan seemed a bit absent - minded. She stared blankly at the phone on the ground, but her thoughts seemed to have drifted somewhere else. She looked a bit dazed.
"Nothing, it's okay." It took her a long time to shake her head and whisper.
Lu Zhihang clearly sensed that something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was. Before this, he had never sent anyone to investigate Lin Wan's background. He only knew that Lin Yueyang, the boss of an entertainment company, was Lin Wan's uncle. He didn't know much more than that.
"Wanwan, you're not looking right." Lu Zhihang hesitated for a moment and then gradually put away his smile. He said seriously.
Lin Wan picked up the phone without saying a word. Her expression was clearly a bit dazed. It was unclear whether she had heard Lu Zhihang's words.
Lu Zhihang couldn't stand it anymore. He reached out and pulled Lin Wan's wrist, which made her suddenly wake up. She looked at Lu Zhihang and then quickly averted her panicked gaze. "Next time. I don't have much time. The final exams are coming up soon. I'll graduate next year, and I want to focus on my graduation project."
Lu Zhihang didn't say a word. He could see that Lin Wan was avoiding the topic, but he didn't want to press her because her expression made him feel heart - ache.
Since Lin Wan didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask. He believed that there would be a chance for Lin Wan to tell him in the future.
With this thought in mind, Lu Zhihang didn't force the issue. However, he clearly overestimated his own patience. This situation lasted until they were about to board the plane at the end of their trip to Taiwan.
Because of the phone call from his mother that day, Lin Wan seemed listless all the time, and they didn't go out much to play.
Seeing Lin Wan like this, Lu Zhihang felt more and more conflicted. Finally, at the airport, he sent a message to his elder brother asking him to help find out about Lin Wan's family situation.
His elder brother readily agreed, and only then did Lu Zhihang feel a bit more at ease.
This feeling of uncertainty was really uncomfortable. Even if he just investigated first and didn't say anything, it would be okay. He could just show his attitude when Lin Wan told him someday.
On the day they returned to City S, Lu Zhihang was called away by a phone call from the company.
Lin Wan stayed at home alone and thought for a long, long time. She had never realized before that the word "mom" was so sensitive to her. Just a slight mention from Lu Zhihang had made her recall those unbearable memories, which made her feel uncomfortable. Especially seeing Lu Zhihang wanting to ask but holding back these days made her feel even more heart - ache.