Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Although the suggestion was somewhat sudden and the tone vaguely peculiar, recalling his earlier promise and the fact that Xiao Chen really did like Rookie, Song Nian figured he was just being paranoid.

However, since it was unexpected, he needed to check with Li Yanchuan at home first before giving an answer.

Even though he should have been in rehab right then, the reply came back quickly with a yes.

"Alright, we'll wait for you at the entrance of the film set."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's tone suddenly shifted. Despite his best efforts to suppress it, the barely contained joy was still obvious.

When they met, he smiled warmly at Song Nian and handed him a bouquet of flowers:

"Xiao Nian, congrats on wrapping up today."

Flattered, Song Nian accepted the flowers, never expecting that someone as esteemed as Old Zhang would take the trouble to prepare a congratulatory gift for someone as insignificant as him.

"Every role is important. I heard that finishing a shoot deserves a proper celebration."

Old Zhang chuckled and waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.

Song Nian was surprised by how thoughtful the elder was. He thanked him, his liking for the man shot up.

The driver brought the car around, and Song Nian invited the two to get in, heading toward the villa.

On the way, Song Nian specifically sent a message to Li Yanchuan, telling him they were on their way and that if he didn't want to see strangers, he could stay upstairs and not come down—Song Nian would handle things.

Li Yanchuan replied with a simple "Okay" and sent a photo of Rookie sleeping soundly at his feet.

It seemed the two were getting along well at home. Seeing the photo, Song Nian couldn't help smiling.

The traffic was unexpectedly smooth today, no traffic jams at all, so they arrived home earlier than usual.

The car pulled into the garden, and Song Nian invited the two guests inside.

As soon as he got out of the car, Old Zhang didn't move. Instead, he stood in the garden, looking a bit dazed, looking around for a while as if carefully appraising the surroundings.

"Is something the matter?"

Song Nian asked upon noticing.

"Nothing, it's just that your garden is very well maintained."

Old Zhang shook his head with a smile, his answer made it impossible to tell if he was telling the truth.

"Strictly speaking, this is my husband's house. But he's not in good health, so he won't be able to come downstairs to greet you both. Please forgive me."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Old Zhang's expression stiffened. He suddenly grabbed Song Nian's wrist, his tone urgent as he pressed for an answer:

"Then how is he now? Is it serious?"

"Not—not too bad. Thank you for your concern."

Startled by the man's intense reaction, Song Nian was taken aback and answered woodenly.

He was a little surprised, wondering why Old Zhang was so concerned about Li Yanchuan's condition.

Did they actually know each other? Then why had Old Zhang said otherwise before?

He couldn't help wondering to himself.

Seeing the shock on Song Nian's face, Old Zhang realized he had lost his composure. He gave an awkward smile, let go of his hand, and changed the subject.

"Please sit on the sofa for a moment. I'll go get Rookie."

Harboring doubts, Song Nian led the two inside.

Not seeing Rookie on the first floor, he made a clicking sound with his lips, expecting the puppy to come running—but instead, the elevator door opened.

It slid open slowly, and Li Yanchuan came out in his wheelchair.

On his lap sat Rookie, head held high.

—The little one had run up to the second floor again to play and was there acting spoiled, rolling around at his feet for attention. Li Yanchuan had no choice but to grab him by the scruff and bring him down personally.

He thought that, based on the travel time, they shouldn't be home yet. But the moment he stepped out of the elevator, he saw the people sitting on the sofa in the living room.

As soon as he made out that familiar yet unfamiliar face, his expression turned cold and he frowned, looking displeased.

And Old Zhang, who had looked up, began trembling all over the moment their eyes met. His dim eyes glistened with tears, and his lips moved as if he wanted to speak.

But in the end, nothing came out, as if thousands of words were stuck in his throat.

"No wonder I didn't see him—he was with you."

Completely unaware that the atmosphere had subtly changed, Song Nian strode over, set Rookie down on the floor.

He wanted to quietly ask Li Yanchuan about Old Zhang, but when he looked at the man's face, it had suddenly turned dark and stormy, incredibly grim.

Before he could say anything, the man in the wheelchair spoke first.

But his words weren't directed at Song Nian—they were aimed at Old Zhang.

"You... why are you here?"

His voice was icy, sharp as shards of glass, cutting into the man before him.

Old Zhang walked forward with heavy steps, his aged face marked by an unspeakable silence and pain.

"You used Song Nian to get close to me?"

Recalling how Song Nian had said earlier that day that he was bringing guests home, Li Yanchuan's eyes narrowed, and his tone dropped, the hostility and sharpness intensifying.

He couldn't tolerate anyone setting their sights on Song Nian.

"Yan Chuan, you've misunderstood me. I didn't do that."

Old Zhang said in a low voice, he sounded sincere, not like he was lying.

Hearing this exchange, even Song Nian, who was out of the loop, quickly pieced together some of the situation.

Old Zhang and Li Yanchuan really did know each other.

Given Li Yanchuan's disgusted and hostile attitude, they probably had some kind of bad blood.

But Old Zhang was an elder—old enough to be Li Yanchuan's grandfather or even great-grandfather. What kind of grudge could they possibly have?

Wait... grandfather... Zhuang... Zhang...

And Xiao Chen...

Suddenly, an insight struck him, and his eyes widened as he remembered something.

If he recalled correctly, the true protagonist in the original novel was named Zhuang Xuchen.

With the surname Zhuang and the character Chen in his name...

Isn't that the Xiao Chen sitting on the sofa!

As a child, the protagonist was extremely quiet and introverted, speaking very little. These personality traits, along with his age, all matched Xiao Chen.

If he was the protagonist, then the two of them were cousins, which meant Old Zhang was Li Yanchuan's maternal grandfather?

Not Old Master Zhang, but Old Master Zhuang!

In the original text, Li Yanchuan had never interacted with the Zhuang family in his lifetime, not even meeting Old Zhuang. But after his death, it was the Zhuang family who stepped forward to handle his funeral arrangements.

There must have been a rift between Li Yanchuan and the Zhuang family; otherwise, given Old Zhuang's personality, he would never have allowed his grandson to stay with the Li family and live with Li Yi.

But if that were the case, why would the Zhuang family help with the funeral afterward?

If there was truly no contact, why would Old Zhuang bother to return to China and settle down in his old age?

There were too many questions, and the novel didn't mention the specific reason for their conflict either.

But one thing was certain: because of his own appearance, he had coincidentally met Old Zhuang and the protagonist outside the film set, changing the course of the story and bringing them together ahead of time.

Like a thread connecting them, he had caused these two parties to cross paths prematurely.

"Yan Chuan, it's been so many years. How have you been?"

A look of unspeakable sorrow appeared on Old Zhuang's face, his gaze lingering on the man in front of him as if trying to etch his grown-up appearance into his heart.

When his eyes fell on the wheelchair and the man's legs, he lowered his eyelids, as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, making it ache so much he could barely breathe.

"Whether I'm good or not, what business is it of yours?"

Since you never cared anyway, Li Yanchuan clenched his fists, spat out the words through gritted teeth with a cold laugh.

"I know you've always resented us, but—"

Seeing his cold and resentful look, sadness filled Old Zhuang's eyes. But before he could finish explaining, he was mercilessly interrupted.

"I told you, I don't want to hear it!"

Li Yanchuan suddenly growled, his voice rising sharply, full of hostility, startling everyone there.

Even Rookie and Xiao Chen stood frozen, too scared to move in the tense atmosphere.

Song Nian turned back to look, and saw the man in the wheelchair breathing hard and panting, his eyes bloodshot, his hands clenched so tight his veins bulged and his palms were red with marks.

This was clearly a sign he was about to lose control.

He had never seen him lose control like that before.

Knowing his temperament well, Song Nian understood that the priority was to calm him down immediately, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

He quickly sidestepped, quietly positioning himself between Li Yanchuan and Old Zhuang, and reached behind him and slid his hand into the man's palm, locking their fingers together.

The familiar warmth of his body drew closer, bringing a calming presence. Wrapped in negative emotions, Li Yanchuan froze, his ragged breathing steadying a little.

"Sorry, Old Zhang... Old Master Zhuang. I don't know what's between you and Yan Chuan, but I think today isn't the right time to discuss this."

Song Nian said.

Though it was impolite, the best thing now was to ask them to leave and let Li Yanchuan cool down.

Old Master Zhuang naturally got the hint and knew that this matter couldn't be rushed. He sighed and nodded, then left with Xiao Chen.

Having no idea what happened, Xiao Chen followed his grandfather reluctantly, looking back at the house again and again.

Rookie had also retreated into his nest, curling up.

In moments, only the two of them were left in the living room.

"Okay, take a deep breath and calm down. It's just the two of us now."

Song Nian turned around, bent down to embrace him, patiently talked him down, and gently pulled him into his arms to soothe his emotions.

A gentle voice murmured in his ears, and the gentle stroking up and down his back felt like a soft veil wrapping around his heart, putting out the restless fury.

Gradually, Li Yanchuan felt his mind settle.

But he didn't want to let go of this warmth, so he slowly closed his eyes and leaned into Song Nian's arms.

For a long time, the large living room stayed silent, with only the sound of their breathing mingling.

"Song Nian, don't you want to ask me what really happened between me and the Zhuang family?"

Suddenly, Li Yanchuan spoke up.

"If you don't want to, then don't."

Song Nian still held him, with no trace of coercion.

A strong urge to open up surged inside him, but knowing that the person in front of him was Song Nian, he felt no need to suppress this desire. Li Yanchuan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"The first time I met him, I was three years old."

He said in a voice barely audible.

That day was the anniversary of his mother's death. Young Li Yanchuan didn't know what was happening, only that suddenly many people came to the house.

The man sitting in the center had a solemn expression and a composed demeanor, acting neither warm nor cold even in the face of Li Yi's enthusiastic hospitality.

He thought he was just an outsider, but suddenly, the man walked over to him, crouched down in front of him, and said gently that he was his maternal grandfather.

That man was Old Master Zhuang.

For the next week, Old Zhuang would come to the house every day to pick up Li Yanchuan and spend time with him, as if trying to make up for those three missed years.

Those brief seven days were the happiest time in Li Yanchuan's memory.

Until the last day, when Old Zhuang asked Li Yanchuan if he would like to go abroad with him.

If he agreed, he would come to pick him up tomorrow.

Faced with this chance to leave the Li family, Li Yanchuan agreed without hesitation and eagerly awaited the