Chapter 825: Chapter 821: Supreme Forgetfulness
“The comrades and friends around me are leaving me one by one. Now, I really miss them.” The old man Li spoke, his words filled with nostalgia. At this moment, the old man was no longer the mighty general commanding thousands of troops, but just a lonely old man.
Li Zhaojun paused her hand that was fanning, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions. After hesitating for a moment, she turned her other hand over and held the old man’s hand.
“Jun’er, Xiao Fan,” the old man Li, with some unknown strength, pulled their hands together to the middle, placing Ye Fan’s and Li Zhaojun’s hands together, and then gently patted them.
The leaves of the phoenix tree separated the midsummer sunlight and sky. As the wind blew through, the green leaves danced gently, and the summer cicadas in the shade began to sing.
In this midsummer afternoon, Ye Fan could feel Li Zhaojun’s hand, held in his, trembling slightly.
He couldn’t help but slightly increase his grip, hoping for a response from Li Zhaojun, but her soft and delicate hand remained cold.
Ye Fan gazed directly into Li Zhaojun’s eyes, trying to find something familiar in those eyes, but ultimately without success.
After a while, the old man Li said, “I don’t quite understand the thoughts of you young people. This world is changing too fast for me to keep up. However, one truth has been passed down through generations in China, withstanding thousands of years, and it must be correct…”
These words were not without cost to the elder, as he took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently. Ye Fan reached out with another hand, gently stroking the elder’s no longer broad and strong chest.
After a long pause, the old man Li continued with some difficulty, “As husband and wife, you should support each other, help each other, and foster unity and love! This is something that will never be wrong, no matter when or where!”
Though elderly, the old man Li was astute. From their last visit, he noticed something amiss. Observing his granddaughter’s behavior now, he speculated that there must be issues between the young couple. However, he thought they were just typical marital conflicts, never imagining it was due to Li Zhaojun practicing the “********”.
Ye Fan acknowledged with a “Hmm”, and said to the old man, “Grandpa, I will take good care of Zhaojun.”
He then turned his head slightly, looking towards Li Zhaojun past the old man. She happened to be looking back, her beautiful eyes suddenly stirring with indescribable emotions, like a pebble dropped into a still lake, creating ripples.
But the next moment, Li Zhaojun’s brows furrowed, her face showing signs of struggle, and soon the emotions in her eyes dissipated into nothingness, returning to a cold and indifferent state.
“Is it still not possible?” Ye Fan thought, feeling a bit disappointed.
They continued to talk for a while, but as time went on, the old man Li gradually showed signs of fatigue and spoke less. Ye Fan tried various ways to amuse the old man, chatting on and on.
During this time, Liu Tiezhu came by a few times, intending to remind the old man to rest, but seeing the old man’s smiling face, he swallowed back the words.
As evening approached, Liu Tiezhu brought some mixed grain porridge and a few appetizing side dishes, all light, with little oil and no spices.
Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun helped the old man with dinner and chatted a bit more, then Liu Tiezhu brought the medicine, assisting the old man in taking it.
When it was time to leave, the old man, supported by Zhao Tiezhu, escorted them to the door. Zhao Tiezhu said, “Xiao Fan, Zhaojun, you should come by often when you have time. Actually, the old commander is quite…”
“Tiezhu!” the old man said in a mild tone, causing Zhao Tiezhu to close his mouth quickly.
Ye Fan held Li Zhaojun’s hand. She tugged at it, but failing to pull free, she seemed to remember something and stopped trying, allowing Ye Fan to hold her hand.
From beginning to end, the old man watched them with a smiling face.
After saying their goodbyes, the two went downstairs. Before Ye Fan realized it, Li Zhaojun had already freed her hand and headed straight for the car.
This time, Li Zhaojun again chose to sit in the back. On the drive back to the Yulinwan villa, Ye Fan tried to start a conversation, but no matter what he said, Li Zhaojun remained silent.
Thus, they stayed quiet, driving through the sunset-filled Hua Hai city, the city’s hustle and bustle shut out completely by the car.
Once they drove back to the Yulinwan villa, Li Zhaojun went straight to the second floor, into the master bedroom’s bathroom. Soon, the sound of sparse water could be heard. Ye Fan noticed that the bedroom door was left open and the bathroom’s floor-to-ceiling window wasn’t fully closed.
Ye Fan had no intention of peeping. As the household chef wasn’t available that evening, he ordered takeout for supper. Soon he went downstairs to get it, bringing it back to the second-floor living room. He approached Li Zhaojun’s room, and though the door was open, he still knocked on it, saying, “Zhaojun, I ordered takeout, come join me for a meal.”
Li Zhaojun came out of the bathroom, wearing only a white cotton towel. Her wet hair draped over her shoulders, with droplets falling from the tips onto her enticing collarbone and rolling down her smooth, alabaster-like chest.
Seeing this scene, Ye Fan was slightly taken aback, but Li Zhaojun didn’t spare him a glance, changed into loose exercise clothes, and walked past him as if he wasn’t there.
Without glancing sideways, like two strangers passing by.
She had blocked bullets for him; he had saved her life. They should have been a harmonious couple, yet now they were like strangers.
Ye Fan stood by the door, memories flooding his mind, “Zhaojun, I swear I won’t let you continue !” Ye Fan vowed silently.
Li Zhaojun went to the living room and sat cross-legged on the sofa to eat.
Ye Fan sat beside her. Li Zhaojun showed no emotion, neither accepting nor rejecting, neither liking nor disliking, neither loving nor hating. Yet the more it was , the more it pained Ye Fan.
Li Zhaojun continued eating on her own. After finishing, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, tossed the trash into the bin, then went to the washroom to brush her teeth before returning to the practice room and gently closing the door.
The large living room was left with Ye Fan alone.
He wasn’t in the mood to eat, staring blankly at the ceiling. After some indeterminable time, he snapped out of his daze, stood up, walked to the practice room door, knocked, and said, “Zhaojun, I’m leaving now.”
Li Zhaojun didn’t respond.
Ye Fan waited at the door for a while, but still received no response from Li Zhaojun. With a heavy heart, he turned and went downstairs, leaving the villa.
The night had fallen over Hua Hai city. Ye Fan turned back to look at the second floor, the practice room light was on, yet both the door and Li Zhaojun’s heart seemed closed off to him.