"Are you and Xiaoying married yet? We're all waiting to taste your wedding candy," Yu Jingsong asked with a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, when you were young, no one could handle you except that girl Xiaoying. I can still laugh out loud thinking about it now," Old Su chuckled, nodding his head.

"Chu Ge, I still don't understand how you're so lucky. I can't figure out why Xiaoying, such a good girl, took a liking to you since she was little. From the day she carried you back, all covered in blood, I thought nothing in this life could separate you two."

Aunt Li from the cafeteria teased as well.

"Nowadays, housing prices are so high. You brat, you need to work hard to make money. I'm not saying Xiaoying needs to have an extravagant life with you, but at least give her a home, and sometimes be romantic with her."

"Yeah, try to save up for a down payment as soon as possible. If you're really struggling, don't be shy with us old folks. We can't provide much, but at least we can help you out a bit."

"You said you drive for the chairman of Tianjiao Group, right? How's your boss treating you? Can you earn three thousand a month?"

In the lively banter of the three big shots of the orphanage, Chu Ge silently bent down, bit his lip, and picked up the cigarette that had fallen on the ground. When he straightened up, even though he wanted to smile, he couldn't manage it at all.

Pinching his increasingly sour nose, Chu Ge lit that cigarette, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "We haven't seen each other for years. I... I can't find her anymore."

His voice turned hoarse as soon as he spoke.

With Chu Ge's suddenly hoarse voice, the once-laughing dean's office fell silent.

The smiles on the wrinkled faces of Yu Jingsong and Old Su instantly froze, while Aunt Li's eyes widened, her expression becoming extremely complex, and she instinctively exclaimed, "How's that possible?"

After speaking, Aunt Li, who was sitting on a chair, suddenly stood up, took a few steps to Chu Ge's side, grabbed his collar, and angrily said, "Tell me! Did you do something to wrong Xiaoying, is that why you two separated?"

Chu Ge forced a bitter smile, unable to respond.

Seeing Aunt Li's intense reaction, Yu Jingsong snapped back to reality, hurriedly stood up, and said, "Alright, alright, Sister Li, let go. I would believe it if you said this brat committed murder or arson, but if you say he would wrong Xiaoying, that's absolutely impossible. Can you even believe what you're asking?"

Old Su also chimed in, "Exactly, Sister, you've watched him grow up. Don't you know his temperament? We dare not say he's good, but at least he's not bad!"

"Sigh!"

Aunt Li's expression froze, and she let out a deep sigh before letting go of Chu Ge's collar. She crossed her arms, gazed out the window, and tilted her head slightly, suppressing the sudden rush of bitterness in her nose and eyes.

Having worked at the orphanage for so many years, Aunt Li's favorite child was Xiaoying. She always thought Chu Ge wasn't good enough for Xiaoying, but Xiaoying seemed like she was really Chu Ge's shadow, silently following and taking care of him. Even though she felt helpless, there was nothing she could do.

So, when she heard this, she became so agitated, feeling as if a heavy stone had dropped into her heart.

"You brat, what's going on with you and Xiaoying? How could you lose track of her?"

Aunt Li released Chu Ge, and Dean Yu Jingsong turned his gaze to Chu Ge's face, frowning as he asked.

Chu Ge smoked silently, his head lowered, hiding his expression. His fingers trembled slightly, and his lips quivered.

Seeing Chu Ge remain silent, Old Su shouted anxiously, "Brat, speak up! Are you trying to drive us crazy?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chu Ge slowly raised his head, "Dean, Grandpa Su, Aunt Li, please don't ask. Really... don't ask. I... I'm begging you."

Chu Ge's eyes were very red, his voice growing even hoarser.

Seeing the tears welling up in Chu Ge's eyes, whether it was Dean Yu Jingsong, Old Su the doorman, or Aunt Li from the cafeteria, they all froze. The words they were about to say got stuck in their throats.

All three of them had watched Chu Ge grow up, and in their impression, Chu Ge was a child who never cried. Even if he was beaten to the point where he couldn't get up, he would spit and laugh out loud; even if faced with enormous grievances, he would act as if it were nothing.

This was the first time they saw Chu Ge with tears in his eyes.

This was also the first time they heard the word "beg" from Chu Ge's mouth.

"Sigh..."

Three simultaneous sighs, all at once, at that moment, how could they not see that Chu Ge was facing an incredibly heavy burden?

Men don't cry easily, just because they haven't reached the depths of heartbreak. At this moment, Chu Ge's heartache was worse than being cut by a knife, and with these three people around him being the closest, most respected people, he just couldn't control it anymore.

"Alright, alright, if you don't want to talk, then don't. You brat, it's rare for you to come back, don't cry in front of us. It just makes our eyes itch. I'm not wrong when I say you're regressing as you live more and more. Since when did you learn to shed tears? We're men, remember?"

After a long sigh, Old Su came to stand in front of Chu Ge, wiped his own old tears first, and gave Chu Ge's shoulder a heavy pat.

"The wind... got in my eyes..." Chu Ge bit his lip, looked up, took a breath, and squeezed out a few words from his mouth.

"Dean Yu, why did you open the window so wide when there's nothing to do? The wind is so strong that it got in my eyes too," Aunt Li wiped her eyes and glared fiercely at Yu Jingsong.

Yu Jingsong forced a grim smile, "I'll close it right away, close it," he had just gotten up to close the window when a "knock knock" sounded from the door.

"Come in."

Adjusting his mood, Yu Jingsong spoke.

The door creaked open, and a short-haired man in his mid-twenties, wearing a shirt and trousers, looking both gentle and capable, walked in.

Upon entering, Liang Jinjiang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Dean, Mr. Su, Aunt Li, are you having a meeting? Am I coming at a bad time?"

Seeing Liang Jinjiang, much of the sorrow in Yu Jingsong's heart dissipated, and he shook his head, "What meeting, what meeting, do you think this is like your office where you hold meetings every day? We have an honored guest at the orphanage, come quickly and see who this is."

Hearing the voice behind him, Chu Ge rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around, locking eyes with Liang Jinjiang.

In sight, their childhood friend seemed not to have changed much in appearance, only gaining a bit of steadiness in demeanor.

"You... could you be... Chu Ge?" Liang Jinjiang stared for a full five or six seconds before widening his eyes, incredulously asking.

Chu Ge didn't say much, showing a genuine smile, walked up to Liang Jinjiang, and gave him a bear hug between men.

"Jinjiang, long time no see!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Liang Jinjiang knew he hadn't mistaken him indeed, and his heart filled with excitement; he heavily patted Chu Ge's back, and his eyes turned red.

No wonder as soon as he entered the room, he noticed something was off with the expressions of the three giants of the orphanage; it turned out Chu Ge was here all this while!

"It's really you! Where exactly did you go all these years? I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime!"

Old friends meeting naturally brings great excitement. After a bear hug, Liang Jinjiang began scrutinizing Chu Ge from head to toe.

"How could we not meet, you owe me those two yuan from seven years ago, I've been waiting for you to repay it."

Chu Ge also scrutinized his childhood partner after so many years, suppressing the sadness in his heart, with a trademark smile on his face, teasing in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Hahaha!"

The whole room burst into laughter, and the atmosphere suddenly shifted from oppressive sorrow to light, with endless things to talk about. Although Liang Jinjiang also wanted to ask about Xiao Ying, but seeing no one else mentioned it, seemingly intentionally avoiding it, he deliberately steered away from that topic.

Unknowingly, most of the afternoon passed, and during the conversation, Chu Ge learned that Liang Jinjiang is now a government employee, a section chief in a department of Lidu Customs. Although not a high-ranking position, he holds some real power, and among the children who left the orphanage, he's doing quite well.

While they were having a great time chatting, Ye Li knocked and came in, greeted everyone when she saw the situation inside, and then retreated.

She is rather soft-natured, somewhat shy, and feels comfortable around Chu Ge or Dean Yu, but felt awkward with Liang Jinjiang also in the room.

After Ye Li closed the door, Liang Jinjiang looked at Chu Ge and tentatively asked, "Is she your girlfriend now?"

Chu Ge shook his head, "No, just a friend I happened to meet, another orphan from our place. Wait for me a bit, I'll go have a few words with her."

Chu Ge walked out the door, and Liang Jinjiang watched his departing figure with a sigh in his heart.

Back then, Xiao Ying was by Chu Ge's side—she was the most beautiful girl among all the girls in the orphanage at that time. Despite so many years apart, Chu Ge still attracts girls' attention.

The girl who just knocked had a glance at Chu Ge full of affectionate yearnings, and it's hard not to feel envious of that.

After closing the dean's office door, Chu Ge called out to Ye Li in the corridor.

"Ye Li, I haven't been back for a long time and ran into an old friend from back then; sorry for making you wait so long. How about I tell them and send you back first?"

Upon hearing Chu Ge's words, Ye Li quickly shook her head, "Brother Chu, I'm not in a hurry, you all chat a bit more, don't mind me. I actually want to spend more time with the little brothers and sisters here; being with them makes me feel better."

Though she said so, in truth, Ye Li genuinely wanted to be closer to Chu Ge.

As long as she knew he was nearby, her heart felt particularly secure and warm, so no matter how long it took, she was willing to wait indefinitely.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.