Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 24
“On the Way”
“How come you’re here?”
Lin Chi suddenly opened the door and turned on the courtyard light.
The light bulb hanging from the eaves lit up immediately. The light was dim, and the old lampshade swayed, but it illuminated Li Tingyan clearly.
Li Tingyan was also quite surprised.
He stood outside the door, hesitating whether to call Lin Chi.
Based on what he knew about Lin Chi, it was only eleven o’clock, far from his bedtime, but today was special, and it was possible that he was already asleep.
Now, facing him unexpectedly, and looking into his eyes, Li Tingyan’s body stiffened for a second.
“I…”
He opened his mouth but found himself unable to come up with a reason.
He had come here on a whim. When he was talking to Lin Chi on the phone, he was sitting in the car on his way back. When he heard about his situation, he looked at his location and, after a few seconds of hesitation, asked the driver to turn around.
Now facing Lin Chi’s bewildered face, he pressed his lips together and explained softly, “I happened to be on a business trip passing through Qing City, and since your home is here, I thought I’d drop by.”
Lin Chi’s eyebrows nearly flew into his hair.
He looked at the high-hanging moon outside and then at his watch.
“Eleven o’clock at night, ‘on the way’?” his mouth twitched. He really didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t help but remind Li Tingyan, “I understand you passed through Qing City, but my home is still a two-hour drive from Qing City, hardly ‘on the way.'”
The road here was winding and rough, easy for an unfamiliar driver to take the wrong turn.
At this point, he became more puzzled, “How did you know my home address?”
He had indeed talked to Li Tingyan about his hometown, so it wasn’t surprising he found it.
But his old house in the county town had no special markings, and there was no name on the door plate. It was a miracle that Li Tingyan found it on his first visit.
“I asked someone at the intersection,” Li Tingyan said. “I remembered you mentioned the general direction. I encountered a small store that was still open, and when I inquired, the owner happened to know you.”
“Oh~”
Lin Chi understood.
The owner of the small store at the intersection was indeed a familiar face, his neighbor whose backyard faced his own.
It was a small county where everyone knew each other.
“You’re really lucky,” he muttered. “If you hadn’t asked the right person, it would have taken you at least another hour to find my place.”
He glanced at Li Tingyan, who was shivering in the cold, wearing only a fitted black coat, with his exposed wrists looking pale.
He stepped back, “Enough talking, come in. You should have called me if you wanted to come. Wandering around my home like that, I almost thought you were a thief and nearly called the police.”
Li Tingyan knew his behavior wasn’t exactly aboveboard.
He smiled apologetically at Lin Chi and followed him inside.
The courtyard still looked desolate, but the house was lit, the only bit of warmth in the darkness.
Li Tingyan discreetly glanced around, noticing the broken glass, cobwebs under the eaves, the bottles scattered in the yard, and the broken bricks in the corners.
Lin Chi explained, “The conditions of my old home are not great, but it’s late now. You’ll have to make do here for tonight.”
Thinking it over, he felt it wasn’t right, “Actually, maybe I should call a cab to take you to a hotel…”
But Li Tingyan stopped him.
“No need, I’m not that delicate. I’ll stay with you.”
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow.
He glanced at Li Tingyan’s refined and heroic face and chuckled softly.
“Don’t regret it. My room isn’t great either. It’s simple, without air conditioning. You won’t sleep well, just make do.”
He hadn’t been home for years, so he couldn’t expect Lin Zhaofeng to keep his room clean.
But the neighbor lady, who had received his help over the years, had been thoughtful enough to clean occasionally and kept some of his mother’s personal belongings for him.
So his room wasn’t uninhabitable. He had also done a quick clean before moving back in.
He led Li Tingyan into the house, reminding him to watch his step.
When they reached the room, he switched on the light, exposing the entire room.
It was indeed a simple room, with just a bed, a table, a few cabinets, chairs, and an old TV. Besides these, it was empty.
“Sit on the chair for now. I’ll boil some water. The cups and kettle are newly delivered by a food delivery service, so they’re clean.”
Li Tingyan sat on the chair as instructed, taking the cup Lin Chi handed over, “Thank you.”
His lips were indeed dry. After arriving in Changyu County, it took some time to find Lin Chi’s home.
Lin Chi poured himself a cup of water too. Leaning against the table, he sipped slowly, still puzzled as he stared at Li Tingyan.
“So why did you come here anyway?”
He asked, “This place is so remote, without even a three-star hotel. You couldn’t have come here just for a tour, right?”
Li Tingyan gripped his cup, eyes downcast, unsure how to explain to Lin Chi.
No matter how he explained, his appearance was indeed odd.
After a long while, he looked at Lin Chi and told the truth, “I just wanted to see you. I thought you might be scared dealing with such matters alone, so I was worried.”
He had rubbed the edge of his phone for a long time after receiving Lin Chi’s call.
He thought, for a young man of just 23, no matter how mature and independent, suddenly facing life and death issues couldn’t be easy.
Of course, he didn’t want to meddle either.
He wasn’t anyone significant to Lin Chi, and if he intervened rashly, Lin Chi might even consider it overstepping and wouldn’t appreciate it.
But he recalled the noisy sounds on the phone. Lin Chi might just be standing alone in the hospital corridor, his shadow cast on the white walls, surrounded by busy medical staff and families. No one would notice him; no one would necessarily care about him.
After some thought, he had the driver turn the car around immediately.
Now that he saw Lin Chi, he was much calmer and more composed than he had expected.
The cup of water in Li Tingyan’s hand was still emitting wisps of steam, blurring his eyes.
He said to Lin Chi, “I know I might be overthinking it. Sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble.”
Lin Chi was stunned.
He had just seen Li Tingyan appear outside the door and was genuinely puzzled.
Because in his world, he long ceased to think of himself as someone who needed to be taken care of.
He had been struggling alone for so many years. Although they were of similar age, he was entirely different from pampered students
Afraid?
What was there to be afraid of? It was just a legal relative who passed away; in reality, he wasn’t…
But when he met Li Tingyan’s gaze, he was somewhat dazed.
The words that were on the tip of his tongue couldn’t be spoken.
He slowly took another sip of tea, carefully observing Li Tingyan.
He thought, it turns out that to Li Tingyan, he was still a young person who needed to be cared for and looked after.
It was somewhat amusing.
When he saw Li Tingyan outside the door earlier, he had vaguely guessed his purpose.
But this feeling was unfamiliar to him.
Even Huo Yuning had already trusted him, stopped asking too many questions, and believed he could handle things on his own.
Lin Chi swallowed that mouthful of warm water.
He said, “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid, just a bit…”
His gaze swept across the empty room, the rough table. He couldn’t find the right words, “A bit uneasy.”
He didn’t pretend to be strong or lie to Li Tingyan.
“The last time I faced these things in the hospital was when my mom passed away. Being in the hospital today reminded me of that scene.”
“When I returned to this old house, although I didn’t have many thoughts, walking through this house felt a bit too empty.”
He pursed his lips and gave a faint smile.
“Actually, when I thought there was a thief outside just now, I was a bit nervous.”
“But when I opened the door and saw it was you, I was very happy.”
Compared to this dark, cold Changyu County that hadn’t given him much warmth, compared to this old house filled with many of his obscure past.
Li Tingyan’s sudden appearance made him feel familiar and warm.
Even though he hadn’t known Li Tingyan for long.
Hearing Lin Chi say this, Li Tingyan was stunned for a moment but quickly chuckled.
“That’s good.”
Fortunately, his presumptuous decision didn’t trouble Lin Chi.
……
Now it was late, and after drinking a cup of hot water to warm up, Lin Chi immediately pushed Li Tingyan to freshen up.
Thanks to the advanced delivery services, anything needed could be brought over by a courier.
Li Tingyan soon had a new bathrobe and toiletries.
While he was shaving, Lin Chi stood next to him, holding a small bowl and eating an apple.
Li Tingyan asked, “Is everything with your father’s burial settled? I just called my secretary, and he has arranged for people familiar with these processes. If you need, I can have them come over and handle it.”
Lin Chi bit into the apple, chewing slowly.
After some thought, he said, “Actually, I’ve arranged everything. There’s nothing much to take care of. I’m not planning to give him a grand farewell. Sending him off on his last journey is already repaying his upbringing grace.”
Li Tingyan didn’t know the specific details of Lin Chi’s upbringing.
But from that day’s phone call and Lin Chi’s few words, he could deduce what kind of person Lin Zhaofeng was and how much Lin Chi had endured.
Thinking about this, his gaze turned cold again.
He rinsed off the foam on his hands, “You’re still too soft-hearted,” he said lightly, “If I were in your position, I probably wouldn’t have come back.”
He spoke very calmly.
And it was the truth, not meant to comfort Lin Chi.
As a businessman, he was much more ruthless than Lin Chi. He wouldn’t show mercy to those who had truly wronged him.
But Lin Chi was different.
As he rinsed his hands, he thought, Lin Chi was actually a kind-hearted person. Despite his flamboyant exterior, he had a naive and gentle side, clear about what he liked and disliked, like a child.
Such a person was often at a disadvantage.