CH 30

Although Song Zhi Xu was prepared for Lin Ran to be picked up at any moment, when he heard on the phone that Lin Mu wanted to pick Lin Ran up, his heart still tightened. 

But after all, Lin Ran was temporary under his care, and Lin Mu was his elder brother, therefore there was nothing wrong with him wanting to pick him up.

So Song Zhi Xu opened his mouth and said, “When are you coming over?” 

“In a few days. I’ll go there after I’ve taken care of the company’s business.” Lin Mu thought about it before he said it.

“Okay.” Song Zhi Xu agreed.

The two spoke a few more words and a male voice came faintly from Lin Mu’s side, after that Lin Mu didn’t say much. He said to Song Zhi Xu,

“Zhi Xu, I still have a little business to attend to here, so I’ll hang up first. I haven’t told Ran Ran about picking him up, sometimes I can’t contact his phone, so trouble you to tell him about it.” 

Song Zhi Xu agreed, before the two hung up the phone.

Song Zhi Xu stood in the corridor for a while longer. He didn’t know why, since Lin Ran was going to be picked up, he should be less in trouble, but he was depressed and gloomy in his heart. 

Just now Lin Mu had asked him to tell Lin Ran, and he wondered, after Lin Ran heard the news, would Lin Ran be happy?

After all, Lin Ran still misses Lin Mu very much and occasionally takes the initiative to call him… 

Before Song Zhi Xu returned to his senses, the door of the private room was opened again as Mu Qingting walked out from it, looking around and only after seeing Song Zhi Xu did he breathe a sigh of relief. He walked up to him and said directly,

“Phone call from Lin Mu?” 

Song Zhi Xu returned to his senses and nodded slightly.

“I know what you feel toward Lin Mu, but it’s just a phone call, it’s not like a real person is coming over, so do you have to get so worked up and leave Lin Ran in there and not caring about him at all?” 

Mu Qingting originally thought that Song Zhi Xu was quite good to Lin Ran and was really in love with him. But now, when he saw Song Zhi Xu’s appearance where he nervously left the private room and neglected Lin Ran after just a phone call from Lin Mu, he was a bit helpless.

Even if they look alike, the substitutes are still different from the original one. 

“Lin Mu is coming over.” Song Zhi Xu said in a low voice.

“Lin Mu is coming over? Come to the capital?” Mu Qingting was a little surprised and then asked, “Didn’t his family run into some problems? Did he finish solving it?” 

Song Zhi Xu nodded his head gently and added, “He said he would come to pick up Lin Ran in a few days.”

Mu Qingting couldn’t say anything for a moment, but looked at Song Zhi Xu with some sympathy. 

He could clearly feel the change in Song Zhi Xu now, after Lin Ran’s arrival, he was a bit livelier, although he was a substitute, but now he was also going to be picked up.

Mu Qingting didn’t say anything and patted Song Zhi Xu’s shoulder sympathetically. 

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Lin Ran who sat on the sofa raised his head and looked over with a frightening face, but when he saw that the person who pushed open the private room’s door and entered was Song Zhi Xu, he immediately stood up and quickly jumped into Song Zhi Xu’s arms, hugging him tightly around his waist.

Although Lin Ran held back his tears, his eyes were still a little red and he buried his cheeks in Song Zhi Xu’s arms so hard that he couldn’t lift his head up. 

It was only after a long time that his aggrieved voice came out of Song Zhi Xu’s chest in a muffled voice.

“Song Zhi Xu, where have you been? It’s been a long… It’s been such a long time since you came back.” 

Song Zhi Xu unutterably did not push him away, instead he held him tightly in his arms and gently patted his back to comfort him.

The two held each other for a long time, until the door to the private room was opened again and Mu Qingting leaned against the door frame and coughed lightly to remind him, only that Song Zhi Xu pushed the person away, before pulling Lin Ran back to his seat again. 

Song Zhi Xu didn’t have much of an appetite and didn’t eat again after sitting down, waiting until Lin Ran had eaten his fill before the three of them were ready to leave.

There were quite a few dishes left on the table, including Lin Ran’s favourite meat, and Lin Ran looked at them eagerly, unable (unwilling) to leave, but he was mercilessly dragged away by Song Zhi Xu. 

He kept pouting his mouth in distress and said to Song Zhi Xu in a low voice.

“There’s still a lot of meat.” 

Song Zhi Xu shook his head helplessly and told him as he walked away, “I’ll make it for you when I get back, I won’t starve you.”

Lin Ran whispered again, “Ran Ran hasn’t washed the dishes yet.” 

“When you eat outside, just pay for it. You don’t need to wash the dishes, or people will get angry.” Song Zhi Xu explained to him again.

Lin Ran didn’t say anything, still not willing to turn his head back. 

In the end, it was Song Zhi Xu who bought Lin Ran a cup of milk tea for him on the way back, and only then did he manage to make Lin Ran forget about the leftover dishes on the table, and the unwashed bowls.

They went back separately and Song Zhi Xu drove on the road, occasionally glancing sideways at Lin Ran who was sitting on the front passenger seat taking small sips of milk tea. 

After a long time he suddenly spoke, “Ran Ran, do you miss your brother?”

“Eh? Gege?” Lin Ran’s movement of drinking milk tea paused and immediately nodded, “Ran Ran misses Gege.” 

Song Zhi Xu pursed his lips and looked at the road in front of him without speaking again.

He should have told Lin Ran in passing about the matter that Lin Mu was coming to pick him up, but indescribably, he didn’t say anything. 

When they arrived at home, Lin Ran was already sleepy and yawning, so Song Zhi Xu stopped the car and pulled a sleepy and dazed Lin Ran back to the villa.

“Ran Ran, sleep in your own room tonight! Go up and take a shower first.” Song Zhi Xu stroked the top of his hair. 

Lin Ran originally wanted to go upstairs, but he took a step before he could respond, turned his head to look at Song Zhi Xu again and said in a low voice,

“Ran Ran wants to sleep with Song Zhi Xu.” It had been a long time since he had slept in his own room. 

“Can’t.” Song Zhi Xu directly turned him down. Lin Mu was coming to pick up Lin Ran in a few days, if the two of them slept in the same bed again, even though they did nothing, but still, it would be difficult to tell Lin Mu by then.

Lin Ran bit his lip, pulling on the hem of Song Zhi Xu’s shirt and not leaving, although he didn’t say anything, he still looked pitiful with his eyes reddened. 

Song Zhi Xu and Lin Ran stared at each other for a long time, but he finally lost the battle.

“Then sleep one more night tonight but tomorrow you will have to go back and sleep in your own room.” 

Lin Ran saw him softened, so he nodded his head without even thinking and as if he was afraid Song Zhi Xu would backtrack, he ran upstairs quickly.

Song Zhi Xu stood in the living room for a while longer and finally went into the kitchen to pour a glass of milk, warming it up before carrying it back upstairs. 

There was no sign of Lin Ran in the room, but the sound of water in the bathroom, so Lin Ran was in the shower.

Song Zhi Xu took his laptop and browsed through the company’s reports. Today was not a weekend and the company was still working normally, so the assistant had sent him several documents and financial reports. 

However, Song Zhi Xu couldn’t concentrate after reading it, he even felt a bit annoyed.

Only when the bathroom door opened and Lin Ran came out wearing his yellow Spongebob pajamas with his half-dried fluffy hair, did Song Zhi Xu stand up and take his own pajamas into the bathroom. 

Before entering the door, he still told him,

“Drink the milk and go to sleep!” 

Lin Ran promised, but when Song Zhi Xu came out of the bathroom Lin Ran was still refrain from falling asleep as he was waiting for him, until Song Zhi Xu turned off the light and lay down on the bed, Lin Ran finally yawned, closed his eyes and started to sleep.

Song Zhi Xu lay there for a while, but in the end he still said, 

“Ran Ran, your brother will come to pick you up and take you back to Haicheng in a few days. I will tell him to pay more attention to you and he definitely won’t send you away again.”

After all, now that the Lin family couple had passed away, Lin Mu only had this one younger brother left in the world, so it was definitely important to raise him beside him. 

Moreover, Song Zhi Xu remembered that Lin Mu had said that the nanny who had previously looked after Lin Ran was no longer contactable.

Lin Ran was Lin Mu’s younger brother and even if he was taken back, he would still have a good life. 

Lin Ran was already dazed from his sleep and vaguely heard Song Zhi Xu speak, so he really did not hear clearly what he had said.

But Lin Ran still called out in a daze, “Song Zhi Xu…” 

Song Zhi Xu answered with, ‘hmm” and waited for a long time, but there was no next sentence. He turned his head sideways, moved closer and listened to Lin Ran’s steady breathing before realizing that he had fallen asleep.

But just now Lin Ran responded to him, so he must have heard it. 

Song Zhi Xu kept his eyes open for a long time before falling asleep.

The next day, Lin Ran woke up almost together with Song Zhi Xu who woke up early for work. Lin Ran was usually woken up early and after sleeping with Song Zhi Xu, his biological clock was synchronised with Song Zhi Xu. 

When Lin Ran opened his eyes, Song Zhi Xu was just sitting up from the bed. Lin Ran propped himself up and leaned into Song Zhi Xu’s arms, rubbing against him, acting like a spoiled child.

Song Zhi Xu didn’t push him away. He knew that Lin Ran still needed to lie down in the bed before he really woke up in the morning, just like a computer needs a little time to start the machine. 

It took almost ten minutes before Lin Ran left Song Zhi Xu’s embrace, already sober.

Song Zhi Xu got up and washed up first, and then went downstairs to make breakfast. 

After eating, when Song Zhi Xu left the villa Lin Ran still as before, walked him to the door as usual, hugged him again before Song Zhi Xu left, with a smile on his face and said seriously.

“Song Zhi Xu go to work, Ran Ran will be good and obedient at home.” 

“Hn.” Song Zhi Xu pushed him away and went out the door.

Lin Ran was still happy, knowing that he was leaving, which meant that he was also eager to be picked up by Lin Mu ba! 

As he drove, Song Zhi Xu couldn’t help but think of Lin Ran in the morning before he left the house.

Song Zhi Xu looked out of the car window again. 

It was only right that Lin Ran wanted to go with Lin Mu. Although Lin Ran had some dependence on him, it was only because he was a little fool who had arrived in an unfamiliar environment, but having Lin Mu, this big brother of his, Lin Ran did not need him.

Driving to the office, Song Zhi Xu just sat down in front of his computer when he received a message from Lin Mu saying that he was coming to pick up Lin Ran on the weekend. 

Song Zhi Xu looked at it for a few moments, then messaged him back.

[What time is the flight? I’ll pick you up at the airport.] 

Lin Mu said that the flight had not been booked yet and that he would tell him when it was booked.

Song Zhi Xu promised and the two didn’t say anything anymore. 

The assistant reported the work schedule for today to Song Zhi Xu.

Song Zhi Xu nodded, put down his phone and began to concentrate on his work. 

Today was Wednesday and there were still three days left before the weekend.

Originally, he had considered taking Lin Ran to the hospital sometime to see a psychiatrist, but now he would have to let Lin Mu take Lin Ran there when they returned.