Ten years of companionship and affection; ten years of goodbyes and honesty.

In late August, the hottest part of the summer will be over, but the leaves of the sidewalk trees are still wilting in the hot sun, and there is not even a breeze on the whole street.

When Wen Ning pushed the door into the cafe, the first thing he saw was the person sitting by the window.

Lin Jian, dressed in simple black sweatpants and a white T-shirt, is looking out the glass window with his head tilted, not knowing what he is looking at.

When he heard footsteps approaching, he had just turned his head when Wen Ning came over and sat down opposite him.

Lin Jian is still looking like the same person, but Wen Ning feels that he has lost some weight since he hasn't seen him for a long time.

Lin Jian looked at the person across the table, nodded his head without any expression, and then turned the ipad of ordering over, and asked in a calm manner, "What do you want to drink?"

His attitude was natural and casual, as if he wasn't surprised by the invitation.

In fact, Wen Ning didn't expect him to agree to a meeting.

And seeing as summer vacation was coming to an end, this was probably the last chance she would be able to try.

Wen Ning asked for a glass of lemonade, the waiter quickly delivered, she held the cool glass body, said: "received the acceptance letter, right?"

Lin Jian lowered his eyes and gave a nonchalant "hmm".

"Which college is it?"

"Seidai."

"Oh, that's good, I really want to congratulate you." Wen Ning had a smile in his eyes, and a hint of pride and joy that he couldn't hide, not bad for his son, even after a rough and bumpy life, he was still strong enough, strong enough to be able to put together a bright future for himself.

Wen Ning scrutinized the opposite teenager with his eyes, and for a while he had mixed feelings.

It's been a long time since the last time she hurriedly met with Lin Jian at the police station. In fact, she has privately utilized multiple avenues to learn more about Lin Jian's foster family, but it's clear that, in addition to the world's well-known powerful and prestigious families, the Shen family's secret of having fostered a child many years ago is by no means something that outsiders can be privy to. Wen Ning also contacted the civil affairs department, but when it comes to minors, such foster relationships are classified by the civil affairs department, so she had no way of finding out.

And now that she was sitting in front of him again, those hidden expectations stirred once more.

Lin Jian lifted his eyelids, saw the opposite person's desire to speak, and asked with little emotion, "What did you want to say when you asked me to meet?"

It can't just be congratulating him on getting into the college of his choice.

Wen Ning raised his hand, unnaturally stroked the broken hair around his ear, and after a long interval, he tentatively asked, "...... If, as I still say now, I hope that you will consider going to study abroad with me, you ...... "

Lin Jian's eyes were slightly cold as he said briefly, "Impossible."

Wen Ning took a deep breath, but was not discouraged: ''Why, is it because the homeland is hard to leave? However, you will soon go to the capital to study in the university, is not the same to leave here, if only the vacation can come back, then the domestic and foreign, in fact, there is no difference at all, and ...... with your achievements and ability, in foreign countries, you can even choose to be better than the Qingdao University of the world's top academic institutions, that is the top of the pyramid, you ......"

Wen Ning was almost bitter, and at the end of his words, his volume lowered, "And ...... can't you really give me a chance to make up for it?"

And anytime the word "make amends" falls on Lin Jian's ears, it's laughable.

"No need." He was tired of saying those three words.

Wen Ning steeply silent, outside the cafe heat wave in the sky, the street traffic endless, after a long time, Lin Jian suddenly heard the opposite side of the person with a very soft voice asked: "So ...... you so rejected to leave, is it because of a ... ..."

Wen Ning hesitated to say the latter words.

Lin Jian slowly turned his head and brought his eyes back from the window, settling firmly on Wen Ning's apprehensive face; after a few seconds, he suddenly hooked the corner of his lips and said, "Yeah."

Wen Ning looked up in surprise.

Lin Jian said, "You're trying to ask me if I'm not leaving because I have a favorite person here - yes, that's right."

"Is ...... it a classmate?" Wen Ning asked softly, looking askance at his face.

"No." Lin Jian put away the smile on his lips and said in a faint voice.

Any mother, at the first glimpse of her child's revealing signs in his or her love life, is curious and worried, and even though Wen Ning has lost her job to this point, she is still not immune to the question, "Is that ...... already working? Just in this city?" Thinking for a few seconds, she raised her volume slightly and said in surprise, "If that's the case, wouldn't this girl ...... be much older than you?"

Lin Jian watched her wild speculations without any waves, and for the first time, he silently admired a woman's imagination inwardly.

And just as Wen Ning was getting distracted by his own speculations, Lin Jian threw out a stone-cold, "No."

"I like the same sex."

For the first few seconds, Wen Ning didn't seem to realize the meaning of his words, but after a moment, her eyes suddenly turned incredulous as she looked at Lin Jian and covered her mouth in shock.

Lin Jian asks, "What, surprised, or can't accept it?"

Wen Ning's breath escaped through his fingers in a hot rush, and the whole man lost his voice for a long time.

"I didn't realize that the son I wanted to recognize with all my heart was actually a homosexual, so I was physiologically repulsed?" Lin Jian without fail, "Or do you regret it now? If I had known I was like this, I shouldn't have traveled across the ocean to find him in the first place?"

It's impossible not to be shocked, but hearing Lin Jian unceremoniously stabbing himself in the back made Wen Ning's heart sink.

Liking the same sex - whether innate or acquired - could not have nothing to do with her absence for so many years; it was always her son to whom she owed a debt to her children.

"...... No, you don't talk about yourself like that." The shock gradually dissipated, Wen Ning forced herself to calm down in the fastest possible time, the pain in her heart spread to the bottom of her eyes, she said, "You know, the United Kingdom passed the same-sex marriage law, and I've lived abroad for so many years, I've heard and seen no end of it, and besides- "She hesitated a little, bluntly, "my ex-husband's youngest son, is also a homosexual, so I'm not excluded, just a little surprised, you ...... don't think of me that way either, okay?"

Lin Jian's brows moved slightly, and he looked at her with more than a hint of surprise instead.

Wen Ning smiled a little pale, "So what kind of a person is ......? You guys ......"

"It's not important, don't ask." Lin Jian frowned and interrupted her, "He doesn't mean that to me."

It was Wen Ning's turn to be surprised.

Is there anyone in this world who doesn't like Lin Jian?

Tough, strong, brilliant - there simply wasn't a more endearing teenager in her opinion.

"So you're being stubborn to stay because of someone who doesn't like you?" Wen Ning dissects slowly, "But what's the point of doing that? Or is it that you refuse to give up and want to keep trying a little harder on him, hoping to use the coming days to finally impress the other person?"

Wen Ning sighed heavily, "Little ...... Lin Jian, I don't do any identity plus, just stand in the perspective of an older, over person who has experienced a lot in the relationship to tell you, this is meaningless."

Lin Jian's cold eyes had a subtle change, "...... I didn't want to pester, just ......"

"Just don't want to be too far away from him?" Wen Ning shook his head meaningfully, "But then how do you let the other person live with themselves?"

These words were like a cold arrow flying in the face, impartial, directly piercing Lin Jian's heart.

Indeed, it is he who is in authority--

Now that things have come to this between him and Shen Ke, how is he supposed to leave Shen Ke to fend for himself when he insists on staying by his side like this?

He said he would always be family, but in the face of a "family" that had other thoughts about him, how should he feel, and in what way and in what capacity should he care for himself again as he once did?

It turned out that, without realizing it, he had already thrown the biggest problem to Shen Ke, like an unreasonable, capricious child, only because he was convinced of the other party's long-standing favoritism, knowing that no matter how deviant his behavior, the other party responded with the inevitable silent and gentle indulgence.

Lin Jian heard the voice of his own heart interrogating him, and just one sentence knocked him back to his original form: bent on pushing Shen Ke into a dilemma, this is your childish and irresponsible like?

And the key point is that Shen Ke said he will always be treated as family, so if he stays, he won't be able to get rid of this identity setting, and in the eyes of the other side, he will always be just the child he raised.

"Lin Jian?" Wen Ning called out his name tentatively after a long silence.

Lin Jian slowly came back to his senses, the dark surges and emotions hidden under his eyes calmed down little by little, and after a long time, Wen Ning heard him ask in a muffled voice, "Is it too late to do the procedures for studying abroad?"

After nearly three minutes, Wen Ning sighed as if relieved and answered him.

"Of course it's in time."

*

When Shen Ke received the call from Cong Wan, he had just finished a presidential meeting and returned to his office. Before he could take a sip of the coffee that his secretary had brewed at the right time, the cell phone, which was placed on the private number of his office, vibrated without warning.

Before Shen Ke answered the phone, he realized that there were already a lot of missed calls.

Generally speaking, Cong Wan seldom contacted him directly, because he knew that he was too busy, and because he was not sure of his working hours. Compared to Shen Ke, Shen Zhangqian and his wife had more contact with Song Zhi on a day-to-day basis, and they would find out from Song Tezhu about Shen Ke's recent work and health status, or ask the other party to convey their wish for him to come home for a meal in the near future. They would learn from Song Tezhu about Shen Ke's recent work and health status, or ask each other to convey a wish for him to come home for dinner.

So Cong Wan would call so many times in a row during working hours, it must be an urgent situation.

Shen Ke answered the phone, and before she could say "Mom", she heard Cong Wan say a few words on the phone, and then her face changed abruptly.

On the way back to Shen's mansion, Shen Ke's thoughts were rarely confused as he pressed the speed limit to overtake the traffic around him, trying to make sense of the message from Cong Wan's call a few minutes earlier, but finding it clueless.

What do you mean, "Jane's mom is back"?

What do you mean, "Jane went to England with her and came today to break the foster care agreement"?

Shen Ke's eyes were sunken, the corners of his lips were taut, although he did not yet know the full truth, he was afraid that this was a decision Lin Jian had made on impulse at this awkward and delicate point in time.

Blasting into the courtyard of the mansion, Shen Ke pushed the door open and got out of the car, not having time to turn off the engine before walking quickly toward the parlor in the back of the building.

The rustic and elegant carved wooden door was pushed open, and the people in the room turned their heads in surprise to see Shen Ke striding in, always a gentle and self-restrained person, his face looked as low as the coming storm.

Especially Lin Jian, this is the first time he has seen Shen Ke with "nonchalance" written in his eyes.

Shen Ke swept his eyes over the crowd, first seeing the "teacher" he had met at the police station last summer, then skimming over the two men in uniform shirts next to her, and finally landing on the man standing next to Shen Zhangqian.

Lin Jian seemed to not expect him to suddenly appear, but the shock only appeared in his eyes for a moment, then disappeared, and when he raised his eyes to look over again, he became the same indifferent eyes, clear and cold young man.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Cong Wan got up from the sofa next to him, ordered the maid to bring in some herbal tea, and gestured Shen Ke towards a seat on the side, "Sit down and talk slowly."

Shen Ke was not in the mood to "talk slowly" at this time. He did not look at the others, but only asked Lin Jian, "What happened?"

The tone was not fierce, not even a hint of reproach could be heard, but the more such Wen Shen the more Lin Jian felt tormented inside, he pulled the corners of his mouth a little, and replied in a low voice, "As you can see, this ......" He glanced at Wen Ning, who was not far away, and , turned back his eyes and said, "Indeed, it is my birth mother."

Shen Ke frowned unconsciously, while Wen Ning stood up at this moment and stretched out a hand at Shen Ke, saying with a slight apology, "I'm sorry for not explaining the situation to you when we first met, simply because there were quite a lot of misunderstandings and contradictions between Xiao Jian and I at that time, but now... . he's willing to return to England with me."

Shen Ke politely and courteously reached out his hand and vaguely encircled her fingertips, withdrawing them without touching them, but the words that came out immediately afterward were not so polite: "So what, the misunderstandings and conflicts are all cleared up now? The person is to be taken away immediately?"

"Shen Ke," Shen Zhangqian, who was in the main seat, reminded in a deep voice as he sat in his wheelchair.

Even Lin Jian, not to mention Shen Zhangqian, did not expect that the usually mild-mannered man would be sharp at first.

"Sorry, I was just stating a fact." Shen Ke's tone remained the same, "Given that your previous years of absence were somewhat lengthy, I'm not comfortable or agreeable to leaving the child with you just like that."

Wen Ning's face turned a little embarrassed, but there was no denying that Shen Ke had hit the nail on the head, and that was precisely the key to Shen Zhangqian and his wife's concern.

"And he has already received the acceptance letter from Tsinghua University, I don't recommend studying abroad at this time." Shen Ke seemed to have regained his original calm and gentle demeanor, adding, "It's a bit harsh for him to have to take care of his studies and quickly adapt to life abroad."

"This is not something you need to bother about." Wen Ning said, "Xiao Jian's high school entrance examination results have been sent to the school side, and he has the ranking of the math national competition to add to it, the school side has already given a reply, as long as he passes the pre-entrance examination quiz, and is very much looking forward to his joining."

Shen Ke's brow was furrowed, but he was no longer obsessed with going back and forth with Wen Ning, he suddenly turned his attention to Lin Jian, his low, sunken eyes looking over, and two seconds apart, he asked, "What about you? What do you think, indeed willing to go?"

Lin Jian met the probing line of sight, quietly intersected with his line of sight, obviously did not set off any waves, but the bottom of his heart can not stop feeling sad, after a long time of silence, he said in a mute voice, "I am no longer the same little child back then."

Caught off guard, Shen Ke's eyes wavered.

"Obviously already eighteen years old." Lin Jian raised the corners of his mouth, suppressing the bitterness that flared up at the bottom of his tongue, and with a little plausible trace of a smile, said, "You're probably the only one who still thinks I'm a child."

He made a double entendre, and Shen Ke couldn't argue.

Wen Ning interjected at this time: "Yes, when the civil affairs department issued that foster sample agreement, it is also clear that the foster care time to small Jane eighteen years old cut off, according to reason, now the statute of limitations has expired, but in order to procedural compliance, I still invited the civil affairs department and notary public staff to come over, to fulfill the normal process, as in the beginning of the Shen family as well. "

She said so clearly, even Shen Zhangqian and Cong Wan heard the deep meaning of it, Lin Jian ...... she must be taken away.

But Shen Ke was unmoved, still locking his eyes on Lin Jian, who was not far away, and after a few seconds, asked, "Decided?"

Lin Jian's heart is like a balloon that is about to explode, constantly filling up and expanding, squeezing his internal organs to the point of deformation, he held back that little bit of delayed dull pain and replied-

"...... I can't be the same kid you raised forever."

The weight of these words was too heavy, so heavy that they fell between the two men, abruptly chiseling out a heavenly chasm.

But again, the words were spoken so softly, so softly that only the two of them, could read the metaphor.

At this point, Shen Ke knew that he had no choice but to give in.

"Have you packed all your luggage items?" Cong Wan wiped the corners of his eyes with a silk handkerchief, took Lin Jian's hand and asked in a warm voice.

Lin Jian for the first time to take the initiative to hold back, said, "Nothing to pack, things are not much, you do not think about." Said pause for a few seconds, hung his head, as if ashamed of that loving eyes, said, "These years, let you two old bother, I ......"

He can't say enough about Shen Ke's heart, and he can't say enough about the gratitude of Mr. and Mrs. Shen Zhangqian.

"Don't say that." Shen Zhangqian actually pressed the wheelchair and took the initiative to slide to his side, Lin Jian was stunned and subconsciously took two steps and squatted down by his legs, "Grandpa."

"Xiao Jian has always been a good boy ...... oh no, now is a big young man, actually a flash are ten years ......" Shen Zhangqian raised his hand to pat his shoulders, emotionally said, "to live well abroad, if not happy, feel free to come back, don't forget that this will always be your home. He said, "Live well abroad, if you are not happy, come back at any time, don't forget, this will always be your home."

Lin Jian closed his eyes hard for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Go and say goodbye to your little uncle." Shen Zhangqian said, "He's the one who can't let you go."

Lin Jian turned his head at his words and looked at Shen Ke for a few seconds before slowly getting up and walking over to him.

After a long silence, Shen Ke asked, "When do you leave?"

"The flight is in three days." Lin Jian paused and suddenly said, "Don't bother to see me off."

I'm afraid that if I give it away, I won't be able to walk away.

Shen Ke's eyes shifted lightly as he half answered, "Good."

*

Three days later, International Airport Terminal T3.

The check-in hall is crowded with people, the gentle but mechanical voice of the ground crew, the chatter of the waiting crowd, and the hustle and bustle of pedestrians on their way to and from the airport, all intertwine to create a noisy and chaotic scene.

Lin Jian sat on the bench, indifferently looking at the sound wave of people swaying around, for a long time, tiredly closed his eyes.

There is no such person.

As Shen Ke once said, he will do what he promised.

And when Lin Jian said he didn't want him to come, he really didn't show up anymore.

"Lin Jian, are you okay?" Wen Ning sat beside him. Wen Ning sat beside him, watched Lin Jian open his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said, "You have heavy blood under your eyes, and your face looks bad, are you not feeling well?"

"It's fine." Lin Jian said in a pale voice, but his voice was indeed hoarse.

"It's an eleven-hour flight." Wen Ning consoled, "When you get to the airplane, get a good night's sleep."

Lin Jian did not respond.

It is indeed time for a good night's sleep.

After waking up from the dream, the dazzling dust of the past is all smoke.

The airport announcer went off, reminding them that it was boarding time for their flight.

Lin Jian got up, pulled a small black suitcase, and walked to the elevator with Wen Ning.

That would have been the perfect ending.

Lin Jian was annihilated by the sea of people and mayflies, and thought, "Who is not like this?

He is like a walking, straight tree, uprooting himself at the moment, after saying goodbye to the wind, rain and snow, picking up all the parting hate and sadness, and then walk into the unknown spring and fall.

Just as Lin Jian was about to reach the elevator, someone in the crowd behind him suddenly called out his name.

"Lin Jian."

The volume of the voice was not high, but it was like a thunderbolt that exploded on the ground, and Lin Jian's footsteps forward came to a violent halt.

For a moment, he almost thought he was hallucinating, but the voice called out again, in the warm, deep tones he had once known best for ten years.

"Lin Jian."

Lin Jian jerked back, looking incredulously at the person behind him.

Shen Ke stood in the center of the bustling crowd, with the last temperature of the end of summer, a dusty. He looked at the young man who had been with him for ten years, not far from him, and smiled a little, and said in a very soft voice:

"Sorry for breaking my word this time."

I said I wouldn't give them away, but I couldn't.

This is his hand-picked, bloodless family.

It was more the teenager he'd been hurting for ten years.

Lin Jian looked at him fearfully, a blood-colored mist finally spreading uncontrollably under her eyes.

Abruptly, the lever in his hand dropped to the ground, his shoulders shook violently, and he finally sank and collapsed into Shen Ke's deep eyes.

He cuts through the crowd and crashes into Shen Ke's arms at the sound of Wen Ning's shrieks behind him.

Lin Jian ran at him so fast, almost with a desperate force, that Shen Ke was knocked back two steps by the person in his arms and steadied himself.

A very soft choking sound rang in his ears, it was Lin Jian's suppressed tears, his whole face was buried in his shoulder, but after a few seconds, Shen Ke still felt the warm wet trace from the fabric of his left shoulder.

The arms hanging at her sides moved slightly as Shen Ke sighed deeply and finally wrapped her arms around the teenager's shoulders.

It was the first hug between them, but it happened when they were about to leave.

"Didn't you emphasize the other day that you were already eighteen?" Shen Ke whispered in his ear, "Don't cry."

Lin Jian's shoulders and back were tense, but the moment Shen Ke hugged him, he abruptly dispersed his strength.

"For the first time, don't tear me apart." Lin Jian whispered, "And the last time, so ...... don't push me away either."

Shen Ke blinks softly, so he loops his arms tighter.

"Lin Xiaobai and Pi Dan, you have to take good care of them for me." Lin Jian said useless words first, and without waiting for Shen Ke to agree, he added the most important sentence, "Take good care of yourself even more."

"Good." Shen Ke replied, and asked, "Any more?"

"...... there." The person in his arms raised his head slightly, the corner of his lips pressed against Shen Ke's ear bone, like a lover's whisper, like a grinding or pecking, but he said, "You must live a good, good life."

Shen Ke's heart burst into pins and needles of pain.

Lin Jian tried his best to hold back and demanded in a trembling voice, "Shen Ke, you have to have the most complete life and the most happiness in this world."

Shen Ke asked, "What about you?"

"...... you promise, I'll just ask for peace of mind."

"Good." Shen Ke accepted such a strong heart, Lin Jian slowly got up, left his arms, looked at him with reddened eyes and said, "There is one last thing."

"What?"

Lin Jian said, "Don't look for me, definitely ...... don't come to me."

Don't hound me for news, don't pry.

I'll give you the past is bright and clear, go to the day of suffering, all kinds of scenery into a passer-by.

I want you to promise me a half-life of tsetse, high in the sky and wide in the sea, all wandering.

Ten years of companionship and affection.

Ten years of goodbyes, frankly.

After a long silence, the darkness in Shen Ke's deep eyes would subside, and for a long time, he gave his word for the last time.

"I promise."

A big dream, a few years, anger, love and hate, a thousand sails farewell.

Let the young man born wings, break free from the shackles, to soar embrace the mountains and rivers for miles and miles, to pursue the world's far and wide, to see the smoke and clouds of the three thousand worlds, and finally get to cross the mountains, read people, and pleased with themselves.

Shen Ke stood in the noisy waiting hall and watched the lonely and stubborn young man turn away and disappear into the depths of the crowd.

They first met in the early winter ten years ago, and eventually, parted in the late summer ten years later.