Chapter 23

Li Zekun felt the blood rushing to his head, and his ears were filled with buzzing noises. He walked out calmly, but his eyes first landed on the television and instantly turned red with tears.

Over these few years, he has made absolutely no progress whatsoever.

Tao Ran was startled by the sound of the bowl breaking. Seeing that Li Zekun was obviously not in the right state, he hurriedly pressed the power button to turn off the device. The screen immediately went black.

"Little Xia..." murmured Li Zekun in a low voice.

Tao Ran didn't hear clearly, but he caught a glimpse of something. However, he didn't dare to ask and instinctively hid on the couch.

Li Zekun didn't say anything else, he turned around to clean up the broken bowl in silence. His tall figure seemed to instantly become frail and old. Despite his usual strong and aloof demeanor, he was just an ordinary human with flesh and blood, also afraid of pain and sometimes silenced by sudden emotions.

"Meal's ready." After a long while, Li Zekun finally emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of white porridge.

Tao Ran ate half a bowl, his throat may have been inflamed, and swallowing was difficult. Li Zekun didn't notice him and went straight to the cloakroom to change clothes. Tao Ran slowly cleaned up the bowl, put on his school uniform, and sat in the living room waiting.

When Li Zekun came out, he had already calmed down. He went to change his shoes, holding two keys in his hand.

When getting in the car, Li Zekun handed one of the keys to Tao Ran. His voice was slightly hoarse: "When I was installing the lock, the master told me that fingerprint locks are not secure, so I changed it to a regular lock for you. Be careful when you live alone in the future."

Tao Ran held the lock in the palm of his hand and looked up at him, asking, "In the future...can I handle things on my own?"

"I will be very busy for the next few months and will also need to return to England. You should focus on your studies and I will come to see you when I return."

Tao Ran lowered his head and fiddled with the key in his hand, meticulously rubbing every inch of it.

Li Zekun waited for a long time but didn't hear Taoran's response. He felt a little uncomfortable with such silence. Actually, Taoran is a lively person who likes to speak with a coquettish tone, and he likes to stick around people like a little dog and turn around. But now he suddenly hid himself in a dark place, as if he was scared.

After some contemplation, Li Zekun realized that he may have truly left a negative impression on Tao Ran.

He had not yet decided what to do, but he had already reached out his hand. Tao Ran's hand was very soft and cool, and it felt comfortable to hold. It was the first time he had spoken the child's name since he had met Tao Ran: 'Ranran.'

Tao Ran's nose felt a tinge of soreness as she tightly held onto Li Zekun's palm. "Please, can you promise me...to not bully me anymore? I really like you..."

Li Zekun was taken aback and pulled his hand back. He could treat Tao Ran well, even better if he wanted to, but he couldn't bear to do it. This lifetime was just for Cheng Xia. He would leave once he found Cheng Xia. What would Tao Ran do then? The higher you hold something, the more painful it is when you drop it.

Tao Ran's hand slowly drooped down, feeling some resentment towards his own forgetfulness to control his temper. He remained silent, refraining from speaking.

The house that Li Zekun prepared for Tao Ran is located on the southern Third Ring Road, very close to the school and only a twenty-minute walk away. It is an old residential complex with a staircase building that looks a bit rundown from the outside. However, upon pushing the door open, the interior is very well decorated.

The house has two bedrooms and one living room, facing the sun. The color of the wallpaper has been carefully selected.

"Do you like it?" asked Li Zekun to Tao Ran, "If there's anything that doesn't fit, we can change it."

"Thank you, Mr. Li. I like it." Tao Ran saw the blue fine rope from the unpackaged furniture, lying on the small table attached to the partition cabinet. He took it and tied it to his key. He had always had a habit of losing his keys, so he was used to wearing them around his neck when he went out.

"Don't go to the evening self-study today," Li Zekun touched his hair. "My plane ticket is for tomorrow, will you have dinner with me tonight?"

Tao Ran nodded his head.

Tao Ran originally thought that Li Zekun had made a reservation at a restaurant for dinner, but he didn't expect that he was planning to cook in the new house and add some liveliness to it. Li Zekun was sweating profusely while stirring the pot of fresh seafood he had ordered over the phone.

"Ranran, hand me the fermented black bean sauce." Li Zekun was stir-frying razor clams. He had originally planned to make them spicy and fragrant, but suddenly remembered that Tao Ran had a bad stomach and had to take medicine in the evening. He then thought that it might not be right to serve her this dish since traditional Chinese medicine prohibits the mixing of seafood and medicine.

In the end, Li Zekun called to order a few dishes - stir-fried vegetables, medicinal soup, and yam porridge.

"When I'm not around, you can find Wang to pick you up at night. If you go out with classmates, remember to call me first." Li Zekun scratched at his rice, lifting his chin towards the inside of the room. "The new phone and card are on the desk. You can install the card when you have time."

"Will you be gone for a long time?"

"It's been over a month." Before he goes to England, he has to make a trip to Hong Kong first. Qiao Ming won't be able to discuss business with him here.

"I..." Tao Ran hesitated a bit. "Can I call you?"

Li Zekun fell silent for a moment and said in a serious tone, "Don't call if there's nothing important."

Tao Ran nodded softly and didn't say anything.