Away...

Suddenly his eyes locked on Jiang Wei's photo. Ling opened the text and read something that made the hairs on his head move.

[According to a reliable source, Jiang Wei had set a wedding date. This had to be done because the bride was pregnant. The timing of the pregnancy has not been disclosed, but the happy couple is not hiding their joy.]

Pregnant? Ling couldn't believe his eyes. A wedding? So soon? Was a fake engagement supposed to end in a wedding? What about the dirt? When did Wei plan to get it and act on it, as they had decided beforehand?

What is going on at all? Why is it as if their plan had long ago been frustrated by the will of a stronger adversary? And now they are helpless pawns in the game-Ling rubbed his throbbing temples and didn't know what to think.

Fumbling in bed, he could not sleep. Again and again, he stared at his wrist, and then he hid his hand under the pillow and squeezed his eyes shut.

Over the next couple of months, he sent money regularly to his family and worked relentlessly hard.

When his body was rumbling with fatigue and his head was empty, he would wander home and fall into bed. Days gave way to nights, and spring came.

Way's wedding was to take place at the end of April. All the tabloids were full of his picture.

Ling lived in a minefield.

Trying his best not to face the news of the wedding, he was, somehow or other, involved in discussions of these events.

Over the past months, he had cleaned up not only the director's office but the agency as a whole.

Having cut one-third of the useless employees, he hired experienced and motivated people.

He organized the agency by distributing responsibilities, helped Secretary Zhao with clearing out her office, and provided her with her team of assistants.

Mr. Bai became a legend of the agency. Revenues increased significantly. But it was as if he had aged.

Always focused and competent, he gave the impression of a man endlessly tired of life.

Everyone at the agency thought it was because of Ty Bin, that it was a love-sickness, and they looked forward to their editor's return.

Spring was a busy time. The beginning of the year is always about building schedules and negotiating contracts. Bin began to show up to work more often.

Having divided their duties among themselves, the men were doing just fine and everyone around them couldn't help but marvel at their couple.

But Bin saw how sad Ling was when he was alone with him. He didn't complain or admit it even under pressure. The first wave of business came off and Binrelaxed a little. He stopped showing up for work again.

The stalker had disappeared and hadn't shown up in a while. Zhou had already discussed it with Bin. Their plan seems to have succeeded. Just have to wait for the wedding, and old Lu will no longer be stalking Ling.

The most important thing in Zhou and Tai's relationship hasn't happened yet. They had been putting it off because of Ling. They were waiting for Jiang Wei's wedding so that Ling could go back to his place and live his life safely.

The wedding day was very warm and sunny. A gentle breeze gently touched the bride's perfect hair.

She was as beautiful as the moon, literally radiating happiness. A cute round belly was hiding behind an artfully chosen outfit in the Greek style.

On her shoulder was a bouquet of freshly cut orchids. According to the will of the gods, everyone was invariably happy and benevolent on this day.

One by one the guests left their gifts on a special table and made their way to the ceremonial hall.

Barely making his way through the colorful sea of guests, the courier carefully placed his parcel on the table and left.

Ling had loaded himself with work for the entire weekend. He kept his head down for days. At that very time, the newlyweds flew off on their honeymoon.

Upon returning home, Tai Bin found Ling in the shower. He was sitting dressed in the cold rain, sobbing silently. How long he had been in the icy shower, Bin didn't know, so he immediately turned off the water and started pulling the young man's wet clothes off.

Lian came to his aid. In truth, they were both expecting some kind of heavy reaction from Lian. So they hid all medicines and sharp objects in the house.

But seeing him destroyed made Bin feel like a chump. His relationship with Lian had barely progressed to the stage of romantic dating, and he was already jealous and afraid of losing him.

How Ling felt, he could only guess. The poor young man had worn himself out with work, everyone said he was plowing like a horse. A poor hunted horse.

Bin stroked the young man's wet hair affectionately as he and Lian changed him and put him to bed.

Finally, Lian brought hot, sweet tea with ginger. Ling dutifully drank it all.

He seemed desperately in need of care and concern now, and Bin, like a blind man, thought only of his relationship, ignoring his friend's suffering.

During the night, Ling began to burn. The high fever did not subside for days. The young man fell into oblivion and saw and heard no one.

Lian broke down the door. He was so angry with Jiang Wei that he miscalculated his strength and took the door to Lian's bedroom. But the young man didn't notice that.

He tossed deliriously, throwing the blanket onto the floor. Bin tossed himself between him and Lian. A week passed like that.

Ling woke up at dawn. Outside the window, the morning light poured softly and the birds sang. The wind carried the scent of trees in bloom, especially the scent of cherry trees.

Ling closed his eyes and felt as if he had come home. His mother was about to knock on the door and call for breakfast.

On the threshold of the broken door stood Lian. In his hands, he held a breakfast table. Ling gratefully ate.

"Where's Bin?"

"He remembered his work duties and has been working without lifting his head for a week."

"How's his leg?" Ling asked.

"The cast was taken off and he is perfectly healthy."

"How good," thought Ling. In the evening he was almost completely recovered and went out on the balcony to get some air.

The lush spring blossoms gave him the strength to go on living. When Bin returned home, he found his friend with grown stubble loitering around the house. The first thing they did was shave him.

"I'm leaving at the end of May," Ling announced.

Tai and Zhou stared at him in silence. But what could they say? Just asking where he was going, when they found out he was going to the States, Bin's heart clenched painfully. He knew Ling's history and guessed what his plan might have been.

All the time before he left, Ling had been working hard, referring cases to the chief. Bin had given him an impressive bonus.

With only a few days left, Ling headed home. Meili tried not to cry; in fact, she had hardly any tears left. She was greatly perplexed by Jiang Wei's actions, especially when she saw her son.

They spent a quiet evening together, reminiscing about times past. In the morning, Ling left.

Picking up his suitcase from his old apartment, he ran into someone he would never have wanted to meet at the last moment.

Standing in front of him was Li Guan.

"Fuck!" - Ling cursed and wanted to go around the man, but the man blocked his way.

"I have a message for you, Wei is sorry, he asks you to trust him..."

Ling interrupted him.

"Then I have a message too. Tell Jiang Wei that his father-in-law owes my mother a restaurant and her son."

Li Guan covered his eyes with long lashes and wanted to say something else, but Ling had already entered the elevator.

This foolish encounter roused his heart to the point of terror. He gasped as he rode down. Barely able to control himself, he hurried away, away from anything that reminded him of his unhappy days in this place.

He was going to the States, where a new life awaited him. He received an invitation to begin training as early as the following week. He had finally raised enough money to live the life he had always wanted.

At the airport, Lian and Bin were waiting for him. They carefully asked when he would be there and asked him to call.

Bin tearfully thanked him for his help with his work and especially for his matters. He was strangely slow that day.

Ling had already guessed on the plane that "the thing" had happened between Zhou and Bin.

But the plane was already rising into the air, taking him away, away from everything that was keeping him from breathing.

What did it matter how far away Wei would be from him? Would it change what was between them?

Ling tried not to think about the child, whom he somehow felt sorry for. Could he be happy in such a troubled family?

When he arrived, he took a bus and took about three hours to get to a town by the ocean. Ling rented himself a small cabin with access to the water, where he planned to recuperate.

The next day he visited the gallery and its director. When all the nuances were settled, he went to the store to buy groceries for the week. As he had hoped, he was comfortable in seclusion.

The first thing he did was sleep it off, then worked out a new schedule. He learned to go to bed on time and get up at dawn.

Leading his life as a hermit, Ling grew his hair more and more. There was a large art studio in his hut separate from the rest.

He experimented with colors and techniques, creating something new for himself each time. So imperceptibly three weeks flew by, and Ling went into town to get himself cleaned up.

He trimmed his hair slightly, shaved his beard, and cleaned his hands.

Training at the Art Academy was about to begin. Ling planned to dive headlong into painting and find his style.

Finding himself in such an environment for the first time, Ling didn't know what to expect, so he looked around and behaved quietly.

The classrooms alternated with each other, as did the work the students had to do. He had scarcely worked on a landscape and then after lunch he worked on a free subject.

In the beginning, my head was spinning. But none of the students paid any attention to him, and he existed somewhere in his parallel universe.

A month and a half flew by like that. It was time for midterm tests and all the students were finishing their papers.

Ling was worried about his technique. No one had ever judged his skill in terms of professionalism before. And he had never specifically studied.

Only ten paintings were selected from the submissions for the exhibition. Those canvases received the highest score, and Ling breathed a sigh of relief - two of his works were among the chosen ones at once.

And later in the exhibition, Ling's works were bought at a good price. The young man made a lot of money and earned the respect of other students. Gradually he relaxed and forgot his troubles.

Thus the summer ended and autumn came. Together with his new friends, Ling sometimes traveled. Once he reached Canada, that country impressed him with the beauty of nature.

Sitting cozily by the fire, the young men shared life stories and laughed merrily. Ling already felt part of his new life. Upon his return from his trip, he was looking forward to the new course from the Academy.

According to what he knew, a famous artist whose work sold for at least half a million dollars would be coming to teach. Everyone, like Ling, was looking forward to this course. Many went to study solely because of him.

Taking seats in the auditorium beforehand, the students waited tensely for the teacher to appear. The door opened abruptly, and a man entered, who immediately caught everyone's eyes.