Turbulent Times and Tender Bonds

Ziye issued a stern warning to Mo. He refused to go to primary school anymore; otherwise, he would play truant. However, since a teacher couldn't be found on short notice, Mo, out of sheer helplessness, had to take Ziye to his classes.

Sitting among the postgraduate students, Ziye listened to Mo's lectures with great poise. In contrast, the postgraduate students around him often idled about, secretly stealing glances at Ziye and teasing him.

"Tell me the truth. You're Professor Shen's illegitimate child, aren't you?" A student asked Ziye in a whisper while Mo was answering other students' questions.

"Absolutely not. I don't look like him at all." Ziye glared at the student.

"I think you do. Both of you are gentle and refined." A female student said.

"Wait a minute. You're not allowed to like him!" Ziye exclaimed.

"Oh? Since the professor isn't married yet, why can't I like him?" The female student pinched Ziye's cheek.

"What's Ziye so angry about?" In Ye Rufeng's car, Bihua turned around curiously and asked.

For safety reasons, Ye Rufeng took on the responsibility of safely driving the three of them to and from work.

On the surface, Ye Rufeng was concentrating on driving, but in fact, his ears were perked up to listen to their conversation.

"My students were teasing him, and he got angry." Mo said helplessly.

Ziye pouted and kept looking out of the window.

"What a grumpy little kid, right, Little Mo?"

"Hmph." Ziye replied.

Suddenly, a sharp turn made Ziye cry out and fall onto Mo. Mo quickly held him in his arms.

"Brother Ye, what happened?" Bihua asked hurriedly.

"He was driving in the wrong direction. I swerved to avoid him, but I don't know if he's okay. I'll go down and check." Ye Rufeng opened the car door and got out.

"Be careful. It might be a fake accident and a real robbery." Bihua said worriedly.

"I know. I'll act according to the situation." Ye Rufeng nodded.

"Can't you drive properly!"

A man slammed the car door and got out angrily.

There were three other men in his car. They rolled down the windows and started yelling at them.

Mo held Ziye even tighter. Ziye looked at him and then at the two men outside the window.

Ye Rufeng seemed to be discussing the aftermath with the man. Bihua, with sharp eyes, saw three people approaching them from the roadside. Bihua quickly locked the car doors. The approaching people tried to open the doors but couldn't, and their faces turned ferocious.

"Brother Ye! Come back quickly!" Bihua screamed. However, the voice of the man arguing with Ye Rufeng was so loud that it couldn't reach Ye Rufeng's ears. With his back to them, Ye Rufeng was still trying to reason with the man.

Just as Bihua was tremblingly dialing her phone, three gunshots rang out: Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not only Ye Rufeng jumped in fright, but Bihua and the other two in the car also turned pale with fear.

"What happened!" Ye Rufeng rushed back.

The three men who had tried to pry open the car door were shot in the chest and lay dead beside the car. Blood splattered all over the glass. Mo quickly covered Ziye's eyes.

Three policemen came over, looked inside the car, and after confirming that everything was okay, waved to Ye Rufeng.

Behind Ye Rufeng, the man who had originally demanded compensation from Ye Rufeng jumped into his car and drove away frantically.

"The public security has been a bit chaotic recently. Don't take the child out casually." A policeman pointed to Ziye in the car.

"I understand. Thank you." Ye Rufeng's lips turned slightly pale. He got into the car and looked at the three of them.

"Are you all okay?"

"I'm fine." Mo and Bihua said simultaneously.

"I'm not okay!" Ziye shouted. "Little Mo, you're suffocating me. What on earth happened?"

"It's okay. I'll let go in a while. Be good and don't make a sound." Mo comforted him softly.

"Brother Ye, drive quickly." Bihua patted Ye Rufeng's shoulder.

"Ah... Okay."

Be careful. The organization has discovered a leak of confidential information and is conducting an investigation. Be extremely cautious.

Could this be the reason why those people were killed this evening?

"Ziye? It's time to eat."

"Ah, coming." Ziye came back to his senses.

Bihua invited Mo to dance, but Mo hesitated.

"Come on. It'll be good to go. You know this person. Don't you feel embarrassed not to go?" Bihua smiled.

Both Bihua and Ye Rufeng were dressed up in formal attire. Especially Ye Rufeng, who looked radiant in a tuxedo.

"If you're worried about Ziye, we can take him to a daycare later." Ye Rufeng said.

"No." Ziye threw down the building blocks in his hand. "I want to go with you."

"No way. That's not a place for kids." Bihua shouted.

"I'm not a kid anymore!" Ziye stamped his foot.

"...Okay, Ziye. I'll take you. Go change your clothes first." Mo agreed readily.

"Hooray!" Ziye cheered and skipped off to the room to change clothes.

"What? Little Mo, are you serious..."

"He's my dance partner. Without a dance partner, I won't go." Mo smiled at him.

The reason it wasn't suitable for a child to come was that Ziye was so small. If Mo hadn't been holding his hand all the time, any passing girl could, if she wished, lift her skirt and cover Ziye from head to toe and carry him away.

Even worse, if Ziye looked up, he could see the colorful panties under the girls' miniskirts, which made him so shy that he only dared to look at the ground.

"I told you this place wasn't suitable for you, but you just wouldn't believe me." Bihua said sarcastically.

Even the drinks were all alcoholic. Mo wouldn't let them order any for Ziye. Ziye was so thirsty that he kept throwing tantrums and wanted to go out and buy drinks himself. In the end, Ye Rufeng did it for him.

"I thought this was a formal dance." Ziye, wearing a small tuxedo, lay 趴在 the table. The noise was so loud and the air was so dirty that his head was spinning.

"Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go out and take a rest first?" Mo worriedly kept wiping Ziye's sweat.

The stuffy air wasn't good for a child's health. Mo kept looking around for the exit.

"Hold on a little longer. In less than ten minutes, this bachelor - farewell celebration will be over." Bihua sighed. "What a pity. I originally wanted to dance a song with you."

"I don't know how to dance this kind of song." Mo shook his head gently.

"Brother Ye can dance. You can learn from him." Bihua sighed.

"No need." Mo said softly. "I didn't come out today to dance. I just wanted to bring Ziye out to have fun."

"...Little Mo, you're being overly responsible. He asked you to take care of his younger brother, not to be his nanny." Rubbing her forehead, Bihua felt she was at a loss for words.

"Coming back, coming back." Ye Rufeng shouted from afar, running in with two big bags of juice.

"Thank you." Mo quickly opened the packages and fed Ziye the juice.

After Ziye finished one bottle, Mo quickly opened another. At this moment, the lights suddenly brightened, and the originally dim room was filled with light.

"Quick! Change clothes!" A woman shouted on the dance floor. Dozens of dance partners ran back to their seats, picked up their small bags, and rushed to the dressing rooms.

The music also stopped, and the staff pushed the equipment away. Several musicians in tuxedos walked in with their instruments and started tuning the strings.

"Now, their engagement dance is about to begin." Bihua clapped her hands. "What a crazy woman. This is the first time I've seen someone hold a dance like this."

"Quite creative." Mo replied casually. "Ziye, do you want to drink some more?" He picked up another can of drink.

"Hey, Little Mo. You've forgotten your old friends once you have a new one." Bihua muttered.

At this time, Ye Rufeng tugged at her clothes.

Bihua rolled her eyes. "Got it. I won't forget."

Ye Rufeng clasped his hands in front of her in a gesture of gratitude.

At this moment, a melodious and lively melody sounded. Ye Rufeng bowed to Mo with great courtesy.

Holding a half - full drink can, Mo stared blankly at Ye Rufeng.

"Go on, go on. You can dance the square dance, right?" Bihua smiled and took the drink can from Mo's hand.

"I can take care of this little guy. You two go and dance."

Bihua covered Ziye's mouth to stop his protest.

Mo and Ye Rufeng bowed to each other and then Mo smoothly started dancing.

Ziye glared at Bihua.

"Don't glare at me. Adults' affairs. Kids should just watch obediently." Bihua opened a can of drink for herself. "Your Brother Ye has liked your Brother Mo for several years. Give him a chance."

"...Little Mo already has someone he likes. He won't accept him." Ziye's eyes were a bit cold, but Bihua didn't notice. Because Bihua's eyes were always fixed on Mo and Ye Rufeng.

"That's hard to say. Loneliness can make a person realize who has been waiting by their side and is the most worthy of their love." Bihua retracted her gaze and looked at the drink can. "Chen... He's nice, but he's not worthy of Little Mo's love. Little Mo has been waiting for him for three years. I can't watch him wait for a person whose life and death are uncertain for a whole lifetime."

Ziye stared blankly at Bihua.

"Three years! Moreover, look at what he's become because of him. Yes, it was Chen who saved him back then, but he'll hurt him even more. Longing will kill Little Mo. Little Mo's heart is too fragile and sensitive. He's strong, but his strength will make him hold on until his heart and his life are gone before he breaks down. Ye Rufeng is a steady man. He can offer him a shoulder, a place where he can cry his heart out even when thinking of Chen... Damn it, damn this juice. I need an alcoholic drink." Bihua crushed the juice can, got up, and turned away to get a wine glass.

Ziye looked at Bihua, who was secretly wiping her tears, and then looked at Mo and Ye Rufeng on the dance floor.

Mo, dancing opposite Ye Rufeng, looked full of life. He was smiling brightly.

"No, he doesn't deserve it." Ziye murmured. "He doesn't deserve it." Ziye turned his head, not wanting to see the scene where they smiled at each other when their eyes met.

The music changed to a waltz. Ziye still turned his head. However, at this moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"May I have the honor of dancing with you?" Mo chuckled.

Slowly turning his head, Ziye looked at Mo with an expression that made Mo feel a bit strange.

"...What's wrong? Did Bihua make you angry?" Mo lowered his head and smiled.

"You two were dancing so well and happily. Why don't you keep dancing?" Ziye bit his lip.

"...How could he dance as well as my Ziye?"

"Enough. Stop calling me that. I'm fed up with this name!" Ziye suddenly shouted hysterically.

"What... What's wrong?" Mo was slightly startled.

After a moment of silence, Ziye raised his head.

"...Little Mo... Today, you can only dance with me." Raising his head, Ziye gave a mischievous smile and pulled Mo's hand and ran onto the dance floor.

Ziye bowed gracefully. Amid the amazed expressions of the crowd, Ziye pulled Mo's hand and started dancing with perfect steps.

Ziye was small in stature, but his small steps seemed extremely proficient.

Halfway through the song, the other dance partners stopped and stared intently. The host even cheered.

However, Mo still wasn't used to dancing with someone so small and made a misstep. Fortunately, Ziye didn't step on him but just gave him a slightly smiling glare.

Mo was momentarily stunned, and Ziye swayed dangerously for a moment, narrowly avoiding leaving a small footprint on Mo's shiny leather shoes.

"What's wrong?" Ziye asked.

"...Nothing... Nothing." Mo closed his eyes for a moment. "I seem a bit tired. Sorry."

Letting go of Ziye's hand, amidst the sighs of the crowd, Mo walked back to the rest area somewhat dazedly.

The engaged couple exchanged rings and looked at each other with affectionate eyes. The music was soft and enchanting, and Mo was lost in thought.

Ziye reached out and wiped Mo's face. Mo then realized that he had shed tears.

"Ah, sorry. I'm probably just too touched." Mo smiled and wiped his face.

"...Don't lose heart. You must wait for Chen." Ziye suddenly said, picking up the drink pull - tab on the table.

"Remember your promise. Never forget it." Ziye held the pull - tab in front of Mo.

"...How do you know?" Mo's tears couldn't stop flowing. He reached out and took the pull - tab, and the tears kept dropping.

"...My brother said. He said that every time he reads the words you write about missing Chen, he can see that you're crying. You have to believe in Chen and wait for him to come back. If even you give up on him, how can he endure?"

"Ziye!" Bihua softly scolded.

"Please, you must believe in him. Even if it's thousands of mountains and rivers, he will come back to you."

"Ziye! That's enough!" Bihua shouted.

Hugging Ziye in his arms, Mo couldn't help but smile gently. "It must be that heaven has pity on me, so it sent you, a little angel, to comfort me, right?"

"Don't believe in heaven, don't believe in earth, don't trust anyone, Little Mo. You just trust me. Only trust me." Ziye whispered in Mo's ear.

"...Ziye?"

Beside them, Ye Rufeng, who was watching the two, put his hand in his pocket and tightly clenched a box.

However, he never took it out.