"Are you ready?" Li Caiyi asked Dai Zhiqiang, and the latter nodded his head before putting his hand on the doorknob.
Li Caiyi gulped nervously, especially since she could still hear the same woman's voice inside. However, the one who was really in a hard time right now must be the Dai family member. She wanted to help in any way she could.
When Dai Zhiqiang finally pushed open the door, two pairs of eyes immediately gazed at them.
Li Caiyi's eyes widened slightly as she watched the woman sitting beside Dai Bolin's bed. She didn't expect someone to come since she immediately sprung from the chair with a hand covering her mouth.
The woman was wearing a branded dress with her short hair slightly curled inside. Although there were a few streaks of wrinkles on the corner of her eyes, her skin glowed healthily.
Dai Zhiqiang said his mother left the family to pursue her own happiness. Li Caiyi could see now that she was indeed living happily somewhere.
Looking at how the woman paid no heed to her presence and only nailed his gaze on Dai Zhiqiang at least meant that she hadn't forgotten she had ever given birth to sons before.
Li Caiyi glanced at Dai Zhiqiang, and it was as if a frosty cold from the winter mountain had appeared on his face. His gaze was icy, and his lips pressed into a hard line. His expression screamed hostility all over, hardly the face of a child who looked at his parents.
It was an expression of someone looking at their enemy.
Considering their history, it wasn't that surprising. What surprised her was that the woman could sit beside her ex-husband's bed and chat with him. Due to paying more attention to Dai Zhiqiang's condition, Li Caiyi didn't hear what they were talking about.
No one spoke for a few seconds, which felt like forever. Li Caiyi was the one who broke the ice first.
"Uncle, I have come again to visit you."
Dai Bolin smiled warmly at her. Was it just her, but she felt he had grown thinner than when she visited him last time?
"Little Yi, you are here. Thank you for always coming here to keep this old man company."
Even his cheeks had sunken more. It pained Li Caiyi every time he looked at this kind man trying to put on a strong front in front of people when he should be the one receiving the most care from everyone.
"What are you saying, Uncle? Don't sound so distant, or you will hurt my feelings."
"Come here. Let me see your face clearly." Dai Bolin waved at her, beckoning her to come closer.
Li Caiyi subtly glanced at Dai Zhiqiang. The way he slowly released her hand was the only confirmation she needed before she walked over to Dai Bolin's other side of the bed.
At first, she was hesitant about whether she should greet Dai Zhiqiang's mother or not. But then again, Dai Zhiqiang probably wouldn't like it if she did that, so she canceled that thought and focused on diverting Dai Bolin's attention instead.
"Uncle, Zhiqiang and I brought a few good things for you today."
"Hoho, that brat is still insensitive, as always. Instead of using his money to buy his old man's useless things, he should have spent it for himself and you instead."
"If it weren't for you, then who else would he spend his money on? Uncle, are you jesting again?"
"Looking at how both of you entered the room while holding hands is enough of a present for this old man. I feel at ease knowing that you have a good 'grip' on him now, Little Yi."
While throwing jokes with Dai Bolin, Li Caiyi kept her ears open for any interaction between mother-son pairs. Still, both of them were just staring at each other without words. It felt like they were communicating without talking, and no one could disturb it.
Dai Bolin didn't seem to be very bothered about it either, since now he was admiring the new electronic devices while explaining how his shoulder would drive him crazy someday.
Or perhaps he was the same as Li Caiyi, stealthily trying to wait for the two to talk.
In the end, the woman couldn't stand the silence anymore and spoke first in a hesitant voice. "You have grown, Zhiqiang. Long time no see."
Li Caiyi furtively glanced at Dai Zhiqiang, but the latter stayed motionless like a statue. She doubted he even forgot to breathe at how still he was.
"I know this is surprising, but I came here after hearing the news about your father. Even after everything that happened, we were once very close to each other—"
Dai Zhiqiang scoffed at the older woman's sentence, cutting her words short in the process. "After everything that happened? I'm sorry, but I seem to have a poor memory. Do you mind reminding me of what exactly happened between you and my family?"
The mockery and spite in his words were crystal clear. Dai Bolin clenched the plastic bag tightly, causing a rustling sound that sounded very loud in the silent room, weighed with heavy tension.
The older woman bit her lips before trying to pull the corner of her mouth into a bitter smile.
"I understand why you are angry, so I won't hold you on for that. It's just, can you let me visit your father occasionally? If it makes you feel bad, I'll come whenever you are not around, so you will never see my face again."
"You seem to misunderstand something. It doesn't matter if I can see you or not. The problem is that I can't understand how there can be such a shameless person like you in this world."
Li Caiyi had never seen Dai Zhiqiang exude so much hostility towards a person before. To be fair, he was pretty hostile to everyone, especially women.
Still, the hostility he had shown so far was always on the controlled side. Not a full-blown, blatant hatred like this.
Dai Zhiqiang continued, "If you knew I wouldn't like to see your face around, why bother coming here? I just can't understand your logic; that's the problem. My father, brother, and I don't need you to care about us. Just think about your own happiness, like you did in the past."
Dai Bolin suddenly fell into a coughing fit after hearing that, catching everyone in the room off guard.
Read 𝓁atest chapters at fr(e)ewebnov𝒆l.com Only