Sitting on the sofa, Jason watched the two of them, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He raised his hand and pinched Emma's wrist, not too hard: "Mom's asking you a question. Want to share some secrets?"
Zhong Lan glared at him and slowly walked over, her eyes still fixed on Emma.
Emma really thought about it, but she hadn't done any special maintenance. She was just too tired. Sometimes after a day of interviews, she would come home and want to lie on the bed immediately.
If it weren't for being too dirty, she would have to force herself to take a shower.
Emma said, "I always use sunscreen and wear a scarf."
This was not a lie. The sun there was indeed harsher than in her country. After all, most of Israel's territory is desert, and even with her natural beauty, she had to take precautions.
Zhong Lan nodded, still staring at her, and after a while, she turned to ask Jason, "Is your wife a bit thinner?"
Jason turned his head and scanned Emma's body up and down. In fact, he didn't need to look; he had touched every part of her last night.
After a while, he curled the corners of his mouth and said with a light smile, "It's okay, this is just right."
She was just right, with a perfect touch.
Jason's smile was too obvious, even with a bit of flirtation, which made Emma quickly pinch his palm, fearing he would say something in front of Zhong Lan.
Fortunately, he just smiled in the end.
"Didn't Grandpa say he wanted to come back to Shanghai for a while?" Jason asked.
Emma's heart skipped a beat at this.
Speaking of this old man, he is a big shot among big shots. Even on the news broadcast, he's not just been featured once or twice. He is a tycoon in the business world.
Now, even though he has retired, no one dares to underestimate him.
When they got their marriage certificate without telling their elders, the old man was really unhappy. But he, being influenced by Western culture, was not just a feudal patriarch.
When Emma reported on Dakang Company, that article set off the entire network.
Although he was in Hong Kong at the time, he actually saw it and personally praised her for her backbone with Huo Zhenzhong.
However, Emma felt guilty because she left for a year without saying a word to the elders, which was really inappropriate.
But Zhong Lan said, "Your grandfather said you are too busy with work and never have time to go to Hong Kong. So he wants to live in Shanghai for a while. Otherwise, everyone else is enjoying their grandchildren, and he is a lonely old man..."
Jason was a bit stunned when he heard this.
A lonely old man... Is this about his grandfather?
Jason couldn't help but rub his temple with his finger, his voice light: "Mom, don't exaggerate too much."
"What's an exaggeration? This is what your grandfather said himself." Zhong Lan snorted at him and said directly, "Grandfather personally said that he is eighty years old and still hasn't seen his great-grandchild. This is your dereliction of duty."
Emma blinked, feeling a sudden pressure on herself.
They stayed at home for dinner, and Zhong Lan called Huo Zhenzhong, who happened to come back early today. When he saw Emma, he nodded slightly: "I've seen that photo of yours, it's very well taken."
Huo Zhenzhong was talking about the photo called "LIVE."
Even in these few days, the aftermath is still not over.
Regarding that photo, it's like a silent testimony, telling the world what happened there.
If Huo Zhenzhong hadn't mentioned it, Zhong Lan would have almost forgotten.
She said, "What happened to that little boy in the end? Our charity fund, because of your photo, plans to donate to the children injured in the explosion, preparing to ensure all their follow-up treatment."
Although Emma had left, she had asked Lin Qinglang to continue to pay attention to the child.
Yesterday, Lin Qinglang also sent her a WeChat message saying that the little boy's second surgery was very successful, and he has temporarily got out of danger. Moreover, people all over the world are concerned about him because of this photo.
"Thank you," Emma said thank you to Zhong Lan on behalf of those children.
Children are too weak, so in the face of great suffering, their sorrow can always touch countless people's hearts.
Moreover, the troubles in this world are nothing more than the desires of adults, but when it comes to bearing the consequences, these innocent children are implicated.
Seeing her slightly solemn expression, Zhong Lan sighed: "It's just a small effort."
But then Zhong Lan smiled and said, "But they are all envious of me."
Huo Zhenzhong looked at her, a smile hidden on his face.
"Stop laughing, I'm not boasting, but people really do praise her. They say Jing Xi is very capable, just look at the photo she took that has caused such a stir around the world," Zhong Lan said.
Although she had her own affairs, overall, she spent most of her life taking care of the family. Jason was definitely not one of those wealthy children who never saw their parents due to their busy schedules. He attended all the parent-teacher meetings and parent days, and Zhong Lan was always present.
Sometimes, she would even drag Huo Zhenzhong to participate. No matter how busy they were, they could not neglect their children; that was her principle. As a result, she was not as dedicated to her career. She had previously managed an art gallery, which was more of a way to pass the time.
The ladies around her were similar; they were not without ambition but believed that being with their families was more important. Therefore, Emma, who was very successful in her career, was actually quite rare in their circle.
When the photo first came out, some people, envious of Emma's prominence, deliberately said things to Zhong Lan, like "After getting married, having a child is the top priority," and "How can you take care of your family if you work so hard?" But Zhong Lan was the kind of person who would defend her own.
Although she herself was eager to hold her grandchildren and wanted to see Emma and Jason's child born soon, she would not tolerate others saying such things. In the end, she deflected their comments with a calm demeanor.
When she later told Huo Zhenzhong about it, with a slight raise of her willow eyebrows, she concluded: They are just jealous that I have such a capable daughter-in-law.
Now, listening to her mention it again, Huo Zhenzhong just found it amusing. Emma didn't expect that neither Zhong Lan nor Huo Zhenzhong would bring up her year away, as if they accepted it with ease—you leave and we understand, you come back and we treat you as we did before.
She turned to look at Jason, feeling an indescribable sense of gratitude. Emma knew that Jason was protecting her, taking all matters upon himself in front of the elders. Even during the most tense times, Emma never heard a single sarcastic remark from Zhong Lan towards her. She knew that all of this was because he was there.
As they were leaving, Zhong Lan urged them to come home more often, especially Emma, who seemed to have lost weight. When they reached the door, Emma suddenly turned to Zhong Lan and asked in a low voice, "Mom, can I hug you?"
Zhong Lan was taken aback. Then a blush spread across her face. Even though she was a woman of the world, this sudden request made her a bit embarrassed. But Emma leaned in to embrace her, and Zhong Lan smelled really good—fragrant and peaceful, just like a mother's scent.
Emma whispered, "Thank you." She had many things she wanted to say, including apologies and more, but in the end, she settled on saying thank you. Zhong Lan felt a bit at a loss. She only had one son, and with Jason's quiet nature, such an initiative to hug was rare between mother and son.
Now, Emma's hug made her realize what it would feel like to have a daughter—soft and obedient. When they got in the car, Jason saw Zhong Lan standing outside the passenger side, talking to Emma through the window, looking reluctant to part. He finally said helplessly, "Mom, do you have any advice for me?"
After all, he was her biological son too. But Zhong Lan looked at him through the window and asked in confusion, "What should I say?"
Well...
He had spoken out of turn.
As they drove back, Emma was texting. When they stopped at a traffic light, Jason turned to look at her focused expression and said, "Xingxing..."
But just then, Emma played a voice message from Zhong Lan asking when she was free to go shopping together. By the time Emma finished listening to the 40-second voice message, the traffic light had changed, and the car started moving again.
She turned to Jason and asked, "What's up? Did you want to ask me something?"
"Nothing," Jason replied indifferently.
But inside, he made up his mind to go home less often in the future.
When they arrived home and Jason parked the car in the garage, as they were walking back, his phone suddenly rang. Emma was waiting for him on the doorstep when she saw Jason's expression change from shock to joy, and even his hand holding the phone seemed to tremble.
After a moment, he walked over slowly, held Emma's shoulders with both hands, and said in a low voice, "Jing Xi, we need to go to the airport now."
Emma looked up, her big black eyes staring straight at him.
Finally, Jason said, "We've heard from your father."
Emma opened the suitcase to pack a few clothes, while Jason was on the phone, arranging for them to fly out as soon as possible. When he finished the call and returned to the room, he found Emma missing, so he went to the walk-in closet next door. Upon entering, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Xingxing," Jason approached, squatting beside her as he looked into her eyes.
At that moment, Emma's expression was indescribable—neither particularly good nor bad, but rather a look of confusion, as if the sudden news had caught her off guard.
When Jason squatted beside her, her eyelids flickered, and she looked over, a bit of life returning to her dark eyes.
She licked her lips before speaking, "Shen Yan, I..."
She truly didn't know what to say. This year marked the eighth year, to be precise, seven years and three months.
The time had been so long that she was on the verge of giving up.
Now, with this sudden news, it was good news, right? She should be excited enough to scream and stamp her feet, to vent in every way possible, but instead, she felt her legs go weak, as if she was treading on clouds.
When she was packing clothes earlier, her feet were genuinely soft, and she eventually leaned on the nearby cabinet and slowly sat down.
As she sat cross-legged on the floor, she thought for a long time, but she couldn't unravel her thoughts; it was genuinely complicated.
Jason, watching her like this, reached for her hand resting on her lap. Her palm was quite cold, and even her fingertips conveyed a chill.
In fact, he somewhat understood Emma's feelings. When he received the call just now, and Old Sun excitedly told him there was news, Jason's first reaction was confusion.
A touch of doubt arose: Was there really news?
There had been false alarms before, times when they thought there was news, only to find out it wasn't true after going there.
The feeling of raising one's expectations to the highest point, only to have them crash down, was even more despairing than having no news at all.
It was quite uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was the long wait, and now he was suddenly caught in such complex emotions.
As Jason held her hand, Emma's cold palm seemed to gradually warm up. Slowly, her body began to tremble until she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her cheek into Jason's neck.
"Shen Yan, I'm really happy," Emma whispered.
Even as Jason led her to the car, Emma was still immersed in this emotion. She lay against the car window, quietly gazing at the scenery outside.
The night view of Shanghai was at its most dazzling.
The light passing by the open window streaked through her eyes.
"Dad," she softly murmured in her heart, a warmth and softness enveloping her.
If her father was there, she wouldn't be an orphan anymore.
She knew Jason could give her all the love, transcending everything. But she would still feel sad, after all, who at her age had experienced the fate of having no parents or relatives around?
She wanted to have at least one relative she could reach out and touch.
There should always be someone in this world with the same blood as her, watching over her, right?
Now, she had finally waited.
When they arrived at the airport, Emma clutched her passport, standing in the brightly lit hall, and then remembered, "Where are we going?"
The Middle East? She thought she wouldn't return there anytime soon, but here she was, just a few days back...
Jason glanced at her: "Vietnam."
Emma was stunned, seemingly not understanding, lifting her face to look at him.
After meeting her gaze, Jason nodded gently: "We're going to Vietnam."
Emma was momentarily confused. After all, the distance between Vietnam and the Middle East was too far, and her father couldn't have gone from the Middle East to Vietnam.
Why hadn't he returned to Shanghai, to home, all these years?
There were too many questions in her mind, but in the end, Emma didn't ask anything.
Perhaps everything would become clear when she saw Ni PingSen.
They bought tickets on the spot; a private jet would require提前申请航线, which was not as fast as taking a commercial flight, and fortunately, there were still first-class seats available.
After boarding the plane, Emma couldn't help but look out the window.
The runway outside the airport had rows of light strips, very conspicuous in the dark night. Emma was almost counting those small orange lights one by one.
Finally, Jason tugged at her arm: "Rest for a while first."
Emma obediently nodded, and Jason asked the flight attendant to bring a clean blanket to cover her.
She pulled the blanket up, covering her face.
Jason, afraid she might feel suffocated, was about to pull it down for her when she pulled it down herself, revealing a clean, snow-white face.
The small nightlight above was not turned off, and when Emma revealed her face, the light shone on her, the shadow of her long eyelashes falling on her eyelids, such a dense little patch.
Then she blinked.
That patch of shadow moved along.
It was actually a bit playful and cute.
Emma turned to look at him, her expression a little conflicted: "I still can't sleep."
Jason chuckled, considering how she had pulled the blanket up to cover her face and then down again in just three seconds—giving her the benefit of the doubt, five seconds at most. She claimed she couldn't sleep.
Jason deliberately put on a stern face and whispered, "Sleep more."
Emma took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. Jason waited beside her, but this time she didn't open her eyes because she spoke with them closed.
"Shen Yan, what do you think my dad looks like now?"
Emma was genuinely curious. With so many years, thousands of days and nights, she couldn't guess what he would be like now.
Even Emma had changed. She was only 168 cm tall when she graduated from high school.
Unexpectedly, she grew two more centimeters in college.
Amazing, right?
In high school, her hair was shoulder-length because long hair was a hassle to manage with the heavy study load.
Back then, her favorite hairstyle was a ponytail.
Now, her hair reached her waist, and even in the year in Israel, where water was scarce, she never thought of cutting her long hair.
Because Jason liked her thick, long hair.
She had changed so much; her dad must have changed a lot too.
Thoughts like these, like little figures in a game, never stopped in her mind. Until, with the slight sway of the airplane in flight, she fell into a deep sleep.
This time, at the end of the dream, was all her expectations.
*
When Emma arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, she was immediately enveloped by a heatwave as soon as she got out of the car. Although the weather in Shanghai was gradually warming up, it hadn't reached a hot state.
Although she was eager to see Ni PingSen, she knew that haste makes waste.
This time, Tang Mian didn't come with them, but everything had been arranged in advance because Old Sun was in Ho Chi Minh City at the moment. He personally drove to the airport to pick up Jason and Emma.
Vietnam is not as poor as imagined; at least the streets are quite spacious.
It's a bit of a drive from the airport to the hotel. Emma couldn't wait and almost as soon as the car left the airport, she looked at Old Sun in the passenger seat and asked, "Is my dad really in Ho Chi Minh City?"
"This time it's true; I've seen him personally," Old Sun said.
When Emma wanted to ask something else, Old Sun said apologetically, "I'm sorry, madam, because of the urgency, I did a DNA test on your father without your consent."
Emma was taken aback.
She was still wondering if it might just be someone who looked similar, after all, in this vast world, there's nothing strange that can't happen. It's not impossible for two people with no blood relationship to look very similar.
At this moment, when Old Sun said this, Emma understood that without concrete evidence, he wouldn't have called Jason, and Jason wouldn't have rushed her from Shanghai overnight.
This time, they really found her dad.
But...
If Ni PingSen is still alive, why doesn't he come back?
Emma didn't ask; she didn't want to ask anyone this question because she wanted to find the answer herself. Emma reached out to cover her face, exhaled a long breath, and once again calmed herself down.
The hotel Old Sun booked for them was the most luxurious five-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, and the comfort was not much different from the hotels in Shanghai. The sky was gradually brightening, and the dark sky when they got off the plane gradually turned into a fish-belly white.
Emma didn't lie down to rest but sat on the sofa by the window, quietly looking out.
Jason ordered room service; the breakfast here was quite rich. When the waiter pushed a cart of breakfast in, Emma was pulled up.
"After eating, I'll take you there," Jason said, his forehead against hers, his voice coaxing.
Emma looked at him, a glimmer in her eyes, and finally showed a light smile.
After eating, Jason really took her downstairs.
This time, the driver was Old Sun. After the two got in the car, Old Sun drove the car out directly.
It was Emma's first time in Vietnam, and it was the morning rush hour. There were not only more pedestrians on the road, but also more cars gradually gathering. Although the people outside the car had yellow skin and black eyes, the unfamiliar words on the street signs were constantly reminding her.
This is a strange country.
Until the car gradually entered a dilapidated and old neighborhood, the buildings on both sides of the street were in Chinese style, which made people feel very close.
What's more intimate is the billboard here, most of which are written in Chinese and Vietnamese.
Driving Old Sun said, "This is Cholon, the largest Chinatown in Vietnam."
Emma turned to look out the window; this place looked like an ancient urban area that had withstood the test of time. Although it now appeared to be a mess and noisy, it wasn't hard to imagine the prosperity of twenty or even fifty years ago.
Unfortunately, time has passed, and some prosperity eventually returns to dust.
Until the car stopped by a street, Old Sun looked up at a small storefront across the street: "That Liuliu Restaurant is it."
Emma followed his gaze and saw that the restaurant was not open at this time in the morning, only the vermilion facade was a bit eye-catching.
She stared at the name on the facade for a long time.
Liuliu Restaurant...
"Madam, they usually live upstairs. If you want to meet, can I knock on the door now?" Old Sun turned his head to ask for her opinion.
Emma was silent for a while and finally spoke: "They?"
She seemed to savor the word and looked at Old Sun, asking, "Who are they?"
Old Sun was stunned, but he thought for a moment and said, "Emma, your father seems to have some memory issues, he..."
As he spoke, Emma shuddered violently.
So Old Sun subconsciously looked at Jason, until Jason imperceptibly shook his head.
After an unknown wait, the storefront across finally had some movement. The shutter door that had been closed suddenly made a harsh noise, and Emma, who had been looking that way, was completely attracted.
Finally, the shutter door was slowly rolled up.
Then, a man in a gray short-sleeved T-shirt came out, his hair a bit short but looking particularly spirited, and he didn't look very old, as if he was in his forties.
Emma's eyes tightened completely at this moment.
Her fingers grabbed the back of the front passenger seat, her knuckles turned white from the effort, and even from just a side view, she recognized him.
"Dad."
Emma shouted this out with a crying tone, so miserable.
Jason sat next to her, his eyes taking in every change in her expression, the emotions she was trying to hold back, and finally collapsed when the man across turned his head completely, his face facing the car window.
Five meters apart, outside the car window, was the person she had been looking for all along.
Emma reached out to open the car door; she wanted to go over and hug him, then tell him how much she missed him.
Just as the car door was opened, revealing a crack, a woman came out of the restaurant across.
She was very slim, wearing a waist-tight long skirt, showing a thin waist that looked very good.
The woman didn't look very old, in her early thirties.
She came out and directly hugged Ni PingSen's waist, but Ni PingSen looked around and pushed her away.
But it wasn't because he didn't like it; it seemed to be because he was shy.
He was very tall, and Emma's height was inherited from him. At the moment, the woman could only look up at him. The woman seemed a bit unhappy until Ni PingSen said a few words, and a smile gradually appeared on her face.
Until Ni PingSen lowered his head and hugged her, although it was a light touch, it was very gentle.
His hug was like the look on his face at the moment, as gentle as water.
Finally, Emma had to face the question she had been avoiding all along.
Who are they?
So, is it Ni PingSen and this woman?
Seeing her sitting there like a petrified statue, Jason was still heartbroken. He understood too well how Emma had been longing to find Ni PingSen over the years.
This scene was too much of a blow to her.
In fact, she had been prepared in her heart. Since Ni PingSen was alive but didn't come back, there might be a reason.
But if the reason is that he completely forgot his own daughter, then the reason is cruel.
How painful the girl he loved so much must be feeling at the moment.
He reached out and pulled Emma into his arms, patting her back with his hand, "Be good, Jing Xi, don't be sad."
Emma's hand grabbed his clothes, and her head rested on his chest.
But what to do, her heart hurts so much.