How Did the Top-Tier Male Lead Fall in Love With Me? 80

Chapter 80 – Extra: The Second Reason I Like Summer

“How could it be, how could there be a plane crash…” Xu Qiongya said, choking back sobs as she wiped her tears. “And it was two people… Now, what will Huaizhi do?”

This summer, after graduating from elementary school, the twelve-year-old Shen Wu had already begun to show the form of a young man.

He came home with a sweat from his exercise, and what greeted him was an unusually oppressive atmosphere.

When Xu Qiongya saw her younger son come back, she quickly wiped her tears and composed herself, and showed him a smile that was more bitter than crying, trying to cover it up.

Shen Wu’s heart skipped a beat. He walked over slowly and looked left and right. Seeing that his parents and older brother were all solemn, he asked cautiously, “Mom… what’s wrong?”

His innocent question made Xu Qiongya unable to stop sobbing again.

So it was up to Shen Tianheng to explain, “We just received the news… Huaizhi’s parents… had an accident.”

The soccer ball in Shen Wu’s hand fell to the ground with a thud, thud, thud, each sound slower than the last, creating a distant echo on the solid wood floor.

“What?” he blinked his eyes, completely unable to react. “Uncle Meng and Auntie Chang…?”

“Mm,” Shen Ping continued. “Just this morning… they were in a plane crash.”

Chang Ruge was a musician. Not long ago, she had gotten the opportunity to hold a solo concert at a top music hall overseas. Meng Cong had gone with her, and it was also to expand the Meng family’s business overseas.

The two of them had been on a business trip abroad for a little over half a month, and today was their scheduled return date.

Shen Wu also knew very well. He had specially sent a message a few days ago, and Chang Ruge had said that she had brought a gift for him. He had been looking forward to their return for these few days.

The two families with different surnames, connected by their young children, had long since become as close as one family.

Shen Wu suddenly heard such a bad news, his young face full of disbelief. He shook his head stiffly a few times, “Impossible, impossible.”

He fumbled for his phone and opened the chat page, “Look, Auntie Chang just sent me a voice message…”

But that was already three days ago.

Under the silent gaze of his parents and older brother, Shen Wu’s eyes grew warm, and tears rolled down uncontrollably. His voice instantly choked up, “Then, then Huaizhi-ge, what will he do…”

Hearing this, Xu Qiongya silently wiped her own eyes, which had long since turned red.

Shen Tianheng came over and patted Shen Wu’s shoulder, and let out a long sigh, “The funeral is scheduled for three days later. We’ll all go together then…”

The couple had died in a plane crash, and their bodies were not found.

Their funeral was more for the comfort of the living.

…

The funeral on a cloudy day, a world of black and white, was heavy and solemn.

The men were in formal suits, and the women were in black dresses and black veils, standing in layers like a forest in the dead of night.

Among them, the thin and frail teenager was particularly out of place.

Xu Qiongya had had a smooth life. At the age of over thirty, it was the first time she had sent off a friend.

Chang Ruge was a close friend of the same generation, and their relationship had always been good. But now, things were different. She was so sad that she couldn’t control herself and couldn’t even stand. After a while, she secretly hid in a corner, sobbing softly.

Chang Ruge’s parents, with their white hair, were sending off their black-haired daughter. They threw themselves in front of the black coffin, crying until they were out of breath.

Their overwhelming grief invisibly enveloped everyone present.

Shen Wu also felt his eyes sore.

He sniffled, composed himself, and went to find the teenager in the crowd.

The teenager’s thin body was draped in a formal suit that was not suitable for his age. The material of the suit was stiff and looked particularly heavy, like a black boulder pressing down on his shoulders.

His face was as pale as paper, and his dry lips were also devoid of blood. His dark eyes did not let in a single bit of light, and he looked completely lifeless.

He stood there, like a lonely and desolate mountain ridge.

No matter how others cried and wailed, he was unmoved.

This year, he was sixteen.

Shen Wu looked at this teenager who was only four years older than him from afar. He was still crying because of the death of the other’s parents, but the teenager himself was as calm and composed as ever.

He had been sized up by Shen Wu for a long, long time, but he was still unaware, just standing silently, his eyes lowered, staring at the sparse lawn.

Gradually, the others who were immersed in grief also noticed the out-of-place teenager, and all kinds of gazes were cast on him.

He was still unmoved.

“Huaizhi,” Meng Zhenshen came over and lightly patted Meng Huaizhi’s shoulder. “Go and say your final goodbye to your parents.”

Meng Huaizhi did not move.

Meng Zhenshen did not insist, but let out a long sigh, gently hugged his grandson, and then walked away again.

Meng Huaizhi did not even raise his eyes to look at his grandfather.

Others all said that he was cold and heartless.

It was unknown how long had passed, but a fine rain began to fall from the sky.

The summer rain came without reason, and it started to fall as it said. The fine rain suddenly turned into a storm, and it rained down on the grieving people, causing a series of screams.

They scattered to take shelter from the rain, but the lonely teenager was as if he had been put on a pause button.

His black hair was wet, and strands of it stuck to his pale face. His crisp suit was also wet, and his thin figure could no longer be hidden.

The rainwater rolled down from his forehead, from the corner of his eye, over his cheekbones, drop by drop, and meandered down his cheeks.

It fell into the ever-deepening puddle.

…

That night, a few closer relatives, as well as the Shen family of four, went to the Meng family to hold a vigil.

Xu Qiongya stroked the back of Shen Wu’s head and comforted him, “Xiao Wu, if you’re sleepy, you can go to your room and sleep first.”

Shen Wu had his own room at the Meng family.

But he shook his head, “I’m not sleepy.”

His gaze couldn’t help but look at the second floor.

Meng Huaizhi had long since returned to his own room. Everyone tacitly thought that he needed to be alone and had given him full respect.

After a while, Meng Zhenshen came over and asked Shen Wu in a low voice, “Xiao Wu, can you go and accompany gege?”

Shen Wu did not ask why and readily replied, “Okay.”

He couldn’t wait to go upstairs. He first went to his own room to rummage through, and his gaze paused slightly on the race car model Meng Cong had given him.

He pursed his lips, closed the drawer, and only took a toy car.

Meng Huaizhi was sitting on the recliner by the window.

“Huaizhi-ge,” Shen Wu tiptoed over, thought for a moment, and first asked tentatively, “Are you hungry?”

Meng Huaizhi looked at him and shook his head slightly.

“Then do you want anything to drink?”

“…”

“Alright,” Shen Wu was not discouraged. He moved a small stool and sat down next to him.

Meng Huaizhi looked out the window again, and Shen Wu looked up at him.

Shen Wu took out the toy car he had hidden behind his back.

This was his favorite remote control car toy when he was a child, but he had forgotten to bring the remote control over, so he could only control it manually.

The small car slowly moved along the edge of the recliner, made a jump without a trace, and landed on Meng Huaizhi’s hand.

Meng Huaizhi finally lowered his head and seriously observed the boy and the small car’s every move.

“Beep, beep, beep.”

The small car went around on Meng Huaizhi’s arm, accompanied by Shen Wu’s vivid sound effects.

Meng Huaizhi lightly raised his glass-like black eyes and asked with an unreadable emotion, “Why… beep, beep?”

“Because my hands are too small,” Shen Wu said seriously. “I have to turn every time I drive. This is the turn signal. You see, it’s almost like a symphony.”

The twelve-year-old Shen Wu could not learn to drive yet. He had learned these terms from Shen Tianheng in the family car. He had learned them quite well.

Meng Huaizhi really wanted to return a smile, but the moment the muscles on his face moved slightly, a hot tide welled up in his eyes.

He could only blink a few times and force it back.

Shen Wu was completely unaware and rolled the toy car on his hand. He suddenly raised his voice and let out a “pfft!”

Meng Huaizhi was taken aback for a moment, “…Are you starting the engine now?”

“No,” Shen Wu shook his head and was still very serious. “I’m manually exhausting the exhaust gas…”

“Huaizhi-ge…”

When Meng Huaizhi’s eyes lit up with obvious curiosity, Shen Wu’s eyes curved in a smile, and only then did he continue.

“I’ll help you get rid of all your unhappiness.”