Today Pei Shiyu took a long time to answer the phone, and her tone was not good:

"It's so late. What is it?"

"Nothing really. I just got back from outside and the starry sky reminded me of you."

"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

Pei Shiyu's response was disappointing. I thought she would ask me where I had been, but she didn't say anything, and without waiting for my answer, she hung up directly, as if she was annoyed with me. I stared at the screen of my phone for a while, feeling very strange.

It was the first time since we'd been together that I wasn't valued. Although we hadn't been together long, based on past experience, she should have cared where I went, even if it was just a casual, "Where did you go?"

It was also the first time I felt like I couldn't quite grasp her personality. So, unwilling to give up, I called again. This time she answered quickly, saying, "I'm busy right now. Don't call me again."

I was taken aback, and then I asked her with concern, "What are you doing? Are you still outside..."

"I said I'm busy! Can you not be so annoying!"

Originally, I thought she was just in a bad mood, but after hearing these words, I immediately became a little unhappy. My tone also started to become unpleasant: "If you're busy, just say so. Don't talk to me with that 'get lost' attitude. Everyone's busy."

After I said that, I heard the sound of high heels on the tile floor from the other end of the phone. I knew it was her footsteps just by the sound. The phone didn't hang up, and after a few dozen seconds, I heard her voice again, "I said I'm busy. Why do you have to keep calling? Tomorrow..."

This time I interrupted her, saying with confidence, "I'm not free tomorrow."

"Then don't call!"

Pei Shiyu's voice and the sound of hanging up the phone were simultaneous. I didn't know why things had suddenly become like this, like talking to someone I really hated, and her tone was so demeaning. This time I didn't hesitate and put the phone directly into my pocket.

The moon was still the same moon, but after what just happened, it suddenly didn't seem romantic at all. I didn't feel like admiring it anymore, so I hailed a taxi directly.

...

It was a week later when the hospital called. I was busy at the restaurant that day. When I received the call, I rushed straight to the hospital, without even saying goodbye to my mom. Although I wasn't expecting much, it did pique my curiosity.

Actually, I hadn't been in a very good mood these past few days. After arguing with Pei Shiyu that night, we hadn't contacted each other. She hadn't called me either. I still hadn't figured out or understood the reason for her throwing a tantrum for no reason. For me, it felt like I was holding back a breath, but for her, it might have been exactly what she wanted.

I drove the car very fast, as if I was venting my anger. With a screech of brakes, I pulled into the hospital parking space and went straight to the doctor to get the report. When I saw the results, a nameless fire suddenly rose in my heart, because the report clearly stated that Lin Hai and I were father and son.

I didn't show my emotions on my face. I was about to turn around and leave without saying a word when I heard the doctor say, "You should be happy, right?"

"Yeah," I replied randomly.

Then I walked straight out. I saw Lin Hai in the hallway outside. Obviously, the doctor had called him too. I looked at him silently. After a while, I raised the report in my hand and said, "The father-son relationship is absolutely confirmed. The Lin family has an heir. Are you disappointed or hopeful?"

Lin Hai didn't speak. It was hard to tell his mood from the expression on his face. He just said faintly, "If it is, it is. What's there to hope for or be disappointed about?"

That dismissive sentence made me feel utterly disappointed in him. I felt like it was a waste to say another word to him. It was better not to have such a cold-blooded father. I didn't even let him see the report and immediately strode towards the stairs, and I took the stairwell.

But he followed me and called me to stop. I heard his voice from behind, "Although I didn't take care of you, I've always considered you my son in my heart."

"Save it. I don't want to see you ever again," I said without turning my head.

"You have to consider things from other people's perspectives. Given my situation over there, I could only treat you this way. Now that we've confirmed that we're father and son, I feel the same way you do."

I immediately turned around and said, "I'm feeling very sad right now. Are you too?"

"Then go be someone else's son. Anyway, you've never looked up to me."

"You're right about that this time. I despise you from the bottom of my heart."

Lin Hai paused, and then said something unexpected...

"Lin Yang's mother told me that she had a DNA test done for us, saying that we weren't father and son. I felt very insulted at the time..."

"If you didn't do it yourself, how could something like that be accomplished?"

"Hair can also be used for DNA testing."

I sneered. In the silence between us, I heard his wife's voice from behind, "Why are you with him again?"

I turned around quickly, looked at her in her hospital gown, and suddenly felt very sorry for her, because I didn't know if this woman's greed and narrow-mindedness had destroyed the father-son relationship between Lin Hai and me, or if her selfishness had simultaneously buried her son's young life. I quietly looked at this once-domineering woman, unable to tell whether I loathed or pitied her.

A person's life is nothing more than from birth to death. Whether it's wealth and glory or poverty, you bring nothing with you when you're born and you take nothing with you when you die. If you care too much about gains and losses, in the end, you'll leave the world empty-handed anyway, just like her son Lin Yang!

I sneered again, raised the report in my hand, and said to her sternly, "We are father and son! You've deprived us of our kinship for too long under your manipulation. You no longer have a son. He's not like you. And I, this biological son, exist. This paternity test was done at the hospital. Although I won't acknowledge him as my father in my heart, it's a fact that no one can change in the eyes of the law. I won't see you again in the future. You can live out the rest of your days in peace."

After saying that, I immediately left the place, even though I could still hear his wife's scolding from behind. I didn't want to argue anymore. People who walk different paths cannot make plans together. I've always heard that saying. Wasting more words will only make myself feel worse. Just like Wang Rui said, people who don't get angry are idiots, and not getting angry is the smartest thing to do.

I got into the car and lit a cigarette first. One hand unconsciously looked at the phone. There were no incoming calls. I didn't know if this subconscious gesture was waiting for my mom's call or checking for a call from Pei Shiyu. It seemed like I was avoiding making a choice.