Mrs. Lu lingered in the doorway, staring at her sleeping son one last time. In sleep, with his face relaxed, he almost looked normal. Almost looked like the brilliant, ambitious man he'd been just yesterday.
Then his thumb slipped into his mouth, and the illusion shattered.
She turned away quickly, before the tears could start again.
As the family dispersed into the pre-dawn darkness, Lu Cheng stood in the parking lot, watching them go. His phone was in his hand, and Lu Yuze's contact pulled up on the screen.
Still off. Still unreachable.
He thought about how Yuyan had recovered so dramatically, so inexplicably. Thought about Lu Yuze's increased security, his refusal to meet.
And he thought about his son, lying in a hospital bed with the mind of an infant, mumbling the name "Shuyin" over and over.
Too many coincidences. Too many unanswered questions.
"We'll talk soon, brother," Lu Cheng murmured to the darkened phone screen. "Whether you want to or not."
