In the restaurant.
"Good evening, doctor Zhang. Sorry to keep you waiting." The man shook the woman's hand, who looked to be in her late thirties. She got up from her seat to greet him.
"No need! In fact, I should apologize for calling you here at such short notice, President Lu. I need to get back to England because of an emergency, so I wanted to meet you before returning," the woman said after returning to her seat.
The server served them coffee as they conversed.
"How's your younger brother doing?" Doctor Zhang asked.
"He is doing great, all thanks to you," Lu Qiang's eyes were filled with gratitude.
"He's lucky to have a brother like you." She sipped on her coffee and gave a deep sigh. "As a doctor, I can only give medicines and make suggestions. Getting success always depends on the patient and their family."
"But at that time, you were the only hope for me," Lu Qiang said.
She looked at him thoughtfully. "How is his behavior now? Are there any major changes?"
"No, for five years, he has behaved as a child of his age should," Lu Qiang assured.
"I saw the video you sent of him, and he looked extremely happy. I suggest you keep him away from things that can trigger him," she advised.
"I'll try my best," he replied.
"It's a blessing that he has you as his older brother. I hope, when he becomes an adult, he will remember how much you have sacrificed for him. I truly respect you for that," she said with admiration.
"I just wish he would remain happy."
The two finished their coffees and stepped out of the hotel. As they waited outside, Lu Qiang began to speak.
"I wish you could attend the celebration," he said.
"I, too, wanted to attend, but my flight is just in half an hour, and because of the emergency, I have to shorten my stay here in China," the doctor informed.
"I can understand."
As they finished speaking, their cars arrived. Lu Qiang bid her farewell and went towards his destination.
--------
At Jiang residence.
Everyone was getting ready for the party. Jiang Yuyan heard a knock on her bedroom door as she got out of the bathroom. The door opened, and her brother, Jiang Yang, peered in, wearing his blue suit and holding two ties.
"Right or left?" he asked, raising his hands in front of her face.
"Both look the same," she said, not even bothering to look at them properly.
"I know that, but look at the design. They are different types of crossed lines! Which one?" he asked again.
"Left," she said randomly.
"Thank you. I will wear the right one," Jiang Yang said, folding the tie in his left hand and starting to wear the other around his collar.
"I knew it!" she screamed. "You always do the exact opposite of what I say. Why bother to ask me?" Actually, she was not surprised by his actions in the least bit.
"You are good at selecting the bad things," he said with a mischievous smile on his lips.
"You—" She just threw a cushion in his direction. He avoided it deftly and left with the same smile on his face.
Jiang Yang and his parents waited for Jiang Yuyan to come downstairs.
"I heard raised voices. What happened? She sounded so angry." Mo Ruolan asked.
"It was just a siblings' fight," Jiang Yang said lightly.
"Thank you so much." His mother suddenly thanked him.
"For bringing her back to China?" he asked, confused.
"We wanted to thank you for taking care of her when she was at her worst. Though we are her parents, you were the one who took care of her for all these years," the mother replied.
"Don't say it. I didn't do anything exceptional. It was my responsibility as her elder brother."
"Your mother is right, Jiang Yang. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what to do." Jiang Peizhi's eyes became a little moist.
"I never want to see her like that again," her mother swore to herself. "I just can't forget it."
"She is a different person now," Jiang Yang reassured. "Don't worry, mom."
"I know this, but I don't want anything bad to happen to her."
"Nothing will happen, mom. Rest assured." Jiang Yang patted his mother's
shoulder affectionately.
"As long as you are here to annoy me, nothing can affect me." The voice startled the three.
"Y-Yuyan," her mother stammered, thinking her daughter must have heard what they talked about.
"Don't worry, mom. That is in the past. Don't think about such useless things anymore. I am not a kid," Jiang Yuyan said as she moved forward to stand in front of her mother.
"You look beautiful." Jiang Yang praised his sister to make the mood lighter.
"Are you trying to make up for the awkwardness, brother?" she asked, raising her brow in question.
"I mean it," he said firmly. "Isn't it, mom, dad?"
"You do look beautiful," Jiang Peizhi said.
Jiang Yuyan turned to her brother with a strangely serious expression. This sudden change in her startled the brother, but before he could ask, she stepped forward and hugged her brother.
"Thank you for everything you have done for me. You are the best brother in the world."
Unable to say anything, he hugged her back. When she pulled herself back, she held tears in her eyes.
"No need to thank me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I am blessed to have such a lovely sister."
In fact, his eyes were a little moist, too. It was rare to see such a happy-go-lucky person get emotional like this. "But you are wrong about something, sis." He said suddenly.
"What?" She wondered what he meant.
"I am much better than the best," he smiled and said, looking like his usual jolly self.
"There is no brother like you." She let him praise himself, still overwhelmed by emotions.
"If you ever find a man who takes care of you as your brother did, grab onto him and never let him go," Jiang Yang teased.
"I would like that, but I fear there is no one like that."
"Of course, there is. You just need to look around. Now let's go, we are getting late." He said.
------
Lu Feng came out of the mansion on the pretext that he had to take a call. He walked to the garden and sat on the bench under the tree, leaning back by supporting his body with his hand and looking up to the heavens.
A smile spread across his lips. "I am glad you liked it, grandpa. I am sorry I disappointed you, but I am doing my best to keep the peace in the house."
After a moment of thought, he said, "I still remember every word you said. I'll make them come true. I'll sacrifice myself. It's no big deal."
Though he was smiling, the expression on his face was painful. He closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
-----
In Lu Mansion's living room...
When Lu Feng excused himself, everyone was busy admiring the gift.
"This is possibly the best gift I have ever received because it was given to me by someone so special," said elder Lu as he held the gift in his hand. His voice was heavy, and his eyes turned teary.
Seeing elder Lu so emotional, the others realized how much elder Lu liked Lu Feng. They remembered how it was until a few years ago that this liking had suddenly changed. Nobody realized when or how Lu Feng, the intelligent and loving boy, suddenly transformed into a person who disappointed his grandfather to this degree.
"Grandpa, grandma. Don't you want to see my gift?" a cute voice asked as the emotions in the air ran high. It suddenly returned to normal because of this intrusion.
The source of the voice was standing in front of elder Lu and Zhao Shuang with two gift boxes in his hand.
"Happy anniversary. Here is my present," the little guy said, giving the wooden box to his grandmother and the colorful cardboard box to his grandfather.
Lu Lijun was wearing a suit, as well. He looked adorable in his black suit, which he had paired with a white shirt and a black bow. He was quite chubby, and the suit made him look beyond cute. His fair skin and black eyes shined. His hair was neatly combed to the side, making him look like a little gentleman.
When Lu Lijun saw Lu Feng coming downstairs with a box in his hand, he remembered how he had forgotten to give his gift to the elders. He dashed to his room and brought the present along with him. When he returned, everyone seemed to be mesmerized by what Lu Feng had gifted.
"Thank you so much, dear." His grandfather gasped, thanking him on receiving the gift.
"Can we open it?" Zhao Shuang asked, happy to see how thoughtful this little kid was.
"Yes, grandma."
"What a beautiful necklace!" she exclaimed, holding the delicate necklace out of the gift box and gazing at it. It was a silver chain with an oval stone embedded in silver metal in a delicate design.
"What is this for?" elder Lu held up the small square-shaped device with a small screen and multiple buttons on it.
"This pendant of grandma's has a tracker on it. With the help of the device in your hand, you can see her exact location if she is wearing it." Lu Lijun pointed to the screen of the device.
"It's a thoughtful gift," elder Lu praised.
'Why are all these grandkids so thoughtful to us?' she thought as she looked at her overwhelmed husband.
"Because grandpa always panics whenever he can't see grandma, so this will tell you her whereabouts," Lu Lijun said innocently.
He had the intention of helping his grandfather, but it was something to celebrate for others.
"Now grandpa won't trouble us when he won't see grandma," Lu Lijun commented and others agreed.