"yes, I see."

After listening to Tang Ling's words, I already felt that I couldn't refuse her request.

"I'll do my best."

With that, I left her hospital room.

The only clue is to know where Tang Ling's father's residence is. Tang Ling's father left the home where he once lived with Tang Ling and returned to his hometown. That hometown is in this Guang'an City. I relied on my phone's map app to find that hometown.

I was a little nervous, but I made up my mind to ring the doorbell.

"Which one, please?"

A man's voice was heard. Is he Tang Ling's father?

"Is Mr. Tang Yanbo here?"

"We don't have this person here."

There seems to be a very dark emotion in the voice. At the same time, there is also a sense of vigilance in the voice. However, I heard that Tang Ling's father did live here. But what if there is no such person?

"What's the matter?"

"That, I'm called Long Xiaotian. Actually, it's Tang Ling...... An acquaintance of Tang Ling's classmate. She has something she wants to ask you. ”

"Did something happen to Tang Ling?"

The tone of his voice changed abruptly, with a hint of urgency. Then, the sound was gone. After a while, a somewhat flustered middle-aged man came out of it.

It was a muscular man with stubble and a little tanned by the sun. He was dressed in pajamas and did not make any strong impression.

"I am Tang Yanbo, Tang Ling's father."

To be honest, his image is really far from the boss of the company. This was my first impression of Tang Ling's father.

"I see, I see."

I was taken to my house by Uncle Hikohiro, at the table in the living room, and I explained to him the purpose of my visit today. Tang Ling wants to know the reason for the divorce, that's it.

"Tang Ling...... How to say it, she seems to think that the reason for the divorce of the two is due to her own luminescence. So you start to hate her, and you don't want her anymore. ”

"No...... Probably, it's because I didn't confess to her. ”

After saying that, Uncle Hikohiro stared straight at me.

"Then again, Xiaotian, is it Tang Ling's lover?"

Burst. I squirted out the tea I had almost served.

"No, it's not! How so...... We just know each other. ”

"However, at least Tang Ling trusts you very much. Ordinary people don't ask people who just know each other to do this kind of thing. ”

This one...... What's going on? What does Tang Ling think of me? I seem to understand, but I can't figure it out.

"Speaking of which, what does Xiaotian think of me?"

"Huh?"

It's the first time I've met an adult who asks such a thing. Concerned about how I look in the eyes of high school students, Uncle Hikobo's question makes me feel very fresh.

"I always feel that it's very masculine."

After answering honestly, Uncle Hikohiro laughed heartily. His way of laughing is somewhat similar to Tang Ling.

"You can't tell if it's the owner of a company, right?"

He had a smile on his face, but his eyes suddenly sharpened. This is also a bit like Tang Ling.

"No, that ......"

I'm running out of words.

"You're a person who doesn't lie. …… You're going to get hard by a woman. ”

After saying this as if to imply, Uncle Hikohiro drank the tea in his hand in one gulp.

"Actually, I'm not the boss anymore."

After that, Uncle Yanbo began to tell me the truth about his divorce from Aunt Chen Lu.

Originally, Uncle Hikohiro ran a small company that made parts in the city where we lived.

The company started out as a small factory in the city, but it managed to negotiate orders with several large companies and grew by leaps and bounds. However, while making a large-scale investment in equipment, the main buyer suddenly went out of business, and the company was affected and went bankrupt.

Uncle Yanbo, who was forced into bankruptcy, decided to divorce Aunt Chen Lu before filing bankruptcy after being troubled for a long time. After the bankruptcy is declared, all personal assets such as houses and savings will be confiscated.

The treatment of Tang Ling's luminosis costs a lot of money. It's a disease that keeps spending money. There is no possibility of cure, and even a treatment method has not been established, so basically I have to be hospitalized for treatment. Uncle Yanbo felt that after the divorce, he would at least be able to keep Tang Ling's medical expenses.

On the other hand, Uncle Yanbo also felt that the debt collectors must not be allowed to see Tang Ling and her mother. Therefore, he didn't even tell Tang Ling the contact information. Uncle Yanbo first returned to his hometown to live with his elderly mother, Tang Ling's grandmother, who is now doing manual labor on the construction site. Then, he seemed to be secretly sending money to Aunt Chen Lu.

The two decided to keep this matter a secret from Tang Ling. They don't want their daughter, who has been living in a wealthy family, to worry about other things.

If they all confessed, Tang Ling would definitely say that she would drop out of the school she didn't go to at all. However, even if it was for the sake of one day that she might miraculously recover, Uncle Yanbo did not want Tang Ling to drop out of school. But that's not all. In the past, I may have had too much self-esteem to tell my daughter all these things. ”

This is the truth about Tang Ling's parents' divorce.

Faced with unexpected facts, I couldn't even cater to two sentences, so I could only listen in silence. Finally, Uncle Hikohiro asked me, "Do you want to tell my daughter about this?" He seemed to be still confused.

"Maybe you'll think I'm arrogant when I say that...... However, I think it's also cruel to hide something out of tenderness and care. For those who are being concealed, this is simply unacceptable. ”

"How dare you say that."

Uncle Yanbo listened to me with a wry smile. Even so, I kept talking.

"Classmate Tang Ling, she wants to know the truth before she dies."

"Die, don't you. That's pretty straightforward. ”

Uncle Yanbo suddenly became serious and said. For a moment, I thought he wasn't angry, but it didn't seem to be.

"Maybe it's like Xiaotian said. Maybe you should tell Tang Ling well. ”

After that, Uncle Hikohiro squeezed out a smile and smiled at me. I suddenly felt like I was talking too much, and I lowered my head in shame.

"Actually, I still have one more thing to apologize to Uncle Yanbo."

With that, I took something out of my bag. That's the crystal ball I broke.

"I broke it. I'm sorry. ”

The wooden house in the crystal ball is lying side by side.

"You really can't lie."

After speaking, Uncle Yanbo's expression was a little surprised.

"It's okay, something tangible, it's going to break down someday."

He said exactly the same words as Tang Ling.

"However, Tang Ling ...... her"

I can't go on after that.

"Definitely, very sad. Very sad. ”

Finally said it.

"I see. Anyway, I'll figure it out. ”

"Don't care," Uncle Hikohiro said to me.

"Well, can I give at least your contact information to Tang Ling?"

When I went back, I asked Uncle Yanbo.

Uncle Hikohiro thought for a long time. "If she promised me that she wouldn't ask me to meet her." With that, he handed me a note with his email address on it.

"Xiaotian, you have to get along with Tang Ling."

Finally, Uncle Hikohiro said this to me. I just replied, "Okay."

When I arrived at the ward, sure enough, Tang Ling was still studying. If you look closely, it's the pocket book she's been reading. I've always thought that she can't get tired of reading the same book all the time.

"How?"

Tang Ling didn't take her eyes off the book and asked me.

"Daddy's got a woman outside?"

I can vaguely understand that this sentence does not come from Tang Ling's heart. When Tang Ling listened to my report, she began to get nervous. In order to hide this, she said it as if she was stubborn. But even so, I don't want her to listen to Uncle Yanbo with such a tone and attitude.

"Uncle Yanbo told me everything."

I sat on the round chair next to Tang Ling's bed and looked at her. Then hold her hand as she keeps turning the pages.

"So, Tang Ling, you should listen well."

“…… Got it. ”

Tang Ling answered me very bluntly.

So, I began to tell her what I had heard from Uncle Hikohiro in order.

Uncle Yanbo definitely did not abandon Tang Ling, and on the contrary, he is also working hard for Tang Ling now. Because he didn't want Tang Ling, who was lying on the hospital bed, to worry, he concealed the reason for the divorce. However, even if Tang Ling knew about it now, he didn't want Tang Ling to be worried, and hoped that Tang Ling would be the same as before.

In order to convey Uncle Hikohiro's thoughts as accurately as possible, I took some time to explain it slowly. Finally, I handed her the note that Uncle Hikohiro had given me.

"Then, father and mother didn't divorce because of a bad relationship."

After listening to my words, Tang Ling first said.

"Hmm. Now, the two are also important partners, Uncle Hikobo said. ”

"Now, Xiaotian. If I hadn't gotten sick, the two of them wouldn't have separated. ”

Tang Ling said these words.

"No, Tang Ling......"

"If only someone like me hadn't been born into this world."

Tang Ling said depressedly.

"There's no such thing. Uncle Hiko, your father, never thought of it that way. ”

I blurted out, almost reflexively. I myself was surprised that I would say such a thing for granted.

"Isn't that what it is? When I get sick, I just let the people around me fall into misfortune. But if, if the disease can be cured and I can survive, all this is barely acceptable. I'm probably going to die, though. Isn't that pointless? ”

Tang Ling's voice was gloomy, which made people feel a chill down their spine. What should I say at such a time? I want to say something. Cheer up, it's okay, all kinds of words come to mind, but none of them are appropriate.

"Xiaotian and a troublesome girl like me, a sick girl, meet and listen to what I say, I also think it's very troublesome. I'm not going to mess with Xiaotian anymore. ”

At that time, I couldn't say anything positive to Tang Ling. Because I think Tang Ling's mood is not something that can be soothed by a few simple words. It would be too rash to say something like that to her.

And in that case, even I don't believe it. Even if that kind of thing is spoken, it will only appear false.

"You still have a lot of things you want to do before you die. What should I do next? ”

After I finished speaking, Tang Ling looked at me with a little surprise.

"Aren't you annoying, though?"

I thought for a moment and replied:

"Hmm...... It's not a nuisance, is it? ”

It's hard for me to be more honest.

"Xiaotian, is it actually a good person?"

Tang Ling looked at me in surprise.

"Perhaps."

I replied helplessly.

In the blink of an eye, it's summer vacation. It was spring when I first met Tang Ling, but now it has reached the middle of summer that makes people sweat. I can't help but be surprised that I have inadvertently memorized the change of seasons with Tang Ling as the center.

Usually the summer vacation is very idle, but lately I have been unusual, and I am busy every day.

"I've wanted to try working at a maid café for a long time." Tang Ling said.

Hey, it's true that I've been a little tight lately, and I think it's time to work. I don't have any requirements for what I do, it doesn't matter where I work.

But even so, you don't have to work at a maid café.

I didn't have any hope at all, no, I called the café with a broken jar, and for some reason they actually called me for an interview. I went to the maid café that was open on the day of my appointment and was led to the office inside for an interview.

The person in charge of the interview was a man in his mid-30s who called himself "boss" to me. He wears a black shirt, a white tie, silver jewelry on his hands, and tattoos on his arms. Judging from the way he dresses, he doesn't look like a serious professional person.

"A man is needed in the kitchen."