Loneliness

Chapter 17

Yuan Yuan said he wanted to rest, but instead, he sat in front of the desk in his hotel room with his head in his hands, thinking quietly.

What he had previously told Xiao Zhou, that he didn't have any interest in being in a relationship right now, was the truth.

From the beginning of his adolescence until the adult that he was now, he had never experienced "love" for anyone.

It was an abstract concept for him. If love was like how it was between his parents, with mutual support and understanding and spending a lifetime together, then Yuan Yuan felt that love didn't need to be deliberately sought. Whether it was a man or woman, someone who made him feel comfortable, someone he could understand and who could understand him was enough to be called love.

But obviously, it wasn't so simple.

Love was too complex. He was calculative even in friendship, afraid of accidentally giving more. How could he be willing to give someone love?

Of course, it was good that no unfortunate person received such a petty love from him.

But Chen Dong Lan...
Chen Dong Lan was different.

In the afternoon, they ascended the highest mountain that was still accessible on foot after the snowfall.

Although the inherent climbing route was checked for safety reasons every day and there were guardrails and stairs at strategic points, Yuan Yuan and Chen Dong Lan walked slowly and steadily, one step at a time.

Yuan Yuan walked ahead, and Chen Dong Lan followed him. With every step he took, he could hear Chen Dong Lan's soles stepping on the stone steps behind him, following him closely.
"Chen Dong Lan, what kind of people do you have in your family?"

He suddenly asked.

Chen Dong Lan didn't like to recall his family's past, especially to Yuan Yuan. He didn't want it to affect his mood when he was with Yuan Yuan.

"Well...Mom is a strong person."

Chen Dong Lan answered briefly.

Mother Chen was very strong. It was also because she was strong that she was able to confidently accept her next marriage immediately after one failed. The only area where it could be seen that she took her first failure to heart was the entirely different attitude she had towards Chen Dong Lan and Xiao De.

"And your stepfather? Does he treat you well?"

Chen Dong Lan answered sadly, "I don't have much communication with him, so I'm not very clear."

Although he wasn't clear, he knew that his stepfather Uncle Xu was very gentle. He embraced everything about Mother Chen and tried to embrace him as much as possible. Unfortunately, since they weren't family, there were some things that couldn't be forced.

"How about you? You should know what kind of person you are, right?" Yuan Yuan suddenly quickened his pace and climbed up a high obstacle in a few steps.

Yuan Yuan's question disrupted Chen Dong Lan's tempo, and he couldn't keep up momentarily, nearly falling down.

"Be careful." Yuan Yuan gave him a hand and pulled him up.
Chen Dong Lan stood with his help, holding his breath. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

Yuan Yuan retracted his hand and continued walking forward. "Probably, it's that..l realised I knew too little about you before."
He looked toward the spacious mountain range ahead, seeing the brilliant white snow covering the peaks and felt that they were so alike to Chen Dong Lan.

Chen Dong Lan didn't sense that anything was wrong. He started to think about what kind of a person he was. He had nothing in common with Mother Chen or Uncle Xu. Mother Chen had a strong personality and did everything with confidence. Chen Dong Lan was the opposite. Although Uncle Xu was gentle, he didn't lose the mature stability and open-minded enthusiasm of an older man, which was also unlike Chen Dong Lan.