Roll, Roll.

The trivial sound of tires rubbing against the sand and gravel on the ground was slightly rumbling, and the carriage fell into a brief silence, as if time suddenly fell into a brief stagnation.

Philip waited for a moment, and did not wait for Lanley's response. His gaze did not float to the rearview mirror, but looked forward and continued, "This is a well-thought-out decision. I am old. If I continue, I will not have a few years. It is time to retire and enjoy my old age."

Lan Li still didn't say anything, just listened quietly.

Philip couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This is Lanli's ability from childhood to adulthood. Lanli can always show calmness and wisdom beyond age. The invisible aura suppression can always make people feel uneasy, even George and Elizabeth are no exception.

But Philip was quick to stabilize his mind and continued, "This is not an easy decision. I hope to tell the master and the ladies myself. I told Miss Alve in London, then Miss Edit in Istanbul, and then went to Los Angeles to inform Master Arthur."

Finally, he came to New Orleans and informed Renly in person.

The carriage fell into silence again. Lan Li turned his head and looked out the window, quietly watching the gurgling city scenery, like a colorful stream with light. You could vaguely see the fields and rivers passing through them, and the entire city had a powerful and wild force.

In New Orleans, in this city that inherited the past and accommodated changes but refused to change its essence, in this city that inherited the nobles and embraced slaves but never really advanced, in this city that awakened Renli's memory and was always out of place, Philip said goodbye to Renli and announced his decision to retire and return home. He always felt that something seemed destined in the dark, and he shuttled back to London in a daze.

New Orleans, London; London, New Orleans. These two completely different cities blurred the boundary in Renley's sight at this time.

"What are your plans after retirement?" Lan Li finally spoke.

Philip was still staring at the front with concentration, driving with concentration, but his reaction was not slow at all. "Originally, I thought about going to the lake area to retire, flipping the soil for my garden, and occasionally taking a walk next to the lake, trying to see what it would feel like to relax and live. But this time I changed my mind a little, left the European continent and felt different cultures and different scenery. I thought, maybe it was time to see how much the world has changed."

"So, you should at least learn how to use your smartphone." Renley quipped, and the atmosphere in the car seemed to relax a little.

Philip also followed the light of his head, "Maybe."

Lanli withdrew her gaze, turned her head to look at Philip's side face in the driver's seat, and stared quietly. For a long time, he said calmly, "Phillip, do you remember? Once, I asked you, why do you like the profession of housekeeper, just because your son inherits his father's business?"

"I still remember your answer now." Lan Li's mouth outlined a shallow curve, as if she was falling into memories, "You said, you like things to be organized, everything has its own order and order, and everyone has their own persistence. Some rules will inevitably disappear with the progress of the times, but persistence will not be possible. Maybe it is stupid, maybe it may be corrupt, but everyone should have the belief that they want to persist. Even if they are eliminated by the times."

Those plain and simple words did not have too many magnificent or too many ups and downs, but were just quietly recalling those past years.

But Philip could feel the weight on his shoulders stacking little by little, as heavy as a pound. The hints hidden in his words made him feel vaguely uneasy. Philip was about to speak again and make some defenses, but Renli took the lead, "Phillip, do you know? After getting in the car, you never looked at my eyes in the face once."

Philip subconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror, and then saw Renly's clear and bright eyes, and his eyes collided.

Lan Li's mouth gently raised a curve, as if saying: Grab you.

This made Philip a little embarrassed.

Philip knew Lan Li, he knew Lan Li very much, Lan Li was never aimless. His sensitivity and wisdom were always able to detect details that others would not pay attention to. Therefore, in order to successfully deceive Lan Li, he made complete preparations and practiced it over and over again without missing a trace, hoping that he could deceive Lan Li all over, not to stir up any splashes, nor to arouse any suspicion.

He was almost going to succeed, just a little bit short of it.

Looking into Lanley's eyes through the rearview mirror, Philip opened his mouth and tried to make his last effort, "... Master Lanley, I'm just... I'm just tired. Denise Stevens has retired, and now it's my turn to retire. What you told me is that life is still facing separation after all. The only difference is that it is earlier and later, but no matter what, we cannot prepare and can only accept it calmly. That year, you were only seven years old."

Lanley just looked at Philip quietly, without saying anything: he didn't believe it.

Philip once told him that if he could, he hoped to be a housekeeper who would always standby until the day when he couldn't walk, just like an actor who wanted to die on the stage. They all devoted their lives to themselves and working hard to achieve the best dream.

Philip once told him that the housekeeper was not a job for him, but a kind of enjoyment. Whenever he saw everything return to his position in an orderly manner according to his own arrangement, he could feel an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, even more than any kind of joy and happiness.

He did not believe that Philip would want to retire early, just as he did not believe that he would one day get tired of the stage and the camera, which were the only source of happiness and enthusiasm for their lives. When they gave up, they declared death, direct death at the soul level.

Maybe others can't understand, but Renly can resonate with it.

Philip realized that he had failed and he could not convince Renly, and his perfect housekeeper image had a gap for the first time in history.

"Who can let you choose to retire early?" Renley whispered quietly, "Only George."

"The Jazz didn't force me. I was voluntarily." Philip's words were extremely firm and had no flaws, because it was the fact.

But Renli caught another flaw, "You didn't say it wasn't him."

Philip was stunned.

Philip just said that George did not force him, but did not say that it was not George. This was the flaw. Philip also tried to quibble. He could respond in many ways. He also prepared all kinds of rhetoric, and even thought about the backup plan for lying, but he did not have confidence in liars.

Lan Li knew that he guessed it right.

Philip's story has no flaws, and all the beginning, ending, turning and ending can make sense, and it is perfect. Renli is not Sherlock Holmes, and he can't make a fuss. But Renli knows Philip, whose reasons are perfect without a trace of fireworks, and there is no flaw from inside to end. The only doubt is that he is "not like" Philip at all. The personality behind those stories can be someone else, but not Philip.

Lan Li was just guessing. Unfortunately, he guessed correctly.

"It's George and Elizabeth, right?" The answer to the mystery was revealed. Lan Li smiled slightly, but it was full of bitterness and loss.

"Because of the award ceremony? I refuse to accept the award, they hurt me by hurting you? No, they will not be so stupid and low-level. Did they force you to hurt me, or convince me, obviously, they are unwilling to face this problem, or they are unwilling to be embarrassed, so they push the problem to others, which is completely their style. When I returned to London, they sent Elf."

"But you refused, or you didn't want to talk to them at all, so you chose to retire directly? You don't agree with their approach because they violated the true aristocratic spirit and even destroyed family honors for reputation and interests, and eventually evolved into selfish monsters, right? Such a Hall family is no longer the Hall family you serve. So you chose to retire and return home."

The details are still somewhat deviated, but the basic framework has been completely hit, and there is not much deviation between the ins and outs and outs and turns. Philip cannot refute or defend himself.

Silence is the best answer. Lan Li knew that he guessed it right, but there was no feeling of joy or happiness deep in his heart. He was only cold, and the anger began to roll up like never before, even more angry than the humiliation at the Earls of Oxford party, because this time, they hurt not him, but Philip.

He could even imagine that the next step would be Edith or Arthur, or even Matthew. To achieve their goal, they would not have any scruples, and would do whatever they could, even if they did not make any decisions.

All this is so ridiculous and absurd, but the reality is not funny at all, only a desolation, and that kind of anger is burning in a mighty way.

At this moment, looking at New Orleans outside the car window again, everything became ironic: the nobles were overthrown and disintegrated here, and the former nobles no longer existed. They were forced to live with the civilians, losing money and honor, status and class, but they still maintained the tradition of the Clio people in their bones, stubbornly and extremely sticking to the inheritance of history.

"I knew I didn't like New Orleans." Lanley said calmly, a faint tremor in her soothing and plain voice.

Philip looked at the rearview mirror again, and then saw a faint light of water flashing in Renly's bright eyes.
Chapter completed!