Outside the window, the raindrops were still "ticking" on the wooden windowsill, and the wind blew in through the cracks in the unclosed windows, bringing a burst of moisture and blowing away the aroma of the ribs being boiled. I added a little water to the pot, then closed the lid of the pot, and got a moment of leisure, while Chen Yi on the side of the (body) was carelessly tearing off the useless part of the beans...... This kind of leisure makes the atmosphere a little warmer, so that looking at the thousands of lights outside the window, there is no longer such a sense of wandering loneliness in my heart.

After a while, I took the braised pork ribs that had been flavored out of the pot, and put the beans washed by Chen Yi in the pot and stir-fried, and the meal of two dishes and one soup was quickly prepared by me.

We sat down around a small square table, and although there was a wine cabinet opposite, no one mentioned a drink, which was like the usual meal that her parents were not at home and she was too lazy to cook herself.

Chen Yi tasted the ribs I made, and then asked me, "Jiang Qiao, you must not have cooked for a long time, right?" ”

"What's wrong, it's not tasty?"

Chen Yi gave me a piece and replied, "You can taste a piece for yourself and take a look, I don't think it tastes right." ”

I took a bite and the taste was on the bland sidelines, and I remembered that I had forgotten to put salt. I was a little embarrassed and said to Chen Yi: "I forgot to put salt, it has nothing to do with whether the craftsmanship is good or not, it's just a momentary mistake." ”

Chen Yi smiled and replied, "If you haven't cooked for too long, how can you forget the steps that can be completed by this conditional reflex (shooting)?" …… I think it's all about changing people. Over the years, you have so many thoughts and ideas that you don't think of cooking as your own pleasure anymore. ”

I nodded: "I admit it, I cooked for Yang Qu once this year, and that time I forgot to put MSG." ”

"Hehe, this is the advanced (emotional) sense of high-level animals, people are too fickle, and it is too easy to forget."

I asked, "Aren't you like that?" ”

"I'm the same way, so in the past two years, I've forgotten a lot of things and a lot of people...... Sometimes I can't remember that I am a Nanjing girl, and I think it is good to live abroad. ”

I looked at her and replied, "When you talk about this, I remember what he told me when I went to your dad for help some time ago...... In fact, he and his aunt both miss you, and they are just a daughter like you, the older you get, the more you should care about whether you are by their side. ”

Chen Yi seemed thoughtful, and she replied after a while: "So this time, in addition to coming back to work, I also want to accompany them...... The other day, I was staying at home. ”

"That's a good ......"

Chen Yi didn't answer me, and in a little embarrassment, I looked at the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs and said to her, "I'll go back to work and add some salt." ”

……

After making up for the regret of not putting salt, Chen Yi and I were still chatting while eating, and she asked me, "Where do you live now?" ”

"The Tulip Hotel across the street."

Chen Yi was a little surprised: "Why don't you live in the old house on the other side of Lane 24?" ”

"Let the workers live ......"

I chatted with Chen Yi without a word, and it took a while to finish the meal. Chen Yi doesn't (love ai) do housework, but he still washes the dishes and chopsticks with me, and after a homely meal, it's time for me to leave.

I walked outside the door, Chen Yi was about to close the door, I remembered one more thing (qingqing), so I leaned against the door and said to her: "I am engaged to Jin Qiu next week, if you have time, go to our engagement, maybe it is a simple one." ”

But he didn't want Chen Yi to reply: "When I got married, you didn't go to the wedding, why should I go when you get engaged?" ”

I tried to explain: "I ...... There was indeed an emergency that day, and there was a little fire problem on the Dream Tree, and I had to rush over to deal with it. You know, I've suffered two big losses in fire fighting in business over the years, but I don't dare to be sloppy! ”

Chen Yi glanced at me and replied, "Are you sure this is not an excuse?" ”

I was a little speechless, but I hoped that Chen Yi could give me a step down...... About her and Wang Ze's wedding, it was a thorn in my heart, and I really couldn't face it calmly back then, and I was even more afraid that she wouldn't be able to be calm.

At this time, Chen Yi finally said to me again: "If you are sure that you want to get engaged to Jin Qiu, then you can ask Jin Qiu to send me an invitation, I am more willing to attend your engagement as her friend." ”

"Good ......"

Chen Yi glanced at me again, and before closing the door, he said to me again: "Jiang Qiao, about feelings (love qing) and marriage (love qing), you must think about it before making a decision, because once you make a wrong choice, the price may be a lifetime, and you can't redeem yourself." ”

"Why did you give me such advice, I remember that before eating, you also said that Jin Qiu is the most suitable woman to marry me."

Chen Yi's face was complicated for a moment, and she replied: "Everyone also thinks that my marriage with Wang Ze is a talented woman and a good match, but these are all conclusions drawn by outsiders with colored glasses, but whether this is the case or not, only I can know if I practice it in marriage." So, no matter what I, Chen Yi, told you today, but in the marriage that you and Jin Qiu are about to face, I am just an outsider after all! ”

I seem to hear something...... Then wait for her to continue.

She exhaled softly, and then said again: "The last thing a person can betray in this life is his own heart, because it knows what you want best, and there is nothing more painful in this world than asking for it!" ”

……

Leaving Chen Yi's residence, I walked alone on the tulip road with an umbrella, not to mention the feeling of waking up from a big dream, but I always felt a little bad in my heart. I think Chen Yi said those words to me to wake me up, but she didn't want to say it clearly, maybe it was because of her own (body), or she was also very conflicted, on the one hand, she wanted Jin Qiu to give me a stable home, and on the other hand, she knew that there was no heartfelt (love ai) (love qing) between me and Jin Qiu...... In fact, during this time, I would also think, if it weren't for the age of almost 30, would Jin Qiu and I make such a choice?

I don't have a very clear answer in mind.

At the door of the convenience store, I stopped, and then looked at the big rice cooker placed at the door, I don't know if it was boiled tea eggs or corn cob heads, but I didn't want to explore it anymore, because at the age of almost 30 years, I realized that what I liked was not the sweet corn cob head, but the heart (qingqing) that she was waiting for...... Since she is gone, the existence of the corn cob head has no meaning to me.

In a daze, the mobile phone rang, it was a call from Zhao Mu. He said that he had just returned from a business trip to Chengdu and would pick him up at the airport if it was convenient for me. I'm idle for a night, of course, it's convenient. It's just that, for the first time in a few years, he asked me to pick him up at the airport. Thinking about it, this thing (qingqing) should have been done by Yu Xin, and in the end, the two of them ended up with Lao Yan parting ways...... Speaking of which, it's also a kind of sadness.

……

Along the way, the rain has not stopped, so the road conditions have not been very good, I drove on the ring highway for nearly an hour to reach the airport, and Zhao Mu was standing in the corridor of the terminal waiting for me, his clothes were very thin, and the white-rimmed glasses did not make him look sven, but he was in the workplace for a long time, which may be related to the fact that he has been promoted to the top of "Jinding Real Estate".

On the way back, Zhao Mu sat in the co-pilot's seat, and I didn't drive fast, because I wanted to take advantage of the distance to talk to him. I turned down the music in the car and asked him, "Where do you live now?" Is it the apartment building that Jinding Real Estate gave you, or is it a new house that you bought? ”

"No, I've been staying in a hotel during this time, you can send me to the Xuanwu Hotel later."

I asked suspiciously: "Why did you go to live in a hotel, it is expensive to stay for such a period of time!" ”

Zhao Mu explained: "Recently, I have been traveling a lot, and I am too lazy to clean my home, so I stay in a hotel......

I nodded, thinking that some words would be very verbose to say by myself, but still said: "It's a waste for you to stay in a hotel for such a long time, if you really don't want to clean, just find a housekeeping company to clean up, it's more cost-effective than this...... Zhao Mu, although I know that you are not short of this money now, but we are all poor people, so it is better not to forget our roots. ”

Zhao Mu glanced at me, smiled and replied: "Brother Qiao, I don't know if you feel like this, but for me, staying in a hotel is much more practical than living in my so-called home...... At the very least, when you're hungry, there's always someone to serve you. But when you live at home, when you are bored, you don't even have someone to talk to. ”

Zhao Mu said and turned up the sound of the music a little louder, and there was a song "The Man Who Chased the Shadow" playing in it, as if the manic drum beat had entered his heart, and he kept his eyes closed and nodded to the rhythm of the music......

When a song was finished, he opened his eyes and asked, "Whose song is this?" ”

"Thank God for a smile."

He nodded, and after a while, he said to me: "I don't know why, when I heard this song, I thought of Zhao Chu...... Speaking of which, he knows what he wants better than either of us. In his short life, he also tried hard to chase, but after all, he was just a person chasing shadows, and he didn't get anything he wanted...... Brother Qiao, do you remember when Zhao Chu was alive, he kept talking about what he wanted? ”

"He wants a car with a sunroof, a 90-square-meter house."

There was a trace of pain in Zhao Mu's eyes, and he replied: "If he is still alive, these simple wishes, no matter which of us makes a little effort, can help him come true, but he died at the age when he deserves to live...... How nice it would be if he were still alive! ”

In the rhythm of the music, I also remembered Zhao Chu's thin (body) body, but he kept telling me and Zhao Mu with an iron-like smile that he would definitely let us live a good life. I can't forget the picture that day when we sent him on the train to Suzhou to learn sheet metal, and followed him all the way. But he threw the only pack of cigarettes on his hand from the window to me, and asked me not to eat and drink too sparingly, and when he came back for the New Year, he would definitely get me a good cigarette.

My heart was sour, and there was a feeling of warmth (hot re) from the corner of my eyes, and then there was a hint of coldness, it seemed that Zhao Mu and I who were alive could only rely on the dead Zhao Chu to maintain our relationship, but the two of us didn't have much in common to talk about.

……

The car drove for a while, and Zhao Mu said to me again: "Brother Qiao, have you provoked Cao Yang for Xiao Ai in Beijing recently?" ”

I turned to look at him and asked, "Who told you this?" ”

Zhao Mu replied: "I have a friend in a circle in Beijing, and the matter between you and Cao Yang (Qingqing) has spread in the circle, saying that Cao Yang has touched the iron plate this time. ”

"Yes, there is."

Zhao Mu said again: "Don't you think this is the bureau set up by Yu Xin? …… Did she call you that day? ”

"She called me...... But I don't think there is any inevitable connection between this, she just called me out of concern for Xiao Ai's safety, at least the starting point is good. ”

"No, it's not as simple as you think...... You must know that Xiao Ai's concert in Beijing was the thread she held with her hands, and it was she who pushed Xiao Ai into this fire pit. She knows Xiao Ai's (sexual) personality, once the bosses behind the scenes are people like Cao Yang and Zhao Zhongming, Xiao Ai will definitely fall out with them, with Cao Yang's ability, it is still very simple to make Xiao Ai have no way out in this circle, and this is the result she wants...... Do you think, if I don't find you, how can I make things bigger? ”

Listening to Zhao Mu's analysis, it seems to make sense logically, but I still don't want Yu Xin, the girl, to think too scheming, so I said to Zhao Mu again: "You may not know yet, but it was she who reminded me to go to Qiu Zi'an, so that I had the opportunity to meet Le Yao and ask her to solve this matter (Qingqing)." ”

"That's a good explanation...... Because she has always thought that there is an unsolvable knot between you and Qiu Zi'an...... So she pretended to let you go to Qiu Zi'an, and then asked you not to suspect her...... But she didn't expect that Qiu Zi'an chose to release her suspicions with you, her miscalculation made Xiao Ai breathe, but as long as she has a connection with Xiao Ai, it will always be a hidden danger. ”

I didn't have words, I just looked at Zhao Mu, but my heart was not so good, after all, he and Yu Xin had been together, but now it is such a situation, how can it not be embarrassing.

I finally said to her, "What do you mean by telling me this?" ”

Zhao Mu replied: "The reason why Yu Xin hates Xiao Ai is because of me...... So this matter should be resolved by me...... Brother Qiao, thank you for your righteous action last time, but from now on, I will do my best to let Xiao Ai go on in this circle, at least until the day Mr. Xiao is released from prison. ”

I looked at him with amazement, and then suddenly remembered that he was now single. He is different from me, I am afraid that he still has an attachment to Xiao Ai in his heart, so he told me in this euphemistic way that he is going to pursue Xiao Ai, and he doesn't care what kind of past Xiao Ai has gone through.

In Chen Yi's words, he is the one who is unwilling to betray his heart.

……

I exhaled softly, and then said to him for a long time: "I'm just an outsider, there is no need to talk to me about the matter between you, if you think it's right, you can do it......"

After a pause, I said to him again, "By the way, there is something I have to tell you...... I'm engaged to Kim Cho next week, so if you have time, go and get to our engagement. ”