A month has passed, and the smoke is still sinking into the sea. Bai Peiwen tried all the ways he could to find it, he asked Yan Lili, he posted a search notice in the newspaper, and he even asked someone to go to the police station to investigate the registration of the household registration, but Hanyan was like a bubble that disappeared into the sea, and no trace could be found.

He was annoyed that he had never asked Hanyan about the name and address of her adoptive parents in the past, but now, he had lost all the clues, and the missing person notice in the newspaper had expanded from small to large, and it had been published for a week, and Hanyan did not even have a phone call. Bai Peiwen quickly lost weight and haggard, he didn't know how to eat, he couldn't sleep, and he was like a lost dog all day long. He couldn't stay at home for a minute, he was afraid that Hanyan would call the factory, but, in the factory, he couldn't sit still for a minute, and at any moment, he would jump up in a sudden panic, imagining that she was married, married to that idiot. As a result, he shivered all over his body, and his whole body became convulsive. All this can't escape the eyes of Mrs. Bai and Gao Lide. Gao Lide, this is a young man who studied hard, after the fall of the mainland, he came to Taiwan alone, studied in the college of agriculture in the university, and was a classmate of Bai Peiwen. Because of the speculative talk, the two became inseparable friends. Therefore, after Gao Lide graduated, he moved to Bai Mansion to live, and Bai Peiwen handed over the entire tea garden to Gao Lide to manage. Gao Lide applied what he learned, coupled with his interest in the tea garden and his willingness to work hard, he actually made a good reputation, and the Baijia tea can be harvested seven or eight times a year, which is the credit of Gao Lide. In order to thank Gao Lide, Bai Peiwen counted his shares and paid high dividends every year. Therefore, Gao Lide's status in the Bai family is very special, he is Bai Peiwen's confidant, brother, and assistant. That night, Gao Lide and Mrs. Bai were in the living room, and Bai Peiwen kept walking back and forth indoors, recently, almost every night, he walked around like this, and even in the middle of the night, he walked in the bedroom, often until dawn. "Pei Wen," Mrs. Bai couldn't help but shout, "What's wrong with you?" ”

"Oh?" Bai Peiwen stood still and looked at his mother blankly.

"Can a little female worker make you so spiritual?" Old Lady Bai stared at him. "Oh? Mother? He was amazed and said, "How do you know—"

"I know it all," Old Lady Bai nodded. "Pei Wen, I advise you to forget it! She's not suitable for you, and she's not suitable for our family, she's hanging your appetite, don't fall for this girl! "Mom!" Bai Peiwen rebelled and said, "You don't know at all! You don't recognize her at all! It's not fair for you to say that! ”

"I don't know?" Old lady Bai raised her eyebrows. "I only know this kind of girl, I advise you not to be obsessed! Look what she made of you! You go and look in the mirror, how many people do you still look like? It's really strange for you, there are thousands of choices, how many famous ladies don't like it, but they fall in love with a female worker in the factory! ”

"They also graduated from high school!" Bai Peiwen said loudly. "What about being a female worker, how many big people are still workers!"

"Of course," Old Lady Bai sneered. "This female worker is about to become a boss lady!" "Don't say that, Mom," said Bai Peiwen, standing in front of his mother, like a stone statue, his face pale and his eyes gloomy. "It's not unusual for her to marry me, she's been missing for a month." "She'll appear," said Mrs. Bai quietly, "she's already laid the bait, and she'll always come and reel in the rod." But, Peiwen, I tell you, I don't want such a daughter-in-law. Bai Peiwen froze there. After the old lady had finished speaking, she stood up and went upstairs. Bai Peiwen still stood there in a daze, until Gao Lide came up to him and handed him a lit cigarette.

"I think you need a cigarette." Gao Lide said with a smile.

Bai Peiwen took the cigarette, sighed, sat down on the sofa abruptly, and dug his fingers deep into his hair. Gao Lide also lit a cigarette and sat opposite Bai Peiwen, he said quietly: "What the hell is going on?" Speak up and let me help you get an idea. ”

Bai Peiwen raised his head and glanced at Gao Lide, Gao Lide's eyes were encouraging. He sighed again and took a deep puff of his cigarette, the thick smoke that hung between the two men. Gao Lide crossed his legs, looking idle and chic, Bai Peiwen frowned, but his face was full of boredom and distress.

"How does Mom know about cigarettes?" Bai Peiwen asked Gao Lide.

"She called Manager Zhao and asked." Gao Lide said. "What, is it really a female worker?" "Female worker!" Bai Peiwen shouted excitedly: "If you have seen this female worker! If you've seen it! Gao Lide smiled slightly. How did he go missing? He asked.

Bai Peiwen lowered his head, he was silent again, for a long time, neither of them spoke, and Gao Lide did not urge him, just took care of himself and breathed smoke. After a long time, Bai Peiwen said slowly:

"The first time I noticed her was four months ago." He puffed out a puff of smoke and watched the smoke spread, and in the ethereal smoke, he seemed to see the smokey face again, hidden in the smoke, weak, elegant, and illusory. He slowly narrated the story of himself and Hanyan, without reservations, completely. In front of Gao Lide, he has no secrets. When the narration was finished, he leaned back on the sofa, looked at the ceiling, stared blankly at a pair of godless eyes, and said softly:

"I'm willing to trade the whole world for her! The whole world! ”

Gao Lide was silent in thought, he was the best at using his thoughts. After a while, he suddenly said, "Have you gone to the dance halls to inquire?" ”

"Ballroom?" Bai Peiwen was stunned.

"You see, she used to work in a dance hall, but because she wanted to be a new student, she resolutely left the dance hall to work as a female worker. But you have struck her, and you have shattered her hopes, what will happen to a girl in despair who finds that the new birth cannot bring her respect and honor, or even that those who love her can look up to her? ”

"How?" A cold sweat broke out on Bai Peiwen's forehead.

"Give up on yourself! So, she said she was going to 'go with the flow,' so she said she was going to destroy, she was going to sink, because she was already disheartened. Now, she has two possibilities, one is that she is married to that idiot, and the other is that she will go back to the dance hall to be a dancer, so I suggest you go to the dance hall and find out! ”

Bai Peiwen looked at Gao Lide deeply, and was silent for a long time. Then he jumped straight up, grabbed a jacket from the back of his chair, and walked out of the house, Gao Lide shouted in surprise: "Where are you going?" "Ballroom!" "What ballroom? How can you do without any clues? ”

"I'm looking for it as a family!" Rushing out of the house, Gao Lide immediately heard the sound of the car starting, he stood up, walked to the window, and watched Bai Peiwen's car drive out like an arrow. He raised his eyebrows, tilted his head slightly, put his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and said to himself, "Well, I really want to see this Zhang Hanyan!" ”

Another three days have passed, and there are always more than a dozen dance halls in Bai Peiwen, but there is still no trace of the smoke. First, Bai Peiwen didn't know the name of Hanyan in the dance hall, and second, he didn't have any photos of Hanyan in hand, so he had to bribe the dance hall master to show him the photos of the dancers. However, this is not scientific, because many dancers do not have photos, so he often sits silently in the corner of the dance hall, smoking cigarettes, watching those dancers, and then leaving silently. However, that night, he finally saw the smoke!

It was a second- or third-rate dance hall, noisy, messy, and smoky. A small band was playing loud music, and the small dance floor was packed with pairs of dancers, dancing the bout. Hanyan swirled in the arms of a middle-aged man, and in the dim light, the earrings and necklaces around her ears and neck were shining in the light. The lights are dim, the dance floor is crowded, the smoky dress is very different...... However, Bai Peiwen still recognized her at a glance. The moment he walked into the ballroom, he recognized it! His heart was beating, he was dizzy, he was shaking and trembling, he sat down in a seat, he said a few words to the dancers, pointed to the smoke on the dance floor, and then he wrote a check to the dancers. Taipan looked at him in amazement and walked away. He ordered a bottle of wine, lit a cigarette, and sat there waiting, pouring glass by glass into his belly. Then, I don't know how long later, a gloom covered him, a figure was hidden in front of him, he slowly raised his head, a black velvet dress, wrapped in a timid and slender body, an open neckline, a slender neck, the thin shoulders were pale and pitiful, and the shiny necklace that stuck to the flesh must have frozen the delicate skin. His gaze went up and made contact with hers.

She seemed to have received a sudden shock, the blood quickly left her cheeks and lips, and she held her hands on the table, her body shaking. He stood up, grabbed her, and then he sat her down in a chair. With trembling hands, he poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her. She picked up the cup and quickly drained it in one gulp. He sat across from her, staring at her in a layer of tears that suddenly rose up. She was thinner, more haggard, and the fat powder could not hide her paleness and tiredness, and there were obvious black circles under her eyes, and her long eyelashes fanned weakly, hiding a pair of hazy and shrunken eyes. He bit his lip, his heart tightening, it hurt so much.

"Smoke!" He whispered, placing a trembling hand over her tiny hand on the table. "You've made me so hard!"

She pulled her hand out lightly, raising her eyebrows, her eyes facing him for the first time tonight, with a thin layer of judgment and a faint indifference. "Are you going to dance? Mr? She asked, the little face grim. Thank you for holding me on! "Smoky!" He shouted, not knowing what to say in his eagerness, Hanyan's expressionless face stung him, he panicked, nervous, in the panic and nervousness, his internal organs were horribly churning and aching. "Hanyan, don't do this, I'll apologize, I'll pick you up!" He said anxiously, his palms wet with sweat.

"Take me out?" She muttered. "By the way, you paid to bring me out, you can take me out." She stood up and looked at him quietly. "Do you want to go now? Mr? He looked at her, with that haggard face, that tired look, that indifferent expression, as if he were just an ordinary dancer, a stranger far away from her. His heart was torn apart, torn by her demeanor. He knew one thing; She didn't want to continue that relationship anymore, he lost her! He had grasped it in his hands, but now, he had lost her!

"How?" She asked, "Get out?" Or is it dancing? He gritted his teeth, and then he stood up suddenly. Okay, let's go out first! Get out of this hellish place first! ”

Hanyan fetched her trench coat, and Bai Peiwen helped her put it on, wrapped her around her waist, and they walked out of the dance hall. Hanyan didn't refuse him to hug him, which made a glimmer of hope sprout in his heart, and staring at her from under his eyelashes, he noticed that there was a nonchalant and indifferent look on her face, and he was stung again.

"Where?" She asked him.

"Where do you live now?"

"It's nearby." "Can I come and sit with you?" "Yes." She raised her eyebrows. "As long as you're happy."

She stopped talking, just walked forward, the late autumn wind rushed in her face, with a deep coolness, she shrank a little, he couldn't help but hold her tightly, and she didn't resist. This is Zhongshan North Road, turning into an alley, they walked into an apartment, went up to the second floor, took the key from the handbag with a cigarette, and opened the door. He was in a small but elaborate living room, a room that could not be compared to the previous cottage, with wallpaper on the walls, a lavish chandelier hanging from the roof, a record player, a wine cabinet with dozens of different wines on display, an elegant sofa, and dark red curtains hanging from the floor-to-ceiling windows...... Bai Peiwen looked around the room, but his heart ached, he saw a typical room of a happy woman, and, he knew, it was a place where guests often came.

"The room was nicely furnished." He said insincerely.

"Really?" She asked lightly: "The rented house, even the furniture and furnishings are rented, I haven't changed again, if it is my own house, I will choose beige and coffee colors to decorate the living room, white, gold and black to decorate the bedroom, and add a red bedspread or something." She pointed to the couch:

"Please be seated!" Opening the cigarette jar on the small table, she asked, "Do you smoke?" ”

"Nope." "Would you like something to drink?" She walked to the front of the wine cabinet and took out her glass, "What do you like to drink?" Brandy or whiskey? ”

"No, nothing." He said with some excitement, his eyes fixed on her. "So, what about the others? Orange juice? Soda pop? Coke? I have to drink something! You've spent so much money for me, I should have treated you well! She said, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

He walked up to her, his hand grabbed her arm, twisted her body around, and he forced her to face him. Then he looked deeply into her face, his eyes were full of red threads, his hair was unkempt, his breath was short, his face was pale and haggard.

"Enough!" He said in a hoarse voice. "Don't torture me, smoke. I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, don't torture me! He couldn't control himself, he took her tightly into his arms, and buried his face in her collar in pain. You lose your temper! Hit me and scold me, yell at me, tell me I'm the biggest fool, but don't torture me with coldness! Don't do this! You know that in the past month, I have done nothing but look for you, and the punishment you have given me is enough, enough! With smoke, you spare me! ”

She struggled to jump away, her back against the wall, her eyes wide open, glaring at him. Her face was as pale as death, and her expression was shrunken and confused.

"You-what are you going to do? Mr? She asked, as if he were still a stranger. I'm going to propose to you. He said hurriedly. I beg you to be my wife, I love you and I want you. She looked at him, her face paler, a tired look appeared in her eyes, and she slowly turned her head away, and lowered her eyelids.

"If you are proposing to me, then I refuse, sir." She said, her voice flat and weak. "Smoke!" He shouted, rushed to her, and took her hands. "I know, you're mad at me, you hate me, I know, I know it. But, don't be so resolute, you give me another chance, test me again, please, smoke! "No," she whispered, her eyes staring out the window with no expression on her face. You despise me, you think I'm filthy, I can't marry someone who despises me. No, no, sir, I said long ago that I am not worthy of you! ”

"No, no, smoking, it's not like that. It's me who doesn't deserve you, I'm vulgar, I'm small, I'm selfish, and now, I've figured it out, that thing doesn't hurt your innocence and beauty at all, I'm so stupid and smoky! Nothing can hinder us now, I don't mind your origin, I don't mind your past, you will always be perfect in my mind, I beg you, smoke, marry me! Marry me! Smoking, don't refuse me! She shuddered, her eyes still looking out the window, but a wave of tears welled up, and the pair of dark eyes were soaked in mist. Her lips quirmed slightly, and a feeble smile rose to her lips.

"If you had said these words to me a month ago," she said quietly, "I would have knelt at your feet and kissed your feet." But now, it's useless, I'm back in the ballroom, and I don't dream anymore. I won't marry you, Mr. Bai. However, you can come to the ballroom, you have the money, you can buy my hour, or take me out. "No! Smoke! He shouted, shaking her urgently, stroking her cheeks and hair, his eyes burning on her face. I won't let you stay in the ballroom, I won't! I must marry you! Say whatever you want! Don't be too cruel to me, ...... smoke" "It's you who are cruel, Mr. Bai! She said, her eyes finally falling back from the window and staring at him. Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her clothes. "Please let me go, stop pestering me." She said, sobbing softly.

Her sobs broke his heart and made his heart ache. He took her cheek, kissed her tears away with his lips, and pleaded:

"Forgive me, forgive me, smoke. I was wrong, I was like a stupid donkey, I made you suffer a lot in vain, and suffered a lot of grievances. I was wrong, smoke, give me a chance, give me a chance to atone, I want to make amends for my mistakes, I promise you, smoke. The days of suffering in your life are over, and I want to give you the sweetest and happiest life. With smoke, promise me, marry me! Smoke, promise me! ”

"You...... You will regret it," she cried, "you will one day dislike me......" "I won't, never!" ”

"You will, you have already disliked me once, and you will dislike me in the future, I am afraid that one day, I dare not accept you, I don't dare!" She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders twitching with crying, tears streaming from her fingers. "As I said, I'm ashamed of myself, I'm low, I'm small...... I don't want to marry you, I don't want to! When one day, you no longer love me, then you will curse to find, and you will regret it...... Ah, no, no," she shook her head in her palm. "You let me go! Let me go! I'm so humble, don't look for my pleasure......" she couldn't go on, she couldn't stop crying. Bai Peiwen pulled her hand down from her face hard, looking at the tear-stained little face, the aggrieved, shrinking look, his heart twitched and spasmed, he understood, understood how he had hurt this fragile heart, hurt so badly, that she no longer dared to believe or accept love. He looked at her, deeply, for a long time, and then, with a cry, took her into his arms in a panic, and clung to her head with a shudder, and cried out, "Oh, smoke! What have I done to you? I'm damned, I should go to the eighteenth floor of hell! Oh, smoky! Hit me, scold me! ”

Holding her head up, he pressed his lips to those two trembling lips. Hanyan was still crying, and while crying, she hugged him with her hand, hugged him tightly, and sobbed, "You...... You...... You're ...... Do you really want me? ”

"Yes, yes, smoke! I want you for every bone and fiber! I want you! I want you! Smoke! We're getting married tomorrow, I'll help you pay off the debt you owe to your adoptive parents, and I'll end the ballroom contract for you. With smoke, you will never have a hard time again! I promise. I will protect you, this life, this life, the next life, the next life! "You...... Not sincerely......"

"It's sincere, it's sincere!" He said in a loud voice.

"You know me...... Not a good girl, I'm not pure, I'm not ......"

He covered her mouth with his hand.

"You're a good girl, you're pure! You're perfect, you're like a piece of jade! You're the girl I've always dreamed of! ”

Hanyan raised her head, her eyes full of tears, she looked at Bai Peiwen, for a while, she looked at him like this, and then, timidly, weakly, she said, "You—won't—regret it?" ”

"Regrets?" He stared at her. "Yes, I regret that I delayed for a month, and I regret that you have suffered so much!"

She lowered her eyelids and stood motionless.

"Smoke," he whispered. "Have you forgiven me?"

She didn't say anything, just gently hugged him with her hands, leaned gently into his arms, and gently rested her cheeks on his strong, broad shoulders.