Friend.

Xiaomin and Zheng Yan have been friends for another two years.

Xiaomin has grown a lot in two years, and since she made up her mind to be an independent woman, she soon insisted on moving out by herself, although her parents strongly objected, and finally Xiaomin got her wish. Without the spaciousness and comfort of home, I rented a studio apartment and lived not far from the company, cooking alone in my spare time, and looking at the exquisite dishes was full of pleasure. Xiaomin was admitted to the note meeting again, and she is ready to leave tomorrow, leaving the job originally arranged by her father, and relying on her own ability to go to a better accounting firm. She is very satisfied with her current life, although she is sometimes lonely alone, but her tranquil personality will not feel any discomfort in such a life, but can enjoy quiet happiness. As for the relationship, although my parents have been introducing many objects, Xiaomin has picked and seen a few, but they have all been hastily gone.

Zheng Yan's life is also uneventful, her daughter is more than a week, her nickname is Xiao Maruko, and she is very cute. Zheng Yan likes to hold her daughter in her arms every time she gets home, and she is very happy when she lets her beard herself. It's just that Zheng Yan is not very happy at work in bureaucratic state-owned enterprises, and those colleagues from superior families regard him as a phoenix man from the countryside, and no matter how strong his work ability is, he can't be promoted in his position. Most of the people who can make progress in their work are the children of leaders, and gradually Zheng Yan is becoming more and more discouraged at work. He is not an ordinary person, sometimes he talks to his wife about the confusion of his work, and his wife comforts him: "We are all from the countryside, and we are very content to have the current life." "In fact, if you look at your own home, even if there are more worries, at the moment when you pick up your daughter, all your worries will disappear, and all that remains is full of joy. Zheng Yan's mother also went to the city to help the couple take care of the children, and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sometimes has some contradictions. Zheng Yan often sighed: Yes, my life is very good now, I should be content. But deep in Zheng Yan's heart, he is always hesitating, it seems that there is still a desire in his heart, eager to have a career, not entirely for money, just to realize the value of his life and live up to what he has learned in this life.

After getting married, Zheng Yan and Xiaomin never saw each other again, occasionally talking on the phone for a few months, saying hello on WeChat, everything was normal as friends. They no longer talk about their former emotions to each other, as if they don't exist. Zheng Yan is very happy to see Xiaomin grow up and become an increasingly independent woman, and the girl shown in her words is completely different from the cowardly girl before. However, Zheng Yan always thinks of his past few years, and he has not improved at all, and he is still doing lifeless work in a lifeless company. The only thing that remains unchanged is that on Xiaomin's birthday, Zheng Yan's gifts will always come as scheduled, not to mention valuable, they are still small objects with heart, in Xiaomin's inadvertently, there are too many of his gifts at home, from drinking water to eating, and even to washing clothes, all the objects are carefully made by Zheng Yan for her.

Xiaomin received a message from Zheng Yan, saying that the whole family was going to come to X City for a vacation and have a meal together, Xiaomin said enthusiastically: "I'll arrange a meal." ”

Another familiar greeting: long time no see.

This is a quiet and exquisite restaurant, the dishes are typical of the seafood of X City, the taste is light and delicious, the atmosphere is happy when dining, Lin Shanshan saw Xiaomin for some reason that she was wary of her at first sight, this may be a woman's sixth sense. Xiaomin took the little pill from Zheng Yan's arms, and the babbling little girl didn't recognize her life, and was very comfortable with Xiaomin's hug. Xiaomin looked at the girl who was seven or eight points similar to Zheng Yan between her eyebrows and eyes, and there was no one in her heart who didn't like it.

Xiaomin generally teased Maruko, and couldn't help but admire: "It's so cute, they all say that girls are big beauties when they grow up like their father, and they also inherit their mother's dimples, and the advantages of both of you have been inherited, it's so enviable." ”

Lin Shanshan said politely: "In addition to being cute, she has become a big demon at home, and she doesn't look like a girl at all." ”

Xiaomin genuinely likes Maruko and praises her with all her most beautiful words.

The topic turned to work, Zheng Yan said calmly: "After working in a state-owned enterprise all these years, I feel that my sharpness has been exhausted, and in the face of a working life that can be seen at a glance, I feel that my life has also seen the end at a glance, which is terrible." I really envy you, you can make a little progress in your work, grow up step by step, and you are not like a person now and you were two years ago. ”

Xiaomin didn't think about it, and said seriously from the position of a friend: "If it really makes you feel so uncomfortable, why don't you try to go out and work hard, with your ability, you shouldn't be trapped in a small company." ”

Xiaomin's words have no intention, Lin Shanshan's listeners have a heart, Xiaomin's words make her feel very uncomfortable in her heart, and now her hard-won life is something that she can't understand as a girl born with a golden key, why should she point fingers at Zheng Yan. She said unhappily: "It's just a blind sigh, where can a family like ours make him easily give up his job and go back to society to drift, after all, he is not very old." We all came out of the countryside, and we have struggled for many years to have such a life, and we are still very satisfied. ”

Xiaomin seemed to know that she might have lost her words, she never hid her thoughts in front of Zheng Yan, she said apologetically: "I'm sorry, I'm used to telling him the truth, but I really think this job is not worthy of him, he is very talented." ”

Lin Shanshan's face changed slightly: "You don't know about our family situation, we have settled in P City, we just moved into a new home this year, we have to pay off the mortgage every month, and we have children to support, work is to support our family, not only think that we can go to the society to take risks if we are talented, what if we fail?" ”

Zheng Yan saw the subtle aura between the words of the two, and hurriedly persuaded Lin Shanshan: "I can make my own choices about my future path, and I don't really want to resign immediately when I talk to my friends." Although I am tired of this kind of work from the bottom of my heart, I still cherish the meaning it means to our family. But it's almost a year away, and sometimes I often wonder, what do I really want for myself? For so many years, I have been living for others, and if one day I really give up this job to pursue my own career and start again, I hope you will support me. ”

Lin Shanshan listened to Zheng Yan's tone to protect Xiaomin, and her resentment became even greater, and she said angrily: "If you really want to resign, I will divorce you." ”

Xiaomin was at a loss, as if she had done something wrong, and said vigorously: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." ”

Zheng Yan said calmly: "You don't have to apologize, we just talk about the confusion of life, you are just giving some advice from the position of friends, everyone is an adult, and how to choose in the future is always up to you." ”

Lin Shanshan was full of grievances, tears rolled in her eyes, Xiao Maruko didn't know if she noticed the weirdness of the atmosphere, and cried.

Zheng Yan held the little pill in his arms, patiently comforted, and said softly to Lin Shanshan: "We have seen the same scenery and know how difficult life is, but we have also all had dreams, I am really tired of this job, tired of the same way of working, tired of the deceitful interpersonal relationships, many times it is not how heavy the work is, but the heart is really tired." Since I was a child, I have worked hard, studied very hard, went to university to work part-time or study, I tried my best to struggle, and I worked harder than many people, but the most important thing I got was not the life I wanted. Life is a besieged city, if one day I am really powerless to struggle in the besieged city, I really want to go out and see, I hope you can support me, believe that I have the ability to break out of the world. ”

Lin Shanshan listened to Zheng Yan's heartfelt words and fell silent. The air suddenly froze, and only Maruko's weaker and weaker cry remained, crying and crying, and Maruko fell asleep.

A dinner party that was not very pleasant, Xiaomin was full of guilt and apologized to Lin Shanshan for her gaffe, but the hostility in her heart made Lin Shanshan's heart feel bad for Xiaomin, and she faintly planted an evil fruit in her heart.

I don't know if it is related to the unpleasant trip to X City this time, Lin Shanshan's attitude towards Zheng Yan has undergone some subtle changes, and she often inquires about Zheng Yan and Xiaomin through various channels, as if Sherlock Holmes is investigating the case, and wants to find some clues of affection in their relationship.

Lin Shanshan asked Zheng Yan unrelentingly: "Do you say there is pure friendship between men and women?" ”

Zheng Yan knew what she meant, and said calmly: "Look at people, there are some people, but there are not." ”

Lin Shanshan was not satisfied with his answer: "Are you and Chu Xiaomin really just pure friends?" ”

Zheng Yan said calmly: "It's just a friend." ”

"I don't want you to associate with her in the future."

Zheng Yan said helplessly: "I don't have many friends in the first place, and besides, I usually have little contact with her, why are you like this." ”

"I just don't allow you to associate with her, she looks at you differently than others."

Zheng Yan was silent, and then calmly told her all the past events that happened between himself and Xiaomin, without any concealment, including when Li Shiwen asked him to make a choice, in fact, he couldn't make a choice at that time, but he had already made a choice.

Lin Shanshan listened to their story, and was jealous in her heart, and said hysterically: "Then you are not allowed to have any contact with her anymore." ”

Zheng Yan said calmly: "What I said is all in the past, and I have let go of the past, and now my mind is in this family, in you, in Xiao Maruko, and I will always be friends with her, just an occasional greeting." I told you all the past because I really wanted to open my heart to you, and why did you force me to make a choice? ”

Lin Shanshan slammed the door in anger and went back to her parents' house.

Zheng Yan was very afraid to face her mother-in-law, a rural woman with a strong personality, whose values were completely different from Zheng Yan's, but under the repeated urging of her mother, Zheng Yan had to go to her mother's house to face her mother-in-law and take her wife back. As a result, Zheng Yan didn't even enter the door.

Zheng Yan didn't know if he had done something wrong, and he actually took Lin Shanshan to see Xiaomin, maybe he felt that there was nothing wrong with being frank with her, but in Lin Shanshan's eyes, it became a different look. The biggest reason for persevering in the original dull work is that there is a happy home, but now the home has lost its warmth, and the work has become more and more disappointing for Zheng Yan. Although a job with an annual salary of 180,000 yuan and a high provident fund is indispensable for Zheng Yan and this family, Zheng Yan looks back on himself over the years, except for the muddy, he doesn't seem to have made any progress, whether it is compared with Zhu Peng, compared with Xiaomin, or compared with many classmates in college, he can't keep up with the trend of their thinking. He began to be afraid, scared, he used to be the most active thinking person among his classmates, and his thoughts were people who closely followed the times, in frustration, Zheng Yan resigned in anger and prepared to return to City B, he has always lived for others in the past 20 years, and from today on, he wants to live for himself.

The already tense family relationship ushered in another blow, Lin Shanshan was completely disappointed in Zheng Yan, no longer communicated with Zheng Yan, and only sent a text message: Let's divorce.

Zheng Yan was even slapped by his mother, Zheng Yan, who has been extremely well-behaved since he was a child, would give up his job and family so willfully, this is his mother's opinion of Zheng Yan. Mother forced Zheng Yan to go back to the unit to intercede with the leader, and let Zheng Yan go back to work, Zheng Yan resolutely said: "I've had enough of the work of the corpse vegetarian meal, I'm in my twenties, and in a few years, maybe I will lose the courage to resign. ”

The mother was silent in a wordless cry, whether the sensible son was more sensible or less sensible.

Lin Shanshan filed for divorce, her attitude was very resolute, at the request of her mother, she was extremely reluctant to give up the custody of Xiao Maruko, and her mother said: "It is difficult for a daughter with a child to remarry." Under the persecution of her mother, Lin Shanshan had no choice but to hand over the little balls to Zheng Yan. The house in P City was bought by Zheng Yan, Lin Shanshan's mother originally wanted to fight, but was finally persuaded by Lin Shanshan, it stands to reason that it was originally Zheng Yan's house, and she wanted to leave a home for her daughter. Although Zheng Yan felt that there was nothing wrong with what he did, there was nothing wrong with him and Xiaomin just being friends, and there was nothing wrong with him leaving that lifeless company, but he still felt guilty about Lin Shanshan. He gave Lin Shanshan most of the savings that the couple had worked so hard to save, and then bought a high-speed train to City B, and the time seemed to go back to when he was in college, all the way north, chasing his dreams. At that time, he was a high-spirited young man, and he was already weathered at this time.

Zheng Yan was divorced, he didn't tell anyone, he went to City B, and he didn't tell anyone, not even Zhu Peng.

Back in City B, everything started from scratch. Competing with young college students for jobs, and after work, he picked up his books again to make up for the knowledge he had lost in the past few years.

Xiaomin sensitively found Zheng Yan's strangeness, because he changed a mobile phone number in City B, although they only passed through one phone call, she was sensitive to Zheng Yan's changes, and under her questioning, Xiaomin knew that he had resigned and divorced.