It's no surprise that Xin Di would be here, she lives nearby, and the owner of this bar, Ah Feng, is a good friend of hers, and in her own words, it is "the safest place for her to drink a little wine and get drunk", not only can she sign the bill, but in case she gets drunk, Ah Feng also guarantees to send her home.

But Lu Fei is someone Xin Chen didn't expect to meet and didn't want to meet tonight.

Xin Di winked at Xin Chen, Xin Chen nodded to them in greeting, and Bruce smiled, "Are you friends?" Do you want to sit together? ”

"It's my cousin and her friends, no need."

"I seem to have seen that person somewhere." Bruce was a little puzzled, but he thought, this man Yushu is in the wind, his temperament is gentle, and he is so outstanding, there is no reason to see it but forget it in a blink of an eye, so he only smiled and shook his head.

Xin Di and Lu Fei sat on the other side, and Lu Fei glanced over again, his expression was different from his usual calmness, and the meaning was a little unclear. But Xin Chen didn't want to talk about him, "What did you say just now, it's hiking." If possible, I would take a self-guided tour of Europe, and I would like to go to Prague and buy a book called "Starting a Self-Guided Trip in the Czech Republic", which is very interesting to watch. Austria, let's talk about it. ”

"Then I'll go back and prepare for the Czech Republic, let's make an appointment, can we do it next summer?" Don't leave me alone and run away. ”

"You still have to travel with me, last time it was weak enough, I broke your collarbone, and both of you almost lost your life."

"Isn't it a desperate situation? Acacia, that was the most precious experience of my life, and I will cherish it forever. Bruce made an affectionate expression again.

"I can't bear you, stop playing, my cousin is over there, and she wants me to explain when I turn around, I can't tell."

"It's easy to explain, tell her the truth, I am your loyal admirer, I have spent a few unforgettable days and nights with you, a friendship of life and death, and then I will confess to you about every other month, sometimes Wong Kar-wai-style, sometimes Stephen Chow-style, sometimes classical and affectionate, sometimes post-modern wild, but you never buy my account."

Xin Chen smiled helplessly, "Bruce, it's very dangerous for you to do this psychological suggestion, be careful from a joke to a half-truth, and then you can't figure out the truth or falsehood." ”

Bruce stared at her, the candlelight on the table flickering in his eyes, "Maybe what I said is true, not a joke. ”

Xin Chen jokingly raised a finger in a warning gesture, "I'll be nice to my friends, Bruce, but I'm cruel to those who love me, don't fall in love with me." ”

Lu Fei didn't expect to ask Xin Di to come to relax, but he would meet Xin Chen and a beautiful big boy sitting intimately, especially this boy is not a stranger to him. He seemed to have never seen Xin Chen with such bright makeup, and under the dim flickering candlelight, she smiled beautifully, strangely and ethereally.

Over there, Xin Chen and Bruce sat for a while, drank the wine in front of them, got up to settle the bill, nodded hello to them and left first.

Lu Fei was not interested, did not speak, only drank sullenly.

"Is this what men are jealous of?"

The only friend who can laugh with Lu Fei is probably Xin Di, Lu Fei doesn't mind her teasing, only smiles bitterly, "There are some things you don't know, Xiaodi." ”

"yes, there are so many things I don't know, and sometimes I think, is it possible that my life is completely out of touch with everyone?" Xin Di raised his head and took a big sip of beer, "When I was in middle school, the girl sitting next to me fell in love with the boy sitting behind me, I didn't know anything, and then the head teacher and her old man were angry and asked them to write a review, and I knew about this romance that happened under my nose." I went to college, people in love don't pay attention to low-key mystery, my sister has been openly unrequited in love with school grass for several years, it is said that passers-by know her good intentions, but I also found out later by chatting with her. ”

That school grass is naturally Dai Weifan, Xin Di's senior sister is currently doing men's clothing design in Fujian, and has developed well, Xin Di has traveled in the past, and most of them will make an appointment with her to get together, exchange design experience, and talk about interesting things in the industry. The senior sister has let go of the old things, and she purely thinks that with a talent like the senior sister, "what is there to love an open-screen peacock".

"It's not interesting to know these things, is it?"

"It's so boring, life is too dull, these things are interesting little embellishments."

"After all, it's someone else's life, and it doesn't have much to do with yourself."

"But my own life is the same, last year's class reunion, there was a boy who settled in Hong Kong, suddenly confessed to me, he has always liked me, and signaled many times, but I didn't react. The surrounding classmates also coaxed, saying that they all saw it. ”

Xin Di was a little annoyed when he mentioned this, and he didn't know if it was for the boy who was too reserved or for himself who was too dull. She didn't regret missing out on the possible development of the boy who didn't leave a little impression, but she did feel that there were too many blanks in her life besides studying and working.

Lu Fei took another bottle of beer and put it in front of her, "Why did you suddenly remember so many irrelevant things?" ”

"I'm reflecting on whether I'm born with no feelings for feelings.,Even my mother can see what happened between you and Tatsuko.,I'm completely at a loss.。

Lu Fei smiled, "Auntie saw something?" ”

Xin Di didn't want to relay what her mother said harshly, so she only shrugged, "In short, I'm late blooming and cold, and I'm not saved." ”

"That's not it, but Auntie has always protected you well." Lu Fei thought silently in his heart, unlike Xin Chen, who had no protection and was exposed to a world that was too real for a child too early.

"Yes, her old man protected me as a ......" Xin Di originally wanted to say "28-year-old holy virgin", but finally shrunk back in time, thinking that this is also a strange mother's words, it is unfair, it is enough to confess in front of Davifan's guy, it is enough to be a virgin. She could only sigh, "Protection has become an emotional idiot." ”

"Where are you an idiot, you are a glorious moon." Lu Fei Waner.

Xin Di waved his hand, "Pull it down, this doesn't sound like comfort or sarcasm." But there's one thing I have to ask you, you're coming back this time, and you're acting strange. You went abroad to study and work for almost four years, and you came back to work in Beijing for three years, and I know that I am not good at arithmetic, and it has been seven years before and after. It's not a short period of time.,You've almost never been in touch with Tatsuko in the middle.,You wouldn't think she'd be playing like you when she was sixteen or seventeen.,What kind of cold kiln has been waiting for you silently, right? You also know that there have always been a lot of people pursuing her. ”

Lu Fei and Xin Di have known each other since kindergarten, and she is also his friend who has kept in touch and friendship for the longest time, he didn't want to hide anything from her, but he didn't know where to start, and paused for a while before speaking: "It's not what you think, Xiaodi, I've never been arrogant to that point, and I'm not qualified to ask anything from Xiaochen." ”

"Do you want to pursue Tatsuko?"

"If she's willing to give me a chance."

"I have to say, you really missed the best of times. You can't help it abroad, but when you returned to China three years ago, you should have stayed and told her directly, why did you not want to wait a day when you heard that she had traveled to Xi'an, so you immediately changed your ticket and went back to Beijing in advance, and never came back in three years? I used to call me by email from time to time, but I haven't been in touch much in the past three years. ”

"Something happened, Flute." After a long time, he continued, "And I also learned something not long ago that I should have known. ”

Of course, Xin Di was curious, but she knew that he didn't want to elaborate, and she didn't want to ask, she didn't like such a heavy atmosphere, "I really can't stand you, you act as if you have suddenly fallen into love." ”

"I've been trapped, and I've been trapped, but I don't even know it."

Lu Fei's voice was low, accompanied by the low jazz music in the room, Xin Di only felt a subtle turmoil in her heart, she asked casually, she didn't expect Lu Fei, who never confessed his thoughts easily, to explain anything, but she didn't expect him to be so straightforward today.

Xin Di looked at the corner where Xin Chen was sitting just now, and it was empty. She sighed again, picked up the beer bottle, drank it in a big gulp, then put down the bottle, looked up at the ceiling and smiled, "Lu Fei, it turns out that when you are also confused, you have not always been as if you were born mature. I'm not mistaken.,My family Tatsuko was really invincible in girlhood.。 ”

Lu Fei had long been accustomed to her strange and unusual angle of seeing problems, and only smiled bitterly. Confused? The word was really true to him, and in the face of such a sunny smile, such soft lips, and such eyes that were so brave that they were completely fearless and hesitant, he was indeed against reason, confused, and confused.

"But Tatsuko has changed a lot." Xin Di still looked at the ceiling and whispered.

Who can remain the same? Even Dai Weifan, who has always played the world in her eyes, still sighed that "no one can go all the way down young and frivolous". And she herself, unconsciously, accepted the rules of the workplace, learned to compromise, and did the same thing every quarter, while trying her best to assert her own design, and at the same time integrating the opinions of the entire design department to revise and finalize, this repeated process is like a tug of war back and forth, which has unconsciously changed her.

But in the face of Xin Chen, seeing that her cousin, who was once vigorous and willful, has now become calm and generous, Xin Di only felt confused, she couldn't accept that the unbridled young and beautiful girl in her mind was now unrestrained, and she could only find that uninhibited and uninhibited in her own design.

However, Xin Chen's change actually came unconsciously, at least there were no landmark events, and there were no dramatic upheavals such as a one-night white-headed one-night transformation. Xin Di's father only thought that the change in his niece, who had always been partial to him, was that "the girl has grown up sensible", and even Li Xin, who had always disliked Xin Chen, reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Xin Di once again felt powerless in his memory and observation of feelings.

"Tatsuko doesn't care much about anything now, it's not as sharp as it used to be, and it can even be said to be tolerant."

Lu Fei had seen that casual smile during the day, "She has been working smoothly in the past few years, right?" ”

"Fortunately, when she graduated from college, my father took it upon himself to arrange her a job as a typist in a public institution, saying that there was a chance to transfer to a formal establishment, and she went to a class for less than a month, so she told my father that she didn't want to do it."

Thinking of the past, Xin Di smiled, her parents were very unhappy about this, but she could understand Xin Chen, and went to work as a typist in a dull unit, and if she was replaced, she could only barely stay for three days at most, "She said that she was only willful this time, and then went to Xi'an to play for more than half a month, and after coming back, she looked for a job by herself, and later began to take on graphic design and picture processing work at home, and she has done a good job, and her income is also good." ”

Xin Di was suddenly stunned, she realized for the first time that since then, Xin Chen was really no longer willful, and later even agreed to go on a blind date according to her father's arrangement, which surprised her.

mentioned the "trip to Xi'an", Lu Fei was silent, and what Xin Chen said during the day came to his heart.

"My life is not your responsibility."

"I never made myself anyone's responsibility again."

When he spoke, Xin Chen didn't look at him, his voice and expression were tired and helpless.

And when she was a girl, Xin Chen was not like this, at that time, with stubbornness, she looked him in the eye and said clearly word by word: "I will not be the responsibility of anyone." ”

What she said, she really did. Maybe he forced her to do it, and that was what he wanted? From the first time she kissed him on the lips, the years have changed, and everything is gone.

Xin Chen never asked him again after the summer night when he kissed Lu Fei for the first time, whether she was his girlfriend, and perhaps in her opinion, it was not a question at all.

Lu Fei never directly admitted that Xin Chen was his girlfriend. The 4-year age difference is not a big deal, but for a 19-year-old boy who is a sophomore in college, having a girlfriend who is still in high school and is only 15 years old is still a psychological barrier.

Especially Lu Fei has always been rigorous and rational, and when he came home with that sweet but shallow kiss, he had insomnia, his eyes opened and closed, and he was full of that beautiful and smiling face.

He even looked up information on the Internet, flipped through psychology books, audited lectures by psychology professors, read Nabokov's famous novel "Lolita", and reviewed whether he was a pedophile. Don't talk about this kind of thing to his parents, even if he is 8 years old and has a close relationship, or Xin Di, who is almost the same age and has always been a friend, he can't confide in him.

Lu Fei is resting or on vacation, as long as there is nothing to do, he will call Xinchen. If Xin Kaiyu was not at home, he would come over to accompany her. When they are together, most of the time he tutors her in her homework, and at most accompanies her to watch a movie. Xin Chen said that he had developed, but he was still a child in the end, and he had no lust for it, and was only satisfied with an occasional stable and secure hug; And Lu Fei was restrained, he said to himself that she was almost 16 years old, and he could wait for her to grow up, so the process of growing up with her was also very beautiful.

He did restrain his words and deeds according to the standard of having a girlfriend, and chose to ignore any girl's overtures.

Ding Xiaoqing, a girl in the same department who has always admired Lu Fei, finally couldn't hold back her thoughts and confessed to him directly, he said euphemistically: "I'm sorry, I don't want to think about this at the moment." ”

"But this has no conflict with your learning, it just gives us a chance to deepen our understanding and see if there is any possibility of development."

All he could say was, "I already have a girl I like." ”

Ding Xiaoqing didn't believe this prevarication, and lowered her face, "Lu Fei, you can directly refuse me, you don't have to prevaricate with someone who doesn't exist." We've been classmates for over a year, and I haven't seen you date any girls at all. ”

"I'm not going to make fiction about it, she's not in this school, but she does exist." His expression and voice remained as calm as usual, and Ding Xiaoqing had no choice but to give up.

Of course she exists, and the sense of presence is so strong, thinking of her is like a wind blowing willfully in the wrong direction, letting her heart be wrinkled like a pool of spring water, with such subtle and soft fluctuations. Lu Fei thought.

Lu Fei had never told Xin Chen about other girls' gestures to him, and Xin Chen didn't realize that there might be such a situation.

From time to time, she would say: "Zheng Yitao handed me a note again, and I was almost caught by the teacher, which is really annoying." This Zheng Yitao is the 100-meter champion, and he has always been persevering with her.

"The day before yesterday, a boy stopped me at the school gate and asked me to go to the movies, which was ridiculous, I didn't even know him."

She didn't mean to show off in the slightest, she was purely reporting to Lu Fei the little things in her life.

Or he pulled his face and said, "Teacher Wu criticized me for not talking too much to my male classmates, causing them to be inattentive, do you blame me?" They're the ones who came to talk to me. ”

Lu Fei didn't think those little boys were a threat, and agreed that the teacher was not fair enough to her, but he could only say: "You concentrate on studying, and the teacher sees your efforts, so naturally he won't think that you have used your mind elsewhere." ”

Xin Chen laughed, "No, I don't like to study, and I don't want to use this method to prove my innocence. ”

Xin Chen really didn't put all his mind on studying, and he was satisfied if he could do his homework and his grades without swinging his tail, which gave Lu Fei, who was quite a bit of a tendency to seek perfection, a headache, but he couldn't bear to criticize her, and at the same time knew that she really had a lot of crooked reasoning, most of which came from her god-dragon, who couldn't see the end of the dragon, and was very indulgent to her father.

Seeing her tilting her head to read a comic book or a movie pictorial, her slender calves wrapped in jeans hanging on the armrests of a wicker chair, her slippers tossed aside, her feet swinging around in thick wool socks printed with cartoon patterns, absolutely unorthodox but innocent and lazy cute, he thought, well, she has a point, not all happiness comes from the norms he has long accepted.

Quietly came to the city in early spring, Lu Fei's university has one of the most beautiful campuses in China, every spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom is a famous scenery, Xin Chen proposed to see the cherry blossoms, Lu Fei agreed, but turned his head a little hesitant. Is it wise to hold the hand of a beautiful girl who has just turned 16 and wander around when your school is the most crowded? I don't know what my classmates are going to think.

As a result, he called Xin Di and asked her to come over and meet on weekend mornings.

Xin Di regarded this invitation as a spring outing and inter-school friendship, and called seven or eight male and female classmates to come over, and the students of the fashion design department of the Academy of Fine Arts dressed up strangely and walked in groups, which was very eye-catching, making Lu Fei cry and laugh.

Xin Chen, who jumped off the bus a little later, was not surprised, she was actually still a child, and she didn't have the idea of dominating anyone or having to be alone, she felt happy to see how lively people were, and she was quite acceptable to their weird costumes. And they naturally take good care of this beautiful and lively little sister, and immediately a male classmate came up to ask long and short questions.

Lu Fei fell behind, he was a little embarrassed by his thoughts, and a little regretful.

The warm breeze blew, and the cherry blossom petals that shrouded the treetops like pink smoke fluttered and fell, reminding Lu Fei of the summer when she first met Xin Chen, when she held the trunk of the flower tree and shook it to create a rain of flowers. He couldn't help but think about how nice it would be if it were just him and her at this time, and he could reach out calmly and brush the petals off that jet-black hair.

It was Xin Di who brushed off the petals for Xin Chen.

Of course, it can't be just him and her, the cherry blossom season has made this school a local public tourist destination, and the school has even begun to set up cards to sell tickets at several gates in the past few days, in the name of limiting the number of tourists, protecting the school's resources and teaching order, causing a lot of discussion, and the local newspaper has also made a special discussion section to interview the public's views on this move, but this can't stop everyone's enthusiasm for enjoying the flowers.

The cherry blossom road in the school is full of people, full of tourists posing and taking pictures, Xin Di and her classmates studying art are a little interested, Lu Fei is about to take them to the rest of the school around, and they meet Ding Xiaoqing and several other classmates who also come to enjoy the flowers.

Xin Chen was persuaded by Xin Di's classmates to take pictures on the side, and Ding Xiaoqing was a little disappointed that Xin Di, who was talking and laughing with Lu Fei familiarly, was his mysterious girlfriend. Because their intimacy was obvious, she had never seen Lu Fei smile like this to others; At the same time, she plucked up hope, Xin Di in front of her was small, with a baby face, at best, she was only cute, and in her opinion, she did not match Lu Fei, who was equally good in appearance and inside.

Ding Xiaoqing greeted them generously, and at the same time looked at Xin Di meaningfully, "Lu Fei has mentioned you to us a long time ago, and we all want to meet you." ”

Before Xin Di could speak, her classmates began to coax: "Xin Di, it's amazing, you are already famous outside the school, and you also said that the award you just won is not important." ”

Xin Chen asked curiously: "Dizi, what award have you won, say it quickly." ”

The classmate next to him told Xin Chen that it was a local design competition sponsored by a company, and although it was only an unconventional event sponsored by advertising, it was very powerful to win the award in his sophomore year.

Lu Fei looked at Xin Di with a smile, his eyes were full of praise, and Xin Di's expectations for himself were far more than that, without any twisting, he just smiled and said: "Come on, don't exaggerate, how can you blow the conch so much, I don't know and think that I have gone to the International Fashion Week to do a press conference." ”

Xin Di's tone was confident and energetic, with a kind of intimidating attitude, and Ding Xiaoqing had nothing to say for a while.

Lu Fei knew that Ding Xiaoqing had misunderstood, but he thought, this is fine, he didn't plan to explain, and then he took a group of people to have a good tour of the large-scale campus covering thousands of acres, and then took them to the campus restaurant to eat, and sent them away, and finally only he and Xin Chen were left.

He sent Xin Chen home, the two got into a taxi, and he asked Xin Chen, "Are you happy?" ”

Xin Chen nodded heavily, he stared at this childish and happy face, a little guilty, "I will definitely play with you next time." ”

She was surprised, "You've been with me for most of the day, how can you accompany me well?" Then he thought, "Your school is so big and beautiful, and the library and complex look magnificent." ”

He took advantage of the situation to induce her: "Then you work hard and strive to be admitted to this school, so that we can be together more." ”

She laughed out loud, "Even if I pass the exam, you will also graduate." ”

"I can choose to go to graduate school at this university." His sister Lu went abroad to study after graduating from university, and he knew that his parents were also preparing to send him to study abroad, and there was no problem with his grades. But he thought that it didn't matter if he went abroad after grad school, he could even take Xin Chen out with him, thinking of this prospect, he smiled at the corner of his mouth.

Xin Chen liked the gentle expression of this boy who had always been proud and calm with a smile, and liked that his dark and deep eyes looked at her so intently, which made her feel at ease and indulge. In contrast, the carelessness of learning seems to be overcome, and she nodded, "Okay, I'll try." ”

The drive home was not close, and she leaned on him and quickly fell asleep. He tried to sit upright to make her more comfortable, and the wind blew through the half-open window, and her hair rose up, brushing his face and his heart.

At this moment, sitting in this low-space, dimly lit bar, wafting low back to jazz, Lu Fei had a strong sense of time passing for the first time.

Nine years have passed since then. The childhood friend he had with was now a well-known fashion designer, and he studied and worked all the way, living a 9-to-5 elite life with clear goals; The girl who once willfully threatened to wander far away also has a down-to-earth and legitimate career.

Maybe everyone is finally on the right and orderly track, but the girl who brought the first touch in life has become a stranger.

Lu Fei shook his glass, and under the light, he saw the golden amber whiskey on the wall of the glass and then slowly slid down, he raised his head and took a sip, the slightly viscous wine slid into his throat, and it was a little bitter.

After leaving the Forever bar, Xin Chen and Bruce bought a carton of canned beer, strolled to the river, sat down on the stone steps with the heat of the daytime sun, and continued to chat endlessly over beer. The river is open in front of you, and the wind blows in your face, not as hot as elsewhere.

"I still like the river beach in the past, but now it's good, the traces of artificial planning are too heavy, and I can't see any natural flavor." Bruce looked critically at the riverbeach park in front of him, "I feel like this city is becoming unrecognizable." ”

"Has there been a change? Maybe it's because you've been gone for too long. In addition to working from home, Xin Chen goes to the suburbs to hike, and then travels, but he has no sense of the changes in the city, but the place where he lives is facing demolition, and the biggest change is about to happen in front of him.

"It's not that long, the last time I came back was three years ago, I only stayed here for one day, and then I went to Shenzhen to attend my little uncle's wedding, and then I set off for Qinling."

Speaking of that experience, Xin Chen shook his head and laughed, "Your family actually let you go out hiking, which is very enlightened." ”

"I convinced my dad not to let him tell my mom, but I also promised him that he would be safe in the future."

Bruce was staying in the same hospital with her at the time, knowing that she resolutely did not disclose her family's phone number, and no one visited her until she was discharged. After being discharged from the hospital, she bought her own ticket to take the train home, presumably the family affairs were not going well, so she was reluctant to talk about this topic again, "Hehuan, I still have to stay here for half a month, do you still have arrangements for the local mountains?" I would like to participate as well. ”

"On Saturday, I arranged to go to a mountain in the suburbs at an altitude of 700 meters, so you can sign up."

"I haven't tried it in this temperature, to see if I can stand the test."

"It's a summer mountain over there, and the climate is cooler, but it also depends on the weather. Alas, it seems to be raining. Xin Chen was familiar with the weather in this city, and when he looked up, he saw that the sky on the dark river surface was starless and moonless, and the extremely oppressive clouds could be faintly seen rolling.

"How nice it is to rain." Bruce said excitedly, "I remember it was like ten years ago, that summer vacation, it rained so darkly, I never saw a rainstorm everywhere I went, the streets were full of water, and the deep places were said to be swimming, my sister and I secretly ran out to have water fights with people, and the car drove past and splashed high, it was so enjoyable." ”

When it came to the heavy rainstorm that was known as a once-in-a-century event in the city ten years ago, Xin Chen was stunned, and of course she had an impression.

"I was almost 13 years old that year, you should be 15, right?" Bruce turned to her with gusto, "If you're playing in the streets, we've probably met one at the time." ”

"That day—" Xin Chen pinched the beer can and looked at the river in the distance, according to her personality at that time, she should have rushed to the street to play in the water, but she shook her head, "I stayed at home honestly that day, I had a cold." ”

Bruce smiled, "Then don't tell me, you didn't come to the river to see the rising flood, the place where we are sitting here was completely submerged, and when we walked on the riverside road, we could see the steamers on the river, as if they were high above the embankment and suspended in front of us." You see, it's still possible that we've met a long time ago. ”

That year, the water level rose ferociously, and the riverside city became the center of national news, and it was impossible for the local citizens not to care. Of course, Xin Chen also came to see it, and the person who was holding her hand to see it was Lu Fei.

Xin Chen drank all the beer in his hand, and casually threw the empty can into the cardboard box, "I drank a lot today, forget it, go home, I don't want to catch a cold in the rain again." ”

There was already a dull thunder on the road, Xin Chen got out of the taxi, Bruce probed out, smiled and said loudly: "If you are afraid of thunder, chat with me on the Internet." ”

Xin Chen smiled, "Just like I haven't been a little sister for a long time, I'm not afraid of thunder for a long time, good night." ”

The taxi drove away, a flash of lightning flashed, Xin Chen stood still, motionless looking up at the sky, until there was another loud bang, thunder like a roar overhead, and then she hurried into the dark corridor.

The door of the black Audi Q7 parked not far away opened, Lu Fei walked out, and after he sent Xin Di home, he drove the car here, and sat in the car silently listening to the CD. He looked up at the window on the fifth floor, and finally the light came on, and he knew that Xin Chen had arrived home.

Another burst of thunder swept by, and he thought, although she had replied aloud to the boy that she had "not been afraid of thunder for a long time", but after the lightning, her body stiffened and stood in place, in fact, it was no different from the reaction she had told him before, "I will put a quilt on my ears, but I can't help but tremble like a demon and wait for the next thunder to sound."

However, after she had made it so clear during the day that it was no longer his responsibility, he could no longer find any reason to care for her as he had done on that rainy night ten years ago.

Ten years ago, when the city was hit by a heavy rainstorm, lightning and thunder began to roar in the middle of the night, Lu Fei's mother and sister who had returned to China for a vacation went to Shanghai, and his father was in Beijing on a business trip, and he was alone at home. He was asleep when his cell phone rang and woke him up.

Xin Chen's slight voice came from the microphone: "Lu Fei, can you chat with me?" ”

He looked at the time in a daze, "It's the middle of the night, Xiaochen, can't you sleep?" ”

"I ......" Xin Chen was a little embarrassed, obviously feeling that it was unreasonable to wake him up like this, but another burst of thunder swept by, and she couldn't stop her voice from trembling, "The power is out, I'm afraid, you can talk to me." ”

Lu Fei suddenly became completely sober, he knew that Xin Chen's father was away again, and she was home alone these days, "I'll come over right away and wait for me." ”

Lu Fei changed his clothes, took an umbrella and went out, it had begun to rain outside, the wind blew the umbrella out of shape, there was no way to resist the rain, he easily stopped the taxi, the driver muttered: "This rain is so heavy that it is really evil, no, I have to collect the car and go home after sending you." ”

There were no pedestrians on the road at all, the sky was thundering and lightning, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, it seemed to be pouring down, and the wipers were swinging back and forth rapidly, and it was still vast to see. After getting out of the car, he walked a short distance, Lu Fei was almost soaked even with an umbrella, he hurried up to the fifth floor where Xin Chen lived, and as soon as he rang the doorbell, Xin Chen opened the door, obviously guarding the door. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. Lu Fei threw down the umbrella, "Let go, Xiao Chen, I'm soaking wet." ”

Xin Chen ignored him, only hugged his waist and cried at the same time. They have known each other for a year, Xin Chen has always been cheerful and lively, even if he is a little temperamental, he will be fine in a blink of an eye, and he has never cried so loudly.

Lu Fei couldn't understand such a childish way of crying, but he couldn't help but feel distressed, so he only patted her patiently: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll accompany you, and next time there is thunder, I'll come over to accompany you, okay?" ”

Xin Chen's crying slowly turned into a sob, she understood that a 15-year-old girl, it was too much to be so coquettish, but she couldn't control herself at all.

Xin Chen had an almost morbid fear of such thunder.

Her grandfather died in the hospital due to illness, and she lived with her elderly and frail grandmother. In the early spring of the following year, on a thunderstorm night, she woke up, reached out to touch her grandmother, and then slept with peace of mind, but she did not sleep steadily, and had vague dreams. When it was almost early in the morning, she suddenly turned over and sat up, realizing that the body of her grandmother next to her was cold. At this moment, the lightning illuminated the room brightly for a short time, and the grandmother remained motionless, her eyes were closed, and her face was slightly distorted. She was silent for a moment, the thunder rang out, and she screamed in fright.

Xin Kaiyu was not at home that night, Xin Chen shook his hand to call his pager, and then called his uncle's house, and it was Xin Kaiming who rushed over first, he confirmed that his mother had passed away in his sleep, and he could only hug his niece who was huddled on the sofa in the living room wrapped in a quilt and trembling.

Later, Xin Chen insisted on changing rooms with her father, but in the same weather, her father did not return, and she was alone at home, so she could only use the quilt to block her ears. She told Xin Kaiyu that she was afraid, Xin Kaiyu took a picture of her apologetically, and promised to go home as early as possible next time, and later encountered a thunderstorm, he would indeed rush back as soon as possible, but there was nothing to do about the business trip.

This night, after Xin Chen woke up, she hurriedly got up and closed the window, and the wind swept in the rain, drenching her pajamas half-wet. She climbed back into bed, completely sleepless, trying to find something to distract herself, but she turned on the light and took a magazine, but still couldn't read it, only to see the lamp light cast her lonely figure on the wall, and the lightning flashed down, the shadow magnified and swayed, and the thunderclap came in a burst, which made her have countless frightened associations. Then there was a sudden power outage, and the room was plunged into darkness.

She finally couldn't hold back anymore and called Lu Fei. And he came, drenched all over, hugged her tightly, and was willing to let her have a seizure unprincipled and unconditionally, how could she not cry out loud?

When she was tired of crying and quieted down, Lu Fei looked at her cartoon doll pajamas that were wet by her own clothes, a little embarrassed, the girl's figure was completely exposed in front of his eyes, he looked away, "Go change into pajamas, Xiaochen, be careful of catching a cold." ”

Xin Chen went to change his clothes, and then brought Xin Kaiyu's clothes to him to change into. Lu Fei sat on the sofa and let her lie in his arms, listening to her intermittent conversation, and then he knew the origin of her fear. Looking at her slightly red and swollen eyes, he couldn't tell her that birth, old age, sickness and death were ordinary things, and there were no ghosts and gods in the world. For a child who has accumulated fears since the age of 12, of course, only hugging is the most effective comfort.

Moreover, she was willing to choose to cry in his arms.

The thunder outside was not so dense, but the rain was still very heavy, Xin Chen fell asleep on his chest, he picked her up, put her on the bed, covered her with a towel quilt, and then sat by the head of the bed, but he didn't feel sleepy at all. Caressing her thick hair with pity, he thought, if possible, that in the future, when she was afraid, all the arms she thought of would be his.

Now it seems like a luxury.

A drop of rain fell on Lu Fei's face, and then the rain fell heavily and suddenly, and the city's summer thunderstorm came again.

Xin Chen stood with her arms held against the balcony door and watched the heavy rain outside, she had drunk several kinds of wine today, quite drunk, her head was dizzy, but she didn't feel sleepy at all. Watching such lightning and thunder, she can't help but think of the past.

She hurried home, not afraid of rain or thunder, but not wanting to reminisce with Bruce, who preferred to be alone on a night like this. She knew that the storm ten years ago was destined to be different from others in her memory. She never shares her memories with others, and she doesn't want other people's memories to interfere with her.

The wind swayed the flowers and plants on the balcony, the rain poured down, and the lightning drew a dazzling zigzag in the distant sky, and after a brief flash, the thunder rumbled, and she stood straight, holding her breath until the thunder subsided, and would not shrink back again as before.

Of course, the girl who was so frightened by the lightning and thunder that she couldn't sleep was the same as the boy who braved the pouring rain to accompany her, and she had gone away with time. Everyone has to grow up, and she is no exception, she has never completely overcome her fears of certain things, but she has already convinced herself to face them.

In the city's news reports, the heavy rain on that night ten years ago set a 100-year record, the rain poured down almost violently, from 1 a.m. the first day to 2 p.m. the next day, many power lines in the city were blown off by the wind, the streets were soaked from knee to waist, everywhere were cars that broke down in the stagnant water, people who went out in the morning had to hold umbrellas and wade through the water, tricycles became the most popular means of transportation, and the whole city fell into disorder.

Such a serious waterlogging disaster weather, stubbornly left in Xin Chen's memory, but what lingered was just a warm embrace.

Xin Chentou shivered alone on the bed in half-wet pajamas at night, and then threw himself into the arms of Lu Fei, who was fully wet, and cried, waking up the next morning, breathing heavily, his head was a little heavy, and his voice was hoarse. Lu Fei touched her forehead, her body temperature was normal, "Is there any cold medicine at home?" ”

Xin Chen shook his head, "It's okay, I rarely get sick, just get some sleep." ”

"Well, I'll buy you some medicine."

Xin Chen leaned on the windowsill to look below, as if it was already a water town, the drainage system of this old city was not perfect enough, and then encountered this kind of heavy rain, the water staining situation was worse than elsewhere, there were naughty children on the street who took a big plastic basin as a boat to float and play, she was very happy to see it, dragging Lu Fei, "Let's go play too." ”

With such turbid and floating garbage in the water, Lu Fei even had to do psychological construction to overcome his cleanliness habit when he went out to buy medicine, and couldn't help crying and laughing, and pressed her back to the bed without saying anything, "You stay honest with me, and you are not allowed to go anywhere." ”

Lu Fei wore a pair of slippers, rolled up his trouser legs, and waded out of the water despite the discomfort, the streets were full of people dressed like him, the surrounding shops were all waterlogged, and the clerks were doing business while scooping water out, and they were all not surprised, and they were still talking and laughing with interest.

He bought back the medicine and bought a big bag of food by the way. Boss Xin Chen reluctantly drank the cold powder he had prepared, and watched him frown in the bathroom and rinse his legs repeatedly, a little funny, "How many fun things do people with cleanliness have to miss." ”

"For example......"

Xin Chen took his chin and pointed outside, "Playing in the water, how interesting, how long does it take for this kind of rain to catch up." ”

Lu Fei came out of the bathroom, his expression couldn't help but smile, and he touched her hair, "What a child." ”

He saw a lot of children playing in the rain along the way, and he could only admit that there was indeed a generation gap with the child in front of him. He couldn't figure out how the 15-year-old Xin Chen had grown up, but he still retained so much childishness. Looking at the stagnant water, he thought that the underground pipe network here might have to be renovated, and his father was probably already busy with the city's drainage and flood control.

But this did not prevent him from pampering Xin Chen, patiently coaxing her to drink medicine, she turned on the TV loudly but did not watch it, and she refused to do her homework under the pretext of having a headache. Seeing that she hated instant noodles, he went down to the kitchen for the first time and was about to cook noodles for her, but his gesture made Xin Chen laugh and pushed him away to do it himself.

Looking at the squeamish Xin Chen, she actually has a strong ability to live independently, she moves very neatly, frying eggs in one pot and cooking noodles in another pot, and at the same time taking out tomatoes from the refrigerator, washing and cutting them neatly, adding tomatoes and eggs to stir-fry until fragrant, and pouring them on the boiled noodles. It can be seen that she is very skillful, and must often spend herself like this. Eating the noodles she cooked, Lu Fei sincerely praised the deliciousness.

The two stayed at home, Lu Fei gave her homework, played chess with her, sat on the balcony with her after the rain stopped, watched the pigeons fly under the lead-gray sky after the rain, and watched the people downstairs go in and out on the tricycles that had gathered after hearing the news, all of them recovered from the initial complaints, talking and laughing, and no one seemed to think that this was a disaster weather.

Of course, Lu Fei's father certainly didn't think so. Lu Fei talked to his father on the phone, and knew that he had hurried back from Beijing, arranged for the drainage of the urban area, evacuated the trapped citizens, rushed to repair the power supply line, restored public transportation, and went to the first-line embankment where the flood situation was becoming increasingly severe, and there was no time to go home.

Xin Kaiming and Xin Kaiyu both called Xin Chen to ask her about the situation, and she reported truthfully: "The water has only receded a little, it's so deep, well, it's okay, I know." "Yes, it's a bit of a cold, I've already drunk my medicine. Okay, I'm not going out, there's food at home. ”

The rain stopped for a few hours and began to fall again, but not as violently and not as long as the first night. The water surrounding the residential building completely receded after two days, and Xin Chen and Lu Fei faced each other day and night for the first time.

At night, Lu Fei lay beside Xin Chen and whispered with her, but in fact, it was just her, and he listened with a smile until she fell asleep. Xin Chen felt his lips lightly imprint on her forehead, and she was content to suddenly have a warm and safe embrace in this house where she often lived alone, and the rainy night became no longer lonely.

Even if he was separated from Lu Fei, Xin Chen still cherished that time.

Xin Chen has been accustomed to the integration of her father and all kinds of women since she was a child, and she is not sentimental about separation. A woman once came to the door, took Xin Kaiyu's sleeve and cried sadly, but he remained calm and unmoved, and only said helplessly: "I've made it clear, don't make it ugly, scare my daughter, it's not interesting." ”

The woman could only leave in the end, Xin Kaiyu stroked her daughter's hair, "You're not angry with your father, are you?" ”

Xin Chen shook his head, "If you change your mind as soon as she cries, I will be angry." ”

Xin Kaiyu smiled, looked into her eyes, and said seriously: "Tatsuko remember, don't cry to boys casually in the future, crying will only embarrass the other party at most, and you can't change anything." The person who really hurts you won't easily make you cry, and the person who makes you cry will most likely not care about your tears. ”

She laughed too, knowing that her father had probably made many women cry. She thought, okay, then don't cry, she will try to be the one who leaves first in the future, and she will definitely not stay, let alone make an ugly gesture.

Of course, it was just a childish idea, at least when Lu Fei was leaving, she chose to stay where she was and watch his back slowly disappear. All she could do was stubbornly hold her head high and not cry. She told herself that it was just coming and going, walking and staying, it was not a big deal, and it would pass soon.

But it's just time.

After Lu Fei left, there were always many people who pursued Xin Chen, and in her sophomore year, she finally accepted a date request from a boy who had always liked her. The two walked on the campus in autumn, the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, the moonlight was as clear as water, and the air was filled with sweet fragrance, which was really a beautiful day, and the boy stared at her with affection, his eyes full of admiration. As his hands came up, she thought, okay. They hug, then kiss.

However, she sadly discovered, it was different.

She suddenly understood that when 19-year-old Lu Fei kissed her and hugged her, he was full of restraint and love. She is not yet 15 years old, and there will be no man who cares for her in such a self-sustaining and gentle way.

Hurriedly breaking free from that embrace, she walked away without explaining anything, cutting off contact with the boy without giving any reason.

Of course, Xin Chen knew that this comparison was meaningless, even if she and Lu Fei were not separated, they probably wouldn't have such a quiet time in the future. Sooner or later, like other lovers, they will experience the burning needs of their bodies and hearts, the longing of the spirit and the flesh, and that moment of purity will always become a memory.

Life goes on, the seasons go on and on, and she later gets a new boyfriend and convinces herself to start a new relationship.

The local summer climate is still notoriously hot, and at this time of year, it is often sunny and hot, and then it turns cloudy and muggy, and the air pressure is so low that people can't breathe, and then there is a thunderstorm that comes to the face, and it happens again and again.

It's just that there is no thunderstorm like that summer night ten years ago, and there is no one with such a hug. She accepted the reality.

On such a rainy night, the thunder and lightning were still raging, and the wind was wrapped in the rain, but her memory was full of tender images. She remembered that her grandmother's face was no longer distorted as at the moment of her death, but looked at her lovingly, caressing her face with a slightly rough hand with age spots, combing her hair and braiding her hair, half admiring and half melancholy: "With such hard hair, girls don't be too stubborn, Xiao Chen." She remembered that Lu Fei held her, listened to her meaningless whispers, smiled softly, and the kiss between the sleepy eyes burned softly but hotly on her forehead, dispelling her fear.

The heavy rain knocked off the jasmine and begonia flowers in full bloom on the balcony, the small white and red flowers stuck in the soil of the flower pots, and the morning glory leaves swayed from side to side in the wind around the fence of the anti-theft net. Xin Chen wiped his wet face, and couldn't figure out if it was the rain splashing on it, or if the tears were finally flowing out.

No flower blooms forever, no rainstorm never stops, and no memory should linger forever. It's time to draw a full stop. She said to herself.