Xin Chen didn't have any arrangements for this night, she just thought that Xin Di would go on a business trip to the United States tomorrow, and Dai Weifan would send her home later, and she should leave them some time to be alone.

After coming out of her uncle's house, she held her mobile phone and lazily rummaged through the address book as she walked, and suddenly found that it was not easy to find someone to spend time with. When she was in college, she was relatively obedient and didn't have any classmates who were particularly good friends. After work, I began to be peaceful, and no matter what kind of job I did, I got along well with the people around me, but I lost the interest in making deep friendships with people. There are many netizens who regularly hike together in the forum, but the friendship is limited to the road and the Internet, and there is little contact in life.

She was about to go to a movie alone, her mobile phone rang, she picked it up and saw that it was a moderator of the outdoor forum named "Bubble", they went to Tibet together this year, and they had each other's numbers, but almost no phone call, she quickly answered: "Hello." ”

"Hehuan, why have you disappeared during this time, haven't you read the post posted by Ah Feng in the jar? He's back from Everest, and we've made an appointment to meet at his Forever bar tonight, and we'd like to drop you off. ”

When Xin Chen sent a post about flowers that day, he roughly mentioned that he was going to go to other places in the near future. She knew that Lu Fei was also mixed here, so she didn't log in again, and she worked overtime in the advertising company every day to retouch pictures, and she really didn't have time to sign up for a routine hike, "Recently, I have a job to finish in a hurry, I didn't see it, I'm sorry, I'll come over immediately." ”

Forever has always been a base for outdoor forums to make appointments. Some people like extreme sports such as rock climbing, snow climbing, river tracing, diving, etc., some people like simple self-driving, and some people like more gentle hiking and camping, but most people have one thing in common, that is, they love photography. The owner of Forever Bar, Ah Feng, is a veteran of this BBS, and travelers will use his bar from time to time to meet and exchange outdoor experiences, and one of the important contents is to enjoy and comment on the photos taken by each other during the trip.

When Xin Chen arrived there, the bar was only open downstairs, and there were a few customers sitting in the dim candlelight, she went straight upstairs, and it was almost full of netizens, and the projector was releasing photos of Mount Everest, which were taken back by Ah Feng and a few friends, so majestic and magnificent, so that everyone took their breath.

Xin Chen found a place to sit down quietly, nodded and greeted a few people around him, and looked at the photo seriously.

This time, a total of two groups of people went to Tibet, Xin Chen participated in the self-driving route with local netizens, taking the Sichuan-Tibet line into the Qinghai-Tibet line, and the journey was also difficult, but compared with the itinerary of Ah Feng and several other foreign netizens, it was very mild. They are all amateur mountaineers in different regions and industries in China, interested in climbing Mount Everest, and met to go straight to the Everest base camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters for nearly a month to do adaptive training, during which they also hiked to the No. 3 scientific research camp at an altitude of 6,300 meters, which is the highest altitude position where people exist in this non-mountaineering season.

Ah Feng briefly added a commentary, introducing the shooting location, altitude, and technical parameters of the photo, but everyone was obviously more interested in the life of the Everest camp, and they didn't expect that there was a foreigner family of three with their children sitting leisurely in front of the tent basking in the sun. After the photos were finished, they immediately started asking strange questions, and Ah Feng answered them one by one, and then changed to the team leader who drove into Tibet to talk about their itinerary.

Ah Feng came over and sat next to Xin Chen, and asked with a smile: "Hehuan, you're a big name, you don't even reply to my post, be careful to punish you for drinking later." ”

"I've been too busy these days, I haven't been on the forum to watch, I'm not afraid of drinking with you, anyway, the light of the flute, even if you drink high, you have to send me back, I'll talk to the flute first." Xin Chen took out his mobile phone to call Xin Di, and then handed him the mobile phone, "Report to Dizi, she asked you why you haven't replied a few days ago." ”

Lu Fei stopped at the staircase, and a photo of six men and two women, including Xin Chen, standing in front of two off-road vehicles in T-shirts and smiling was shown on the projector.

He didn't see Xin Chen during this time, but he just listened to Xin Di say that she had been working overtime in the advertising company to retouch pictures, and after he completed the handover of the work of the venture capital company, he officially left his job and began to inspect the work he was preparing to take over, which was also very busy.

He has been working for American companies since graduation, and in the American work environment, he is a rare oriental face, but he quickly won the recognition of his boss with his ability, and the opportunities and pressures in front of him are exactly the same as those of his American colleagues. For nearly a year, he traveled around the world and handled the intricacies of venture capital business independently.

After returning to China, he was catching up with the rapid growth of the domestic economy and the vigorous development of the venture capital industry, and the business of the Beijing office had increased rapidly in his hands. But dealing with all levels of government and all kinds of enterprises, large and small, is also a new experience for him. The labyrinth of a well-established legal environment, delicate interpersonal relationships, vastly different investment policies, complex tax systems and local regulations forced him and his colleagues to devote all their energy to in-depth research.

After Lu Fei decided to stay in the local area, his initial plan was to raise funds and set up his own investment company, starting with high-tech growth companies, trying to introduce the concept of venture capital.

He and Wang Feng met by chance. Wang Feng was born from the grassroots, has a keen eye, and is an out-and-out wealthy mainland man who seized the historical opportunity to start from scratch, and even got into a lawsuit, which is typical among private entrepreneurs. But a lawsuit made his wife Xu Huaying shine in front of the stage, and the company not only did not hurt its muscles and bones, but it was thriving. And behind the scenes, he began to reflect on himself, keep a low profile, and concentrate on studying the economic situation and national policies. After talking to each other, they found that many of their ideas and understandings were strikingly similar.

It was also through Wang Feng that Lu Fei learned that many of the mainland's private capital, which is known for its huge amount of money and mysterious movements, is playing a policy sidekick and has a single profit-making model. Wang Feng is also anxious to get rid of the way of expanding business by friendship, word of mouth, and word of mouth, and is eager to bring the company to a standardized mode of operation. When Wang Feng proposed cooperation, Lu Fei was not surprised, although joining a pure private enterprise was a choice he had never thought of before, but with the previous communication, the two almost hit it off and reached a cooperation intention very smoothly.

Wang Feng introduced his wife Xu Huaying to meet with Lu Fei to discuss the details of cooperation, and today it was finally finalized, he served as the general manager of Wang Feng Investment Company, and accounted for 10% of the shares, the two sides reached a full consensus on business development and management, after the meeting, he and Wang Feng, Xu Huaying and his wife went to a suburban hall for dinner, and at the same time were introduced to the senior management of the group company.

In the midst of the staggered discussions, everyone talked and laughed, and Lu Fei clearly knew what this new job meant to him.

The pressure and responsibility of work did not make him care, just accepted this position, his life was firmly linked to the local area, and the girl who prompted him to decide to stay, but he was ready to leave without hesitation, thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.

After dinner, Lu Fei drove to Forever, and the upstairs was already full of friends, laughing and laughing. When he was routinely logging in to the forum the day before yesterday to continue reading the post, he saw Ah Fengfa's party exchange convening post, mentioning that he would drop by to see Xin Chen off, so he decided to come over to take a look.

The upstairs was already full, and he stood leaning against the railing of the staircase, quietly listening to the introduction of the bubble.

Bubble said: "I'm busy with work when I come back, and I've only recently sorted out the photos, and I'll send the detailed route guide to the forum again, and here I'll show you some photos of us after we entered Tibet." ”

A photo of Litang surrounded by snow peaks appeared on the screen, and Bubble said: "The altitude here is 4014 meters, and several heroes who rushed to drive all the way have begun to react. ”

Xin Chen smiled: "You don't exaggerate the bubble, but you don't have a headache when you concentrate on driving, didn't you confirm it the next day?" ”

"It's good that you can't hold it until the fixed day, otherwise I would really be an iron man." Bubble also smiled, "Everyone, on the fixed day, several people had a headache at night and couldn't sleep, got up and walked around, and suddenly found that Hehuan was missing, I was so frightened that my head suddenly became bigger, how can I lose someone." Look at it again, okay, the eldest lady hugged the quilt and slept on the off-road vehicle, and deliberately opened a cylinder of oxygen to put it slowly in the car, and slept so fragrantly. Please write down this experience, this trick is very effective when you can't resist altitude sickness. ”

Everyone laughed, Bubble continued to talk about the itinerary, compared to Ah Feng's hard and boring in the Lone Peak camp, their experience was obviously much more interesting, one by one strange and distant place names came out of Foam's mouth, and pictures were displayed on the projector:

In Dongda Mountain, they encountered a snowstorm and could only drive the turtle forward cautiously; On the ninety-nine turns of the Nu River, everyone is a little crazy, chasing down and downhill, and they are addicted; When I went to the ancient glacier, I took the wrong road, almost ran to Chayu, and walked between the snowy peaks, and several people agreed that it was worth the mistake; When a car in the same company fell into the river beach, the metal parts on the nylon tow rope were not strong enough to break, so they could only find a passing vehicle to borrow a wire tow rope; When approaching Lhasa, the sun goes down, the sky is cloudy, and the colors are confusing; At the 4888-meter sign of the 318 line, several people took a group photo on the roof of the Asano car; At an altitude of 5,020 meters, you can see the sunrise at the Chagula Pass, and the four peaks at an altitude of 8,000 meters, including Mount Everest, are lined up in a sea of clouds......

A photograph of Xin Chen appeared on the projection, and Lu Fei's gaze fell firmly on her face, wearing a dark brown jacket and sunglasses, and the camouflage-patterned outdoor headscarf that had been used in Beijing three years ago was obscured over her face.

Bubble continued to explain: "Walked here, a car behind the water tank leaked, there is no place to repair, I had to go to the river to fetch water to replenish, the sand and dust on the winding mountain road is terrible, but the scenery of the river beach below is really good." ”

In this photo, the sky is incredibly blue, with extremely low white and dense clouds, hugging behind Xin Chen, as if within reach, the sunlight penetrates through the gaps in the clouds, the light is strong and staggered, illuminating the river beach half-light and half-dark, and the clear river meanders and flows. She stood on the large pebbles of the empty river beach, holding a card machine in her hand and taking pictures, her hair was blown by the wind, although she couldn't see her face clearly, but the color of the photo was bright, she was outstanding and independent, and her posture was tall and sassy.

Xin Chen, who was sitting not far from the staircase, was talking in a low voice with a person next to him, unaware of Lu Fei's arrival. A new photo appeared on the projector, and Bubble said: "We also took a carriage to the Everest base camp, met Ah Feng and them, acknowledged his kindness, and entertained us to eat instant noodles that were boiled with great difficulty." ”

Ah Feng smiled and said, "I still want to complain when I see that you brought two beauties up to ruthlessly take out precious supplies to entertain you." ”

The crowd laughed again.

The same is standing alone in the dust, the same is covered with a turban, Xin Chen on the projection screen looks radiant, without a trace of loneliness and decadence.

Lu Fei thought, at least Xin Chen was right in some way, his understanding of her did stay at a certain stage, even if he reviewed her itinerary in the past few years in such a detailed way, he couldn't touch her heart.

She grew up outside of his sight, her life was not as wonderful as his participation, she had been to faraway places he had not been, she had seen magnificent rivers and mountains that he had not seen, she had the opportunity to live in all the bustling cities that he had never experienced.

Unconsciously, she has grown from a wanton blooming flower to a proudly standing tree, she is no longer the lonely little girl who has never seen the sea and lives in a chaotic residential area, her current calm posture is not a kind of prevarication and defense against him, but her attitude to life.

And he is still obsessed with the fact that Xin Chen, who once had no scruples about being coquettish and willful to him, no longer appears, and he can't help but be ashamed.

Bubble has talked about the last part of the return trip, "I'm ashamed, brother, I went down the plateau but there was a problem, just on the Lianhuo Expressway was uncomfortable, numb all over the body, was rushed to the hospital, I had a physical examination before departure, and I was very healthy, but as soon as I arrived at the hospital, I was scared by the doctor, and I was given a critical illness notice." Fortunately, Peter the Great was born as a medical student, although he changed his career to sell medicine as soon as he graduated, he is still a professional in the end, and Hehuan has seen this situation, she has received a critical illness notice before, and she was still alone in the field. After a detailed examination, the diagnosis was first-degree atrioventricular block, as long as you don't drive and pay attention to rest, there will be no major problems. After the infusion, I was discharged from the hospital and deprived of the right to drive, and they took turns driving and returned to the local area without any problems, ending this unforgettable trip. Thank you. ”

Ah Feng stood up and beckoned the waiter to serve wine, "Hehuan wants to leave here for a while, and today can be regarded as seeing her off, we will have fun, and we will not return if we are not drunk." ”

Lu Fei quietly retreated, went downstairs to find a place to sit down, and asked the waiter to serve a glass of red wine. Downstairs, only the gentle jazz music flowed quietly, and the candlelight flickered in the candle glasses, flickering and flickering, and he sat silently, only occasionally picking up a glass and taking a sip.

There are fewer and fewer guests downstairs, and the laughter upstairs comes from a space, not far away, with the music, but a little trance.

Thinking that Xin Chen was talking and laughing with people in such a lively situation, instead of being alone in loneliness, Lu Fei felt at ease, and he was willing for her to devote herself to indulgence, even if her smile was not directed at him.

As the night wore on, the watch on his wrist was pointing to midnight, the red wine in his hand was already the third glass, and people began to come down the stairs one after another, saying goodbye to each other and going out. Ah Feng accompanied Xin Chen to the end, and the two talked while going downstairs.

"I'll send you back, otherwise Xiaodi will blame me again."

Xin Chen's voice was brisk, "No need, I'm not drunk, ouch." But she almost stepped on a staircase, and Ah Feng hurriedly held her up.

"Dare to say that you are not drunk, wait a minute, I will beckon them to close the door, and then send you."

Lu Fei greeted him and took Xin Chen's hand, "Thank you, I'll send her." ”

Ah Feng was surprised, and was about to speak, Xin Chen smiled, "Ah, Lu Fei, are you also here to see me off, why don't you go up and drink together?" ”

She had obviously drunk too much, her cheeks were red, her eyes were shining, she was trying to stand firmly, and when she took another step, she fell into Lu Fei's arms. Seeing that they knew each other, Ah Feng was relieved, "If someone protects the flower, I won't send it." ”

Xin Chen leaned on Lu Fei softly, grabbing his shirt indiscriminately, trying to regain his balance, Lu Fei half-supported and half-hugged her, and nodded to Ah Feng, "Excuse me, goodbye." ”

There was no parking space in front of the door here, Lu Fei's car was parked on another street, he put his arm around Xin Chen, and walked slowly, and she was not quiet, she was in a state of euphoria after drinking, and said with a smile: "You came too late, it was so lively just now." In the past, I always sent it to others, to my father, to you, and to Li Yang......" She frowned, as if trying to remember what other names there were, and then smiled, "Oh, yes, and Yueqing." In fact, I was afraid to send people away, and watched them leave one by one, leaving me alone. ”

"I won't leave you alone in the future." He whispered.

But she didn't pay attention, and just continued to say to herself: "There are so many people sending me, it doesn't matter where I go alone." ”

"Do you have to go?"

She laughed so much that her body shook slightly in the crook of his arm, "You say goodbye to everyone and don't leave, that's really annoying." ”

"What if I ask you to stay?" His heart raced, waiting for her answer. As if she hadn't heard, she giggled and turned the conversation away.

"I'm so happy today, I haven't drunk so much in a long time. Last time I was in Tashkurgan, Xinjiang, ah, I forgot who they were, everyone only met when they arrived in Xinjiang, and they couldn't name them at all. But have you noticed that sometimes it's more pleasant to talk to strangers? ”

Lu Fei has always been self-controlled, drinking has always stopped at the slightest drunkenness, and it is impossible to confide in strangers, but now he hopes that Xin Chen will remain in this state, treat himself as a strange passerby, and continue to talk unrestrainedly.

Xin Chen leaned against the crook of his arm, his steps staggered slightly, "We gathered around the campfire, while drinking, talking about our first love, talking about the most unforgettable person." Everyone drank a lot, and if they drank too much, they dared to say anything meaty, and it turned out that everyone seemed to have a past in their hearts. ”

Lu Fei had already walked to the side of the car, but he didn't want to interrupt her, so he simply stood and held her firmly. She was evidently immersed in the pleasure of alcohol, and for the first time in a long time, she had snuggled up in his arms so unguardedly and relaxedly, forgetting the difference from him, and seemed to have gone back to the past, holding his arm, and rambling on all the interesting things she could think of.

"The moon on the plateau that night was beautiful, the air was transparent, there was not a single trace of dust, colorful Pamir flowers bloomed everywhere, everyone was trying their best to be lyrical, what they got and what they didn't get, whether there was something worthy of lyricism in life." Xin Chen's voice was low and crisp, "Hey, are you laughing at me?" ”

Lu Fei shook her head, she didn't delve into it, her eyes were a little sloppy, she tilted her head and thought about it, she didn't know where she had spoken, those long-standing words suddenly came up through the wine, and found a cathartic outlet, and it was impossible to take it away.

"Yes, everybody tells their secrets. Some people are lucky enough to get together with the person they loved at the beginning, but he still regrets it, saying that he didn't have time to have a deeper experience, and his life is nothing more than that, which shows that people's hearts are not satisfied things. She chuckled softly, "There are some old things, which are really miserable to say, some people say that the girl he loves the most is married to his best friend; Some people say that they have loved someone for many years and have never had a chance to talk to him, guess what I said? ”

Lu Fei stared intently at her lips opening and closing gently, her snow-white teeth shining faintly in the thick night, and the pear vortex on her left cheek loomed, "I can't guess." ”

"I said, I loved someone, and I want to thank that person in my life, something like that. It doesn't matter where he is afterward, who he is with, whether he has forgotten me or not. I had his first kiss and I was his first love. Maybe one day, when he drinks a little wine, he will remember me like this and think it is sweet, and that would be good. ”

Lu Fei only felt a sharp choking in his throat, unable to make a sound, and the sharp tingling sensation made his hand involuntarily clasp her tightly, but she didn't realize it, and continued with a smile: "I don't know if he will think of me, after all, standing opposite, he can't recognize me." She sighed under her breath and rested her head against his breast, and he stood motionless, lest she would break the silence of the moment, lest she would remember everything and withdraw from his embrace. If he had a choice, he hoped that time would freeze and that there would be no next moment.

She suddenly raised her head and looked at him fixedly, "Of course, I'm a little high-minded, not only touching others, but also moving myself." I'm actually not that tolerant and grateful, and a lot of the time, I hate it. If he had never appeared, if I had not been loved by him like that, I would not have been able to let go of him in my later life, I would not have made unfair comparisons with others, and I would not have failed the hearts of those who loved me. ”

She was obviously facing him, but it was like reminiscing about an unrelated person, Lu Fei clenched her teeth, her voice was fluent and light, but it pierced into his heart more and more heavily.

Xin Chen woke up, only to feel that her mouth was dry and her throat was burning, she propped herself up and got out of bed in a daze, her feet were looking for her slippers by the bed, but she stepped on the soft carpet, and couldn't help but be stunned, only then did she realize that she was not lying on the bed in Xin Di's study. She travels a lot and has always chosen a bed, but when she woke up from a dream, she found herself lying in a strange place, and her eyes widened in fright, and the residual drunkenness disappeared without a trace.

In front of her was a very large bedroom, the door was open, a little light came in, you could see the floor-to-ceiling long windows and curtains hanging low, with the breeze swaying slightly, there was a large wool carpet next to the bed, she stood up, put on the shoes at the end of the bed, and walked towards the door, only to find that there was a study outside, the lamp was on the wide desk, the computer had entered a dormant state, Lu Fei was sitting with his back to her, his head leaning on the back of the chair.

She walked over and found that Lu Fei was asleep, he had taken a bath, his hair was a little wet, his face was turned to the side, his brows were tightly locked, there was a Sichuan character line between his eyebrows, and his lips were pursed tightly, even in his sleep, this handsome face looked depressed, not a relaxed expression.

She involuntarily raised her hand and pressed it lightly on the line. Her fingertips touched his warm skin, and he woke up suddenly, raising his hand to hold hers, "Xiao Chen, are you uncomfortable?" Why do you wake up so early? ”

She suddenly realized that this unconscious action was too ambiguous, and hurriedly withdrew her hand, "I'm thirsty, I want to drink water." ”

Lu Fei got up and pushed her to sit on the chair in front of the desk, "Wait a minute." ”

He hurried outside, brought in two bottles of mineral water, opened one and handed it to her, she gulped down, and the cool water ran down her throat, and the uncomfortable feeling in her throat was finally relieved. She placed the bottle on the table, unconsciously touched the mouse, and the computer screen lit up again, revealing the local outdoor forum web page that she had long been familiar with.

She turned around, Lu Fei looked at her calmly, reached out and stroked her hair, "Let's go to sleep for a while, it's only past four o'clock, and I'll send you back when it's dawn." ”

"Why don't you just send me home?"

"It's too late, I'm afraid to wake up the flute."

"Every time I drink too much, I become a chatterbox. I didn't say anything last night...... Stupid words, right? If you do, don't take it seriously. Xin Chen was a little annoyed, the atmosphere was too warm last night, and all the familiar and unfamiliar netizens clinked glasses with her, and before she knew it, she drank high. Lu Fei sent her, she knew that Ah Feng was Xin Di's friend after all, and they didn't have a direct relationship, so it would be good if they didn't trouble him. She vaguely remembered that she seemed to be very excited, and she couldn't control her talking, but she had no memory of what she said.

"You said a lot of things, some of which I will always remember." Xin Chen was so startled that he was about to speak, but he continued, "There are some things that I really don't want to take seriously, such as asking me to stop pestering you." ”

Xin Chen didn't expect Lu Fei to be in the mood to joke now, so he could only smile reluctantly, "This sentence is my narcissist who has an attack on alcohol, and it can be ignored." ”

Lu Fei smiled, that smile with helplessness and affection, "I'll ignore it, because I plan to pester you all the time." ”

He was dressed in black pajamas with an open neckline and a slender neck with striking kiss marks near his collarbone.

Xin Chen's eyes fell there, his head buzzed, and his fingers instinctively pressed to his neck, and there was a slight tingling sensation in the piece of skin under his fingertips, and he didn't need to look at it to know that there were the same marks.

She vaguely remembered last night's dream, as if there were tight and breathless hugs, eager and greedy sucking, biting...... Those scenes were fleeting, but the feeling was real, and she couldn't think of it as a spring dream that she occasionally had on a lonely night, and her heart was in turmoil for a while.

Lu Fei gently took her hand, "Don't be nervous, nothing happened." ”

On such a quiet night, his voice was low and gentle, Xin Chen suddenly leaned back in the chair, stared at him for a long time, and then smiled, "I'm sorry, no matter what I said or did, I don't plan to be responsible, I'll go to sleep." ”

She got up, went back to the bedroom, kicked off her shoes, and fell asleep. Lu Fei followed, pulled the thin quilt up and covered her, "I put a bottle of water on the bedside table, let's sleep well." ”

Lu Fei walked out, and after a while, the light in the study outside was also turned off. It was close to five o'clock, the room was dark and quiet, Xin Chen no longer felt sleepy, the hangover inevitably brought a little headache, and what made her even more uncomfortable was that she was obviously sleeping on Lu Fei's bed now, and there was a refreshing manly breath that belonged to him on the pillow, and this breath had clearly been closely surrounding her since last night.

She didn't remember what had happened, but she remembered vividly that she had been leaning into a hug, and it was his arms around her, steady and warm, breathing his breath, combined with the dual effect of alcohol, that made her just want to let herself sink and not care about anything else.

The last time I got drunk, it was in Xinjiang, and the high number of liquor was spicy and exciting, but both men and women drank it in a bold manner, without any scruples.

The next day, a girl from Northeast China, who was in the same tent, told her that she had been talking for nearly two hours before falling asleep, "and it was quite clear, and it didn't sound like drunken talk." ”

She laughed horrively, and hurriedly said sorry, and the girl laughed too, "It's nothing, I also drank too much, and my virtue is not much better, and I still hold you and cry, it's better than hugging a strange man and crying, it's much happier after crying." ”

Xin Chen didn't ask what she said after drinking, and the girl wouldn't mention why she hugged her and cried. There is such a benefit when Pingshui meets, all the secrets seem to go into a tree hole, and when the journey is over, everyone will tacitly stop mentioning it.

Since then, Xin Chen has begun to control himself and try not to drink too much.

However, no matter how good the self-control is, there will be cracks, and she was still drunk last night; And no matter how deep the drunkenness is, there are sober moments, and waking up and remembering such floating and drowning will only make people more lonely.

She pressed her aching temples and buried her head deep into the pillow.