Ji Xiaoou finished the transcript, because there was still the work of on-site identification that had not yet been completed, and she had to go back to the beauty shop with the police. The young policeman who was in charge of sending her back didn't even bother to drink saliva after a busy night, so he took advantage of this rare time to quickly stuff a few mouthfuls of breakfast to pad his stomach, and went to the bathroom to solve his physiological problems.

Ji Xiaoou sat on a bench in the hall and waited for the police to take her away. She lowered her head and looked at the top of her feet. It was already past seven o'clock in the morning, and people were coming to work one after another. Occasionally, sneakers or leather shoes pass by in front of you, and there is no intention of lingering. But there was a pair of shiny black leather shoes, but they came to her and stopped.

"Xiaoou." Someone called her that.

Ji Xiaoou's reaction seemed to be half a beat slower, and it took a long time to realize that he was calling himself. She slowly raised her head, and it was Lin Haipeng standing in front of her, who was half-bent over, tilting his head sideways to find her eyes.

Ji Xiaoou shrank back, as if he didn't recognize him.

"Xiaoou." He squatted down in front of Ji Xiaoou.

Ji Xiaoou shivered as if she was cold, because in his pupils, she clearly saw herself, saw her appearance at the moment, and looked so embarrassed and failed in comparison with the neatly dressed Lin Haipeng. On a cold morning, he wore only a black tweed coat with a clean white shirt collar and dark gray tie at the neckline, his hair neatly groomed with mousse, and his body was as structured as if he had just stepped out of the Great Hall of the People.

"Xiaoou, what's wrong with you?" Lin Haipeng leaned forward a little more.

"Why are you here?" Ji Xiaoou's eyes finally came alive, she raised her hand to brush her hair, and her tone was surprisingly cold.

"Me? I've always been here. I don't worry about you, but I'm relieved to see that you're okay. ”

"You, one, straight, all, in, this, in?" Ji Xiaoou looked at him, slowly repeating word by word, like a patient with aphasia, but his brain turned like a windmill. A thought faintly floated up from the depths of my heart, like a craggy reef in a thick fog, gradually revealing a hideous outline in the light of the sun.

She slowly lowered her eyes, stared into her knees, and asked herself inwardly: What did he mean by that? In the next second, a doubt that had been accumulated in my heart for a long time, like a soap bubble, popped, and after the bubble fell, the truth that I couldn't bear to look at was revealed. She stood up suddenly, the pupils of her eyes contracted instantly, as if they had become two hard and sharp nails, staring straight at Lin Haipeng, and she asked a question that almost made her collapse: "Did you call the police?" Isn't it? ”

Lin Haipeng was completely frightened by the fierce light on her face, took a step back, and replied inarticulately: "I'm ...... for your good"

Before he could finish speaking, Ji Xiaoou raised his arm like crazy and slapped him in the mouth. After an abrupt crisp sound, she scolded incoherently: "You bastard! ”

This slap was so hard that it almost exhausted the strength of her whole body, and her entire right palm was pushed back, and it hurt so much that she couldn't get back to its original position for a long time. Standing trembling in place, she didn't care about her gaffes and rage. Thinking of the scene where Yan Yan was taken away, she hated the person in front of her to death, and hated to crush him to ashes. If it weren't for him, Rigor would have surrendered calmly, and there would be no need to pretend to resist and be beaten into a blood gourd in order to protect her, not to mention how much suffering he would have to suffer if he returned to the detention center. If she didn't slap her, she was afraid that she would be burned to ashes by the fire of anger.

Lin Haipeng was completely defenseless, covering half of his face, he was stunned by the sudden blow and pain, and he didn't react for a while, just stared at Ji Xiaoou in a daze: "You...... You ......"

Ji Xiaoou pounced again, this time she raised her foot and kicked it hard, gasping hysterically as she kicked, "You scumbag, why didn't I recognize you earlier?" ”

Lin Haipeng hurriedly stepped back: "Are you crazy?" ”

Ji Xiaoou chased after him and kicked harder, because of this moment of lightning, she suddenly remembered, why did the text of "Zhan Yu's father" on Weibo make her feel so familiar? Because she had copied Lin Haipeng's speech several times two years ago, she was already familiar with the habit of choosing words and words. It's just that every time this thought pops up in her heart, she subconsciously suppresses it. She didn't want to admit that she had ever loved a scumbag.

All the anger erupted at this moment, and she shouted while kicking: "Zhan Yu's father's Weibo, you helped him open it, didn't you?" The one called "Messenger of Justice" on the Internet is also you, right? What happened to him, you are planning to kill him? Grandson, you lack virtue to become like this, why didn't you get killed by lightning when you went out? ”

Lin Haipeng was finally kicked awake by her, and in the face of Ji Xiaoou, who looked crazy, he gritted his teeth while hiding and said: "Ji Xiaoou, don't be ignorant, shameless!" Those things you threw in the trash, if I hand them over to you, you're going to go to jail with that kid!" ”

At this time, Lin Haipeng had already hid in a place where Ji Xiaoou couldn't hit him, he thought that this sentence would scare her and stop her attack, but he didn't expect her to pull out the metal crossbar on the newspaper shelf, sneered and forced it over: "So you are following me?" You pervert! You go, the people from the task force are still there, go quickly, I can go to prison with him, thank you! ”

Lin Haipeng was frightened, he had a powerful mouth, but he had never touched anyone since he was a child, especially a woman who seemed to have gone crazy. He stepped back step by step, but behind him were floor-to-ceiling windows, and there was no way to retreat.

But Ji Xiaoou's crossbar didn't have time to draw Lin Haipeng, because the young policeman who was alarmed by the strange sound jumped out of the bathroom, hugged her from behind, grabbed the pole, and then knocked her to the floor.

Facing this pair of men and women who didn't know the seriousness, the policeman was so angry that his face turned blue: "What do you two want to do?" What is this place? Wild here? It's all itchy and want to loosen the bones, isn't it? ”

As soon as Ji Xiaoou fell and sat down, he couldn't stand up anymore, only gasping for breath.

Lin Haipeng stood up straight and swallowed a mouthful of blood. He smiled at Ji Xiaoou, who was sitting on the ground, and smiled coldly: "Tell you Ji Xiaoou, I won't sue you, I want you to remember forever that I saved you!" But I don't want to get what I can't get. Just keep your eyes open and watch well, watch him get sentenced to death, watch him be executed. ”

Ji Xiaoou glared at him: "Are you raised by a dog?" ”

Lin Haipeng ignored her and left with a sneer.

The policeman looked at Ji Xiaoou, and a trace of disgust mixed with doubts appeared on his young face. He didn't understand why this girl, who had been looking beautiful in the interrogation room just now, had become like a street shrew in the blink of an eye.

Ji Xiaoou sat and gasped for a long time, and finally stood up silently under his gaze, patted the dust off his pants, and whispered, "Let's go." ”

Since he was taken away in the early morning, a yellow cordon has been set up on the front and back doors of the "Flowing Year" beauty shop. It was about to dawn, and people who got up early saw the police cordon and the police cars parked in the neighborhood to know that something had happened at night. Although all the curtains in the store were tightly drawn, and nothing could be seen, the crowds from outside the door were still gathering more and more.

The police car of the city bureau drove over, and from a distance, I saw a group of idlers gathered at the gate of the "Year of Water". The female policeman who accompanied her was not surprised, and told Ji Xiaoou to take off her coat to cover her head and face, and the two male policemen shouted in front of her to open the way, and she led Ji Xiaoou to get out of the car and walk tightly, squeezing through the path out of the crowd.

The morning light on a hazy day was dim, and even though the coat was tightly covered, Ji Xiaoou could still see the flashing lights crackling and flickering. The road of more than ten meters can be crossed in a few steps on weekdays, but today it is so long. She tugged at the hem of her coat tightly to fend off the hands of strangers who suddenly stretched out in secret, those who wanted to lift their coats to see the true face of the heroine of the incident. But in her ears, she couldn't stop the whispers of the old neighbors.

"Isn't that Lao Ji's granddaughter? Lao Ji is so good, how can his granddaughter raise such a ......"

"I heard that when the police went in, they were naked, didn't they ......?"

"The murderer chased her, could she be ...... too"

"It's hard to say, shhhh......h

Ji Xiaoou bit his lip tightly, almost biting his lip. When several people finally squeezed into the store, and when they pulled down the roller shutter door, she was already in a hot sweat.

At noon, the relevant evidence was collected, the vigilance was lifted, and the police cars left one by one, and the people outside the door were still unwilling to disperse. In the evening, the news that the murder suspect in the "December 29 Case" was re-arrested two days after escaping from the detention center appeared in the newspapers, and all kinds of gossip and speculation appeared on the Internet, and all kinds of rumors were rampant. Outside the door of the "Year of Water", there are curious hunters hanging outside every day, and there are even media reporters squatting with cameras.

Beauty salons are temporarily closed for business.

Ji Xiaoou can't show up for the time being. She hid in her room for three days. It's rare that Zhao Yamin didn't ask a word this time, let alone say a mean word, and behaved like a reasonable mother. After all the procedures were over that day, the police notified her to pick up someone, and after listening to the simple experience, she had been bluffed out of her body, hugged Ji Xiaoou tightly, and her lips were trembling: "Why is my daughter so unlucky?" Why was you entangled by this perverted murderer? Xiaoou, how many times have I told you that I won't let you live here alone, how many times have I told you that the house facing the street is not safe, why don't you listen to your mother? ”

Ji Xiaoou just straightened his eyes, the focus of his eyes fell on some empty place, and he refused to say a word. Everyone else thought she was so frightened that she had not yet recovered from her fear and shock. When she got home, she closed the door and locked it, no matter how good Zhao Yamin persuaded outside, she refused to come out to meet people.

Zhao Yamin only thought that her daughter had really suffered a physical loss, since it was not a glorious thing, she was worried that people would be terrible, so she didn't dare to say more. Ji Zhaolin was having a meeting abroad and couldn't come back for a while. For this reason, Zhao Yamin took three days off to stay at home, just to keep Ji Xiaoou, afraid that she would not be able to think of doing something stupid for a while. Two days later, Ji Xiaoou's aunt flew from Yantai, Shandong Province to Beijing, and the two sisters met for a long time to discuss, and finally the aunt knocked on Ji Xiaoou's door. But she knocked on the door for a long time and no one answered, and finally Zhao Yamin was anxious, took out the large cone from the toolbox and prepared to pick the lock, but the noise was too big, and Ji Xiaoou opened the door and walked out.

"Mom, auntie, I've tired you these days. I'm fine, I'm just thinking about something. Sitting in front of her mother and aunt, she looked calm and spoke in an orderly manner, which was not at all the painful appearance that Zhao Yamin imagined. Because she should cry, hate, and face, she has been alone in the house for the past three days, and she has sorted it out, so she seems extremely calm at the moment. "Beauty shop, I'm going to transfer it to someone else for the time being."

"Okay." Zhao Yamin nodded hurriedly, "It's okay for you to rest for a year and a half." It's not that our family can't afford to support a person who eats idle food. ”

"Mom, before the store changes hands, I want to borrow some money from you, I want to buy a car."

"You're not going to work again, what are you buying a car for?"

"Because I was entrusted to manage a restaurant in Tianjin, I had to have a car."

Zhao Yamin's eyes widened: "Hotel? Did you make a restaurant? Who would dare to hand over a restaurant to you? ”

Ji Xiaoou lowered his eyes slightly, refusing to look at Zhao Yamin: "Friend." ”

"What friend?" Perhaps sensing some ominous aura, Zhao Yamin's tone became aggressive.

Ji Xiaoou bit her lip, and after a while, as if she had finally made up her mind, she raised her eyes and looked directly at her mother bravely: "Mom, I'll be honest with you, this hotel ...... It's rigorous. ”

Zhao Yamin was stunned for a moment: "Rigorous? Who is Rigorous? ”

The aunt coughed, touched Zhao Yamin's elbow, and then mouthed the newspaper Nunu on the side.

Zhao Yamin reacted immediately, only to feel like a cannon battle in his head, and it exploded all of a sudden. She stood up and pointed at Ji Xiaoou, her fingers trembling so hard that she couldn't reach the target: "What? The murderer? What do you have to do with him? Why...... Why do you ...... Help him manage the restaurant? ”

"Mom," Ji Xiaoou looked very calm in the face of her angry mother, and gently pressed her finger down, "Before the court pronounced the verdict, he was just a criminal suspect, not a murderer!" ”

"I don't care what court is not a court!" Zhao Yamin slapped the table and shouted, "Anyway, it's not good." A murderer, or a pervert...... You're crazy about you! ”

"I'm not crazy. Everything I say to you here is a deliberate decision. Mom, I'll tell you again, he's not a murderer, he's not a pervert, be careful with your words. ”

Zhao Yamin couldn't wait to jump up and slap her daughter: "What did you say?" What is your attitude when you talk to me? ”

The aunt hurriedly stopped her: "Yamin, calm down!" He turned to Ji Xiaoou and said, "Xiaoou, you are still an unmarried girl, and your reputation is the most important." We have to be sensible, and we must not be emotional! ”

"Auntie, I'm very sensible. I don't believe he ever killed. This shop is very important to him, and I must help him maintain the restaurant until he comes out of it. ”

"What if he can't get out? Xiaoou, what was your relationship with him before? ”

"Boyfriend."

Zhao Yamin slapped the table again: "Listen, eldest sister, listen to it, boyfriend!" She dared to keep us secret. Say, "How far have you come?" Have you ever had a relationship with him? Ji Xiaoou, you lard your heart, now everyone knows that he is a murderer, do you believe him? What if he gets shot? Your life has been ruined, do you know? ”

Ji Xiaoou stood up slowly, his expression was firm, but his voice was surprisingly gentle: "Mom, I've done it." If you can accept it, I will come home every day. If you can't accept it, I'll move out. Speaking of this, she picked up a backpack from her foot, "Now I have to go to Tianjin, and I will come back tomorrow." Think about it, and I'll wait for you when you come back. ”

Zhao Yamin's chest rose and fell with anger: "Don't think about it, as long as you dare to take this step today, I won't have you as a girl!" ”

Ji Xiaoou picked up her backpack and smiled at her aunt: "Auntie, please take care of my mother, don't make her too angry." ”

The aunt stepped forward and wanted to stop her: "Xiaoou, there is something to discuss, don't be angry with your mother." ”

Zhao Yamin shouted: "Don't stop her, let her go!" ”

Ji Xiaoou opened the door of the house, turned her back to her mother and sighed: "Mom, I am indeed unfilial, otherwise, you should have never had me as a daughter." ”

The security door slammed shut behind her, as if to completely isolate her present from her past. Her steps tried to stay light, but the guilt and helplessness of her family affection were like sandbags tied to her legs, making her walk sluggish and slow.

Stepping out of the elevator, she looked up for the window of her home. The window was closed, revealing half of the familiar curtains. She closed her eyes in the harsh sunlight and silently apologized in her heart: Mom, I'm sorry!

Ji Xiaoou went back to the "Year of Water" to get his ID card. When she took out the key to open the door, she saw several old residents in the community behind her, all of whom had been called "grandpa" and "grandma" by her since she was a child, watching her grow up. They pointed at her from afar, talking to each other and not knowing what they were talking about. She turned around to say hello, but they walked away as if they had agreed beforehand, as if she didn't exist at all.

Ji Xiaoou stood there with the key for a while, and smiled bitterly at himself. She doesn't blame these old neighbors. If the two sides were to switch positions, I'm afraid her reaction would be even worse.

Before leaving, she suddenly thought of a very important thing, she had to find a strict parents to write a power of attorney, and it would be meaningful to take the power of attorney to "one-third". Otherwise, with only her red mouth and white teeth, how could the store manager believe her?

Standing under the paulownia tree on the side of the road, she called Yan Shen.

Before the phone was connected, she was a little apprehensive. Because after Rigor was arrested, all the press releases were the same statement: Rigor escaped from the guards, so he took hostages, but fortunately, the SWAT was brave and fearless, successfully arrested the prisoner, and rescued the hostages safely. She was afraid that the rigorous family would misunderstand her role in it. But when Yan Shen picked up the phone, there was no difference, the style was the same, there was still no nonsense, and after listening to her finish the reason, she only said one sentence: "Send me your address on your mobile phone, and wait for me to pick you up." ”

Yan Shen came quickly, the car stopped on the side of the road, she pushed the car door, and waved her chin at Ji Xiaoou: "Get in the car." ”

She just drove silently along the way, until Ji Xiaoou couldn't help but break the silence: "Where are we going?" ”

"Hospital."

"I want to see your parents."

"That's right, you can only see them in the hospital. My dad was always there with my mom. ”

Ji Xiaoou turned his head to look at her, Yan Shen's expression stiffened. Ji Xiaoou remembered that she had said that her mother had a cerebral hemorrhage because of her strictness, so she cautiously asked, "That...... Is Auntie better? ”

Yan Shen didn't squeak for a long time, Ji Xiaoou glanced back again, and actually saw a teardrop hanging in the corner of her eye.

Ji Xiaoou panicked suddenly: "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" What happened? ”

Yan Shen quickly turned his face, wiped away his tears with his fingers, grabbed a pair of sunglasses on the bridge and put them on, and then replied, "It has nothing to do with you." My mom...... The last time I had a cerebral hemorrhage, it had already improved, but the nanny didn't watch it, and let her see the wanted notice on TV...... The doctor said that if you can't get through the deep coma, you are ...... It is...... It's been a few days. ”

Ji Xiaoou was taken aback: "What? ”

"So, I'll take you to the hospital. If you can tell her something rigorous, maybe it will give her the will to live. ”

Ji Xiaoou held his forehead: "Oh, God, why is this happening?" ”

"Count me begging you, it's time for a while, please say something she likes to hear, my old lady has been biased since she was a child, her son is her lifeblood, she will love to hear whatever you say." May I? ”

Ji Xiaoou was silent for a moment: "Yan Shen, don't you really want to ask, what happened before Yan Yan was arrested?" ”

Yan Shen finally turned her head, and after the two met, she looked at Ji Xiaoou for the first time, and then she said, "Since he went to look for you, it means that he believes in you." I don't believe you can do that kind of thing. ”

Ji Xiaoou had no choice but to smile: "Thank you for your trust." ”

"You don't have to thank me, but you really should thank my old man, otherwise I wouldn't dare to come to you. You guys, although your brain is very fast, and you are also quite clever, but in fact, you are taking a risky move, and there are loopholes, you know? ”

Ji Xiaoou saw Yan Shen's half of his face in the rearview mirror, and there was not too much expression on that face, but the words just now lingered in this small carriage, which made her really shiver.

She lowered her head and said again, "Thank you." ”

Ji Xiaoou didn't understand what evil he had hit, and he had to deal with the hospital one after another in recent months. Although her parents are both doctors, the familiar smell of Laisu water has accompanied her since she was a child, but she is still full of rejection of the hospital, especially the intensive care unit. The lights are shining 24 hours a day, and critically ill patients are lying alone in their beds with tubes inserted into their bodies, unable to accompany them through the most difficult journey of their lives, except for the care of strange nurses. It is almost the place where yin and yang are separated in the world.

She was required to put on a quarantine gown and go in to visit. The strict mother is not what she imagined. It turned out that the image she had sketched in her mind was a complete copy of the strict - the arrogant, mean, and condescending Mrs. Official. But the man lying on the hospital bed, with his closed eyes, gray and puffy face, and mottled gray hair, reminded her of her grandmother. Before her death, my grandmother lay silently on the ICU bed, unaware of the bitter crying and retention of her loved ones, until the doctors removed all monitoring equipment and ventilators.

Ji Xiaoou looked back at Yan Shen who was standing outside the glass window, she was clasping her palms together and making a gesture of please. Ji Xiaoou sighed, slowly sat down on the stool in front of the bed, and began to speak: "Yan Shen wants me to say something you like to hear, but I really don't know what to say to please you." But I think what you want to hear most at this time is probably when you will be acquitted. ”

It was quiet, except for the regular sound of the ventilator, so quiet that you could hear the drops of medicine falling from the drip bottle. Her voice was as soft as breathing, and she didn't know whether to say it to her strict mother on the hospital bed, or to herself: "To be honest, I don't know, but I believe he will definitely come out." I pray to God these days, and God always tells me to be patient, and He says that all this is just a test for us, and He says that even if all the joy is lost, it will give us the strength to wait for the day when He comes out. I believe that God can see everything, know everything, and forgive everything, and He made me wait just to strengthen my heart. If it hadn't happened, maybe I'd never know that I really loved him, and more than I could have imagined. ”

The ten-minute visitation time passed quickly, and the strict mother was still lying silently, no different from when Ji Xiaoou came in. She stood up, sighed again, and left. No one noticed that behind her, the hand that was quietly resting on the edge of the bed, one of the fingers, suddenly moved.

Yan Shen waited for Ji Xiaoou outside the door. Her posture of sitting deep in a chair completely exposes a person's tiredness and weakness. The moment he saw her, Ji Xiaoou forgot her arrogance and arrogance, and walked over and sat down beside her.

"Sister." She screamed softly.

Yan Shen turned his face to look at Ji Xiaoou, and there was a faint glint in his eyes. As if to respond to Ji Xiaoou's "sister", she smiled, but her smile was too reluctant, and she actually laughed at a miserable scene.

Ji Xiaoou couldn't help but put his arm on her shoulders and hugged her gently: "Rigorous is not here, this family depends on you, sister, you can't fall down again, you have to hold on." ”

Yan Shen looked at the door of the intensive care unit not far away, his expression was sluggish, and it took a long time to seem to understand her words, nodding, and then Ji Xiaoou didn't know what else to say in order to comfort a worried person. Having experienced similar scenes before, she understood that all the innocuous concerns of outsiders at this time had no meaning to relatives, they were just a sound that thundered in her ears. She couldn't wipe the tears on Yan Shen's face, she could only sit with Yan Shen for a while.

Yan Shen didn't speak, and after a while, she leaned on Ji Xiaoou's shoulder, her eyes closed, and her face and hair were attached to Ji Xiaoou's face. Ji Xiaoou held her hand tightly and sat in the crowded corridor, and the two of them sat in this position for a long time.

Yan Shen finally opened his eyes: "Ji Xiaoou." ”

"Huh?"

"My dad asked me to tell you, thank you! He also said that everything is on order, yesterday's cause is today's effect, and anyone has to pay for the wrong things they have done...... Let him go. ”

Ji Xiaoou didn't talk, because there was no way to talk at all, but his heart sank like a thousand-pound boulder. She curled the corners of her mouth, as if she wanted to laugh, but her eyelashes were stained with tiny teardrops. The feelings that have melted into the flesh and blood can't be cut away by sharp knives. If you can let go, you will have to let go a long time ago, why wait until today?

"Xiaoou."

"What?"

"Here's for you." Carefully remove a folder from the purse.

Ji Xiaoou lowered her head and opened it, and it turned out that there was a power of attorney that had already been signed, entrusting her to handle the operation and management of "one-third" with full authority. The signature at the bottom, Long Feifengwu was difficult to recognize, but she finally recognized a "Yan" and knew that it must be the handwriting of Strict's father.

"I'll leave it to you." Looking at the bleak blue sky outside the window, the bleak expression on Yan Shen's face couldn't be covered by thick fat powder, "Don't let him down." He is my mother's lifeline, and this hotel is his lifeline. ”

Ji Xiaoou carefully put away the documents: "Is he okay now?" ”

Yan Shen sneered: "No one knows." Even where he is locked up is highly classified, and no one knows. ”

Ji Xiaoou originally planned to take the intercity train to Tianjin first, and then find a way to go to Tanggu. But while she was looking for a bus to the South Railway Station on the side of the road, she received a phone call. The number was unfamiliar, and she thought it was another spam call from a real estate agency, so she picked it up absentmindedly. But the other party said "hey" and said, "Sweetheart, it's me, Fanya." ”

Ji Xiaoou squinted his eyes and checked the bus stop sign, and asked, "Why did you change your number?" ”

Fania chuckled on the phone, "For safety." I am facing the first three thousand now, but I don't want to be caught by Chen Jianguo and suffer a loss when I divorce and divide the property. ”

Ji Xiaoou frowned, she had always been disagreeable with her casual and frivolous way, but she didn't say anything. The two chatted a few more words, and when they heard that Ji Xiaoou was going to the "third" of Tanggu, Fang Niya immediately became excited.

"Is that the duck shop on the water you mentioned? Great, dear, I'll drive you over, and by the way, see what you said about the harem of three thousand fandel, how the spring is boundless. ”

Speaking of this hotel, Fang Niya was so excited that she insisted on accompanying her to Tanggu no matter how Ji Xiaoou prevaricated. Even when the two were still talking, Fania had already turned the car around and came straight to her.

I haven't seen her for more than two weeks, Fang Niya has a new hairstyle, a handful of bangs on her forehead, permed into a charming big curl, hanging down and almost covering half of her eyes, and it has become a burden to block her vision when driving, Ji Xiaoou saw her reach out again and again to remove her bangs, she couldn't bear it, and took out a few black hairpins from her backpack to help her fix the bangs.

Fang Niya said "thank you", still like a magpie, and reported to Ji Xiaoou the experience of the ten-day trip to Australia: "When will you also go to that beach to see, the handsome men in the water are all stunners in the world, but unfortunately they are all Gay, it's too wasteful, it's really heartbreaking......"

After talking to herself for a while, she found that Ji Xiaoou had no response, and her face was so calm that she didn't smile at all. Only then did I remember to ask, "Xiaoou, what's wrong with you?" What's wrong? ”

Ji Xiaoou sighed and said, "You haven't watched the TV news recently, and you haven't been on the Internet café?" "There are so many handsome guys washing their eyes, who still has time to surf the Internet!" What's the news? Tell me about it. ”

After listening to what happened to Ji Xiaoou in the past few days, Fang Niya quieted down for a while, and was silent for a long time before asking, "My dear, are you really in love with him?" ”

"Yes."

"So what are you going to do? Waiting for him to come out? But what if he can't get out? ”

Ji Xiaoou's facial expression froze for a moment, and then relaxed a little: "Seriously, I never dare to think about it. But I never think about things I shouldn't think. I just think about how to do what I need to do right now. ”

Fang Niya shook her head: "Alas, I thought you had no possibility, but I didn't expect the relationship to be so solid." When exactly did you two start? Why is there no sign at all? ”

Ji Xiaoou rolled down the window pane, and let the wind of early spring mix with the dust on the roadside, hitting his face like a wave. Then she laughed self-deprecatingly: "I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I can't remember when it started." Actually, I didn't tell you, I've always liked a man with a bald head or a slick face, who seduces me purely with his face and color, and probably he fits this condition and meets my eyes. ”

Fang Niya laughed "fluttering": "I'm relieved that you can still tell jokes." My dear, are our sisters considered to be in sympathy with each other? Why can't you meet a man who is worry-free? Let me tell you, now I am with Chen Jianguo...... How to put it, it is outside to each other, and no one interferes with anyone. Have you ever seen a couple like this? ”

Ji Xiaoou withdrew his gaze from the window: "Your old Chen, it's really ......"

"Stop!" Fania made a gesture of stopping, "Don't mention him now, if you mention him, you'll lose your appetite." I'll tell you when I get back from Tianjin. ”

She reached out and twisted the stereo on the car, and in the CD player was a copy of "Love When You Die" by the Band. "If you die, you have to love, and if you don't drench it, you won't be happy." Her little sharp voice followed Ashin desperately soaring to the high notes, soaring hoarsely, and two tears were held back in her eyes, but she still straightened her neck and sang along: "Love when you die, don't cry until you smile......"

Ji Xiaoou looked at her quietly for a while, as if she couldn't show the pain after seeing this Shinto behavior, and her heart couldn't help but feel sour, but she couldn't tell whether she was bitter for Fang Niya or for herself.

When the two arrived at Tanggu Port, it was already past five o'clock in the afternoon. It is said that the general restaurants and restaurants have begun to serve customers one after another. But the "one-third" seafood restaurant presented in front of them was cold. Although the neon lights on the roof of the ship are still glittering, the entire ground floor hall is empty, with only a few tables of customers, and there are not as many waiters in the hall as there are.

Ji Xiaoou stood at the door. She remembered the red and lively eyes when Rigor brought her last time, and compared with the scene of the gray and cold stove at the moment, it was like an illusion, just like the scholar who encountered the fox fairy in "Liao Zhai", and the nephrite jade in the mansion was warm and fragrant overnight, but after the rooster crowed, she turned around, leaving only the eyes full of withered grass and dead poplars, as if a yellow sorghum dream.

It was the first time she had come, and she didn't notice anything unusual. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the Peugeot waiters. Lala Ji Xiaoou's sleeves, she laughed in a low voice: "It's really a silk hole, there are too many handsome guys!" ”

Ji Xiaoou didn't bother to talk to her, and said directly to the waiter who greeted her at the door: "My surname is Ji, and I made an appointment with your store manager this afternoon." ”

The waiter said, "Mr. Liu has something to go out and is not here in the afternoon." ”

Ji Xiaoou frowned: "Didn't he tell me that there was something in the afternoon?" ”

The waiter shrugged: "I'm sorry, Miss Ji, I really don't know Mr. Liu's arrangement." ”

At this moment, a man with a floor manager sign came over: "Is it Miss Ji?" ”

Ji Xiaoou nodded: "Yes." ”

The man immediately stretched out his hand to her: "Hello Miss Ji! Mr. Liu explained, if you come, I will take you directly to Boss Yan's office. ”

Ji Xiaoou was full of unhappiness, she had already noticed that the store manager was deliberately avoiding her. But she couldn't express her dissatisfaction to irrelevant people, so she had to nod: "Okay, please take me over." ”

The rigorous office is very simple, a desk, two chairs, a bookcase, a simple camp bed, and a safe in the corner. Ji Xiaoou was still looking at the furnishings in the room, and Fang Niya had lost interest in exploring this unobstructed room, and asked if she could go down and talk to someone. Ji Xiaoou waved her hand impatiently and let her take care of herself.

On the south wall of the office hang some photo frames, which are basically group photos and autographs left by some celebrities who have visited the store, and there are a few familiar faces that can often be seen in political and economic news or entertainment news. Ji Xiaoou looked over one by one, and his eyes were suddenly attracted by a color photo in the middle of the wall. The photo looked a little old, with a faint hint of old yellow. The photo shows three teenagers, sitting side by side on a stone railing. Behind them was a field of wisteria in full bloom. One of the ones grinning the most happily is instantly recognizable as rigorous. The one sitting in the middle, although wearing glasses, can clearly see Cheng Ruimin's shadow, the one on the far right next to Cheng Ruimin, I have never seen it, but I don't know why it looks familiar, she stared at it for a long time before she understood, probably because he looked too similar to a movie star, which made her feel familiar. And this handsome young man is likely to be the "second son" mentioned rigorously. "One-third" was named after his death, and even the password to the safe was set on the day of his death, and his breath seemed to be everywhere in this simple and clean office.

Thinking of the safe, she glanced around the corner. It was an old olive-green safe fifty centimeters square, and the combination lock was the same old-fashioned turntable lock from years ago.

Ji Xiaoou squatted in front of the safe, like facing Pandora's box. Before thinking about being taken away, she specially told her the password to the safe, which must have been placed in it that was particularly important to him. What could it be? Money? Bank card? She pondered as she began to turn the combination lock. 0, 4, 0, 8, 1, 2, she slowly flicked the dial, the last number was completed, and with a click, the door of the safe slowly opened.

There was no cash or bank card in the safe, only an official seal and a meticulous personal seal, a few dusty account books, and a bulging brown paper bag.

Ji Xiaoou first took out the account books and rolled them a few times, and the covers of each account book were labeled with 2009, 2010, 2011 and other labels representing the year. With her entry-level accounting level, she can roughly understand that this is "one-third" of the income, expenditure and business records for several years. Ji Xiaoou also opened a store himself, and understood that everyone generally has two sets of account books, one set of fake accounts and real calculations, which are for industrial and commercial taxation, and one set of real accounts and real calculations, which are left for themselves to do information. Strictly put these ledgers in the safe, it should be the real accounts that cannot be easily seen by outsiders. She carefully put the ledger back in its place and took out the brown paper bag.

There were so many things in the brown paper bag that she poured out the contents and spread them out on half of the table. A wolf's tooth armband, more than a dozen bullet casings of different styles, a saber, two medals and ribbons, a party membership card with a red cover, a Chinese People's Liberation Army soldier card with a green cover, an old booklet, and a thick pile of photos, black and white, color, single, group photos, close up, long shot, everything, each photo with a date written on the back. Flipping through a black-and-white ID photo of the oldest age, Ji Xiaoou met the young man in military uniform rigorously and head-on.

Eighteen years old, dressed in a military uniform that looked stiff because of the newness, the contours of his eyebrows and eyes were much greener than they are now. He deliberately frowned in order to look young, but the eyes that stared at the camera seriously, black and white, could not hide the unique softness and innocence of young people. A smile came out of the corners of his lips and eyebrows, which was the joy and anticipation that everyone's youth would reveal to a new and unknown world.

Looking at the photos one by one, the rigor of training in camouflage uniforms, the rigor of wearing boxing gloves in the fighting ring, the rigor of holding a sniper rifle flat, the rigor of the face painted with oil paint that can barely be distinguished, and the rigor of saluting on the rostrum...... Little by little, the youthfulness in his eyebrows gradually faded, and his eyes became cold and resolute day by day, as if with a metallic texture.

After watching dozens of photos countless times, Ji Xiaoou's heart was deeply shaken. From a lively teenager to a quiet sniper, this change is a metamorphosis after experiencing blood and fire quenching, such as real gold after high temperature, everything that can be melted is melted, and what cannot be melted becomes the eternal background color. And this period of youth when she didn't have the opportunity to participate in it invited her to be a witness to her growth with several frozen moments.

She was stunned for a long time at the youth of this table. When she looked up and looked at the scrupulous office again, she felt completely different from when she first entered, some details that had been overlooked came up from the bottom of the water. The chic brass-colored pen holder was originally made from cannonball skin. And this green safe is simply an obsolete military product. She remembered the house in the city, with its completely modern style decoration and furnishings, and she could only see the owner's pursuit of extravagant details, but she could not see any trace of her past military career. No one thought that he would be here, with an office and a safe, to lock an old dream about the past and youth.

It was only at this time that Ji Xiaoou dared to open the old booklet. The booklet is not thick, with more than a dozen pages, bound together from various textures and sizes. She flipped to a casual page, a piece of brown paper, crumpled and carefully smoothed, with a few paragraphs written in blue-black ink, scribbled with sloppy handwriting, some words to be read in a veiled and even guessed way.

On May 17, 1999, the wind speed was 1~2 to the east

Misjudgment hurt Little C.

Little C is gone.

There is no trace of Little C in the base now, like he never came here. I saw them take Little C's bedding and clutter, I saw their lips moving, I saw them talking to me. I don't know what to say. I would look down at my boots and see the blood on them, the blood of Little C.

Little C's parents arrived. Here, no matter how they go, the family will always know only four words: sacrifice in the line of duty. Martyr title? There may be no such thing, it depends on luck. Little C is not the first. Coming and going are prosaic eternities in this land.

Little C said that when a sniper is the most handsome, it is not the moment when he shoots, but when he focuses on assembling a gun. So I loaded and unloaded an 85 sniper, unloaded, couldn't stop, and didn't want to stop.

Old L gave me a pack of cigarettes, and he said that one day I will figure it out, and one day I will definitely be able to get out of Little C's sacrifice without any influence and change. At the beginning, it was Lao L who told me that to be a sniper, you must not only have a steady hand, but also a steady heart, and you must learn to endure it, at least not let the people around you notice your anxiety. But the truth is that I can't be free, I can't turn a blind eye, I can't turn a blind eye, I can't turn a deaf ear. It has become a part of me, and even if I don't look at or listen, the pain can still be pierced into my heart at any time, like a nail.

Ji Xiaoou was looking at it when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the office. Then there was a knock on the door, and the knock was quick and panicked. She quickly stuffed the booklet into the backpack she had brought, locked the safe, and opened the door in three steps and two steps.

Outside the door stood the floor manager who had just brought her to the office.

"Season ...... Sister Ji ...... "The front of his uniform was dripping, and there was still a suspicious liquid dripping down his hair, exuding a strong smell of wine," someone ...... Someone wants to see you. ”

"See me? Who? ”

"Little ...... Small...... Little Beauty ......"

Ji Xiaoou only knew that the daily work to be done in running a restaurant was complicated and trivial, but he didn't expect that part of his daily work also included dealing with the real underworld. Before she walked into the most expensive and gorgeous private room on the second floor, her legs were a little weak.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" She asked the floor manager.

"I've seen it."

"How did you Boss Yan deal with it?"

"."

"What?"

"The boss said that barefoot people are not afraid to wear shoes, and if you don't care about anything, the other party will care. The only way to deal with them is to fight to the death, otherwise it will be endless. ”

Ji Xiaoou sighed, and only remembered the word "dead knock". It is said that no matter how ruthless the rascal is, he is afraid of the unreasonable female hooligan, well, then try.

"Little Beauty" is still dressed as a middle school teacher, with a half-new Chinese coat, thin gold-rimmed glasses, and a gentle attitude and posture. He was facing away from the private room door, looking at the pictures on the wall with his hands behind his back. Most of the photos are the same as those hanging in the office, and they are all photos and autographs of celebrities or entrepreneurs.

Ji Xiaoou pushed the door in, and the first thing he saw was the straight back of the "little beauty", and the second thing he saw was more than a dozen men in the room who looked like bodyguards, all in black suits and white shirts - more than a dozen pairs of eyes stared at her from the moment she entered the door, and kept staring at her and walked behind the "little beauty".

Ji Xiaoou feels like he has stepped into a Hong Kong gangster movie in the 90s, completely out of time. She steadied herself and squeezed out a standard smile: "Hello sir! ”

"Little Beauty" hummed, but did not look back, but still held his hands and looked up to enjoy the photo. After at least five minutes, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and sonorous, "I asked Liu Wanning to talk about business, why did a woman come?" ”

Liu Wanning is the current store manager of "One-Third". Only then did Ji Xiaoou understand why he missed the appointment for no reason. It turned out that he deliberately threw a mess for her, and let her face the ground snake on the ground of Tanggu alone, and gave her enough weight under the horse. But the matter is coming, even if it is a highly venomous cobra, she has to face it.

She straightened up, trying to make her smile more natural: "I'm sorry, it's not convenient for Rigor to come forward for the time being, he entrusted me to manage this store." All business-related decisions can only be made by me, and no one else is eligible. ”

"Little Beauty" turned around, examined her with interest for a moment, and then smiled: "It turned out to be the new boss of 'One-Third', that would be great!" Come sit down and let's talk. ”

Ji Xiaoou didn't move, still standing with his hands down: "I don't know what Mr. wants to talk about?" ”

"Talk about the store, of course."

"What's wrong with this store? Is it because the food is not to the taste of the gentleman? You can give us suggestions and we will definitely improve. Ji Xiaoou put his voice soft and sweet. Although she still doesn't know the details of this "little beauty", from the reactions of the waiters who tremble as if they were facing a great enemy, and from the floor manager's more than a dozen "careful" warnings, she understands that she must be facing a ruthless character and must be dealt with carefully.

The two looked at each other for dozens of seconds, and the "little beauty" suddenly laughed: "Little girl, you are too young to be suitable for this business at all, how can you be willing to let you out and clean up this mess for him?" ”

Ji Xiaoou still maintained a sweet smile: "He is willing to hand it over to me, naturally he believes that I can do it well." ”

"Good." The little beauty nodded, "Let's talk about it then." I've been talking to Liu Wanning about the acquisition of 'one-third', this store is finished, but I want to save it, you can make a price." ”

"I'm sorry, we don't sell this store, we don't sell it for any money!" Finally knowing the other party's purpose, Ji Xiaoou put away his cigarette and flattering behavior, and said it categorically, leaving no room for anything.

Her answer seemed to be expected by the "Little Beauty". He took off his glasses, looked at them in front of his eyes, and slowly put them back on. He looked her up and down for a while, sighed softly, and beckoned to her: "Come here." ”

Ji Xiaoou hesitated, not understanding what he was going to do, but she would judge the situation and know that she could not offend the person in front of her unless she had to, so she walked over obediently.

The little beauty put her arms around her waist and took her to herself. Ji Xiaoou felt his hand slowly moving around her waist, through a thin cashmere sweater, the cold touch felt like a snake swimming against her body. Her body stiffened, and her breathing became disordered, but she gritted her teeth and stood firm, telling herself that it was okay for him to touch it, and that if he touched it, he would not lose a piece of flesh. The little beauty moved her hand to her arm, slowly raised her hand to her lips, kissed it lightly, and then slowly retracted her fingers, with a hint of regret in her tone.

"Such a beautiful pair of hands, it's a pity to miss any finger."

Ji Xiaoou glanced at his eyes, his hairs stood up, and the eyes of the "little beauty" had slightly lighter pupils, not brown and black of yellow people, but a little brown and yellow, more like the eyes of some kind of wild animal. He stared at her hands, not as if admiring a pair of hands that grew on a living person, but as if he was looking at a prey at the edge of his mouth, with a creepy grabbing feeling. She tried her best to calm herself, but her heaving breasts betrayed her fear. The little beauty raised her eyes, admired her expression for a moment, and suddenly smiled. His voice was so unpleasant that his laughter was like pulling a rusty nail out of a solid piece of wood. He said, "Don't worry, I will never do this kind of ruin thing." Your fingers will always grow where they belong. ”

That face and those eyes made Ji Xiaoou feel scared and disgusted. She twisted her face to the side and replied, "Thank you for your kindness." ”

The "little beauty" finally let go of her hand, but the terrible hands inserted into her long hair again, stroking it again and again: "This hair grows so well." Suddenly, he made a move, grabbed her hair involuntarily, and pulled it down hard, Ji Xiaoou's scalp was in pain, and he couldn't help kneeling in front of him. Little Beauty "clutched so tightly that she had to raise her head to face him to relieve the sharp pain in her scalp, so much so that she burst into tears."

Turning into a face-to-face situation again, the "little beauty" seemed to be satisfied, stretched out her fingers to flick the tears from the corners of her eyes, and his movements and voice were so gentle that it was creepy: "I like your hair, only young people can have such bloody hair." ”

Ji Xiaoou has only seen such a scene in movies, but he never thought that one day he would have to face it. For about ten seconds, the eyes of the two of them were facing the stubble, and she only felt that the position of the Baihui acupoint on the top of her head was numb for a while, and cold sweat dripped down the corners of her forehead. Maintaining her last courage, she gritted her teeth and replied, "If you like it, you will take it." ”

"Isn't it a pity?"

"No!"

"Good!" "Little Beauty" raised her chin to the person behind her: "Go, find a pair of scissors in the kitchen." ”

The scissors were quickly taken, and the black-clothed bodyguard with a meaty face opened the scissors and pestle in front of Ji Xiaoou's eyes, "Where to start cutting?" ”

"Stop!" Ji Xiaoou stopped him. Her hair was still in the little beauty's hands, and her head couldn't move, but her eyes could. She looked at the "little beauty" with her black and white eyes washed by tears, "Can I do it myself?" ”

The bodyguard hung down his scissors to see the "Little Beauty".

"Little Beauty" let go of her hair and smiled slightly: "I have never been pitiful, you are the first, the first person to let me show mercy to women." He nodded to his men, "Scissors for her." ”

Ji Xiaoou took the scissors and hesitated for a moment, but looking at the big men in the room, she understood that if she didn't leave something today, she might be difficult to get out. With a ruthless heart, she scooped up a handful of hair, and the double blades of the scissors snapped shut, and a lock of long hair fell in response. The room suddenly became silent, except for the sound of clicking, and the locks of long hair fell to the ground, but there was still a luster of qi and blood, as if there was a living object.

Finally, she threw down the scissors: "Is it okay?" Her outstanding hair was now gone, replaced by a patchwork of stubble.

"Heroic! What a hero! The "little beauty" put down Erlang's legs, dusted off the dust that didn't exist on his pants, and stood up with a long sigh: "Follow that strict kid, it's a pity!" He walked out the door, and everyone got up and rushed to open the door for him. Little Beauty" turned back at the door: "This shop is dead, there is no help." You can still bargain today, miss this opportunity, and don't cry and beg me in the future. I'm telling you, it won't be worth a penny then. ”

Ji Xiaoou smiled: "Don't worry, there will never be that day." ”

Finally sending away this group of plague gods, Ji Xiaoou was relieved in one breath, and then he felt afraid, as if the blood in his whole body was instantly drained, and he couldn't support it anymore, and collapsed on the floor.

Someone outside the private room rushed in to pick her up, and Fontia followed. Seeing Ji Xiaoou's miserable messy hair, she suddenly became angry and lost her temper at the floor manager.

"Really, let a woman stand in the way, and you all shrink in the back, okay?" She crossed her waist and shouted, "Is it still a man?" A bunch of bastards! ”

Ji Xiaoou hurriedly pulled her sleeve: "Sister, don't say it, it's not what you think." If he is rigorous, he has to rush to the front to block, and he can't be ambiguous at all. ”

couldn't see the store manager Liu Wanning, so Ji Xiaoou chatted with the floor manager for a long time, and finally got a rough idea of the recent situation of "one-third". Due to the deliberate destruction of "Little Beauty", "One-third" was portrayed as a male venue in both print media and television, celebrities in the entertainment industry were afraid of being scribbled by the paparazzi, and politicians were afraid of being targeted by the media, so they did not dare to set foot here again, and the business of "One-third" suddenly declined and never recovered.

From Tianjin back to Beijing, Ji Xiaoou remained silent all the way. At first, he just lowered his head and used his mobile phone to surf the Internet, and then he looked out the window in a daze. Fang Nia peeked at her a few times, she kept her eyes wandering, I don't know what she was thinking, Fang Nia finally couldn't help but bump her with her elbow: "Hey, are you okay?" Can you say something? ”

Ji Xiaoou seemed to wake up from a dream: "It's okay, I'm just thinking about how this store can be saved." The reputation on the outside is already bad, how can we save it? Fang Niya pouted: "If you want me to say it, don't bother with it, and return it to the strict and their family to pull it down." Where is this a woman's work? You look at your hair, it's a pity, isn't it? How much work does it take to maintain that long hair? ”

"Hair is a renewable resource, and it grows after cutting."

"And if he wants you a hand, or a leg, you give it to him?"

Ji Xiaoou sighed: "Have you watched too many movies from the Hong Kong underworld?" Now the underworld is also very particular about posture, do you really think that like the old boy in the movie, he carries an ax and cuts people on the street? ”

Fang Niya shook her head: "Alas, women, once you have true feelings, those who are good-looking and those who are not good-looking, those who are highly educated or not, are all the same, just one word, stupid!" ”

Ji Xiaoou smiled and didn't intend to argue. She turned her gaze out the window. As she was about to enter Beijing's Fifth Ring Road, the buildings on the side of the road gradually began to become denser, and a sign flashed by, and she only had time to see the words "No. × Detention Center".

There was a faint layer of air on the glass in the carriage. She stretched out her finger and first wrote the word "strict" on it, erased it, and then wrote the word "good" underneath.

Rigorous, where have you been? You okay?