Chapter 1 Invitation

Li Yiming stood under the tree, his right hand trembling on the tree pole, his eyes full of shock, anger, helplessness and confusion. A red Maserati was parked not far away, and a man and a woman were leaning against the door, hugging each other tightly. The girl put one hand on the man's shoulder, and the other hand drew circles on the man's chest, with shyness on her face, spring in the corners of her eyes, and her slender white thighs under the miniskirt rubbed gently against the man.

"Xiaoqin ......" The knuckle of the right knuckle holding the branch turned white, and gradually slipped weakly, Li Yiming pursed his lips and silently muttered his girlfriend's name.

The man hugged her horizontally, picked her up in the girl's exclamation, and walked towards the corridor with savage laughter, the woman wrapped her hands around the man's neck and leaned shyly into the other's arms.

Gently placing the rose in his hand under the tree, Li Yiming turned around indifferently. When I walked out of the community, I looked up and took a deep look, where there was a window with blue curtains, and the lonely back slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Li Yiming didn't notice that in the shadows behind him, there was another person standing all the time, with a cigarette in his mouth, a blue and red woven bag in his hand, his deep eyes shining in the dark, but there was a helpless smile on the corner of his mouth.

Li Yiming, a fresh graduate of Hangcheng Normal University, majoring in dance, and his girlfriend Ji Xiaoqin is his classmate. The two have been in love for two years, planning to meet their parents for the Chinese New Year this year, and then get engaged in the first month. Considering the housing prices and living costs in Hangzhou, the two made an appointment to go back to Li Yiming's hometown Belvedere to live together and work hard together. The diploma of Hangcheng Normal University is still very marketable in a small city like Belvedere. Although his family background is average, Li Yiming is confident that with his professional ability, it is no problem to find a stable job as a teacher, and then get a dance training class, which is enough to weave a happy home, which is his commitment to Ji Xiaoqin

Today is the day of his interview at the Education Bureau, and it is also Ji Xiaoqin's birthday. On the phone, he made an appointment with Ji Xiaoqin, and they made up their birthdays together three days later. However, the young man's romantic feelings made him go straight to the station as soon as the interview was over, and rushed to Hangzhou overnight.

Men and women in love, call this romantic.

Can realistically ......

The owner of the Maserati, Li Yiming knows, his name is Guo Xiang, and he is a friend of Li Yiming. once pursued Li Yiming's classmates in the dance class, and Li Yiming's "brother" for a while. Guo Xiang's grandfather was a Beijing tycoon before he retired, and his father was the president of Yunlong Construction Group.

At the beginning, Ji Xiaoqin despised this rich second generation extremely and often ridiculed. But now, I have been away from Buhang for less than a month......

Walking on the street blankly, Hangzhou in August can't take away the hot flashes at night. At 2 o'clock in the morning, various entertainment venues closed one after another. The young people returning from the night tour added a touch of noise to the silent night. Men and women walked beside him, snuggling up to each other, and the feeling in Li Yiming's mind became strong again.

The love of the past lingers, the mountain alliance and the sea oath of the past, the happiness that once longed for, and the future that once sketched. This moment seems to burst like a bubble, and their existence is to highlight their incompetence and the cruelty of reality?

Subconsciously climb up to an unknown building. On the rooftop of the top floor, there is a memory of Li Yiming's first kiss.

In the gloomy alley behind him, the burning cigarette butt fell to the ground, splashing a trace of sparks, and a gray-colored human slipper slowly lifted and gently stepped on the cigarette butt. The red and blue woven bags swayed back and forth, and followed Li Yiming into the building.

Leaning on the railing, looking at the night view of Hangzhou, the colorful neon lights suddenly highlight the prosperity of the city. Being in a similar place in my memory, the confusion and frustration in my heart hit again. Ji Xiaoqin's gentle and coquettish whisper, mixed with the familiar and unfamiliar figure, echoed vaguely in front of her eyes, gradually becoming clear. Closing her eyes, Ji Xiaoqin danced and opened her eyes, as if there was Ji Xiaoqin's figure behind every stack of lighted curtains in the distance.

Li Yiming took off his shoes, slowly climbed up the railing, sat down on the railing in despair, his feet hung in the air, swaying weakly, and his eyes gradually hollowed. He thought of his parents, who divorced when he was nine years old, then remarried, and then had children of his own.

"They all have their own homes......" Thinking of this, Li Yiming raised his eyebrows, not knowing if this was comfort or something else.

"It's almost brewing, jump, hurry." A voice suddenly came from behind Li Yiming.

The sudden sound frightened Li Yiming and almost fell. Li Yiming clung to the railing and turned his head in astonishment. Behind him stood a man, about forty years old, shirtless, a pair of brightly colored beach pants, a pair of human drags, and a nylon bag in his hand, staring at him with playful eyes.

Li Yiming was speechless for a while.

Li Yiming didn't speak, and the man didn't speak after shouting, and sat down on the side by himself. took out the can of beer from the nylon bag and looked at Li Yiming directly.

Li Yiming was a little overwhelmed, and the emotions that had been brewing for a long time disappeared under the man's eyes. Twisting his neck uncomfortably, his hand gripping the railing was a little numb, and he adjusted his sitting posture slightly, wanting to say something, but he couldn't say it.

"Dangchang", the man drank quickly, dried up a can in one go, threw the empty can away, and took out another can from the nylon bag.

"Jumping off a building?" The man finally spoke. As soon as he opened his mouth, Li Yiming felt relieved, and the atmosphere just now was too weird.

"No ......," Li Yiming replied subconsciously.

"Why are you sitting here if you don't jump off the building and run? Thinking about things? The man smiled, but the abuse was heavier in his eyes.

"Yes. Think about something," Li Yiming said honestly, as if he couldn't tell a lie under the gaze of this man's eyes.

"It looks like you can't think about it, so it's convenient to talk about it, right? I'm kind of a person who has come before. The man casually took out a pack of cigarettes from the nylon bag, took out a cigarette and lit it, and his movements were smooth, but his expression was full of vicissitudes.

"......" Li Yiming couldn't speak, although he was forced by the other party's momentum, how could he say this? Girlfriend cheats and lets herself bump into it, and then goes to the rooftop by herself? What can you do on the rooftop? Normal logical reasoning is jumping off a building, right?

"Excuse me? Okay, let me guess. The man saw Li Yiming's twisted appearance, took a sip of wine, and said to himself: "Look at your dress, it doesn't look like a business failure, you don't have that ability." ”

Li Yiming looked down at his humble roadside stall, and the socks under his feet still had a hole, so he retracted his feet awkwardly and hid behind his left foot.

"Look at your age, it won't be a failure in the college entrance examination, when you're old, at your age, you won't die if you can't get into college."

Li Yiming was accustomed to touching the stubble on his chin, but as soon as he let go, the person shook, and he hurriedly continued to hold on to the railing.

"Look at your complexion, it doesn't look like you're terminally ill, and your hands are about to bend the railing."

Li Yiming looked at this big brother weakly, are you here to force me to jump off the building?

"Woman! Right? It's a woman, right? The man snapped his fingers, and suddenly raised his voice.

Li Yiming nodded awkwardly.

"Really? Come on, come on, this woman's business, brother will tell you. The man suddenly showed some excitement, which was a little different from the high-minded temperament at the beginning.

This commotion, Li Yiming unconsciously climbed down the railing, the key is that his hands are really sore, his heart was like ashes just now, he didn't feel anything when he sat on it, this will make the atmosphere and emotions gone, and he felt his legs weak when he sat on it.

"Come, sit next to my brother, and my brother will talk to you well." When the man saw Li Yiming coming, he pulled his trouser leg and asked him to sit next to him.

"This woman......" The man looked up at the starry sky, his eyes gradually deepening.

One second...... Five-second ...... Ten seconds...... One minute......

"Let's not talk about women, that's troublesome. Come, drink. The man was deep for nearly a minute, sighed, took out a jar of wine from the woven bag and handed it to Li Yiming.

"I ...... I don't drink". Li Yiming was a little speechless, don't bring this, do you have such an explanation? You misunderstood me jumping off the building, didn't you?

"Huh? What about one? The man handed Li Yiming another cigarette.

"I don't smoke."

"Don't smoke or drink?" The man looked a little surprised.

Li Yiming nodded a little shyly.

"It's not my brother who said you, men don't drink, women don't have, men don't smoke, they can't be fathers. No wonder you want to jump off the building. ”

"Big brother, do you live here?" I can't answer this, how to pick it up, how to twist, seeing that the man is dressed at home, Li Yiming hurriedly diverted the topic.

"No, I'm passing by."

Pass by? This is the rooftop on the 21st floor.

"What's that...... Thank you. It seems that the other party thinks that he is going to jump off the building, and he is kind enough to persuade himself, and the effect is not evaluated, but the other party's kindness cannot be ignored.

"Hehe, do you want to open it now?" The man spat out a smoke ring and said casually.

"Actually...... It's just ......" Li Yiming seemed to think of something again, and his mood instantly fell.

"Okay, don't ink, if you can't think about it for a while, you'll think about it later. Big man, it's not a big deal if the sky falls. The man stood up freely, patted the dust behind his buttocks, and walked to the railing.

"You look at the world, luxurious, colorful, prosperous, complex...... Look at the people below, there are mediocre, shrewd, happy, sad, angry, melancholy, some healthy, some terminally ill, some graceful and luxurious, some begging along the street, some scattering their wealth to live a few more days, and there are also those who are idle and have nothing to do to jump off the building. What do you think is the difference between them? What is the nature of this world? The man held the beer in one hand and pointed ahead with a cigarette, quite a pointing spirit.

Li Yiming looked at the man in front of him in amazement, this transition was too fast, and Li Yiming couldn't keep up with the rhythm.

Li Yiming couldn't answer and didn't speak. But the man didn't seem to be ready to go around, but turned around and looked at Li Yiming with that straight look, waiting for him to answer.

"Because...... Because everyone's effort is different. Seeing that he couldn't hide, Li Yiming said perfunctorily, after all, he was his life-saving benefactor, and it was not good to sweep away the other party's interest, besides, the teacher has been educated like this since childhood, and only those who work hard can get the corresponding reward.

"Pay...... Step up your game...... Hehe. The man smiled self-deprecatingly. You said that a man has been poor since he was a child, but he has ideals, ambitions, is willing to bear hardships and stand hard work, and can work hard. Another man, born into a wealthy family, but he is good for nothing and incompetent. If you were a woman, which man would you choose? ”

I don't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but this remark can be regarded as a point to Li Yiming's weakness. Staring at the neon lights in the distance, Li Yiming was silent for a long time, when a modified sports car sped by downstairs, and the huge roar of the engine was deafening. Someone poked out of the sporadic windows of the opposite building, then retracted his head and closed the windows shut.

"Because, the rules." Li Yiming was silent for a long time and said helplessly. He clenched his hands tightly and gently released them, and when he let go, he seemed to let go of some of his years of insistence.

Yes, rules. Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and mice give birth to babies and burrows in the ground. No matter how hard the turtle tries, it will never be able to outrun the sika deer. The only thing that can make you rich is the rich; Those who can promote cadres can only be leaders. That's the rule. You say someone started from scratch? One: he fits into the rules; Two: He overturned the rules. If you don't know the rules, it's futile to let you bury your head in hard work or try your best to forge ahead. The capable is the shepherd, the one who understands the rules is the shepherd, and the one who does not understand the rules is even less captive, and can only be a sheep in captivity. The shepherd is cold, you have to shave, this is selfless; When the shepherd is hungry, you have to serve it, and this is called dedication.

"Rule ......" The man repeated these two words, turning to look at Li Yiming, "The Great Dao is invisible, the world is protective, the Great Dao is ruthless, the sun and the moon run, the Great Dao is nameless, and all things are nourished for a long time." There is a law for all things, and the law is in the Tao. This is the rule. In an instant, the heroic heroes who pointed out the rivers and mountains exuded bursts of fairy wind bones.

Li Yiming touched the tune. Big brother, your temperament is too jumpy, right? I was talking about heavy philosophy just now, why did you change to metaphysics right away? I'm studying dance, huh?

"Want to be the one who makes the rules?" The man suddenly looked at Li Yiming seriously.

"What?" Li Yiming has not yet detached himself from the atmosphere just now.

"If you want to make rules, you have to know the rules. Come, take this. Without waiting for Li Yiming to react, the man took out an unsealed envelope from the woven bag and stuffed it into Li Yiming's hand.

"What is this?"

"Rules!" The man smiled meaningfully.

Li Yiming opened the envelope, it was a gilded invitation, opened the cover page, and there was a line of words inside: August 15, Qingshui Thatched Cottage in Hangzhou.

"Big brother, this is ...... Eldest brother? What about people? As soon as Li Yiming looked up, the man was gone, and there were three empty beer cans and two cigarette butts on the ground......

"I rely on ......"