Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Patience

Summer arrived in a busy atmosphere.

Feng Ran became familiar with the brothers and sisters in the car dealership. They went out to play together whenever they had time. They went to all the Internet cafes and game halls in the city. He was good at all games and was interesting to talk to. Gradually, everyone would invite him when they drank. He was eager to join them, but he was repeatedly rejected by Chen Zhi, so he had to give up.

Everyone didn't know who Chen Zhi was, and joked that Feng Ran was actually a henpecked husband.

Feng Ran was very unhappy, but Chen Zhi was very pleased.

After the course ended in late June, Feng Qing would come to live with a friend in Jiang City for two months. On the day of the holiday, Feng Ran mentioned that he would pick up his sister in the afternoon. Chen Zhi said, "Let's go. It's almost time. The car keys are still at the company. Do you want to have dinner together after picking up the people? Invite Qingqing's friends, and I'll book a restaurant."

Feng Ran didn't want to go to Shen's company, and said, "Please help me get it. Uncle Shen is still here, and it's not convenient for me to go."

"No, he's in the hospital."

"Huh? Hospitalized again?"

Shen Zhi didn't talk much about family matters, and said, "What do you want to eat tonight?"

Wasn't he just discharged from the hospital last month? Feng Ran wanted to ask. He hadn't seen Shen's father for a long time, and Shen Zhi was at work during the day, contacted him every half an hour, and often stayed with him at night. Not to mention going to the hospital to take care of him, it didn't seem like he had even met his father.

He had a bold but impolite guess that this person might have disappeared from the world, or was about to disappear, and Shen Zhi couldn't tell him for some reason.

Going to the parking lot to pick up the car, Feng Ran was still thinking about this matter. He was thinking about whether he should go to the hospital to visit him. At a glance, a black Audi caught his attention. It's not that the car is so expensive, but it looks familiar.

After going to the car dealership, he was very sensitive to the cars and license plate numbers that drove into the shop. He was sure that this car had not been repaired by him, but he had definitely seen it somewhere.

Where? As he was thinking, a shadow seemed to move in the car.

He stopped and looked for a few seconds. Chen Zhi pulled his clothes and said, "Let's go."

"Whose car is this?"

"I don't know."

He had just started the car when Chen Zhi received a call and said that there was something at the company and he left in a hurry. Feng Ran never got to know clearly until he met his sister and told her that strange idea.

Feng Qing laughed: "I called my mother last week and she is really in the hospital, not as exaggerated as you said."

"Do you want to take some time to go and see? You happen to be on vacation."

"Forget it, I don't want to go. If you want to go, go by yourself."

Feng Ran did not comment. After settling his sister down and eating, he spent the whole afternoon, taking a break from his busy schedule to report and greet as usual.

But Chen Zhi never replied. He flipped through the records again and again, for an entire afternoon and evening - more than six hours, all filled with his bubbles.

What was Shen Zhi doing, so busy?

More than six hours, longer than the last time he "disappeared".

This was a unique thing in more than a year of dating.

He went back downstairs, opened the door and got out of the car, leaning against the car door and holding a cigarette. The lighter clicked a few times before the flame jumped out. White smoke came out from his breath, and in the haze, he squinted and looked up.

The curtains of the whole house were drawn tightly, but the lights were on in the studio.

Shen Zhi has been a little abnormal recently.

Shen Zhi and Shen Yuan had the most intense quarrel since they could remember.

This was the first time they disagreed on the same thing. Shen Zhi did not expect that when he and Feng Ran picked up the car, Shen Yuan happened to be in the parking lot, happened not to get out of the car, and happened to see them. It was too coincidental, and it was difficult to determine whether Shen Yuan had checked their whereabouts in advance and was waiting for them. Shen Yuan waited for Feng Ran to walk away before getting out of the car , and walked over in two steps with an unsightly look on his face. 

Shen Zhi was upset and tried to smile. 

"How did you do in the exam? I was busy with work recently and didn't have time to ask you." 

"You broke your promise." Shen Yuan's voice was a little hoarse. 

"I told you to take care of yourself and worry less about me. I have my own way, and so do you. You are not young anymore, and your family has paved the way for you. You just need to follow the steps." 

Shen Yuan emphasized: "You broke your promise." 

"If you want to yell at me, you can, but go upstairs first." 

The two of them entered the office one after another in silence. Shen Yuan pulled down the curtain and kicked the door shut. 

The air conditioner in the office was turned on high. Shen Zhi shuddered and raised the temperature from 16 degrees by eight degrees to find his coat on the hanger. 

"Why are there all kinds of clothes on the hanger? Why don't you take your winter coat home? Are you waiting for next year--" 

"What are you talking about, Shen Zhi? What coat or no coat? You haven't broken up with him yet, right? Not only haven't you broken up, you've even put on a ring," Shen Yuan interrupted him in disbelief, "Are you serious?" 

"Why should I explain all this to you?" 

"I'm your brother! What is he! I've been with you for more than ten years, and you've only been with him for how long?" Shen Yuan yelled out of control, "You don't even believe what I say, and you lied to me for him! You're going too far!" 

"Calm down." Shen Zhi got a headache from his yelling, and kicked him on his sneakers, "If you don't want to call everyone in the building up, keep your voice down." 

Seeing that he didn't care about the agreement, Shen Yuan was so angry that his liver hurt. In just one year, Shen Zhi changed, no longer the brother who had no grudges or secrets with him. 

It was all because of Feng Ran. 

Shen Yuan was in a state of confusion, his fists loosened and hardened again. He stood by the window for a long time to calm down, and said, "Does he like you?" 

"No." Shen Zhi made tea and sat on the sofa, thinking about how to reply to the message Feng Ran had just sent. 

Feng Ran asked him where he had been and attached a photo of the two siblings. 

He gestured "yeah", and Feng Qing behind him seemed to be photographed without reacting, with a look of confusion in her eyes. 

Feng Ran likes him, there is no doubt about it. 

No one has ever liked him so much. 

He knows the taste of it by tasting it, and he has no chance to know this except being liked. 

"He doesn't like you, but he goes to bed with you and pretends to like you. How many people do you think he has done this to before he is so skilled?" Shen Zhi held the phone in silence. 

Shen Yuan rushed over, snatched the phone, and said, "If he knew why you were with him, would he still be the same as he is now?" Shen Zhi raised his eyes: "Shen Yuan, think it over before you speak." 

Shen Yuan pursed his lips, threw the phone aside, very frustrated: "I won't tell him, why are you so excited." 

The secretary knocked on the door and came in, and the two of them shut up tacitly. 

Shen Yuan was talking to the secretary, and Shen Zhi avoided suspicion and went to the side to drink tea. 

In the time it took to say a word, his heart was in high spirits, thinking about the cause and effect, and always felt that it was not very safe. 

Shen Yuan was a big problem. 

"Anyway, you don't like each other, so what if they know?" After the third party left, Shen Yuan said unwillingly. 

Shen Zhi's tone became completely cold: "I warn you not to hit on him. If he makes a wrong move, you and I will be finished together."

Shen Yuan was extremely disappointed: "Are you planning to take advantage of him?...Brother, I've always been thinking about you. You don't know him at all. Besides, do you really think that he is the only way to go? I've already said that I will help you, why are you still unwilling?"

"Because there is no need. It's my own choice. You don't have to get involved."

...

Neither of them gave in. It was already dark. Shen Zhi realized it later and stood up suddenly, saying, "Where's my phone?"

How come there's no message from Feng Ran for such a long time?

Shen Yuan hesitated, and Shen Zhi pushed him away. The phone was already sleeping at the bottom of the fish tank behind him.

It was as quiet as death.

Several fish swam among the landscape stones, and Shen Zhi's gloomy face was reflected on the glass wall.

Shen Yuan took a few steps back and said loudly: "I was talking to you, but he kept calling me. It's so annoying! How much did you pay for this phone? I'll pay you ten times." Shen Zhi

turned around suddenly, grabbed his collar, and pressed his backhand on the fish tank. The veins on his arm were exposed. He rarely let his anger leak out, and at this moment he was also restrained.

The fish tank could not withstand the heavy damage, shook a few times, and fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Water splashed everywhere.

Shen Yuan's legs were a little weak and he almost fell.

His back hurt as if it was broken, but he didn't dare to do anything rash. He looked at Shen Zhi eagerly as if his lifeblood was pinched.

"Brother, brother, calm down, calm down, I am your brother, I am your brother, you only have me as your brother, if I die, you will have no brother..."

Shen Zhi narrowed his eyes and exhaled like orchid: "One hundred thousand."

Shen Yuan was stunned.

"Cash, or transfer?"

"Transfer, transfer, let me go first, it hurts so much."

After Shen Zhi disappeared last time, Feng Ran entered his fingerprints, so this time he naturally didn't wait outside stupidly. He entered the empty big house, ran to the rooftop to smoke a cigarette, and drank a few cans of beer. He watched the moon getting higher and higher, but he still felt uncomfortable. He returned to the sofa and turned up the TV volume to the maximum. Finally, he was no longer so lonely.

He didn't know how long he had slept on the sofa. His cheek was gently stroked. He opened his eyes and saw Shen Zhi breathing slightly, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, leaning over him to look at him.

"Sorry for the wait." He said softly.

Feng Ran rubbed his eyes and sat up, complaining, "Where did you go? There was no news. This is the first time I'm alone in an empty room."

"Something happened in my dad's company. My phone broke during a meeting, and I just went to buy a new one."

"The phone is broken? What happened?"

"It got soaked in water by accident."

The more Shen Zhi downplayed it, the more suspicious Feng Ran became.

"Don't you have a computer? Or you can borrow one from someone and contact me."

"Got it. I'll pay attention next time."

"...Next time, next time. Didn't you say the same thing last time?"

"My problem."

Feng Ran had waited for so long, and his few words of explanation were full of loopholes. He felt unhappy. Recalling his performance during this period, he seemed to be always restless.

Maybe he was in the burnout period, he complained.

The first year of a relationship is the peak period for breakups. According to his experience, at this time, both he and the other party often start to have uneasy thoughts.

But he and Shen Zhi were too close this year, so he didn't meet anyone, let alone have a boyfriend.

Could it be that Shen Zhi is pregnant?

Feng Ran was pricked by this thought. He calmed down and thought that it was not impossible, so he kept an eye on it.

He was not making random guesses. If Shen Zhi had other ideas, it would be better to break up as soon as possible before he got too emotional.

Chen Zhi's birthday was at the end of June, and Feng Ran had always remembered it. He started preparing a gift three months ago - a necklace he designed in his spare time, still made by his boss, with a total price of 12,000 yuan. Not to mention the final payment of 5,200 yuan, his deposit was delayed again and again. His boss threatened him that if he didn't pay, he would smash the item to pieces and burn it instead of giving it to him.

The deposit cost him nearly two months' salary, and his heart ached when he paid the money.

The boss repeatedly reminded him to pay the final payment within a month, and he nodded and ahed without thinking. As

soon as the item arrived, all the extra feelings were dispelled.

The necklace was cold and soft, with a unique metal texture. At the end was a cube, woven with extremely fine silver wire, hollowed out, and only the size of a fingernail. There were delicate buckles on all four sides, and each side could be opened.

He studied it for a while and finally found the opening.

In the cube box, a small white butterfly was hanging. Facing the sun, you could still see its antennae as thin as hair and the texture on its wings.

Feng Ran was very satisfied. He rewrapped the necklace and put it back in his pocket.

"If you don't pay the balance within two months, you will be held legally responsible," the boss pointed to a piece of paper under the crystal plate with two bright red fingerprints on it. "We have signed an agreement."

"No problem, thank you," Feng Ran said happily. "It will be the end of the month at the latest. I will definitely not delay it. Really."

He took a taxi to Shen Zhi's house. It was a holiday for students to take exams, and it happened to be after school, so there was a bit of traffic. He looked at the necklace again and again, and somehow he felt a little nervous.

Would Shen Zhi like this gift?

A series of special ringtones came from his pocket. It was Ren He.

He picked up the phone and said, "What's wrong? It's midnight there, right?"

"Ah, I've been working overtime until now," Ren He yawned. "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I would call you today? Did you forget?"

It seems that this happened. Feng Ran had forgotten it a long time ago.

"You jerk." Ren He scolded, "I wanted to ask you what's been going on recently and where did you spend your money?"

"I bought some things... no, how did you know?"

"Qingqing asked me what brand of SLR camera to buy. I asked about the budget and she said within 5,000. I thought about it carefully and wondered why she didn't consult you. Hey, guess what? She practiced Tai Chi for a long time before finally saying that her brother was in a relationship and was short of money. The other party always paid for the meals. If she went to ask for money again, she might not be able to survive." Ren He said, "If you can't make it, you'd better go back to your hometown, really." "

...What the hell is going on? How can I reply? He's still here."

"As for painting, I can paint anywhere."

"Bullshit."

Ren He said with regret: "Last year I predicted that you wouldn't survive June. It seems there is no hope. This time you win."

"Go away, you never wish me well all day. I'd fucking kill you if I was next to you." Feng Ran was very annoyed. After more than a year of getting along, he and Shen Zhi were getting more and more in sync physically, but recently - no, for a while, Shen Zhi was always hiding something from him.

Shen Zhi was trying hard to pretend to be the same as before, but he could tell that some things, some details, could never be perfect no matter how hard he pretended. As soon

as Ren He said that, that bad premonition came back.

Could this guy be right again?

Feng Ran felt unhappy from the bottom of his heart, as if there was a wet sponge blocking his chest.

He thought sourly, at worst we could just part ways amicably, anything would be fine, just don't cheat on him.

Then he thought, what if he really cheated on him? But he didn't remember anyone around Shen Zhi who could threaten him?

What about the necklace? He didn't want to wear it either. It would be a pity to throw it away.

Ren He was surprised and said, "Fuck, you are so angry? You are so impulsive? I didn't really say it, did I?"

Feng Ran hung up the phone.

The car rear-ended at the intersection, and the long street was blocked into a mess. He had to move a few centimeters at a time, stepping on the accelerator and brake alternately. Feng Ran was forced to do sit-ups with a 90-degree rotation in the car. The driver sighed and said that he shouldn't take this road. The other one was over there, and he should have turned around just now.

The temperature made everyone restless. The asphalt road was smoking. The children in school uniforms were sweating and groaning as they shuttled through the traffic. The horns were honking louder and louder. The car window was lowered and raised again, and someone in the front got out of the car and shouted.

The sun shone in through the glass. There was nowhere to escape. My skin was burning and I couldn't sleep. I don't even want to check my phone.

Chen Zhi hasn't replied to the message I sent two hours ago.

Feng Ran opened the window a crack, closed his eyes, and tried his best to endure the hot wind.

This world is really bad.