Chapter 14 The Meaning of Happiness 1
Liang Xiaodi didn't know how long it would take to forget someone.
In fact, she had no time to feel at all.
The rent was about to expire, and she had to find another job immediately after quitting her job. She didn't think about going home, her self-esteem wouldn't allow her to do so. She had always known that it was not easy to find a job in City X. It was only after leaving DX that she realized that the outside world was even more cruel than she had imagined.
Competition was fierce in good companies. For a small position, the interviewees lined up in a long line. The average company had low salary, poor benefits, and required her to do all kinds of things beyond her job. After finally finding a suitable one and passing the interview, she received a call a few nights later, and the other party told her that there was another candidate for the position.
In less than a week, she had experienced all the ups and downs of life.
Liang Xiaodi leaned against the railing in the subway, dejected. She finally understood why Xiao Yunfei looked at her with such resentment, because she not only took away her lover, but also made her lose her job. When the subway arrived at the station, Liang Xiaodi walked out with the crowd. After eating something outside, Liang Xiaodi dragged her tired body back home. To her surprise, the landlord was standing at the door.
When the landlady saw her coming back, she immediately came up to her warmly and said, "Xiao Di, you are finally back. I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Auntie, it's you." Liang Xiaodi's smile was a little awkward, and it was obvious that she was going to collect the rent.
"Xiao Di, I won't beat around the bush with you. I came here this time to ask you for the rent for next quarter. Look, are you going to rent or not next quarter?"
"I'll rent it." Liang Xiaodi nodded quickly. She had already prepared the rent, but she was afraid that the landlord would ask her to pay. She unzipped her backpack and began to look for her wallet, but tragically, it was gone! Her heart sank and she began to panic. She picked up her bag and searched through it again, but still couldn't find her wallet.
"What's wrong?" the landlord asked hurriedly when he saw that her expression was not right.
"Auntie, wait a minute, my wallet may have fallen in the bedroom, I'll go look for it." She opened the door and rushed into the bedroom. But it was all in vain, she still couldn't find her wallet.
It can’t be lost...
She suddenly remembered that she was bumped into by someone when she was leaving the subway.
It's over! It must have been lost at that time!
Liang Xiaodi looked ashen, all the strength in her body was drained away at once, and she collapsed on the bed.
"Did you find it?" The landlord came in upon hearing the noise and saw her pale face. "Why, you can't find it?"
"Auntie, I'm sorry, I lost my wallet..." Liang Xiaodi said with tears in her eyes, annoyance and regret surging in her heart. Why couldn't she be more careful!
"So...you mean, you have no money to pay the rent?" The landlord's voice became deep, and he no longer had the smiling face he had just now.
"Can you give me a few days? I'll go borrow money from someone and give it to you right away!" Liang Xiaodi raised her hand to promise.
"No, not this time, girl. Recently, a relative's child wants to rent this house. I came here today to ask if you still want to rent it. If you don't, I will rent it to her. She is also waiting to live in the house."
"Auntie, can't you give me a few more days? I have no place to live and my wallet is lost. There's nothing I can do!"
"No, I'm in urgent need of money recently, otherwise I wouldn't be so anxious to ask you for it." The landlord looked embarrassed, "I really can't wait even a day. If I agree to rent it to her, she can give me the money tomorrow. Otherwise, can you give me the money tomorrow?"
This sentence stumped her. Where could she borrow so much money in one day?
"Is there really no more room for compromise?" Liang Xiaodi cried anxiously, but the landlord had already started rummaging through his wallet.
"Girl, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I'm short of money recently. I'll return the deposit to you now, and you can use the money to find a hotel first."
After saying that, the landlord handed her 800 yuan.
Liang Xiaodi looked at the 800 yuan, then raised her head to look at the landlord with a strange expression. It seemed that there was really no room for maneuver.
Liang Xiaodi packed all his luggage in half an hour, and wandered around the street in a panic, carrying the huge suitcase.
The night was cool, and the neon lights in the city were flickering. Of all the lights in the houses, not a single one was lit for her.
Where to go? She didn't know. Her heart was so heavy that she had to use all her strength to take each step. She sat on a bench at the bus stop, staring at the people and vehicles passing by. Her long hair was messed up by the wind, and the tears in her eyes dried up little by little.
After an unknown amount of time, she took out her cell phone, flipped through the phone book, and stopped at He Weining's name.
What is he doing? Is he okay? Just as I was thinking, my phone vibrated and the caller ID showed it was my mother.
"Hello, Mom!" Liang Xiaodi raised her voice, trying her best to make her voice sound normal.
"Xiao Di, why haven't you called home recently?" The voice on the other end of the phone was mixed with the sound of cooking.
"Oh, I've been busy with work lately!" She smiled. "Are you and dad doing well?"
"We are all fine, but your dad is more concerned about you. The weather in X City is getting colder now, right? Do you have enough clothes to wear?"
"Enough to wear." As she spoke, the night wind blew and Liang Xiaodi shuddered. "Don't worry, if you don't have enough clothes, I'll go buy them."
"Well, how are you and your boyfriend getting along lately? Is he bullying you?"
Liang Xiaodi's eyes flashed with a trace of panic, and she forced a smile and said, "No, he is very nice to me. He even took me out for dinner and to a movie yesterday..." After she finished speaking, her nose felt sore, and she suddenly felt that she was the most pathetic liar in the world.
"That's good. If he dares to bully you, tell mom and I'll fly over and beat him up tomorrow!"
"Okay, I know mom is the best." Liang Xiaodi didn't dare to say anything else because her voice was choked with sobs.
"Okay, I'm relieved to see that you're doing well. Your dad is urging me to eat. I won't chat with you anymore. Call me more often when you have time, okay?"
"I know."
After she hung up the phone, she suddenly received a text message from her thesis advisor: "The thesis content is not up to standard. Either choose a new topic or rewrite it. The defense is coming soon. Everyone is ready except you. Hurry up!"
His body swayed, and his already heavy mood became even heavier. He was so busy looking for a job that he forgot that his graduation thesis had not been finalized. If he couldn't graduate... Liang Xiaodi didn't dare to think about it anymore.
No, I’d better find a place to live first, and then finish writing the thesis.
She remembered that there was a cheap and clean hotel in the alley not far ahead, so she dragged her heavy luggage forward.
There was a drizzle in the sky, and the heavy rain blurred her vision.
Because she didn't have a free hand to hold the umbrella, her hair was mostly wet, and Liang Xiaodi couldn't help but quicken her pace. At this moment, a familiar car passed by her and caught her sight firmly.
As if possessed by some mysterious force, she turned around and followed him. The black car stopped in front of a restaurant. The first person to get out was a woman dressed elegantly, holding an umbrella and smiling charmingly. The man in the driver's seat also got out of the car. His eyebrows and eyes were still as beautiful as before, and his posture was still as extraordinary as before. The woman took his arm, just as naturally as Liang Xiaodi did at the beginning.
She stood there stupidly and watched them lean on each other and walk into the restaurant.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and her vision was washed away by the rain. Gradually, she could not tell which was rain and which was tears.
Lu Zheng had just finished his injection when he received Liang Xiaodi's call. He had already known that she had broken up with He Weining and resigned, so he ignored the nurse's attempts to stop him and rushed to where she was in a taxi, holding an umbrella.
When I opened the door, I saw Liang Xiaodi sitting on the sofa in a daze. Her long hair was wet and draped over her body, and her exposed calves were bruised and purple. Next to her was a large suitcase.
"What's wrong?" Lu Zheng was really startled, and immediately held her cold hand. The warm touch pulled Liang Xiaodi back from her daze, and her heart skipped a beat. In fact, she didn't want to ask him for help, but in this city, no one else would help her except him.
She subconsciously pulled her hand away, pulled the corner of her mouth, and said, "You're here. I'm sorry to bother you so late."
The distant tone made Lu Zheng stunned, but he didn't care about it. He pointed at the luggage next to him and asked: "What's the matter? Did you move? And what's wrong with your leg?"
Liang Xiaodi said nonchalantly, "I lost my wallet and couldn't pay the rent, so I moved out. The alley was dark when I came here, and I fell, but it's nothing serious."
Lu Zheng frowned and wanted to see her legs, but she pushed him away.
"Lu Zheng, can you use your ID card to book a room for me? I lost my ID card and my boss said he would not give me a room no matter what." As she said that, she handed him 100 yuan.
"I have money on me." Pushing her hand away, Lu Zheng stood up without hesitation and ran to the front desk to get her the best room. Then, he picked up her luggage and walked towards the room, Liang Xiaodi followed closely behind.
After opening the door and taking a look at the environment, Lu Zheng was quite satisfied, but Liang Xiaodi frowned.
"Isn't this room expensive? I'll just stay in an ordinary one."
"Why do you want to live in an ordinary place?" Lu Zheng stopped her and said, "I have already paid the money, so you can live here peacefully."
"I don't want to spend your money." Liang Xiaodi's face turned cold. To be exact, she didn't want to spend He Weining's money.
"Look at you, you should take a hot bath first." Lu Zheng pushed her in. "As for the money, just pay it back to me when you have it in the future!"
Liang Xiaodi thought about it and finally nodded.
Seeing that she agreed, Lu Zheng was relieved and said, "Go take a shower, and then I'll take you to dinner."
After taking a hot bath and changing into clean clothes, Liang Xiaodi went downstairs slowly. What surprised her was that no matter how she delayed, Lu Zheng still sat there waiting for her. Perhaps he was tired of waiting, he actually fell asleep leaning against the back of the chair. The warm yellow light shone on the face that was extremely similar to He Weining, and Liang Xiaodi was absent-minded for a while.
"Hey, hello!" Lu Zheng noticed the movement around him and opened his eyes.
"Yeah." Liang Xiaodi nodded, "Didn't you say you would take me out for dinner?"
"Okay, let's go now. I know there's a hotpot restaurant up ahead that serves really delicious food." Lu Zheng smiled widely.
Before I knew it, the rain had stopped and the air was filled with a fresh scent.
The two chatted casually and soon arrived at the hot pot restaurant. As soon as she entered the door, Liang Xiaodi was stunned. This restaurant was exactly the great hot pot restaurant that He Weining often talked about. He often said, when I am done with my work, I will take you to eat hot pot at that restaurant.
But she waited and waited, but ended up breaking up with him.
Liang Xiaodi rubbed her eyes, feeling a little sore. Lu Zheng saw that something was wrong with her and asked inquiringly, "Don't you like it here?"
"No." She shook her head, snatched the menu and studied it carefully.
The dishes were served quickly. Liang Xiaodi, who never eats spicy food, put all the meat in the hot pot and ate it with sesame sauce. Song Yan said that if you are sad, you should eat hot pot. Even if you cry, you can tell others that it was the heat that made you cry.
As I thought about it, tears suddenly started to flow.
"Cry if you want to. Don't worry, I won't laugh at you." Lu Zheng's voice came, and through the hot air, his handsome face seemed unreal.
"Laugh, I feel ridiculous." Liang Xiaodi was dejected. "I thought I could forget him quickly, but when I saw him with another woman, my heart felt like it was cut by a knife. It hurt so much that I dared not breathe."
"That's because you still like him." Lu Zheng put down his chopsticks, a hint of gloom flashed between his brows, "Just like I still like you, seeing you sad, I feel sad too."
"When did you start to like me?" She asked the question she had always wanted to ask.
"In fact, I had a good impression of you from the first time I saw you, and then when we got to know each other again..."
"But I'm your brother's girlfriend. Don't you think it's wrong for you to do this?" Although she asked this, Liang Xiaodi's voice was still calm.
Lu Zheng smiled, picked up a piece of meat for her, and said, "Xiao Di, you and I are not the same kind of people, so you can't understand me."
"I am a patient who has to undergo dialysis every week and endure the pain of injections and medication. But you are different. Just like when we eat hot pot together, you can dip it in various condiments, but I can only eat it with water. You are healthy and your life is full of hope, but I don't know how long I can live, or whether I can find a suitable kidney, and I don't know how long I can last after a kidney transplant. So, my life is selfish. If I like something, I will pursue it."
"Whether you agree or not is your business, and whether you like it or not is my business. As for my brother, I have wronged him, and he has wronged me, too. But it's even now."
Deeply moved by these words, Liang Xiaodi looked at his bright eyes and fell into deep thought.
In fact, up to now, she and He Weining's affairs were not Lu Zheng's fault at all. The reason they broke up was that they didn't love each other enough.
Because of the rain, Liang Xiaodi had a fever without warning in the middle of the night. Then, she had a dream all night long. In the dream, she was confused and full of He Weining's half-smiley face.
When she woke up again, it was already daybreak. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Zheng busying around in the house.
"Hey, why are you here?" Liang Xiaodi was so scared that he sat up suddenly with a strong nasal voice.
"I told the boss that you and I were together, and the boss recognized me, so he gave me a spare key."
Liang Xiaodi rolled her eyes at him and lay down weakly.
"Get up, don't sleep anymore, come on, I'll take you out to play." Lu Zheng pulled her up. At this moment, the phone rang. When she answered it, it was He Weining.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" Lu Zheng lowered his voice and turned around, not wanting Liang Xiaodi to know that he was talking to He Weining.
"My cousin arrived last night. You didn't come to dinner yesterday, and she wanted to see you."
Lu Zheng looked embarrassed: "But I have an appointment with friends to go out and play today! We are leaving soon!" Liang Xiaodi, who was confused, heard Lu Zheng say this and immediately said: "You go and do your work, don't worry about me, I feel a little uncomfortable and don't want to go out and play."
He Weining was shocked by Liang Xiaodi's voice. How could her voice come from Lu Zheng's phone? It seemed that the person Lu Zheng was dating was her!
Lu Zheng said hurriedly: "Please tell my cousin that I will go to see her tomorrow!"
After that, he hung up the phone, leaving a busy tone. He Weining looked at the phone, at a loss, and stood there. So, during the time he tried so hard to find her, she had been with Lu Zheng?
"Why, A Zheng isn't coming to see me?" asked my cousin Tao Ran with a frown.
"He's not coming." He Weining came to her senses, "Sister, I have something else to do, so I can't accompany you today."
"What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?" Tao Ran was full of questions.
"Let's talk about it when I get back." As he spoke, He Weining picked up his coat, turned around and walked out the door.
No matter what, he would find them and ask them clearly!
However, He Weining, who was so angry, didn't know that Liang Xiaodi's fever had turned from a low fever to a high fever.
Just now, Lu Zheng wanted to wake her up after hanging up the phone, but found that her forehead was already burned. She half-closed her eyes and lay weakly on the bed, unable to get up. Her weak appearance scared Lu Zheng. He called her a few times, but she seemed not to hear him, just panting.
Lu Zheng had never seen such a scene before, and immediately panicked. He took a bottle of iced water and put it in her hand, then ran out in a hurry to buy medicine for her. Fortunately, the pharmacy was not far away, and in less than ten minutes, he came back with a bag of medicine.
