Chapter 4 Sleepwalking 1
It's like the first time I saw you.
You smile brightly,
Turning around, it illuminates my entire youth.
When I handed the two thousand yuan I earned from working to Chen Qiaoluo, he pushed it away. He looked at me with a puzzled look and said, "Hello Zhu Yun, what do you mean?"
"Chen Qiaoluo, we are friends, right?" I met his deep gaze and said seriously, "I originally worked with you just to experience life. I know you would not accept my dad's money. But this money is different. I earned it myself. I know you need money right now, so I hope you can accept it."
He looked at me for a long while before speaking: "I understand what you mean, but Zhu Jun, I hope you understand that these are my own affairs. Even if you are my friend, I can't accept such a big favor from you for no reason."
"How can this be considered unprovoked?" I frowned and continued, "Chen Qiaoluo, we have known each other for almost a year. I know very well what kind of person you are. Now that I know why you are trying so hard to make money, why can't I help you? I am your friend, not a stranger passing by."
"But even so, I still can't accept it." Chen Qiaoluo turned his back to me and said, "Let's go, Zhu Jun."
I didn't give the money to Chen Qiaoluo in the end. I understood his pride and self-esteem, so I secretly put the money into Guyu's mother's medical expenses. I thought this might be the only thing I could do to help Chen Qiaoluo.
In the blink of an eye, I entered my third year of high school. Gigi Lai had complained to me more than once that time was passing too quickly. She said she was afraid of graduating like this.
In fact, I am no exception. Looking back on the past two years, I am filled with so many memories. It turns out that I am also afraid of saying goodbye to high school, and I am also afraid of facing even more uncertain future.
When Xiaohei called me, I had already changed into my pajamas and was ready to go to bed, but when I saw his name flashing on the phone screen, my inner anxiety quickly overwhelmed me. I answered the phone almost immediately and asked, "Xiaohei, is there something wrong with Chen Qiaoluo?"
The other end of the line was still filled with the noisy sounds of the bar. Xiao Hei's voice seemed a little unclear. He said, "Hello, Yun, come to us quickly. A Luo has gone crazy."
Is Chen Qiaoluo crazy?
I was shocked and hung up the phone without even asking any questions. I changed my clothes and rushed over. I kept urging the driver to drive faster. When we finally got to the door, I threw in a 100-yuan bill and got off the car in a hurry without even waiting for the change.
As soon as I entered the bar, deafening music reached my ears. I squeezed through the crowd and walked forward. It took me more than a minute to walk a distance of just over ten meters. I finally saw Xiaohei at the bar, and I ran over in a hurry. My worry about Chen Qiaoluo was almost suffocating me.
Seeing me coming, Xiaohei immediately took my hand and walked inside, his voice full of worry. He said, "Hello, Yun, you're finally here. Luo has been drinking for more than half an hour."
"More than half an hour?" I couldn't help but exclaimed, "Does he think he's a barrel? What happened?"
"Ah." Brother Xiaohei sighed and said, "Didn't A Luo come to see Sister He Pei today? Everything was fine at first, but when Sister He Pei was drinking with the guests, the man did something dishonest. For those working in the nightclub, these things are understandable, and we are all used to them. But unfortunately, A Luo was also there today. You know him, he can't bear to see Sister He Pei suffer any loss, so he got angry on the spot and rushed over to hit her. Fortunately, we were there to stop him. Afterwards, A Luo told Sister He Pei not to come to work anymore, but Sister He Pei disagreed. The two argued for a long time, and Sister He Pei left in a rage. After she left, A Luo kept drinking like crazy."
I had guessed on the road before whether it was related to Aunt He Pei, but I didn't expect it to be true. Whenever it came to her, Chen Qiaoluo would become so irrational.
When Xiaohei brought me to Chen Qiaoluo, the table in front of him was already filled with empty bottles. I walked over and snatched the bottle from his hand, looked at him and said sternly, "Chen Qiaoluo, have you had enough of this?"
Chen Qiaoluo saw that his bottle of wine had been snatched away. He was stunned for a moment and looked up. When he saw that it was me, he suddenly laughed and said to me, "Hello, Zhu Yun, why are you here? But it's a good opportunity for you to drink with me. Come on, Brother Xiaohei, give us another dozen beers."
When I saw him like this, I immediately got furious. I pulled him up and said, "Don't act crazy in front of me. I'm taking you home now."
Brother Xiaohei quickly ran over to lend a hand.
As if sensing our intention, Chen Qiaoluo struggled to escape from our hands. However, he was no match for me and Xiaohei, so he had to give up the struggle and kept asking us to let him go, saying that he could continue drinking.
I ignored his drunken rage and led him out. Many people looked at me along the way, but I pretended not to see them.
When we got to the door, a taxi happened to pass by. Xiao Hei pushed Chen Qiaoluo in and said to me apologetically, "Hello, Yun. Please take Luo home. I'm still at work and it's not easy for me to sneak out."
"Yeah, it's okay. I understand." I said with understanding, "But, do you know where Chen Qiaoluo lives? I've never heard him tell me. If you don't know, I'll just find a hotel for him to stay in."
"I know." Brother Xiaohei said with a smile, "I am the one who sends Sister He Pei home when she gets drunk sometimes."
After he finished speaking, he said to the driver, "Master, I'm in trouble. It's in Sixiang near Chengnan Central Primary School, Building 3, Room 302."
During the whole journey, Chen Qiaoluo was not very honest and kept mumbling nonsense. I don't know if he was really drunk or just pretending to be drunk. I know he was also doing it for Aunt He Pei's good, not wanting her to work in such a terrible environment. They both cared too much about each other, so they were so easily hurt.
I had never been to the southern part of the city before, but I vaguely heard others say that the environment there was bad. But when the taxi stopped and I helped Chen Qiaoluo walk out, I realized how true this statement was.
There were no street lights here. Through the faint moonlight, we could clearly see the piles of garbage in front of each building. Even from dozens of meters away, we could still smell the disgusting stench. There were mosquitoes flying around constantly, and other than that, it was as quiet as a desert. The driver didn't seem to want to stay any longer. When he saw us get off the car, he immediately turned around and drove away.
Chen Qiaoluo seemed to have fallen asleep at this time. I supported him and walked up the stairs while suppressing the nausea in my heart. Because there was no light, I almost rolled down the stairs with him several times. After finally climbing up to the third floor and finding Room 302, I knocked on the door and shouted, "Aunt He Pei, this is Yunhao, please open the door."
Not long after, the door was opened. Aunt He Pei came out in her pajamas. When she saw Chen Qiaoluo like this, she immediately took him in with a distressed look and helped him walk inside.
I followed her in. It was just a small room of a few dozen square meters, with everything piled together.
Aunt He Pei put Chen Qiaoluo on the sofa and went to get him a basin of water to wash. Only after she finished all this did she stand up and looked at me and said embarrassedly: "I'm really sorry to bother you, Yun."
"It's nothing. Chen Qiaoluo is my friend, and it's my duty to do so." I replied politely.
Different from the heavy makeup and charming manners in the bar, Aunt He Pei at this moment is the most real. Although her bare face is far less gorgeous than her heavy makeup, this is the most real her. Just when she was taking care of Chen Qiaoluo, I clearly felt the greatest love from a mother.
At this moment, I suddenly thought of my dad. He also loved me and spoiled me so much. No matter what I did, he could forgive me. He always said that I was his baby, but in fact, wasn't he my baby too?
Just as I was recalling every detail of my past with my dad, Aunt He Pei suddenly spoke again solemnly: "Hello, Yun, I know you are a good child, and you really treat our A Luo as a friend, so please consider me as your aunt begging you to help him as much as possible in the future."
Seeing her so serious, I was immediately surprised and quickly replied, "Auntie, I would do the same thing even if you didn't tell me. I know you love Chen Qiaoluo and everything is for his good, but you also know that he doesn't want you to be wronged. In his world, aren't you the most important person to him?"
"Alas." Aunt He Pei sighed and said, "This child has suffered too much with me since he was a child. The mess his father left behind has now become his responsibility to clean up. It's all because of us as parents who didn't do our part that he has become what he is now."
