In the garage, Chi Yuecheng was waiting for Su Qingxin in the car.
After Su Qingxin got in the car, Chi Yuecheng did not ask her about resigning, but drove the car out of the garage and asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Send me home." Su Qingxin said.
Chi Yuecheng drove the car to the downstairs of Su Qingxin's house and wanted to take Su Qingxin upstairs, but was politely declined.
"Qingxin." Chi Yuecheng called out to Su Qingxin who was about to enter the building. Su Qingxin turned her head and looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"Remember to call me if you have anything." Chi Yuecheng frowned, looking serious.
"I got it. Don't worry. Go to work." Su Qingxin could sense Chi Yuecheng's worry and smiled at him.
Chi Yuecheng nodded, turned back to the car and drove away.
Su Qingxin returned to her home only after Chi Yuecheng left.
After arriving home, Su Qingxin opened a bottle of red wine, curled up on the sofa, turned on the TV, and selected the movie channel.
The movie channel was replaying Inception, and the white fluorescent light shone on Su Qingxin's face, making her look pale. She felt like she was wandering between dreams and reality, feeling very confused and at a loss.
Blindness caused by corneal inflammation is not life-threatening, but rather than losing sight, Su Qingxin would rather have an incurable disease.
She had drunk a little wine and was feeling sleepy, so she could only hear the sound on TV vaguely.
She suddenly remembered her favorite line from Inception: So do you want to take a leap of faith or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone?
What about Su Qingxin? If she gave it her all, what would she get? Would she be able to see it?
But she knew very well that such a gamble was not only about not succumbing to the pain brought by fate, but also about facing every difficulty with an open mind and living optimistically.
Su Qingxin didn't know how long it had been before she got up from the sofa and opened the curtains. She always liked dark environments because they were quiet, but if she stayed in such an environment for too long, she would easily lack confidence and vitality.
The curtains were drawn, and the room became bright even without turning on the lights.
Su Qingxin took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Chi Yuecheng: "Acheng, come back for dinner tonight."
Chi Yuecheng replied almost immediately, saying, "Okay."
Su Qingxin turned off the TV, put on an apron and gloves, and cleaned the house inside and out. She packed up all the unused clothes and items, packed them into five or six bags and threw them into the trash can.
Then she washed her face, closed the door and went to the supermarket.
There were no vegetables in the refrigerator, so she wanted to buy some.
The vegetables in the supermarket were not so fresh in the afternoon. Su Qingxin selected them carefully with a calm expression.
"Su Qingxin?" Someone called her from behind.
Su Qingxin turned her head and saw Qin Ruxi who was also pushing a shopping cart.
"It's you." Su Qingxin responded without much emotion.
Qin Ruxi walked up to her with a smile on her face, looked her over, and asked, "Are you alone?"
"Yeah." Su Qingxin picked up a bottle of soy sauce and put it in the shopping cart, saying, "Buy some small things, and Acheng will come back for dinner in the evening."
Qin Ruxi had no intention of leaving. She said enviously, "You and Chi Yuecheng have such a good relationship. I used to think you would be with Wei Ran. Alas, who could have predicted what would happen in the future? You left suddenly, and then suddenly came back. I felt like there was a galaxy between us."
Su Qingxin understood what Qin Ruxi meant. She was saying: You see, in the end, Wei Ran and I are still together.
Seeing that Su Qingxin didn't say anything, Qin Ruxi invited her again, saying, "Qingxin, it's still early for Chi Yuecheng to get off work, why don't we go have afternoon tea later, you, me, and Wei Ran. By the way, Wei Ran is here too."
Su Qingxin was indeed somewhat moved when Wei Ran was mentioned, but she still refused: "No, I'm busy."
"Hey, you're not at work, what are you busy with?" Qin Ruxi took Su Qingxin's hand and called out to the distance, "Wei Ran, Wei Ran, come here."
Su Qingxin looked in the direction of the voice and saw Wei Ran walking towards her holding a large piece of tissue paper.
"Qingxin, you are here too?" Wei Ran threw the tissue into the shopping cart, wiped his hands on his clothes, and explained at a loss, "Well... I... because Qin Ruxi said she wanted to buy a lot of things and couldn't carry them, I came here to help."
However, this explanation seemed to make him seem closer to Qin Ruxi.
"Wei Ran, I invited Su Qingxin to have afternoon tea with us, but she seems reluctant. Please help persuade her. After all, we are old classmates." Qin Ruxi hugged Wei Ran's arm and acted coquettishly. She was exactly the same as when she was a child, always being clingy and competing with everyone she met.
Wei Ran wanted to break free, but she held him tightly.
Su Qingxin didn't want to argue, and she also wanted to repay Wei Ran a favor, so she said, "Okay, but I'll treat you to afternoon tea."
Then, she looked at Wei Ran and said, "I am repaying the favor you owe me in Beijing."
After that, she pushed the shopping cart to the checkout and said, "It's at the 'Green Forest Drinks' next door. I'll go and store my things. If you two don't mind, I'd like to invite Zhu Panpan and Yang Ye out as well. We haven't been together for a long time."
Wei Ran was still digesting Su Qingxin's words when he was dragged over by Qin Ruxi.
When Su Qingxin was paying the bill, she called Zhu Panpan and asked her to bring Yang Ye to "Green Forest Drink". She also called Chi Yuecheng and asked him to help Zhu Panpan and give her an afternoon off.
The two sat facing each other.
Su Qingxin sipped her tea tenderly, and Qin Ruxi asked Wei Ran about his well-being in a friendly manner, just like when the five of them formed a study group together.
"Okay, stop talking so much and just wait quietly for Yang Ye and Panpan." Wei Ran deliberately rejected Qin Ruxi's enthusiasm.
Tan Ruxi muttered, "It's so boring to be quiet."
Wei Ran's eyes fell on Su Qingxin's face, fearing that she would misunderstand the relationship between him and Qin Ruxi, but he could not see any trace of the expression he wanted on Su Qingxin's face.
Half an hour later, Zhu Panpan brought Yang Ye over.
Although I met Zhu Panpan almost every day, it was the first time I met Yang Ye after we separated. Yang Ye had grown into a tall and thin man with wheat-colored skin. He looked capable, healthy, and somewhat handsome.
"Wei Ran!" As soon as he came in, Yang Ye saw Wei Ran.
Wei Ran stood up and fist-bumped with him, Yang Ye patted him on the back and scolded him, "You little bastard, you left without saying goodbye, and now you're in Hefei and you haven't contacted your brothers!"
"Blame me. Whatever you want to eat, I'll treat you." Wei Ran brought Yang Ye to sit aside, and Zhu Panpan sat opposite Su Qingxin.
Yang Ye sat down and looked at Su Qingxin sitting opposite him. He immediately praised her: "Wow, Qingxin, you really change a lot as you grow up. You become more and more beautiful. Hey, I found the right person for the favor you asked me to do for you last time. Panpan will give you the photo later. You can show it to your friends."
Su Qingxin suddenly remembered this and said with a smile, "Thank you for still thinking about this matter."
"You're so polite." Yang Ye waved his hand and said, "We've been classmates for so many years, so don't say thank you."
"Okay. What would you like to drink? I'll treat you." Su Qingxin said with a smile.
Yang Ye picked up the menu, looked at Su Qingxin and Wei Ran with ill intent, and asked, "Who of you two is treating?"
"It's my treat." Wei Ran and Su Qingxin said in unison.
Tan Ruxi, who was standing next to him, felt quite uncomfortable and said sarcastically, "Oh, you really have a tacit understanding."
Yang Ye didn't care who was paying, since it wasn't him. He said loudly, "Since both of you are paying, I'll pick the more expensive one."
Everyone smiled but said nothing.
Yang Ye ordered his own drinks and then helped them order their favorites. He ordered exactly what he liked when he was a child. After so many years, it was rare that he still remembered it.
Su Qingxin sat by the window. When she looked out the window, she could clearly feel that her vision had dropped rapidly. She rubbed her eyes and looked out again, but it was still the same.
"Qingxin, what's wrong?" Wei Ran carefully noticed Su Qingxin's abnormality.
"Nothing, I just didn't get enough rest." Su Qingxin evaded the question.
Wei Ran didn't take it too seriously, thinking that Su Qingxin just didn't get enough rest.
Yang Ye, who was standing next to him, couldn't sit still anymore and started to talk. "Well, it's been exactly five years since we last met. It's not a long time, just the time it takes to go to college. But I didn't expect that in just such a short time, the five of us have changed so much."
Yes, originally Yang Ye and Wei Ran were the best of friends, but they haven't had any contact for five years; originally Zhu Panpan was a chubby big meatball, but now she has turned into a plump beauty; originally Su Qingxin was a confused little girl who knew nothing, but now she has become the marketing manager of Huamei and is in love with Chi Yuecheng.
They were all young and green originally, but now they have grown up and matured.
"It would be nice if there was some wine." Yang Ye couldn't help but sigh.
Su Qingxin frowned slightly and said, "I'll go buy it."
"I'll go." Wei Ran stood up first and walked out of "Green Forest Beverage".
Yang Ye started to reminisce about the past, but he was lost in his memories. Zhu Panpan hugged Su Qingxin's arm and leaned on her shoulder without saying a word. Qin Ruxi felt very uncomfortable and kept looking back to see if Wei Ran had come back.
When we were young, we always thought we could stay like this until we grow up and grow old, but it turns out that when we really grow up, everyone will leave and have their own lives. It is not easy to be together like this.
A few minutes later, Wei Ran came over with a box of beer from the supermarket. The five of them opened the bottle caps and toasted the past with beer bottles. No matter how tired they were, they couldn't turn back.
"Su Qingxin, when Wei Ran was a kid, he always boasted to me that he could trick you with just a candied haws. Haha, he said you were so stupid!" Yang Ye started to tell tales while drinking.
Su Qingxin listened, her cheeks turning slightly red due to the influence of alcohol.
"You are not stupid enough!" Zhu Panpan helped Su Qingxin fight back against Yang Ye.
Yang Ye refused to give in and said, "No matter how dumb I am, I still managed to catch you, right?"
Zhu Panpan banged on the table and yelled, "It's not you who's chasing me! It's me who's chasing you! Correction! It's me who's chasing you!"
"I'm so stupid, but you still chase me. Aren't you even more stupid than me?" Yang Ye stuck out his tongue at Zhu Panpan.
Zhu Panpan couldn't win the argument, so she had to use her trump card and said, "Yes, I'm stupid! I won't talk nonsense with you. Go home and kneel down in front of the remote control obediently tonight!"
"Tsk tsk tsk." Yang Ye pointed at Zhu Panpan and complained to Wei Ran, "See? This is a woman! How vicious! She wants me to kneel down in front of the remote control and not change the channel!"
Then he leaned close to Wei Ran's ear and said, "How stupid! Every time I kneel down, I actually take out the battery."
Wei Ran was amused. He envied Yang Ye and Zhu Panpan, and envied that they could live together happily. As for him, even saying a word to Su Qingxin became a luxury.
Su Qingxin kept looking out the window. Wei Ran followed her gaze. There was a tall tung tree outside the window, but even the leaves of the tree had fallen.
It's almost winter now.
Time flies so fast.
That afternoon, they laughed heartily at Greenwood Drinks, with no barriers between them.
Drunk people are prone to this. They are easily sentimental about everything and easily forgive everything. Then when they wake up, they just think it was all a dream.
After afternoon tea, Zhu Panpan supported the slightly tipsy Su Qingxin and went downstairs with them. Su Qingxin's cell phone rang.
It was Chi Yuecheng. Zhu Panpan answered the call for Su Qingxin.
Chi Yuecheng on the other end of the phone asked calmly, "Qingxin, didn't I say we were going to have dinner at your house? Aren't you back yet?"
"Ah... Mr. Chi. I'm Zhu Panpan. Qingxin is now at the entrance of the supermarket on Zhonghuan Road. You can come and pick her up. She has drunk a little bit of wine." Zhu Panpan said.
"Got it. Wait for me to come over." Chi Yuecheng hung up the phone, went downstairs and drove over here.
Wei Ran leaned against the electric pole, Qin Ruxi leaned against Wei Ran, one of them was thinking about the other, and the other was thinking about someone else.
Qin Ruxi pulled Wei Ran and said dazedly: "Wei Ran, take me home."
"Yeah." Wei Ran nodded. He was fine, his consciousness was still relatively clear, but Qin Ruxi and Su Qingxin drank a little too much. He didn't know why they drank so much.
A few minutes later, Chi Yuecheng drove over.
Looking at Su Qingxin lying in Zhu Panpan's arms, Chi Yuecheng couldn't help but feel a little resentful and asked, "Why did you let her drink so much?"
"We were all happy together and accidentally drank so much..." Zhu Panpan said in a low voice.
Chi Yuecheng picked up Su Qingxin, laid her horizontally on the back seat, fastened her seat belt, and then, without saying goodbye, took Su Qingxin away.
Yang Ye looked at Chi Yuecheng and said, "What an impolite person."
"Mr. Chi is just like that." Zhu Panpan muttered.
However, since it was someone Su Qingxin chose, he shouldn't be that bad. They didn't speculate on this issue any further and went home.
Chi Yuecheng drove the car to the downstairs of Su Qingxin's building, and with the things he bought from the supermarket hanging on one arm, he carried Su Qingxin upstairs.
Su Qingxin said dazedly in his arms: "It's okay, Acheng... I can walk by myself, I still have to cook for you."
"You've become like this." Chi Yuecheng put Su Qingxin down, opened the door, carried her into the house, and put her on the sofa.
Su Qingxin struggled to get up, sat on the sofa with messy hair, and said incoherently: "Acheng, you must be hungry, I will go cook right away."
Chi Yuecheng put down the shopping bag, walked over and held Su Qingxin down, saying, "I'm not hungry. Lie down and tell me where you feel uncomfortable. Do you want some water?"
Su Qingxin leaned back and lay down again, saying, "My head hurts..."
Chi Yuecheng sat on the sofa, let Su Qingxin lie on his legs, and gently and carefully massaged her temples and scalp.
Su Qingxin was still mumbling something that Chi Yuecheng couldn't hear clearly, and her voice was very vivid.
Chi Yuecheng leaned over, kissed Su Qingxin on the lips, and said, "Be quiet."
As expected, Su Qingxin obediently stopped talking.
Chi Yuecheng shook his head. She was particularly obedient only at this time.
Su Qingxin fell asleep on Chi Yuecheng's legs and didn't wake up until the next morning. When Su Qingxin woke up, she was squeezed close to the back of the sofa, and Chi Yuecheng was sleeping outside. Su Qingxin realized that she drank too much yesterday. Maybe Chi Yuecheng was tired from taking care of her all night and fell asleep on the sofa.
Su Qingxin wanted to get up, but was pulled by Chi Yuecheng. Chi Yuecheng pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"You...are awake?" Su Qingxin nestled in Chi Yuecheng's arms, not daring to move.
"Well, sleep a little longer." Chi Yuecheng hugged her without opening his eyes.
Su Qingxin couldn't move, but she could feel Chi Yuecheng's physiological reaction. She whispered, "You...that..."
"Ah, it's morning, normal." Chi Yuecheng didn't care.
Su Qingxin's cheeks flushed, and she added, "But if you don't get up, you'll be late for work."
Feeling Su Qingxin's stiff body, Chi Yuecheng couldn't help but smile. He slowly opened his eyes, forcefully asked for a good morning kiss, and then let her go.
Su Qingxin quickly got up and avoided Chi Yuecheng as if he was a scary person. Chi Yuecheng turned over and looked at her with amusement.
Although Su Qingxin didn’t make dinner for Chi Yuecheng last night, she still gave him a hearty breakfast this morning.
Before leaving after breakfast, Chi Yuecheng hugged Su Qingxin and said, "Wait for me to come back in the evening."
"I didn't say I would cook for you in the evening." Su Qingxin said.
"I don't care. Not only do I want to eat here, I also want to sleep here." Chi Yuecheng showed an unreasonable attitude again. No matter whether Su Qingxin agreed or not, he would come over.
Su Qingxin is his, he can come here for no reason.
Su Qingxin didn't want to argue with him and drove him away.
Su Qingxin had resigned two days ago. She had initially resigned because she didn't want to sit in front of the computer all the time and make her illness worse, but she still needed a job to support herself and Shu Fan.
Thinking of Shu Fan, she hadn't visited her for some time.
Su Qingxin packed up and went to Zhang Yishi with her bag on her back. When she was looking through her bus card, she suddenly found the photo that Zhu Panpan had secretly put in her bag. The photo showed a woman in her thirties, who looked gentle and beautiful, the type of sister that Zhang Yishi liked.
"Not bad." Su Qingxin turned the photo over. There was contact information and a name on it. It was Luo Yan, a very gentle name.
When you meet Zhang Yishi, give him the photo. He is not a child anymore and it is time for him to find a partner and get married.
On the way to the residential area where Zhang Yishi lived, Su Qingxin called him and said, "Zhang Yishi, is it convenient for you to come back at noon? I'm at my mother's place. I'll cook dinner and we can eat together."
"Oh, okay, stew more meat." Zhang Yishi did not forget to add the emphasis.
"I know." Su Qingxin secretly laughed at Zhang Yishi for being a man who only ate meat. It was obvious that before he met her, he always ate instant noodles.
When they arrived at Shu Fan's residence, the door was not closed, so Su Qingxin knocked on it.
Shu Fan still sat there, staring out the window in a daze.
"Mom." Su Qingxin moved a stool and sat next to Shu Fan, leaning on her shoulder, and looking out the window with her.
"Mom, I quit my job." Su Qingxin spoke carefully. She knew Shu Fan would not react even if she heard it, but Su Qingxin wished she could have some reaction, like other mothers, who would listen to their daughter when she encountered troubles, gently stroke her hair, and say, "It's okay, mom is here."
"Mom..." Su Qingxin rubbed Shu Fan's shoulder and said, "Sometimes I wonder, what would it be like if we stayed in Haicheng and never left? In that case, Dad wouldn't die, you wouldn't become like this, and I wouldn't be separated from you for five years, right? But in that case, I wouldn't have met Wei Ran, and I wouldn't have met Zhang Yishi."
There was something sparkling in Shu Fan's eyes.
Su Qingxin continued with her head down, "Actually, if I hadn't met Wei Ran and Zhang Yishi, I would have met other people in Haicheng, right? But I believe that the people you know are different, and your experiences will be different. I don't know what kind of experience I would have if I were in Haicheng? But even if I experienced something bad, I have you and Dad here, so I won't be afraid of anything. Mom, I miss Dad so much! When you get better, let's go home to see Dad."
Tears slid down Shu Fan's face. She suddenly raised her hand and slowly wiped them away. She lowered her head and looked at Su Qingxin again, her eyes full of self-blame and love.
Su Qingxin sighed, looked up and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to clean the house and cook. Zhang Yishi will be back for dinner soon. Mom, wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon." As she spoke, she stood up, tied on her apron like a happy bird, and started cleaning. After cleaning, she went into the kitchen.
There was finally a glimmer of light in Shu Fan's eyes.
I am so tired. It is so tiring to keep pretending like this. It is so tiring to pretend to be a depressed person to win my daughter's sympathy and forgiveness.
But she was a sinner. She had caused Su Qingxin to be almost raped, had caused Su Qingxin to wander for so many years, and had caused her to not even see her biological father for the last time. She was a sinner for all eternity! If she didn't continue to pretend like this, her conscience would be uneasy, and Su Qingxin would not forgive her.
However, Shu Fan didn't know that it wasn't that Su Qingxin didn't forgive her, but that she herself had never forgiven herself.
As it approached noon, Su Qingxin brought the cooked dishes to the table one by one.
Zhang Yishi's voice came from outside the house: "Steamed carp and pig's trotters stewed with radish, so fragrant!" As soon as the door opened, Zhang Yishi couldn't help but praise, "Qingxin in our family is really a good wife and a loving mother."
"You have the most sensitive dog nose!" Su Qingxin spat at Zhang Yishi and brought up the last dish.
Zhang Yishi smiled, closed the door, and greeted Shu Fan: "Hello, Auntie."
"Come and eat first. I've saved some for mom." Su Qingxin placed the chopsticks.
Zhang Yishi sat over and started eating without waiting for anyone.
Su Qingxin sat down opposite and said, "Eat slowly, the portion is quite large."
"You cook deliciously. I can finish all of this and still feel it's not enough. Do you believe it?" Zhang Yishi said nonchalantly.
"I don't believe it." Su Qingxin didn't respond and said, "Zhang Yishi, I resigned."
"I know."
"I don't want to work there anymore. I want to find a new place where I can work in a quiet environment without using computers." Su Qingxin said again, and then she bit her chopsticks and looked at Zhang Yishi. Zhang Yishi had such a wide network of contacts and was so well-informed, he must know about this place.
Zhang Yishi looked at Su Qingxin, who looked like she was waiting to be fed, and said, "Don't tell me, there really is such a place."
"Where are you and what do you do?" Su Qingxin's eyes lit up.
Zhang Yishi thought for a moment and said, "My colleague's friend's second aunt's son's girlfriend opened a flower shop and is short of staff."
Su Qingxin tried to figure out the relationship between the characters, but found it unclear, so she asked directly: "It's just a flower shop opened by a girl, why is it so complicated? Where is it?"
"It takes half an hour to get from your home by subway." Zhang Yishi calculated and said, "The salary is not high."
"It doesn't matter." Su Qingxin didn't care about the salary, as long as she could support herself and her mother. Besides, she didn't need to live in that apartment anymore, and it didn't cost much money on a daily basis.
"Okay then, as long as you are happy." Zhang Yishi ignored her. She was an adult and always had her own ideas about things.
But Su Qingxin would not let Zhang Yishi help her in vain. She said with a smile: "Zhang Yishi, since you have helped me so much, I will do you a favor too." As she said that, she took out the photo from her pocket and handed it to Zhang Yishi.
Zhang Yishi took it, looked at it, and asked, "Who is this?"
"I introduced a blind date to you." Su Qingxin happily waited for Zhang Yishi to thank her.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yishi just glanced at the photo and threw it aside, saying, "The front teeth are too big, it will bring bad luck to your husband."
Su Qingxin quickly picked up the photo, dusted it off, and said, "How can the front teeth be big? Isn't the person looking fine?"
Zhang Yishi pointed at the photo and said, "You can't read faces, you don't understand."
"Then when did you learn to read faces?" Su Qingxin looked at Zhang Yishi in confusion.
Zhang Yishi asked back, "Do you need to know that I can read faces? Then do I need to call you to report when I get up to pee at night?"
Su Qingxin asked: "Then...what kind of girls do you like?"
"Round hips, thin waist, breasts no smaller than D, fair skin, beautiful looks, legs no shorter than 1.2 meters."
Su Qingxin looked helpless and said, "Where can such an excellent person be found? Even if there is one, you can't ruin him."
"What do you mean by letting me ruin you? Am I that kind of person?" Zhang Yishi knocked on the table with chopsticks to express his protest.
"But your request is too high. Can't you lower it a little?" Su Qingxin was a little anxious.
Zhang Yishi said righteously: "You can say whatever you want, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't . Su Qingxin, the emperor is not in a hurry, so why should you, a eunuch, be in a hurry?"
"I'm doing this for your lifelong happiness!" Su Qingxin forced the photo onto Zhang Yishi and said, "I don't care. I just think this woman is pretty good. You have to go meet her, or I'll pester you to death!"
"Su Qingxin, why are you so annoying! I told you I don't like this kind of people." Zhang Yishi hid and didn't let Su Qingxin stuff the photo into him.
"Hey, it won't kill you to meet him, why are you hiding?"
"No! I'll die, I'll die! I'll die if I see you once!"
"Zhang Yishi!" Seeing Zhang Yishi's stubborn refusal, Su Qingxin slammed the table in anger, "What do you want? How can I find a girl like the one you mentioned? I finally found a good one for you, but I'm only asking you to meet her once, not to marry her!"
"No! Su Qingxin, are you okay?" Zhang Yishi straightened his wrinkled clothes and looked at her in confusion. "Whether I marry or not, and what kind of person I like, is none of your business? Why are you more anxious than me? Oh, now I'm wrong, right? Can you force me to go if I don't like it? Why are you so nosy!"
Tears welled up in Su Qingxin's eyes. She didn't want to care, nor did she want to urge Zhang Yishi to meet the girl! But if she waited until she couldn't see anything with both eyes, it would be too late for her to help Zhang Yishi. She just wanted to do something within her ability while she was still healthy.
Zhang Yishi is such a straight-forward and stupid person! He won't die if he meets her once, so why doesn't he even want to take the photo? She complained in her heart.
Seeing Su Qingxin was about to cry due to grievance, Zhang Yishi quickly snatched the photo and coaxed her, "Okay, okay, don't cry. It's just a meeting. I'll meet you, okay?"
"Shouldn't it have been done earlier?" Su Qingxin muttered, sitting back and concentrating on eating.
Zhang Yishi sighed. He really couldn't do anything about her.
After dinner, Zhang Yishi wrote the address of the flower shop to Su Qingxin and promised Su Qingxin that he would definitely meet the girl in the photo.
"Then tell me when you are going so that I can feel at ease." Su Qingxin said while washing dishes.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Zhang Yishi stuffed the paper with the address into Su Qingxin's apron pocket and said, "I'll go feed your mother."
When Su Qingxin finished washing the dishes, Zhang Yishi was still feeding Shu Fan.
"Then I'll be leaving first, Zhang Yishi. You should go to work directly in a while. I want to go to the flower shop this afternoon to check out the situation. If it's possible, I'll go to work there directly."
"Okay, go ahead." Zhang Yishi said without even raising his head.
Su Qingxin closed the door and left.
Seeing Su Qingxin leave, Zhang Yishi handed the bowl to Shu Fan and said, "Auntie, eat it yourself."
Shu Fan took the bowl, held it in his hand, and didn't eat it.
Yes, Zhang Yishi knew that she didn't have depression. Zhang Yishi spent more time with Shu Fan than Su Qingxin did. He was also very smart, and her pretending to be sick didn't escape his eyes. Zhang Yishi leaned against the windowsill, took out Luo Yan's photo, and held it above his head to look at it carefully.
"Really? You always arrange these meaningless blind dates for me. Is that interesting? You know I don't want to go at all." Zhang Yizhi indirectly blamed Su Qingxin for being nosy, his brows knitted together.
Shu Fan looked at him, seeing through his thoughts, she smiled and slowly said: "You... like Qingxin?"
Zhang Yishi glanced at Shu Fan, then turned his head to the window. The sunlight fell on his nose and into his eyes. His eyes moved downstairs, and Su Qingxin just stopped a car to go up.
"Come on, who would like her?" Zhang Yishi said disdainfully.
Shu Fan smiled and said nothing.
The disdain on Zhang Yishi's face slowly faded, and his eyes were filled with a hint of ambiguous color. He turned his head and asked, "Auntie, how long are you going to keep this a secret before you tell me the truth?"
Shu Fan lowered his head and said slowly, "Let's keep it a secret until... the day when we can't keep it a secret anymore."
The day when the secret can no longer be concealed?
The truth can never be hidden, and there will always be a day when the window paper will be pierced. No matter whether the truth is Shu Fan's fake depression, Su Qingxin's illness that he refuses to talk about, or Zhang Yishi's well-guarded secret.
But why are people willing to hide the truth even though they know that the truth will be revealed one day?
Who would do that if they didn't have to?
Su Qingxin went to the flower shop to apply for a job that afternoon. The owner of the flower shop was Xu Yingying, who was two years older than Su Qingxin. Su Qingxin told her why she quit her white-collar job and came to the flower shop. Xu Yingying kept Su Qingxin and asked her to help plant and take care of flowers. If customers needed flowers delivered, she would also deliver them.
Su Qingxin stayed in the flower shop and listened to Xu Yingying talk about her love story.
Xu Yingying and her boyfriend also met in late spring and early summer. When she was 19 years old, Xu Yingying went traveling alone and stood on the street in the suburbs hoping to hitchhike back.
But a 19-year-old girl didn't dare to take a man's car easily, so she stood alone under the tung tree waiting for a female driver or a family's car.
At that time, the streets were covered with fallen tung oil flowers, which looked like a layer of white snow from a distance.
In the evening, a boy about her age parked an old car on the side of the road.
"He is your current boyfriend, right?" asked Su Qingxin, who was learning how to prune flowers from Xu Yingying.
Xu Yingying nodded, her face full of happiness, and said, "Yes, at that time he asked me if I needed any help. I was stunned for a moment and shook my head. He drove the car for a long distance and then backed up, asking me if I was a college student from out of town who was traveling, and told me not to be afraid. He was also from out of town, just studying there, and happened to drive my uncle's car to help him deliver some goods."
"Then what?" Su Qingxin asked curiously.
Xu Yingying smiled and said, "Of course I didn't believe it, I was afraid I was being cheated. Then he gave me his ID card, student ID card, and his uncle's driver's license, and told me to get in the car and he would take me to my destination safely."
Su Qingxin suddenly remembered the rainy night five years ago when Zhang Yishi handed her his ID card.
"Thinking about it now, I'm glad I got on his car, otherwise I would have missed him." Xu Yingying recalled the past with a sweet smile on her face. This is love, even after many years, when you think back on it, you will feel warm and happy.
Su Qingxin also felt the same way when she recalled the past with Wei Ran. But that wasn't love, it was just the first love of a young girl. Su Qingxin felt this way.
The flower language of tung oil flowers is first love. Xu Yingying can be so happy with her boyfriend, but Su Qingxin and Wei Ran cannot be together.
After all, she was not brave enough.
When she saw Wei Ran again, her soul was still hers, but she didn't have a complete body to give to Wei Ran. Before she could get over it, she was told that her cornea might become inflamed and she might go blind.
She is with Chi Yuecheng now, and they have some feelings for each other. If she gives up Chi Yuecheng and stays with Wei Ran, she will hurt one more person.
So, now that things have come to this, forcing a change will only make things even more wrong.
The ringing of the phone suddenly interrupted Su Qingxin's thoughts. Xu Yingying answered the phone and came over, saying, "Qingxin, a customer has ordered a bunch of lilies for Miss Liu from Room 1603, Unit 3, Yinghuayuan Community, Yaohai District. It needs to be delivered before 5pm."
"I understand. I'll do it right away." Su Qingxin hurried to pick the flowers and pack them, not daring to delay.
It’s better not to dwell on the past, just focus on the present.
After spending many days in the flower shop, Su Qingxin felt quite relaxed and happy. She liked this job very much and even walked with a faint smile on her face. Zhu Panpan said that Su Qingxin was happier after leaving Huamei.
During the holiday on Sunday, Zhang Yishi called Su Qingxin and said that he would go to meet the woman named Luo Yan when he was free.
Su Qingxin warned: "Don't be rude or careless when talking to others, understand?"
"I know, I know." Zhang Yishi said impatiently.
"Where do you want to meet? Don't choose a roadside stall, a game hall, or even your construction site!"
Zhang Yishi rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, Su Qingxin, am I that unreliable? M Western Restaurant is so romantic, with wine, steaks, and music. The waiters are all handsome. I'm afraid that someone will fall in love with one of the waiters and leave me alone. Then I'll be happy."
"Shut up!" Su Qingxin interrupted Zhang Yishi's vulgar words, and suddenly remembered that the restaurant she went to last time with Chi Yuecheng was called M Western Restaurant. The style seemed really good. It seems that Zhang Yishi has good taste.
"Okay, I wish you good luck. I'll get busy." Su Qingxin no longer worried.
"Okay, hanging up." Zhang Yishi hung up the phone.
Su Qingxin's eyes rolled and a plan came to her mind. She didn't really ignore Zhang Yishi, she was still worried and had to go and see. The chat just now was just to get information about where Zhang Yishi would meet.
In the western restaurant, Su Qingxin hid one table away. There was a carved screen between the tables, and Zhang Yishi sat with his back to Su Qingxin, so it was not easy to find her.
When Su Qingxin saw Luo Yan in person, she found that she was even prettier and more well-educated than in the photo. But why did no one want such an excellent girl? Su Qingxin was puzzled.
A dark shadow suddenly loomed over, and Su Qingxin looked up curiously.
Wei Ran looked at Su Qingxin who appeared here alone with doubt, and couldn't help feeling strange, and shouted: "Qing..."
Before he could even call out his name, Su Qingxin pulled him down and covered his mouth with her hand.
"Shhh..." Su Qingxin used her eyes to signal him not to speak. Wei Ran nodded, and Su Qingxin let go of his hand.
Wei Ran looked at his friend waiting in the aisle and gestured to him to bring two drinks. His friend nodded knowingly and left.
Su Qingxin was concentrating on observing Zhang Yishi and Luo Yan, not daring to blink. Wei Ran followed her gaze, watching with her with interest, without disturbing her.
Zhang Yishi is really well behaved and behaves like a gentleman in everything he does. When Su Qingxin saw the smile on Luo Yan's face, she knew that Luo Yan had a good impression of Zhang Yishi.
The drinks were delivered, and Wei Ran took one and handed it to Su Qingxin. Su Qingxin was stunned for a moment, then she understood and said softly, "Thank you."
About an hour later, Zhang Yishi paid the bill and personally escorted Luo Yan out of the western restaurant.
There must be hope!
Su Qingxin wanted to follow to see what else would happen, but she saw Wei Ran sitting motionless in his seat, leisurely sipping the second drink that was served to him.
"I want to go out." Su Qingxin said.
Wei Ran didn't move aside, but tilted his head and asked, "Be a matchmaker?"
Su Qingxin held the edge of the table tightly and said, "Yes, so if you don't move away, the lovers will be separated from each other."
Wei Ran took a sip of his drink, and said thoughtfully, "It's none of my business if others can't be together, but Su Hongniang, I can't be with my sweetheart either, can you help me?"
Wei Ran's words were meaningful, and Su Qingxin understood them.
"Nonsense, don't you have Tan Ruxi?" Su Qingxin said with a gloomy face.
"She and I are not in that kind of relationship." Wei Ran frowned. It was clearly a clear relationship, so why did Su Qingxin think that he and Qin Ruxi were a couple?
Su Qingxin compromised and said, "Okay, then tell me what kind you like, and I'll ask Yang Ye to keep an eye out for you, or you can ask him to keep an eye out for you." As she said that, Su Qingxin wanted to stand up and leave again.
"I like you like this." Wei Ran still refused to get up, and cast a burning gaze at Su Qingxin.
Su Qingxin avoided his sight and said, "Mr. Wei, I have a boyfriend. It is immoral for you to do this."
"I just said that I like someone like you, not that I love you. How is that immoral?" Wei Ran brought up the topic.
"You!" Su Qing was furious. Seeing that Wei Ran still refused to give up his place, she grabbed his shoulders, stepped over his legs, and flipped over. The ends of her hair brushed against Wei Ran's face, making him feel a little itchy.
Watching Su Qingxin's escaping figure, Wei Ran touched the place where his hair had just brushed past, and a smile appeared on his face.
Su Qingxin, who was chasing after him, happened to see Zhang Yishi stop a car for Luo Yan to take her home. After Luo Yan left, Zhang Yishi rubbed his lower back and glanced towards the restaurant. Su Qingxin was so scared that she quickly hid in the restaurant again.
Zhang Yishi, who had already noticed Su Qingxin's little tricks, sneered sarcastically, changed his gentlemanly appearance, took off his coat, threw it on his shoulders, and left in a swagger.
Wei Ran happened to see Su Qingxin hiding in the restaurant. She was like a mouse stealing food and encountered a big cat.
"The person has left." Wei Ran helped Su Qingxin take a look at the situation outside.
"I know." Su Qingxin said unhappily, picking up her bag and walked out.
Wei Ran liked her childish look. When they first met again, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to get close to her because she was serious.
"Ahua, I'm leaving first. Come and play with me next time." Wei Ran shouted to the man who had just delivered the drinks.
When his eyes returned to Su Qingxin, he saw Su Qingxin hurriedly opening her bag, taking out a bottle of eye drops and dripping them into her eyes. Wei Ran was slightly puzzled, but he didn't take it too seriously, thinking that she just had eye fatigue.
After thinking about it, he left the restaurant and walked towards his residence.