When Shi Yunnan walked up to the rooftop, the night wind was blowing loudly.
The hotel deliberately reinforced high fences around the rooftop, and the outermost door was locked to prevent dangerous accidents.
Shi Yunnan looked around, locked his eyes behind a water tank surrounded by concrete, and walked over with the things in his hand in a hurry.
Getting closer, he naturally saw the person behind the water tank—
Yuan Rui leaned his back against the concrete wall, curled himself into a small ball with his hands tightly wrapped around his legs, and buried his head in his knees, sobbing faintly.
At this moment, the drag pattern that belonged to him on weekdays disappeared.
Shi Yunnan calmed down a little and let out a sigh of relief, "How old are you? Are you still hiding here and crying secretly?"
"..."
Yuan Rui, who was sitting on the ground, stiffened his shoulders and raised his eyes slowly.
There was only a faint old-fashioned light on the rooftop, just above the tank where they were, and the light was dim enough for the two to see each other's presence.
Yuan Rui saw Shi Yunan who suddenly appeared here, and wanted to boost his self-esteem, "Why are you here? Also, how did you know I was here?"
Shi Yunnan put down the dozen cold beers he brought, and raised his eyebrows, "The front desk in the hotel lobby said that they never saw you coming down, and most of the other floors are guest rooms or banquet halls. After thinking about it, you should only run up."
No, the cat catches the mouse, and it catches one.
Shi Yunnan took out one of the cans of cold beer, crouched down and handed it over, "Here."
Yuan Rui hesitated for a moment, and then felt that his face was all lost today, and there was nothing to struggle.
So, he took Shi Yunnan's cold beer in a broken can, "What, where can you drink enough beer?"
Shi Yunnan heard his awkward distasteful tone, and scolded him with a smirk, "Then don't drink it, just apply it to your swollen face, it's ugly."
"..."
Yuan Rui was slapped hard by Yuan Puguang, the right half of his face was still red and swollen, and the red eyes and nose that had obviously cried, he was embarrassed at the same time somewhat charming and cute.
Having said that, it's a good thing that his face looks decent, otherwise, I don't know how disgusting people are.
Yuan Rui didn't answer, just pressed the cold beer to his face.
Because he tried too hard for a while, he subconsciously 'hiss', and then glanced at Shi Yunnan with some embarrassment.
Shi Yunnan didn't hide his smile at all, took out a can of liquor from his trench coat pocket and handed it over, "Take it, the one with the highest degree, I'm not responsible for getting drunk."
Yuan Rui lowered his eyes and stared at the liquor that was stuffed into his palm, and suddenly felt a subtle touch—
Help.
Shi Yunnan is still so considerate
I can still guess that I want to drink fierce liquor now.
Shi Yunnan met his gaze, and simply sat down opposite him, "Don't look at me with such pitiful eyes, I have a husband."
"... Shi Yunan, you!"
Yuan Rui was speechless, so he had to apply cold beer to his face in one hand, while biting and twisting the cap of the liquor bottle with his mouth, "Stop being narcissistic, I didn't like you again."
In an instant, the strong and rich alcohol smell penetrated into Yuan Rui's nose, causing him to cough for a while.
Shi Yunnan picked up the beer on the ground and touched him on the initiative, and then he raised his head and drank it on his own.
Yuan Rui stared at his actions secretly, the corners of his mouth bent unconsciously, and he quickly held back as if he had noticed something.
In the past, when he had disputes with Yuan Puguang, he would either go to a nightclub to drink alone, or hide and vent.
Yuan Rui felt that he hated being disturbed at such a time, but, facing Shi Yunnan who suddenly appeared in front of him, he had a rare illusion—
It would be nice if the other person was your friend.
Shi Yunnan drank silently without speaking, while Yuan Rui simply drank boring wine.
The night wind blew in bursts, and the drunkenness blew up a little bit.
Yuan Rui drank hard enough, probably due to the emotions weighing on his heart, within half an hour, he groaned and asked, "Shi Yunnan, you don't want to know what happened in the box just now?"
"You are sitting next door, did you hear it?"
Shi Yunnan shook the beer in his hand, and replied calmly, "I didn't hear much, and I didn't hear enough."
"Don't worry, I won't ask you what happened today. When you calm down and confirm that there won't be any accidents, I will ignore your 'death and life' as an alcoholic."
These words were cold enough, as if Yuan Rui was just regarded as an irrelevant stranger.
These words are thoughtful enough, at least for Yuan Rui at this moment, there is less questioning and ridicule, and more companionship and dignity.
Yuan Rui's heart moved, "Why? Because I helped you in the black shop that time?"
Shi Yunnan didn't deny it, "I said, I don't like to owe favors."
Yuan Rui pouted, "I wasn't helping you that time, it was just that I couldn't stand it any longer when I passed by."
Shi Yunnan didn't answer, and was silent for a long time, Yuan Rui's violent temper seemed to be unable to contain himself.
He put down the can of beer that was applied to his face, patted his still cold but painful face, and said sullenly, "My dad has that kind of temper. In fact, he doesn't usually hit me in front of outsiders."
"..."
Shi Yunnan heard the words, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He thought that Yuan Rui's performance in the box would be full of resentment against Yuan Puguang and complained, but he didn't expect that the first sentence of the other party's speech was to explain for his father
"You can see how old my dad is? He's younger than the parents of my friends of the same age."
Yuan Rui didn't go to see Shi Yunnan deliberately, but just told him on the spot to find an outlet for himself.
"The Yuan family has been engaged in jade carving for five or six generations from me. I heard that the jade carvings of the ancestors can still be tributes to the palace."
In that era when the education level was not high, the most believed in the art industry is that a strict teacher produces a high-level apprentice.
It is common for masters to beat, scold, discipline and even punish their apprentices.
Those who are talented and can endure, finally get the master's craftsmanship, inherit the mantle and continue to work. Those who have no talent and can't stand it, naturally have to change their careers and make a living.
"At my father's age, when I was young, I learned jade carving skills from my grandfather by beating and scolding. My mother said that the more he learned, the more interesting he became. He has been in jade carving all his life, and he can't tolerate other things. craft."
The foundation of Yuan's family rules is to be proficient in the industry of jade carving, and he should not be half-hearted.
"He only had me when he was almost fifty years old. He hurt me, but he also put all his hopes on me."
"I heard my mother mention..."
Yuan Rui poured himself a sip of wine and coughed twice before continuing to say—
When drawing lots on his first birthday, he picked up a piece of jade carved by Yuan Puguang himself, so he was praised by the guests who came, saying 'the son inherits the father's business' and 'born to eat this meal'.
Thinking about that time now, the burden was invisible to Yuan Rui.
Yuan Rui remembered that when he was six or seven years old, when other children were still playing around and didn't even understand the word 'study art', he had already grabbed the carving knife and sat straight in front of the desk all day long. .
"I had little strength at that time, and the carving knife and jade were hard, and even if I simply engraved a single word, I could grind out blisters and bloodstains on my finger. , as a result, my dad beat the palm with a wicker stick."
Because the painful memory is too deep, Yuan Rui still vaguely remembers the heart-breaking day.
Shi Yunnan frowned slightly.
Whipped with wicker? This is again an overly pedantic rule left over from the older generation.
In comparison, when he was six or seven years old, at least he was still in his mother's tender embrace, and the so-called 'father' Shi Sheng also looked like a father.
"My mother often tells me that I am my father's own son, and his requirements for me are naturally higher and stricter. Teacher... Lu Zhaoan was adopted. Although my father raised him as his own son, he couldn't. A real beating and scolding."
"I believe this!" Yuan Rui nodded heavily, and added with a glimmer of eyes, "But Lu Zhaoan has always been good at anything, and he will never be beaten or scolded by my dad."
"In some professions, it depends on talent!" Yuan Rui's bitterness and grievance became heavier along with the drunkenness.
"Lu Zhaoan can see at a glance what jade texture is suitable for engraving, but I can't. When I finally develop this vision, all his jade carving works can be sold in shops."
Compared with experience, he is not as good as Lu Zhaoan.
Compared with talent, he is not as good as Lu Zhaoan.
Living under the same roof, and being taught by the same person, day by day and year by year, he is always incomparable.
"I know that my dad is starting to be disappointed with me. He is holding back the sullen anger that he can't 'inherit his father's business', so every time he praises Lu Zhao'an, he has to say something to me by the way."
"Every time I scold me, I always say, 'Look at your brother, how could I have such an incompetent son as you in the original Puguang'!"
"..."
Shi Yunnan still didn't answer, but remained silent as a listener.
However, he knows that young people have their own xinxing, and they live in the shadow of another for a long time. If things go on like this, problems will arise.
Yuan Rui felt a little ridiculous, and there was a hint of crying in his voice, "I also know, I will never be able to beat Lu Zhaoan, he is the moon in the sky, and I am the mud in the ground."
"In the eyes of my dad and those jade carvers, and even in Lu Zhaoan's heart, I will always be the one who is not qualified."
Not qualified enough, let alone standing side by side.
Yuan Rui began to become rebellious, he became condescending, and he no longer abide by the rules, but he was just trying to show a ridiculous self-esteem and face in front of others.
"I want them to know that even if I don't engage in jade carving, I can still have my own life!"
Yuan Rui laughed at himself, and admitted to himself without waiting for Shi Yunnan to speak, "Yes, this idea is naive, but I can only think of such resistance."
Then what he got in exchange was Yuan Puguang's quarrels and beatings.
"The more you are like this, the more you care about the Yuan clan." Shi Yunnan pointed out sharply.
What he really didn't care about was that he walked away without any attachment like he did to Shi Shi.
Yuan Rui met Shi Yunnan's gaze, and for the first time did not deny it awkwardly, "Yes, because my surname is Yuan! No matter how incapable I am, I don't want to watch our family go downhill!"
"You are like them, do you really think I care about Yuan's capital?" Yuan Rui shook his head, "Wrong."
Yuan Rui knew that Lu Zhaoan was more capable of managing the Yuan clan than himself, and did not complain that it was the other party who was taking care of the Yuan clan now.
It's just that the self-esteem blows from childhood to adulthood and the inferiority complex that intensified in his heart day and night did not allow Yuan Rui to say anything to Lu Zhao'an who surrendered.
"On the day of the accident in the warehouse, you came to me more and more and said that he wanted to invest in Yuanshi's newly added jade design, which would be divided according to the shares in the future."
When Shi Yunnan heard this, a trace of irony flashed across his brows—
Sure enough, some of the trajectories of fate would still overlap, but Xie Keyue still thought of profiting from Yuan's at this juncture.
"I didn't agree at first." Yuan Rui said.
On the one hand, he knew that Lu Zhao's security authority was responsible for this matter, and he didn't want to find another 'investor' to check the other party's future decisions.
On the other hand, it is because Yuan's jade carving has gone downhill, and the newly opened jade design is not yet sure whether it will be profitable.
In other words, when Lu Zhaoan approached Yuan Puguang for negotiation, he felt that unless he could grit his teeth until he opened up the market, he would definitely sell at a loss in the early stage.
Yuan Rui didn't want to pit his friends.
"I'm actually confused about what's going on with you, Ke Yue and the Shi family, but for me, Ke Yue is indeed the only friend who has recognized me since childhood."
When Yuan Rui said this, he suddenly remembered Shi Yunnan's compliment to him in the library that day, so he silently added a sentence in his heart: You are the second.
Yuan Rui is a bit gifted in cognition and judgment of rough stones and jade, but this ability is the most basic and the least valuable in the eyes of jade carving masters like Yuan Puguang.
Shi Yunnan looked at Yuan Rui, who was beginning to look drunk, but his eyes were rarely pure and serious, and he understood—
Yuan Rui grew up in such repressive voices, and what he needs most is the approval of outsiders.
And Xie Keyue's mouth, water can be called honey by him. Not to mention, he is likely to approach Yuan Rui with a purpose from the very beginning.
In Shi Yunnan's original dream, Yuan Rui was indeed one of the few friends Xie Keyue had sincere with. Perhaps the friendship between the two was based on this at the beginning.
"After I rejected Ke Yue's proposal for the first time, he said that even if he lost money in the end, he was willing to accept his fate."
However, the only condition for Xie Keyue's investment is to let his friend Yuan Rui take his place in Yuan's jade design.
He said that when he was working at Shi's side, there was no way to do two things with one mind. He could only do this step of investment.
"But the more I recognize my ability to identify jade, the more I feel that it is better for me to guard my own business than others. Even in the future, the decision-making power will be in Lu Zhaoan's hands."
Shi Yunnan twitched the corners of his mouth without a trace.
Xie Keyue really packaged himself as a good person this time. On the one hand, he gave Yuan Rui enough face, and on the other hand, he regarded himself as a hands-off shopkeeper.
Probably the first two times he personally participated in investment projects fell into trouble, Xie Keyue was more conservative this time.
But the most important thing is that Xie Keyue, the 'book-wearer', never makes unsure investments. Since he is willing to invest in Yuan's, it means that Yuan's jade design is destined to make money. of.
Yuan Rui poured the last sip of baijiu, leaned against the cement wall and whispered, "At the same time when I was persuaded by him, he actually had some hidden selfishness."
"what?"
Yuan Rui snorted twice in a self-deprecating manner, and the grievance in his heart returned, "...I want to help him."
Shi Yunnan was stunned for two seconds before realizing that the 'he' in Yuan Rui's mouth was referring to the road, and then, even if Yuan Rui didn't speak, he also guessed the reason—
Lu Zhaoan broke the Yuan's rule of 'fine diamond jade carving' and changed to jade design, which must have been questioned and pressured by others.
If he loses too much in the end, everyone's responsibility and blame will fall on him alone, but with Xie Keyue's investment, at least the financial pressure can be relieved.
What's more, Yuan Rui joined voluntarily. If he did it seriously, he would be able to help in jade procurement and material selection to some extent. Even if he failed in the end, Lu Zhaoan would not be responsible for the scolding alone.
On the contrary, more scolding will focus on Yuan Rui—
Because he is the only son of Yuan Puguang, and because he was a waste of 'can't do things' since he was a child.
Since ancient times, those who are mediocre have more infamy.
Shi Yunan pondered for a moment, and Yuan Rui, who was opposite him, sobbed completely because he was drunk, "I specially reserved a hotel box, so I thought about telling them seriously, I also want to contribute to Yuan's strength..."
But he just mentioned the beginning, and he was blocked by Yuan Puguang involuntarily.
The hope in his heart failed, Yuan Rui hurriedly refuted two sentences, and only then did the two accusations heard by Shi Yunnan and others halfway through the dinner.
"Where's Xie Keyue? How could he come?"
Shi Yunnan asked without shyness. He clearly remembered that Xie Keyue was not there when the two families met at the elevator entrance.
Yuan Rui shook his head, "I told him about this today and told him not to come for the time being."
After all, Yuan Rui wanted to initially convince his parents, and then find time to bring his friends and family to meet him another day.
Even if this is unsuccessful, the friendship between him and Xie Keyue will not be particularly damaged.
"But I'm probably afraid that I won't be able to convince my parents, so I came here temporarily."
"The result? My dad started talking to me more and more fiercely in front of him. I really tried to endure it, but I still couldn't hold back my temper..."
The more Yuan Rui thought about it, the more aggrieved it became, and the confidence he had built up over the past few days collapsed in place at that moment.
"Shi, Shi Yunan." He raised his eyes to look at the person in front of him, with tears accumulating in his eyes and refusing to fall.
"In your eyes, am I really... bad..."
So bad that no matter how hard he tries, no one wants to believe that he wants to do something seriously
Shi Yunnan looked at Yuan Rui who was holding his mouth in front of him and was crying, and inexplicably thought of the little goldfish at home, probably because of this face whose milk fat still hasn't cleared up.
Shi Yunnan moved closer and told the truth, "Although you are arrogant and arrogant, I think your heart is not bad. No one can be perfect, you and I are the same."
Shi Yunnan touched his pocket, but he really didn't bring a tissue, "Cry if you want, I don't laugh at you."
"..."
The corners of Yuan Rui's mouth tried to hold back, but the tears kept falling down one after another.
The grievances and inferiority of the past years poured out like a flash flood at this moment, and he actually leaned on Shi Yunnan's shoulder without thinking.
Shi Yunnan stiffened for half a second, but Yuan Rui's cries stopped his hand that wanted to push back.
"I'm not playing, I, I really just want to help them, why did he only scold me since he was a child?"
The more he was reprimanded, the more Yuan Rui was afraid of making mistakes, the more afraid of making mistakes, the less he could concentrate on doing well.
At first, Yuan Rui was willing to follow Lu Zhaoan's back and called his brother cheerfully, but gradually, those polarized reprimands and praises pushed the distance between them further and further.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up.
Because of the unresolved inferiority deep in his heart, Yuan Rui began to accept his fate, began to give up struggling, and began to watch other masters and elders lift each other up to a high platform, and then let himself fall into the mud.
The more the other party accommodated him, the more he resisted.
…
The more Yuan Rui cried, the more confused he became, and he even burst into hiccups out of time.
Shi Yunnan didn't expect Yuan Rui to have the side of a little crying bag. At this moment, he was still entangled in drunkenness, and he cried so much that even his trench coat was wet.
In desperation, I had to take out my mobile phone and sent a position to Lu Zhaoan in WeChat, which was concise and comprehensive—
"Come to pick up your little crying bag."
It took Lu Zhaoan less than twenty minutes from sending the message to arriving on the rooftop.
Panting, his eyes were filled with worries that could not be dissipated, and he barely suppressed a panting until he got close to the two of them, "Mr. Shi, I'm sorry to bother you."
In the box just now, even though Yuan Puguang strictly prohibited it, Lu Zhaoan, who couldn't be relieved, defied the teacher's order and ran out, but Yuan Rui turned off his mobile phone immediately, and he couldn't find anyone.
Yuan Rui cried halfway and fell asleep, but now he can still snort.
"..."
Shi Yunnan made no secret of his disgust, and thought it was funny, "It's hard for you to have such a junior brother on the stall."
Lu Zhaoan didn't speak, but with the assistance of Shi Yunnan, he carried Yuan Rui back to himself.
Shi Yunnan picked up the beer bottles on the ground together, and after a while, he said, "Mr. Lu, to be honest, I don't have a good relationship with Xie Keyue."
"If Yuan Shi accepts Xie Keyue's investment, then I should not choose to cooperate."
Spend your energy to make money for the enemy
Shi Yunnan didn't have such a good manner yet.
Lu Zhaoan's expression changed slightly, and he answered truthfully, "Master, his old man has no plans to invest and cooperate with Xie Keyue. He just said some heavy words at the dinner table, in fact, he wanted Mr. Xie to retreat."
After all, the visitor is a guest, no matter how reluctant Yuan Puguang is, there is no way he could attack in front of Xie Keyue, so he pointed the finger at his son.
It's just that Yuan Puguang was used to talking and couldn't take Yuan Rui's mood into consideration, so a big dispute broke out later.
Lu Zhaoan felt sorry for Yuan Rui's frustration, but he couldn't blame the teacher who raised him and taught him, and he felt uncomfortable in the middle.
"Well, then I'll go back first."
Shi Yunnan nodded slightly and chose to go downstairs with their apprentice brothers.
After he drove away, Lu Zhaoan weighed the rare and honest Yuan Rui on his back.
Yuan Rui seemed to be very familiar with this memorization method, even in his sleep he did not forget to use his hands to circle Lu Zhaoan tightly.
"Master..."
When the babble reached his ears, Lu Zhaoan's steps suddenly stopped, and a complex glimmer of light flashed across his eyes.
After a long silence, he walked towards the parking lot with Yuan Rui on his back.
…
When Shi Yunan returned home, the little goldfish and others had already washed up and fell asleep.
Luo Lingsheng, who was in the study, heard a slight movement on the stairs, and immediately put down the report file and walked out with a wheelchair.
In the next second, the two met their eyes.
The smile on Shi Yunan's lips widened, and he leaned closer, "I thought you were all asleep."
"No, I'm waiting for you." Luo Lingsheng replied.
He changed his mind and asked about what happened to his lover in the past two or three hours, "Has the original young master been found? How is the situation?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a large dark water stain on the shoulders of Shi Yunnan's trench coat, "Why is the coat dirty?"
Shi Yunnan glanced down, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "It's a long story, aren't you busy? I'll tell you when I get back to the room."
Seeing that the light in the study had gone out, he simply pushed Luo Lingsheng to the bedroom.
After entering the bedroom and closing the door, Shi Yunnan sat down by the bed casually, and briefly explained everything that happened after he found Yuan Rui.
Luo Lingsheng was not a talkative person, so Shi Yunnan naturally didn't have to worry about it.
"Now I can be 100% sure that Yuan Rui's heart is not bad, but he couldn't be affirmed since he was a child, which caused his personality to be awkward and reckless."
"It's a person like him who is too easy to be used by someone with a heart."
Luo Lingsheng pierced his hidden words, "You mean Xie Keyue?"
Shi Yunnan hummed, it was the default.
Of course, making friends with others is a free right, and Shi Yunnan is not Xie Keyue, so he won't keep speaking ill of each other in front of Yuan Rui.
He pointed to the crying stains on his clothes, and remembered Yuan Rui's rare little crying bag, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Don't you know, I saw Yuan Rui four or five times, and every time he dragged him God, you hug me and cry for the first time today?"
"..."
Luo Lingsheng's eyes did not change obviously, "Did he hug you?"
Shi Yunnan was still immersed in 'interesting', and did not notice the subtle changes in the other party for a while, "Yes, this guy is quite strong when he is drunk, and I can't break free for a while."
"You said, if he remembers his words and deeds tonight when he wakes up tomorrow, will he avoid me when he sees me?"
"Speaking of which, Yuan Rui is not as mature as our little goldfish in some respects, which is quite funny."
"..."
Luo Lingsheng still did not speak.
He always felt that Shi Yunnan always had an unspeakable preference for Yuan Rui's evaluation
Seeing that Luo Lingsheng didn't speak for a long time, Shi Yunnan took a closer look and finally found something wrong.
He approached with interest and asked, "Luo Lingsheng, are you listening to me?"
"I heard."
"Then what did I say?"
Luo Lingsheng's fingers on one side rubbed slightly, answering the question, "Take off your coat and go take a shower first."
"Okay."
Shi Yunnan deliberately took off his coat in front of Luo Lingsheng, and teased again between his eyebrows, "Husband, what should I do with this coat? It's tens of thousands."
Luo Lingsheng saw Shi Yunnan's deliberate joke, took his hand and pulled it directly into his arms, and threw the answer heavily, "Don't lose this coat."
and…
You let me hug too.