After returning from buying cigarettes with Lin Zong, Lin Yao was in a good mood. He followed his grandmother to learn a fan dance. His grandmother said to him seriously, "This dance is very good. Didn't you say last time that we would do exercises and Tai Chi during the company's noon activities? It's okay to change to this dance, but your dance is a little too ugly..."
"Grandma, please spare their colleagues from the company," Lin Zong was sitting on the side, holding a cigarette and preparing to light it, "Does he still need to take a fan to the office..."
"Don't smoke in my room!" Grandma pointed at Lin Zong and shouted before he finished speaking, "Go out and smoke! Or go to the kitchen!"
“I know, I know, I know…” Lin Zong jumped up and ran into the kitchen.
"Your brother is so annoying, just like your father!" Grandma stared at Lin Zong until he entered the kitchen before turning around and patting Lin Yao, "Come on, let's continue."
"Yeah." Lin Yao held up a fan and posed with his grandmother while limping. If Guan Ze saw him like this, he would probably be very happy. However, that was still better than Guan Ze's Tiemei look.
Thinking of this, Lin Yao couldn't help but smile. His grandmother saw that he was enjoying it, so she continued to give him instructions with great enthusiasm.
After having dinner at his grandmother's house and chatting with her until after ten o'clock, Lin Yaocai returned home.
As soon as they got home, mom ran upstairs holding a set of flowing Tai Chi clothes snatched from grandma, saying she wanted to try it out to see if it could be used as pajamas. Lin Yao stayed in the living room for a while, and only after dad started discussing business with Lin Zong did he take his phone and go back to his room.
When he dialed Guan Ze's number, his heart was beating very fast. When he heard Guan Ze's voice coming out of the receiver, he almost blurted out and yelled into the phone - Great news! New and old customers, don't miss it if you pass by! All two yuan! All two yuan!
"Going home?" Guan Ze's voice was a little confused, and there was laziness in his low voice. The background sound was the TV news.
"Well, I've been learning fan dance with my grandma for an entire afternoon and I'm so tired." Lin Yao stood by the window and smiled foolishly at it for a long time.
"Jump for me and see." Guan Ze said suddenly.
"Ah?" Lin Yao was stunned. "What do you think? I'll go to the company tomorrow and dance for you. I'll sacrifice my handsome face for you."
"Video," Guan Ze said without thinking, "We haven't video chatted yet."
"Okay," Lin Yao kicked the computer case and turned it on. He had indeed never video chatted with Guan Ze. It was mainly because they saw each other every day and had never thought about video chat. "Don't laugh at me when you see it."
"Aren't you used to being laughed at?" Guan Ze laughed.
"Aren't you tired of laughing at me yet?" Lin Yao was helpless.
"No."
When the video popped up, Lin Yao saw Guan Ze half leaning back in a chair with his upper body naked.
"Stand up so I can see you," Lin Yao suddenly became alert, rushed to the screen and poked Guan Ze with his hand, "Are you not wearing anything?"
"I've put it on." Guan Ze smiled and didn't move.
"Impossible, you don't have the habit of wearing clothes when you're home alone," Lin Yao tapped the screen, "Hurry up and stand up so your husband can see."
Guan Ze stood up slowly. Lin Yao saw the sweatpants and shouted in disappointment, "Why are you really wearing pants?"
"Hey," Guan Ze sat back in his chair and leaned back, "What are you thinking about."
"Nothing." Lin Yao scratched his hair, took two steps back, and ran to the door to listen. His father and Lin Zong were still talking in the living room downstairs. He ran back to the computer and said, "No music, I'll dance for you."
"Yeah." Guan Ze nodded, supporting his forehead with his fingers, his eyes full of smiles.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh. Don't hold it in. Don't give me face." Lin Yao grabbed a magazine from the table and used it as a fan. After fanning himself twice, he began to twist his body according to the steps his grandmother taught him.
"Ouch." Guan Ze couldn't help laughing, and reached out to start the video recording.
Lin Yao is a first-rate singer, but his dancing is simply unbearable to watch, especially this kind of dance that the old lady likes the most. He dances like a stuck disc, with no connection between one movement and the next, and all the dance steps are broken up. Guan Ze can't help laughing no matter what.
"Wait, let me think about my next move..." Lin Yao held up the magazine and froze in the picture, thinking about his next move.
"Don't be in a hurry, just dance slowly. You dance really well." Guan Ze said with a smile on his face.
He didn't care how Lin Yao danced, whether it was good or stupid, it didn't matter, he just wanted to see this person, to see this person laughing, talking, and walking around in front of him.
It doesn't matter what he laughs at, says, walks around, or does. He just needs to feel this person's presence.
Lin Yao stuttered and danced for ten minutes before he was done. When he sat back in front of the computer, beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. "Hey, don't tell me, my grandma is in good health. This thing, dancing for two hours every morning, is much more tiring than morning exercises."
"You should exercise early in the morning," Guan Ze leaned back in his chair, watching Lin Yao fixing his hair on video. "Running in the morning is much more effective than going to the gym three times a month."
"How about this," Lin Yao suddenly smiled at the screen, "In the future, when you exercise in the morning, don't just hang around downstairs. Drive over to my house, and then we can go out for a run together. I can persist if you accompany me, otherwise I will definitely be too lazy to move."
"Maybe after a while." Guan Ze said something ambiguous, and Lin Yao's words made him feel sour.
"Well, wait until your cervical spine is healed. This part is too cold for me to handle."
Lin Yao had been chatting with Guan Ze in front of the computer for more than half an hour. When he heard the distinctive footsteps of Lin Zong in slippers in the corridor on the second floor, he told Guan Ze to turn off the video. Even if Lin Zong was willing to help him, he was not willing to let Lin Zong suddenly push the door in and see him video chatting with Guan Ze.
But today, Lin Zong did something unprecedented, the first time since he had his own room, and stood outside his door and knocked.
"You knocked?" Lin Yao was quite surprised when he opened the door.
"Well, who knows what you are doing," Lin Zong did not enter the house, but leaned against the door frame and lowered his voice, "You should be quiet for a while, and don't go to mom on impulse before the New Year. I will find time to talk to her after the New Year, but if it doesn't work, I can only maintain my original attitude."
"Yeah!" Lin Yao nodded. As long as Lin Zong was willing to help him, there was hope.
"Go to sleep," Lin Zong pointed at his eyes and turned to walk to his room, "You have dark circles under your eyes from the past few days."
"Brother," Lin Yao called him softly, "You really still care about me."
"Nonsense, I only have this one brother." Lin Zong said without looking back and went into the house.
Although the Chinese New Year is still more than two months away, the streets have already started to feel a bit of the New Year atmosphere. When Lin Yao was a child, it was from this time that he began to have extremely exciting imaginations about the Chinese New Year.
He left home quite early today, and kept looking around while driving on the road, trying to find out if there was any gift that was more romantic than steamed buns. However, apart from the breakfast shops, basically no other shops were open at this time.
Fried dough sticks, fried cakes, soy milk, flower rolls, cakes, bread, steamed buns…
Lin Yao finally chose steamed dumplings, and after haggling with the boss for a long time, he finally bought both the dumplings and the steamer. He packed them in a bag and put them in the car, then drove back to the company contentedly. Along the way, he kept thinking about what excuse he could find to carry a steamer to the marketing department to find Guan Ze.
I didn't meet Guan Ze on the way to work today, and I didn't see Guan Ze's car in the usual place after entering the parking lot. Lin Yao felt a little strange. How could a workaholic like Guan Ze be late
As soon as he came out of the elevator, he took out his cell phone and dialed Guan Ze's number. To his surprise, Guan Ze's phone was turned off.
He glanced at the marketing department, entered the design department, sat down at his seat, and put the steamed dumplings under the table. He had to hide them well, otherwise the group of refugees in the office who were always hungry for ten days or half a month would see them and snatch them away with the steamer.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yao took out his cell phone and dialed Hengdao's number.
Power off.
Lin Yao began to feel uneasy. Guan Ze’s phone was rarely turned off. Even if his private number was turned off, his work phone was always on.
Going to the hospital? Can't use your phone during the checkup
Lin Yao sat in his seat staring at the computer. Even if he wanted to check, Guan Ze would not have failed to tell him. But now, let alone a phone call, he hadn't even received a text message. Besides, they had chatted for so long last night, and Guan Ze hadn't mentioned any other plans for today.
What happened
After sitting in his seat for ten minutes, Lin Yao could no longer sit still. He stood up and went directly to the marketing department.
Guan Ze's office can be seen directly from the entrance of the market. The blinds are open, there is no light on, and no one is inside.
"Lin Yao, what's up?" Fat Yan'er came up from behind him, holding a glass of water. "Who are you looking for?"
"Where is your Director Guan? Isn't he here?" Lin Yao turned around and asked anxiously.
"I don't know. Normally, he would have arrived by now," Fat Yan'er asked the secretary of the marketing department as she walked in, "Why didn't Mr. Guan come today?"
"I've asked for leave." The secretary replied.
"Ask for leave?" Lin Yao was stunned. Guan Ze asked for leave? Guan Ze asked for leave without telling him. He looked at the secretary in disbelief, "Ask for sick leave?"
"I'm on leave," the secretary smiled, "Do you need to see him for something? Do you want to contact a client?"
"No, no, it's something else." Lin Yao felt that his mind was a little confused. "How long have you been asking for it?"
"I'm not sure about that. Only Ms. Qiu would know about it. She informed me that she would come back when Ms. Guan finished her work..."
Lin Yao didn't listen to what she said next. He was completely confused and had no idea what had happened. He only knew that Guan Ze took a business leave without any warning and had a beginning but no end. All his cell phones were turned off and he disappeared.
Lin Yao knew that running into Mr. Qiu's office with such a reason would seem strange, but he didn't care about that. His hands and feet were cold now, and as soon as he stopped he could feel his hands shaking violently. Even Parkinson's disease didn't shake as much as his.
Fortunately, he can still speak normally.
"Boss Qiu, I want to ask you something," Lin Yao said, standing in front of Boss Qiu's desk. "Do you know how long Director Guan has been on leave?"
Mr. Qiu was eating breakfast. He looked up at him and said with a smile, "He didn't tell me, but he will be back after he finishes the work. You can talk to your colleagues in the marketing department about work matters."
"It's not about work... I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Qiu." Lin Yao heard a lot of chaotic noises, like tinnitus, he pressed his ears, "Mr. Qiu, can I take two hours off?"
"Ask for leave?" Mr. Qiu smiled. "Just ask your Mr. Li for leave."
"Oh, yes." Lin Yao also smiled, turned around and left Mr. Qiu's office.
When he returned to the design department, he went straight into Mr. Li's office. He probably looked a little unhappy. When Mr. Li saw him, he asked, "Are you sick?"
"Ah," Lin Yao touched his face. Did he look sick? "I feel a little uncomfortable. Mr. Li, I want to take two hours off."
"Go ahead. If you can't make it, ask the doctor to write you a note for the afternoon off." Mr. Li waved his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Li."
As Lin Yao walked towards the elevator, he took out his cell phone and called Guan Ze's two numbers again, but they were still turned off. The uneasiness in his heart continued to spread. Although he tried to tell himself that Guan Ze must have something urgent and did not have time to inform him, the fact was that he could not avoid it. Guan Ze had time to arrange work and time to ask for leave from the company, but he did not have time to tell him.
Guan Ze did it on purpose.
Lin Yao leaned against the elevator, his head feeling swollen, and the chill rising from his heart made his fingers begin to go numb.
The space next to the Xiali in the parking lot was empty. Lin Yao waved his hands, opened the door, got in, and drove out quickly.
The security guard downstairs at Guan Ze's house had recognized him, and when he saw him pressing the elevator switch, he asked, "Looking for Mr. Guan?"
"Well," Lin Yao turned around, suppressing his anxiety, "Is he home?"
"I'm not sure. I had something to do this morning and was away. I didn't see him go out, but he didn't seem to go jogging." The security guard smiled. "Maybe he overslept?"
"Maybe." Lin Yao also smiled.
The security guard's words gave him a glimmer of hope that Guan Ze had not left the house yet and might be at home.
Must be at home!
A must have at home!
When Lin Yao rushed to Guan Ze's door, he stopped and hesitated.
He has the key. When Guan Ze gave him the key, he said, "Why would I come here when you're not at home?"
He touched the key that had always been chained together with his own keys, raised his hand and rang the doorbell.
Hearing the doorbell ringing from inside the room, Lin Yao leaned against the door. He felt that he could hardly stand.
The room was very quiet, and apart from the doorbell, there was no other sound.
He leaned against the door for a long time before taking out the key and slowly turning the lock.
The curtains in the room were drawn, and it looked very dim without any lights. Lin Yao turned on the lights in the living room, and the warm yellow light filled the room. He liked the warm yellow light in Guanze's living room the most, which made people feel safe and secure.
But today, he didn't have that feeling. The light made him feel lonely.
The room was very clean, no different from the previous times he came. Lin Yao put on the pair of panda slippers, walked to the middle of the living room, and called out in a trembling voice: "Guan Ze!"
No one answered him.
"Guan Ze!" He walked slowly towards the bedroom and continued to call, "Guan Ze!"
There was no one in the bedroom, and the quilt was still spread on the bed as usual. Lin Yao stood outside the bedroom door for a while, then walked in and pulled back the quilt: "Guan Ze!"
Lin Yao looked at the smooth sheets under the quilt, slowly spread the quilt, turned around and suddenly opened the wardrobe: "Guan Ze!"
Guan Ze's clothes were neatly arranged in the closet, shirts, pants, jackets. Lin Yao touched the clothes one by one. The gray shirt was not there, and Guan Ze's favorite casual jacket was not there either.
Lin Yao closed the cabinet door and ran into the bathroom again: "Guan Ze!"
His used toothbrush was placed in the cup next to Guan Ze's toothbrush, and the towel he used was hung next to it as usual.
He picked up Guan Ze's toothbrush and touched it. It was still wet. The towel was also wet. Lin Yao even felt that he could still feel Guan Ze's temperature. His heart suddenly tightened. Guan Ze had left in the morning.
When Lin Yao walked into the study, he felt that he had no strength left. He sat down on the chair in front of the computer desk, and his voice began to tremble uncontrollably: "Guan Ze..."
Just last night, Guan Ze was still sitting here, chatting with him with a smile on his face. When he said he wanted to turn off the video, Guan Ze said, "Good night."
Good night.
Lin Yao closed his eyes. His neck no longer had the strength to support his confused head, so he leaned back in his chair.
Although he had never dared to think about it too much, just hoping that this was a joke Guan Ze was playing on him, or that Guan Ze was just delayed by something, he now had to face the reality, the reality he was most reluctant to face.
Guan Ze is missing.
Guan Ze disappeared without saying a word to him.
He was deceived. Guan Ze did not tell him the truth about his illness.
Lin Yao opened his eyes, stood up, took a breath, and began to search the house.
None of the cabinets and drawers in Guan Ze's house had locks. Lin Yao started from the living room and searched all the cupboards in the kitchen. He opened every drawer and every cabinet to search.
He wanted to find medicine, medical records, or something else related to Guanze disease.
Half an hour later, Lin Yao sat on the floor in disappointment. There was nothing. He didn't know if Guan Ze had cleaned up. He didn't find anything that could give him a clue. Guan Ze's cabinets and drawers were simpler than his room. Many of them were empty, just like him.
Only then did Lin Yao realize how easy it would be for Guan Ze to disappear from his life.
Guan Ze has a complicated past that he cannot imagine, but he also has an extremely simple life. As long as a person leaves, all contact will be cut off.
Lin Yao didn't know what his mood was. He just sat on the ground with his eyes wide open, looking at everything in the room that had lost its color due to Guan Ze's absence.
Finally, his eyes fell on the shoe cabinet at the door. He didn't pay attention to it when he entered, but now he suddenly realized that Guan Ze's car keys were lying quietly on it.
He jumped up, rushed over, grabbed the keys and ran out the door.
Guan Ze's car was usually parked in the parking space behind the building. As soon as Lin Yao turned along the path beside the building, he saw the Grand Cherokee parked in the old position.
Lin Yao opened the car door, and a familiar smell hit him. This was the perfume holder that Lin Yao picked out. They each had one in the car. Guan Ze was not used to having fragrance in the car, but the scent that Lin Yao picked out was very light and almost unnoticeable, so he kept using it.
Lin Yao jumped into the car and searched the car carefully again, but he didn't find even a useful piece of paper. He lay on the back seat, staring at something.
He no longer had the panic and shock he had before, and now his body was filled with only despair.
It was very cold, and Lin Yao felt his whole body aching from the cold.
He closed the car door, turned on the heater, and curled up in his seat.
Guan Ze didn't drive out. There are two possibilities. He is either very nearby, or... he is no longer in this city.
If Guan Ze really had some serious illness and didn't want him to know, he felt that he could understand it, but what scared him now was that Guan Ze went out like he usually did, without even bringing a change of clothes, not even a toothbrush or towel.
"You are so cruel." Lin Yao closed his eyes, clenched his hands tightly together, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
He didn't want to guess this, but he couldn't help thinking this way.
It seems that Guan Ze has no intention of coming back.