When going out to dinner at night, Ning Lan's ears were still hot.
Lu Xiaochuan and Fang Yu both drove, and Sui Yi also had a car, more than enough for seven people.
Fang Yu was still complaining about Sui Yi, and arrogantly refused to let him join. However, he had the most space in the back seat of the car, so he had to keep his mouth shut for the sake of his mother-in-law's comfort.
I went to the Wangjiang Tower in the city center. Ning Lan wanted to make sauerkraut fish for Fang Yu. She ran to the front desk and asked if she could borrow the kitchen. Fang Yu dragged her back: "Oh, there will be opportunities in the future. Today, my brother will bring you to enjoy!"
Ning Lan: "I'm older than you."
Fang Yu pinched his face back and forced a smile on him: "No matter how old you are, you are still my baby."
Sui Yi heard their conversation and accidentally remembered what Ning Lan had said to him: "You are also older than me, can you treat me better?"
Ning Lan seldom condescended to him, and it was only once when he said this. It's a pity that he didn't know what Ning Lan really wanted at that time. He heard his grievances, but he didn't realize the pain he endured.
The seven people gathered around a small round table. Ning Lan was on the left with Granny Zhang, and on the right was Fang Yu. He didn't have to go to the bathroom and the seat changed hands.
During the banquet, Fang Yu angrily said to Sui Yi who had robbed him of his seat, "The table is full of dishes, do you know what Lan Lan likes to eat?"
Sui Yi was stopped, Ning Lan had never shown any obvious preference in front of him. He humbly asked for advice: "I don't know, what is it?"
Fang Yu pointed to the most inconspicuous plate of green vegetables in the middle of the pile of dishes with his chopsticks: "He likes to eat green beans."
Sui Yi stared at the dish for a while, then stretched out his chopsticks to pick it up. He didn't put it directly into Ning Lan's bowl, but took a clean plate and put it in it, used two chopsticks to separate the pods with difficulty, and picked out the big beans inside.
Ning Lan's attention was all on her mother-in-law, and she only cared about adding water to her vegetables. After listening to Fang Yu's answer, she laughed at him naughty. She never thought that Sui Yi would really give him "beans of green beans".
When Xiaodie Xiaodouzi was placed in front of him, he turned pale in shock, and at the same time his ears began to turn red again, and the heat that was finally pressed down came up again.
Gu Chenkai bit his chopsticks and teased: "Tsk, with this treatment, should I be called sister-in-law, or baby?"
Lu Xiaozhou suddenly choked on the water, turned his head and coughed desperately. Sui Yi's face was sullen, and the frost in his eyes condensed: "I called the baby alone, and you are not allowed to call him that."
AOW has been flying solo for more than two years, and the captain's status is stable and his majesty is still there.
After returning, Fang Yu secretly sent a text message to Ning Lan: [Baby, you won't accept him just because of today's "baby" and a plate of string beans?]
Ning Lan didn't know how to respond, Fang Yu was impatient, and continued: [Just accepting him like this, I'm not reconciled for you. Grind him for a while and let him eat all the hardships you suffered back then!]
Ning Lan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, Fang Yu's remarks coincided with what Sui Yi said that night.
But he was still confused. Maybe love should be a close tug of war, but should resentment be the same? Knowing that the dark world was not created by him alone, and knowing that he had a reason, just because he opened his arms to himself, he intensified and transferred all the artillery fire to him, is this really right
Ning Lan raised her hand and covered her eyes, daring not to think about it.
Before going to bed, I received another text message from an unnamed number: [What do you want to eat tomorrow?]
At this moment, Ning Lan's spirit was so tense that some plants and trees were full of soldiers, and the shyness of dinner was swept away, replaced by a heavy feeling like a boulder pressing on her chest.
People's greed is endless. After tasting a little sweetness, they delusionally want everything. This inferiority has been rooted in him for a long time, and it cannot be removed to this day.
He felt he couldn't go on like this, he had to let this man go.
[Have you had enough trouble? ] This is Ning Lan's first reply to the anonymous number.
The other party replied quickly: [No]
It's arrogant and terrifying.
Ning Lan's fingers on the keyboard seemed to be frozen by ice and snow, and she couldn't press a key.
Reason told him to push him away and keep him away from this dark world.
The other party then said: [If you think this is trouble, then I will make trouble with you for the rest of your life]
Ning Lan took a deep breath and finally couldn't hold back, she stretched out her thumb and stroked the last three words.
He didn't know how long his life was. He often thought that he would be wiped out in the next second, but he still survived until now.
He only knew that the layer of the shell that sealed him was cracked by the heavy blow of the foreign object, and it was like a burst of light from the sky for a while. He wrapped the quilt tightly, curled up and tried to hide, but the light had already shone on him, burning his skin.
He vaguely remembered that it was this person who made him feel alive for the first time, with blood between his flesh and a heartbeat in his chest.
So, he couldn't resist before, and he still can't do it now.
Sui Yi didn't wait for Ning Lan's reply.
Everything he's done lately has been tricky and unpredictable, contrary to his habit of prudence. Although it can't be said to enjoy it, at least it can be treated with a normal heart.
No matter whether he is troublesome or stupid, you have to give it a try to know if it works.
After another night in the lounge, Sui Yi rubbed her sore neck and went to buy coffee from the vending machine downstairs in the hospital. On the way, she received a call from her teacher.
"I heard from Dr. Zhao that you are still sleeping in the lounge? Don't be stubborn. You can stay in the room arranged for you."
Sui Cheng had seen a doctor here before, and during his stay in hospital, he also negotiated cooperation with the hospital for employee medical examinations.
Sui Yi opened the coffee, took a big gulp, and said, "No need, the rest room is close, and it's not easy to be discovered. I don't want him to be burdened."
"Tsk, I found that your father and son are really similar." The teacher sighed.
Sui Yi frowned and said, "Where is it like?"
"All love to make bitter meat."
Sui Yi's face darkened: "This is not a bitter trick."
"It's good, it's full of love and sincerity." The teacher smiled and said, "If you need any help, feel free to contact me. You can also call your dad, and you can exchange your experience by the way."
Instead of calling Sui Cheng, Sui Yi called her manager Wang Xu.
"Brother Wang, please help me apply for another half-year leave."
Wang Xu has been at leisure recently, and is still sleeping at the moment. Hearing this, he rolled off the bed and said, "Half, half, half a year? You might as well just quit the circle!"
Sui Yi thought about it seriously and said, "No, I still have to make money."
Wang Xu patted his heart, as if he couldn't slow down: "My God, sooner or later, you will be scared out of a heart attack by you, eldest young master."
After some haggling, Wang Xu promised to help him try his best to win, on the condition that he receives at least three advertisements within the six months, endorsement activities and major ceremonies at the end of the year must be attended, and a TV series that he participated in the first half of the year will be broadcast in September. As a male first, at least have to participate in the first conference.
"Here we also found a few movie scripts for you, all of which will start shooting in the first half of next year. You can see if you like it. Movies are no better than TV series. The sooner you prepare, the better."
Sui Yi agreed.
Wang Xu was impatient, and after hanging up the phone, he sent a script document first, and Sui Yi read it as he walked. He now has all his heart on Ning Lan, and he is not in the mood to read any script at all. He should come down just to delay time.
After drinking the last sip of coffee, he threw the empty can into the trash can. When Sui Yi turned into the lounge, he met an unexpected person.
Ning Lan held the blanket in her hand and looked at him without any psychological preparation. In less than two seconds, she hurriedly looked away and quickly squeezed out sideways.
Sui Yi didn't expect Ning Lan to appear here, so she immediately caught up with her: "Did you come to me?"
Ning Lan didn't answer, and walked away quickly. Sui Yi thought he didn't hear him, so he chased after him and shouted "Baby".
The nurse who passed by turned back and looked at the two of them strangely. Ning Lan wished she could find a hole in the ground to burrow in, turned a corner into the ward, and slammed the door shut. Sui Yi reached out to pull him in a hurry, but no one caught him, and her arm was caught by the door.
Five minutes later, Ning Lan took Yunnan Baiyao and sprayed it on Sui Yi's arm. After spraying, he habitually blew lightly on the wound twice.
Closing the bottle cap, Sui Yi's hand was still raised, Ning Lan asked, "It still hurts?"
In fact, it didn't hurt much, Sui Yi nodded against his heart.
Ning Lan looked worried: "Go take a film and watch it, in case you hurt your bones."
"No, the bones are fine." Sui Yi was not good at lying, and almost flashed his tongue, "Just spray some more medicine."
Ning Lan was suspicious, opened the bottle cap again, gave him a few more sprays, and then lowered his head to blow carefully.
Sui Yi was satisfied, and his face thickened a lot, and it was as if he had never seen her mother-in-law's disgust and expulsion. My mother-in-law took her temperature, he helped me keep track of the time, my mother-in-law got out of bed and walked around, and he helped with the salt water bottle, leaving Ning Lan with nothing to do.
At night, the mother-in-law drew the curtains, out of sight and out of mind. Ning Lan came out of the shower and saw Sui Yi dozing off on the sofa, she went up to push him: "Wake up, don't sleep here."
Sui Yi propped up his head, stood up swayingly, and said in a low voice with half-squinted eyes, "I'll go first, good night."
"Hey." Ning Lan stopped him.
He couldn't sleep well these days, and Sui Yi was still confused, turning his head two beats slower than usual.
He saw Ning Lan pointing to the family lounge: "There is a folding bed there, if you don't mind..."
Not only did Sui Yi not mind, but she stayed there for a week.
On the day of the operation, he and Ning Lan pushed his mother-in-law to the door of the operating room together, and the accompanying nurse said, "Grandma is really happy. She has two grandsons taking care of her."
The mother-in-law smiled wide-eyed when she heard it, and rarely ran against Sui Yi, she patted Ning Lan's hand and said, "Don't be afraid, baby, grandma will be out in a while."
Ning Lan was amazed at her mother-in-law's learning ability. When the door of the operating room was closed, Sui Yi took advantage of his unpreparedness and gave him a revengeful look.
Four hours later, the mother-in-law, wearing an oxygen mask, was pushed out.
The chief surgeon said that the operation was successful and that most of the lesions had been removed, so he could rest in peace. If the cancer cells did not spread quickly, he could be assisted by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and he would not have to suffer from a dismemberment.
That night, the mother-in-law took off the oxygen mask. On the third day after the operation, she vigorously said that she would go downstairs to move. Ning Lan kept her on the bed because of the "wound not fully healed", and asked a nurse to supervise it 24 hours a day.
Mother-in-law recovered well, and Ning Lan's mood became brighter.
Sui Yi had something to do that day. She put on a mask and went out early in the morning. Ning Lan handed her mother-in-law over to the nurse and took time to go back to Quanxi.
The commissary was closed for half a month, and the street residents were very concerned about the old and young of the Zhang family. They heard that Granny Zhang was sick and was hospitalized, so they all came to visit with things. Ning Lan couldn't hold back their enthusiasm, so she collected a basket of eggs and The old hen, Aunt Jiang next door also brought the vegetables grown in her own yard, and gave him a sheet of music by the way: "This is what the young man left here, I can't understand it, I'm afraid he needs it urgently, Ning Ning, you will bring it to him. Go over there."
"That boy" naturally refers to Sui Yi.
Only then did Ning Lan know that he actually rented a room at Aunt Jiang's house. Staying in the bathroom for a while, and reclining on a bench for a while, really feels a bit like being swept out of the house.
Taking advantage of the time to simmer the soup, Ning Lan packed up the ledger and the purchase order and brought it with him.
When he was about to close the door, he hesitated for a moment, then went into the house and put the incomprehensible sheet music into the piano case, then took the heat preservation bucket in his left hand and the piano case in his right, and got on the bus to the city.
When they got to the hospital, they happened to meet Sui Yi in the elevator.
When Ning Lan handed over the piano case, Sui Yi's face turned blue, thinking that Ning Lan was going to drive him away again.
"My mother-in-law's health is relatively stable now. From tomorrow, I will go back to Quanxi to visit the store during the day, and come back to watch my mother-in-law at night."
It took Sui Yi a long time to understand what Ning Lan meant. He raised his hand and asked to pick him up. Ning Lan said that it was very convenient to go back and forth by bus.
Entering the ward, Ning Lan opened the insulation bucket and filled two bowls of chicken soup, one for her mother-in-law and one for Sui Yi.
Sui Yi took it in a daze, and heard Ning Lan say to him, "If, I said, if you are free during the day, mother-in-law will ask you."
Since then, the two of them have been working in the morning and evening.
Ning Lan took a bus to Quanxi every morning, and returned to the hospital after dark. Sui Yi felt sorry for him and was tired, and proposed various solutions, including finding someone to watch the store, hiring a driver, finding a reliable nurse, etc., all of which were rejected by Ning Lan. Lan refused.
On the bus that day, Ning Lan saw Sui Yi's new proposal to drive the car to him, and replied: [I don't have a driver's license]
Because Ning Lan leaves early and returns late, every day when she returns to the ward, she sleeps, and Sui Yi also has to go out to work a few days a week. The time they spend together is greatly reduced, and they can often only communicate through text messages.
Sui Yi: [I will be your driver]
Ning Lan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and circled around and returned to the starting point. He understood the inconvenience and listed the various inconveniences of doing so. Now Sui Yi almost obeyed his words, and quickly compromised. At the end, he added: [I am going to another place tomorrow, can I come and pick you up today?]
Ning Lan tried to clarify the relationship between "going out of town tomorrow" and "come to pick you up", Sui Yi then sent another message: [If you don't reply, you will be acquiesced]
Ning Lan stared at the words for a while, and finally let out a light breath.
It was just dark, and the black SUV was parked at the entrance of the commissary.
Along the way, Ning Lan found that Sui Yi had pinched his brows countless times, and the exhaustion on his face was obvious.
After dinner in the ward, Ning Lan picked up the dishes and got up, and when she turned around, she saw Sui Yi crooked and asleep on the sofa. He turned around and made a "shush" gesture at his mother-in-law, and found that her mother-in-law also put her index finger to her mouth.
"In order to get back, I didn't sleep all night last night." Mother-in-law whispered in Ning Lan's ear, "Don't wake him up, just cover him with a blanket."
The two thoughts coincided. The sofa was fairly spacious. Ning Lan moved Sui Yi's legs onto the sofa to lay it flat, covered him with a blanket, turned off the light, and then tiptoed back to the lounge to sleep.
In the middle of the night, half asleep, Ning Lan only felt that her left ankle was hot, as if something was stuck on it.
When he heard the rustling sound approaching, he sat up abruptly, his head hit a hard object and made a loud "bang", just as he was about to shout, a warm hand put a warm hand on his lips.
"Shh, it's me."
Not long after she opened her eyes, she got used to the darkness. Ning Lan recognized the familiar outline in front of her and nodded stiffly. For two adults, bumping their foreheads against their foreheads is really embarrassing.
Sui Yi knelt on the bed with one leg and propped the other on the ground, propped up the bed with one hand, and her lower body almost enveloped Ning Lan in her arms.
It wasn't until the hand covering his mouth was released that Ning Lan realized what Sui Yi might be trying to do.
"You... what are you sticking on my feet?" The question still turned a corner.
Sui Yi's throat was dry, and he replied, "The drug patch is said to be very useful for traumatic arthritis."
"Oh." Ning Lan didn't know what to say, the dim and quiet atmosphere made him inexplicably nervous.
"I keep the rest by the bedside and remember to use it every day."
Ning Lan said "Oh" again, and with hindsight, she remembered that she had never told Sui Yi about the pain in her feet.
Sui Yi was even more unsuited to the current environment than Ning Lan. His heartbeat was like a drum. In the darkness, he could only see Ning Lan's clear eyes. The dark pupils were covered with a layer of water light. Jump again.
The two faced each other in silence for a long time, and Sui Yi suddenly asked, "Does it hurt?"
Ning Lan moved her ankle: "It doesn't hurt."
"I mean, forehead, does it hurt?"
This conversation seems familiar.
There was a strange numbness in Ning Lan's heart, as if something rotten and festering was gradually pulled away, and another fresh and vivid thing filled it.
He was given courage by chance, so he chose to follow his heart: "It hurts... it hurts."
Sui Yi didn't speak. He slowly leaned over, his big hand went around his face, and landed exactly on the back of Ning Lan's neck. Without being rejected, he leaned forward again until his lips touched Ning Lan's smooth forehead.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I won't let the baby hurt again."