The time set by Qi Jin was seven o'clock in the evening, and the location was in the north of the city.
Because Qi Jin's text message said that there is a kitten in the residence, he was afraid that there would be problems if he was away for too long, so he could only solve it nearby.
Ning Xiaoxiao agreed immediately.
In fact, when she received a text message from Qi Jin about an hour after hanging up, she was so overjoyed that she knew the little helper Jun agreed to come out for dinner, so excited that she even burst into laughter from the half-dry mud mask. Even if she was told to run a full circle around the city at her own expense, she would be willing, not to mention it was only a 20-minute bus ride.
In addition, Qi Jin has a special request.
"I chose a quiet restaurant with a more private seating design. The only downside is that the consumption is a little higher. If my sister would mind, I'll treat you to me" - this is Qi Jin's original words.
Ning Xiaoxiao was lining her eyes on the vanity mirror while wondering about his weird additional condition.
Of course, if the senior brother is willing to treat guests, she is very happy to push the boat along the way.
The north of the city is the old city. The urban planning has not yet started, the streets are relatively narrow, and the architectural layout is not as well-organized as the new city. After getting off the bus, Ning Xiaoxiao struggled to find the right place.
It was just past six forty-five.
After the fall, the days are short and the nights are long. At this moment, the sunset has completely sunk, and the thin layer of dim yellow attached to the city's outline gradually disappeared, and black seeped up. The infrastructure in the old city is outdated, and the street lamps look weak and weak, barely able to illuminate the road. The neighborhood is dominated by residential areas, and there are many cheap stores such as daily necessities and small shops, and there are no colorful neon lights along the way.
"Little helper-kun used to live in this kind of place... It's a surprise." Ning Xiaoxiao dressed as a fashionable urban lady, stepping on the asphalt with high heels, and couldn't stop muttering.
She thought that the person who could take good care of Qi Jin must be a successful man who lived in a high-end apartment and had a car and money.
She even made up her mind frequently that she met a real rich second generation, and she felt pity when he was hurt, and took the initiative to support him like in the TV series, and she was intoxicated just thinking about it.
But that doesn't seem to be the case at all...
Moreover, she has been meeting Qi Jin all the time, either near his residence, or in the downtown area near the provincial TV station. She is accustomed to high-rise buildings and various fashionable modern elements. Now she has suddenly changed her style, which is really a little bit. Not quite adaptable.
However, Qi Jin obviously accommodated her in this regard, because the place he chose was not bad.
The restaurant in front of you is nominally a health-preserving restaurant, but in fact it also sells a variety of famous teas, and it is also used as a teahouse at ordinary times. The appearance here looks one level higher than the ordinary home-cooked restaurants you see along the road. The location is close to the main traffic road, not a small street, and the interior decoration is elegant. It's a little bit plain, but the first impression is still pretty good.
"I didn't expect it to be okay here, although it's a little worse than the health-preserving restaurant near my house." Ning Xiaoxiao looked around at the surrounding arrangement, and the scoring system was automatically activated.
On the way, Qi Jin texted her, saying that she and her little helper had arrived ahead of schedule, and that she had chosen a table and asked her to go up to the second floor, turn to the left of the stairs, and go all the way inside.
She didn't plan to text the other party that she had arrived, but walked upstairs on her own accord, walked about seven or eight seats in the direction he said, and finally saw Qi Jin. It turns out that his so-called "privacy-focused" seat design actually means that the seats at two adjacent tables are placed back-to-back, with a black lacquer screen in the middle, which can block the sight of many people around.
Ning Xiaoxiao's sight was also blocked by half.
Across the screen, she saw Qi Jin's face and most of her body, but the other party didn't notice her at all, because his eyes were always on the position beside him.
Ning Xiaoxiao subconsciously stopped and quietly stood aside to watch.
From her point of view, she could not see the person next to Qi Jin, and did not know what the other person looked like, how she looked, or how she behaved, but the expression on Qi Jin's face had already surprised her.
It was a completely different expression from the last time they met in the hospital.
Not only the expression, but also the mental state has been completely changed.
Ning Xiaoxiao remembered Qi Qin's state clearly at that time. The whole person seemed to be one with the cold white wall in the hospital. He shouted two sentences in response, as if the language had been hollowed out, and it was so quiet that it was scary. to the point of.
That Qi Jin was haggard and decadent, disheveled, with a messy hair and beard, looking distressed.
At this moment, the Qi Jin in front of him seems to have come to life again, with decent clothes and good appearance, and he has returned to the usual gentleman - even brighter and more vivid, with a smile on the corners of his brows and eyes, as if the old man The stagnant water in the pool was hit by a stone, and there was light in the ripples.
Incredibly dazzling.
He seemed to be discussing something happy, listening at one moment, and then laughing with the corners of his eyes crooked. Throughout the whole process, the expression was lively and natural, looking forward to the brilliance, and the eyes only stayed in the same place from beginning to end, and did not change.
From a distance, she couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she was sure that Qi Jin's voice was pleasant.
For a moment, he smiled to the end, his eyelids drooped slightly, and he actually leaned his head over the trend. The face disappeared from her vision for a moment, presumably resting on the shoulder of the man beside her.
Ning Xiaoxiao was stunned, staring blankly at all this.
She had never seen Qi Jin like this before.
In other words, she had seen a few similar expressions of him in college, but it was as thin as a painting on paper, and it was torn apart with a slight tear. It was far less clear and real than it is now. The carvings chiseled in stone are so solid.
After a while, Qi Jin's face was back in her line of sight.
He was still smiling softly, and inadvertently raised his eyes, suddenly meeting her ignorant gaze. He was stunned for a while, wondering how long she had been observing him. His face became hot, and he couldn't help coughing twice: "Xiao Xiao... Why didn't you text me when you arrived?"
"Because it's not far from the bus station, I'll just come here." She hurried up to meet her.
Taking two or three steps forward, Ning Xiaoxiao finally saw the legendary little helper, who was completely different from the tall, rich and handsome she imagined. Although she was tall, her appearance and clothes were very simple, and there were almost no facial features. It is equally eye-catching, but it can be seen for a long time inexplicably together, and it is not tired of watching it, and the more you watch it, the more you will feel that there is a gentle texture that slowly drips out, and the moisturizing is silent.
Hearing the sound of her high-heeled shoes clattering over, the man raised his head, just in time to make eye contact with her. He then stood up gently, speaking in a low voice, but politely: "Hello."
Apart from that, he didn't say a word of everyday scenes in the social arena.
It seems that this person should not be very good at communicating with strangers, and is completely the opposite of senior brother... Such a duo is really amazing. Ning Xiaoxiao was surprised in her heart, replied "Hello", and continued to look at him directly.
Probably not used to being stared at like this, Shen Yan lowered her eyes slightly, still standing straight and motionless.
Knowing that he was restrained, Qi Jin tapped his arm with a smile, and reminded: "Don't be nervous, Xiao Xiao is a friend I have known for many years, an old acquaintance. You're welcome, it's fine for everyone to just chat."
Ning Xiaoxiao hurriedly echoed: "Yes, yes, it's fine to just chat."
Shen Yan nodded when she heard the words, but waited until Ning Xiaoxiao sat down opposite and put away her handbag before returning to her seat.
The second floor of this health restaurant is dedicated to hot pot, and guests can choose their own soup base and ingredients.
Now that all the people have arrived, Qi Jin is very gentlemanly fulfilling the principle of ladies first, and pushes the menu to Ning Xiaoxiao and lets her choose what she likes. No matter the price, no matter the quantity, he pleases.
Ning Xiaoxiao pretended to be a lady for a few seconds with a smile on her face.
However, once she opened the menu, she revealed her true identity as a foodie, and ordered a bunch of things very unladylike.
Qi Qin looked at her with a smile and swallowed her saliva at the picture, and turned the teacup over for her in a hurry. Just as she was about to reach for the teapot, Shen Yan had already lifted the teapot on his behalf and poured the tea. Qi Jin smiled at him.
Gee. Ning Xiaoxiao's heart was rippling.
Under the cover of the menu, her eyes that refused to let go of any intimate shots quietly floated up, observing their every move and capturing the ambiguity. It seems that the senior brother and this little helper have an unexpected tacit understanding... However, I really can't think that Qi Jin would like this type of man.
She thought that Qi Jin had been in the media industry for a long time, and her vision would be relatively trendy.
After ordering, they chose a more nutritious mushroom and chicken soup as the base, let the waiter light the fire, and put the preheated soup base on the way.
Before the food was served, Ning Xiaoxiao began to take the initiative to open the chat box and introduce herself with her standard lady smile: "My surname is Ning, my double name is Xiaoxiao, and I am currently working as an editor in a magazine. This little helper What's your name?"
Shen Yan responded in a straight-forward manner: "My surname is Shen, my name is Yan, Yan of Dayan. Now I am a doctor in a pet hospital."
When Ning Xiaoxiao heard the words, she suddenly made a short "ah" sound and blinked her eyes at Qi Jin: "Could it be the hospital you went to interview last time brother?"
Qi Jin smiled but did not answer.
The memory in Ning Xiaoxiao's mind suddenly shuffled like a tape backwards, and suddenly stopped at a phone call from Qi Jin that day. This time, she couldn't even blink her eyes. She screamed and pointed at Qi Jin regardless of her image: "That's right! That's right! You once asked me a series of adjectives! What is careful, considerate, dedicated, responsible, etc. Come on, you said you were describing an interviewee, could it be this one—"
Shen Yan was taken aback.
Since the positioning is the "interview object", the time point should still be in the early stage of their contact. It turned out that at that time... What was your impression of Qi Jin
Subconsciously turning his head to look at the person who wrote these keywords, the person's ears turned red, and he gently covered his head with his hands to prevent himself from seeing it, gritted his teeth and said, "Little girl, you still Remember so clearly…”
Fortunately, there was a large pot in front of him, and the milky white soup began to boil, and a large group of steam emerged to cover up the embarrassment a little.
Shen Yan stared at him blankly for a while, then slowly withdrew her gaze, but the warmth that flowed from her heart could not be withdrawn. It was all filled in the depths of her chest.
"Is it really him?" Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly realized, and seemed to understand the reason why Shen Yan became the boyfriend under review.
"Really, let's start putting the ingredients." The waiter was in a hurry just like the soup, and brought a few plates of meatballs and a vegetable platter in time, giving Qi Qin a step to go down. He took the lead in pushing the food to the junior sister, hoping that through this, she would shut up obediently and eat with peace of mind.
Ning Xiaoxiao moved her chopsticks to put things into the soup while sorting out her thoughts. The train of thought went all the way down in chronological order, suddenly hit a knot, and stopped there: since they met through interviews, then the relationship between the two sides should have been established in the more than one month of tracking and reporting.
But, why didn't this person come to visit during the period when my brother was hospitalized in the car accident
Senior brother fell into such a state, is it because this person did not appear? If that's the case, isn't Shen Yan a bit... scumbag
She groaned in her heart, and couldn't help but secretly worry.
In fact, from the perspective of voice control, she quite liked Shen Yan's voice, although he only said less than thirty words.
After that, Shen Yan hadn't taken the initiative to say a word to her. The aura itself was very strange. Generally speaking, shouldn't it be more attentive in front of the relatives and friends of the prospective boyfriend, to win foreign aid and gain extra points? Or, he doesn't really like senior brother that much
As someone who has always cared about Qi Jin's emotional belonging, she had to seek answers by herself and join the review team.
So she deliberately laughed at Shen Yan twice, and started the topic normally: "By the way, you said that you met through interviews, but my brother and I met because we went to the same school for undergraduates, and our majors are relatively similar. We are in the same province, and we get to know each other often after seeing each other.”
Shen Yan would stop her chopsticks when she was talking and listen to her finish quietly.
Ning Xiaoxiao thought he would pick up a sentence or two, but Shen Yan just listened, she didn't seem to want to pick up the words, she just nodded after listening. I don't know if he doesn't know how to answer, or if he feels lack of interest and doesn't want to answer. She paused for three seconds, had to hold her breath, kept a gentle smile and continued to bring the topic to him: "Then, where did Dr. Shen study for his undergraduate degree?"
Qi Jin raised her head when she heard this.
The question had never been discussed between them, so he wanted to know the answer.
Shen Yan's expression changed slightly.
The gazes of the two people from different directions passed through the steam and settled on his face. At the same time, the thick soup in the pot made a violent boiling sound, rolling up and down, as if urged by these two eager gazes.
Shen Yan's breathing also seemed to be urged, becoming a little faster.
He unconsciously lowered his eyes and opened his lips slightly, but he was speechless for a long time. The hot air gushing out of the hot pot only made him feel more clearly that he was chilling.
Qi Jin was the first to realize that this might not be a good question.
Shen Yan has always answered questions, and if he hasn't spoken for so long, it means he doesn't want to answer. He was startled and was about to hurriedly avoid the topic, but Shen Yan finally spoke up.
"I... didn't study an undergraduate degree." His voice was as low as his eyes. Every word passed through the throat like a needle prick. Because of the pain, the sentence became incoherent. "After three years of college, I came out to work."
"Uh..." Ning Xiaoxiao didn't expect this kind of answer at all, she was stunned for a moment, but fortunately she quickly regained her senses, and said hesitantly, "This, this is it."
The university she and Qi Jin attended is one of the key universities in the country. Although it is not as good as Tsinghua University and Peking University, it is also quite famous.
And this person in front of him only has a college degree.
Women are always sensitive and suspicious by nature, especially when the other party is still under review. She had been worried about Shen Yan before, and this worry was like sand in an hourglass, accumulating more and more with time.
Ning Xiaoxiao coughed and turned the topic to another direction: "So, is Dr. Shen a local? Are the family here?"
"Xiao Xiao." Qi Jin heard the word "family", her face became solemn, and she interrupted sharply, "Enough."
After reading the photo album, he faintly realized that Shen Yan's family situation might be unusual, and this kind of question should not be asked face to face.
Ning Xiaoxiao didn't know why, because in her opinion, this problem was quite common and there was no risk, so Qi Wei's attitude made her a little confused.
At this time, Shen Yan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly replied softly: "I'm not a local. I was born in a small town and moved here later. At home... Grandpa passed away, and now I'm alone."
Ning Xiaoxiao was born with a quick mouth, but when she thought about it, she couldn't hide it, and she blurted out: "Grandpa passed away, what about your parents?"
Family status often has a strong influence on a person's attitude toward their partner. The magazine where she works often plans some related topics, telling about internal conflicts within the family, relationship problems between husband and wife, discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and other real-life events.
And the other party is someone Qi Jin likes.
Without thoroughly asking about the situation, she could not be sure whether this person would be able to align her heart in the future, and whether there would be a change.
"Xiao Xiao!" Qi Wei felt anxious, and her right hand tightly held Shen Yan's hand under the table, shaking it.
He wanted to give Shen Yan a hint - he didn't want to say that he could not say it, but when he actually touched it, he was startled first. The back of the man's hand was cold, his fingers clenched into fists, trembling slightly in the shadows.
"My parents... are not here," Shen Yan's voice was much more restrained than her hands. If she didn't listen carefully, she couldn't hear any signs of trembling. "I haven't been in touch for a long time."