Xu Shiqi did not contact Wen Jialuo after returning home. He thought that the girl would relax her patience in front of him in front of her family, or she would have given up the idea when she came to pick him up tomorrow - this fantasy should not be considered naive.
But she was disappointed after all. The person who came to pick her up the next afternoon still opened the car door for her without saying a word, and then looked at her. When she could only smile tentatively, the girl didn't even make the move to fasten her seat belt intimately, nor did she reach out to hold her hand as usual after they got on the road.
Xu Shiqi leaned back in her chair, looking at the road ahead in a daze. The traffic was coming and going, and each car should have its own story. But there was probably no car more silent than theirs.
When the car was on the highway, Xu Shiqi received a text message from Wen Baohua. She said that Jialuo had not spoken for the past two days and seemed lazy in everything she did, so she asked her if something happened.
Turning his head to look at the girl who was concentrating on driving, Xu Shiqi gritted his teeth and texted her back. What else could he say? He could only say that he would ask her and that she should be fine.
After chatting with her for a few more sentences, the text message notification sound also disappeared, and the car fell into complete silence again. Wen Jialuo did not plan to put on the CD or listen to the radio. Anyway, she had to get used to the silence, and it didn't matter when or where. But she felt that there was no time more difficult than on the way here. In the past, she required silence because she had to concentrate on driving, but at least it was not as desperate as the Dead Sea. Now, both of them kept silent, and the small space seemed even more depressing, and she was already tempted to step on the brakes and smash the car window to get some fresh air.
Taking two deep breaths, Wen Jialuo told herself to stay calm. She had already made a mistake once, which led to this inexplicable result. She would never lose control of the steering wheel again and throw the two of them into an even more unknown future.
After returning to her residence, Xu Shiqi was busy opening the windows for ventilation and folding the clothes that were hung on the balcony before she left. The weather was getting hotter, and some clothes were better dried in the shade than in the sun. But what kind of material was suitable for drying in the shade and what could withstand being exposed to the sun? She felt that even if the two of them were breathing the same air without talking, they were still like wandering in two different worlds. If she didn't find something to do and stop thinking about things, she would... go crazy.
However, the girl still insisted on her own way.
The silence did not separate the two people, but it also made them fall into a strange circle. When they had just started to experience the life of living together, this bland and boring relationship had already arrived.
Soon, no matter how good the show on TV was, it was already very late at night. But even though their hearts were so painful that they had nowhere to rest and they were struggling with only one breath left, the two of them still sat on the sofa each, seemingly respecting each other.
Even though neither of them wanted to, they somehow became distant from each other after returning home. It was like they didn't know how to get along after two days, and since they couldn't talk or communicate, they simply reduced their contact, and gradually they couldn't even make eye contact.
Xu Shiqi sat there stiffly, feeling a chill in her heart. If you don't seek, you won't lose. The more you seek, the less you will get. She suddenly remembered this sentence.
Wen Jialuo finally couldn't sit still anymore and stood up suddenly. The woman opposite looked at her as if she was frightened, but her face was pale and a little sad.
Unable to even say something like "I'm going to sleep" out of spite, Wen Jialuo felt that she had not only lost the ability to speak, but even her hands, feet, ears and eyes were about to fail. What on earth could support Xu Shiqi to smile freely even though she couldn't speak? She was almost in awe of it.
With a self-deprecating smile, Wen Jialuo thought that she must not have done enough. She turned back to her room, feeling as if there were countless cat claws scratching her heart, and she could not stay in front of that woman any longer.
This day was undoubtedly very difficult to endure. When we slept in the same bed, the distance between us was like the sea. Our two hearts floated and sank at the two ends of the sea, and the night became colder.
The next day, when Wen Jialuo got up, Xu Shiqi was still sleeping. When she finished breakfast, she just went into the bathroom to wash up. When she went to work, the woman sat at the dining table and just stared at her blankly.
"I'm leaving" was something he couldn't even say. It had been a few days, so he seemed to be used to it. Wen Jialuo waited at the door for a while, but eventually he opened the door and left without looking back.
Xu Shiqi still sat there in a daze, and only started to clear the table and clean up after a long time. She cleaned the entire residence from top to bottom, and never let her mind stop to think about anything. No matter how they get along, whether it's painful or stalemate, even the look of incomprehension from her mother can be tolerated, so what else can't she swallow
At about ten o'clock, she received a text message from Dr. Cha, asking her if she had time to go out and chat since she hadn't been there for a long time.
Seeing that there was nothing left to do in the whole house and Xu Shiqi was feeling bored alone, he agreed to his request.
Wen Jialuo struggled a little when she came back at noon. There were often lunches at work, and this noon was no exception. She nodded at first because she didn't want to go back for the time being, but when she thought about the woman having to eat alone, she felt heartbroken again.
It is easy to make a decision, but it is hard to stick to it. If you can't speak, even saliva is redundant. The increasingly dry mouth is empty all the way to your heart.
But when she returned home, she saw a man standing in front of her house, with his hands behind his back, looking calm and steady.
"Dad?" Wen Jialuo shouted in surprise, then suddenly shut his mouth and his face turned ugly.
Wenzhou looked at her and nodded: "You're back, open the door quickly."
Wen Jialuo gritted her teeth and lowered her head as she walked forward. Her hands were shaking a little when she opened the door. She had decided not to speak, but when she saw her father, she blurted out what she wanted to say. She pushed the door open with great force in frustration and stiffly let her father in.
"Why are you here?" Wen Jialuo asked him weakly. It was only a few days since they had spoken, but there was no awkwardness. But it was different for that woman. It would only be a few months. She didn't know if she would really lose her language function in the end. She was very scared, so she felt relieved when she saw her father. This was the way they were as father and daughter. They didn't spend much time together, but their feelings were very deep. Sometimes her mother would laugh and scold her for being an ungrateful little girl, and sighed that everyone was right when they said that daughters should be closer to their fathers.
"I'm here for a meeting, and I came to see you when I have time." Wenzhou said while sitting on the sofa.
Wen Jialuo sat beside him and tilted her head to look at him. After a long while, she snorted and said, "You're lying."
Wenzhou smiled and said, "Your mother is worried about you and asked me to come over to see you."
This should be the truth, Wen Jialuo nodded and smiled.
"Are you the only one here?" Wenzhou looked around and asked her.
Wen Jialuo stood up suddenly, and then she realized that her father was locked out. "No... You know, Xu Shiqi also lives with me. Maybe he went out because of something." She said a little disappointedly, and ran to the kitchen. As a result, it was empty. Nothing was cooked, not even vegetables were bought. When she came back to check her phone, she found a text message in it. It was the woman who said that she would eat outside at noon and asked her to solve her lunch by herself.
The fingertips pressing the buttons hurt, and Wen Jialuo felt bitter. Did that woman also want to escape from her? Life is so long, how can she hold her and not let her let go
"Gia Luo?"
"She has something to do at noon and won't be back." Wen Jialuo was shocked and raised her phone to her father, "What should we do? There's no cooking at home. Why don't we go out to eat?"
Wenzhou took off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled them up. "Do you have noodles? And eggs? How about trying Dad's cooking today?"
"Really?" Wen Jialuo was immediately happy. In her impression, her father was a typical gentleman who stayed away from the kitchen. It was something she had never thought of asking him to wash his hands and cook.
"I can't let my baby daughter go hungry." Wenzhou smiled and rubbed her hair.
“Dad…” Wen Jialuo’s nose felt slightly sore and his eyes turned red.
"Be good and wait outside." Wenzhou patted her shoulder and went straight into the kitchen.
Wen Jialuo was bored for a moment, sitting on the sofa. She kept closing and opening her cell phone, and after a long time she couldn't help but send a text message to Xu Shiqi.
Where are you eating, alone
The reply came back very quickly, and it turned out that she was having dinner with Dr. Cha.
If Wen Jialuo didn't know that Dr. Cha was quite old and had a wife and children, he would almost be jealous.
What about you, where do you eat lunch
I'm at home, I haven't gone out. Wen Jialuo sighed, pressed the key to send the message, and fell into a brief silence. She was originally waiting for Xu Shiqi to reply to the text message, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea and there was no response. After sitting for a long time, she couldn't help but feel aggrieved.
After some time, Wenzhou brought out two bowls of noodles. There were two eggs at the bottom of each bowl. Wen Jialuo poked them with chopsticks and found that no yellow yolks had flowed out. They were fully cooked. She was dazed again when she saw it.
"Eat quickly. The noodles won't taste good if they get mushy." Wenzhou turned on the electric fan above his head. He rolled up his sleeves and sipped noodles in the breeze. He had lost all the seriousness he had in the meeting in front of the TV camera. He just looked like an ordinary parent.
"Thank you, Dad." Wen Jialuo said vaguely and lowered her head. She originally wanted to eat noodles in big mouthfuls, but she had no appetite. Every strand of noodles was stuck in her throat, making her unable to eat it or spit it out.
Wenzhou was halfway through his meal when he noticed that his daughter's bowl was still almost full, so he put down his chopsticks and stood up to pour her a glass of water.
"I'm sorry, Dad." Wen Jialuo whispered, "I can't eat."
Wenzhou didn't say anything, but lit a cigarette and smoked slowly.
The smoke was blown away by the wind and soon disappeared in the air, leaving only a little smell, which slid into people's hearts like silk. Wen Jialuo stopped talking and just sat quietly. She always felt that there was a natural tacit understanding between her and her father. As blood relatives, she and her mother could not have such a tacit understanding. She seemed to understand without saying anything, and would support her wholeheartedly without asking anything. Wen Jialuo never bothered to talk to her father, and that was why she didn't want to affect his career because of her sexual orientation.
Or maybe it actually doesn't have much of an impact, but she still doesn't want to become that flaw of her father's - at least in the eyes of most people.
Just at this moment, footsteps were heard outside the door, hurriedly, and the door was quickly opened.
Xu Shiqi stepped in. She changed her shoes and put the bag in her hand on the ground, but she raised her eyes and looked around.
Wen Jialuo came over and spoke slowly: "Why... did you come back?"
Ah? Xu Shiqi's eyes suddenly lit up, and his whole face was filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Knowing why she was suddenly happy, Wen Jialuo gritted his teeth and turned away.
Xu Shiqi hurriedly ran over to grab her, and was dragged a few steps. Then he suddenly saw that there was actually someone sitting at the dining table.
Wen Jialuo felt the hand that was pulling her stiffen for a moment, so she quickly held her hand to comfort her, then let go. In her impression, these two people should have never met. Xu Shiqi would be a little more relaxed in front of Du Mengmeng, but at other times he was very careful about the degree of interaction with her, for fear that others would notice something.
"Shi Qi, come here, let me introduce you, this is my dad."
Xu Shiqi straightened his back slightly and nodded to the man who was still sitting.
"Dad," Wen Jialuo turned around immediately, "She is Xu Shiqi, you know her situation..."
Wenzhou tapped off the ash from his cigarette and nodded: "I know. Jialuo, pour me a glass of water."
Wen Jialuo responded, looked at Xu Shiqi who was still standing there, and winked at her, but the woman ignored him and just lowered her head to study the ground.
As soon as she left, Xu Shiqi slowly raised her head and slowly met the mountain-like man's gaze. Neither of them spoke, with a hint of indifference. As soon as Wen Jialuo came out, she turned her gaze away and walked to the door to pick up the vegetables she had bought.
She paused before entering the kitchen and glanced at Wen Zhou. Wen Jialuo immediately understood what she meant: "Dad, you're not in a hurry to leave."
"No, I have to go back to the province today." Wenzhou drank some water, stood up, and picked up his coat. "But I didn't drive here, so you can take me to the city government."
"Okay." Wen Jialuo took the car keys and wanted to go and say hello to Xu Shiqi, but she saw her father standing there looking at her, so she had to say goodbye before leaving.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Xu Shiqi in the kitchen suddenly lost all his strength and could only lean against the kitchen counter in a daze. He must have appeared because he knew his daughter wouldn't speak. Sure enough, he was extremely important to the girl. His arrival made her speak, which could easily change a person's ups and downs.
Thinking of how she rushed back to cook for Wen Jialuo as soon as she saw the text message, Xu Shiqi felt sad. Who is the most important person in your heart, and who will you listen to? Suddenly, she lost some confidence and became confused about the one-year agreement.