At 9:15 in the evening, Shi Ci walked into "heat". There were drizzles of autumn rain in the sky. She was wearing a nude-colored lantern-sleeved shirt with a small stand-up collar and a white satin fishtail skirt, which was casual and romantic.
Heat has a limit on the number of people allowed in every night. It mostly entertains regular customers, and tends to entertain mature women. It doesn't play deafening electronic rock music, nor does it have dazzling colorful lights. Everyone drinks and chats, and it is a relatively relaxing and comfortable place.
When Shi Ci came in, she attracted a lot of attention. Sister Miu at the bar turned around and whistled at her in a flirtatious manner. Beside her were Chen Yiyi and a woman Shi Ci had never seen before.
"Professor Shi, you are so honored to visit us! It's a rare honor." Sister Miu patted the seat next to her.
Shi Ci sat down and said to Chen Yiyi, "Bai Shui."
Chen Yiyi smiled lightly, "Finally you're here."
"Don't you want to drink?" asked the woman next to Sister Miu. She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing a thin dark green suit, with medium-length hair, delicate makeup, and a smile on her lips.
"She, hehehe..." Sister Miu answered for Shi Ci first, "She's just being pretentious."
Shi Ci smiled, "I've been busy lately."
"This is Mr. Su." Sister Miu introduced, "This is my old friend, Shi Ci."
"Shici (Shi Ci)? The name is very unique." Mr. Su took a sip of wine and his eyes fell on Shi Ci with an interested look. "You teach at a university?"
Shi Ci nodded, "Teacher."
"Haha, don't listen to her nonsense, she is the type who can do research and make money," Sister Miu said between the two of them, "Boss Su is in the financial industry."
The music sounded on the stage. It was Na Ying's "Long Shot". "Oh, long shot. Our memories didn't capture too many tears. Only the cool breeze, blue sea and sand dunes..."
Shi Ci listened to the song quietly. She was still the focus of the whole audience. Most of the time, Miu and Mr. Su were chatting.
"Is there anything new recently?" Chen Yiyi asked Shi Ci, "You look very good."
Shi Ci chuckled, "You must keep exercising."
Chen Yiyi shook the bottle and said, "For me, it's this."
"For me, it's about doing and making love." Sister Miu joined in with a smile.
Mr. Su shook his head and smiled, and suddenly sighed, "My job is work, but I actually want to..."
She pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff. The light smoke made her red lips more vivid. With a high-income, high-reward job, she couldn't relax for a moment. Bright red lipstick was her fighting color, suitable for both public and private occasions.
However, she said: "I actually want to be in a relationship more."
The people present were all of similar age. They were not young girls who were just beginning to fall in love. They had experienced the world and it was no longer easy for them to give their hearts away or accept hearts from others.
After these words were spoken, the ladies present fell silent.
Only Sister Miu sneered and said, "If you want to talk, talk. If you want to love, love."
"At my age, it's too difficult. Finding someone who is on par with me, with similar age, income, and experience, and who has both self-esteem and temper, it's too difficult to be open-minded and get along well with each other... But there are too many younger people," Mr. Su shook his head and smiled, "How do you know if you are playing a development game for others? The game is completed, and the person is gone..."
Shi Ci turned the cup in his hand but did not comment.
"Time will tell. Maybe the right person for you has always been by your side." Chen Yiyi lifted her bangs, "Just waiting for you to find out."
"If you haven't found anything after so long, then that proves there's no spark." Mr. Su laughed, "A forced melon is not sweet."
"It's already twisted off, who cares whether it's sweet or not! Haha!" said Sister Miu.
"You have a good attitude." President Su glanced at her.
"Yes, baby, I'm open-minded." Sister Miu gave her a wink.
Mr. Su asked, "Where is Professor Shi?"
"Me what?" Shi Ci just opened his phone.
"Are you a bitch?" Sister Miu added.
"Me?" Shi Ci thought for a moment and said, "I pay more attention to my feelings. My feelings will tell me whether I like it or not."
"And then decide whether to twist or not?" It seems that Sister Miu is not going to let go of this topic.
"I prefer her to come to my arms automatically. I don't like to force it." Shi Ci replied with a smile and opened his phone to check.
Chen Yiyi looked sharp and asked, "What is that, a cat?"
Shi Ci simply handed it to them generously and said, "Well, this is our new little thing."
Miu laughed her ass off, "So you just got a cat these days. Be careful, single women. Once you have your first cat, you will have..."
"The second, third, fourth, countless..." President Su also joked.
Shi Ci smiled and shook his head, "I'm pretty sure this one is enough."
"I thought you would keep a dog!" Chen Yiyi looked at Shi Ci, "Don't you like dogs?"
"A cat is fine too. Cats are indoor animals and don't need to be walked. But this isn't a purebred cat, is it? A local cat?" Sister Miu leaned over to look at her phone.
Shi Ci took it back, "Qiuqiu was originally a stray cat, I picked it up, and I just happened to..." She smiled as if she thought of something, "I just happened to have the urge to raise it."
The other three looked at her.
"What kind of name is this?" Sister Miu complained, "Picked it up in the fall?"
Shi Ci's smile deepened, "What do you care about me?"
Shi Ci wanted to leave after staying for a while, but Sister Miu wouldn't let him. "Tomorrow is Saturday, why are you going back so early? Why don't we go somewhere else to continue the party?"
"It's a bit boring to come here just to drink a glass of boiled water." Chen Yiyi said slightly dissatisfiedly.
"Haha, does Professor Shi have a date?" Mr. Su put his arm around Sister Miu's shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on Shi Ci.
"Is that so?" Sister Miu asked jokingly.
Chen Yiyi was the most sensitive. "This cat is not the one you want to keep. Someone else wants to keep it?"
"Hey, this is interesting! Call her and ask her to come out!" Sister Miu instigated.
Shi Ci looked back at the inquiring gazes and smiled, "It's too late, she..." She didn't say "she needs to study", but instead said, "Next time, I'll bring her out next time."
The autumn night wind was a bit chilly. Shi Ci walked to the car, but was stopped by Chen Yiyi who had chased him. "Want to chat?"
There was a grayish-white crescent moon in the sky. Chen Yiyi looked up at it, thinking about how to speak. Shi Ci did not urge her. The two leaned against the car side by side, just like many years ago when they were in high school, skipping classes and leaning against the goal post on the school playground to secretly smoke.
Chen Yiyi thought, I have known her for such a long time, longer than her first love. I have always been by her side, standing here. She was here when she was in love, she went to study abroad, she worked abroad, and she was still here.
But Shi Ci never saw her. She never saw her.
"What kind of person is it this time?" Chen Yiyi asked casually.
Shi Ci turned his head to look at her and said, "You are still someone of mine now."
"What do you hope for?" Chen Yiyi thought she would relive the bitterness of the past, but she didn't at this moment. Maybe she was used to it. But it didn't matter. It was just another short time. She could wait.
Chen Yiyi silently observed Shi Ci's expression out of the corner of his eye.
"I hope so." The smile on Shi Ci's lips was something Chen Yiyi had never seen before.
Not started yet
Really
When she was with Wenwen, she never had such a smile on her face. She looked expectant, hesitant, and even a little uncertain.
Chen Yiyi tried hard to swallow the uncomfortable feeling and put on a tone of blessing an old friend, "In that case, we really need to introduce her to us."
Shi Ci shook his head. "I need to think about this. You guys sometimes go too far."
Chen Yiyi was silent for a while before saying, "Now I'm really curious about what kind of person she is."
Shi Ci did not answer this question, but asked: "What about you? Are you not ready to settle down?"
Stablize
Shi Ci mentioned this word.
"You know me," Chen Yiyi has had many lovers over the years, but has never had a serious relationship. "Feelings don't last long, just enjoy them while they last. You..."
"Does this girl make you feel like you want to be stable?" Chen Yiyi couldn't help but test her.
"She gives me a feeling that I've had before, but it's different." Shi Ci tilted her face up, letting the wind brush across her cheeks. "More elusive, more..."
"Compared with Qiao Sha?" Chen Yiyi regretted it the moment he said it.
The smile on Shi Ci's face disappeared.
"I'm sorry, I..." Chen Yiyi apologized immediately.
Shi Ci sighed softly and patted her shoulder, "It's okay, don't take it to heart."
"I didn't mean to..."
"I know..." Shi Ci said softly again, stopping her from continuing.
"I just..." Chen Yiyi's heart was calling for you to stop, but Shi Ci's smile just now was too dazzling, "I just miss Qiao Sha. I have never seen a couple as happy as you two, and she left too early..."
After hearing this, Shi Ci said, "It's late. I have to drive back to school. You should go to bed early too." She turned around and opened the car door.
Chen Yiyi felt bitter in his throat. He watched her drive away and let out a long sigh.
"Why are you doing this?" Sister Miu shook her head behind her.
Chen Yiyi said unhappily, "What do you know?"
"Fine, I don't understand anything," Sister Miu waved her hand, "I won't say anything."
"You haven't seen Shi Ci and Chen Qiaosha together. She only loves her."
"That's just what you think. Shi Ci never said it, but you can only convince yourself that it's a fact and tell yourself that there's a reason why you don't have a chance."
"This is the fact!" Chen Yiyi defended.
"Well, assuming this is true, then what you just did is exposing her scars." Sister Miu looked at her, "You never seize the opportunity."
Chen Yiyi: “…” She clenched her teeth, her face looking sad.
Sister Miu looked at her and sighed, "Think about it, why bother hanging yourself on this tree." She shrugged, "This is really not my style, I can't say any more."
"I'm going back to drink." She turned and went inside.
Chen Yiyi looked dejected. She tried to light a cigarette with trembling hands, but couldn't. The autumn wind blew over with rain, and soon her shoulders were covered with rain.
After returning home, Shi Ci took a hot bath, wrapped herself in a nightgown, and drank a glass of red wine.
It was twelve o'clock, and she was still asleep in bed, so she got up and went to the living room, turned on the light, and read a book. She set aside a corner in the living room for Qiuqiu, who was a little rounder than before, lying in the cat bed and sleeping soundly.
It was a rainy night. Shi Ci drank some wine and turned the pages slowly, but she didn't read much of the content.
The older she gets, the fewer people she can confide her secrets to, and the less she feels the urge to say anything to anyone. She is not someone who likes to confide in others, especially when it comes to emotional matters. She knows how she feels about herself, so there is no need to tell outsiders.
Her lover, her first love, they spent a long time together, they had been passionate and affectionate, they had quarreled with each other, and finally they returned to normal. At that time, both parents had already tacitly accepted that they would be together, but they had decided to break up peacefully and become relatives and friends to each other.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Sha was diagnosed with advanced cancer at that time. Shi Ci was already preparing to study abroad, but upon learning about this, he decided to stay.
Until now, Shi Ci is glad that she made this decision at that time. She was able to accompany Qiao Sha for the last period of time.
To her, Qiao Sha was not only a friend, but also a lover and a relative. How could she not feel heartbroken and regretful when they were separated forever
Later, she had a relationship abroad and another one after returning to China, but both were very short. Everyone thought that she had not yet healed from her emotional trauma and that no one could replace Qiao Sha's position in her heart. Only she knew that this first love was already an end in her heart.
Shi Ci wanted to love again, to feel the ability to love with all her heart again. It seemed that God had heard her request. She had always been lucky. She had everything she wanted to do and everything she wanted to have.
It's time for her to start a new chapter.
But... can she get what she wants
"Meow meow..." Perhaps sensing the light, Qiuqiu's ears moved, and it stood up and called towards Shi Ci. But that was not enough, it stretched out its two front paws and hurriedly crawled over.
Unlike her initial timidity and vigilance, Qiuqiu now has completely mastered the skill of acting like a spoiled child to humans. She looks up at humans with her emerald eyes innocently, and if she really can't help it, she will lie down and turn over her round belly.
Shi Ci smiled softly, bent down and squatted, scratching it.
I wish your other owner could learn a little bit of your coquettish skills.
Tang Zuo had just finished studying, washing up, and crawled into bed. A little cool air seeped in from the window, and her two snow-white ankles were pulled into the quilt.
It is a good night to sleep on rainy nights, Tang Zuo likes it the most. She opened her cell phone and wanted to check on Qiuqiu before going to bed.
Shi Ci was in the living room. The picture was quite clear. Tang Zuo could even see that she was wearing a white silk nightgown. She was squatting and teasing Qiu Qiu. Her brown hair had a beautiful luster.
"… "
Tang Zuo realized belatedly that this camera would expose Professor Shi's privacy. Although it was only a part of the living room, it could be seen by others without any hesitation. How much trust did this require!
Tang Zuo suddenly sat up, and her movement was so big that it startled Zhang Zinan, who was on a video call with her boyfriend in the next bed.
"What's wrong?" In addition to the mosquito net, the two beds also had their own bed guards. Zhang Zinan's bed was not yet closed, so he poked his head out and asked.
"Uh... no no no." Tang Zuo waved his hand.
Zhang Zinan looked at her and went back to continue the video.
Tang Zuo took a breath, quietly pulled the bed guard on his side, and then opened his cell phone to check.
Shi Ci was still squatting there, playing with the cat. Usually she would be asleep at this time, and this was the first time she saw Shi Ci on camera.
It was a bit strange. Tang Zuo felt something was wrong. She opened WeChat, hesitated again, thought about it, turned off the phone and lay back down.
For a moment, the room was very quiet, with only Zhang Zinan's low laughter and the sound of rain outside.
After a while, she slid open her phone and saw Shi Ci was still there. This time she was sitting on the sofa with Qiu Qiu on her lap, and she seemed to be in a daze with her chin in her hand.
The figure looked a little... lonely.
Tang Zuo couldn't help but send a WeChat message, "Why aren't you asleep yet?" She quickly clicked the send button.
No response.
She stepped out and looked again, and Shi Ci was still there. It seemed that her cell phone was not with her.
Tang Zuo couldn't help but let out a breath and threw away his phone.
sleep.
She pulled the quilt to her forehead to cover her face. Just for a while, Tang Zuo tossed and turned in the quilt. She felt a slight vibration in her ear, and Tang Zuo reached out to grab the phone.
"I can't sleep." Shi Ci replied.
Tang Zhao felt a soft sense of satisfaction. She scratched the case of her phone with her fingers, wondering what to do next.
Why can't you sleep? Do you want to chat? What
Shi Ci didn't mention any other arrangements tomorrow weekend, so they will meet. Do you want to talk now
The image in the living room dimmed. Qiuqiu also fell asleep in her little nest. There was no sign of Shi Ci. She must have gone back to sleep.
People who can’t sleep should put down their phones. If she sends a private message, won’t that make her even more sleepless
But she was in the living room at that time and looked really worried.
How should she show that she cares
Tang Zuo leaned on the pillow, feeling conflicted.
—
Can't sleep.
"Can you come over?" This sentence flashed in the dialog box, and Shi Ci pressed his forehead.
How could I allow myself to write such words
It was too obvious, and too tempting.
If I really send it over, that little stupid bird won't understand it at all, right
Silly chirp.
Maybe it would make her blush? Shi Ci really liked to see Tang Zuo blushing and not knowing how to answer.
The autumn in Nancheng is rainy, and such a rainy night makes people feel even more lonely. The raindrops passing through the leaves seem to hit the tip of the heart and linger.
Shi Ci slowly deleted that sentence.
But at this time, a reply popped up.
"Hug~"
Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity.
Tick-tick, ding-ding-dong, thump-thump-thump.
Shi Ci touched his lips and smiled.
The author has something to say: You can understand how long it took to struggle with this “hug~” and how much courage it took, right
Continue on Wednesday. Muah. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [Deep Water Torpedo]: Linghan 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [bazooka]: Xiao Bu Yu, LC 2; Malora, Fang Ye's Xiao Hua?, G, Lin Xiao Zong, Low-key Jun 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw [hand grenades]: Wuzui Dog, 34178252 2; Frog, Afternoon Tea., 30154754, Bubble Teapot, Fang Ye's Little Flower? 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: 35695028 10; cj, cyc 4; Mu Xiao, vickrys, Meng, Milk Shop, Zhizunbao 3; Ma Lu is a little sweet, Zhusheng, Yu Zong is mighty, I am Wu Xiaosong, 34178252, La La La ~, I love to read texts, jing, 22456004 2; xn na, Jiaye, cotton candy, Shuipi Riyao, Korean sheep, veggieg, cho, Linmai, Chuwu, Xiaolu, Wajijiwa closed down, 17715588, very strange tiamo, Lao Wu, oha, zoe, big wave potato chips, autumn trousers, passers-by just pass by, Anan is here, Wu Rendi, Ziguang, 18340821108, Haiying, Langligelang, Zhuliyue, naifen, lee, sunny, 50-1, 27193177, dawn-captai, moral ethics, Qinghan qwq, a salted fish mink that can chirp, Scorpio tail ring, nico, Gu Jijij, jessie, fox's window, carmen, 35265824, an inflated cat, 9053950, leah Tongdou's brain-dead fans, Xiaoxian, ya:, Fang Ye's little flower?, Dongfang's little loach, overnight pizza, malora, looking for the shadow of light, Pan, yellow peach can, Qingyou, sleep dream, lime soda, pink salmon, sixty, joycewu510, sleep for three days, can't name, q586835x 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
34390980 112 bottles; skyline Aliang 70 bottles; light 64 bottles; neverland 52 bottles; huangtaiji 50 bottles; autumn trousers 40 bottles; pass123 30 bottles; sheep 22 bottles; An Ze'an 21 bottles; Ryan Zoe, 2333, Shi Wu Ning, Ha~ Where did the fool come from, Qingfengyou 20 bottles; Random Look 15 bottles; 24264013, Mio Biao, Qi Yi, wwcry522626 12 bottles; kind and cute little dream shadow, Bobo Baoer, Dao Xiangyue, carbon dioxide a lot of sugar, ruru, Rongyin cute, canned low salt, shabusa, pick up light, Luochuan water drink a scoop, 27409945, fish fly, Wen Xiaoge 10 bottles; taengsic 9 bottles; 11608911 8 bottles; 24230824 7 bottles; a crooked tree, cold flying, kimberly, is there still hope? 6 bottles; huyangrabbit, vermouth, cool breeze in summer, eight thousand miles, despacito, 35925261, slow in the past, love exchange, bug, hate eating fish 5 bottles; a carrot,, clear time 4 bottles; weather, sunny, a small shrimp, camphor balls, thirty-six empty, sweet and sour spare ribs 3 bottles; grace, passing by by chance, never forget who, charlize's cloth closet, desert city, time to eat, rich sunset, hanging on a crooked tree, prison 2 bottles; g, piggy girl, kk., Mumu, Xiaoman look over here, twenty-seven, milk salt Xiaobai, ____ has always been there, Gu Xiaoer, confused, Chen Motong, small brackets, △, walking in the sun, Baibao, Luolan Qingxi, 30455811, Piiii beer, 35572401, -Zhao San Sui, 33229446, Kunyu, empty mountain clouds turn into rain, Yin, Mr. Neurotic 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!