The car was moving forward steadily. Lin Qingle had just sat in the back seat with Yu Tingting to take care of her. But now she realized that she didn't need to take care of her at all. What she needed to do more was to shut Yu Tingting up.
"Xu Tingbai, it's a good thing you came early today! Otherwise, our Qingle would have been seduced by Yu Jiayou!"
Lin Qingle: "Hello..."
"Qingle! I guarantee that Yu Jiayou is still single. Does he still have feelings for you?"
Xu Tingbai glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror: "Still feeling?"
Yu Tingting: "Yes, yes, you don't know that Yu Jiayou liked our Qingle when he was in high school and was very nice to her."
Lin Qingle stretched out her hand to cover Yu Tingting's mouth, but the latter turned her head away and said, "What's wrong with saying this? I want him to know how popular you are! Xu Tingbai, let me tell you, there have always been many people chasing after our Qingle! There are also many like Yu Jiayou, you have to be careful!"
Lin Qingle was so annoyed that he wanted to find a hole to hide in. "If you keep talking, I'll throw you out of the car right now!"
Lin Qingle suddenly raised his voice, and Yu Tingting immediately gave in: "Don't be angry... I won't say anything anymore, is it okay if I don't say anything anymore? It's time to go to bed, and call me when you get there!"
Lin Qingle glared at her and looked out the window angrily.
Xu Tingbai saw Lin Qingle’s face tense in the rearview mirror and smiled faintly.
Twenty minutes later, the car arrived at the gate of Yu Tingting's community. Lin Qingle pulled Yu Tingting out and sent her home.
Only after making sure that there was someone at home to take care of her did Lin Qingle feel at ease to leave the community.
As the year draws to a close, the weather is getting colder. After a snowfall this morning, a layer of white snow has accumulated on the ground. Lin Qingle put his hands in his pockets and walked towards where Xu Tingbai had parked his car.
From a distance, she saw him standing next to the car.
He was wearing a black coat today, standing in the snow, and was particularly conspicuous. He did nothing at this moment, just standing there, looking in her direction.
Lin Qingle's hands in her pockets clenched unconsciously. She thought of what Yu Tingting said and felt a little embarrassed, but then she remembered what he had just said about his girlfriend in the car.
This sounds... not bad.
"Did you deliver it home?" Lin Qingle walked up to him and heard him ask.
Lin Qingle lowered his eyes slightly: "Yes, her mother took her back."
"That's good." Xu Tingbai opened the car door for her, "Then let's go."
"good."
After getting back into the car, Xu Tingbai placed the blanket from the back on her legs.
With the blanket and air conditioning, the cold feeling outside was finally removed from her body bit by bit. She glanced at Xu Tingbai and then remembered why he didn't wait in the car just now. How cold it was standing outside...
"What's wrong?" Feeling her gaze, he looked sideways at her.
Lin Qingle: "No, I just wanted to ask... why did you drive here."
Xu Tingbai: "It was a last-minute decision, so there were no tickets for the high-speed train here, so I had to drive."
"Then when are you going back?" Xu Tingbai: "I just got here and you let me go."
Lin Qingle paused: "... I didn't say that."
Xu Tingbai: "Let's talk about when to leave. I'm not in a hurry."
New Year's Eve is approaching, and everyone is rushing back to their homes to celebrate the New Year with their families, but he is the only one who is not in a hurry to go anywhere.
Because he no longer has a real home.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingle fell silent.
"Come with me to see someone." Xu Tingbai said after starting the car.
"who?"
"You'll find out when you get there."
Xu Tingbai drove the car to an intersection. Lin Qingle glanced out the window and immediately knew who Xu Tingbai was going to see.
Yueqian Road has not changed much compared to before. After Lin Qingle got out of the car, he looked at the familiar alley and felt as if he was in another world.
Once upon a time, she came here every week. At that time, there was an uncle selling rice noodles here, and every time she would wait for an invisible boy by the rice noodle stall.
"Let's go, Grandma Jiang is waiting at home."
Lin Qingle turned around and saw the young man walking towards her with a faint smile in his eyes.
The boy has grown up.
"What are you daydreaming about?" he asked.
Lin Qingle suddenly felt a little sad. She took a deep breath and suppressed the strange feeling: "Nothing, I just thought that I haven't walked this road for a long time."
Xu Tingbai: "There shouldn't be any changes."
"Um."
The two walked in side by side. The alley was deep and winding, but this road was engraved deep in the minds of both of them, so even after so many years, they still walked to the familiar building accurately.
"Except for the renovation of the exterior of the building, nothing else has changed." Lin Qingle said as he went upstairs.
"Apart from the road, I don't know if anything else has changed."
"Of course, you can't see what it looked like before."
Xu Tingbai: "If you have time later, can you take me for a walk?"
"Do you still need me to lead you around here?"
"Well, otherwise I wouldn't know which is which."
"That's right..." Lin Qingle glanced at the things in his hand and said, "Hey, when did you buy these for Grandma Jiang?"
"yesterday."
"It's a good thing you bought it, otherwise I wouldn't have brought anything when I came here so suddenly."
"It's okay. Mine is yours too."
"… "
As they were talking, they arrived at Grandma Jiang's house.
After Xu Tingbai knocked on the door, someone soon came to open it.
"Xiaobai! You're here, come in." Grandma Jiang was very excited to see people. When she saw there was another girl behind Xu Tingbai, she was stunned for a moment, but she quickly remembered, "Are you Qingle?"
Lin Qingle was a little surprised: "Mrs. Jiang, do you still remember me?"
"Of course I remember you, Xiaobai, you didn't say Qingle would come with you today."
Xu Tingbai: "I'll give you a surprise."
Grandma Jiang smiled happily: "Okay, it's really a surprise, come in and sit down."
Xu Tingbai put the things in his hands in the small living room. Grandma Jiang said hurriedly, "It's great that you came, and you brought so many things."
"Nothing much, just some things you can use on a daily basis."
Grandma Jiang held his hand and said, "Hey, you've given me a lot over the years. I don't want to let you spend money again."
"It's just a small thing, don't think too much about it."
Grandma Jiang was touched and happy. "Well, you two should sit down first. I'll go get you something to eat."
Lin Qingle stood up quickly: "No need to bother."
"No way, I'll give you two some noodles."
Grandma Jiang had aged a lot and walked with a limp. Lin Qingle felt embarrassed to bother her and quickly looked at Xu Tingbai.
Xu Tingbai: "Please sit down. I'll go take a look."
"Um."
Xu Tingbai followed her to the kitchen, and after a while, Grandma Jiang came out happily.
"Xiaobai is worried that I will be tired. How could I be tired? I'm still in good health." Grandma Jiang walked to Lin Qingle and sat down. Although she was complaining, her face was full of smiles.
Lin Qingle: "Is he in there?"
Grandma Jiang: "Well, he said he would cook for the three of us. You said you came to my house, why did you cook for yourselves?"
Lin Qingle said, "It's okay, let him do it. He might feel like he's at home here."
Grandma Jiang sighed, "Yes, Xiaobai has been sending me money every year for these years. My son doesn't care about me anymore. Only he still worries about whether I am living well. He even called me a while ago and said he wanted to move me to a better house, but I didn't agree. Besides, I'm used to living here..."
Lin Qingle listened to what Grandma Jiang said and looked towards the figure in the kitchen.
Many people in the company said that Xu Tingbai was strict and cold, and was usually very unkind... But she knew that he was not actually like that.
"Qingle, it's great to see you here today." Grandma Jiang held her hand, "Xiaobai liked you so much in the past. Grandma Jiang is very happy that you two can be together."
Lin Qingle was slightly startled, his face getting hot: "We... haven't been together yet."
"Ah? You haven't been together yet... In that case, I was thinking too early." Grandma Jiang glanced at her and said, "But Xiaobai really likes you, I know! He called me a while ago and said he found you. I could tell he was very happy."
Lin Qingle lowered his eyes and smiled: "Really... I'm very happy too."
"I still remember everything about you two. I still remember that year, on the night his father passed away, he came to ask me to tell others that you were with me that night. I asked him why he did that, and he said that you were more important to him than anyone else, and he didn't want you to be criticized by others, nor did he want you to have any trouble..." Grandma Jiang sighed, "Look at Xiaobai, I love you so much."
The kitchen door was closed, and the sounds of pots and pans drowned out Grandma Jiang's voice. Lin Qingle looked at the back of that person again. Grandma Jiang remembered everything in the past, not to mention her, the person involved.
She never forgot it either.
"I'm just saying this. I'm afraid Xiaobai is embarrassed to tell you this." Grandma Jiang said, "But it's better for you young people to decide your own affairs. I just think that it's not easy for both of you."
…
Not long after, Xu Tingbai cooked three bowls of noodles according to the ingredients put by Grandma Jiang.
He cooked it very well and it tasted pretty good.
After eating, Xu Tingbai and Jiang Po were chatting in the living room. Lin Qingle was too full, so he went to the balcony and stood there to digest the food.
The snow started to fall again. She stretched out her hand and the snowflakes fell into her palm. Lin Qingle glanced at it with a smile on her face. However, when she lowered her eyes and saw the floor below, her smile froze.
Grandma Jiang lives downstairs from Xu Tingbai. The balcony above this is the balcony of the house where Xu Tingbai once lived.
That was where she watched her father fall that night.
Lin Qingle withdrew her hand, and the memories of that night flooded into her mind like running water.
That night, she was frightened silly, Xu Tingbai was scarred, and the man was cold and had no breath left.
"Don't look."
His vision went dark, and his eyes were covered with someone's palm.
Lin Qingle didn't look back or move, just let him block her sight.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained. She heard him say, "Lin Qingle, don't look down."
She pursed her lips tightly, feeling a little uncomfortable. She recalled that night, which had always seemed dark to her, and he must have been even darker.
That was something neither of them wanted to talk about in detail, but it was also something that belonged only to the two of them.
"Well, I won't watch it anymore."
Xu Tingbai: "Don't think about that either. Never think about it again."
His voice was gentle, right beside her ear. Lin Qingle took his hand and turned to look at him.
She smiled at him: "I haven't thought about it, it's just that I got here today... Okay, don't worry."
Xu Tingbai hummed: "Aren't you cold? Stand outside."
Lin Qingle looked up at the concern in his eyes, and the panic and confusion that had just surged in her were instantly pushed away. It seemed that when he was around, the things in the past would not make her feel scary.
Lin Qingle wrapped himself in his coat: "Well, it's a little cold."
Xu Tingbai: "Then go in, it's time for us to leave."
"good."
Lin Qingle was quite quiet all the way out of Mrs. Jiang's house.
Because she was revisiting the old place, she had too many memories. Xu Tingbai asked her not to think about the unhappy things, and she did. But if she didn't think about those things, she still had a lot to think about, such as watching movies together on the sofa, eating the dishes she cooked together... and all the protection he had given her in the face of death.
"Look at Xiaobai, I like you too much."
Mrs. Jiang’s words seemed to be right next to her ears.
Lin Qingle lowered his eyes and looked at his fingertips, something in his heart was fermenting and becoming restless.
In fact, something had been growing in her heart ever since Xu Tingbai confessed her feelings.
Grandma Jiang said that he loved her terribly... But in fact, she felt that from childhood to adulthood, she was the one who loved him terribly.
"Is this the way to your house?" Xu Tingbai asked when the car drove near her house.
Lin Qingle came back to his senses: "Just stop here."
"Um."
Lin Qingle: "...Where are you staying tonight?"
Xu Tingbai: "In the hotel."
"oh."
Lin Qingle opened the car door, but before she got out, Xu Tingbai called her, "Lin Qingle."
"Um?"
"Yu Jiayou, have you been in touch?"
Lin Qingle was stunned. He didn't expect him to ask this question at this time: "We? No."
Seeing that she looked a little surprised, Xu Tingbai regretted it a bit. He didn't know why he asked suddenly. It might be that what Yu Tingting said today had an impact on him, or it might be that Yu Jiayou did make him feel threatened in the past.
I was vaguely concerned about it, so I asked.
"It's okay, I just asked you." Xu Tingbai smiled, "Yu Tingting is right. If I don't pay attention, you will be chased away by others."
His words were half joking and half serious, but Lin Qingle felt a little uncomfortable listening to them.
"Won't."
"What?"
Lin Qingle got out of the car, but after the door closed, she did not leave, but just stood outside the window.
What Grandma Jiang said was right: It has not been easy for both of them over the years.
It’s not easy when you are young, it’s not easy when you are separated, and it’s even more difficult when you meet again.
Lin Qingle looked at the person in the car, and suddenly... he didn't want to think about it so much anymore.
"I won't be chased away by anyone." Lin Qingle said slowly, "Because from the beginning to the end, I have never liked anyone else except you."
The author has something to say:
Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-11-30 14:35:07~2020-12-05 20:42:47.
Thanks to the little angel who threw the rocket launcher: read 1 at will;
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