The city is extremely lively in the evening. Although it is a working day, it can't stop the enthusiasm of the off-duty crowd from rushing to dinner.
The agreed meeting place with Joan was at a western restaurant in the business district. When Xu Ran arrived, there were no more seats in the lobby. He reported Joan's name, and was led to the most remote private room by a waiter in a dark suit. inside.
The private room is not big, and the decoration is full of European style. The elegant violin music echoes in the corridor. After the door is closed, the sound passes through the gaps in the doors and windows to create a distant feeling. Before Qiao An arrived, Xu Ran sat on the sofa and looked at everything around him, suddenly feeling a little bit at a loss.
We met in a while, what should he say? Do you pretend to say hello without knowing it, or reminisce about the old days? He couldn't do any of them well, and getting along with people was not his strong point, let alone the person he was about to face. To be honest, in Xu Ran's heart, Qiao An is almost equivalent to the cute girl on the big screen. Although she really exists, she can be met but not sought after.
I don't know what Joan came to him to say. Xu Ran's imagination is not rich enough, and after thinking about it, he can only come up with the bloodiest possibility.
After spending 20 minutes in uneasy thoughts, Joan came late and kept apologizing to him as soon as he entered the door, saying that there was a temporary meeting in the company and he really couldn't leave.
Xu Ran waved his hands repeatedly and said it was okay, the two sat at the dining table, Qiao An ordered the meal familiarly, and did not forget to ask Xu Ran if there was any food that should not be eaten.
Xu Ran shook his head and said no, Qiao An turned his attention to ordering again.
Xu Ran sat quietly, observing the person in front of him.
On the evening of the weekday, Joan looked a little different from that day at the wedding, perhaps because he didn’t wear a suit that bound his hands and feet. Now he looks more easy-going, with a gentle smile on his baby face that seems to never grow up , eyes full of golden light. Xu Ran looked at it for a long time before realizing that it was the warm light from the golden chandelier above his head, reflecting in Qiao An's eyes.
He lowered his head and found that his hands were unconsciously scratching his thighs, so he quickly put them aside.
"Okay, let's do this first." Joan finally stopped and said to the waiter.
The waiter bent down and exited the private room, closing the sliding door, and finally there were only the two of them left in the room.
"I haven't been back for a long time, and I'm not used to eating out." Joan said to him with a smile.
"Overseas...it's not the same as here."
"Yeah." Joan sighed softly, "I was not used to the taste there at all when I went there, it's better to go home."
He looked up, as if he had thought of something, and smiled slightly, "Actually, I'm very greedy for hot pot. If it wasn't for the urgent appointment this time, I would have wanted to find a restaurant to have a good meal."
Xu Ran didn't know what to respond, so he hummed lightly.
Joan looked at him and said suddenly, "You haven't changed much these years."
"What?" Xu Ran was taken aback.
"You were not very talkative when you were in high school, and you would only say a few words when asked by others," Joan said. "I still remember when I went to your class before, I could always see you sitting in the corner eating lunch alone. .”
Xu Ran stared at him blankly, never expecting Qiao An to pay attention to such details. Back then, he considered himself the most insignificant person. For some reason, after hearing what Qiao An said, something in his heart was suddenly touched.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Joan smiled wryly, "I seem to have been quite selfish since before, and I didn't consider your feelings."
"... How do you feel?" Xu Ran was completely stunned and looked at him suspiciously.
Joan coughed lightly, looked down over the dining table, "Your legs..."
Xu Ran's body trembled violently.
"I remember that sports meeting was just a misunderstanding," Joan said softly, "What is your injury..."
"It's nothing." Xu Ran said stiffly, "A car accident, I fell down on the bike."
Joan's expression was obviously full of disbelief, but he couldn't expose his childish lies, so he could only sigh, "At that time, I knew that your situation was not good, but I was so focused on preparing to go abroad that I didn't help you. I'm sorry."
He bowed his head to Xu Ran, and Xu Ran stood up quickly, almost kicking the chair down.
Xu Ran stammered, "It's not your fault, no, you don't have to do this."
It was impossible for him to say that it was done by someone He Cheng. At this juncture, neither Xu Ran in high school nor Xu Ran now would have imagined that Qiao An would sit at the same table with him and apologize to him.
He collected himself and tried to relax his tone, "At that time, everyone was just a child, and they couldn't say who was right and who was wrong, they were just playing around."
Seeing Joan raise his head, he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down again.
Qiao An said, "Boys in high school are very fond of forming small groups and are also exclusive. Thinking about it now, I really feel that I really deserved to be beaten at that time."
Seeing his serious eyes, Xu Ran couldn't help laughing.
Yes, the boys at that time thought that a high school was the whole world, and they felt that they were an indomitable man. After ten years, when they look back, they will only lament the short-sightedness they had when they were children.
Qiao An He Cheng is like this, so why not himself
With a smile, the previous tension disappeared without a trace, and the waiter brought the steak at the right time, and the fiery sizzling sound was accompanied by a strong meaty aroma, which instantly soothed Xu Ran's tired mind.
It's true that he hasn't eaten properly for a while. Qiao An had already moved the knife and fork, seeing him eating like a child, Xu Ran smiled and took his own tableware.
Talking to Qiao An was not as uncomfortable as imagined. If it wasn't for He Cheng, maybe they would become good friends.
Thinking of He Cheng, Xu Ran's meat-cutting hands paused, trying not to think about it anymore.
The meal time was relatively quiet, and Joan talked about his experience abroad. This guy can talk for hours even to strangers, and he is very happy when Xu Ran responds occasionally.
Half an hour later, when he was full of wine and food, Qiao An asked the waiter to remove the plate and replace it with red wine. Xu Ran knew that the highlight of the night was coming.
Qiao An cleared his throat and said seriously, "I know you and He Cheng are dating now."
When He Cheng's ex-boyfriend said this, Xu Ran always felt that something was weird, but he decided not to show it, and nodded calmly, "Yeah."
"I think you should also know that He Cheng and I... um, anyway, in order to avoid misunderstanding, there are some things I want to make clear in advance."
"… you say?"
Xu Ran paused, always feeling that this statement was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
Qiao An said, "I'm not coming back this time for He Cheng."
"..."
Xu Ran didn't know whether he should be more happy, or continue to be expressionless. In fact, there was no fluctuation in his heart.
Joan looked at him, seemed a little nervous, and then said, "I won't get back together with him either."
"..."
Ok
This time, Xu Ran couldn't help opening his eyes wide.
After finally waiting for his reaction, Qiao An breathed a sigh of relief, "I know it's strange to call you out to say this, but you also know He Cheng's temper, and he probably won't explain it properly. I just want you to know , I have no feelings for him at all."
"This… "
Joan smiled at him, "We went to dinner at Wang Li's wedding that day. I saw that you were not there, so I asked him what was going on. He was a little absent-minded. Later...we also talked about this matter, and I told him the same way gone."
So, this is the reason why He Cheng broke out that night
Xu Ran felt that his head could no longer hold such complicated information. In other words, Qiao An didn't intend to get back together with He Cheng when he returned to China, and he didn't even intend to rekindle his old relationship. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, he wanted to make it clear to him, He Cheng's current lover
But, what about He Cheng's feelings
Thinking of the annual "Anniversary Day", Xu Ran's right leg suddenly throbbed.
The pain severely stimulated his heart and made him awake. He raised his head and looked at Joan seriously.
If what Qiao An said is true, then the current He Cheng is also in unrequited love
He endured ten years of pain and stayed by He Cheng's side. He Cheng spent ten years missing Qiao An who was far away in another country, and Qiao An told him that he would not respond to He Cheng any more.
The single arrow in the relationship is so pitiful that it makes people laugh.
I said before that Qiao An has not changed, but in fact he has changed a lot. If it was the beautiful and slender boy from before, it would be impossible for him to do such a thing. Ten years have passed, Qiao An has grown up, but he and He Cheng are still standing still.
Xu Ran felt a little sad, but he didn't know if it was for himself or for He Cheng.
Joan also breathed a sigh of relief and tried to finish the sentence, "...the thing is like this. I don't want to destroy anything after I return to China. I just came back to inherit the family business. There will probably be no room for dating for a long time."
He looked at Xu Ran, smiled helplessly and bitterly, "Actually, I have liked your personality since before, and after finally coming back, I want to make another friend."
Xu Ran was silent for a long time, then raised his red wine glass and said, "I see."
Joan smiled brightly and clinked glasses with him lightly.
The slightly sweet red wine lacked a lot of mature taste, but Xu Ran only felt dry in his mouth.
Because he had to go back to He Cheng, he said goodbye to Qiao An after drinking. After getting on the subway, Xu Ran walked to a corner with few people and lowered his head quietly.
Unexpectedly, it would be like this, what happened that night, it seems that He Cheng did not accept Qiao An's decision. Does he still want to get back together? But He Cheng didn't deny that he was in a relationship with him before, if he wanted to get back together, he had to break up first.
Will He Cheng want to break up
Xu Ran's hand grasping the railing was inadvertently exerting force, and his knuckles were pale.
No, He Cheng's behavior these days is very normal, he never said the word break up, so he has no way of guessing.
He Cheng is a very principled person, he will not force his lover, if Qiao An disagrees, he will probably wait until the other party nods.
Before that, what should I do
A mechanical notification sounded above the head, and the subway arrived. Xu Ran stared blankly at the scattered crowd, feeling itchy in the corners of his eyes.
Everything depends on He Cheng's decision, maybe after a few days he regains his senses and thinks about it, so he won't be entangled in the past with Qiao An. Everything is unknown, he can't scare himself by himself.
Repeatedly saying this in his mind, Xu Ran gradually became numb.
He Cheng, He Cheng, He Cheng...
The distance of several hundred meters from the subway station to the house, Xu Ran silently recited the name in his heart every time he took a step.
I don't want to break up with you.
Maybe it's because his brain has been completely paralyzed. When he got to the door, he took out the key to open the door without delay. It wasn't until he walked in and saw He Cheng sitting on the sofa with his arms folded looking over, that Xu Ran's whole body shivered and his sanity recovered. come over.
He Cheng was wearing home clothes, maybe he was going to sleep, but he was looking at him with a serious expression.
"Come here." He Cheng ordered.
Xu Ran wanted to say that he was going to change his clothes first, but his feet moved before his mouth, and he sat down in front of He Cheng.
He Cheng's sharp eyebrows and eyes almost saw through him, and after a while, he said—
"I have something to talk to you about."