-Happy New Year.
The four lonely words were displayed on the screen of the mobile phone. Xu Ran thought for a while about the words "Do you want to restore the text of the message" before returning to the selection interface and clicking "Delete Now".
He put away his phone and smiled at the man who had just walked into the coffee shop.
Lin Shen was dressed in red, and the ugly red padded jacket looked extra refreshing on him. He rubbed his fingers that were red from the cold, took a breath and sat down opposite Xu Ran, and said, "It's really cold."
"Sorry, I didn't expect the temperature to drop suddenly." Xu Ran said softly, "What would you like to drink?"
Lin Shen raised his eyebrows, stretched out his hand across the table, and covered his cheek, freezing him for a moment.
"It's a new year, why are you still so dumb." Lin Shen said with a smile.
Xu Ran was stunned and didn't speak.
After a long time, Lin Shen slowly put down his hands and asked softly, "Why did you call me out today, do you want to tell me something?"
"Yeah." Xu Ran nodded.
Lin Shen took a deep breath, looked up at the high roof of the coffee shop, and said after a while, "Then you go somewhere with me first."
Xu Ran paused and said, "Okay."
Lin Shen drove him to the east, away from the bustling commercial streets and markets, and drove to a remote and secluded place.
After parking the car, he jumped down first and helped Xu Ran wrap the scarf tightly. His fingers that had already warmed up lingered around Xu Ran's earlobe, and said softly, "It's cold outside, be careful of catching cold."
They came to a demolition area outside. There are mostly deserted houses here, half of which have been demolished and put on hold. Through the fence, you can see the dusty fitness equipment and seesaws in the small square. Lin Shen pushed Xu Ran down the main road until a small road appeared in front of him, going down from the slope to the beach full of tidal waves and seagulls.
Looking at the seagulls soaring in the sky, Xu Ran's eyes lit up.
As if he had prepared it long ago, Lin Shen took out two steamed buns from nowhere and handed them to him with a smile, "I know what you want to do."
Xu Ran held the soft white flour steamed bun, looked at the downhill leading to the sea, smiled wryly and shook his head, "It's not easy to go down here."
"With me here, what's wrong with going on?"
Lin Shen raised his arms and stretched vigorously, leaned over, and picked up Xu Ran from the wheelchair.
Xu Ran was taken aback, and hurriedly wanted him to let him go, but Lin Shen said in a low and restrained voice, "Don't move around."
Xu Ran immediately stopped moving, and obediently let him carry her to the rocks by the sea.
The sea in winter is vast, and the road paved with cobblestones is underfoot. I don’t know how long it has been deserted, and no one has been there for a long time. The seaside was windy, and Lin Shen stood at the upper air outlet, blocking most of the cold current for Xu Ran.
The two were so close that Xu Ran could almost hear Lin Shen's heartbeat, beating, beating, gradually merged with his own, and it was hard to tell whose heartbeat was louder.
"Xu Ran." Lin Shen said, "Do you still remember where this is?"
Xu Ran lowered his head and smiled. Of course he remembered that this was the place where he and Lin Shen lived when they were young. Before junior high school, they grew up by this seaside. They went to the beach every day to collect shells, and they didn't go home until the sun went down.
"I remember that once you fell into the sea, an uncle who was driving the sea picked you up." Xu Ran said with a smile, "When you got home, your mother beat you while crying. You were crying in pain, and I watched I watched you two cry too, and later my neighbors sued me at my house, saying that someone bullied the three of us, and the three of us cried like we were butchering pigs at home."
Lin Shen rubbed his nose in embarrassment, "Do you still remember what happened so long ago?"
"Remember, I was only six years old at that time." Xu Ran cast his eyes on the white coast, and said softly, "You said you want to touch a bunch of the most beautiful shells for me and bring them to the class to share with the classmates, and they will not Will make fun of me for not talking."
"After all, I didn't touch enough quantity," Lin Shen felt a little guilty, "causing you to be bullied by them again."
Xu Ran shook his head, "With or without those shells, they won't like me. It's not your fault."
Lin Shen squatted down, held his hand, and looked into his eyes tenderly.
"I like you," he said, "They don't like you, so let me like you, okay?"
Xu Ran felt that he almost melted into his gaze, that handsome face was full of determination, which made Xu Ran's nose sore.
Xu Ran closed his eyes. He heard himself say, "Lin Shen, it's not worth it."
Hold his hand tightly.
"Whether it's worth it or not, I have the final say." Lin Shen said, "You can just bear it with peace of mind, I won't allow you to say that about yourself."
"But that's how it is," Xu Ran opened his eyes and smiled faintly, "Look at me, I'm a cripple now, you've given me so much, what can I give you?"
"I do not care!"
"But I care."
The sea breeze passed between the two with a salty smell, Xu Ran raised his head and blinked hard to keep the tears from falling.
"You are so good, you should have someone who is worthy of your kindness to him. That person... is not me. "
Lin Shen shook his hand firmly, "Of course, look at me."
A flock of seagulls flew across the sky, and the sun hid behind the stratus clouds, revealing thin rays of sunlight, which sprinkled from the clouds. Xu Ran stared at the sky for a long time, until the tears in his eyes were blown dry, then he lowered his head and looked at Lin Shen.
Lin Shen also looked back at him. There was no sadness in his expression, only a slight sense of grievance, as if he already knew his answer, and he longed for him to continue talking.
"It's because I came back late..." He murmured, his lips were almost pressed against the back of Xu Ran's hand, his warm breath hit the skin, and there was a burst of pain and soreness.
Xu Ran touched his face. He found himself smiling, but his cheeks were wet and his eyes were sore from the wind.
It would be great if it was you, he said silently in his heart, if it was you from the beginning, I don't know how good it would be.
They were separated before the first love affair, and reunited after being crushed. He and Lin Shen have been standing on different timelines. Even if they wanted to hug, they were powerless.
Xu Ran tried his best to smile, and pretended to be relaxed, "You will go abroad after the next year, remember to settle down quickly, Aunt Lin is still waiting for you to take her out to play."
Lin Shen raised his head, with a complicated expression, and said in a low voice, "It's not about going out to play, it's about settling down."
"Yeah, my aunt has worked hard all her life, now it's your turn to be filial to her, how nice it is."
Xu Ran touched Lin Shen's face and wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes. His fingertips were cold, Lin Shen took his hand back and held it in his palm to warm it.
"Come with me," he said, "I can take care of you."
"Lin Shen, how long has it been since we met again?"
It's been more than two months, even if he really likes it, how can he rely on Lin Shen's "like" to live
Lin Shen was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "You still like him, don't you?"
Xu Ran smiled bitterly, "Don't mention him. He owes me a lot, but you don't owe me anything. You don't need to compare with him."
"Then what he owes you, do you want him to return it?"
Xu Ran was taken aback by this question.
want to? How could he not think that, from ten years ago to now, Xu Ran wanted him to return every penny and every hope that He Cheng owed him.
Lin Shen stood up and stretched out his arms to him. Xu Ran leaned forward and exchanged a hug with him.
Lin Shen whispered in his ear, "Promise me, don't forgive him easily. I will be angry."
Xu Ran smiled and patted him on the back, "I promise you."
They sat by the beach for a long time that day, chatting about each other's lives, and feeding seagulls with steamed buns. Crowds of snow-white elves skipped over the sea. They broke the steamed buns into pieces and threw them into the slowly rising and falling tide.
It wasn't until the sun went down that Lin Shen carried him back to the car again.
The car stopped downstairs at Xu's house, Lin Shen turned off the engine, and suddenly asked, "If you didn't move back then, would we..."
He didn't go on.
Xu Ran smiled faintly, and answered him an answer in his heart.
When he got home, he locked himself in the room, fell on the bed, and burst into tears.
After a while, he took out his mobile phone and sent Lin Shen a text message.
-Thank you.
Soon, the other side came back: You idiot, you're welcome.
After the text message was sent, the white SUV downstairs finally started and slowly drove out of the community, leaving Wanjia's lights behind.
Lin Shen's plane is scheduled for the seventh day of the lunar new year, and there is no holiday for the Chinese New Year abroad. It is already the limit for him to delay until now.
Before the plane took off, he sent a photo to Xu Ran.
The photo was taken from an old photo album. It shows two little boys, the older one is holding the younger one, and the younger one is holding a starfish in his hand, smiling sweetly at the camera.
Childhood sweetheart, destined but not bound.
From this day on, Xu Ran has almost changed.
Xu's parents noticed his change, but they didn't know what to say. He shut himself in the room all day long, drawing pictures on the computer. The work is never finished, and making money has become his biggest goal now.
Just what to do with the money, he couldn't give an answer for a while.
In his spare time, Xu Ran began to research real estate. He consulted the intermediary and estimated the price of the second-hand house. The price is not very optimistic, he is hovering between selling and renting.
On February 10th, He Cheng sent another message with four short words: I'm home.
After reading it, I still delete it, and let it sink into the sea.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xu Ran looked at the bright moon in the sky, thinking of the moonlight every year in the past. The moon is the same moon, but he seems to have lost something important again. Unlike the previous disappointment and sadness, this time, he chose to move forward.
It hurt and hurt, and now he has to get back on his feet.
A day later, he bought a plane ticket and said to his parents, "I'm going back to take care of some things."
Some crap that hasn't been fully resolved yet.
Xu's parents knew they couldn't persuade him, they only told him to pay attention to safety. Xu Ran smiled and said yes. He is no longer the guy who is full of weaknesses, and he will not get hurt easily.
He dragged He Cheng's number out of the blacklist, and sent a message saying: Let's meet.
From the past to the present, from the beginning to the end, bit by bit, let us calculate clearly.
The author has something to say: Thank you Lin Zikui. mines