For a long time, Xiao Qing had always remembered Chen Xiao. Although this boy could smile on weekdays, even when he smiled, his eyes seemed to keep a distance from others. Although I got close to Chen Xiao and his gang a few days ago, I didn't deliberately inquire about Chen Xiao's life experience.
The first impression I had was from that encounter in the library earlier. I remember that I treated him like any other slut he was chatting with. It was only during the following period that I vaguely noticed something about him. This boy was different.
Let's put it this way, Xiao Qing felt a little unhappy at that time.
Yes, it’s just unpleasant. Xiao Qing knew that she was born beautiful. As she grew up, the occasional looks of admiration from her brothers and sisters at home were enough to prove this. Although Xiao Qing is not hypocritical towards boys on weekdays, after all, a young girl still has a bit of female vanity. Although she has a cold temperament, she still has half of her heart for that kind of admiring look. enjoy. This is not to say that she is vain, but any ordinary woman, who is not so
However, when they met for the first time, I thought he was also a stinky man who came to chat with me, but... I found out later that the other person mistakenly thought that I was someone else!
At that time, Xiao Qing also noticed that Chen Xiao's eyes occasionally looked at her, showing some admiration. However, when those eyes looked at her, they seemed to flow elsewhere - the legendary man who looked very similar to her. Similar women
This is what made Xiao Qing feel a little unhappy in her heart. As a girl, especially a girl who is stunningly beautiful and arrogant, she would inevitably feel dissatisfied: I am such an outstanding girl. Standing in front of you, you look at me and still think about others
You can imagine how much change a subtle psychological change will bring later.
The biggest change was that when he faced some foreigners in the martial arts field, he got sick and lost for no apparent reason. Chen Xiao stepped forward and even received some minor injuries...
What an evil cliche of "a hero saves a beauty"!
But the more cliched the jokes are, the more effective they are. The truth is the truth, firstly, because it is indeed the truth, and secondly, because it is cliché and everyone knows it, so it becomes the truth.
Therefore, girls like Xiao Qing don't like heroes saving beauties. As for girls, ninety-nine out of a hundred are more or less born with the dependence mentality of some women. At certain special times, when they are at their weakest, they will also hope that there will be a strong arm around them to help them. Rely on it.
No matter how tough-tempered Xiao Qing is, she is still a girl and cannot avoid this custom.
However, this gave Chen Xiao an advantage - with Xiao Qing's skills, to put it bluntly, she was the only one who could bully others, how could anyone bully her? Normally when something happens, she will beat the shit out of her enemy by herself. Is it someone else's turn to come to the rescue
But this kind of opportunity that only happens once in a thousand years happened to Chen Xiao, an ignorant boy. Uh... I have to say that this kind of opportunity was indirectly created by Phoenix. If Phoenix MM and Xiao Qing hadn't been too close, they wouldn't have gotten sick at the same time... (I don't know if Phoenix MM knew that she accidentally created it for herself. If you have a love rival, will you be so angry that you put on a maid outfit again...)
As a result, Chen Xiao beat away the thugs who came to kick the house, and by the way, the hero saved the beauty. At the same time, he also gently opened a gap in Xiao Qing's heart that had been sealed for many years.
As for the subsequent encounter on the resort island, in addition to further demonstrating Chen Xiao's masculinity and fearlessness in the face of danger, the only remaining effect was to make Miss Xiao Qing further blush and heartbeat.
After being tough for many years, I finally met a "him" who allowed me to show off the girl's softer side. Such subtle thoughts were especially precious when it came to Xiao Qing.
Originally, I was gearing up, ran out of home, and came all the way to K City just to find the "fiancé" who was bold enough to get engaged to me and want to marry me, and then I just wanted to punch and kick him and terminate this stupid engagement. , she, Master Xiao, can return to the Xiao family without worries to study martial arts, pursue martial arts, and become a female master of her generation...
As for the husband? snort! What is that stuff
However, today that wretched private detective sent the information he had tried every possible means to investigate into his hands. When he turned to the last page and saw Chen Xiao's photo, he was like a pebble... Ah! No! It should be said to be a huge rock! A stone as big as the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier was thrown into the heart of the girl's family. What rippled was no longer a ripple, but a huge wave!
Recalling the encounter on the resort island that day, during the fierce battle, at a certain moment, Chen Xiao felt like holding himself... It seemed, as if, it seemed... It was not so difficult to accept, it was more like, there was still a feeling in his heart. A little bit of enjoyment
If we say that a few days ago, Xiao Qing's feelings for Chen Xiao had some indescribable confusion, and occasionally she would make some unreasonable and emotional actions, such as that time in the hospital.
So today, I almost forced myself to make a decision!
Do you recognize this fiancé or not
At least Xiao Qing understood that her original plan of finding this fiancé and beating him into a pig's head with fists and kicks has been directly rejected.
What's next...
It was a mistake, really a mistake. Xiao Qing was confused, so she followed the address in the information and found the place Lehu. She found the home where Chen Xiao used to live as shown in the information...
Along the way here, Xiao Qing has experienced a lot of conflicts, struggles, and... shyness.
Yes, just shy.
However, she still deceived herself and made excuses for herself: just going to see the place where he grew up, it shouldn't be anything.
Unexpectedly, when I arrived in front of the house, I saw "him" sitting on the steps.
…
Chen Xiao gently flicked away the tears from the corner of his eyes, then smiled to himself, quickly touched his pocket, and took out a pack of cigarettes, and, yes, a lighter.
Chen Xiao has not smoked for a long time, but today, he wants to smoke!
With a cigarette in his mouth and the lighter not yet lit, Chen Xiao raised his head and saw a pair of gentle eyes staring at him under the street lights beside the street, seemingly in a trance.
"ah… "
Chen Xiao stood up immediately and looked at the man under the streetlight in surprise.
A little far apart... Phoenix
But then he saw clearly the long hair tied into a ponytail and the sportswear, and Chen Xiao realized what he was doing.
"Xiao Qing?"
Chen Xiao subconsciously took the cigarette out of his mouth and was stunned for a moment. Then a sincere smile appeared on his face and he waved to her: "Xiao Qing! Why are you back here?"
Seeing Chen Xiao's smile... Xiao Qing's first reaction was to panic! The second reaction is to immediately turn around and run away!
But then when Chen Xiao waved, Xiao Qing found helplessly that her footsteps were already moving towards that person.
I must be out of luck! Well, that must be the case! The girl comforted herself in her heart.
As they got closer, the two made eye contact, and Chen Xiao smiled calmly: "Why are you here?"
Xiao Qing's eyes dodge for a moment, and she didn't answer. She just said casually: "What about you? Are you back?"
"Well, I just came back this morning and I haven't had time to call you yet." Chen Xiao smiled: "I brought you a gift, a very beautiful Japanese sword. It is said to be the work of a first-class swordsmith. Woolen cloth."
Xiao Qing felt more and more that under Chen Xiao's gentle smile, her heart was a little out of balance. She reluctantly turned her head and did not dare to look directly into Chen Xiao's eyes. She deliberately lowered the temperature of her voice a lot and said lightly: "Oh ,Thanks… "
"Why did you come back here?" Chen Xiao's first thought was: Did she come to find me
But then this idea was abandoned. Xiao Qing didn't know that this was her old residence.
"I..." Xiao Qing was nervous and subconsciously touched her pocket. In her pocket was a folded piece of Chen Xiao's information. She calmed down and pretended to be relaxed: "I'm here for a run... Well, the air in Lehu is good."
running
Chen Xiao was a little suspicious. Although the air in Lehu was good, it seemed to be seven or eight kilometers away from the city, right
However, Chen Xiao would not ask about other people's privacy.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Xiao Qing was a little nervous. Although she pretended to be calm, she subconsciously tapped the turf on the ground with her toes, a little absent-mindedly.
Chen Xiao's expression turned solemn, and he sighed slowly, pointing to the house behind him: "This... is actually my hometown, the place where I lived when I was a child."
Xiao Qing said "Oh".
Chen Xiao was slightly curious: "Yi? Why do you seem to have known about it for a long time?"
"Ah! Ah? No." Xiao Qing realized that her expression seemed too calm, and quickly shook her head: "It's not surprising. I heard that your family was well off before."
Chen Xiao nodded, turned around, and stared at the house in a daze. After a while, he smiled: "Sorry, I was distracted."
Xiao Qing caught the trace of melancholy that slipped through Chen Xiao's eyes...
A handsome man, with melancholy eyes, and a hero saving the beauty - a big killer for women...
"You, it seems, are in a bad mood?" Xiao Qing suddenly softened her heart, put down those messy emotions, took two steps closer, and looked at Chen Xiao up close, her eyes became much gentler - just now, she seemed to have seen Did he cry
Chen Xiao forced a smile. He put the cigarette in his mouth again and lit it. Then he glanced at Xiao Qing and raised his eyebrows: "What? You didn't expect that I can also smoke?"
Xiao Qing gave a soft "hmm", her eyes were still gentle, and she just said softly: "Smoking is not good for your health."
"I actually started smoking a long time ago." Chen Xiao took a deep breath: "I just quit two years ago. Today, I just want to smoke."
Then he smiled at Xiao Qing and said warmly: "Thank you for reminding me."
Xiao Qing forced a smile: "You're welcome, we... are friends."
Damn it, why is the word "friend" so bitter today
Sighing feebly in her heart, Xiao Qing remembered the information she had read, hesitated, and asked cautiously: "Chen Xiao, you... said you grew up in this house?"
"Yeah." Chen Xiao nodded and pointed to the east window on the second floor: "That's my room. I've lived there since I was six years old. I lived there for ten years and moved out here when I was sixteen."
Xiao Qing opened her mouth and saw a trace of sadness on Chen Xiao's face, and said softly: "This place has a very good environment. Lehu is very beautiful. Living in such a good environment must mean a good life."
"Huh, that's good!" Chen Xiao's tone suddenly became full of indifference. He took a deep breath of the cigarette and then blew it out hard, as if he wanted to spit out all the depression in his chest. There was a hint of indifference in his smile. Cangliang: "It's good, the environment is very good, very quiet... During the day, you will see some families by the lake. Parents and their children are having fun together and fishing by the lake. There is also a square at the intersection in front, and there will be some Parents take their children to play there. At night, you can occasionally see some families having barbecues on their lawns... It’s a good living area.”
"Well, the picture you described is beautiful..." Xiao Qing said softly.
"...It was also the scene I hated seeing the most before." Chen Xiao added lightly.
"?"
Xiao Qing looked at Chen Xiao in surprise, only to find that a sense of frustration and resentment was gathering in Chen Xiao's brows. Chen Xiao's fists were clenched and his joints were turning white.
He... seems very sad...
At this moment, Xiao Qing's heart suddenly went blank. All the previous chaotic thoughts, shyness, uneasiness, and apprehension seemed to have been thrown out of the sky! She just quietly approached Chen Xiao, reached out her hand, gently took off the cigarette from his fingertips, then threw it away, and said softly: "Stop smoking, it's not good for your health."
Then with a gentle gesture, he took Chen Xiao's hand and pulled him slowly to sit on the steps.
The steps were full of dust, but Xiao Qing didn't seem to care at all at this moment. She pulled Chen Xiao to sit down and stood close to him.
"I know you must have a lot of pain in your heart, right?" Xiao Qing did not let go of Chen Xiao's hand, her fingertips were still pressed on the back of Chen Xiao's hand.
Chen Xiao lowered his head and his voice came out muffled.
"In the past, my biggest hope was to leave here one day! Leave this house! I feel like this place is like a cage, a cold, lifeless cage! I hate seeing this place! I live alone What's the difference between living here and living alone in a small house? Even if you sleep on the street, you can at least feel the noise on the street, which is better than staying alone in a big empty house at night."
His voice was full of sadness and excitement: "What I'm most afraid of is seeing other families on the lakeside, enjoying themselves together. What I'm most afraid of is seeing other families with fathers carrying their children on their shoulders... because I You know, I can’t get that scene! I can’t get it!”
Xiao Qing didn't say anything, she still pressed the back of Chen Xiao's hand so gently, just gently stroking the back of his hand with her fingers, her eyes as gentle as water.
Chen Xiao didn't seem to notice this intimate gesture, as if he just needed to talk at the moment.
"You know? When I was a child, what I was most afraid of was festivals. Every festival, whether it was the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, or Spring Festival, at this time, other families would be reunited and have fun together. And at that time , I guard the house alone. At night, I always feel particularly lonely when I look at the warm lights coming from other houses. So every time during the holidays, I would rather leave home and wander on the street alone. I won’t come back until dawn. Or, I’ll be alone at home, turn on all the lights and TV, and then sleep on the sofa.”
Xiao Qing finally spoke. She stared at Chen Xiao and said softly: "But even so, you still can't let go of this family in your heart, right?"
"..." Chen Xiao finally raised his head, glanced at Xiao Qing, his eyes were a little complicated, and finally nodded: "Yes, I can't let go."
He sighed: "I used to hate this place and thought it would be better to leave here than to be alone here. But when I really left here that day, I found that my heart was even emptier! At least, it turns out that here, there is this There is a house, but there is still a thought and concern in my heart. Even if the house is empty, at least it is my 'home'. Even if my parents' room is empty and no one lives in it, at least the room is There are clothes they left behind, there are father's books in the study, and there is their breath in this house. Even if they only come back for one or two days out of the 365 days every year... at least there is always hope. After everything was really over and I left here, I suddenly discovered that it turns out that having a glimmer of hope is much better than having no hope at all!
I thought I could be strong! When others came to move things or seal the house, I never shed a tear. But it wasn't until after I left that I discovered that although the days of living here were not pleasant, I still missed those days very much, and suddenly I felt that those days were so happy! At least, having a home to guard and look forward to is much better than being empty-handed. Even if my parents are not here, occasionally I can run into their room and roll around on their bed, or I can run into my father's study and look through the books he left behind..."
Chen Xiao's eyes suddenly turned red. He quickly turned his head away, coughed twice, and said with a forced smile: "I made you laugh."
"No way." Xiao Qing's face was filled with a smile, her palms pressed on Chen Xiao's shoulders, she gently straightened his body, looked into his eyes, and said softly: "I can understand Your mood."
"...Thank you." Chen Xiao forced a smile and said, "My mood has fluctuated a bit today. I'm not usually like this."
"I know too." Xiao Qing shook her head, and her voice became gentler: "But, I like you the way you are now. Do you know? Although you usually smile at others, there is always a distance in your eyes, and you seem to be very cold. , I don’t like to be close to people. You seem to be on guard against something all the time. Now, at least, I feel that there is no such cold distance between me and you."
After a pause, Xiao Qing's face suddenly turned red, and her eyes were a little shy and nervous: "If... if you want to cry, just cry. I will never tell others. I... I can lend you a shoulder." Let me lean on you."
Chen Xiao smiled: "No need, only girls will cry on men's shoulders. I'm a man."
Then he paused, with a hint of mockery in his eyes: "Actually, just before I met you, I did a very stupid thing."
"Well?"
Chen Xiao pointed to the house: "I... bought it back with money."
"Bought it back?" Xiao Qing was just startled for a moment and was no longer surprised. She didn't even ask Chen Xiao how he could suddenly have the money to buy such a big house. After all, I heard that Chen Xiao's financial situation didn't seem to be so well off. —The nickname Prince of Cycling is not for nothing.
However, Xiao Qing did not pursue these questions. In her opinion, it seemed that since Chen Xiao bought a house, his money must have come from an honest source, at least not from stealing, robbing or begging...
It seemed that she trusted Chen Xiao in everything she did.
Xiao Qing didn't realize what it meant when a girl had such feelings for a boy.
"Yes, I bought it." Chen Xiao smiled bitterly: "I was very excited when I bought it, but when I calmed down just now, I felt stupid."
He stood up with an excited expression and pointed to the lawn: "The lawn here used to be neatly trimmed. There was a rocking chair in the yard that I used as a rocking horse when I was a kid. There was also a shelf on which A car tire can be used as a swing. Well, the wooden walls on both sides of the corridor at the entrance are painted green. There will be a large and soft sofa in the living room inside, which you can roll on, and there is also a single When you sit on the sofa, you will feel like you are curled up in it. It is very comfortable... These furniture are all customized from abroad... "
After a pause, Chen Xiao suddenly sighed, and the enthusiasm on his face gradually faded: "I just gave the real estate agent an extra sum of money. I want to prepare a list and ask him to give everything in this house." I restored it to its original appearance, even if it was a table, a sofa, a chair, or a desk, I bought them all exactly the same! What I thought at the time was very simple... I wanted to make it the same as before, and make it the same as before. Just like home before!”
Xiao Qing looked into Chen Xiao's eyes and said nothing.
"But when I calmed down, I realized that I was wrong, very wrong." Chen Xiao's eyes turned red again, and his voice became deeper:
"I suddenly understood that no matter how much money I spend to renovate this house and make all the furniture the same as before, even every plant and tree will be exactly the same as before, so what? Here? … It’s not my ‘home’ anymore! It’s not my ‘home’ anymore!”
His voice began to tremble...
"In the past, I lived here, even if I was very lonely, but in my heart I was willing to stay here, because I know that as long as I stay here, my parents will always come back..." Chen Xiao's nasal voice began to worsen and his breathing became slower. He became anxious: "But now... even if the house is exactly the same, even if I live in it again and wait... no matter how much I wait, my parents will never come back! They are already dead! Dead... "
…
Chen Xiao said so much in one breath, his emotions vented like a wave, and his body finally became less stiff and softened. Xiao Qing was on the side, just looking at him quietly, seeing the sadness in Chen Xiao's eyes, unconsciously, she reached out her hand and gently hugged Chen Xiao's shoulder, and at the same time, she used her other slender little hand to hold Chen Xiao's shoulder. Xiao's arm was touched gently back and forth, as if he wanted to use this gentle movement to soothe the sadness in Chen Xiao's heart.
Chen Xiao lost consciousness for a while. After calming down, he felt that he was being held by Xiao Qing. He suddenly raised his head and looked at this familiar face close at hand. He suddenly felt a blur, but then he suddenly woke up. Come down: The girl holding him is not a phoenix!
The momentary confusion and then sudden change in his eyes were captured by Xiao Qing. Xiao Qing forced a smile, let go of Chen Xiao, and said softly as if nothing had happened: "What? Are you looking at my face? I remembered that girl who looked very similar to me... Well, I remember you said her name was Phoenix, right?"
Although she tried her best to look nonchalant, the slight trembling in her voice still betrayed her mood.
Chen Xiao is not a fool. He has naturally noticed Xiao Qing's gradually changing attitude towards him during this period. He also vaguely understands in his heart that when he is facing Xiao Qing like this, he is thinking about another girl. There seemed to be some disrespect for Xiao Qing.
"Xiao Qing... yes, I'm sorry..."
This "I'm sorry" doesn't seem to be just an apology for looking at her and thinking about others. It seems that there is another hidden meaning of polite rejection
Xiao Qing shook her head and pretended to smile lightly: "What's wrong with that? Well, speaking of it, I have never seen that Phoenix. You always confuse me. Are we really very similar to her?" looks like?"
Chen Xiao sighed in his heart: You are twins, but it's a pity that Lao Tian told me not to tell.
He shook his head vigorously and smiled: "No, you are actually very different from her. She certainly has her strengths, but you also have yours. You are a very outstanding girl and a unique one." Very good girl.”
Xiao Qing felt a little bitter in her heart, but she smiled brightly. She patted her pants and stood up. She touched the information hidden in the pocket of her pants. Looking at the sincere smile in Chen Xiao's eyes, she suddenly felt a sudden change in her heart. So soft, he couldn't help but said subconsciously: "Chen Xiao, actually I just came here..."
"What?" Chen Xiao stood up.
Xiao Qing suddenly hesitated. She bit her lip and finally did not say anything. When the words came to her lips, she changed her words and said with a smile: "... When I came here just now, I saw a cold drink shop at the intersection. The weather is so hot. , let’s go drink frozen soda!”
As she spoke, she seemed to have a cheerful smile on her face. She gently pulled Chen Xiao's arm, and then ran away. After running for two steps, she turned back and said with a smile: "Hurry up, the sun is killing us here!" Whoever goes to the cold drink shop in the competition will pay the bill if he loses."
Chen Xiao was stunned for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, and he stalked after him.
However, Xiao Qing only took two steps and deliberately slowed down a bit, allowing Chen Xiao to run in front of her, one position ahead of her.
Looking at Chen Xiao's back, a sentence suddenly flashed through Xiao Qing's heart...
Chen Xiao, I like you, I really like you...