The city lights were just coming on, and cars were lined up in long queues on the road as far as the eye could see. The red taillights flickered in the night, dragging hazy shadows.
The airport was brightly lit, as if it were daytime, and people were coming and going with their suitcases.
Tao Zhiyue stood outside the security check channel, looking at Huo Ran who was always a step behind today, and said with a smile: "Should I return the backpack to you?"
When he left yesterday, apart from a heavy glass jar, he only took the necessary items such as his ID card and mobile phone charger. He did not bring any spare clothes or anything like that. Now his bag is empty.
Huo Ran reacted after hearing what he said. He reluctantly took off the backpack that had been hanging on his shoulder for most of the day and handed it to him.
"It was so light, I forgot."
He glanced at the security checkpoint where the team was moving forward and said hesitantly, "You're sorry. The traffic was too congested along the way and we didn't have a good dinner."
"Time flies by so fast, and the day ends just like that."
Tao Zhiyue also had the same feeling. They had clearly gone to many places, talked a lot, and had countless memories that day.
But when it comes to parting, time always seems so short.
The palm of his hand still retained the warmth of the other person. Tao Zhiyue hid his melancholy and answered him with a smile.
"I have to go to work tomorrow, so I have to rush back. I can eat airplane food later."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I resigned and will start working in a new company tomorrow. My colleagues are very nice and the working environment is very comfortable, in a villa."
Tao Zhiyue emphasized: "I seem to have told you that I used to work as a programmer in a game company. The company I'm switching to now should make games that I'm really passionate about, and the salary is also very good, so I'm very happy."
"I didn't tell you before because I wanted to tell you this in person."
Huo Ran looked at his suppressed excitement and smiled as well: "That's great, you must be very enthusiastic at work. When I saw you writing the questionnaire the other day, I felt that although I didn't understand it, I could feel it."
No one likes to be praised by their lover.
Tao Zhiyue nodded calmly, "To be fair, it's not too bad, but it can be improved."
Hearing Tao Zhiyue mention his work, Huo Ran also sighed, "I will work hard when I go back. I did nothing in the past two months. I just socialized with people every day. I have already met everyone I should know. Starting tomorrow, I will concentrate on my work."
"Come on." Tao Zhiyue's mind jumped for a moment, "Are we like two elementary school students who swear to each other to study hard in the future?"
"Like." Huo Ran promised earnestly, "I will study hard, both in work and in relationships."
A new relationship has just been established and a new stage of life has just begun, so everything needs to be learned.
"So, at this very meaningful moment, should there be a memorial ceremony?" Huo Ran changed the subject.
Tao Zhiyue couldn't keep up with his pace and looked confused: "What ceremony?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Ran opened his arms and hugged the person in front of him tightly.
Tao Zhiyue suddenly bumped into a warm embrace, and the slightly hot hair brushed against his ears, like a light scratch on his heart.
After a moment of stunned silence, he raised his hands and slowly embraced the other person's back.
This hug was long and soothing.
Outside the hot pot restaurant that day, Tao Zhiyue just hugged Huo Ran hurriedly, like a dragonfly touching the water, and he didn't even remember the other's heartbeat.
Now he heard it, rapid and powerful, so similar to his own heartbeat.
The body is surrounded by endless warmth from the outside world, as if trapped in a soft cloud, making people indulge in it.
After a long time, Huo Ran let go of his hand, looked at him a little embarrassedly, and said after a long while: "One to one, we are tied."
"..." Tao Zhiyue woke up from his passionate feelings and said awkwardly, "This metaphor is so weird, are you playing ball?"
"I go play basketball once a week." Huo Ran said in surprise, "So what should I do next? Should I say that it's my turn to launch the offensive in the next round?"
“… You already said it.”
At the entrance of the separation passage, the voices and laughter of fellow students filled the air.
Tao Zhiyue, carrying his bag, walked into the team, looking back from time to time.
Huo Ran just stood there and waved to him.
Tao Zhiyue didn't remember how many times he looked back, but every time he looked back, he could bump into those eyes full of emotions.
He placed the backpack in the security basket and watched it slowly move into the curtained machine.
However, he couldn't help but think of the cute and weird nesting dolls on the display cabinet.
Tao Zhiyue lowered his head and smiled. After passing the security check and seeing Huo Ran clearly, he reached for his cell phone which he had hardly used all day and sent a message to him.
[Tao: I passed it successfully.]
[Tao: Every time you go through security, do you think of a nesting doll that is being opened one by one?]
[hr: ! ! ! ! ]
[hr: Now I think about it...]
[hr: I am embarrassed again, ahhh!]
[Tao: It doesn’t matter. Every time I see the security check machines in the future, I will think of them.]
[Tao: Dog rolling around.gif]
There was traffic jam everywhere in Yanping on the weekend, and they arrived at the airport almost on time. After Tao Zhiyue arrived at the boarding gate, boarding notifications were soon started.
When Tao Zhiyue passed the boarding bridge, in the dark night, he could still see the baggage loaders working hard late at night.
This time, he looked at the stranger's back and smiled faintly.
He knew that Huo Ran was also staring at the plane that was about to take off.
Watch it slowly cross the deep night sky and fly to another city.
The ambiguous online romance came to an end and a long-distance relationship began again.
Tao Zhiyue felt that the first love in his life was really rich and comprehensive in type, and it seemed to make up for the missing emotional experience in the past twenty years.
The next day, when the sun was rising, Tao Zhiyue went out early.
The new company is far from home, and the commuting time is more than an hour.
Fortunately, he was taking a popular bus route and there was room to stand. After getting on the bus, he held the handrail with one hand and sent a message to Huo Ran with the other.
[Tao: Good morning.]
[Tao: I go to work~]
Half an hour later, Huo Ran replied.
[hr: Good morning! I just woke up.]
[hr: So early? I didn’t get home until almost 12 o’clock last night. Are you sleepy?]
[Tao: I feel sleepy, but I am very energetic. I am open at this time.]
[Tao: I’m excited when I think today is the first day of my new company.]
[Tao: Little Bear Spinning.gif]
[hr: Then I will go to bed earlier starting tomorrow!]
[hr: I also quickly washed up and went to the company.]
[hr: My dad would be shocked.]
Tao Zhiyue imagined Huo Zhendong's shocked expression and laughed involuntarily.
When he searched for information about the Huo family on the Internet before, there was no news about Huo Ran. All he could find were photos of Huo Zhendong with a serious expression. For a time, he speculated about Huo Ran's appearance based on these photos.
People and things other than Huo Ran gradually began to feel real.
Once again coming to the Sunshine Villa that Guan Yudong had always talked about. Without waiting for someone to open the door, Tao Zhiyue lowered his head and entered the password on the electronic door lock.
Bathed in the morning sunshine, the ivy grows lush and green, climbing on the wall and gently shaking its leaves.
Tao Zhiyue came very early and was the second one to arrive in the entire company.
The first person to arrive at the company was actually the boss Jiang Ye.
As he walked in and passed the entrance hall, he saw the open balcony at the end of the living room. On a small round table was a lush green fig tree. Jiang Ye was sitting in front of the table, reading a book.
A magical idea suddenly popped up in Tao Zhiyue's mind.
What a loving couple.
Jiang Ye heard the noise and looked up at him, expressionless: "Good morning."
"morning."
Tao Zhiyue remembered that banyan trees seemed to grow very large. Judging from the reactions of other employees, "Mr. Rong" seemed to have been here for a long time, but it was still just a potted plant that was not too big.
He considered his words carefully and asked curiously, "Boss, if your tree grows up, will it be convenient to bring it here?"
Jiang Ye shook his head. "I've raised them for more than 20 years, and they've grown many times. If they get too big, I'll leave them at home and take some of them to replant."
Seeing Tao Zhiyue's somewhat surprised expression, he added: "Their roots still belong to the same tree."
It turns out they are childhood sweethearts, but the form is a little special.
"Boss, you are really loyal..."
Tao Zhiyue was a little speechless for a moment and tried to change the subject. He looked at the book in Jiang Ye's hand.
"Is this related to games? By the way, does the company have any related books that you recommend for everyone to read?"
Now that he has started to input a lot, he should maintain a stable input. Tao Zhiyue plans to buy some game-related books to improve himself.
Jiang Ye continued to shake his head, "Go ask Shi Wu, I understand the game, and I won't interfere with your specific work."
He casually raised the book in his hand, and Tao Zhiyue saw the title.
"Atomic Physics".
“… Ok boss, excuse me.”
Greatly shocked, Tao Zhiyue immediately turned around, went to the workstation assigned to him yesterday, sat down quietly, and waited for other colleagues to arrive.
Such a boss who concentrates on growing trees, is only responsible for collecting money and does not meddle in other people's affairs is truly rare and can be regarded as a role model.
Colleagues arrived one after another. The chief planner Shi Wu found Tao Zhiyue and asked him if he would like to transform into a game producer in the future. If he had plans in this regard, he could participate more in game design.
Some big programmers will serve as producers or transform into producers, but they often have similar thinking defects, such as a poor sense of the overall situation and a tendency to overemphasize details.
Tao Zhiyue thought about it for a while and gave a negative answer.
"Right now I only know how to write code, and I'm not capable of doing anything else. Although I mentioned an idea last time, I can only try to implement it programmatically. I'm still too unfamiliar with other aspects of a game. For example, I'm sure I can judge what kind of text plot is more attractive to players."
"I want to break through myself in this field and then expand on it."
Fang Shiwu was a little surprised, then nodded and shared with everyone an idea he had perfected at home over the weekend.
Sitting around the long open desk, everyone was discussing lively, and based on Tao Zhiyue's idea, the prototype of a new game gradually took shape.
When it was lunch time, colleagues from other project teams on the second floor also came down. After a brief greeting with the newcomer Tao Zhiyue, they actively went to the kitchen to get lunch.
The company has a special auntie who comes to cook. In response to the requests of some colleagues, the auntie made cold noodles at noon today, and also prepared stir-fried dishes and rice for those colleagues who wanted to eat.
Tao Zhiyue carefully brought a bowl of cold noodles from the kitchen. The clear soup was topped with spicy cabbage, cucumber shreds, eggs and beef slices, and the colors looked very nice.
He took a sip and found it sour and sweet, refreshing to his heart and dispelling the slight heat.
Tao Zhiyue had an idea and took a photo and sent it to Huo Ran, who had also been working hard for the whole morning.
[Tao: Let’s have cold noodles for lunch today!]
[Tao: So refreshing, the taste of summer.]
[hr: ! ! The company does not have. ]
[hr: I don’t want to eat either, I’ll order takeout! ]
[Tao: It’s delicious^-^]
[Tao: The cooking skills of the auntie here are very good.]
[Tao: Everything went smoothly today.]
[hr: That’s great.]
[hr: It’s a pity that I can’t eat it with you.]
Comforted by the sweet and sour cold noodles, the afternoon passed quickly. As soon as six o'clock came, some colleagues turned off their computers and went home from get off work.
Every time someone left, the house would be filled with "see you tomorrow" again and again.
This was the life Tao Zhiyue longed for.
Work content that can realize self-worth, bosses and colleagues who are easy to get along with, and an excellent and comfortable office environment.
After having delicious cold noodles at noon, he could take photos and send them to that person to show off.
When he gets off work in the evening, he has completed all his tasks, so he can put work aside, go home with peace of mind, and enjoy his own time.
On the way home, Tao Zhiyue specifically searched a question on his mobile phone: What are the entertainment methods for couples in long-distance relationships
Most of the answers below are playing games, watching movies or TV series.
Tao Zhiyue thought about it and started searching for some good horror movies.
On such a happy day, of course we should watch something exciting.
In the evening, he sat upright in front of the computer, opened the playback interface, and made a voice call to Huo Ran who had just finished dinner.
"This is the first time you've called me!"
The voice after a day of separation rang on the other end of the phone.
Tao Zhiyue responded accurately: "One to one, we are tied."
"... I was wrong. It really sounds weird." Huo Ran said sincerely, "I won't use weird metaphors next time."
Tao Zhiyue smiled and asked him, "Is the movie ready?"
"Okay, let's count to three, two, one and start at the same time?"
"Yes, I'll count, three, two..."
Huo Ran suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait a minute! The doorbell seems to have rung."
His voice drifted away a little. "Maybe my sister came over suddenly. She actually learned how to ring the doorbell... I'll go open the door and be back soon."
Tao Zhiyue agreed, and there was a hint of expectation in his heart.
He had heard Huo Ran mention his sister many times, but he had never had a direct communication with her.
A moment later, Huo Ran ran back excitedly, still panting as he took out his phone: "The roses are beautiful! Even more beautiful than the ones I ordered that day!"
Tao Zhiyue was a little confused: "What rose?"
"It's the roses you gave me. I counted them. There are ninety-nine of them! Are they very expensive? It's a big bunch. Someone from a nearby flower shop sent them..."
As Huo Ran was talking, he suddenly realized that something was wrong and his voice gradually became quieter.
Tao Zhiyue was silent for a moment, then said gently: "I don't think I know your home address, so I didn't send you roses."
"If you like it, I will give it to you later."
"But who sent you the flowers?"