When Chen Yang came back, the puppy was still sleeping soundly with its little feet in its arms. He went to the kitchen, brought the kettle to the dining table, and made a cup of scented tea.
It was almost noon when a scent of food mixed with the smell of cooking fumes wafted in from the balcony. It was the neighbors across the street who were cooking.
Chen Yang sat in the deserted living room and felt the homely atmosphere of someone else's home. He lowered his eyes to look at the dried flowers floating in the cup, then suddenly got up and went to the kitchen.
The beef was cut and the potatoes were peeled, but Chen Yang no longer had the heart to put them together. He put the ingredients in the refrigerator and stood there in a daze. After completing the last few tasks, he would hug Chao Jian and then get some sleep to restore his mental state. This time, there was no hug, and he didn't want to sleep.
Chen Yang went to the room and lit a stick of incense. He waved the smoke like Chao Jian did. Then he lay down on the bed and put his hands behind his head.
There was silence all around, and an unpleasant smell penetrated into Chen Yang's nostrils. He looked at the ceiling above his head with bloodshot eyes.
When the phone in his pocket rang, Chen Yang's eyes moved slightly. He calmly took out the phone and saw that it was not Chao Jian.
Chen Yang pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery, thinking, Fortunately, I learned my lesson and didn't hold out hope, otherwise I would have to experience the feeling of falling from a great height again.
However, his heart still felt like it was breaking. He was stunned and thought, "Oh, so I had hope."
Chen Yang leaned against the head of the bed: "Hello."
A laughing voice came from the other end of the phone: "Ayang, I knew you were still awake."
Chen Yang heard that he was very quiet: "Are you still at the dinner?"
"I'm counting stars in the hotel garden," said Wen Qing.
Chen Yang: “…”
"I found that I am old." Wen Qing sighed deeply.
Chen Yang paused while holding the cigarette, and reluctantly continued his play: "Why?"
"I was still thinking 'how exciting it is to have an affair', but I didn't expect that the big guys here don't bring their lovers to the garden, but just kiss and touch each other in the magnificent lobby." Wen Qing sighed, "I'm getting old."
Chen Yang: "...What banquet did you attend?"
"I don't know, just eating, drinking and having fun," Wen Qing suddenly lowered his voice in excitement, "Oh, here it comes... Oops, looks are not my cup of tea, I'm a little afraid of hurting my eyes, so I'll just slip away."
Chen Yang understood that Wen Qing was just joking. He would not like to see others do that kind of thing, and would even find it disgusting.
"Don't you usually rest after coming back from the mission world?" Chen Yang asked a question after hearing Wen Qing's energetic jumping.
"Why do I need to rest? I'm not tired." Wen Qing asked curiously.
Chen Yang was speechless.
"Why didn't I hear Baibai's cry?" Wen Qing sat on the path among the flowers, crossing his legs casually, completely ignoring his custom-made suit.
"Asleep." Chen Yang bit the cigarette and rubbed the cap of the lighter with his thumb. "What do you mean by Baibai? I told you it's called 03."
"0303, it sounds like something produced on a big factory assembly line, not at all humane. Baibai is better, so cute." Wen Qing said proudly, with an upturned ending, "I am such a genius at naming."
Chen Yang's hand shook as he lit the cigarette and almost burned his eyebrows.
"Ah..." Wen Qing said in a long tone, as if he had just remembered, "Old Jin is gone."
"He left before the party was over. He left me alone at this cruel banquet without caring about the friendship between him and me as an old comrade. He is simply inhumane, don't you think?" Wen Qing said with exaggerated resentment.
"Yes." Chen Yang had the illusion that he was listening to his best friend talking nonsense.
"Humph, I am now a cannon fodder with no use value in his eyes," Wen Qing loosened his tie, "Let's not talk about him anymore. I'm still young and don't want to have a heart attack. By the way, I'll send you his phone number later."
Smoke enveloped Chen Yang's thin face. He took a puff of cigarette and said, "No need."
"Well, adults can be responsible for their own decisions, just make up your mind." Wen Qing shrugged, "Then I'll take you out for a nice meal when I get back to China, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon." Chen Yang held the cigarette between his fingers.
Judging from Wen Qing's IQ, the number of times he has completed missions, and the length of time he has known Jin Xiaochang, it is impossible for him to be completely ignorant of the general background of the mission, or to say that he knows more than Chen Yang knows now, but he is not interested and has no intention of discussing it with Chen Yang.
Literary youths are like that. I tell you my story, this is my personal wish, you don't need to share your story with me in return, even if you want to, you have to tell me first, whether the story is interesting and fun, if it's not interesting then forget it.
Chen Yang felt that Wen Qing was like water. He put himself in a small jar of his own making. Whether he stayed quietly or flowed freely, no one outside would see him.
Because although the mouth of the jar is small, it is bottomless. Wen Qing walks with his head held high and his chest held high in his own world. No one can walk with him, and he doesn't need to.
If one day he has someone accompanying him on that road, it must be because he has found a companion on a whim and is following the trend. Whether he leaves or not depends on his mood.
Chen Yangchai threw his cell phone on the bedside table. He bent his legs and rested his chin on it, smoking casually.
Almost two-thirds of a cigarette was burned. Chen Yang got out of bed, found a storage box, and opened it with one hand. He had just picked up a bag of pork when he heard a "da da da" sound outside.
A ball of white came running in on its short legs and put its two paws on the storage box.
Chen Yang: “…” He bit the cigarette, opened the package, took out a piece of pork, and tentatively shook it in front of the puppy.
The puppy's head followed the pork shop.
"Want to eat it?" Chen Yang was amused by its cute appearance, and his depressed mood was relieved a little bit. "You can't eat this."
"Woof!" the puppy jumped up.
"My girlfriend bought this for me, you know that," Chen Yang said, "It's no use getting excited, it's not yours."
"Awooo..." The puppy fell to the ground.
"…" Chen Yang said, "You have become a spirit."
"Okay, I'll give you a little bit." Chen Yang tore off a small piece and handed it over. The puppy that was paralyzed just now immediately revived with full blood and came up to him, wagging its tail.
"Don't you only like bread soaked in milk? Why are you trying new flavors?" Chen Yang watched the puppy licking the pork, licking it a few times and then picking it up and hiding under the chair to enjoy it alone. He twitched his lips and said, "Come to think of it, dogs can't drink milk and eat bread. You are different from other children."
Chen Yang remembered that there was another anomaly in the house, which was Chao Jian’s potted plant. He stood up and went to the balcony.
The buds have grown up and a...
"Flower bud?" Chen Yang squatted in front of the flowerpot and looked closely for a long time before making sure that he was not seeing things. He had come to the balcony to look before entering the mission world. At that time, there were only tender branches in the pot, and there was no sign of flower buds.
"What kind of plant is this? Is it going to bloom and bear fruit?" The cigarette at the corner of Chen Yang's mouth trembled and a handful of ash fell off. He had experienced more and more bizarre things and his level of acceptance had reached an unimaginable level. Now, even if someone pointed at a flower bud and told him that it was the reincarnation of a flower fairy, he would think it was ok.
After Chen Yang finished smoking, he sat on the ground, leaning against the wall to bask in the sun. He was drowsy for a long time and fell asleep unknowingly, and even had a dream.
In the dream, there was a golden rice field. He was wearing a straw hat and holding a sickle. He raised his hand and slashed with the sickle, and a row of rice ears spread out beside him.
"Brother Yang!"
A clear voice came from the other side of the grove. It belonged to a young woman. She ran towards Chen Yang, shouting as she ran, full of anxiety and panic, "Hurry up, there is not enough time for this round—"
The woman had black hair and a face as white as paper. She unfolded before his eyes like a black and white scroll. It was Xiang Zimu!
Chen Yang woke up in shock. His first reaction was to go to the rehabilitation center to find Xiang Zimu. When he got up with weak hands and feet, the wind outside the window blew on his face and he shivered.
No, I can’t go. I have to wait for Chao Jian.
Let’s wait until Chao Jian comes back. Everything has to wait until he comes back. He is still working hard, and I can’t do anything that affects the threshold.
Don't think about it for now, don't think about it any further! Chen Yang suppressed his rapidly surging emotions, went to the room to greet the puppy, put on his shoes and went out as if nothing had happened.
The alley was quiet in the afternoon, the air was a little humid, and the sunlight was very thin. It took Chen Yang a long time to walk to a sunny place. He took a deep breath, and it felt so real.
Chen Yang wandered aimlessly in the alley, from the commercial housing area to the bungalow area, and then from the bungalow area to the commercial housing area, walking back and forth without meeting a single neighbor.
When Chen Yang saw a centipede, he felt like a fellow villager meeting a fellow villager, with tears welling up in his eyes: "Come out for a walk."
The centipede crawled and crawled.
"Where are you going? I'll take you there." Chen Yang bent over and said with a friendly smile.
The centipede continued to crawl, twisting its slender body.
Chen Yang walked behind with his hands behind his back like a little old man, neither fast nor slow. At first glance, it looked like he was out to walk the centipede, but in fact they were in two different worlds.
He wouldn't even play with centipedes.
Chen Yang found himself at his little mute cousin's house. Just as he was about to move on, he suddenly heard the sounds of children playing in the yard, mixed with a woman's worried voice.
"Run slower! Watch the road!"
“Wa ...
"Don't cry, don't cry. Mommy will take you out to play on the slide."
The door opened from the inside, and a short, fat woman came out holding a child. She was startled when she saw Chen Yang: "Who are you looking for?"
Chen Yang asked politely: "Hello, do you live alone?"
"Yes, I live with my husband, so what?" The woman's tone was quite polite.
Chen Yang said: "Then your husband..."
The woman turned around and shouted into the house, "Dad!"
"What are you doing? I'm assembling a bed for Xiaobao." A tall, dark-skinned man came out carrying a piece of wood.
The curve of Chen Yang's lips dropped a little: "Did you just move here?"
"What are you talking about? We have always lived here. This is my house!" The man looked at Chen Yang as if he were a fool.
A figure appeared in front of Chen Yang's eyes. The person was wearing a koala apron in front of him and holding a spatula in his hand. His temperament was warm and homely yet wise, and he treated people with warmth and propriety.
The little mute's cousin died in the mission world.
Chen Yang turned around and walked back the way he came. He could witness the death of his teammates who were on the same mission as him. If they were not on the same mission together, he would not know whether they were dead or alive.
Now, not to mention the city of Qingcheng, even the Sanlian Bridge, which he was most familiar with, made him breathless. He clutched the clothes on his chest, bent over, and nervously took out his mobile phone to call his nearest friend.
Thirty or forty minutes later, Chen Yang went to Xiangdong's house. When he entered the door, he saw a long-haired man standing behind Xiangdong.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Chen Yang asked seriously.
"Fuck, do you have to be so exaggerated?" Xiangdong couldn't stand it anymore and cursed, "Even if he changed his head, can you still not smell the pungent smell of disinfectant?"
Chen Yangxin said, I can only smell the smell of disinfectant.
The painter, whose complexion had recovered, was a handsome beauty, with even her hair emitting an air of nobility.
The painter smiled and nodded at Chen Yang, holding a brush in his hand.
"I'll finish my work first." The painter turned and went into a room. He used to be skinny, but now he's in just the right shape, and he's pleasing to the eye.
Chen Yang sighed: "He has gained weight, and his face is no longer sallow. He looks like a wealthy artist without a smell of money."
Xiangdong closed the door and said seriously, "It's OK. She's not as good looking as me, and her temperament isn't as good as mine."
Chen Yang thought he was farting: "What is the painter busy with?"
"Draw for me." Xiangdong threw a pair of slippers to Chen Yang and said shockingly.
"Draw you?" Chen Yang looked at him.
"What are you looking at? I don't want to eat someone like him, okay?" Xiangdong was extremely disgusted. "Not only is he taller than me, but he's also a fucking mysophobia freak. His mouth must taste like disinfectant. Enough of that."
Chen Yang took off his sneakers and put them aside: "So the point is, he is taller than you."
Xiangdong's face turned pale: "When you were in school, you must have got zero points in reading comprehension!"
Chen Yang felt physically uncomfortable when he heard the word "school".
Xiangdong crossed his arms and glanced at him: "Don't tell me that you just came out of a school-themed mission before coming to me."
"We'll talk about this later." Chen Yang put on his slippers, "Why did you let the painter paint for you?"
"I'm hanging at home to show off." Xiangdong walked towards the kitchen with his crew cut, and the small ring on his ear changed from silver to pure black.
Chen Yang: “…”
Xiangdong handed a bottle of beer to Chen Yang: "I don't have any other drinks, only this, drink it."
"Why is the painter here with you?" Chen Yang opened the pull ring.
"I met him on the road." Xiangdong looked at Chen Yang, thinking that something had happened to him and he came here because he was alone and anxious. He urgently needed a friend to help him divert his attention. "Would you like to have dinner at my place?"
"If I want to eat, I'll order a few more dishes." Xiangdong raised his eyebrows. "The restaurant was recommended by the painter. It's absolutely excellent."
Chen Yang looked at the clock on the wall: "It's not even three o'clock yet."
"The painter said that he eats dinner before five and goes to bed before seven during this period." Xiangdong bared his neat white teeth. "Is it scary?"
Chen Yang: “… a little bit.”
However, the more terrifying thing was yet to come. At almost five o'clock, Junior Brother Dixian came over.
So the four of them sat at a table with delicious dishes in front of them.
Xiangdong took a puff of cigarette and a sip of wine. Baitang looked at him with tears in his peach blossom eyes. The little white rabbit was obedient.
Chen Yang lowered his head to look at the phone under the table. The painter sitting next to him sent him a message.
Painter: Are you embarrassed
Chen Yang: I'm fine.
Painter: I’m fine too.
Chen Yang: Actually, I’m a little embarrassed.
Painter: Me too.