"I hope I won't disturb you guys." Zhou Jia leaned against the door with a smile, "Are you still in the meeting?"
"There's no meeting. What kind of meeting can two people have?" Qi Boyuan stood up and pulled out the chair in a very flattering manner. "Didn't you say you would be back next week? When did you arrive? Why didn't you call me and I would pick you up?"
The Zhoujia College Orchestra is currently on a college tour, but after being away for half a month, Qi Boyuan has been nagging Li Xuan so much that his ears are almost callused.
"I was short of some materials for the job, so I came back temporarily. I have to leave again tomorrow." Zhou Jia explained. She will graduate in June and has been confirmed to stay on to teach at the school. She greeted Li Xuan again, "Did you like the last drama?"
"I haven't thanked you yet."
"Bo Yuan has already conveyed it to you." Zhou Jia smiled, turned his head to see if the office door was closed, and lowered his voice to ask him mysteriously, "Is Sheng Min going back to N City this afternoon?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan's expression almost couldn't be maintained for an instant. His eyebrows twitched for a moment, and he suddenly came back to his senses when he saw Zhou Jia's inexplicable gaze.
"Did I say something wrong?" Zhou Jia was a little confused.
"No." Li Xuan lowered his eyes. Zhou Jia didn't know who the drama ticket was bought for, and he didn't connect the two things together, but he asked casually. He was so sensitive because he had something to hide.
"I don't know." He said softly.
Zhou Jia didn't mind: "The scalper in my circle of friends posted the schedule for this afternoon... ... He has to record "Picking the Moon" tomorrow. His look in the last episode was so beautiful... ... I really didn't know, I was thinking you guys knew each other... ... Don't worry, a mom fan like me never follows private schedules." She explained jokingly.
Li Xuan didn't answer, he had nothing to say.
Do you really not know? This is true and it is not.
It has been a week since I came back from the ancient town. The cheering videos on the vending machines and LED screens downstairs have long been replaced by advertisements, and they have never contacted each other.
He restrained himself from reading any news about Shengmin, hoping to find the correct solution to their relationship in a completely calm state. But it was useless. Even with empty eyes, he was still thinking about him. His white, sculpture-like profile under the moonlight, his soft hair and even his breath could not be erased from his mind.
Naturally, he also remembered all of Sheng Min’s itineraries, and everything he had seen turned into numbers.
The filming location is 1,700 kilometers away from City N, a two-hour and fifteen-minute flight away, while the studio where "Picking the Moon" is recorded is only 24 kilometers away. If he wants, he can see him in 40 minutes from the time he leaves the office.
The only thing he was not sure about was what Sheng Min meant by his answer that night. Did he promise to give him time? How long would it take? Or was it just an illusion that he was deceiving himself and everything was over
"There's no necessary connection. You didn't tell me you came back." Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Qi Boyuan broke the deadlock in time.
"How can there be such a comparison?"
"You haven't had lunch yet?" Qi Boyuan glanced at his watch. "Wait for me outside for a while? Li Xuan and I have something else to do. Will I go to lunch with you after that?"
"You don't need to accompany me if you want to work. I can just eat something by myself."
"It's okay." Qi Boyuan handed her the handbag, "It will be quick."
"Are you okay?" After watching Zhou Jia leave, Qi Boyuan knocked on the table.
"What's the matter?" Li Xuan raised his head.
Qi Boyuan was about to say something but stopped, and changed his words: "Jia Jia doesn't know."
Li Xuan's mouth twitched, but his smile didn't reach his eyes: "Know what?"
"You really stumped me. To be honest, I don't know... I can tell that you've been worried lately." Qi Boyuan shrugged helplessly, "Let's go eat?"
Li Xuan moved his eyes away: "Let's go, no need to apply."
"Who asked you to apply? I asked you if you were going."
"You're having dinner with your girlfriend, why should I go?" Li Xuan said calmly, "You think the lights are not bright enough? Do you need someone to light you?"
"Just to relax... No, don't look at me like that. We're not on a date, just having a quick meal. We all know each other anyway."
"No." Li Xuan pinched his brows. Seeing that he was not going to leave, he simply stood up and pushed him out. "Take the people away quickly. I still have to write new features."
"It doesn't interfere with work and eating."
Qi Bo's words were interrupted in the middle, and Li Xuan had already decisively closed the door.
There was a sound of conversation outside the door. It was probably Zhou Jia asking what was wrong, and whether Li Xuan was not going. I couldn't hear how Qi Boyuan answered. The voice became lower, and the two walked away.
During the meal, Chu Tianheng and the administration came to ask him if he wanted to order food together, but Li Xuan had no appetite at all, so he simply locked the door again and again.
He returned to the computer and started writing the program, but the mouse slid uncontrollably onto the WeChat icon. The cursor stayed in the dialog box. He typed a long string and deleted it word by word.
Sheng Min's profile picture was a light grey shadow. Li Xuan stared at it for a long time, a little absent-minded, feeling exhausted from all directions, and finally turned it off.
He opened the editor and continued to write the program. He still couldn't control his distraction. His fingers didn't stop on the keyboard. The shrill car horns downstairs became a distant background sound. Until the door knocked twice, the friction sound of the lock cylinder was particularly harsh. Li Xuan suddenly came back to his senses from that chaotic state. He looked at the screen carefully and saw a string of garbled characters. He didn't understand what it meant. He frowned and deleted all of them. He shook his head vigorously, pressed his temples and stood up, and opened the door impatiently: "Who knocked on the door just now?"
"Me." Qi Boyuan came out from the office next door and was stunned when he saw his face. "What's wrong?"
"Why are you back so soon?"
"How long does it take to have a meal... Who has offended you again?"
"Why did it come from again?" Li Xuan looked at his watch and found that it had been two hours. He turned around and sat down at his desk.
"Who knows? Anyway, you've been in a bad mood recently." Qi Boyuan followed him in and put the lunch box on the table. "Senior said you didn't eat lunch? Where's Xiuxian? ... I just happened to bring you a portion of chicken oil rice, eat it while it's hot."
Li Xuan had no appetite and was too lazy to argue about such trivial matters. For a moment, he really couldn't remember when he had his last meal. He opened the box and asked, "Did Zhou Jia go back?"
"No, I'm watching a video outside. She has an appointment to discuss something later, so she's nearby. I'll go over later." Qi Boyuan stood there for a while, doing nothing. "Take your time eating, I'm going to go out."
Li Xuan saw that he seemed to be hesitant to speak, so he stopped him and said, "If you have anything else to say, please speak up."
"Eat yours first, it's nothing."
Li Xuan groaned and put down his chopsticks impatiently: "It's impossible that someone is targeting us at this time."
"It's not that... It's just a personal matter of mine." Qi Boyuan smiled, "I want to get two months' salary in advance."