Zhao Binlin was woken up by a call at four or five in the morning and hurried to Pason.
The store was deserted, with few customers. After looking around, I finally saw Jiang Wen lying on his stomach at a booth.
He walked over and saw the mess of wine bottles on the table. Zhao Binlin reached out and patted Jiang Wen on the shoulder.
In the darkness, Jiang Wen had his back to him.
As the distance got closer, he could smell a strong smell of alcohol. Zhao Binlin pushed his forehead again, "Brother?"
Jiang Wen opened his eyes in confusion and turned his head half a beat late.
The figure in front of him was blurry and swaying. Jiang Wen tried to identify it for a long time before muttering, "Who are you?"
Zhao Binlin: "I am your father."
"... ..."
After a moment of confusion, Jiang Wen lowered his head again.
Zhao Binlin couldn't stand it anymore and asked: "Why are you drinking alone here?"
Jiang Wen said a few words.
He spoke intermittently. Zhao Binlin bent over and listened closely, but only heard a few words. "What? What's wrong? Speak louder."
Jiang Wen picked up the bottle and poured the wine into the glass along the rim, "... in my heart."
Zhao Binlin laughed: "Feeling bad?"
After chatting for a while, the anger of being woken up in the middle of the night also dissipated a little. Zhao Binlin sat down next to Jiang Wen, grinning, and nudged him with his elbow: "Brother, we will be 30 in a few years, and we are still drinking to forget our sorrows? Isn't that childish?"
Jiang Wen supported his forehead with one hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Make a phone call for me."
"Call?" Zhao Binlin was puzzled. "Who to call?"
After a long while, Jiang Wen mentioned a name.
Zhao Binlin burst out laughing, but it was unbelievable: "Feng Ning?! Call her?"
"Um."
"Now?!"
Jiang Wen lowered his voice: "Yeah."
Zhao Binlin took out his cell phone and handed it to the idiot, "Do you know what time it is? Take a look."
Jiang Wen waved his hand away and said, "Ask her to come over."
"... ..."
Zhao Binlin begged him, "Are you serious? Stop it, brother. You and Feng Ning, are you two done yet?"
Jiang Wen stared at him for ten seconds, then said soberly, "I'm not done with her."
"Not finished yet? Not finished yet?"
Zhao Binlin studied in Beijing for several years. He spoke with a northern Mandarin accent, and asked, "How many years? Seven or eight years, right? Now you know it's not over, what were you doing before?"
After finishing his talk, Zhao Binlin answered his own question without waiting for Jiang Wen to interrupt, "Oh, no, you were so timid a few years ago that you only dared to let me watch over you. What's wrong? What has stimulated you this time? Are you going to pursue love at your age?"
Jiang Wen stopped moving again, his eyes blank.
"Do you want to fight?" When he opened his mouth again, it was still the same sentence.
The corners of Zhao Binlin's mouth twitched. Seeing his stubborn look, he took out his cell phone and said angrily, "Grandson, I owed you in my last life."
It took two tries to get through.
Zhao Binlin felt a little nervous when calling at this time. When introducing himself, he said in a flattering tone: "Feng Ning? I'm Zhao Binlin."
There was silence for a while, "Zhao Binlin?"
"It's me." Zhao Binlin asked a nonsense question, "You, are you asleep?"
Feng Ning: “What do you think?”
Zhao Binlin said quickly, "I'm sorry, I don't want to disturb you so late." At this point, he glanced at Jiang Wen again, and said, "But Jiang Wen is in trouble."
Feng Ning was a little confused: "What's the matter?"
“It’s nothing serious.”
Zhao Binlin glanced at Jiang Wen.
The fellow was motionless, eavesdropping intently on their conversation.
Zhao Binlin thought, I should record this and show it to Jiang Wen tomorrow. Looking at my behavior, I think I need to find a hole to hide in.
Retracting his gaze, Zhao Binlin laughed and said sarcastically, "He's drunk and has been clamoring to see you. No matter how I try to persuade him, he won't. He said that if you don't come, he will commit suicide by jumping into the river on the Bund."
Feng Ning: "... Jump into the river?"
"Really, I'm not lying to you."
After a few more words, Zhao Binlin sighed, "Okay, I'll give the phone number to Jiang Wen."
Feng Ning was relatively gentle and called his name twice, "Jiang Wen?"
Hearing her voice, Jiang Wen clenched his phone tightly, his mind went blank.
Feng Ning was quiet for a while, and said in a voice full of sleepiness: "You want to see me?"
"Feng Ning." Jiang Wen's eyes were unfocused, and he said, "I..."
I don't know if it's because of the phone call, but his voice is a little distorted. The room is dark and silent. Feng Ning's mind is still confused, so he turns on the desk lamp.
The sudden flickering light made his eyes a little uncomfortable, he squinted slightly and sat up a little, "What's wrong with you?"
"Drinking."
"I know. You're drunk." Feng Ning said, "It's so late. Do you have something to talk to me about?"
Jiang Wen grabbed the cup and took another sip of wine. He frowned and pursed his lips, "I'm not drunk. Go to sleep. Zhao Binlin deliberately made trouble for me."
His tone was calm, and his words were coherent and logical, not at all like he was just drunk.
Zhao Binlin, who was standing beside him, widened his eyes and cursed in a low voice: "Jiang Wen, you bastard, you coward, fuck your grandma's chicken leg, you always let your brother take the blame for everything."
...
I only spoke three sentences to her in total.
After the call was hung up, Jiang Wen still maintained the same posture as before. He quietly looked at the call display on his phone without any further action.
The whole person seemed to be fixed there.
Zhao Binlin looked at it for a long time, and suddenly felt something was wrong: "What's wrong with you today?"
"Nothing." Jiang Wen said listlessly, and stood up by the edge of the table, "Let's go."
After paying the bill, they left the pason. Zhao Binlin went to the garage to drive the car out.
Jiang Wen was standing on the side of the road, smoking, his arms hanging at his sides with a cigarette between his hands.
He honked the horn.
Zhao Binlin: "What? Send you back?"
Jiang Wen was already sober. He got in the car, threw the cigarette box aside, and fastened his seat belt. "Is anyone at your house today?"
"Is there anyone I can come pick you up with?"
Jiang Wen said, "I'll go to your house today."
"Go to my house?" Zhao Binlin turned the steering wheel and looked at him strangely, "Why?"
Jiang asked, "I don't want to be alone."
The night in the city was not very noisy. Jiang Wen closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and suddenly asked a nonsensical question: "Do you think there is still a possibility between me and her?"
As if he didn't understand, Zhao Binlin honked the horn twice. "What?"
"Is there still a possibility for Feng Ning and I?"
No response.
Jiang Wen tilted his head, "Is there any?"
Zhao Binlin thought for a moment and said, "What's impossible for a man who is unmarried and a woman who is unmarried? If you hadn't been a coward and left the country, maybe your child with Feng Ning would have run away. In the end, it's you who was a coward."
Jiang Wen didn't refute.
Zhao Binlin pondered for a moment and honestly expressed his inner thoughts: "But, I'm not cursing you. I think you two may not be destined to be together. Otherwise, you should have been together a long time ago. Since we can't be together, this is how our life will be. We should get over this hurdle. We have wasted enough time..."
"Zhao Binlin." The person next to him called his name.
Zhao Binlin hummed twice, "What?"
"If you can't speak."
Jiang Wen looked at him with an unpleasant expression, "You could say less."
Zhao Binlin: "... ?"
..
Jiang Wen supported his head with one hand and looked ahead.
I rested my elbows on the edge of the car, and my watch made a slight sound as it hit the glass.
I calmed down and couldn't help but think of those pieces of paper again.
But the things on the paper... Jiang Wen didn't dare to recall them carefully.
Just going over those words in his mind made his internal organs ache.
My right eyelid has been twitching since I woke up in the morning. On my way to work, Feng Ning suddenly received a WeChat message from Shuang Yao.
Twin Yaos: Ning Ning
She was waiting for the traffic light to turn red, and she took the time to reply to the voice message: "What's up?"
Shuangyao: It’s okay. I just came to check on the progress for my mom. How are you and that PhD from Jiaotong University doing
Feng Ning thought for a moment and said, "Oh, he asked me to have dinner with him after get off work today."
The red light ahead turned green and Feng Ning put down his phone.
I drove all the way to the company and when I checked the messages again, Shuangyao had already sent three or four messages.
Shuangyao: Huh? Today?!!! So soon! It’s not appropriate...
Shuangyao ahyao: Do you want to reconsider it
Shuangyao ahyao: hello
After entering the building, Feng Ning put on his work badge, pointed at the white roses on his desk and asked, "Who sent this?"
Xiao Zhu: "I don't know. It was just delivered by express."
Feng Ning didn't care, he picked one and put it under his nose to smell it while replying to Shuang Yao.
Ning: Didn’t you urge me like my life depended on it before
Shuangyao: Oh, really... But I suddenly feel a little regretful... How about this, I will help you get rid of him. And introduce another girl to him, because I suddenly feel that you are not suitable for this kind of intellectual, to be honest.
Ning:? I have already promised others, at least eat this meal.
Shuang Yao ah Yao: You are still suitable to be with your true love. I will never urge you to find a boyfriend again.
Ning: Are you okay today
After a while, Shuang Yao shared a song "No Compromise" from NetEase Cloud Music.
Feng Ning laughed out loud and replied to her with a string of ellipsis.
The place where I had dinner with my blind date was a French restaurant. This senior intellectual was called Wu Tong. He looked much better in person than in the photo, and his conversation was also quite well-mannered.
Feng Ning chatted with him for a while.
Wu Tong said: "You are a little different from what I imagined."
"Um?"
"I don't know how to put it." Wu Tong laughed, "I've met some people before, and I feel like I have the most in common with you."
Feng Ning nodded.
The two chatted for a while, and Wu Tong said, "My family has been urging me to get married in the past two years, especially my mother, who says every day that she wants to have a grandson."
Feng Ning: “That’s good.”
"Didn't your family urge you?"
"Me?" Feng Ning said calmly, "My parents are gone."
Wu Tong was a little surprised, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"fine."
Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Feng Ning looked at the watch and said, "It's getting late, and I still have some work to do. So, let's call it a day for today?"
"Okay, I'll take you home."
Feng Ning thanked him.
It had started to drizzle outside. With the windshield wipers on, Wu Tong drove the car and continued to talk to her about philosophy, which he had not yet finished.
Feng Ning listened patiently.
Her phone vibrated, she looked at the caller ID and didn't answer.
As soon as the phone call ended, the next one called again and was relentless.
Feng Ning made an apologetic gesture to Wu Tong who was speaking, "Sorry, I have a phone call."
Picking up the phone, she tilted her head slightly and asked, "What?"
Jiang Wen said calmly: "I have something to talk to you about."
"What is it? I'm busy."
He asked, "What are you doing?"
Feng Ning unconsciously lowered his voice and answered, "I just finished dinner with a friend."
Wu Tong was driving the car and tilted his head. "It's okay. You don't have to be so reserved."
There was silence over there for a while, and Jiang asked, "Male?"
Feng Ning didn't answer him. "If you have something to say, please say it. If not, I'm hanging up now."
He suddenly said, "When are you coming home?"
Feng Ning's right eyelid twitched again.
What day is today? Why are everyone so weird
She was a little confused, not understanding what medicine Jiang Wen had taken wrong today, "Why do you care when I go home?"
"Didn't I tell you? I have something to talk to you about."
"What's up?"
"Say it to your face. I'll wait for you."
She felt something was not right, but could not put her finger on it. She asked, "You are waiting for me? Where are you waiting for me?"
"Downstairs from your house."
Feng Ning thought he had heard it wrong, "Where??!"
Jiang Wen's voice did not convey any obvious emotion: "Downstairs at your house."
...
...
The car stopped near Yunan City.
Feng Ning said goodbye to Wu Tong and got out of the car. After watching the car disappear on the road, she walked towards the community.
Jiang Wen leaned against a stone pillar and waited for her. This was the wind outlet. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, a blue winter coat and black trousers. He looked into the distance, as if in a daze.
The winter night was somewhat desolate. Jiang Wen looked no different from usual, still handsome, but with a pale face and a little haggard.
Feng Ning walked over.
It was dark, and with the help of the light, she could see that the clothes on his shoulders were damp. Feng Ning frowned, "How long have you been waiting?"
"Eight years."
She didn't hear clearly, so she asked, "What?"
Jiang Wen was in the backlight, his face blurred. He looked at her silently for a while, then turned his head to look elsewhere.
Seeing him like that, Feng Ning hesitated: "What do you want to see me about?"
Jiang Wen pretended to be indifferent: "Look down."
Feng Ning heard a familiar whimpering sound.
She was startled for a moment, then reacted. Her eyes lit up and she asked excitedly, "Xiao Huang?"
Woof woof.
The skinny puppy lying on the ground responded to her.
Feng Ning was surprised: "Where did you find it?" She bent down and prepared to pick up the puppy.
As a result, it struggled in mid-air, jumped down again, and ran to Jiang Wen's feet and curled up.
Feng Ning: “…”
She squatted down and checked the little yellow dog's injuries.
Jiang Wen was also looking at her in the dark.
I have some emotion that I am trying hard to suppress.
Just then, the phone rang.
It was Wu Tong, and he said, "Feng Ning, it seems you dropped something on my car."
"What?"
"A blue folder. Is it yours?"
Feng Ning recalled and said quickly, "Yes, it's mine."
"Okay, then come out for a moment, I'll take you back to where you were just now."
Feng Ning responded, "Thank you, thank you for your trouble."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang asked, "Who was the man who just sent you back?"
Feng Ning hummed.
She said to Jiang Wen, "Please stay here and watch over the dog for me. I'll be back soon after I get something."
Guan Tongfu sent her a work message on WeChat. Feng Ning opened it and took a look, but ignored Jiang Wen and replied to the message while walking out of the community.
She stood under the tree and waited for a while, and suddenly Wu Tong's voice rang in her ears.
Feng Ning took the things and said thank you again.
"You're welcome. It's my honor."
Glancing to the side, Jiang Wen also came over.
The lame little yellow dog was still staggering beside him.
The man and the dog stopped just a few meters away. Jiang Wen put one hand in his trouser pocket, looking a little arrogant. He didn't say a word, just stared at Wu Tong.
For some reason, Wu Tong felt something was wrong. Out of politeness, he still asked, "Is this your friend?"
Feng Ning glanced at Jiang Wen and said, "My high school classmate."
Young Master Jiang turned his face away.
I don't know why, but I suddenly felt a fire and medicine smell. Wu Tong took the initiative to say: "Hello, I am Feng Ning's friend."
"friend?"
Wu Tong and Feng Ning looked at each other, smiled, and said suggestively: "For now, we are still just friends."
Jiang Wen said "oh".
I have to say, every time he acts in this pretentious manner, it makes anyone who sees him very angry.
Not knowing what was going on, Feng Ning said hello to Wu Tong and prepared to leave.
"Feng Ning." Jiang Wen called her name in a lazy tone.
Feng Ning looked back.
Jiang Wen said with a bit of habitual arrogance, "What? You just caught up with me and you're planning to have two relationships at the same time?"