What Adrian didn't expect was that the next day, he received an inside call from the reception.
"Commander, someone called and said they wanted to find you..."
At first, Adrian didn't realize who was calling, and he was still hesitant as the receptionist. Some important person called and asked him by name, and the receptionist couldn't make up his mind what to do.
"Who? Didn't I say that I was busy this month, and all such communications were returned saying that I was not around?" Adrian said casually, "Forward it to the adjutant."
"Uh, but he said he was...was...uh..."
After hemming and hawing to such an extent, Adrian finally heard something was wrong, and then reacted: "Is it Zhong Yan?"
"That's right, it's him." When the person at the reception heard that Adrian didn't lose his temper, he seemed to be pardoned, "Do you think it was transferred to the adjutant?"
"What adjutant is the communication he calls in? Forward it to me. Did he say anything?"
"It's urgent, but I didn't say anything about it. I'll transfer it in for you."
After a moment of prompting, the voice on the inside line was replaced by Zhong Yan's.
"What's the matter?" Adrian asked, "What's the matter with Capital Star?"
Zhong Yan said: "No... I want to ask you, where are the knives in the kitchen at home? I clearly remember seeing them a few days ago."
Adrian asked vigilantly, "Why are you looking for a knife?"
Zhong Yan has been gloomy and listless recently. Although he is not usually lively, but now he looks almost depressed. Adrian has been secretly worried that something like jumping into a pond will happen. Just in case, the kitchen The knives in my car have been kept in my car for the past two days and brought to work.
"What else can I do looking for a knife? Cutting vegetables." Zhong Yan said, "I've searched all the cabinets in the kitchen, but I can't find it. Where did I put it? I need it urgently."
What's the rush when chopping vegetables? Adrian was very suspicious that Zhong Yan had finally had a nervous breakdown and was about to use a knife to kill himself. He hurriedly stood up and turned off his office virtual screen, and walked outside and said: "The knife is a bit rusty, throw it away, I will buy a new set on the way home take it back."
"No need, I'll buy it directly in the virtual community now. I see that there are quite a lot of stores nearby that support drone delivery. It will take a while before you get off work."
"No!" Adrian retorted, "Don't just buy random things and put them in my house. I'll go back now, and I'll buy them."
"What? Are you coming back now?" Zhong Yan sounded a little panicked, "Why is it so early today?"
Hearing this, Adrian confirmed his guess even more, and decided that Zhong Yan must be planning to do something terrible with a knife behind his back. He rejoiced that he put away the knife before going out, and said firmly: "Yes, I am very happy." Get home soon, you stay there and don't move."
Adrian drove home at high speed all the way, without caring to park the car, and rushed directly into the house.
Then he was shocked in place by the scene in front of him.
I saw that the open kitchen, which was almost just a beautiful decoration, was bustling with activity at the moment. There are two pots on the induction cooktop that has never been turned on. Some food is being cooked in the pressure cooker. Hot steam is continuously coming out from the air holes. The frying pan is being held by Zhong Yan. Several kinds of vegetables were fried with oil, and there was a rattling sound. The prepared spare ingredients were neatly stacked on the operating table on one side, and the seasoning bottle was around Zhong Yan's right hand side.
The aroma of food wafted in the air, and for the first time, this house, which had not been popular for a long time, really had the breath of life.
"You're back? So soon?" Zhong Yan was a little flustered, he could see that he was cooking two dishes at the same time, and he was already speeding up as much as possible, "Wait a little longer, it will be ready soon. Where's the knife?"
Adrian couldn't speak for a moment.
Zhong Yan glanced at him during the stir-fry - his hands were empty.
"You didn't buy a knife?" He asked suspiciously.
"... Bought it." Adrian said, "I forgot it in the car, I'll get it."
He brought in the set of knives that he took out from home, Zhong Yan took it and washed it, then stopped suddenly, moved the kitchen knife closer and looked at the whole set of knives.
"This set of kitchen knives...is the same as the original one," he said bewildered.
Adrian: "…"
He didn't want to admit his stupidity of carrying a kitchen knife to the headquarters for two consecutive days because he was worried that Zhong Yan would commit suicide with a knife, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "I just like this style."
Zhong Yan looked at the set of very popular knives in puzzlement, trying to figure out what Adrian liked about them.
"What's in here?" Adrian asked as he approached the kitchen, looking at the pressure cooker.
Zhong Yan let go of the set of knives, and replied: "It's vegetable broth. I tore the vegetables with my hands. It may not look good, but if you leave it for a while, it won't be fresh, so I was in a hurry to find a knife. You Sit down, I'll start eating when I'm done—"
"Zhong Yan." Adrian interrupted him, "What are you doing?"
The meat-cutting knife in Zhong Yan's hand paused for a moment. He looked up at Adrian, and found that the other person's face was unhappy, and he was anxious for a while: "I... I am cooking? You said I can buy food in the virtual community... "
"I'm asking you to buy something you want to eat and eat it yourself, not to ask you to buy ingredients and cook it for me."
As Adrian spoke, he pressed the stop button of the pressure cooker, and Zhong Yan screamed to stop him: "Don't! You can't open the pot halfway!" But Adrian turned a deaf ear and lifted the lid of the pressure cooker after the green light turned on.
It's not fully cooked yet, but the aroma of the vegetable broth is already lingering. If you carefully distinguish the aroma, it's exactly the vegetable broth that Zhong Yan used to make that he praised so much years ago.
"It's really the same." Adrian said, throwing the lid of the pressure cooker aside casually, the ingredients were scattered by the impact and scattered all over the operating table, "What do you mean? Want to relive old dreams with me? "
"No..." Zhong Yan put down the knife and said helplessly, "I just want... If the meal you ordered doesn't suit your taste, I'll be at home anyway..."
"How do you know that the meal you ordered doesn't suit my taste?"
"Yesterday's dinner was fish, don't you not like fish..."
"I love it now," Adrian said. "Seven years have passed, and my tastes have changed."
Zhong Yan stood in a daze, looking at the messy stove, trying to save himself: "I... what do you like to eat now, I can learn it now, I..."
"No need. Zhong Yan, do you think so - clean up the house and cook for me every day, and I will fall in love with you again like before?" Adrian frowned insignificantly when he said this, because he A small voice in the back of my heart said, yeah, isn't it? Don't you waver? Haven't been caught in the eye again
He felt a surge of anger, against himself. no way! We can't let things go on like this.
He suppressed the voice like this, and at the same time said: "Never. If you have such thoughts, then give up. As I said, my taste has changed, not just for food."
"I don't mean that. I just...want what I can..." Zhong Yan argued in a low voice.
"Compensate me?" Adrian asked, seeing Zhong Yan nodded hesitantly, he said: "You don't need to pity me, the last thing I need is your pity."
Zhong Yan said anxiously: "I'm not pitying you! I just want to—" He suddenly stopped.
What does he want to do? Naturally, he felt guilty after learning the truth, and wanted to treat Adrian better, but if he asked himself, he did hide such selfishness and extravagant hopes. Possess miracles.
But miracles are called miracles precisely because they are rare in the world. He missed it once, and he still had fantasies. Sure enough... Zhong Yan stared blankly at the opened pressure cooker. There was no knife, and the leaves of the vegetables were torn by his hands. The time was thrown away, and the taste was damaged. It was destined to be a failed dish.
"I'm sorry." Zhong Yan didn't explain anymore, and silently picked up the lid of the pot that Adrian had thrown aside, "I won't do it next time."
Adrian frowned tightly, "You don't have to be like this... so humble. I just said that you don't need to do those things, just live."
"I've lived here not long, Ai—" He thought for a while, and then swallowed the name back. Adrian would be angry, and he said that he was not allowed to call his name, nor to pull his clothes, nor to clean the house and cook. These things that Adrian once enjoyed are now disgusting, and it is only natural, after all, Adrian no longer likes him.
"Today, I confirmed with Capital Star that after the new year, Inlent will lead the team to the Na'vi sector and pick me up and Bayer back."
New Years is just a week away.
Adrian's throat tightened when he heard this. It was clear that he himself asked Zhong Yan to inform Capital Star to pick up the people, but when he was actually informed of the specific time, he felt regret again. So soon, the days of being together day and night are coming to an end. When they set off in a week, Zhong Yan might only be able to stay by his side for less than ten days even when the people who came over were on the way.
And when will we meet again? Another seven years? Maybe we don't have to wait that long, the current situation is going downhill, maybe next year, at most the next year, the conflict between the Na'vi star area and the capital star will completely erupt, and then, no matter what method they use, they will get to know each other. See you.
Why did he have to take off the lid of the broth today? It's only ten days, seven years of remorse and hatred, could it be that his willpower is so weak that he can't even survive these ten days
"New Year... will you spend New Year's Eve at home?" Zhong Yan asked carefully.
"There was a celebration at headquarters that night," Adrian said.
"... Oh." Zhong Yan lowered his eyes to hide his disappointed expression, and picked up a rag to wipe the operating table that was splashed by the broth from the pot lid just now.
Go back to the room now, Adrian said to himself, don't be soft-hearted, you can't be soft-hearted to this person, isn't your lesson not painful enough
But he stood there as if his feet had taken root, watching Zhong Yan tidying up the messy kitchen alone, it was obviously still full of food, and this man was still busy inside, but it was no longer as hot as when he entered the door, Only deserted.
"What's the matter?" Zhong Yan didn't hear the sound of him walking away, so he raised his head and forced a smile, "Is there anything else?"
something. Today, he should ask Zhong Yan why he formed a party with Peisen before, and why he quit, but... Adrian saw a thin circle of red around his beautiful phoenix eyes, and it is not difficult to imagine that after he turned and left, those eyes were full of tears. Will quickly fill with tears.
Can't be soft on him... can't...
But the owner of the eyes is still trying to show a smile at this moment, maybe because he is afraid that he will be unhappy.
"I have something to do." Adrian said, sighing in his heart, "That day... I tried my best to get back before midnight on New Year's Eve."