"Xu Ting and my brother had similar interests and often hung out together, and gradually became familiar with each other. His appearance at that time, well, although not much different from now, but less masculine, with a bit of delicate features between his eyebrows. In addition, he was new to the country and a top student who graduated from the Command Academy. Even if my brother wanted to protect him, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the garrison. You may not imagine how cruel a person like that would be to you..."
Ning Xi stood on a large bluestone by the lake, next to her was a weeping willow swaying in the wind. The wind blew gently from the other side of the lake, bringing with it a sharp and biting chill.
"I often saw him with tape on his eyebrows, a dislocated arm, or a sprained ankle. He walked unsteadily like a black and white emperor penguin. I couldn't describe what it felt like, but sometimes I would help him change the medicine, or even point at his head and scold him to be careful. By then, he was already famous in the army, but he always smiled shyly in front of me, just like when I first met him..."
Ning Xi suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Wen Liang, and said, "Will it be boring to listen to this?"
Wen Liang shook his head. He used to envy those people with stories. No matter who you are, it is a great blessing to have loved someone madly in your youth, or to have been loved madly by someone.
Ning Xi stared at him, a cheerful smile gradually appeared on her face. She waved him to come to her side, then took his hand, sat on the bluestone slab together, picked up a stone from the ground, raised her hand, and threw it into the lake from a distance. "Although I was only fifteen years old at that time, I had already completed seven domestic university courses in majors. I was looking for a direction that I was interested in and was preparing to study abroad. No one in my family treated me as a child anymore. My brother was scared of me since he was a child. He didn't even dare to speak in front of me. Not to mention my brothers and sisters from my uncles' families. When they saw me, they either shrank back or mocked me. I didn't have a single close friend. On the contrary, only Xu Ting was knowledgeable, smart, and determined. Well, there was another important reason. He didn't look that annoying..."
Wen Liang smiled and interrupted, "Just pretend I don't exist. If that person doesn't look unpleasant, what should I do?"
Ning Xi also smiled. She knew Wen Liang wouldn't care about this, so she continued, "After a while, we became friends. He would come to my house sometimes, and I would go to the military camp to find him. As time went by, my brother and everyone in my family started to act a little strange. They would pretend to tell me something casually..."
She laughed at herself and said, "It was not until later that I understood what my family was worried about. To be honest, at that time, I just thought of Xu Ting as a friend who got along well with me, and I had no other thoughts at all. After that, Xu Ting came to see me less and less frequently, but I still ran to see him whenever I remembered him. Sometimes he smiled brightly, and sometimes he would stare at me blankly for a long time without saying a word. He avoided me, was distressed, and perhaps even struggled, but in the end he chose to sit quietly by the side, listening to me and playing with me... Unfortunately, although I didn't think I was a great genius at that time, I often despised most people around me. In fact, I was still a little girl who knew nothing..."
"A year passed quickly. Xu Ting was transferred back to Guanshan Military Region after only one year in the garrison. Ha, it's funny that in order to hide the fact that the transfer was not targeting anyone in particular, my family even transferred my brother. When I heard the news, I didn't speak for a whole day. I felt like I was about to lose something important. It was also at that time that I realized that I had some attachment to this brother with a silly smile. So when he came to say goodbye that day, I pointed at his belly and said that if he didn't have a beer belly in ten years, I would marry him. He smiled, and for the first time like a brother, he ruffled my hair wantonly, and turned around and left without saying a word."
"I came right after Wharton's invitation. I finally understood what happened, but growing up in such a family, resistance was meaningless. Before leaving the country, I asked my second uncle's Ning Lan to take care of Xu Ting. She worked in the military district and had a good relationship with me. At that time, I thought that a man like my brother was careless, but Ning Lan was gentle and attentive, and she would not let Xu Ting hurt himself again... Later, when I was abroad, I heard the news that they were getting married..."
Wen Liang sighed. This was nothing more than a little girl with low emotional intelligence who was at an age where she didn't understand love and whose first love was strangled by the secular world and ethics before it had time to grow.
"Do you love him?"
Ning Xi was silent for a moment, her tone somewhat bewildered, and she said, "I can't say I love him, nor can I say I like him. The feeling is very strange and subtle. He is not the best man I have ever met, nor the most attractive one, but when I knew he was going to marry Ning Lan, my heart did hurt a little... No, it's not pain, it's an indescribable sourness, as if you bit into an unripe orange, the sour yellow juice made you squint your eyes and shed tears..."
"How about today? It's our first meeting after so many years. How do you feel?"
Ning Xi did not answer his question. She touched his shoulder playfully and said, "Do you think he would think something wrong when he saw you staying in my car so late today?"
Wen Liang smiled bitterly and said, "You want to use me to avenge your old lover, but you're making a wrong decision. I don't think he will feel threatened by me... Of course, this is not self-deprecation. Only someone with a high IQ like you can discover my brother's inner beauty. Xu Ting, you're not qualified!"
Ning Xi hugged her knees with her hands, curled up tightly, rested her chin on her knees, and smiled slightly: "This is exactly the answer I gave you. When I saw him today, I felt like I had let go of a heavy burden. I felt extremely relaxed and indifferent in my heart. Just like what a book said, we are close like friends, but also distant like friends. He is not old yet, but the little girl back then has grown up!"
Ning Xi didn't say anything else. She just stared at the dark lake from afar. After a while, she whispered, "I'm a little tired. Wen Liang, can you lend me your shoulder?"
Wen Liang reached out and held her waist. Ning Xi's body trembled slightly, but she leaned on his shoulder obediently.
The night is long, the wind is careless, but people are affectionate!
A light green jeep was parked at the entrance of a street alley in the distance. The pointed-faced man looked at Xu Ting's expression and whispered, "Captain Xu, how about this, huh?"
He made a secretive movement. The dark-faced man remained silent, but looking at his expression, he would execute any order from Xu Ting without hesitation.
Xu Ting looked at the two figures snuggling together by the lake with deep sadness in his eyes. He did not agree to Jianlian's proposal, but did not refuse it either. He started the car and quietly disappeared into the dark night.
A faint streak of white appeared in the sky. Ning Xi slowly opened her eyes and found herself curled up in Wen Liang's arms, wrapped in his coat. She felt warm without a trace of coldness. Wen Liang was still sitting upright on the stone slab, his black eyes looking straight ahead. He had a straight nose, light eyebrows, long eyelashes, and a soft side profile, which made him look quite restrained and handsome.
Ning Xi moved slightly, and Wen Liang noticed it immediately. He lowered his head with a smile on his face, as if the gentleness of the wind blowing on willow branches.
"woke up?"
Ning Xi sat up from his arms, but did not move away immediately. She remained close to him and asked, "You held me like this all night?"
"It's not a whole night, maybe three or four hours. Don't forget, it was almost two or three in the morning when we got here..."
Ning Xi suddenly grabbed Wen Liang's chin and said in a vicious voice, "Tell me, did anyone touch me?"
Wen Liang replied honestly: "Yes!"
"Really? How do you feel?" Ning Xi asked with a smile. She didn't believe Wen Liang would take advantage of someone's misfortune. For some reason, after what happened last night, Ning Xi's confidence in Wen Liang was even stronger than his own.
Wen Liang pointed at her hands, then her feet, and said with a smile: "Put your hands in front of you and curl up your feet, so that you can sleep comfortably... Does this count as touching your feet?"
"Yes, of course!"
Ning Xi jumped down from his arms, stretched lazily towards the fresh lake breeze, swaying her graceful figure, showing her infinite charm.
"Kid, seriously, you didn't take off my sunglasses, did you?"
Wen Liang said unhappily: "My curiosity is smaller than yours! Why are you talking so much nonsense? Why don't you pull me up? If I continue to sit like this, I might not be able to get an erection for the rest of my life..."
Sitting on the stone slab for a long time, the cold air entering the body might really affect the reproductive system. Ning Xi is knowledgeable and talented, how could she not understand this? Considering that she didn't feel anything strange on him just now, don't all young men have that morning thing? She couldn't help but ask cautiously: "Wen Liang, you are so young, you don't really have any problems, right?"
Uncle Wen was furious and said, "I am exhausted from holding a little fat girl like you. My legs have been numb from being pressed all night. If you can still react, then you are not a human, you are Ultraman!"
Ning Xi apologized with a smile, but she intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Wen Liang's lower body, and even deliberately curled her lips in disdain. If her legs were not really numb, Wen Liang would have wanted to pounce on her and let her sing "Conquer" on the spot! After getting up, Wen Liang moved his mind freely, thinking and punching, stretching his muscles by the lake, a few seemingly correct movements, but with an indescribable charm. Ning Xi asked curiously, but was choked back by Wen Liang's divine complaint, "Do I have to tell you that I know the Tathagata Palm?" She kicked a small stone away angrily and got into the car.
During this period of time, the two people went from strangers to first acquaintances, from testing to cooperation, from confrontation to dispute, and they used some tricks on each other. Although they finally decided to cooperate, their guard and vigilance did not decrease. It was not until last night that those layers of masks were torn off one by one by chance, and their relationship became closer invisibly.
"Where are we going now? I haven't really explored Qingzhou yet, how about you take me on a tour?"
Ning Xi looked at Wen Liang with a hint of anticipation. Wen Liang knew the three secrets of serving investors: eating well at the banquet, accompanying them well in the private room, and having fun in the scenic area. But reality was always cruel. He said helplessly, "Auntie, the two-day vacation is over. I have to go to school today..."
Ning Xi was stunned for a moment before she remembered that this guy who always liked to call himself her brother was actually just a tiny high school student. She immediately felt deeply frustrated. An elite from the Wharton School of Business had fallen to the point of hanging out with a high school student. What was even worse was that she seemed to be enjoying this kind of hanging out more and more!
"Okay, but I have to eat breakfast before going to school. I'm not familiar with Qingzhou, so you can find a place!"
Wen Liang realized at dawn that he had accidentally come to Yingcui Lake last night. Since it was a coincidence, he might as well go and see Jiang Zhilan. He said, "Let's go. Turn left in front. There is a food stall in Gongti. It's a good breakfast!"
"I've never seen someone as stingy as you. You treated everyone to the snack street last night, and today you're going to Da Pai Dong. You're addicted to eating at food stalls!" Ning Xi retorted, but the glutton in her stomach aroused her nostalgia for the delicious food on Dehua Street. She hurriedly turned the steering wheel and drove towards the Workers' Stadium.
Wen Liang observed her expression and knew what she was up to. He coughed and said, "This is just an ordinary stall, serving home-cooked meals. Don't expect too much. I'm just visiting a friend on the way. If it doesn't suit your taste, we can go back to Qinghe for a big meal!"
Ning Xi smiled and said, "You need to get to know me better. I can enjoy happiness and endure hardships. I'm not that squeamish!"
It’s not like you can “get into bed and have fun”, so what do you have to be proud of!
Pooh!
The Workers' Stadium still looks the same as when I came here last time, but the overall environment seems to be much cleaner and tidier. It seems that Niu Guifang did not dare to go against his words and did spend some money on the renovation.
Although it was only five or six in the morning, people busy trying to make a living had already started their day's work. The spacious Workers' Stadium was bustling with people in dozens of stalls. The sounds of hawking, quarreling, and laughter spread from the dense crowd, filling the air with life and energy.
Holding Ning Xi's hand, he squeezed through the crowd. Strangely enough, Wen Liang could pull her when he wanted and let her go when he wanted, but Ning Xi didn't react at all. So the power of habit is terrible. It's hard to adapt to anything!
When he arrived at Jiang Zhilan's stall, Wen Liang saw a graceful figure moving back and forth in the crowd. That beautiful face was filled with a sincere smile, which was so much better than the desolation and despair of that night!
This is also good. Isn't it because of such smiles that countless people struggling on the edge of life have the courage and motivation to continue living
"Sister-in-law, how is business?"
Jiang Zhilan was holding a bowl of spicy soup and was about to serve it to the guests when she suddenly heard the voice that lingered in her ears day and night. Her hand trembled violently and the bowl almost fell to the ground. A clean, slender hand reached out from the side and firmly grasped the other side of the bowl.
"Be careful, sister-in-law. I'm here to take care of your business, not to ruin it!"
Jiang Zhilan turned her head, and her gentle smile was as bright, gentle and unforgettable as that day!