When they arrived at the station, some people ran away.
The rain became more and more lingering, and a soft curtain was woven between the sky and the earth.
Lu Qiang got out of the car unhurriedly, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at her back. This is a light industrial area built in Zhangchuan City in recent years. There are no residents nearby, and there are rows of gray factory buildings. There is a garment factory in front of it. Outside the rigid board room is a wide yard. People come and go, and the words 'Du Hua Garment' are written on the top of the iron gate.
When the bus stop was less than 100 meters away from the factory, with 40 meters left, someone called Lu Yin.
She stopped, her head darkened, and a big black umbrella covered her.
Lu Yin turned her head: "... good morning."
"Morning," Chen Rui asked, "Did you bring an umbrella?"
Lu Yin tilted her head and took the opportunity to look back from the corner of her eye. The man got out of the car and stood on the steps, looking in this direction. She pursed her lips and didn't look back.
"Lu Yin?"
"Huh?" She came to her senses, her eyes fell back on Chen Rui, "What did you say?"
"I said, it's raining today, why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
She didn't listen to half a sentence, and she couldn't help being distracted. In the endlessly flowing streets, the hustle and bustle slipped through the middle; the drizzle was like weaving, and a light mist was formed. The man was motionless, like a statue without temperature.
"Hello!"
Startled, Lu Yin stroked her temple hair: "Sorry, I didn't..."
Chen Rui smiled and did not repeat: "It doesn't matter."
The two walked into the yard, and Lu Yin pushed the handle of the umbrella a little further: "No, it's all wet anyway, you can support it yourself."
Chen Rui leaned this way again: "I'm a big man, what are you afraid of, don't catch a cold."
Lu Yin smiled politely and distantly, and didn't speak any more.
Lu Qiang squinted his eyes, watching the two push and push into the yard.
The man was half a head taller than her, lean and thin, well-dressed and well-dressed. The black umbrella tilted to the right so badly that a large piece of his left shoulder was wet.
That woman's little bird leaned against the person, her shoulders were shrunk, and she was barely close to the person's body.
Lu Qiang gritted his teeth and looked down at himself.
The man's blue shirt, black trousers, and leather shoes were brand new and shiny after being washed by the rain.
He was wearing an old sweatshirt, wide-leg pants, and his cloth shoes were torn from the rain.
Lu Qiang looked in that direction again, but the two people were no longer there. From the beginning to the end, she never looked back at him.
Lu Qiang snorted and said, "Come on."
He took shelter from the rain on the platform for a while, but the rain did not slow down. He smoked a cigarette, and impatiently, he found a place to make a phone call against the rain.
Genzi asked: "Brother, where are you, I will pick you up."
Lu Qiang looked around and spat, "Who the hell knows what kind of place this is."
...
Half an hour after the root was found here, Lu Qiang was squatting by the side of the road to smoke. At the back is a dilapidated general store, with waste books and cartons piled up under the window sill; beside it is a bicycle that is falling apart, and it is so rusty that it can no longer be ridden;
With his arms hanging on his knees, he was smoking a cigarette, not knowing what to think. Squinting one eye and exhaling lightly, the smoke rose mistyly in the wet world.
He seemed to melt into this dilapidated old rainy day.
Genzi honked the horn twice.
Lu Qiang didn't move, he just pulled his eyes back, saw that it was the root, took a deep breath, and threw the cigarette butt into the puddle.
He got into the car and rubbed his neck with his hands. Although there was a tile covering his head, his shoulders were still wet.
Genzi handed over a towel, and he didn't mind it, just used it to wipe his hair.
"Brother," Genzi looked sideways: "Where are we going?"
Lu Qiang said, "Consumption."
His eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took out his cell phone: "Then, I'll call Li Qing quickly and ask her to wait for me."
Lu Qiang glanced at him: "It's broad daylight, what are you making a fuss about?"
"...Aren't we going to pick up girls?"
Lu Qiang smiled: "Soak up your uncle."
Genzi was very disappointed, the phone was connected, and he pressed it directly.
Lu Qiang said: "Is there a shopping mall near here, buy a mobile phone."
Only then did Gen Zi remember, "Okay." As soon as he turned the steering wheel, the car changed lanes.
It takes about ten minutes to get to the nearest shopping mall. The rain has lightened and is falling. The rainy season has not passed yet. I don’t know how long this wet weather will last.
Lu Qiang opened the window slightly, and the cool wind mixed with the rain blew in.
Genzi chatted: "Brother, why did you come here so early in the morning?"
Lu Qiang said, "I got on the wrong bus."
"Then where were you going?"
"go home."
Genzi wondered: "Don't you just live across the street from the community, and still use the car?"
Lu Qiangliang glanced at him coldly, and shut his mouth at all.
They wandered around the shopping mall and found a brand counter. After the salesperson gave a brief introduction, they didn't understand much, so they just bought and paid.
Lu Qiang's rough fingers touched it a few times, but he didn't know how to use it.
Genzi laughed aside.
He swept him: "What are you laughing at?"
Genzi said, "Brother, this phone doesn't look like yours."
Lu Qiang looked at him.
He said: "You are dressed like a thief."
"Fuck..." Lu Qiang raised his arms, but his roots shrank back.
Lu Qiang flicked the corners of his clothes, unnaturally thinking of the man just now: blue shirt, black trousers, a black umbrella completely covering Lu Yin's head, and his manner was gentlemanly and considerate.
His heart was in a panic, so naturally he didn't look good, put away his phone, and walked forward.
Genzi trotted two steps to keep up: "Where are we going next?"
Lu Qiang looked around with his head raised, and said, "Turn upstairs."
***
Lu Yin was absent-minded at work in the morning, and made two mistakes in recording the sample data. If her colleagues hadn't reminded her, she would have almost shown it to her superiors.
At noon, she shared a table with her colleagues, and they got together to chat for a few words. She was not in the mood and just focused on eating. Just halfway through eating, Chen Rui walked in from the outside, stood at the door and looked at it for a long time, his eyes lit up, and he came directly in this direction.
Opposite Lu Yin was an empty seat, he sat down, greeted a few people, and moved his gaze to the opposite side.
He said: "I asked the master to make some ginger tea. If you are caught in the rain, drink a few sips to get rid of the cold."
The two female colleagues next to each other looked at each other, and they agreed silently.
Lu Yin was still out of shape, raised her head, and there was a thermos in front of her.
She reacted for a few seconds, quickly glanced to the side, and pushed back: "No, thank you, you can drink it yourself."
Chen Rui said: "Don't be brave, it's too late to drink after you catch a cold." He unscrewed the lid of the cup, and a smell of ginger wafted out, and the mouth of the cup was still steaming.
Lu Yin frowned, and it would not look good to continue to push back. She got up and went to the window to get four empty glasses, and put them in front of her colleagues.
Before he could stop him, she divided the cup of ginger tea into four and joked, "Chen Rui is quite considerate, he is considerate enough for our female colleagues."
Chen Rui thought for a while, guessed her scruples, and said, "Drink some, you girls are too weak."
The colleagues looked at each other again, humming in response.
In a small episode, Lu Yin didn't finish her meal and only moved a few chopsticks. She excused herself and went back to the office first.
The work in the afternoon was still sporadic, and the rain outside never stopped. When I got off work, the rain fell very thinly, turning into a light misty fog.
Chen Rui was haunted and waited for her at the door again.
Lu Yin was upset for no reason, and lowered her head, pretending not to see.
Chen Rui followed a few steps, went to the bottom of the steps, and put up the umbrella: "You can use this, my house is very close, and you will be there in a while."
"No, it's not raining too much." Lu Yin's tone was blunt, already expressing his refusal very clearly.
A colleague came over and greeted with a smile.
Chen Rui withdrew his hand in embarrassment, and said, "Do you... have time in the evening? Let's have dinner together if nothing happens?"
"I have time." Lu Yin stopped, and said clearly: "But I can't go out with you, lonely man and widow, what do you want others to think?"
Chen Rui said: "Why do you care what other people think? I don't have a girlfriend, but you..."
Lu Yin interrupted: "If I care about someone, the other person is really someone else, and I won't consider what they think." She paused: "But now, I don't have anyone I can care about."
Chen Rui's eyes darkened, and he still wanted to fight: "I want to..."
Lu Yin smiled: "No matter what you think, Chen Rui, I don't have any thoughts right now, and I don't want to be someone else's talking point. I appreciate your kindness. I'm really sorry."
She didn't give him a chance to speak, a taxi came by the side of the road, Lu Yin waved her hand, the car stopped, she quickly opened the door and got in.
In the car, she called Ye Fan and wanted to ask her out for a sit-down. It was said that the company had recruited a new batch of graduate students. They were busy with training and had no time. They simply chatted a few words and then hung up. Lu Yin didn't want to go back, so she ate at a nearby shopping mall, went to a few shops downstairs, and tried on two clothes, but she didn't like it much. I lingered for an hour, and when I came out, the music fountain in the square was already on. There were children playing by the water, and couples held up their mobile phones to take pictures.
The rain washed the city clear and bright, and a puddle of water covered the marble floor, reflecting the colorful night. The wind was cool, so Lu Yin found a dry chair and sat there for a while. At half past nine, there was really nowhere to go, so she walked back slowly.
Lu Yin relied on walking tonight. She came out in the morning and wore high heels. The road was slippery in rainy days, so she walked extra carefully. Her feet were struggling, and her ankle bones were already worn out.
It took twenty minutes for this section of the road, and when she walked around the corner, she quickly looked up. Due to the weather, there was no one at the busiest gate in the past, and the simple sentry box was closed, lifeless.
Lu Yin breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help laughing at herself in her heart. This night was pure nonsense. Others had nothing to do to tease her, so they took it seriously like a fool. Thinking of this, she felt a little angry in her heart. How did she feel in the end? I don't understand myself.
She didn't feel tired until her full bow was broken, so she quickened her pace and walked home. Passing through the small door, there was a "squeak" from her side, and before she could react, a force dragged her into the sentry box.
Stumbling all the way, Lu Yin became dizzy, and when her brain recovered, she was pushed against the wooden door. The room was dark, moonlight came in through the gaps in the curtains, the windows and doors were closed, and the surrounding air was thin and humid.
Her palms pressed against her hard chest, but she couldn't push it.
Lu Yin slapped her hard twice, like hitting a stone: "Go away."
"This is my place, where are you going?" His voice was soft, with a slight smile, he pinched her waist with his big palm, and rubbed her maliciously. This behavior was even more presumptuous than in the morning, the window paper was pierced, and the wind blew in unscrupulously, there was no need to cover up and show mercy.
Lu Yin panted roughly: "Then let me go."
"You can't go either."
Lu Yin was startled, "...crazy." She writhed in the crack.
A certain part in front of his body was abnormally soft, Lu Qiang's breathing was slightly stagnant, and his anger suddenly surged up, the heat was unbearable. The breath just blew on his neck, and there was a feather sweeping back and forth in his throat. Lu Qiang grabbed her slapping wrist and fixed it on the door panel: "Don't move around."
His voice was suddenly hoarse, and the three words were close to scolding. Lu Yin was startled by him and dared not move.
Lu Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and let his body move away a little.
He asked in a low voice, "Are you back so late?"
Lu Yin bit her lip and did not answer.
Lu Qiang asked, "Where's your phone?"
Lu Yin raised her head in the darkness, the glimmer of light outside the window shone into her eyes, shining brightly.
Lu Qiang explained: "I bought a new mobile phone today, give me your number, and I will deposit it."
"No need," Lu Yin said, "We don't know each other well at all."
He glanced down at the tight body and smiled: "Aren't you familiar?"
Lu Yin bit her lip.
"give or not?"
"No."
Lu Qiang made an inch of it, "Then I will find it myself." As he said that, his hands went down first, grabbing her buttocks.
Lu Yin shivered, stood on tiptoe, and twisted again. He came alternately with both hands, she dodged left and right, and stopped her, already crying.
Lu Yin trembled: "I'll give it, I'll give it, don't look around, you don't have your phone with you."
Lu Qiang withdrew his hand, she gave the number, and he stumbled into the phone, dialed it, and didn't stop until he heard the ringtone.
Due to his distraction, Lu Yin took a step to the right, trying to escape from his control, but Lu Qiang caught him back as he would not be a man's opponent.
He said, "I haven't finished my question yet."
"What else do you want?"
Lu Qiang was silent for a moment, "Have you thought about what I said this morning?" When he spoke again, he lost the previous frivolity, and every word seemed overly serious, his eyes were fixed on her in the dark, waiting for her to answer .
Lu Yin was upset: "No."
Knowing that she was annoyed, Lu Qiang didn't force her: "Don't worry, you have to think carefully about major events in your life."
"You..." Lu Yin was at a loss for words, and after holding back for a long time, she didn't know how to refute him. Facing Chen Rui at that time, he was calm-minded, straightforward, and explained the matter clearly in a few words, but now he seemed to be dumb, and uttered three words in a hurry: "... Shameless."
Lu Qiang smiled: "I'm not kidding."
"I'm not joking either."
"I mean it."
"Really and fake..."
Lu Qiang pressed his thumb to her lips: "Don't answer in a hurry, think about it carefully, or if you want to get in touch with each other first, it's fine. We live near each other, and it's convenient for us to communicate with each other."
He took a step back after speaking, leaving space for her. The door was right behind Lu Yin, and when he walked away, she held the doorknob with her backhand, and before leaving, she finally shouted: "We have no game."
These few words have no deterrent effect, rather like a quarrel between lovers and losing their temper, Lu Yin was so regretful that she wanted to bite her tongue off. After struggling to run a few steps, Xiao Gao stepped on the cement road with 'da da', her heartbeat still couldn't calm down. Looking back on the conversation just now, none of the words were decisive and cut off his thoughts.
Thinking of Chen Rui again, he calmed down and realized the difference between the two.
Chen Rui is a human being, but he is a beast that eats people without spit out bones.
***
The sleep that was so easily adjusted failed again.
Lu Yin lay on the bed, repeating, his words kept echoing in his ears.
- "Guess I don't think about you."
...
— “You are the one who dreams at night.”