Lu Yin bent her knees and moved back twice, escaped from his palm, and wiped her eyes: "No, I can do it myself."
She sniffed, her voice aggrieved and overly cautious.
Lu Qiang was half-kneeling and half-squatting, with his elbows on his knees, very close to her, his strong body like a wall.
The only bit of light was blocked, and Lu Yin sank into the darkness, the pressure was overwhelming, and she couldn't help shivering.
He looked at her, "Are you afraid of me?"
For a while, "... no," she moved slightly while answering, trying to stand up.
The corner of Lu Qiang's mouth hooked up: "Then what are you hiding?"
Lu Yin paused and forced a smile: "No." She pretended to be relaxed and tried not to look at him. Her arms supported the ground, her waist and abdomen were strong, and she stood up straight from the ground. Her ankles hurt. She bent her knees and hissed.
Lu Qiang was still squatting, glanced at the round calf, looked up a little, there were two small depressions in the hollow of the leg, a fragile tendon connected the delicate long leg, under the cover of darkness, it was weak and strong support with.
He rested his index finger on his knee, moved unconsciously, and raised his eyelids to look at her again.
Lu Yin tried to move her foot forward, but her ankle was so painful that she couldn't move forward. She said 'ah', and fell back, but accidentally fell into a copper wall.
The back and the bend of the legs just fell between his arms, and the buttocks were on his knees. When he raised his head, the cigarette between his teeth was next to her face.
Lu Yin was stunned for a moment, then struggled: "I'm sorry."
Lu Qiang closed his palm, no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't escape at all.
The person in his arms was restless, always wanting to straighten his waist and slip down, a slender waist twisted flexibly in the palm, like a snake. He pinched it as if there was nothing, and the body froze, not daring to move.
Lu Qiang got up, lowered his eyes, and glanced at her chest. She was wearing a white vest at home, with a wide style, and the roof was too dark. In fact, I only saw a piece of white, but the side against his chest was hot and soft, with a tactile feeling. True and appropriate.
He took one last look at the ashes on the ground, then turned and walked towards the door.
There are six floors in this building, an old-fashioned residence, with two flights of stairs leading to the first floor, voice-activated lights, Lu Qiang stomped his feet, and the lights turned on. Lu Yin narrowed her eyes, exposed to the strong light, she suddenly felt ashamed.
Lu Yin lowered her head, not knowing where to put her hands, she unnaturally smoothed the hair on her forehead.
There was a 'ho' laugh on the top of the head, and asked: "Which floor do you live in?"
Lu Yin said, "Second floor."
Lu Qiang asked: "Break in love?"
"No." She denied.
"Those who are full, go upstairs to pretend to be ghosts in the middle of the night."
Lu Yin said, "If you're not pretending to be a ghost, just burn something."
"To the dead?"
Lu Yin choked, but dared not speak out.
Lu Qiang hugged her and walked away easily, going down two floors in a row, "Did someone dump her?"
Lu Yin was vigilant, "Don't talk nonsense, I... my husband is at home."
"Then I didn't pretend to be a ghost with you."
Lu Yin clenched her hands tightly and lowered her eyes: "He's asleep."
Lu Qiang didn't ask anything else. He turned around the stairs and reached the third floor. He stomped his foot, but the light didn't turn on. Lu Qiang coughed heavily.
His chest was trembling with her arm, and Lu Yin moved away subconsciously: "This layer is broken."
After a few seconds, he asked, "Third floor?"
"Yes." Lu Yin said, "It's been a month."
Lu Qiang didn't speak for a while, and suddenly laughed.
The dark space made everything around her seem even more silent. She could hear his heavy breathing, accompanied by the slightly monotonous footsteps. It was only a few meters long, but it was more painful than ever.
There were still a few steps left, she breathed a sigh of relief, but held her breath again... Lu Qiang suddenly retracted his arm, knocking her up, his rough palm slid across her thigh, as if adjusting her posture, and tightened her hand, as if on purpose Test her weight.
Lu Yin's heart beat into her throat.
Standing firmly on the second floor, she suddenly said "ah", "I forgot that things are on the roof."
Lu Qiang: "Oh?"
Lu Yin straightened her back, motioning for him to put her down.
Lu Qiang glanced at her, let go of his left hand, supported her back, and put her on the ground as gently as possible. She stood on tiptoe with her injured foot and didn't feel any pain.
Lu Yin took a step back: "Well... can I trouble you to get it for me?"
Lu Qiang looked at her: "What is it?"
"Key." She pointed to the door next to her: "The key to the door."
Lu Qiang took one last look at her, turned around and went upstairs.
There was no sound, the voice-activated lights on the second floor went out, and the darkness returned. Lu Yin quickly glanced up, seeing that there was no movement, she tiptoed her injured foot and ran to the third floor.
She took the key out of her pocket, her hands trembling when she opened the door.
After entering the door, the lock was gently unlocked, and she leaned against the door, venting her strength, feeling like she was about to collapse.
After a long time, I breathed steadily, twisted my front and shook it a few times, sweating cold.
She thought of something and leaned her head to look out of the cat's eyes.
Not long after, the voice-activated lights upstairs came on, and Lu Yin held his breath, staring at the door without blinking. A tall figure walked into the field of vision. He lowered his head and walked steadily. The light was behind the man, his face was blurred and his expression could not be seen clearly.
As they got closer and closer, at the turn, he suddenly stopped in front of the door. Lu Yin's breath was stagnant, and she subconsciously touched the switch, only to realize that she hadn't turned on the light at all when she entered the door.
The man stood in front of her door for a while, turned sideways, took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, took two puffs, and when the flames went out, he rubbed his forehead with the hand holding the cigarette, and went downstairs.
From the beginning to the end, he didn't glance in her direction.
Lu Yin's hanging heart finally let go.
Lu Qiang went down from the third floor to the second floor, from darkness to light. He didn't pause on the second floor, raised his eyelids to look at the dark third floor, then looked at the light bulb above his head, and went downstairs.
He stopped at the entrance of the building, leaning against the dilapidated anti-theft door, trying to finish the cigarette.
A woman came across, with graceful steps, and her small high heels clacked in the night. Lu Qiang instinctively scanned the figure of that person, with tall chest, long legs, and waist and hips swinging from side to side.
Lu Qiang squinted his eyes and took a sip of his cigarette.
The woman walked up to her and smiled; "Brother Security, what's going on on the roof?"
Lu Qiang said, "It's nothing."
"Nothing?" She didn't believe it, and took a step forward: "If you are full, can you take it up to the roof and set fire?"
Lu Qiang didn't say a word.
She asked: "Male and female?"
"female."
"young?"
"Um."
She gossips: "You must have been stimulated by something, and someone dumped you, right?"
Lu Qiang said, "No, she burned paper."
"Burning paper?" She asked with a confused face, "Who burn it for?"
"Dead."
His voice was already low, and it was appropriate to the occasion. When a gust of night wind blew, the corners of the woman's skirt were lifted, and her legs were swishing. When the time came, several lights in the community went out with a 'snap'.
The woman screamed and plunged into Lu Qiang's arms.
Lu Qiang hadn't finished smoking his cigarette yet. He put one hand in his pocket and squeezed the cigarette with the other, leaning lazily against the door frame, neither hugging her nor pushing her away.
The woman trembled: "Just now when I was at home, I saw someone setting fire across the street... It's okay to really set fire. But, burning paper on the top of the building... It's scary enough, does that woman have a problem with her nerves?"
Lu Qiang said, "Who knows."
The woman said, "I'm a little cold." As she spoke, she rubbed her chest against his chest intentionally or unintentionally.
"You still change your clothes when it's cold."
Half an hour ago, someone called the security room, saying that someone set fire to the roof opposite. He was just about to fall asleep, and he put on a pair of big pants and headed in that direction. The caller was already waiting downstairs, wearing loose pajamas, Cloth slippers, unkempt, and no figure... Now it looks like a different person.
Lu Qiang pinched the cigarette in his hand, flicked his middle finger, and the cigarette butt flew into the trash can. The woman hugged her tightly, and he put his arms around her and touched her buttocks.
The woman couldn't help shaking, and was pinched by him to stand on tiptoe, and hummed uncontrollably.
Lu Qiang squeezed twice, paused for a moment, slipped his hand down, touched her thigh, and finally landed on the hollow of her leg.
It was a sensitive spot, she bent her legs back and clamped his hand, giggling.
Feeling different, Lu Qiang withdrew his hand.
The woman said: "Brother Security, why don't you take me back, my house lives across from here, it's too dark... I'm a little scared."
Lu Qiang glanced at her: "Then you have to find a bodyguard, this is out of my control."
He grabbed her hand, didn't bother to look at her, and walked directly to the security room in the distance.
The community is quiet and silent, and there is a dark road ahead. His footsteps are lonely, facing the unknown, just like his half life. Lu Qiang scratched his bald head, and suddenly laughed out loud, as if at this moment, he was sure of his mind again.
The road is also lit up.
***
Lu Yin sprained her foot while on leave, so she had to rest at home for half a month.
When she came to the factory early in the morning, her colleagues hadn't arrived yet, so she found a secluded corner and drank a cup of breakfast milk. The restaurant in the factory is actually a staff lounge, very spacious, with two unused sewing machines piled up in the corner, and a long wooden table in the middle, on which leftover pickles and vinegar bottles are placed. The sun shines through the old glass, and the dust can't hide under the beam. The electric fan above the head is whistling, and the whole room looks a bit chaotic.
Lu Yin looked back and sighed.
There were messy footsteps in the corridor, and several female colleagues came chattering, the voices getting closer and closer, Lu Yin rubbed the seat, inexplicably flustered.
Pushing the door open, the voice stopped abruptly after seeing her.
Lu Yin lowered her head and took a sip of milk, and someone greeted immediately: "Sister Yinyin, you are here."
"I heard you sprained your ankle, is it better?"
"I have soy milk here, Xiao Lu, can I share some with you?"
Lu Yin straightened her hair, smiled, and replied together: "It's a small injury on my foot, it will be fine after a few days... I just had breakfast, so there's no need."
The man smiled, put the soy milk on the table, and went to change in the dressing room behind the curtain.
The room was eerily quiet for a few seconds, everyone was doing their own thing, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Lu Yin felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, she cleaned up the trash on the table, and smiled: "I'm going back to the office first, we'll talk later."
Several people hurriedly said, "Let's talk later."
"good… "
"well… "
The door closed behind him, and whispers came from inside the door, something was said, but he couldn't hear clearly. She squeezed the doorknob lightly, feeling like a turtle, shrinking into her shell, hiding from the outside world, finally safe.
The colleague didn't say anything just now, and didn't even mention the cancellation of the wedding. But she couldn't bear others' careful avoidance and seemingly kind greetings. Seeing her eyes full of prying, sympathy and regret, this made her feel even more pathetic, like a failed experimental subject.
Came here in a daze all morning, and her colleagues went to the cafeteria to eat together. She didn't want to go, she wanted to eat a few bites of bread casually.
After being knocked several times, she looked up, and it was a male colleague.
"Let's eat together?"
Lu Yin shook her head: "You go, I ate a lot in the morning, and I'm not hungry yet."
The male colleague said: "If you eat too much, it is considered breakfast. It is noon now. If you are not hungry, it is best to eat some."
"not going… "
Just as the male colleague was about to speak, someone called at the door: "Chen Rui, I'm waiting for you, hurry up."
"Come here." He shouted, lowered his body again, and said in a low voice: "If you don't want to be a topic, the best way is not to be out of the crowd, but to act as if nothing happened, as before, as if nothing happened. "
Lu Yin suddenly raised her head, it is undeniable that escaping is the only thing she wants to do now, obviously, it is too difficult in such a situation.
She pursed her lower lip.
Chen Rui's eyes glowed with infinite vitality, and he encouraged her: "Let's go!"
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Yin stood up and followed him out.
The canteen meal is the most common three dishes and one soup, one meat and two vegetables, the soup is tasteless.
A few colleagues sat around the dining table, both men and women, chatting while eating, and they could be in full swing.
No one brought the topic to her on purpose, nor did they look at her with their eyes. It seemed that no one was talking about that matter behind their backs.
Lu Yin's back was not so straight, and she felt a little relaxed when she lowered her shoulders.
A person came in from outside and greeted this table. Seeing her coming to work, his eyes immediately became intriguing, and he asked, "Lu Yin, are you okay?"
The table fell silent immediately, some people lowered their heads, and some coughed in embarrassment. The colleague next to him bumped the man's arm, and she realized that she had asked something she shouldn't have asked, shrunk her neck in embarrassment, and slipped away.
Lu Yin put down her chopsticks, what she ate was tasteless.
The colleague just now was from another department, but she was nodding acquaintance, and she was not invited to the wedding with Liu Zecheng at all.