Fang Yunyao said that her old friend and female teacher whom she ran into in the plastic surgery hospital was called Zhou Yuandai. The two had been colleagues for several years. Although they were not in the same age group, the same discipline, or the same office, they still had some overlap.
The situation of reunion in a foreign country made this originally plain relationship rare, and the meaning was much greater. The two had a good talk and kept in touch with each other.
Regarding whether there were any obvious changes and differences in this woman, Xu Tingsheng asked Fu Cheng at first, but he didn't ask Fang Yunyao afterwards, although theoretically speaking, Fang Yunyao should have more say in this matter.
Xu Tingsheng had an instinctive fear of this person and this matter, his heart palpitations flustered, and he wanted to avoid her, hoping to have as little contact with her as possible, and to know as little as possible.
It is always easy for people to feel uncomfortable with this state of "knowing the unknown" and want to withdraw. In contrast, the state of complete ignorance or complete clarity is much better.
What made Xu Tingsheng even more incomprehensible was that Fang Yunyao knew this person, Fu Cheng had also met her, and even Huang Yaming and Song Ni, who were in China, expressed impressions of this music teacher from their former alma mater after being reminded...
She was even almost certain to be the music teacher who suddenly stopped coming to class in Wu Yuewei's second year of high school, but did not cause any trouble because of it.
"By the way, she also gave us a class in the second year of high school. She sings very well and plays the guitar very well."
Fu Cheng suddenly recalled that there was another thing.
But Xu Tingsheng searched his memory countless times, and he was sure that he had no memory or familiarity with this person who logically should have had some impression, as if she had never appeared or existed before.
This has greatly deepened his fear and escape psychology.
In fact, if he wanted to, Xu Tingsheng could go to that fat female nurse to verify some things, for example, is this woman really the high-flyer who has sponsored research for many years and had a full body plastic surgery
But Xu Tingsheng voluntarily gave up, because he realized that he didn't want to understand and verify.
"So what if it's confirmed? Check her? Catch her? Crack the shocking secret?" Xu Tingsheng thought, "I don't want it, everything is good enough for me now, I don't want to break it, don't take risks..."
Xu Tingsheng, who was reborn in the first life, has not become a superman with a sense of justice and curiosity like the protagonists of many rebirth novels. He wants to protect and grasp very few things, but he cherishes them very much, so he is careful.
He himself is a variable, and conversely, he is most afraid of variables.
The woman didn't show up again for the next few days, until the day Fang Yunyao returned to China, she unexpectedly made a special trip to the airport to see him off.
Xu Tingsheng pulled Fu Cheng away the first time she appeared. The two stood outside the airport smoking, the woman chatted with Fang Yunyao for a long time inside, and then went out, passing by Xu Tingsheng and Fu Cheng.
"There is not much time left, hurry up." The woman said.
This should be regarded as the first conversation between her and Xu Tingsheng. The woman smiled and spoke in a natural tone. Logically speaking, her words should be to remind Xu Tingsheng and Fu Cheng who are still outside the door to board the plane. The time is almost up, go in quickly, go through the security check, and board the plane...
An ordinary sentence.
But for some reason, Xu Tingsheng came up with a feeling out of thin air: this sentence was only addressed to him alone, and what "not much time" refers to was actually boarding the plane.
"Okay, then let's go in first. Goodbye, Teacher Zhou." Fu Cheng responded politely, and then walked in first.
The woman nodded to Fu Cheng.
Xu Tingsheng unconsciously looked up at her.
She cocked her lips at Xu Tingsheng.
Xu Tingsheng quickly turned his head, turned around and followed Fu Cheng into the airport. He really wanted to turn around... but he didn't.
The chaotic heartbeat and the flustered feeling squeezed in the chest did not gradually ease until the moment the plane left the ground.
"Illusion, it should be my illusion... That sentence is very common, yes, very common. I think too much."
"Actually, even if there is something strange about her... The plane took off normally, and nothing happened... It's fine that it has nothing to do with me, and it's fine that there is no intersection since then."
"..."
…
After nearly fourteen hours of flight, the plane landed in Shenghai. Fu Cheng and Fang Yunyao returned to Yanzhou first, while Xu Tingsheng stayed for a day.
On the extra day, Xu Tingsheng held a full-day meeting at Xingchen Technology, and used an almost dictatorial attitude to forcibly adjust the company's original expansion plan to a conservative plan that is steady and steady.
Xingchen temporarily stopped almost all business development steps, focusing on consolidating and strengthening the current business, tapping the potential and profitability of the business itself, accumulating funds, and training the team.
This kind of decision, on the one hand, is because of the aggressiveness shown by Apple's dad, Xu Tingsheng had to choose to shrink back first.
On the other hand, it was because Xu Tingsheng suddenly remembered one thing after he encountered obstacles in his trip to the United States to invest in Facebook - the financial crisis that would start in the United States in 2007 and spread to the whole world.
From the perspective of field expansion and capital efficiency maximization, that is the best time.
He can harvest a lot from the "ruins" with the cheapest and most unequal conditions.
There is only more than half a year left. In the half a year before this other people's disaster and his own time comes, what Xu Tingsheng has to do is to allow himself to grasp as much cash as possible and room to move around.
Expansion can and should be stopped first. If the plate is too large, flexibility will decrease.
Xu Tingsheng set the tone for Xingchen's development in the next six months, and then rushed back to Yanzhou, it was already night.
After getting off the highway, it was very close to the school, so he went back to the dormitory on the way, intending to get two pieces of clothes.
Xu Tingsheng originally thought that apart from Lao Wai and Tan Yao who were already living off-campus, the roommates who went out for internships hadn’t come back, and there should be no one in the dormitory, but unexpectedly found that the 602 light was on, and Li Xingmin was there, lying on the vertical wall alone with his knees bent. On the pillow when he got up, there was a large book in front of him.
He seemed to have fallen asleep and didn't realize that Xu Tingsheng had entered the door.
Xu Tingsheng feels very good about this kind of small daily scene, and he has a feeling of returning to the reality of ordinary life from incredible illusions, which makes people feel at ease.
Xu Tingsheng took his clothes and took a few glances at Li Xingmin, thinking that his sleeping position should be very awkward, and it's hard not to get up the next morning without being sore all over.
With a bit of a calm and caring mood between roommates, Xu Tingsheng walked over carefully and slowly, first gently took away the book in his hand, and then prepared to spread the pillow for him so that he could lie down.
"Brother Xu, what are you doing?" Li Xingmin raised his head and said.
Xu Tingsheng was stunned for a moment, "Aren't you asleep?"
Li Xingmin shook his head, "I was too focused on reading, I didn't notice you coming back just now, but I really didn't fall asleep."
"..."
"My eyes are small, so you can't do that! There's still a little gap..." Li Xingmin muttered, trying to open his eyes, but there was still only a gap.
Xu Tingsheng laughed, flipped through the book in his hand, ""Administrative Ability Test", are you planning to take the civil servant exam?"
Li Xingmin nodded, "I went out for an internship for a while before, and found that I was really not made to be a teacher, and I didn't like it, so I ran back early. I have been living in the dormitory alone for more than half a month, and none of you have come back. Then, I’m bored by myself, and after thinking about it... just start preparing for the civil service exam in advance. My parents hope so, and I also think that this should be the most suitable path for me to take after graduation. Otherwise, you will say that I What can you do?"
"The civil service exam is very good, stable, and the social status is not low. It is much easier to marry a daughter-in-law, and if you get along well, you will have a bright future." Xu Tingsheng admitted.
"Well, but I didn't think about a big future, I just thought about... settling down and being down-to-earth." Li Xingmin sat up a little and said, "Brother Xu, do you know? I never had a day to graduate and work, relying on myself The awareness of earning a living, I just lived in such a muddle, I got used to it. I ran back to the dormitory that day, I was alone, and I didn’t feel lonely at all, just like usual, I happily turned on the computer and played "Fantasy Westward Journey"... Then, Do you know what happened?"
"Have your account hacked? Feel discouraged, why don't you just study?" Xu Tingsheng said with a smile.
"No", Li Xingmin got up and got out of bed with a calm expression, turned on the computer, logged in to the game, and clicked on the inventory, "I made a non-level..."
"... Fuck! Are you crazy about it?!"
Xu Tingsheng leaned over and looked at the attribute box that popped up where the mouse was pointing on the computer screen. Under a level 120 weapon "Demon Slayer and Weeping Blood", there were clearly the words "no level limit".
Even from the point of view of money, buying a whole body with no grades is a trivial matter for Xu Tingsheng today, but this feeling of being unlucky in the game still makes him excited involuntarily.
Just like when he played "Fantasy Westward Journey" in his previous life, he was the slowest player in the team, but he was lucky enough to catch the first mutant lotus fairy in his life. At that time, the lotus fairy was only affordable by rich people. Divine favor.
"Is it a cow?" Li Xingmin said, "That day, I finished the identification casually, clicked the mouse, and was stunned for a second... followed by the whole person, swearing and yelling, come here quickly, see what happened to me? You see what happened to me?! I was really excited at that time, and I just wanted to show you off. I even thought that you would rush up, hold me down, curse, talk about my shit luck, and force I sold it, please eat... ”
"I yelled, yelled, jumped...but there was no response at all. Then I turned around and saw the entire dormitory was empty, and I realized...you are not here. I have no place to show off, and no one will rush Come up and press me down, forcing me to invite you to dinner. Brother Xu, can I be hypocritical? I feel so lonely at that moment."
This is a person who has graduated, walked into society, and been lonely. It is the first time for a young man in middle school who is so stupid to talk about loneliness every day... Xu Tingsheng raised his hand and patted Li Xingmin on the shoulder. Give him a cigarette.
Li Xingmin lit his cigarette and continued:
"Later, I sat alone in front of the computer for a long time. After thinking about it, I would have graduated. It turned out that I was a junior, and I will be a senior soon. The seniors should not spend much time together... Then they went their separate ways and worked independently. , life, busy, rare to meet.
In fact, it should be very similar to now. Brother Xu, Lao Wai, and Tan Yao, you three have your own careers and are very busy, and you don’t have to worry about the future; Internship, while thinking about where to work after graduation, so that I can continue to be in the same place with my girlfriend, they have already started to work hard, and each pair has a discussion... Even if they are worried, they will have different opinions and argue a few words , at least there is a sustenance.
But what about me? It's just me, I don't know who to look for, I don't know what to do, I don't know what will happen when I'm left alone... "
"... It's not that she disappeared after graduation, and besides, it's still one year away."
Xu Tingsheng comforted him. He seems to have realized suddenly that the loneliest person in 602 has always been Li Xingmin, but he is being mean and messing around every day, and he has never shown that state, so no one pays attention to it. and care too.
"That's right," Li Xingmin nodded, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Isn't it just in time for that day? The road I can see... Then I turned off the game and went out to buy books for civil servants. In the next half month, apart from eating and sleeping, I just read books and did questions, and then my heart gradually became more at ease. I have a feeling that I will definitely pass the exam, Brother Xu. In this way, I won't panic, and I can be safe and sound."
He looked at Xu Tingsheng, Xu Tingsheng nodded and said "Yes".
Li Xingmin locked the items, closed the game, and clicked uninstall.
"I'll keep this sword until I graduate and sell it to my brothers for a breakup... Let me buy it."
"good."
Li Xingmin hesitated for a while, and said: "And... that matter, brother Xu, don't worry about it, I let it go myself."
Xu Tingsheng knew that Li Xingmin was talking about the junior girl Yu Yayang, he had participated in this incident, used Hucheng's intern assistant position to defraud her, and once helped Li Xingmin win back, but later he left Hucheng because of Xu Tingsheng himself. , this matter will not follow suit.
It's just that I heard that Yu Yayang's attitude towards Li Xingmin was "naturally" reversed, and that city did not move back after all.
"Actually, if you are really unwilling, you must want to do something... It's just an internship. I can also decide on Hucheng's side now." Xu Tingsheng said... The most vulgar way of saying it is that Li Xingmin has been fooled and fooled for so long Xu Tingsheng is also willing to help out by asking him to be an uncle in front of that woman.
But Li Xingmin shook his head.
"I have deleted all her contact information... She can't like me, I know very well, so even if you help me, she will really stay with me. I think, she is such a person, by my side... I It will only make you more lonely and empty."
Now that Li Xingmin had figured it out, Xu Tingsheng naturally thought it was a good thing and stopped interfering.
As he himself said, ask for one, keep one, someone who doesn't love you at all is by your side... In fact, there will be no warmth at all, there will be, only the feeling of loneliness in the heart.
The two chatted for a while, Li Xingmin looked at the time and said, "Brother Xu, it's getting late, you should leave first."
"Actually, it's fine. How about I stay in the dormitory tonight?" Xu Tingsheng said.
"Don't," Li Xingmin said with a smile, "I'm still reading... I don't have much time left."