That night, Yang Zhao and Chen Mingsheng slept very late.
Yang Zhao brought a pajamas and a long-sleeved silk dress by herself. After changing, she lay on the bed with Chen Mingsheng and watched TV.
Yang Zhao seldom watched TV. She looked at the channels going back and forth on TV, and felt that Chen Mingsheng might not watch TV often either.
In the end, Chen Mingsheng parked the TV in a midnight movie theater showing an American Western with original subtitles.
Yang Zhao was lying in Chen Mingsheng's arms. There was no light in the room, only the flickering lights and shadows on the TV. Chen Mingsheng hugged her in one arm and said, "Sleep when you're sleepy."
Yang Zhao was a little tired, so she nodded.
In her line of sight, there was Chen Mingsheng's slightly bent left leg. The silver and white color on the TV shone on his trousers, and she counted the soft folds on them.
Chen Mingsheng's feet had clear tendons and slender soles. When he stepped on the bed lightly, the sheets sank slightly.
Yang Zhao couldn't remember what the movie was about, and she couldn't even recall its name. In her memories of that whole night, there were only Chen Mingsheng's steady arms around her, and the ever-changing lights and shadows on the TV.
The next day, Yang Zhao left at noon.
Before she left, she said to Chen Mingsheng, "I'll look for you again."
Chen Mingsheng nodded and kissed her lips.
When Yang Zhao returned home, she realized when she opened the door that she had left her handbag with Chen Mingsheng. Her keys, wallet, and mobile phone are all inside.
Yang Zhao rang the doorbell, and Yang Jintian quickly came to open the door.
"Sister, you are back."
"Yeah." Yang Zhao entered the room and said, "What are you doing?"
Yang Jintian said, "Read a book."
Yang Zhao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Have you eaten yet?"
Yang Jintian said, "I've eaten, I ordered Pizza Hut."
Yang Zhao smiled and said, "Go and study."
Yang Jintian looked at Yang Zhao, hesitant to speak. After Yang Zhao took off his shoes, he looked at him, "What's wrong?"
Yang Jintian said, "Do you still remember what I said yesterday?"
Yang Zhao nodded, "I remember."
Yang Jintian said: "That's good." He didn't say any more, turned and went into the bedroom. Yang Zhao looked at his back, at the door he closed, and remained silent.
Yang Zhao took out a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and poured it into a cup. She held the cup and thought for a while, then found that she couldn't memorize Chen Mingsheng's phone number.
She did many things with him. She could even say that she had put more effort into Chen Mingsheng than any of her previous boyfriends.
But she couldn't remember his cell phone number.
This realization made her stand in front of the phone for a long time.
Finally, she made her own phone call.
The call was connected quickly, and Chen Mingsheng told her over the phone that he was already on his way and would bring her the bag back later.
Yang Zhao didn't know what to say, so he said thank you.
In fact, not long after Yang Zhao left, Chen Mingsheng discovered that she had forgotten to bring her bag. He called her and found out that her mobile phone was also left here.
Chen Mingsheng went downstairs with the bag, intending to take it home for Yang Zhao. She mentioned that she would go back to supervise Yang Jintian's study today.
After Chen Mingsheng got into the car, he knocked down the pick-up light and threw his cane directly on the back seat.
When he was driving halfway, he received a call from Yang Zhao. Not long after he hung up, the phone rang again.
He answered the phone and said with a faint smile, "What did you forget?"
There was silence for a while, Chen Mingsheng felt a little strange, just about to ask again, a deep male voice came from the phone.
"Who are you?"
Chen Mingsheng paused for a moment while holding the steering wheel. He took down the phone and glanced at it. The contact person—Xue Miao was displayed on the phone.
Chen Mingsheng said, "Are you looking for Yang Zhao?"
Xue Miao said, "Isn't this Xiao Zhao's cell phone number?"
When the red light came on, Chen Mingsheng stepped on the brakes, and the car slowly stopped in the first row of the intersection.
Chen Mingsheng said, "I forgot her mobile phone with me."
Xue Miao groaned, and said again: "Then you are—"
Chen Mingsheng looked at the timer on the red light, which decreased by one second. He opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "I'm her friend. I'll send her the phone later."
Xue Miao said, "Excuse me, where are you now?"
Chen Mingsheng said his location, Xue Miao said wait a moment, then lowered his head and clicked on the navigator, and finally confirmed the location. He said, "You are already very close to Xiao Zhao's place."
Chen Mingsheng didn't know what to say, so he hummed lightly.
Xue Miao smiled and said, "See you later."
Chen Mingsheng didn't understand what Xue Miao meant by "see you" until he drove the car downstairs to Yang Zhao's house.
At the gate of Yang Zhao's unit, there was a silver-gray Porsche parked. A man in a well-fitting suit was leaning against the station in a relaxed manner, as if he was looking at the scenery in the neighborhood.
This picture seems familiar.
Chen Mingsheng didn't know why he could remember the license plate of this car so clearly, and he didn't know why he knew that the man was Xue Miao the moment he met his eyes.
Xue Miao also seemed to recognize Chen Mingsheng, and he waved at him tentatively.
Chen Mingsheng nodded at him, Xue Miao came over, bent down by Chen Mingsheng's car window, and said, "Hello."
Chen Mingsheng was still sitting in the car, he glanced at Xue Miao and said, "Hello."
Xue Miao said: "Xiao Zhao doesn't often forget things, this time I will trouble you."
Xue Miao was tall. He was bent over. From the corner of his eye, he saw the crutches on the back seat of the car. He was slightly taken aback, and involuntarily looked at Chen Mingsheng's legs.
For Chen Mingsheng's convenience, he didn't wear a prosthesis, and his missing right leg was clearly visible.
Xue Miao looked away after only one glance.
Chen Mingsheng didn't speak, but Xue Miao said, "Shall we go up together?"
Chen Mingsheng held the steering wheel and shook his head slowly. He handed the handbag on the passenger seat to Xue Miao and said in a low voice, "I'm not going up."
Xue Miao took the bag and said, "Thank you."
Chen Mingsheng said lightly no, put the car in reverse.
Xue Miao straightened up and watched Chen Mingsheng reverse the car and leave. He looked at the red taxi with a relaxed gaze and disappeared from sight, pouted angrily, raised his hand and loosened his collar. Then turned around and entered the unit door.
When Yang Zhao opened the door and saw Xue Miao, his brows were obviously frowned.
Xue Miao squinted her eyes and said sadly, "Xiao Zhao, did you forget that I will come today?"
Yang Zhao thought about it for a moment, recalling that not long ago he told her that he was going back to China, and that he wanted to have dinner with her.
"Is it today..." Yang Zhao welcomed Xue Miao into the door and said, "I'm sorry, I forgot."
Xue Miao entered the room, put the bag in her hand on the shoe cabinet, and said, "You have forgotten a lot recently."
Yang Zhao looked at the bag and was obviously taken aback. She looked at Xue Miao and said, "Why are you there?"
Xue Miao said: "I met the package delivery person downstairs."
Yang Zhao said, "What about others."
Xue Miao put on her slippers and said, "I asked him to come up with me, but he didn't agree and has already left."
Yang Zhao looked at the black handbag, remained silent for a while, and said to Xue Miao, "Did he say anything before he left?"
Xue Miao walked into the living room, took out a bottle of wine from the wine rack, put it on the table, and said, "What do you want him to say."
Yang Zhao turned his head and saw Xue Miao took off his suit and sat relaxed on the sofa. He also looked at her and said with a smile, "You probably forgot your bag when you took a taxi."
Yang Zhao didn't speak.
Xue Miao poured a glass of wine, dangling in the glass as if she was bored, but didn't drink.
Yang Zhao lit a cigarette and sat opposite Xue Miao.
"You see it?"
Xue Miao looked at the spinning wine and said, "What do you see?"
Yang Zhao didn't bother to beat around the bush with him, she said, "I spent the night with him last night."
Xue Miao didn't stop her hand and said, "Really."
Yang Zhao flicked the cigarette ash and said, "I'm with him."
Xue Miao laughed suddenly. He raised his eyes and looked at Yang Zhao, who was sitting opposite, with a calm and indulgent expression, as if looking at an ignorant child.
"Xiao Zhao, do you know what you look like now?"
Yang Zhao put the cigarette in his mouth and didn't look at him.
Xue Miao said: "You are like a young student who has fallen in love for the first time. For a moment of pleasure, you think that the whole world can make way for you."
Yang Zhao said, "Just take care of yourself."
Xue Miao smiled and drank the wine in one gulp.
He looked at Yang Zhao and said, "I have no right to interfere with the choice you make yourself, and you are on vacation now—" Xue Miao frowned again, and whispered, "Damn vacation..." Then He continued, "Vacations are relaxing, freeing, and you can do whatever you want. But—"
He changed his voice, looked at Yang Zhao with a faint smile, and said, "As your boss or your friend, I still want to remind you."
Yang Zhao raised his head, Xue Miao's expression was a little different in the faint smoke.
He said: "People's energy is limited, don't waste too much time on boring things."
Mars burned the cigarette bit by bit, and Yang Zhao panted lightly, causing the smoke cloud to deviate slightly from its orbit.
A voice came from the side, and Yang Jintian came out of the bedroom.
Xue Miao met Yang Jintian once before, and he greeted Yang Jintian with a smile while sitting on the sofa.
"Hello, boy."
Yang Jintian nodded at him, "Hello." He walked over and said to Yang Zhao, "Sister, let me get some water."
Yang Zhao didn't speak, she seemed to stare at a certain place in the void and fell silent.
Yang Jintian opened the refrigerator by himself, and took a bottle of water by himself. Yang Zhao stood up suddenly and said in a low voice, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Watching Yang Zhao leave, Yang Jintian turned his head to Xue Miao and said, "I heard you talking just now."
Xue Miao raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh?"
Yang Jintian lowered his head slightly and said, "I don't like that person either."
Xue Miao said, "You know him?"
"Yeah." Thinking of Chen Mingsheng, Yang Jintian couldn't help frowning, and said, "A disabled person who haunts my sister all day is really a rich woman..."
Xue Miao poured half a glass of wine and said, "How long have they been dating?"
Yang Jintian said, "Not long."
Xue Miao smiled and said, "It seems that you don't like him very much."
Yang Jintian sneered, closed the refrigerator and planned to leave.
Xue Miao said, "Wait."
Yang Jintian turned around and saw Xue Miao standing up and walking in front of him. Yang Jintian is not short, but he is still half a head lower than Xue Miao, and Xue Miao's body is often exercised, which is incomparable to a student like Yang Jintian who is still growing.
He stopped in front of Yang Jintian, Yang Jintian only felt that Xue Miao was so tall. He was wearing a neat shirt, with a handsome face, unruly hair, and a faint scent of men's perfume on his body.
Yang Jintian pursed his lips.
Xue Miao looks very good, the kind of faint sense of alienation that is neither arrogant nor warm, makes the young Yang Jintian can't help looking forward to it.
Xue Miao took out a small box from her arms and handed it to Yang Jintian.
Yang Jintian took it and asked him, "What is this?"
Xue Miao said, "For your sister."
It was a black velvet box with a simple style. Yang Jintian gently pushed open the lid with his thumb, and saw a ring inside.
It wasn't diamonds, it wasn't gold or silver, it was an emerald ring.
Like the deep green that encompasses everything, lying quietly in the black velvet box, the icy and cool visual sense makes people feel calm when looking at it.
Yang Jintian raised his eyes and looked at Xue Miao.
"ring?"
Xue Miao looked at him, raised her eyebrows, and said jokingly, "If you look at me like that again, I'll be even more embarrassed."
Yang Jintian closed the box and said, "Why don't you give it to her yourself."
Xue Miao shrugged and said, "I'm shy."
Yang Jintian: "..."
Yang Jintian couldn't help opening the box again, he stared at the deep emerald, as if fascinated by it.
Xue Miao said softly, "Is it very similar to your sister?"
Yang Jintian looked up and saw that Xue Miao's gaze was also fixed on that ring.
The excited look faded away, and the calm Xue Miao finally had the deepness that a man of this age should have, mixed with the slightest sense of fatigue. Yang Jintian suddenly asked him: "Do you like my sister?"
Xue Miao looked at Yang Jintian and said, "Most things in this world cannot be explained with just one word."
Yang Jintian frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Whether you like it or not."
Xue Miao looked at Yang Jintian's eyes staring at him, smiled as if admitting defeat, and said:
"like."
Yang Zhao washed her face in the bathroom, and after she came out, she walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her back. She took out her mobile phone, went to the innermost part of the bedroom, and dialed Chen Mingsheng's number.
She wanted to hear his voice, no matter what it said.
It took Chen Mingsheng a long time to answer the phone.
"Hello."
"Chen Mingsheng, I'm Yang Zhao."
"… Um."
After Yang Zhao finished speaking, he didn't know what to say. Holding her mobile phone, she looked at the tall buildings outside the window—
An unspeakable silence.
Chen Mingsheng didn't speak either. Yang Zhao bit his lip and said, "Thank you for bringing my bag."
Chen Mingsheng hummed, and said in a low voice, "It's okay."
Yang Zhao paused for a while, then said, "Do you have time today?"
She finally asked.
She forgot the appointment to have dinner with Xue Miao today, and she forgot to give Yang Jintian tuition, or she just pretended not to remember.
Yang Zhao desperately wanted to see Chen Mingsheng.
But Chen Mingsheng said: "I'm sorry, I have to run the night shift today."
Yang Zhao's heart calmed down for a moment—it wasn't cold or dignified, just quiet. She said lightly: "Then I will find you next time."
Chen Mingsheng said: "...OK."
Yang Zhao put down the phone, only to realize that his hands were shaking.
She knew that Yang Jintian and Xue Miao were chatting in the living room, and she could probably guess what they were talking about. She sat on the bed and didn't want to go back to the living room at all.
[Human energy is limited, don't waste too much time on boring things.]
[Sorry, I have to run the night shift today.]
Xue Miao and Chen Mingsheng's words came back and forth, reappearing in her mind over and over again, Yang Zhao pressed his forehead and took a deep breath.
Who else…
Yang Zhao thought, besides her younger brother and her boss, who else would tell her that she was walking on a twisted path.
Who else.