Lin Sitao compared the 90% new black coat and the half-worn blue coat for a while, and decided to wear the half-worn one. As long as it was clean and tidy, it would be fine - he didn't want to seem to attach great importance to He Xian's invitation, and didn't want to seem to have great expectations.
Besides, he hasn't agreed with He Xian whether he will go.
He Xian arranged the time for Friday night, and Lin Sitao went to work as usual. He received the express on Wednesday, and on Wednesday he thought about it on Thursday, on Thursday he thought about it on Friday, and on Friday morning he thought about it at noon.
By noon, he still hadn't made up his mind to refuse.
After lunch, He Xian’s email arrived: “I’ll pick you up at the Design Institute at 7pm.”
Lin Sitao was busy until after get off work, and only turned off his computer a quarter before seven. He tidied up his desk and locked his drawers. He said hello to his colleagues who were still working overtime, left the office, and went downstairs.
It was exactly seven o'clock when we walked out of the design institute.
He Xian's car was parked across the street. He sat in the driver's seat, opened the window and waved to Lin Sitao.
As Lin Sitao walked towards him, he was thinking about giving their personal relationship a satisfactory ending today.
He didn't want to have any further relationship with He Xian, but He Xian was not someone he could afford to offend. If he offended He Xian, He Xian would tell him to get out of his current unit as far away as possible with just one word. Lin Sitao felt that he was making rapid progress - he had broken through the barrier of "He Xian" and started to think about very realistic issues.
They arrived at the restaurant at lunchtime, and the restaurant was already full. But when He Xian arrived, the restaurant manager came over to serve them personally, leading them to a reserved good seat - a private room with a view, and ordered dishes for them. Today they were having steak. The manager asked if they wanted some wine.
"The bottle of wine you sealed here before has not been finished yet."
He Xian paused for a second and said, "You can share that bottle among the kitchen. Let's open a new bottle today."
Lin Sitao lowered his eyes, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.
While waiting for the meal, a well-dressed woman came over to greet He Xian. She was as pretty as someone on the cover of a fashion magazine. When they were talking, her eyes could not help but glance at Lin Sitao. He Xian introduced Lin Sitao naturally, praising him as a rising star in the design institute and a pillar of the future. The person who heard it accepted it all and said with a smile: "Next time I need to renovate my house, I will definitely come to you for help."
Lin Sitao really wanted to explain that he was not an interior decorator, but He Xian actually agreed for him: "Okay, you must find him." The fairy left with satisfaction.
Five minutes later, someone else came over to greet He Xian. After everyone left, Lin Sitao asked him, "Do all the people who come to this restaurant know each other?" The Beijing city he knew couldn't be that small.
He Xian answered him: "Some of them are just names I've heard of." Lin Sitao blurted out: "Being a celebrity is really hard."
He Xian laughed.
Lin Sitao didn't quite understand his sense of humor, and probably thought that he was just a country bumpkin who made people laugh. He didn't care. He didn't have an image in his heart anyway, so he didn't have to bother to maintain his image in He Xian's heart. It's okay to be country. He was originally from a small city, and he was almost petrified when he saw the crowds of people in the Beijing subway for the first time.
He Xian felt that Lin Sitao was innocent and cute, and seemed very easy to be deceived.
He really regretted what he did that day.
"I'm sorry," He Xian said gently, "I did something ridiculous to you that day."
The food is served, the wine is sober, the atmosphere is just right, the food is good, and now is the right time to talk.
Lin Sitao could only say "hmm". He Xian continued, "I think you must have some problems. Maybe you won't believe it if I tell you - that was the first time I did something like this. Maybe I ran into a ghost."
Lin Sitao said: "Don't blame it on the ghost."
"Really." He Xian said.
"Why is that? Don't say it's a ghost, that's not scientific." Lin Sitao felt a little dangerous. He seemed to have flirted with He Xian unconsciously. This was wrong.
He Xian thought for a moment and said, "It's a long story. Are you willing to listen?"
Lin Sitao said: "Yes."
He Xian thought for a moment and said, "Someone very important to me left me. I have been wondering for the past few months why. He and I are both very serious people. We started very seriously and got along very seriously. But in the end, it was the most difficult ending for me to accept. I think it was probably because I was too serious, so I wanted to change my approach, or change my attitude."
He looked at Lin Sitao, who listened carefully. He said, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to do something stupid that day, but you ran into me. Now that I think about it, if I had done it, I would have regretted it."
He paused, and Lin Sitao asked at the right moment: "Why?"
He Xian said: "I think it through. It's not my fault. I'm not like that. It can't be changed overnight."
He and Lin Sitao stared at each other.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the outer wall of the box. He Xian put down his knife and fork. In his heart, he really wanted to throw the knife away. He didn't even have time to apologize.
Someone leaned half of his body in and said, "Old He, long time no see."
He Xian raised his head and had nothing to say - the person who came was still a beauty, wearing a new sweater from some unknown brand, and looked very coquettish.
Lin Sitao looked at He Xian, then at the newcomer, with an innocent look on his face, and watched what would happen.
Song You held a glass of red wine, sat down next to Lin Sitao, and introduced himself: "My last name is Song, and I have been friends with Mr. He for many years."
Lin Sitao said: "I know you, you are the anchor Song from the financial information program, right?"
Song You smiled generously: "It's me. I didn't expect that I would still be recognized after I got off the TV."
Lin Sitao said: "It's the same as on TV."
He saw Song You on TV nine years ago, so he could be said to have known Song You for nine years. But since He Xian didn't recognize him, Song You certainly wouldn't recognize him either.
Lin Sitao wondered, what is going on now
Lin Sitao thought, "I know He Xian and Song You; He Xian knows me and Song You, but he doesn't know that I know Song You; Song You only knows He Xian, not me, and doesn't know that I know him, and that he and He Xian were once in a relationship."
Hey. Lin Sitao suddenly found himself at the top of the intelligence chain at this moment.
Song You seemed to be hindered by Lin Sitao's presence, so she could only chat with He Xian casually, and then said: "We haven't seen each other for a long time. You didn't come to the last class reunion, I was quite disappointed - we had the best relationship back then. Let's go out and play again when we have time."
He Xian said, "Let's talk about it next time." Song You glanced at Lin Sitao with a smile and left.
Lin Sitao asked: "Are you and Song You classmates?"
He Xian said: "Not really."
After a moment of silence, he said, "Actually, he is my ex-boyfriend."
Lin Sitao didn't expect him to be so honest. He was not related to He Xian, so there was no need for He Xian to confess his privacy to him.
"Is he the person who is very important to you?" Since He Xian had said it, he had to show some interest. Otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to He Xian.
He Xian was a little embarrassed: "No."
He tried to recall: "It's been many years since I broke up with him, nine years, almost ten years."
"Time flies by so fast." He sighed calmly.
The awkward feeling lingered. He Xian swore in his heart that he would never come to this restaurant again. He never wanted to see Song You again. She was still thinking about her ex-boyfriend, which was a plus. But just when she finished thinking about her ex-boyfriend, another ex-boyfriend popped up. It was a disaster, a complete disaster.
At this point, saying, "I actually only have two ex-boyfriends" is already powerless.
Let's change people, He Xian thought.
Really should be replaced.
Lin Sitao lowered his head.
He needed to sort out his thoughts. He Xian's words were still coherent and there was no contradiction. Song You broke up with him nine years ago, and it was normal for him to have a boyfriend again. After all, in nine years, it was normal for someone like him to have three or four boyfriends.
But he understood that He Xian changed boyfriends one after another, and whether they were serious or not actually had nothing to do with him. Because it was not his turn to be serious.
That's it, it doesn't matter.
Lin Sitao looked at the dishes again and it was just like that. The steak and red wine in the high-end restaurant were not as delicious as the small restaurant in the university town that he remembered.
Both of them felt depressed by the end of the meal.
After the meal, He Xian was paying the bill, and Lin Sitao walked out of the restaurant quickly with his coat. He Xian had to jog to catch up with him.
"Xiao Lin!" He grabbed him.
Lin Sitao looked at him, and He Xian let go of him and just said, "Follow me."
They took the elevator all the way to the top floor of the building. There was an observation deck on the top floor.
When Lin Sitao went up, he found that the place was empty except for him and He Xian.
Lin Sitao had actually seen what He Xian wanted him to see—
This is the best height and the best angle to appreciate the buildings opposite.
That was the first job that Lin Sitao participated in after graduation. Although he was just an assistant at that time, he still remembers the day when the building was completed clearly.
He Xian whispered, "You are a smart, motivated, and healthy person. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I'm sorry."
Lin Sitao looked at him.
"… and you're still so cute. You're the cutest person I've ever met."
He Xian moved closer to Lin Sitao and stroked his hair: "… I'm sorry."