Shen Zhouhan's year-end tour starts in mid-December. There are three shows in Beijing, and all tickets are sold out.
He Xian and his mother Zhou Qin went to the first show together. Zhou Qin is in her fifties and approaching sixties, but she is in excellent condition, even better than the actresses in the entertainment industry. If you don't look closely, you can hardly see the fine lines on her face. Wearing an Armani dress, a beautiful diamond watch, and with He Xian, her tall and handsome son, she sat in the VIP seat. In addition to admiring her princess-like daughter, she also came to show how happy she is.
Shen Zhouhan has always been praised by critics for her delicate emotions and her perfect performance. Her performance was still good in this performance. He Xian sat there, enveloped by the mellow cello sound, his thoughts were touched, and his emotions and time flowed slowly together.
In the dim light, he couldn't tell who the perfect lover he missed was. Was it Song You, who had astonished him at first sight, or Zhao Shuqing, whom he had been dreaming about day and night. Some moments were particularly fascinating because of the beautification and addition in memory. People can beautify their memories to an astonishing degree. In the sound of the piano, he thought, that should be a person who had never existed.
After the performance, Zhou Qin and He Xian went backstage to see Shen Zhouhan. She was still wearing the long dress she wore on stage and had just removed her heavy makeup; when she saw Zhou Qin and He Xian, she immediately smiled happily.
Shen Zhouhan is Zhou Qin's child with her second husband after her divorce. He Bu Tong's cheating almost made her commit suicide - she and He Bu Tong got married when he was at his most frustrated, downtrodden, and in the worst living conditions. When she was pregnant with He Xian, she had no appetite and was in a bad mood. He Bu Tong was still working in a factory at the time. He had to ride a bicycle for half an hour every day to go to work, and he would cook, wash clothes, and do all the housework when he came back. In order to get enough fish, meat, eggs, and milk for her, he tried every means; when he went on a rare business trip, he saved half of his food expenses and carried a large basket of local specialty bayberry and loquats back, just to change Zhou Qin's taste.
Unexpectedly, ten years later, the world was completely renewed, but He Bu Tong and her had reached the end of their rope.
Zhou Qin collapsed for several months at that time, but suddenly one day she came to her senses and made a quick decision. She divorced He Bu Tong and never contacted each other again. She remarried soon, quit her teaching job, and started a business with her new husband. It was a good time, and the business was booming. So Shen Zhouhan's family was very well-off since she was born, and Zhou Qin didn't care about money and doted on her daughter. Shen Zhouhan was talented in music and had been learning cello since she was a child. Zhou Qin hired the best teacher in the city for her. Later, she went abroad to study cello with a famous teacher.
Shen Zhouhan only needs to practice the piano, and the people around her will take care of all other mundane matters for her, so that she can concentrate on immersing herself in her own musical world.
Zhou Qin greeted the backstage staff and people from Shen Zhouhan's agency. He Xian talked to Shen Zhouhan.
"Why didn't Teacher Zhao come?" she asked He Xian.
He Xian said gently: "I broke up with him."
Shen Zhouhan exclaimed "Ah", then he remembered that he seemed to have heard He Xian say that they had a conflict before, but he didn't expect that they really broke up.
She had a very good impression of Zhao Shuqing, who was elegant and kind, and treated people well. Once she went to the campus to perform, Zhao Shuqing even received her.
She didn't ask He Xian why he broke up with Zhao Shuqing. It was none of her business and she didn't need to judge anyone.
She just smiled and made a joke: "Do you want me to introduce you? Does the piano player like it?"
He Xian waved his hands: "I can't serve artists." Shen Zhouhan scolded him: "Why do you call those who make a living from music like monsters? The word 'artist' has been ruined. You are discriminating, don't you know that?"
When she said this, it seemed as if she really wanted to introduce He Xian. She mentioned several names and said, "Really, if you want to change your mind, come and ask for my contact information."
He Xian laughed at her worrying about nothing. But he was thinking of Lin Sitao. It was too fast to bring Lin Sitao to meet relatives and friends now. But he couldn't help but imagine. Zhou Qin, Shen Zhouhan, what would they think of Lin Sitao.
During the meal, Zhou Qin mainly talked about Shen Zhouhan's wedding. Shen Zhouhan's husband is a Chinese from abroad. The couple plans to hold the wedding once abroad and once in China. The wedding banquet in China will be organized by the bride's family. Zhou Qin can finally make up for the regret of not being able to hold a wedding banquet for her son, and she is very enthusiastic about this marriage.
After dinner, Shen Zhouhan left first, and He Xian sent Zhou Qin back to her residence in Beijing.
Zhou Qin asked He Xian to stay for tea and chat with him.
She and He Xian were too distant in their early years, and their relationship has only started to improve in recent years. But Zhou Qin knows that some distances can never be bridged.
She asked He Xian how his work was going, and then said, "Actually, I told you before about taking over the company. Have you considered it?"
She and her husband were both old and had decided to retire. Shen Zhouhan didn't know how to run a company, only He Xian had the ability. When she first proposed, He Xian refused.
Talking about it now, He Xian still said: "I have gotten used to my current job."
Zhou Qin sighed: "You are stuck in a dilemma now, and you are not free. It will be good for all of us if we hand over the company to you."
He Xian didn't say anything. After a moment he said, "Hire a CEO and put the shares in Xiaohan's hands, it's the same." He said lightly.
Zhou Qin's apartment in Beijing is very large. Every time He Xian comes, he feels that the layout is different from before. It's rare that Zhou Qin still has the heart to redecorate it from time to time. She is not afraid of making trouble.
Zhou Qin felt sad hearing him say that.
She said: "What will you do in the future? You can't get married, and you don't want children... The work is hard and you are tied to this system."
He Xian was also very surprised to see that she looked so sad and like she was about to cry.
He walked over, sat down next to Zhou Qin, and said, "Well, if I am considered miserable, how many people in this world cannot survive?"
Zhou Qin said: "I don't care, those people are not my sons!"
Ever since she knew that He Xian liked men, she regretted it very much, fearing that He Xian would be unhappy. She was unable to accompany He Xian at the critical time of his growth. This was her fault.
He Xian put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
He brought up Shen Zhouhan's wedding again to divert Zhou Qin's attention.
By December, Lin Sitao felt that he was too tight on money, so he had to take on a private job while reviewing. It was a renovation of an old dormitory, which was not difficult, but the drawings had to be produced quickly. He worked two or three nights to finish it, and he had dark circles under his eyes that he couldn't see anyone, so he had to wear a pair of black-framed glasses to cover them up.
But He Xian happened to ask him out that evening.
"Didn't you want to go to the movies before? How about today?" He Xian had just returned from a business trip. He hadn't seen Lin Sitao for a few days and was thinking about doing something that couples should do with Lin Sitao.
He Xian took Lin Sitao to an American restaurant. They had hamburgers and a lot of French fries, which the restaurant was famous for. The movie theater was right next to the restaurant. It was a private theater. He Xian said it was recommended to him by a friend and was very suitable for a date.
An old movie was playing. When the hero and heroine were in passionate love, Lin Sitao fell asleep leaning on He Xian's shoulder.
His head was resting between the sofa and He Xian's shoulder. He Xian was holding his hand and was fascinated by him, thinking that he was acting like a spoiled child. When he turned around, he found that Lin Sitao was really asleep.
He Xian paused for a second, took off Lin Sitao's glasses, supported his shoulders, and let him lean on his arms to sleep more comfortably.
Lin Sitao woke up suddenly. It was dark and quiet all around him. He sat up suddenly. He Xian was still beside him.
"How long have I slept?" he asked sheepishly.
He Xian said: "Forty minutes. Fortunately, I can still catch up to the end."
Lin Sitao tried to explain: "I don't usually watch movies like this. I don't know what happened today. Maybe it's too quiet here."
He Xian knew what was going on when he saw his face. He could tell that he had stayed up late. Either he was reading or working. But he didn't say anything.
On the way back, Lin Sitao almost fell asleep in the car again.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that He Xian's car had missed his neighborhood. He shouted, "It passed!"
He Xian smiled and said, "No."
He turned into another residential area in front, which was only a five-minute walk from where Lin Sitao lived.
He Xian rented a house here, which was fully decorated, and he moved in with new furniture.
He took Lin Sitao up there: "If the mountain doesn't come to me, I'll go to it. Since you don't want to live next to me, I have no choice but to move near you."