Chapter 8 Chapter Seven If You Can Turn Back

Shen Jie... Shen Jie... What would the story be without this person?Will there still be so many variables, or branches that grow wildly? Sang Li unconsciously drew the name on the table of "Mei Se" with his fingers. When he did so, he seemed to be able to recall Shen Jie's appearance: a clean face, a refined temperament, and a warm but confident smile when he smiled. a feeling of…… While he was in a daze, he heard someone beside him say, "Sang Li, are you selling yourself to Ma Yu?" Sang Li turned her head and saw the young and beautiful proprietress of "Mei Se" talking to her.

Before she could open her mouth, she heard Ma Yu chasing after her to fight back: "Sheng Jin, don't try to get her idea. It doesn't count if you are degraded yourself, and you still have to delay?" Sheng Jin ignored Ma Yu, pulled Sang Li aside and lobbied: "Come here, I will give you a high salary, and there are men, the men who come to me are all high-quality..." Ma Yu patted his head before he finished speaking: "Sheng Jin, are you tired of working? How dare you even hit your sister-in-law's idea?" Sheng Jin pouted, just about to say something, when he suddenly saw a figure in the distance, his eyes lit up, and he waved happily: "Here, Shen Jie, here!"

With a "boom", a bolt of lightning struck across the sky! Sang Li turned around stiffly, and in the dim light, he saw a figure of a man getting closer, and getting closer... Finally, he walked over from the door, with a slight smile on his lips, and like many times before, he looked at Sang Li gently and said, "Sang Li, long time no see!" Sheng Jin was stunned. Ma Yu frowned. Sang Li stared blankly at the person in front of him: his appearance has not changed, he has lost some weight, his complexion is not very good, there are obvious fine lines at the corners of his eyes, he is forty years old, Shen Jie, how can someone like you be forty years old? the day of the year...

In fact, it has only been more than three years since they broke up, but why does it feel like a long time has passed? Three years can also be a sea of ​​vicissitudes. In the performance that night, Sang Li still performed her best level dutifully—on the stage, her voice was like a magical fog, permeating the "charm", and most of the people sitting in the audience were connoisseurs. During the interval between the first song, there was thunderous applause. Sheng Jin sat beside Shen Jie, turned a wine glass in his hand, looked towards the stage, and asked Shen Jie with a smile: "Have you known each other for a long time?"

Shen Jie also stared at Sang Li's figure, and said calmly, "Nine years." Sheng Jin's eyes widened in surprise: "Why didn't I hear you say that?" "Didn't you say that?" Shen Jie frowned, as if thinking, "I couldn't find her when we met." Sheng Jin didn't speak, just stared at Shen Jie for a while.Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration, and she called out "Yeah", pointed at Sang Li and asked Shen Jie, "The one in Li Garden..." Shen Jie smiled slightly: "You said if she saw it, would she come back?"

"Shen Jie, you can't do this," Sheng Jin was anxious, "She belongs to my elder brother, and will be my sister-in-law in the future, you can't destroy them!" "Big brother?" Shen Jie also smiled, "You don't seem to have said that you have a big brother." Sheng Jin sighed and looked at Ma Yu who was sitting not far away: "He is my cousin. My uncle and aunt passed away early, and my parents and grandparents have always taken care of him. Later, he went to City G when he was going to college. , and then took a scholarship to go abroad. Originally, he wanted to go back to G City to marry his girlfriend and settle down there, but who knows, they broke up later. After returning to China, he came back here, and then met Sang Li. Now they are neighbors , is also a relationship that has just started not long ago."

Shen Jie clenched the wine glass in his hand, but his tone was very calm: "Then do you know what relationship I had with Sang Li?" Sheng Jin stared at Shen Jie with wide eyes: "You..." "I thought I would marry her." Shen Jie looked at the stage in a daze, and saw that Sang Li had come down from the stage and walked to sit next to Ma Yu.She was still so beautiful, with the charm of some mature women, which attracted the attention of several men in the bar. Sheng Jin looked at Shen Jie, then at Sang Li beside Ma Yu, opened his mouth, but finally said nothing.

To Sang Li's surprise, Shen Jie didn't say anything to her that night. He just sat so quietly in the distance, quietly listening to her sing, and occasionally clapping politely. She thought: Sheng Jin sitting next to him, isn't that a beautiful woman? Shen Jie, what is his relationship with Sheng Jin?Why did he come to this city?Why does it appear in "Charm"?Although the escape back then was terrified enough, it was exactly what he wanted, didn't it? In other words: if he hadn't given up on his own initiative, how could she have escaped from his Wuzhishan? While thinking this way, Ma Yu's car had already stopped in the parking lot. In the dead of night, the sound of empty footsteps in the parking lot seemed to be more frightening.

Ma Yu sent Sangli upstairs, closed the door, and went to the refrigerator to get orange juice in a familiar way.Sang Li thought he was going to take a rest, didn't ask any further questions, took his pajamas and went to take a shower.After taking a long aromatherapy bath and walking out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see Ma Yu still sitting on the sofa watching TV. Seeing her come out, Ma Yu patted the sofa beside him: "Come and have a seat." Sang Li obediently walked over and sat down beside Ma Yu.Ma Yu gently embraced her, let her pillow in his arms, and then smoothed her hair with his hands.When he did this, he suddenly remembered the song "Through Your Black Hair and My Hands" that was popular many years ago.

The words inside said: Such and such affection is like passing away in a blink of an eye, and I don’t understand why the sea will become a mulberry field... The woman in front of me, she is only twenty-eight years old, how did she go from the sea to the mulberry field, and walk such a hard half of her life? Ma Yu lowered his head and could see Sang Li's fair neck. He bent down and called her in a low voice: "Sang Li..." Sang Li turned over, met Ma Yu's gaze, saw him staring at her intently, and smiled: "What do you want to ask?" She looked into his eyes, as if trying to see into her heart.

Seeing that Ma Yu was silent, Sang Li stretched out his hand to caress his face, and asked in a good temper, "Didn't I tell you about who Shen Jie was on the plane back..." Before the words fell, Ma Yu suddenly heard Ma Yu say: "Marry me." Sang Li's eyes widened, thinking that his ears were broken. Ma Yu repeated: "Marry me, Sang Li." Sang Li was completely dumbfounded. After a long time, I heard Ma Yu muttering to himself: "I want to give you time, but I can't wait any longer. I'm afraid, if you wait any longer, will you go with him..." Sang Li's heart was still suffering from a huge shock wave, and he subconsciously asked, "Who? Who are you talking about?" However, Ma Yu didn't answer, he just lowered his head suddenly, and kissed her unspoken words fiercely, from her smooth forehead to her plump lips, her slender neck, her soft chest... her breathing became heavy, In such a silent night, in a lonely house, there are sparks bursting brilliantly, making a vague but clear "cracking" sound. His hand slid skillfully all the way into her pajamas, and the wet skin exuded a nice lavender aroma.Ma Yu took a deep breath, the moment his cheek touched her delicate skin, he could even feel her trembling slightly, but he still put his arms around him.Ma Yu raised his head in the breath of lavender, and the next second, with a sudden force in his hand, he picked up Sang Li and walked to the bedroom. Sang Li looked up in Ma Yu's arms, and saw Ma Yu's side face, his eyes were like lustrous shining stones.The bright lights were swaying above her head, she couldn't help closing her eyes, but instinctively hugged the man in front of her tightly, like a flexible silk flower, tightly wrapped around the vigorous tree trunk! At this moment, who he is seems to be unimportant, what is important is that it has been three years, how many times has she longed for such a warm embrace! In such a familiar night, the man's body, the breath of desire, his limbs and lower abdomen were like sparks burning brightly, swaying and jumping, and the feeling of pleasure and discomfort intensified in her heart!In those times that she wanted to forget but could never forget, she was a blooming dark night flower, blooming slowly beside that equally good-looking man countless times! Three years, three years, the nightmare has been staged countless times, and she asked herself countless times in tears after waking up: If there is another chance to choose, should I choose to be simple for a lifetime, or choose to be brilliant for a moment? However, there are not so many "ifs" in the world—you know that this is the most important rule in the game of fate! Waking up in the morning and having a dreamless night. Sang Li closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, turned his head slightly, and saw that the man beside him was still fast asleep. She turned over, and her fingers ran down his forehead, sliding all the way across his eyebrows, jaw, neck, chest... The skin exposed outside the thin quilt was very light in color.Sang Li put his arm over for comparison, and suddenly thought: If he and Ma Yu had a child, it should be white and cute, not inferior to YOYO... While thinking this way, the wrist was suddenly grabbed! Sang Li looked up, and saw the man in front of him who clearly just woke up, but already had piercing eyes.She froze for a second, then began to smile. When Ma Yu received this smile, he smiled too, but it was more meaningful.In the next second, before Sang Li could react, he had rolled over and held her down.She let out a cry of surprise, feeling the man's scorching body temperature, she wanted to stretch out her hand to push him away, but she felt that his hand had already followed the curve of her body all the way down... She was angry and funny: "Ma Yu, aren't you tired?" Hearing this sentence, Ma Yu suddenly laughed out loud, turned over and sat up, and lifted the quilt.The moment the cold air from the air conditioner touched his skin, Sang Li was about to scream when he suddenly felt his hand caressing his knee. She was taken aback for a moment before he asked, "What's going on here?" Sang Li followed his line of sight: in the morning light, the still slender figure was clearly visible, shining brightly.The only glaring thing is the dark red scar that snakes from the knee to the pelvis, which is shocking. Ma Yu stroked the scar lightly, as if he was stroking a delicate newborn baby. He looked up at Sang Li's eyes, but saw that her eyes were still soft. She answered him nonchalantly: "I fell from the roof, and I saved my life, and my leg was crippled." Ma Yu suddenly realized, and seemed to finally understand why when she played the piano, as long as she stepped on the soft pedal, her body would tilt sharply.There was a lot of pity in his heart, he didn't speak, just watched Sangli get up and put on his clothes blankly.Until she got dressed, she turned around to look at Ma Yu who was still in a daze, and smiled. She reached out, pulled Ma Yu over, and handed her the clothes one by one.When she finally handed over the shirt, she suddenly withdrew her hand again, took a look at Ma Yu, shook off the shirt in her hand, and helped him put it on like she helped YOYO.She fastened the buttons carefully one by one. Ma Yu looked at her serious expression, his throat tightened, and his chest suddenly felt warm. That kind of expectation seemed to arise: Every morning after that, I would wake up in such a morning light, and there would be this woman in front of me, fastening those buttons meticulously, and then smiling at him. Ma Yu couldn't express the uneasiness in his heart - why, he always had a bad feeling that she would leave? After breakfast, Ma Yu sent Sang away from the senior university as usual. When passing by Heping Road, Sang Li raised his head and saw the billboard at the intersection that said "Li Yuan Mansion", and looked at it seriously, but it was strange that this time, he didn't feel so nervous. Perhaps the answer to the mystery has been revealed, and when you need to face it directly, you will no longer be afraid. Sang Li is very pleased with his relief: a good start is half the battle! She tilted her head to look at Ma Yu. He was driving calmly with his eyes on the front. Looking from the side, a serious man was indeed the prettiest. "Sheng Jin is my cousin," Ma Yu said suddenly, "I told her we are getting married." "Ah?" Sang Li was stunned, staring blankly at him. "Sang Li, at our age, there is actually no clear boundary between love and marriage," Ma Yu said in a steady voice, as if he was also considering his words, "From love to marriage, or from marriage to love, is actually just a step Take a small step. This step, sooner or later, is as simple as deciding what to have for dinner." Sang Li was silent. "I know it's not realistic for you to fall in love with me in a short time, but we will live well together," Ma Yu turned to look at Sang Li, "We will have a home, a warm home, not just A nice looking house." Sang's heart suddenly moved. She raised her head and met Ma Yu's gaze, and he even smiled. His smile was generous and warm, with the brilliance of fatherly love, which suddenly broke Sang's heart. "Sang Li, I'm also a nostalgic person, so I won't ask you to forget something, or how long you have to fall in love with me. You see, we're even," he smiled openly and relieved, " As long as we live a good life in the future, we will be very happy.” Happiness—this concept is too old, so long that the moment I heard it, Sang Li's chest seemed to be hit gently. A tinge of sourness slowly climbed into the atrium, happiness... She was very close to happiness at one time, but it disappeared as soon as she said it disappeared.In the future, if there is still happiness, how long is the shelf life?She doesn't believe in herself anymore, but she believes in fate.Fate told her that she had long lost the right to happiness. For a woman like her who was so handicapped that she could only live in desperation, even if she got these beautiful promises when she was young, what would she do later? ... She was confused, confused and unable to speak. Ma Yu is someone who has experienced it, so she knows that she can't be forced to answer anything at this time.When the car arrived at the gate of the University for the Elderly, he stopped, leaned over while Sang Li was still in a daze, and kissed the corner of her lips lightly. Sang Li woke up with a start, blushing inexplicably. Ma Yu smiled.He got out of the car, opened the car door for Sang Li, held her hand, pulled her down, and straightened her skirt with a wide hem.When he did all this, he did it in one go, smoothly and naturally. It seems that she has done it many times before, and she just needs to smile quietly and accept it quietly. Watching Ma Yu's car drive away gradually, Sang Li stood where he was, not regaining consciousness for a long while. I have to admit that Ma Yu's words surprised her. Surprise was followed by fear, apprehension, and worry—it's not that she doesn't want to have happiness, but after three years, she has been burdened with so many heavy and dreadful nightmares, can she reach out and grab it again? Could it be that happiness can be edited at will like a movie? If that's the case, how she hopes to have such a pair of magical hands that can "snap" the film of time from the first time she went to Shanghai with Shen Jie... If that is the case, will her fate not change? course? If that's the case, won't we let our young hearts indulge in the temptation of this bustling world, so that we can watch the pure love in our youth gradually become mottled? In October of that year, the weather in Shanghai had already begun to turn cold. Sang Li stood downstairs in Shanghai Zhongyue's headquarters, looked up, and saw the towering roof, under the refraction of the sun, it seemed to be so brilliant that it was deformed. She held her breath in the midst of traffic: this city full of tall buildings, the streets with cars passing by, the backs of these men and women in bright clothes... It's just an hour and a half away from the plane. Such a city tells you that people and people Life can also be qualitatively different! There is no doubt that this is a city with a fast pace of life, but full of passion and vitality.No wonder there are so many people, even if they are wandering all the way, they are willing to come to such a city to seek gold... "Hey," someone behind her suddenly patted her, she turned her head and saw Shen Jie looking at her strangely, "Go in, why are you in a daze?" Sang Li lowered his eyes, honestly picked up his small luggage and walked to the door.But before she could take a step, the luggage bag in her hand had already been picked up. She looked up and saw Shen Jie handing the small bag in her hand to a man in a black suit with an attentive expression. At that moment, she was a little surprised: she seemed to have never seen Shen Jie with such a serious expression, full of majesty and arrogance. She couldn't help but slow down a little, and consciously walked two steps behind him.He also looked back at her, but didn't say anything, and still walked quickly towards the elevator in front.Along the way, she saw so many men and women in professional attire with impeccable temperament standing at attention, bending slightly, and saying "Mr. Shen" to him. And he just nodded slightly in greeting. It seems that Sang Li has never been so respectful to the man walking in front of him as he is at this moment. He has always emphasized that he regards Sang Li as his younger sister, so does that mean that he is a "brother" that she can recognize? If so, why does she always feel that this is just an excuse and a gimmick? If not, why did she still follow what he said and follow the path he pointed out time and time again? She was confused, in this completely strange but extremely attractive city, in this towering building, until she stepped into the elevator, she still didn't give herself a clear answer. Shen Jie's office in Zhongyue's headquarters is neat and simple: desks, bookcases, file cabinets, sofas, the only thing that looks warmer is a set of glass tables and chairs near the window, shining in the afternoon sun.Sang Li sat at the table, looking at the distant ground, almost staring straight into the eyes. Shen Jie walked behind her and followed Sangli's line of sight: on the bustling street, with the change of traffic lights, pedestrians were like diverted water, rushing past and rushing back. After looking at it for a while, Sang Li raised his head and looked at Shen Jie with a smile: "I thought the general manager's office would be very solemn and grand, but I didn't expect there to be such a corner that is very suitable for afternoon tea." Shen Jie also laughed, didn't say much, just patted Sang Li's head, looked at her with a smile: "Let's go, I'll take you to your room." Sang Li got up obediently, followed behind him, took the elevator downstairs, went to a floor that he couldn't count, changed the elevator, and went upstairs again. The moment the elevator opened, there was a silent corridor in front of him. Sang Li lowered his head to look at the carpet under his feet. It was a soft coffee-colored carpet, lining the oil painting on the wall opposite the elevator hall. It was simple and noble everywhere. Until he came to a door, Shen Jie took out his room card and opened the door.The door opened, and the milky white sofa, spacious executive table, light brown bedding, and dark brown carpet came into view.Sang Li looked up and saw Shen Jie walking to the window, pulling back the white gauze curtain, and he had a panoramic view of the Bund scenery. Sang Li was dumbfounded. At this time, Shen Jie pushed open the balcony door and beckoned her to go over. She walked over blankly and saw him leaning on the railing, looking into the distance.There is a wind blowing over, bringing some autumn coolness, but it is inexplicably refreshing. She also squinted her eyes slightly and looked into the distance, seeing the golden sun in the evening shrouding the tops of towering buildings, blooming a bright halo of small flowers, the mighty Huangpu River shimmering, and billboards of various colors standing tall Between the buildings, looking into the distance, the sky is divided into small pieces of golden red behind the buildings... This world is magnificent, and it is more than a little bit different from the world she has seen since she was a child. It was already night when we saw Shen Jie again. At half past ten, Sang Li ate alone in the downstairs restaurant, went back to the room to take a shower, and lay on the bed to watch TV.The bed is wide and soft, but the hotel bedding always has a lingering sense of strangeness.Sang Li studied it for a while, and felt that it was most likely because it was washed too clean—the futons lack popularity, so of course they would not feel like home. When the doorbell rang, Sang Li was startled, his heart beat hard a few times, and he subconsciously thought: No one knows I'm here, right?Who would that be?Bad guys...but this is a five-star hotel... Just as I was thinking, I heard a low voice: "Open the door, it's me." Shen Jie? Sang Li let out a long breath, walked over to open the door, just as he opened the door, he was greeted by the strong smell of alcohol. "Have you been drinking?" Sang Li's eyes widened. Shen Jie didn't speak, just walked to the sofa in the living room and sat down. Sang Li couldn't help being amazed when he saw him loosen his tie for the first time, looking tired and untidy. Shen Jie has always been so handsome, elegant, gentle, and polite...that is simply a model for etiquette lessons! But how many people have seen Shen Jie like this? Just as she was sighing, she heard him say, "Sang Li, pour me a glass of water." Sang Li hastily went to pour the water, while pouring it, he tested the temperature with his hands, and made sure it wasn't hot before handing it to him. Shen Jie took it and drank it down.After drinking, he fell on the sofa and didn't speak, just lying there.Sang Li stayed for a while, but still felt unbearable, so he took a thin blanket from the back room to cover him, and stuffed a pillow under his head, then turned off the TV and wall lamp, and only turned on the night light in the bedroom, shrinking Read magazines by the bed. In the middle, Shen Jie hummed uncomfortably. Sang Li heard it and was a little puzzled, so she got out of bed, walked barefoot to the sofa, and took a closer look.Under the moonlight, she seemed to have just discovered that a thirty-one-year-old man is really good-looking. Although he may be old, he has an old charm... Sang Li sighed with emotion, and then snickered, thinking that Shen Jie must not let Shen Jie know about this evaluation. A lifetime of psychological baggage? Just thinking about it, I suddenly heard a voice: "What are you laughing at?" Sang Li was startled again, and looked up to see that Shen Jie had opened his eyes and looked at him at some point—he was lying down and she was squatting at about the same height. to the glass tea table behind him. However, Shen Jie's movements were faster than hers. He got up quickly while his eyes widened, and stretched out his arms to block her back.Although he couldn't stop her from falling, his arm took the responsibility of being in close contact with the coffee table instead of her. With a "bang", both Sang Li and Shen Jie fell to the ground! Under the bright moonlight, Sang Li covered the back of his head with one hand, frowned and complained: "You cheating corpse!" Shen Jie was gasping "hissing", mourning his injured right arm, when he raised his eyes, he saw the bright side face of the girl lying on his side under the moonlight.And under the shroud of silver light, the red plaid bear pajamas on her body, although conservative in style, still outlines a curve with undulations... Shen Jie's breathing suddenly became a little short. I swear to God, he has endured this for a long time - we have known each other for a year and haven't made a move yet, this is not Shen Jie's style at all. Although, he was still a little uncertain, wondering if he would be able to shake it off once it got on his hands, but at that moment, maybe it was the effect of alcohol, or maybe the moonlight itself was too intoxicating, anyway, Sang Li was still busy rambling and condemning When "the old people have a bad drinking habit", Shen Jie finally decided to use practical actions to tell her what a bad drinking habit is! As soon as he leaned forward, he accurately covered her still chattering lips. At that moment, Sang Li's gaze suddenly stopped, and his whole body quickly froze into a hard piece! The strong smell of alcohol hit her face, and it seemed that she was about to take away her sanity: What's going on?Who is this guy?What is he doing? At that moment, Sang Li's brain was completely messed up, she could only feel the domineering kiss of the man above her body, he was like a conqueror, unwavering, without the slightest hesitation, not even the youthful temptation of Xiang Ning, but With a strong masculine aura, he kissed her so arrogantly and fiercely that he choked her! His hands picked up the buttons of her clothes one by one, the temperature in early autumn was suitable, and the carpet was so thick, her whole body froze, and she didn't notice any changes at all, while his hands plundered the city all the way, along her body The collarbone and chest were squeezed hard all the way.It's definitely not Xiang Ning's gentleness, but with a strong erotic atmosphere, and a man who obviously already has quite a lot of experience, he goes down accurately.Until he let go of Sang Li's lips, lowered his head, and bit her chest lightly, the slight wet pain on her chest and the air pouring into the intake pipe along the way finally brought her sobriety like a lightning strike.At the same moment, Sang Li screamed "Ah!" In the middle of the night, the scream was piercing and full of confidence, Shen Jie was slightly distracted, Sang Li had already raised his hand, completely intuitively, and hit Shen Jie's face with a "slap"! All actions and time froze at that moment! A few seconds later, Shen Jie raised her head from the confusion, but suddenly bumped into Sang Li's whistling tears. She struggled to sit up, trembling, pointed at him with one hand, and said in a trembling voice but gnashed her teeth: "You, this, this, king, eight, egg!" The alcohol receded in an instant, and Shen Jie woke up all of a sudden! He shook his head and saw Sang Li with tears in his eyes, looking at him viciously, weeping bitterly: "Shen Jie, you are a bastard!" She was so angry that she seemed to be the only one to say this. Her whole body was trembling, and she wanted to fasten the buttons with both hands, but she couldn't do it no matter how trembling.Under the bright moonlight, the girl's well-developed breasts were looming between the plackets, no matter how you looked at it, it looked like a silent temptation. Shen Jie smiled wryly in his heart, coughed lightly, and took a step forward to help her.But at the moment when he approached, she suddenly grabbed her chest and backed away like a frightened deer—with a "bang", she hit the TV cabinet again! "Ah—" This time it was not a scream, but a moan that burst into tears. Shen Jie finally sighed deeply, while Sang Li was still weeping while touching his back, he rushed up and hugged her suddenly! Sang Li was stunned for a moment, and immediately started to fight back: pushing, kicking, stepping, pulling... All eighteen martial arts were used, and he bit Shen Jie's shoulder with his last bite, and he would not let go! At that moment, Shen Jie didn't know what evil he had been possessed by, and there was only one thought in his mind, that is, he couldn't let go, he couldn't let go, he definitely couldn't let go! So, until the shoulder was bitten by her and bleeding, he still didn't let go. He also couldn't figure it out: Why should he compete with a little girl? He only knew that his instinct made such a judgment: Don't let go, don't let go!If you let go, she will run far away, and she will definitely leave Zhongyue! He just hugged Sang Li so tightly and remained motionless until she was exhausted and sobbed in despair.Only then did he loosen his arms slightly, leaving one hand free to button her clothes.When his fingers touched the hem of her pajamas, he could feel the girl in his arms shake violently, and wanted to push him away.But he didn't give her this chance, he just wrapped her arm tightly again, and then fumbled with the other hand to fasten the buttons one by one... Sang Li finally stopped crying in surprise. Only then did Shen Jie let go of her hand, sat down on the carpet, stretched out her hand to embrace Sang Li, who was crying so weakly, into her arms, let her face the bright lights outside, and whispered in her ear: "Sang Li, I'm sorry .” Sang Li lowered his head and didn't answer, and sobbed on the ground. He sighed and said, "Sang Li, I'm serious, follow me, think about it." Sang Li was taken aback, and even choked up her sobs for no reason, she straightened up, but felt Shen Jie's arm exert a light force, pulling her back and leaning against his chest. He whispered in her ear: "I promise, I can help you realize your dreams. I can take you to the most authoritative teacher, send you to singing competitions, let you win prizes, help you make records, and open a personal account." Concert... don't you want these?" Sang Li's heart skipped a beat, but he still didn't speak. Shen Jie's hands crossed and held her waist, the scalding heat pierced through the pajamas and burned her skin, her eyes were blurred: Isn't what he promised is exactly what she wanted in her dreams?Now it's all in front of her, should she push it away? "I know how much you care about your dreams, but Sang Li, maybe you also know now that some things can't be solved by hard work alone," he sighed slightly, "You are a smart girl, you can get what you want Is it that difficult to ask for what you want, but to pay something insignificant?" After a long time, Sang Li finally answered in a hoarse voice: "Insignificant... what is insignificant?" She turned her head and looked at him fixedly: "My body, my first love, or something else? What else do I have?" Shen Jie looked at her without averting his gaze: "Sang Li, I promise to help you realize your wish in exchange for you being with me. As for the meaning of 'together', do you need me to tell you directly?" He even smiled slightly: "If you use the words you are used to to define, or you can say, I want you to be my girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" Sang Li smiled mockingly, "Do you love me?" "I'm infatuated with you." Shen Jie pondered for a while before using words like this. "Infatuated?" Sang Li smacked, "That means you are temporarily infatuated with me, so I am with you, and if you are no longer infatuated, I can leave...Shen Jie, do you want to play with me? Then you just say it." "You want me to marry you?" Shen Jie asked back. "I didn't think that far," Sang Li said with tears in his voice, "I have ten days before my twentieth birthday, and I never thought about what marriage is like." "Then it's over," Shen Jie's hand exerted a little force, and even hurt her a little, "We are together, we each get what we need, and we take one step at a time, what's wrong with it?" "I have a boyfriend," Sang Li sniffled and said seriously, "He has graduated and will be an excellent diplomat in the future. If I want to marry in the future, I must marry him. Shen Jie, you Drink too much, go back to sleep, stop talking nonsense, I'm tired too." She sighed deeply, and tried to stand up with her hands on her hands, but she didn't even have the strength to sit down again. She was literally terrified. Shen Jie didn't speak, but just stared at her for a few seconds, then got up, and hugged Sang Li horizontally. "Ah!" Sang Li screamed again. "Stop screaming, I won't do anything to you." Shen Jie poker-faced, carried Sang Li all the way to the bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and covered her.Sang Li stared at all this, and suddenly felt that everything just now seemed to be an illusion. However, the words he said before leaving clearly broke her luck: "Sang Li, I won't force you, I will give you time to think about it, and whenever you think the method I said is feasible, you can come to me at any time." After speaking, he turned off the night light and walked out. There was a soft "click" sound from the door behind him, and Sang Li stared wide-eyed in the darkness without making a sound. That night, she just opened her eyes like this, her eyes were empty, and her brain froze through the whole night. Sang Li couldn't attend the banquet the next night. When Shen Jie came to look for her in the afternoon, she was lying quietly on the executive desk, motionless. Shen Jie walked over and pushed her: "Sang Li, what's wrong?" She was still silent. Shen Jie was a little worried, and reached out to touch her forehead, and was relieved when she saw that she had no fever.After a while he sighed and rubbed Sangli's hair: "Change your clothes, there are activities tonight, didn't you agree that you would sing?" "I'm not going." Sang Li replied in a muffled voice, still lying on his stomach. "What's the matter?" Shen Jie got a little annoyed, he stretched out his hand, squeezed Sang Li's chin and forced her to look up, "Look at me talking!" However, the moment he saw Sang Li, he froze for a moment, and after a few seconds, he wanted to laugh out loud, seeing Sang Li's already ugly expression, and then forced himself to hold back. Sang Li looked at Shen Jie's suppressed smile bitterly, and finally got angry, and threw his fist at Shen Jie: "It's all your fault, it's all your fault, you bastard, you beast, you rascal !" Shen Jie laughed while parrying: "I thought something was wrong, it turned out that the eyes are swollen, you can put a cold compress on it... hey, you can step on it lightly... and the dark circles under the eyes can be covered with foundation ?” "I hate you!" Sang Li screamed again. Shen Jie covered Sang Li's mouth: "Grandma, please keep your voice down, the waiters on this floor know that I'm here with you, save me some face!" "How can a shameless person like you have any face?" Sang Li broke free and asked viciously. As she spoke, she grabbed the pillow on the sofa and was about to beat someone up.Seeing the momentum, Shen Jie snatched it away, then quickly turned around and hugged Sang Li tightly in his arms, saying: "Okay, okay, don't go if you don't want to go, please keep your voice down, you have to see the teacher tomorrow, you Protect your vocal cords." Hearing these words, Sang Li immediately fell silent. She just stared at him, desperately trying to break free from his arms, she looked fierce like an angry little beast, Shen Jie looked down, just wanting to laugh. "Let go of me!" Sang Li threatened coldly. Shen Jie took a closer look at Sang Li, and suddenly kissed her on the cheek before letting go. Sang Li was taken aback for a moment, and his first move was to rub his face hard with his hand, and at the same time, he glanced at Shen Jie, and fell silent. "What are you going to do tonight," Shen Jie asked while sitting on the sofa, "Do you want to go out?" Sangli sat at the table three meters away from him: "I'm not going anywhere, my face is disfigured, where are I going!" Shen Jie smiled silently: "Aren't there any classmates or friends of yours here?" Sang Li lowered his head and replied depressedly: "Yes, my brother." "Oh?" Shen Jie raised his eyebrows, "If you don't want to go to the banquet with me, you can go and see your brother!" "Really?" Sang Li's eyes lit up, "Can I live with him? There must be a girls' dormitory there." Shen Jie looked at her amusedly: "Don't worry, I won't come to harass you tonight, you can stay here honestly, it's convenient to leave together tomorrow morning." "It's not that I can't find the door to the music academy." Sang Li muttered. "Yes, you can find it." Shen Jie got up and walked out the door, smiling jokingly, "but if I don't take you there, I'm afraid no one will receive you." After speaking, he opened the door and walked away. Sang Li looked at his back angrily, and once again greeted the eighteen generations of his ancestors in his heart. Through persistent cold compresses, at night, Sang Li's eye swelling really subsided.The dark circles under her eyes were still stubborn. She put on foundation, thinking that if Nan Yang asked, she would just say that she knew the bed and didn't sleep well. But what surprised her was that when she saw Nan Yang by the radiant river on the Bund, he didn't see any problem with Sang Li's eyes at all! Sang Li was a little puzzled: Is it because her make-up is too high, or the lights on the Bund are too dim? Or maybe, he was overwhelmed by the joy of the long-lost reunion—the moment he saw Sang Li, Nan Yang was obviously very excited! He wished he could pick her up and spin around like he did when he was a child: from the new year to now, he hasn't seen her for eight months! He stroked Sangli's hair happily, and asked her a lot of questions about school, majors, and classmates. Although he didn't quite understand when it came to major issues, he still suggested based on his rich experience in college life that she should How to plan for the future... Sang looked at him heartily: after so many years, maybe everyone has changed, but her brother Nanyang has never changed. He is still her closest, most trusted, and most dependent brother! When she walked side by side with him in front of those ancient and foreign-style buildings, she even strangely remembered the bra he gave her that year, the little note he gave her, and the time he had grown up with her. all the way. She suddenly felt a little sad, and couldn't help asking him: "Brother, why did you come here to study for graduate school? If you are admitted to this school for graduate school, you can still stay with me in the provincial capital." Nan Yang smiled, and stretched out his hand to scratch the tip of her nose: "Little Li, you can live a good life even if I'm not here. How can my brother guard you forever?" After saying this, he suddenly felt a little sentimental. He stopped for a while and looked into her bright eyes and said, "Xiang Ning will accompany you in the future. Be good, and don't make trouble for Xiang Ning." Sang Li pouted: "Why do you say that about me? Why don't you say Brother Xiang Ning is messing with me?" Nan Yang smiled: "It's still 'brother', you usually call him that?" Sang Li was puzzled: "If you don't call it that, how should you call it?" Nan Yang's mood suddenly seemed to get better, and his smile became wider: "Okay, then we are treated similarly. Xiao Li is not bad, he is a good boy, and he doesn't value sex over elder brother!" "Chongse—Qingge—" Sang Li smacked and blinked, "It's so sour..." Before he finished speaking, Nan Yang thumped on the top of his head: "Who are you talking about!" Sang Li narrowed his eyes with a smile, and happily hugged Nan Yang's arm, jumping up and down on the main road.Nan Yang followed her to make trouble, just looked at her with doting eyes, explained the origin of those buildings to her, bought a big cup of bubble tea, and even took a photo with her at her strong request. It's a quick shot: the boy in the photo embraces the girl who is holding a big cup of black tea and smiling brightly, he rests his chin on top of her head, and she makes a classic silly "V" gesture... … It looks like that kind of intimacy, just like all couples who come to travel. However, they are not a couple. In Sangli's mind, this is a photo with his brother, the most beautiful and faithful relationship between siblings that will never change. In Nan Yang's heart, this is a photo with the girl he likes, the warmth of finally being able to hold her in his arms after waiting for nearly twenty years. Even though she doesn't love him, he loves her, and that's enough. It was on the way to send Sangli back to Zhongyue that Nan Yang asked with some concern: "How is your manager? Why is he so kind to bring you here to apprentice?" Sang Li's heart sank, but he still kept a smile on his face, and replied: "It's an exchange, I will give them many performances for free." Nan Yang listened, and it seemed logical, so he nodded: "I won't say much else, you've grown up, think twice before acting, learn to protect yourself, you know?" Sang Li nodded, feeling a little sour in the eye sockets. However, Nan Yang's next sentence diverted her attention in time: "Tian Miao has been admitted to the University of Foreign Studies, and the English department is very good!" "Really?" Sang Li was a little surprised. "You didn't go back during the summer vacation, and I didn't see your Aunt Chang. I was so excited." Nan Yang smiled, "It's really not easy. The English department is a big department. The little girl Tian Miao really worked hard in the last year. It is said that the company commander The hair is all cut, and it is said that the review time was delayed by combing the hair." Sang Li listened in a daze, and it took him a long time to sigh: "It's so courageous..." Nan Yang smiled, but suddenly thought of something and asked her: "Isn't Xiang Ning going abroad? Where does he live now?" Sang Li replied honestly: "I heard that I live in the dormitory of the unit. I originally said that I would go home for the National Day, but I didn't reply. Teacher Guo is very angry." After finishing speaking, he stuck out his tongue quietly, thinking: Fortunately, Xiang Ning didn't come back, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see himself, and he didn't know how much trouble he would cause. "Oh, Tian Miao asked me for Xiang Ning's phone number, saying that there must be an acquaintance over there. I thought it made sense, so I gave her Xiang Ning's phone number." Nan Yang hesitated, "You let Xiang Ning If Ning is free, he will go to see her, or introduce her to a brother or sister who will take care of her, so that he doesn't have to go to school often." Sang Li is such a sensitive girl: "Could it be that Tian Miao likes Brother Xiang Ning?" Nan Yang hurriedly denied: "Don't think about it! Are there fewer girls who have a crush on Xiang Ning these years? Isn't he guarding himself like a jade for a little girl like you, don't misunderstand him!" Sang Li blushed: "Brother, what are you talking about, what are you guarding yourself like a jade, don't spoil the children." "Children..." Nan Yang laughed loudly, "That's right, you are a child." He smiled and looked at Sang Li with emotion: "But now, even our children have boyfriends..." There is such obvious sentimentality in his voice: "Our little Sangli has grown up after all. I don't know where little Sangli will be in the future, what will he be doing? Will we have to be here even if we want to see you? On TV?" After hearing this, Sang Li hugged his arm and acted coquettishly: "Brother, what are you thinking, don't say that I can't be so famous at all, even if I really appear on TV in the future, if you send a message, I dare not come back?" After hearing this, Nan Yang finally laughed.He took Sangli's shoulders and listened to her talk about her ideals and life plans as she walked. Nan Yang didn't know that, in fact, only in front of him, Sang Li felt that she was a little girl who lacked everything and had all the love and care. In this regard, even Xiang Ning was incomparable. But Sang Li should have thought a long time ago: Shen Jie's words cannot be trusted. That night, Shen Jie came to Sangli's room and sat in Sangli's room for a full hour after the dinner, but to Sangli's surprise, during this hour, he didn't say anything, just drinking cup after cup of tea. When he drank the fourth cup, Sang Li, who was running back and forth to pour water for him, became impatient, and slammed the cup on the tea table heavily, and said coldly, "I'm going to bed, you want to drink water by yourself Pour it, or go to the coffee shop downstairs and ask the waiter to pour it for you!" Just as she was about to turn around and walk away, Shen Jie grabbed her wrist and dragged her to sit beside her: "Sit with me for a while." There was not much order in the tone, it sounded like begging. Sang Li was stunned. She looked down at the hand holding her wrist, and was suddenly a little surprised to find that maybe it was because the communication between the two of them had been pleasant for a long time, or maybe it was because she suddenly softened at that moment, or maybe it was because she was so wide-hearted. Forget it quickly... In short, she didn't have such a strong hostility towards him because of what happened the night before! And she was a little horrified to find that she didn't reject Shen Jie's contact so much. Although she knew it was wrong, impure, and immoral, she still tolerated him silently lying on her shoulders and feet. There is half an hour! Could it be that he was born to be a "bad girl", and was he really disrespectful from the bottom of his heart? This thought made Sang Li couldn't help shivering with cold.Shen Jie felt it, and finally lifted her head to let go of Sang Li, and leaned tiredly to the sofa, sighing long. Sang Li was stunned again. When had she heard him sigh? "What's wrong with you?" She asked after a long time. "It's nothing, I'm just tired." Shen Jie answered with a frown. "Oh, why don't you go back to sleep? You'll be fine after a rest." Sang Li immediately suggested. "You don't need to rush me away, I just want to come and sit for a while, and I won't do anything to you." He closed his eyes and whispered. Sang Li was still in a daze. After a long time, I heard his sighing voice: "Sang Li, if I stay in Shanghai, you will be very happy, right?" "How come?" Sang Li blurted out. Shen Jie was taken aback for a moment, opened his eyes and looked at her, as if he couldn't believe it: "Are you serious?" "Of course," Sang Li said with a serious expression, "If you're not in Zhongyue, City G, I'm sure I won't be able to work part-time anymore, so where do I earn so much money to save my tuition?!" Shen Jie was tongue-tied, a little amused and a little disappointed, and finally realized after a while that he replied, "My role is to give you your salary and tuition fees?" "That's not true," Sang Li couldn't bear it, "You taught me a lot, and I didn't have time to thank you." In fact, this is the truth, at least after getting to know Shen Jie, her ability to communicate with people has greatly improved, and it seems that she is no longer the former Sang Li who only hides in a corner and cries, or is only willing to pester Nan Yang alone. He took a deep look at her, and finally said: "I was bewitched today, do you know that? My father thought it was incredible that I proposed to postpone my return to Zhongyue's headquarters because of a yellow-haired girl." "Ah?" Sang Li's eyes widened, he pointed to himself in disbelief and nervousness, "You can't be...just tell me..." The voice was a little bit, a little bit, and finally fell down without confidence. Shen Jie squinted at her and sighed: "Father is right, even I think I am crazy." Sighing, he stood up and walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he stopped suddenly, still turned his back to Sang Li and said, "Sang Li, remember the conditions I said, if you want to participate in the Young Singer Grand Prix next spring Tryouts, now it's time to prepare." After speaking, he opened the door and left. That night, Sang Li tossed and turned again and again suffered from insomnia all night... The next day, Sang Li followed Shen Jie to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It was the first time she stepped into Ye Yuxia's home. When she looked up, there was a huge still photo in the living room. She looked at the still photo enviously, Ye Yuxia followed her gaze and smiled: "That was my first performance after returning to China, I played Carmen." She turned her head and exchanged greetings with Shen Jie: "Is your mother okay?" Shen Jie respectfully said: "Thank you, auntie, she is fine, she has been living in City G, and recently went to the United States to visit some old friends, so she can't go with her." Ye Yuxia nodded and sighed softly: "To this day, I still remember your mother taking a photo with the governor after the performance, but in a flash, more than thirty years have passed, faster than we imagined. " She smiled, looked at Sang Li again, and asked Shen Jie: "What do you need me to do for you?" Shen Jie lowered her eyebrows and looked at her with a soft smile: "Aunt Ye, you are offending me, but I actually want to ask you to help her out." Ye Yuxia is also a smart person, so she didn't ask any more questions, but just looked at the desk calendar placed above the piano: "Can you give me a few days?" Shen Jie turned to look at Sang Li, and replied, "It's at your convenience, her school will ask for leave." Ye Yuxia nodded and smiled: "Then it will be a protracted battle. You have also studied music, so you should know that this is not something that can be accomplished overnight." "I will bring her here every month," Shen Jie nodded and promised, "as long as you have time." Ye Yuxia smiled meaningfully and glanced at Sang Li. The little girl's face turned red slightly, and she seemed to glance at Shen Jie quickly, but she didn't speak. Ye Yuxia thought: This is an interesting child. On the way back to Zhongyue, Sang Li asked Shen Jie: "Do I have to come here every month?" Shen Jie drove the car without looking at her, but asked instead: "You don't want to come?" "No, no," Sang Li waved his hands hastily, "I just don't know how to explain it to my classmates and teachers, and I just don't know how to thank you for helping me like this." Shen Jie finally turned his head to take a deep look at Sang Li, smiled slightly, and turned his head to look ahead again: "First, Aunt Ye also said just now that you have good conditions, and she still admires you very much, it is a pity to give up; second, we will Come to Shanghai on days when you don’t have classes, so time is not a problem; third, you should know how to thank me, I’m a businessman, and I won’t make investments without returns forever.” Sang Li lowered his head and did not speak. "I'll give you four months to think about it, Sang Li," Shen Jie said calmly, "In March next year, the provincial selection competition for the National Young Singer Grand Prix will be held on the provincial TV station. Zhong Yue may be the sponsor. Your answer It cannot be later than that time." After saying this, he didn't say anything more, and even in the next three days, he just sent the driver to send Sang to Ye Yuxia's house for class, and never stepped into her room. Until they boarded the plane back to City G three days later, Shen Jie never brought up this topic again. Shen Jie is a smart person: he is well versed in how to get along with people, he knows that there are some things, the more you keep your mouth shut, the easier it is to be tempted.He understands Sang Li's desire for the stage, he even sees through how much this girl wants to stand on the best stage and be watched by everyone, he believes that drums don't need heavy hammers. He guessed right: Sang Li did hesitate. In fact, at the age of twenty, how could it be possible for him not to be tempted by this temptation that he has been thinking about for so many years? On an autumn afternoon, Sang Li sat on an old flower pot in the depths of the flower garden, looking at the jasmine flowers that had lost their leaves, pinching a stone in his hand and drawing circles on the wet soil. My heart was flustered and restless, like a little rabbit, jumping "dong dong". Perhaps in the eyes of many people, this is a kind of panic and restlessness that will be despised, but if you are not Sang Li, you will not understand the contradictions and struggles at this moment. For a long time, Sang Li has been an outsider in that family: her father sees her as vague, Chang Qing sees herself as cautious, Tian Miao sees herself as cold-eyed... She wants to escape, but more importantly, she has to prove her escape is valuable. She couldn't forget her father's doubts about her choice of this path. On the night before going to the university to register, her father suddenly asked her: "Do you really want to sing?" Sang Li nodded, vowing: "I will definitely sing something famous!" Sang Yuecheng didn't believe it: "Do you really think that all singers are famous? You read in the newspaper, how many singers are not selling in bars? How many can be on the big stage of the theater?" Sang Li sneered in front of his father for the first time: "I can do it, one day, I will do it." Sang Yuecheng gave Sang Li a strange look, and went back to sleep without saying a word.He didn't understand why Sang Li was so confident, but Sang Li knew—the reason why she dared to say this was because she had nothing for a long time. Because there are no people or things that must be cared about, and she dared to try the hardships that ordinary people cannot taste, so at that time she firmly believed that she would succeed! However, she missed one thing at the time: she has Xiang Ning, and she is no longer alone. His kindness to her was unreserved.Unlike Nan Yang's childhood sweetheart, Xiang Ning did not regard her as his younger sister from the very beginning, but treated her as a girl he liked in one step.For this day, Xiang Ning brought her closer to Guo Yunhua and into the Art Academy. He wanted her to be the girl who could stand beside him and accept other people's smiles and blessings together. Now, she does.And he is also continuing to work hard in a challenging city like Beijing. If the story stops here, it seems that she, Sang Li, will have a good life—for example, she can find a role in the opera house in the provincial capital, or stay in school to find a teaching position, and then go to Beijing to reunite with Xiang Ning when the conditions are ripe .Of course, it is difficult to enter the Grand Opera House, but it should not be too difficult to become a music teacher in a primary and secondary school in Beijing.If you're lucky, you might be able to get admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music as a graduate student, then you can still sprint to the opera house when you graduate... However, is such a step-by-step life that tends to be mediocre, what she, Sangli, wants? After all, for a twenty-year-old girl, marriage is still an unattainable concept, and the promise of staying together for a long time is far less attractive than the beauty of being famous.Especially after accepting Ye Yuxia's guidance, when a completely different life that goes straight to the golden road is presented in front of her, can she quickly refuse it? She can't do it. Because she is different from others, she wants to succeed too much—she has had eno