Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Three

I couldn't say a word, I just pressed my face against his suit jacket, and quietly accompanied my elder brother through this long street that seemed to never end. The news that elder brother and Yao Yao broke up suddenly was told by elder brother's assistant. It was Wednesday, a routine testing day.I was so exhausted from work that my eyes were going straight and I had to sip cans of coffee.The assistant lady called and told me that my eldest brother broke up with Yao Yao, which caused my eldest brother to be in a bad mood for the past two days, and suggested that I go and see him.

I was surprised, my elder brother said before that he had reconciled.I hastily canceled the dinner arrangement with Shen Qinyan, he was puzzled, "What happened? Do you have to work overtime?" After I explained the reason, he said "yes". After get off work, I drove to the city, feeling very complicated.Over the years, my eldest brother has probably had three or five girlfriends, but they usually broke up when they broke up. It was never serious enough to let others inform me.He can always handle the relationship between feelings and career well, and he has never been so concerned about gains and losses.

Sure enough, the eldest brother was looking at the documents one by one in the office, with a stern face and low air pressure around him. "Brother, I'm here." He looked up and saw it was me, startled for a moment, and then heaved a long sigh. "Who told you that?" I didn't answer, and walked up to him cautiously, "Is the matter over? If everything is over, let's go out for dinner." My eldest brother will not lose his composure in front of me. After signing the last document, he cleaned up the table and patted my head, "Okay." Although my elder brother had no intention of eating, I was really hungry, so I dragged him to sit down at a restaurant that Shen Qinyan and I often go to.This restaurant always takes reservations a week in advance, but luckily I managed to get a table through a little trick.

I asked my eldest brother, "After dinner, shall we go to the movies?" The eldest brother showed his first smile today, although he looked a bit bitter, "Where are brothers and sisters going to the movies together?" "Isn't there now?" I said confidently. "You didn't go to the movies before." said the elder brother. "People change." The eldest brother looked at me for a long time, "With Shen Qinyan, you have become more like an ordinary girl. In the past, let alone watching a movie, who told you to leave the computer for a while, it was like killing you."

"I don't know if it is," I propped my chin, "but I am willing to be with him and do all the ordinary things." The elder brother was silent for a while, but he smiled, "Well, that's enough." I looked at his slightly absent-minded profile, and was about to ask what happened to him and Yao Yao, but when I lifted my eyes, I saw her appearing at the door of the restaurant.She was not alone, and there were two middle-aged people in their fifties or sixties beside her. I subconsciously searched in the database of my brain, and when I thought of the photos of her home, I immediately understood that they were her parents.

Although I knew Yao Yao's parents had arrived in Jinghai last weekend, I didn't expect to meet them by chance in the restaurant—especially when she broke up with her eldest brother, it's not good to ask people to say hello, and it's not good to pretend not to see them.I was struggling with myself, but my eldest brother got up from his seat, walked straight towards them with his long legs, and greeted the family of three calmly.Yao Yao probably didn't expect to meet our brothers and sisters here, her body trembled suddenly, and she just stood at the door of the hotel, watching her eldest brother quietly across two tables, without even hearing her mother call her.

I couldn't hear the conversation at the door at all, but judging from the handshake and smiling gestures of elder brother and Uncle Yao, it must be an invitation to share a table with them for a casual meal. Yao Yao kept shaking her head, presumably unwilling to accept the invitation.After Aunt Yao looked around the entire restaurant, she nodded. So the four returned to the table together. "It's just me and my sister, let's sit together." The eldest brother opened a seat for Yao Yao, and said to her parents, "At this time, there may not be seats in other houses."

"Thank you very much." I quickly stood up and greeted the family of three. "Sister Yao, Uncle Yao, Aunt Yao." Yao Yao didn't look at me directly, she nodded hastily, greeted me with a "hmm" and then looked away; Uncle Yao glanced at me, and that glance didn't show any meaning, I think it was very appraising; Yao Yao My aunt smiled slightly and said to me politely, "Azhe's younger sister? After all, they are two brothers and sisters, they look alike." In fact, my eldest brother and I are not at all alike. My eldest brother looks a bit like my mother, but my face looks like my father. As for me, I was born with a round face, neither like my mother nor my father.But I didn't refute, and nodded with a smile to show kindness, "Uncle and aunt, please sit down."

Aunt Yao was very polite, "Did I disturb you?" "No," I said, "I'm having a light meal with my brother." The Yao family is quite an orthodox family. It is the same as what I saw in the photos. Uncle Yao looks serious, and Aunt Yao looks like a loving mother. Her face looks a little pale, but compared with Yao Yao, it is simply called Red is healthy. Yao Yao is weaker than I have ever seen before. When I saw her on Baisha Road last Saturday, I thought she was in good spirits except for being pale. Now there are dark circles around her eyes, and her eyes are hesitant.I haven't seen her for three or four days, but she looks worse than when she fainted from hypoglycemia.

It seems that breaking up with her eldest brother has also hit her hard. The eldest brother handed the menu to the two elders, "Ah Li and I have already ordered, you can add a few more dishes." Uncle Yao nodded, glanced at the menu, and said, "The dishes here are very distinctive." The eldest brother said: "Yes." Yao Yao remained silent, while Aunt Yao laughed, took the menu, and ordered a few items in cooperation.The restaurant is one of the most high-end restaurants in the city, the eldest brother is full of courtesy, the Yaos seem very satisfied and have been talking to the eldest brother.

"Is elder sister Yao very busy at work recently? She has a bad face." She smiled at me with a pale face, "It's okay." Uncle Yao frowned and glanced at his daughter, "That's right, everyone says you look bad, why don't you take good care of your body?" Aunt Yao said to her elder brother kindly, "Azhe, I heard Xiaoyao mention you many times. We wanted to see you when we came to Jinghai this time, but Xiaoyao said you were on a business trip, so I thought we would never see you again. Unexpectedly It's really lucky to meet you in the restaurant today. Isn't it, Songshan? Ah Zhe, when did you come back?" Uncle Yao didn't say much, he just nodded his head in agreement.But I wonder, business trip?Why can't I remember that my eldest brother is on a business trip? The corner of the elder brother's eyes twitched, and he glanced sharply at Yao Yao.Yao Yao also opened her eyes wide under his gaze, and said, "Mom, it's not..." "Yes, I'm on a business trip and I'll be back in the afternoon." The elder brother calmly cut off Yao Yao's words. Now I finally figured it out—it turned out that Sister Yao didn’t tell her parents that she had broken up with her eldest brother two days ago, which led to the misunderstanding of her uncle and aunt, who thought they were still a couple, so now they are happily sitting with us. Eat at the same table. Aunt Yao smiled slightly, she must have been very beautiful when she was young, even at this age, her eyes are still radiant.She didn't know anything, and continued to say happily: "Azhe, last time Xiaoyao fell ill, please take care of her. She is alone in Jinghai, and I have always been worried. Now that you are taking care of me, I can be relieved." gone." The eldest brother said lightly: "I should take care of her." "Thank you, Ali, too." "No, I didn't do anything." I smiled, Aunt Yao is a good conversation partner, polite but not false. Her eyes fell on me, "Ah Zhe is the eldest son. As the eldest son, he must be very good at taking care of others." I'm not the kind of banquet person, so in order to make the meal go smoothly, I said in a hurry, "Yes, brother is very protective of me." "I remember sister Yao also has a younger brother." I pursed my lips, "I think elder brother and sister Yao are both the eldest son and eldest daughter. I think they may have a common language in disciplining younger siblings, so they hit it off." Aunt Yao's face changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, and smiled amiably, "Yes, that's right." Fortunately, the conversation between the eldest brother and Uncle Yao was smooth. The old and the young chatted about current politics, economics, laws, and social events. The eldest brother spoke with a sincere attitude, a clear speed, and unique views. He had his own opinions on many things. See In my eyes, I also think he is outstanding.From time to time, Uncle Yao agreed with him. Occasionally they will ask about us, such as our parents. After I explained that my parents traveled around the world, Uncle Yao looked at Aunt Yao thoughtfully, "It's a good idea. We will go out for a walk in two months." let's go?" Aunt Yao smiled, "Okay, you have the final say." The eldest brother said: "I wonder how long you two plan to stay in Jinghai? If there is nothing else, I will accompany you two to stroll around the city on weekends." "There's no rush. You're busy with work, so we'll talk when you have time." Uncle Yao thought for a while, "We should stay in Jinghai for a while." The elder brother followed the topic and asked, "Where does uncle and aunt live during this time?" Before Uncle Yao spoke, Yao Yao who had been silently listening to our conversation rushed to say, "Stay with me." The eldest brother was taken aback, "Your room is too small, you should book a hotel, I will book it." Yao Yao shook her head hastily, "No, there's no need. My parents are here for a long time, so it's more convenient to live at home." The eldest brother looked at her, and finally said: "My house in Blue Lake is quite big, you go live there—" Yao Yao still answered quickly, as if she wanted to draw a line with her elder brother, "No, no need. Du Zhe, we have already made arrangements." With her attitude, the two elders have long seen that something is wrong, but they just kept silent.At this time, Uncle Yao finally turned cold, "Yao Yao, why are you not polite at all?" His tone was cold. Yao Yao must be very afraid of her father, she immediately shut her mouth and lowered her head, like a wronged child. The eldest brother's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything after all.Immediately, I also fell silent, stopped talking, and just waited wholeheartedly.When I finally checked out and left the restaurant, I breathed a sigh of relief. At the entrance of the restaurant, the three members of the Yao family said goodbye to the eldest brother, but Yao Yao insisted on not letting the eldest brother take them home, so the eldest brother asked the company driver to take them back——Yao Yao took a step behind, stood at the door of the restaurant, turned around and looked at the eldest brother, Zhang He opened his mouth to speak but stopped, and the eldest brother waited calmly. After a while, she said: "Du Zhe, today's incident was an accident. I brought my parents here for dinner, and I didn't expect to meet you here...I haven't told them that we broke up...They have some misunderstandings." The eldest brother looked at her unhealthy white face and said calmly: "Yao Yao, I have always wanted to tell you, if you encounter any trouble, please tell me and we will solve it together. I am willing to help you lie now, but acting cannot last long. You Think I'm so unreliable?" Yao Yao bit her lip, said nothing, turned around and got into the car. The sea of ​​tranquility at night is still the same bustling, vehicles and pedestrians are constantly flowing, and the street lights beside the road are shining brightly, covering the sky full of stars.I held my elder brother's arm, and my elder brother patted the back of my hand, "Take a walk with me." We brothers and sisters rarely take walks like this. I used to be reluctant to leave the house, and my elder brother was busy with work. It seemed a long time ago that I acted like a baby to him.Contentedly, I pressed my face against his arm, rubbing my cheek against his suit. After walking a few steps, the eldest brother laughed at himself, "I thought I was a pretty good boyfriend, but I didn't expect to be so disgusted." I also felt uncomfortable, I took my elder brother's arm and said, "Don't be sad, elder brother, you are so good, it is definitely her fault that Yao Yao wants to break up with you." The eldest brother opened his mouth in a deep voice: "Last Saturday, she asked me out and told me that she would break up with me. Although we had conflicts and frictions before, we never got into trouble. I asked myself if I was sorry for her. , very puzzled, and wanted to ask why, but she refused to elaborate." I kept silent and listened quietly. "I was really confused, so I forced her to ask. Because I was angry, I was tough and said that it would not be difficult to find out why she was hiding something," the elder brother continued, "She lost control of her emotions and said that she had enough of me, and that it was mine. This attitude makes it impossible for her to stay with me." "No," I quietly took my elder brother's arm, "it's not your fault." He sighed, "I thought it was enough to know her, but it turned out that I still can't. She has something to hide from me, there is no doubt about it." At that moment, I felt a little pitiful.I thought of what An Lu said when he was drunk that day, and felt a sense of dread in my heart.I was very happy myself, and I forgot that my elder brother was still suffering from feelings. They broke up last Saturday.Last Saturday was the day I brought Shen Qinyan to meet my eldest brother, and it was also the day I bumped into Yao Yao on Baisha Road.At that time she was still joking with me and asking about my boyfriend. "Brother, did you ask Yao Yao to come to Baisha Road to pick up things last Saturday?" My brother looked at me in confusion. I will tell exactly what happened that afternoon. He frowned, "I lent her the car, because she said before that her car broke down. But I didn't let her go to Baisha Road to pick up the documents. How could my documents still be on Baisha Road?" "I was kind of weird at the time, too." The elder brother pondered for a while, "You said you saw her at the door of Shen Qinyan's house?" "yes." "There is a GPS in the car, and the address of the family is saved," the eldest brother said, "How could she go wrong and arrive at the 15th?" I was very surprised, "But Shen Qinyan said, he doesn't know Yao Yao." "Who do you think your boyfriend is?" the eldest brother sighed. "He is a movie actor. He has won the best actor award. Is it difficult to pretend that he doesn't know him?" I shook my head again and again, "Impossible, if we knew each other, why would Shen Qinyan lie?" "Yao Yao went to look for Shen Qinyan that afternoon, and you bumped into her. She had promised to meet your boyfriend with me, but she canceled it temporarily." The elder brother said flatly, "A Li, don't you think it's a coincidence? " "...Maybe it's just such a coincidence." My heart jumped suddenly, because I thought of the way Harry glared at Yao Yao and roared.Psychologists have said that dogs have a good memory and can distinguish between likes and dislikes. "I have to ask the two of them." The eldest brother pondered for a moment, "I thought about it before, should I ask someone to check Yao Yao." I was startled, and just about to speak, he waved his hand, "Don't worry, I've given up on this idea. Yao Yao wants to break up with me, I really can't accept it. But if her privacy is touched because of my own face, it's okay." It's too ugly. I won't lose my principles of life just for a relationship." I was so moved, "Brother..." "I don't doubt Shen Qinyan. I inquired indirectly. He has a good reputation in the circle," said the elder brother. "You are my only little sister. I don't want you to get hurt. What is the relationship between Yao Yao and Shen Qinyan?" It doesn't matter, you'd better ask him again." I couldn't say a word, I just pressed my face against his suit jacket, and quietly accompanied him through this long street that seemed to never end. I didn't expect that with my carefree personality, I would also encounter tangled things.In case there is something unspeakable about Yao Yao and Shen Qinyan's past that causes the elder brother to break up with her, then how ugly it would be for me, my younger sister, to be caught in the middle! So many things happened in one night that it was difficult for anyone to sleep well.I tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, but I still couldn't fall asleep.So I got up and walked into the study, turned on the computer and started to be in a daze. Frustration is an emotion that is often born out of nothing. Just like I am now, sitting in front of the screen and thinking, the big brother's analysis makes sense. Whether it is Yao Yao or Shen Qinyan, we brothers and sisters don't know much about it. I turned on the computer, and my fingers stayed on the keyboard for a long time, without pressing any keys for a long time. Before I met Shen Qinyan, out of curiosity, I searched him on the Internet without any scruples, and read a lot of information about him, almost all the important ones—because I knew, or thought I knew what he was like People, so I understand that most of the news on the Internet is just to gain attention, and has nothing to do with Shen Qinyan himself. Most of the news on the Internet only dates back to when he became famous, and it is difficult to find the news before that. But it doesn't mean you can't find it.For me, it's the little things of moving a finger.I couldn't help but think that when Shen Qinyan confessed his love to me, he already knew who I was, and he should have thought that it would not be difficult for me to investigate about him, but he still said he liked me. I turned off the computer and went to bed. He respects me, and I should respect him too. Just like sister An Lu said, if you have any questions, just ask him directly. That's fine with me and him.