Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

When I went to work on Monday, there was still no news about Song Yi. I asked Karen, and Karen was puzzled, saying that she knew nothing. Song Yi hadn’t contacted her since he left Beijing. Did not tell her. I finally couldn't restrain myself anymore and found an excuse to meet Lu Licheng. Holding a bunch of unimportant documents and asking him to sign, he signed all the documents without any expression.I tried around the bush: "I'm so sorry to keep asking you to sign. I don't know when Alex will be back. Last time you said it was only two or three days. It's been three days."

He looked up and stared at me blankly: "Are you very concerned about when he will come back?" "No, no!" I twisted my hands behind my back, "I'm just asking casually, everyone has some work that must wait for him to come back to deal with." Lu Licheng stared at me silently, with too many thoughts in his eyes that I couldn't understand at all.Under his gaze, I feel like a transparent person, as if he knows all the secrets in my heart.I became uneasy, and hurriedly picked up the documents: "You are busy, I will go out first." With my hand on the doorknob, I heard him say behind me: "I should be back in a day or two."

I paused, and hurried out of his office. Just these two days, is it today or tomorrow?Send a text message to Song Yi and ask him to contact me as soon as possible after returning to Beijing. I am very worried about him. I hope he can receive my text messages when he gets off the plane and turns on his phone.My days passed like years in restless waiting. On Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from Malatang, her voice was so sweet that it dripped honey: "Manman, come out for dinner tonight! I want you to meet him." I suppressed my sorrow and shared her happiness as much as possible: "Good!"

She told me the meeting place and time in detail, and told me that it was a high-end club, and asked me to change into a new set of clothes after get off work. I knew that Malatang was extremely serious and nervous this time, so I laughed and teased her: " What if he doesn't like me? The two of us, who do you choose?" Malatang brazenly said: "No, he will definitely like you." "I mean what if? You have to know that two good people are not necessarily two people who hit it off." Malatang was silent, and after a while, she said: "No! You two will definitely hit it off. You are my sister. We said that we are friends for life. I will love him all my life and I will love you all my life. I, so, you will definitely hit it off!"

Her voice was tense, like a string about to break. If you really care about it, you will be chaotic!Even smart and free-spirited like Mala Tang are no exception, I dare not tease her again, and I solemnly promise her: "Don't worry, we will hit it off, because we have at least one biggest thing in common, we both love you and want you to be happy." Wearing my most expensive dress.This dress was bought before leaving the United States. It was intended to be worn by Song Yi, but now Malatang can only take advantage of it. Violet silk, cut close to the body, with a wide waist and a wide open hem, the neckline is slightly lowered, pressed with a circle of hollow purple flowers of the same color, and the fragrant shoulders become faintly visible.Coupled with a pearl necklace and earrings, the person in the mirror has snow-like skin, bright eyes and white teeth.

After thinking about it, I took out another jasper bracelet and put it on my wrist. Although it is not in harmony with other jewelry, this jade bracelet has a special meaning. I hope it can witness this special moment tonight. I deliberately used a brighter lip gloss to hide the anxiety in my heart deeply, and only used a smile and a bright smile to share the most important moment in Malatang's life. Lacquered wood floors, crystal chandeliers, men's well-dressed clothes, and women's clothes are fragrant. In the blurred light, I walked through tables and tables of guests, like a person about to attend my sister's wedding, full of tension and anticipation in my heart.

Seeing Malatang and the others from a distance, maybe they should be called Xu Lianshuang.She is wearing a short cheongsam embroidered with Suzhou, with exaggerated crystal pendants, elegant yet modern, but there is no crystal on her wrist, it is a jasper bracelet exactly like mine, which warms my heart. She was smiling with her head tilted, her hands brushing her hair inadvertently, and the jasper bracelet reflected a flowery face and eyes full of happiness. The man was sitting with his back to me, and I couldn’t see clearly yet, but at this moment, I had already decided to like him, just because he gave Malatang such a smile, any man who can make a woman smile like this is worthy of respect .

Malatang saw me and stood up happily, half shy, half smiling, I smiled and walked forward quickly, the man also stood up, smiling back, I and his movements froze at the same time. "Song Yi, this is my good friend, not Su Man who is better than a sister. Su Man, this is Song Yi." My eyes turned black, my knees trembled, and I fell to the ground staggeringly. Song Yi hugged me, and the waiter quickly pulled away the chair and let me sit down. The chandeliers on the top were all flickering in front of my eyes, making my eyes go white, and I couldn't see anything clearly. "Manman, Manman, don't scare me! What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you... Go... Go call a taxi, we'll go to the hospital immediately..."

Malatang's hand held me tightly, and the jasper bracelet on her wrist and the jasper bracelet on my wrist collided with each other from time to time, making a crisp sound. "This pair of jasper bracelets, one for each of us, has been worn until we are old, and then passed on to our respective daughters so that they can continue to wear them." "What if I have a son?" I deliberately contradicted her. "Then make a baby kiss, let the girl wear both." "What if you were a son too?" "Then let the two daughters-in-law sworn sisters, and if they dare not get along intimately, they are not allowed to enter my house."

I laughed loudly: "Be careful when your daughter-in-law calls you an evil mother-in-law." ... The scene when she gave me the bracelet is still vivid in my memory. I am an only child, and Malatang is also an only child. In this huge Beijing city, she is not only my friend, but also a family member like my parents. We laughed together, Hurt together, grow together, cry together. At 4:30 in the morning, when I have a nightmare, I can call her, and she can stay with me on the phone until dawn; the tears I can't shed in front of my parents fall in front of her, and she has been silently giving I handed tissues; at the subway station, I was pushed to the ground by a young lady. I looked at the other person’s red hair, silver lip ring, and provocative eyes. High-heeled shoes, kicked the opponent hard, pulled me and ran.

In this world, people who can do anything for others are almost extinct, but I know that Malatang can do more than just do things for me... More than four years, too many little things, I can't Imagine the city of Beijing without her. I held her hand instead: "I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital, I probably didn't eat at noon, so I have low blood sugar." The waiter who was going to call a taxi immediately said, "I'm going to get a glass of orange juice." Malatang let out a sigh of relief: "You scared me to death! In an instant, your face was as white as a piece of paper." I smiled at her, and Malatang smiled wryly, but looked at another person: "This...you guys know each other, right?" I laughed: "We already know each other!" Malatang was stunned, and I said briskly: "Didn't Song Yi tell you that he works in MG? He is my boss! Now I have found a backer." Preemptively, It is always more convincing than explaining after the fact. "MG?" Malatang was stunned for a moment, then his smile seemed a bit bitter, "It's not a blind date, and you need to talk about the salary of the car and house work first? I don't care about that!" I nodded, my heart was empty, and I was talking nonsense, as long as I didn't stand coldly: "Yes! When I went on a blind date, a man asked me, 'How much do your parents pay a month, and do you have medical insurance?'" Malatang smiled and shook his head: "What a coincidence! Song Yi, have you ever offended my Manman?" Song Yi didn't speak, and made an expression for some reason, Mala Tang raised his mouth slightly, looked at him with a smile and said, "That's pretty much the same!" I have been afraid to look at him, I am afraid that when I see him, all my expressions will collapse again.My eyes can only look at Malatang, staring at her charming smile, beautiful eyes and hopeful eyes, with thousands of styles, just for you. I stood up: "I'm going to the bathroom." "Would you like me to go with you?" "No, no, I can do it myself." I hastily dropped Malatang and walked quickly, and when they were out of sight, I ran suddenly. Why, why is this happening?Are those hugs, those words, those laughs fake?I just went to the United States for a month, but it feels like I have traveled in space for 30 years. My timetable is different from theirs. stay in the past. One hand grabbed me: "Are you going to wear this and run into the cold wind? Where's your coat?" His hand was strong and powerful, and my body was half-drawn into his arms. Only then did I realize that tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't even see the person in front of me clearly. I wiped away my tears in a hurry: "I'm going to the bathroom, I'm just going to the bathroom..." The person in front of me gradually became clear that it was Lu Licheng, and I was standing at the door of the hotel. The guests who entered the door all looked at me, but they all avoided him after being coldly swept away by his gaze. He helped me turn around, and led me through a corridor and into a long corridor. There were no guests, just me and him.He pushed open a door, and there were sofas, tables, and mirrors inside, and a man in a white coat immediately stepped forward respectfully, and Lu Licheng put a piece of money in his hand: "You don't need to serve here." The waiter immediately avoided, and Lu Licheng helped me to sit on the sofa: "This is a private bathroom, you can do whatever you want. If you want to cry, the sound insulation here is very good." I covered my face in silence, tears streaming down my fingers.Six years ago, I thought it was the greatest pain in my life, but now I know that although I wake up crying frequently in my dreams, I have never really been hurt by the fall. I am like a person under a cliff, just because of my desire I hoped to be able to go to the cliff, because I couldn’t get it, but now, I climbed up the cliff a little bit with difficulty, and finally stood at the place I dreamed of, but, unexpectedly, when I was the happiest, I turned around , was pushed down the cliff, and the pain was nothing more than that. I cried for a long time, but my sadness didn't decrease at all. I was thinking dizzily in my head, why?Why?I woke up again in an instant, I couldn't keep crying like this.He rushed to the sink and saw that his makeup was messed up and his eyes were red and swollen.I quickly washed my face and kept irritating my eyes with cold water, but it was still obvious. Lu Licheng has been sitting on the sofa smoking silently, watching me tossing about my face, I really can't stand it anymore: "If you don't want people to find out, the best way is to go home quickly, get some sleep, and tomorrow will naturally be gone." All right." I didn't speak, just practiced smiling in front of the mirror.Smile, yes!Just smile like that!It's no big deal, these days three-legged toads are hard to find, two-legged men are everywhere, there is no grass anywhere in the world, there must be Lanzhi within three steps...Song Yi...a sudden pain in his chest, tears are about to flow again Come out, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.Su Man, forget everything, the only thing you need to remember is: today is the happiest day for your most important person! He straightened his back and walked out of the bathroom with a smile. In the hall, the lights are red, the wine is green, the world is still colorful, and my heart has been desolate forever. As soon as I reached the end of the corridor, I saw Mala Tang rushing over and grabbed me: "Where have you been? Are you going to scare me to death? I thought you fainted somewhere again." "Just went to the bathroom." Malatang stared at me and said, "You're lying, there are two bathrooms on this floor, and I've searched for them all." There was fear and panic in her eyes, "Su Man, don't act in front of me. When people were acting, you were still playing with mud! Tell me, is Song Yi him?" Malatang thought she was calm, but in fact she was shaking slightly while holding my hand. I smiled: "What him? Which one?" A heart sank coldly, at least one of the two of us should be happy. "Your iceberg! Is it Song Yi? Did you go to MG for him?" I was still trying to smile, but that smile was as stiff as a mask: "You are crazy! I like someone else." "Then how do you explain your reaction today, and why did you hide and cry?" "I, I... I..." How should I explain? Malatang and I tried our best to smile, and the other seemed to be calm, but our bodies were trembling. "Excuse me." Lu Licheng stood behind me, put his hand on my shoulder, smiled and said to Malatang: "Miss Xu, I think I can explain to her where she was just now, because I often invite customers here Eat, so I have a private room here, she was in the private bathroom just now." "Licheng?" Malatang's face turned red, and he said a little helplessly, "Lu, Mr. Lu, are you here too?" Lu Licheng said with a smile: "As for why she was crying, I think Ms. Xu should be able to guess the reason, but now the rain is over and the sky is clear." Malatang's ears turned red, and he was so embarrassed that he didn't even dare to look at me. Lu Licheng smiled, bent down, and whispered in my ear, "Do you want me to take you there?" As if grasping the straw of life-saving, I nodded immediately.He slightly bent his right arm, and I took his arm.He smiled at Malatang and said, "Please!" Malatang looked at me, at him, bit his lip, and said softly, "Mr. Lu is really surprising." Lu Licheng said with a smile: "There are many accidents in life." Malatang led the way, and when they reached the table, Song Yi had just returned, and when he saw Malatang, he asked, "Did you find her?" Malatang pointed behind him, Song Yi saw us now, his expression was stunned for a moment, Lu Licheng smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with him: "I still have friends waiting over there, let Su Man be taken care of by the two first." , I'll come back later." Song Yi looked at me without saying a word, and Malatang sneered: "Come on! Let us take care of it, at least we won't take care of a tearful person! We are the ones who don't trust you!" Lu Licheng smiled and pulled out the chair for me, let me sit down, put his hands on my shoulders, bent over, and whispered in my ear: "Can you do it alone?" I nod. He straightened up, bid farewell to Song Yi, turned and left. The waiter saw that the three of us had finally arrived, and immediately began to serve the dishes.We lowered our heads and ate with our own thoughts.When Malatang recovered from his thoughts, he bit his lip and asked me, "Lu Licheng, is that him?" I stared at her blankly, unable to figure out what she was asking, she glared at me angrily: "Bingshan! Is it him?" I can only nod, can there be a more reasonable and seamless explanation? Malatang puffed up his cheeks, and seemed to be angry, annoyed, and ashamed. Only then did I realize that something was wrong: "How do you know Lu Licheng?" Embarrassment and shame flashed in Malatang's eyes, and he used a smile to hide his uneasiness and nervousness: "How big is the city of Beijing? He is not the president of the country, so why is it strange to know him?" I lowered my head and silently stuffed something into my mouth. Although my stomach felt like a piece of hard iron was stuffed, but when I didn't want to speak, the best way to cover up my anxiety was to bury my head and chew. When we started eating dessert, Lu Licheng came back.With his joining, the atmosphere in the meeting was suddenly lively, and it felt like a gathering of friends.He and Song Yi talked and laughed like old friends for many years.Malatang also joined them, chatting about music, stocks, investment, and even the issue of desertification in China.For each topic, Lu Licheng will leave me a few words to say.Not too much and I'm overwhelmed, and not too little and I feel unhappy.On the surface, the four of us got along incredibly well and happily. The meal finally came to an end, and the four of us stood at the door of the hotel to say goodbye. Malatang and I were both dressed very thinly. Although there was a coat, the cold wind directly penetrated from the coat.Malatang was very excited, talking non-stop, shaking and stomping his feet, but he just refused to say the last "goodbye". Lu Licheng smiled and begged her for mercy: "Miss Xu, please feel sorry for our family. If the conversation is really unfinished, let's find a bar and talk all night." Malatang squeezed my face: "This girl is like this, taking advantage of her small face and big eyes, she always looks so cute and pitiful. Alright, let you go!" Lu Licheng has his own car, Song Yi and Malatang have to take a taxi, so we send them to the car first, Malatang has already sat in the car, but suddenly ran out and hugged me: "Manman, one day I have a dream , I dreamed of you and yours, me and mine, the four of us climbed the mountain together, I never thought that the dream could really come true, I am so happy today, so happy that it is unreal." I hugged her vigorously and said vigorously: "I am also very happy!" She smiled at me and quickly ran back to the taxi. When the taxi was out of sight, my shoulders immediately collapsed. Lu Licheng led me into his car without saying a word, and helped me fasten the seat belt. I closed my eyes. Eyes tossed by him, it feels as though all the courage and strength I have spent in my life have been spent tonight. The car pierced through the neon lights of the city and ran toward the depths of the night. There was only the sigh of the engine in the car, which sounded continuously, as if seeking answers from the night, but silence was its only expression. No one can answer my why, but at least I can answer Lu Licheng's why.But Lu Licheng didn't ask any questions. He steered his mount without distraction, letting his black steed gallop against the night.Eyebrows are focused, reminiscent of ancient herdsmen, the mount is not just a tool for transportation, it also indulges your soul and releases your emotions during every leap and gallop. He didn't speak until the car stopped. It seemed that nothing strange happened tonight. The two of us just met when we got off work, and he gave me a ride. After getting off the car, he wanted to take me upstairs, but I said no, he grabbed my arm and pushed me into the elevator. When he got to my house, he didn't even get off the elevator, but stood at the door of the elevator and watched me enter. After saying "good night" to me, I closed the elevator door. I forgot to turn on the light, and walked straight into the room. I tripped over something and fell heavily to the ground. The pain in my heart had already numb my whole body, so I didn't feel any pain at all.I curled up, face pressed against the cold floor, tears fell silently. There is no light, no people, only darkness, I let myself sink in the darkness, I really want to sleep like this, it is best not to wake up again, but those old lights and shadows refused to let me go, flashing in front of me one by one Pass. After passing the statue of Wen Yiduo with a pipe in his mouth, continue to walk forward, and you will see a small lotus pond. It is said that this is the real location of the moonlight in Zhu Ziqing’s lotus pond. The "moonlight in the lotus pond" is far away. In addition, there is a big lotus pond in Tsinghua University, so there are few people here. Maybe Song Yi prefers the tranquility here, so he often reads books in the pavilion here, and I often read here with books, but not sitting in the pavilion, but sitting among the trees by the pond.Although there are not many lotus flowers, there are luxuriant trees and clear water in the pool. Sometimes, when you are tired of reading, you will look up at him from a distance, and then enjoy the surrounding scenery. Within a square inch, there is also a sense of long white clouds and green water. . At that time, Song Yi was preparing for the GMAT and TOEFL exams. He carried a Walkman and a red book every day. He often leaned against the railing and sat for a long time. People who didn’t know thought he was in a daze, but he was not actually reciting words silently. Just practicing listening.When there is no one around, he will chant aloud and pace back and forth in the pavilion. At that time, I will put down the red book in my hand and look at him quietly. After half a year of dedication, when the test results came out, his results were far from what he expected. At that time, the GMAT was still a paper test, and it was impossible for him to take the second test.However, there is not much time left before the application. More importantly, tomorrow is the last time for him to decide whether to accept the postgraduate insurance. His counselor advised him to give up going abroad for the time being and accept postgraduate insurance, giving himself a buffer time.One is a completely risk-free broad road, and the other is a thorny path with almost no hope in sight. The choice is actually obvious. As soon as I heard the news, I ran to the pond, and sure enough, there he was. It was dinner time, and there was no one around, only the sweltering wind wrinkled the pond.He was not standing in the pavilion, but standing high on the railing of the pavilion. The wind blew his white shirt like a sail.At first glance, it seems that the old red pavilion and lush old trees have become his background, just to set off his majestic and upright at this moment. A gust of wind blew the surrounding trees rustling, he suddenly opened his hands, facing the sky, and recited aloud: "The mountain outside the threshold has experienced thousands of changes in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it is extraordinary; Traveling from north to south, Dandangxun is the fairy house." Then, he jumped off the railing and ran out happily. I stared at his back and softly recited the horizontal couplet: "Shui Mu Qing Hua". That night, on the basketball court, he and his teammates had a disastrous defeat in the electronic department. His smile was so bright and dazzling that no one could have imagined that he had just experienced a failure and was facing an important decision in his life. The next day, he told the counselor that he still decided to give up his graduate placement in the college; half a year later, he made up for the failure of the GMAT with other excellences, and successfully got the admission letter from Berkeley. Just like how he encouraged me back then, he would never give up on himself until the end, and even in the end, he would still not give up. Since the age of seventeen, I have experienced countless disappointments, failures, and pains, small or big, and every time I can wipe away my tears, clench my fists, and start again, just because of the sunshine in his eyes on the basketball court, On the edge of the lotus pond, his figure with clear water and lush trees, but this time, who can tell me, how should I start again? The door of the room opened suddenly, and the security guard turned on the light: "Miss Su, Miss Su..." Song Yi saw me curled up on the floor, pushed away the security guard, ran to me, looked down at me, I turned my head abruptly, and covered my eyes with my hands. The security guard stood aside and explained uneasily: "Mr. Song said to call you, but no one answered. He knocked on the door, but no one answered the door, but he heard the phone ringing in the house. He is worried, so please Let's open the door, I...I thought that Mr. Song is Miss Su's boyfriend, just to be on the safe side, I'd better open the door and have a look..." I covered my face and said, "He's not my boyfriend, and I haven't taken sleeping pills, I'm just too tired." I wanted to sit up, but my hands didn't have any strength. Song Yi picked me up, put me on the bed, covered me with the quilt, and quickly turned on the air conditioner. I pulled the quilt over my head and heard him escort the security guard away. Feeling alone sitting on the edge of the bed, I said wearily: "Please go back, Lian Shuang and I are good sisters, please don't trap me in injustice." After a long silence, I felt his hand gently brushing past mine, as if he wanted to hold me, but at the last moment, he withdrew his hand. Several times, I felt what he wanted to say. In the end, it was just With a tired hoarse voice: "I'm sorry!" After feeling the mattress loosen, there was the sound of the door closing.The room was completely dead again. My tears flowed down the corners of my eyes.It turns out that all relationships between men and women, no matter how complicated it is at the beginning, no matter how sweet the process is, at the end, you can just say goodbye with these three words.