Chapter 11 Chapter Ten That Summer

After Xin Chen left, Bruce was going to leave too, but he is one of the celebrities on this hiking forum, registered for three years, and sometimes posted photos of hiking in the United States, and suddenly appeared today, which caused quite a stir. Everyone was determined not to let him go, so he could only wave his hands at Xin Chen and follow the motorcade to eat. After the meal, Bruce went home. His parents divorced when he was 15 years old. He immigrated to Canada with his mother and younger sister, but his father Lin Yueqing still stayed in China to do business and owned a house locally.He opened the door, only to find his father sitting in the living room with a gentle man.

"Yueqing, let me introduce you. This is Lu Fei. He is working with your little uncle's company on a project. He wants to talk to you about something. He has been waiting for you for a long time." Bruce's Chinese name is Lin Yueqing. Of course, his family is used to calling him by this name. He shook hands with Lu Fei and raised his eyebrows at the same time, "Hello, you must not be looking for me to discuss business, right?" Lu Fei smiled, "I call you Yueqing, don't you mind? If it's convenient, let's go to the cafe downstairs." Lin Yueqing's home is not far from the local evening newspaper office. Opposite the newspaper office is the Green Door Cafe, which is elegantly decorated. Although it is in this relatively secluded section of the road, the business has always been good. The two sat opposite each other and ordered a cup of coffee each.

"Speaking of which, we are a bit distant relatives, Yueqing, your little cousin Su Zhe is the younger brother of my brother-in-law Su Jie, and it is not the first time we have met. Three months ago, I accompanied Su Zhe Your dormitory. If we go a little farther, we should have seen it at Su Zhe's wedding in Shenzhen three years ago." Lin Yueqing suddenly smiled and said: "No wonder I met you at the bar two days ago and felt familiar. Yes, I went back to the dormitory that day, and you happened to go out. The little uncle said that you and I are alumni and graduated from that school. I probably want to go there by myself. School walk."

Lu Fei smiled wryly. At that time, he and Su Zhe went to the headquarters of the American company to discuss the specific matters of the venture capital fund's participation in Haotian's new project. Nephew, Lu Fei graduated from the Hass Graduate School of Business there three years ago, and just wanted to go back to see old friends during the weekend, so the two bought air tickets and flew from New York to San Francisco together. When he arrived at Lin Yueqing's dormitory, his roommate said he would be right back and asked them to wait a moment, but Lu Fei saw two of the many photos hanging on the wall.One of them is on the top of the mountain, with the sea of ​​clouds under the sun in the background, the scenery is indescribably magnificent, a girl in a dark gray jacket is staring at the distance sideways, her hair is blown up by the wind, it is obviously a snapshot, she did not notice The existence of the lens; the background of the other is obviously a hospital ward, with monotonous white walls, white beds, and an upright infusion stand next to it. A boy is leaning against the girl just now. They are both wearing blue and white striped patient uniforms , looked pale and haggard, but looked directly at the camera with a very happy smile.

Lu Fei was taken aback, not to mention the one alone, the girl in the group photo had a thin chin and short hair, but she had dark eyebrows, bright eyes, and a dimple looming on her left cheek, which she hadn't seen for several years Xin Chen. Seeing him looking at these two photos, Su Zhe said with a smile: "This boy is my nephew. He loves to hike. He crossed the Qinling Mountains with the girl in the photo three years ago and almost died. At that time, the armed police were sent to search and rescue the mountain. sensation." "Three years ago? When exactly?" Lu Fei looked back at him with a difficult voice.

"I got married in Shenzhen at the end of June that year. After returning to China for the wedding, he went to Qinling in early July. Lu Fei, what's wrong?" "It's okay, Su Zhe, I'll go for a walk first, see you later." Lu Fei couldn't hold back the shock in his heart, he hurried out and passed by Lin Yueqing who just came back. The wind chimes by the door of the Green Door Cafe rang softly, and a beautiful woman in a little black dress walked in. Her skin was like snow, her hair was loosely tied up, and a few locks were hanging down randomly, which was very charming.The few customers in the cafe couldn't help but stare at her, but she didn't seem to feel all the gazes, and went straight around the counter and went inside.

Lin Yueqing smiled and said: "Oh my God, I was surprised that this store didn't change its name. I didn't expect the lady boss to be this beautiful woman, she must be named Susan. I immigrated to Canada when I was 15 years old. The day before I left, my dad You insisted on talking to me, and brought me here. The first time I saw her that day, I was really amazed, a young boy's heart was beating. Unexpectedly, seven years have passed, and she has not changed at all. " Lu Fei only glanced over there, obviously not paying attention to the face of the proprietress, "There is another coincidence between us, Yueqing, I also left this city for the United States more than seven years ago."

"Then I guess, the farewell you experienced should be more romantic than mine. I was a 15-year-old awkward boy who was hating my father and didn't want to say a word to him. If I didn't see the beautiful lady boss, I would probably have died that night. Depressed to death." Such a humorous and cheerful Lin Yueqing made Lu Fei unable to stop smiling, "No, it was a stubborn 18-year-old girl who bid farewell to me. That scene was not romantic at all, but I can't forget her." "If I'm not wrong, that girl is Hehuan, that is, Xinchen. I'm used to her online name." He saw Lu Fei surprised, and smiled, "My father introduced you as Lu Fei, so I know you What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Acacia." Lu Fei repeated the name, and the girl shaking the trunk of the acacia tree, causing the petals to scatter all over her body, appeared in front of him. He asked in disbelief, "So...she mentioned me to you?" "No, she didn't say anything, but three years ago, on Taibai Mountain, she had a fever, and I took care of her. She once held my hand and called Lu Fei when she was semi-conscious. I was very impressed." Lu Fei tightly held the coffee cup in front of him, his knuckles turned white, and it took him a long time to speak, his voice became a little hoarse, "That day in your dormitory, I saw Xiao Chen's photo, and I heard Su Zhe talk about it. I just found out that she once crossed the Qinling Mountains with you and was in danger, not to mention me, her family members don’t know about it.”

"Before hiking, everyone had to fill in the contact number of their family members. Only she didn't fill in because she was the last one. After the accident, people from the club quickly found my father, but they couldn't contact her family. She also refused to disclose her home phone number in the hospital. At first I thought she was living alone, but later I heard her call her uncle, she seemed very relaxed, and only said that she wanted to spend a few more days in Xi'an." Lu Fei stared at the front for a moment, and said in a low voice: "After I went back, I searched the Internet, and the reports were all very simple. I repeatedly checked the route you crossed and collected relevant hiking information, but I couldn't find any information about the two of you being killed. The specific circumstances of the difficulty."

"A lot of reporters came to the hospital at the time. I didn't care, but Hehuan refused to accept any interviews. Of course, I respected her opinion and only asked my father to deal with them. At the same time, I thank the armed police for their efficient search and rescue operations." "Can you explain to me in detail, Yueqing? I came back to this city three years ago, at the time when you set off for a hike. I really wanted to come back and see Xiaochen before making a certain decision, but I didn't expect her In order to avoid me, I will almost kill myself." "Is she trying to avoid you?" Lin Yueqing frowned and pondered, he thought, it is indeed an incomprehensible choice to repeatedly mutter someone's name while sick, but rashly join a strenuous hike just to avoid him . "I prepared for the seven-day trek for a long time. As for Hehuan, we didn't know each other before. All I know is that she was the last one to follow up and sign up, and the last one to arrive at the meeting place in Xi'an. She didn't bring complete equipment. But she said that she has been hiking since she was 18 years old, and she has enough outdoor experience to handle this route, and it seems to be no problem." It is a masochistic route, seven days, with an average altitude of over 3,000 meters, and needs to climb more than 10 mountains with an altitude of over 3,400 meters, and there is no place for supplies along the way, which means that all food must be carried with you. For tents, stoves, gas tanks and other equipment, women's loads exceed 20 kg, and men's loads exceed 25 kg, which is a veritable heavy-duty hike. The scenery of Taibai Mountain is magnificent, with a complete range of landforms including stone seas, meadows, primitive jungles, wastelands, and Quaternary glacial relics. In summer, unknown wildflowers of various colors bloom everywhere. At that time, the alpine rhododendrons are also in full bloom, which is very gorgeous. , but most of the routes actually have no roads at all, and can only follow the traces of wild animals such as antelopes, and the climate is ever-changing, cloudy and sunny.They set off at the beginning of July, and some mountain tops still had faint snow, and the temperature of the campsites on the mountains was between 0 and 10°C. Moreover, it was the rainy season, and heavy rain and dense fog in the mountains came without warning. In the afternoon of the second day, three team members either suffered from slight altitude sickness, or were unable to adapt to the difficult road conditions, so they withdrew from the trip and were escorted down the mountain by club staff.The tent Xin Chen brought didn't meet the regulations, and she had been left at the foot of the mountain. The girl who shared the tent with her withdrew, and she was assigned by the team leader to live in the same tent with Lin Yueqing.Lin Yueqing is naturally happy to have a beautiful girl "bastard", even though this girl is always thoughtful and doesn't talk much.Of course, in such a high-intensity time travel, there were very few people chatting, but when it came to rest and camping at night, everyone was talking and laughing, but she was still silent, her eyes drifted into the distance, obviously worried. On the third day, the weather was fine, and we stayed overnight in the General Temple. The sky was full of bright stars, and they seemed to be within reach. Sitting together and looking up at the starry sky, they had their first conversation that could be called a dialogue.Lin Yueqing unexpectedly discovered that the two had lived in the same city before. "She didn't complain all the way. She followed the team closely. She showed that she could endure hardships and was very experienced. She was not picky about what food she ate, and she didn't make a fuss like the other female team members when she drank water from the cracks in the rocks." Lu Fei has a bit of a cleanliness habit. He thinks that he should not be afraid of hardships, but that kind of drinking water may be a little unacceptable. Remembering that Xin Chen once laughed at himself that "you can pick up the steamed buns that fall on the ground, pat the ashes and eat them", which is true. No exaggeration, it's hard to imagine how much outdoor training the girl who used to be a picky eater has gone through to reach this point. "On the fourth day, it started to rain lightly in the morning. By the time I found out that she had a low-grade fever due to water seepage in the jacket, and she was just taking medicine, it was already too late. She walked more and more slowly, and she and I fell behind. After entering Leigong Temple, we lost contact with the team and lost our way in a large virgin larch needle forest." The rain was not heavy that day, but the fog was very thick. Xin Chen's steps seemed heavy and sluggish, as if he was stumbling on a muddy mountain road. Lin Yueqing wanted to take her backpack, but she shook her head and declined, saying in a hoarse voice: "It's okay, I You can hold on, you go first, I will follow in a while." Later, she couldn't be stubborn anymore, so she could only let Lin Yueqing take the rucksack away. "We had to camp alone at night. Unfortunately, I didn't find a clean water source around, and I also ran into a single wild antelope. This kind of animal looks gentle, but it is actually very dangerous. It is said that there are antelopes in Taibai Mountain every year. The example of the dead. I was lucky and dodged the vital point, but I was pushed." Lin Yueqing returned to the tent with all his strength, and lay down next to Xin Chen, waiting for the pain to subside.She was falling into a semi-consciousness, and suddenly grabbed his hand and murmured: "Lu Fei, don't go, don't go, I'm afraid." The strength of her hand suddenly became surprisingly strong, pulling on his bumped collarbone, and the pain made his eyes stare at him, he could only grit his teeth and endure it, comforting her softly: "Okay, I won't go, don't worry, I'm right here .” It took Xinchen a while to calm down, but he still held onto his hand. Lin Yueqing tried his best to touch the place where he was hit with the other hand, and confirmed that the collarbone should be broken. Fleece jacket, no open wounds, he couldn't help smiling wryly. He originally planned to use the compass to identify the direction after dawn the next day, give up part of the load, and rush to the next campsite with Xinchen on his back. When he was looking for water, he was thinking about whether to throw away the SLR camera and lens he bought. It really hurts a bit.But now that he was injured, it was almost impossible to carry someone on his back. Lin Yueqing lay down for a while, but still managed to get up, found antipyretics and anti-inflammatory medicines and forced Xin Chen to drink them, took painkillers himself, and went to bed.The next day, Xin Chen was still suffering from a low-grade fever, but he came to his senses, ate some noodles he cooked, and suddenly said, "Bruce, you go first, go find help, and then come back to pick me up." Lin Yueqing was carefully considering several possible options in his mind. He admitted that Xin Chen's proposal was considered wise, but thinking of yesterday's grasping his slender fingers, and thinking of that low whisper full of despair, he couldn't let go. Here she is alone, “Aren’t you afraid?” She looked at him, eyes blurred by fever but very calm, "It's nothing to be afraid of." She seemed genuinely fearless and didn't seem to mind facing a person's desolation or even death alone.Lin Yueqing smiled, "Okay, then I'm afraid, I'm afraid of walking alone, especially if I'm injured, I'm not sure how far I can go. Let's see, this area is flat and Leeward, we should not deviate too far from the route, it is best to stay here and wait for rescue, not to separate." "I dragged you down," she said softly. "If you hadn't accommodated my speed, you wouldn't have fallen behind, lost your way, or gotten hurt. And now you've given me your sleeping bag and moisture-proof pad. , if the temperature drops, you will catch a cold too." Lin Yueqing has a lot of experience in outdoor hiking. In the first year of studying in the United States, he met with his classmates to cross the Rocky Mountains. Before the trip, he researched materials and made full preparations for the climate. It is very suitable for such high-altitude camping, and Xin Chen only brought ordinary hiking equipment, which is obviously not enough in the low temperature here. "We are a team when we come out. I believe the team leader will call for rescue and come to us, and will not leave us alone. Similarly, you have to believe that I can't give up on you." This big boy who is less than 20 years old has a relaxed tone, but he has a convincing and reassuring demeanor. Xin Chen lowered his eyelids and sighed: "Please make the most sensible choice, don't be impulsive. You can change your mind at any time, and I will never Blame you." This discussion ended here. They camped on the edge of a vast pine forest. The next day, when the sun came out, wild flowers bloomed on the meadow not far away, and the season quickly transitioned from the cold winter at night to the scene of peaceful spring. Both knew that the weather here was capricious. They gathered firewood, built a bonfire in an open place, and tried their best to make the smoke look thicker, hoping that the rescue team could find it earlier, but in the afternoon, the sky turned cloudy and it started to rain again, so the two could only curl up in the tent. When Xinchen was sober, he would chat with Yueqing, and Yueqing found that she was talkative, not as taciturn as she seemed a few days ago.But all she said was what she had seen on foot, and the city they had lived in together, and nothing else. On the third day when they lost their way, her fever rose, her face was flushed, and her lips were chapped. Lin Yueqing applied a wet towel to her forehead, collected rainwater, and force-fed her water every once in a while, but she still started to dehydrate. As a sign, she didn't hold his hand tightly again, but occasionally her lips opened and closed slightly, and she still vaguely called that name. When it was almost desperate, the rain stopped. Lin Yueqing tried his best to search for something that could be ignited and started the fire again. A search and rescue team composed of outdoor rescue teams, villagers and armed police finally found them. "We were indeed lucky. The team leader dealt with it in a timely manner. When he found that we were falling behind, he immediately asked the management office for help. He probably emphasized the Canadian passport I had." Recalling the days that were so close to death, Lin Yueqing did not have any lingering fears. Instead, he smiled and said, "We were carried down the mountain and sent to the health center. My father rushed over after receiving the call, and immediately transferred us to the Xi'an City Hospital. It can be regarded as saving our lives." After Lu Fei came back from the United States, he collected all the information related to the trekking of Qinling Taibai Mountain on the Internet like a demon. He knew that Lin Yueqing was not exaggerating at all. Almost every year, tourists, donkey friends and mountain people who collected herbs disappeared and died in the mountains. , getting lost, hypothermia, encountering wild animals... all kinds of reasons can be fatal, and it is a fluke for Xin Chen to come back alive under such circumstances. His hands were tightly clenched into fists under the table. He couldn't imagine what kind of thought drove her to make the decision to flee when she heard that he was coming back. In his impression, she was always stubborn and never evasive. Lu Fei said goodbye to Lin Yueqing. After leaving the Green Door Cafe, he almost subconsciously drove to Xin Chen's residence. He stood downstairs and looked at the window without a trace of light. He couldn't remember how many times he had stood here. looked up to. Seven years ago, Lu Fei went to the United States to study, and Xin Chen was admitted to an unremarkable comprehensive university in this city, moved to the dormitory, and refused to answer his emails at the same time, and the two lost contact completely.Next, he could only ask Xin Di about her recent situation when exchanging emails with her. The news that Xindi gave him were all just a few words: she majored in graphic design, she made a boyfriend, she looks good, she seems to like traveling very much suddenly, she works as a graphic model in her spare time, my father doesn't want her to do that , she broke up with her boyfriend, she works part-time in a wedding photography company, and she has a new suitor... Every time he received such an email, he would read it repeatedly, trying to organize a relatively complete life from simple words, but it was all in vain. His father has always been strict with his children and does not advocate that they come and go freely during their studies.He returned to China for the first time during the Christmas holiday of the second year of studying abroad. At that time, his father had already been transferred to the south for a job, and his family moved south.His sister was about to give birth, and he stayed until the birth of his little nephew, and the vacation was almost over. Lu Fei was supposed to go to Beijing to fly back to the United States, but he still couldn't help but quietly bought a ticket to come here, but the door of Xinchen's house was locked tightly.He called Xin Di, didn't say that he was in this city, only chatted with her, and then asked about Xin Chen seemingly unintentionally, only then did he know that Xin Chen was spending winter vacation with his father who was doing business in Kunming. He could only wish Xin Di's family a happy new year, put down the phone sadly, and looked up at the dark window just like now. The sky was covered with flakes of snow, it was cold and damp, he came from the warm south, he didn't wear much, but he still walked to a secluded road behind the urban park, in the mid-winter evening, he caught up with the weather again , there are almost no pedestrians here. Just a year before Lu Fei went abroad, he had accompanied Xin Chen, who was a sophomore in high school, for a walk here. At that time, it was late spring at the end of April, and the air was warm, which indicated that the long summer in this city was about to begin. From the first half of that year, Xin Kaiyu suddenly stopped going on business trips or running around abnormally, and stayed at home almost every day.Xinchen went to the second semester of the second year of high school, and the school had already started to study by herself every night and make up classes all day on Saturdays. It was not convenient for Lu to go to her home to help her with tutoring, so he could only take her out for something to eat or go for a walk occasionally on Sundays. Lu Fei was afraid of delaying Xin Chen's homework, so he always sent her home early.That day her April transfer test results came out, and she did very well in the test, and her grade ranking rose to within 150, which can be considered above the middle.Lu Fei showed approval and took her to watch a movie to relax. After she came out, Xin Chen refused to go back. "There is still class tomorrow, why don't you go home early and rest?" "Walk with me, Lu Fei, I've almost collapsed in my homework recently, so just treat it as an exam reward, okay?" Lu Fei knew that the middle school he had attended was notoriously heavy on homework, and since Xin Chen promised him to study hard the day he watched the cherry blossoms, he really restrained his playfulness, and recently he can be regarded as immersed in his studies.He couldn't bear to refuse, and walked aimlessly along the back of the park with her. "I'm very happy recently, do you know why?" "why?" "Dad is always at home. He accompanies me to do my homework almost every night, buys me snacks, and forces me to drink milk. He says he will try his best to take care of me until the college entrance examination." Xin Chen said with a smile, "And you always Come with me." Lu Fei sighed, thinking that what her father did was something a father should have done long ago, but seeing Xin Chen's dimples appearing in his smile, his brows and eyes curved, and even juxtaposing him with her father, it is obvious that he is very close to him, Of course I am also happy. She pulled his sleeve, "I want to eat lamb skewers." Lu Fei looked at the smoky barbecue booth with meat skewers exposed to the air and dubious sanitary conditions, and couldn't help frowning, "It's better to eat ice cream." He just rejected her request to eat ice cream, the reason is that the weather is not hot, be careful of stomach pain, and now he wants to choose the lesser of two evils, but Xin Chen took the cone he bought with a triumphant smile on his face, he immediately Knowing that she had been fooled, she could only pat her head angrily and funny. They walked along this quiet tree-lined road. The wind at the end of April was warm and bright, which made people feel a little lazy. The twilight was thin, and the sky refused to completely darken.She took his arm, and the setting sun cast their figures long in front of them. Not far ahead, a well-dressed man in his thirties suddenly stopped under a tree, looked left and right, and started climbing the tree.Lu Fei couldn't help being surprised, and Xin Chen stopped and watched with great interest.The man looked down and saw someone watching, he was a little embarrassed, and said mockingly: "My daughter is raising silkworms for fun, and the mulberry leaves I bought are not enough to eat, so I finally found a mulberry tree here." Xin Chen said with a smile: "My dad also picked mulberry leaves for me before. I was wondering if he looked around and climbed the tree in the same way." The man on the tree was amused, "It's only natural for a daughter to torment Dad." "Hey, don't knock the flowers away, they can bear mulberries." The man smiled and agreed: "Okay, let your boyfriend come to climb the tree to pick the mulberries, and the father can finally take a rest." They couldn't help laughing, and the two continued to walk forward. Not too far away, Xin Chen suddenly stopped, "Hey, I met a classmate." Lu Fei hurriedly pulled her to the side of a big tree by the side of the road. Under the dark sky, he could see a pair of boys and girls coming out of the side gate of the park in front, walking towards the opposite station hand in hand.Xin Chen laughed wickedly, "The boy is our school's 100-meter champion, and the girl is my classmate." Lu Fei is funny, the children who dare to love are all seizing the limited spare time to fall in love, "Didn't he always pursue you?" "Who would be so stupid to keep chasing after people ignoring her?" Xin Chen said carelessly, "This girl is the branch secretary of our class, and she usually looks decent." "Don't talk nonsense, it's an inappropriate word." "You should correct my Chinese homework? What kind of words should I use? Seriously, pretending." Xin Chen said more and more amusingly, "Still putting on airs?" Lu Fei rubbed her hair helplessly, "You're dating too, and you're laughing at her." She leaned into his arms and laughed, "But I didn't pretend to be a pure girl, and I'm not afraid of being seen." Lu Fei felt ashamed secretly, he really didn't want to be seen by her classmates.He leaned against the big tree, put his arms around her, and asked with a smile: "Then I pretended?" Xin Chen looked up at him seriously, his brows were straight, his eyes were full of tenderness and a smile, which made her feel like the ice cream she held in her hand just now, could melt in this gaze, "You didn't pretend, You're naturally serious, and I like you the way you are." Hearing this praise, Lu Fei was a little ashamed, well, being prudish is better than being prudish, he thought resignedly.He bent down and kissed her sweet and soft lips, ordered himself not to linger, and then said to himself mockingly: Especially now, you don't seem to be too serious. They walked around that road, and Xin Chen kept talking to him about this and that with great interest. After a while, he talked about raising silkworms with Xin Di when he was in elementary school. Here, when the white and yellow cocoons were formed, the two were so excited that they divided each other in half. Xin Di quietly took it back and put it in the drawer, but he didn't notice that a few days later, moths would break out of the cocoon, and when the drawer was opened, the room was full. Flying around caused my mother to blame me a lot; after a while, I pointed to the tree by the roadside and told him that this is called acacia. I have made Sophora japonica cake, which is sweet and delicious. It wasn't until the night was dark that he couldn't walk anymore, that Xin Chen agreed to let him take him home.When I went downstairs, I met Xin Kaiyu walking home. Unlike other girls who had boys around, Xinchen avoided her parents. She called her "Dad" generously. When he turned around, Lu Fei couldn't help but marvel at his youth. At that time, Xin Kaiyu was only 35 years old. He looked like he was in his early 30s. He looked more like a brother than a father. Did you come back late?" There was no trace of reproach in his tone. Xin Kaiyu is not like other fathers with growing beautiful daughters who strictly scrutinize strange boys. He just casually looked at Lu Fei, then went in with his daughter, and walked into the dark corridor. Xin Chen turned his head and turned the other way. Fei smiled and shook hands, her smile was as deeply embedded in his memory as that spring day. Such a spring scene is like yesterday, and such laughter seems to be still lingering in my ears. The road in front of me was deserted, and the acacia and mulberry trees were all bare, giving it a bleak winter scene.Gusts of cold north wind whizzed past, and the white hot air exhaled by Lu Fei was immediately blown to pieces, and the fine snowflakes wet his coat, allowing the biting chill to penetrate directly into his body. He thought, maybe there is really no fate anymore.Fate, such a vulgar yet so versatile word, seems to be able to explain all the separation and meeting between people, but it can't explain the concern that he used all his reason to persuade, but he couldn't let go. He went to the airport, transferred from Beijing and returned to the United States to continue his studies.He can only say to himself: Well, it seems that she should be doing well, and boys keep pursuing her.Of course, how could such a beautiful and lively girl be pursued by no one, there would always be someone who would give her happiness.If you give up, you have no right to expect her to still consider you when she can really make decisions about her own life. And new faces appeared in his life. After graduating from Hass School of Business, Lu Fei successfully entered the venture capital company in the United States to work, and was sent back to the domestic office after half a year. When Ji Ruoli, who followed him back to Beijing, confessed to him again, he was silent for a long time , "Give me time to think about it, please?" "It doesn't matter how long it takes." Ji Ruoli answered him like this. She is a gentle, quiet and beautiful girl. After graduating from high school, she went to the United States to study at a university. She gave up her plan to pursue further studies because of him. risk." He felt that there was no way to repay such persistence, but she laughed, "No, don't feel burdened, this is my own decision, you just make your own decision." Lu Fei's decision-making ability at work has been highly valued by his boss, but when it comes to Xin Chen, he has never been able to make himself a quick decision.After hesitating again and again, he called Xindi and said that he planned to come back for vacation-of course this was a ridiculous excuse, no one would want to go on vacation in this city known for its hot summer in early July. Lu Fei hoped to meet Xin Chen before making a decision, even if he knew that she already had a boyfriend at that time. At dusk in early July three years ago, when Lu Fei stepped off the plane, he was greeted by a scorching and long-lost high temperature.When he got into the taxi, the driver asked him where he was going, but he hesitated for a moment, and after hesitating for a moment, he gave Xin Chen's address, but this time her door was still locked. He could only go to the restaurant that Xin Kaiming had booked. Xin Kaiming and Li Xin had already arrived there first, saying that Xindi would be there soon. He asked, "Where's Xiaochen? She should be off work, right?" Xin Kaiming remained silent, obviously a little annoyed, Li Xin frowned and said, "Don't mention it, she suddenly said that she didn't want to go to work, and went to Xi'an with her boyfriend for a trip, and she left this morning, alas, this job was arranged for her after all, and it hurts you Uncle Xin and Director Wang kept apologizing." He didn't pay attention to what Li Xin said next.After Xin Di came over, everyone began to eat. Xin Di noticed that he was in a trance, and he just smiled calmly: "Maybe he is not used to the local heat." So the topic turned to global warming and climate anomalies. Xindi mentioned that according to newspaper reports, the cherry blossom season of his alma mater is advancing every year. Clothing companies now have to take warm winter into consideration as an important factor in the development of winter clothing. He also talked casually In the first year after returning to China, the flowers at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco seemed to bloom very early, and cosmoses could be seen in full bloom from a long distance away, which was extremely gorgeous. What he didn't say was that whether he heard the cherry blossoms blooming or saw the blooming flowers in a foreign country, he always thought of Xinchen. In the evening, Lu Fei sent Xindi home and stood under the acacia tree in the yard for a long time. It was in the flowering season. Although the blooming posture of the acacia flower could not be seen clearly in the dark, the fragrance was faint, and a small flowery smile was in front of my eyes. Ji Ruoli called his cell phone and asked cautiously, "Lu Fei, will you stay there for a few more days?" He suddenly couldn't bear such a beautiful tree blooming silently above his head, and he couldn't bear to stay in this city as noisy as a furnace, "I'll be back tomorrow." Lu Fei changed his ticket on the pretext that he had a temporary job, and returned to Beijing the next day.Ji Ruoli picked him up at the airport, he looked tired and didn't want to say anything, she didn't ask anything, drove him quietly, and took him downstairs to his house, he unbuckled his seat belt, turned around and was about to say "goodbye", There were tears in her eyes, but she quickly turned her head and looked ahead with her hands on the steering wheel. "I'm really afraid that you will go back and call me and say that you have found the person you are looking for." Lu Fei was silent, the person he was looking for seemed to be lost forever.Ji Ruoli is sensitive and meticulous, knowing that there are reasons for his repeated rejections and long-term non-response.After a long time, she stretched out her hand and held his hand, "I'm very selfish, Lu Fei. I kept wishing in my heart that you wouldn't find her, but I'm not happy seeing you so unhappy." He looked at her and smiled slightly, "Actually, I'm not unhappy." As long as she is happy, he thought. When he said this, Xin Chen should have been walking on the Taibai Mountains facing the sunset.Lu Fei thought bitterly. In the next few days, Lu Fei's vacation was not exhausted, so he took Ji Ruoli to Beidaihe.Then, when he and Ji Ruoli were kissing at the beach, Xin Chen started to have a fever, supporting his sick body to continue trekking until he fell behind.When Ji Ruoli hugged him tightly, trembling in his arms and softly called his name, Xin Chen was lying in that tent, holding Lin Yueqing's hand, calling his name in the same way.If it wasn't for Lin Yueqing by her side, she would have died alone without him noticing.And he was full of disappointment and jealousy that he didn't want to admit, and he didn't want to wait even one more day, but he still deluded himself into thinking that she would have a good life. Such memories and associations filled Lu Fei with a sense of guilt, and cold sweat broke out from the palms of his clenched fists. "Chenzi is not at home now." When Lu Fei turned his head, Xin Kaiyu was standing not far behind him. On an afternoon at the end of June nine years ago, they were standing in almost the same position downstairs, looking at each other, and Xin Kaiyu actually said the same sentence. At that time, Xin Kaiyu got off the taxi and saw Lu Fei coming downstairs and standing downstairs. They had met a few months ago, and Xin Kaiyu had a good impression of this calm boy. Lu Fei broke up with Xin Chen a few days ago. That day was the time to go back to school to get the report card at the end of the semester. Lu Fei waited for Xin Chen not far from the middle school, and saw her alone in the distance, walking towards him lazily, and he took her hand. Schoolbag, casually asked: "How did you do in the exam?" Reluctantly, she took out the report card from her pocket and handed it to him. Seeing the extremely bad result, Lu Fei was puzzled and annoyed, "The test was very good in April, why did it become like this all at once?" Xin Chen didn't speak for a while, just looked at the front sullenly.Lu Fei said: "Xiaochen, there is still a third year in high school. As long as you hurry up, you should still have time. Is your father at home today? If not, I will go over and give you tutoring." He thought that the normal family life would help her study. At that time, Xin Chen only said that her homework was very tight and did not ask to meet him.Who knows that looking at it now, his grades have plummeted instead, which makes him really confused. Xin Chen shook his head, "No, I have to go to Uncle's house later. Let's go to the movies, Lu Fei, don't talk about studying today." Lu Fei had no choice but to take her to the cinema, he chose a movie at random and bought a ticket to sit in. In the dark, she stretched out her hand and put it in his palm, with a sense of self-knowledge and seeking peace. slender hands. 那天放的是部很热闹的美国电影，充满了好莱坞式的噱头，可是辛辰呆呆地看着银幕，居然没有多少笑容。往常她在他面前似乎总有说不完的话，看电影时也会时不时凑过头来就电影内容胡乱发表评论，他多半都是含笑听着，现在她这么反常的安静，他察觉有一点不对劲。 她父亲不会给她压力，她也不会为一个成绩苦恼成这样，那么，她还是在意他的感受的，他想，虽然她并没将春天看樱花时对他的承诺放在心上，不过对一个贪玩任性并不爱学习的孩子来讲，也许并不奇怪。 出电影院后，路非送她去大伯家，辛辰一直心不在焉，路非侧头看她，过去的两年，她长高了不少，此时的神情看上去突然少了稚气，这样不知不觉的变化让路非且喜且忧，“小辰，答应我，我们订个计划出来，这个暑假抓紧时间学习。” 她并不起劲地说：“大伯安排我暑假开始补习美术。” 路非知道当时很多家长安排成绩不好的孩子突击学美术参加艺术类联考，算是一条走捷径上大学的路子，不过她跟辛笛从小就打下了扎实的美术基础而且表现出天赋的情况完全不同。他不认为辛辰在辛笛的指导下涂涂画画，描一下卡通人物不太走样就算是爱好美术了，只能对辛开明这个决定表示不理解：“你喜欢美术吗？” “一般。”辛辰无精打采，显然对这个决定既不抗拒也不欢迎，“大概好过高考吧，我爸也说可以轻松点。” 路非默然，已经走到了辛开明住的院子外，辛辰突然回过身，双手抱住他的腰，仰头看着他，“路非，你是不是对我很失望？” 此时刚到黄昏，周围人来人往，路非有点尴尬，轻轻拉开她的手，心里不能不承认，他对她如此轻易放弃目标确实有些失望，“小辰，你这么聪明，只要稍微用功一点，就不止现在这个成绩。” 辛辰侧过头去，好半天不作声，路非扳过她一看，她的大眼睛里明明含着泪水，却偏偏不让它流出来，他顿时心软了，揽着她说：“如果你实在不喜欢学习，也没办法，算了，可是至少得争取考出一个能上大学的成绩吧。” 辛辰突然恼了，“成绩成绩，你就知道成绩。”她一把夺过自己的书包，跑进了院子，从两株合欢花盛开的树下穿过，一口气冲进了楼道。 路非只能无可奈何地看着她的背影，转头走了几步，正碰到李馨下班回来，叫他进去吃饭，他礼貌地谢绝了。 接下来几天，他再给辛辰家里打电话，她始终情绪不高，说话十分简单，全没以前抱着电话可以跟他不停说下去的劲头。 他只能烦恼地想，不知道这孩子是怎么了，以前耍小性子，过一会儿就好了，这次居然会闹这么长时间的别扭。他同时反省自己，似乎的确太看重成绩了，大概伤了她的自尊心。学校放假后，他匆匆赶过来一看，家里没人，下楼来却看到了辛开宇。 辛开宇匆匆上楼。路非正在犹豫是再等下去还是去辛笛家，却只见辛开宇又提着一个行李箱下来了。 “您又要出差吗？”路非礼貌地问他。 辛开宇有点诧异，毕竟别的男孩子并不敢随便和他搭腔，而眼前的路非看上去20岁出头，气质温文，眼神毫不闪烁地与他对视，明显不是青涩的小男生了。他说：“这次不是出差，是去外地工作。” “那辛辰怎么办？” “辰子住到她大伯家去了。” “好的，我去那边找她，再见。” “等一下。”辛开宇叫住他，“你是叫路非吗？” 路非点头。 辛开宇看着他，沉吟一下，“路非，我工作上出了点问题，必须去外地，短时间内不能回来，只好把辰子托付给大哥大嫂。我大嫂明确地跟我谈了，她愿意在辰子考上大学前照顾她，但前提条件是辰子这一年不要和男孩子来往，她尤其点了你的名字，不希望辰子和你在一起。” 路非大吃一惊，“为什么？” “恐怕我嫂子是非常传统保守的人，照她的说法，你的家庭又比较敏感，并不会接受你这么早恋爱；辰子住在她那儿，她必须对她负责。”辛开宇耸耸肩，“我想她有一定的道理。虽然我不认为你们这就算恋爱了，更没觉得你们现在就需要决定将来。” 路非皱眉，“我喜欢小辰，肯定会爱惜她、尊重她，她还小，但我是成年人了，交往的分寸我会掌握的。我可以向您保证，我不会伤害她。” “先别急着跟我保证。这段时间，辰子受我的事影响，情绪很不好。她只是看上去开朗，其实很敏感，我不希望她和她大妈相处得不愉快。昨天我已经和她谈过了，她答应我，会听她大妈的话，不过提到你，她就没那么乖了，只说她知道了。” 路非的心猛然跳快了一拍，这孩子对他毕竟是不一样的。 “那帮小男生，辰子既然答应了我，自己全能打发了。看你算是比较成熟，我才对你说这些，你应该懂我的意思吧？” “我明白，请放心。” 辛开宇自嘲地一笑，仿佛觉得自己说这些话有些荒唐，招手拦停一辆出租车，司机帮他将行李放进后备厢，他回头看看自己住的房子，再看向路非，“辰子的确还是个孩子，如果你真喜欢她，请耐心一点，等她长大，能决定自己生活了，再对她说不迟。” 这个要求合情合理，路非只能点头答应。 路非从来对自己的耐心和自控能力都是有信心的，在他与辛开宇对视的那一刻，他毫不怀疑自己能做到那个承诺。他目送辛开宇上车远去，然后去了辛开明家。辛笛一个人在家，她最近对于制版产生了深厚的兴趣，沙发上堆满了她买回的大堆各式零头面料，正放样剪裁、自己缝制着。看见他过来，辛笛兴冲冲地展示自己的成果，“怎么样？我给辰子设计的衣服，马上快完工了。” “小辰呢？” “她去美术补习班上课，应该快回来了。” 果然过了一会儿，辛辰提着一个帆布画夹和一个黄色工具箱走了进来，看到路非，先是开心，随即马上绷起了脸，径直走进卧室坐在书桌前噼里啪啦地乱翻着书。 路非哭笑不得，也走了进去，拖把椅子坐到她旁边，握住她的手，“小辰，居然还在生气吗？” 辛辰瞪着他，“你以后别来找我了，大妈让我别缠着你。” 路非大吃一惊：“什么叫你缠着我？” 辛辰恼怒，却实在没法转述大妈的话，只用力抽自己的手，路非不放，笑着哄她说：“我待会儿跟阿姨说清楚，明明是我缠着你。” “你会去说这话才怪。”辛辰余怒未消，手却停在了他掌中。 路非苦笑，承认她实在是个敏锐的孩子，他倒不是怕李馨，只是不会在才答应了辛开宇以后又如此莽撞地去做这种表白。他把玩着她的手指，纤细白皙，粉红色的指甲闪着健康的光泽，指尖上沾染的颜料还没洗净，他轻声说：“我刚才去你家，碰到你爸爸了，小辰。” 辛辰急急地说：“我爸爸没做坏事，是有人害他。” 路非一怔，“小辰，你爸爸只跟我说他必须去外地工作，以后你住你大伯家里。” 辛辰咬住嘴唇，将头扭到一边。路非明白，想必她爸爸惹了什么麻烦，而这段时间她的成绩下降大概也是受这影响，不禁怜惜，“我答应了你爸爸，不让你在你大妈这边为难，可能以后不方便过来。你乖乖听他们的话，好好学习，有不懂的问题打电话问我。” 辛辰蓦地抽回了自己的手，直视着他，“路非，我跟我大妈和我爸爸都是这么说的：我不会去纠缠任何人，包括你。” “小辰，你想到哪儿去了？我跟你爸爸说得很清楚，我喜欢你，愿意等你长大。你马上念高三，现在必须专注学习，而且你大妈对你的要求也有道理，她对小笛一样要求很严格，你也是知道的。” 辛辰怔怔看着他，好半天不说话。 “只是一年的时间，小辰。等你考上大学就好了，你看现在小笛不是比以前自由多了吗？还和同学一块去外地看服装展，阿姨也不会再拦着她。” “如果我考不上你读的大学怎么办？” 看着这个明显带了撒娇意味的面孔，路非笑了，“你尽力，不尽力就小心我罚你。” 辛辰恢复了好情绪，哼了一声，显然并不怕他的惩罚。辛笛拿着条裙子进来，挥手赶路非，“路非你先出去，辰子快试下这条裙子。” 路非走到客厅，听两个女孩子在里面不知说着什么，一下笑成一团，那样愉悦的笑声和低语，混合飘入室内的合欢花清香，让这个初夏下午显得安闲而悠长，他有些微恍惚，几乎希望时间就在这纯净无忧的一刻停留。 辛笛叫他：“路非，你看辰子穿这好不好看。” 他回头看着辛辰，骤然有点口干舌燥了。 辛辰穿着一条带点粗糙质地的蓝色蜡染布面料裙子，长及小腿，少女身段头次被包裹得如此曲线玲珑，凹凸有致，让人有将手放上去游移抚摸的冲动。 幸好姐妹俩都没注意到他的反应，辛辰对着玄关处的穿衣镜照，咯咯直笑，“这个很古怪呀，像条面口袋，我都没见街上有人穿这样的裙子。” “别乱动。”辛笛一把固定住她，替她系腰际那个蝴蝶结，“这才有风格够别致，懂不懂？” 辛辰大摇其头，“我还是觉得穿牛仔裤比较好看。” 辛笛没奈何，只能向路非求救，“快，告诉这小傻妞，这裙子穿上比牛仔裤好看多了。” 路非努力让自己的声音保持平静，“对，很漂亮。” 可是辛辰仍然对着镜子笑，“管你们怎么说，我才不会穿这上学呢。” 路非居然松了口气，他宁可这女孩子仍然穿牛仔裤球鞋去上学，如此诱惑的美如果只住在他眼内，多少能让他骚动的心绪平复一点，这个念头让他有点羞惭。 接下来，路非每天在辛辰去美术补习班时接她，送到快到她大伯家的拐角街口两人就分手。暑假结束开学后，辛辰周一到周六从早到晚在学校上学，周日在家里由辛笛补习半天美术，所有的时间安排得满满的，两人见面更少了。 李馨对辛辰是十分严格而又公平的，基本和以前管辛笛时的规矩一样：按时上学放学，不在外面无故逗留，不和男孩子有学习以外的往来。在生活上，她可说对辛辰照顾得十分周到。 辛笛平时住校，家里只有大伯、大妈和辛辰三人。李馨每天早上给三个人做营养搭配全面的早餐，辛辰下了晚自习回家，桌上一定放了一瓶牛奶和一块点心。两个大人都不爱说话，辛开明总坐书房看书，李馨在客厅将电视声音开得小小的，一边看电视一边织毛衣。辛辰在卧室里做功课，到时间该休息了，大伯会进来看看，嘱咐她早点睡。 辛辰感激大伯大妈无微不至的照顾，但她一向被她父亲实行放养政策弄得散漫成性，在自己家里经常是开着电视做作业，爸爸回来了，会时不时和她闲聊几句，兴之所至，会带她下楼消夜。 眼前这样的生活固然安逸有序，可是对她来说就实在闷人了。 她当然明白这个想法来得很不知道好歹，只能在给爸爸打电话时撒一下娇而已。辛开宇初去异地，一切从头开始，不是不狼狈，同样只能嘱咐女儿听话罢了。 这天路非突然接到辛辰的电话：“路非，今天过来接我好吗？大伯去珠海出差了，大妈今天开会，也不回来。” 路非马上答应了。晚上，他等在学校外面，远远只见辛辰背着书包和一群同学走出来，她和同学挥手告别，然后向他这边走来。 她越走越近，和其他高三学生一样，都有点睡眠不足的无精打采样，脸上那一点圆润的婴儿肥消退了一些，下巴变尖，越发显得眼睛大大的。这样一消瘦，却让她更添了几分妩媚，而路非骤然觉得两个月没见的她几乎有点陌生了。她扑过来，勾住路非的脖子，这个动作仍然是孩子气十足的，全然不理会可能会被同学看到。 回到家中，辛辰一边嘟哝着“作业总也做不完”，一边做着作业，路非坐在一边看书，可是这么长时间两人头次单独相处，空气中似乎浮动着跟从前不一样的气氛，路非没法做到跟平常一样专注。 辛辰问他一道数学题，他给她讲解着，不知不觉她靠到了他怀中，他的笔在纸上运动得越来越慢，鼻中满满都是来自辛辰身上少女清新而甜蜜的气息，她疑惑地回头，“我没弄明白，这一步是怎么得出来的……” 没等她说完，他的唇落到了她的唇上。不同于以前两人点到即止的嘴唇触碰，路非紧紧地抱住她，吮住了她的唇，转眼间他的舌攻入她的口腔内，这样前所未有的密切接触让两人心跳加快，同时有了触电般的感觉。 路非的吻凭着本能越来越深入，手开始在她身体上移动，她的皮肤柔滑细腻，而她在他怀中微微战栗，他骤然清醒过来，强迫自己放开她。眼前的辛辰双眼氤氲迷蒙，白瓷般的面孔染上红晕，殷红的嘴唇在灯下闪着光泽微微肿起。 这个景象实在太过诱惑，路非站起来，匆匆走到阳台上，秋风吹到火热的面孔上，他等自己慢慢镇定下来，心跳恢复正常，才回到房间。只见辛辰重新伏在桌上做作业了，听见他进来，也不理他。 路非伸手搂住她的肩，她闷闷地推他的手，“不想亲我就不要亲，干吗要这样跑开？” 他实在没法解释自己刚才险些控制不住的冲动，“小辰，好好做作业，我先回去了。” 辛辰不吭声，笔用力在作业本上乱涂乱画着，路非叹气，抱起她放在自己的腿上坐着，认真地看着她，“小辰，亲你的感觉很好，可是我不能这么下去，不然就是违背了对你爸爸的保证，也对不起辛叔叔跟李阿姨。”看着辛辰茫然的表情，他不打算再说下去，要不然弄得她更心乱了，“乖，这道题我替你解出来，你去洗澡，今天早点休息，也不早了。” 路非做好题目，然后替洗漱回来的辛辰盖好被子，亲一下她的额头，正打算直起身子，辛辰伸出双手搂住他的脖子，在他耳边悄声说：“路非，我喜欢你亲我。” 他动用全部意志力，勉力命令自己挣开她的手，哑声说：“我走了，明天早上我打电话叫你起床上学，好好睡觉。” 路非关上灯，出来关好大门下楼，站在树叶开始枯黄的合欢树下，抬头看着二楼阳台，那美妙的感觉仿佛还流连唇边不去。可他不能不想到，再这样下去，他大概就很难控制自己了。一个20岁的大男生，抱着心爱的女孩子，再怎么理智，都没法说服自己不出现生理反应，回想刚才的那个吻，既甜蜜又有几分畏惧，情欲以如此强大而又陌生的方式骤然出现，他不能不彷徨。 他的小女孩在不知不觉中已经一点点长大，那样紧致柔滑、洋溢着青春气息的身体，看着已经让他心动，再抱到怀里，他不忍释手。他只能提醒自己，你不可以用自己的欲望亵渎她。 选择守候这样一个女孩长大，实在是一种甜蜜的折磨。他再度仰头深深凝望，当然，他享受这个折磨。 往事历历如在昨日，而世事似乎总喜欢按最出人意料的方式进行。不到一年的时间，他们就走上了不同的路。没有他的等待和守候，辛辰仍然长大了，并且如他曾隐隐希望的那样，懂事、负责地决定着自己的生活，连业余爱好都那么健康。 辛开宇看看路非，显得很轻松，“如果想找辰子，就给她打电话，这样等下去，并不是一个好方法。不试你永远不知道，接下来会发生什么。”他笑道，“而且被我女儿拒绝，也并不丢脸。” 昏黄的路灯光照下，44岁的辛开宇看上去仍然比实际年龄年轻很多，可是再没以前那样跳脱不羁、明显和其他当父亲的居家男人区别开来的眼神。路非突然意识到，那个长相与他酷似的女孩，在她25岁时，眼神就同样不复灵动跳脱充满诱惑了。 时间就是这样在每个人身上毫不留情地留下痕迹。 路非无言以对，辛开宇从他身边走过，径直进了楼道。路非缓缓松开自己一直紧握的拳头，他并不怕辛辰的拒绝，只是在听了林乐清那样的回忆以后，他突然不知道该怎么面对她了。