Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

When Jiaqi slipped the knife in her hand, she felt her fingertips prickly, blood gushing out.Jiangxi lost her voice, "Oh!" Aunt Li hurried out to get the medicine box, and pressed the whole bottle of Yunnan Baiyao onto the wound.Jiaqi forced a smile and said, "I don't know what's wrong, today I'm..." Jiangxi frantically wrapped her wound and said, "There's a lot of blood, do you want to go to the hospital?" Jiaqi said, "It's okay, it's so small What kind of hospital is the small hole going to?" Aunt Li also panicked, and said, "I'll call Nurse Wang." Jiaqi said, "It's okay, it's really okay, you see the bleeding has stopped." Aunt Li looked at it As expected, the wound had stopped bleeding, so he helped Jiaqi wrap the wound with cotton wool and a band-aid, and said, "You guys should go out and watch TV. I'm in a tizzy when you're here. Make me restless."

Jiaqi also felt embarrassed, so she went out with Jiangxi to watch TV.After a while, dinner was about to be served, so Jiangxi went upstairs to the study, and saw that the room was quiet, Meng Heping and Ruan Zhengdong were sitting on both sides of the table, facing the chess pieces on the black and white grid, contemplating deeply. Seeing that there were only a few pieces left on the chessboard, Jiang Xi asked, "Who won?" Ruan Zhengdong looked up and saw that it was her, so he stood up and said, "Let's go to eat." Meng Heping smiled, playing with a chess piece in his hand: "If you lose, you will run away. It has been like this for so many years."

Ruan Zhengdong smiled: "Whoever loses, the game is still deadlocked, at most it's a tie." "Your queen has no way out, why didn't you lose?" "But you can't defeat my army, why not peace?" Jiang Xi shook Meng Heping's hand: "Stop arguing, let's go, let's go, I'm hungry." After going downstairs, Ruan Zhengdong saw Jiaqi's hand wrapped in cotton wool, he was obviously taken aback, and then asked, "What's wrong?" Jiang Xi said: "I made it when I was chopping vegetables. I feel distressed, right? See if you ask someone to cook next time, wash your hands and make soup. You can just enjoy yourself."

Ruan Zhengdong only said, "Let's eat." I don't know why, but the meal was so boring that even Jiang Xi seemed to have noticed something, and asked Jiaqi quietly after the meal: "Why does my brother put on such a stinky face?" Jiaqi had no choice but to answer: "I don't know." "Don't pay attention to him, he just has this temper." Jiang Xi turned to explain to her, "My brother is the strangest person, he puts on a bad face when he is unhappy, and puts on a straight face when he is really happy. To put it mildly, he is called Gao Shen Unpredictable, to put it bluntly, is moody."

Jiaqi smiled, and Jiangxi encouraged her: "Let's go to the streets to spend money. When men are unreasonable, we spend their money." It happened that Ruan Zhengdong came over, heard her last words, reached out and knocked on her head: "What are you talking about?" "He's talking about the most reasonable words." Jiangxi just delayed Jiaqi, "Let's go, ignore him." Turning around, he called again: "Heping, be our driver and send me and Jiaqi off." Jiaqi said: "Go with him, I'm a little sleepy, I want to take a nap at home."

Jiangxi has nothing to do with her, so he has nothing to do with it. Jiaqi stood there and watched them prepare to go out, but Meng Heping seemed to be a little taller than he remembered, probably because he was thin, or maybe because of the distance, he always felt that his face was blurred and could not be clearly seen.He took Jiangxi's coat, and Jiangxi was wearing a scarf while talking to him. From a distance, Jiangxi's profile could be seen, beautiful and pretty, with a sweet smile. She took his hand and walked away together. Jiaqi suddenly felt tired, extraordinarily tired, beside the stairs, the cold carved pillars made people lean on them.

"wedding day." She turned her head, and Ruan Zhengdong was standing behind her at some point. She was very weak for a moment, almost unable to stand still, he slowly opened his arms, she closed her eyes, and let him hold her tightly. She always thought that she was very strong, but only today did she realize that she was pathetically cowardly. He bowed his head and kissed her deeply. His lips were slightly cool, but her cheeks were hot, her mind was in a daze, she was only deeply immersed in this kiss, she only wished never to think about it again, everything in the past, everything in the future, if you can forget forever, That would be great.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly stopped, and she followed his gaze back in confusion. Meng Heping stood at the entrance, watching them quietly. The distance was too far, his face was still blurred and he couldn't see clearly, the living room was extraordinarily dark and silent, his voice had a little buzzing echo. "I forgot my car keys," he said. He walked over, and the bunch of keys was placed on the coffee table. He walked all the way to the side of the coffee table, and Ruan Zhengdong suddenly stepped forward. Just as Meng Heping was about to reach for it, Ruan Zhengdong had already bent down to pick up the bunch of keys.

Meng Heping was wearing gloves, pure black leather gloves, delicate lambskin, and slender fingers. When she was still in college, one day, he was looking for her when she was studying in the auditorium.Covering her eyes from behind, childish, silent, just silent. Pressing her fingers on those hands, she raised her face and called out with a smile, "Meng Heping!" She always remembered, remembered the slender knuckles, remembered the faint smell of tobacco between his fingers, and remembered his ten fingers jumping swiftly and deftly on the black and white keys. Looking back, you will see his smile as bright as the sun.

Ruan Zhengdong reached out and handed him the key. He stretched out his hand to catch it, but retracted it halfway, took off his right glove, and opened his palm to take it. Then said: "Thank you." He walked quickly and quickly, but he did not forget to close the door.Down the foyer, then the wide porch, down the steps one, two, three, four, five. The car was parked under the steps. He opened the car door, and the air in the car rushed over his body, mixed with a delicate fragrance, which was the TRESOR perfume used in Jiangxi. The sweet and greasy smell was so familiar and strange.

He put the key in, started the ignition, released the handbrake, and stepped on the clutch. Then hit the gas. The slight roar of the engine gradually became regular, and suddenly stopped and turned off. He starts again. Just stepped on the gas pedal and turned off again. He turned the car key again, and he had to repeat the action countless times a day. Ignite the ignition, release the clutch, and refuel the gas, all of which can be done with eyes closed, but it is so difficult to do it at this time, his palms are full of sweat, The leather steering wheel seemed to be slippery, and it was too greasy to hold. The car stalled for the third time. Jiang Xi finally asked him: "What's the matter?" He didn't answer her, but just sat there and wiped his forehead with his ungloved hand, as if he wanted to wipe something off, but felt that his fingers and forehead were cold, as if there was cold sweat. After a while, he started the car again.This time he finally didn't turn off the engine again, and he drove down the driveway.Turning the arc along the driveway, the tree-shaded mansion in the rearview mirror receded, receded slowly, and receded from sight. It turned out that it wasn't raining, and he kept hearing the sound of rain and Xiaoxiao's voice in a daze, but it turned out that it wasn't raining.The black asphalt driveway stretched out in front of him, and he couldn't look back.The car has driven out of the iron gate of the garden.Go straight out on this quiet road and turn the corner. The car turned into another road, and suddenly it seemed to be a bustling street. The two sides are still sycamores, branches and twigs, reflected on the window glass, passing quickly, like flowing water, and a little shadow of the branches seems to be the ripples of seaweed. Only then did he ask, "Where are you going?" "Plaza Hang Lung," Jiang Xi said, "Didn't I tell you just now?" He groaned and slowed down the car to pay attention to the road signs, but he didn't see the sign for a while, so he asked casually, "Which way are we going now?" Jiang Xi was a little surprised: "Isn't this on Huaihai Road, what happened to you today?" He seemed to wake up now, everything around him was so familiar, familiar buildings, familiar roads, familiar directions, all rushed up, drowned him, and rushed up.In the bustling deepest part of the city, I have driven countless times like this, and should have been familiar with the road like palm prints.And the flashing red dots on the car screen are slowly flashing along the map, indicating their current location. Technology has become so advanced that almost any corner of the world, even on the far side of the ocean, can be found by GPS satellites. But there are some things that are close at hand, but you can't find it. Like all women, Jiangxi also loves to go shopping. Meng Heping seldom goes shopping with her, because she is busy, and Jiangxi is usually busy, so they rarely get together, and even if they do, she is not like other women. My child, I always get tired of him.More often, she is shopping with friends. When I went to buy shoes, the clerk of the famous store half-kneeled on the floor and compared the samples one by one to Jiangxi. They were very beautiful Italian calfskin shoes, with exquisite carvings and fine crystals, exuding the unique leather smell of cooked leather. fragrant. Jiang Xi asked him, "Which pair is better?" He knelt down like the clerk, looked at it carefully for a while, and then said: "The white pair is good." Jiang Xi smiled: "I also think this pair is good, it will look beautiful in a skirt." He added, "But you are too stubborn, you won't even get a 10% discount." The clerk just smiled good-naturedly: "Miss Ruan has always known our rules. This is a new model for next spring and it just hit the shelves, so it can only be discounted by 5%. You can only get this price if you have a platinum card. You know that. If it wasn’t for our membership, it would be the original price, not even a 10% discount.” Meng Heping said, "Just buy it if you like it." Jiang Xi said: "However, this pair doesn't fit well. It's a little bit bigger. Change to a smaller pair for me to try again." The clerk said, "We remember you are wearing a size seven, but I asked them to try on you another size down." Meng Heping suddenly remembered, so he said, "She wears size six shoes." Ruan Jiangxi looked up at him, another shop assistant was very envious, and said: "Miss Ruan, your boyfriend is really kind to you, he is careful and considerate, and even remembers what size you wear." After a while, the clerk brought another pair of shoes for Jiangxi to try on. She stepped into the shoes and tried them, but they were too small. The two pairs of shoes were placed there. Jiangxi tried the original pair again, but still felt that it was too loose to step in, but the size 6 pair could not be worn at all, and there was no size in the middle. Meng Heping said: "Why don't you just buy this pair, it doesn't matter if it's loose." Jiang Xi withdrew his foot and put on his shoes: "Forget it, I don't want to buy it, I still don't want to buy it." He stood up and walked to the door of the store, stopped again, thought about it, and suddenly turned to the clerk and said : "I want the number six pair, wrap them up for me." The clerk said repeatedly: "Okay, okay." Meng Heping said, "Isn't it small?" Jiang Xi smiled but said: "I would like to have it." He rarely saw her like this, so he said nothing more, opened his wallet, took out his credit card and handed it to the clerk. Another clerk had already wrapped the shoes skillfully, put them in a shopping bag, and said courteously: "Miss Ruan has Come back and have a look, we will have new arrivals next week." Jiangxi seemed to be in a good mood that day. He walked from store to store, tried on a lot of clothes, and bought a lot.There is a bag on the left and a bag on the right, and Meng Heping is carrying it for her.Although it is mid-winter, the new spring styles in each store have just hit the shelves. The delicate and soft colors remind people of the breath of spring, fresh and refreshing. "Does it look good?" She was wearing a checkered sweater and sand-gray pants, with a bright face, and asked him with a smile. He just replied: "It looks good." The credit card was swiped, there was a short beep, more bags were in my hand, and I finally went back to the parking lot, the back seat was filled with large and small bags. Jiangxi let out a long breath: "It's really enjoyable." He added, "We went to Yueyue's show as a guest guest last month. I don't know if you have watched that show. But I think you must have never watched it." It was a well-known women's talk show, and Meng Heping had never watched it. "The topic of that conversation was material and love. In the end, we agreed that love with material guarantees will last longer." She paused, "However, this law cannot be reversed, because even if material guarantees are not necessarily There will be love." She has always been very lively in front of Meng Heping, he just felt that she seemed very serious at the moment, so he smiled: "Why do you suddenly express such emotion?" Jiang Xi shrugged: "Go home." But he hesitated for a moment: "The two of us will have dinner outside at night, okay, and go to Fenyang Road to eat your favorite barbecue?" Jiang Xi thought for a while and said, "That's fine." The Chinese name of that Japanese restaurant is Xianzhixuan, and it opened in the former residence of Bai Chongxi. The old-style garden mansion is quite charming after renovation.The most important thing is that the food is delicious.Jiangxi likes the Japanese-style barbecue there the most, and can hardly get tired of eating it. She drinks quite well, drinking sake, and her cheeks turned slightly red. Meng Heping didn't drink because he had to drive. Seeing her drinking one glass after another, he said, "Why are you so happy today?" Jiang Xi raised his face and thought for a while, then said, "Because there are stars." The glass ceiling, looking up is the night sky, and there are indeed stars, but in the cold winter night of this city, countless lights and neon lights are shining, and the faint and fuzzy stars are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye. "When I was studying in the UK, I once saw a movie. I even forgot the name, but I still remember a word that the heroine said in it." Her eyes were sparkling, as if the light of a lamp was flowing, perhaps because of the wine she drank, or perhaps because of the mustard. He asked, "What is it?" But she smiled mischievously: "I won't tell you." After dinner, Jiangxi dragged Meng Heping to go clubbing again. She was originally a lively person, and after only a few hours in the bar, she had already made a lot of friends. Even Meng Heping became lively because of them. Dice, punches, truth-or-dare, building blocks, picking sticks, and jigsaw puzzles. Almost everything that can be played was played. It was so crazy that even Meng Heping drank several bottles of Heineken in the end. It was the first time in his life that he was driving under the influence of alcohol, and he felt light and fast, which was hard to restrain.The elevated road roared by, and the city was still bustling late at night.Countless lights are layered on top of each other, and each building is like a giant crystal tower.Far, near, and approaching head-on, it almost collapsed and was pressed straight to the top of the head, but it was thrown briskly behind the car along the winding curve of the elevated road. Jiang Xi opened the car window, and the wind gushed in, blowing the scarf around her neck, and the slender tassels brushed against his arm, like someone's fingers, light and soft.He felt that his head was clearer, but his heart was still in chaos. At the red light, he stopped the car slowly. Jiang Xi suddenly leaned over and kissed him. She smelled of perfume, wine, and powder, warm and soft, just like her arms, hugging him, snuggling up, unable to think, and unwilling to think. The car in the back was honking and someone was whistling. She finally left him a little bit, but still stared at him with a pair of crystal clear eyes, and suddenly called his name by name: "Meng Heping." He didn't respond, his throat felt sore, and there was a place under the second rib on the left side of his body, which was so sore and painful, as if there was a small awl there, and it couldn't be pulled out after being smashed in there.The eye sockets are hot, and the cold wind blows on the face like a knife.No place is warm, it's all cold, and now it's all cold. But she just called him like this, didn't speak any more, remained silent and quiet, then slowly tilted her head, just like that, fell asleep. She was like a child when she fell asleep, curled up there, shrinking small. He drove the car back and drove through the familiar iron gate.It was already late at night, only the street lamps on both sides of the driveway were shining lonely.There was a dim light in the house shaded by trees. He stopped the car without turning off the engine. The warm air from the air conditioner in the car was blowing. He turned his face and saw that Jiang Xi was still asleep, with a strand of hair loose and dangling. On the side of the face, the face is flushed, more like a child. He took out the cigarette case, took out a cigarette, lit it, the familiar and sweet smell of tobacco penetrated into his lungs, and exhaled deeply. In the silent darkness, there is only a little red on the cigarette butt, like a bright ruby. He remembered that night, it was also such a cold and clear winter night, it was rare to see stars in the night sky of Beijing, blurred and indistinct, and he was sitting in the car, smoking one cigarette after another, as if there was only tobacco, Only then can it numb the pain that overwhelms everything. Until dawn, he drove away.When reversing the car, he noticed a car not far away, which also parked all night. He remembered the words Jiang Xi said in the restaurant, and couldn't help but raised his head, and pressed the button to open the roof sunroof. Through the glass, the stars were far away and faint, so blurry that they were almost invisible. Jiang Xi didn't know, he actually knew which movie she was talking about. He remembered that the heroine said: "Whenever I want to cry, I will look up at the stars, so that the tears will not flow down."