Chapter 2 Chapter 2 When Love Becomes a Past

Although Xie Nan made a precise budget in accordance with his usual professional habits, and simplified the decoration to the extreme, there are still many trivial things to do in a house close to 130 square meters, and a lot of extra-budgetary money to spend. The bay window sills in the two rooms are bare, and you have to choose a suitable table to install on them; all the rooms must be installed with lights, screen doors, screens, and curtains; the ordered furniture has to be delivered, and she must wait at home to receive it; Water heater, air conditioner installation, cable connection, natural gas connection, broadband connection, land reclamation and cleaning... In the heat of summer, Xie Nan spent all his limited weekend time in this house.

The weather is getting hotter, and there are not many bus lines in the suburbs. Every time he walks under the sun with an umbrella and sweats profusely, Xie Nan feels broken.The only person she could complain to was Gao Rubing, but Gao Rubing didn't sympathize with her, and she was too busy preparing for her own marriage. Yu Mucheng noticed the busy figure in the yard on the first floor more than once, and he felt that this frail-looking neighbor was in charge of the decoration alone, which was really capable.He was afraid of trouble, so he bought a second-hand house that had been renovated by others. The selection of the house, the signing of the contract, the transfer of ownership, the replacement of curtains and furniture, and the cleaning were all arranged by the secretary.

Twice when he drove out and saw her waiting at the bus station, he wanted to take her for a ride, but felt abrupt. After all, he only said a few words, and she might have no impression of him at all based on her absent-minded appearance. , he finally opened it all at once. He himself was too busy, he ruthlessly cleared out a few of the old courtiers left by his brother-in-law, and the rest were finally honest, but the marketing department was out of touch with the technical department, and the production department and supply department were out of touch. The manager of the marketing department couldn’t control the big business people sitting below him. The manager of the production department kept complaining that the supply department responded too slowly and delayed his delivery date. The manager of the supply department in turn accused the production scheduling of being unreasonable... One problem after another, Seeing that orders are pouring in, ignore all internal links and seize this opportunity, how can we seek development in the fiercely competitive market.

He clocks in and goes to and from get off work with his employees every day. He does not advocate that employees work overtime without reason, but he is often the last one to leave the company. Liu Jingqun teased him: "Your boss is more tired than me as a part-time worker." I had to smile wryly.Only at the weekend can he have a good rest. That night, Yu Mucheng took Manager Wu from the marketing department to dinner with two clients. After drinking too much, he decided to go for a pedicure with them.He seldom set foot in these places after returning to China, and only after he went did he realize that this place is actually known as the National Medical Center, and there is nothing intriguing about it. Thinking about it again, Manager Wu didn't dare to be seduced by others, so he sent a thunderbolt in the company The boss, who hadn't figured out Wei Wei's temper, couldn't help laughing.

He didn't know much about the miraculous effect of pedicures. After finishing the treatment, he almost woke up from the wine. After seeing off the client, he drove home alone. It was almost twelve o'clock. When he swiped his card to enter the gate, he found a large van parked beside him. , a woman's voice was arguing with the security guard on duty peacefully. "Then what do you want me to do? I don't want the car to enter the city late. I've been waiting for such a long time, and the driver has to hurry. I just unload a piano, and I won't disturb anyone."

"But we have rules..." "I know your rules. I am a good citizen, okay? I am willing to abide by all reasonable rules. But the situation is like this now. Someone brought me the piano from my hometown on the way. I have already troubled him. If I don't uninstall it quickly Come down and let them go, their trip will be delayed, or you can call the duty manager over, and I will tell him directly." Yu Mucheng took a look through the light, and found that the clear and unhurried voice belonged to the mistress of the yard on the first floor.He leaned out of the car window and said to the security guard: "If it's just a piano and leave after unloading, it seems that you don't have to stick to it."

The security guard hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, then please try to keep quiet as much as possible, don't disturb other owners, and it's not easy for us to make complaints." Xie Nan breathed a sigh of relief. She started to learn the piano under the supervision of her parents when she was young. She didn't have much interest in it, but she was forced to pass the tenth amateur level.After going to college, she only played casually when she came home, and her parents still maintained the piano for her and tuned it regularly. After hearing that she decided to move here, they quickly contacted a long-distance truck driven by an acquaintance to help her. Qin dragged it over.

In order to wait for this car, she ran over after work, and she has been sitting here for almost four hours. There is no TV or books to read. She can only flip through a newspaper, and even read several advertisements. all over.She nodded and thanked Mu Cheng with a smile. Yu Mucheng drove the car in first, and the truck followed. No matter how hard you try, the sound of the truck moving is still a bit jarring at this quiet time.Yu Mucheng locked the car and looked back. Two men were moving the piano down. Fortunately, it was not a huge grand piano, but an ordinary Pearl River piano. Xie Nan tried his best to help him pick it up. Handle, the four of them moved the piano into the house, and they were also out of breath.

Xie Nan hurriedly took out a large bag of cigarettes and mineral water that he had bought in advance and handed them to the two drivers, thanking them non-stop, and sent them away. Yu Mucheng took a look at the living room, it was really empty, only a set of red suede fabric sofas, a coffee table and a simple TV cabinet were placed, the top was still empty, nothing.There is a small glass dining table and four chairs in the dining room connected to the living room. For some reason, this room with bare walls and no decoration looks a bit bleak under the light. "Thank you for today, I'm sorry."

Yu Mucheng heard the meaning of seeing off the guests in her words, smiled, raised his chin and pointed to the piano beside the sofa: "Is this where your piano is?" "There's a lot of space, and every room is empty. I'll move it slowly. Anyway, the composite floor is said to be wear-resistant." Xie Nan said with a smile. "Let me help you, it's too heavy." Yu Mucheng didn't know where he was. Xie Nan was a little surprised, but he didn't shy away. The two pushed and pulled the piano into the courtyard. A room, this room is also empty, only a simple empty bookshelf is placed against the wall.

The piano returned, and both of them were sweating profusely. Xie Nan panted and said to Mu Cheng: "Thank you very much. My name is Xie Nan. I will treat you to dinner another day." "Yu Mucheng. We're all neighbors, so you're welcome." Xie Nan sent him out, and he walked out of the same overgrown yard, and helped her close the low iron gate. Looking back, Xie Nan was smiling at him standing under the porch light. She was wearing a white half-sleeved striped shirt, a black narrow skirt, Mid-heeled shoes and office attire, he must have come here directly after get off work.Under the orange light, her hair was tied into a ponytail, her beautiful face was full of smiles, and she looked quite playful. Yu Mucheng also waved at her. Although his clothes were covered with sweat and stuck to his body, he was in a very happy mood.He thought: Hey, it really is the foundation of happiness to help others, and then laughed at himself: If she is not a single beauty, I am afraid that I would not have such enthusiasm for helping others.Although this neighbor can't be called a big beauty, she is slender, has a handsome face, and speaks generously, making her look quite comfortable. Gao Rubing's wedding date was set at the end of September, which coincided with the time when their lease was about to expire.Her parents rushed over from their hometown to send their daughter off to get married. In the past few days, she gave up her room to the elders and shared a room with Xie Nan. As soon as Gao's father and Gao's mother came, they changed the recipe and made delicious food for the two of them. Xie Nan was so happy that he ate and hurriedly called uncle and aunt.After eating, the two elders didn't even let them clean up the dishes.Xie Nan sighed, except for returning home on vacation, it has been many years since she has been so pampered. "Okay, I've had the soup and the rice, so follow me to do my duty." Gao Rubing's duty was to go shopping with her. Xie Nan complained, and said while carrying his bag and changing his shoes, "Why don't you ask your family Guo Ming to accompany you, you only care about him and not me." "Guo Ming would rather stand downstairs and smoke than go shopping with me." Gao Rubing glanced at her, "And I'm doing this for you, and I'm still talking about it, the season will change soon, don't you need to buy clothes yourself? " "I have enough clothes." Xie Nan told the truth.The place where she works is the Central China branch of a foreign-funded beer company, and the dress code is very strict, but it is a suit from Monday to Thursday, business casual on Friday, and a little looser in summer. Short pants, cropped pants, miniskirts, sandals, open-toed sandals, and sneakers are all prohibited. Every half a month, the personnel department will send an email to remind you to dress, and violators will be punished. Fortunately, local brands are not as prevalent as the colleagues at the Shanghai head office, and the atmosphere is relatively simple. Except for a few wealthy and young people who love to show off, everyone else tacitly chooses moderately priced brands. Xie Nan has always been too lazy to spend money and brains on this aspect. For a long time, he went straight to the counter to buy a Hong Kong brand at a discount, and felt that the price and style were acceptable. Gao Rubing ignored her, and the two went out to take a taxi to the shopping mall. She tried on each piece of clothing, and Xie Nan was in charge of expressing her opinions.It might as well be cold. Gao Rubing threw a pink dress on her body. She shook it off and saw that it was a knee-length dress with suspenders embroidered with sequins. "Why are you in a daze, go and try." "Why should I buy this, there is no occasion to wear it." "Hey, you're my bridesmaid. When I wear a wedding dress, are you going to wear a gray professional suit and stand next to me and pretend to be our president?" Xie Nan had no choice but to obediently put on her clothes and go to the fitting room. When she came out, Gao Rubing, who was sitting on the sofa, whistled: "You can see how good my vision is by looking in the mirror." Indeed, under the soft light, Xie Nan in the mirror looked quite beautiful.She was of medium height and was already slender. She wore suspenders, her bare shoulders were evenly lined, and her collarbone was slender and very attractive. The pink color made her skin look more delicate and fair. Gao Rubing approached her with a smirk: "You woman, you have quite predictable breasts." "Don't talk nonsense," Xie Nan blushed in embarrassment, afraid that the salesperson next to him would overhear.She looked at the mirror again and hesitated, "Uh, is it too revealing? You're married. Isn't it too eye-catching for me to wear this?" "It's a foil to me, it's not eye-catching." Gao Rubing smiled triumphantly, and told the salesperson, "Please get another smaller one, and issue tickets together." "Two pieces?" Xie Nan looked at the price tag, "It's so expensive, I gritted my teeth and bought one as a compliment to you." Gao Rubing gave her a white look: "Two bridesmaids, Guo Ming's cousin came here to try it on earlier, and I'll wait to see if you fit it. You don't have to grit your teeth, I'll pay the bill." "Then how do you do it? Have you won the lottery and made a fortune? There are many places where money is needed for marriage." Gao Rubing ignored her and took the receipt handed over by the salesperson to pay.She came back and saw that Xie Nan was still in a daze: "Come on, the big red envelope you gave me is enough to make me feel bad, and if you settle the score with me again, I will return it to you." After walking around for a while, they ran into their old classmate Xu Yan head-on. They hadn't seen each other for a few years. She still looked petite and pretty, and she was walking around the women's clothing section with a handsome young man in neat clothes on her arm. At school, Xu Yan had an inexplicable dislike for Xie Nan, and Gao Rubing naturally disliked Xu Yan, but it has been a long time since graduation, and everyone has learned to maintain superficial politeness, and will not easily show all emotions on their faces.Greeting each other, Xu Yan said affectionately, "Xie Nan used to work as a cashier in our bank, and we often saw each other, but why didn't he come suddenly. I haven't seen Gao Rubing since he graduated." Xie Nan smiled: "I changed jobs later." Xu Yan immediately asked what company it was with concern. Xie Nan reported the name, and she said "Oh", "It's not a bad foreign company." Then she introduced the man next to her: "My husband, Xia Bin." Gao Rubing said politely, "Are you married? Congratulations, Xu Yan." Xu Yan smiled sweetly: "I don't have any ambition. I work in a state-owned bank, and I have to be ranked according to seniority, so I just married myself early. You must all be struggling to make progress." Gao Rubing also smiled: "Marriage is also a kind of struggle, everyone is mutual. I won't delay your shopping, goodbye." After walking a distance, Gao Rubing smiled and shook her head: "I thought she was grown up and matured, so she still feels so good about herself." "Today's performance is already very good." Xie Nan was a little funny when he thought of Xu Yan's condescension when he met Xu Yan when he was a cashier and ran a bank a few years ago. Gao Rubing knew the extent of Xu Yan's meanness, and guessed Xie Nan's displeasure at that time: "It means you can bear it, and I would have turned against her long ago." "Irrelevant people, how can they have that leisure time." The two had a great time strolling around, carrying big bags and small bags and waiting for Guo Ming to pick them up in his car, and after returning home, they took a shower and lay down on the bed to continue chatting. "Bingbing, are you excited?" "I was very excited when I heard Guo Ming's proposal. Now I'm exhausted in the long preparations, and I'm a little numb." "It's my first time being a bridesmaid, so I'm really excited." Xie Nan paused for a while and said with a smile, "I don't know if I will be a bride in this life." "Get out, stop talking nonsense to me, you don't hate to be married, you just want to not marry." "Don't make me look like I'm born lonely, okay? For such a beautiful wedding dress, I'm willing to marry." The eyes of the two fell on the opposite side at the same time, and a snow-white wedding dress was hanging on the handle of the wardrobe.The bright moonlight shines in from outside the window, and the print seems to have a faint halo flowing on it. Gao Rubing took the opportunity of a business trip to buy this wedding dress in Suzhou. The off-the-shoulder style is beautifully intertwined with complicated lace, delicate embroidery and silver beads.When Xie Nan saw Gao Rubing try on it for the first time, his eyes were straightened, and he even said that the light was so bright that even if he wasn't married, he still had to buy one to enjoy himself. At this time, she watched the wedding dress quietly bathed in the moonlight, and only felt a faint pain in her chest. She also imagined that she would wear a white wedding dress and hold a lawn wedding under the sun with her lover's hand.There are rings exchanged, affectionate gazes, eternal vows, beautiful music, roses all around, and champagne towers overflowing with fine wine. Such childish imaginations, some from magazines, some from foreign movies, all passed through the years just like her teenage years. Now she can say with a joke and self-deprecation: I am willing to marry.But in fact, when she thought about getting to know a man from the beginning until she was talking about marriage, she felt the pain spread from her chest to her whole body, and she immediately lost the desire to act. Gao Rubing understood what her silence meant, reached out to hold her hand, and turned to look at her with pity.She forced a smile: "Yes, I will get married, otherwise my parents will have to grow old in a hurry." "Nannan, getting married is to make yourself happier, not to make your parents happy." Xie Nan smiled wryly, now her understanding of marriage could not be more plain, marriage has become like an obligation that must be fulfilled for her.She felt that her current state could be considered happy, but fulfilling that obligation might break such a peaceful day. But she is happy for her friends. Half a year ago, Gao Rubing came back and announced that Guo Ming proposed to her. Xie Nan shook her hand excitedly and asked anxiously, "Did you agree?" "His family has prepared the house, of course I agreed." This answer startled her. "I'm tired of living in a rented house." Gao Rubing said softly, "The past four years have been relatively stable. Do you remember moving when it rained?" Of course, Xie Nan remembered that during the local rainy season, the drizzle was continuous and dense, and it fell continuously in bursts, and the air was so humid that it seemed to be able to wring out moisture.Under the urging of the original landlord, the two girls dragged their suitcases to move in embarrassment after get off work. Their hands were full of things, and they couldn't hold an umbrella at all. They stood on the street in the rain to hail a taxi.Unfolding the quilt at night, it was all damp, so I had to put on a piece of clothing to mess around all night.Such embarrassing days, thinking about it now, are still sad. But it was not enough for her to agree to the proposal just for this reason. Gao Rubing saw her doubts, and shook his head with a smile: "When I tell the truth, you always look like this. Well, that's just one of the necessary conditions for marriage. Guo Ming's family background is good, but his father is just a retired bureau chief." .If I don’t think I can spend my whole life with him, why should I marry him? I want a stable and happy life, it’s as simple as that.” "Do you love Guo Ming?" Xie Nan had never asked this question before. "Nan Nan, you take love too seriously." Xie Nan was a little embarrassed. Of course, the only love she ever experienced was grand, from the beginning to the end. Gao Rubing gently shook her hand: "Fool, don't think about it, I didn't act like a thunderbolt, sparks hitting the earth, it's because we are all adults, okay?" Yes, such a warm and solemn love, like fireworks in full bloom, dazzled her, but once it was over, the light and shadow died away, and there was no sound, leaving her with nothing but debris on the ground, which she had cleaned up for so many years. "I'm living for nothing. I'm 28 years old, but I'm still thinking like an 18-year-old." She smiled, "Bingbing, you just want to be happy. Seeing your happiness, I can at least believe that there is happiness in this world." of." "You are stupid again, why do you have to stand aside and watch other people's happiness?" Seeing Gao Rubing raised her eyebrows, she could only raise her hand to beg for mercy, and changed the subject: "Okay, okay, I won't say these words anymore." Gao Rubing focused on the ceiling: "You have that house next to you, it's not bad. From now on, you can live in it steadily, don't think about the past, and find someone to talk to." "What happened in the past? Come on, do you think I look like a tragic heroine? I dare not say that I have forgotten, but I really think very little." "Don't be stubborn with me. If you really forget, you won't be renovating the house until now. You won't listen to you when you tell me so many times." "Surrender, surrender, it's my fault, okay, I'll fix it. Go to bed early, and you should recover your spirit these few days, so you don't get dark circles all over your eyes." The room fell into silence, Gao Rubing's breathing was steady and long, and there was a faint smile on the corner of her mouth.But Xie Nan couldn't sleep for a while. Of course, the person who knew her best was Ru Bing, who had been friends with her since freshman year. She didn't have any capital to be stubborn in front of Ru Bing. Only in front of Ru Bing, she is not afraid to expose her stubbornness and weakness. Her eyes fell on the wedding dress again, and then she closed her eyes tightly.