Haimer

December in S City was gloomy and rainy, and it was rare to have sunny days.

In the living room of the penthouse suite, Fu Yun was confirming the process of tomorrow's art exhibition with the person in charge. As soon as she looked up from the document, she saw Jian Yang hugging a pillow and nestling on the bay window covered with a wool blanket, half-squinting his eyes lazily, like a A big cat basking in the sun, with its long eyelashes fluttering occasionally, making it itchy for those who scratch it.

She couldn't help but sigh secretly, although she has an elegant, handsome and dignified appearance, but she always has an inexplicable and seductive charm. Ken relaxes a little bit.

She was thinking about those trivial things endlessly, but her eyes were sore suddenly, she quickly covered her eyes and lowered her eyes, and joked: "If I had known you a few years ago, I might not be able to get married by now."

Jian Yang blinked his eyes to regain his senses, looked sideways at Fu Yun, and smiled: "What are you talking about, silly girl."

Fu Yun smiled helplessly, did not continue this topic, and walked over with the tablet: "The weather is not bad today, you haven't been back for several years, do you want to go out for a walk? These are the more interesting things I collected around here." Small shop, you can take a look."

Ever since Fu Yun became Jian Yang's agent, every time she settled in a city, she would check out the surrounding places worth visiting in advance.Even though S City is where Jian Yang grew up, Fu Yun still maintains this habit.

"It seems that your discussion will take a long time to end."

Jian Yang stretched his body, took the tablet and looked at it seriously, his pale and slender fingers slid across the screen, the cuffs of the beige cashmere sweater slipped slightly, revealing the dark black bracelet on his slender wrist.

"Hmm...these places are quite interesting."

Jian Yang bent his lips happily, and finally stopped the page on the graphic introduction of a cat cafe.

------

This is a coffee shop deep in the alley, backed by the campus of S University.The doors and windows with all wooden frames are decorated with bunches of dried flowers as embellishments. A string of bone china wind chimes in the shape of beckoning cats is hung above the entrance. There are scattered cat climbing frames beside the door. A yellow and white tabby cat is lying on the On the top, occasionally flicking the tail to show the sense of presence.

Jian Yang looked into the store through the panes of glass.

It was the university holiday time, and there were only a few customers in the store.The young man in waiter uniform was making latte art for fancy coffee. He was tall, with bow tie and apron tied meticulously, and he still had a cold expression on his face even when he was talking to customers.

He remembered the man's name.

——Fang Chen.

Jian Yang hesitated for a moment, and gently pushed open the glass door of the coffee shop.

A sense of warmth rushed over.

The tabby cat raised its head, glanced at Jian Yang with its crystal-clear eyes, stretched itself, jumped off the shelf, and walked towards the girl who had just left the bar with its chubby body, like a formal shop assistant. The appearance of dutiful greeting.

There was a small blackboard on the bar counter with the price of the drinks written on it. Jian Yang read it from top to bottom, and quickly decided on the drink to order: "A cup of hot cocoa, thank you."

The young man standing behind the counter packed up the latte art tools and said in his mouth: "Sorry, we don't have—"

The voice stopped abruptly.

The vase in Fang Chen's hand fell on the bar with a "bang", and the tabletop of the bar was in a mess, and the snow-white milk froth gradually spread on the tabletop.

The guests who heard the sound all looked over suspiciously, but Fang Chen stood there blankly, staring at Jian Yang's face for a moment, his lips quivered a few times, but he couldn't say a word.

Jian Yang pulled down the scarf, smiled and waved at the young man.

"Xiaochen, long time no see."

"...well... long time no see..."

Fang Chen finally made a voice with a hoarse voice, showing an unnatural smile: "The store manager... how are you doing recently? I, I mean the past six years——"

"Stop calling me the store manager." Jian Yang interrupted Fang Chen's incoherent greeting with a smile, and pointed to the tabletop: "You should clean it first, otherwise the floor will suffer."

Fang Chen woke up suddenly, and after frantically helping the flower vat up, he went to wipe the table with a rag.He lowered his eyes and dared not look at Jian Yang, his heart was beating violently in his chest, making his chest sore and painful.

After the table was cleared, Fang Chen took out a chocolate melting pot from the top shelf of the utensils rack - this cafe does not sell any beverages other than coffee, and the only clerk was very skilled in making hot cocoa.

Jian Yang leaned against the counter, resting his chin with one hand: "I don't have anything to go to in City S. It just so happened that a friend recommended this store to me, so I decided to come and have a look. I just didn't expect you to be here."

Jian Yang looked at Fang Chen's handsome face that was strange but familiar, and couldn't help but think back to the time when he first met him seven years ago.

At that time, Fang Chen was as thin as a stick, with disheveled hair, wearing only a thin T-shirt, holding a shoulder bag tremblingly, hiding under the eaves of the cafe .When Jian Yang pushed open the door and called him to come in to shelter from the rain, the young man stared at Jian Yang for a long time with indifferent and vigilant eyes like a wild dog, before answering: "I have no money."

"My store is closed now," Jian Yang smiled gently and held out his hand to him: "So you are not a customer. As a friend of the store manager, how about it?"

Fang Chen still clearly remembers Jian Yang's gentle and warm tone at that time, and the sentence "I didn't expect you to be here" at this moment, mixed with the sound of dripping rain seven years ago, falling on his ears together, like It was a basin of warm and cold water poured over his head, which wasn't bone-piercing, but it was enough to calm Fang Chen's restless heartbeat.

——He is no longer that embarrassing and rebellious boy, and he doesn't want to lose his composure in front of this man.

"I saved some money from stock trading in the last two years of college, and bought this store after graduation."

Fang Chen stirred the melted chocolate in circles, and his tone gradually regained his composure in the narration: "The owner who took over after you left didn't make any changes, so the cafe looks the same as before. Although it is said to be a cat coffee, But so far there is only rice and a cat in the store."

"Rice?"

Jian Yang was stunned for a moment, then reacted and smiled: "Sure enough, when I was at the door just now, I was wondering if this cat was rice."

He turned his head and glanced around the store, and soon found the tabby cat squatting on the girl's lap enjoying petting.

As Fang Chen said, the layout of the entire cafe is exactly what Jian Yang remembers, the only difference is probably the books placed on the wall shelves.Some are old books left by him when he left that year, and a few brand new hardcover books are art collections published by Jian Yang in recent years.

"Are you a fan of my book too? Let me sign it for you," Jian Yang teased with a smile: "My current autograph seems to be quite valuable..."

Fang Chen didn't answer Jian Yang's question, he was silent for a while, and asked: "Come back this time, do you want to go?"

"Well, the air ticket the day after tomorrow." Jian Yang replied. For him, City S has become a symbol called "hometown".Maybe it's because the city is changing too fast, and Jian Yang has been unable to find any traces in his memory in six years.

Only this cafe has not changed in any way, like an old friend who is waiting in place, waiting in place.

Thinking of this, Jian Yang secretly laughed at his sentimentality in his heart, and when he raised his eyes, he bumped into Fang Chen's dark and gloomy eyes.

"The day after tomorrow..." Fang Chen repeated in a low voice, suddenly smiled dryly, then lowered his head to stare at the chocolate pot again.

Fang Chen didn't speak anymore, Jian Yang just calmed down like this, took a few photos of the utensils on the counter with a single camera, and took a few photos of the potted plants placed in the corner.

"It feels so at ease."

Jian Yang checked the captured images contentedly, and put the camera aside.

"If you want, you can come back." Fang Chen put the prepared hot cocoa on the bar, and smiled casually: "But the store manager should be married, and if he comes back, he must bring his wife with him." Together."

"Get married," Jian Yang frowned slightly, with a hint of hesitation in his tone: "Not yet..."

"Then..." Fang Chen secretly clenched his fists, trying to keep his voice calm: "Where is your lover? Do you have any?"

Jian Yang's smile restrained a little, he pushed the gradually cooling Ke Ke away, sat up straight, and stared into the young man's eyes seriously.Those eyes were the same shape as before, but the tails of the eyes were slightly downward, carrying a melancholy that never existed six years ago.

Jian Yang stared at Fang Chen, but couldn't help being distracted—why could he understand such a pair of eyes?

He is obviously a person who is very insensitive to feelings, but he can be sure at this moment that these are eyes hiding love.

"If you don't have a lover, I—"

"Xiaochen."

Jian Yang softly interrupted Fang Chen's gradually agitated emotions, speaking at a leisurely pace: "I'm here to say goodbye."

Jian Yang thought silently in his heart, he must have liked Fang Chen back then, otherwise he would not have thought of coming back here again after six years of leaving without saying goodbye.

However, that is all in the past.

Whether it's the soft, reckless and jerky confession under the young man's unruly appearance, or the pleading and tears of the middle-aged mother, his own wavering and evasion, all of these are still alive, but they have passed.

His eyes stayed on the bewildered face of the young man for a moment, and finally he just lowered his eyelashes and stared at the SLR on the table.

"After all, it's too early to say goodbye."

The author has something to say: Happy New Year.