Pastel Colors

Day0121:00

At six o'clock in the morning, the dawn and dusk line slowly moved across the vast Pacific Ocean.In another half an hour, the sun that belongs to today can shine on the land on the west coast of North America.

The small town of Palo Alto is quiet and gray, with red and green lights alternating lonely at the intersection, and few vehicles passing by.

The windows of a single-family house in the East District were lit up, and through the gauze curtains, a man in a dark gray flannel nightgown could be vaguely seen leaning against the window sill.

His hair is a bit messy, his chin is unshaved, his head is lowered, and the corners of his lips are slightly raised.

Across the [-]-kilometer sea area, the stuttering voice of a neighbor he had never met came from the receiver of the mobile phone: "...I, I walked over and saw a note on your door, which said Now, Huang Osmanthus has returned to her hometown..."

"Ah."

The espresso machine on the countertop beeped slightly, condensing a dark brown extract, which fell drop by drop into the ceramic cup.

There is a line of cool logo printed on the wall of the cup.

Sword Arc.

Italic, azure blue, with two sharp sword arcs at the beginning S and ending C.

"...It happened that I cooked shrimp and shrimp porridge for dinner. There were meat and vegetables, so I gave Bobu a bowl. He thought it was... quite delicious..."

He Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Thank you."

"No thanks, no thanks! Neighbor, yes, yes." The young man on the other end of the phone became more nervous, and the volume jumped up a notch, "Bubbu is very good, he doesn't even need to be fed, I just added a bowl It’s just chopsticks, it’s not troublesome at all!”

He Zhiyuan said: "I still want to thank you."

The coffee in the cup is almost full, and the extract at the bottom of the filter plate condenses more and more slowly, and it takes a long time for a new drop to fall.

Another drop.

Probably smelling the aroma of coffee, the smile on the corner of He Zhiyuan's lips grew stronger.He pinched the handle of the cup, shook it from side to side, picked up a lump of sugar and threw it in.

It can be a little sweeter today.

The person on the other side was still stuttering: "... Then, I told a story, and... I ate some strawberries, but I didn't eat a lot. After all, it's almost nine o'clock..."

"Ok?"

He Zhiyuan asked a question, picked up the spoon, and slowly stirred it counterclockwise: "What happened at nine o'clock?"

"Ah? Nine o'clock, isn't it nine o'clock..." The voice on the other side suddenly quieted down, and paused for a while, as if thinking about something seriously.After a while, the young man tentatively tried again in a guilty conscience, "... Isn't it time to go to bed?"

He Zhiyuan couldn't hold back his laughter, which was rare, but he quickly stopped, cleared his throat, and said seriously: "Yes, it's time to sleep, you are very thoughtful."

"Oh."

The other side responded in a daze, and suddenly fell silent.

He thought, this is really a lovely neighbor who obviously helped him a lot, but he was so nervous that he was incoherent, as if he was caught abducting children, as if he was afraid that he would follow the electromagnetic wave signal back to City S, and open his mouth to eat. over him.

Ding.

A notification sounded from the living room for the arrival of new mail.

He Zhiyuan went out with coffee, put the cup on the coffee table, and opened the laptop.The title of the email was terse, a registration confirmation for a data security conference in Los Angeles next Tuesday.

He glanced at the bottom of the ten lines, and then clicked the red cross.

The young man over there had been waiting for a long time, and called softly: "Mr. He?"

He Zhiyuan closed the notebook, leaned back, closed his eyes and leaned into the sofa: "Sorry, I am responsible for today's matter. I was too negligent in finding a nanny, and the checks were not strict enough, which caused this situation. If I didn't You save the day, maybe my child is really hungry tonight. How about it, when the housekeeping company starts work tomorrow, I will contact them as soon as possible and ask them to send a new aunt over as soon as possible."

"Uh……"

There was an eerie silence on the other end of the phone.

He Zhiyuan asked: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I was just wondering, is there anyone you trust who can take Boo Boo?" The young man's tone revealed full of worry, "I mean, Boo Boo is only four years old, and children of this age are usually very sensitive. Auntie is someone close to him, if she changes too frequently, she will easily feel insecure..."

He Zhiyuan thought he was going to say something important, but when he heard this, he smiled faintly: "It's okay, Boo Boo has already gotten used to it."

"yes."

The young man was still hesitating, and the ending sound gradually became lighter and faded away, as if hesitating to speak.

Want to persuade, but have no position to persuade - of course He Zhiyuan can hear it.

It's really hard for him.

To be honest, a stranger who has no conflicts of interest and is willing to take care of his children selflessly is not unkind.He Zhiyuan was moved, but he also found it a little funny: Don't be like this, warm-hearted neighbor, I have raised Bubu for four years, don't you know his mind better than you?

Boob is different from other kids.

totally different.

He is independent and sensible. He can eat by himself, read by himself, and build blocks by himself. He is not noisy, as if he has created a unique peaceful place in his heart.He is a perfect child with almost no flaws. He likes every aunt and attracts the likes of every aunt.

Because of this, when other single parents are too busy trying to balance family and career, only He Zhiyuan can safely leave his child in S City without slowing down his pursuit of career.

Songran held the phone, and there was only a burst of silent white noise in the receiver——Mr. He didn't speak again, and the conversation came to an awkward end like this.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Songran felt a vague sense of impatience from the last sentence of the other party.He couldn't help feeling annoyed, complaining in his heart that he was meddling in his own business, returned the bright yellow cartoon phone to Boo Boo, picked up the steel wool ball, and continued to wash the dishes.

"Baba, you've changed back to Boob again!"

Boo Boo rubbed the phone with her pink cheeks, and once again took a cheerful little step.

Song Ran unscrewed the shower faucet to let the very thin water column wash over the dinner plate.The dishes clinked, the white foam dissipated, and he stared blankly at the vortex pouring into the sewer.

Did he just... Offend Mr. He?

What a shame.

As an outsider, he has only known Bubu for less than two hours, and he knows neither the child nor the parents, so how could he lightly say such words that are close to accusations?Heart to heart, no parent is willing to be separated from their children. Mr. He is so busy with work, but if there is a better choice, he will not just hire a live-in nanny to take care of the children, and Bubu will not appear outside the gate of 8012A.

Why doesn't he know how to put himself in other people's shoes, a single nerd with no children and no career?

Song Ran turned off the tap, and patted her face depressedly.

When he dried his hands and walked out of the kitchen, Boo Boo had stopped his happy little steps and was standing by the dining table with his delicate little eyebrows drooping, and he returned to his restrained and obedient appearance before.

"Sleeping is a matter of one person, and Bubu understands it." The child said to the other end of the phone, "Baba, don't worry, Bobu is very courageous, he is not afraid of the dark, he can sleep by himself!"

Sleep by yourself?

Song Ran was shocked immediately.

What's the meaning?There is no adult at home, how can I sleep by myself?

Bubu hung up the phone, stood there sadly with his head bowed for a while, pursed his lips, and sniffed quietly.Song Ran was so distressed that she squatted in front of him, took his little hand that was holding the hem of his clothes tightly, and put it into her palm.

He just wanted to comfort him, but Bubu raised his head, with a bright smile on his face: "Brother, the porridge you cook is delicious, and the stories you tell are also very good, thank you. Bubu is already a big The child is gone, I can't trouble you any more, I'm going home to sleep now."

"Boob?"

Song Ran couldn't believe her ears.

Is this kid serious?

Just now when he took the initiative to invite him to stay overnight, Bubu's expression changes from surprise to doubt to ecstasy still vividly appeared in front of his eyes. Song Ran was 100% sure that that was the real appeal of the child, so... the current act against his will What about lies?

Song Ran thought for a while, and grasped the key point precisely: "Dad asked you to go home and sleep?"

"Ah."

Boo Boo nodded.

Songran cursed silently on the spot, rolled his eyes to the sky, and all the guilt and offensive thoughts just evaporated in an instant—the night is so dark, the house is so empty, dare to let a four-year-old child Sleeping alone at home, this father's thoughts are so clear, and the grooves in his brain are very smooth!

Bubu sleeps alone, who will comfort him if he has a nightmare in the middle of the night, who will cover him if he catches a cold from kicking the quilt, and who will protect him if a thief breaks into the house?

Song Ran thought about it casually, and it was like a barrage explosion in front of him, with more than 100 dangerous items flying past.

He really wanted to print them all out, so he slapped Papa He's face in the air.

Are you sick? !

Your children are displaced, and I am a passer-by who does not seek fame or fortune. In line with shining humanitarian principles, I will help you coax and feed your children, and I even volunteered to serve as a night nursery. Remote control, jumping out across the Pacific Ocean and inserting a foot-can you die if you concentrate on doing your business?

The children given by the lottery can't be raised randomly!

Really... really blinded a provocative good voice for nothing.

Song Ran thought of He Zhiyuan's languid laughter, and his cheeks flushed again - half ashamed, half angry.

Ugh.

This is the father's job, and zero points are considered to save face.

He squatted there looking at Boubo, unable to tell what it was like.Boo Boo Boo Boo, I know you are a good boy, as obedient as a little sheep, but you are only four years old, even if Dad wants you to go home to sleep, you should make a fuss.

Children who can make trouble have candy to eat. If you don’t make trouble, how can brother help you?

Boob stuffed his mobile phone into a small schoolbag, carried it on his shoulder awkwardly, went to the door to change his canvas shoes, took a minute to fasten the shoelaces that were about to be untied again soon, then stood up and chanted Then he waved his hand: "Brother, good night."

He stood on tiptoe and turned the heavy doorknob.

click.

A row of overhead lights in the corridor were lit up, showing the scene outside the door: bluebells, sunflowers, closed elevators, beige marble floor tiles... Opposite is a cold anti-theft door embedded in the white wall, and the bottom of the foot is a piece of Soft chipmunk rug.

Boo Boo has already heard the story of the chipmunk, so he can't help feeling a little more familiar with his old friend.

He waved to it and said, "Goodbye."

After saying hello, Boo Boo jumped out nimbly without stepping on a hair on the chipmunk, then trotted across the corridor, stood on the dark, square hard-haired carpet, took out a The key opens the door lock of 8012B.

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, the brave Boob is going home.

But as soon as the door was pushed open, a thick black mist gushed out of the room, enveloping the young child.

It's so dark and so cold.

There is no light at home, my father is not at home, and my mother-in-law is not at home. There are countless man-eating monsters hiding in the pervasive night. They lurk behind the door, under the bed, and in the cabinet, and each one has green eyes. and sharp tines.

Bubu flinched for a while, his head was dazed, and he didn't dare to go in.

He just wanted to run away.

The room behind has bright lights, big fluffy balls, colorful story books, and a brother who has a gentle smile and is good at telling stories. As long as he escapes back, he doesn't have to face all these things in front of him.

Boob regretted it very much.

But he has already promised his father to sleep alone at home, if he breaks his word, he will no longer be that pleasing and good boy.

He has to be a nice, likable kid.

Bubu mustered up his courage, and took a small step forward, the dark fog immediately wrapped him up even tighter, his vain courage was like a thin-skinned fish bubble, poking it with a needle point, it deflated Mostly.

His movements are stiff, and his figure is also stiff.He couldn't understand why he felt so sad when he was a good boy who was liked by others.Where are the rewards for being a good boy, all those sweets and garlands in the sun?

Bubu dared not go forward, nor did he dare to retreat.

He stood at the door of the house, staring blankly at the terrifying darkness in front of him, feeling more and more wronged in his heart—why does the night have to be so long?If it was dawn in the blink of an eye, he could skip this paragraph and go to kindergarten happily.

He blinked innocently, turned his head, and looked expectantly at the glass window of the flower bed.

But the sky was still black, blacker than ink, and the glass reflected two withered lilies, and the reflected light hurt his immature eyes.

He blinked again earnestly, very slowly and hard.

There is still no change outside the window, and the night seems to have stagnated at this moment.

"elder brother."

Bubu was at a loss as to what to do, his throat choked slightly and he said, "What should I do?"

Maybe it was because the corridor on the twelfth floor was too quiet, but Song Ran managed to catch the tiny sound like a needle falling to the ground.He felt a pain in his heart, and without thinking about anything, he rushed over and hugged Boo Boo.

"Boobu, stay here, stay here with brother." He said, "My brother promised to tell you a bedtime story. Now that you're home, who will you tell your brother's story to?"

"But...but I promised my father that I will sleep alone..."

Boo Boo sniffled, his voice was moist.

Song Ran resorted to his trump card: "Brother and Dad, who did Bu Bu agree to first?"

Bubu sniffled again: "...brother."

"Yes, it's my brother." Song Ran said, "Since I promised my brother first, it doesn't matter if I promise my father later."

"Really?" Bubu turned his head, tears welling up in his eyes, "Don't count?"

Song Ran nodded affirmatively: "It doesn't count."

Bubu bit his lip, tilted his head, and looked at him suspiciously.

Song Ran laughed, and reached out to pinch the tip of his little nose: "Don't worry, if Dad asks, I'll tell him, our Bubu is obedient, it's my brother's fault that we keep clamoring to go home and go to bed obediently. My brother insisted on telling stories to Bubu, so he tied him back halfway. If Dad wants to punish him, he should punish him."

Bubu laughed through his tears, rushed forward and hugged Songran's neck, and kissed him fiercely: "Brother, why are you... why are you so nice!"