exactly

"I hope I can let go." Xi Ling replied calmly.

Chang Qin was stunned for a few seconds, then asked in puzzlement, "What did you say?"

Xi Ling stared straight at him, and said word by word: "There is a relationship that has been hidden in my heart for a long time, and I suddenly feel very tired, and I don't want to worry about it anymore."

Chang Qin suddenly felt that his head was poured with cold water, and he didn't know how to answer the conversation, but Xi Ling had already looked away and stared into the distance in a daze. At this time, the phone that broke the silence rang again, this time it was Xi Ling's mobile phone , he took it out of his coat pocket, glanced at the screen, and immediately smiled from his cold face a second ago.

He immediately picked up the phone and said softly, "Hello, Vincent." Then he got up and went to the balcony.

Chang Qin stared straight at his straight back going further and further away, his heart was like soaking in cold water, through the hazy window screen, he could vaguely see Xi Ling's sharp side face, and even the corner of his mouth With a slight smile, you don't need to ask who the call is from.

Chang Qin laughed at himself, looked away, and began to cut the cake with a knife, "What a pity," he sliced ​​the white cream little by little, as if piercing his own closed heart, and said to himself, "Usually I've never seen him smile like this before."

Xi Ling chatted on the balcony for a long time. During this period, Chang Qin was fidgeting all the time, staying at the dining table for a while, moving to the sofa for a while, trying to turn on the TV to relieve boredom, and wanting to hear what Xi Ling was talking about. The voices coming were all in English, and Chang Qin hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time, so he eavesdropped on the corners like chickens talking to ducks.

After suffering for a long time, he finally heard the sound of the balcony door being pulled open. He hurriedly picked up a plate of cut cakes and handed them to Xi Ling.

Xi Ling thanked him, with a smile still on his face.

Chang Qin saw it, and felt very sad: "Is it your boyfriend?"

Xi Ling was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses immediately, and gave a "hmm" with a smile.

Chang Qin forced a smile on his face, and took out the tableware from the kitchen: "Eat quickly, the steak is cold."

Xi Ling, who had a lot of work to do every day, returned to work by car at noon the next day. His business became increasingly busy, so he could only ask other teachers to take elective courses for him, and then disappeared completely.Since being "taught" by Xiao Yu last time, Chang Qin and Xiao Lu began to maintain an ambiguous state of innocence. They were closer than friends, but not as lovers. Chang Qin understood that this state was too much for the woman. Irresponsible, but he didn't think about it at all, so he made do with it vaguely.

After four consecutive weeks of high-intensity overtime work without a break, Jiang Lida gave Chang Qin's group a two-day "mini-long vacation". After getting out of bed, I rummaged through the box and cabinet for a long time, and finally found a pack of potato chips that I went to the supermarket with Xi Ling to buy last time. I stuffed a few pieces into my mouth, and opened the refrigerator, only to find that there was nothing inside.

The phone suddenly kept beating, Chang Qin picked it up, and casually called, "Mom."

Chang Qin is not a local. His parents live in his hometown. He has been drifting in this city for several years. It was not until he paid the down payment with the money he saved last year that he took root here. He is so busy every day that he does not touch the ground. , It is rare to go home a year, and he is the only son in the family, so the parents are naturally distressed, and they will call him from time to time to ask him how he is doing.

As a mother, the first sentence must be: "Son, have you eaten yet?"

Chang Qin's empty stomach grunted in a timely manner, but he replied, "I just finished eating."

"What did you eat?" the other end asked tirelessly.

"Oh, mom." Chang Qin changed his tone of impatience to cover up, "Isn't it just the dishes that are often eaten in the company."

"Didn't you say you're off today?"

Chang Qin gasped, feeling that his mother's surname should be Holmes, so he blinked and made up a lie without drafting it, "I packed some vegetables yesterday."

"That's good." His mother finally felt relieved, and told him to take good care of himself and pay attention to his health, and finally turned the topic to his girlfriend logically, "I heard from Xiao Yu that you recently talked to his cousin Hot?"

One year during the Chinese New Year, Xiao Yu’s family members went out of town. Xiao Yu didn’t buy a ticket for the company because of overtime work. Chang Qin couldn’t bear to leave him alone for the New Year, so he took him back to his hometown. Qin's family became one, and Chang Qin's mother treated him like a half-son, and sometimes even took the initiative to call Xiao Yu to inquire about his health. For example, with which girl I watched a movie with yesterday, and which girl I invited to dinner today, his mother would ask her son for confirmation immediately, and Chang Qin would complain every time.

Chang Qin couldn't help but suspect that Xiao Yu's reflex arc had suddenly grown so long that it could circle the earth three times.He curled his lips and gave a vague "hmm".

The other end of the phone was immediately happy: "Great, Xiao Yu is a good-looking kid, I believe his sister must be pretty too."

"It's pretty." Chang Qin replied absent-mindedly.

"That's good, that's good." Chang Qin's mother is a long-term honorary member of the Appearance Association. What other parents instill in their children is that appearance is not important, and people are just good. When it comes to his mother, it becomes You must first find a beautiful one, and then look at your character. At the beginning, he fell in love with Chang Qin's father's handsome appearance, so he left his career and left home with him willingly. Later, he gave birth to a son who looked better than Pan An. No matter where you go, people praise this child for his good looks. As the mother of a handsome son, she is naturally extremely strict in choosing a wife. Every time Chang Qin makes a new girlfriend, she must immediately send a photo to her mother for review , After the appearance is clear, then consider developing a relationship.After several times as a military adviser behind the scenes, she was very relieved of Chang Qin's aesthetics. When her son admitted that he was good-looking, she was so happy from ear to ear. Come home and let me meet your dad, since she is Xiao Yu's cousin, your dad and I will definitely be satisfied, since she came from the same family as Xiao Yu's child, it's impossible to have a bad heart."

Chang Qin nodded in agreement one by one, bit the bullet and listened to his mother teach him how to capture a girl's heart, and finally said: "Mom, don't you trust me?"

"Don't worry, don't worry." My mother said proudly, "My son is so good, of course I don't worry, but Qin'er, you are too old, you can't talk about it like before, it's time to find someone to calm down Here you go, Xiao Yu's cousin, if you are satisfied, then you should think about getting married, as a man, the most important thing is to give an explanation and be responsible for your actions."

Chang Qin was silent for a long time, nodded and said, "Okay."

He hung up the phone and sighed at the empty refrigerator, thinking that life was so pitiful that it was time to find someone to start a normal family. "

He hesitated for a long time, finally took out his mobile phone, and asked Xiao Lu to have dinner together.

Winter in the north came early, the sun was shining brightly yesterday, and today the cold north wind blew up. There were few pedestrians on the cold sidewalk at night, and the sycamore leaves all over the ground were blown up and down by the cold wind. Chang Qin wrapped his cashmere coat tightly , walked out of the cinema with Xiao Lu side by side, he looked at the long street in front of him, and suddenly remembered that a year ago, he asked Xiao Lu if he would like to be his girlfriend here, and there was a large bouquet of roses in the car, waiting for this girl A surprise as soon as you drive the door.

Time passed, and the two of them returned to this road again, but there were no roses prepared in advance in the car, and his own state of mind was different now.

"Chang Qin." The two walked halfway, Xiao Lu stopped suddenly, turned to face him and said, "Do you still remember the question you asked me here a year ago?"

Chang Qin nodded, secretly thinking that what should come will come anyway.

Xiao Lu took a long breath, summoned up her courage and said, "I don't know if you are still the same as you were back then, to me..." She looked anxiously at Chang Qin's bright eyes, and could not see any emotional fluctuations inside. , I had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, "I said at the time that I needed to think about it, but now, I've thought about it."

Chang Qin looked straight at her, waiting for the next sentence.

Xiao Lu didn't continue talking, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Chang Qin's side cheek.Maybe it was because she was too shy, she didn't dare to go back to look at him directly after the kiss, but opened her arms and hugged Chang Qin tightly, and buried her face in the other's shoulder.

Chang Qin's mind went blank. Xiao Lu's sudden confession caught him off guard. At this moment, she was tightly pressed against his body, and a faint scent of perfume penetrated his nose. He could even clearly feel the other's frantic heartbeat. I couldn't help sighing, knowing how much courage it takes for a girl to take the initiative to confess her love.Countless plots flashed through his mind like a movie, from meeting Xi Ling again in the conference room, to the strange experiences the two of them encountered in other places, to the night of his birthday, when he answered the phone, the expression on his face A smile that I can't hold back.

"You are not young anymore, you can no longer talk about it like before, and let the other go. It's time to find someone to settle down. Cousin Xiao Yu, if you are satisfied, consider getting married. As a man, you have to give someone a treat." Tell me, you must be responsible for your own feelings." In the morning, my mother's nagging followed closely in my mind.

He chose this path by himself, and no one forced him, let alone threatened him. Now that things have come to an end, he really should give Xiao Lu an explanation.

So, he also stretched out his arms, wrapping around the other's slender waist.

After another half a month, Xi Ling finally returned to this city after finishing the case in other places, but his workload has not decreased at all, and it still hits overwhelmingly. The days before that he spent every day at home practicing calligraphy seemed to be another person. History.

Chang Qin worked overtime that night and came home very late. When he opened the door, he found that the room was pitch black, and Xi Ling hadn't come back yet.He glanced at his watch, it was already ten o'clock.

He sighed, grabbed the keys and went back into the car.

For a week, Xi Ling turned into Cinderella every day, but he didn't get home until twelve o'clock. Sometimes Chang Qin really wanted to have a chat with the leaders of their firm. Excessive overtime would make his employees die suddenly. Knowing that such a high-intensity workload has already violated the labor protection law, a group of guys who rely on the law all day long know the law and break the law. I really don't understand what they think.

With such calculations in his mind, the foot on the accelerator unknowingly increased his pressure. Anyway, it was late at night, and even if he drove the car at a low altitude, no traffic police would come to copy the ticket.

When I came downstairs to the office, except for a few 24-hour chain stores whose lights were still on, the rest of the stores were basically closed. Chang Qin parked his car in front of the intersection, and was about to turn around and park after the red light, when he suddenly found that it was not far away. In a McDonald's, Xi Ling, Bai Yulan and her son were sitting on the seats by the window.I saw Xi Ling took something to eat from the table, and fed it to Bai Yulan's son with a gentle smile. The little guy obediently chewed a few mouthfuls and swallowed it. , took out a tissue to wipe his son's mouth, looked at the shape of his mouth, and seemed to be asking him if it was good to eat, so the little guy nodded, and his two fat short legs dangled in the air on the seat.

This warm picture really looked like a "family of three", the word flashed across Chang Qin's mind inexplicably, and he quickly shook his head to get rid of this absurd idea.

After parking the car, he walked around to the French window and saw Xi Ling with one arm around the child, lowering his head to his ear, as if coaxing something, which made the little guy giggle, and Bai Yulan looked at them from the opposite side , the expression of joy on his face was obvious.I have to say that Xi Ling is really good at taking care of children, and he can scare the children into a daze with just two or three sentences.Chang Qin was overwhelmed with emotion, and hurriedly opened the door and stepped into the restaurant, walking straight to their table.

"Brother Chang." Bai Yulan, who was facing the gate, spotted him first, and quickly beckoned him to pass.

Hearing Bai Yulan's voice, Xi Ling also turned his head, seeing Chang Qin behind him, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes.

There were two people sitting on Xi Ling's bench, so Chang Qin had to sit beside Bai Yulan.

"Brother Chang, why are you here?" Bai Yulan asked curiously.

"I don't think Xi Ling is at home, so I guess he's still working overtime, so I'll come and have a look." Chang Qin replied calmly, with a natural expression on his face, he glanced at the table full of food, and asked in surprise : "Are you eating now?"

"I ordered takeaway, but I waited for several hours in vain. The boss told me that the gas pipe was broken and couldn't burn it, so I had to take them down for a quick meal." Xi Ling answered him while picking up a French fries and handing them to the restaurant. In the mouth of the restless little guy on the chair.

"Then why is Miss Magnolia here?" Chang Qin turned to look at Magnolia, confused.

"Brother Chang, I'm working in Lawyer Xi's firm now, don't you know?" Bai Yulan replied excitedly.

"That's right." Chang Qin said in surprise.

"I came here last month, I forgot to tell you." Xi Ling added indifferently, "It just so happened that our office lacked a front desk, so I applied to the boss to let Bai Yulan come to work. Originally, she didn't have to work overtime with me. , As a result, my assistant has something to do at home these days, and my mother is sick and hospitalized, so I can't take care of both ends, so I have to ask Bai Yulan to sort out the materials for me." He looked at Bai Yulan and said sincerely, "I'm really sorry for your hard work."

"It's not hard work, it's not all that I should do to help Lawyer Xi, but I don't feel at ease when the child stays at home alone at night, so I can only take it to the office and disturb Lawyer Xi's work." Bai Yulan was full of apologies say.

"It's okay." Xi Ling shook his head indifferently, and pinched the little guy's fleshy face with a smile.

"By the way." Bai Yulan suddenly took out a bulging envelope from her bag and handed it to Xi Ling, "This is the money that Lawyer Xi lent me last time. I just got my salary for this month. At last, I can pay off Lawyer Xi’s money.”

Naturally, Xi Ling wouldn't answer it, but glanced at the envelope, and said lightly, "What do you pay for? You just came here, and you need a lot of money, so save it for yourself first."

Bai Yulan's hand was half-raised in the air, and she didn't know what to do for a while, so she could only turn to Chang Qin for help: "I knew that Lawyer Xi would not accept it, Brother Chang, you can accept it for him."

Chang Qin was very enthusiastic, put one hand on Bai Yulan's, and pushed the envelope back: "Sister Yulan, you can keep it at ease, Lawyer Xi is not short of this money."

Xi Ling glanced at the two overlapping hands, although it was only for a moment, he still pressed the corner of his mouth unhappily, he looked away, took out a tissue to wipe the little guy's hands, and asked in a low voice, "Are you full?"

The little guy nodded.

"Then shall we go?" Xi Ling asked the two people opposite, seeing them nodding, he stood up, carried the child off the seat, and then returned him to Bai Yulan.

Chang Qin felt sorry for Xi Ling's hard work at work, so he took the initiative to take Bai Yulan's mother and son home. When he finished sending them home, Xi Ling was already lying on the sofa and fell asleep. With the arm resting on his forehead, he half leaned over and asked in a daze, "You're back?"

Chang Qin hummed, walked to his side, knelt down| cared and asked, "Are you tired recently?"

"Crazy tired." Xi Ling squeezed the back of her neck, changed her sleeping position, and turned her face to the inside of the sofa.

Chang Qinfu felt his heart, put down the key, stretched out his hands and kneaded the bare|exposed smooth skin: "It's been so hard, please ask your boss for leave tomorrow."

"I have to go to court tomorrow." Xi Ling couldn't help snorting because she was pinched so comfortably.

Chang Qin felt distressed, but said nothing. Slowly moved his hands down, gently massaging his bony shoulders. After a while, the breathing of the person in front of him gradually stabilized, and he fell asleep again.

Only then did Chang Qin stop what he was doing, and brought a quilt from the bedroom. Afraid that it would be too cold at night, he turned on the air conditioner in the living room.

Then he went to the balcony, opened the window a little, and lit a cigarette.

Chang Qin seldom smokes at ordinary times, and sometimes he is dragged to accompany clients for dinner, and he will smoke one or two cigarettes when he has to. After taking a deep puff, he choked to the point of tears, so he could only pinch the cigarette between his fingers and let it burn by itself.

The scarlet flames went down little by little, and in the rising smoke, he thought through many things.His current girlfriends are Xiao Lu and Xi Ling, but they are just short-lived impulses, maybe because they have been with women for a long time and want to change their tastes, but Xi Ling just appeared at the right time, Chang Qin has lived in this world for twenty years For several years, he has never understood what long-term love is. For him, such things as feelings are fleeting, just like running after Xiao Lu a year ago, and falling for Xi Ling after a year, but what is his true love? No matter who, I can't answer it myself.

He can let down Xie Ronger and Xiao Lu, but Xi Ling must never let him down, otherwise, Xi Fu will be the first to chop him with a kitchen knife.

It's not that he is afraid of Xi Fu, but because that person is Xi Ling, such a lonely, self-admiring, cold and arrogant person, there has never been anyone like him, who makes people yearn for but fear evil.

No matter how dazzling the flowers of land and water plants are, they can only be viewed from a distance.

He let his feelings run its course with the cigarette, and finally snuffed it out in the ashtray.

He took the ashtray to the kitchen and washed it clean, then returned to the living room, sat cross-legged in front of Xi Ling, stared deeply at the piece of naked|exposed white skin for a long time, and told himself in his heart that enough was enough, there was no need for it. After more than [-] years of heartless time, I no longer have any willfulness to squander.

Then, he tucked in the quilt for the other party, turned off the light and left.