Tender trapping

When Ran Xu was packing up his things from the dormitory, Zhang Jinzhou finally looked at him once. He pulled his bed rails and asked if Ran Xu was going home?

Ran Xu vaguely agreed, without specifics, just immersed himself in his work, and cleaned the room again while cleaning up.A pile of garbage was swept out, including instant noodle boxes, plastic bags, paper towels, etc. There were even a few black cockroaches crawling around the Coke bottle in the corner.

Every time at this time, he felt that Zhuo Wenlang's proposal couldn't be better - the dormitory was too dirty, at least he didn't have to endure nausea to clean Zhuo Wenlang's apartment every day.

However, Lin Yingying obviously didn't think so. She dragged Ran Xu worriedly, and told him a lot of sensational social news, such as human trafficking, rape and then murder, and even pyramid schemes under the pretense of dating, etc. wait.

Ran Xu was a little dizzy, and had no choice but to interrupt Lin Yingying: "But he should not be short of this money."

"Money is not equal to character." Lin Yingying responded quickly, and then asked, "Look, didn't Zhuo Minghui always hate his brother? It's rare to be hated by a real brother... Now Zhuo Minghui has disappeared I can't tell, Zhuo Wenlang is a hidden pervert, he really caught his brother in a small dark room and locked him up."

"...Senior sister, watch less TV dramas." Ran Xu couldn't help laughing out loud, he really couldn't imagine Zhuo Wenlang as an outlaw madman, "Speaking of which, it's not like Zhuo Minghui didn't hear from him at all. .”

"Huh? He contacted you?"

Ran Xu showed Lin Yingying the text message on her mobile phone. It was a text message from an unfamiliar number: When I come back, you should avoid contact with my brother! ! !

It was signed by Zhuo Minghui, with an inexplicable stupidity in the three exclamation marks.

Lin Yingying couldn't help laughing: "This really looks like his style, probably because he went abroad and changed his mobile phone number."

The two went to Lin's house for a meal together, during which Ran Xu showed Lin Zhengqing the graphic design draft he had designed for 1980, and it was no surprise that he was affirmed.

The old and the young were head to head, talking about the design in a serious way, and Lin's mother didn't hold back to join in the excitement, just glanced at the drawing, and then praised a lot: "Oh, our Xiaoxu's drawing is a painting. It’s so cute, is this a toy you drew for children? When it’s time to make it, you must leave two for me and give it to my grandson to play with later.”

Ran Xu didn't turn his head around, and blurted out: "Senior Lin has been single all along, where did she get her grandson?"

Without hesitation, Lin Yingying tapped a burst of chestnuts on Ran Xu's forehead, puffing her cheeks and complaining: "Dad, look at him! He can't talk at all!"

Lin Zhengqing coughed twice and came out to smooth things over, and quarreled with Mother Lin, asking her to stop urging her daughter to marry.

"It's best to find someone who can get in the door backwards." Lin Zhengqing blushed, confidently.

Mother Lin raised her eyebrows: "Hey, old man, what are you talking about!"

Ran Xu and Lin Yingying were sitting next to each other, watching the excitement was no big deal, they laughed so hard that the corners of their mouths almost reached their ears.

Ran Xu held the hot freshly squeezed corn juice in his hand, warming it from his fingers to his chest.

Those days should be the happiest time for him. The Lin family's parents treated him like their own son. Lin Yingying was a friend and a sister. When she turned around and went out, Zhuo Wenlang was waiting downstairs to pick him up and told him the good news that came recently— —The original clay that was sent to 1980 last time has been turned over by a factory, and you can see the real thing soon.

"If I had known so many factories were unwilling to accept clay objects, I should have changed the material." Ran Xu scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

At that time, oil sludge was used because it was cheap, but unexpectedly, it required high temperature, and many factories were unwilling to take over the job of turning over the mold. Recently, it was Zhuo Wenlang who contacted him personally, and then negotiated a price that was much higher than before.

"It's okay." Zhuo Wenlang led him into the house, with a smile on his face, "I'll earn it back when it goes on sale."

"Huh?" Ran Xu was a little puzzled.

He now knows that Zhuo Wenlang runs a toy store based on his interest. Judging from the situation in 1980, this kind of business method is of course "to make ends meet", and the rent, water and electricity are all paid for, let alone expecting a certain kind of toy to make a profit - the price is too high , Ordinary families will not choose at all.

If it is placed in Hong Kong City or abroad, it may be able to recover the cost, but for now, mainland consumers do not accept the brand premium.

"Recently, I plan to do a new project for Anno 3080." Zhuo Wenlang said surprisingly.

"Era 3080?" Ran Xu thought about it for a while, wondering, "Isn't that Feng Shenghao's shop?"

"I have capital injection."

Ran Xu narrowed his eyes and looked at him with distrust on his face.

Compared with the time when we first met, Ran Xu seems to be much more lively now, and the expression on his face is also more lively, just like the poor hare picked up from outside, he becomes bold when he is matured, and occasionally shows The white fluff on the belly is for people to touch.

Zhuo Wenlang saw that he was having fun, so he couldn't help pulling his face with his hands: "It's just capital injection, the legal representative is still him."

Ran Xu couldn't understand these proper nouns. Hearing what Zhuo Wenlang said, it was reasonable to understand that Feng Shenghao was the boss and Zhuo Wenlang was just a partner.

Ran Xu really doesn't understand business matters, and the environment he lives in doesn't allow him to touch higher levels. In his world, there are only "poor people" and "rich people". There are so many divisions, for example, some people are just upstarts, while others will be honored as "rich and powerful".

Therefore, under Zhuo Wenlang's intentional or unintentional cover-up, he had no way of knowing the gap between the two of them.

Zhuo Wenlang obviously didn't intend to go deeper on this topic, so he quickly changed the subject to Ran Xu and continued to talk about the puppet's whereabouts: "Anno 3080 is mainly an experiment for the future market, and Feng Shenghao didn't expect it to be profitable, but there is a plan recently The case was put on the agenda, I think it is quite interesting, and I plan to use your series to test the waters."

In the following time, Zhuo Wenlang explained the concept of "blind box" to Ran Xu, and said that this is a new marketing method that has recently emerged abroad.

"...So people don't know which one they will buy?" Ran Xu felt strange, "Then why would anyone buy it? If you buy something you don't like, isn't it a waste of money?"

Zhuo Wenlang smiled, and put the brewed scented tea in front of Ran Xu: "Do you know what kind of mentality a gambler is? This is similar... The product positioning of Anno 3080 is not as oriented to the high-end market as 1980, so the blind box The pricing should not be high, so it is like people who spend a little money in the chess and card room and always feel that they can win more, but they don’t know that winning or losing is between the players, and the real profit is with the banker.”

Ran Xu had a half-knowledge, but Zhuo Wenlang's analogy about the chess and card room didn't appeal to him very much. He thought of Xue Xiaoxia, that mother who was thousands of miles away from him, who seemed to have gotten worse recently.

But Ran Xu didn't want to talk about these things with Zhuo Wenlang, subconsciously he didn't want to leave a bad impression on him.

Just like what the counselor told him, as long as he studies well in college, he will always be able to earn money in the future. By then, he will be able to support Xue Xiaoxia and Ran Tantai, and don't have to let them stay in remote and backward places to suffer. .

Ran Xu always felt that most of the reason why Xue Xiaoxia was tainted with gambling at the poker table was because of the surrounding environment - a group of old rural women were together, and there seemed to be nothing else to talk about except their parents.

Maybe as long as she is taken to a big city, she will find that there are so many ways to entertain herself, and she shouldn't spend her time in the chess and card room.

·

Since Ran Xu moved into Zhuo Wenlang's apartment, Lin Yingying's greetings every three days were indispensable. The worry between words was obvious, and she asked most of the time.Did Zhuo Wenlang, an old man, conspire against him?

Ran Xu felt a little helpless, firstly because the relationship between the two of them was said to be a couple, so they had nothing to do with conspiracy, and secondly because Zhuo Wenlang really didn't have any intentions in this regard, the two of them didn't even have much to share in the same bed slept through.

Regarding this situation, Ran Xu's heart was actually a little bit drummed.

He searched for related topics on the Internet earlier, and most of the answers given by same-sex couples are quite open:

[Living together is not for sex but for what? 】

[If he doesn't even have this interest, you should reflect on whether he loves you or not. Sex and love cannot be separated. Especially, you are both men and there is no marriage relationship. Today is your tomorrow It's someone else's... not for sex, what else? 】

Ran Xu felt that these were fallacies, thinking that someone like Zhuo Wenlang was definitely not just chasing a one-night stand so superficially, and if he didn't like it, Zhuo Wenlang didn't need to waste time on him.

The only possibility is that Zhuo Wenlang thinks he is not ready yet.

Ran Xu really wasn't ready, he didn't know anything about this kind of thing, and the intimate contact between the two of them only stopped at kissing, occasionally when they fell in love, Zhuo Wenlang would touch him along his clothes, the feeling was numb, It was strange and a little scary.

The slightest flinch from Ran Xu would make Zhuo Wenlang stop, but when he was embarrassed, the other party would show no concern, and calmly change the topic to other things, such as movies, photography, or Ran Xu. sketches.

Lin Yingying was very surprised when she heard this, she dragged Ran Xu mysteriously and asked, "Tell me, will he be okay?"

"No?" Ran Xu didn't react at the first moment, and then blushed under the hint of Lin Yingying's eyes, "Nothing!"

"You haven't tried it, how do you know?" Lin Yingying said with a clear face, "Hey, let me tell you, you can't tell which aspect of a man's ability will decline when he is 30 years old. He has low self-esteem."

Ran Xu retorted angrily, "Why is this not the time for you to tell me to be careful of him?"

Although he failed to quarrel with Lin Yingying, Ran Xu knew that Zhuo Wenlang was not the reason. After all, he had sat on the man's lap several times, and he could feel the diaphragm on his thigh. Zhuo Wenlang never seemed to be there. This was deliberately concealed, and the lifted trousers were frankly shown to Ran Xu.

Ran Xu himself also felt uncomfortable, he thought, it would not be a problem to make people suffocate like this.

However, if you think about it this way, it will take a while to really build up your mind, and before he was ready, Zhuo Wenlang had already gone on a business trip by plane one morning.

Before leaving, he kissed Ran Xu's face and said to him: "When I come back, I will make it up to you. I will take you back to Hong Kong City."

Just like that, Ran Xu was the only one left in the huge apartment. The Spring Festival came quietly, and the lights outside the windows were brightly lit. This northern city also showed a glimmer of vitality in the cold wind.

Red lanterns, small lanterns, and fireworks and firecrackers in the sky day and night, children screaming and running across the street, and the sound of gongs and drums from the temple fair in the park in the distance... Everything is very lively, only this room The apartment is deserted.

Ran Xu made dumplings by himself, and wanted to take a photo to send to Zhuo Wenlang, but found that the other party's mobile phone was showing that he was not in the service area. Zhuo Wenlang left in a hurry, without telling him where he was going, or how long it would take. When he came back, he would occasionally reply to the text messages Ran Xu sent, but most of the text messages fell into the sea.

Ran Xu thought, he was really busy, so busy that he didn't have time to say Happy New Year to him.

It seems that whether it is the New Year in the West or the Spring Festival in the East, the first two festivals of this year failed to impress Ran Xu. He was sitting in the apartment, staring at the carving knife in a daze, holding a semi-finished product in his hand. After thinking about it for a long time, I couldn't figure out what kind of face should be carved for him.

The phone rang, and Ran Xu woke up from his own world. He put down the knife and ran and jumped to find the phone. His hope was in vain, but he saw the name "Xue Xiaoxia" was displayed on it.

"Hello?" He picked up the phone.

The woman on the other end of the phone scolded him at first, saying that it would be fine if Ran Xu didn't come back for the Spring Festival this year, and he wouldn't make a call no matter how connected he was.

"Did you run to the big city alone, and your wings grew hard, and you look down on us old women in the countryside? Ran Xu, let me tell you, no matter what happens to you in the future, as long as I, Xue Xiaoxia, live for a day, you My son, do you understand?"

"Mom..." The other party spoke so fast that Ran Xu couldn't find a chance to interject. Finally, he was free and quickly explained, "I called you on New Year's Eve, but you didn't answer."

"Ah." Xue Xiaoxia responded shortly, as if she hadn't recovered from the inertia of chattering, and then called out again, "Oh, I didn't answer the first call, don't you know how to call the second one?! You damned Child, why is he a wooden head, why can't he turn around!"

Ran Xu didn't speak.

He called several times that night, but in the end he was connected, but no one spoke. Through the phone, he could only hear the noisy voice on the other end, full of sharp words like "six tubes" and "catch five chiefs". The female voices were louder than the other, and Ran Xu couldn't even tell which one came from Xue Xiaoxia.

Xue Xiaoxia nagged on the other end of the phone for a long time, and finally stopped to catch her breath. Ran Xu took this opportunity to apologize to her, and wanted to end the call as soon as possible.

However, Xue Xiaoxia changed the topic before, and told Ran Xu about her younger brother: "Oh, Tantai did well in the final exam this year. He passed every subject. Do you want to give him some money as an older brother?" Rewards? He is clamoring every day to let his brother go home, and I don’t see you, a little white-eyed wolf, and you won’t come back when you go out to the big city.”

Ran Xu had no time to quarrel with her at what level the elementary school students would pass, so he asked neatly, "What does he want?"

"New Year, brother, please give him a red envelope." Xue Xiaoxia held the phone between her arms, and Ran Tantai cheered from the other end, as if she was talking about Transformers or something.

Ran Xu knew that the money was definitely not just for Ran Tantai, Xue Xiaoxia took it by herself and didn't know how to go out to gamble.

However, he didn't want to have a conflict with Xue Xiaoxia during the New Year's Eve. Giving a red envelope would be considered a good fortune, so that's all, so he asked, "How much do you want?"

Unexpectedly, the number in Xue Xiaoxia's mouth made Ran Xu's eyes widen in the next second.

3000 yuan!

This amount may not be too much, but you must know that Ran Xu himself is only a student, and now he is receiving a scholarship as his living expenses, but if he is asked to take out 3000 yuan in one go, it will be a big mouth for a lion.

Ran Xu couldn't hold back and asked the other end of the phone: "3000 yuan! Are you going to move the toy store home for him?!"

After being yelled at by him, Xue Xiaoxia finally regained her composure and felt a little guilty: "Ah, what mother said is that Tantai's current curriculum is a bit behind, and our village's education is backward! So I plan to enroll him in some extracurricular classes next year. , but you won’t be able to get the money for a while, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ran Tantai seemed to hear the word "teaching class", and burst into tears on the other end of the phone.

Ran Xu calmed down and frowned, feeling that things were not that simple, he asked again tentatively: "How much do you want?"

"Ah... one thousand, ah, how about 600 yuan! Liuliu Dashun, please be lucky." Xue Xiaoxia laughed twice.