Tender trapping

That night was Ran Xu's last indulgence. They were on the sea in the port city, listening to classical dance music faintly coming from the hall, making love wantonly.

At that time, Ran Xu felt like a live fish with its belly turned white, desperately trying to absorb the last bit of water... At the top of the storm, enjoying the last carnival.

He bit Zhuo Wenlang's shoulder, tears flowed down his cheeks, he thought, it shouldn't be a big deal, since most people's first love didn't make it to the end anyway.

It just hurts so much.

Physical pain.

It seems that the whole person is going to be split in the middle, divided into two, one half stays permanently on the bustling and dreamy sea of ​​Hong Kong City, and the other half is smashed back to its original shape - he is still the little lame nest in the mountain village, holding a A cheap nylon paintbrush, dreaming of a bright, bright future.

delusional.

All delusions will be shattered one day, just like the spring will melt the winter snow, the tide of reality will engulf the ideal land, and the rock called "truth" will be exposed, ugly and hypocritical.

The next day, Ran Xu called Xue Xiaoxia for the first time, and he listened to the other end of the receiver, the noisy town, people swearing in dialect, mahjong blocks colliding together, and his incompetent mother, babbling about what had been repeated thousands of times. Words a hundred times.

Ran Xu just listened, lying on the deck, watching the fiery red sunset pass over the tall buildings in the distance, and finally sank to the sea level.

ended.

There was the last dance song at the dinner, the last roar of the cruise ship's engine, and Ran Xu stood in front of the porthole, watching the brightly lit night scene of the port city for the last time.

Airplanes fly through the clouds, spring has visited northern cities, and school season begins.

Ran Xu seldom went back to Zhuo Wenlang's apartment due to his busy schedule. Two freshman boys moved into the dormitory of the school. Due to the reason that different grades lived together, the two boys behaved very quietly, and Zhang Jinzhou's words were also Not much, the whole dormitory is like a pool of stagnant water.

When Sun Cheng and Zhuo Minghui were still there, Ran Xu hoped so much to usher in such tranquility, but now, he is so afraid of this lifeless suffocation, sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, insomnia, looking at The moonlight outside the window, hold yourself tightly, and gather together like a newborn baby.

He didn't know how much Zhuo Wenlang knew, but after returning from Hong Kong City, he never received any text messages from "Zhuo Minghui". : The phone you are dialing is switched off...

Ran Xu thought, he should still like Zhuo Wenlang, because even at this level, he still couldn't refuse Zhuo Wenlang's dinner invitation, he would still think about that person's favorite recipes, and he still wanted to make a better recipe for 1980 the design of.

However, every time he has close contact with Zhuo Wenlang, he will feel extremely fearful. This negative emotion has surpassed liking, so meeting has become a kind of torture.

He is exhausted.

However, Zhuo Wenlang looked for him more times than before. He hugged Ran Xu, locked him tightly in his arms, and told him over and over again: "The movie is not over yet, we have to finish it well, be good."

Ran Xu opened his eyes, looking at the only light in the dark room, a long and obscure romance movie was playing on the screen, men and women kissed each other, and said goodbye at dawn.

Zhuo Wenlang had watched him here three times over and over again, from day to night, while watching him while doing him, his eyes were itchy and his legs were sore and weak.

"The movie isn't over yet."

"It's over, the beginning of this paragraph has been played three times."

"But I don't want to let you go."

He kissed the back of Ran Xu's neck, licked his ears, bit his flesh, rubbed him into his body, dismantled and reassembled him, made him scream and cry... Ran Xu He grabbed his hair, raised his neck, and stared blankly at the dark night.

Nothing, no star will take him home.

This is a very bustling city.

·

One day in March, he received a text message from Chen Yilin. In the text message, the young master complained that since the last cruise, his parents had gone crazy and put him under house arrest for more than a week.

[I have no way to leave Hong Kong City now, but Xu Ziang said that he is here to take over this matter, and if he can find out about Zhuo Minghui, he will contact you. 】

Ran Xu stared at the text message for a long time, and suddenly laughed - this matter was so ridiculous, obviously the three of them were in love with Zhuo Wenlang, but who would have expected that it would end up in such an unembarrassing and neither embarrassing relationship.

He replied with a "yes", and saw a new text message sent in.

【Actually, you don't have to worry too much. After all, the two of them are brothers. No matter how much Zhuo Wenlang calculates, he won't put his brother in danger. 】

【why? 】

【Because Minghui is his only relative, brother Wenlang...】

Chen Yilin didn't finish, but Ran Xu knew what he wanted to say.

Zhuo Wenlang is too lonely, he has never trusted anyone, so he will not "love" someone, he fills his life with non-stop love, as if this is no different from ordinary people.

Ran Xu would not be arrogant to think that he was the one who would make him stop, he was so ordinary and had nothing, even if he wanted to give everything to his lover, he was empty-handed.

·

Xu Ziang did not break his promise. On the third day after receiving the text message, Ran Xu was notified by the counselor that he was going to receive a new guest speaker.

"Xu Ziang asked you to accompany him by name, how did you know each other?" There was a trace of teasing in the counselor's eyes, perhaps because he had learned repeatedly that Ran Xu was entangled with other rich people, Lu Jianying had already The persuasion at the beginning has turned a blind eye now.

Ran Xu heard that there was something in his words, but he didn't explain anymore, he just told him: "I have been to Xu Ziang's art exhibition, just in time for him to be here."

"Oh, then he must have taken a fancy to your work, right? I heard that the blind box toys you designed for a cultural and creative company are selling well overseas." Lu Jianying patted him on the shoulder, her eyes twitching Laughing, "Okay, no matter what the process is, fortunately it's over."

Ran Xu smiled back politely and said nothing more.

The new quarterly plan of Epoch 3080 got off to a good start. The sales volume doubled after the publicity went out. According to Zhuo Wenlang, he was right. Ran Xu’s design is unique, delicate and distinctive. The first batch of the factory was sold out directly.

Ran Xu was quite surprised by this. After all, he was not as careful when making those designs as when making wooden beads for Zhuo Wenlang. However, after returning to the mainland, he never saw the string of wooden beads on Zhuo Wenlang's wrist again. .

Instead, it is a famous watch, which is expensive at a glance.

·

The day Xu Ziang came to the school happened to coincide with Zhuo Wenlang's business trip, and Ran Xu saw that thin figure at the door at a glance.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that Xu Ziang was more decadent than before, and the black eyes and the red blood on the whites of his eyes could not be hidden.

"...If it wasn't for the young master of the Chen family begging me, I wouldn't want to get involved in this muddy water." He looked at Ran Xu with a bit of reserve and arrogance, which was completely different from that day on the cruise ship , "You haven't left Zhuo Wenlang's side until now, it's not beyond my expectation."

He paused for a while, and then said: "He is a selfish person, selfish and smart, always good at showing his best side in front of others."

Ran Xu didn't speak, he took the things in Xu Ziang's hands, accidentally touched his cold hand, and suddenly felt an inexplicable fear, as if he had glimpsed the future in an instant.

He wanted to say something to make Xu Ziang happy, racked his brains, and suddenly remembered the painting called "Accidental Casualties" he had seen in an art exhibition.

"Didn't you say that you have always wanted to know the current situation of that painter?" Ran Xu led him to the backstage.

"Do you know where that person is?" Xu Ziang was quite surprised, with mixed emotions in his eyes, as if he was regretting but also looking forward to it, "I really hope to help him, when I saw him, I didn't have the ability , but now I don’t know where he is... If possible, I hope I can at least be in..." His voice was so weak that Ran Xu couldn't hear clearly.

Ran Xu dutifully took Xu Ziang to visit the campus, and told him half-jokingly: "Information needs to be exchanged with each other. You tell me where Zhuo Minghui is now, and I will take you to find that painter." The ragged tramp in the underpass is the artist himself, but their brushstrokes are so similar.

"Zhuo Minghui..."

Xu Ziang held his chin, and sat side by side with Ran Xu on the bench by the lake behind the school. The spring breeze brushed against his face, blowing his half-length hair, the willow tree had sprouted, and the surroundings were shrouded in fluffy tender green In the middle, Xu Ziang took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled slightly.

"He should be fine. He is indeed in a nursing home abroad."

"Then... why doesn't he contact his friends in China?"

"Because his domestic mobile phone was confiscated, but he didn't remember your phone number. I guess, because of his solitary personality, he probably didn't leave social software contact information with anyone in your class, right?"

This is true.

What I have been thinking about day and night for the past few days, I didn't expect the answer to be so simple, but it also confirmed one thing-the sender of the text message in his mobile phone was indeed someone else... And if there is no mistake, it should be Zhuo Wenlang is gone.

To be honest, Ran Xu didn't understand why he would do this, which inevitably made him feel worried: "But why did Zhuo Wenlang confiscate his mobile phone?"

"Then you should ask him."

Xu Ziang stretched his arms, and suddenly sighed: "It's time."

"What time is it?"

He smiled and didn't answer Ran Xu, but turned his head with interest: "I happen to be going to that country in two days, if you want to meet Zhuo Minghui in person, you can come with me."

"……it is good."

Ran Xu made up his mind, after finishing this last concern, he had a showdown with Zhuo Wenlang—he couldn't bear such torture, and he couldn't pretend to be confused.

Separation was already the best ending he could think of.

A week later, Ran Xu was sitting in the apartment packing his luggage. He paced the room, looking over every decoration and furnishings: He still remembered that when he first arrived, it was as cold as a well-decorated hotel suite. Now , here is his carving knife, teddy bear... In the white porcelain vase on the table, a bouquet of fresh white lilies is blooming, and the fragrance fills the room.

He drew the curtains aside and watched the fine dust flitting in the sunlight and finally falling on the petals of the lily bouquet.

There was the sound of a handle turning at the door, and Ran Xu took two quick steps to greet him: "You're back." His eyes were smiling, and he was holding a broom that hadn't been used for a century.

"Why did you start cleaning all of a sudden? The housekeeper didn't come?" Zhuo Wenlang took off his suit jacket and glasses, with a calm expression.

"I just happened to be packing my luggage." Ran Xu replied, he lowered his head and stopped looking into Zhuo Wenlang's eyes.

"Where?"

Zhuo Wenlang's voice sounded above him, as gentle as ever.

"The academy organized us to go, go, a practical activity." The words have been rehearsed many times, and Ran Xu still felt uncomfortable when he was really lying, his eyes fell on the toes of his shoes.

"Where is the destination?"

"Countryside." Ran Xu finished the lines he had prepared later, as if he was in a hurry, "I'll just go for a day or two, and I'll be back soon. Besides, there may be no signal there, so I won't call if you call." Will definitely receive it."

He hurriedly finished speaking and returned to his room.

Ran Xu thought to himself, he was really a poor actor, recalling his expression just now, he felt that something was wrong, Zhuo Wenlang must have noticed it—he should have seen it a long time ago.

There is only a layer of window paper between them, which may be punctured anytime, anywhere.

Ran Xu didn't dare to know what was on the other side of the window paper, he was afraid that Zhuo Wenlang would tell him himself: everything is fake, I never loved you.

That night, the two hugged each other to sleep as usual, but Ran Xu couldn't fall asleep no matter what. Just as he got up and went out to drink water, he suddenly saw the figure on the bed by the moonlight——Zhuo Wenlang was not asleep either. , he was sitting on the bedside looking at him.

The moonlight fell softly on the side of the man's face, a bit blurry, but just right handsome. His eyes were full of complex emotions, making it impossible to read in the dark.

He told Ran Xu that fairy tales should end passively in sleep, if you actively interrupt it, you may only get restless sleep.

Ran Xu thought for a while and said, but fairy tales are fake, and they all end with the sentence "from now on, live happily together", but how can such a sentence cover a person's life?

"From now on, these four words represent the second half of a person's life. No one will always be a young princess or prince. When they lose their romance and embellishments, will you still promise me a 'from now on'? We are getting old, when it is time to think about life and death, when we have nothing but each other, will you still hold my hand?"

He was answered by a long silence and a good night.

So the next day, Ran Xu dragged his luggage and left the apartment. Zhuo Wenlang sent him to the door as usual and fixed his neckline.

A plane bound for the other side of the world took off, Ran Xu got the ticket, and followed Xu Ziang to fly out of the city.

They talked about art and the books they had read on the plane. Xu Ziang said that he had just finished watching a play called "The Rhinoceros in Love", and he recited his lines to Ran Xu: "There are also many times when I want to I'm about to give up, but it left a painful feeling somewhere in my body..." He looked at Ran Xu and smiled.

The two of them chatted about many things, but they didn't talk about Zhuo Wenlang, as if that man had disappeared from their lives... But in fact, no one knew.