detour

Zhuang Shaodong admitted that he played a little scheming in front of his mother.When Zhuang Li Yunxin asked about his relationship with Xu You, although he didn't bother to deny it, he also decisively threw out a heavy shell: a showdown with her about leaving the dealer.

Ever since her husband Zhuang Shiwen left the Zhuang family, Zhuang Liyunxin's biggest worry has been her son. She is afraid that one day his son will leave her too.Therefore, when she heard that Zhuang Shaodong was leaving the dealer, her attention was diverted from Xu You, and she focused on things that were more important to her.

However, Zhuang Shaodong himself knew that this little trick could only delay time.When Zhuang Liyunxin calmed down, she would realize that Zhuang Shaodong avoided her question.And she will still seek answers to questions in accordance with her usual style.She is an organized woman who knows how to sort the problems that come before her into categories of severity and address them one by one.

She might go directly to Xu You, negotiate terms and offer certain benefits in accordance with her habit of courtesy first and soldiers later.If Xu You refuses, she will start to use what Xu You cares about to add value to herself.However, Xu You is currently someone that Longsheng needs, and Zhuang Li Yunxin may wait patiently for a while until the project no longer needs him before doing anything.

Zhuang Shaodong prayed that this time would be enough for him to prepare.What kind of consequences would there be if you retreat without a fight? Zhuang Shiwen has already set a living example for himself with his actions.Zhuang Shaodong knew clearly that that was not the result he wanted.Of course, it is not enough to just have the idea of ​​fighting, he must make a lot of practical preparations.

He knew he couldn't afford to lose.

If Zhuang Shiwen loses, he can continue to live with his little wife in his arms, pretending that all the open and secret fights have never happened; I can never come back again, and I will be trapped in the cage of the banker with nothing.

No, that's not what he wanted.

He had to be prepared, and be careful, and be careful.

This will not be an easy task.But before that, he still has one important thing to do.

After an autumn rain, the sudden drop in temperature indicates that autumn is officially coming in the island city.But in City C, a small inland city three or four hours away from the island city, the end of summer is still lingering over the city.

Zhuang Shaodong wore a long-sleeved shirt and a jacket when he set off from Daocheng. When he got off the inter-provincial expressway, he had already taken off the jacket and rolled up the long-sleeved shirt.Even so, when he entered the city, the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

The climate is warm and slightly dry.This is the first impression C City left on Zhuang Shaodong.

Zhuang Shaodong parked the car on the side of the road, and carefully checked the report in his hand against the street signs.The report was sent to him by his special assistant Zhuang Yupei, which listed in detail all the information he needed, including the latest map of City C.Zhuang Shaodong sighed at Zhuang Yupei's astonishing work ability, then followed the instructions on the report and turned right onto Donghua Street.

At the end of Donghua Avenue, there is an inconspicuous side street called Xijia Lane. The vicinity of Xijia Lane is the old city. The streets are so narrow that vehicles can no longer pass through.Zhuang Shaodong parked the car on the side of the road and carefully identified the direction according to the map.This small street still maintains the appearance of 30 or [-] years ago. The red brick walls are already mottled, and the narrow streets are also uneven.Zhuang Shaodong felt that on rainy days, the place would definitely be flooded with gold.At the end of Xijia Lane, the place that should have been a group of private houses has been surrounded by tall vertical boards. Just two months ago, the demolition of this place had begun.

Zhuang Shaodong couldn't restore the previous appearance of this community in his mind by comparing the messy construction site in front of him, but he still looked at the surrounding environment very carefully.Even if it is demolished, there will still be some traces that will be preserved, and people who have lived here will always recognize it at a glance, such as the century-old locust tree in the corner that is surrounded by itself.

When Zhuang Shaodong thought this way, he couldn't help feeling warm in his heart.This is the starting point of his trip to City C, and he wants to start from here and follow in that person's footsteps step by step.He wanted to know what kind of growth trajectory there was under that person's indifferent appearance.

More than 20 years ago, a baby named Xu You was born here.Here he is babbling, playing marbles and games with his friends with a runny nose, and walking from here to the first school in his life with a small schoolbag on his back...

Zhuang Shaodong walked through the narrow streets and followed Xu You's footsteps 20 years ago to an ordinary elementary school in Donghe District of City C.The school has been renovated several times, and it has long lost its original appearance.But it is said that the general pattern is still the same.Standing on the sidewalk, Zhuang Shaodong watched the children in blue and white school uniforms gather on the playground to do radio gymnastics, and at the same time imagined what it would be like for little Xu You to be squeezed among a group of children of the same age, and unconsciously burst out laughing .

In fact, there was a photo of Xu You when he was a child in his report.The young Xu You pursed his lips tightly, and had a serious expression on his chubby face that didn't match his age. His big eyes that were looking directly at the camera were watery, with a slightly ignorant expression.Every time Zhuang Shaodong saw this photo, he wanted to jump up and bite that chubby face, and he himself couldn't understand what kind of psychology this was.

Go east from here, cross a road, and you will arrive at the No. [-] Middle School in Donghe District.Xu You spent three years in junior high school here.At that time, his stature had already grown a little, and his eyebrows and eyes were still picturesque.Even among a group of girls in floral skirts, he is still the prettiest one.The three years of junior high school were also the most troublesome stage for Xu You. Fighting, skipping classes, smoking secretly... He has done all the bad things that boys of this age would do.But his grades have always been good, and this bright kid knows what matters even at the most rebellious age.

Zhuang Shaodong looked at the old photo of the boy leaning on the basketball hoop pretending to be serious, and felt that no matter how he looked at him, he couldn't find the indifferent and alienated look that Xu You often wore on his face now.

According to the report, Xu's family moved to another community in the fall of Xu You's first year of junior high school. This community has now been classified as the site of a pharmaceutical factory, and the private houses were demolished when the factory was expanded.But this is nothing to regret for Zhuang Shaodong, because Xu You lived in the school all the time in junior high school, and Xu You himself was not too impressed with this family.When Xu You was in her sophomore year of high school, the Xu family moved again, and they have lived there until now.

This community is called Fuxingyuan, and it is the first batch of commercial housing in C City.Judging from the current point of view, Fuxingyuan is a little bit old, but the environment of the community is good, and the location is also popular. With the name of a mature community, the house price has doubled several times in the past ten years.It is convenient for the old couple to live here.In the report, Zhuang Yupei specifically pointed out that Xu You's mother's younger sister, that is, Huo Ying's family, also lived in this community.There is also a photo of the two sisters attached to the report, but the distance is a little far away, and only the general appearance can be seen.Xu You's mother, Li Minhui, has just turned fifty, but her hair is already more than half gray, but from her well-proportioned figure and pretty face, one can vaguely see the shadow of being pretty when she was young.Xu You completely inherited his mother's exquisite appearance, and his good figure with broad shoulders and thin waist came from his father who was a soldier.

Huo Ying's mother was much younger than her, with curly hair and fashionable dresses.Her figure is richer than Li Minhui's, and her facial features have almost no similarities with her daughter Huo Ying, but the lively and smiling expressions between the mother and daughter are exactly the same.

These two people are Xu You's mother and aunt, they are his blood relatives, and they are also relatives he trusts and loves deeply.For them, they are just a stranger, can they believe their own words?Seeing the two women walking along the sidewalk, Zhuang Shaodong felt a little nervous.

The two women crossed the road chatting and laughing, and were about to enter the gate of the community.Zhuang Shaodong didn't think much about it, and crossed the road in three steps and two steps, until he ran in front of the two women.

Two pairs of similar eyes looked at him together with the same look of surprise.

Zhuang Shaodong's palms were sweaty, and when he met Li Minhui's eyes and looked over, his heart beat almost broke his chest.He squeezed his palms, trying to make his voice sound calm and powerful.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Li Minhui?"

Li Minhui showed a slightly surprised expression, "Who are you?"

Zhuang Shaodong handed over the ID card and driver's license that he had been holding in his hand, "This is my ID card. You can take a look first."

Li Minhui looked at him suspiciously, and then looked at the documents in his hand.When her eyes fell on the column of the name, her hands holding the certificate shook involuntarily, and her expression suddenly became complicated.

"You must have thought of some unpleasant things." Zhuang Shaodong let out a sigh of relief, "There are a lot of misunderstandings here, I want to talk to you, do you think it's okay?"