looking back inadvertently

At the end of September, Liang He went on a business trip to Europe with the leaders of his unit, first to France and then to the UK.In order to save money, the company always shared two people in the hotel. Liang He and the department manager shared the same room. After a few days, they became more familiar with each other.The manager is often short-tempered, and when he is in a good mood, he is very talkative, and it is quite pleasant to get along with.

When they arrived in a new country, they mainly came for work, and they didn’t have many chances to play. They only got permission for half a day of free activities the afternoon before they left Paris, and they could wander around casually.

"Does Xiao Liang have a girlfriend?" During dinner at the restaurant the day before, the manager suddenly asked about Liang He's personal affairs.

"No."

"No?" The manager was a little surprised and regretful, "I thought you must have left the order."

Liang He smiled and shook his head.

"I wanted to say that French luxury goods are the most famous, and I must bring something for my girlfriend. My family will miss it," the manager said cheerfully, "You can also take a look, or buy it in advance, and send it later. People."

Thinking about how to give gifts in the future without a partner always feels more miserable.Liang He was noncommittal, and only said to think about it slowly. The manager might have realized the silence, so he didn't say any more.

When we arrived in Paris, we hardly saw the sun, the sky was always overcast, and it rained lightly from time to time. Liang He bought his umbrella after arriving here and carried it with him.The next day, he was free to move around in the afternoon. Because the weather was always bad, he was not very interested, so he sat in a cafe for a while.

There are many people who come and go, but there are fewer companions.The clothes of the French are cooler, and they seem to be particularly fond of gray, black, and coffee colors, which are in perfect harmony with the always hazy sky.

He ordered milk coffee and croissants. The coffee was slightly sweet, and the bread had a burnt aroma after being baked. The hot smell made the moisture in the air weak.He often buys this kind of bread in the United States. Freshly baked bread is more delicious, but the outer crust loses its crispness after a while.

In the background sound of cups colliding, the sound of rain suddenly amplified, and the rain became more urgent.Liang He didn't want to spend too long here, so he went out of the shop after paying the bill and opened his umbrella.The big black umbrella is big enough to cover two adults.

Standing under the canopy next to them looked like a couple.He had taken French as an elective before, and he could understand some spoken conversations. The two of them were talking about the rain, as if they were rushing somewhere, but they were unexpectedly trapped.

On a whim, Liang He gave them the umbrella, saying that it doesn't matter if he is not in a hurry.After a while of thanks, the two left holding his umbrella.Liang He was still standing under the canopy, he didn't know whether to go back to the shop and sit or just wait.

However, in less than 10 minutes, the rain suddenly stopped again, and there were signs of the sun, a bright golden light poured down from the clouds in the south, and the puddles on the ground glistened.

Giving the umbrella to others saves trouble and frees both hands.He went out into the street.

It was the National Day holiday in China, and Shen Zhe went back to his parents' house for two days.Shen Sihong talked with him mainly about work matters, how he feels at school, whether he still wants to take the postgraduate entrance examination, and so on.

Shen Zhe has adapted to the current living conditions, and is not too sad about the failure of the previous postgraduate entrance examination. After three years, the competition may be more intense, and it may not be possible to have a good job now.

"You can just make up your mind." Out of understanding of the child, Shen Sihong instinctively believed in his choice.

"Well, let's talk about it later if you have any ideas."

On the night when he was going back to his apartment, Shen Zhe still stayed at his parents' house and had dinner together.

"Shen Zhe," Shen Sihong hesitated again and again, "there are quite a few teachers who are about your age... in school?"

"Cough, Dad," Shen Zhe understood his hint almost immediately, "You mean the female teacher?"

"you--"

After being pointed out, Shen Sihong felt a little embarrassed, and Bai Yanru made a relief: "Your father is afraid that your mind will be used elsewhere and affect work."

His parents seldom talked about his personal problems, and Shen Zhe found it fresh when he mentioned it occasionally, and he didn't know what their attitude was towards it.

"Let me tell you," Bai Yanru continued, "It's good to have a suitable girl and get in touch with her more. You're so old, there will be such a day sooner or later."

Shen Zhe's heart twitched slightly, and he heard Shen Sihong say: "What kind of society is it now? When you are in your early twenties and it is time to make a breakthrough, don't rush to think about anything."

"It's not a conflict." Bai Yanru said quickly, "You didn't care about him when he was in high school."

Before Shen Zhe said anything, Shen Sihong touched Bai Yanru's arm: "Why did you mention that?"

"Okay, Mom and Dad," Shen Zhe has long since lost taboo about the past, and even felt amused, "I understand what you mean, but the future is the future."

"Yes," Shen Sihong took a long breath, "I mean, now that you are older, you have to think about things in the long term. You have to worry about starting a family and starting a business. If you make a name for yourself in your career, you will have a real family in the future." more responsible."

"Dad," Shen Zhe interjected with a smile, "Then if I don't get married, what if I keep working?"

Shen Sihong smiled lightly, as if he didn't take his words seriously: "You still don't know what to think in the future."

"I mean...I mean it."

"Why are you talking about this?" Bai Yanru frowned slightly, and then blamed Shen Sihong, "You too, why indoctrinate him with these things, have to make the child into unmarriageism?"

"We are discussing casually," Shen Sihong didn't care, "Shen Zhe is young now, so he is always changeable."

Shen Zhe didn't join in the chitchat with his parents anymore, he lowered his head to eat sullenly, and bid farewell to them not long after.

He doesn't want to think about too realistic issues, which may cause confrontation with his parents on the one hand, but on the other hand, reality itself reminds him of his unreliability.

Back at the place where I lived, the crowd dancing in the park had dispersed, and it was quiet outside, even after the doors and windows were closed, there was no life.Shen Zhe went through the class content after the festival, and when he was going to sleep, he received a call from Liang He.

"You haven't slept yet, have you?"

"No," Shen Zhe did some calculations. There was a seven-hour time difference between Liang He and himself, so it should be in the afternoon. "Are you okay now?"

"Well, free time."

"Is France fun?" Shen Zhe leaned on the bed, fondling his pillow.

"It's okay." Liang He said that he was on the Champs-Elysees Avenue, with the Arc de Triomphe in front of him. "Is there anything you want?"

Shen Zhe realized what he was referring to: "You want to buy me a gift?"

"Yeah, it's a rare visit," he said, "How about the LV bag? The LV store is not far away."

"You must not," Shen Zhe resolutely vetoed, "Don't buy LV."

"Why?" Liang He didn't know much about luxury goods, but he heard that it was a big brand.

"In China, even if I use genuine LV products, they will be regarded as fakes."

"So evil?"

"Well," Shen Zhe told him, "Maybe you still think I'm pretending to be B."

"Forget it," Liang He had no other ideas, "Then what do you want?"

Shen Zhe laughed a few times: "It's okay, if you can't think of a suitable one, don't buy it."

"do not……"

"If you don't have anything in particular you want to buy, it means it's not very attractive, so why spend that money." Shen Zhe yawned and dimmed the wall lamp by the bed.

"How can you live like this now?"

The back and forth conversations were vaguely strange.

"Well, that's good too," he pressed his lips against the phone's microphone, "I'm going to bed, good night."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhe finally realized that there was something wrong with what he said just now, as if the two of them were living together, but Liang He didn't even refute.

A few days later, Liang He returned home.In addition to various chocolates or souvenirs for friends and relatives, he still gave Shen Zhe a special gift, and the other party was completely unexpected: it was a bottle of men's perfume.

"You—how do you know how to buy perfume?"

"I don't know, it seems to suit you."

Buying gifts is not to be bewitched by the manager.He happened to walk to that street, thinking that maybe Shen Zhe might need something, so he made a phone call to inquire, but after Shen Zhe refused, he gave up the idea.

Later, he saw the slogan "Free Love" on the advertisement of a cosmetics brand store, and out of curiosity, he entered the store to inquire.

According to the clerk, "love" has many meanings, it can be instant, it can be eternal, it can be passionate desire, and it can also be a secret that is never revealed...but their commonality is purity and freedom. of.The theme of the perfume is to guide people to find freedom in the experience of "love", let go of the bondage, and face the heart directly.

The explanation was hype, and Liang He also knew that it was all in the advertising packaging, but holding the bottle with a blue shell, he still had the willingness to try it.The clerk handed him the trial pack.

There are citrus fruity aromas, and mellow sandalwood... He can't name the others. After mixing together, there is a natural refreshing feeling, as if it is not artificial.

He thought of Shen Zhe, and completed the payment unconsciously.

Of course, he didn't intend to repeat the clerk's fancy theories in front of Shen Zhe.

Shen Zhe unwrapped the package, with a slightly tangled expression: "But it's a little strange that our boys use perfume?"

"You still care about this?"

"After all, it's rare." Shen Zhe didn't really care, he was just joking, "Would others think, why is this person so stinky?"

"Aren't you stinky enough?"

"I call it fastidious."

"It's okay." Liang He turned his gaze back to the perfume bottle, and joked along with what he said just now, "You used it when you went out with me, and others thought it was on me."

Shen Zhe laughed out loud: "As for it?" He put away the bottle and said solemnly, "Thank you."

Just looking at the appearance, the center of the blue glass bottle is slightly shallow, like the irregular shape drawn by waves on the surface of the deep ocean.After Liang He left the apartment on the second floor, Shen Zhe realized that it was an unclear "love" figure.

looking back inadvertently