tidal lock

【4】

The first time Zhou Yichao met Ye Xi was in Yanxia when he was 14 years old.

A teenager in a summer school uniform is carrying a gray schoolbag and running past the window of the practice room with an ice cream in his hand.

The hair fluttering in the air was slightly soaked with sweat, shining brightly under the refraction of the sun. The large school uniform jacket bulged into a white sail on the boy's thin waist, and the cicada on the tree suddenly opened its throat without warning. cried out.

Sweet traces dripped all over the floor.

Zhou Yichao closed the window expressionlessly, and the corner of his mouth drew a stiff arc towards the huge mirror in front of him.

What can I do to make myself look happy?

Zhou Yichao sat on the sofa with his long legs crossed, staring at the flickering picture in front of him without moving.

The TV has been playing for a full 5 minutes, and there is no movement other than the brief sound of paper bags at the entrance.

An indescribable anxiety surged up in his chest, and Zhou Yichao touched his pocket, only to belatedly realize the fact that today's last two hard candies had been given away.

Six years ago, the two figures were separated by a long street that seemed to never end, and the shadows elongated by the setting sun were more and more embarrassed than the other.

Six years later, Zhou Yichao and Ye Xi are separated by a hallway, and there is a wall in between that can block all expressions and movements of the two of them.

Sometimes not being able to see is a kind of suffering, but it is better than just standing there and watching, ushering in a sad ending in powerless and unwilling silence.

do you want to go

Or choose to stay?

With the tip of his index finger slightly bent, he kept poking at the half-handled TV remote control. Zhou Yichao's eyes gradually moved to the several sugar bowls lined up side by side on the top floor of the cabinet.

——You’re not a child anymore, should you give up sugar?

The piercing female voice echoed in his ears, Zhou Yichao threw away the remote control in his hand, and his gaze slowly sank.

"Need me...to do something..."

Hoarse, rainy cat-like faint, endearing voice.

Zhou Yichao turned his head and saw Ye Xi who was leaning against the wall with his head bowed while holding a paper bag, and his gaze stayed on the other's dark red eyes that were dizzy like ink ink——

Zhou Yichao lay on his back on the sofa, grabbed the remote control and threw it on the coffee table, covering his eyes with his right arm.

"I'm hungry."

Ye Xi put the bag under his feet, then raised his head to face Zhou Yichao's living room.

The decoration is minimalist, and the color scheme of black, white and gray is capable, atmospheric and advanced.

Very Zhou Yichao's style.

Ye Xi walked lightly to the front of the refrigerator, hesitated for a long time between "pull" and "no pull", and finally compromised with Zhou Yichao's soft hair whirling towards him.

There is a row of medium bottles of purified water on the sliding door of the refrigerator, and a gift box of chocolates that is only half left in the middle. Except for the two bags of ready-to-eat chicken breasts on the lower layer, it is not an exaggeration to say that this refrigerator is "empty".

Ye Xi closed the refrigerator door, turned his head and looked around for about a week.

The coat pocket in the hallway, the shelf in the living room, the chocolates in the refrigerator, and the colorful glass candies that can be seen everywhere on the cabinet, on the coffee table, and in the trash can...

Zhou Yichao seems to be obsessed with sweets and the like.

Ye Xi gently opened the lower floor, and it was as expected—it was empty without even quick-frozen food.

Make bricks without straw.

That should be the situation now.

"Call the delivery from the convenience store, I want to eat the extra meal."

Ye Xi was stunned, and subconsciously looked at Zhou Yichao who was on the sofa.

The side section of the arm is completely covered, and there is no way to know the other person's current expression. On the contrary, his eyes are once again moist.

Ye Xi hurriedly lowered his head, took out his phone to hide his tears, the blacked out screen clearly reflected his rabbit eyes.

out of battery.

The only mobile phone that can order delivery is lying quietly on the coffee table, but its owner is lying motionless not far away, as if deliberately waiting for him to pass by.

Ye Xi bent his index finger to touch the palm of his hand, raised his head to resist tears.

"Ah, I'm so hungry..."

Zhou Yichao touched his lower abdomen with the other hand, and whispered aggrievedly to the sky.

It was indeed intentional.

The emotion just now disappeared without a trace, Ye Xi took a step forward, and the cotton mop, which had grown a full circle, made a "click, click, click" sound on the floor.

The corner at the far end of the sofa was sunken, Zhou Yichao opened his eyes, with a fleeting smile of triumph at the corner of his mouth, he stretched out his long arms and unlocked the phone.

Ye Xi raised his hand and rubbed his red rabbit eyes, then turned his head and rubbed uncomfortably towards the periphery.

The area of ​​the depression became a little smaller again.

Zhou Yichao poked his finger on the lit screen, looked up at Ye Xi who was trying to curl himself up to the extreme in the corner of the sofa, propped himself up with one hand, and directly pillowed the other party's knee just like six years ago superior.

"I won't go out these few days, so you can buy ingredients and so on."

Zhou Yichao grabbed the tip of Ye Xi's right index finger, and after successfully entering the fingerprint, he directly stuffed the phone into the other's slender hand, got up and went to open the sugar bowl on the cabinet.

The lemon taste melted in his mouth, Zhou Yichao thought for a while, turned his back to Ye Xi and added——

"Everything is for two."

When the delivery man came, Ye Xi, who had been wrapped into rice dumplings by Zhou Yichao, sighed unconsciously at the two bags of ingredients.

Zhou Yichao watched from the window Ye Xi, who was wearing bulky clothes, carrying two big bags in the snow-fallen yard, swaying forward like a penguin, and then looked at the small cart placed in a conspicuous position in the garage, chuckling He said "stupid".

A combination of instant noodles, rice balls, chicken feet with pickled peppers and salty cheese - the so-called extra set meal.

In the practice room where he practiced until late at night, Ye Xi once handed Zhou Yichao a plastic fork, happily forcing Zhou Yichao to share the calories of late night happiness with him.

Now the situation is just reversed.

Ye Xi lowered his head and quickly finished his half portion, got up and dragged the bag placed by the living room door to the refrigerator.

It took a full hour just to sort out the ingredients, wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.

Ye Xi carefully rinsed his wrists and palms in the sink, feeling extremely tired both mentally and physically.

"Can I sleep on the sofa here?"

Zhou Yichao put down the script, said "No", and led the obedient but extremely downcast red-eyed little rabbit upstairs.

"Except for the first one in food and clothing, you don't need to be responsible. Just use my mobile phone for daily expenses. The salary will be sent to you at the beginning of each month. Remember to tell me the account number tomorrow."

Zhou Yichao pushed open the door of the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor, and waved to the little rabbit who was behind him and had been daring to look ahead.

"This is your room."

Ye Xi nodded slightly, thanked Zhou Yichao, stood at the door of the room and raised his hand to touch the switch on the wall.

When Ye Xi saw the VR equipment in the corner, he quickly turned around and walked back.

"I'd better go to sleep on the sofa downstairs..."

An itchy chuckle got into his ears, and Zhou Yichao held his slender wrist bones into his hands, and Ye Xi's index fingers immediately touched his palms.

"Did you watch my live broadcast?"

His face was on fire, and Ye Xi pulled his wrist outwards, but the opponent's strength was far beyond his imagination.

The wrists are clamped, the shoulders are held and pushed back slightly.

In an instant, the field of vision spun around.

"Do you want the light off or on?"

"Zhou Yichao!"

"Ah, I was stared at."

Zhou Yichao rolled his eyes and laughed, Ye Xi felt that he was definitely being teased by the other party, so he took advantage of the moment Zhou Yichao let go and struggled.

"Sleep peacefully."

The hair on the forehead was stroked gently, Zhou Yichao smiled lightly, his deep eyebrows gradually softened, and the nerves that had been tense all day relaxed inexplicably.

The buttons on the cuffs and neckline of the shirt were unbuttoned one after another, and a soft quilt was covered.

A throbbing, yet somewhat sad sense of security covered the whole body through the warm palms, and the eyes gradually began to become heavy.

After a while, the room was plunged into darkness.

Ye Xi frowned, and let out a short hum from his throat.

A warm-colored light source quickly lit up on one side.

Consciousness was ups and downs, there was a faint soft touch flicking the end of the eyes, and the swelling feeling from crying was being eliminated bit by bit.

The touch on the top of the forehead was fleeting, the small sound of closing the door gradually faded away, and Ye Xi sank into a soft piece of darkness, ushering in the first warm winter day in six years while sleeping.