smoke like fire

We went back in the evening.During the day, I went out through the back door, and when I came back, I didn't make a detour and walked in through the front.The guests seemed to have all gone, except for a hulking white Volvo parked in the garden.When Dominique, who was lying on the terrace, saw us, he immediately stood up and barked twice.

The floor-to-ceiling glass window leading to the outside of the living room was pushed open, and someone came out from there, it was Vonnie.She stood by the door frame, looking at me with a smile.

"I'm back. How's it going? Cheng, what fun did you see?"

I smiled and answered her: "I saw the castle."

Zhao Kuanyi seemed to glance at it, but said nothing. Vonnie's husband, Nicolas, came up behind her and waved to us.We strike up a conversation while entering the house.Besides Vonnie and Nicolas, Mr. and Mrs. William are also in the living room.

Marina called us for tea.No wonder we slipped out the door.She said: "The weather is fine, of course we should go for a picnic." She glanced at Mr. William, "It's been a long time since we went for a picnic."

Mr. William sat on a sofa for one person, held a book in his hand, smiled at her, and said nothing. Marina didn't seem to care, and went to chat with her daughter about the picnic together in the past; that was also the beginning of meeting Mr. William. Nicolas was on the side, seemed very interested and asked frequently.

Vonnie was just ten years old when Marina married Mr. William.She is nearly five years younger than Zhao Kuanyi.Maybe they don't live together, or for other reasons, they don't have the intimacy between brothers and sisters, but they are not alienated; the three of them get along with a kind of closeness and politeness.

It is inevitable that Zhao Kuanyi will be mentioned in such a topic.He didn't answer.The first time I listened to others talking about him in front of him, I felt strange and even more touched.In the past, he didn't have all the restraints he has now, and he was always presumptuous, doing whatever he wanted.After thinking about it countless times, I couldn't help but look at him.Probably aware of it, he also looked over.

I don't know how to describe that look, I can't help but want to smile at him.His expression didn't change, he was still so calm, but it seemed—indescribable, as if there was something different.

After dinner, Vonnie and Nicolas stayed for a while and said goodbye. They took a walk and went back to another house; the two will return to Saint-Ambroix tomorrow, and they will start their honeymoon trip the day after tomorrow.Because I have to go to Paris first. Vonnie asked Zhao Kuanyi to spare time for a meeting.

Zhao Kuanyi neither agreed nor refused, and delayed with two or three sentences.After they left, the four of us were still in the living room when there was a sudden call, and it was Zhao Kuanyi's cell phone that rang.He picked it up, got up and went out through the glass door leading to the terrace.I watched him walk away, feeling dazed, because I realized that after arriving here, I never thought of checking my phone.As if there was no such need.

Marina got up to clean up the tea table at this time, I saw it, recovered my senses and hurried to help.She declined with a smile, I still took the cups and plates to the kitchen, she came in behind and chased me away.

"The kitchen is my place." She smiled. "Besides, you are a guest. Well, go out and enjoy your last night here. You can sit on the terrace. The weather is fine today, and I think I can see the stars."

I smiled and said yes, and walked away.Passing by a room, the door was half open, and suddenly I heard the sound of things falling, I paused, and opened the door to look.

This room is probably a study room, with books all over the walls, and Mr. William was about to squat under one of the book walls, when three books were scattered on the floor.I took two steps and bent over to pick it up.Mr. William was stunned for a moment, then smiled and thanked me.

I put those three big books where they belonged.

Mr. William said behind, "I'm sorry."

I smiled and said, "Nothing." I looked at them one by one, "You have so many books here, both in English and French—huh? There are also Chinese."

Mr. William glanced at the two English books I was referring to, and said, "Oh, that belongs to my mother. Last year I sorted out the house elsewhere and found it in the attic. I didn't dispose of it because I wanted to commemorate it." Come and pick one up.

The book cover was so old that the title could hardly be read.Mr. William flipped through it there, and seemed to be complacent: "I haven't read Chinese characters for a long time, and I can't understand the meaning. Actually, I have read this book twice, and I still don't know what it is about."

I asked, "Can you lend me a look?"

Mr. William handed over the book, "Of course."

I took it to see that the printing on the inside page was very old, the paper was brittle and yellow, and there were several lines of small print squeezed on one side.The content of the story is familiar, and I immediately got the impression, because I have seen the remake of the movie.

I outlined the plot to Mr. William, "This is a relationship that has no results—but I watched the movie, so the details may be different."

Mr. William nodded, his face was a bit dazed.I returned the book to him and he took it.I didn't bother anymore, said a word, and left his study.

I went straight upstairs to pack my luggage.After a while in the room, there was a knock on the door.I hurried to open the door, but to my surprise, it was Mr. William.

Mr. William stood looking at me, as if embarrassed.He said, "Is it convenient to talk?"

"Of course." I said, stepping aside.

Mr. William entered.He closed the door, but without speaking, he looked around the room, and suddenly walked to the table in two steps.He picked up the novel that I never touched again.He flipped it up, stopped again, and whispered: "So it was put here."

I looked at him, puzzled.Mr. William looked at me, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said, "Have you read this novel?"

I replied: "No."

Mr. William turned a page and pulled out a photo.Probably it was buried too deep in the book, and I didn't find it when I flipped through it carelessly at first.

"This is his mother," said Mr. Williams, holding it out for me to see.

I paused, took it and was startled again.The woman in the photo was young and plainly dressed, but it was obvious who she was.It's Miss Zhao.In the black-and-white photo, she is sitting in front of a window with a smile on her face and her hands resting in front of her obviously protruding belly.

I looked up and happened to face the window in the room.It was shot here.

Mr. William spoke again: "You sit down too."

I looked over and sat next to him.

Mr. William said to me: "We got married here. There used to be a priest in the village church. We invited friends over early in the morning—it was very hasty, but they were all very happy. She chose to take a picture here, after a lot of choices. It was afternoon, and the sun was shining in, but she said that the light was very atmospheric. I really don’t understand, the light in the garden is better. She I don’t want to. To take this photo, we had a fight, although looking at the photo, she looks very happy, but she is actually losing her temper.”

I didn't know what to say, so I had to look at the photo in my hand again.Facing the young face in the photo, I couldn't help but think, Ms. Zhao is so emotional, while Mr. William has a temper, but is more gentle. How could he have such a calm personality like Zhao Kuanyi?

Mr. William was silent for a while, and asked me for the photo back.He said: "Our personalities are too different, and we didn't know each other well at the beginning—I didn't know if that was a beginning, it was so confusing, so when I divorced, I didn't hesitate much. I'm still young, and I haven't finished my studies—too There are too many things to do. I think it is good to give her the child. However, my mother was very concerned about this and ignored me for almost two years. Later, she kept persuading me to return the child. I thought at the time Not good, not very positive, more afraid and guilty. The child never knew who I was, and when he was older, he might think that I was ruthless, and I didn't win him at all. I was afraid to go in front of him , admitted that he was his father. Later, when I met Marina and her daughter, it was a change in my life. I thought, I can be a good father. I wrote a postcard to express my apologies to their mother and son, and to express I wanted to see what he meant. I was afraid and looking forward to it, but I never got a reply... Until one day, I finally received a call. Unexpectedly, he called, and he arrived in Paris alone. He called and wanted to ask me How can I get here."

I was speechless.Unexpectedly, Zhao Kuanyi would take the initiative in his relationship with his biological father.It was even more unexpected that Mr. William would tell me these past events.

Mr. William continued: "I am very grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to make up for it. Although these years, I have not been considered a good father. Because of my debts, even if I have done a lot, it is not enough. I think he is not He must have really accepted me, so he didn’t call me Dad. I feel sorry, but that won’t affect my love for him.” After a pause, it seemed to me, “You are the only friend he introduced me seriously .I want you to know how important this meaning is to me. If he likes it, I will like it too."

I said nothing, just looked at him.He looked at me too, calmly.He's still saying, "Last night, I saw you guys out there, and you were...dancing. I know, you joke around a lot, but please forgive my overthinking—you're hugging and joking around like that, yes no?"

I couldn't make a sound for a while.I felt suffocated, hesitant, and even more dazed.At that moment, Ben wanted to play around, and I should have answered yes, but I knew exactly what he was asking.This emotion is never a joke.Only this, I cannot speak out of conscience.

I struggle.I said, "No—that's not a joke."

Mr. William had nothing to say to me.He pursed his lips tightly, but his expression suddenly changed.He keeps staring at me.I forced myself not to look away, but he moved away after a while.

He looked at the photo in his hand, and nodded subconsciously, very subtly.Looking at me again after a while, he said, "I don't know what to say—because I only dare to ask you. If this is the case, then I can't say anything. I love him, and I can only try my best to love what he loves." .”

After a while, Mr. William walked away. I still packed my luggage and went downstairs.The lights in the living room were still on, and there was no one there.A piece of glass door leading to the terrace was not closed. I walked over and saw Zhao Kuanyi there.He stopped talking on the phone and sat on the patio floor smoking a cigarette. Dominique crouched by his side.

Presumably hearing the sound, Dominique looked up.Zhao Kuanyi seemed to have paused, half turned around to look.I took two steps forward and sat on the other side of Dominique.

I also took out a cigarette and lit it, took a puff, and a cloud of white mist sank out.I touched the dog's head with my hand, looked at Zhao Kuanyi, and said with a smile: "I just heard, so it is your dog. No wonder, I always think it listens to you, and it stops barking when it sees you. "

Zhao Kuanyi paused, then said silently: "It's not mine, it's been Guillaume and Marina who have been taking care of me."

I smiled, looked at the dog, and asked, "When you picked it up near the Gare du Nord, it must have been small, right?"

Zhao Kuanyi smoked a cigarette before saying, "About three months." After a pause, he glanced at the dog, "It's very old now."

I looked at the dog and said in a low voice, "Yeah, it looks lazy."

Zhao Kuanyi was silent, and asked after a while: "When did they talk to you?"

"Well, just now."

I replied, and lay down on the back, planning to ignore him if he wanted to pursue it.But neither did he.I looked up at the few bright twinkling stars in the night sky, and then thought of Mr. William's confession.The last sentence, I don't know if it should be emotion or melancholy.Or, should feel desolate.

I look towards Zhao Kuanyi.Mr. William is willing to love what he loves, because of the nature of father and son.In that case, maybe you shouldn't tell me.

Who will he love?Who could it be?I couldn't have expected it at all.I am silent here, and so is he.Everyone was silent.

I slowly finished my cigarette.

In the afternoon of the next day, Mr. William drove us to Marseille Airport.Another long goodbye.I hugged Marina, and when we arrived at Mr. William, he looked at me with the same kindness as when he came.I touched both of his cheeks with the sincerity I have never felt before.

After the two left, Zhao Kuanyi and I booked our tickets and went to the waiting room.During this time, Zhao Kuanyi made at least two or three phone calls.During his next few days in Paris, he had to meet several people, both public and private.As for me, it's purely too much. Apart from dating old classmates, I can be very casual.

After boarding the plane an hour later, it was almost evening when the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport.The weather is very cold, the sky is gray and foggy, as if it is about to rain.Fortunately, although it took a lot of time to enter the customs, the rain never came down.Zhao Kuanyi called and asked a car to pick us up to the hotel.

The hotel was booked by my secretary Elin.Near the Louvre, the facade is not very large compared to the same level.The interior decoration is elegant and retro, with spiral corridors and old iron cage elevators.However, because of the good services and the convenient location, it is convenient no matter where you go.

After checking in, the porter helped us with our luggage. We took the old elevator to the third floor and stopped in front of the third door.Zhao Kuanyi paid the porter some tips, the other party bowed, said a few polite words and walked away.

The room is very spacious, with a living room in the front and a bedroom in the back.There was a bed in the bedroom—a big love heart was paved with bright red roses.The French are always good at emotional appeal, but they should not be misused, or there are special notes when booking a room.

Not without embarrassment, I hurriedly said, "My secretary seems to have made a mistake, and it's all my fault that I couldn't explain clearly."

Zhao Kuanyi raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't say anything.He looked at his watch and said, "It's past seven o'clock, I'd better go out for dinner today. But first, call the hotel staff to clean it up, otherwise you won't have to sleep at night."

I didn't dare to delay, so I went to dial the phone.

The people at the hotel repeatedly assured that it would be tidied up before our return.We just went out.As soon as I went out, I couldn't help wrapping up my coat; in autumn, the cool night in Paris can be said to be too cold.

After we walked for a short distance, we saw the vast building standing in the soft yellow light in front of us.It's the Louvre that I've been to once before.It was already past the opening hours, but there were still many people in front of the square, most of whom were taking pictures.The new and the old stand here side by side; the glass pyramid standing in the middle of the fountain seems to be floating on the water at night.

We didn't stay here, and walked to an alley next to it.There were several restaurants in that area, and we randomly picked one and went in, but fortunately there were still vacancies.

While waiting for the food to be served, Zhao Kuanyi and I checked each other's schedule for tomorrow.In terms of him, it is more difficult than mine.He had business meetings in the morning and dined with his great-aunt's family in Paris in the evening.That dinner was going to be really late.

As for me, there is only one old friend dinner arranged so far.

Zhao Kuanyi raised his wine glass, looked at the rim, and asked me, "What did you do after that?"

I smiled and said, "There are always many places to visit, such as the Louvre. I'm not bored."

Zhao Kuanyi didn't say anything more.

By the time we come out after a good meal, the night gets darker.Of course there are people on the road. In Paris, even in the early hours of the morning, you don’t have to worry about not seeing people.We walked here for a while, along the banks of the Seine.The rows of trees turned into black one by one under the lamp, and the river surface was also black.All the black seems to be swaying, shaking into a blurred and ambiguous scenery on the right bank.

There are all kinds of people on the riverbank, dogs on their hands, couples cuddling together, or men and women alone, old or young.Some people sat directly by the causeway, chatting in hustle and bustle, or looked at the apartment buildings covered with yellowish colors on the opposite side.

Here you can especially see the bridges one by one.In the light and shadow of the water, the bridge not far away has a beautifully curved bridge arch.In the center, a statue of a man riding a horse can be vaguely seen.

Zhao Kuanyi and I walked onto this bridge.

From time to time, cars drive past on the bridge.We walked by the bridge and looked at the other side of the river. In the distance, two pairs of twin towers stood up in the night, and a little later, they were at the sharp corners of the shiny iron towers.

Halfway through, there was a big movement under the bridge.We all stopped and leaned against the wall to look down. At this time, there were actually cruise ships on the water.The people on the boat waved to us as we passed under the bridge.

I smiled and said, "Take a boat at night, I really don't know what to see, if you come during the day, the scenery is better."

Zhao Kuanyi lit a cigarette and said, "A river is still a river, so there is no difference between day and night."

I looked at him and said with a smile: "It's not romantic for you to say that. When you take a cruise here, what you want to see is not the river, but the scenery on both sides. You want to see what the city looks like."

Zhao Kuanyi smoked a cigarette silently, and said after a while: "Romance is inseparable from money."

I was taken aback, unable to respond for a moment.But I felt discord in my heart, and I was even more touched. I couldn't help wondering, what kind of romance is he talking about?Are you really talking about romance with me?

And looking at the river, standing on this bridge, I can't help but remember a movie.I opened my mouth: "You are right, maybe it is really inseparable, but I also think that money always kills romance. In Les Aments du Pout-Neuf, doesn't the relationship between the hero and heroine reflect this? Or, money You can buy a romance, but not the happiness in it."

Zhao Kuanyi took two puffs of cigarettes, still looking at the river, and said after a while: "No matter how happy you are, there will always be pain. Remember? In the movie, the old man chose to throw himself into the river even though he was happy again. Lost, he knows very well that the heroine is the one who cannot come and pull him ashore." After a pause, he suddenly said: "If it were me——probably I would have to choose this way."

I didn't expect him to say such words, and I was shocked for a moment, and my heart was a little anxious.I heard myself say, "If it was you, if it were me, I would pull you."

Zhao Kuanyi seemed to have paused, but he didn't answer.I also looked at him, but stared blankly.And his eyes never had a trace of ignorance, nor did they fluctuate.

His expression was very soft.After a while, he opened his mouth: "It's talking about movies——"

I was taken aback for a moment, then came back to my senses, and couldn't help laughing twice.I coughed and said in a low voice, "Of course."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Kuanyi said again: "However, if there is still you, I probably——can make other choices."

I stared blankly, looking at him suspiciously.But nothing can be seen.He just smiled, turned around and walked away, saying: "It's late, let's go back."