smoke like fire

After the end of her third marriage, Ms. Zhao attended an art party organized by a private gallery at the invitation of her sister in order to forget her emotional pain.

Due to the influence of her family, Ms. Zhao has invested in art for a long time. Her collection of artworks, including paintings, has exceeded tens of millions of dollars in currency.

No one would doubt her taste.

At that party, Ms. Zhao met several college students from the art department, and she learned Western painting by chance.

It's just that painting requires a bit of talent.

It just so happened that Ms. Zhao not only possessed talent, but also learned interest.She has been studying for several years, and later opened several solo exhibitions.

I heard about this matter from Zhao Kuanyi.He seemed to feel it, and comforted his mother for withdrawing from the relationship between men and women and turning to painting.

Frankly speaking, Zhao Kuanyi seldom talked about Ms. Zhao.

Before some things, the relationship between mother and child is actually complicated and confusing, and they can barely agree, and as a man, he doesn't really talk about his mother's private affairs outside.

When Ms. Zhao was trying to learn to be a painter, I was still studying for an MBA in the United States.

She divorced Mr. Xiao and has never been a guest at home. If Zhao Kuanyi hadn't told her, otherwise I wouldn't know her recent situation at all.

Mother and Ms. Zhao have never been as close as sisters because of the friendship between their husbands.The two women are not badly born, but they are fundamentally different.

In short, Ms. Zhao's enthusiasm for painting has not diminished, and she seems to have missed a few conversations about her relationship.

When Zhao Kuanyi returned to Taiwan to start a business, he still lived with Ms. Zhao at the beginning, but after the company gradually took off, he found another place to live.

And I graduated one year later than Zhao Kuanyi.

When I came back, the relationship between my parents was still not harmonious.

Before, I listened to my mother talk on the phone, and I felt bored many times.My mother expected me to do something, and I could only live up to it.

My father didn't make it clear that he wanted me to join the company, but I was also not interested.

I sent two or three resumes and went to the interview soon, but unfortunately there were always conditions that could not be negotiated.The domestic employment environment is not as expected, with excessive exploitation and inconsistent labor-capital ratios.

Several old friends in the same profession knew about Zhao Kuanyi's success and our friendship, so they asked me why I didn't go to his place.

I once had a thought, but I dismissed it before it became clear.

For some reason, I don't want to depend on him—even though, I never depended on him for anything.

At this time, Chen Limin found me.

When we broke up, we were not a bitter couple, but we have always been in touch.Her brother's company needs someone who can do something. She knows that I have returned to China and wants me to give it a try.

Chen Limin's elder brother——Chen Liren, his company is located on Nanjing West Road. It is quite large and occupies an entire commercial building.

It used to be the head office of the Chen family enterprise there, and Chen Liren took over after a lot of struggle, and was about to do something about it.

I went at a very good time to be his revolutionary army.

But the remuneration is really good, the basic salary is high, and bonuses are added, it is really hard to count the money in two hands.

Chen Liren is a good boss, with a clear distinction between public and private, strict but not harsh.Except for his father's old subordinates who were used to oil and water in the past, most of the employees love him.

The company has undergone several board reorganizations, but no one has the capital to pull Chen Liren out of office.

However, after talking with Chen Liren at the beginning, my willingness to go to work was not high.

Taipei is so big, how could it be possible not to go to Nanjing West Road? I thought I was not so hypocritical, but it turned out that I was not completely indifferent in my heart.

I can only remember a rough idea of ​​where the woman lived, so I groped my way based on my impressions.

And there is a gallery nearby, which is where Ms. Zhao learned to paint.

Coincidentally, Zhao Kuanyi had an appointment with Ms. Zhao that day, and he drove over to pick her up, so he saw me.

Zhao Kuanyi asked me why.

I replied that I will work nearby in the future, but just walk around casually.Zhao Kuanyi heard Moran, but Miss Zhao and I haven't seen each other for a long time, so we had a lot of gossip.

I really went to Chen Liren's company.

Later Zhao Kuanyi asked me why I went to work with Chen Liren?

I don't know whether he has other intentions behind it, I just say it's because of Chen Limin.Zhao Kuanyi knew that I had been in a relationship with Chen Limin. After hearing this, he thought about it for a while, but stopped talking about related topics.

Because the company is close to the place where Ms. Zhao studied painting, I often meet her and occasionally have dinner alone with her.

Ms. Zhao always asked me to call her by her English name.

I always do it and don't feel disadvantaged.

Zhao Kuanyi seemed surprised that Miss Zhao and I got along very well.

He expressed no doubts.I am different from some of his friends. The beginning of our relationship was his mother's wedding, and when he first went abroad, I probably talked much more to Ms. Zhao than he did.

When I saw Ms. Zhao in the past, I didn't realize that she was old enough to be a mother. Regardless of maintenance, her mood was young, and her dressing and conversation habits were always maintained in a good state.

The important thing is that Ms. Zhao has never stopped her desire for love.

In less than a month after the end of her third marriage, she actually had suitors by her side, but she was abnormal, as if she had no interest at all.

The conditions of those men are very good, regardless of socioeconomic status and age, they are a good match for her.

Later, I learned why she did not accept those people.

One day, I didn't drive out, and I got off work late again. I walked to another intersection to hail a car, and saw her approaching a man intimately on her arm.

The man was very young, with the vigor of a student.

Ms. Zhao was not embarrassed, she greeted me straightforwardly and introduced her to me.The man was a graduate student of the Art University, and he followed his teacher to help in the gallery, so he met Miss Zhao.

The day after we met, Ms. Zhao asked me out for coffee.

I pretended to be polite and asked, "What does Auntie want to talk to me about?"

Miss Zhao was dissatisfied: "what's the name auntie. Do I look like your auntie?"

I laughed, "Frankly speaking, like a sister."

Miss Zhao also laughed.

"Don't tell Kuan Yi."

"Huh?" I pretended not to know.

Ms. Zhao glared at me and sighed again.

"He knows this person, and he doesn't like it. But I can't help it. If love can endure, it's not love." She said, her expression was like a girl's longing for love.

I don't think Miss Zhao is ridiculous.I was shocked by this sentence.When I thought about the past and present, things related to Zhao Kuanyi, I was only flustered and dazed.

Then, I must not love him.

I just remember asking myself, "So you're hiding it from him?"

"Yes."

So I also lied to Zhao Kuanyi.

I helped Ms. Zhao to talk about this relationship. She often used excuses to ask me out, but actually met the college student, and even drove her home after they ended the date.

All this time, I didn't deliberately hide anything from Zhao Kuanyi, even if I didn't say it very clearly, in front of him, I didn't hide anything.

I feel conflicted.

Later, Qiu Yisen gave me a slap in the face: what you kept from him the most was not about his mother, but about your love for him.

No, I don't love, I deny.

Otherwise, how can I endure it.

Whenever Qiu Yisen mentioned this, he always gave him a blank stare at the end.He said: Yes, you don't love, you just like him deeply.

Again, every time this is mentioned, I get depressed.

Depression to the end, always chaos.

I hang out in bars looking for someone who doesn't teach me to be patient with scruples.Only then did I realize that sometimes just a kiss can make people fall in love with each other.

As for the true love, let's wait until we wake up.

But before I could wake up, Miss Zhao had already shattered the dream.

The previous failed marriages did not actually hurt her heart.She is like a butterfly, she has always been the star, no matter in love or marriage, she is the one who is given.

But she stumbled at a young man, the first time she really loved someone deeply.

Once a woman decides to give, even life, she is willing to give.She is blind to love and blind to gossip.

People in the social circle spread the gossip: Ms. Zhao has found a little man.

But that college student is not only a little man, but also a real little boy. He and Ms. Zhao used the money to eat, drink and have fun to pay for another partner.

Once the two quarreled, the world would be turned upside down, but a sweet talk made Ms. Zhao feel like she was happy.

I knew I should discourage it, but I did nothing.

When Ms. Zhao quarreled with each other and was sad and called me for comfort, I could only give as much as I could.

I don't know how Ms. Zhao managed to hide the truth from Zhao Kuanyi, but he is busy with his career and doesn't live there, so he really has no way of knowing many things in detail.

When there were rumors at the beginning, Zhao Kuanyi and I still met.

He once again mentioned his mother rarely.He asked me, did I hide anything from his mother?

I laughed and greeted him in the past.

But slowly, the rumors spread without knowing how, and I became the person at the center of the topic.

Even Chen Liren came to ask me if I was dating an older woman; I couldn't laugh or cry, but considering Ms. Zhao's privacy, I simply blurred the focus.

One day, Zhao Kuanyi called me.

In fact, we usually talk to each other on the phone, and he also knows that my mother and I often meet, but under normal circumstances, no one would think deeply about the relationship between friends and mother.

He said on the phone, Cheng Jingcheng, I know you won't.

His trust, but taught me what to do.I told him, you don't know, but I would.

I'm not kidding, he said.

I answered, me too.

Zhao Kuanyi hung up the phone directly.

I was going to call back, but Miss Zhao came and interrupted.I picked it up, but the person on the other end was not her, but a panicked young man's voice.

Miss Zhao went to the hospital.

The other party quarreled with Ms. Zhao on the side of the road and pushed her angrily. She suddenly became hysterical and couldn't breathe, so she was called an ambulance and sent to the hospital.

By the time I got to the hospital, the man had already run away.

Ms. Zhao was lying on the hospital bed in the emergency room in a mess, with a blank look on her face.

The hospital personnel came to ask me about my identity and explain the situation. I responded in vain, went through the discharge procedures quickly, and took her back to the apartment.

As soon as I entered, the door was still open, and Ms. Zhao hugged me and cried loudly.She yelled, and she said a lot of things that were kept from me.

I hugged her, speechless.

Until, Zhao Kuanyi, who didn't know when to come, pulled his mother away.

When Zhao Kuanyi was angry, he never talked much.

Also when he has an aversion to a person.

In fact, he already knew who the person with his mother was.He also knew that I was helping to cover up, so he called me just to give me a chance to confess.

I always remember what he said to me at that time.

He said, I don't know if I can believe your words in the future.

I go to the hospital.

It was late at night, and the emergency room was still busy.

I asked at the registration office at the front desk, and then went to the bed area to find it.The light blue curtains fell in rows, and occasionally the moaning of the patients inside could be heard.

I found the bed number, stood still silently, and then stretched out my hand to open the curtain.

There is no one else in it except the sick.

The person on the hospital bed covered his head with a quilt, only a little of his forehead was exposed, his hair was disheveled, his right foot had a plaster cast, and a pillow was placed under his head.

I approached and glanced at the patient's name note on the bedside, and it was indeed Ms. Zhao.

"She just fell asleep."

I turned my head, Zhao Kuanyi was neatly dressed, with a calm expression.He closed the curtain casually, took a step forward, looked at the drip hanging on the bed, and then sat down on a plastic stool next to him.

I stood still, "What's going on?"

Zhao Kuanyi pointed to another plastic stool beside him.

"Sit down."

I followed suit and sat next to him.

"Sister Xia called me at twelve o'clock and said she was found lying on the side of the stairs, and she couldn't shout no matter what, so she called an ambulance to take her here." Zhao Kuanyi said.

I was taken aback, "Did she fall down the stairs?"

"That's right." Zhao Kuanyi glanced at me, "When I came, she was already awake. She said that she missed a few steps, and then she didn't know anything."

I felt a little puzzled, thought for a while and asked, "How is her condition? What did the doctor say?"

Zhao Kuanyi said: "When she fell, she probably subconsciously covered her head, but she didn't break it, but her face was a bit torn, her wrist and thigh were bruised, her right ankle was swollen, and she had taken X-rays and CT scans. There was no internal bleeding, and no bones were broken, only the right ankle was bruised, so it was fixed with a plaster cast." He paused, "The doctor said that he needs to stay in the hospital for 24 hours for observation."

I nodded, but still asked, "You...why did you call me?"

Zhao Kuanyi glanced at it, his expression unchanged.

"I'm going to the United States today. I have an eight o'clock plane in the morning. This itinerary was scheduled half a year ago, and I have no way to cancel it."

I was taken aback, "So?"

"So can you take care of her?" Zhao Kuanyi said again: "If you are not free, I have to find another person, maybe a temporary caretaker."

If a strange caregiver is invited, Ms. Zhao will definitely refuse, because she can't bear to be embarrassed in front of outsiders.I said, "Of course I can."

"I'm sorry to trouble you." Zhao Kuanyi said.

I smiled, "No trouble, I should take care of it."

Zhao Kuanyi said nothing, just looked at his watch.

"What time is your flight?" I asked.

Zhao Kuanyi said: "At eight o'clock, I will stay until 05:30 at most before leaving."

I wanted to say something more, but there was nothing for a while.I could only look at Miss Zhao who was covering her head and face with the quilt on the hospital bed.

I have to say that after knowing the details, I was a little relieved.

The person on the phone during the day was fine, but something happened overnight. On the road just now, I couldn't help but make some bad guesses.

"correct."

I looked at Zhao Kuanyi.

He said: "I asked Sister Xia to go home first. I told her that I can talk to you directly if I have anything to do."

I nodded, but when he mentioned Miss Xia, I became suspicious again.

"You said, sister Xia found her fainted by the stairs?" I asked.

"Ah."

I hesitated, "When is twelve o'clock?"

Sister Xia lives in the room at the back of the first floor. If there is nothing wrong, she always goes to bed at nine o'clock. If Miss Zhao falls, it is impossible not to hear the sound. How can I use the word "discovery"?

It is impossible for Zhao Kuanyi not to know this.

Zhao Kuanyi said without raising her head into the mobile phone: "What do you think? She also said that she stepped on the empty stairs. Could someone push her down the stairs?"

I don't talk.

"Who has she dated recently?" Zhao Kuanyi asked as if casually.

I thought about it and said, "I don't know."

Only then did Zhao Kuanyi look at me.

I twitched the corner of my mouth slightly, "Really, she has met a lot of people recently, I..."

"You don't need to explain to me." Zhao Kuanyi said lightly, he got up suddenly, picked up the mobile phone with a flickering screen, opened the curtain with one hand and went out.