salt by salt

The driver sent me to Songcheng's residence, I also stayed here for a while, opened the door familiarly, and found that there was no one in the house.

This is a bit strange, after all, every time Song Cheng acted as if he had been waiting for me to come and never left.Although I knew it in my heart, at most he arrived half a day earlier than me.

Glancing at his watch, it was already past four in the afternoon.I went to the hospital to visit Xu Yan early in the morning, and after returning home, I made cakes and celebrated birthdays with Andre. Although I didn't do much physical activity, I was exhausted.

It just so happens that Song Cheng is not here, so I can relax for a while and enjoy the time alone.I sent a message to ask him where he was, I put the phone aside, turned on the TV, lay down on the sofa lazily, and continued watching the half-watched movie last time.

Immerse yourself in the plot, put your troubles behind you, don’t have to think about anything, maybe this is a normal rest... I thought about it in a daze while watching, and then fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already dark outside, I was covered with a blanket, only the wall lamp was on.Sitting up and rubbing his temples, a cup of warm water was handed to me, Song Cheng said, "Drink some water to moisten your throat."

He has always had more say than I do in the matter of taking care of my body.I took the cup and drank it. It tasted slightly sweet and tasted like medicine. I raised my eyes to look at him, expressing my doubts.

Song Cheng smiled: "It's been hot recently, I'm afraid you will have a bitter summer, so I soaked some honeysuckle in the water to clear away heat and detoxify."

I don't like the taste very much, so I took a few sips and put it on the table.He didn't insist on me finishing the drink, he put away the cup, and told me softly: "Junyan, don't sleep on the sofa in the future, the living room is ventilated from north to south, and it's easy to catch cold if it's not covered with something."

I hummed, and he said again: "Just now your phone was vibrating on the table, and there were several missed calls. Remember to ask what's the matter later."

In Songcheng's territory, the mobile phone I put out openly is only for personal communication, and the other one for official business will never be exposed to him.Hearing this, I'm not nervous, anyway, I'm afraid he has already checked all the relationships around me, so I don't worry about debts.

Open the screen, it is Yin Wenjun calling.We'll meet and talk about really important news, and it's probably not a serious thing to ask him to call and tell me.

But just to be on the safe side, I got up and went to the backyard to call back: "Master Yin, why are you looking for me all of a sudden?"

"It's your birthday today, and I want to ask you if you want to come to Dulin, book a party and have fun." He said, "I will pay all the expenses. As long as you agree, the custodian will help you arrange it lively."

This person always has a way to make me laugh out loud: "It's not the [-]th birthday, you still plan to invite a guard of honor? What am I going to do, eat a bowl of longevity noodles at home, just clean, and save trouble. I take it , thank you."

"Sell me some face. You live in seclusion every day, and it doesn't matter how many people want to meet. It would be interesting if I invite you here." Yin Wenjun paused, pretending to be mysterious and lowered his voice, "People are cheap bones. I can’t see it and it’s getting more and more mysterious. Guess. Do you know what the outside world is like? It’s just a matter of making up that you’re a vixen descending to earth, making Song Chengyang obsessed and making people get goosebumps.”

I raised my eyebrows: "This is outrageous. I didn't appear out of nowhere, and I didn't leave the capital for school and work. There are quite a few people who know me. How can I believe such nonsense?"

"People who know you don't believe it, and there are too many people who don't know you." He smiled, "Come or not? It's a matter of a word, I will drive to pick you up in person. Listening to the legend about yourself is no better than staying at home." Interesting?"

Although this invitation was warm, I didn't forget the other big Buddha beside me, so I had no choice but to refuse: "I can't do it tonight, I can't get away. Besides, I'm not at my home."

"Oh! I forgot." Yin Wenjun is such a person who knows how to read words and expressions. He didn't react to the excitement just now, but now he immediately understands, and he is as good as the flow. "

When the phone was hung up, I held onto the phone for a while and stared blankly until Song Cheng came to my side before returning to my senses.

"What? Didn't you have a good chat?" He lowered his head and asked me, his brows and eyes were blurred by the night, and a gentle outline was vaguely outlined, "It's hard to see you smile."

I said, "You speak like I'm a dissatisfied woman."

As soon as he said it, he froze for a while.I have never had a conversation with Song Cheng like this before, I blame Yin Wenjun, I am used to making jokes with him openly, and the teasing tone came out unconsciously.

The evening wind carried the lingering summer heat, and it was slightly hot on the skin.Song Cheng smiled at me, stroked the top of my hair with his broad and dry palm: "Junyan, in my eyes, you are cute no matter what."

He always said that I was pitiful and cute on the bed, so now that he praised me like this, my breathing became a little unsteady.Song Cheng raised my face and kissed me deeply, the air was taken away by the aggressive lips and tongue, I almost drowned in his arms.

Once the kiss was over, I didn't need to look in the mirror to know I was flushed.

"You cook everything you like for dinner." He kissed my forehead, "Let Junyan have a taste and see if my cooking skills have deteriorated."

I lowered my head without making a sound, and was led back into the house by his hand.

Songcheng's cooking has always been of a high standard, with all the flavors and aromas.He used to use the cheapest ingredients in the vegetable market, and he could cook delicious home-cooked dishes by mastering the amount of different seasonings, not to mention now.

To sum it up in two words: delicious.

I picked up a chopstick of shredded yam, and after swallowing it, there was still a little sweetness between my teeth.The last time he made shredded sweet potatoes, I watched from the side, my brain froze, and asked him if he could make sweet potatoes without shredded.He was stunned for a while, and couldn't help but said: Isn't that just fried sweet potato?

Song Cheng, who was sitting across from him, suddenly covered his lips with a fist, and cleared his throat pretendingly.He had a smile in his eyes, obviously thinking of this as well, trying not to laugh.

I said, "Don't pretend to be serious, just have fun if you want. I didn't sleep well that day, and I was dizzy, so I made a fool of myself."

His eyes are deep and his brows are strong. When he doesn't smile, he is almost stern, but when he smiles, he softens instantly: "I remember once the refrigerator was empty, and I had nothing to entertain you, so I had to go shopping temporarily. I was afraid that you would be hungry before I left. I was thinking of getting something to cushion your stomach first. Fortunately, there are still two apples, and cooking the syrup is not too time-consuming, so I hurriedly made shredded apples and served them as snacks for you."

I recalled the scene at that time, how Song Cheng was busy in and out of the kitchen, hiding his difficult life situation everywhere, couldn't help feeling complicated, and whispered: "That was... a long time ago."

He paused, nodded and said, "It's been four or five years."

He also said to himself, "It's still the same as what happened yesterday."

Although he just smiled and didn't sigh when he spoke, I intuitively felt that there was a deep sigh in that sentence.

I changed the topic, talked about some irrelevant things, and chatted with him about recent social news.After dinner, I was going to help clean up the dishes, but Song Cheng stopped me: "Someone will clean up these, don't worry about it. Junyan, come with me."

My expression was very blank: "What's the matter?"

At the same time, his brain started to think wildly. Could it be that Yang Chen accidentally leaked the news and let him hear something?Or did the Zhao family attack the Hou family in advance?No, the time is not yet ripe, at least until Lu Changbai collapses and cannot provide funds for Hou Guangyue's smuggling business...

He bent his eyes: "I can't say for now, but you can guess."

On the way straight to the study, Song Cheng didn't reveal any more information.I thought the situation couldn't be so bad, otherwise he wouldn't have to wait until after dinner.

Suddenly, I had a flash of inspiration, and I stopped, and I wanted to slap myself on the head when I suddenly realized: Today is my birthday!

I have been rushing in the wrong direction to get into the horns, and I have ignored this theme that is closest to reality.

He scratched the tip of my nose: "What are you thinking? I was stunned at the door for a long time."

I smiled awkwardly and walked into the study.

The furniture in the room is mainly solemn and elegant. I glanced around and was about to look away when I suddenly noticed that the large desk was covered by a layer of glass, and there was a calligraphy work on it. The handwriting was very familiar.

Seeing me staring at that place, Song Cheng felt a little embarrassed, and said in a low voice, "This...is the handwriting you wrote in Jincheng. I think it's beautiful, so keep it there, and look at it from time to time...just to think about it."

Just listening to what he said, I couldn't react for a while. After taking two steps closer to see what was written, I immediately recalled the memory of that period of bruises all over my body.

An unfinished "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix".

When I wrote it, I still firmly believed that he really loved me.

The text is not large, and some creases and corners are damaged. It must have been taken out and put back many times.I lowered my eyelids and said with a smile: "The handwriting used to be quite good, but now I can't."

Song Cheng's face froze for a moment, and there was a flash of embarrassment, and his right hand unconsciously stroked the knuckles of his index finger back and forth.This happens whenever he is anxious, but this little habit has never been changed.

"At that time, I wanted to have something of yours with me, so I brought it here. I put it aside for a few years, forgetting that you don't want to see these again... I'm sorry. I really, didn't mean to make you sad."

I shook my head and said, "It's just a picture! I didn't pay attention to this. It's a pity that I can't write anymore. Otherwise, if you like it, I can copy a few more copies for you. Let's get down to business, what do you want to say to me?"

Facing the past again, I found that some things should be unforgettable, but now I only vaguely know that it hurt at that time.

It hurts?How much does it hurt?I do not remember.

He slowly raised an extremely bitter smile: "I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but now it's probably inappropriate."

Sure enough, I guessed that he was going to give me a birthday present.

I don't have anything to do with this kind of thing, mainly because I don't want to get entangled in the past, so I shrugged: "If you don't give it today, what day do you have to wait? Next year?"

Song Cheng was silent for a long time, as if he was fighting a protracted and difficult struggle with himself.Finally, he took a long breath and said softly, "Yeah, there's no point in waiting any longer. I don't want you to think that I'm a coward."

In the process of being investigated later, one of the questions I was asked the most was: Why did Song Cheng leave the capital at this time?Two months later, Lu Changbai will be imprisoned for multiple crimes such as fraud, financial ticket crimes, and intentional injury; a hundred days later, the country officially opened a case for reselling military supplies; The Hou family, which once controlled the Customs, collapsed completely.I have answered with the same answer countless times: I don't know.He didn't tell me.I've been recuperating, and he's just a good friend.

But at this moment, Song Cheng held my wrist tightly, staring at me with shocking seriousness: "Jun Yan, come with me, okay?"