Zero-sum game

Zhou Xingchuan thought about it for a day, and decided to bring it up naturally and seemingly casually during dinner.

If he had known the result earlier, he would have been relieved earlier, and he would rest tomorrow, which could also be used to buffer his mood.

When he got home, Shen Yan was sitting on the sofa, the TV was on but he didn't watch it, Zhou Xingchuan's laptop was placed in front of him.Last night when Shen Yan said he wanted to send emails, Zhou Xingchuan took out his notebook and gave it to him.

Zhou Xingchuan's dinner for one person was placed on the table, and he couldn't help asking, "Have you eaten?"

"That's right, it's almost ten o'clock." Shen Yan pointed to the clock on the wall.

Shen Yan would have dinner with him every day, but Zhou Xingchuan came back from the shooting location in the outer suburbs much later than usual.

Having lost the good opportunity to ask, Zhou Xingchuan was eating while thinking about finding another topic to talk about.

He saw Shen Yan staring at the computer screen in a daze, and asked, "What's wrong? What are you looking at?"

"Brother Liang Zhe said he wanted to see me." Shen Yan replied without looking up.

He hasn't opened this old mailbox for a long time. Except for advertising emails, only Tian Xin occasionally sends emails to report the latest situation.An old mailbox from the student days, few people remember it. I didn't expect Liang Zhe to send him an email. It seems that Tian Xin should have told him.

"Liang Zhe?" Zhou Xingchuan confirmed the name that he hadn't heard for a long time.

"Yes, but this email was sent more than a month ago."

"Why did he see you?" Zhou Xingchuan didn't have a good impression of this man.

In order to make his sister innocent, he wanted to create a public opinion event to fight against the disparity in power, but the result pushed Shen Yan to the forefront.Although it succeeded in the end, it was at the cost of Shen Yan's sacrifice.

"I don't know...but I kind of want to see him." Shen Yan replied.

Zhou Xingchuan glanced at the computer screen, and Shen Yan had already sent the reply email.

"Whether he will see it is not certain," Zhou Xingchuan said anxiously, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

He didn't expect that he would ask the question so straightforwardly, and he still used this tone, as if he was chasing Shen Yan back, and he knew that he had used the wrong sentence pattern when he said it.

But he knew that it was hard for Shen Yan to recover from the trauma in his heart, and he didn't want Shen Yan to have anything to do with the people and things in the past.

Sure enough, Shen Yan looked up at him in surprise, "You don't want... I stay here?"

"No," Zhou Xingchuan sat down, "I was wrong, I just don't want you to think about those things after seeing him."

"..." Shen Yan turned his head and stared at the computer screen.

"Whether you want to stay here forever or go back to Xiaohe Village, I support you. I just don't want you to be sad because of the past."

"But I can't stay there forever," Shen Yan replied, with a little relief on his face, "Xiaohe Village is my shell for escaping from reality. I have escaped for long enough and rested in it for long enough."

Zhou Xingchuan was dumb for a moment, unable to understand Shen Yan's meaning for a moment.

Then he asked: "Aren't you going back?"

Shen Yan smiled and said: "I will go back when I have time, to visit the former students and buy something for them."

Zhou Xingchuan asked again: "Are you willing to stay?"

"Well, I don't have any money to pay the rent for now, because I have a big expense, but I'm already looking for a job—"

Before Shen Yan finished speaking, Zhou Xingchuan threw him on the sofa with a hungry tiger, "I can hire you as my life partner, no, life partner, all the money I earn is your salary."

Shen Yan was tickled by him, and he laughed and said: "I don't want it."

At this moment, the computer on the desk beeped, and an email was received.

Shen Yan immediately pushed him away and stood up to look. He didn't expect Liang Zhe's reply to arrive so soon.

The email said that he was in Dingchuan now, and asked Shen Yan when it would be convenient to meet, and left his phone number.

Shen Yan picked up the phone, stood up and called Liang Zhe, during which Liang Zhe said something, Shen Yan looked back at Zhou Xingchuan with a slightly astonished expression, and then said "OK".

"What did he say?" Zhou Xingchuan asked.

"He said that we can meet tomorrow, and the address is at Yuedao Bridge." Shen Yan said.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

"Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?" Shen Yan asked.

"Tomorrow is off." Zhou Xingchuan thought of Mo Rui telling him that he was going to change the location for filming, and suddenly felt a little annoyed. "The day after tomorrow, I will go to another place for filming. It may take more than a month."

"Ah..." Shen Yan was thoughtful.

Early the next morning, they quickly met Liang Zhe at the gate of the park.

It was the morning of the working day, and all the people who came and went were grandpas and aunts who came out for morning exercises. It was a bit awkward for these young men to stand at the gate of the park.

Compared with when he was in the troupe, Liang Zhe has gone through a lot of vicissitudes. He is dark and thin, with stubble on his face, sunburn marks on his cheekbones, disheveled hair, wearing an old jacket and slacks that are a bit worn out, The sneakers on his feet were also dirty and old, making him a middle-aged man who looked a little strange.

Seeing Shen Yan, he first smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "Long time no see."

"Long time no see, Brother Liang Zhe." Shen Yan took the initiative to say hello.

Zhou Xingchuan also greeted indifferently, while Liang Zhe pointed to the milk tea shop by the roadside and said, "Come on, I invite you to drink tea."

A few people walked in and sat down, not in the mood to drink sweet and greasy milk tea, so they only ordered a few glasses of lemonade.

"It seems that you are doing well." Liang Zhe looked at the two of them.

Shen Yan didn't want to say more, so he changed the subject and asked, "Brother, where did you come back from? Why are you so..."

"Like a trash collector, right?" Liang Zhe laughed, "I just came back from Tibet and stayed there for seven or eight months. Anyway, I'm alone, and the whole family is not hungry when I eat enough. It's okay to walk around. not bad."

After the case was finally closed that year, he also went in and squatted for a few days because of disturbing public order.Later, after he came out, he found that he had lost interest in everything, so he simply left, giving up work and life.Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet finally stopped in a remote Tibetan area. Without a penny at hand, they helped the Tibetan elder brother who took him in to herd cattle and sheep for several months until returning to Dingchuan a few days ago.

"How about you, how have you been these two years?"

Shen Yan smiled and nodded, "Very good."

"Actually... I don't want to see you for anything else. In the past few years, I have been regretting that I didn't say sorry to you." Liang Zhe put away his laughing expression. You haven't finished college yet."

"No, you don't have to say that," Shen Yan said, "Every choice is made by myself, and every consequence is also borne by me. You don't have to feel sorry for me."

Sitting next to him, Zhou Xingchuan had mixed feelings.

Liang Zhe smiled bitterly, "I'm even more sorry if you say that."

After sitting for a while, Liang Zhe said, "Let's go, Liang Han's cemetery is quite far away."

"Well, I bought her flowers." Shen Yan said.

Zhou Xingchuan was also just now when Shen Yan was going to buy flowers, only then did he know that he had already agreed with Liang Zhe to pay homage to Liang Han.