Qinghong

"What about you? Married?" I asked back.

Ning Hong shrugged: "My colleague is getting married, and I'm the best man."

"Oh, don't bother me then." I stood at the front desk, "A cup of latte, what would Xiao Xiao drink?"

"American style." Xiao Ke said.

"Have you eaten yet?" Ning Hong strolled over to me, resting his elbows on the counter, "Come on, I'll take you to a wedding."

"Not interested." I said.

"In Hongxi Building, it's very close, just a corner away." Ning Hong said.

I looked at Xiao Ke and said, "Hongxi Building has Tianjin specialties, do you want to eat them?"

"It's all right." Xiao Ke lowered his head, his voice was like a mosquito.

I promised Xiao Ke to take him on a tour of Tianjin, but Ning Hong intercepted me on the way, but if I don't follow Ning Hong's wishes, I don't know what kind of trouble this kid will have in the future.

I said, "Let's leave after dinner, without delay."

Xiao Ke moved two steps towards me: "Okay."

The coffee is ready, I handed the Americano to Xiao Ke, picked up the latte and followed Ning Hong's footsteps: "Is the bridesmaid pretty?"

Ning Hong raised his eyelids: "Pretty."

I turned a corner and came to the entrance of Hongxi Tower. The bridesmaid in a white dress smiled and waved. I saw that her face was familiar, so I walked closer and took a closer look——

"Zou Lansheng?"

"Qin Xuan?"

Qin Xuan and I were friends at the same table in high school. We parted ways when we graduated from Xi'an, but we didn't expect to meet in Tianjin many years later.She has long hair, dyed tan in big waves, and she hugged me warmly: "Long time no see."

"...you are so different from high school." I said.

"People always change." Qin Xuan said, she looked me up and down, "You haven't changed at all."

"I've been in school," I said, "to Ph.D. and then to teaching."

"You said you didn't like school." Qin Xuan said.

I rubbed my nose: "I don't like school, but I haven't liked any other industries. In comparison, school is barely good."

"I understand." Qin Xuan said, "Two evils are the lesser of two evils."

"You're a bridesmaid, so that means..." I guessed, "You're not married yet?"

"Well, are you married?" Qin Xuan looked down at my left hand, "I didn't see the wedding ring."

"I'm not married," I said.

Ning Hong, who stood beside me without speaking for a while, said, "Go in, the banquet is about to begin."

"Okay." I replied, took out my mobile phone and transferred 300 yuan to Qin Xuan, "This is gift money, let's go in first, and come find me after you finish your work."

"Oh no, I'll treat you this time." Qin Xuan didn't ask for payment, she pointed to the door and said, "Come in."

Xiao Ke and I walked into Hongxi Building, Ning Hong asked: "Is that your friend?"

"High school classmate." I said, "She is my deskmate."

Ning Hong was wearing a best man outfit, and he was quite conspicuous walking beside me. I asked, "Are you busy with other things?"

Ning Hong said pitifully: "My colleague asked me to be the best man just to keep him from drinking."

"Then you still do it?" I frowned.

"I can't refuse to be a colleague." Ning Hong said.

I don't believe his words, he is as glib as a sieve, how could he be bound by the world, but seeing his drooping appearance, I couldn't help but soften my heart: "Sit at the same table with me, wait for someone to call You go."

"Okay." Ning Hong stood up immediately, and called my name with a smile on his face, "Lan Sheng."

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"It's nothing, I'll just call." Ning Hong said, "Take your student to find a seat, and we'll go out to buy cigarettes."

buy cigarettes?I was just about to say no, but Ning Hong's fingertips slid across the back of my hand and got into my palm. He winked at me, and I swallowed the words of rejection and said, "Okay."

Xiao Ke said suddenly: "Teacher, I have cigarettes here." He took out a box of Dajiangshan from his coat pocket, "Here."

"Do you smoke?" I took the cigarette case curiously, "Thank you."

"No." Xiao Ke said, "I brought it for the teacher." He looked up at Ning Hong.

I am not addicted to cigarettes, and I have nothing to worry about at this moment. I put the cigarette case on the table and said, "Smok later." I pulled out the chair and sat down. Xiao Ke sat on my right hand, and Ning Hong sat on my left. On the other side, the two of them passed me and looked at each other. I felt a gust of cold wind blowing into my neck. I wondered if there was an air-conditioning outlet behind me?

After sitting for a while, the wedding ceremony began, and the groom beckoned Ning Hong to come on stage.Besides Ning Hong, there were four best men on the stage.

I don't know the bride and groom, I just watch the show.

Xiao Ke tugged at the hem of my clothes: "Teacher, do you think they will be happy?"

"I don't know the future." I looked at the smiling couple on the stage, "At least for this moment, they are happy."

Xiao Ke was thoughtful, and asked, "Teacher, are you happy now?"

"I..." I was confused, am I happy?

Have I been happy since Ning Qing died?

It cannot be denied that I have had fun. In the vast Northwest, at a crowded dance party, I stretched out a tentative hand to Ning Hong.At that moment, I heard the sound of my heart pumping blood, and I felt alive and genuinely happy.

However, this happiness comes at a price. The subsequent series of events that could be described as out of control stemmed from my selfish desire to keep the happiness.I looked up at Ning Hong standing on the stage. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with a tall and straight figure, standing behind the groom and smiling politely, neither stealing the groom's limelight, nor hiding himself in the crowd.He has a unique temperament, which can let me find him in the crowd at a glance.

What Xiao Ke asked was, am I happy now?

I looked down at the water glass in my hand, the clear boiled water in the glass reflected a blurry shadow, I was not happy.I am trapped in a transparent film bag, I can see the surrounding scenery, but there is always an unreal feeling, I am surrounded by hesitation and hesitation all the time, I question every move I make, every trace of emotional fluctuation, I Should I be happy, am I worthy of joy.

I regard myself as a scale, and my emotions as weights. On the left side are Ning Qing’s death and my fruitless secret love. I try to place emotions on the right side, so that the whole balance can hold both ends steadily without tilting. crooked.But this is too difficult, nothing seems to be able to compete with the weight on the left, everything I do is in vain.

I was silent for too long, Xiao Ke said cautiously: "Teacher, you don't have to be happy."

I heard the emcee's passionate speech, and the audience booed and applauded. My heart was extremely quiet. I looked at Xiao Ke, and Xiao Ke explained: "I'm not a news broadcast reporter. You can answer that you are not happy."

I laughed and said, "Everything is okay, there is nothing to be unhappy about." Happiness is a shooting star, bright and beautiful fade away in an instant, and what remains for a long time is still wandering, wandering and self-loathing.

The master of ceremonies on the stage directed the young couple and their parents to finally go through a set of tedious procedures. The waiters queued up to serve the dishes, and I picked up a piece of duck with chopsticks.After waiting for so long, my stomach was empty, and I ate my food. About half an hour later, the best man team toasted to a nearby table.

I was half full, stopped my chopsticks to prepare a toast, looked around, and saw a girl stretching her neck and staring at the best man group, I understood, presumably there was a man she liked in the best man group.

After the best man group paid their respects to the table next to me, they came to the table in front of me. A group of us stood up with a whimper. Before the groom could speak, the girl said first: "First of all, I wish Brother Li a happy wedding, I will do it first."

The groom smiled and raised his head to drank the wine in the glass. He was familiar with the girl, so he indulged and said: "Xiaoyan has something to say together."

The girl glanced shyly at the groom, then turned her gaze to me, I looked to the side wonderingly, Ning Hong was standing on my left.

The girl said, "Brother Hong."

I looked at Ning Hong's expression with interest, and a trace of uncomfortable emotion flashed in my heart. I concealed it wholeheartedly, and smiled at the corners of my lips the whole time.

Ning Hong responded gently: "Huh?"

"I'll grab the bouquet for you." The girl said tactfully.

"Oh hoo—" the young people at the table couldn't bear to raise their voices and booed.

Grabbing the bouquet is a ritual of the wedding, and grabbing the bouquet means that you will soon find your sweetheart and get married. The girl said "help Ning Hong grab the bouquet" translates to "marry Ning Hong".I looked at Ning Hong, wanting to hear his next answer.

There are two options. If Ning Hong wants to develop with the girl, he just agrees.If he doesn't want to, he agrees first, don't embarrass the girl on the spot, just make it clear after the wedding.I believe that with Ning Hong's tact, he will agree to anything.

Ning Hong raised his glass, raised his head and drank a second glass of white wine, and said, "Sorry, I don't have this plan right now."

The girl turned pale and said hastily, "I'm going to the bathroom."

The groom and the other groomsmen smoothed things over awkwardly: "I wish you all a good meal and a good time."

I frowned, and Ning Hong bent down and warned viciously in my ear: "You are not allowed to grab the bouquet, do you hear me?"