apple

Wen Zhuyao ate barbecue and fried chicken, occasionally stuffing a few bites of fruit into her mouth, enjoying the fruits of her labor.

I don't know what's wrong with the night, it seems to have to express some sentiments. Instead of just thinking about it, I'm going to take action, dig up the deepest parts of my heart that I buried, but I'm not planting any new seeds. I'm just letting things dry up and go back and forth.

Is it good? Yes, is it bad? Not really bad.

What is judgment? Is it based on small things or on big things?

At least now she lives in a loving family.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong."

Wen Zhuyao's phone message arrived, very timely and coincidentally.

It's Mo Wen's message.

Are you asleep?

"I miss you a little, just a tiny bit... not much... it's okay..."

"Okay, there are a lot." Mo Wen lay on the bed, her image unconsciously appearing in his mind.

Knowing full well that asking someone if they're asleep at this time is a foolish choice.

But he still chose to do it.

Wen Zhuyao put a little meat in her mouth, drank some beverage, and took a tissue to wipe her hands clean.

She had just typed a reply when she looked at the chat and chuckled to herself: "Can I still tolerate this?"

"Congratulations on earning the title of Ninja."

"Great!"

Upon receiving the message, Mo Wen sat up abruptly, holding his phone as if it were some precious treasure.

"No, I thought you were asleep and didn't dare to disturb you." Realizing his words had a problem, he quickly explained that he wasn't the kind of person who was reserved and brooding.

But this explanation is like an affirmation, fixing the emotion firmly.

Wen Zhuyao licked her lips, which still tasted of barbecue sauce: "Okay, then I'll pretend I didn't see it."

"Bye-Bye."

She sent the last message, put it aside, and focused on enjoying her delicious food.

When they had almost finished eating, the two people behind them were still showing off and arguing about whose food was better.

Wen Zhuyao didn't get involved. After washing up, she went to bed and prepared to sleep. Before closing her eyes, she finally turned on the phone that was pleading for her.

Messages filled with the resentment of lonely men finally began to emerge one by one.

Mo Wen: "I was just kidding, I miss you."

Mo asked, "Are you really ignoring me? Can you talk to me?"

"Are you asleep? Goodnight then." He turned off his phone, lay back down, and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes again after a few seconds, opened his phone and started typing.

Mo asked, "Are you really asleep? I miss you so much, so very much."

"Can you talk to me?"

After sending the message, he looked at the empty chat box and sent his last message: "You fell asleep so quickly, goodnight."

I lay down reluctantly and closed my eyes.

After reading everything, Wen Zhuyao yawned and replied, "Goodnight, I miss you too."

Then I plugged my phone in to charge, turned it inside out, covered myself with the blanket, and drifted off to sleep.

Little did they know that on the other side, a flash of light had sparked another competition of sorting and thinking.

Mo Wen woke up again, picked up his phone and replied: "Can I say a few more words? Don't say goodnight."

...

Three minutes passed, and no one answered.

"Okay." Mo Wen sighed, rearranged the items, and went back to sleep.

Although this chat was a mistake, it turned out to be the time when I talked the most in the next few days.

In the few days since she returned, Wen Zhuyao has been busy dealing with her own affairs and some kind relatives who are coming to visit.

In addition, Chi Nuo's escapism led to him spending more and more time away from home.

In the evenings, it was Mo Wen's busy time again, and they couldn't find a time that overlapped with each other.

These past few days, Mo Wen has been alone, logging in with two accounts at night to complete tasks all by himself.

As usual, Mo Wen was looking at the tasks alone, with two accounts in hand, ready to log off after completing them.

"Ding-dong..."

"Why are you the only one with free time? Aren't you busy?" Bai Yuzhou's private message appeared on his screen.

Mo Wen clicked on it and remarked with rare emotion: "To kill someone is to destroy their spirit."

"Huh?" Bai Yuzhou was confused.

He scrolled through his notes, realizing he hadn't posted anything, and continued, "It's a rare opportunity these days, aren't you busy?"

Mo Wen looked at the newly sent messages, which were practically a barrage of "shrimp and pork heart" comments.

"Not busy, I'm taking a break recently."

Bai Yuzhou didn't sense the gritted teeth on the other end of the line and chatted casually, "We're taking a break recently and are planning to go somewhere else to have some fun."

Do you have any recommendations?

Asking Mo Wen about this kind of question is like asking the right question: "I don't know, I don't usually go out."

"Okay." Bai Yuzhou accepted reality and turned to the several documents lying beside him.

I just flipped through it casually.

I found a great place, which happens to be Mo Wen's address.

"Is it... over there?"

Who would have thought that Bai Yuzhou would pass away before he could finish typing?

The other person's avatar turned gray, indicating that they had gone offline.

In real life, Mo Wen received a long-awaited message from Wen Zhuyao and immediately went offline to reply.

"Are you free lately? I've finally settled down." Wen Zhuyao said as she walked along the road, having dealt with Chi Nuo's recent matters.

I helped her find a suitable hobby.

They've escaped.

Mo Wen replied instantly: "Yes, I'm free. I'm on vacation recently."

Then they waited patiently for a reply.

"Okay, I've been neglecting you lately, I'm sorry to have made you suffer."

As he looked at the message, he felt like a puppy seeing a bone, its virtual tail wagging.

Mo asked, "No, I know you're busy, and I'm not available at that time either, so how could I be cold to you?"

"I feel neglected. Don't you want me to make amends?"

"Then forget it."

The two consecutive reversals left Mo Wen stunned for a moment. Compensation?

"Why not? You're being so cold." He instantly changed his tune, saying anything was worth it to make up for it.

Wen Zhuyao chuckled softly, chatted for a few words at the door, then opened the door and went inside, still looking at her phone while changing her shoes.

When she was about to go back to her room, her parents, who were sitting in the living room, called her over.

"Regarding marriage and dating, you're of a certain age now. You should be introduced to someone, and after you start dating, things can be whatever you want."

"It's not that you can't listen to what they say. If you want to take it, you can go and see for yourself." For some reason, Mr. Wen accepted their advice.

Wen Zhuyao put away her phone, knowing without a doubt what kind of brainwashing rhetoric they had been given.

Without exception, the truth is that nowadays you can choose not to get married, but you can't choose not to date.

If we don't talk about it now, we can think about it later. But if there's no suitable person, we can find someone right away. It's better to start dating now and get married whenever we want.

If you don't want to get married, just keep dating. Dating for three or four years before getting married is just right.

"Don't care what they say. If you break up in the end, it's all for nothing." Wen Zhuyao went over, picked up an apple, washed it, and took a bite.

Juice spread around the bite mark, splashing into the mouth and onto the ground.

Like the saliva that comes out when you talk to someone.

However, the latter is clearly more disgusting; there's no way around it, some people just like this kind.

"That's what they say, but can't you listen to them? Just find someone to play around with and see what they can say then." This was Wen's father's response, perhaps because he was tired of hearing it.

Or is it just about saving face, trying to fill the gap?

To ease the tension, Mrs. Wen said, "This time, we're introducing people from the surrounding area; we've thoroughly investigated their backgrounds."

"She's only twenty-six, successful in her career, owns her own house and car, and..."

Wen Zhuyao took another bite of the apple, the crisp sound masking what she was about to say.

It all turned into the crunching sound of chewing.

This bite was unpleasant; a sour taste permeated my entire body.

"Don't I have that? I have everything he has. I'm not twenty-six, so what am I lacking?"

Wen Zhuyao took a bite of an apple, finished speaking, went back to her room, and closed the door, shutting herself out of the outside world.

He took out his phone again and chatted with Mo Wen.

"I'm home. I was a little late." Wen Zhuyao casually placed the half-eaten apple on the table and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

Looking at the message at the door and the ten-minute interruption, Mo Wen asked with some concern, "What happened?"

"It's nothing, it's just that my parents are using blind dates to pressure me again. I guess it's because they've been nagging me about giving gifts lately." Wen Zhuyao couldn't avoid this; whether or not she went on blind dates wasn't up to her.

Mo Wen had only heard her talk about these things when they first met.

As they gradually became more familiar with each other, these topics were no longer within the scope of casual conversation. He thought it would end soon, so he never asked about it.

Unexpectedly...

"They won't force you to go on blind dates, will they? You haven't been honest about our relationship, have you?" Mo Wen's initial concern took a different turn when she turned to the latter part of the question.

"Would it be better if you told me?"

"They can't force you to break up with me, can they...?" These words inevitably carried Mo Wen's selfish motives; establishing a romantic relationship was establishing a relationship.

When to be honest with your parents and move to the next stage is not something that will happen according to their agreement.

It could be said that he crossed the line, believing that Wen Zhuyao could do the same thing in the same circumstances.

Should we solve things the same way he did, or be as bold as him?

Love distorts reason.

This is not a good solution.

Wen Zhuyao looked at the half-eaten apple. Since it was just sitting there anyway, she couldn't waste it, so she picked it up and ate it again.

“It’s different. I’m not your age, yet they’re still pressuring me. Do they just want me to date?” She typed on her phone with her left hand and held an apple in her right, taking a bite every now and then.

A creaking sound.

This also concealed part of the thought.

“Once I announce it, people will start to be picky. They will urge me to get married if I meet all the people they meet through blind dates. I don’t need to say anything after that. This is just a hobby, not a hobby that I’m worried about for the sake of a major life event.”

Mo Wen looked at the reply and knew that this was her situation. There was no point in refuting it, but he still couldn't give up.

Why not give up?

He doesn't know... doesn't he know? Actually, he does know, right? He just doesn't dare to think about it, doesn't dare to admit it.

His selfishness overshadowed his love.

"Could you give it a try for me?" In the end, Mo Wen was overcome by selfishness. He didn't realize he had so many thoughts about this.

Love is selfish, love is possessive. He can't accept it, he doesn't want to listen. Even now, Wen Zhuyao is still being set up on blind dates and is still being contacted by people.

Take her away?

That's a great reason, right? They ate half, and I ate the other half.

We all possess her.

Wen Zhuyao threw the finished apple into the trash can, wiped her hands again, and said, "You know what I'm suited for and what I like."

Her favorite thing is to avoid conflict and keep quiet until everything is settled.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the chance to go out, or rather, she wouldn't have gone out at all.

Just like now, she said what she would face next: probing, praise or dissatisfaction, and having her life filled with this matter.

Until it develops in a positive direction to the end.

Only then will she be able to regain her own life.

Mo Wen knows he knows everything, so what exactly does he want?

"I……"

He knew he had acted rashly, that he was stuck in a rut and couldn't get out of it anytime soon, and that he just wanted an answer that would make him abandon everything.

He'll only be happy if he hears that.

but……

"I know what you're thinking. Let's break up."