Chapter 27

Baijiu (Chinese liquor) is quite good for helping you sleep. I slept well today, and apart from feeling a little dizzy, it was alright.

While out grocery shopping, I was waiting at a traffic light when a group of high school students were leaving school. A boy was teasing the girl next to him, who, with her hair in a ponytail, gave him a playful glare. The two walked and talked, standing out from the group of high school students, both ordinary and noticeable.

Lin Tao was just as cheeky back then, how did he manage to win Jia Yi's heart?

When we attended their wedding, Jiayi's father still felt that his daughter had been deceived, and the whole wedding was very serious, while Lin Tao just grinned foolishly the whole time.

Many of your old classmates came that day, and you specially changed into a dark suit, determined to support your brother.

"Jia-ge looks like a groomsman today." I leaned against the closet and exclaimed as you changed at home. You don't usually dress this formally. You sprayed your hair gel several times and even had me trim your eyebrows. You couldn't be more exquisite.

After you finished buttoning your cuffs, you raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "Am I handsome, honey?"

"handsome."

You whistled triumphantly, walked over, and gave me a big kiss: "Of course my husband is handsome, when isn't he handsome?"

"So handsome!" I nodded repeatedly, pushed you aside, took out a mirror, and sure enough, my lipstick was smudged.

You come closer with a grin: "Which lipstick are you wearing today? Let me try it again."

"President Jiang, if you keep causing trouble, your brother's wedding will be over."

The weather was really nice that day. When we arrived, Lin Tao was greeting guests.

"Hey, Jia-ge looks great today."

"Of course, the brother's wedding must be taken seriously. Here, the gift money."

"Hey, as long as you come, that's fine. We're all friends here."

"Even between brothers, accounts must be settled clearly. You call me Brother Jia, and I can't do without you, little brother."

"...Get lost, you're taking advantage of me again."

You brothers are polite as you are, but you're never one to mince words.

Back in college, Lin Tao was the youngest in his dorm and would call everyone "brother." But you treated him like a real younger brother. Now that we've graduated for so many years, he really considers you his older brother, and the two of you have gone out drinking together quite a bit.

Once, you prepared a birthday surprise for me and texted me saying you were drinking with Lin Tao and would be back late. I thought you were driving, so I offered to pick you up, but you didn't reply. I called Lin Tao, and he initially said he was with you. When I asked for the address and offered to pick you up, he hesitated. Usually, when you asked him to cover for you, he would give me a hint, but this time you didn't say anything. He started to get nervous, hung up on me, and angrily called you.

According to your later description, as soon as Lin Tao answered the phone, he started cursing without asking any questions: "Jiang Jianian! Who the hell are you having dinner with? You even told your sister-in-law you wanted to drink with me, go to hell with you! I'm at home taking care of the kids!"

"...Are you out of your mind? I'm preparing a surprise for my wife...and you can't even explain it back to me. Lin Tao, are you stupid?"

"...Damn, you're the idiot."

...

"Beep!"

A driver honked his horn suddenly. I realized I'd been daydreaming. The light had turned green, so I started walking across the street, thinking I hadn't bought flowers in a while. I decided to check out the flower shop; I remembered...

"Car! Get out of the way!"

I instinctively turned around, and a white shadow rushed towards me without slowing down. I stopped in my tracks.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and pulled me sharply. I stumbled a few steps, and the white car crashed into the lamppost with a hiss. Gas started to billow from the dented front of the car.

No pedestrians were injured. The traffic police in the middle of the road rushed forward to rescue the driver. Passersby called the police and ambulances, and the scene was chaotic.

At noon in September, the sunlight was blinding.

I felt cold all over, and it took me a long time to remember to thank the kind person who had helped me, but the person was already gone. I stood there, blankly saying thank you a few times, and then walked home.

My hands were shaking a little when I opened the door, and my legs went weak the moment I closed it. I sat at the doorway and took several breaths before I could prop myself up and go back to the bedroom.

It was stuffy in the closet, so I piled your clothes next to me, hugged a coat, buried my head in it, and trembled all over.