15 "I don't remember that I still remember what I taught you"

Her outfit today was completely different from the previous times we met.

It is no longer the kind of black and gray neutral style that is so wide and bulky that it can be easily lost in the crowd.

The bright white was particularly eye-catching in the darkness, and that was why He Yu was able to freeze at first sight.

But he also quickly confirmed that this looked like Huang Zheng's clothes, because Tao Wanjia had never liked white since she was a child. She said that she was a sloppy person who couldn't afford to wash white, but in fact it was also because of those childhood traumas.

Their eyes met, and he stared at her eyes, which seemed to be made up, and spoke first: "Are you alone? Where's Huang Zheng?"

While listening to his manager's report, He Yu saw Huang Zheng's social media feed. It was a photo from the event. She and Tao Wanjia, one on each side, hugged Huang Shengsheng, the other in the middle. The three of them were all smiling. It was only after seeing the location under the photo that he braved the cold and the noise to come down.

He thought that if everyone was there, his unexpected appearance wouldn't be so obvious. Although, even if he didn't say anything at this moment, his thoughts were still obvious.

The crowd was bustling. Tao Wanjia walked towards him and narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say?"

He Yu noticed that the expression on her face was the same as before. He forced himself to suppress the corners of her lips that were moving slightly, and repeated the question in a deep voice.

"I went home. Wen Dongyang happened to be on a business trip nearby, so he took them back with him."

Tao Wanjia turned up the volume and quickened his pace outside after seeing the constant flow of people coming and going around him.

She was long past the age of joining in the fun, and she had only stopped there because the clock struck midnight. Now that it was past midnight and the chimes had faded, it was time for her to go back and rest. After all, Rongcheng was really cold. When it was too cold, there was nothing much to do but sleep.

I walked down the stairs away from the crowd, but I didn't expect He Yu to still follow me.

His clothes were still very thin, a black coat that she couldn't tell was any different from the last time, except that he had a cashmere scarf of the same color around his neck. Compared to Tao Wanjia who could only put her hands in her pockets, He Yu was obviously much calmer in the cold wind.

The streetlight cast a shadow on his profile. The man was tall and slender, and the cement stairs he walked on seemed like a catwalk as he walked slowly.

He Yu turned to look at her, "Then why didn't you go back with them?"

"Because I deserve to be cold." Tao Wanji was speechless at his stupid question, ignoring his gaze and looking straight down.

There is a park at the bottom of the stairs. On a flat open space in the corridor, there are a few teenagers swinging around on skateboards. The fluorescent wheels are particularly conspicuous in the dim light.

He Yu didn't understand what she said and thought she was deliberately provoking him, so he took two quick steps and stood opposite her.

He'd had a few drinks at the annual meeting before coming here, though not much. But looking at her now, it was like he was intoxicated. The alcohol concentration in his blood had increased, making his brain dizzy, and even his vision of her was hazy, replaying images from long ago. The stark contrast between her warmth and indifference was too stark for him to accept, and his questions were a bit impulsive.

"I wanted to give it to you out of kindness, Tao Wanjia, but what gives you the right to speak to me like that?"

He felt that she was targeting him everywhere. Ever since she returned to Rongcheng and saw him, she had never spoken to him properly.

This was not the attitude that someone who had abandoned him should have. Of course, he only dared to complain about her unfairness in his heart.

Tao Wanjia lost his patience and replied in a deep voice, "You're the one who doesn't understand. Don't you know that Wen Dongyang is pursuing Huang Zheng? Of course, I'm not going back with them to create an opportunity for Wen Dongyang. He doesn't even get a day off in a month at his job. He finally ran into me today, so why should I go with him?"

Machine-gun-like words came out one after another. He Yu was choked by her. It took him a while to reply after he sorted out the cause and effect.

"You seem quite concerned about Wen Dongyang's situation, but he's been chasing him for so many years and still hasn't caught up. I don't think your help will be of any use."

Feelings can't be forced. If it were in the past, these two might have had a chance, but now Huang Zheng is clearly completely indifferent to emotions. For someone who no longer needs love, any amount of love is redundant.

"If it's useless, then it's useless. I'd rather demolish a temple than ruin a marriage."

Tao Wanji felt that his attention was a little strange, and after he finished speaking, he looked into his eyes inexplicably.

The two gazes met and quickly moved away, one in front and one behind.

He Yu heard the playful sounds and looked towards the boys in front who were having fun. His gaze paused and he raised his chin towards her.

"Will it still happen now?"

She paused, "Of course."

Tao Wanjia knew what he was talking about without turning around.

When I was in middle school, there was a huge skateboarding craze in the school. My classmates bought skateboards one after another to join in the fun. Even the children in the staff dormitory took the skateboards bought by their parents out to play after dinner. From school to home, the sound of wheels sliding on the ground could be heard everywhere.

She also wanted it at that time, but because she was living under someone else's roof, she had to think more about it. After calculating that her New Year's money and pocket money could not even add up to a fraction of it, she gave up the idea.

He Yu saw her envy and desire, and knew she wouldn't accept it if he bought it directly. So he suggested that she go to the market with him every weekend to draw sketches for people, ten yuan a piece, and he would be responsible for drawing while she would be responsible for attracting buyers. After saving up for a month, he took her to the mall to buy her the last skateboard.

Tao Wanjia still remembers that it was red, like fire and the sun.

When she first started learning, she could only do the most basic gliding, and even turning was a bit difficult. The concrete floor below the Ronggang family building was uneven, so He Yu took her to the park.

He was the one who taught her her first interest as a teenager.

He Yu pulled her out of the home that didn't belong to her to let her feel freedom. He was the one who accompanied her and fell over and over again countless times in that open space before he finally taught her.

I won’t forget it, but I feel a little emotional when I think of it.

When He Yu was staring at those people and became distracted again, Tao Wanjia had already walked forward with a smile.

Someone was selling firework sticks on the roadside. She scanned the code, bought two boxes, and handed them to the children, then chose a longboard from among them and took it.

The wheels scraped across the ground, and as Tao Wanjia slid, the wind from the drum and harp also blew over.

He Yu came back to his senses, watched her pedaling skillfully, and said softly: "I thought you forgot."

"There are some things I've forgotten," Tao Wanjia walked around to his side and raised his voice, "For example, about you."

She was in a good mood at the moment, feeling the long-lost freedom on the skateboard. Her answer to him was not as tough as before, but more like a half-serious joke.

He Yu naturally heard it, so he echoed her words, "Don't you remember that I still remember what I taught you?"

"What do you know? This is muscle memory."

Tao Wanjia continued to circle him, the cold wind blowing her hair and making white air ooze from the corners of her lips. Her expression was joyful, and her movements became more and more effortless.

He Yu heard this with sarcasm in his voice, "Then your muscle memory is more lasting than you."

After saying this, Tao Wanji turned around and slid straight towards where he was standing.

The sound of the wheels scraping against the ground became louder and louder. When the skateboard was about to touch his shoe, she braked lightly and jumped down nimbly to pick up the longboard.

Standing close by, staring into his eyes and questioning—

"Why don't you hide?"

"Do you really trust me not to bump into you?"

He was silent, and at that moment he actually expected her to bump into his arms, just like when she first learned to skateboard.

However, Tao Wanjia has grown up. She is no longer the little girl who stumbles and needs his support to go on a long journey.

She was even more skilled and skilled than he was.

My heart suddenly felt empty, and the wound about her was smashed into a stone and sank silently to the bottom of the lake.

Tao Wanjia was completely unaware of this. He only noticed that his thoughts were slightly stagnant, so he reached out and waved his hand, "Do you want to try it? It seems quite fun."

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere today was truly different, or perhaps it was because it was nearly one in the morning, and the coexistence of darkness and hustle and bustle had a way of relaxing the tension deep within one's heart. Even though the chill wind had chilled her cheeks slightly red, she wasn't in the rush to leave like she had been a moment ago.

"No."

He Yu paused for a moment and glanced at the skateboard she borrowed. "I'm not as childish as you."

"Okay, okay, I'm redundant."

Tao Wanjia turned around and returned the longboard to the boy waiting on the side, patted the loose dirt on his hands and walked forward.

He Yu was in a hurry to catch up with her, but he didn't pay attention and stepped on empty air. His foot landed sideways on the ground, and he felt a broken pain immediately.

Tao Wanjia heard him take a breath and turned around, "What's wrong with you?"

A flash of pain crossed the man's face, but his back was still straight, and he stood behind her in a weird posture.

She had no patience and called him again to ask if he was okay.

The corner of He Yu's mouth twitched, and all the pain nerves in his body were mobilized to his right foot.

He nodded and subconsciously reached out his hand to her.

"Tao Wanjia, come and give me a hand."