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Before the little girl's mother could react, she saw Zhu Wenxu leaving. Her phone rang at that moment. She looked down and saw the number "five nines" written on the receipt. She couldn't catch up, so she patted the little boy and said, "Go and call back that brother from before."
The little boy ran over and saw Zhu Wenxu stuffing a bunch of flowers into Xu Yu's hand. Xu Yu was rummaging through his chest bag. He looked up and saw the flowers and the child following behind him.
Xu Yu walked over the flowers and handed him the blind box doll that Bai Jing had given him last time. They both had round faces and looked somewhat similar.
The little boy didn't take it immediately. He subconsciously looked at his mother behind him, and then he felt his hand being opened and something being stuffed into the doll.
"Grow up well."
The child with confused eyes, just like myself when I was a child, is full of unknowns about the future. He only has his mother in his eyes. Because his mother is there, his courage and happiness are still there.
Zhu Wenxu rubbed the little prince's head and said, "Tell your mother that the brothers' love is passed on, and numbers are to share joy. Don't feel burdened."
The little boy, holding his clay doll, watched the car drive away. After relaying the truth, his mother kept muttering gratitude. The little boy leaned on his mother's shoulder and said, "I will strive to be like my brother and help countless mothers like me."
"The baby is very promising."
…
Xu Yu sat in the passenger seat, holding a bouquet of flowers, and heard the music change to a relaxing English song. Zhu Wenxu had even switched the car to convertible mode, driving along the bridge. The wind rustled, petals drifting in the air, falling into the turbulent river below.
The car was driving fast near the outskirts, going down the dirt road, and stopped near a mountain villa not far away.
It was getting dark. Xu Yu got out of the car, and Zhu Wenxu leaned against it, smoking. The smoke covered his face, cloaked in darkness. This scene was perfect for capturing.
Xu Yu stood beside him and walked with him up to the village with lights in the distance.
"Why are you here?"
"A lot of things came to mind," Zhu Wenxu said. "I once met a child. He was so pitiful. His parents didn't want him. Later, his grandfather was hit and killed, and they paid a large sum of money in compensation. His grandmother moved to the city for the child, saying she wanted to find a good school for him."
"When he had nothing to do, he would follow his grandmother to sell woven insoles under the overpass. When there wasn't much business, he would run around the streets delivering them and was often verbally abused."
Xu Yu didn't say anything.
"When I met him, he was eighteen years old, and everything was going well. But his mother came to our house, saying he was the illegitimate son of a wealthy man and wanted to take him back home. He refused, so they threatened him with his grandmother. When he was nineteen, his grandmother passed away, and he was forcibly sent to the wealthy man's home, where he lived a difficult life."
Zhu Wenxu put out his cigarette. "He always told me that he didn't collapse to death. I feel pity for him, but also feel sad for him. His fate is to be unable to escape the insults of others for his entire life."
"Xu Yu, what do you think?"
Zhu Wenxu lit another cigarette after saying this. Xu Yu tried to stop him, but the blood rushed back through his body, giving him goosebumps.
What should I say? Pity this person?
"Did you see that little boy today and think of him?" Xu Yu asked, "Is he okay now?"
Zhu Wenxu shook his head: "I also hope he can, but he didn't. Xu Yu, he died ten years ago."
Xu Yu was stunned.
No one spoke. The only sounds in the wind were the smell of cigarette smoke, the chirping of cicadas, and the occasional sound of cars crushing stones.
Xu Yu grabbed his hand and wiped his tears: "Don't cry."
"I always thought it was better for him to die, because he was free." Zhu Wenxu looked at the lake, "But now he can live again."
"Is this someone you liked before?"
Zhu Wenxu paused for two seconds after puffing out the cigarette, then put it out again.
"no."
"Don't be sad. He may have found a way of life that suits him." Xu Yu said, "Someone once told me that people must find the meaning of life in the endless journey ahead. You are, I am, and he is too."
Zhu Wenxu took a deep breath.
"Yes, he may have found it."
"Being able to remember him is also a blessing," Xu Yu said. "It's a silent blessing."
No one said this, he saw it in a book.
Zhu Wenxu grabbed his hand and said, "What should I do with you? It's always like this, Xu Yu, always follow me."
It's a dreamy thing to say, but where are we really going? Are we going to leave without a second thought and elope? It's hard enough being alone, let alone two people?
It's too far away.
Xu Yu withdrew his hand: "I don't mind."
"You don't mind?"
"I don't mind if my partner has had a lover before. We will meet countless people, and we will also meet someone we think we can rely on for a moment. Even if we don't move forward into the future, the days we spent together will not fade away easily. We should treat them as experience so that we won't get hurt in the future."
Half of this was his understanding of Xi Jiang; he never cared about the impact his ex had on his current partner. The rest was the knowledge he gained from reading erotic literature in the library. He believed that as time went by, he would always meet the right person. Even if he had loved others and been hurt and betrayed, he was still a broken but beautiful piece of jade.
After thinking about it carefully, Zhu Wenxu was born in the upper class, and his environment was several times better than that of ordinary people, so there would be no imperfections in his life. Therefore, he was the imperfect piece of jade, and he was beautiful.
"We will be each other's beginning and end." Zhu Wenxu suddenly became serious. "I swear."
Seeing his sudden attention, Xu Yu smiled and said, "Maybe the higher-ups heard your oath."
"I thought you would think it was childish of me to talk like that."
Xu Yu shook his head: "How could it be?"
"I read too many fairy tales when I was little," Zhu Wenxu said, "and I've always considered oaths very important."
"Of course it's important." Xu Yu tilted his head, "I heard it."
Zhu Wenxu coughed twice and pointed to the distance near Xu Yu: "Do you see that lighthouse? There's a lake behind it. Do you want to go see it?"
It was getting dark, and the faint light from the village could not reach far. Birds were circling high in the sky, chirping for only a few seconds before returning to the mountains and disappearing.
"Now?"
"Now."
Xu Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's go, but we can't stay here for long. There seem to be a lot of mosquitoes."
"Not long."
The car started off. The road was wide and it quickly went around to the back of the lighthouse. The scenery became more obvious and an artificial lake appeared completely in front of Xu Yu.
Zhu Wenxu did not get out of the car immediately. He opened the window and the hot and humid wind blew in his face. Water was floating in the air, carrying a primitive smell.
Xu Yu didn't notice his expression. He took off his seat belt, opened the door, and stood quietly on the stone road at the edge of the lake. A few fishermen could be vaguely seen in the distance.
"The water is so loud."
There was no answer. Xu Yu turned to look at Zhu Wenxu in the driver's seat. His hair was curled up, his clothes were half-flowing, and his calm face caught Zhu Wenxu's eye.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly, pushed open the door, suppressed his cigarette, and repeated, "I don't have an ex."
Xu Yu: "Me neither."
"Xu Yu."
"I've never liked Xi Jiang." Xu Yu interrupted him, "Never. I found that the feelings I had for him for so many years have been completely replaced by you after being with you."
Zhu Wenxu was stunned.
"If I make a big deal out of it, I'll easily be called an ungrateful person, but I don't care anymore. Can you just give me some time before I completely break up with him?" Xu Yu said seriously, "Then we can consider getting married."
Zhu Wenxu's abnormal behavior seemed strange from the moment he made the phone call from the aquarium, until just when he was driving, Xu Yu saw the white box in his pocket.
What did that mean? Xu Yu suddenly understood. A marriage proposal, an expression of love, a luxury item purchased at exorbitant prices by the upper class, a gift to a partner that matched their status.
Xu Yu's ups and downs are too great.
He never thought that he could have a future with Zhu Wenxu, and he also underestimated that Zhu Wenxu's feelings for him could reach such an extent.
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Wenxu's expression faded. He took out a white box from his pocket and opened it in front of him. Inside was a white ring with a tiny diamond that sparkled slightly.
"I want to build a better family with you. When I'm with you, I'll completely forget about Xi Jiang." Zhu Wenxu closed it. "When you completely forget about him, can you give me a chance to put it on for you?"
"Why?"
Zhu Wenxu didn't understand: "What?"
"Where does your love for me come from?"
I had wanted to ask this a long time ago, especially on the night of their first kiss, when they were squeezed on the small, flat single bed, and their noses were full of Zhu Wenxu's shower gel, Xu Yu calmed down.
I have wondered if it was Xi Jiang's revenge, or if Zhu Wenxu was also nostalgic for his past self, and because they were similar, he fell in love with her?
"Passersby walking in opposite directions, a distance is created when they pass each other once. A subsequent encounter automatically reduces that distance, ultimately turning into an active encounter," Zhu Wenxu said. "My appearance indicates I've taken the bait, doesn't it?"
Xu Yu turned his head and digested these words.
"Except for the hotel, after that..." He couldn't continue.
"I connected with you voluntarily." Zhu Wenxu finished for him.
Under his sight, the hot wind became stronger. Xu Yu silently took the ring box. The moment their fingertips touched each other, something in the air began to burn.
Zhu Wenxu came closer, his breath like mist coming out of a steamer, and he became impatient as they exchanged lips and tongues.
His kiss was particularly fierce, as if he had released something, and then he slowed down when he licked his tongue, not giving Xu Yu any chance to avoid it. He walked away, and Xu Yu was forced to retreat, pressed against the car, and the kiss became deeper.
The air turned into the sweetness of marshmallows again, melting on Xu Yu's tongue.
The kiss lasted for an unknown amount of time before both of them began breathing heavily. Xu Yu thought it was over, but he found that Zhu Wenxu pressed him down again and kissed him passionately again.
This time it was gentler than before, as if he was tempting Xu Yu to take the initiative. Every time Xu Yu responded, Zhu Wenxu's eyebrows would relax extraordinarily, until the other party stopped moving, he would kiss her eagerly.
The overlapping figures separated, Zhu Wenxu hugged him, and calmed down for a long time: "Let's go home."
Xu Yu was dizzy from the kiss and slowly lowered his head: "Okay."
On the way back, the music turned into a soothing tune. Both of them were in a good mood in the car. Xu Yu felt unexpectedly tired and fell asleep when he arrived at the community.
Zhu Wenxu drove to the parking space outside the residential complex, turned sideways to look at Xu Yu, and kissed his cheek without even a trace of emotion. Xu Yu was awakened, opened his hazy eyes, and yawned: "Are we there yet?"
"We're here." Zhu Wenxu helped him unbuckle his seat belt.
Xu Yu reached out to open the door, then felt a figure in front of him. He raised his head, wiped his eyes thinking he was seeing things, and then widened his eyes.
Kiss by the lake Zhu Wenxu was in a particularly good mood. He had been paying attention to Xu Yu's mood. He was shocked when he found that she was a little surprised. He turned his head and saw a Bentley parked not far away. Its owner was standing there, his eyes fixed on the two of them.
He started making a call, and Xi Jiang's name appeared on Xu Yu's phone screen.
After the call was connected, a cold command was issued from the other end: "Get out of the car."
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