Chapter 23 After the Rain "The person who is closest to you."...
Song Jili stepped forward and left, and the small group popped up a message.
Song Jili: [Please take care of your aunt for me.]
The three people who received the message at the same time exchanged glances.
Sang Yi loves crickets, and couldn't help but privately chat with Fang Xiuqi: [Second uncle is crazy, he just gave me such a cold shoulder that my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I thought he was so awesome, but now he's like this.]
Fang Xiuqi was even more speechless: [Is Second Uncle the type who will easily turn his face away?]
Sang Yi: […Normally I won’t dump you. If I do, you can leave Jiangdu tomorrow. There will be no place for you to stay.]
Fang Xiuqi: [Don't get the point wrong. What I mean is, who is Second Uncle showing his disdain to? Don't you understand?]
Sang Yi was not blind, of course he could see that Song Jili was angry because of Chen Cheng's nonchalant look.
Sang Yi: [Tsk tsk tsk, this is what it means to be a henpecked man. Even though he flirted with Fang Xiaomin today, his wife didn’t even blink.]
Fang Xiuqi: [Don’t be happy about the misfortune. Hurry up and find a solution. I don’t want to be an innocent victim.]
Sang Yi thought for a moment and pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Aunt, what happened to Uncle?"
Chen Cheng is even more confused than them.
It should be said that she was the one who was completely out of the situation.
She shook her head slightly.
After taking another sip of the soup, Chen Cheng decided to go and take a look.
Couples left one after another, and the atmosphere became more awkward.
"Qian Xincai, why are you talking about the past when you have nothing else to do?" Sang Yi said with an unhappy look on his face, "You can't stand seeing others doing well, right?"
"Me! I just mentioned it casually. It's all old stuff. Who would really take it to heart?" Qian Xincai pouted in grievance.
Fang Xiaomin was about to speak to ease the atmosphere when Qian Zhou interrupted her with a sharp voice.
"Okay, we'll dock soon, you go back first."
Qian Xincai was dissatisfied: "On what basis?"
"You are not ashamed to ask why." Sang Yi laughed, "The cruise ship is not yours, and you are not the one who organized the game, so why do you ask why?"
"Sang Yi, Xincai is a girl, so please be more tactful when you speak." Fang Xiaomin patted Qian Xincai and consoled her, "We are out here to have fun, so don't be unhappy over trivial matters."
Fang Xiuqi listened to their quarrel, his head buzzing, and said, "When the boat reaches the shore, you can get off too."
Fang Xiaomin was slightly startled, and said hesitantly: "Aqi, what did I do wrong?"
Sang Yi rolled his eyes several times.
What's wrong? I don't know what's going on.
"Don't force yourself to fit in if it's not your circle." Sang Yi sympathized with his two friends. Since they were his relatives, it was not appropriate to say anything too harsh. So he would be the bad guy, since he always said unpleasant things anyway.
"Sang Yi, how could you talk to Sister Xiao Min?" Qian Xincai said, "Sister Xiao Min finally came back to China, what's wrong with her getting together with us?"
Sang Yi poured out all his dissatisfaction today and said in a cold voice: "We didn't know each other well before we went abroad, so what's the point of getting together? Today's party was specially organized by Second Uncle for Second Aunt to celebrate their 100th day of knowing each other, their wedding, and the coming of the new year. It has nothing to do with you and Fang Xiaomin. You made a scene to steal the show, and even said in front of her that Second Uncle and her were almost married. What do you think the real host will think?"
Things are so tense right now, I guess the following activities will be postponed.
"Qian Xincai, stop talking." Qian Zhou felt a headache.
Is he really stupid or just pretending? He usually speaks in a voice as soft as a mosquito, but now he dares to confront even Paozhao Sang Yi head-on, just for the so-called friend he hasn't contacted for a year.
Qian Xincai felt that they were deliberately picking on her.
He stood with his hands clenched, unwilling to retreat.
"I'll go first." Fang Xiaomin pulled Qian Xincai's hand, "I didn't expect to cause trouble to everyone. Tomorrow is New Year's Day. Don't get angry over such a small matter."
Qian Xincai feels sorry for Fang Xiaomin.
We went to school together and often got together on weekends. We had a good relationship. Why are you now excluding people you don't contact often?
And after they started a family and a career, they all changed...
"Sister Xiao Min, I'll go with you."
She didn't want to stay any longer.
Sang Yi was too lazy to watch them act out their sisterly love, so she stood up without even moving her stool, made a deliberately harsh noise, and left.
Qian Zhou brought Qian Xincai to the deck.
As soon as he walked out of the door, he said speechlessly: "What's wrong with you? You and Fang Xiaomin don't seem to be that close, are you under a spell? You keep talking to her."
"You boys don't understand!" Qian Xincai straightened her neck and retorted sharply.
Qian Zhou looked around cautiously and pushed Qian Xincai: "You are stupid. You are so worried about others being used as a gun that you don't care about your brother's life or death? I am still the general assistant of Second Uncle."
Qian Xincai, who had an angry look on her face, became dazed.
"I... didn't think too much about it, and we had a good relationship when we were in school. I just wanted us to have meals and chat together like we used to." Qian Xincai was worried about her brother and her eyebrows were wrinkled into a line.
It was not easy for them and their siblings to live in the Qian family. If it were not for Song Jili's sake, their father would definitely be instigated by some mistresses who coveted the family property to cut off ties with them.
Qian Zhou was helpless, Qian Xincai was still too naive.
Not to mention what happened back then, it’s been almost ten years. No one will stay where they are. Everyone changes. How can we go back to the way we were before? Being able to just exchange greetings is already pretty good.
"Have you ever thought about why she suddenly came to you? She returned to China at the beginning of the year." Qian Zhou asked.
Qian Xincai opened her eyes wide and realized something was wrong.
"Xincai, use your brain more and don't let others use you as a tool." Qian Zhou stopped there. "Go home after the ship docks, and find a chance to visit Second Uncle and his family during the New Year. Second Uncle has helped us a lot, and we can't forget this kindness."
Qian Xincai nodded and assured: "Yes, I will, brother, don't worry!"
Chen Cheng, who had been staying in the rest area in the corner of the deck, listened to the entire conversation from the moment the brother and sister spoke their first words. He vaguely felt what had happened between them in the past.
After thinking deeply for a few seconds, she stopped quickly. It was none of her business, and it would be foolish to think too much about it.
Chen Cheng chased Song Jili out, and he kept making phone calls after returning to the study.
I thought, maybe he wasn’t angry at all, it was just a joke between friends, and it wasn’t a big deal, he was just out doing work.
At 7:30, the cruise ship docked. Qian Xincai left first and did not go with Fang Xiaomin.
Before leaving, Fang Xiaomin went to find Song Jili, but he was in a meeting and didn't have time to meet her, so she stood there for a long time before leaving.
Chen Cheng watched silently and didn't ask any more questions.
I went downstairs from the room and saw Liang Yanling standing at the dock, and waved happily.
Liang Yanling, who had a stern face and exuded an aura of "No Entry", noticed a jumping figure on the deck. Recognizing it was Chen Cheng, she also jumped up and waved in response.
Chen Cheng had no idea how cute he was. He was wrapped up like a ball, with the wool on top of the yarn bouncing around. He looked a little silly, swaying from side to side like a clumsy penguin.
When Song Jili went out, he saw the touching scene of sisters-in-law hugging each other.
The two of them laughed very happily, walked into the house hand in hand, and had no room for a third person in their eyes.
His face got darker.
There were snacks and treats in the boat. Chen Cheng and Liang Yanling ate them all, as if they had come to a happy world just for the two of them, ignoring the presence of other people in the house.
"Uncle, Aunt doesn't even know whether the gift you specially prepared will be given away?" Sang Yi asked with a smile.
Song Jili sat next to Song Qiaoli, poured him a glass of whiskey, and said slowly, "The person who came today was so upset that she didn't even finish half a bowl of rice. Now she can have a snack, so we can't stop her."
Okay, after all, my wife is still the most important.
"Uncle, I apologize first." Qian Zhou spoke for his sister, "Xin Cai didn't know about the conflict between you two, so she brought Fang Xiaomin to the party."
Song Jiliya didn't even look at who came today. He was only concerned about whether Chen Cheng was adapting well, but he kept it in his heart and didn't dare to say anything.
"Okay, I'll be careful next time." Song Jili's tone was neither salty nor bland, and it was hard to guess whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood.
Fang Xiuqi tried to ease the atmosphere: "Second Aunt is not angry either, so you can rest assured, Second Uncle."
After hearing the previous words, Song Jili frowned.
It seemed that I roughly understood why the inexplicable anger when I left the table was somewhat directed at Chen Cheng.
"She's not angry?" Song Jili was worried that he was too subjective, so he asked again.
Sang Yi said arrogantly, "Yeah, isn't it good not to be angry?"
Why do you still look dissatisfied when nothing has happened in the past?
Song Jili tilted his head.
I noticed that Chen Cheng was always smiling and cheerful with others, but every time he faced him, he would become cautious and timid.
"Okay?" Song Jili began to doubt himself, wondering if he was asking for too much.
Sang Yi frowned: "Second Auntie doesn't meddle in other people's business, and is always on your side and considerate of you. Isn't that a good thing?"
Growing up in a circle where profit is everything, the couples around him are mostly family marriages. They have fun behind the scenes and their lives are a mess. Chen Cheng is dutiful and considerate. If he were not physically disabled, the people who would marry him would line up from northern Beijing to Jiangdu.
Song Jili responded in a muffled voice: "Yeah."
Sang Yi couldn't figure out whether this "hmm" was good or bad.
Don't tell him that Song Jili wants to be controlled.
After thinking about it, he denied it. It was impossible. Song Jili was playful and good at playing tricks on people. How could he really take me seriously?
"I'll go to the conference room upstairs." Song Jili calmed down and did not stay any longer as he had other things to deal with.
-
Liang Yanling and Chen Cheng huddled on the deck, placed fairy wands, and wrote in the air.
Chen Cheng took a set of nine-grid photos for Liang Yanling. After taking the photos, there was no need for any retouching. He posted the photos on Weibo and went live directly.
"Chengzi, have you ever studied photography? How come you are so good at taking photos?" Liang Yanling finally took the photo of her life at the end of the year.
Not only did I change my social media accounts on all platforms to the photos I had just taken, I also changed my WeChat profile picture.
Chen Cheng: "I'm just more sensitive to light."
Having four-color vision means that she can see more colors than ordinary people and is more sensitive to light, so taking pictures is not difficult for her. As long as she can make good use of light and shadow, she can easily take pictures with a sense of atmosphere.
When there was no one around, Chen Cheng dared to ask Liang Yanling: "Do you know Fang Xiaomin?"
Liang Yanling was stunned for a moment: "As for her, I just know her, but I'm not familiar with her. But Ji Li is in the same grade as her. They were close friends before their sophomore year and often went out together. Everyone thought they were a couple."
Liang Yanling talked about some things about her past studies and said, "My second uncle and I were in the same club. Since I knew I would marry into the Song family, I got close to them. But I just talked to my second uncle more and learned that they had a rich and colorful weekend life."
"Ahem." Liang Yanling clenched her fist and put it to her lips. "Do you mind if I continue?"
Chen Cheng shook his head.
She wanted to listen but no one else was willing to say it, so she could only ask Liang Yanling.
Liang Yanling continued, "The Fang family is also a well-known family in Jiangdu. They still have feelings for each other, and everyone thought they would get married after graduation."
Chen Cheng asked her, "Did they break up?"
So they just met their ex? Then Song Jili's behavior is reasonable.
"No, I didn't even know they were dating, so it can't be considered a breakup." Liang Yanling tried hard to think of an adjective, "Probably more than friends, but less than lovers. If they can graduate together, the possibility of them being together is very high."
Chen Cheng recalled the several times Fang Xiaomin's eyes had looked at Song Jili.
...I guess I haven't let it go yet.
"Who cares about them? Now that you're married, you're Second Uncle's wife." Liang Yanling didn't like Fang Xiaomin's pretentious personality, so naturally she didn't bother to say good things to her to win Chen Cheng's favor.
Chen Cheng lit up the next sparkler and watched the fireworks flicker quietly. He watched it slowly burn out, and when the last glimmer of light disappeared, he put it down and lit a new one.
I repeat it several times and it doesn't get boring.
"I'm so sleepy. I've been working non-stop and I can't hold on any longer. I'm going to go upstairs to sleep first and get up at midnight. If I still have energy, I'll ask you out for a midnight snack." Liang Yanling yawned and her eyes could hardly close.
In the past half month, we have been on tour in three cities, and in some places we had to perform two shows in a row. As the leading actress, Liang Yanling has many scenes to play, so she has to attend every show and also cooperate in publicity.
Chen Cheng patted the stool and typed, "Go and rest first. I'll wait for you here."
Liang Yanling yawned continuously and said incoherently: "Well, okay, I'm going to sleep."
She walked to the door and asked the others, "Where's Qiao Li? Where did he go? I'm going to sleep."
Fang Xiuqi joked, "Uncle is still talking about things. Ah Ling, how old are you? Do you want an uncle to coax you to sleep?"
"Shut up!"
Liang Yanling glared at the frivolous young man, feeling embarrassed to look for Song Qiaoli again, and went back to her room.
Chen Cheng picked up a new box of sparklers, took out one, lit it with a lighter, and watched it burn out.
I finished two boxes like this.
When Song Jili came out to look for her, he saw her curled up alone in a corner of the outdoor sofa, playing with fairy wands, and she didn't feel bored at all.
The warm light from the fairy wand shone on her soft face. A faint smile played on the corner of her lips, and she was completely immersed in her own world.
During the dinner, that inexplicable feeling of panic and anger came over him again. Song Jili had not been in a passive emotional position for a long time, and his mood became heavy.
He walked over to Chen Cheng and sat down.
Chen Cheng looked up, saw that it was him, smiled, and continued playing with the sparkler.
After careful observation, I found that Chen Cheng's smile comes in many different flavors.
The smile just now was superficial.
Say hello and then continue to immerse yourself in your own world.
Song Jili couldn't suppress the irritation that kept rising in his heart. He wanted to smoke a cigarette, but he didn't even have a lighter in his pocket.
Ever since he saw Chen Cheng being choked by secondhand smoke, he hasn't touched cigarettes for a long time, except when someone passes him a cigarette at a dinner party.
Song Jili walked to Chen Cheng's side and sat down, about a palm's distance away.
Chen Cheng drew circles in the air with a sparkler and handed him one.
"You play." Song Jili didn't answer.
Chen Cheng calmly took a new one, held it to the flame and lit it.
"Are you happy today?" Song Jili brought up the topic without any reason.
Chen Cheng turned around, looked at him for a few seconds, raised the corners of his lips, and nodded.
The response was very good, but I just couldn't laugh enough.
Just a polite smile.
Song Jili asked: "Does their topic make you feel uncomfortable?"
The fairy had just finished lighting a cigarette, and Chen Cheng threw it into the trash can, replying to him using sign language: No, I think what they say is very interesting.
Song Jili stared at her and asked again: "Why don't you ask what happened between Fang Xiaomin and me?"
Chen Cheng was stumped by the question and was stunned for a few seconds.
If she could speak, she would subconsciously ask why she asked.
But, even if she couldn't say it, the look in her eyes was no different from if she had said it.
Chen Cheng was worried about being misunderstood, so he quickly explained using sign language: You two are good friends. Although I don’t know exactly what happened, only you parties involved know the true situation. It’s already a thing of the past, and I won’t dwell on it.
Song Jili felt a pang of pain in his heart: "I miss you so much?"
Chen Cheng paused again, not understanding what he meant. He just wanted to prove that he was not a petty person, so he said: No, Mr. Fang and the others also said that you were good playmates in school...
Before she finished signing, his big hand grabbed her hand and pressed it against her thigh.
He came over and whispered, "Baby, you're really not curious?"
Chen Cheng looked at him and nodded seriously.
She did have some curious thoughts, but she told herself no, this was something she couldn't be curious about.
Song Jili rested his chin on her shoulder and rubbed her cheek with his nose.
Chen Cheng didn't dare to move and sat down with his head down.
"Don't you want to ask me?"
Everyone was worried that Fang Xiaomin's sudden appearance would affect their relationship, and they were even more afraid that she was harboring a grudge.
The person involved didn't feel anything at all, and his expression wasn't even as strong as when he was playing with the sparklers.
Song Jili moved closer and closer until he held her in his arms.
He had a faint scent of alcohol, mixed with a refreshing woody perfume, which instantly surrounded her.
She wanted to ask him if he was drunk.
But, I can't move.
Chen Cheng looked down at his current situation——
His coat was draped over her thighs, his hands were pinned, unable to move, his other hand was around her shoulders, his fingers brushing against her neck, intentionally or unintentionally.
Excessively intimate.
She tried again, but couldn't pull her hand back.
So, did he want her to answer?
Song Jili was not sure that after letting go, the words she said were what he wanted to hear.
It’s been a long time since I felt this way. I have no confidence or courage in myself.
"Baby, I'm your husband."
"The person closest to you."
Chen Cheng nodded, stopped pulling his hand back, and said in lip language: I know.
Song Jili felt sad and smiled helplessly: "You don't know."
She had no idea that what concerned him was that their relationship was not yet equal.
No matter who she is with, she can marry him and fulfill her responsibilities as a wife.
Chen Cheng doesn't have to be with Song Jili.
Thinking of this, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.
Chen Cheng frowned and stared at him, silently expressing his dissatisfaction and accusing him of wrongly accusing someone.
Even if he confessed himself to her now, she would not be able to understand.
Chen Cheng really didn't know why Song Jili was talking to her about the same things.
He seemed to be anxiously confirming something. He pressed his hand against her forehead, pinched her chin, and kissed her.
He forcefully pried open her lips and went deeper, bit by bit.
Chen Cheng fell into his control without any preparation, sitting on his lap and allowing him to pick her.
In a daze, I heard him murmur:
"Baby, one day, you will know..."
"You'll know..."
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