7. Milk withdrawal
After a fifteen-minute drive, Deng Shilang arrived at Chen Li'er's residence.
After being lovers for two years, there were traces of him in the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom of Chen Li'er's apartment where she lived alone. For example, there was a loose white shirt hanging in the bedroom closet, two sets of toothbrushes and a Philips shaver in the bathroom, and a pair of men's slippers in the shoe cabinet so he could change into them when he arrived.
Deng Shilang got on the elevator and noticed that the message he had sent to Yao Ling on Instagram had been marked as read, but there had been no further follow-up. He was used to her behavior, except that she would occasionally leave a comment or tell him she was home.
Chen Li'er had lit an incense burner at home, and the moment he entered, he was immediately greeted by the refreshing aroma. As soon as he changed his shoes, her slender arm wrapped around his neck. For a moment, he thought she was the person on the bus, but he quickly recovered, put his arm around Chen Li'er's waist, and followed her inside.
"How are you today?" Deng Shilang asked with concern.
Chen Li'er hung on him, "I'm exhausted. Are you going to the pub on Monday night? I'm going to the exhibition I've been planning in Central at five o'clock. You can accompany me."
"You don't have to go to the pub."
As Chen Lier had said, she would be happier when he came to accompany her. However, when he went to take a shower, she listened to the sound of water and picked up his phone to check. The password was her birthday, and his screen was the original desktop layout of the iPhone, as simple as ever.
Chen Li'er checked WhatsApp, which was filled with chats between him and his colleagues and friends. She then checked WeChat and saw a photo of Deng Shilang and his ex from high school. Her heart trembled, and she reassured herself that it was in the past. Then she opened Instagram and saw four words he had sent to his ex, just half an hour before he came to her house.
Deng Shilang came out with a towel draped over his shoulders, and the scent of her shower gel was on his body. He walked over and pecked her cheek, but he saw that she was holding her phone, and the screen was frozen on the IG chat box between him and Yao Ling. He lifted her chin and asked her to turn her face and look directly at him.
"Don't believe me?"
Chen Li'er grabbed her phone and asked, "Then how are you going to explain it?" She knew that he cared about his friends of the opposite sex. If they had any work interactions or gatherings with friends, he would remind everyone in the group to pay attention to safety, but she had made three rules with him a long time ago that he was not allowed to do this again.
Seeing her face flush with anger, Deng Shilang softened his tone and said, "I saw her after dinner. We took the same car."
"I also saw the old photos of you and her. Why did you keep them?" Chen Lier threw his phone on the bed.
Deng Shilang didn't get angry at her for throwing his phone away. He hugged her, put her down, and took the phone in his hand. He slid the screen for her to see for herself, "Okay, block it now, and delete the photo from the record."
Seeing him so firmly draw the line, Chen Lier felt relieved, but she still said, "You should have done this."
Deng Shilang laughed, "If they send it to me and I delete it after reading it, I'll feel guilty. Then you'll get angry when you find out, and even if your ex doesn't do anything, you'll feel very threatened."
"Haven't you ever?"
Deng Shilang experienced this when they first started dating. Even before graduation, she was a sought-after talent at the University of Hong Kong. It was only after graduation that they became more involved. At the time, she was surrounded by a swarm of suitors, not to mention the resources and connections she gained after signing with a studio. He felt a sense of crisis at first, but he never imagined that things would change, and now she was the one worrying about gains and losses. Relationships are mutually beneficial, and their relationship requires mutual trust to continue.
Deng Shilang thought about this and stroked her hair affectionately. "Yes, I understand this feeling. Keep your distance from now on."
"That's better." Chen Li'er liked the sense of security he gave her, so she took off her suspender nightgown and stood up to hug him.
Deng Shilang hummed and let her kiss his neck, "At least give me some private space." I wonder if she heard it.
Yao Ling returned to her B&B, ignoring her parents' plans. Exhausted, she showered and went to sleep. She seemed to have nothing else to do in Hong Kong, so she followed her parents' instructions. But she heard from the Temple Street Night Market that they were going to Wong Tai Sin to pray the next day. The mere thought of it made her tired, so she decided not to join them.
Yao Ling didn't check her work emails while on vacation, and rarely even responded to messages, so she didn't see the Facebook link Liang Litang had shared the previous night. She received a call from her Aunt Qiuping, went to a tea restaurant for breakfast, and then spent the day at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. It was already 4 p.m. when she left the museum, and it was a short walk to Victoria Harbour to enjoy the fresh air, when Liang Litang suddenly called her.
"Rosalie, my mother said you didn't go to Wong Tai Sin. She was worried that you would be bored, so she asked me to take good care of you." It was very noisy over there at Liang Litang's place, and it was just closing time for the stock market.
Yao Ling looked at the ripples on the Victoria Harbour ferry and said, "It's not boring. I like being alone."
"Eon, be more social. Take a look at the messages I sent. Maybe you're interested."
"Wait a minute." Yao Ling finally realized he had sent her a link. She opened it and saw it was a fashion photography exhibition in Central featuring contemporary black-and-white film. She said sheepishly, "I didn't see it yesterday."
"Take the subway to Central now, and I'll take you there after work."
"Do you still need to bring it?"
"Are you not going to let me, your host cousin, take you to Hong Kong?"
Yao Ling was disappointed to hear his discouraging words and said with a smile, "Then wait for me."
"Where are you?"
“Hong Kong Museum of Art.”
"Okay, just take the subway and cross the sea."
At 4:30, the stock and futures markets closed. After finishing his duties, Liang Litong donned his suit jacket and went downstairs. Central's dress code required a full suit, complete with briefcase and neatly ironed suit. Although he was no longer a MK, he still had a black earring in his left ear, giving him a playful, almost mischievous look in the business-like atmosphere of Central.
Liang Litang entered the elevator and ran into Deng Shilang coming down from upstairs. He greeted him, "Hayden, going to the bar?"
He completely understood Deng Shilang's desire to mix drinks at a bar, casting aside the constraints of the stock exchange, mixing drinks in a modern building while listening to music – it was quite relaxing and charming. Besides, Deng Shilang was a clothes hanger; he could pull off any type of clothing; a leather jacket at the bar would definitely attract attention.
"Not going tonight," Deng Shilang said, hanging his suit on his arm and unbuttoning a few of his shirts, smiling back, "Meet Gigi."
Liang Litang patted his shoulder, meaning that he understood.
The two got off the elevator, and not long after, they each picked up someone.
Liang Litong met Yao Ling at the Central MTR station and was amazed by her outfit. He praised her for being cool and then took her to the exhibition.
Yao Ling followed him into the museum. Black and white film was frozen on the wall, a collection of films from various photographers. The images were richly artistic, with exaggerated fisheye lens techniques and stark contrasts of light and shadow. For example, one photo, shot from above, showed a model in a polka-dot dress crouching in the center of a square of white light, the hem swirling like waves. She stared up at the camera like a soft, curled-up cat, her eyes gleaming like cat's. The polka dots combined with the image made it seem as if countless eyes were watching someone outside the frame.
The contrast between black and white is particularly deep, with pure black shadows surrounding the white light. Yao Ling took a closer look and analyzed the shooting angle and lighting position.
Suddenly, someone stood next to her, and said in a sweet voice, with the scent of Dior, "I like this one too."
Yao Ling turned her head at the sound of a pure Hong Kong accent and saw a girl holding Deng Shilang's arm. She had never expected to meet them here. Deng Shilang was obviously wearing the same suit and shirt as Liang Litang, but his was wrinkled, with several buttons undone, and the sleeves casually rolled up.
"So you are here to see the exhibition too." Liang Litang suddenly realized.
Chen Lier smiled and replied, "Are you surprised? Here are the photos I took."
Deng Shilang nodded to Liang Litang as a greeting. Due to the safe distance agreed upon last night, he ignored Yao Ling.
As he entered the museum, he spotted Yao Ling. She was standing in front of the film, watching, dressed so lightly in the middle of winter. Her sweater had laces tied around her back, like bows. The sweater wrapped snugly around her arms and chest, leaving her slender back nearly exposed. Her long, flowing hair barely covered her slender waist. She wore a short skirt with mid-length boots, and her legs were white and straight, a true Milanese modernist.
She used to be afraid of the cold, but now she is not afraid of it anymore. He didn't know what to say.
Chen Li'er, upon meeting Yao Ling in person at the exhibition, wasn't as upset as she'd appeared to be from social media. She's a stylish and stylish fashion photographer, and she took the photo. She introduced herself with a flourish, as if chatting with other artists. "Hello, my name is Chen Li'er, and my English name is Gigi."
Yao Ling smiled professionally, "Yao Ling."
Chen Li'er gently leaned against Deng Shilang and smiled charmingly, "Thank you for liking this photo."
Yao Ling knew it from the signature on the photo and praised it, "Very impressive."
Chen Li'er thanked him. Deng Shilang pinched Chen Li'er's palm and said to her in a voice that all four of them could hear, "You guys chat, I'll go buy some hot cocoa." After saying that, he left his back and went to the coffee shop in the exhibition hall to buy some drinks.
Liang Litang quickly followed, put his arm around her shoulder, and turned around and said, "I'm going too. You two photographers can take your time to look around."
They are not from this industry and should take time to allow the two professionals to talk.
Seeing them leave, Chen Lier suggested to the person in front of her, "Let's go shopping together."
Yao Ling didn't refuse the offer and walked side by side with her. Chen Li'er, carrying a small bag, introduced the works of some Hong Kong fashion photographers as they walked. When she came to some of her works, she generously talked about her own photographic philosophy.
After the men left, Chen Li'er regained her composure. In her professional field, she didn't need to talk to men around. She said, "Every photographer has his or her own habits and favorite angles. I like lighting. Even if I'm not allowed to take portraits, I'll still look for light when taking photos of architecture. What about you?"
Yao Ling listened carefully and replied, "I like bold and saturated colors."
"Stylish." Chen Li'er commented.
"The lighting is also very stylized," Yao Ling said. "You should pay close attention to the central composition."
"I've seen your Instagram. You were studying in Milan?" Chen Li'er saw her nod and smiled as she replied, "When I was studying, I loved Italian Renaissance paintings. I drew inspiration from them and unknowingly became very good at central composition. You can see that the model in the center is almost expressionless, which gives people a sense of solemnity."
"Indeed."
After they walked around, Deng Shilang and Liang Litang came in, each carrying a bag of hot drink.
Deng Shilang brought a cup of hot cocoa to Chen Li'er's palms to warm them. He held the bag in one hand and gently put his other arm around her waist. He lowered his head and asked, "Are you done shopping?"
Yao Ling had a fleeting feeling. Deng Shilang had treated her the same way before. Liang Litang asked her if she wanted to drink, and she came to her senses and said she wasn't thirsty yet.
Chen Lier smiled, not caring about other people's opinions, and playfully said to Deng Shilang, "We're done shopping, I'm a little hungry, take me to eat something delicious."
Deng Shilang nodded and said to them, "Let's go first."
Yao Ling said to Liang Litang, "Let's go too."
They drove out and Chen Li'er got in first. After Yao Ling got in Liang Litang's car, she suddenly felt thirsty. She opened the bag to take out the drink and read the label. It said "Breastfeeding".
Liang Litang noticed she was looking, started the engine, and pointed, "Hayden said you drank hot cocoa without milk."
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