Chapter 73: In the Animal World, men become 65 after 25...
At the front of the car accident, where no one cared, Shen Qianshu sat on the trunk with his arms folded, answering the phone. His long legs moved in and out, and the expression on his face was neither the rage of being rear-ended nor the resentment of suffering an unprovoked disaster. His leisurely and comfortable posture seemed like he was waiting for someone, or like a passerby who had accidentally intruded to enjoy the show.
During the break, Shen Qianshu first noticed a pair of black leather shoes parked in front of him. Looking up, he saw Fang Qingzhuo in a formal suit, but the suit looked a little messy on him. A few strands of hair hung down from his smooth and full forehead. He was not wearing a tie, his collar was slightly open, and his cuffs were half-folded, revealing half of his forearm. A few bulging blue veins were faintly visible.
Shen Qianshu stopped swinging his legs leisurely and looked him up and down. At the same time, Fang Qingzhuo was also examining him from head to toe.
His expression was still as cynical as when we met a few days ago, with an indescribable, hateful blush on his ears. He was wearing a light grey T-shirt, loose dark grey jeans, and a black and white plaid shirt tied around his waist like an apron, like an elementary school student on a spring outing. However, the look he gave me was very worthy of scrutiny, giving me the absurd feeling of being stared at by a carnivore.
Two men, each with their own distinct looks and styles, stood and sat, the former coming with a fierce momentum, the latter resisting with a decisive blow. They stared at each other in silence for over half a minute. Shen Qianshu, his eyes fixed on the damaged car, patted its rear end, "I never thought some people, at their age, could still be so reckless."
"Not everyone can afford to mess around like that." Fang Qingzhuo pulled out a business card, leaned over and stuffed it into his chest pocket, and whispered a threat, "Stay away from her, or next time I hit her, it won't just be the back of the car."
It was as if I was being entangled by a mad dog, Shen Qianshu thought at the time.
"Really?" A sarcastic arc rose up in his eyebrows. "Then I'll accompany you to the end."
He took out the business card and twirled it between his fingers, not even bothering to glance at the contents before throwing it away. "By the way, in what capacity are you warning me now?"
"Luo Shu's boyfriend."
"Did you forget to add a word?" Shen Qianshu reminded and preached, "A qualified ex should keep each other from disturbing each other, let alone an ex with a criminal record."
"As someone who almost got married, what qualifications do you have to judge me?"
"Qualifications?" Shen Qianshu looked up at the sky, savoring his words, and then he started to complain. "Of course you don't qualify. How old are you this year? You're 26, right? As the saying goes, a man is 65 after 25. Lest anyone say I'm bullying the elderly and winning unfairly."
"You..." Fang Qingzhuo almost swore when he was humiliated for the first time.
On the other hand, Shen Qianshu was calm and composed, with a faint smile on the corner of his lips. He was in stark contrast to the image of a young man who had taken a lot of gunpowder before, and it was quite like a newcomer laughing at the old one.
"I know you and Luo Shu are classmates." Fang Qingzhuo forced himself to calm down again and observed his expression again. "I also know some of your secrets that are unknown to others."
"Investigate me." Shen Qianshu pretended to listen attentively and indifferently. "What did they find out about me? It's nothing more than Shen Guanghan. As for me, I'm worried about not having an opportunity to develop further. Maybe Luo Shu will love me a little more because of this. As her ex-boyfriend, you should understand this best, isn't it?"
Of course, Luo Shu was the most caring and loving girlfriend in the world. She was sweet-tongued, often coaxing a stubborn Guan Siqi into a better shape; she was protective, chasing him down and beating him up without a word if she thought he was being bullied; she was soft-hearted, buying medicine and visiting him when she learned he was sick, and she was also generous with all kinds of kisses, hugs, and affection.
On the long journey of reconciliation, he had firm confidence that he could return to the past. This confidence rose from the ground and built a tall building, supporting him through these long five years. Even during the separation, he never imagined that Luo Shu would fall in love with other men, let alone allow others to kiss her. But today, he saw the old building collapse and the new building rise again. At that moment, he admitted that he was really going crazy.
Fang Qingzhuo remained silent for a few seconds, then changed his tactics: "She can't forget me."
"Nothing strange." Shen Qianshu shrugged, with a forced smile, "This is Luo Shu, she has a good memory. There was a stray dog at the back door of our middle school, and she still remembers it. She even remembers the color of the hair on its forehead. As for you, so what!"
The other party's lazy tone pierced Fang Qingzhuo's heart. Then, with the iodine tincture ruthlessly ravaged him, he gritted his teeth and said, "Why are you so sure that you can have the last laugh?"
"Just because Luo Shu and I know each other so well." Shen Qianshu said leisurely, "I've liked her for so many years, and she and you have only been together for less than a year, just for the novelty. If I hadn't been away that year, you would have had the opportunity to take advantage of it. Oh, by the way, you should be thankful that our school doesn't tolerate premature love, otherwise you wouldn't have a place. People have self-knowledge, so please make clear your position. Don't have the audacity to harass her again, just because she's a thing of the past."
"Past tense?" Fang Qingzhuo tilted his head and laughed angrily, "Then have you ever understood what kind of past tense that is? You know everything about it, it's ridiculous..."
"Did she ever sing to you? Was she ever jealous of you? Did she ever let you rub her belly during her period? Did she ever call your name in her dreams? Did she ever sleep in the same bed with you?" The man's voice became hoarser and more excited with each sentence. "Did she ever bite you? Did she ever slap you?"
"Then why don't you cherish her?" Shen Qianshu roared, unable to remain calm any longer. He rushed forward and grabbed Fang Qingzhuo's collar, shouting at him with bloodshot eyes, "Ah, speak up, why did you hurt her like this?"
In an instant, Fang Qingzhuo became the target of public criticism. Shen Qianshu's questioning was like loud slaps in his face, one after another. The immense humiliation and anger tortured him.
Shen Qianshu was not much better. Fang Qingzhuo was right about one thing: Luo Shu really could not forget him, otherwise she would not have subconsciously avoided him when she heard his confession.
No one wins in this drama of jealousy.
There was still some time before it got completely dark. The legal department came rushing over to report the results after resolving the dispute. I was secretly complaining that he, the legal director, had to deal with the rear-end collision, which was really a waste of talent. Then I looked up and happened to see my boss and the innocent car owner staring at each other, acting out a scene that could only be seen in documentaries about the animal world, where two tribal leaders were fighting for territory. It would be a lie to say I wasn't surprised, but it would be true to say that the trip was worthwhile.
As the traffic police approached with a swagger, the tit-for-tat caused by the physical conflict in the previous second disappeared in an instant. Fang Qingzhuo drove away, and Shen Qianshu stayed behind to negotiate with the traffic police.
The legal director who witnessed the whole process stood there in amazement. The acting skills of these two movie stars were so smooth and natural that he even suspected that the tense confrontation just now was his own illusion. It would be a pity if he didn't become an actor.
In another corner of the city, Luo Shu was disturbed by Shen Qianshu's sudden confession. She had no recollection of how she got home. She only remembered pressing the elevator button several times without any response, and inserting the key several times without success. After finally opening the door, she went straight to the sofa in the living room and turned into a silent statue in deep thought, letting Shen Qianshu's confession that he would rather be a spare tire linger in her ears, and scattered memories flashed through her stuck brain one by one.
There was the time, when they had just been assigned a seat, when Shen Qianshu had proudly asked how to pronounce the "Shu" in her name? There was the time, in art class, when they drew pictures of each other's deskmates, when Shen Qianshu, while expressing disdain for her dog-paddling skills, was honestly putting the picture carefully between his books and his backpack. There were the times, on the way home from school, when it was clearly not on his way, he would always be there alone. There were the end-of-term parent-teacher conferences, when Shen Qianshu's seat was always vacant. And there was the last time they met, on the day after the high school entrance exam, when the smiling boy hooked his pinky finger and made a promise to save him a spot in high school, and then they would look out for each other, and then wait for him to break his promise.
How did it go bad?
This kind of puzzled thoughts lasted for a long time, so long that the sky outside the window turned from bright to light.
Suddenly, an untimely knock on the door broke the moment of peace eroded by the darkness.
No one should be visiting at this time.
As if there was no response, the man outside the house clapped twice more angrily. The sudden sound was particularly harsh in the quiet night.
People's courage in the dark is very weak. Luo Shu mustered up the courage to turn on the chandelier in the living room in the dark. She ignored the glare of the light and pricked up her ears to listen carefully to the movement at the door. She didn't dare to get too close, as her frightened heart had already jumped to her throat without her realizing it.
The impatient knocking on the door continued. Luo Shu shuddered with fear, and then she bravely shouted across the air: "Who?"
"Delivery man." The man answered briefly.
"I didn't order takeout, it was delivered to the wrong place."
After a brief silence, the sound of footsteps was finally heard outside the door.
Before Luo Shu could breathe a sigh of relief, the phone in her pocket rang with a new message. It was a push from the food delivery platform. What was terrifying was that the time on the screen pointed to the time when she usually ordered food. Moreover, most of her neighbors were old men and women, so there was no possibility of food being delivered to the wrong door. Facts proved that her worries were not unfounded. Two minutes later, the knocking sound was again, but this time the force was obviously increased, making loud "bang bang bang" noises, and each sound was like a provocation, slapping at her tense nerves.
"Who is it?"
This time no one answered, only the urgent knocking on the door stimulated my brain nerves.
Luo Shu held her breath and cautiously tiptoed to the back of the door to peek through the peephole. In the dimly lit corridor, a strange man wearing a baseball cap and a mask was blocking her door. He lowered his head cautiously and looked around from time to time.
How could a delivery person look normal? Countless terrible guesses emerged in my mind.
Is the thief scouting the area? Or is it a burglary?
The man seemed to realize that he was exposed and immediately bent his back. Then the sound of metal clashing was heard in the tense air, and the blood circulating in his body completely froze at this moment. Was he trying to pick the lock?
Just as the panic was growing, a tall figure suddenly appeared in the cat's eye. The face could not be seen clearly, but he was standing motionless behind the man who was picking the lock.
Could it be that the crime was committed by an accomplice?
Luo Shu took a half step back, opened her phone and tried to unlock it tremblingly.
"Baby, I forgot to bring my keys. Please open the door for me. I brought you a lot of gifts when I returned from my business trip."
Luo Shu's chaotic brain was suddenly shattered by this familiar voice, and her nose suddenly felt sore. She put down the alarm call she was typing halfway, raised her eyes and glanced at the peephole, and sure enough, the face of that bastard Fang Qingzhuo was reflected.
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