Chapter 40 Red Leaves 01
At the weekend, after Luo Siwei had sorted out the newly bought flowers, Su Ye Nan sent a WeChat message to her in a small group.
"Siwei, Yuexin, how much are you planning to give as red envelopes for Jinqi's wedding tomorrow?"
There are only three people in this small group, all of whom are good friends from high school.
Luo Siwei had also received an invitation to Jin Qi's wedding. Jin Qi was the class monitor in their high school. He was very popular in the class and always took the lead in class reunions.
Once you become an adult, the relationships between classmates are completely different from when you were a kid. Things in the past are long gone, and there weren't many people left in Donglan to begin with. Luo Siwei had no cases on her hands recently, so she was planning to go too.
It's common to discuss red envelope amounts before attending a wedding, especially among close friends. Luo Siwei replied to Su Yenan, "I've prepared 600. Is that enough?"
Mu Yue's heart skipped a beat and she said, "Officer Luo, please don't try to raise the price of red envelopes by yourself. Last year, Jin Qi gave 200 yuan for attending someone else's wedding. I'm going to give her 300 yuan."
Luo Siwei asked: "Where are the others?"
Su Ye Nan said, "I've asked everyone here, and they're all about the same. Most of them have prepared 200 to 300 yuan. There are so many weddings this year, and everything has gone up except salaries. If it goes any higher, everyone won't be able to afford it."
Luo Siwei realized this was already the third wedding she'd attended this year, with several more couples preparing to attend. This was because their system didn't allow large weddings, so fewer people were notified of their weddings. If she attended more, giving out red envelopes would become a problem.
Luo Siwei sighed: "Come to think of it, why are there so many people getting married recently?"
"I'm old enough now." Mu Yue thought to herself, "Officer Luo, let me give you some basic knowledge about dating and marriage..."
Luo Siwei was waiting to see what she was going to say, whether to let it be or to go through it, but Mu Yuexin called her four words.
“It’s not illegal.”
Luo Siwei: “…”
Su Ye Nan, who was watching the fun, typed out a series of "hhhhhhh".
Luo Siwei asked Su Yenan a soul-searching question: "Don't rush to make trouble with Mu Yuexin. Yenan, have you found a boyfriend?"
Su Ye Nan sent a crying emoji: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have laughed at Officer Luo's joke."
Luo Siwei replied: "It's not illegal to not get married or have a relationship."
Su Ye Nan bowed and said, "Officer Luo is really aware. Thank you for the criticism and education. Single dogs are comforted." Then she asked, "Mu Yuexin, when are you and your boyfriend planning to get married?"
Among the three of them, only Mu Yuexin has always had a boyfriend, but she was worried that the other two best friends were single, so she didn't introduce her boyfriend to them and rarely mentioned the topic.
But one of those two best friends studied criminal investigation, and the other worked in media, and they were both very sensitive. They both guessed that Mu Yuexin had never given up.
Later, Mu Yuexin no longer hid it.
She said in the group: "Don't worry, I will definitely inform you in advance. I want you to be bridesmaids later."
Seeing these high school classmates, Luo Siwei felt that life was perfect and the years were peaceful.
She recalled some things that happened in high school. Before the incident with her mother, she got along quite well with her classmates. The two people she had the best relationship with at that time were Su Ye Nan and Mu Yue Xin, who took the initiative to show her kindness.
Su Ye Nan was a quiet, bookish girl with a good literary style and a love of observation. She had an endless supply of books to read every day. She didn't talk much with anyone else, only getting along with the two of them.
Mu Yuexin is a typical sweet girl. She is not tall and has two dimples when she smiles, which makes her look very approachable. She has a cheerful personality, is lively and cute, can dance, likes to share her experiences, and has a good relationship with her classmates.
She is a tall, long-haired, stubborn and strong-willed academic girl.
These three people with very different personalities have been friends for a long time. Even after Luo Siwei's mother passed away and she was bullied every day, these two people did not give up on her. Instead, they encouraged and helped her in their own way.
Luo Siwei still remembered that Su Ye Nan had once written an essay about the relationship between the three of them. That essay was even considered an excellent essay and was read aloud by the teacher.
There is a passage in it: "Luo Siwei is like the dazzling sun, I am like the quiet moon, and Mu Yuexin is like the shining stars in the sky. The sun, moon and stars symbolize our friendship, which will never fade."
Thinking about it now, this description is a bit awkward, but the fact that they wrote such a sentence in their first year of high school is enough to show the depth of their friendship.
Among the three people, because Su Ye Nan has been single like her, the relationship between the two is closer.
When she was in college, she was implicated in the wax figure artist case. She suffered a head injury and lost her short-term memory for that period of time. She was also hospitalized for a while.
During the time she was in the hospital, Mu Yuexin often went to the hospital to visit her because she lived nearby, and Su Ye Nan would also take time to chat with her.
Luo Siwei has always been very grateful for what they have done.
After graduating from university, Mu Yuexin joined an education and training institution, but they did not provide early childhood training, but skills training for adults.
Su Ye Nan works as an investigative reporter at an Internet news media company in Nancheng City.
Luo Siwei became a policeman.
In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed.
They haven't seen each other for more than a year. Luo Siwei was a little excited at the thought of seeing those old friends, and started preparing for the meeting early.
The next afternoon, Luo Siwei arrived at the Donglan International Hotel on time.
In order to meet her old classmates, she put on light makeup, wore a somewhat ladylike dress, and let her hair down.
It was an auspicious day, and it was also Sunday, so I didn't have to think about work and was away from those troublesome cases.
As soon as she entered the hall, she saw various photos of newlyweds, balloons, and banners. In the lobby of more than 200 square meters, there were welcome photos of six couples placed in different directions, and the reception desk occupied various positions.
These weddings will be held in different halls.
Perhaps the newlyweds had anticipated this kind of scene, and the printed photos looked like a competition, each one bigger than the last.
This one has a large roll-up banner, the second one has a three-by-three display stand, one has a huge spray-painted picture, and one even has a picture hanging from the second floor.
Those photos were taken in different styles and all looked very expensive.
Luo Siwei thought she had good criminal investigation skills, one of which was photo recognition. She carefully examined the brides in the large photos one by one, but couldn't recognize any of them. Each bride was stunningly beautiful, with a standard oval face, large eyes, and a high nose bridge. So well-Photoshopped that her mother wouldn't recognize her.
The challenge failed. Luo Siwei looked at the names above helplessly and finally found Jin Qi's name.
It was the highest one, its large photo hung beneath a pile of colorful hydrogen balloons, so people could only see it in its entirety if they looked up. This was definitely the largest photo in the entire venue, and Luo Siwei suddenly felt a sated desire to win.
She looked at the sign above and saw that the restaurant was located on the third floor, Hall 2. Luo Siwei was about to go upstairs when someone suddenly called her, "Luo Siwei?"
The voice was pleasant and familiar. Luo Siwei turned around and saw Chi Li standing in the hall.
Luo Siwei didn't expect to run into a colleague at a wedding this weekend. She extended her hand and said hello, "Captain Chi, what a coincidence."
Chi Li nodded at her and walked over.
Chi Li was wearing a neat dark suit, a white shirt, and a tie today. He had broad shoulders but a thin waist, and the dark suit pants made him look tall and slender.
Luo Siwei asked him, "I'm in Hall 2 on the third floor, attending my high school classmate's wedding. Which one are you attending today?"
Luo Siwei suddenly thought, if Chi Li is a relative of the man's side, that would be interesting. Then her eyes suddenly stopped and looked at the person in front of her.
Luo Siwei reasoned habitually that Chi Li, dressed in a suit, wouldn't even be a best man. If a best man dressed like that, the groom would be completely overshadowed and would have no chance of survival. Unless the groom was even more handsome than him, but that was unlikely.
Could it be...
Luo Siwei suddenly remembered that their public security system now emphasizes keeping weddings and funerals low-key. Some people are afraid of getting in trouble and won't even notify their colleagues.
Just like when Director Li of the Third Branch's daughter got married, they kept it a secret from everyone for fear of receiving gifts, and waited two weeks before distributing the wedding candy. And then there was Director Yu from Logistics. By the time they found out he had given birth to a son, the child was already walking.
Given Captain Chi's personality, any relationship he has with Captain Chi will definitely be kept secret with the highest level of confidentiality.
Luo Siwei was afraid that she might have missed the photo.
She asked cautiously in a low voice, "Captain Chi, you're not... getting married, are you?"
Asking this, Luo Siwei felt a vague soreness in her heart, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what that feeling meant. Perhaps she was lamenting that such excellent men were marrying young.
Chi Li looked at her, his eyes seemed to contain some complicated emotions.
He paused for a moment and said, "First, this isn't the city bureau, so just call me Chi Li. Second, if I get married, I'll definitely let you know." Then he pointed to the side and said, "I'm here to attend this."
Luo Siwei took a closer look and found a small sign amidst a pile of colorful photos and flowers. It read: "Only Network Security Promotes Public Security, Donglan Network Security Seminar."
Damn it, this is a serious event but they didn’t make the sign bigger just to save money.
Luo Siwei tried to put on a smile: "What a coincidence, today is a special day, and everything has come together."
That's right. If Chi Li wanted to have a secret marriage, he wouldn't have done it in such a big hotel, nor would he be in the lobby at this time, let alone greet her calmly.
Captain Chi is either working overtime on site or in the office every day. How can he have time for a relationship?
Luo Siwei suddenly felt that she had contributed all her intelligence and talents to the criminal investigation career. As a result, every time she met Chi Li, her brain would automatically stop working when she looked at him.
Chi Li adjusted his tie and explained, "Some media and Internet companies from Donglan are attending, and I will make a speech later." Because it was not a meeting of the Ministry of Public Security, he did not wear a police uniform this time and chose formal attire.
Luo Siwei hurriedly said: "No wonder you are dressed so formally."
Chi Li said: "See you later when you have time."
Luo Siwei waved his hand: "See you later."
After parting ways with Chi Li, Luo Siwei went upstairs.
She found the wedding sign-in area, signed her name, handed in a red envelope, and was then led to the area for classmates, relatives, and friends. The wedding wasn't well coordinated, and the large hall made it a bit chaotic. There were no specific seating arrangements at each table, just general labels indicating whether they were classmates, colleagues, or relatives. The groom's and bride's tables were also mixed together.
As soon as Luo Siwei entered Mu Yuexin, she asked her to sit down. Mu Yuexin was wearing a small dress today, looking gentle and lovely.
Luo Siwei looked around but couldn't find Su Ye Nan. She sent a message in the small group: "We are all here, where are you, Ye Nan?"
After a while, Su Ye Nan replied to her: "Come later, save a seat for me first."
Seeing this, Luo Siwei put her schoolbag aside and said she was there when someone came to ask. There were a lot of people in the hall, and someone even asked for her and Mu Yuexin's WeChat ID. Luo Siwei declined all requests.
On the stage, the host comes on stage and the wedding begins. Then it gradually moves to the romantic moment. The father-in-law leads the bride to the groom. After exchanging rings, it is the time for the vows of love.
The whole place went dark. As they reviewed the love history of the bride and groom, looked at the photos that recorded their sweet moments, and listened to the touching love words, Mu Yuexin, who was standing by, seemed to be moved by the scene and said, "It's so touching..." She began to wipe away her tears secretly.
Luo Si smiled and asked her softly, "What are you envious of? You have a boyfriend anyway."
Mu Yuexin wiped her eyes with a tissue, her eyes red: "There is no comparison at all..."
Listening to those affectionate confessions and beautiful music, Luo Si actually felt a vague yearning. Seeing that her peers had already entered into marriage, while she had never even had a relationship, Luo Si felt a little lost.
Because of her experiences from childhood to adulthood, her view on love is somewhat split.
Luo Siwei feels that love and marriage are like a gamble and also like a long-distance race.
Her parents' marriage was undoubtedly unhappy, and her life lacked fatherly love.
But she had witnessed the love between her grandparents and saw them holding hands until sunset.
After becoming a criminal police officer, she saw couples running away when faced with disaster, husbands turning swords against their wives, and she also saw the love between couples lasting until death.
Being able to find someone who loves you is simply a blessing in life. She believed that such a thing would happen, but she couldn't believe that luck would suddenly fall upon her.
Not to mention that in her subconscious, there is also fear and disgust towards men.
It can be said that she yearns for, fears, and is a little hesitant about love and marriage.
Looking at this wedding at this moment, putting aside those distracting thoughts, Luo Siwei's mind emerged with the figure of a man... If that man was the groom, would she accept it happily?
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