Chapter 95
The one-day trip to Xiaguo is over, which means that An Jing and his friends will return to the Blue Continent base.
Before leaving, An Jing was packing his bag in the locker room when he suddenly felt a tightness around his waist. Bian Lu came around and hugged him, saying, "Didn't we agree to go hiking?"
His magnetic voice was hoarse, as if he was being coquettish. An Jing couldn't help but smile when she heard it. She replied, "Forget it. After all, it's a business trip, and there are other colleagues here. If there's a chance, we should just come by ourselves next time."
Bian Lu stood up straight again and said in a mournful voice, "Oh, so that's it."
His tone was regretful, but his eyes were full of stars. An Jing had never been stared at with such a direct and ambiguous look before, and he immediately felt a little embarrassed and his movements were nervous.
"What are you doing..." An Jing packed his shoulder bag and picked up Bian Lu's suitcase. He jokingly said, "That's hilarious! Did you think you were going on a long trip? You brought so much stuff, you filled up an entire suitcase."
"No, there are only two or three pieces of clothing in it." Bian Lu replied, and walked over to tell him solemnly: "If you don't believe me, just pick it up. It's not heavy at all because I didn't put anything in it."
An Jing blinked, arched his eyebrows, and said softly, "I know, I just wanted to say a few words to you."
"What?" Bian Lu looked up at him, then met his relaxed face, and only then did he realize that he was joking with him.
Bian Lu: "Didn't you just say you can't joke?"
"Just now, I got it." An Jing snorted coldly, then put on his shoulder bag and walked out of the room. His posture was like a domineering and indulgent peacock.
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After returning to Lanzhou, everything was back to normal, but Bian Lu felt that time had slowed down, especially his daily work in the community street office, which he found extremely difficult.
Mainly, An Jing would pick him up after get off work, and the two would take advantage of this short night to chat or have a drink.
"Hey, Chief Bian, hey!" Bian Lu came back to his senses. Chang Haojie waved at him with a stack of documents and said jokingly, "Why are you always distracted lately? Here, to summarize, the secretary said that the bulletin board at the door should be replaced."
Bian Lu nodded, took it and said no problem, then turned on the computer and started working.
It turns out that when people are distracted, their ears become deaf, but when they are doing serious work, their ears become extremely sensitive.
Just as Bian Lu was taking photos and converting them into a PDF file, Liu Li let out a sharp laugh and whispered, "It's true. I saw them with my own eyes. They were very close, not like ordinary friends."
Bian Lu passed by her office and said casually, "What are you talking about? You're smiling so happily."
"Well," Chang Haojie popped his head over and said, "We're talking about you, Bian Lu. Do you really have that kind of relationship with Lan University's Professor An?"
Bian Lu paused typing. He raised his eyes and said coldly, "What kind of relationship are you talking about?"
"Don't be angry, we're all colleagues." Liu Li smiled and said, "If you're gay, then so be it. It's not like we're gay these days. We won't laugh at you. We're hiding it for fear that people will say you're a relative."
Chang Haojie sat back in his office chair. He pursed his lips, gave Bian Lu a meaningful sidelong glance, and said, "I was admitted to our company as a recent graduate, and I've been working here for five or six years. And yet, Section Chief Bian became the section chief right from the start. Wow—I'm really... so envious, haha."
"My ancestors for three generations were ordinary people, and they really have no background." Bian Lu continued typing, but he was not in a good mood, because he was the one who lost his job because of his connections. It was obviously a downgrade to move from District D to District A, but he didn't expect that he would be ostracized by his colleagues and accused of using backdoors.
"If there is no one, then there is no one." Liu Li laughed strangely and even joined in the sarcastic tone towards him.
Bian Lu scratched his brow and wondered if it was because of the last time when he refused her blind date at the agricultural cooperative.
Anyway, another day's work is over.
To offset his colleagues' slight ill will, Bian Lu deliberately lingered until the very end, even working diligently after the streetlights came on. Then, with two beeps outside, An Jing's Blue Star sedan drove over.
Bian Lu remained motionless, working hard to create the framework of the bulletin board.
"Ahem." An Jing knocked on the glass door from outside the main entrance, then asked in a gentle voice, "What's wrong? Did your boss scold you, so you're rushing things here?"
"It's nothing, I just suddenly feel disgusted with the office." Seeing him coming, Lawyer Bian still couldn't put down the business at hand. On the contrary, he felt even more depressed because his job transfer was related to him.
"Did you get into an office fight?" An Jing asked, leaning over the table next to him, tilting his head. "I had one too. It was at a dinner party. My boss asked me to take a drunk female colleague home, so I just called a designated driver."
"Just—" Bian Lu suddenly raised his head and exclaimed in surprise: "Do we have to be so cautious?"
An Jing said in a serious tone, "Yes, it's because I'm full of evil. I'm a double-door who attracts both men and women."
"I'm really impressed." Bian Lu held his forehead with his hand as if he was amused. He picked up the pen at hand and tapped it, saying, "I think it's not easy for you to achieve this."
"Well, dear." An Jing suddenly grabbed Bian Lu's hand and said, "I want to tell you something. I might have to go to Xia Country again."
Bian Lu looked up: "Why?"
"Here's the thing. Have you seen the news recently? The W-YH inhibitor developed by Dr. Bai Tiaobai has shown very good clinical results and is about to be put into mass production. Furthermore, Lanzhou has decided to demonstrate its humanitarian spirit and donate 5,000 doses to Anzhou University in Xiaguo for free, which is equivalent to a vaccine."
An Jing answered slowly, "I volunteered to be a volunteer, and it took about three to five days."
"I really envy your freedom." To be honest, Bian Lu's mood suddenly fell into a bottomless abyss.
Obviously, he could have stayed in Lan University as a teacher, but he chose to join the army halfway through his studies and later transferred to a military academy. He could have stayed in District D, but his place was taken by a Tianlong family like An Jing.
"Go ahead." Bian Lu suddenly felt helpless. He thought to himself, the gap between him and An Jing is too big. As time goes by, they will have less and less to talk about. How can he maintain this relationship then?
An Jing seemed to notice his silence. He held Bian Lu's hands, rubbing them to convey his warmth, and said, "Are you unhappy? You can just tell me directly. Then I won't go."
"No, this is your future. I have nothing to be unhappy about." Bian Lu pulled his hand away. He laughed and said, "I just have some doubts about how long our relationship can last."
"An Jing." Bian Lu raised his voice, pronouncing his name seriously. He then said, "You are my dream. From the first moment I saw you, I felt that the existence of someone like you was equivalent to my dream."
"You...actually you envy people like me, right?" When An Jing heard Bian Lu say this so seriously, he knew he was serious.
"Right." Bian Lu finally put down his work and said, "I really envy your life. You have a father with great connections, as well as some other material and personal help."
Having said this, he paused, gazed at the dome outside the window and said, "Of course, envying you doesn't mean I hate myself. On the contrary, I am grateful for my own efforts and choices. It is precisely because of my experiences that I have become who I am. And coincidentally, I am very satisfied with who I am now."
"So having said that, I feel like I have nothing to envy you for." Bian Lu said this, turned his head and raised his eyebrows to An Jing. He smiled, his expression was extremely gentle, and his posture revealed calmness.
An Jing seemed to be moved by him. His heart warmed, and at the same time, his conscience was awakened. The guilt he felt for having neglected other people's work became stronger.
"I..." An Jing wanted to say something.
Bian Lu rubbed his eyes, as if he was suppressing some emotion, as if An Jing's appearance was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"I recently heard a saying," Bian Lu said sadly. He blinked, his eyes inexplicably red. "It says that all grandfathers in this world were once grandchildren in their unknown past, and only when they become grandfathers do those stories become worth sharing and relishing. I think it makes sense. What do you think?"
An Jing froze in place, speechless.
Just as he said, whether it is making money or making progress, people will always take off their gowns and put aside their integrity when moving forward. Fortunately, An Jing has not had a similar frustrating experience.
"I'm sorry." An Jing finally said this, and he said softly: "I really didn't mean to make trouble for you..."
"I don't blame you, and I don't want to offend you." Bian Lu suddenly said, he stood up, paced back and forth on his own, and finally he stood at the door of the service hall, looking at the bulletin board sign that the leader asked him to change today.
"I still have my work to do." Bian Lu said this, then returned to his workstation to finish the work. He was so motivated, hardworking and diligent that even An Jing was restless.
"I just realized you have a lot of self-esteem." An Jing also stood up and helped him with some work. With a wry smile, he said, "Come to think of it, we're very similar in this respect. Actually, you might not believe this, but I feel like my father didn't give me the support I needed growing up."
"I was once sexually assaulted by my art teacher." An Jing clenched his fists, his posture serious, his expression fragile yet solemn, and told him in an unspeakable tone.
Bian Lu froze and turned back. An Jing averted his eyes, as if enduring unspeakable pain. Finally, he said, "I've never received any form of comfort from my father, not even verbally. Even now, he still thinks I'm a born bastard and a homosexual."
"Just yesterday, he sent me a message saying that he found a folk remedy for me, saying that drinking more Chinese medicine can change my sexual orientation." An Jing changed the subject and started to be funny again.
Bian Lu chuckled and said, "I didn't expect your dad to be so humorous."
An Jing replied weakly, "Is that the point?"
"Okay." Bian Lu suppressed his smile, walked over quickly, hugged An Jing, brought his head to his chest, patted his back to comfort him, and said softly, "It's okay, it's not your fault. I'll comfort you."
"I accept your comfort." An Jing closed his eyes and hugged him back.
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