From this perspective, he is probably a poor person.
Lin Zeqiu thought for a moment, and Lin Zhixia rushed into his room: "Brother."
He responded: "What's up?"
Lin Zhixia said: "Tomorrow morning, Jiang Yubai will come downstairs to pick us up, and then we will go to the airport together. One of my classmates will go with us. He is a competition teacher at the Provincial No. 1 Middle School and has specially taken a public holiday..."
Lin Zeqiu had some impression: "Is it the one called Duan Qiyan?"
"Yes." Lin Zhixia replied.
Lin Zeqiu nodded slightly. He earnestly told his sister: "Is there anything going on at school? I'm going on a business trip for two weeks, so settle the graduate students first."
"Don't worry about that," Lin Zhixia chatted with him casually, "I have already made a plan. The school is calm and peaceful, basically nothing will happen..."
She sat next to Lin Zeqiu and folded clothes with him: "The day before yesterday, Jiang Yubai gave me some amber. This morning, I brought the amber into the paleontology laboratory..."
Lin Zeqiu paused and asked, "The amber with bugs in it?"
Lin Zhixia immediately took out her phone. As soon as she opened the album, Lin Zeqiu said, "This is what Jiang Yubai gave you? Dead flies, dead beetles, dead snails... They should really be donated to the laboratory. It's disgusting to put them at home."
Lin Zeqiu has a fatal weakness - from childhood to adulthood, he has extremely hated, detested and feared insects. He was once bitten by a centipede and has hated all insects ever since. When he was in middle school, Lin Zhixia caught a crustacean, which made him take off his arrogant mask and scream in the living room at home.
The scenes of the past appeared clearly in Lin Zhixia's mind.
She covered her mouth and laughed.
Lin Zeqiu glanced at her sideways.
She immediately restrained her facial expression and patted Lin Zeqiu on the shoulder: "There is a list of people traveling in the WeChat group. Please check it. Get up at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't sleep in. Okay, I have finished my instructions and I am going back to my room. Good night, brother."
Lin Zeqiu said reluctantly, "Good night."
Lin Zhixia held her chin with one hand: "Can't you just call me by my nickname?"
Lin Zeqiu locked the suitcase and said, "People call you by your nickname all day long. Are you 22 years old or 2 years old?"
Lin Zhixia walked to the door, took a step back, and said provocatively: "See you tomorrow morning, Qiuqiu."
Lin Zeqiu was speechless because of her.
The next morning, there was a light rain, and the rain created a thin layer of mist, shrouding the tall buildings in the mist.
The air covered with mist seemed particularly fresh. Lin Zhixia stood downstairs with her suitcase in hand and took a deep breath. She was inspired to write a poem, "Yehua in Jianglou" by Bai Yuchan: "The mist on the river makes the building white in autumn, the lanterns are green in the night rain, there is not a single dream in the nine days, this path is left to the morning star."
This poem mentions "Jiang", "Bai" and "Qiu". Lin Zeqiu glanced at her, and she just looked into the distance: "Jiang Yubai is coming." She waved at him twice, with the same enthusiasm as always.
Jiang Yubai's driver drove a commercial vehicle that was large enough to accommodate the luggage of Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu. Lin Zeqiu sat in the back seat with his sister, and his seat was right in front of Jiang Yubai. The car sped along the wide road, and Lin Zhixia even joked, "Today, our family is going out for a trip."
Jiang Yubai said flatteringly: "There are many interesting places in Hong Kong. We can take a day to visit them."
Lin Zeqiu didn't say a word. He held his chin with his right hand and looked out the window.
Lin Zhixia chatted with Jiang Yubai: "I sent an email to Professor Gu Likai. I want to set up a joint research group of four schools, including our school, Peking University, Hong Kong University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. There are two main purposes. First, to test quantum communication remotely, and second, to try to develop a practical quantum universal computer... The chip problem has not been properly solved. To be honest, I am not very sure. My current idea is that if the research and development fails, all technological breakthroughs in the exploration process are of certain value. We previously rebuilt the graph theory in order to develop a quantum programming language. I participated less in this part. The main work was done by the team established by Feng Yuan and the Russian mathematician... Because the theory was successful, Feng Yuan quickly passed the doctoral defense, and the Russian friend still has hope to sprint for the Fields Medal."
The Fields Medal is known as the Nobel Prize in mathematics.
So far, the youngest winner in the world is Peter Scholze, who won the Fields at the age of 30. Lin Zhixia's Russian friend is also about to turn 30. He is not only gifted, but also very hardworking. He maintains high-intensity work and high-intensity results all year round. Lin Zhixia sometimes suspects that he is actually smarter than her, but they have chosen different development directions.
Jiang Yubai took out three bottles of mineral water and distributed them to Lin Zhixia, Lin Zeqiu, and himself. He and Lin Zhixia were both very ceremonial people. They toasted with mineral water bottles, and Jiang Yubai also said, "I wish that friend to win Fields in advance."
"Can you get Fields?" Lin Zeqiu suddenly asked.
Lin Zhixia blinked: "Me?"
Lin Zeqiu sat upright: "If it's not you, who else could it be? It's impossible for me and Jiang Yubai."
The interior of the business car is spacious, with a leather soft chair with a built-in massage function. Under the armrest is a small custom-made incubator filled with two layers of freshly baked buns. As soon as Jiang Yubai opened the lid, Lin Zhixia said excitedly, "It smells so good. Let me have a taste. I was in such a hurry to leave this morning that I didn't eat much at home."
Jiang Yubai opened another porcelain plate, which contained a stack of strawberry crepes. There was also fragrant peach lemon tea in his thermos. The tempting smell of food filled the entire carriage, and Lin Zhixia immediately sat next to Jiang Yubai. She drank from the cup he was holding, and he skillfully adjusted the angle of the cup rim, obviously having done it countless times.
Lin Zeqiu was stunned.
Lin Zhixia added: "You just asked me if I could get Fields?"
The raindrops tapped against the car window. Her voice was even softer than the sound of the rain: "Of course it's impossible. I'm not specialized in mathematical theory research."
She traced the car window with her finger, following a streak of water: “We all have our own path. ‘What we waste or gain is precisely the time that is flying by.’[1]”
Jiang Yubai agreed: "You can only gain if you give up something."
Lin Zhixia high-fived him.
Lin Zeqiu leaned back in his chair, and Jiang Yubai handed him a plate of steamed buns. He absentmindedly accepted Jiang Yubai's kindness. He ate two buns in a row before he realized what was going on and said, "Thank you..."
Jiang Yubai responded naturally: "You're welcome, brother-in-law."
Lin Zeqiu took out a napkin and wiped his mouth. He did not speak since then, and looked very taciturn. He saw the scenery outside the window changing rapidly, the rows of buildings gradually disappeared, and under the bright morning sun, the curved roof of the terminal was magnificent.
There happened to be a plane passing in the sky, its flight path extending to the end of the horizon, hidden in the snow-white clouds. Lin Zeqiu was fascinated by it, and Lin Zhixia patted his shoulder: "Let's go, get off."
That afternoon, Lin Zhixia and his group arrived in Hong Kong and stayed in a hotel run by Jiang Yubai's family.
The hotel lobby is hung with four crystal tassel chandeliers, the granite floor is spotless, and the long round columns are inlaid with gold foil, showing a luxurious style from inside to outside.
Lin Zeqiu looked around and raised his hand to hold Lin Zhixia's sleeve: "Business suites are not cheap. How much will it cost for all of us to stay here for two weeks?"
Lin Zhixia lowered her voice and said, "Travel expenses can be reimbursed, and Jiang Yubai also has an internal discount... Don't be stingy with the money. This time we came to Hong Kong, in addition to contacting academic institutions, we also want to investigate the Hong Kong stock market. Our company may be listed in Hong Kong in the future, just like NetEase, Xiaomi, and Alibaba Group."
She patted his arm generously: "By then, Lin Zeqiu, you will be a senior executive of a listed company! So, are you confident?"
He sneered but didn't answer.
Lin Zhixia continued to support him: "Don't you care about your status as a 'listed company executive'? As expected of you, Lin Zeqiu, you treat money like dirt."
Lin Zeqiu clutched the room card of the "Business Suite" tightly. He refused to let the receptionist help him with his luggage, insisting on carrying it himself. He followed Jiang Yubai into the elevator, and Duan Qiyan was still chattering beside him: "Your schedule starts tomorrow, so you have nothing to do in the afternoon, right? Are you going to Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong?"
Duan Qiyan was wearing an Adidas sports suit and a black baseball cap. His dress, speech and behavior were all like a male college student in his early twenties.
Tang Tingting looked at him for a moment and said with a smile, "Okay, the seafood in Cheung Chau is delicious, let's go to Cheung Chau."
Lin Zhixia learned from Jiang Yubai that Tang Tingting and Duan Qiyan's relationship was not stable - they would not only quarrel, but also periodically go into cold war. In order to create an opportunity for the two of them to be alone, Lin Zhixia made up an excuse: "You guys go, I won't go."
She pulled Jiang Yubai's sleeve and said, "Jiang Yubai and I still have some work issues to discuss."
Jiang Yubai and she had the same idea. He continued, "The company is preparing to launch a Hong Kong stock listing plan next year."
Tang Tingting nodded repeatedly: "Okay, then you guys get busy."
She turned around and asked Luo Ying, "Senior, do you have any plans tonight? How about going to Cheung Chau Island with us?"
The golden-painted elevator walls reflected Luo Ying's tall figure. Her clothes were very tasteful. Her long curly hair was draped behind her back, and her smooth black hair was shiny. She wore a diamond earring on her left ear, and the bright light from the earring flashed into Tang Tingting's eyes.
Luo Ying still had a scent of lily and rose perfume on her body. Tang Tingting couldn't help but take a deep breath, and Luo Ying answered her: "I'm not going, thank you, I want to read in my room. I haven't finished reading the paper in the Annals of Mathematics yet."
"Where are you studying, senior?" Lin Zhixia asked curiously.
Luo Ying turned her head and smiled at her. That smile was sincere and graceful. Tang Tingting was stunned, but Lin Zhixia remained calm: "The review cycle of the Annals of Mathematics is very long. One of my classmates submitted his paper for more than two years and has not received a reply from the editor yet."
Luo Ying asked her, "Have you ever voted?"
Lin Zhixia shook her head.
Luo Ying said to herself, "I voted before."
Before he finished speaking, the elevator dinged and the elevator door slowly opened.
Duan Qiyan seemed to have endless energy. He picked up his suitcase happily and rushed into the corridor, saying as he ran: "Tang Tingting, I found our room!"
Tang Tingting chased after him and said, "Keep your voice down."
Duan Qiyan said, "I can't bother anyone. Jiang Yu has reserved this floor for nothing."
Tang Tingting looked at Jiang Yubai in shock: "You are really rich."
Jiang Yubai avoided the topic. He confirmed tomorrow's schedule with his secretary, and asked about everyone's work progress. Duan Qiyan would occasionally interject a few words, and finally, they said goodbye at the door of their respective rooms.
Duan Qiyan and Tang Tingting lived in Room 1401. Tang Tingting took out the room card and said jokingly, "Hey, do you remember our study tour in high school? At that time, Lin Zhixia and I shared a room, and you and Shen Fuxuan shared a room..."
Duan Qiyan took the opportunity to ask, "Do you want to live with me or with Lin Zhixia?"
During the winter break training camp in the first year of junior high school, Lin Zhixia saved Duan Qiyan's reputation. Over the years, Duan Qiyan has always been grateful to Lin Zhixia. However, recently, Duan Qiyan suddenly regarded Lin Zhixia as an imaginary enemy.
Tang Tingting pulled Duan Qiyan into the room and advised him earnestly: "Why do you always compare yourself with Lin Zhixia? You are in your twenties, so don't compare yourself with others all the time. You finally got a public holiday to come to Hong Kong with me. You should learn to calm down and stop arguing with me. I have wanted to talk to you for a long time. For a man, the most important thing is family. People outside will not tell you these heartfelt words. Only I, as your girlfriend, will tell you the truth."
Duan Qiyan was entangled by her.
He seemed a little hesitant: "A man cannot live off others, and he cannot be a lazy person. Career is the most important thing."
Tang Tingting asked him to sit on the bed. Then, she crossed her legs, put her arm around his shoulders, and guided him like an old cadre: "Xiao Duan, don't be too extreme in your thoughts. When did I ask you to be a slacker? I want you to be more family-oriented... I take you out to meet friends, so please give me some face and stop comparing yourself with Lin Zhixia all the time. Lin Zhixia is my top boss. If you care so much, it will be hard for me to do my job. Please put yourself in her shoes."
Duan Qiyan vaguely agreed with Tang Tingting's statement.
Tang Tingting continued, "Look, our company is going to be listed in two years. I am the team leader of the hardware department. You are the team leader of the core department of a listed company, and you are also the teacher of the competition class of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. Shouldn't you be more open-minded?"
Duan Qiyan smiled coldly: "From what you said, do I think my mind is not broad enough now?"
Tang Tingting uttered a two-tone "Hey" and asked again: "Husband, why are you in a dead end again?"
Duan Qiyan took off his hat, and Tang Tingting stroked his hair. He took off his sports jacket, and Tang Tingting rubbed his arms again. When he was in middle school, he often went to the playground to play. Even in the hottest days of summer, he dared to play football under the sun. Being exposed to the sun all year round made his skin darker. Tang Tingting liked that tone very much.
She put her hands around his upper arms, pressing and kneading them, and his shoulders suddenly became stiff. The two of them remained still for a few seconds before he stammered in a low voice, "Not now... I want to wait until after we get married."
Tang Tingting burst into a hearty laugh like a pig: "Hahahahahahahahaha Duan Qiyan, what's wrong with you? You're so shy! I never instilled any ideas in you about this."
Duan Qiyan fell into deep thought.
She was still recounting with relish: "I remember now, you were like this in junior high school. Didn't someone in class spread rumors about us? Haha, we played a couple in the stage play "Change", and other classmates said that you and I were a couple in the crew and would definitely fall in love in the future. After hearing what your classmates said, you were so angry that your face turned red."
She lay in bed: "Time flies. In the blink of an eye, it was already more than ten years ago."
"We have all grown up." Duan Qiyan said with emotion.
He lay down beside her, and she murmured, "Yeah, we all grow up."
No one went to Cheung Chau Island that afternoon.
All members of the team stayed in the hotel room. Lin Zhixia changed into a nightgown and sat beside the tea table. She ceremoniously picked up a bowl of purple sweet potato and milk sago juice sent by the hotel. She took a sip and praised repeatedly, "It's delicious."
Jiang Yubai approached her and asked, "How delicious is it?"
Lin Zhixia was about to hand him the spoon when he bent down and kissed the corner of her lips, saying, "So sweet."
The distance between them was only a few centimeters. Lin Zhixia lowered her eyes and saw his rolling Adam's apple, his half-covered clavicle, and the smooth skin faintly visible under his collar. Lin Zhixia quickened her breathing and smelled the light fragrance on his body. She suddenly felt dry in the mouth and raised her head to drink the bowl of sago.
Jiang Yubai reminded her: "Be careful not to get bitten."
She put down the porcelain bowl in her hand and threw herself into his arms.
"Hold me." She said coquettishly.
Lin Zhixia's ability to act coquettishly is unparalleled.
Jiang Yubai put one hand on her back, and she confided to him: "Last Friday night, I meditated at home and sorted out my previous memories. I finally figured it out. From that time on, I liked you very much..."
Jiang Yubai was fully prepared to welcome Lin Zhixia's sweet words. But before she could finish her next sentence, her cell phone rang at an inopportune time. The screen showed the landline number of a department in a local university in Hong Kong. Lin Zhixia did not dare to neglect it and immediately pressed the answer button.
Her voice suddenly became steady and dignified.
The caller was an assistant to a university professor. The assistant's Mandarin was not standard and his pronunciation was a little stagnant, so Lin Zhixia simply spoke Cantonese to him, and the communication between the two sides was indeed smoother - the only shortcoming was that Jiang Yubai could not understand what Lin Zhixia was saying.
After Lin Zhixia hung up the phone, she served as Jiang Yubai's Cantonese interpreter. She relayed the entire conversation and made arrangements carefully: "Tomorrow I will take my colleagues to give a lecture and then talk to their leaders. You go to your financial office for a meeting, and in the evening, we will meet at the gate of the university campus."
Jiang Yubai joked: "Divide the troops into two groups."
"Yeah," Lin Zhixia nodded, "After we finish our work during the day, we can go shopping together in the evening."
The next morning, Lin Zhixia and her colleagues went to a famous university in Hong Kong. They gave a lecture in a grand auditorium, exchanging ideas with teachers and students on the academic background and business model of quantum technology companies. The lecture was very successful, and at the end, the whole audience was applauding, and the atmosphere was very high.
Lin Zhixia struck while the iron was hot and negotiated a cooperation agreement with the school's management for a "Four-school Joint Research Group". The school also responded positively to her plan and was willing to cooperate in all academic work, but the specific details of the contract still needed to be repeatedly considered.
Lin Zhixia was quite satisfied to get such an answer on the first day of her business trip. She left the campus with her colleagues and walked happily on the street outside the campus. It was nearly six o'clock in the evening. The sun was setting. The hotel signs on the street were full of Hong Kong style, and the aroma of food was floating in the vast sky.
Lin Zeqiu was in a relaxed state. He raised his phone and took a photo in the distance.
At this time, they passed through an old-fashioned neighborhood. A group of tourists in front of them complained quietly: "Get lost! Can this cockroach fly?"
A black dot appeared faintly on Lin Zeqiu's phone screen. His subconscious mind made him take a step back, but the black dot got closer and closer to him, accompanied by a buzzing sound of wings flapping.
He heard a hint of surprise in Lin Zhixia's tone: "This cockroach is really big, the biggest cockroach I have ever seen."
Tang Tingting smiled and gave herself a nickname: "Cockroach Giant!"
Lin Zhixia also laughed.
How can they laugh?!
Lin Zeqiu had heard before that cockroaches in the south were big and strong, but he didn't expect to witness insects flying around on the first day of his official business trip. His legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and even Luo Ying noticed his condition.
Luo Ying asked him, "Are you okay?"
Lin Zeqiu kept his mouth shut.
The sky was getting darker, and colorful neon signs lit up a long street. Lin Zhixia and Tang Tingting walked hand in hand towards a Cantonese restaurant. They stood outside a window, carefully studying the signature menu posted on the glass. The flowing colorful light shone diagonally on their faces, creating a prosperous, gorgeous and secular beauty, just like the scene of a Hong Kong movie in the 1990s.
Luo Ying took out her camera for some unknown reason.
Her camera was aimed at Lin Zhixia.
She turned on the camera function, and Lin Zhixia seemed to sense something. She turned back and looked at Luo Ying: "Are you filming me?"
Luo Ying pressed the metal case of the camera tightly, and the outer circle of her nails turned slightly white.
Lin Zhixia suddenly suggested: "How about we shoot a longer video and let all colleagues be in the video, starting with me and Tang Tingting?"
Many people said it was good.
Pedestrians were coming and going on the road, their steps were fast or slow, the night sky was blocked by one sign after another, Luo Ying was deeply immersed in this bustling street. She stood there quietly, the noise around her did not belong to her, and Lin Zhixia on the camera screen looked at her through the lens.
Lin Zhixia was wearing a light beige dress with highlights on the hem and long hair. Her hair was black, shiny and smooth, with natural curls at the ends. Her skin was white and smooth, and her figure was well-proportioned. Even her silhouette on the ground looked like a sketch - a sketch drawn by a perfectionist.
She called again: "Senior sister?"
After Luo Ying graduated from university, she went abroad to study for a doctorate and kept in touch with Lin Zhixia. Every time Luo Ying answered the phone, Lin Zhixia would first call her "senior sister" - this title has been retained to this day.
The camera screen was only the size of a palm, and such a narrow space could not contain Luo Ying's mood at all. She recalled again and again the tone of Lin Zhixia's voice when she discussed mathematics with her, Lin Zhixia's reputation, ideals, hobbies, worries... Countless fragments gathered together, piecing together some vague and clear characteristics - how contradictory, just like Luo Ying's situation at this moment.
Luo Ying was still filming Lin Zhixia, but she lowered her eyes to look at the floor, her palms slightly damp.
The hotels on both sides of the street each have their own characteristics, and the smoke from the burning kitchens floated into her eyes.
Only two minutes had passed.
Lin Zhixia looked at a tile above her head and said, "I thought the cockroach had flown away, but it turns out it has been lying here. Let's put it in the picture. In our hometown, we don't often see such a big flying insect."
Tang Tingting laughed and said, "The Big Mac is back. You know what, this little thing is quite clever."
Luo Ying was also very calm. When she was studying abroad at Columbia University in the United States, she lived in a student apartment in New York. She once saw a group of fat and round American cockroaches downstairs in her apartment building. She was so scared that she became immune to the appearance of cockroaches.
So Luo Ying casually agreed: "Okay, I'm filming now."
Lin Zeqiu's right eyelid twitched twice.
He had a very ominous premonition.
Why didn't his sister and her friends panic at all when they saw the cockroaches, and they even joked and filmed together? Did they want to write an Insect Story together? Lin Zeqiu was daydreaming when the cockroach suddenly started up again and swooped down at him at high speed, with a fierce momentum and trembling wings, as if Lin Zeqiu was the enemy who killed his father.
Lin Zeqiu's scalp felt slightly numb.
He opened his mouth out of extreme nervousness, and the damn bug flew toward his lips and nostrils. His psychological defenses were immediately broken, and he screamed miserably in the street: "Ah - bugs!"
Except for Lin Zhixia, all the members of the team were stunned.
Lin Zeqiu usually looks upright, aloof, serious, and unapproachable in the company. He is responsible for building the underlying technical platform, also known as the "Infrastructure Engineer". The technical team led by him and two other technical bosses is often called the "Infra Team". Everyone knows that the members of the "Infra Team" have unique skills and amazing strength.
At the negotiation meeting this afternoon, Lin Zeqiu also won a standing ovation.
But now he was shouting in panic: "Help! It's a fucking huge cockroach!"
Lin Zhixia immediately ran towards him: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm coming!"
Passersby stopped one after another, and Tang Tingting was confused: "What's going on...sister saving brother?"
Lin Zhixia really wanted to save her brother, but the current situation was a bit tricky - a cockroach landed on Lin Zeqiu's back. Lin Zeqiu asked in shock: "Did the bug fly away?"
Lin Zhixia was about to lie when a kind-hearted man came to the rescue. The man was nearly 1.9 meters tall, young, handsome, and elegant, with a rolled-up newspaper in his hand. He slapped Lin Zeqiu's back with the newspaper, and the cockroach fell to the ground and was crushed to pieces by his black leather shoes.
Lin Zhixia called him softly: "You're here."
"Who?" Lin Zeqiu asked vigilantly.
He didn't dare look back.
Because he had guessed it, the cockroach died tragically behind him.
He heard Jiang Yubai's emotionless voice: "It's okay, I've taken care of it."
Lin Zeqiu confirmed again and again: "Is the body still there?"
"Destroyed." Jiang Yubai replied.
The Hong Kong-style signboards loomed over their heads, casting a dark shadow in the sky. Jiang Yubai lowered his head slightly, his profile half bright and half dark: "I heard you shouting for help, I didn't leave any survivors."
Lin Zeqiu just turned around, and the cockroach really disappeared from his world. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted Jiang Yubai on the shoulder - this was the first time in his life that he took the initiative to show his goodwill to Jiang Yubai. Jiang Yubai struck while the iron was hot and asked, "Brother-in-law?"
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zeqiu were both wearing suits. They were attending a very formal meeting today. Lin Zeqiu loosened his tie and still couldn't say "brother-in-law" or other relatives, but he promised: "I won't block you anymore..."
Up to now, Jiang Yubai has been on Lin Zeqiu's WeChat blocked list. In other words, Jiang Yubai can't see Lin Zeqiu's circle of friends at all. Lin Zeqiu is willing to release him, which is already an effort to show goodwill.
Jiang Yubai, however, could not change his nature as a businessman obsessed with profit. He bargained: "I plan to hold a wedding with Lin Zhixia in August next year."
Lin Zeqiu didn't react at first: "It's next August, are you willing to hold... a wedding?"
Lin Zeqiu looked a little serious. Although he knew that it was too early for Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai to get married, in his and his parents' hearts, Lin Zhixia always needed more protection. After all, any emotional pain would be a permanent torture for her.
Lin Zeqiu was walking on the street of Hong Kong Night Market, Jiang Yubai was walking side by side with him. The topic of their conversation always revolved around Lin Zhixia. Lin Zeqiu noticed the depth of Jiang Yubai's feelings for Lin Zhixia. In view of Lin Zeqiu's singleness, he could not understand Jiang Yubai's situation, but deep down, he hoped that Jiang Yubai would always maintain this vigor.
The person involved, Lin Zhixia, was enjoying delicious food with Tang Tingting and Luo Ying. They were selecting beautiful and unique earrings and bracelets in a roadside jewelry store, and no one noticed that Duan Qiyan had been lost.
Duan Qiyan carried a mobile phone with him, but in order to save money, he did not activate the "Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan roaming function". Therefore, his mobile phone could not connect to the network and he could not make calls.
He walked and stopped on the busy street, gradually drifting away from his friends.
The night was dark and boundless, just like a vast ocean in the darkness, and the neon signs were isolated islands. Duan Qiyan looked around and suddenly lost his sense of direction. He stood blankly at the busy intersection, like a cruise ship that had stopped sailing.
Fortunately, he had one thousand Hong Kong dollars in his pocket.
At worst, I can just take a taxi back to the hotel, he thought.
Thinking of this, Duan Qiyan relaxed.
He walked into a small restaurant and bought an oyster omelette and a bowl of fish porridge. It was the peak dining time, and there were crowds of people everywhere. The seats in the restaurant were already full. So he carried his plastic lunch box and sat on a bench at the end of the street. In the soft light from the street lamp, he lowered his head and picked up the food with chopsticks.
Several mainland tourists passed by him. The one walking in front was a middle-aged man who looked elegant and easy-going. He said to his young son, "Is Hong Kong fun?"
The son replied: "It's fun."
Dad added, "My dear son, next semester, when you are promoted to the sixth grade and get a perfect score on the test again, I will take you abroad to travel!"
His son asked him, "Dad, I'm admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University. Where will you take me to play?"
Dad smiled and encouraged me, "If you get into Peking University or Tsinghua University, you will have money and can go wherever you want. You don't need your dad to take you with you..."
Duan Qiyan crossed his legs. As an outstanding graduate of Peking University, he always had a sense of pride in his heart. His university classmates were widely distributed all over the world - some were studying for a doctorate, some were starting a business, some were working, and each was heading for a very different future. However, being admitted to Peking University or Tsinghua University does not mean being "rich".
No one talked to Duan Qiyan. Duan Qiyan was just thinking about life in the noisy night market.
As a teenager, he was full of ambition.
And now, he has achieved nothing.
He squatted on the street like a punk in a Hong Kong movie, holding a pair of disposable chopsticks and taking food out of a plastic bag. The night wind was getting colder and colder, and the raindrops were pouring on his head. He suddenly felt a sense of sadness and desolation of "unfulfilled ambitions".
"It's raining." Lin Zhixia said.
The pedestrians on the street scattered, dark clouds blocked the moonlight, and Tang Tingting said in surprise: "Is it really going to rain? The weather forecast said that there is a 30% chance of rain today."
Lin Zhixia took out her phone: "I'll send a text message to Jiang Yubai and the others."
"Duan Qiyan is probably with them." Tang Tingting guessed.
Lin Zhixia agreed: "Probably."
They were in a jewelry store, and Luo Ying was still choosing earrings. She picked up a pair of delicate red strawberry earrings and handed them to Lin Zhixia: "Do they look good? Let me help you put them on?"
Tang Tingting reminded: "Senior, she doesn't have pierced ears."
"I know," Luo Ying straightened the golden chain of the earrings, and the rosy strawberries lay on her fingertips, "This is a pair of ear clips. You can wear them even if you don't have pierced ears."
Lin Zhixia stood in front of a mirror, and Luo Ying followed silently. She lifted Lin Zhixia's long hair and put it behind her ears - the hair was soft, smooth, and shiny black, like the finest black satin.
"Your hair is well taken care of." Luo Ying commented softly.
"Maybe it's because I comb my hair every day and get enough sleep." Lin Zhixia selflessly shared her hair care experience. She looked at Luo Ying in the mirror and complimented her in return: "Senior, you are the most beautiful."
Luo Ying started to smile. When she smiled, all the flowers were eclipsed.
She did not touch Lin Zhixia's skin, but just opened the ear clip, and the metal lightly touched Lin Zhixia's earlobe.
Luo Ying's fingers were slender, long and white. Lin Zhixia's skin color was similar to hers. She was in a trance for a moment and became more careful about her movements.
The air was filled with a faint sweet fragrance, and Luo Ying was very close to Lin Zhixia, and the fragrance clearly and passionately aroused her nerves. The faster her heartbeat, the harder it was to conceal it, so she simply held her breath until she finally fastened her ear clips.
Lin Zhixia fiddled with the strawberry pendant hanging on her left ear.
"It's cute," she said.
Luo Ying happened to be standing behind Lin Zhixia. She lifted a strand of Lin Zhixia's hair, twisted it between her fingers, and slowly released it. Her fingers were almost touching Lin Zhixia's body, but when she felt the warmth of Lin Zhixia coming through her dress, she immediately gave up all contact.
She stepped back and covered her cheek.
"Senior?" Lin Zhixia turned around and looked at her.
She suggested, "Let's go back to the hotel."
Lin Zhixia stared into her eyes: "Your face looks a little pale, are you feeling unwell?"
"It's stuffy in here." Luo Ying made up an excuse.
The rain outside the French window was getting heavier, and the raindrops on the transparent glass instantly dispersed into thousands of streams. The pedestrians on the road were walking hurriedly, but Jiang Yubai stood still with a black umbrella. Through a window, he looked at Luo Ying and Lin Zhixia in the store.
Lin Zeqiu didn't notice anything unusual in the store. He just asked Jiang Yubai, "Are you feeling a little weird?"
Jiang Yubai said, "Nothing."
Lin Zeqiu asked again: "Duan Qiyan is also in there, right?"
Jiang Yubai answered casually: "It's very likely."
"This kid is great," Lin Zeqiu said, "He spent so much time with them choosing jewelry."
Lin Zeqiu put his hands in his pockets and strode into the store. After chatting for a while, they suddenly realized that Duan Qiyan was gone. Tang Tingting panicked and pulled the chain of her purse with her right hand, her arms tensed. Lin Zhixia comforted her: "Duan Qiyan brought money. He can take a taxi back to the hotel."
Lin Zeqiu also said: "He is so grown up, he is not a little boy of seven or eight years old."
Tang Tingting took out an umbrella from her bag: "I feel a little guilty. He is a high school competition teacher. He has no winter and summer vacations, only one week of public holiday every year... He followed us to Hong Kong, and neither of our teams paid attention and left him behind... His cell phone didn't work, and he only had banknotes on him. It was raining heavily at the moment, and he couldn't take a taxi.
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