stalemate
The next day, when Wen Yan got up and walked out of the room, he no longer saw Wen Zhili sitting at the dining table wearing glasses and typing on the keyboard.
Only the cereal and milk were still lying there quietly.
She turned on her phone and a message popped up:
"I'm going to work. There's porridge in the rice cooker. Remember to heat up last night's meal in the refrigerator for lunch. I've also prepared dinner and put it in the refrigerator. Remember to eat it. I get off work around nine o'clock in the evening."
Oh yes, today is Monday.
She opened the refrigerator, glanced at the food, and went to the kitchen to cook a bowl of wontons for herself.
She didn't think much about Wen Zhili that day. She spent most of her time on the phone discussing with Shen Guangxi and the others about going out to play tomorrow, and packing her luggage for the trip. She ordered takeout at noon, fried two dishes for herself in the evening, poured the porridge in the rice cooker in the morning into the refrigerator, and cooked a bowl of rice for herself.
Anyway, she didn't touch the food Wen Zhili prepared for her.
She made up her mind not to accept Wen Zhili's kindness anymore.
At around 10 o'clock in the evening, there was a noise at the door.
After a while, there was the sound of a door closing, then the sound of a bag being put down, the sound of shoes being changed, and then the sound of footsteps.
Wen Yan recognized that the footsteps were those of Wen Zhili, so she deliberately locked herself in the room and refused to go out.
The footsteps entered the living room and turned towards the kitchen, and then the sound of the refrigerator door opening was heard.
After the sound, there was a long silence.
She should have noticed that she didn't touch the food in the refrigerator, right?
Wen Yan was so nervous that she held her breath unconsciously. After realizing this, she cursed herself in her heart.
You're the one who's mad at her, Wen Yan! Why are you so nervous...
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the refrigerator door closing was finally heard again.
I don’t know what Wen Zhili was doing. The footsteps seemed to stay in the kitchen for a while, and then came towards Wen Yan’s room.
Her sister is coming to see her!
Is she angry?
The closer the footsteps got, the softer they were deliberately made.
Despite this, Wen Yan could still hear it clearly. By the time the sound stopped in front of his door, a light sweat had formed on the back of his neck.
But the footsteps only stayed there for a moment and then left.
Wen Yan listened to the sound that was getting farther and farther away and wiped his face with his hand.
What is this person doing...
She felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness. She sat there for a while, then went to the bookshelf next to the bed, found a book, and leaned against the bed to read.
Just as she was engrossed in the moment, there was a sudden knock on the door, which startled her.
"Yanyan, can I come in?"
Wen Zhili's voice.
Just as she was about to blurt out "Okay", Wen Yan realized the fatal charm of Wen Zhili's face.
I must never surrender.
"What's up?"
The person outside the door was silent for two seconds after hearing this, and then said in a steady voice: "Yanyan, what time is your flight tomorrow?"
"3 p.m."
"Shall I ask for a day off from work tomorrow afternoon to take you to the airport?"
"Need not."
Very dry dialogue.
Wen Yan thought the other party was about to leave, but there was another sound coming from outside the door.
"Yanyan, can I come in?"
Compared to last time, the tone this time was more cautious, showing a hint of weakness.
Now Wen Yan couldn't bear to be cruel no matter what.
The other person is my sister, Wen Zhili.
She secretly cursed herself for being useless.
"……Can."
She could only try her best to focus all her attention on the book in her hand, just in case Wen Zhili's expression made her feel even softer.
As soon as Wen Zhili pushed the door open, he saw the girl half lying on the head of the bed, looking very focused on reading, with her soft hair hanging down.
She stared silently for two seconds.
Wen Yan was so quiet and peaceful, and there was a scholarly air around her that had not been seen three years ago.
Some are strange, some are surprising, and more of it is a kind of inexplicable sadness.
She glanced calmly at the book in Wen Yan's hand - "Great Expectations". She actually had no passion for literature. She had never heard of this book, let alone read it.
Seeing that Wen Yan had no intention of looking up to pay attention to him, Wen Zhili took a deep breath and tried to make his tone sound calmer: "Why didn't you eat the food in the refrigerator today?"
She didn't say "Why didn't you eat?" but "Why didn't you eat the food in the refrigerator?", which means that she may have seen the new water stains in the cupboard, or the takeaway packaging in the trash can.
In short, she knew she had eaten, but she just didn't eat what she cooked.
So, are you asking, questioning, or...seeking peace?
Wen Yan replied without even looking up: "I don't like it."
Wen Zhili was silent for a while, and then she spoke in the same gentle tone as always: "So what does Yanyan like now? From now on, I will follow your taste."
The word "now" was added subtly - taking into account what she said that day when she was angry.
Wen Zhili's almost doting indulgence made Wen Yan feel somewhat paradoxically irritated.
Wen Yan put the book down, thought about it, but still didn't have the courage to look up at her, so he just lowered his head and clenched the corner of the quilt.
"This is how I spent the days you were away. I cooked and washed the dishes myself, you know that, right?"
Wen Zhili was a little slow to react, and just blinked in a daze.
"It's just a fact. I've grown up a long time ago and no longer need your care. My life won't be impossible without you. So there's no need for you to do this."
After saying that, Wen Yan raised his eyes and glanced at the other person quickly.
Wen Zhili wore a slim-fit short-sleeved shirt and loose trousers.
We both came back from the company, so why was she dressed so differently from the day she brought Zhou Ji home?
But before she could think about it carefully, Wen Yan lowered her head deeply again - she really couldn't bear to see the extremely eye-catching and broken face on the other person.
She lay down and pulled the quilt over her head, making it clear that she was determined not to communicate, but she hid under the quilt and secretly listened to the noise outside.
Wen Zhili just stood there for a while without saying anything, then quietly closed the door and left.
Wen Yan could imagine her standing there quietly with her eyes lowered.
Now Wen Yan felt very sad again.
You are the one who should be angry, and you are the one who should cry. Why are you so useless, Wen Yan?
Wen Yan wiped away the tears that had already flowed out and cursed herself in her heart.
She remembered what Shen Guangxi had said to her on a quiet afternoon at school.
She said, so much time has passed, and everyone's heart has changed one after another, but only you have always been in love with Wen Zhili.
You are very loyal.
At that time, Wen Yan didn't know what to say and just remained silent.
Now she wants to say that it’s not that she is loyal, but that anyone who has a sister like Wen Zhili is destined to love only her.
She grew up with you, doted on you, and held you in her arms on every rainy night. She is in every memory of your life, and her shadow is in every word and action of yours.
She is a part of your soul that goes deep into your bones.
She leaves you, and you become your own memorial.
Anyone who has ever enjoyed Wen Zhili's tenderness and her wholehearted attention will be unwilling to lose her.
Even if it hurts, even if it's desperate, I still don't want to lose her.
…
The next day, when Wen Zhili returned home from get off work, he could not see anyone.
Of course she knew that her sister had gone out traveling with her friends.
But there was no pop-up message on WeChat all day informing her that the other party had gone out, which made her still have a glimmer of hope, even though this glimmer of hope seemed a little ridiculous.
So when she entered the room, she only had time to turn on the corridor light and then walked to Wen Yan's door and knocked. When she got no response, she gently opened the door.
The room was very empty.
When my luck failed, I felt a doubly sad.
Wen Zhili closed the door and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She still didn't turn on the other lights, but sat at the dining table in the dim light, sipping her water and becoming lost in thought.
—I've grown up a long time ago and no longer need your care. My life won't be impossible without you.
As soon as she calmed down, her sister's words came flooding back into her mind. They had been haunting her ears all day.
Wen Zhili felt very tired and raised one hand to rub his temples.
She recalled the few seconds last night when she stood beside Wen Yan's bed in silence, almost losing control of her emotions.
During those few seconds, she didn't know how to continue facing the unfamiliar Wen Yan in front of her, the sister who used to be so dependent on her, obeyed her every word, and never got angry at all.
This sister who said "no need" to her.
She realized that her identity as "sister" for more than twenty years was suddenly taken away when she said "I don't need your care".
For a moment, she really wanted to grab Wen Yan's collar like she had before and question her.
How dare you grow up?
How dare you not need me?
…
Is it that I don’t want to love you? Is it that I don’t want to love you?
Tell me, how can I love you?
…
I am your sister.
…
In the end, all the painful, sad, angry and unwilling thoughts melted into this sentence.
I am your sister.
…
After realizing this, Wen Zhili seemed to have all her strength drained away in an instant. She noticed her sister's slightly curled fingers exposed outside the quilt and realized that it was not her fault at all.
So she finally left Wen Yan's room silently, her hands and feet weak.
How did Wen Yan grow up?
In fact, Wen Zhili knows better than anyone else.
The dim light in the room made Wen Zhili feel like an expired product on a shelf. She simply stood up slowly and turned off the last aisle light.
The night poured in through the eye sockets and accumulated in the chest cavity like a dark tide.
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