Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Four in One
Li Jinglang woke up very early in the morning. He was a light sleeper to begin with, and his hypersensitivity meant that he would wake up at the slightest noise. He opened his eyes as soon as Sheng Shiyang's voice appeared at the door.
He had never met Sheng Shiyang, and the only time he heard Sheng Shiyang's voice was on the voice bar in Tang Ningyue's phone.
She never avoided him, and the excitement and joy of being in love were all revealed on her face. She would even occasionally share with him the details of her dates with Sheng Shiyang, but she didn't say it often because he couldn't always see her.
Ever since Tang Ningyue stopped picking him up, Li Jinglang rarely saw her. Tang Ningyue said that she had become busy with work recently, so she could no longer pick him up. She even gave him a new drone as an apology gift.
But she was too insincere, or perhaps Li Jinglang was afraid of being cheated, so he attributed everything to the result of being blocked after that little dispute, even though she didn't take it to heart at all and couldn't even remember it now.
She remained the same, but Li Jinglang's emotional journey had already reached several peaks. Tang Ningyue, immersed in her new relationship, had not noticed his changes, and would never remember the word he had said - sad.
Such a lively scene was rare at home. Although Sheng Shiyang didn't even have time to come in, Zhou Su still stood at the door happily and praised him for a long time. Li Jinglang had never heard such words before. When the living room was completely quiet, he slowly squatted down against the bedroom door and stared into the distance in a daze.
Zhou Su called him several times outside the door before he came to his senses, and she was still irritable when she opened the door.
"Why are you up so late today?" Zhou Su was in a hurry to go out and had no time to pay attention to him. "Come out for dinner, I don't have time to wait for you. I have an important meeting today, so I have to go out now."
Li Jinglang walked to the restaurant following her voice. As soon as he picked up the spoon, Zhou Su had already changed his shoes and opened the door.
"Oh, right." She turned around from behind the door again, "Ning Yue said she would pick you up for dinner tonight. Come out early after class and don't keep them waiting."
"They?" Li Jinglang raised his head and looked at her.
"Ning Yue and Shi Yang, you've met them. Shi Yang came to celebrate the New Year last year."
"Oh..." Li Jinglang fluttered his eyelashes slightly and nodded, his face still expressionless.
"Then I'm leaving?"
"Yeah." He lowered his head again and stared at the golden crab roe noodles in front of him.
"Eat well." Zhou Su left a word and closed the door neatly.
As soon as the door closed, the spoon in Li Jinglang's hand slipped and fell into the noodles.
The crab roe noodles had just been opened and were still lying on the corner of the table. Li Jinglang had seen this shop before, the last time he took Tang Ningyue to work. It was only a few dozen meters away from her company...
Li Jinglang suddenly felt nauseous and tightened his grip on the handle of the spoon with his arms.
He gently closed his eyes and tried to endure the feeling, but he felt the pores all over his body open up more and more, and the pain instantly spread to other parts of his body.
His temporary patience was fruitless, and it was not until his palms were sweating and his fingers were shaking that he took action.
He quickly stood up and put the noodles and the paper bag into the garbage bag. His movements were quick and panic. He even rushed out to throw it into the cleaning box outside the door. He was so hasty that he knocked over two glasses. With two crisp sounds, the water inside poured out and wet a large area of the floor.
When he returned to the restaurant, the room was still filled with that fresh and fragrant smell, which rushed straight to his forehead. Li Jinglang felt the impulse just now surge up again, this time turning into rapid breathing and big beads of sweat.
His arms were still supporting the table, but his body was already half-kneeling on the ground uncontrollably, the cloth on his knees soaked with water. He was breathing lightly, trying to calm himself down until he felt his heart had stopped beating wildly. Then he got up and went to the bedroom to look for pills.
The control drugs that Dr. Hailin prepared for him were limited, and he would not be given a lot each time. At first, he only needed to take a quarter of a pill occasionally to stabilize himself. Now, he doesn't know if he has become dependent on it or what, but he has to swallow the whole pill.
Even without realizing it, Li Jinglang was increasing the dosage of sleeping pills he needed to take at night, but this was soon banned by Dr. Hai Lin. He knew that the situation would only develop in a worse direction, and he could not bear the responsibility.
He stared at the pills in his hand for a long time. He really couldn't accept that he had entered this horrible stage. What would happen next? Would it get worse? Would he really become an uncontrollable madman?
If one day he was locked up in a mental hospital, he didn't know whether Tang Ningyue would come to see him.
Li Jinglang sat at the table in a daze. The curtains were half-open, and the sunlight that came in shone on his wet trouser legs. But he felt that there was no way to distract his attention. His head was splitting and he felt more and more uncomfortable. His fingers were shaking as he moved them.
As if possessed by a ghost, he tightly grasped the pills in his hand, slowly stood up and paced forward, and finally pushed open Tang Ningyue's door.
Her room was always full, with a warm pink-apricot color. Before she came, Zhou Su bought her a display cabinet, which was filled with all kinds of artworks in her collection. The strange-shaped objects came from all directions, but at first glance, the overall look was still cute and romantic, which was the exact opposite of his room.
Tang Ningyue left in a hurry this morning. On the small sofa next to her were two shirts that she had thrown out in the morning while looking for clothes. They were light pink and made of very thin fabric, and seemed to be stained with her scent.
Li Jinglang's grey sweatshirt was soaked with sweat, and beads of sweat were still rolling down his forehead. He frowned slightly and slowly squatted down until he was exhausted and sat down on the wooden floor with his knees supporting his arms.
The smell in her room was the same as her body, a faint sweet fragrance. He fell back, his head pressed to the ground, breathing softly with his eyes half closed.
Tang Ningyue forgot to close the window before leaving, and the lotus root powder curtains were blown up by the wind from the window gap, disrupting the smell in the room.
Li Jinglang frowned slightly, feeling the relief he had just felt coming back. He leaned slightly to the side, caught a glimpse of the white pill in his hand from the corner of his eye, and his lips tightened into a straight line.
The wind outside started to blow again, even stronger than before. All the books on her desk were blown open and rustled in the room.
After the book was turned to the page with the bookmark by the wind, it could no longer move. Only the page of paper kept fighting with the wind. Until the wind changed direction, the book calmed down, but the shirt on the chair was blown again.
The shirt was very thin and transparent, and its excessive lightness could not withstand the strong winter wind. He quickly raised his body and left the swivel chair.
Li Jinglang opened his eyes again when the fragrance suddenly entered his nostrils. He turned his head slightly, and the shirt covered his head, rubbing gently with his movements.
The shirt was as soft as a puddle of water. Li Jinglang became addicted to it and began to sniff the fragrance on it uncontrollably.
The wind died down, and the curtains returned to their previous position, once again blocking out the faint ray of light.
He didn't know when the pills in his hand slipped out, and when he heard the sound of them hitting the floor, Li Jinglang came back to his senses, but his arms were still tightly grasping the clothes.
As if he suddenly came to his senses, he jumped up, tore the clothes off his face and threw them back to their place, then fled her bedroom in a hurry.
The door slammed loudly, and he rushed to the living room. He hurriedly poured a glass of cold water and drank it in one gulp. When he turned around, he tripped over the flower pot at his feet.
There was a crisp sound like a slap in the face, and his whole body felt hot.
Overly excited, he drank another glass of water and calmed down before sitting on the sofa again, staring blankly at the cup on the coffee table.
As soon as the series of actions ended, the phone on the table vibrated again.
My eyes glanced over and saw the caller ID - an unfamiliar number.
"Hello..." His voice was a little hoarse and not clear.
"Is that Jing Lang? I'm Sheng Shiyang."
Absurd stories always come out of nowhere. Li Jinglang doesn't like socializing. Even during the Chinese New Year, he is often alone in a corner, looking at the dark night view or reading the instructions on an object. In short, he is a child who is regarded by everyone as a lonely and difficult to get along with.
He had some friendship with Sheng Shiyang's family, and families like the Sheng family were often sociable. Sheng Shiyang would send gifts or visit almost every Chinese New Year, but Li Jinglang had never seen him once. If he were a child from an ordinary family, he would have been criticized or taught a lesson, but he was a patient, and it seemed to be known to everyone.
So he can keep silent, so he can have no friends, so he can be hated by everyone...including her.
No one knows whether this is something to be celebrated.
The conversation with Sheng Shiyang was just a few hasty sentences. Sheng Shiyang was the one talking the whole time. The sound of electricity kept passing through his head, and Li Jinglang's attention was not that focused. As for what Sheng Shiyang said, he had forgotten everything. Only when he was asked if he was willing to come, he said a sentence, a sentence that was obviously off topic.
"Is she coming to pick me up?"
At first, Sheng Shiyang didn't understand who Li Jinglang was talking about. When he was pointed out, he just gave a very normal and calm reply, as if he was responding to a crying child at home, and it was not worth taking it to heart.
never mind.
Li Jinglang didn't want to continue the conversation. He felt annoyed and even more offended.
He has always been like this. Even at this moment, Sheng Shiyang was still smiling and looked gentle and friendly. Li Jinglang hated him more and more. He hated the feeling of being treated gently, which was insincere and could not be refuted.
Sheng Shiyang was surprised that Li Jinglang agreed to this dinner. Perhaps it was just a small talk or polite words at first, but after he gave Li Jinglang an affirmative answer, he heard a faint "OK".
Sheng Shiyang told Tang Ningyue about this in surprise, but she smiled and said - Jinglang was originally a very friendly child.
Sheng Shiyang would not refute Tang Ningyue, but would just go along with her and say, "Maybe I remembered it wrong."
He would not delve into it, nor would he care. She was just an insignificant person to him. Tang Ningyue was the only one in Sheng Shiyang's heart from beginning to end.
-
Li Jinglang was absent-minded the whole afternoon, glancing out the window from time to time. Apart from the bare tree trunks and withered leaves in winter, even the pedestrians on the road looked a little bleak and hurried.
"What are you looking at?"
It was hot in the room, and as soon as the old man who taught ideological and political education opened his mouth, Lu Yi's eyelids started to droop. He didn't even bother to take out his cell phone and was about to fall down.
The scenery outside is really nothing new. There is not even a bit of green to be seen. It makes people feel sad after seeing it for a long time.
"Who's outside?" Lu Yi followed Li Jinglang's gaze and looked outside. Apart from a few students participating in club activities, there were few other pedestrians passing by. Everything outside the window was desolate and pale, even though it was not snowing.
"Go to sleep." Li Jinglang pulled Lu Yi's hat from behind and forcefully pushed him back onto the table.
The last remaining gap in the window was also pulled up, and even the curtains were pulled over to block all vision.
Li Jinglang tilted his head to look at Lu Yi, curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and smiled silently. Lu Yi should be thankful that he is a very insensitive person and will not fall into the vortex of emotions like himself and never get any explanation.
The get out of class ended at 3:30, and Lu Yi went back to the dormitory to catch up on sleep. Li Jinglang had nowhere to go. The interface on his phone was still the address book. The agreed time was 5 o'clock in the evening, a very awkward time.
If it were as usual, Li Jinglang's first choice would be to go to the library, but today he couldn't calm down no matter what, and finally went to his only place of belonging in this school, the rooftop.
The aircraft manufacturing club has been declining since the last session. The first reason is that it is too difficult to win awards, so everyone still chooses projects that are easier to add credits. The second reason is that Li Jinglang is not good at maintaining personal relationships in college, and he doesn't like to participate in any group activities.
Since he joined the club, everyone left and dispersed, and slowly there were only a few people left. The few who stayed had not only true love for the project, but also "true love" for Li Jinglang.
Even though he has a reputation for being a loner, there are still people who can forgive everything because of his appearance and continue to stand by him.
But, obviously, he didn't buy it.
Perhaps it was because Li Jinglang's ability was too outstanding, even with a group composed of blind monks in a dilapidated temple, he still broke the club's record of winning awards in international competitions for five consecutive years. Except for the freshmen, Li Jinglang would not give a second chance to those who had quit the club and tried to return.
Duan Jiayu is just an exception among exceptions. He was delayed in participating in the club interview before because of his secret training in the entertainment company, and he couldn't explain why. Now he is trying to use this to curry favor with others and get extracurricular training credits. It is really hard to understand.
But Li Jinglang had already agreed, so he was not surprised when he saw Duan Jiayu at the door of the small activity room next to the rooftop in the afternoon.
With the golden medal of immunity from death given to him by Tang Ningyue, Duan Jiayu felt much more confident and even took the initiative to come over and greet Li Jinglang first.
"Do you still remember me? I'm Duan Jiayu."
"...Hmm." Li Jinglang's eyes swept from head to toe, and finally he muttered a word, turned around and inserted the key into the keyhole.
After receiving his reply, Duan Jiayu breathed a sigh of relief and reintroduced himself, "I was worried that you had forgotten me. Sister Ning Yue told you I was coming, right?"
“.....”
The air stagnated for a second, and the keys were suddenly pulled out. The bunch of keys collided with each other and were finally clenched in the palm of his hand. Duan Jiayu cast his dull gaze at Li Jinglang again, watching him take a deep breath, push open the door, walk in with two or three big strides, throw his backpack on the old sofa, and lean on the windowsill with his arms folded.
"Can you play?"
Li Jinglang was wearing a jet-black baseball cap, with his eyes hidden under the brim, staring directly at Duan Jiayu's face, which always made people feel a chill in their hearts.
"Ah? Play..." Duan Jiayu pursed his lips, "A drone? Uh... I'm okay, I know how to use it a little." He nodded again.
Although Duan Jiayu wanted the credit with the mentality of clinging to someone's thigh and lying down, but when he looked at Li Jinglang, he didn't dare to confront him, let alone smile frivolously, so he could only do whatever Li Jinglang said.
"Try it." Li Jinglang threw over an old and extremely remote control.
He actually wasn't very interested in drones. He had used them a few times before when participating in travel variety shows, but had never touched them again. They were nothing more than remote controls. The only difference was that the drones in the activity room were all homemade models made by students or teachers. They didn't have any electronic device terminals, only an old, yellowed remote control, which was obviously an antique.
The buttons on this remote control are very simple, not even as many as the one he used before, with only a few buttons to control direction and speed.
"This is very simple." Duan Jiayu took a look and was full of confidence.
Li Jinglang stared at the broken fuselage on the ground and glanced at him silently.
The space in the activity room was not large. Duan Jiayu stood in a corner and quickly pushed the vertical rise button. The machine finally staggered up from the ground. Due to the low version, it looked like a sick old man hanging up and struggling to survive, making some old noises and buzzing in the air.
"This is an antique." Duan Jiayu commented while controlling its direction.
This 'old guy' only managed to travel a few meters before starting to waver, unable to immediately execute commands and even crashing into the glass due to lack of power.
Li Jinglang stood diagonally opposite Duan Jiayu. The drone scratched the glass next to his hand, making a harsh sound. After Duan Jiayu apologized several times, the old guy finally scratched the back of his hand, leaving a mark of neither deep nor shallow.
"Ah... yes, I'm sorry." Duan Jiayu hurriedly changed direction and sped up to avoid Li Jinglang's position.
The machine reacted too slowly. After adjusting its direction, it only increased its speed within half a meter until it rushed towards Duan Jiayu. It needed some reaction time to slow down again, but the activity room was too narrow and the two people did not keep a distance from each other. By the time Duan Jiayu dodged, it had already rushed towards him and hit him directly on the chin. This time it finally slowed down.
The same cut was a little deeper than Li Jinglang's, with faint traces of blood.
“.....”
The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
"Duan Jiayu!"
Before anyone in the activity room could react, a female voice rushed in, followed by a burst of anxious footsteps. The next second, Tang Ningyue turned her back to Li Jinglang and held Duan Jiayu's chin.
"Are you okay? Huh?"
"No...it's okay." Duan Jiayu was still confused and didn't react until he saw Tang Ningyue's finger rubbing the blood mark on his face. Then he felt a slight pain, "It doesn't hurt much."
"What are you doing?" Tang Ningyue's pretty brows were furrowed. Not to mention her concern for Duan Jiayu, the fact that Duan Jiayu had an announcement for a well-known variety show this week was enough to make her collapse. Such obvious marks would definitely not be covered up by then.
"Uh...interview." Duan Jiayu looked at Li Jinglang who was walking slowly towards him.
Li Jinglang's footsteps were very light, like a strolling cat, but his tall and thin body blocked a lot of light.
Sensing his approach, Tang Ningyue raised her eyelids and gave him an unfriendly look.
"Li Jinglang." Tang Ningyue was a little angry, especially because this was something that delayed her work. After all, Duan Jiayu was the first project planning she participated in after returning to China.
When she met his gaze, Tang Ningyue's anger was about to burst out of her eyes. Li Jinglang was very familiar with this look. Perhaps it was because he was often baptized by this look when he was a child.
Now he is not used to her gentleness, but he actually feels familiar and kind to this look.
"fine?"
Li Jinglang's greeting was neither too serious nor too light, but with a hint of mockery and sarcasm. Tang Ningyue was so angry that she almost couldn't hold it in. She stood up and pushed him impulsively.
Li Jinglang was pushed unexpectedly and had no time to react before his back hit the display stand full of models. The stand shook violently, and the objects on it swayed for a while, and finally calmed down in his trembling pupils.
"Are you sincere?"
Tang Ningyue glared at him fiercely, her expression seemed even angrier than before, because of others.
The air in the activity room was not very good, and the gray light passed through the two people. Tang Ningyue's eyes had long shifted away from him, and Li Jinglang also lowered his eyes lightly, but his gaze still stayed on her.
The air suddenly became tense. Only Duan Jiayu really wanted to care about Li Jinglang, but his kindness seemed too strong at this moment. Not only did he not notice it, he also leaned past Tang Ningyue and asked kindly.
"Li Jinglang, are you okay?"
“....”
Because of what he said, the atmosphere in the activity room inexplicably dropped to freezing point.
"Look at yourself!" Tang Ningyue's brows were twisted into a ball, and she was extremely angry.
"Come with me." Tang Ningyue didn't look at him again, and pulled Duan Jiayu's arm. "If we go to the hospital now, we can still make amends."
As she walked out, she said, "You'd better pray that your scar can be covered before the show."
-
Duan Jiayu's injury was really not a serious matter, and a simple bandage in the infirmary was enough. Even the infirmary teacher said that he didn't need to go to the hospital again, as it would not leave scars.
However, Tang Ningyue's impatience really touched Duan Jiayu. He really didn't expect that Tang Ningyue would care about him so much.
But this kind of care was too short-lived and only lasted until Sheng Shiyang called.
"Someone from the company will come to pick you up later." Tang Ningyue glanced at Duan Jiayu and sighed, "Behave yourself. Don't do this kind of thing again. You've finally got a good resource and made yourself known to others. Don't mess things up again. Do you understand?"
"Sister, I know Li Jinglang doesn't like me." Duan Jiayu looked at her while covering his wound. "I can't force him to be nice to me. I was the one who insisted on joining them to get the credits. Don't blame him."
"Heh..." Tang Ningyue sneered. She always looked down upon men who were so self-indulgent. "Take good care of your face. Why are you caring about these things?"
"I have something to do later, so I have to leave first." She said, and answered Sheng Shiyang's call again.
"Jinglang, I picked up the call. We are at the school gate now. Come on." Sheng Shiyang's voice sounded particularly gentle in the atmosphere at the moment, making Tang Ningyue feel inexplicably at ease.
"I see." Tang Ningyue replied, then paused and asked hesitantly, "How is he?"
Sheng Shiyang glanced at the rearview mirror. Li Jinglang was leaning against the car window in a daze, the hood of his sweatshirt on his head, not saying a word. He smiled and asked Tang Ningyue, "Did you just have a fight?"
The heater was on in the car, and because Sheng Shiyang was talking to Tang Ningyue, he had turned down the volume of the car stereo, but the soft sound could still be heard.
It snowed today after a long absence. The snowflakes were very small, and only a little had accumulated from dusk till now. Even those piled up on the car windows disappeared with a light sweep of the hand, leaving only unclear human silhouettes.
The speaker had already automatically played the next song "Someone You Loved", but their call was not over yet.
This time, Li Jinglang did not prick up his ears. Just seeing Sheng Shiyang's expression in the rearview mirror made his brows furrowed tightly. The movement of drawing horizontal lines on the car window became messy, and in the end, he inexplicably left behind a crooked word "Tang".
Li Jinglang saw Tang Ningyue through the car window with the word "Tang" on it. She had a camel-colored cashmere scarf draped over her shoulders. Even in such weather, she still didn't wear a down jacket. After all, she always disliked people who were "ugly" and "fat". She had been like this since she was a child. She only liked beautiful things.
"Are you here?"
Following Sheng Shiyang's joyful voice, Li Jinglang instantly came back to his senses and quickly wiped the marks on the car window, leaving his cuffs wet.
"Is Xiao Duan okay?" Sheng Shiyang handed the chestnut milk tea in his hand to Tang Ningyue. It was still warm and had been kept in an insulated bag by him, with the opening tied.
"It's okay." Tang Ningyue picked up the milk tea and took a sip, then let out a long sigh. She stirred the milk tea twice as usual and seemed to remember something. She raised her back slightly and turned her head back.
It seems like he has a change of heart.
"Jinglang?"
"Did I hurt you?"
Her voice was still so gentle, but it was particularly harsh in the slightly stuffy car. Li Jinglang raised his head slightly, and the sparse hair on his forehead blocked his vision a little, but her face was still completely in his pupils.
Tang Ningyue prefers Japanese-style makeup, orange blush and slightly curly chestnut hair. Her whole body reveals the image of a gentle lady who seems to want others to think she is her best friend.
And her eyes flickered slightly with worry.
Li Jinglang stared at her for a long time, and finally turned his head away without saying a word. The place where he had just wiped had already become turbid, and he couldn't even see the street view clearly.
"I was just too anxious."
"Can you please forgive me, sister?"
She was still persuading him. If it were in the past, even if he had never known her, Li Jinglang would have believed her words and shook his head and said it was okay. But there were too many such things, so many that even if Tang Ningyue didn't remember them, he would still not forget them until the day he died.
It was like when they were little, if she was having a great time, he would go to find her, but she would push him away, and she wouldn't even look at him when he fell to the ground covered in mud. Finally, when the party was over and she came out from the crowd, she would hold his hand again and ask him, "Did I hurt you just now? I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"
Many times, or rather many, many times, Li Jinglang would forgive her immediately and pretend that this incident had never happened, until he later discovered that she did not want his forgiveness, but was just forgiving herself in this way.
Li Jinglang never fell for her tricks again. He would always quarrel with her, get angry with her and go into a cold war with her. Over time, in Tang Ningyue's memory, only his angry look remained. He became the child who was difficult to get along with in her words, but adults always believed her more.
She always seemed to treat him as a toy, the kind that wasn't very valuable. She would play with him occasionally when she remembered, or when she was bored and had no better toys.
She was extremely bad to him, really extremely bad, but sometimes she seemed quite nice to him. Li Jinglang couldn't help but count every little thing carefully, putting the good things on one side and the bad things on the other, and then weighing them on a scale to see whether she was good to him or not.
He always came up with various excuses to excuse her, even though he was the one being bullied.
The car has started, and the hazy street scene outside the window keeps sliding past my eyes, like a low-quality CD movie.
"How could Jinglang blame you? Didn't you say this morning that he was a particularly good brother?" Sheng Shiyang was driving and trying to smooth things over for Tang Ningyue.
The two of them sang in unison, as if there was no need for Li Jinglang to intervene, and they even forgot that he was the person involved in the story.
"Isn't that right, Kyōrō?"
In the end, the result was thrown to him again, and it seemed that he had to put a perfect end to this unexpected event.
Li Jinglang turned around and looked at Sheng Shiyang in the rearview mirror. Sheng Shiyang had a very gentle appearance, the kind of man that Zhou Su said must love his wife. He was gentle but resolute. When the car drove to the intersection, the dim light coming towards them was completely different from Li Jinglang in the dark.
"What are we going to eat later..."
Answering irrelevant questions and just throwing the question aside.
"I ordered your favorite lobster. Your sister made a reservation this afternoon." Sheng Shiyang said, turning his head and smiling at Tang Ningyue. They looked like an old couple, even though they had only been together for a few days.
But he did like the Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Zhou Su and Tang Ningyue didn't like it. She still remembered that Li Jinglang's mouth was tightened into a line, and the anger just now was diluted again. He didn't show it, which was a bit too pathetic. It was just a small benefit.
After being a family for so many years, he knew everything about her preferences. It was only natural for her to remember these things.
Li Jinglang still hummed "hmm" in a low voice, but Tang Ningyue heard it clearly. She smiled secretly with a little pride.
She knew his anger had subsided.
-
Dinner was booked at a private restaurant, which took about 40 minutes to drive from the city. The owner of the restaurant was a friend of Tang Ningyue’s friend. In short, the relationship was complicated, but they were still friends, even if they were just acquaintances.
No one else was invited to the dinner for the three of them, as if it was specially prepared for Li Jinglang. Li Jinglang was not flattered at all, as he knew in what capacity he was invited. He just looked at Sheng Shiyang a few more times. Perhaps the number of times Li Jinglang looked at him in all these years was not as many as today.
Sheng Shiyang was very happy and talked more than before, as if he was excited about inviting Tang Ningyue's family and taking a step closer to Tang Ningyue's family.
But he didn't know that he had invited the wrong person and was still feeling complacent.
Of the three people at the table, Sheng Shiyang was in the best mood. Tang Ningyue, on the other hand, was rather indifferent next to him. She even had time to scroll through her phone while Sheng Shiyang was talking, her attention not fully focused. Li Jinglang, on the other hand, remained expressionless as always, his face even grimmer than usual.
There were so many people in the private room that they couldn't even fill up the seats. Each of them was eating the exquisite private dishes grown deep in the mountains and forests, each with their own thoughts. The taste of the dishes tasted different to each person.
Tang Ningyue didn't say much that night, just responding occasionally. Sheng Shiyang, on the other hand, never stopped talking once he opened his mouth. Maybe it was because he had been drinking or something, but he talked about almost everything under the sun. Li Jinglang just listened silently, his eyes fixed on the brightly colored dishes on the table, and suddenly he felt a little nauseous.
"I'm going to the bathroom."
Suddenly, Tang Ningyue stood up and interrupted Sheng Shiyang.
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Sheng Shiyang tried to hold Tang Ningyue's hand, but she pulled it away without a word.
"No, you guys eat first." Tang Ningyue shook her head, holding the mobile phone on the table and glanced at Li Jinglang next to her. The two looked at each other and she quickly looked away, turned her back and pushed the door.
Sheng Shiyang continued to talk, but Li Jinglang's mind had already wandered off. He was holding a glass of boiled water and just clinked glasses with Sheng Shiyang politely. He was absent-minded for so long that he didn't even notice when the person opposite him got drunk.
Tang Ningyue didn't even know.
From the time she left until Sheng Shiyang got drunk and rested with his arms and a frown on his face, Tang Ningyue never came back. Finally, the restaurant waiter took Sheng Shiyang to the car, but she still didn't come back.
After waiting for a while, Li Jinglang began to get restless and took out his cell phone to call her.
"where have you been?"
"The restroom," the woman opposite said matter-of-factly. "Why are you rushing?"
"Sheng Shiyang is drunk, and you don't care about him?"
"Got it. Ask the waiter to take him to the car first. I'll be right back."
The call was quickly disconnected. Li Jinglang hadn't recovered from her indifferent attitude yet. He glanced back at Sheng Shiyang, who was sleeping with a frown in the back seat, tilted his head and licked his teeth. The wind was stronger at night, and the stuffiness in the room was all blown away. He leaned against the side of the car and rubbed his temples.
Thinking about it carefully, he actually felt that Tang Ningyue's attitude was normal. If Tang Ningyue really cared about Sheng Shiyang, she should take him to meet her family now, or at least have a meal with Zhou Su. It would not be Li Jinglang's turn. After all, she just wanted to appease Sheng Shiyang and didn't want to make any promises. She has always been like this, and he thought too much.
After waiting for five minutes, Tang Ningyue still hadn't returned. Li Jinglang felt a little uneasy. Recalling the sound of flowing water he had just heard on the phone, he groped his way to the small garden bridge of the restaurant.
Walking along the wooden bridge, you will pass a koi pond and behind it is an artificial fountain designed by the restaurant. Tang Ningyue is chatting with someone there. Li Jinglang did not go any closer and stopped behind a reed marsh.
The two spoke French, and Li Jinglang didn't understand a word. However, he understood Tang Ningyue's eyes better than anyone else. Every time she showed such an expression to someone, that person would soon become the next man to send her home.
Li Jinglang's eyes were closely following the mixed-race man sitting opposite her. He was probably the friend of the friend she mentioned, and the owner of this store.
Tang Ningyue was sitting on a small swing, the necklace around her neck swaying with her movements, flashing with strange light. This was a gift Sheng Shiyang had given her in the evening.
Li Jinglang frowned tightly and waited until the two people said goodbye. The final farewell hug was initiated by Tang Ningyue. She wrapped her arms tightly around the man's waist, and her arms were wrapped around the mixed-race man's waist like long water snakes. The kiss was not very polite in Li Jinglang's opinion. His eyes were stung and hurt.
The winter moonlight was not very bright, and Tang Ningyue was dimly seen walking down the wooden bridge, her glass-like eyes looking straight at Li Jinglang. She did not feel any guilt or panic, but instead questioned why he was so impatient and kept urging her over and over again.
Li Jinglang clenched his fists tightly in his pockets. At that moment, he didn't know what expression to make.
His relationship with Sheng Shiyang was not so close that he would stand up for him, but at that time he really wanted to be the good guy.
Li Jinglang still stood there in a daze without reacting until Tang Ningyue walked up to him.
"Why don't you leave?" Tang Ningyue stopped beside him, less than half a meter away from him. She turned her head and asked him again because he blocked her way.
"Even the etiquette for foreign friends is a bit too much, isn't it?" Li Jinglang's lips were tense, but he finally asked this question with a trembling voice, as if questioning.
"Ah..." Tang Ningyue reacted, smiled and nodded, then said nonchalantly, "Did you see it?"
Her tone was subtle, as if she was pleased, yet also as if she was testing someone, but her face was filled with an indifferent attitude. Li Jinglang suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
"...Sheng Shiyang is still in the car." Li Jinglang's breathing became heavier.
"Even if he were standing here right now, he wouldn't say anything." Tang Ningyue crossed her arms and looked at him provocatively. "My foreign friends like me hugging and kissing them, but Sheng Shiyang likes them even more. He likes them so much that even if I confronted him and broke up with him, he wouldn't agree."
She scoffed and continued, "You know what? He would be very happy if I could give him even a little bit of my hugs and kisses. I'm sacrificing myself to make him happy, so don't stand on the wrong side."
Li Jinglang, of course, wouldn't listen to any talk of an open relationship. He only knew she simply didn't like Sheng Shiyang enough and was using him for fun. He knew her words were completely misguided, but he still felt a surge of joy.
"It's unfair to him what you're doing." These words sounded like he was speaking up for Sheng Shiyang, but strangely, Li Jinglang felt a little relieved in his heart, as if he was sympathizing with Sheng Shiyang.
"Li Jinglang." Tang Ningyue spoke each word with emphasis. "When will it be your turn to teach me? When I was a kid, the person in the world I wanted most to be hugged and kissed by me was you, but where are you?"
The undisguised and overly straightforward words made Li Jinglang take a deep breath and his eyes reddened. She knew that she knew everything, but she still treated him like that. She would not run to him until he broke down and cried, and coaxed him in a fake manner. Now she told others that he had a weird temper and it was harder than climbing to the sky to kiss him.
"..." Li Jinglang trembled a little.
"Jinglang."
The fragrance of her body came along with her voice, and the next second Tang Ningyue reached out to hug him, her arms around his neck. The sudden hug made him a little overwhelmed. He had even reviewed such a warm hug countless times in the middle of the night. He never thought that he would regain it in this way. It was ridiculous and joyful.
"I'm so tired. Let's go home and stop talking about this, okay?"
She continued to speak to Zhou Su in the same coquettish way as always, as if she didn't regard him as an insignificant child, but it was obvious that she always treated him as a younger brother who didn't need to be cared about too much.
Tang Ningyue drank a lot of wine in the evening. Li Jinglang knew that her alcohol tolerance was not that good. Being slightly tipsy was the most crazy thing. Li Jinglang didn't know how deliberate she was.
But her gentle voice and warm embrace made him instantly dizzy, like a kidnapped puppet, his mind controlled by her, even though the two of them were still confronting each other just a second ago.
He could only answer inexplicably: "Okay..."
-
Sheng Shiyang was finally handed over to the security personnel at his residence. Tang Ningyue fulfilled her obligation and insisted on getting out of the car to help him up, but before she could reach out her hand, she was stopped by Li Jinglang behind her.
But the scene was weird—the person he was holding was Tang Ningyue, not Sheng Shiyang who was about to fall.
The only sober person among the three was a stranger unfamiliar to the security guards. Sheng Shiyang was a homeowner in the community and he recognized him. The security guards were happy to pick up the drunken man and send him home.
However, Tang Ningyue had been in and out of this place many times and was not a stranger to her. But at this moment, she was caught by another man. Although he was held in an empty embrace, when she turned around and looked at the unconscious Sheng Shiyang, she always felt that this scene was a bit weird.
Tang Ningyue seemed to see their doubts. Although no one spoke, Tang Ningyue remained sober and opened her mouth to explain.
"This is my younger brother." She introduced Li Jinglang.
Several staff members from the security department looked as if they had suddenly understood something and stopped asking questions. However, Li Jinglang frowned slightly at their expressions and turned his head to look away.
He looked like he didn't want to bother with anyone, and the few girls who had been stealing glances at him withdrew their gazes and turned their heads away from him.
"Not leaving?" Li Jinglang always ran out of patience with other people quickly, and he felt a little aggrieved when he glanced at Tang Ningyue.
Tang Ningyue: "I'll take him there, please wait for me for a while."
"Didn't someone send him off?" Li Jinglang frowned even deeper. "Can you help him?"
"You can't just throw him to someone else like this, I'm his girlfriend after all."
"Girlfriend..." Li Jinglang leaned against the car door and muttered sarcastically. Then he stood up straight, took a step forward and grabbed Tang Ningyue's wrist, stopping her from moving forward.
"I'll go see him off, you go back to the car and wait."
In Tang Ningyue's slightly surprised eyes, Li Jinglang quickly said the next sentence to block the smile that had just appeared on her lips: "You are not staying overnight?"
"Of course not." Tang Ningyue smiled, snatched the car keys from his hand, and walked back to the opposite direction with peace of mind. After walking a short distance, she turned back and said to him, "Excuse me, please follow me."
Li Jinglang still overestimated himself. If this happened to Lu Yi, he would righteously persuade Lu Yi to let go, but now that it happened to him, he couldn't do it. He even felt uncomfortable to give in, as if his heart and lungs had been stolen.
Sheng Shiyang's duplex was on the top floor. As soon as Li Jinglang entered the house from the elevator, he saw the photo of Tang Ningyue placed in the entrance hall. There was a very exquisite custom-made photo frame with a Polaroid photo inside, which was out of place with the frame.
Li Jinglang had never seen this photo before. He had never seen it on her social media platform or in the life photos she regularly sent to Zhou Su. It seemed to belong to Sheng Shiyang alone.
Li Jinglang was staring at the photo in a daze. The security guard beside him had already helped Sheng Shiyang to the sofa. "Do you want help taking him to the room?"
"No need." Li Jinglang turned his head. "It's fine here. Thank you for your trouble."
"You're welcome. It's my pleasure."
After a few pleasantries, the group left the house, leaving only Li Jinglang and the sleeping Sheng Shiyang.
The bedroom door was half-open. Li Jinglang pushed it open and pulled a quilt to the living room to cover Sheng Shiyang. He did not take off his coat or shoes, but he was completely covered by the large down quilt, just to send a photo to Tang Ningyue for report.
That night, Tang Ningyue praised Zhou Su for his broad vision and being a good child, but Zhou Su laughed and retorted that Jinglang was the most cunning child she had ever seen. Li Jinglang didn't say a word the whole time and didn't even react.
Before going to bed, Tang Ningyue came over to comfort him, saying that Aunt Zhou was just joking. Although the relationship between mother and son did not require her to explain anything, she still gave him a cup of hot milk. Li Jinglang didn't know what she was bribing him with, whether it was because of what happened with the mixed-race child in the evening or because he helped to send Sheng Shiyang away.
He stared into her eyes, but couldn't get an answer. He just subconsciously clenched the Polaroid camera in his hand.
He just felt more guilty than she did.
Li Jinglang didn't sleep the whole night. His sleep quality was very poor. The room must be dark and silent. But that day the curtains were not closed tightly and the remote control was not placed on the bedside. There was only a photo with a white background on the dark bed sheet, which showed a girl's smiling face.
He is most likely to have wild thoughts when he is lying in bed without any digital devices in his hands. Maybe he is like this on weekdays, but it is particularly serious in this situation.
Li Jinglang stared blankly at the ceiling. He was so dazed that his eyes became sore. He lowered his eyes slightly to relieve the swelling. It was already deep winter, and the floor heating in his home was especially hot this year. He had an excuse to put away the thick quilt and take out the blanket from the closet.
In previous years, he was always afraid of the cold, but Zhou Su saw him changing his quilt that day without reminding him. Zhou Su always said that he respected his choice, whether good or bad, but Li Jinglang did not feel at ease about this. Instead, he felt a little guilty when he smelled the scent of laundry detergent on the blanket.
Once some thoughts begin to take root, they will become uncontrollable, becoming more and more serious, and even beyond his control.
Zhou Su stayed at home tonight, and Tang Ningyue no longer sat in the living room. She usually liked to sit in the dining room or on the sofa in the living room. She liked spacious and comfortable space, liked to stay up late, and liked to make video calls with others.
That night, Li Jinglang got up again and went to the kitchen to drink water. When he passed by Tang Ningyue's room, he could still see light coming through the crack of the door. She was still awake.
Li Jinglang stood at the door for a while holding a glass, his slender back straight against the wall. He could faintly hear the faint sounds coming from the room. He could also hear several thoughts passing through his mind, and subconsciously guessed who she was chatting with.
He wanted to stick close to the door and listen, and when this idea popped into his mind, he was shocked. He used to look down upon this kind of behavior, even despised it, but he couldn't suppress the urge to move closer.
Li Jinglang finally fled back to his room.
The water in the glass spilled all over the floor, right in the corridor. He didn't dare go back to clean it up, as it would eventually be dried up by the floor heating. There might be water stains left, but his aunt would definitely clean the house before everyone got up. Repeated comforts flowed through his mind, and finally he remembered Tang Ningyue's words "making a fuss out of nothing".
"Li Jinglang..."
His face was revealed in the reflector by the window. Li Jinglang looked at his pale lips and murmured. The moonlight shone through the window, turning into a cool light blue, reflecting on his empty black T-shirt.
'What has become of you?'
He frowned and stared at himself in the mirror, but he couldn't say the last sentence. He could only shout in his heart. He reminded himself once a few weeks ago and even gave himself some bloody lessons, but he still couldn't stop things from getting worse and even going astray.
However, Tang Ningyue was completely unaware of his internal friction and psychological collapse, and still sat calmly in the room chatting with Tang Zhaoming.
Tang Zhaoming just received the birthday gift he had a long time ago today. He always complained that Tang Ningyue was too stingy with him, and was even reluctant to send things to him by air, but chose the time-consuming and labor-intensive mailing method of sea shipping.
"Sister, why did you give me a model airplane? You know I have no interest in this kind of thing."
"I bought a big one for Jinglang and a small one as a gift. I wanted to let you cultivate your sentiments." Tang Ningyue curled her lips speechlessly, "Who knew that you would be such a helpless kid."
"What kind of person is Li Jinglang? I really want to meet him. I always hear my grandfather say that he has excellent grades. He also said that Aunt Zhou also had excellent grades when she was a child. She must have inherited it."
"Don't mention them in front of mom." Tang Ningyue frowned and reminded.
"Of course I won't. I remember everything you said. We talked about this when I went back home to accompany my grandfather fishing during the holiday some time ago." Tang Zhaoming was breaking a colorful egg tart while stroking the stray cat's head with his other hand.
He feeds the stray cat downstairs almost every day, and whenever he comes back from school he breaks off a bit of whatever he brings for the cat to try.
"Grandpa misses Aunt Zhou a lot. Although I've never met her, from what I've heard from Grandpa, I feel that Aunt Zhou and Li Jinglang are both very good people. I really don't know why Mom doesn't like them."
Tang Zhaoming shook his head. "Forget it. It's not uncommon for my mother to hate me. She even hates me."
“....”
Tang Ningyue didn't know how to respond to him for a moment. After Xu Lin's divorce, Tang Zhaoming followed his father to Singapore. After Tang Ningyue went to Canada, Tang Zhaoming was also taken in by Xu Lin. Xu Lin didn't feel happy or loving towards her son because she hadn't seen him for a long time. Instead, she always saw the shadow of their father in him, and would beat or scold him for the slightest thing.
Fortunately, Tang Zhaoming is heartless and never cares. He turns a blind eye to Xu Lin's favoritism. He even says that at least he lived with his mother after he was born, and later lived with his father. Only his sister has neither a mother nor a father to accompany her, and has always lived in someone else's home.
Tang Ningyue said he was stupid, and he shook his head and retorted. His birthday wish every year was that everyone would love his sister, and that everyone included Li Jinglang, whom he had never met.
"Will he quarrel with you?" When Tang Zhaoming expressed his concerns, the last piece of colorful egg tart in his hand was snatched away by the kitten.
"Won't."
"Sister..." Tang Zhaoming suddenly looked up and stared at the screen.
"Um?"
"Do you like him more than me?"
-----------------------
Author's words: Click here for new column articles ~ "Leash"
Having a son in old age, Qiu Mingxia was spoiled too much.
Even when she bullied Rao Mu at home, the elders would turn a blind eye.
"It's just children playing around. Xia Xia is doing this because she likes him."
After hearing such words so many times, Qiu Mingxia became more and more aggressive.
At first, I asked him to carry my schoolbag and bring breakfast for me.
Later, it became that she asked him to keep watch when they were dating in the woods, and he took the blame when she got into trouble. She was really awful to him.
It wasn't until Qiu Mingxia's family arranged a marriage for her that she finally let him go, saying, "You're free now."
-
Rao Mu is a distant relative of Qiu Mingxia who is not related at all.
After both his parents passed away, he always thought that he would not survive this year until he was taken in by Qiu Mingxia's grandfather.
Rao Mu didn't feel that Qiu Mingxia was bad to him. Compared to his previous life in the small town, he was now in heaven.
He deserves to be scolded by her for taking care of her and being nice to her. He said she is very cute.
He was the last one to know that Qiu Mingxia was getting married. When he rushed back, exhausted, she was trying on her wedding dress. She said this might be the last time they met.
"Did the man outside serve you well?"
That was the first time he was so angry, gritting his teeth and wishing he could tear her polite fiancé who was sitting outside to pieces.
"He's been very good to me."
"What a bullshit! I haven't let anyone else serve you in all these years. Does he know that you need me to coax you to sleep at night? Does he know who washed your underwear all these years?"
"Rao Mu!" she exasperated.
Instead of getting angry, he laughed: "Do you still want me to feed you tonight?"
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