Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Household affairs of social animals
Outside, the wind and rain were blowing. Chen Run and Chi Shuangliu were huddled face to face under an umbrella. They were so close that their breaths intertwined. Such an ambiguous scene... was diluted by her righteous expression.
She said sincerely, "Brother Chi, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Although I have a brother, it's almost the same as not having him. I've always wanted a brother like you. If you don't mind..."
A heavy rain fell, and all the pear blossoms fell from the tree. She was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't notice a pear blossom being crushed into mud under her feet.
She had only said half of her words when her chin was suddenly gently pinched.
She was forced to shut up, and when she raised her eyes, she found that Chi Shuangliu's expression was... not very good.
He still had a template-like smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold: "You make me a little sad."
His pupils were dark, without a trace of emotion, like the look of a large predator preparing to hunt. Shen Run then realized that he seemed to be really angry - angry because of her suggestion.
Sensing the approaching danger, she instinctively tensed up: "W-why?"
She unconsciously took a step back, her back pressed against the glass window of the convenience store. She instinctively took a defensive posture, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She tried to close her legs and bend her knees, emitting signals of resistance from head to toe.
A normal person who sensed such an obvious signal of rejection would most likely choose to step back or move away, but Chi Shuangliu just paused for a moment, and the next second, his knee thrust between her legs without hesitation.
Her knees were forced apart, and a solid black men's shoe was inserted between her white canvas shoes.
The two of them were almost stuck together.
He still held the umbrella with one hand, but the leg that separated her was firmly bent, and it was even eager to continue invading.
She felt his hot breath spraying on her cheek continuously.
Chen Run's face changed, and she almost took action. Chi Shuangliu noticed the change in her expression. He did not change his movements, but slightly adjusted his facial expression and lowered his eyes: "I have a question for you."
His eyelashes were too long, slightly curled at the ends. When he lowered his eyes, there was an inexplicable hint of sorrow and resentment in his eyes, and even his voice was a little hoarse.
——But his behavior was completely the opposite. He approached her forcefully, gradually encroaching on the small space she had left.
Shen Run fell for it, and her attention was diverted. She didn't care that she was still pressed against the glass window, and patted his back to comfort him: "Don't, don't, don't, Brother Chi, you're not going to cry, are you? Just ask anything."
Having grasped a clue, Chi Shuangliu's eyes flashed with an unfathomable smile, and he continued with that slightly sad tone: "Do I disgust you?"
Chen Run immediately said: "No, no, absolutely not!"
"Really?" he whispered. "Then why do you always act like you're not interested in me?" He paused, and finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time: "Even that lowly scumbag can do it, but I... can't?"
His thumb moved up along her chin and finally pressed against her lips, his fingertips slowly stroking between her lips.
"Don't lie, I'll know."
Shen Run was stunned by his string of questions and instinctively answered, "Because it's the company's policy."
Chi Shuangliu paused, a flash of disbelief flashing across his eyes: "Company... regulations?"
She knew the employee code by heart, reciting it rapidly: "Yes, the employee code, Chapter 6. Colleague Relationships, Article 16 stipulates that romantic relationships between colleagues in the same department are prohibited. Violators will be fired."
Besides, the two of them have no relationship at all. It is natural for her to take care of Chi Shuangliu for a high salary. If Chi Shuangliu and she are in a relationship, then it is natural for her to take care of him. How can she have the nerve to accept money again?
As we all know, rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows, and men who work with her are not considered human beings. No matter how horny she is, she would not make a move on her colleague and the person she cares for. From the day she started working, she no longer treated Chi Shuangliu as a man, otherwise she would not have agreed to give him a bath so readily.
No one in their right mind would fall in love with a coworker, no!
Chi Shuangliu: "..."
He fell into a long silence.
He had thought of countless reasons in the past two days, even considering whether he had revealed any flaws that she had noticed. In the end, she actually gave a completely unexpected reason. More importantly, this reason was completely logical and impeccable.
He felt a little tired and even wondered if he had lived too long and was completely unable to communicate with the young people of today.
The two returned home in silence. Chi Shuangliu had no desire to communicate for the time being, while Chen Run was terrified, fearing that Chi Shuangliu would mistakenly think that she had bad intentions towards him. For the sake of her job, she kept a distance from him cautiously all the way.
It was only when he returned home and lay on the bed that Shen Run slowly realized that something was wrong.
Why should Brother Chi care whether she is interested in him?
He even compared himself to Xu Jingwen. You know, she and Xu Jingwen were almost dating...
No, no, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Shen Run rubbed his goosebumps and forced himself to interrupt his thoughts.
But because of this incident, she didn't sleep well that night. She dreamed of the tragic scene of her job going bankrupt, losing her annual salary of 600,000 yuan, and having to pick up trash on the street.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Shen Run was woken up by a phone call. She reached out and answered the call in a daze: "Hello?"
Mother Shen’s slightly anxious voice came from the other end of the receiver: “Xiaorun, something seems to have happened at home.”
Chen Run jumped up and asked, "What's wrong? What happened to you?"
"It's not me, it's your brother." Mother Shen was a little flustered: "I sent him a message the day before yesterday and he hasn't replied yet. After calling you yesterday, I called him twice more and he didn't answer. I called your cousin this morning, but his number was also unreachable. I feel so confused and I always feel something is wrong!"
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became: "Is nothing going to happen to your brother? It's all your dad's fault. He didn't even stop your brother from going on a long trip." She seemed to have forgotten how proud she was that her son was making money.
As she spoke, she couldn't help but start complaining: "Your dad is really something. He's out drinking and playing cards again. It's like my son was born alone..."
"Hmm," Chen Run lost interest when he heard it was her brother, and lazily lay back down. "What could possibly happen to a man who's almost thirty? He's probably just fooling around somewhere and doesn't want to return your call. Don't think too much about it."
She has been in Shanghai alone for almost a year and her family has never been so worried about her. Her brother has only been away for a month and the whole family has been worried about him. He is almost thirty years old and still believes that a man should be a young man until he dies!
Mother Shen was so angry at her words: "You silly girl, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Just as Shen Run was about to speak, there was a sudden crackling sound from the receiver, accompanied by a very hazy mumbling, as if countless people were talking to the receiver at the same time, even Shen's mother's voice became blurred.
She was stunned for a moment: "Mom, is there someone else over there?"
Mother Shen was getting anxious and angry, and answered casually: “No, there is no one else at home except me, only your third aunt will come over later.”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a very regular knock on the door, "bang-bang-bang", which was slow and stiff after each pause.
Mother Shen didn’t think much about it and stood up: “Maybe your third aunt is here, I’ll hang up first.”
As she spoke, she hung up the phone, got up and went to the living room to open the door.
The security door opened, and she was stunned, with a look of disbelief on her face: "My dear, why are you back at this time?"
The person standing outside the door was not Aunt San, but Shen Wen.
It was raining outside and he was soaked all over. He looked like he had just been fished out of the water, with a trail of footprints following him.
His eyes were dull and lifeless, as if covered by a layer of light blue film. His wet black hair stuck to his pale face, and the purple scar at his collar was faintly visible.
His back was slightly hunched and his arms hung down.
He wasn't even wearing shoes; his feet were bare, swollen, and covered in mud and sand.
Mother Shen was shocked when she saw his appearance clearly. She rushed over and hugged him, calling out like a sweetheart: "My dear, my dear, what's wrong with you? Don't scare your mother!"
Only after hugging her did she realize that her son looked like he had just run out of an ice storage. She shivered with cold and hurriedly pulled Chen Wen into the house: "What a sin! How did you get so cold? Come in and warm up!"
As she spoke, she turned on the electric heater to warm up Shen Wen.
As if Chen Wen didn't hear her at all, he walked into the house step by step.
His movements were stiff and slow, as if his joints were rusted and his body was filled with glue, making him stagger with every step.
The Shen family's old house had two bedrooms and a living room. Finally, he stopped in front of the bedroom door on the right and tried to turn the doorknob.
Mother Shen was so anxious that she was running around. Seeing that he was not cooperating, she stepped forward to pull him over to warm himself by the fire, saying to him like a child, "Listen to me, don't run around, come and warm yourself by the fire. What are you doing at the door of Xiaorun's room?"
Chen Run didn't have her own room. She used to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room until Chen Wen went to college in another city. She inherited this house. Now there are a lot of her things in the bedroom on the right that she hasn't had time to pack up. Her old books, her old clothes, her favorite teddy bear, her worn-out shoes and socks, and even the underwear she wore when she was a girl, are all locked in the bottom of the box.
This room has not been occupied for a long time and the family members are too lazy to clean it, so there is a thin layer of dust inside.
He pushed open her door, poked his head in, and looked around for a while before muttering, "Where is Xiaorun?"
His voice was strange and vague, hoarse as if he had not spoken for a long time.
He turned his head slowly, his neck twisted into a strange angle, and his eyes fell on Mother Shen: “Where is Xiaorun…?”
Mother Shen was stunned by this strange scene and instinctively replied: "Xiao Run works in the Magic City. She has been gone for almost a year. My dear, what happened to you?"
Chen Wen tilted his head, as if he just remembered this, and slowly said "Ah": "Xiao Run is gone..."
Mother Shen looked at her particularly strange son, and suddenly realized something, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
——From the time he entered the door until now, he has been walking on tiptoe.
His heels never touched the ground once.
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