The phone call revealed a deep misunderstanding, and a horse on the grassland relieved my worries.
"The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix at the Wutong Green Qi"
It was similar to the last two lines of her own WeChat Moments post, but more polished and evocative of a profound yearning. The seven characters of this couplet perfectly adhered to the rhythmic rules of a seven-character syllable, yet six of them shared the same radical, hinting at a historical allusion, making it almost absolute. The fact that it managed to achieve a coherent rhythm was impressive, but what surprised Xue Jiuyue even more was that this WeChat Moments post was from Liu Che, and it was his first!
Today is Li Jingzi's birthday. She's not from Xialin, so she's celebrating with her friends. Besides her classmates, she's also invited Mei Rugu and Liu Che. Liu Che is the only colleague and the only male guest.
The birthday party was held in a large private room at a KTV. Nowadays, KTVs are a trendy, old-fashioned place. Young people generally disdain such slick places. However, Xialin KTV is actually a catering business, specializing in gatherings, birthdays, and other celebrations. It allows guests to enjoy dining, drinking, singing, and other activities all in one place, without worrying about disturbing others with excessive revelry. There are various themed rooms, including pink and princess-themed for girls, and luxurious and extravagant rooms for boys, just for birthdays. Online recommendations claim the food is delicious, the sound system is top-notch, the service is attentive, and there's also a free-flowing drinks package...
Of the guests present, only Liu Che was known to Mei Rugu, though she hadn't greeted him. The others were completely unknown to her. However, her years of experience in the business world, coupled with Li Jingzi's focused promotion, allowed Mei Rugu to quickly warm up to everyone, especially since she had deliberately sought to get close to Liu Che. It wasn't long before Mei Rugu and Liu Che were enjoying a pleasant conversation. However, her attempts to inquire about Xue Jiuyue were unsuccessful; Liu Che was affable but extremely tight-lipped, never revealing a single word.
After dinner, some sang, some drank, some shared embarrassing stories about Li Jingzi's past, and some chatted about gossip they'd uncovered. But even more people gathered around Li Jingzi, grilling her about her relationship with Liu Che. Li Jingzi's response was clear, "Colleagues, friends, nothing more!" Given her typically forthright demeanor, her friends were largely pacified. Many singles were even tempted to take action.
Liu Che himself sat in a corner, his politeness and quietness creating a distance between him and the several girls who had come to chat. Mei Rugu seized the opportunity to engage in an interested conversation with him, while Li Jingzi occasionally helped him get fruit and drinks. Suddenly, Liu Che hurriedly said, "Excuse me!" and stood up to walk out.
Since the room was well soundproofed, the corridor was quite quiet. Liu Che closed the door and answered the phone.
"Xiaoyue, what's wrong?" Liu Che's voice was filled with surprise and concern.
"It's okay, can't I call you?"
"Yes, yes, anytime."
"Where are you?"
"My colleague's birthday was at a KTV, but I can't sing, it's inconvenient, and I'm bored."
"I'm bored too, would you like to chat with me for a while?"
In this room, dinner had been over for a while, and after everyone had a good time, they suggested having cake.
After lighting the candles, Li Jingzi discovered that Liu Che was not there.
"Sister Mei, where is Doctor Liu?"
"He just went out. I don't know if he went to the bathroom."
"Everyone wait a moment, I'll go look for it." As soon as Li Jingzi went out, she saw Liu Che's back. She subconsciously thought that Liu Che couldn't find the room.
"Doctor Liu, over here, everyone is waiting for you to eat cake."
The noisy environment just now made Li Jingzi's voice lose its usual restraint, and it was clearly transmitted to Xue Jiuyue through the mobile phone.
"Oh, are you so busy? I won't bother you anymore." Xue Jiuyue hung up the phone and turned off the phone directly.
After Liu Che couldn't get through to his phone call back, he returned to his private room in frustration, tormented by the forced smile. Especially when everyone sang the birthday song and blew out the candles, reality and memories crushed his heart like a millstone...
Xue Jiuyue climbed up the line in a daze, hoping to hear the military advisor's words of comfort. To her disappointment, she didn't see the familiar shaking at first.
There is actually a time when "spitting in your face" is offline, and it happens to be at this moment, it's really "a roof leaking when it rains"!
It was probably the aftereffect of the fourth glass of ice whiskey that condensed Xue Jiuyue's raging anger into liquid, which poured out through his tear glands, allowing rational thinking to regain its footing.
"Actually, everything remains the same. The probability of coincidence is still very high." Xue Jiuyue speculated secretly but soon became entangled again, "But why didn't he take the initiative to contact me? What does his circle of friends mean?"
"Okay, beautiful Yue!" The damn "spitting" finally came.
"Where did he die?"
"I went to the King of Hell and was about to cross the Naihe Bridge when the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Demons caught up with me and said that a beautiful woman on earth was in trouble and needed my help. They specially allowed me to return to the world and add ten more years to my life."
Xue Jiuyue didn't ask any more questions after Spitfire's nonsense. "I don't have any confusion. I'm very peaceful without you. You'd better go and don't come back."
"Come on, if Miss Yue is alright, would she care where I am?"
"Am I so heartless?"
"What else?" "Spitting Star" was unusually short.
Xue Jiuyue reflected on herself, "Am I not caring about others?"
"Haha, Miss Yue has another misunderstanding with the doctor?" "Spit Star"'s invincible judgment was demonstrated once again.
Xue Jiuyue was no longer reserved and sent the whole story over.
"Oh, Miss Yue, you have such a gift for writing! So you're the real expert. I was just showing off before you! My sins, my sins! Actually, what you're worried about is still the same as before. It's probably just a misunderstanding. But the core of the problem between you is still there. If it's not resolved, it will explode sooner or later!"
Xue Jiuyue actually gave the same answer now, but she only gained support from the other party. So she concealed her name and gossiped about her conversation with Qian Jianjun.
"The truth only matters when it comes to choices. That's true! Miss Yue is really tall! However, if Miss Yue didn't help that Mr. CEO, then this would most likely remain a lie that would never be exposed! So Miss Yue interfered with the other party's choice."
"Even if I don't tell him, he'll find out sooner or later. I just want him to see his heart more clearly."
"Why would the beautiful Yue cut off her flesh to feed the eagle?"
Xue Jiuyue felt a sense of confidant in her heart, "It's not about cutting off one's own flesh and blood. He is a very good friend, but he just can't see himself clearly at the moment. Although his wife misunderstood me, I still hope to help them. In fact, it is also indirectly helping that girl. She may succeed now, but sooner or later she will still get hurt."
"Amitabha, a beautiful woman with a kind heart will surely be blessed!"
Being praised by "Spit Star", Xue Jiuyue felt a little relieved, "Let's go play cards!"
"What are you discussing?"
When Xue Jiuyue arrived at "Inch of Time", Ke Yike, Qiu Nian and the other three were pointing and talking at a newspaper together.
"Ahem... Sister Yue, the newspaper says the next week will be the best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Qiu Nian said we should go watch it together tonight."
"Then go. I haven't seen the meteor shower yet." Xue Jiuyue also wanted to relax. It seemed that a good night's sleep allowed her to successfully put aside her worries.
Qiu Nian added sheepishly, "But the newspaper also said the best place to view it is on the Hulunbuir grassland."
"Is your company busy these days? Can you go away?"
Xue Jiuyue's question surprised everyone.
Qiu Nian quickly said, "Our company is in the off-season recently, and we've been arranging rotations of rest days."
"Then let's book the tickets. We'll fly there for team building tomorrow! Make a plan today." Xue Jiuyue made the decision.
It was a weekend morning and there were no customers in the store yet. Qiu Nian and Ke Yike were dancing with joy until Qiu Nian's movements were frozen by Lin Yiyi's cold gaze.
With the help of various apps, the preparations went very smoothly. During this time, Ke Yike came over and hesitantly said that Xiaofei and Xiaopang also wanted to go, and they would pay for the expenses themselves.
"I have no objection. If one of the three of them objects, just decline politely." Xue Jiuyue's reply made Ke Yike ecstatic. It seemed that he had already asked the other people.
When everything was ready, Xue Jiuyue took the time to post a circle of friends to share her itinerary.
In the quiet time, everything seems to be motionless. The still phone, the still leaves, the still sunlight, the still wind and the still sadness that weighs on the bottom of my heart.
It wasn't until he encountered the grasslands, the generous sunshine, the flock-like clouds, the rushing sound of horses' hooves like a mighty river, that he used his epic and vast heart to soothe every scar in Xue Jiuyue's heart and weave them into grass. Then, all he saw was green, no weeds, no grass, only grass everywhere, which finely shredded his shadows and buried them in the soil, becoming nutrients for the next reincarnation.
Every foothold is the center of the world, the center of the stage, as if beneath its feet are the unwavering presence of the heights polished by eagle wings and the unyielding spirit etched in countless blood. With every step, one hears the whispers and narratives of history, and with every step, one feels the sharp edge of a man's sword and the softness of a woman's tears. They blend together to form the sharp, docile grass beneath one's feet, the majestic, graceful river behind one, and the bloody, tearful, and tender history of the past. Compared to these, everything else seems insignificant, as tiny as dust.
Xue Jiuyue and her friends rented an SUV, and Qiu Nian volunteered to be the driver, but was kicked out by Lin Yiyi due to gender discrimination. So he, Ke Yike, and the other four rented four motorcycles, free as wild horses.
We stayed in a pre-selected yurt, and the ethnic customs brought us not only different costumes and customs, but also unique cuisine. In today's information-rich world, these are not surprising, but experiencing them firsthand always brings a different kind of joy.
When they were in Xialin, most of them had ridden horses, and there were professional coaches and professional horse farms, but it was different from the galloping on the grassland.
Horses were born for the grasslands. Without horses, the grassland is a painting, static yet graceful and elegant. Once on horseback, the grassland comes alive, leaping with joy and galloping endlessly. The grassland is a silent sky, and horses are its language, the flickering and fading of passing meteors; the grassland is a deep, tranquil sea, and horses are its tentacles, the surging waves. Horses are the pulse, the heartbeat, the soul of the grassland. Riding on horseback, caught in the passionate, free rhythm of its motion, one's heart can break free from all constraints, soaring from the tiny spot before one's eyes to the heavens, overlooking the vast earth and surveying the vastness of history.
All the new experiences made Ke Yike and his friends' excitement stretch all the way from day to day, as boundless as the grassland. Even when night fell, they used the blazing bonfire to burn through the sky, supporting the non-stop singing and dancing.
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