2 Is there time to catch up now?
Back home, Xiaolu was clamoring to video chat with her mother, but Liu Yuwei searched her bag and felt in her coat pockets, but she couldn't find her phone. After careful recollection, she thought she probably left it at the restaurant. Liu Yuwei knocked on her neighbor's door and explained her purpose. The other party unlocked the door and handed her the phone. She dialed her own number. "Beep, beep," the phone was not turned off, which meant it was not stolen. Fortunately. "Hello, hello." A clear male voice sounded. "Hello, I am the owner of the phone, Liu Yuwei. Thank you for picking up my phone." A woman's polite reply came from the phone. "You're welcome. How can I return the phone to you?" The other party was very direct. I don't know if it was because of the "good guy" filter, but Liu Yuwei felt that the voice was particularly nice and seemed a little familiar. "If I remember correctly, I must have left my phone at the restaurant. Could you please leave it at the checkout counter for me? Thank you very much!" "I just left. Give me the address and I can drive there now!" "How could that be so? I'll take a taxi and see you later!" "It's inconvenient to get a taxi or contact you without a phone. It's quite late. Don't waste your time." The other person's tone was a little irritated. At this point, Liu Yuwei would have seemed overly hypocritical if she hadn't acknowledged the offer. But remembering she was a single woman, she cautiously gave the address of the upscale residential complex across the street. "Meet me at the entrance of Wangjiang Xinyuan later. Thank you very much!" "I'll be there in about half an hour. Bye." It was a false alarm, her phone back, and the other person, who had returned the money and even offered to deliver it to her doorstep, seemed quite lucky. After hanging up, Liu Yuwei thought about it, and the more she thought about it, the more she remembered hearing that voice somewhere before. "What? Don't you recognize me?"... "It's quite late. Don't waste your time."... A flash of white light flashed, and the scene that had just happened at the restaurant played in her mind like a film projector replaying in reverse order. Fate is like a delicately woven thread. When hope is high, the search is fruitless, like chasing a mirage in the endless desert. Alone and peaceful, they must meet again, entangled in the fine thread, unable to escape. ... Wangjiang New Garden is a new development within the Third Ring Road, expensive, yet separated from Liu Yuwei's residential complex by only a narrow road. Liu Yuwei had intended to leave Xiaolu home to play for a while, but the little girl, seeing her pick up her coat and sitting by the door putting on her shoes, insisted on following her downstairs. Once outside, Liu Yuwei spotted a black commercial vehicle parked on the curb in the opposite neighborhood, its lights flickering in the night. Standing not far from the rear of the car was a man in a black windbreaker, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, tall and straight. The dim streetlights cast a shadow...
Back home, Xiaolu insisted on video chatting with her mother, but Liu Yuwei couldn't find her phone, even after searching her bag and coat pockets. After careful consideration, she realized she had probably left it at the hotel.
Liu Yuwei knocked on her neighbor's door and stated her purpose. The other party unlocked the door and handed her a cell phone, and she dialed her own number.
"Beep beep beep", the phone is not turned off, which means it was not stolen, so everything is fine.
"Hello." A clear male voice sounded.
"Hello, I am the owner of the phone, Liu Yuwei. Thank you for picking up my phone." The woman's polite reply came from the phone.
"You're welcome. How about returning your phone to you?" The other party was very direct.
I don’t know if it’s because of the “good guy” filter, but Liu Yuwei felt that the voice was particularly pleasant and seemed a little familiar.
"If I remember correctly, I left my phone in the restaurant. Could you please leave it at the checkout counter for me? Thank you very much!"
"I just left. Give me an address and I can drive there right now!"
"How can this be so embarrassing? I'll take a taxi to find you later!"
"It's inconvenient to take a taxi or contact people without a mobile phone. It's quite late, don't waste time." There was a hint of irritation in the other party's tone.
At this point, Liu Yuwei would have seemed overly hypocritical if she didn't acknowledge the favor. But thinking of herself as a single woman, she cautiously gave the address of the upscale residential complex across the street.
"Then let's meet at the entrance of Wangjiang New Garden later. Thank you very much!"
"I'll be there in about half an hour. Bye."
It was a false alarm, and my phone was found. The other party returned it and even delivered it to my doorstep. It seems I was lucky.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Yuwei thought more and more that he had heard this voice somewhere before.
"Why, you don't recognize me?"...
“It’s quite late, don’t waste time.”…
A white light exploded, and the scene that just happened in the hotel played in reverse order in my mind like a film projector.
Fate is like a delicately woven thread, searching with hope in vain, like chasing a mirage in the boundless desert. Alone and quiet, we must meet again on a narrow road, entangled in the fine thread, unable to escape.
...
Wangjiang Xinyuan is a new real estate project within the Third Ring Road. It is quite expensive, but it is only separated from the community where Liu Yuwei lives by a narrow road.
Liu Yuwei originally wanted to leave Xiaolu at home to play for a while, but the little girl saw her pick up her coat and sat at the door putting on her shoes, and insisted on following her downstairs.
After leaving the gate, Liu Yuwei saw a black commercial vehicle parked on the roadside opposite the community, its headlights flashing in the night.
A man in a black windbreaker stood not far from the rear of the car. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and was tall and straight. The dim streetlight cast a soft halo over him, casting a slender figure on the ground.
The boy in my memory was straight and thin. Liu Yuwei once stood far behind them, watching his white school uniform fluttering in the wind. The girl next to him smiled like a flower and did not forget to turn around and shout, "Liu Yuwei, why are you walking so slowly? Hurry up!"
As the old saying goes, "When three people walk together, there must be one who can teach me." After a year of walking together, Liu Yu had mastered the art of concealing his emotions, though he hadn't learned anything else.
Later, the skills he had learned were gradually neglected in the sweet love between the two of them in the past. He didn't know if he would be exposed if he picked them up again today.
…
Liu Yuwei walked to a position three or five steps away from the man, pretending to be unfamiliar and polite, "Hello, are you here to deliver a mobile phone?"
Jin Lang heard a voice from behind and looked over. The man was wearing a camel coat, with long hair draped over his shoulders and a smile like a bank lobby manager on his face.
The little girl she saw at the restaurant door was also following her, looking at her with curiosity.
Jin Lang's fingers gently brushed the edge of the mask, revealing his well-defined face. His eyes were deep, as if hiding many emotions.
"Liu Yuwei, you didn't recognize me after just meeting me?" A light chuckle.
Liu Yuwei suppressed his fluctuating emotions, managed his facial expression, and asked in a calm tone with a hint of doubt, "Why are you here?"
Jin Lang gently shook the phone in his hand, "You called me half an hour ago and told me."
"You picked up my phone?!" His voice rose a few degrees, as if what he said was unbelievable.
The other party did not answer, but took out Liu Yuwei's mobile phone from his pocket and took two steps forward to hand it to her.
She took it, the black glass screen still lingering with his body warmth. She couldn't overdo the show; proper courtesy between strangers was essential. She said softly, "Thank you for making such a special trip."
Seeing that her expression had softened, Jin Lang said with a hint of sarcasm, "So, now, the lawyer has time to reminisce with me?"
"you…"
This time the surprise and confusion in her eyes were real. How did he know what he was doing?
Being calm and composed is a fundamental quality for a qualified lawyer. Liu Yuwei decided to ignore the question mark in her mind. Now that she had the phone, she should end this conversation as soon as possible.
She adjusted her breathing and gently opened her red lips. "You are now enjoying a successful career and love life. No matter how you look at it, you are a winner in life. It's so good to live in the present. Why bother looking back on the past?"
"A double harvest in love and career?" Jin Lang couldn't help but laugh.
"How can you compare to Lawyer Liu's happy family and successful career!" He threw the words viciously to the ground, as if these eight beautiful words were not a blessing but a curse.
"Yes, I should have seen that you are not a nostalgic person."
Liu Yuwei was not stupid. He could hear the sarcasm and even a hint of hatred in these words.
But she didn't understand. So many years had passed. Even if she was the one who broke up, he was with his beloved as he wished. Why should he dwell on the past?
They didn't know how to respond for a moment, and silence enveloped them like a huge net.
Liu Yuwei lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously sliding across her phone. There was a missed call, and when she clicked it, it was a number she had called countless times.
She stared at the lit screen for five seconds, and her breathing stopped for five seconds.
All those days and nights of waiting and anticipation suddenly flooded back to her mind, a suffocating feeling in her chest bringing her back to her senses. She took a deep breath, the woody scent of the man's body invading her heart and spleen, the smell of cold water.
The cool ocean air mixed with the dry smell of tobacco took over her breathing from the moment she inhaled it.
A violent coughing sounded.
…
"This is your birthday present. I've been picking it out for so long that my nose is almost failing me. Open it and try it!"
"The smell is very refreshing, I will use it every day from now on."
"I think this perfume is very similar to the smell of your school uniform in high school after washing it with detergent and drying it in the sun!"
"Why, did you secretly smell my uniform in high school?"
"Even if I liked you then, I wasn't so perverted, okay?"
"Look, you finally admitted that you liked me in high school."
"Oh, you, how could you set a trap for others?"
…
Jin Lang just looked at her silently. They were very close to each other. She covered her lips and nose with her slender fingers, her neck was straight, and her shoulders trembled with each cough.
He leaned slightly to the side and naturally stretched out his hand, but suddenly stopped in mid-air, curled up his fingers, and clenched them into a fist.
The harder Liu Yuwei tried to control his breathing, the more he coughed. His chest trembled and his heart felt torn and tormented.
Jin Lang sighed softly, and finally put his hand on her back. He patted it gently at first, then slowly brushed it from top to bottom, so gently that it seemed like he was back in the past.
Feeling the man's hand falling on her body, Liu Yuwei shuddered uncontrollably, but fortunately, the trembling was cleverly concealed by the cough.
Although she was wearing a thick coat, she could still feel the warmth of the other person's palm on her back.
It took a long time for her breathing to gradually calm down. But the touch through her clothes just now, like some unknown internal energy, easily broke her golden bell defense, and the shattered fragments were scattered by the wind.
Liu Yuwei always felt that he was strong enough to endure all the grievances and sadness back then.
However, at this moment, closing my eyes, the suppressed surging emotions came like a tsunami, the taut strings in my mind had long been broken, and emotions finally defeated reason.
She took the initiative but her voice was soft, "Why didn't you change your number?"
After asking, she lowered her eyes, trying to hide the ripples in her eyes, and her fingertips stroked the edge of her coat pocket. The cashmere felt soft and warm.
On a night in early winter, a gust of wind blew, bringing with it a biting chill.
Jin Lang stared at her profile, with too many emotions surging in his eyes. Even though she lowered her head, he could still see her long eyelashes trembling.
"It's rare that you still remember." His tone was still cold, with a hint of disdain, "You didn't change it either, you just didn't bother to do it, don't think too much about it."
"A-choo" the little deer sneezed, successfully attracting the attention of the two people and saving the panicked Liu Yuwei.
"The child is a little cold. We'll go back first. Thank you for returning the lost money."
As if someone had unmasked her and seen through her thoughts, she pulled Xiaolu up and desperately wanted to escape the scene. Seeing the two of them turn around and walk in the opposite direction, Jin Lang came to his senses and quickly reached out to grab her.
A hot and powerful hand held her wrist, and this time Liu Yuwei felt the warmth of skin contact that she had not felt for a long time.
There seemed to be thin calluses rubbing against her skin in her palms. She had the impression that those hands were slender and soft, and could not only draw beautiful lines on paper, but also easily ignite a burning fire in her body.
Liu Yuwei was hesitating whether to pull away, but heard him say, "Are you going in the wrong direction?"
Before she could speak, Xiaolu quickly replied, "I live in the community across the street. Goodbye, uncle..."
After watching them leave, Jin Lang opened the car door, got in the driver's seat, and lit a cigarette. His left hand rested on the edge of the rolled-down window, his thoughts drifting in the cold wind with the white mist.
She is married and has a child. In life, one always has to pay the price for one's choices.
The scarlet spots on the cigarette butt burned my fingers, burning not only my skin but also my heart.
…
After seeing Xiaolu off, Liu Yuwei lay straight on the bed. Tonight's conversation had used up all his energy.
It's said that people's emotions change through several stages after a breakup. At first, whether out of spite or curiosity, Liu Yuwei did try to spy on Jin Lang's new life.
She was afraid of verifying her suspicions about the breakup, but she couldn't help but think that maybe he was regretting it too.
But Jin Lang seemed to have vanished without a trace. They were in different high school classes and went to different universities, and they had only a handful of mutual friends, including Song Miao.
Later, the anger subsided and sadness took over.
Then, people always have to face reality and life must go on.
The first time Liu Yuwei heard the name "Jin Lang" after returning to China to work was in the elevator of her own community.
Two high school girls with ponytails were looking at their phones together when one of them suddenly said, "This one, this one, I like him the best!"
"He's quite handsome indeed. What's his name?"
"Jin Lang!"
The first time Liu Yuwei "met" Jin Lang was at the subway station she passed every day on her way to and from work. The platform was bustling with people, and the sound of voices and footsteps, accompanied by the beeping of safety warnings, created a cacophony of activity.
But when she saw his face on the poster, Liu Yuwei's ears fell silent. She stood there for a long time, until a volunteer lady in a yellow vest asked her, "Girl, are you okay?", and she realized her face was covered with tears.
As Jin Lang's acting career flourishes, Liu Yuwei learns to gradually accept the fact that he will "fill" her life.
She thought that after so many years, she had been able to face this failed relationship rationally. But she didn't expect that when they met again, a few gentle caresses would completely break her rational defenses.
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