Miss you
I Miss You More Than Yesterday
Text/Ji Chaoge
Exclusively published in Banxia Novel
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Xia Tangyue put his luggage away and went downstairs.
This is a garden-style B&B with three floors. The small backyard is planted with seasonal flowers and plants. Hydrangeas and roses are clustered on both sides of the winding stone path, and vines climb up the white walls.
She booked here because she was attracted by the pictures posted online, and the popular review that received countless likes: "The boss is ridiculously good-looking, estimated to be over 188cm tall, and has the temperament of a retired model. I suggest you pack him up and send him directly into the entertainment industry."
only.
The legendary handsome boss Xia Tangyue was not seen. There was only a young man sitting at the front desk in the entire B&B.
She walked straight out the door, and heard shouting behind her.
It was the young man who walked out from behind the front desk. Only then did she notice that the young man's left arm was shrunken and hanging in front of him, and his left leg seemed to be shorter than the other, and he staggered with every step.
It turns out he is a disabled person.
Xia Tangyue stopped where he was, and the other party smiled friendly: "Are you going out? If you have nothing else, I suggest you stay here, because the typhoon is coming, and it's not safe outside."
"Thank you for the reminder." Xia Tangyue smiled back: "It's okay, I'll be back soon."
After leaving the B&B, Xia Tang jumped into an online-hailing car.
Looking at the green belts passing by outside the window, she frowned anxiously and couldn't help but start checking the map.
This is a small coastal town, remote but beautiful. In recent years, it has become a new niche tourist destination thanks to the popularity of online celebrities. It is also the eighth city she has visited in search of paintings. If there is no harvest here, the art exhibition will be postponed and investors will withdraw their investment.
The tremendous pressure made it difficult for her to calm down, so even at the risk of a typhoon, she had to go to the scene in person to see it.
After getting off the car, Xia Tangyue stood in front of the glass door of the local art gallery.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy door. The hall was empty and the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty hall.
There were a few works by local painters hanging on the exhibition walls, in different styles, but there was none of them.
The white-haired gatekeeper was packing his things with his back to her, apparently wanting to leave before the typhoon.
“Excuse me—” she began, her voice particularly clear in the silence.
The old man turned around and squinted his eyes at her: "What's the matter?"
"It's like this. I heard that you have a painting called "Butterfly Reflection" in your collection. I came all the way from Beijing to see it with my own eyes."
The old man thought for two seconds before slowly shaking his head: "I haven't heard of it."
Xia Tangyue's heart sank and his fingers unconsciously clenched the strap of his bag.
The old man's answer was within her expectations. After all, the painting she was looking for this time was a series of eight paintings, "Rebecca," created by the early 20th century female painter Lydia Horne.
In "Rebecca", Lydia Horne used minimalist ink brushstrokes to metaphorically describe the existence of the rain butterfly effect, which had a huge impact on the painting world at that time.
But she herself had a sudden mental breakdown for unknown reasons, claiming that "the butterflies in the painting flew out", and then disappeared with her paintings. Many years later, her paintings reappeared and spread all over the world.
Before this, Xia Tangyue had collected the remaining seven paintings, leaving only the last one, "Butterfly Reflection".
She asked many people and got some scattered clues before she found this place, but she didn't expect to return empty-handed again.
"However," the old man suddenly said, "there are still some old paintings in the warehouse that have not been exhibited. You can go and have a look."
With hope rekindled, Xia Tangyue quickly asked for the address of the warehouse.
The old man handed her a handwritten note.
I opened the navigation on my phone and it showed that the address was nearby.
Xia Tangyue looked up at the sky. The originally clear sky suddenly became gloomy, and thick lead-gray clouds pressed low over the sea in the distance.
She hesitated and didn't take a step, staring at the sky for a while.
"It shouldn't come so soon..."
Besides, the address of the old warehouse was not far ahead, so she could go and take a look at the situation first, and it would not be too late to go back later.
Imagination is beautiful, but reality is cruel.
Xia Tangyue followed the instructions and walked into an old street. The street was narrow and dilapidated, with long-abandoned arcades on both sides and no one was there.
A strong wind rushed out along the alley, blowing up her collar and long hair, making it difficult for her to walk.
She squinted her eyes, straightened her clothes, and stood behind the pillar of the arcade to block the wind.
Forget it, let’s go back quickly.
Ringing——
The cell phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number. Xia Tangyue answered the call while walking back.
"Hello, who is this?"
"I'm from the B&B. We just met. Are you not back yet? The typhoon has already landed."
Xia Tangyue recognized his voice as the young man who had been disabled earlier. She answered in a hoarse voice over the strong wind: "I'm going back now."
"Where are you?" the other party asked again.
Xia Tangyue told him the location on the navigation: "It's here on Shengli Street."
"Ah! Then you——"
Before the young man could finish his words, her phone was blown to the ground by the wind and rain, and the screen went black.
She quickly picked it up and put it in her bag without even checking if the phone was broken, then ran out along the main road. As a result, a rushing stream of water poured in from the alley, and the heavy rain pouring down from the sky soaked her all over.
She staggered and was nearly knocked down by the rushing water, so she quickly held onto the wall to steady herself.
The cold rain flowed down her hair into her collar, making her shiver.
The road ahead had turned into a muddy stream, with branches and garbage broken by the wind floating on it. The water level was rising at a speed visible to the naked eye. The steps of the arcade had been submerged. If she didn't leave here, she would be drowned!
Xia Tangyue gritted her teeth, hugged the bag tightly to her chest, and took advantage of the fact that the water was not too deep and waded forward, taking one step forward and one step back.
Suddenly, a strong wind and heavy rain swept over. She could hardly open her eyes and could only squint to barely identify the direction.
The old signboard swayed violently in the wind, making a frightening "creaking" sound, as if it would fall down at the next second.
At this moment, a very magnetic voice penetrated the rain curtain.
“This way!”
Soon after, Xia Tangyue was pulled out of the water. The flying rain hit her eyelids and she couldn't open her eyes, but she could feel that the person holding her was moving quickly and soon brought her to a place where she could shelter from the rain.
Standing firmly on the ground, Xia Tangyue brushed away the rain with the back of his hand and opened his eyes.
The tall and long-legged man was looking down at her, his black hair sticking wetly to his forehead, and raindrops were sliding down his sharp jawline. There were still drops of water on his eyelashes, but they couldn't cover his dark and deep eyes, which were like the sea in a storm, surging and floating.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a low voice with a slight gasp.
Xia Tangyue was stunned for a second before realizing that he was still holding his arm, and quickly let go.
His shirt was already soaked, clinging to his body, revealing the clear outline of his muscles. She hastily looked away, her ears burning: "Thank you, thank you..."
The man didn't say anything, but took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to her.
His fingers were long, with distinct joints, and there was a shallow scar at the base of his thumb, as if he had been scratched by some sharp weapon.
There was a loud noise of trees breaking in the distance, and the strong wind blew the rain into the eaves. He stood in front of her, and his tall figure instantly blocked most of the wind and rain.
"Shengli Street is low-lying and has been abandoned for a long time. What are you doing here?" he looked at her and said.
Xia Tangyue wiped her eyes with a tissue. The man's question made her pause. She asked, "Do you know me?"
The man raised his lips in a shallow arc: "You are my guest, do you consider me an acquaintance?"
Xia Tangyue immediately realized that this was the owner of the B&B who had received rave reviews online, and couldn't help but take a second look at him.
He has broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His black T-shirt was soaked by the rain and stuck to his body, outlining his sturdy muscles and giving him a wild and unruly air. However, his eyebrows and eyes are very well-shaped, with the corners of his eyes slightly drooping. When he looks at people, he has a hint of laziness and a hint of concentration, which is so contradictory that it makes people's heart palpitate.
She suddenly remembered the comment online that "the boss is so handsome that he can make female customers deliberately break the water heater." She thought it was exaggerated at the time, but now, standing in the heavy rain and looking at his rolling Adam's apple, she inexplicably understood the feelings of those tourists.
The man looked around, turned his head and said to her: "Come on, I'll take you out of here."
He walked in front to lead the way. It was obvious that he was very familiar with the area and he walked on the small paths that were sheltered from the wind.
Xia Tangyue followed behind him, looking at his broad back, and accidentally slipped.
The man reacted very quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back, and the distance between them suddenly shortened.
His palms were very hot, like a ball of fire in the cold rain. Xia Tangyue could smell the faint pine scent on him, mixed with the damp smell of rain, which inexplicably made her heart beat faster.
"Watch your step." He lowered his head and said, his warm breath brushing her wet hair.
"Yeah." Xia Tangyue responded and was taken away from the dangerous area by the man and returned to the door of the B&B.
The guy at the front desk breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them coming back. He said, "You're finally back. The typhoon knocked down all the old banyan trees in the east. I was just about to call the police!"
He hurriedly handed over two dry towels. After the man took them, he brushed back his dripping bangs, revealing his smooth forehead.
Xia Tangyue was soaking wet, her back shivering from the cold. She wiped the water off her face with a towel, relaxed, and said softly, "Thank you, I'll go back to my room first."
She walked towards the elevator and heard two thumps. Something fell down. Just as she was about to bend down to pick it up, the man was one step faster than her.
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