Chapter 88: Like an Old Friend Returning (VIII) Like a dream, like dew, like a dream, like a bubble...
We set off as usual the next day.
Zhang Deng thought about it and felt that it might seem strange, so he didn't send another message to Chi Xiaoxia to say goodbye.
The Bagua map that Chi Xiaoxia mentioned had not been put into use yet. Perhaps something went wrong, so they still used the old portal, found an office at random, opened the door, turned on the lights, and arrived at the familiar alley again.
They had landed here several times in the past, and Zhang Deng was already very familiar with this place. He felt dazed as he carried his schoolbag. This time when he came back, a lot of pressure climbed onto his shoulders again, and he suddenly felt that the schoolbag was very heavy.
Wei Yuanye asked him what he wanted to do first, and Zhang Deng said, "Pick up Xiao Mi and go home."
Wei Yuanye confirmed: "Take it back?"
"Okay," Zhang Deng said decisively, "I'll call Hu Ningning."
Normally, it was easy to get through to Hu Ningning on the phone. She didn't have anything important to do and was playing with her phone every day. Basically, the call would be connected after one or two rings, but this time, it took a long time.
After Zhang Deng made his second call and it rang seven or eight times, Hu Ningning's phone finally connected. She asked, "My idol, you're back again?"
Zhang Deng asked, "Where are you?"
Hu Ningning mumbled a few words and then said, "You want to see Xiao Mi, right? Wait a minute, it might take me two hours... maybe three hours. Meet at my door in three hours."
Zhang Deng felt a little strange: "Where are you?"
"I'm outside," Hu Ningning still didn't answer, "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible."
Then he hung up the phone.
Zhang Deng fell silent as he stared at the off screen. After a moment, he said, "Then let's go home first?"
He hasn't been home for so long that the word even feels a bit unfamiliar to him. Zhang Deng felt really pained for a long time after renewing his rent for another year last time, but fortunately he renewed it, otherwise he would be homeless now.
The city where Zhang Deng grew up is very big, so big that every time he goes out, he has to travel a long distance. It takes 40 minutes to take a taxi from the entrance of the alley to his home. Looking at the street scenes passing by along the way, Zhang Deng can't help but feel a little homesick.
He had never left this city in his 27 years of life, but this time he had actually left this world and gone to another parallel time and space for such a long time. Normally, since he was always busy when he was away, he shouldn't have time to miss home, but he still found a way to feel homesick.
Now that he was back, he felt scared again.
Afraid that this city, so big and so cold, would drown him.
Zhang Deng's mood had just reached its peak when they arrived at the destination. The two got out of the taxi. Zhang Deng paid the 40 yuan fare with his mobile phone, and his mood became even worse.
Wei Yuanye said: "This may be the place where taxis are most expensive."
"Nonsense," Zhang Deng was unwilling to admit it, "There must be more expensive ones."
Zhang Deng said, "Although you've been to many places, you've lost your memory. How do you know?"
Wei Yuanye just said, "I guessed."
Zhang Deng was choked and said, "Stop annoying me."
The room had not been cleaned for more than a year. As soon as Zhang Deng opened the door, he smelled a smell of dust. Especially since there were so many things in Zhang Deng's house, it was a disaster area for dust mites.
The two of them put down their things and started cleaning without even sitting down. They worked for two hours. Finally, they turned on the light and lay on the newly changed sheets. They listened to the sound of the washing machine running, stretched their waists, and let out a sigh of satisfaction.
Wei Yuanye rolled up his sleeves, looked at him with a smile, and said while looking at the ceiling with the lights on, "I miss you so much."
He used to spend night after night lying on this bed, looking at the ceiling.
It was also that day that he was lying on this bed when he heard the takeaway knock on the door. When he opened the door, he saw Wei Yuanye standing at the door and said his number was "679".
People have situational memory, and when they are in a fixed situation, the corresponding memory will be stimulated. He was lying in bed, thinking about the days when he was an editor. He had a hard and lonely life, making some money but suffering a lot of losses.
Whenever he wanted to cry while lying in bed, he would force himself to sleep, and he slept for a long time.
All on this bed.
Zhang Deng turned over and didn't find Xiao Mi. He checked his phone. It was a little after 1 p.m., and he called Hu Ningning again. Hu Ningning thought he had already arrived, so she picked up the phone and said, "I'm almost there."
Zhang Deng said, "I have to wait a while before I can go. You can walk slowly."
Hu Ningning asked, "Where have you been?"
"Go home." Zhang Deng said, "I'm going to stay for a while this time."
Hu Ningning didn't feel particularly happy. Her first reaction was: "Why?"
"You broke up too?" Hu Ningning asked.
Zhang Deng said, "I'm going back home, why do I need a reason?"
"Forget it," Hu Ningning said, "Let's meet up and talk. I'll need a while here, too."
By the time they got in touch, it was already past seven in the evening.
It was already very dark, but even with the lights on, one could tell from a distance that Hu Ningning's face was not looking very good.
Zhang Deng said, "You act like a female ghost."
Hu Ningning snorted, "Don't talk nonsense."
Zhang Deng asked, "Tell me the truth, what were you doing?"
"What else can I do?" Hu Ningning said, "I can get an abortion."
Zhang Deng: "Did you have an abortion?"
Hu Ningning: "I'm kidding, brother."
Zhang Deng looked at her seriously. Hu Ningning had no choice but to unlock the door and let them in. She said, "Yes, it was indeed a miscarriage."
Zhang Deng: “?!”
"I just didn't think you would say that suddenly," Zhang Deng said. "You don't have such a rich imagination."
Hu Ningning rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you."
She called the kitten upstairs, and the kitten came down meowing, with a ragdoll kitten following behind it.
Zhang Deng has been here many times, but this is the first time he has seen the kitten so clearly.
The ragdoll cat rubbed back and forth at Hu Ningning's feet. Little Mi came and smelled the light and meowed twice, which was rare.
Zhang Deng picked up Xiao Mi and said, "I'm going to take it away."
Hu Ningning stroked her little cat and asked in surprise, "Why? Are you really back?"
Zhang Deng looked at her kitten and didn't answer her question. Instead, she asked, "Why is she so brave all of a sudden?"
Hu Ningning said: "I don't know, it has been like this for the past few days, it's so outgoing."
Zhang Deng said, "I couldn't see it before."
"Don't talk about you," Hu Ningning said, "I couldn't see it before. I only knew there was a cat at home, but I didn't know where it was or what it was doing."
Zhang Deng also took the opportunity to play some naughty things on the kitten. The stuffed animal was very clingy and turned over on its belly when he reached out his hand.
Xiaomi Ping Pong threw another punch.
Zhang Deng: "Xiao Mi!"
"You're so jealous," Zhang Deng said, seemingly angry, but actually very pleased. "Do you love me that much?"
Hu Ningning said: "You are so disgusting."
Zhang Deng sat on the sofa and got down to business. He said with the air of a judge, "Tell me, what's the matter with you?"
Hu Ningning lifted her hair and said nonchalantly, "What else could it be? It was an accidental pregnancy, and it ended in miscarriage."
"Luckily, I found it early," Hu Ningning said. "I was able to have a medical abortion before the third month, otherwise I would have had an induced labor."
Zhang Deng: "Is it Tong Ying's?"
Hu Ningning: "Fuck, what do you mean, of course it's his!"
Zhang Deng didn't actually mean anything else, he just wanted to confirm. He said, "Okay, I'm sorry."
Hu Ningning said: "Other people don't have enough time either."
Zhang Deng: “…”
Zhang Deng: “It’s true.”
"Am I going to be a widow?" Hu Ningning said with a bad girl's style, "But recently I haven't had any. I just had surgery and I've been in Plato recently."
Zhang Deng asked, "So what did you do today? No, didn't you tell Tong Ying about your miscarriage?"
"He blocked me," Hu Ningning said, thinking he was stupid. "I can't get in touch with him at all."
"But this kind of thing..."
Hu Ningning said: "I used this trick when we just broke up. He has been deceived once and probably won't believe it again."
Zhang Deng was speechless. He said, "Then just say you are really pregnant this time."
Hu Ningning: "I've used this one before."
Zhang Deng: "You didn't say you didn't want to live anymore and wanted to commit suicide."
Hu Ningning smiled, the meaning was self-evident.
Zhang Deng said, "You are really sick."
Although I have felt this way more than once, every time it still exceeds my expectations.
Hu Ningning said: "It doesn't matter. I don't plan to look for him anymore. I have my own money anyway, and I don't need him to accompany me."
Zhang Deng: "It means something different, right?"
"You'll ask me whose child it is," Hu Ningning said casually, "He'll be even more suspicious, right?"
Zhang Deng fell silent.
Hu Ningning comforted him, "It's okay. I did mess around a lot anyway. Don't worry, I can handle the consequences."
Zhang Deng felt that the sense of desolation on Hu Ningning seemed to have returned again.
He used to feel that Hu Ningning was like a person walking on a tightrope, vulnerable to collapse at any time. After they fell in love, things got better for a while, but now this feeling seems to have returned.
Zhang Deng felt that breaking up was even more terrifying.
"You haven't answered me yet, so what did you do today?"
Hu Ningning said, "Date."
Zhang Deng: "Who is it?"
"A younger brother," Hu Ningning said, "I met him on the app. He's a college student."
Zhang Deng: "Are college students reliable?"
Hu Ningning: "Of course it's not reliable."
"Especially since I'm rich," Hu Ningning said, "it's even more unreliable. But I'm not talking to him, so it doesn't matter."
Hu Ningning said, "I'm also talking to a doctor at the affiliated hospital and a trainer at the gym. They're both quite handsome."
"Do they also know that you don't talk to them?"
"Of course I don't know," Hu Ningning said, "No man is willing to accept an open relationship."
Zhang Deng: "Then you..."
Hu Ningning said: "Of course I lied to them."
Zhang Deng simply couldn't evaluate her. He said, "Even though you are my friend, I still think this might be..."
Hu Ningning: "Don't hate me, or I won't tell you next time."
Hu Ningning's depravity was very clear. She said: "I know I am a bad person, but I can't help it. I can't seem to control myself."
Maybe people will have varying degrees of self-destructive tendencies for a period of time after breaking up, and for someone like Hu Ningning who is prone to extremes, the emotions she experiences will be even more extreme.
Hu Ningning now defines herself as a bad woman, and she will not cherish herself anymore.
Zhang Deng felt heartbroken when he saw Hu Ningning like this. He knew that Hu Ningning just longed for love too much. She was like a fly trapped in a glass jar, searching for love everywhere and bumping into walls. The more she couldn't find a way out, the more anxious she became.
Zhang Deng asked, "Don't your parents know about this?"
Hu Ningning said, "Honestly, idol, you've known me for so long, have you ever heard me talk about my parents?"
"This house was left to me by my grandma," Hu Ningning said. "My parents split up. My mom is a senior executive, and my dad is the CEO. Their relationship broke down, and no one cares about me. Even if they did, I wouldn't want to tell them."
Hu Ningning said: "They have never taken any responsibility, let alone let them make the decision for me on such a major matter."
Zhang Deng said, "Well, I'm not in a position to advise you on this matter."
"Don't worry about me," Hu Ningning said, "good days will come if you're still alive."
Zhang Deng was really a little angry, angry at Tong Ying for being so irresponsible.
That night, Hu Ningning's phone kept receiving messages. She was busy replying to the messages. She seemed to have no reaction to pain or happiness. She was just addicted to the phone screen and seemed impatient to talk about her own stories.
Zhang Deng knew it was not appropriate to continue chatting, so he hugged Xiao Ai and said he wanted to go back.
Hu Ningning was very affectionate towards Xiao Ai. She touched Xiao Ai's head and felt like she was about to cry. She said, "I want to buy a house in your building. No, I want to live in your house. I love it so much."
Zhang Deng said, "You can come and see it anytime. It must miss you too."
Hu Ningning asked: "Do you believe what you said?"
Zhang Deng fell silent.
Hu Ningning: "It doesn't matter if it leaves you."
Zhang Deng: "Okay, but you can still come and see it."
Hu Ningning waved her hand: "Forget it, go away, leave me..."
Zhang Deng: "You're sick, right?"
Hu Ningning laughed: "Just kidding, I'll come see you tomorrow when I have time."
Xiao Ai accepted the fact of going home very well. It even behaved very smartly. When it just got to the elevator, it seemed a little excited and stuck its head out to look. After returning, it immediately began to patrol its territory.
Its bright eyes flickered back and forth in the room, like a little emperor finally returning to his homeland.
Zhang Deng was worried that it wouldn't adapt, but now he finally felt relieved. He said, "I was worried that it would be used to living in a big villa and not be used to my rental house."
Wei Yuanye carried the bag of food he had just bought from the supermarket to the kitchen, prepared the food skillfully, and heated the oil in a pan.
Everything seemed to have returned to the beginning, but Zhang Deng was not very happy at that time.
He knew from that time that he would be separated from Wei Yuanye sooner or later, and all the tranquility was just a temporary state.
Now it seems that all his worries have become a reality.
Many people say that you shouldn’t worry about things that haven’t happened, but Zhang Deng’s life experience always tells him that the things he worries about will always come true.
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