05 "My tears are burning, and the old wooden bed is creaking."
It was already ten o'clock in the evening when He Yu returned home.
Strictly speaking, it can't be considered a home, because he has lived here only a few times, but it is close to the company so it has become his base in Rongcheng.
The house was large, a nearly 300-square-meter duplex in the heart of the city. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night deepened. Unlike the cold steel and concrete of the bustling city, every dotted building here reflected a familiar image.
After taking a shower and coming out of the bathroom, He Yu poured a glass of wine and took it to the study.
As soon as I sat down, the phone screen lit up and a video call came in to check on me.
"I heard you were bidding on the land that used to be velvet steel?"
He Jinsheng, standing next to him, got straight to the point. He put on his glasses and stared intently at the camera. "Didn't we already build a hot spring hotel that meets ecological standards last time? The most important thing for the branch now is to continue developing its real estate business. We don't need to do this kind of thankless project anymore."
He Yu guessed that his father would call. After he arrived at the Rongcheng branch, all major decisions were under his supervision, but he was still a little unhappy that the other side knew about the matter before it was completely finalized.
"The ear-reporting god is so accurate. Was it Vice President Sun who told you this?"
"Don't change the subject. I'm seriously advising you to think carefully about this."
He Jinsheng spoke earnestly, advising that one shouldn't be too childish when doing business and must heed the advice of predecessors. The Ronggang land was a hot potato, and no matter who ultimately took over the project, they would inevitably be exposed to a lot of losses.
He Yu frowned slightly, and before his father could finish, he spoke: "I want to do something for this place. Dad, don't forget, it was you who brought me to Rongcheng."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. He lowered his voice and said, "That's it. I'm hanging up now. Go to bed early."
Silence returned to the room. He Yu looked around as he drank. Easels were placed around the floor and walls. The contrast of black and white was striking under the cool chandelier. There were no green plants or other decorations, only a pile of paper that could not be drawn on.
This is more like a studio than a study.
The only thing that brought color was the globe placed beside the table. He Yu put down his wine glass, and with his fingertips he rotated the globe in a circle, finally accurately fixing the name of a city in a small corner.
Qieyang
The last time I saw Tao Wanjia was in Qieyang three years ago.
It was a small border town, full of mixed people, and the sticky air was filled with moist moisture.
He Yu walked into a bar at the intersection to shelter from the rain. While drinking to drown his sorrows, he saw a familiar face among a row of beautifully dressed waitresses passing by in the corridor.
When their eyes met each other in the dim light, both of them were startled.
He Yu had a lot of questions in his mind and wanted to ask them, but Tao Wanjia didn't listen to him. He took advantage of the crowd to pull him into an empty private room, and then covered his mouth with his hand without saying a word.
"you……"
"Shut up!"
Tao Wanjia stared at him, his tone somewhat anxious, "Don't talk, don't ask anything."
Her expression was stern, and there was an unusual coldness in her eyes.
He Yu remained silent and could only hold her hand tightly.
Tao Wanji's face became increasingly gloomy as he looked at this sudden accident.
From time to time, footsteps could be heard outside, and the noise was disturbing as the music was about to explode on the dance floor.
In the dark private room, the two people who had met again after a long time looked at each other and neither of them was willing to lower their heads first. They confronted each other in silence. Half an hour later, Tao Wanjia took He Yu out of the back door of the bar and went to a hotel at the end of the alley next door.
There was a faint smell of mold in the cabin, and Tao Wanjia locked the door as soon as he entered.
"What are you—"
Before he could finish his words, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
He Yu's breathing was uneven, and he distanced himself slightly from her, with a hint of grievance in his words, "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"
The man's fingers ran through her hair. Tao Wanjia paused for a moment, not answering under his gaze in the dark eyes.
As if avoiding the question, after a while, she turned his face and continued the previous action.
"I miss you."
Tao Wanjia's voice was very soft. He moved his hand to his shoulder and began to unbutton his shirt. "I missed you, He Yu."
His heart sank, but his rationality got the better of him and he grabbed her hand to stop her.
Tao Wanjia refused. After breaking free, she tried to unbutton his clothes, as if she was angry or venting her feelings. The two of them were in a stalemate and finally fell onto the bed.
He Yu avoided her hot breath and tried to wake up this person who was not drunk but was always provoking and causing trouble.
He lowered his voice, "Tao Wanjia, you are drunk."
Tao Wanji raised her head from his arms. She was only wearing a suspender top. She had taken off her windbreaker when she entered the door. Two thin strings were tied around her snow-white shoulders, and the red mole under her collarbone was clearly visible.
He Yu's throat tightened and he wanted to turn his head away, but she held him down again.
"Don't you miss me?" There was a bright light flashing in her eyes, "He Yu, I missed you a lot these years."
Just this one sentence completely broke the last string of reason in his mind.
He Yu took the initiative and put his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss that was not yet finished.
The old wooden bed creaked, and my tears grew hotter with the rhythm.
That was the first time between them, and they rushed towards each other as if they were competing with each other.
Tao Wanji cried and bit his shoulder again and again, and his hand on her thin back became heavier and heavier.
It is an outlet, but also a longing that has accumulated over the years.
The rain in Qieyang drizzled all night long, and the broad banana leaves outside the window were wilted by the rain.
He Yu fell into a deep sleep amid the sound of rain, thinking that she was nothing special. No matter how much time passed, she would still be the puppy that would wag its tail and follow her whenever she waved her hand.
However, Xiao Gou never expected that when he woke up the next morning, Tao Wanjia was gone. So he ran back to the bar like crazy to find her, but was stopped by the police before he reached the door. After asking around for a long time, he still couldn't find her.
Except for the wrinkles on the bed sheet and the red bloodstains on his shoulder that reminded him that last night was not a dream, everything else seemed like Cinderella's illusion that would wear off in due time.
The clock on the wall rang, and the trembling hands pointed to twelve o'clock. He Yu suddenly woke up and pulled himself out of his memories.
That fleeting romance three years ago had kept him going back and forth to Qieyang. She came and went in a hurry, leaving him trapped in one place after another related to her.
Tao Wanjia has been staying at home since he stopped going to the gas company.
Apart from eating and drinking, I just sleep every day. I feel tired in winter and have no energy to do anything.
After a few days of confusion, on the evening of the Beginning of Winter, Maixiang from the next door house knocked on her door excitedly after get off work, carrying two large bags of mutton bought from the supermarket.
"Sister, let's eat hot pot together, otherwise it would be too boring for me to eat alone!"
The girl was quite outgoing and had been very helpful ever since she'd helped her outside the club that day. She'd first helped Tao Wanjia, who couldn't leave her house, by taking out the trash she'd left outside, and then she'd come to her for help from time to time. Over the course of the week, Tao Wanjia had already fixed a broken pipe and a choking shower head twice.
Oddly enough, even though Mai Xiang didn't even know her name, it didn't dampen her enthusiasm at all. There was always some inexplicable chemistry between people.
Tao Wanjia welcomed her in, put away the computer, paper and pen on the dining table one by one, made way for her and took the things from her.
"Sister, can you handle spicy food? I seem to have forgotten to buy non-spicy seasoning."
“Yes.”
Tao Wanji turned around, took out the induction cooker from the cupboard, set the pot in place and put in the soup base.
There were still some leafy greens in the refrigerator, so she washed them and pulled out some fish balls from the freezer. When she first rented the apartment, she thought she'd be living there long-term, so she bought everything from kitchenware to ingredients. Although the apartment was old and run-down, the landlord had renovated it, and Tao Wanjia had also bought quite a few things since she moved in. Even with just her, the place was still quite full.
Tao Wanjia has been traveling around all these years and rarely has the opportunity to enjoy life like this, which he cherishes very much.
Mai Xiang stood at the table and looked around, then sat down with a shy smile on her face.
Tao Wanji poured her a glass of juice and asked, "What are you so happy about?"
"Today is my birthday, and my manager gave me a salary of 1,500 yuan. Of course I'm happy!"
Mai Xiang sniffed the aroma of the base sauce swirling around her nose and looked at Tao Wanji earnestly, as if expressing both emotion and confession. "Sister, do you know? I've always celebrated my birthday alone since I was a child. I'm so happy to have someone accompany me today. This is my best coming-of-age gift!"
Tao Wanji was slightly stunned. He guessed that she was young but didn't expect that she had just reached adulthood. After scanning her shaved face, he finally understood that she probably dressed maturely in order to make herself look like an adult.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, "Where's your boyfriend? Won't he celebrate your birthday with you?"
"He works on a construction site in the county below. He doesn't normally take holidays. I guess he won't be back until the Chinese New Year."
Mai Xiang answered truthfully. After seeing the meat slices floating in the pot and turning white, she hurriedly put some into her bowl. The corners of her eyes were red from the spicy smell. "Sister, please eat quickly. Thank you for spending your birthday with me."
Tao Wanji's heart suddenly emptied, touched by the innocent girl before her, who showed no signs of hiding anything. Social rules told her not to get too close to strangers, and her past experiences inevitably made her wary of interactions.
But the girl in front of her, who trusted her absolutely and had no guard at all, was confessing to her sincerely. Tao Wanji thought that she should not be indifferent no matter what.
"Wait for me."
So he turned back to the bedroom and found a box of unopened scarves from his suitcase. These were the cold-resistant gear he had bought before leaving Northern Xinjiang.
"Happy birthday to you." Tao Wanji handed her the things. "I'm in a hurry today. I hope you don't mind."
Mai Xiang put down her chopsticks, still chewing the meat. Her eyes widened and she pointed at herself. "Is this for me?"
"Of course!" Tao Wanjia smiled and told her solemnly, "My last name is Tao. You can call me whatever you want from now on."
"Thank you, Sister Xiao Tao!"
Mai Xiang's voice rose, her face full of joy.
The aroma of the boiling hot pot wafted up to the roof, and the atmosphere in the house became more and more harmonious.
Tao Wanjia was a listener most of the time, picking up meat for Mai Xiang while listening to her all sorts of strange words. This girl was indeed naive to a certain extent. Before the hot pot meal was over, Tao Wanjia had already understood everything about her.
I know that she was abandoned as a child and came out to make a living with her neighbor and boyfriend who is one year older than her from the same village. She came to Rongcheng a year ago and works in the largest club in the area.
Thinking of this, Tao Wanjia quickly realized that something was wrong.
"Did your club owner know that you were underage when you were looking for a job?"
"I know."
Mai Xiang stood up and used a spoon to scoop up the fish balls that had sunk to the bottom of the pot. Sweat was on her forehead. "There are many girls my age in our club. Some are even younger than me. But they don't have to clean up like I do. They can get a lot of money just by following the manager to sing in the private rooms."
"Big private room?"
“It’s only opened when high-end guests come.”
Tao Wanji frowned slightly. The radar in her mind had already reacted and was ticking to remind her.
Mai Xiang saw her staring at him without saying anything, so she called out to her, "Sister Xiao Tao, what's wrong?"
"fine."
Tao Wanjia paused for a moment and made a decision in his mind.
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