13. You have crossed the ocean, and I am far away
Ling Ling turned away with a melancholic expression. If it weren't for confessing his feelings to her, Yu Chuanbei wouldn't have to relive his pain, only to be rejected. One shadow covered another, enveloping him and suppressing her. "Don't worry too much. I didn't expect that after all these years, I still can't bear it. I should be able to adjust myself." He saw what she was thinking and comforted her in return. But she was still worried when she saw his hand tightening and loosening on the armrest of the chair. Maybe she should hold his hand tightly, which would make him feel better, but she didn't allow herself to do so. In the tense atmosphere, he suddenly said, "It occurred to me. I should still have some sleeping pills in my bag. A few years ago, I was under a lot of work pressure, and I had severe insomnia. My symptoms would get worse when I moved from city to city on business trips, so I always carried my pills with me. I haven't had any problems in the past two years, but maybe I still have some in my bag." After asking the flight attendant for permission, he took off his backpack. Seeing his hands still trembling, Ling Ling carefully accompanied him to search. She found a white portable medicine box. Yu Chuanbei took a look and said, "It's expired, but it doesn't matter. What matters now is getting through this." He took the pills, and soon fell into a deep sleep. Ling Ling stared at his beautiful face in his sleep, still calm and beautiful, tilted slightly towards her. She flashed back to every encounter and gaze they had exchanged since that absurd encounter. Every encounter with him was like a flash of lightning, but every time they locked eyes, it was like the depth of a lake. Her heart was rife with strange emotions, but her mind always let them cool quickly. She wanted to end it like this, before anything became awkward. The plane arrived safely and landed smoothly. Yu Chuanbei's assistant drove to pick them up, and he insisted on taking her home first. Although he looked very tired, they acted as if nothing had happened the whole way, discussing Duchamp and Mondrian. When they arrived at the bottom of Lingling's attic, Yu Chuanbei stopped the car and helped her carry her suitcase to the elevator. "No matter what, I still hope you can at least remember today, even if it's just the view from the mountain." Yu Chuanbei stood in front of her, his expression grim. "How could I forget?" Lingling's bitter smile was fleeting. "Good night then," Yu Chuanbei said. "Yeah, you too." Before Lingling could finish her words, Yu Chuanbei unexpectedly kissed her forehead. Ling Ling opened her eyes wide and said in panic: "You, why did you kiss me without my consent!" "You didn't...
Ling Ling turned away in a melancholic expression. If it weren't for his confession, Yu Chuanbei wouldn't have to relive his pain, only to be rejected. One shadow over another, enveloping him and oppressing her.
"Don't worry too much. I didn't expect that after so many years, I still couldn't bear it. I should be able to adjust myself." He saw what she was thinking and comforted her in return.
But she still felt uneasy when she saw his hand tightening and loosening on the armrest of the chair. Maybe she should hold his hand tightly, which would make him feel better, but she did not allow herself to do so.
In the tense atmosphere, he suddenly said, "It occurred to me that I might still have sleeping pills in my bag. In the past few years, I've been under a lot of work pressure and have suffered from severe insomnia. The symptoms would worsen when I changed cities on business trips, so I always carry my pills with me on every business trip. I haven't had this problem in the past two years, but maybe there's still some in my bag."
After asking the flight attendant for permission, he took off his backpack. Ling Ling saw that his hands were still shaking, so she carefully helped him search. She found a white portable medicine box. Yu Chuanbei looked at it and said, "It's expired, but it doesn't matter. Let's get through it first."
After he took it, he fell into a deep sleep not long after.
Ling Ling stared at his handsome face, still and quiet as he slept, slightly tilted toward her. She recalled in her mind every time they had met and looked into each other's eyes since that absurd encounter.
Every encounter with him was like a flash of lightning, but every time she looked into his eyes, it was like the depth of a lake. Her heart was filled with wonderful emotions, but her mind always let them cool quickly. She wanted to end it like this, before anything became embarrassing.
The plane arrived safely and landed smoothly. Yu Chuanbei's assistant drove to pick them up, and he insisted on taking her home first. Although he looked tired, they treated the entire drive as if nothing had happened, discussing Duchamp and Mondrian.
When they arrived at the attic where Ling Ling lived, Yu Chuanbei stopped the car and helped her carry the suitcase to the elevator.
"No matter what, I still hope you can at least remember today, even if it's just the scenery on the mountain." Yu Chuanbei stood in front of her with a sad expression.
"How could I forget?" Ling Ling's bitter smile disappeared in an instant.
"Good night then." Yu Chuanbei said.
"Yeah, you too."
Before Ling Ling finished speaking, Yu Chuanbei unexpectedly kissed her on the forehead.
Ling Ling opened her eyes wide and said in panic: "You, why did you kiss me without my consent!"
"You rejected me without my consent!"
Yu Chuanbei responded to her in annoyance, turned and walked towards the car, and drove away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ling'er, this looks like a Hongmen Banquet!"
Long Jia spoke in a Beijing accent, holding the back of the chair and shaking his legs, looking at the large table full of standard dishes for weddings and funerals: Kung Pao Chicken, Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce, and two kinds of fresh shrimp.
Ling Ling retorted with a lazy disdain on her face, "Are you imagining me drugging your wine, stripping you naked and throwing you on the bed, and then framing you the next day by saying I'm pregnant with your child?"
"No, no, I don't dare to be too imaginative in front of you. What's more, my brain is full of water and I am prone to rheumatism." Long Jia said with a smile to please her.
"I'm too lazy to chat with you, let's get down to business! It's about Qingshi and Xinhua. A relative of Xinhua's from her hometown was arrested. It was because she provoked a woman claiming to be the daughter of an official on her way to work. The situation was basically a replay of the scene in the video that was circulated online. She said something like, 'My dad is a high-ranking official, and if you provoke me, I'll kill your whole family.' Xinhua's relative got into an argument with the other party, and unexpectedly, after returning to work at the factory that afternoon, he was arrested by the police for intentional injury. Xinhua was too embarrassed to ask you, so she asked me to ask you to ask your father to get the person out. If it was just a plea from you, I wouldn't have to prepare this table of urban-rural fusion dishes, but with your relationship with your father, I know it would be difficult for you to ask him..."
"Hey, I don't think it's a big deal!" Long Jia sat down boldly, put his chopsticks on the table, and started eating. "This kind of thing doesn't require Old Man Long to take action? I can get it done in minutes with just one phone call! Let me tell you, if it's a pure-blooded second-generation official, he will definitely be humble, polite, low-key and introverted. Why? Because he grew up in such a cultural environment. The uncles and aunts who served his father were always polite to him. If you let him quarrel with his neck, he wouldn't be able to form a complete sentence in his head. That This kind of pure soul, protected from childhood by money, has zero force in the face of conflict. As for those who constantly talk about who their dad is and who they fuck their mom, they're either mistresses, or sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, or illegitimate children. Who else would constantly betray their fathers like this? And these second-generation officials are the first to be abandoned at the slightest sign of trouble. So, all of you should keep your minds steady. These days, the more arrogant someone is, the easier it is to deal with them. In our circle, we're afraid of those who get rich without doing anything! I guarantee that Xinhua's relatives will be able to have breakfast in their own home tomorrow morning."
Long Jia hid aside and pleaded with the person on the other end of the phone who called him uncle.
When Ling Ling went to the kitchen to bring out the only soup she had cooked herself, Long Jia had already called Ren Qingshi to take credit. She felt that her revolutionary mission had been completed and she could finally leave the stage of history with honor.
After hanging up the phone, Long Jia saw the new female anchor on TV and quickly grabbed Ling Ling to show off, "What do you think of my new girlfriend? Isn't she extremely charming? A teenage killer! But those little brothers' liking for her is too superficial. Guess what I like most about her?"
"The sound of moaning is very pleasant?" Ling Ling took a mouthful of rice and responded to him in annoyance.
Long Jia stared with round eyes and exclaimed: "Ling'er, you are truly amazing! How do you understand me so well!"
Ling Ling said in a weak tone: "I don't want to understand animals that well."
They were arguing when the doorbell rang politely.
Ling Ling opened the door and saw Yu Chuanbei.
"How... did you know I live here?" Ling Ling was completely stunned, but a sense of surprise inexplicably rose in her frightened heart.
Yu Chuanbei scratched his head shyly and said, "Last time, after I sent you downstairs, I waited until you came upstairs before I left completely. I counted the floors according to whichever room happened to have the light on at the time."
Ling Ling's heart was slightly hurt, but the feeling of being loved made her sad.
Seeing Ling Ling lower her head but didn't respond, Yu Chuanbei had no choice but to continue, "I came here to invite you to our team's celebration party tomorrow night - the Germans have agreed to additional investment in the Sichuan project we worked on together, thanks to you!"
Looking at the gratitude and desire flashing in Yu Chuanbei's eyes, Ling Ling retreated again.
"No, I'm nothing. I'm a character who can be replaced at any time. I may not be able to attend your party tomorrow night..."
Disappointment and doubt overshadowed Yu Chuanbei, who was about to ask further questions when he was interrupted by Long Jia at an inopportune time.
"Ling'er, do you have a dental floss stick?"
Ling Ling wished that a hurricane could roar out of her mouth at this moment, and with a word of "Get out", she could blow the dragon armor thousands of miles away.
But Yu Chuanbei was still right in front of her, so she could only suppress her raging anger and give the simplest introduction: "This is my friend Long Jia, an unemployed vagrant; this is Yu Chuanbei, who works at Ever."
Yu Chuanbei was completely stunned. He never expected to see such a scene: the man named Longjia was wearing a loose vest, shorts and flip-flops, and treated this place as his own backyard; while Ling Ling rolled up her sleeves and tied an apron, looking like a cook waiting for her husband to return.
Yu Chuanbei instantly understood the many things Ling Ling had been doing with him, and he suddenly realized that his presence was a complete joke. Even more ironic, upon hearing that this man, Long Jia, was the Yu Chuanbei Ling Ling had been mentioning so often, he actually struck up a conversation with him, almost about venture capital.
He clearly saw Ling Ling's embarrassment when she tried to stop Long Jia, and her difficulty when she avoided his gaze.
"I understand. Sorry to bother you. I'm leaving." Yu Chuanbei decisively left without even saying goodbye.
Only Longjia didn't know what happened in these few minutes.
"Hey, why is Yu Chuanbei gone? I've been thinking of asking him to help me with this latest project that's probably going to be hard to turn a profit on, since you mention him every day! I hope he doesn't think there's something going on between us."
Ling Ling looked at Yu Chuanbei's long-vanished back and muttered absentmindedly, "Long Jia, I should thank you for helping me..."
——You came towards me across the ocean, but in an instant you were far away from me.
Author's Note
Liu Qiu
author
04-17
I worked overtime today and just got home and had dinner. I am exhausted and cannot write my novel anymore. I feel like this day has been wasted.
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