Chapter 73 Klein (7) I am a coward with many...
Wen Xixi also went home for the Chinese New Year, but because she broke up with her boyfriend, she only stayed at home for two days before she started arguing with her parents who were urging her to get married. She returned to Shenzhen overnight on the third day of the Chinese New Year and was unlucky enough to be locked up in the apartment.
Lin Xia knew Wen Xixi was home, but it was difficult to explain the unforeseen circumstances surrounding her and He Chuan. So, from the beginning, she told Wen Xixi that she hadn't been discharged from the hospital when the building was locked down and would be staying with a friend for the time being. It wasn't until this morning, when Lin Xia was searching for Jiujiu's owner in the residents' group chat, that Wen Xixi realized Lin Xia was home.
"Tell me the truth, what's going on?"
In the bedroom, Wen Qianqian leisurely "interrogated" Lin Xia.
Lin Xia was short of breath and felt guilty, so she stammered and said:
"Well, a friend was supposed to take me home after being discharged from the hospital, but he ended up being quarantined here. I couldn't let him sleep in the hallway, could I?"
"A friend? Tsk, if it's really just a friend, why did you lie to me before?"
Wen Xixi is obviously not so easy to fool.
"Then what do you want to hear?" Lin Xia was a little helpless.
"When did you meet? How far along are you? He seems nice. Where is he from? How old is he? What does he do for a living?"
It's not that Wen Xixi is a gossipy person. Although she and Lin Xia are in the same grade, Wen Xixi is two years older than Lin Xia and has always treated her as a younger sister. Lin Xia has been insulated from love over the years, and this time, such a close person of the opposite sex suddenly appeared around her, so of course she had to help keep an eye on it.
Lin Xia answered honestly, "He's from the same hometown as me, three years older than me. He works as a lawyer in another law firm. If we know each other... we've known each other for many, many years."
Wen Xixi was a little puzzled. She turned her head and took a closer look at He Chuan who was feeding the cat in the living room outside the door. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind:
"Is he the legendary He Chuan?"
Lin Xia froze, but did not deny it and nodded slightly.
Wen Qianqian had certainly heard of He Chuan's name. Back then, Lin Xia and her boyfriend's interracial relationship shocked many people around them, and as their closest roommate, she also knew a little about their breakup.
"How could he...you still...you guys, you guys are really...ah——"
Wen Qianqian had prepared a lot of questions to interrogate Lin Xia, but at this moment, she suddenly couldn't ask any questions and could only let out a complicated sigh.
"Save the soup for yourself. We'll have a good chat after the quarantine is over."
Wen Xixi threw down these words and was about to leave. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something:
"Oh, right. I was tidying up the house these days when I found this. Do you remember when we went to Yunnan for social practice in our junior year? My credit card was full, so you lent me yours? I actually forgot to return it to you after that, and you forgot to ask me for it too. Here, it's back to me!"
Lin Xia looked down and saw a blue memory card resting quietly in Wen Qianqian's palm. It felt old, familiar yet strange, as if it had once belonged to her. A corner of her memory shifted, and a few fragments flashed through her mind. Lin Xia finally remembered the past, took it, and nodded.
"Thanks."
.
Lin Xia's digital camera had long been obsolete, and she didn't have a card reader. She didn't know what to do with it, so He Chuan told her:
"My laptop can be plugged directly into a memory card. Do you want to try it?"
"Well, take a look. I had forgotten when this photo was taken."
So the two of them turned on the computer together, inserted the memory card, waited for a while, and clicked the icon.
Like a key to open memories, the old days suddenly jump into my eyes.
A quick look reveals that most of them are photos of Lin Xia taken when she was in college. Her hairstyle and clothes are very retro, and although they seem a bit outdated now, the youthful aura and youthful spirit can never be replicated.
Lin Xia had thought her appearance hadn't changed much over the years, but looking back now, she was indeed different. It was too early to say she'd aged, but she could definitely feel the traces of time in her eyes.
She was a little embarrassed: "Don't look at it."
He Chuan smiled and said, "I want to see it."
During those years when they were apart, he missed so much of her life. Now, he would feel happy even if he could get back a few fragments of the time they had spent together.
Lin Xia couldn't resist and had to do as he said. As she watched, many memories of her student days came to her mind.
"When was this?"
"This is the summer vacation of my sophomore year, English summer camp. This is our foreign teacher. She seems to be a student from the University of Washington."
"What about this?"
"This is choir practice time. Our school holds a choir competition every December 9th. That year, our art school even won a prize!"
"You sent me this picture during morning exercises, right?"
"Yeah, I've been working for the health of our country for fifty years. Back then, this morning jog check-in was killing me."
“Is this in Yunnan?”
"Well, during my junior year, we went to Ruili for social practice, investigating the local jade craftsmanship. It was called an investigation, but it was actually just a trip around. It was organized by students from the Ceramics Department, and they were short of one person, so they dragged me along. Oh my god, how could I have gotten so tanned? It looks so ugly with this dress!"
In the camera, Lin Xia, who is in her early twenties, is wearing a colorful Dai costume. Her long hair is all tied up on her head, revealing her smooth and full forehead. She wears a frangipani on her temples. Under the bright sunshine of Ruili, she looks young, beautiful and infinitely wonderful.
He Chuan's gaze lingered on the photo for a long time, reluctant to leave. At that time, they should have just separated not long ago. Although she was smiling, there was an indelible sadness in her eyes.
"No, I think it's beautiful."
Lin Xia didn't notice He Chuan's subtle emotional fluctuations behind him. She just flipped through the photos and continued to explain to him:
"This is at the border, this is at the market, this is where we go to have barbecue in the evening..."
"Who is this?" He Chuan moved his hand and moved the mouse over. "Is he... Ren Zijian?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
Lin Xia was very surprised. She had mentioned this name to him before, but they had never met before. Moreover, so many years had passed, and he still remembered this person.
"It's just a random guess. I remember you two were good friends back then." He Chuan paused and asked calmly, "Where is he now? Are you still in touch?"
"He's a teacher at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. We keep in touch occasionally. I went to give a gift when he got married a few years ago." Lin Xia was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He Chuan smiled.
He Chuan recognized this man because in several consecutive photos, Lin Xia was looking at the camera, and this man was looking at her. When she told him about this friend, he could already sense his feelings for Lin Xia. But he didn't point it out back then, and he wouldn't remind him now. He also has the normal selfish desires of a man.
The photos were arranged by name, which was automatically generated in chronological order. The memory card was the one Lin Xia lent to Wen Qianqian during the trip to Yunnan. Originally, there should be nothing more after this, but Lin Xia clicked the mouse twice more, and suddenly an unexpected photo popped up on the screen.
That was the night view of Victoria Harbour, with people coming and going and bright lights. A couple held hands, shoulder to shoulder, smiling shyly and brightly at the camera. They were so young and so in love, completely unaware of the ups and downs of their fate that were about to happen in the future.
Photos taken with digital cameras always have date watermarks, but Lin Xia and He Chuan in front of the screen can tell the time without even looking at it.
In 2011, Hong Kong, the last summer before the end of the world, was the year he and she were most in love. This was the watershed in their lives, and since then, they have been separated for many years.
The two of them were stunned at the same time. No one moved or spoke anymore.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xia slowly came back to her senses and murmured:
“So, these photos are here…”
She clicked on a thumbnail and scrolled down. Sure enough, all the photos that followed belonged to that trip to Hong Kong. The shutter-frozen moments were all of them, him and her. The Avenue of Stars, the Mid-Levels escalator, Chungking Mansions, Disneyland... As the photos scrolled across the screen, the faded memories of the past gradually came to life.
At that time, she had sorted out her computer memory and temporarily saved these photos on this card, then lent it to Wen Xixi. She had actually forgotten everything. After that, she searched everywhere for a long time, thinking that she had lost it.
Lin Xia said awkwardly, "Actually...during that time, there were many things I couldn't find back."
Her QQ account was stolen, her MP3 was broken, her cell phone was lost, her MSN was closed, and all the chat records were cleared. Even the peace locket he gave her was broken and the beads were scattered all over the ground after she was hit by an oncoming electric scooter while riding a bicycle. She searched for a long time in the green lawn regardless of the scratches on her body, and finally she barely found a few beads. Finally, she squatted on the side of the road, clutching the few remaining tourmaline beads and bursting into tears. People coming and going all looked at her sideways, and no one knew what she had really lost.
Between her junior and senior years, she was at her worst. When you're at your lowest point, everything goes wrong. As the bad luck gets worse, and the coincidences become more numerous, she can't help but question herself, her fate, and whether there really is a destiny. Each and every one of these things, leaving her with no thought, seemed like a sign from heaven for them to end things.
"No, Xia Xia."
He Chuan whispered, "The peace locket is protecting you from disaster. The necklace is broken, but you are still intact. That's enough. Besides, those are just dead objects, a symbol of emotion, but they can't represent the true feelings in your heart. At least there is one thing you have never lost."
Lin Xia was stunned when she saw him pick up a wallet from the miscellaneous items next to the computer desk. It was something he always carried with him, and she had seen it several times in the past few days.
With the prevalence of electronic payment, paper money has almost been eliminated. All bank cards and membership cards have also been digitized. A mobile phone can handle everything. No one uses wallets anymore these days.
He opened this untimely wallet and found it was indeed empty. There was no money or cards inside. Only a ring was quietly lying in the transparent compartment where the photos should have been. The narrow silver ring was plain and simple. It had oxidized and turned black due to long-term wear. Even after washing it many times, there were still traces of time. As he picked it up and flicked it with his fingertips, the Mickey Mouse pattern on the ring suddenly appeared before his eyes.
At this moment, Lin Xia froze.
"Why?"
Her heart felt sour and bitter, and even her voice was choked with sobs.
We have already separated. Why did you keep this childish and ridiculous ring for so many years? And why did you deliberately hide it in your wallet after you came back so that I wouldn't see it?
How ridiculous and pathetic it is, how you try to cover up something and it only makes it more obvious.
"Because I'm a coward, there are many things I dare not let you know."
He Chuan sighed softly, "Xia Xia, actually, at the beginning I told you that the reason I chose to return to China and choose Owen was because the promotion channels abroad were limited. This is not a lie, but this is not the main reason for my return."
A possibility vaguely emerged in Lin Xia's mind. She had a premonition, but she was not sure. She asked timidly and hesitantly:
"What's the main reason?"
"It's you."
He looked at him steadily, his eyes so gentle and yet so sad:
"Xia Xia, I returned home this time for you."
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