Chapter 54: Cosmic Latte (6) Have you found a new lover? Is she...
After Lin Xia returned from Guangzhou, Shenzhen began to experience continuous rainfall, which lasted for a week and showed no signs of stopping.
It seemed to be because of the typhoon, but also seemed not to be. Lin Xia didn't care too much. Typhoons in Shenzhen are commonplace. She no longer made a fuss like when she first encountered one in Rushan. Everyone went to work and school as usual. As long as there was no orange warning, the city would continue to operate as usual.
When Lin Xia got off work that evening, she realized she had forgotten her umbrella. She'd carried one home the previous night, and since it hadn't rained this morning, she'd been in a hurry to leave, so she'd forgotten. Fortunately, she kept a set of raincoats and boots at the office, so she could use them in an emergency.
After going downstairs, she found that the rain suddenly got heavier. Even if she wore a raincoat, it might not be able to completely block the rain. Moreover, her rain boots were short and more beautiful than practical. Now she had to wear raincoats when going out.
She was too lazy to take out her cell phone from the pocket under her raincoat. With nothing to do, she stood at the door of the hall waiting, staring at the rain outside in a daze.
Under the heavy rain, the entire city became a vast sea. Passing vehicles were like boats, braving the wind and waves, while pedestrians became fish. In the face of inclement weather, everyone and everything shed their veneer of civility and respectability, revealing a helpless and helpless state.
A white Cayenne slowly stopped in front of the door. The person in the driver's seat got out of the car, holding a black umbrella, and walked towards the entrance of the building.
Lin Xia didn't care at first, until the man walked straight in front of her, raised his umbrella slightly, revealing a handsome face, she suddenly realized that this man was He Chuan.
"Why are you standing here?" he asked softly, "Waiting for someone?"
Lin Xia shook her head: "Wait for the rain."
"Where are you going? I'll take you there."
Lin Xia did not answer:
"How did you know I was here?"
This business center has a total of 48 floors, dozens of companies and shops, 10 elevators, and four exits. Tens of thousands of people come in and out every day. What is the probability of two people meeting each other?
He Chuan paused, seeming somewhat helpless: "It might be a little difficult not to notice you."
Lin Xia followed his gaze and looked down at herself. The raincoat she was wearing was a Minnie Mouse style, with a red and white polka dot pattern and round ears on the hat. In front of the busy business building, she was indeed... quite conspicuous.
Lin Xia was silent for a while.
According to the weather forecast, the heavy rain will not stop for a while. It is the rush hour and the subway will definitely be crowded with people. In this kind of weather, it will be difficult to call a ride-hailing car or a taxi... Most importantly, after a few days of calm thinking, Lin Xia decided not to escape anymore.
She has to face it every day, upstairs and downstairs. She needs to learn to deal with emotional problems calmly, like a mature adult.
So she nodded: "Okay, thank you for your help."
.
Night slowly fell, dark clouds gathered over the city, the rain continued to fall, countless vehicles were moving slowly on the wide road, and the traffic was so congested that there was no end in sight.
The well-sealed carriage blocked out the heavy rain and the noisy outside noise. This small space with only two people was extremely quiet, so quiet that it was unmistakable.
Lin Xia, who was sitting in the passenger seat, tried hard to wipe the water stains that no longer existed on her clothes with a tissue. It was only a few steps from the door to the car, and He Chuan even tilted the entire umbrella towards her. She was not actually wet by the rain at all, but the silence at this moment was so unbearable that she had to pretend to be busy to ease the embarrassment.
There are so many things to say, but so many things I don’t know how to start.
Lin Xia couldn't help but secretly glance at the person driving next to her. In such hot and humid weather, he was still dressed in a suit and tie, meticulously dressed. Lawyers are of course required to maintain their image when facing clients, but in the relaxed environment of Guangdong, even business people rarely pay attention to the details of their ties and cuffs. I don't know if it's due to his rigorous and serious personality, or the sequelae of being immersed in the British atmosphere for many years, which makes him so out of place in this city.
Maintaining respectability in such a harsh climate comes at a high cost, in terms of energy, time, and money.
But isn’t this what everyone who leaves their hometown to work hard and overdraws their life to make progress is pursuing?
He finally did it, she thought with both joy and sadness.
He Chuan seemed to have noticed something and looked over sideways. Their eyes met and Lin Xia quickly looked away.
“Does it rain often in London?”
She was just making small talk.
"It doesn't rain much, not as much as in Shenzhen. It's just cloudy and foggy, with very few sunny days." He Chuan answered her seriously, "Is it cold?"
He raised his hand to turn off the air conditioner.
"Not bad." Lin Xia looked at the buttons on the control panel. "New car?"
"It's from a friend. I can borrow it as a means of transportation. I don't meet the requirements for a license plate yet."
"Tan Zhizhou?"
"Yeah." He didn't deny it.
"Don't ask him about me anymore."
She whispered.
After saying this, Lin Xia looked down on herself. She thought about how shamelessly she had troubled him when she couldn't find him, but now she didn't want him to repeat the same trick. How excessive.
But He Chuan did not refute the accusation at all. He was silent for a moment, and then spoke in a hoarse voice:
"good."
The carriage was quiet again for a moment.
The roads are always congested on rainy days, and it was unusually congested tonight. I don’t know if there was an accident somewhere, but the car was moving slowly in the sea of red brake lights, slower than a snail. The subway usually takes less than half an hour, but now it took an hour and we haven’t even reached halfway.
Lin Xia was bored and looked out the window. Raindrops fell on the glass, leaving winding traces. Looking out, the whole world was blurry and distorted.
This time, He Chuan tilted his head and silently fixed his gaze on the person sitting in the passenger seat. The two previous encounters were fleeting, but now, he could finally look at her carefully.
Seven years had passed, and she had changed considerably: in her clothing, height, and hairstyle. Her cheeks had lost the baby fat of her youth, becoming more delicate and graceful. Her brows were no longer immature, and a faint sadness lurked in her stillness. She no longer cried or laughed. She had hidden the once innocent, bright, and brilliant Lin Xia, or perhaps, discarded her forever.
He didn't know whether he had any responsibility in this.
I clearly had a lot to say to her, but when I really saw her, I couldn't open my mouth.
Seeing her hair move slightly and turn her head, He Chuan withdrew his gaze in time and turned on the car radio.
The sound of the radio instantly filled the enclosed space, giving people the illusion that it was no longer awkward.
After a few noisy commercials, the host's calm and beautiful voice sounded. He first reported the real-time weather and traffic conditions, and then began to play songs. Before the prelude was finished, the signal suddenly became abnormal, and there was a continuous harsh crackling sound of electricity. Just as He Chuan was about to change the channel, the climax of the song finally came out clearly.
“Have you been happy these past few thousand days?/Are you busy every day?/Are you still so serious?
Do you have a new lover/a mature lover/someone who is mature enough not to quarrel with you anymore?
Am I the one who always refuses to grow up/Why can't I pretend to be cool?
So many years have passed / I still miss those days / I am still childish enough to remember you
Is that naive enough...?”
The song was in Cantonese, so He Chuan could naturally understand it. Lin Xia had lived in Shenzhen for a long time, so she could also understand most of it. Precisely because they understood it, both of them froze in their movements.
The world's sad love songs are always the same. When I was young, I didn't know the taste of sorrow, so I forced myself to express my sorrow in order to write new lyrics, laughing and jokingly listening to them as a joke. But don't worry, time is so fair. One day, people will understand the songs they once couldn't hear and the poems they couldn't read. At that time, the youth will no longer be young.
Maybe it was because she had been stuck in the car for too long, but Lin Xia suddenly felt short of breath. In a state of annoyance, she reached out to turn off the radio. In her panic, she pressed the wrong button and kept changing channels. The volume became louder and softer, and finally He Chuan stepped in to help her turn it off completely.
After the hustle and bustle, the car was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"I--"
"you--"
The two of them spoke at the same time, and then paused at the same time.
He Chuan gave in: "What do you want to say?"
"I was going to say...I'm hungry."
"There might not be anything to eat on the bus."
It was originally a casual remark to break the awkwardness, but He Chuan was really worried that she would be hungry, so he wanted to help her find some food in the car to temporarily fill her stomach. He opened the storage box between the two seats and the glove box in front of the passenger seat, but there was only an unsealed box of mint chewing gum.
But Lin Xia saw a rose-red cosmetic bag next to the gum box. The bag was slightly open, revealing the lipstick and air cushion inside.
Lin Xia felt her heart tighten, as if she had been pricked by something sharp.
How are you doing lately? What changes have occurred in your work and life? Have you found a new partner? Is she better than me?
These are the questions that men and women who meet again after a long separation want to ask, right? But when the words come to their lips, how many people can actually ask them?
When I was a child, I hated the silence of the protagonists in plays and the resulting misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But one day, we all grew up, speaking incoherently and saying things we didn't mean. Having seen the truth, experienced human nature, and been hurt, we no longer harbor unrealistic fantasies. Life isn't a play, it's not about revisiting old dreams or reconciling pasts. The answers to those questions aren't worth throwing away your armor and dignity to ask.
He Chuan also saw the makeup bag. He was stunned for a moment, then reacted:
"This should belong to Tan Zhizhou's girlfriend."
He just got the car yesterday and didn't check every corner carefully.
"Xia Xia," he paused and whispered, "I don't have a girlfriend now."
"This has nothing to do with me." Lin Xia said quickly.
Seeing her gloomy expression, He Chuan slammed the glove box shut and suggested, "It looks like we'll be stuck in traffic for a while. Let's go eat first. What do you want to eat?"
"casual."
"Okay, I'll decide then."
He Chuan didn't try to be polite to her any more, "But I'm not very familiar with this area, so I might need you to lead the way."
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