Chapter 5
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Xia Lanzheng was waiting at the door of the "Meimei BBQ" restaurant on time.
His bicycle was parked a few meters away, and he alternated between looking at it and watching the shop assistant stringing skewers. Yang Yuxiao called, asking if his work was going well and if he wanted to go home for dinner.
Xia Lanzheng was a little awkward and lied that she wouldn't go back because she had a date with friends tonight.
"handsome guy."
Someone held down her shoulders, and Xia Lanzheng's feet trembled on the stone pier, and she suddenly grabbed her collar.
The clerk saw his eyes wide open, his pupils trembling twice, and hurriedly explained: "It's me, it's me, I came to remind you that the store is open for business."
Xia Lanzheng didn't expect to react so strongly. He rubbed his chest, feeling embarrassed for scaring the person, and smiled apologetically.
"Thank you, I'll sit outside."
This habit of being startled easily was brought over from the previous life. I can't run or jump, and I can't stand the slightest fright.
The starting point of his memory was the orphanage. When he was very young, he thought he had jumped out of the stone at the gate.
The guy in the next bed, Big Cow, said he was stupid, because Shi Tou obviously couldn't have children.
"You're lost, so Mom and Dad can't find you. That's what happened to me... but they'll be here soon."
Xia Lanzheng ran to ask the adults, but they hesitated, some said yes, and some kept silent.
Later, when he grew up, he finally discovered that his body was different from others.
Little Xia Lanzheng realized later that her parents probably wouldn't come.
He went to find Brother Da Niu and wanted to ask Brother Da Niu's parents if they could take him away with them.
Da Niu was hiding behind a rock and eating a starch sausage. There was only one bite left on the skewer. The two men stared at each other in confusion.
"Forget it," Daniu compromised, "You can eat it, but don't tell Auntie."
Xia Lanzheng blinked her eyes and grumbled while chewing her cheeks.
"By the way, what do you want to tell me?" asked Da Niu.
Xia Lanzheng imitated his tone: "No big deal, I like sausages too."
Xia Lanzheng was extremely healthy in her life, but when she was frightened, a cold sweat still broke out on her forehead.
The waiter, still apprehensive, brought him a pot of hot water. Xia Lanzheng quickly ticked off the menu, ordering both barbecue and grilled fish.
The waiter asked, "How spicy is it?"
Xia Lanzheng: "Is your family very spicy?"
The menu in the clerk's hand fluttered in the wind. "Our main dish is spicy. Bloggers who challenge spicy food often come here to review and check in. I suggest you order the mild spicy..."
Xia Lanzheng clapped her hands: "Then I want it extra spicy."
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
Xia Lanzheng sat under the blue windbreak. It was dinner time, and the smell of various foods was growing stronger in the air.
In his previous life, he had a light and healthy diet. That night at the campsite, the back of his eyes were red with chili powder, but his mouth was filled with skinless fish rinsed with clean water.
He remembered this incident for a long time.
The evening breeze came with the setting sun, and the sunlight falling on the table was dyed with the smell of barbecue.
Xia Lanzheng picked a skewer of beef covered with chili peppers, and her tongue felt a stinging pain as soon as she put it in her mouth.
The pain caused by peppers was completely different from that of alcohol, and was equally novel to him.
The clerk was busy guiding the customers to their seats. When he passed by Xia Lanzheng, he glanced at her a few more times and took a bottle of milk from the freezer and gave it to her.
"Have some milk, it's free for the first table," the waiter said, laughing himself to death. "Your face is red from the spiciness, why are you still drinking hot water?"
Xia Lanzheng was eating spicy food out of revenge. She took the milk but didn't drink it. She used the bottle to cool her face. "The spiciness isn't bad. I'm just getting burned by the heat."
There were more and more people in the store. He occupied a large table by himself, and everyone who passed by had to glance at him.
After eating, he quickly paid the bill and planned to ride home. He stood by the road and thought for a moment, then took out his phone and prepared to write a five-star review.
The phone camera was pointed at the clerk's back. Just as he was about to take a picture, the clerk turned around and held out his hand: "Number 17——"
The answer came from behind the camera, clear and pleasant: "Yes, the order for Beautiful Home No. 17."
Xia Lanzheng rubbed her mouth, which was slightly swollen from the spiciness, and looked up.
The owner of the voice was a young delivery man from the store. He was tall and broad-shouldered. The sweat-soaked cloth stuck to his arms, shoulders and neck, outlining the faint contours of his muscles.
The clerk said, "Okay, here you go!"
The night sky was deep blue, the shop signs flickered with orange light, and the big red plastic chairs were filled with customers.
Amidst the clamor of voices, the delivery man’s voice stood out: “Thank you, Brother Zhang. I’m leaving now.”
Turning around, I saw a pretty face, which was rosy from the air at the junction of spring and summer, like iced sparkling water in summer.
Xia Lanzheng dropped her hand suddenly.
The clerk called out again, "Song Xinghuai! The customer left a note at the door: Don't knock. Remember!"
Song Xinghuai fastened the safety buckle of his helmet, got on his electric scooter and rode into the traffic.
Xia Lanzheng followed.
*
After three rounds of drinks, everyone at the table was drunk.
Cheng Lan drank little, but still felt extremely hot. He took off his coat, leaving only a tight black short-sleeved shirt, and messed up his silver hair.
Chu Linchuan beside him had obviously drunk quite a lot, but his face didn't even turn red. He was slowly pinching the small bones on the fish's back.
"Boss Chu," Liu Yuan, who was sitting opposite, turned the round table and stopped the baijiu in front of Chu Linchuan. "Last time, we were chatting in Wan Garden and you and Boss Lu left early. We haven't forgotten that."
Chu Linchuan picked up a whole fish bone and placed it on a clean white porcelain plate. The tail hook dangled from the edge of the plate, casting a faint shadow on the table.
Another man echoed loudly: "Yes, yes! I think that project is quite good. If it succeeds, Xiao Cheng will also have a lot of resources. Xiao Cheng, has President Chu mentioned it to you..."
Cheng Lan immediately scoffed: "I'm just an actor. I don't understand business matters. Why did Mr. Chu bring it up with me?"
"What's wrong? You're so distant now," the man opposite said bluntly, "Don't you usually call me Brother Lin Chuan? Why are you suddenly calling me President Chu?"
The words came out lightly, but silence spread instantly.
The words were correct, but the tone was wrong. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell what he was implying.
It simply means that they have a special relationship. Why do they pretend to be superiors and subordinates when discussing serious matters?
Most of the people at the table were sober, glanced at Cheng Lan, and then looked at Chu Linchuan.
What kind of relationship Cheng Lan and Chu Linchuan have is their private matter.
Behind these two people is the Chu family and the Cheng family respectively. Obviously, neither of them can be served as a dish on the table.
Chu Linchuan tasted the fish from which the bones had been removed, put down his chopsticks, wiped his lips, and then slowly raised his eyes.
Liu Yuan looked pale, and Chu Linchuan laughed as he watched, reaching out to take off his glasses.
"Mr. Liu, your memory is still so good even after drinking?" Chu Linchuan took the bottle of white wine and placed his phone on the round table. "If you are really curious, just ask yourself."
The phone rested on the edge of the round table, moving slowly from left to right.
The room was full of leaders from various industries. They looked calm, but when they saw the notes on their phones, their expressions changed subtly.
The phone was passed to Liu Yuan, and Chu Linchuan tapped the table with his fingers.
"What's the matter?" Lu Yanqing's voice sounded cold through the phone.
Chu Linchuan poured a glass of wine into the empty glass: "Mr. Liu, say hello."
Everyone in the room held their breath in concentration, only Cheng Lan calmly supported his chin.
Chu Linchuan is not of high seniority among this group of people, and he seems easy to talk to on weekdays.
But his style of doing things is hard to understand. If he hadn't been drunk today, who in this room would dare to mess with him?
"Boss Lu," Liu Yuan laughed dryly, and the burly man raised his voice, "We were having dinner, and it's a pity to mention that you didn't come."
Lu Yanqing was silent for a few seconds: "You guys eat, if you have nothing else, I'll hang up first."
A beep.
As soon as the words fell, the screen went black.
Liu Yuan blushed and rubbed his nose twice.
Chu Linchuan took back his phone, stood up and looked him up and down: "Let's go, you guys continue."
He scanned everyone's faces and his gaze lingered for a moment beside Cheng Lan.
The man was startled: "Boss Chu, do you need me to call a designated driver for you?"
More people spoke up one after another.
"How about I ask the driver to take you?"
"Where is Mr. Chu's car? I'll have someone pick it up."
"No, I brought a driver." Chu Linchuan raised his eyebrows. "Cheng Lan, what about you?"
The boss had seen enough of the show and was leaving, so there was no reason for Cheng Lan to stay.
He picked up his coat and threw it over his shoulder, his silver hair fluttering back: "Let's go, let's go. I've been wanting to go home and sleep for a long time."
Cheng Lan followed Chu Linchuan. When he reached the door, he turned back and forced a smile, staring at the liquor thoughtfully: "Boss Liu, let's get together again next time."
Liu Yuan's suit pants were wrinkled. He picked up the glass of wine poured by Chu Linchuan, drank it in one gulp, and said with a hiss: "Okay, let's get together next time."
The smile on Cheng Lan's face widened, and he hummed a tune as he walked out of the hotel.
Since he was a child, he hated attending meaningless dinner parties the most, but he didn't expect that he couldn't escape it even if he became a movie emperor.
But it’s different with Chu Linchuan here.
As long as Brother Lin Chuan sits there, there will be no smell of cigarettes or dirty jokes in the box.
Outside the hotel, the night wind whistled. A few hundred meters away, there was a bustling night market.
Cheng Lan pulled at the car door and asked, "Give me a ride?"
Chu Linchuan didn't say yes or no: "Where's your car?"
Cheng Lan got in directly and gave an address: "Brother Li, I'd better go to Yuezhu Hua Ting... Oh, I had a fight with my agent in the studio today, and I'm avoiding him."
"Yang Pengfei is the best-tempered agent in the company," Chu Linchuan fiddled with the sachet in front of the car, "How did you offend him?"
"I didn't provoke him, it was him..." Cheng Lan suddenly paused, hesitating for a long time before shouting, "Chu Linchuan, do you have a girlfriend?"
Chu Linchuan was given a headache by the noise: "What are you yelling for?"
Cheng Lan reached out his hand and shook the thing in his hand: "How do you explain this?"
Chu Linchuan put on his glasses and squinted to see. It was a dark brown hair rope, very fluffy.
His lips moved, and his teeth clenched together to make a slight sound. Then Chu Linchuan closed his mouth and didn't want to say anything more.
What happened last night was still vivid in her mind. Xia Lanzheng raised her hand to stop him, biting her lip stud and suddenly blurted out "I like you".
Chu Linchuan was extremely disgusted and poured the bottle of cold water without thinking.
But then Xia Lanzheng's expression changed, and she hunched over and began to gasp. In the blink of an eye, the man's eyes became clear, as if he had truly forgotten what he had said.
Since last night, my emotions have been inexplicably affected by Xia Lanzheng.
This is very unusual.
What are you doing?
They haven't had normal communication for several years.
Chu Linchuan stared at the hair tie in front of him, and the three words "Xia Lanzheng" rolled around between his teeth, but he didn't pronounce them in the end.
"What?" Cheng Lan asked, "I didn't hear clearly."
Xiao Li glanced back, and the gossip fire burning in his eyes suddenly went out: "Master Cheng, this was left by the young master."
Cheng Lan held the hair tie and looked at it again and again: "Who? Xia Lanzheng?"
Xiao Li wanted to continue talking, but Chu Linchuan interrupted: "Xiao Li, drive."
Cheng Lan felt bored and sat back, fiddling with his hair tie.
Xia Lanzheng was a little follower. From kindergarten to elementary school, wherever Cheng Lan went to school, Xia Lanzheng would follow him.
When he reached junior high school, this guy's personality changed drastically, and Cheng Lan could no longer play with him.
Things like "no taste" and "you do it if you can" were what Cheng Lan blurted out when he was furious last time.
Because he clearly remembered Xia Lanzheng saying when they were little: "If you really become an actor in the future, I will book a theater to watch your movie."
The hair rope changed shape in Cheng Lan's hands and was finally tied into a knot.
I don’t know how many men Xia Lanzheng, this liar, has said similar things to.
The car passed the night market and drove a few hundred meters forward. Suddenly, a crowd of people gathered on the roadside and the car could no longer move forward.
"So many people," Xiao Li rolled down the car window, rested his arm on the window frame and looked out. "Huh? Looks like there was an accident?"
The wind blew in, and the smell of alcohol on Chu Linchuan could no longer be concealed. He took off his coat and threw it into the back seat.
Cheng Lan leaned over the back of the passenger seat and shook his shoulder: "Xia Lanzheng!"
The hair tie fell onto Chu Linchuan's legs. Chu Linchuan picked it up, frowned, and asked, "Isn't your reaction time a little too long?"
"No!" Cheng Lan said the first two words quickly and anxiously, then slowed down and looked outside again, "I think I saw Xia Lanzheng...getting into the ambulance."
Chu Linchuan stroked the knot in his hair and paused when he heard this.
The crowd of onlookers suddenly dispersed, and an ambulance drove out, its red and blue LED lights flashing alternately, carving a hole in the dark road.
"Holy crap," Xiao Li's eyes widened, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, "It seems to be true!"
The ambulance was far away and Chu Linchuan couldn't see the face of the person in the car clearly.
But the wooly curly hair was very eye-catching. It swayed twice and then lowered, and suddenly nothing could be seen.
The knot on the hair rope was completely untied, and it lightly flicked Chu Linchuan's knuckles.
Xiao Li said: "I'll call Director Chu first..."
"Don't hit me," Chu Linchuan held his hand, "There will be chaos at home."
Xiao Li was stunned: "What should I do?"
His eyes were filled with a fading blue light, and Chu Linchuan clicked his tongue.
"What else can I do? Keep up."
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