Fool
The Su family's affairs were settled, and Su Wen finally signed the divorce agreement. On the day of receiving the divorce certificate, Lin Jingming, who had nowhere to go, went to Cheng Shubai's office to ask him for a drink. He happened to run into Xia Zhitang who had signed a producer agreement with Cheng Shubai, and Gu Zian happened to be with his girlfriend.
The four people involved in the Su family case naturally gathered in Cheng Shubai's lounge.
Cheng Shubai flipped through Lin Jingming's divorce agreement and exclaimed, "You're so generous! Three sets of school district housing in prime locations are enough to make five new people famous, and you're giving them all to her?"
Lin Jingming sat on the sofa next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the cars on the road that looked like toys. "After all, we are husband and wife."
Cheng Shubai shook his head: "I can't tell, Lao Lin."
Lin Jingming grabbed the pillow and threw it at him.
Cheng Shubai stood up and dodged, nimbly moving to Xia Zhitang's side: "What about you? Are you really going to disappear for two months?"
"The flight for the morning after tomorrow."
Gu Zian on the side pouted gloomily, and Xia Zhitang gently held his hand.
Lin Jingming, who was not interested, looked over and asked: "Why are you leaving so suddenly?"
"To complete my late husband's unfinished honeymoon trip." Cheng Shubai answered excitedly, "All the way from Yunnan to Tibet!"
Lin Jingming couldn't help but frown: "Leaving for Yunnan and Guizhou during the rainy season?"
Gu Zian's brows tightened even more, and Xia Zhitang patted the back of his hand soothingly: "We've already planned the route and found a guide. We won't go to any dangerous places."
"How about I sponsor you a campervan?" Cheng Shubai opened the wine cabinet: "What would you like to drink?"
"No, driving an RV is troublesome too." Xia Zhitang poked Gu Zian's angry face with a smile: "Don't make such a fuss, I can take care of myself."
Lin Jingming finally pulled himself up from the sofa, took out the most expensive bottle of wine from the wine cabinet, and opened it neatly while Cheng Shubai turned around to get the wine glass.
"Old Lin, you are so rude!" Cheng Shubai raised his wine glass and glared at Lin Jingming.
"Just think of it as a celebration party. You've gained a lot of benefits." Lin Jingming took the wine glasses and filled them one by one.
Gu Zian took out his phone and ordered food: "Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health. What would you like to eat?"
"Japanese food!" Cheng Shubai and Lin Jingming said in unison.
"Let me toast first." Lin Jingming raised his glass first.
Cheng Shubai raised his glass: "Cheers to the spoils of war."
"Cheers to the fool." Lin Jingming glanced at Xia Zhitang meaningfully.
"Cheers..." Gu Zi glanced at Xia Zhitang and suddenly smiled, "Cheers to the future."
Xia Zhitang clinked the rims of everyone's glasses: "Cheers to the new students."
We have already eaten most of the Japanese food and had three rounds of drinks.
"Your dad got the naming rights for Lao Lin's next play, and then hinted that he would arrange for you to be in it." Cheng Shubai blushed and hooked his arm around Gu Zian's shoulder. "I really envy you. You say one thing and do another, but you're so honest."
Gu Zian wanted to leave but was hooked by Cheng Shubai and could not move.
On the other side, Xia Zhitang and Lin Jingming sat at the bar and slowly ate salmon.
"What drama are you going to shoot next?" Xia Zhitang held his face with his hands while drunkenly, looking at Lin Jingming with his eyes moving.
"The sequel to 'Blue Luan Tribulation' already has a draft of the script." Lin Jingming glanced at Xia Zhitang's gradually watery eyes and looked away calmly, "First, I have to repay Chairman Gu's debt of gratitude."
"Where's the documentary?" Xia Zhitang yawned and slumped over the table sleepily.
"I haven't figured it out yet. After I finish what I'm doing, I'll go on a trip to Europe next month." Lin Jingming put down his wine glass, but his feet unconsciously stretched out under the table towards Xia Zhitang. "What about you? Do you really want to travel alone for two months?"
"Yeah, if we don't go, we'll have a regret for the rest of our lives." Xia Zhitang raised his glass and took another sip. "He and I originally planned to be travel photographers. It's fate..."
"You're drunk." Lin Jingming snatched the wine glass from Xia Zhitang's hand, stood up and walked to Cheng Shubai, "Drunk, I'll ask your wife to pick you up."
Gu Zian took the opportunity to push Cheng Shubai's hand away and rubbed back to Xia Zhitang.
"I'm not drunk, keep drinking!" Cheng Shubai snatched Lin Jingming's cell phone.
"Let's go first." Gu Zian helped Xia Zhitang up and said loudly to the two of them.
Lin Jingming waved his hands behind his back and continued to tug at the drunk Cheng Shubai.
When the door closed, Lin Jingming suddenly stopped moving. He ignored Cheng Shubai who was mumbling to himself and sat alone on the sofa next to the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the traffic on the road.
In Xia Zhitang's old house, Gu Zian helped Xia Zhitang back to the bedroom.
He put Xia Zhitang down on the bed and skillfully prepared some honey water and handed it to him.
Gu Zian looked at Xia Zhitang who was sipping honey water and couldn't help asking, "Sister, do you really want to go?"
Xia Zhitang put down the water cup and took Gu Zian's hand: "When I come back, I will move in with you."
Gu Zian held Xia Zhitang's hand, his eyelashes trembling: "Does this mean you're officially living with me?"
"Well, wherever you go, I'll live there."
Gu Zian excitedly threw Xia Zhitang to the ground and kissed her loudly on the face.
"The next movie will be filmed at a film and television city. I have prepared a suite nearby. It's on the top floor with a terrace."
"I want a swing, and plant hydrangeas and roses..."
"We also need a gym and a screening room..."
The two of them turned on the night light, snuggled in the quilt, and chattered about their future plans.
The orange light spread on Xia Zhitang, outlining the golden side lines. Gu Zian imagined returning home from the show and opening the door. Xia Zhitang was sitting on the sofa in her home clothes, reading a book. There were flowers cut from the garden in the vase on the coffee table. His breathing gradually became rapid.
"Sister." Gu Zian's hand climbed onto Xia Zhitang's shoulder. "Are you really not going to let me send you off the day after tomorrow?"
"No need, Director Li asked you to audition the day after tomorrow..." Looking at Gu Zian's face slowly approaching, Xia Zhitang's voice gradually weakened.
The moment their red lips touched, it was like throwing a spark onto dry firewood, quickly igniting Gu Zian's body and mind.
Gu Zian gasped and let go of Xia Zhitang, stroking her face with a deep look: "You won't be able to see me the day after tomorrow..."
Xia Zhitang grabbed Gu Zian's hand that was caressing her cheek and gently kissed his fingertips: "We still have a long time."
Gu Zian swallowed and pulled the quilt over them.
For a moment, the quilt covered the two people's intertwined breathing and the endless moans.
The plane broke through the gloomy clouds, flew through the azure sky, and finally landed under the blue sky and white clouds.
Xia Zhitang, carrying a camera and dragging a suitcase, found the tour guide holding a sign and got into a jeep.
The mountains gradually passed by the car window, and under the blue sky was the spring with red flowers and green willows. Xia Zhitang held her late husband's travel notes, her heart filled with sour emotions.
Xia Zhitang, wearing hiking boots and leaning on a trekking pole, trudged through the dense jungle, following his guide for a long time before finally catching sight of a ray of sunlight. The guide excitedly rushed out into the sunlight, and Xia Zhitang couldn't help but quicken his pace. Suddenly, the view opened up. A vast jungle pit, shrouded in mist, was filled with rolling mountains, azure blue sky, and puffy white clouds, creating a dreamlike scene. With tears in her eyes, Xia Zhitang pressed the shutter.
As the guide sang a rough folk tune, Xia Zhitang dug through the soft soil beneath the tall pine trees and buried a small handful of ashes. In the mountain breeze, she gathered a few fresh leaves and piled them into a small hill, creating a small leaf tomb.
After climbing mountains in Yunnan for half a month, she boarded the high-speed train to Guizhou. Watching the train pass through deep pits and over the mountainside, she marveled at the shock of technology.
She dragged her suitcase into the Dong village in Guizhou.
By the third round of rice wine at the local long-table banquet, Xia Zhitang was wearing a double-breasted blue cloth shirt, her silver jewelry jingling in her ears. She was being pulled by a local girl to dance to the rhythm of the reed pipe.
"Wrong, wrong!" The aunt next door pulled her around and danced with her enthusiastically, "Young lady, you have to follow the drum beat!"
In the primitive and simple dance steps, she jumped and danced with the stranger, and gradually revealed a bright smile.
Entering the Jiabang Rice Terraces, lush green rice seedlings blanket the hills, layer upon layer. A gentle breeze rustles the countless tumbling rice seedlings, creating a symphony-like rustling sound.
Xia Zhitang climbed halfway up the mountain along the path with his camera across his shoulder. Standing on the edge of the terraced field, feeling the danger of falling if he took a step, he pressed the shutter with trembling hands.
Big raindrops suddenly fell on the tender green rice paddies. Xia Zhitang, guarding her equipment, ran to the observation deck. Amidst the relentless patter, women draped in bamboo hats broke off half a steamed bun and offered it to her. Xia Zhitang listened to them speaking Mandarin tinged with dialect, and watched the simple smiles bloom beneath their dark skin, her heart gradually calmed.
The wind from Dujiangyan blew Xia Zhitang's hair. The distant mountains were shrouded in mist, and the sound of gurgling water echoed in his ears, echoing for millennia. Xia Zhitang followed the guide, stopping and starting as he recounted the legendary story of Li Bing and his son, who lived thousands of years ago. Time seemed frozen in microcosm on this thousand-year-old hydraulic engineering project, and Xia Zhitang inexplicably felt a sense of national camaraderie running through his blood. The sorrows and fate of the past paled in comparison to this human miracle.
Starting from Chengdu, Xia Zhitang hired a driver and set off on National Highway 318. The car passed through the vast grasslands, and human power seemed so insignificant in the face of nature.
As the SUV passed the 72nd bend of the Nujiang River, Xia Zhitang clutched the roof rails tightly. The grayish-white road wound around the majestic mountains like a swirling ribbon. Before arriving here, it was hard to imagine the kind of natural dangers that could make today's technology so frustrating.
Once we reached the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the weather improved considerably. The azure sky needed no filter, its clarity untouched by a speck of dust. The pristine white clouds were a delight, seemingly distant yet evocative of our proximity. The car was blocked by a herd of yaks slowly stalking the road. Xia Zhitang disembarked and struck up a conversation with the herders. The Tibetan woman, deeply impressed by Xia Zhitang's helpfulness, invited her to share some freshly-cooked butter tea.
After more than a month and a half, Xia Zhitang finally arrived at the end of her journey - Lhasa.
The wind blew the colorful prayer flags, making them rustle. The scriptures on the flags took on an inexplicable solemnity against the backdrop of the azure sky and the strong sunlight on the plateau.
Xia Zhitang took out the camera left by her late husband and pressed the shutter to take the last photo.
"Look, how beautiful this place is! I've been here for you." She sprinkled the last handful of ashes on the land. "I'm about to start a new journey. I hope you'll be happy in heaven too."
Returning to the hotel, she felt a sense of loss that a very difficult goal had finally been achieved.
Xia Zhitang opened her computer and uploaded the photos she had taken during the trip to her late husband's slightly popular account. Then, amidst the 99+ messages urging her to update, she announced her husband's death and thanked the fans for their concern and support. Instantly, the number of messages skyrocketed, and she didn't have the energy to respond.
At night, after video-conferencing Gu Zian to report safety, she looked out the window at the Milky Way, which seemed to be paved with countless dazzling diamonds, and inexplicably recalled the autumn when she and Gu Zian were filming the variety show.
Xia Zhitang became interested, picked up his camera and tripod, set up the equipment on the open grass in front of the B&B, and prepared to shoot star trails.
On the distant road, the lights of an off-road vehicle flashed by, and Xia Zhitang subconsciously narrowed his eyes.
Brakes sounded, the car stopped three meters away, and the driver's window rolled down.
Xia Zhitang looked at the people in the car in surprise and exclaimed, "Why are you here?"
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