Chapter 18
The smile on Li Qingyao's lips slowly disappeared.
Someone said it.
In fact, at the beginning, someone asked her why she didn't smile.
At that time, she was already a junior in college, and she had never been close to the girls in her dormitory, and only maintained a superficial relationship. Later, when one of her roommates had a birthday, she went anyway. She had originally planned to give him a gift, eat a few bites, and then leave. But her roommates are actually pretty nice people with cheerful personalities. They asked her to drink, and Li Qingyao just responded casually. Before they knew it, they were the first to get drunk, but she was still fine.
After drinking, they spoke the truth and said, Li Qingyao, we have been classmates for so long, why are you always so arrogant? No one cares?
Li Qingyao said calmly, I don’t, this is just my personality.
It’s been three years, three years! I've never seen you smile. A roommate said, "What's wrong with you? Tell me. We are all police officers now and we will help you."
Li Qingyao didn't answer, but drank another large cup, lowered his head to suppress the moisture in the corners of his eyes, then raised his head and said with a smile: "Thank you. Am I not smiling?"
"Tsk!" said another roommate, "Laughing is uglier than crying. But you should smile more in the future and don't show everything on your face, otherwise people will know your true colors right away. Didn't the teacher say that for us criminal investigators, the most important thing is to be thoughtful and steady!"
The next morning, Li Qingyao woke up drunk, looked at himself in the mirror, smiled, and smiled again.
She thought her roommate was right, she really didn't laugh much anymore.
It turns out that smiling is not an expression, but a skill.
Later, the smiles on Li Qingyao's face gradually increased. She seemed like a different person, she behaved properly, with a bright smile that didn't show in her eyes. Several roommates saw her extreme transformation, looked at each other, and didn't know what to say.
On the eve of graduation, the dormitory head sent her a WeChat message:
[Sometimes, it takes a very long life to be truly healed. Li Qingyao, don't be anxious, take your time. To be honest, although your smile still looks fake, people who don’t know you well probably won’t be able to tell. Please protect yourself in the future and I look forward to seeing you laugh heartily soon. 】
…
She didn't say anything, but Chen Pu knew he was right. Looking at her drooping brows, a trace of pity flashed through his mind for what he was about to say next.
But he still had to make it clear, not for anything else, but for her.
Chen Pu has always believed that a truly smart person should live clearly and consistently, and only when one is clear-headed can one be truly free.
If it were someone else, Chen Pu would naturally not say anything more. But she is different.
He didn't know before and thought she was just naughty, hypocritical, and acting up - after all, he didn't know much about normal young girls.
But when he saw her awkwardness and loss of composure in front of Luo Huaizheng, and her cold and arrogant attitude in front of her high school classmates, he realized that that side was the real and living Li Qingyao.
Instead of the perfect mask she usually wears when sitting in the office, you can never see her true heart.
Chen Pu said, "Yes, you get along well with everyone in the second team, and you are very good at socializing. You work very hard and are absolutely excellent in terms of performance. However, I can see that you are not sincere in your interactions with everyone, and you just "socialize" for the sake of "socializing".
But have you realized that they are not the office colleagues you want to have a good relationship with in the general sense. We are different from other industries. We are criminal police, soldiers, and comrades-in-arms. Comrades-in-arms mean that in times of danger, we can trust each other with confidence. But do you dare to entrust it? You secretly went to Zhang Xiyu's house to check for evidence without asking anyone for help; when arresting a wanted criminal, you knew there was an encirclement outside and he could not escape, but you still chased him alone and fought desperately. It's because you have never been sincere, revealed your true self, and interacted with everyone. So naturally you won't really trust anyone. Am I right? ”
He picked up the barley tea, took another big sip, and said with his head down, "I actually don't like seeing you smile like that. I didn't like it from the first day when I saw you trying to please everyone on the team. You've made yourself a social role model. Aren't you tired? Li Qingyao? Are you really that kind of person?"
Li Qingyao sat upright, motionless, with no expression on his face. Her eyes were fixed on the buttons on Chen Pu's chest, and her eyes felt a little hot, but she held it back.
Chen Pu had been thinking about these words for days, so he just blurted them out: "When I said you should get along with everyone sincerely, I didn't mean you should pour out your heart and soul for no reason. I meant - be the kind of person you are. If you are unhappy, don't smile. Pay attention to whoever you want to pay attention to, and ignore whoever you don't want to pay attention to. Why did you take the initiative to ask Fang Kai about the school and use his connections? Why did you bring tea to please Yan Yong? Do you really like doing these things?
People don’t really care about these things. Look at Zhou Yangxin, he has a very stubborn temper and is very arrogant. He gets angry with everyone, but is there a problem with that? No one in the team thought there was a problem. These brothers have followed me for so many years, and they are all smart. Except Yan Yong, no one can fail to see your politeness and deliberateness. People just don't talk about it. Everyone is just waiting for you to let down your guard and truly become a member of the second team. ” This work is provided by
Li Qingyao still couldn't utter a word. He sat with his head down, like a silent and thin tree.
Chen Pu was silent for a few seconds. When he looked up at her again, his eyes were sharp and clear. "And to me. You obviously don't like me, so why do you always say ambiguous words, always provoke me, and only tease me? Is it for fun, joking with me, or do you want to seek excitement and challenges? Have you ever thought about how you would end up if I, Chen Pu, was really a bastard who was tempted by beauty and fell for your trick?
I really treat you as my own sister, but what do you treat me as? Someone who can be fooled at will? Or is it someone you can just throw away after flirting with him? ”
Li Qingyao's tears fell, he wiped them away quickly, stood up and said, "You are right, I am a hypocritical and selfish person. I flirted with you just for fun, nothing else, don't think too much, after all, it seems a bit difficult for you to have no girlfriend for so many years. Captain Chen, I will go home and reflect on myself now, you take your time to eat."
Chen Pu moved his lips, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say. He stared at her as she walked away, and had the urge to stand up and chase her several times, but he held back.
He told himself that now was not the time to apologize, that he could not apologize for this. This is a matter of principle, and she must be allowed to think it through clearly, which will be better for her in the long run.
Chen Pu immediately called the waiter to quickly settle the bill. He endured for about three minutes. When he saw Li Qingyao turning a corner in the alley ahead, he stood up quickly and followed him.
He followed her from a distance of about a hundred meters, making sure she was in his sight, all the way to the downstairs of her house. Chen Pu stood sideways behind a big tree, watching her go upstairs until he saw the lights in her house turn on. He stood there in silence for a while, then took out his phone with a cold face and sent a message:
[My words just now may have been a bit harsh and inappropriate. I’m sorry. But think carefully about what I say. Honest advice hurts, right? 】
No reply.
After a while, he typed: [Is your foot all right? Do you want to recite it tomorrow? 】 and deleted it again. After a moment’s silence, he changed it to: [Is your foot all healed? Do you want your brother to carry you on his back tomorrow? 】
Still no reply.
Chen Pu exhaled slowly, walked towards home, raised one arm, slapped the back of his head twice with his palm, sighed deeply, and went upstairs.
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