Chapter 50 Five Years Later "Will Ordinary Friends Kiss?"
Tao Shuran never thought that one day she would meet Liang Yuanjing again in the vast Northern Territory.
This scene, which she had never imagined, unfolded like a dream.
He hasn't changed much from five years ago.
His face had superior bone structure, his body remained straight and upright, and his lazy and casual demeanor never changed. When his eyes fell on me, they were still cold and distant.
For a moment, Tao Shuran's memory traveled back to his school days.
At that time, she was still a little girl, standing on tiptoe to get closer to him, just to see a little smile bloom in his indifferent eyes.
She was happy and satisfied, and felt that she was the happiest person in the world.
Pure feelings eventually fade away with youth.
It turns out that he has been in North City all these years.
Their separation, one in the south and the other in the north, was like the final turning point of their fate.
Tao Shuran smiled with relief: "Long time no see, Liang Yuanjing."
"Not for long."
Liang Yuanjing looked into her eyes and said, "It's been one thousand seven hundred and forty-seven days. We haven't seen each other for five years."
It turned out that they hadn't seen each other for so long.
Tao Shuran's face was dazed for a moment, and those familiar memories came to her mind again. When she had a crush on him, many small days were remembered in her mind.
She remembered the day they first met, the first time he looked at her, the first time they fell in love.
Why did Liang Yuanjing start to remember these memories, which are cherished only when one is in love, after they separated?
Tao Shuran no longer had the energy to worry about these details.
She supported herself on his arm and stood up, her face frowning from the piercing pain in her ankle.
Liang Yuanjing quickly took off his coat and covered her with it, looking at her in an unyielding tone and saying:
"Put on your coat and I'll carry you."
Tao Shuran was stunned for a moment and said, "It's not appropriate."
"I think I can walk back on my own."
"And then, go back and lie down for ten days or half a month?"
Liang Yuanjing raised his arms and held her up sideways with a calm tone.
"We've already been in a relationship, what's inappropriate?"
Tao Shuran cried out in surprise, and her anxious hands pushed and beat his chest.
Liang Yuanjing was so strong that after picking her up with one hand, he was able to free up another hand to hold her wrist.
He easily held both of her wrists, leaving her no room to escape.
Leaning against his chest, it seemed as if I could hear the strong heartbeat if I got a little closer.
Tao Shuran's whole body stiffened. She no longer longed for the sound of his heartbeat as before. From beginning to end, she just quietly waited for the dream of reunion to end.
"How have you been these years?"
For some reason, Tao Shuran suddenly couldn't control his emotions when he heard these words.
She tilted her head, her nose accidentally brushing against the lining of his clothes, and tried to say in a calm tone, "Okay."
"It couldn't be better."
In the days without him, she studied and lived as usual. At first, the feeling of losing her goal was not easy.
But then she came closer, creating new targets without even looking.
Life always needs to move forward.
In fact, what Liang Yuanjing said is absolutely correct.
She couldn't always get used to relying on him and always follow his life path. This would not only be a burden to her, but also to him.
Liang Yuanjing lifted her arm and weighed it upwards. After a while, he lowered his gaze and looked at her as if he was stating something. He slowly said:
"I've lost a lot of weight."
He still found it.
In fact, Tao Shuran has not had a good life these years.
The competition for admission to graduate school at Qinghai University was extremely fierce. She was in poor condition the year they broke up and failed in several competitions.
At that time, she doubted herself a lot and felt that she was nothing without Liang Yuanjing's brilliance.
Later, she was admitted to graduate school and became the only girl in the research group.
This is not a good thing. People in their line of work have to go to the scene and encounter all kinds of harsh environments.
The most memorable time was when Tao Shuran stayed alone at night next to a newly excavated tomb for the entire night.
Are you scared?
Of course she was afraid, but she had to follow the path she had chosen to the end.
After going all the way to the end, Liang Yuanjing finally sent her back.
He reached out and knocked on the door, then became annoyed by the loose lock and pulled it off.
He waved it casually in front of her, as if mocking the unnecessary lock.
Tao Shuran pursed her lips, wondering how Fang Qingyi had survived here all these years.
Awakened by the noise, Fang Qingyi walked out of the room in slippers.
She rubbed her eyes hard, almost thinking she was dreaming.
"Of course...you and Liang Yuanjing, hugged each other?"
Tao Shuran patted Liang Yuanjing's arm hard, signaling him to put him down.
She quickly explained, "I ran into an accident when I was out, and I just happened to run into him. By the way, do you have safflower oil in your room? I feel like I twisted my ankle a little bit."
"Yes, there are."
Fang Qingyi went in to get the medicine box. She was now mostly awake and took another look when she walked out.
Now it is certain that the person is indeed Liang Yuanjing.
As soon as she took a step outside, she saw Liang Yuanjing taking a chair and sitting in her yard. The young master had his legs spread out, playing with a lighter in his hand. His brows were dull and his every move revealed his natural dignity.
Even in such a simple courtyard, the noble aura of a favored child like Liang Yuanjing could not be concealed.
Fang Qingyi curled her lips, quickened her pace and was about to slip away when she heard Liang Yuanjing ask her in a bad tone:
"This place is so desolate, how dare you let her go out alone in the middle of the night?"
"I'm sorry, Captain Liang, I'm really sleepy."
After listening to Tao Shuran's account of what happened, Fang Qingyi patted his chest and felt like he had survived a disaster.
"This place is still unsafe. By the way, when did you come to North City?"
“It just arrived this year.”
"Then when are we leaving?"
"Not sure." Liang Yuanjing raised his eyes and asked her, "Why?"
Fang Qingyi said "Oh": "Nothing, it's just that Ranran will probably have to stay here for a year or so."
He hummed softly, "I understand."
Fang Qingyi's eyes widened: "What do you understand, Liang Yuanjing? I didn't say anything."
"Do you know that when Ranran broke up with you, she was in so much pain that she almost lost half her life?"
She kept chattering behind Liang Yuanjing until she saw Liang Yuanjing walk in front of Tao Shuran, and all the noise stopped.
Fang Qingyi shut her mouth tactfully and stood aside, yawning as she watched the two of them interact.
Liang Yuanjing half-knelt down, poured the medicated oil into his palms and rubbed them to warm them, then pulled them directly over her ankles.
Tao Shuran subconsciously shrank back, but before he could say no, his movements were faster than the sound he made.
"Stay away for the next few days. Leave that person to me."
"Don't be afraid of anything."
She said "hmm" and said "thank you" politely and courteously.
Liang Yuanjing stopped talking.
He placed his palms on her ankles and folded his hands, covering her completely.
Gradually, Tao Shuran felt that the entire area of her ankle where he was wrapped was getting hot. She raised her head and looked at him quietly and silently as he lowered his head and closed his eyes in seriousness.
She counted his long drooping eyelashes. Some habits engraved in her memory had never changed.
When his gaze was completely focused on a certain place, she would always take the opportunity to secretly glance at him.
After not seeing him for many years, he was no longer the skinny boy he used to be. Because of the exertion, the muscles on both sides of his forearms were bulging. Under the flashlight that Fang Qingyi tilted her head to shine, his thin muscles looked even colder and dryer.
"Add a contact number."
After finishing, Liang Yuanjing turned on the faucet and rinsed his hands. He took out his cell phone from his pocket, turned his head, looked at her casually and said:
"Meeting is also fate, huh?"
Tao Shuran pointed to the broken screen phone on the table and said, "It's broken. I can't use it."
He smiled and didn't care.
"Then tell me the number and I'll save it."
Tao Shuran said calmly, "My phone is out of service, and I haven't had time to get a new card yet."
Liang Yuanjing's hand movements suddenly stopped.
He put away his phone, put his hands in his pockets, and stared at her with some interest.
After a while, he sneered.
"Avoiding me?"
Tao Shuran pursed her lips: "No."
Under his gaze, she felt deeply uncomfortable.
Finally, Tao Shuran couldn't bear it anymore, and her slightly trembling eyelashes revealed her endless thoughts.
She raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze moving.
"We shouldn't have met, right, Liang Yuanjing?"
Liang Yuanjing raised his chin, his face, which had always been dismissive of fate, was full of arrogance.
He looked at her and said, "But we met."
*
After tossing and turning all night, Tao Shuran and the team took leave at dawn to deal with the matter.
After hearing about this, Lin Tingzhou immediately applied to her higher authorities, requesting that a separate and safe dormitory be arranged for the girls.
When Tao Shuran came back from the police station in the morning, he heard that his dormitory had been arranged at the aviation training base.
She was stunned for a moment and asked, "Teacher, isn't that a confidential place?"
"We just vacated two rooms for you in the outer dormitory base." Lin Tingzhou looked at her, "Why, can't you live there?"
"No."
Tao Shuran lowered his eyes: "I will obey the organization's arrangements."
In the afternoon, Jin Boyu came over to help her move, and some experimental equipment also had to be transported over.
They plan to build a small restoration room there so that some severely damaged cultural relics can be restored to the greatest extent possible when they are excavated.
"So little stuff?"
Jin Boyu reached out and weighed her 20-inch suitcase, took it and walked slowly side by side with her.
"I'm used to it."
Tao Shuran smiled disapprovingly: "I've been traveling a lot these past two years, and my things have become more and more streamlined. I just need to bring the essentials."
Jin Boyu tilted his head and asked, "Were you scared last night?"
"Songnian and I are going to set up a bed next to the restoration room. If we have to work overtime late, we won't go back. If you need anything, just call us."
"This is too much trouble, Brother." Tao Shuran said, "The folding bed is too hard, there's no way to sleep on it. You guys are already working hard during the day."
"It doesn't matter where I sleep. Honestly, I dreamed last night that a painting I was halfway through was cracking again. I'd rather sleep next to it and keep it safe."
Jin Boyu made a joke. He reached out and gently put his hand on her shoulder, politely and restrainedly.
He said indulgently, "Besides, isn't it natural for a senior brother to take care of a junior sister?"
The dormitory environment is much better than I imagined.
Originally, Lin Tingzhou said that this was a room vacated from the utility room, but after opening the door, Tao Shuran found that it had everything from a bed to a table.
The room also looked like it had been freshly cleaned.
Jin Boyu checked everything from light bulbs to door locks, leaving nothing out.
Tao Shuran leaned against the door frame with his arms folded, and joked casually, "Brother, you are so considerate and family-oriented, your future girlfriend will definitely be very happy."
"Tease me? I think you have too much free time."
Jin Boyu pinched her nose and threatened: "I think I should tell Professor Lin tomorrow and ask her to give you two more reports."
Tao Shuran immediately raised his hand to admit his mistake: "I was wrong, brother."
"See if there's anything you can ask me to do, and I'll definitely do it for you."
Jin Boyu opened a larger room next door, pretended to look around, took out his wallet from his pocket and threw it to her.
"Go to the door and see if there's a supermarket. Buy me a cup of coffee and use the remaining money to buy some snacks."
He coaxed her like a child: "Then, find a place to play by yourself."
Ok, this is because he thinks she is in the way.
Tao Shuran took out two banknotes and took the garbage by the wall and threw it away.
She walked aimlessly around the training base, recalling the place where she had just entered. She didn't pay attention at the time and wondered if there was a place like a convenience store.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at an open training ground.
On the plastic runway shaded by dense trees, the shouts of young people were deafening. The pilots at the base were doing basic training.
Tao Shuran only took a quick glance out of the corner of her eye, but still recognized Liang Yuanjing in the crowd just by his back.
He was doing push-ups, and his movements were so fast that he left an afterimage.
This scene overlaps with a certain frame in my memory—
It should have been his freshman year. Less than a month after the military training ended, he had already become a celebrity in the whole school.
Luo Qiuya urged her to go to the training ground to watch the flight class training. At that time, she was still excited to see him, so she agreed reluctantly.
Unexpectedly, he was discovered by his sharp-eyed teammates at a glance. Several boys gathered together and started to make a noise, their voices extremely loud.
"Liang Yuanjing, your girlfriend is here, and you only did fifty?"
"Of course I have to show off when my girlfriend is here."
□□, who was standing nearby, suddenly shouted, "Liang Yuanjing, how many do you want to make now?"
"arrive!"
Liang Yuanjing paused in doing push-ups, and then his voice became louder, as if he wanted her to hear it on purpose.
"Ninety-nine!"
…
"Ninety-six!"
"Ninety-seven!"
"Ninety-eight!"
“Ninety-nine!!!”
Amid the cheers and applause, Tao Shuran lowered her head shyly.
Finally, amidst the final round of applause, she inadvertently raised her head and met a pair of bright, smiling eyes.
The unstoppable youthful spirit in him burst out completely at this moment. At this moment, Tao Shuran felt that the whole world had become quiet.
She could only hear her own violent heartbeat.
Completely for him.
…
Times have changed, and she is no longer his girlfriend at all.
Tao Shuran withdrew his gaze, turned around and left quietly.
On the other side, Liang Yuanjing slowly stood up and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.
The teammate who was recording nearby laughed and joked, "Captain Liang is quite principled. He stipulates to do 50, but he always does 100."
Liang Yuanjing smiled and said, "I'm used to it."
He subconsciously looked up, but the figure standing in the distance had long disappeared.
A bitter feeling came over him, and he slowly savored the feeling, thinking in regret about the ninety-nine steps Tao Shuran had taken towards him over the years.
Is every step so bitter and hard to describe?
He was determined to go through all the pain of the ninety-nine steps again, and vowed to take the initiative to take a step towards her this time.
This is where the number one hundred comes from.
"Captain Liang, the new dormitory has been cleaned up, but rooms are quite limited. You'll have to settle for a double room for now."
"OK."
"Wow, Master Liang, I'll have to inconvenience you to live with me."
Kang Bo hooked his arm around his shoulders and asked with a grin, "Brother Liang, you're so kind. When the base said they needed to vacate the dormitory, you immediately gave up your best room."
"Why, do you have any intentions towards the new girl?"
Liang Yuanjing raised his eyes and said lightly, "Yes."
"Will you help me chase?"
Compaq staggered and almost fell face down.
He touched his head in disbelief, leaned over and asked in an exaggerated tone, "Is this true? Our unmoved lover has actually fallen in love at first sight?"
"Who is it? Is it the girl who was just moving in today?"
Liang Yuanjing ignored him, knocked on the table, and asked him to bring the duty roster hanging on the opposite wall.
In order to ensure the safety of the new repair team, their base sends two people to patrol and guard the surrounding area every day. Yesterday was the first day, and the list had not been arranged in time, so Liang Yuanjing took over directly.
He casually asked, "Have you decided on the duty officer for this month?"
"No."
Liang Yuanjing raised his chin and said directly——
"I'll take care of the whole next month."
*
After a simple packing, Tao Shuran and Jin Boyu returned to the scene in the afternoon.
The on-site excavation work has just begun. They remain on site as instructors and have different excavation requirements for different cultural relics.
As for the calligraphy and painting group, they require that all the bamboo tubes in bundles and pieces be removed at one time if possible. If they must be removed all at once, they must be removed in batches while ensuring their integrity.
"Teacher Tao, come and take a look. This large piece looks like several paintings glued together."
Hearing the call, Tao Shuran immediately walked over to see the specific situation. She carefully avoided the excavation area and the muddy road made it very difficult to walk.
After carefully examining it several times, Tao Shuran made a prompt decision and said, "Clean up the surrounding area, shovel out the entire piece, and send it back to the lab for further cleaning."
Jin Boyu glanced at her in admiration: "Very decisive."
"Didn't Professor Lin teach us that restoration is a race against time?"
We stayed at the site for the entire afternoon, but at night the visibility was poor, making it unsuitable for outdoor mining work.
Tao Shuran wiped his hands and prepared to go back to the laboratory to sort out and record the new cultural relics that had been delivered today.
This is a meticulous humanities job that requires accurate measurement, recording and organization of relevant data of each cultural relic.
When she was about to leave, she remembered something and pulled Jin Boyu to point in a direction and said, "Brother, there is a big item over there, it's seriously damaged. Please help me take it back to the lab later."
"I'll make a record tonight and hand it over to Old Yuan from the watchmaking team tomorrow when he arrives."
As a result, his hand hit nothing. Jin Boyu, who was just by his side, had disappeared somewhere unknown.
Tao Shuran looked around in confusion.
"Let me do it."
Liang Yuanjing had been standing behind her without her knowing. His sudden voice startled her and she subconsciously took two steps back, only to bump into his hot chest.
A casual smile appeared on the corner of his lips. He slowly opened his arms and looked at her with an innocent raised eyebrow.
It seemed as if it was all her fault for taking the initiative to "throw herself into his arms".
Tao Shuran pursed his lips: "No, I'll wait for my brother to come back."
"Isn't it a race against time?"
Liang Yuanjing slowly leaned over, staring at her with playful eyes without blinking, "Are you not running away now?"
What he said was thrown back to him at this moment.
Tao Shuran looked at him and asked, "Why are you here?"
It was as if he was waiting for her to ask this question.
Liang Yuanjing put one hand in his pocket and raised the blue work badge hanging around his neck with the other hand.
"To assist you in your work."
Now that things have come to this, she has no reason to stop him.
The transport vehicle also arrived. Tao Shuran stood beside him and gave him a few reminders. When Liang Yuanjing raised his hand to move things, he couldn't help but lend a hand.
The mud and sand he picked up flew all over the place, blurring his eyes. Liang Yuanjing took the time to free up one hand and pull her behind him.
He took off his shirt and jacket and covered her face, and then his nonchalant voice sounded -
"Stand away. I can handle it on my own."
"We don't have a tradition here of having our daughters do heavy work."
When Tao Shuran heard the last sentence, he thought he had misheard.
The scene was too noisy, and the refreshing scent of lemon soap wrapped in the blue jacket gave her body, which was tired all day, a brief moment of clarity.
Tao Shuran heard Liang Yuanjing's voice vaguely asking, "Who is your senior brother?"
She pulled off her coat, looked up and asked him, "Why, are you interested in him?"
Liang Yuanjing snorted: "Not interested."
Frivolous and arrogant.
His posture reminded Tao Shuran of the first time they met at Qing University.
At that time, he was also leaning on the table with his arms, and said in the same defiant tone that he was "not interested" in her.
A bitter smile spread across her lips, and she wrapped her arms around his clothes, standing quietly by the side waiting.
The protagonist of the topic happened to arrive at this time.
Jin Boyu was holding a camera in his hand and had just evacuated from the scene. When he saw a man standing next to her, he subconsciously took a look at him.
Liang Yuanjing was also looking at him.
He was tall, with a gentle and elegant appearance. He wore a low-key dark brown shirt, and pushed up his metal glasses to cover his expression when he looked at him.
With just one glance, Liang Yuanjing concluded that this was a gentle and decent man, so reserved that he didn't even notice when looking at others.
Before meeting him, Liang Yuanjing actually had the idea that Tao Shuran would fall in love with him.
But when he actually saw this senior brother, panic suddenly spread in his heart.
This was a man very different from him.
If Tao Shuran fell in love with a man of this style, would he really have a place in her heart?
Liang Yuanjing suddenly became unsure of the answer.
"Junior sister?"
Jin Boyu smiled slightly and took the initiative to speak, "Who is this?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, he just happened to resolve the awkward alienation between Tao Shuran and Liang Yuanjing.
Tao Shuran reacted and immediately walked to Jin Boyu to introduce him to him.
"Liang Yuanjing, from the training base, is also a member of the flight rescue team."
Jin Boyu smiled and said, "Excellent! This is the first time I've seen such a young pilot. Nice to meet you."
Liang Yuanjing nodded and said politely, "I salute those of you who are devoting yourself to the rescue and restoration work day and night."
"Brother, you're here just in time to help me deliver it."
Tao Shuran was about to leave when Liang Yuanjing stood in front of her with his arms folded.
He raised his eyebrows slightly: "That's all?"
He seemed dissatisfied with her formulaic introduction.
Tao Shuran looked at him with gritted teeth. She knew the abilities of this devil and would not give in until she got a satisfactory answer.
After thinking about it, she added a sentence.
"It's still mine..."
"Just an ordinary friend."
Everything is settled.
"Yeah?"
Liang Yuanjing slowly chewed and savored the four words, his tongue against her cheek, his dangerous gaze lingering over her face as he leaned over.
Asked with a bit of a smile——
"Do ordinary friends kiss?"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Happy National Day to you all belatedly? Actually, it’s because Xiaozai was working hard at home all day yesterday, okay?
Today I present to you a double update of 6,000 words. I wish you all a happy holiday and a smooth life [red heart]
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