Chapter 23: Wutong 3 More Rain
"I toast to you!" Ye Zhenzhen raised her glass again. Many words of thanks seemed hypocritical and thin. She couldn't say "reincarnation", "repaying debt of gratitude", "working like a slave in the next life"?
The wine glasses clinked together gently, which was pleasant and melodious.
The two men drank heartily, showing the bottom of their cups to each other.
"Is the meaning of your name what I understand it to be?"
"Well, our family is small, and my brother and I have the same name. The branches are flourishing, and the leaves are dense and dense."
Wen Baijing glanced at the dice cup and challenged, "Do you dare to play dice with me?"
Ye Zhenzhen rested her chin on her elbow and nodded calmly, "Best of three?"
The first two games were evenly matched, and the atmosphere was a little tense.
In the last round, the desire to win was aroused in both players, and they were both tense.
The dice collided violently in the dice cup, making a "shuahua" sound. After shaking the dice, Ye Zhenzhen covered the outside of the dice cup with her left hand and gently lifted the dice cup with her right hand. The dice cup was only slightly open. She squinted her eyes and looked for two seconds, then knocked the dice cup down.
Wen Baijing opened the dice cup, glanced at it expressionlessly, and knocked the dice cup. He raised his right hand, palm up, fingertips pointing upwards, and made a "please" gesture.
Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself that she was a straight man, and if she yelled, she would have to drink. After thinking for a moment, she calmly said, "Four threes!"
Wen Baijing looked at Ye Zhenzhen, his eyes sweeping across her drooping eyelashes and falling on her stiff fingers.
Ye Zhenzhen curled her right hand slightly, the nail of her thumb dug into the tip of her index finger. It's over! I regretted it after I called it. How could I be so stupid as to call four? If I get kicked off, I'll lose. My mouth moved too fast, and my brain couldn't keep up.
She calmed herself down, pretended to be calm, and smiled at Wen Baijing.
Wen Baijing Dama Zhang Fei sat calmly on the sofa, and said calmly, "Four fours!"
Ye Zhenzhen's eyes turned slyly, her long eyelashes like butterflies hovering in her clear eyes. She said in a somewhat proud voice, "Open!"
Wen Baijing looked at Ye Zhenzhen's dice and took the initiative to pour himself a glass of wine, "I lost!"
Ye Zhenzhen bared her ten teeth and clapped her hands with joy. Is this the novice protection period? It must be because her skills are too good.
Wen Baijing drank the wine amid her laughter, and turned his head to smile secretly.
She tilted her head to look at Wen Baijing, reached out to open Wen Baijing's dice cup, and Wen Baijing quickly pressed the dice cup.
Ye Zhenzhen looked doubtful, her thick eyelashes blinked, and her voice was soft, "Let me see..."
Wen Baijing moved his hand away, and she hesitantly opened the dice cup. Wen Baijing got four fives and one two.
"So you let me on purpose?"
Ye Zhenzhen felt a little disappointed, and thought that she was possessed by the God of Gamblers, killing everyone!
"You are too honest." Wen Baijing picked up the teacup and shook his head helplessly.
"Actually... I lied to you. I can sing Because of Love." Ye Zhenzhen looked apologetic. She had sung this song with Yu Hui before, and she didn't want to sing it with anyone else. That was a memory between them, even though it ended in a bloody ending.
"So, are you willing to sing with me now?" Wen Baijing did not ask Ye Zhenzhen why she lied.
She walked to the computer desk and clicked on "Because of Love".
The prelude sounded and the lights came on.
She handed the microphone to Wen Baijing, and a familiar MV was playing.
The phone on her waist kept vibrating, and Ye Zhenzhen took it out. Wang You called, at 10:30 pm. She was about to run out to answer the call, but her legs wouldn't obey her.
Wen Baijing said softly: "Just answer it here!"
She answered the phone, "Hello, sister..." Wang You's crying voice came, Ye Zhenzhen's eyes went dark, and she quickly reached out to hold on to the wall.
"What's wrong with you?" Wen Baijing walked up to her. "What happened?"
"I have to go to the police station..." Her hands kept shaking, and her voice trembled, "My brother..."
Ye Zhenzhen raised her hand and pressed her temple, feeling extremely flustered. Ye Mao was a worrying guy, and she didn't know if he was injured. Her only brother, a blood relative, was causing trouble, and Ye Zhenzhen couldn't just ignore it.
"Go change your clothes first. I'll wait for you downstairs." Wen Baijing picked up the phone and urged, "Go quickly!"
The noisy sound was separated from Ye Zhenzhen by a transparent film. She walked through the elegant lobby with a light step, stepped on the gorgeous Persian carpet, and stumbled towards the lounge.
She just ran forward and bumped into a waiter carrying a tray. The waiter was unable to dodge and the tray flew several meters away, spilling a cup of hot tea on the carpet.
"Ye Zhenzhen, you took the wrong medicine!" The waiter jumped half a meter away flexibly and rubbed his shoulders.
"I'm sorry!" She forced out an apology, "I'll pay for the cup of tea. I'm busy now." After saying that, she ran forward on her own.
The waiter muttered to himself and lowered his head to pick up the tray and cups.
"What's wrong?" The minister came over when he heard the voice. The waiter described to the minister what had just happened with an angry look on his face. The minister patted the waiter on the shoulder and looked at Ye Zhenzhen's swaying figure.
The night is cool and the bustling city has not yet fallen asleep.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Ye Zhenzhen was extremely anxious, inserting her fingertips into her hair. Ye Mao, you little bastard, please don't get hurt.
Wen Baijing sat next to her and patted her on the back, "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Ye Zhenzhen exuded anxiety. She turned her head, frowned, and looked at Wen Baijing pitifully, "Really?"
She clenched her hands, and Wen Baijing reached out and covered her hands, "Hmm!"
Wen Baijing's palm was big and warm, enough to accommodate her little stubbornness. Her clenched fist slowly relaxed, and their fingers were tightly intertwined, giving rise to a sense of dependence and companionship in the panic night.
After drifting for so long, the untied boat finally got a moment to breathe. At this moment, the boundless panic, the raging waves, the reefs and dangerous shoals all disappeared.
The car stopped in front of the police station, and she pulled her hand out of Wen Baijing's palm. Ye Zhenzhen pushed open the car door and was about to lift her foot when she suddenly thought of something and turned back to look at Wen Baijing, "Thank you, you go back first!"
Wen Baijing hesitated to speak, thought for a moment, and nodded in understanding.
The summer night breeze passed by my ears, through my thin clothes, leaving a trace of heat that filled my palms.
As soon as the red light on the opposite side of the pedestrian crossing went out, Ye Zhenzhen rushed to the police station. A gust of wind pierced her lungs, and she clutched her abdomen tightly and coughed continuously.
"Sister..." Wang You rushed to Ye Zhenzhen and grabbed her arm tightly, "What should I do? Sister..."
Ye Zhenzhen helped Wang You, who was in tears, up and said, "Stop crying and tell me what happened first."
From Wang You's fragmentary description, Ye Zhenzhen roughly understood what happened.
The lunch box was too salty, so Ye Mao and Wang You were thirsty and drank a lot of boiled water. Drinking too much boiled water made their stomachs uncomfortable, so they agreed to go to the supermarket downstairs to buy drinks. On the way back, they passed by a night snack stall, and two hooligans deliberately teased Wang You. Ye Mao was so angry that he argued with them, and they started fighting during the shoving.
Seeing a fight, the onlookers called the police and several people were taken to the police station.
In the lobby of the police station, on the white wall, large blue letters read: "Police for the public, government for the people."
The solemn sense of oppression comes upon you, making you feel awe.
Wang You followed Ye Zhenzhen closely, and the two walked into the duty room. Ye Zhenzhen bravely asked:
"Hello, I'm Ye Mao's sister. You brought him here because of a fight. I want to ask if he is okay now?"
"Ye Mao! We're taking the statement!" a tall and thin policeman replied.
"So, is he injured? Will he be detained?"
"After the record is completed, he will be sent to the hospital for examination."
Ye Zhenzhen and Wang You left the duty room and paced back and forth in the corner of the hall. Worry and anxiety seeped into every step, and torment and fear filled every time they lifted their feet.
Ye Zhenzhen was sweating from holding the phone. She kept praying in her heart that Ye Mao was okay, otherwise she would not be able to explain to her parents.
A man with a briefcase walked into the police station and went straight to the duty room. "Captain Li, I'm on duty!"
"Yes, I'm on duty tonight. Lawyer Wu, why are you here so late? Is there something wrong?"
Lawyer Wu smiled and lit a cigarette for Captain Li. "It's nothing serious. It's just that a friend's brother got into a fight and was brought to the police station by you guys."
Captain Li took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "What's your name?"
Lawyer Wu put down his briefcase, pulled up a chair and sat down, "Ye Mao."
Captain Li flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "I'll go to the interrogation room next door and ask."
Lawyer Wu stood up and said, "Captain Li, thank you for your hard work."
Captain Li came out of the interrogation room soon and glanced at Ye Zhenzhen and Wang You in the corner of the hall. He returned to the duty room and said, "Lawyer Wu, it's nothing. You can leave after the questioning."
Lawyer Wu frowned slightly, "Then why were you taken to the police station? Were there no negotiations on the spot?"
Captain Li smiled and said, "What a coincidence! The two hooligans who were fighting tonight happened to be the thieves we have been looking for. The recent theft of electric bikes in this area was done by these two guys. Tonight they also had an argument with a young couple, and we brought them back together."
Lawyer Wu handed Captain Li a cigarette again and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Li."
Captain Li waved his hand and said, "Our job is to serve the people!"
Lawyer Wu hesitated for a moment, "Ye Mao is not injured!"
Captain Li laughed and said, "He only had a few scratches on his face, but he didn't suffer any loss in a one-on-two fight."
Lawyer Wu breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I'm glad everything is fine."
Captain Li picked up the teacup and blew away the tea leaves. Lawyer Wu took out his cell phone and typed rapidly.
Ye Zhenzhen stood in the hall, the alcohol from the foreign liquor rushing straight to her head, and she patted her burning face lightly.
"Burp," she burped, and the smell of alcohol hit Wang You's face. Wang You looked at Ye Zhenzhen in confusion.
She avoided his gaze guiltily and walked out of the house. Wen Baijing sent a WeChat message, "Ye Mao is fine, don't worry, he will be out soon."
When I arrived at the door, a cool breeze blew in, diluting the smell of alcohol.
Ye Zhenzhen looked across the road, a black car parked under a street light a hundred meters away. It was parked quietly on the side of the road, with the swaying shadow of the sycamore tree beside it.
It suddenly flashed double flashes, once, twice, three times...
It stopped in the dark night with dense leaves, so bright and so warm.
The road stretched between them, and vehicles passed by from time to time: large trucks carrying dangerous goods, speeding motorcycles, speeding sports cars, and simple electric donkeys.
"sister!"
Wang You's voice came from behind him, penetrating the night.
Ye Zhenzhen calmed down, turned around and ran back to the police station.
Ye Mao's face was scratched, and the tiny blood beads had dried up. Wang You held Ye Mao's hand and cried and laughed, laughed and cried.
"Xiao Mao, are you hurt anywhere? Are you injured?" Ye Zhenzhen held her brother's hand and looked at him with heartache.
"Sister, I'm fine, your brother is very powerful!" Ye Mao said with a silly smile.
"Young man, calm down, stay away from these thugs and be a law-abiding citizen," said a policeman on the side.
"Thank you...thank you, police uncle." Ye Zhenzhen hurriedly pulled her brother to bow to the police.
The police gave him a serious exhortation, saying that he was lucky this time and that it was not a big problem and would not affect him in the future. But he should control himself in the future and not fight with others.
"It's okay, you can go back early!" The police urged them to leave.
Ye Mao held Wang You with his left hand and held Ye Zhenzhen with his right hand, and the three of them walked out of the police station together.
Lawyer Wu walked past them and hurried toward the parking lot.
"Xiao Mao, let me take a look." Ye Zhenzhen stopped and looked at Ye Mao from head to toe. "Is it really not painful anywhere? Let's go to the hospital for a checkup."
"Sister, I'm really fine. I'm very good at fighting. I've been practicing since I was a child!" Ye Mao was a little proud.
"Can you please stop fighting in the future..." Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but feel worried and anxious.
Siren sounded, and a police car drove into the yard. Ye Zhenzhen and the other two quickly retreated to the wall.
The moonlight packs up its luggage and the cicadas play music.
When I walked out of the police station, it was almost one in the morning.
The three of them stood on the roadside waiting for a taxi. Ye Zhenzhen and Wang You pulled Ye Mao to look at him again and again, and asked him again and again, fearing that he was injured. Ye Mao explained many times, and finally he jumped up to prove that he was fine, and Ye Zhenzhen finally felt relieved.
Wang You's eyes were red, and he held Ye Mao tightly. A sweet scene of young lovers was happening. Ye Zhenzhen turned her head away consciously.
Ye Mao suddenly moved closer to Ye Zhenzhen, "Sister, have you been drinking?"
Ye Zhenzhen took two steps back and looked across the road. The car was still there. She nodded, "I drank a little."
Ye Mao kept looking at Ye Zhenzhen, "Why are you wearing makeup so late at night? What time did you get off work?"
The car that Wen Baijing was riding in started and drove towards Ye Zhenzhen.
"I... stayed up late." Ye Zhenzhen's heart was in her throat. "Let's talk about it when we get back."
There was a drizzle in the sky. Under the beams of street lamps, the raindrops were dyed with colorful colors. It was a colorful rain in the middle of the night.
Ye Zhenzhen followed Wen Baijing's car with her eyes until he got closer and closer.
"Sister, do you know him?" Ye Mao followed Ye Zhenzhen's line of sight and looked at the approaching vehicle.
Ye Zhenzhen swallowed her saliva, and her brain instantly shut down. How should she explain to her brother? She couldn't find a reasonable reason for a while.
A taxi stopped at his feet, Ye Mao opened the door, "Sister, let's go..."
"Drip-drip-"
The car behind her honked its horn for a long time, and Ye Zhenzhen looked back at Wen Baijing who was sitting in the passenger seat. Through the colorful raindrops and the glass, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't see his expression clearly. Raindrops hung on her eyelashes and dripped on her throbbing heart, and Ye Zhenzhen suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
The rain falls on the phoenix tree leaves at midnight, drop by drop, and they won’t leave.
The wipers kept swinging, and Ye Zhenzhen's heart swayed with them.
Under the black curtain of night, they stared at each other in the drizzle. If you can't see clearly with your eyes, then listen to your heartbeat.
Sensibility is saying: Ye Zhenzhen, I like him.
Reason is saying: Ye Zhenzhen, you are different.
Ye Zhenzhen, slightly tipsy, mixed her budding emotions into her eyes, and passed them to Wen Baijing through the drizzle and wind.
He is not in the mountains and rivers, nor in the snowy Yumen Pass.
He was so close that I could see him just by looking back.
But he was so far away that even if she had wings, she couldn't fly to him.
Ye Zhenzhen lowered her eyelashes, retracted her delusional thoughts, and turned away sadly.
The mountains are green and the rain is like smoke, the beautiful woman is looking at me from afar.
Wen Baijing stared at Ye Zhenzhen, as the drizzle fell on her temples and wet her clothes. In the ancient town, Wen Baijing had also held an umbrella for her. Now she was standing in the rain, and Wen Baijing happened to have an umbrella that was enough to protect her from the wind and rain.
Wen Baijing picked up the umbrella and opened the car door.
"Sister, get in the car!" Ye Mao stuffed Ye Zhenzhen into the taxi.
Ye Zhenzhen sat in the car and couldn't help but turn around and lean against the rear window. She saw Wen Baijing open the car door and stand in the colorful drizzle.
His figure gradually blended into the rainy night, rubbed into Ye Zhenzhen's eyes, and shattered in a tear.
Wen Baijing was wearing a black shirt and standing in the gorgeous rain.
His shadow was stretched very long by the street lamp, extending all the way to Ye Zhenzhen's heart.
The rain drops on the empty steps, the night is long. The moon shines alone outside the clouds.