Chapter 137 Another Autumn
On September 2015, 9, a small riot broke out in Ye Zhenzhen’s hometown, and she happened to be on a flight back to Yuncheng from her hometown that day.
Wang You was about to give birth, and Ye Zhenzhen did not ask Ye Mao to pick her up at the airport. It was already 10:30 at night when she took a taxi back to Yuncheng from the airport.
Less than four months after leaving, Yuncheng had not changed much, but their lives had changed dramatically.
Standing on the balcony of Tinglan Garden, it is already early autumn.
The autumn wind in Yuncheng was like a blind man, caressing her face carefully. Perhaps because she had lost a lot of weight, even the autumn wind had to confirm again and again.
The cold moonlight was like frost. She lit a cigarette unskillfully. There was an orange-red flame at the other end of the blue cigarette holder.
There was no time to change the title before the call came in. It had been four months since I heard Wen Baijing's voice again.
Wen Baijing's hoarse voice was familiar yet a little strange: "You're back?"
Ye Zhenzhen was not surprised that Wen Baijing knew her itinerary. After all, Wen Baijing had many channels to find out.
She took a deep drag on the cigarette between her fingers, and inhaled his voice into her lungs, "Hmm."
Wen Baijing seemed to be relieved, "Luckily you're back. When I saw the news..."
Ye Zhenzhen didn't know what was going on. She didn't usually pay much attention to the news, so she asked without thinking, "What news?"
On the balcony of Guanlan Residence, Wen Baijing sat on the chair where Ye Zhenzhen once sat, with his cell phone tucked between his shoulders. He took out a cigarette with a blue holder, tapped the holder on the cigarette box, and slowly lit it.
There was a long silence.
Wen Baijing took the phone off his shoulder and held it in his palm, "Zhenzhen, how have you been these days?"
Ye Zhenzhen looked up. In the blue-gray night sky, there were only a few stars, none as bright as the fire between her fingers.
Reed fluff flew from nowhere and blocked her throat, sealing her nasal cavity. She replied in a dull voice, pretending to be relaxed: "I'm fine. I went to learn flower arrangement for more than two months to cultivate my character. Do you know? There are many beautiful imported fresh cut flowers, such as eryngium, bride, wood lily, Austin rose, lover in the mist... I deal with flowers and plants every day, and even my hair is fragrant with flowers. The training institution received a lot of flower arrangements, and the teacher took us students to decorate the venue overnight, with scissors in one hand and flowers in the other... I also went back to my hometown to eat all kinds of delicacies and fruits..."
She seemed to be reporting her work to her boss, not daring to miss a single detail.
Wen Baijing stood up and walked to the balcony. The crowd at Phoenix Lake had dispersed. The lake was covered with reeds. Flying catkins floated in from afar, covering his eyes. "Zhenzhen, you have to take good care of yourself. Don't torture yourself anymore...Ye Zhenzhen, I miss you so much..."
Ye Zhenzhen squatted down, leaned her back against the railing, and tremblingly brought the cigarette between her fingers to her lips. The smoke she inhaled floated in her abdomen, and the lingering smoke made it impossible for her to open her eyes.
She threw away the cigarette butt, rubbed her eyes, and said softly, "You should go to bed early. You have to get up early tomorrow to pick up the bride."
Wen Baijing took a deep puff of his cigarette, couldn't help coughing, and said intermittently: "You... don't have anything else to say to me?"
Ye Zhenzhen put her hands on her chest, with tiny traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. She suddenly smiled softly and said insincerely: "After twelve o'clock, you will be someone else's husband. Tomorrow there will be many people blessing you, so I wish you a happy wedding in advance. I wish you a happy marriage, a son soon, and happiness..."
The cigarette box was already empty, and the ashtray was filled with cigarette butts. Wen Baijing took the cigarette box from the table and subconsciously clenched it in his palm.
The cardboard made a crisp sound, and at this moment his heart was like a cigarette box, wrinkled and shapeless.
His voice was as desolate as a wild goose that had lost its mate and was crying in grief: "Ye Zhenzhen, you always know how to stab me and make me feel more pain. Can you be a little gentler?"
"Wen Baijing, it's almost twelve o'clock..."
But Ye Zhenzhen would also feel pain, more than him. Apart from the polite and formulaic blessings, even the small talk between them seemed redundant.
They didn't know that the other party had been sitting there for a long time under the frosty moon. They all knew that the moonlight that night was cold and chilled people's bodies.
Afterwards, they tacitly agreed not to speak anymore, and at twelve o'clock in the night, Ye Zhenzhen hung up the phone on time.
She only found out what happened in her hometown when she saw the news push.
sleepless nights.
The next day, Ye Zhenzhen asked Zhongli to go to the restaurant downstairs for breakfast.
After not seeing each other for several months, Ye Zhenzhen's figure has been visibly reduced. Her once plump apple cheeks have become thinner, and her cheekbones are faintly visible.
Zhongli took good care of her and said with feigned envy: "Wow! Your figure is getting better and better now. You look more elegant as you lose weight..."
Ye Zhen Zhen touched her cheek and joked heartlessly: "Really? It seems that a broken heart is more effective than fitness..."
Zhongli held his chin and asked with concern: "How have you been these days?"
Ye Zhenzhen looked down at the crab noodles in the bowl, picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks, and said with a hint of sadness: "Zhongli, pickled vegetable and shredded pork noodles used to cost seven yuan a serving, but every time I ate it, it was six yuan. Do you know why?"
Zhongli picked up the chopsticks, frowned, and asked in confusion: "Why?"
Ye Zhen Zhen raised her head again, her face calm and calm, "Because I don't add shredded pork every time, it can save one dollar."
Zhongli froze in place, not knowing how to respond.
Ye Zhenzhen smiled lightly, somewhat relieved, but her tone could not hide her loneliness: "I can finally afford a bowl of crab noodles for 100 yuan. I can eat crab noodles for breakfast every day."
Zhongli put down his chopsticks, held her hand, and comforted her: "Yes! You can have a 100 yuan breakfast every day..."
But Ye Zhenzhen didn’t think that a bowl of crab noodles that cost a hundred yuan was delicious. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy the happiness she wanted.
Zhongli also knew that Wen Baijing was getting married today, but he really didn't know how to comfort Ye Zhenzhen.
Language is like this, it always seems weak and powerless when it comes to comforting people, but it can be as sharp as a knife when it comes to hurting people.
That day, Ye Zhenzhen and Zhongli visited several shops. They planned to start a clothing store together.
From site selection to rent negotiation, we were very busy.
Ye Zhenzhen, with her bag slung over her shoulder and a bottle of mineral water in her hand, bargained with the landlord with a dry mouth, discussed the details of the renovation, smashed the wall, changed the line...
Being a boss is much harder than being a store manager.
The core business district is always crowded with people, and squeezed in the crowd is Lin Xiaoxi, who has not been seen for a long time.
Ye Zhenzhen had talked too much and her throat was dry and sore. As she was drinking water, she saw Lin Xiaoxi out of the corner of her eye. The moment their eyes met, they both subconsciously avoided looking at each other.
They have not forgotten the unpleasant afternoon tea a few months ago. The fierce argument that broke out that day and the scene of deciding not to have any more contact with each other are still vivid in their minds.
Lin Xiaoxi's belly was getting bigger. She supported her lower back and walked slowly towards him.
After having a general chat with the landlord, Ye Zhenzhen asked Zhongli to discuss the details with the landlord and walked towards Lin Xiaoxi.
She greeted Lin Xiaoxi a little awkwardly and asked her how many months old her baby was.
Lin Xiaoxi stroked her bulging belly with a gentle and happy smile on her face. She said that the baby was almost eight months old and she was bored at home, so she came out for a walk.
Lin Xiaoxi was followed by a nanny carrying a bag full of gifts, and it seemed that she had bought a lot of maternal and child supplies.
Lin Xiaoxi asked with concern: "Zhenzhen, have you been okay these days?"
Ever since the Weibo incident, many bad rumors about her have spread among the public. If she had not been involved with Wen Baijing, not so many people would have paid attention to her.
The melon-eating crowd has long gone to the new melon field, but relatives and friends find it hard to forget.
Ye Zhenzhen smiled bitterly and replied: "Fortunately, it's all over."
Lin Xiaoxi apologized to her, saying that she had hurt her, and then asked, "Is it true that there was a rumor online about you and Boss Zhichu some time ago?"
The relationship between Ye Zhenzhen and Wen Baijing was kept very secret. Apart from Zhongli, she had not told any of her friends. She denied it nonchalantly: "Don't listen to the nonsense on the Internet. I don't know him."
Lin Xiaoxi stroked her hair, not believing it. "But I remember when someone took you to the ancient town, you sent me a license plate number. You said you would send me a WeChat message every half an hour, and if I didn't receive your WeChat message in half an hour, you asked me to call the police for you. That license plate number is his, right?"
Ye Zhenzhen was silent for a long time, half of her face was bleached by the sun, and the other half was in the shadow. The autumn wind suddenly blew across her cheek and through her hair.
It's another autumn, and this time she won't lock herself out.
Wen Baijing would no longer rush over and say to her, Ye Zhenzhen, where have you been? Do you know that I am looking for you?