Time goes back to 2021——
Qu Fanyi dressed up particularly grandly today. She got up half an hour earlier than usual, curled her hair, applied a facial mask, and hid in her workstation to wear lace contact lenses when it was almost time to get off work.
This is her second biggest day after dating Chi Wei-today she made an appointment with her college roommates to have a Japanese barbecue gathering at Da Wang Road. Girls who have just entered society always like to compare openly and secretly. The prosperous world unfolds little by little in front of them, enters their bright eyes, and then is taken off piece by piece and worn on their bodies.
So every few months of the gathering is like a small exam. Young and ambitious girls scan each other's skin, hairstyle, bag and figure to judge each other's level of struggling in the university of society.
There are only two tests in the university of society, career and love. And the bag that Qu Fanyi is carrying today is given by Chi Wei. There is a gorgeous snake head decoration on the bag buckle. That is her medal.
It was only a one-kilometer journey, but she took a taxi to the restaurant, not wanting to go through the dirty subway security check.
Japanese restaurants require you to take off your shoes, and several pairs of shoes were lined up at the door of the private room. Qu Fanyi knew all the classic and seasonal models of major brands. She quickly glanced at them and locked her eyes on the brand, which was a domestic product worth just over a thousand yuan. Then she pursed her lips and parked her newly acquired pair of Gucci loafers in the middle of the row of shoes.
At this moment, the three girls in the private room were making a mess on the tatami. The one who was originally surrounded was a girl named Zhou Li. She envied others for switching jobs to large companies and getting a heart-warming offer. Zhou Li put on light makeup today and wore a professional suit, with a happy look in her eyes and eyebrows. And now Qu Fanyi came, and everyone's eyes turned to focus on her.
Someone soon spoke up enthusiastically: "Bad girl! You changed your bag again!"
Qu Fanyi tucked her hair behind her ears skillfully: "Yeah, my boyfriend gave it to me."
Sure enough, a stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the girls all shouted exaggeratedly: "Tall, rich and handsome, right?! Do you have any photos!?"
Soon, this gathering completely turned into a dinner party centered on Qu Fanyi. Qu Fanyi sat dignified in the middle, put her mobile phone album on the table, and scratched the photos one by one with her long nails, accompanying her explanation: This is Chi Wei's face, this is Chi Wei's height, this is Chi Wei's home, Chi Wei's work, Chi Wei's car...
Of course, of course, Chi Wei also showed up at the end of the dinner - he had just finished surgery, took off his white coat and drove to pick up his girlfriend. His tall body opened the small sliding door of the Japanese restaurant, and said to the girls in the room in a gentle and decent voice: "I've settled the bill. I'll take you home too."
The three girls were squeezing in the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz like sparrows, and the small space was filled with the faint scent of grapefruit and hyacinth. Even the car perfume and Qu Fanyi's scent were the same, swearing on the hostess's wrist.
Qu Fanyi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was busy entertaining female classmates while helping Chi Wei keep an eye on the cars on both sides. Her gentle voice reminded him tirelessly: "Be careful beside", "Be careful of crossing the line", "By the way, there is a red light ahead, and you have to turn left later..."
After turning a few intersections, Zhou Li laughed softly behind him: "Qu Fanyi, it's a pity that you don't record a voice navigation."
Qu Fanyi could hear the sourness in Zhou Li's voice, and curled her lips. The sourness of her companions highlighted her victory. She had earned enough face that night and didn't care about her.
Chi Wei showed his gentlemanly manners and sent the ladies in the back row to the downstairs of the community one by one. When the last girl locked the door and left, the car returned to their own world. Qu Fanyi pulled him over and kissed him hard on the face unexpectedly, "Wei, you are so good!"
Chi Wei didn't react, touched the corner of his mouth and smiled, "What's wrong?"
"Do you know what the occasion is today? It's to meet my best friends from college, that is, my family! Meeting them means that you are officially recognized, Doctor Chi."
"My performance today is okay?"
"More than okay!" Qu Fanyi's eyes sparkled in the flowing light and shadow in the car. Pretending to be casual, he said: "But because you performed too well, they started to scold me."
"What do you mean?"
"Forget it. It's not a good thing." Qu Fanyi lowered her head, her face flushed.
Chi Wei laughed, "I can't say that yet."
"They said I was in love... and asked me to check you carefully, saying that something was wrong with you..."
"This?" Chi Wei raised his eyebrows: "What's wrong with me? Do they think my job is fake, or my car is fake?"
Qu Fanyi sighed, "They think you are fake. Zhou Li insisted that such an excellent man would not be still in the market at this age. Either you already have a girlfriend, or you have a problem. Guess what the most ridiculous thing is, they said that you are probably a second marriage...ah!!"
Before she finished her words, she screamed, and Chi Wei slammed on the brakes. A takeaway car rushed past them.
"Sorry, I was distracted just now." Chi Wei apologized.
Most of the night sky in Beijing is pitch black, the road is too wide, and the neon lights are tiny and fragmented, flowing with the car lights. The small accident cut off Qu Fanyi's words, and the car suddenly became quiet. The community where Qu Fanyi lived was on the edge of the East Fourth Ring Road. Chi Wei parked the car in front of the unit door, turned off the engine, but suddenly locked the car door: "Well... Xiaoyi... There is something I may need to confess to you."
Qu Fanyi still looked at him tenderly, but her heart was in a mess: What's the matter? Break up? No longer in love? Have you visited prostitutes before? Or do you have an illegitimate daughter? ...
"I, I was... married once before."
Chi Wei paused for a few seconds, but Qu Fanyi still didn't respond. She sat there in a daze, her stomach struggling to digest these two words, second marriage? ! Second marriage? !
At the same time, her mind quickly scanned the resumes of those men she had dated. Are there any alternatives? Change people? Is it too late? Continue? Or stop loss?
It's like the out-of-print bag that you have been thinking about for a long time is a defective product, return it? Or endure it? !
After talking all night, she just felt dry in her mouth. She swallowed hard and asked, "Tell me more about the details."
"It's not complicated. She is my college classmate, Lin Shan. We got together after graduating from college. We had a ceremony, but not long after we got married, she filed for divorce because of personality incompatibility. We have no contact. Well... legally, we haven't obtained a marriage certificate, but I still think I have to tell you."
Qu Fanyi breathed a sigh of relief. We haven't obtained a marriage certificate. Okay, a little flaw.
Chi Wei continued, "After all, our relationship is getting more and more stable. I still need to tell you. Of course, if you leave me because of this, I will accept it."
After saying this, Chi Wei leaned over and loosened the seat belt on the passenger seat for Qu Fanyi, and then unlocked the safety lock with a click.
The car was very quiet, and the night was also very quiet. Qu Fanyi sat there quietly, letting her mind become noisy--
"Look for him again! He's married!!"
"I can't find him! He's already the best man you can meet! Being too ambitious in marriage will only lead to nothing!"
"Women who can get married early remember one sentence-just don't be picky!"
"But he's married! He's married!"
"Which big boss hasn't been married? Which powerful woman is a wife of poverty? The first wives of rich people from ancient times to the present are the ones who are abandoned!"...
She took a deep breath and interrupted those conversations. She said to herself: "None of this is important."
What's important is, Qu Fanyi, what do you really want?
Qu Fanyi from the HR department resigned three months later.
Besides the department leader, the first person to be informed of the resignation was Sheng Yiqing. It was a sunny Monday morning. Sheng Yiqing, who arrived early, unexpectedly found a pot of succulents and a Lina Belle keychain on his workstation.
While she was wondering, Qu Fanyi came over with a paper box a few meters away and stuffed some messy documents into the box. Seeing Sheng Yiqing, she hurriedly greeted him and thought of something: "By the way, Sister Qing, I'm packing my things! I'm entrusting this succulent to you, and the keychain of Lingna Belle, which I bought when I went to Disneyland this weekend. Please accept it."
Sheng Yiqing said thank you, and while reading the email, she grabbed the fox tail of the keychain and played with it for a while, then she realized: "Are you going to change your workstation? Such a big fuss? You don't even want the succulent?"
Qu Fanyi paused while packing the documents, turned around, and looked at Sheng Yiqing seriously: "Sister Qing, I have to tell you the truth, I have resigned from the department boss."
"So sudden?! Job hopping?"
Qu Fanyi lowered her eyes, the midsummer morning sun shone on her hair, she stroked it with her hand, and for a moment Sheng Yiqing seemed to see a shy look on her face, but soon, Sheng Yiqing found that the look was not an illusion.
Because Qu Fanyi told herself: "It's not a job change. Um, sister, I'm getting engaged."
On the day when Qu Fanyi officially resigned, she brought a bunch of invitations. In the stunned looks of a bunch of people, she quickly explained: "It's not a wedding invitation. It's a simple invitation letter."
It was lunch break at that time, and everyone had finished their meal and dozed off on their phones at their workstations. Qu Fanyi had almost packed the box, held it in her arms, and looked at everyone: "Thank you for your care all the time. Today is my last day. There will be a small party at the nugget next Friday night. If you are interested, everyone is welcome to come and play."
A group of people shouted: "Wow, so polite, is it your farewell party?"
Qu Fanyi touched her hair, with a shy face like a little woman: "No, no. It's my boyfriend... He booked the place, and he seemed to say something to me..."
"Damn! It's not a proposal?!"
"How can it be false? Otherwise, why are you calling us?"
Everyone talked about it, Qu Fanyi just smiled, with a happy and indifferent face, "Anyway, it's just a bunch of young people playing around and having fun." After speaking, she looked at Sheng Yiqing and asked for consent: "Sister, will you come?"
The group of people suddenly became quiet-
It's Friday night at the end of the month. Isn't this Sheng Yiqing's regular date time?
"Of course!" Sheng Yiqing, who was playing with her phone, paused for half a second, smiled and nodded, "Consider it our farewell to you, and witness your happiness!"
"Sister, were you okay that night?" Qu Fanyi confirmed again.
"For now, I'm fine." Sheng Yiqing tucked her hair behind her ears.
Suddenly someone started to make a noise: "Sister Qing, are you coming alone? Does your brother-in-law want to come with you?" "Ask your brother-in-law to come with you." "Yeah, I haven't even met your brother-in-law"...
A group of young people looked at each other expectantly. Sheng Yiqing thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll ask."
The phone switched from the Ctrip hotel booking interface to WeChat. Sheng Yiqing clicked on the top dialog box: "I have something to do this Friday night."
Chen Zhuan replied in seconds: "Huh?"
"My colleague is getting engaged and resigning, so let's go to a party." After thinking for a moment, she asked again: "Do you want to come? The kids in my department said they haven't met their brother-in-law."
Chen Zhuan was talking to an overseas study agent at the Manner Coffee in the shopping mall downstairs. When he received the message, he curled his lips and replied, "It's okay to meet... You have to show your authority as a husband... Otherwise, other young people will have bad thoughts about you."
Sheng Yiqing sent two words: "...Bullshit."
He smiled and put the phone back in his trouser pocket.
The study abroad agent saw this and gossiped: "Chatting with your girlfriend?"
"No, my wife."
"If you go abroad next year, you will probably be separated for two years. It's not easy for a foreign couple. Have you thought about it?"
"Ah?" Chen Zhuan seemed not to have considered this matter. He showed a moment of surprise and then randomly restored his usual cold expression: "Nothing."
This marriage is like playing. It doesn't matter whether you stay or not, right?
That night, when it was almost twelve o'clock, Sheng Yiqing closed her computer, stretched and was about to take a shower when the doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole and laughed.
She opened the door and leaned against the door frame, with her hands on her chest: "What's wrong with you?"
Chen Zhuan had obviously just come back from outside. He probably had a drinking party in the evening. His cheeks were red and he didn't have time to take off his backpack. However, he was holding a snow-white pillow in his arms - he probably jumped into the bedroom and dug up the pillow as soon as he got home and came to find her.
"I miss you. Come to sleep." He pinched the pillow in his arms. "You miss me only after drinking?" She raised her eyebrows.
"I miss you sometimes, too. But after drinking, my willpower is weak."
He's talking nonsense again.
Jazz music is playing on the Bluetooth speaker. Two people are soaking in the bathtub. They sit at the two ends of the bathtub, one reading a book, the other browsing the phone. Chen Zhuan suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, I can't accompany you on Friday night."
"Why?"
"Chi Wei." Speaking of gossip, he seemed to think of something funny and turned to look at her: "You know, this guy is in love again."
Chi Wei's gossip has always touched the hearts of friends around him. Chen Zhuan and Sheng Yiqing met at their wedding, but not long after they met, they heard the bad news of Chi Wei's divorce. Sheng Yiqing still remembers how thin and depressed Chi Wei was when a group of people asked him to meet and comfort him. He lowered his head to talk about his dedication to Lin Shan, and raised his head to denounce Lin Shan's dislike for him.
"So, what kind of person has he found now? 30-year-old high-quality men are back on the market, so the market is going crazy, right?"
"I don't know. He's also young, but not much younger than us. He said this time that he doesn't want to give blindly, he just wants to find someone who's good to him."
"Tsk tsk." Sheng Yiqing shook her head, put her phone aside, raised her foot, and splashed water on Chen Zhuan's chest with her toes, sighing: "It's the fall of a generation of peerless good men."
Chen Zhuan was afraid that she would wet the book, so he pinched the book with his other hand. He put her feet in the narrow bathtub, and the thick foam covered half of her beauty. His eyes stopped at her wet neck and collarbone, and then moved away without leaving a trace. He said serious words, but his hands were not honest: "Are you really not going to take a look? Chi Wei asked me how many people would attend today, and I said you probably don't have time." "What can I do? I have already promised my colleagues. Our colleague's girl caught a rich man and said he would propose! I am also quite curious about this." Chen Zhuan's thumb pressed on the sole of her foot, which made her feel itchy. She pulled her foot back and behaved herself. "You want to know everyone's gossip." Chen Zhuan put the book aside, came over, wanted to kiss her, frowned at the thick mask on her face, and breathed softly in her ear: "This thing on your face smells so good, let me try it too?"
Sheng Yiqing glanced at the time and felt that it was almost absorbed, so she tore off the mask and wiped her neck with the remaining essence. Then she ordered Chen Zhuan to lie down in the bathtub, turned over and stuck it on her husband's face.
"I haven't been married yet." The mask sealed Chen Zhuan's mouth shape, and his voice was suppressed, but it couldn't cover up his desire to talk, "How about we have a wedding? Hmm?"
"It's not worth it." Sheng Yiqing categorically denied it, and slapped the essence on her face, "I've calculated before, the cost of a wedding in Beijing is too high, and it can't make up for the cost even if the gift money is included. It's time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. It's not a cost-effective business. If I could make a little money, I would have urged you to have one."
"Okay." Chen Zhuan rested his head on Sheng Yiqing's