The summer sky is very blue, and the clouds are low because of the high mountains. Chen Zhuan looked down at WeChat when his phone vibrated.
After a moment, he replied: "OK."
It was almost dusk when they went down the mountain, and a group of people were busy packing up. Everyone laughed at Chi Wei for climbing slowly because his backpack was too heavy. Fortunately, he had used up all the energy in the afternoon, so he could go down the mountain more easily.
Chi Wei coughed, and still took out the compass to take a look: "The wind is blowing from the northeast at night, let's go..."
Qu Fanyi reminded: "Weiwei, there is only one way down the mountain."
Chi Wei held her hand: "What I said is, everyone should be careful of catching a cold."
The setting sun hung in the sky, and Chen Zhuan and Sheng Yiqing had not spoken since that WeChat message.
The two walked in silence with their heads down, one in front and one behind. In the long line of newlyweds, every two people were separated by a small distance. The young couples talked and laughed from time to time, and Mr. Jiang protected his pregnant wife throughout the whole process.
Sheng Yiqing finally understood what it meant to be easy to climb a mountain but difficult to climb down. Even with Qu Fanyi's pair of slippers, the road was covered with grass and rocks, and stones and weeds would get into the soles of her shoes from time to time. She put her kitten heels in her bag, and she had to stop every time she took a step, take off her shoes, shake them, and then continue walking.
"How about you wear mine?"
Chen Zhuan pulled her arm.
Sheng Yiqing glanced at him, "Forget it, don't stretch Qu Fanyi's slippers."
"How about you wear my socks? These small stones are annoying."
She shook her head: "Smelly."
Chen Zhuan said and stopped talking.
After going down the mountain, everyone still got on the bus they had taken during the day, drove to the city, and then took a taxi home. The Second Ring Road in Beijing was extremely congested on weekends. Sheng Yiqing and Chen Zhuan sat on both sides of the back seat, silently swiping their phones. They got out of the car and went back to Chen Zhuan's house. The lights were on and there were several half-packed boxes in the living room.
Sheng Yiqing pulled the corner of his mouth and teased him: "You are free, the game is over."
Chen Zhuan didn't say anything.
The two of them packed up the boxes in silence and moved them to Sheng Yiqing's house. When the boxes were stacked in the entrance of Sheng Yiqing's house and the lights in the living room were on, Sheng Yiqing glanced at Chen Zhuan and said: "You can go."
Reach out to close the door.
"Yiqing..." Chen Zhuan blocked the door and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him and said, "Next Tuesday, remember." Chen Zhuan did not respond, but asked her, "Yiqing, have you ever considered going abroad?" "Ah?" "I've actually thought about it for a long time." He quickly talked about his plan: "I can wait for you for a year and postpone your enrollment to the year after next. If you start preparing now, we can be together the year after next..." "So what if you go abroad? Do you still want to live with me?" She interrupted, unable to help but expose, "Why are you one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes? On the surface, you love each other to death, but in the end, it's you who has to go abroad. On the surface, you are hesitating and don't want to divorce, but you are the one who gets up early every day to go to the company and wants to stay in the underground garage for half an hour after get off work. Chen Zhuan, what do you want? Say it bluntly." His hand froze in place, looking at her: "You, know?" Sheng Yiqing ignored him , "I like you, but I don't like going abroad. Studying abroad is your dream, not mine. Going abroad is not helpful for my career at all. What I want is to be a good banker, have a smooth career, and go further and further on this road. But you don't, Chen Zhuan, what you want is to study abroad, learn your dream major, and see different scenery. We want different things."
"I'm not... I admit that I'm not used to living with someone, but I don't want to divorce you. If I have to choose one of the two, I can endure..."
"Marriage should not be endured." She looked at him, "Love can't stand being consumed in endurance. Think about why we get married-we get married just to make each of us live a better life so that we can separate at any time, but others don't, do you see them? That's marriage, that's living. We are too self-centered, Chen Zhuan, not suitable for marriage."
Chen Zhuan was silent.
"Love is not a must for marriage." Sheng Yiqing shrugged: "Go home."
Romance is the most tempting. She knows. But it is also the shortest. Only in the fairy tale world will people believe that love is worth risking one's life for, but in real life, there is no need to risk one's life for the sake of daily necessities, only the daily necessities, endless accommodation and housework, and every sacrifice in the details of life. When the options are placed in front of them, Chen Zhuan or she will want to ask: Is it worth it? For him/her?
All the twists and turns are just because they entered a world that does not belong to them at all because of their curiosity and arrogance.
"I know." Chen Zhuan nodded, and pulled out a smile that was not sure whether it was praise or bitter. "You are right, the game is over, our marriage is indeed like a child's play, and we are indeed not suitable for marriage."
Sheng Yiqing also smiled: "See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau next Tuesday."
When going downstairs, it was sunset, a gust of wind blew, the treetops swayed, and a few slightly yellowed leaves fell. The wind got into the collar, slightly cool.
Chen Zhuan touched the back of his neck, is summer finally coming to an end?
"The Chaoyang District Government of Beijing has issued an orange rainstorm warning signal: It is expected that in the next 12 hours, there will be more than 100 mm of precipitation in some parts of Beijing, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. Please do not go out unless necessary on rainy days and take precautions." On Monday night, Sheng Yiqing received a reminder text message as soon as he got home. The sky in late summer was a bit stuffy, with thick clouds piled up in the sky, just pressing on the roof. Sheng Yiqing has not seen Chen Zhuan since the camping on Saturday, and the two of them have a tacit understanding and have not contacted each other again. Sheng Yiqing was just immersed in work. Near the second half of the day, Mr. Xie called him and said that he had found out that Sun Ning, the daughter of the founder of Meixianxian, would bring her children to Beijing in a week to accompany her husband to participate in the family day and was expected to stay for about three days. Sheng Yiqing was very happy, "Then we should make an appointment with her in advance?"
"I made an appointment. But she said she didn't have time, saying that she came to Beijing mainly to be with her family and didn't want to deal with too much work."
"Is this an excuse? I think she personally prefers to contact Xinda."
"This possibility cannot be ruled out. Fortunately, the CFO of Meiwuxian has a good relationship with us. He said that he could find out some information about Sun Ning's participation in the Family Day. Then it will depend on you."
Sheng Yiqing hummed.
It is true that we can only rely on her. After all, Mr. Xie will definitely not do such a shameful thing as sneaking into other people's company's Family Day.
"Mr. Xie, don't worry."
After taking a shower, Sheng Yiqing took out half a frozen watermelon from the refrigerator and sat on the carpet in the living room, scooping the watermelon while flipping through Meiwuxian's due diligence materials. Most of the content of the OSS chapter has been written and sent to Mr. Xie for review. If this project can really be led this year, she can be promoted to VP by the end of the year. With the year-end bonus and the money saved over the years, it is estimated that she can pay the down payment for the current house.
As she thought about the future, she thought of Chen Zhuan again.
Where is he now? What is he doing?
The window in the corridor was open, and the breeze blew across his bangs. Chen Zhuan held the window with one hand and held his mobile phone with the other hand, leaning against the wall with his body slightly bent. The voice on the other end of the phone was a little embarrassed:
"I also want to help with the recommendation letter for studying abroad, but my qualifications are really not good enough."
Chen Zhuan hummed, "I understand."
He had just returned from the gym and received a call from his boss when he left the building. After the two of them finished talking about work, he tentatively mentioned the recommendation letter.
Recommendation letters are complicated or not, but they require some connections, and the bosses are willing to endorse you. Therefore, the only complication of this matter is that he has no connections with the bosses.
Foreign companies have clear superiors and subordinates, and the highest level of management that can be contacted on weekdays is the head of the China region, that is, his boss. However, his boss was born in finance and only went to college in Hong Kong for one year. Such qualifications are somewhat lacking in recognition for the North American film school he is applying for.
The study abroad agency suggested that he find the person in charge of the Asia-Pacific region. He asked his boss and found out that the person in charge of the Asia-Pacific region is named Dong, and his English name is Eric. He has a wife who is said to have a prominent background and a pair of children. He is a very traditional Hong Konger. Dong has been in charge of the affairs of "Parents World" in the Asia-Pacific region for more than ten years, and most of the time he lives in the Hong Kong headquarters.
"In short, either you go to Hong Kong, or see if Eric has any plans to come to Beijing recently. If so, I will keep you informed. See if he has time." The boss suggested.
Chen Zhuan nodded, "Thank you, it's hard work."
After the phone was hung up, he still stood there.
Looking out from the window of the corridor, you can see the lights of the community opposite. The floor-to-ceiling windows are like lit screens, containing a family's mini world.
He saw the woman sitting on the carpet, eating watermelon and flipping through documents. She had her hair loose, her bangs tied in a small bun on top of her head, her small face was fair, and he couldn't see the expression on her face from too far away - and every time he felt that she was far away from him, he couldn't help wanting to get close to her. And every time, when he felt that she was close to him, he wanted to push her away, wishing to be alone.
No wonder Yu Youyang complained that he loved to be a slut. He really had the word "slut" engraved in his bones.
Thinking of this, he was relieved. Yes, being a slut is not without harm. As long as this word is engraved on the forehead, no matter what weird things you do, you won't feel strange.
Thinking of this, he simply let it go, curled his lips, called Sheng Yiqing, and started with -
"Hello, wife."
Sheng Yiqing had no time to pick up her phone to answer the call. She turned on the speakerphone and placed the phone on the carpet. Such a name rose from the ground. She almost kicked the phone with one foot: "Damn it! Can you talk normally?"
"Aren't you still divorced?" There was a smile in his voice. He seemed to be in a good mood.
"We'll get divorced tomorrow." She glanced at the time, "There's still 15 hours to go. After 15 hours, I'll be my ex-husband."
"...What time tomorrow?"
"I've made an appointment at 10:30 a.m. at the Chaoyang District Civil Affairs Bureau. You need to bring your ID card, original household registration booklet, and... a divorce agreement. I've drafted a version, mainly about the property, to make it clear that your house is yours, and the rest belongs to each of you."
Chen Zhuan was silent, "Don't you need to bring your marriage certificate?"
"Oh, yes! But do you remember where you put our marriage certificate? I can't seem to find it."
"Look for it in the folder under your TV?" He had a vague impression.
Sheng Yiqing followed his instructions and opened the drawer under the TV cabinet. She flipped through it and found a red book. When she opened it, she saw a photo of two people in white shirts, smiling at her foolishly.
She had a deep impression. They got up early on the day of the wedding photo shoot. The weather was good that day. It was a Saturday, but there was no need to queue up that day. After the photo shoot, they had a hot pot meal. It happened that the hot pot restaurant had an event for newlyweds. On the wedding anniversary, customers could get a 30% discount if they showed their marriage certificate to the store, and a 50% discount if they showed their marriage certificate to the store on the wedding day. Later, they went to a nearby Internet celebrity dessert shop and luckily bought the last piece of cheese cake...
"Too lucky!" Sheng Yiqing sighed to Chen Zhuan at the end of the day, "We should get married every day."
...
"Hello, did you find it? Is it under the TV cabinet?" Chen Zhuan's voice on the other end of the phone interrupted her memories. Sheng Yiqing hummed, sniffed, and tried to make her tone sound normal, "Then see you tomorrow?"
"Let's go together. Take my car."
After saying that, a thunder roared from the sky. With a loud bang, it rained.
It rained all night. This summer, it rained continuously, and there were news reports of heavy rains all over the country. Early in the morning, the news reported that Beijing will experience the heaviest rainfall today since the flood season began.
The orange warning on the phone still kept popping up.
Chen Zhuan sat in the car with a calm face, and only heard the raindrops hitting the window glass like hail. After a while, a person wearing a raincoat, rain boots and an umbrella ran over from a distance. Chen Zhuan was stunned, and when she ran closer, he leaned over to open the car door for her.
"...You are not that bad, are you?" He stared at her equipment in amazement.
"Several orange warnings, and it's said to be the heaviest rainfall. There have been deaths in previous heavy rainstorms! It's a good thing to be more prepared." Sheng Yiqing said as she took out a life-saving hammer, swimming goggles, energy drinks and compressed biscuits from her pocket, and placed a bunch of things in front of Chen Zhuan: "See? They are all life-saving things!"
"... Tsk." Chen Zhuan tilted his head to look at her: "I found that you are different after climbing the mountain. You have become..."
"Huh?"
He scratched his ear with his index finger and came up with an adjective: "Virgin. The posture of your thing just now is like Qu Fanyi."
"Go away, I'm doing this to save my life. Who told us to go out on such a dangerous day..."
"You can also stay at home." He interrupted.
"Do you want to continue to be married and work like a cow and a horse? Haven't you stayed in the underground garage enough? Are you so happy without me at home these days?"
He didn't answer. Sheng Yiqing sneered, and said firmly: "Anyway, we have to divorce today even if we risk our lives!"
"... Divorce. Especially we should divorce." The words jumped out from his teeth.
Isn't it just hurting each other? Who is afraid of who?
Sheng Yiqing was silent, lowered her head to put the messy things into the bag, and urged him to drive: "Then hurry up, it will definitely be congested in such a heavy rain. Don't miss the auspicious time for our divorce!"
"Don't worry. I'm looking forward to this day. I promise to let you leave on time." Chen Zhuan started the accelerator.
"Are you not afraid of red lights all the way?"
He turned the steering wheel lazily, "Didn't you notice? As long as we go out together, there are always green lights all the way."
"...Really?" She was stunned.
"Yes. Wife~" He laughed.
"Who the hell is your old..." The words were interrupted.
Chen Zhuan was seen steering with one hand and taking out a red book from his coat pocket with the other hand. He threw it on her knees and reminded her lightly: "There is still one hour."
...
When the fifth red light of the day lit up in front of Chen Zhuan, he subconsciously resisted the urge to curse.
The rainstorm showed no sign of stopping. The windshield wipers were just swiped down, and the window glass was blurred by a key in the next moment. The front windshield of the car was like a photo in post-production, and was quickly and finely mosaiced by round-headed brushes.
There were few cars on the road. Beijing's main roads are rarely unobstructed. The doors and windows of the buildings on both sides were closed. Even pedestrians could not be seen on the road. The world seemed silent.
They drove all the way, and inexplicably felt that they were driving in the end of the world. Until they met the fifth red light.
"...Didn't you say that as long as we go out together, we will have green lights all the way?"
"...Why do you think there are red lights all the way today?" He asked back in a bad mood.
It's not because of going out for a divorce.
"..." Sheng Yiqing was frustrated and paused for a few seconds. Taking advantage of the red light, she hugged Chen Zhuan's neck and pecked him hard on the face, "What if I kiss you? In this way, can it turn the light green?"
Red light
Still calm.
"..." Chen Zhuan glanced at her: "You just want to kiss me, right?"
Without waiting for her to fight back, he added another sly: "Wife?"
Perhaps Sheng Yiqing's kiss really worked. After that traffic light, everything finally went smoothly, and even the rain gradually subsided. When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, it was almost 11:20 in the morning. There were few people on the working day, and today was a rainstorm and an ordinary day, so there were not many couples in the morning. The staff was just feeling bored when they saw the sliding door open, and a handsome man and a beautiful woman stood there, who were mostly soaked by the rain. The two of them first put away their umbrellas and put them aside. Then, the beautiful woman took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to the handsome man. The handsome man took out a tissue but ignored himself, and turned the beautiful woman's face over and wiped the rain off her face for her. The beauty was stunned for a moment, and an uncomfortable look flashed across her face. She also took a tissue, pulled the other's ear with one hand, and wiped him with the other hand...
The two of them finished tidying up as if no one was around, and then they found that the staff were all staring at them. They were instantly embarrassed and looked around, "Uh-"
Sure enough! The staff was full of tears: Only a loyal and unyielding love can make a couple come to the Civil Affairs Bureau despite the orange warning!
Then, a young staff member came up to them enthusiastically, "You two, come this way for marriage registration."
"Sorry." The handsome man and the beautiful woman looked even more embarrassed. The handsome man put his arm around the beautiful woman's shoulder and looked at the staff apologetically: "We are here to get a divorce."
"...Ah?" The brain crashed for a moment, and the staff reacted, "Divorce? Uh, then you take a number here and wait a moment."
There were a few couples sitting on the lounge chairs. The broadcast would call out numbers every ten minutes or so. Chen Zhuan and Sheng Yiqing were really lucky, they happened to get the last number in the morning.
The two sat side by side, each browsing their phones. Sheng Yiqing simply took out the computer and quickly processed several emails. After a while, Chen Zhuan's phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was his boss. After a few words of work explanation, he suddenly mentioned: "By the way, don't worry about your recommendation letter. Eric will definitely come to Beijing next week! I almost forgot."
"When?" He was stunned.
"Didn't you read the email from the administration yesterday? Saturday is the family day of the Beijing office. This time it will be in Chaoyang Park. Eric will come every year at this time."
"Mom World" is a maternal and child magazine. Family Day is a major holiday for the company second only to the annual meeting. The company will invite employees' families to get together, have a picnic or go hiking. Before getting married, Chen Zhuan avoided such activities. In the past two years, Chen Zhuan followed the marriage principle of "not giving each other extra burdens" and always said he was sick or had something to do for Family Day. It was a habit, and this time he ignored the email about Family Day.
"So, he will come to Family Day next week?" Chen Zhuan repeated. Sheng Yiqing, who was standing by, seemed to have heard some key words and glanced at him. "Yes, but you must bring your family to Family Day. Where is your spouse?" Chen Zhuan was silent. Just at this moment, the hall broadcast ding-donged, and a female robot voice slowly spoke: "Please go to counter 2 for business at number 085." "It's our turn." Sheng Yiqing pulled Chen Zhuan and stuffed the laptop back into her bag. When she picked up her phone, she saw an unread WeChat message and frowned. After a while, she froze for a moment as if she saw some news. The staff at the divorce counter often looked more tired than those at the marriage counter. They were used to seeing all kinds of human warmth and coldness and the ugliness of human hearts. Over time, their expressions became indifferent. After working for a whole morning, she didn't even have time to go to the toilet. In addition, the food in the cafeteria in the morning was not to her liking, so she drank a bowl of lotus seed and lily porridge less. At this moment, she was hungry and anxious.
After finally waiting for the last number, she hurriedly took the documents and wanted to go through the process and stamp them immediately. But out of professional ethics, she still had to look up at Sheng Yiqing and Chen Zhuan and asked a nonsense question: "Divorce, right?"
But the couple in front of her paused for a moment, one nodded, and the other shook his head:
"Yeah."
"No!"