Fan Xiao actually kept his promise.
He promised not to disturb You Shulang's life, and he never showed up from spring to summer.
Sometimes, You Shulang would vaguely think that the willow catkins in the early morning had never floated by, and the man had never picked a piece of white cotton from his shoulder and rubbed it between his fingertips.
And this trance would often be broken, just like this morning when You Shulang saw the red brick road.
The residential complex where You Shulang rented a house was low-lying, and whenever it rained, a large amount of rainwater would accumulate. In addition, the roads within the community had been in disrepair for a long time, and were muddy and extremely difficult to walk on.
It rained a lot this summer, and it rained again for half the night last night. When he went out in the morning, You Shulang held Tiantian in his arms and rolled up his trouser legs.
He lived on the second floor and there was no elevator. He went downstairs along the stairs and greeted his neighbor who was out buying breakfast. He heard him say a few unclear words about "Lei Feng". You Shulang responded with a smile and didn't take it seriously.
When I opened the door of the unit, I saw the clear sky with clouds hanging down, and the weather was exceptionally good.
"Huh?" Tiantian whispered in You Shulang's ear in confusion, pointing downwards with his short little finger.
When You Shulang looked over, he discovered that there was a narrow red brick road at the entrance of the unit, winding and twisting, leading directly to the gate of the community.
Only one layer of mats was laid in places with shallow water, while two or three layers were added in places with deep water. Walking along the road, people no longer have to painstakingly choose a place to stand in the water and mud.
You Shulang looked around. This old building had three units, but only his unit had a red brick road in front of the door. The other two units only had red bricks in the deep water, like patches, one piece at a time.
Tiantian felt curious and kicked his feet in You Shulang's arms, eager to try. You Shulang put him on the red brick road and bent down to flatten his trouser legs.
"That young man worked in the rain for half the night last night." The sound of discussion reached my ears. "My old man handed him a cigarette and asked him if he wanted to move in. He said no, saying that the person he liked lived here and he was worried that it would be inconvenient for her to come in and out."
"Tsk tsk tsk, is it the girl on the sixth floor? She is really pretty."
The red brick road was very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through. You Shulang followed behind the bouncing Tiantian, lowered his eyelids, and his eyelashes fluttered a few times...
The laboratory was empty before You Shulang stood up from the lab bench.
There is a party today. You Shulang's college classmates have returned from abroad, and everyone has made an appointment to get together, and it has been scheduled for tonight.
Asking the neighbor to take care of Tiantian, You Shulang went to the locker room to change into a suit. This was the suit he used to wear every day when he was an office director, but now he felt uncomfortable wearing it.
Facing the dressing mirror, You Shulang buttoned up his shirt. When he buttoned it below his throat, he suddenly remembered something Fan Xiao once said.
The man breathed against his ear, his wet lips brushing against his sensitive skin, teasing him deliberately: "Director You, the tighter you wrap yourself, the more attractive and exciting it will be."
You Shulang paused for a moment, then slowly unbuttoned the button under his throat, revealing his slender neck.
Because it was a female classmate who returned to China, we booked a western restaurant. The restaurant is on the 40th floor of the Gemini Building B, which is known as a landmark building. The window overlooks the night view of the entire city.
As the elevator went up, the numbers climbed. A female classmate with big wavy hair complained with a smile: "I've been eating Western food for nearly seven or eight years, and now I want to eat Western food again. Zhang Shicheng, haven't you resolved the grudge between you and me from back then?"
The man named Zhang Shicheng nodded seriously: "I had three girlfriends during college, and they all broke up because of you. I have to bear this grudge for the rest of my life, right?"
"That's because your love is not strong enough."
"Every time I dated someone, you broke up with them. You and I were so close, why did you hide abroad for seven years?"
There were four people in the group, two boys and two girls. The helplessness and loneliness on the girl's face were quickly covered up. She grabbed You Shulang's arm and pretended to be coquettish: "Shulang, Zhang Shicheng bullied your woman."
You Shulang smiled casually and halfheartedly said, "It's expensive here. I'll help you eat until he goes bankrupt."
The elevator door opened, revealing a circular lobby with two restaurants on the left and right.
"Huihui, if you don't want to eat Western food, this restaurant across the street is also good, it's a newly opened Southeast Asian restaurant." The woman who hadn't spoken a word suggested, "I wonder if there are any seats available without a reservation?"
Opposite the western restaurant, the imitation yellow sapphire is dazzling and full of hot exotic style. The soft and sentimental music pours down, sweeping across the lake of the heart and creating ripples...
Curry, old movies, heavy curtains, weekends for two... The fragments of the past years, attached to the soft scale, surged like a tide, instantly sweeping You Shulang...
When he came to his senses again, the people in front of him had already walked into the restaurant. Zhang Shicheng turned back helplessly and waved to You Shulang.
No reservations were needed, and several people were seated. The guide politely left, and the waiter handed over the menu.
"What would you like to order? The chef's special dish today is Thai coconut chicken soup."
This voice... You Shulang suddenly raised his eyes!
It's really Fan Xiao!
Once again, their eyes met, and they were even more shocked than last time.
The tall and strong man was wearing traditional Thai clothing, a beige double-breasted high-collared formal suit, a dark green veil draped over his shoulders, a golden decorative chain slung across his shoulders, and a jeweled belt of the same color tied around his waist.
Different from the handsome man in a suit and tie, Fan Xiao in front of him was dressed in bright and gorgeous clothes. Although his smile was still gentle, it could not conceal his noble temperament and a bit of exotic charm.
No one noticed that You Shulang was acting strange, as all eyes were on Fan Xiao. Even Zhang Shicheng looked at him a few more times, sighing in his heart that it was hard to chase after an old lover, and even a waiter could take away your mind while having a meal.
"Know him?" Zhang Shicheng's ex-lover followed Fan Xiao's gaze and looked at You Shulang, and drew a line between the two with his finger.
Fan Xiao's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he said nothing. He knew his limits and was waiting for You Shulang to characterize their relationship.
"Don't know" or "ordinary friend", Fan Xiao weighed the options in his mind, trying to decide which one would be easier to accept.
The dining table was next to the window. The lights outside were just coming on. You Shulang, who had already put away his shock, had an indifferent expression reflected on the curved glass.
Facing everyone's gaze, he looked at Fan Xiao with a stern expression, tapped his fingers twice on the table, and said calmly, "I know him, my predecessor."