Rebirth of the Aspirations of Choucheng

Ling Xi's speculation made Lu Xiaoyan confused: "What? What does this have to do with me? It's just ridiculous..."

To Lu Xiaoyan, Cheng Che is really just an insignificant little character, apart from his status as "Ling Xi's friend", there is no need to care whether he is dead or alive, and there is no need to spend any energy on him.

But Ling Xi didn't think so: "I'm sorry, I heard you talking on the phone...I didn't eavesdrop on purpose, I just wanted to go to the balcony to smoke a cigarette..." Ling Xi glanced at Lin Guangle hesitantly, hesitated for a moment, then continued Said, "I know that Tenghua intends to swallow Jinding, you are going to attack Jinding, right?"

"Tsk, so it's this, in fact..." Lu Xiaoyan wanted to explain, but there were too many twists and turns in the middle, and he couldn't explain clearly in a sentence or two. Besides, he didn't have the patience, so in the end he just waved his hand irritably , "Forget it, you are not clear-headed, I am too lazy to talk nonsense with you. Listen to Ling Xi, I have never harmed your shitty friend. It is a fact that he took drugs, and it is also a fact that he fought. The road is his own, and his fault is his own." It's a crime, and others can't frame it. As for Tenghua and Jinding, it has nothing to do with you, don't worry about it, and focus on your own affairs."

Ling Xi's brain is indeed not clear enough, or more accurately, his simple brain is not enough to deal with the complicated situation in front of him, whether it is Lu Xiaoyan, Cheng Che, Mu Xia, or Jinding and Tenghua, these people and things are messed up and entangled into one The group made him feel wronged and powerless: "Who else? Who wants to deal with Cheng Che and suppress Jinding? Who took the dv..." He frowned and whispered to himself, "Yes... That's right..." There is also Mu Xia, who has both motives and opportunities...

While speaking, Ling Xi turned around and was about to go out, but was grabbed by Lu Xiaoyan's arm: "Why are you going?"

Ling Xi and Lu Xiaoyan were in a stalemate with each other: "Go to Mu Xia and ask for clarification."

"I think you are really..." Lu Xiaoyan took a deep breath, trying to calm down his irritable emotions, "Will he tell you the truth if you ask him? Then what else do the police and the judge do? And I just told you Be clear, from now on, stay as far away from Cheng Che as possible, don't get involved in anything related to him, will you fall on deaf ears in the blink of an eye? Do you think you are a superman or a savior? You can't even protect yourself, and you can't even protect yourself. Tianyi wants to stand up for others, save your energy! Anyway, I promise you, I will help you find out when the time is right..."

Ling Xi refused to give up easily: "When?"

Lu Xiaoyan was taken aback by the question, his face gradually sank, and he kept his mouth tightly shut for a long time without saying a word.Seeing that the smell of gunpowder between the two people is getting stronger and stronger, Lin Guangle hastened to act as a peacemaker: "Hey, haven't you eaten yet? I heard that there is a newly opened restaurant that is very popular recently. Why don't I invite you to try the dishes as the host?" Like? Let's go..."

As he spoke, he held Lu Xiaoyan and Ling Xi's shoulders one by one, and pushed them towards the outside.With Lin Guangle adjusting the atmosphere, Lu Xiaoyan also slowly calmed down, forced a smile: "Look at Ling Xi, see if he likes it or not."

Ling Xi glanced at him, seeming to want to say something, but in the end she just twitched the corners of her mouth slightly, and silently lowered her eyes.

What Lu Xiaoyan said is correct, it's ridiculous that someone who can't even protect his own wants to stand up for others all day long...

Ling Xi was not in the mood or appetite at all for lunch. Since the accident, he had not been able to contact Cheng Che. He would not answer his phone calls or text messages. He finally found out from the staff that Cheng Che was working in Jinding, so he hurried to find Cheng Che. An excuse to break up with Lu Xiaoyan and Lin Guangle, and hurried over.

There was a long queue of large and small vehicles downstairs in Jinding, and the door was already surrounded by reporters and paparazzi from all walks of life. Looking at the posture of each of them holding up their cameras and microphones, they must be gearing up and waiting for Cheng Che or Sheng Che. As soon as Kuang appeared, he immediately rushed to get the first-hand news.

In order to avoid the media, Ling Xi deliberately directed Jinshi to make a big circle, parked the car at the back door that was used for goods, and then sneaked in.Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, he saw a man wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a mask coming out of the freight elevator. It was Cheng Che.

Looking at each other, Cheng Che didn't take the initiative to say hello as usual, but walked past Ling Xi indifferently, and walked straight outside, until Ling Xi followed behind and yelled several times, he reluctantly said hello. He stopped and looked back at Ling Xi coldly.

"These two days... are you okay?" Ling Xi struggled to organize his words.

Cheng Che shrugged and spread his hands: "My Chinese is not very good, and I often use wrong idioms and allusions. How do you describe this kind of behavior? Is it called 'the cat cries for a mouse and fake mercy'?"

Ling Xi was a little astonished: "Could you... believe those rumors on the Internet?"

Cheng Che shook his head slightly, and stretched out two fingers to point to his eyes: "You should know what kind of person I am, I don't believe in rumors, I only believe in my own eyes, it's a pity that my eyes deceived me, I was wrong."

Ling Xi is really not good at defending herself: "I didn't promote the fight..."

Cheng Che made a somewhat helpless grimace: "If you say it's not, then it's not. What about the dv? The dv is always yours, right? From the beginning to the end, you took it with your own hands and took pictures."

Ling Xi tried her best to describe what happened: "I left that dv in the lounge when I was leaving. I found it halfway through the car. I wanted to go back to look for it, but I couldn't find it. As for you... Those pictures are not mine. It was filmed, I forgot to turn off the dv when it was placed on the table, it is likely that it was accidentally filmed..."

"Come on Ling Xi, how can there be so many coincidences in the world?" Cheng Che smiled wryly, "Let's leave it at that."

Ling Xi didn't know how to confess herself: "I really regard you as a friend!"

"I really regard you as a friend—since the game." Cheng Che sighed sadly, "Ling Xi, do you understand? It's not terrible to be used and betrayed by others. The betrayal of a friend is the scariest thing."

Ling Xi shook her head again and again, her voice dry: "I didn't..."

Cheng Che always kept a distance from him: "Actually, you know better than anyone else what happened that day and who I fought for, but you didn't stand up and say a word for me. Whether the dv is lost or not, only you know, but it is meaningless to be true or false.”

Seeing that he turned to leave, Ling Xi quickly grabbed his sleeve: "Listen to me, is this good? Let's find a place to sit down, and I will explain to you slowly."

Cheng Che slowly broke free from Ling Xi's hand: "Ling Xi, I'm a very simple person. I treat anyone I like with all my heart, without reservation and without asking for anything in return. Before the finals, Lu Xiaoyan from Tenghua came to Sheng Kuang Sister, I said that I can cooperate with Jinding to help newcomers tailor idol dramas, but the condition is that I will let you do the champion that was originally assigned to Jinding. Sister Sheng Kuang found me, and she said that this condition is very tempting to her But if I don’t want to, she doesn’t force me, so I agreed without hesitation. If you didn’t suddenly lose your voice due to illness, the championship would be yours. To be honest, I really want to be the champion, but I know you want to win this championship more than I do. You may not believe me, no matter who gets this prize, I’m afraid I’ll be jealous to death, but you won’t. If you’re happy, I’ll be happy too. Because we are friends. I tell you this, not to prove how great I am, I just want you to know how much I care about you as a friend, and because I care, it is even more unforgivable!" Realizing that I was too excited, He pursed his lips hard, and then smiled lightly, "But this is over, and we will no longer be friends." After speaking, he strode away without looking back.

Ling Xi moved her toes subconsciously, but did not catch up.

Cheng Che is right, he wants to win that championship more than anyone else, he wants to prove himself, he wants to win in front of Ye Ming, and he also firmly believes that he will be able to win the championship with his own strength.Unexpectedly, this chance that is closest to success is actually mixed with an unknown exchange of benefits... No wonder, no wonder Jin Ding already has a Cheng Che, and they want to sign No.3 from the same match, no wonder Sheng Kuang A businessman will repeatedly indulge his willfulness and persistence in music. No wonder a newcomer with an uncertain future like him can get a steady stream of investment and resources...

Ling Xi's mood was very complicated. For Lu Xiaoyan, he was grateful, puzzled, and at the same time a little bit disappointed.He thought that he was just incapable of protecting himself and his friends, but in fact he lacked too much, and even the grades that could barely be called a pass at this stage were all thanks to others.

The auto-sensing glass door opened silently, and a bug flew in by mistake. When it sensed something was wrong before trying to fly back, the door was already closed.The glass is colorless and transparent, but it can't go beyond it, it can only slam it straight up again and again, until the wings are broken, the antennae are crooked, and the front legs are broken, slap, slap , bang bang...

In the evening, Lu Xiaoyan came home in the car after dinner, passed by a nearby neighborhood park, just in time for a red light, the waiting kung fu driver suddenly raised his hand and pointed in the distance: "Hey, isn't that Ling Xi?"

Lu Xiaoyan followed the driver's gestures and looked over. The person sitting on the bench next to the open-air basketball court in the small park really looked like Ling Xi. He quickly directed the driver to stop the car on the side of the road, jumped out of the car and walked over quickly. .

At this time, there are only two street lights in the stadium to provide lighting. The light is a little dim, and the surrounding scenery seems to be covered with a layer of dust.A few teenagers who looked like middle school students were playing three-on-three in full swing on the field. Although they were all mediocre, the atmosphere was very hot. The teenagers ran around, attacking and defending without any effort. You tripped me, I pushed you and fell to the ground collectively, and then got up while joking and joking.

Ling Xi bent her knees and rested her feet on the edge of the chair, and leaned lazily on the bench, her eyes were looking straight at the direction of the court, but her eyes were a little erratic, her face was expressionless, and she couldn't tell what she was looking at.After a few steps away, Lu Xiaoyan called Ling Xi's name a few times, but Ling Xi didn't respond at all as if he didn't hear it.It wasn't until Lu Xiaoyan stood next to the bench and blocked the light that he realized that there was someone beside him, and finally raised his head slowly, his gaze fell on Lu Xiaoyan, still with a dazed expression on his face.

Lu Xiaoyan was a little unhappy at first, it was already unsafe to run out at night, and he didn't even bring anyone with him, he had repeated similar instructions in Ling Xi's ears countless times, but Ling Xi ignored them all.But at this moment, once he met Ling Xi's clear, translucent, small animal-like eyes, he lost all anger in an instant, and only concern and love remained in his heart: "Ling Xi, why are you sitting here?"

Ling Xi was in a trance like sleepwalking, and it took a long time before she answered in a low voice: "I... a little tired, sit for a while..." After speaking, he turned his eyes to the basketball court where the fierce battle was in full swing.

Lu Xiaoyan couldn't help frowning: "Why are you here to join in the fun at night, as if you are also a middle school student? Since you feel tired, go back and rest early."

He originally thought that Ling Xi was still arguing with him about Cheng Che, that's why his expression was so tired. He was thinking about what to say to persuade Ling Xi, when Ling Xi stood up slowly and nodded obediently :"good."

The two took a few steps one after the other, and Ling Xi suddenly asked in a low voice without confidence: "Brother Xiaoyan, you like me, right?"

It just so happened that a sports car passed by at high speed, the engine humming and roaring, Lu Xiaoyan couldn't hear Ling Xi's words clearly for a while: "Ah? What did you say?"

Ling Xi lowered his head and was silent for a few seconds, then he smiled self-deprecatingly, and said again: "Brother Xiaoyan, my back injury has healed, thank you and my good sister for taking care of me during this time, I will move back tomorrow gone."

Lu Xiaoyan's footsteps stopped, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Ling Xi, with surprise, irritability, and a little sense of loss in his eyes.He wanted to say a few words to keep Ling Xi, but he couldn't think of a suitable reason in desperation, so he could only snort in an ambiguous manner: "Mmm..."

Ling Xi didn't notice Lu Xiaoyan's emotional changes, and when he got home, he silently packed his luggage.In the first few days when he moved here, his good sister helped him to clean up his things because of his mobility problems. Her good sister has such a poor memory that she forgets everything she said and did in a blink of an eye, not to mention the bits and pieces. There are sundries, and Ling Xi's tidying up at this moment is naturally extremely troublesome, but Lu Xiaoyan has been watching coldly, and has no intention of helping.

Fortunately, the storage room in Lu Xiaoyan's house is very large, and different areas are clearly separated. It didn't take long for Ling Xi to find the backpack and suitcase she used to store things.The backpack was placed on a higher shelf on the top floor. When I tiptoed to pick it up, the strap scratched something and tore off something placed on the inside, almost hitting Ling Xi on the head. He hurriedly reached out to catch it, and after a closer look, what he was holding in his arms turned out to be a leather piano case.

The style of this piano case is simple, but the workmanship is extremely exquisite. It is suitable for his guitar in terms of size. The most amazing thing is that there is a row of cursive letters engraved on the underside of the box cover, "lingc", which is the same as his usual stickers. The name tag on the guitar is very similar... Ling Xi held the piano case and stared blankly for a while, until the sound of footsteps outside, he quickly put the things back in place, then picked up his backpack and walked out of the storage room as if nothing had happened .

Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe it was a misunderstanding of wishful thinking.Self-knowledge is important in people, don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask, don’t think about what you shouldn’t think, and never covet what you shouldn’t covet, otherwise it will only increase your troubles...

Although drug use is a purely personal behavior, and as an adult, Cheng Che also has the ability to act independently, but the crisis brought about by it has affected many people.In order to maintain the company's image, and to reduce the negative impact of this incident on young people, Cheng Che himself and Jinding's senior management made solemn apologies in public more than once.

It is said that time will gradually dilute everything, but as time goes by, one week, two weeks, one month, two months, the news about Cheng Che's drug use has indeed become the past, but those rumors and The slander has not subsided at all, and there are even a lot of media who continue to demonize him tirelessly.The so-called wall is pushed down by everyone, not because people are not kind enough, but because life is too boring, and the people need some lively topics to entertain and relieve boredom after dinner. Let the process go.

Because of the damage to his image, the advertisement that Cheng Che endorsed was withdrawn, and the manufacturer filed a huge breach of contract claim against him, which he could not afford with his own financial ability, so the company could only temporarily advance part of it.The previously discussed musical performance had already signed a contract and rehearsed, but before the performance started, the crew urgently changed roles and fired Cheng Che.Even the photobooks that he launched together with his new album were returned in large numbers, and some of the books that could not be returned were placed in the corners of the bookstore, and no one cared about them day after day until they were covered with dust.

After a series of unsuccessful public relations, Jin Ding had no choice but to sever his wrist, and issued a statement to the outside world, terminating all of Cheng Che's acting work.

Ling Xi has been trying to contact Cheng Che, but always ends in failure.According to Cheng Che's assistant, Cheng Che locked himself at home every day and cut off all contact with his former friends and colleagues.Occasionally, he would go out once in a while, and when he was walking on the street, whenever someone recognized him, he would leave immediately as if he would run away.

The champion of the singing competition, the rising star who is highly praised by Jin, the album sales topped the charts, and the best newcomer at the Golden Melody Awards... How proud this fame used to be, how much it scares him now.In the past, people recognized him because he sings well, dances well, has strength, future and potential. Now people recognize him because he is a little boy who takes drugs, fights, lacks a tutor, and is taken care of by an old woman.

Ling Xi also went to the house to look for Cheng Che, but for the first time he was rejected.The second time he called Cheng Che, he could clearly hear the continuous ringing of the cell phone in the room through a door, but Cheng Che still refused to answer.The third time he stood outside the door for half an hour, and Cheng Che didn't open the door for him in the end.

The world is full of barriers. Lovers, relatives, and friends may be just a thin door away from each other. When the door is open, everything is within reach. When the door is closed, they will be strangers from now on.

Ling Xi really wanted to help Cheng Che, but her ability was limited, and she could neither suppress outside voices nor influence the company's decision-making.Even so, he still seized every opportunity to spare no effort to promote Cheng Che.It just so happened that the movie being shot was about a singer, and needed a lot of episodes and soundtracks. Feng An used his contacts to invite several well-known creators in the industry. I heard that some younger dance music was also needed. Ling Xi immediately found Cheng Che's new album and competition video and showed them to the director.

Feng An attaches great importance to the character of artists. Leaving aside those true and false rumors, he doesn't want to think about Cheng Che just because of drug use.But Ling Xi was very persistent in this matter. Regardless of waiting, eating, or leaving work, as long as he was free, he would repeatedly analyze Cheng Che's performance style, singing skills, and stage performance in front of Feng An. His excellent eloquence proved to Feng An how much Cheng Che was worthy of being invited.

Feng An has his own persistence and will not be easily moved by a few words, but the film is his painstaking effort, and every detail must be perfect. As the film's leading actor, Ling Xi can be said to be the soul of this film and also determines the He didn't want Ling Xi to be distracted by irrelevant people and things about the success or failure of the film, so in the end he reluctantly agreed to let Cheng Che have a try. In short, let Ling Xi stabilize first.

After getting the answer, Ling Xi was so excited that he almost jumped up. After knowing each other for such a long time, this is probably the time when he showed his emotions the most. Even Feng An was surprised when he saw it: "I just let him try it. are you happy?"

Ling Xi couldn't stop nodding, and a row of neat little white teeth showed in a crooked smile: "As for."

In the eyes of others, this is just an insignificant job opportunity. It is nothing to Cheng Che, who has been recognized by the industry many times and has received various awards, but there is nothing more he can do for Cheng Che.He didn't do this because of guilt, nor did he want to get Cheng Che's forgiveness. No matter whether Cheng Che misunderstood him or resented him, he still regarded Cheng Che as a friend.

Ling Xi is not good at expressing, he just wants to use actions to let Cheng Che know that even if everyone avoids you, at least friends will not give up on you, and there are still friends who need you and are working hard for you and your ideals.As long as the strength is still there, and the passion for music is still there, then there is still hope for everything, and we can start from scratch!

That afternoon, Ling Xi took a two-hour vacation with the production crew. Before going to see Cheng Che, he made a special trip to the soundtrack teacher's studio to record a few demos with his mobile phone. He wanted Cheng Che to know in advance Take a look at the music style of the whole film, so that you can be prepared when you meet with the director.

Unexpectedly, it started to rain as soon as we went out, and the road was a bit congested. Jin Shi proposed to send Ling Xi back to the studio first. If he had anything to say, he could convey it to Cheng Che. Ling Xi raised his hand to look at his watch, and resolutely refused. .There was a spare umbrella in the car, and when they arrived near Cheng Che's house, Ling Xi asked Jin Shi to wait for him in the car, and got out of the car with the umbrella in hand.

Unlike the previous few times, a lot of people gathered on the deserted path downstairs of Cheng Che's building. Everyone seemed to be attracted by something, and they all looked up and talked about something.

The more Ling Xi walked forward, the more he felt that something was wrong. A strange intuition made his heart beat wildly, as if he had a bomb in his arms.Walking a few steps forward, he removed the umbrella and looked up along the line of sight of everyone. Through the rain and fog, there was a hazy figure standing on the edge of the roof, dancing and shaking non-stop, bouncing for a while, sliding for a while, like drinking water. As if drunk, his expression was in a trance, his figure staggered, and he almost fell several times, causing the audience to scream in surprise.

Ling Xi almost suspected that he was cursed by the heavens, every time what he was most worried about, something would really happen—yes, that was Cheng Che!

Several security guards set up a warning area downstairs and drove the crowd out. The leading supervisor arranged for people to call the police as soon as possible, and at the same time directed his subordinates to go upstairs to deal with it as quickly as possible.

Seeing that Ling Xi was about to rush upstairs, a young security guard stopped him: "Sir, it's not safe here, please stand over there and wait for a while?"

Ling Xi anxiously explained: "He... the one upstairs, that's my friend!"

The little security guard seemed to recognize Ling Xi: "You are also a singer, right? I think I have seen you on TV. Since you are friends, you should persuade Mr. Cheng more often. You don't know how to restrain yourself after such a big news. It's either alcoholism or drugs, something will happen sooner or later. Today's situation looks like someone who just smoked fans, na na na, everyone is high and crazy." He kindly reminded Ling Xi, "You should wait first, like him Hand it over to the police. People who take drugs can do anything. It's very dangerous. Let's say a few months ago, there was a man in the building opposite who took drugs to the point of losing his mind. He beat his wife with a kitchen knife. The son was hacked to death, tsk tsk, his son has just turned one year old, and he is so chubby and cute."

"He's different, he won't hurt anyone, look, he's dancing." Ling Xi wasn't sure if Cheng Che had just taken drugs as the little security guard said, but judging from the situation, it should be pretty close up.

The little security guard glanced suspiciously at the roof: "Dancing? Stop teasing."

Ling Xi was very persistent: "He's really dancing, he won't hurt anyone. That's the dance he's going to dance at the concert, and he hasn't finished choreographing it yet..."

"Come on, seeing him look like this, what kind of concert are you thinking about?" The security guard snorted disdainfully, and then sighed, "Oh, I don't understand you people, you go on stage and sing whatever you want. Song, the money we earn can cover our hard work for a year's salary, why don't we know how to be content? Let's have a good life, but they are drinking, fighting and taking drugs all day long. Children have been taught badly, sooner or later you..."

In the middle of the conversation, there was a loud "bang" from behind, and then the crowd screamed collectively, and the little security guard jumped back in fright, looking over Ling Xi's shoulder, eyes and mouth staring in horror boss.

People and voices receded to the surroundings like a tide, leaving only Ling Xi standing there blankly, like an isolated island standing in the sea.

He didn't need to look back, he had already predicted what was going to happen based on everyone's reactions. After being dazed for two seconds, Ling Xi turned around with difficulty, and Cheng Che was lying on his stomach two meters away from him, with his limbs spread out and his chest facing down. The face is turned to his side, the eyes are wide open, half of the head has been flattened, the nostrils and ears are bleeding, and there is even a smile on the corner of the mouth, silly, sincere and kind - just like greeting Ling Xi happily every time I meet Just like every time you invite Ling Xi to dance and play basketball with him, like every time you come up with a new idea and can’t wait to share it with Ling Xi...

The blood spread twisted and twisted along the pattern of the floor tiles, the rain dripped, splashing bright red blood with a strong smell, staining the soles of Ling Xi's shoes red and wet Ling Xi's trousers.

The rain will soon wash away everything, and tomorrow there will be no trace left here, the victims who lost their lives will be buried deep in the ground, and the names involved in countless scandals will gradually be forgotten by the world - as if they never existed Same.

Cheng Che, his friend, didn't mind his indifference and resistance during the competition, and he took the initiative to extend his hand to show his friend. He would rather give up the championship trophy to his friend, and began to support his friend everywhere before he had a firm foothold. The friend who stood up for him recklessly when he was hurt, disappeared from the world in the blink of an eye.

The police officers patrolling nearby arrived soon, and the security guard reported the situation to the police officers: "This Mr. Cheng is a resident of our building. He committed suicide by jumping off the building about 5 minutes ago. He was suspected of taking drugs before committing suicide..."

Ling Xi interrupted the security guard to correct him: "He didn't commit suicide, he was dancing, and he accidentally slipped and fell down the building while dancing."

The security guard glanced at him as if he was looking at a monster: "What's the difference? Isn't it suicide if you go crazy and dance on the rooftop?"

Without warning, Ling Xi yelled at the security guard: "He didn't commit suicide! He won't commit suicide! He's just dancing. He likes to dance very much. He dances when he walks, climbs the stairs, and plays ball! That's what he sings for. Can choreograph..."

The security guard understood his feelings and didn't care too much. The police officer didn't have time to pay attention to him, so he took the security guard aside to make notes.

Only Ling Xi stood in the same place and muttered stubbornly: "He is choreographing for the concert, we have agreed..."

Later, the police dispersed the crowd and contacted Cheng Che's family.Ling Xi didn't have the courage to stay and watch the heart-piercing scene, he left the building together with the sighing spectators, walked to the street corner, opened the car door and got into the car, slumped down on the seat as if it was very cold Wrapped tightly in his clothes, his head rested on the steam-covered car window, motionless.

Jin Shi glanced through the rearview mirror and found that Ling Xi's face was pale and his eyes were empty, and the tips of his hair were still dripping wet on his face. Xi didn't answer, he speculated on the reason, "Is he still refusing to see you? Don't think too much, maybe he just went out, or was sleeping. People, there are times when they can't make a turn, give him some time, Maybe it will be fine after a while, we are all young people, have a good drink and play a game, and we will still be good brothers in the future."

After a long silence, Ling Xi sighed softly: "There is no future..."

Jin Shi didn't understand: "What did you say?"

Ling Xi buried her face in her palms and rubbed it vigorously twice, then raised her head expressionlessly, her voice was tired and hoarse: "Let's go, go back to work."