together for a moment

"He told me to fuck off today."

"What? It doesn't make sense?" Brother Li widened his eyes and said incredulously, "Is there any reason for this?"

"He said that the superior thought that our branch had too many employees and asked him to lay off staff, and I was the most junior..." Nick smiled lightly, "He apologized to me and said that he was also in a difficult situation, but there was no other way. "

"I listened to his fart! I've never heard the idea of ​​assigning the number of people." Brother Li thought it was all bullshit when he heard it, and suddenly raised his volume a lot. "Wait, I'll tell him, Lao Tzu He makes a lot of money for the company every year, and he will sell me face."

"Brother Li, Brother Li, don't shout!" Nick dragged and dragged Brother Li into the corner tea room, and said, "I know you are complaining for me, but judging from the attitude of the supervisor just now, what you said is the truth Whether it’s a lie or not, he should be determined to let me go.”

"How do you say?" Brother Li asked.

"As soon as I went in, he asked me to hand over the access control card, and made other arrangements for my clients." Nick explained calmly, "Brother Li, I guess it's useless for you to talk about it, and you will tell the supervisor trouble."

"There's no one who tells someone to leave....Did you offend someone?" Brother Li asked.

"Offend someone?" Nick thought for a while, "Probably not..."

"Then what should we do? You still have debts to pay..." Big Brother Li gathered his eyebrows together.

"The company offers some severance pay, although it's not much, but it's better than nothing," Nick smiled bitterly and helplessly, "It happens that my mother is not in good condition recently, so I can spend more time with him."

"May I introduce you to other companies?" Brother Li thought for a while, "It's just that each company's approach is somewhat different, and there is no reliable person to guide you, so I'm afraid it will take some time to get used to it."

"Let's talk. Brother Li, thank you for taking care of me." Nick thanked him solemnly, "I'm going to pack my things."

Nick didn’t have many personal belongings, so they were quickly packed into two big paper bags. It was already off-duty time, and there were not many people staying in the office. Among them, colleagues who were familiar with him came to signal that they would treat him to a meal. It's just that everyone gathered together to scold the supervisor and criticize the company. Nick was not in the mood and refused one by one.

Handing over his identification card with the bag in hand, Nick looked up to the sky when he walked out of the company. The night sky tonight was clear and bright and the stars were twinkling.

He was calm and open-minded in the company just now. The main reason is that the company's legal layoffs are justified, and the severance pay is also given preferentially.But when rationality dissipated, a lot of negative emotions and pressure beat in his heart like waves, and he really wanted to find someone to talk about.

Nick took out his mobile phone and looked at the address book. His eyes fell on Zhao Yimu's number for almost a minute. If he was a little impulsive, he might have dialed out, but he couldn't do that. Zhao Yimu is already suffering enough. He can absorb the winding emotions by himself.

Just as he was about to put the phone away, the phone rang suddenly. Nick saw that it was an unknown number, and then remembered that Zhao Yimu called him from another phone in the morning, and the corners of his mouth raised.

"Hello?" Nick pressed the call button.

"Hello? Are you Du Shangpian?" It was not Zhao Yimu's voice that came from the microphone.

"Yes, may I ask who you are?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, I just want to give you a warning," the other party's voice was hoarse and low, and said brutally and fiercely: "I tell you, the dead gay who breaks up other people's marriage will not end well, and will do bad things. Bad retribution, today is your retribution, understand? Disgusting dead bastard!"

Without giving Nick a chance to refute or ask the reason, the other party hung up the phone after scolding happily. Nick heard his heartbeat was louder than the beeping in the microphone, all the cells in his body were crushed, and there was a buzzing in his head , can't hear or see anything, only when I think of that disgusting dead bitch, my heart will be like a fish out of water, convulsing and convulsing due to lack of oxygen.

It took a long time before Nick realized that he was walking in the direction of the hospital in a trance, yes, where else could he go besides his mother?

The night wind blows his clothes, so few people walk on the road in such a cold winter night, so it is good, he can stagger on the bleak and quiet road alone, give himself a short time to vent his tears and anger, before arriving at the hospital He can be strong again and continue to work hard for tomorrow's day.

When he arrived at the entrance of the hospital, his face and hands were numb from the cold, and the tears had long since weathered. Nick looked up at the windows of the hospital building, and brewed his emotions. He wanted to say that when he sees his mother later Don’t let him worry, he only set foot on the steps outside the hospital after making sure that he had prepared his mind well. After walking two steps, he suddenly felt a cramping pain in his stomach. dinner.

"Is that you, Pianpian?" There was a tall man standing at the entrance of the hospital, the backlight was too bright and only a black outline could be seen, but Nick would not mistake this loud voice that he had heard since childhood.

"Brother?" Nick called out weakly, "Why are you here?"

"I'll come to see Mama Du, chat with her and give her some health and nutrition products." Lian Jueliang walked up to Nick, his eyes lingering on his face, "Are you uncomfortable? Are you looking so bad?"

"It's just that I'm hungry, I'll be fine if I go to the back and eat a bowl of noodles." Nick smiled lightly.

"I haven't eaten yet, let's go together," Lian Jueliang took Nick to a row of snack bars behind the hospital with an involuntary attitude.

"What are you?" Lian Jueliang raised his chin at the bag he was carrying.

"Just... the office is going to be redecorated, and I brought some personal items home." Nick said casually.

After hearing this, Lian Jueliang frowned and said nothing. He looked at the whole row of noodle, bento and steamed stuffed bun shops on the side of the road, and he dragged Nick into a hot pot restaurant, which used medicinal chicken soup as the bottom of the pot. Yes, Nick was taken into the shop in a daze before realizing, "Is this for hot pot?"

"Yeah." Lian Jueliang asked the waiter to show him a seat, but Nick stood still and refused to leave, "How about some noodles?"

"Just take it with me. I haven't eaten hot pot this year, and I'm very greedy. It's not easy to eat this food alone," Lian Jueliang said a little pitifully, "And I'm always alone."

Maybe it was touched by the phrase "and I'm always alone", maybe he didn't have the extra energy to argue about these things, Nick sat down with Lian Jueliang, and he really wanted to eat some hot food.

Lian Jueliang picked up the menu and began to order. Just like the last meal, he ordered all the dishes that Nick liked. It seemed to be a deep-rooted habit, and he did it perfectly without any deliberation.

"Just now I talked to the doctor in charge. Mother Du can be rehabilitated by a professional rehabilitation therapist. If you continue to practice every day, it can help the part damaged by the stroke." Lian Jueliang separated The mist rising from the hot pot said: "I know a pretty good rehabilitation therapist, let him take a look."

"No, my mom hasn't recovered from her cold recently. She has a lung infection and needs to rest. When she gets better, I'll consult a rehabilitation therapist at the hospital." Nick politely declined.

Lian Jueliang didn't take Nick's refusal seriously. He took out his phone and texted him information about the rehabilitation therapist, "Just now I asked the attending doctor to pay more attention to Mama Du's condition, Pianpian, you Have you considered switching to a better hospital?"

"I said no need, don't you understand? Please put away your extra kindness." Nick's face was slightly sullen. Today is not a good day, and he is a little impatient.

"Okay, let's stop talking, let's eat." Lian Jueliang was not angry, he picked up the ingredients and put them into the pot one by one, carefully controlled the time of the meat slices, picked them up when the tenderness was just right, and put them into Nick bowl.

"Are you eating too? Don't give it to me." Nick found that the food on his plate was piled up into a hill.

Lian Jueliang stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and showed him with a smile, "Eat more, I think you are happier eating than yourself."

Nick paused, swallowed what was in his mouth, and then said: "Brother, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked to you like that just now, I'm...not in a good mood today."

"Why are you in a bad mood? Can you tell me?" Lian Jueliang asked him warmly, but Nick just shook his head.

"It's okay, I'll talk about it when you want to talk about it," Lian Jueliang put down his chopsticks, and took out an A4-sized envelope bag from the briefcase beside him and gave it to him. Is there any help?"

Nick glanced at the envelope, very alert: "What is this? I don't want anything too expensive."

"Don't worry, it's a practical little thing, and it's not expensive in terms of monetary value," Lian Jueliang pushed the envelope towards Nick, "but it's very meaningful to me."

Nick opened the envelope, and inside was a 2018 triangle desk calendar.

"This is a desk calendar made by the World Society of Landscape Photography with the award-winning works of previous competitions, and one of them was taken by me," said Lian Jueliang.

"You... have been playing photography since then?" Nick flipped through the landscape photos of each month.

"I'm a person, I don't know whether it's an advantage or a disadvantage, and I'm very obsessed with what I like." Lian Jueliang looked at the teacup in his hand, rubbing the rim with his fingers back and forth. Sometimes I also transfer schools to study photography or video communication.”

"I remember you graduated from a department related to textile materials?" Nick tilted his head and thought for a while.

"Yes," Lian Jueliang stopped rubbing the rim of the cup, squeezed the teacup tightly, and whispered, "Because I can't pass the test at home, I read what they want me to read, and make a A total puppet."

Nick sighed, life is not easy for everyone in this world.

"But it doesn't matter. Over the years, I have continued to maintain these hobbies in my own way." Lian Jueliang put down his teacup and leaned over to look at Nick. Take it back."

Nick couldn't resist being stared at like this, he looked down at the desk calendar and asked, "Which month did you take the photo?"

Lian Jueliang chuckled and said, "You guess?"

Nick's eyes stopped on the landscape photo in March, the lake water was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding snow-white mountains, the sky was a large piece of blue, and a few soaring birds flew high in the boundless blue curtain.

"March is the month of your birthday." Lian Jueliang's voice was low, as if he was narrating his feelings, "I remember you like mountains and lakes the most, and I once promised to give you a piece of sky."

Nick looked at the photo and bowed his head in silence.

"This table calendar is for you. I wish you a happy new year." Lian Jueliang put the boiled shrimp dumplings into Nick's bowl, "Eat more, and you will feel better when you are full."

The new year didn't seem to go very well at the beginning, Nick silently put the desk calendar in the bag, and then buried himself in bitterness in a venting style.

When Nick walked out of the store, he felt that he was about to stand upright, his stomach was filled with hot food, and his heart was not so cold.

"Brother, thank you for tonight, I let you spend money." Nick smiled and touched his stomach, and said, "Hot food really has a healing effect!"

"You can come to see brother for dinner anytime, I'm always free." Lian Jueliang smiled.

Nick laughed when he heard that, "Will the general manager of Tangtang Lianheng Textile be available 'anytime'? I don't believe it."

"You can try it if you don't believe me." Lian Jueliang raised his head and flicked on his forehead, just like when he was a child.

Nick took a step back and stopped laughing. After a moment of silence, he said, "Then I'm leaving, good night."

"Pianpian!" Lian Jueliang called to stop him.

"Um?"

"Pianpian," Lian Jueliang quickly glanced at the bag in his hand, sighed, and said, "I know there is a vacancy for a violinist in the Xinrong Symphony Orchestra recently, you... If you are unhappy with the sale of the house, ask Don't you think about applying for it?"

Nick hung his head in silence.

"I like to see you playing on stage, I like it very much," Lian Jueliang took a step forward and narrowed the distance, "Now I can finally give you a piece of sky, and I can find the best doctor to treat you. For Mama Du’s illness, I can help you pay off your debts, and I can also arrange for you to enter the best band.”

"I don't want you to frown because of life." Lian Jueliang stretched his arms and embraced Nick, and the paper bag in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, "You should fly freely in the sky."

Nick tried to push him away, but couldn't find the strength.