side by side

Those lanterns are still on, they are hidden in the thick night, splitting a dark red world.

The little novice stepped forward, knocked on the door three times, paused for a while, and then knocked lightly seven times.There was silence and silence, a group of four people, Liang Jixuan was at the end, his heart was beating wildly, fluctuating with the frequency of the little novice knocking on the door.

Liang Jixuan took a deep breath, he felt some inexplicable uneasiness.He subconsciously stretched out his hand to pull Gu Huatian's sleeve, but when he finished, he lowered it again.Gu Huatian in front suddenly turned his head, startling Liang Jixuan, he lowered his head in a panic, like a child who was caught doing bad things.

Gu Huatian stared at the hair spinning on Liang Jixuan's head, and couldn't help but feel weak.Childish, reckless, unsophisticated... These days, Gu Huatian has seen a different Liang Jixuan from the one he knew before.It's different, it's different from what I knew from other people when I was in school, the outstanding but also cold and distant Liang Jixuan who looked up from the platform.Now he stands in front of him with his head down, a little helpless, a little dazed, with a dejected look.

Gu Huatian noticed Liang Jixuan's hand that was about to pull his sleeve, he hesitated and was at a loss.In front of him, he looked like a frustrated and wronged child who wanted to cry to his elders but was afraid of being punished.Gu Huatian's heart melted, he didn't think he was a caring person, and there were many juniors in his family, but he never had the thought of being a brother.Now, his love was overflowing, Gu Huatian stretched out his hand to him, and stretched it out under his nose, he coaxed him like a child.

"Hey," Gu Huatian waved his hand under his nose, he softened his voice, "Don't be afraid," he put his palm flat in front of him, "I'll take you in together."

Liang Jixuan froze, stayed where he was, tilted his head, looked at the hand in front of him in a daze.Like a little milk dog, he hesitated and put one of his hands on it.Gu Huatian put his hands together and surrounded him, Liang Jixuan looked up at him in a panic, Gu Huatian lowered his head and smiled at him.

Liang Jixuan suddenly lowered his head, he just felt his whole body was hot, the palm of his hand slipped from his hand, and ran along his arm to his head.He had ringing in his ears, and the small piece of his neck where his collar was exposed was red like a rash. He was ashamed, and the only sound he could hear was the beating of his heart.

The door opened without him noticing.

"Hey, let's go," Gu Huatian called him softly, and pulled him to the door, Liang Jixuan followed in a daze.Before entering the door, Liang Jixuan subconsciously glanced at the lanterns at the door.They flew up and down in the night, and the thick black and thick red oppressed his heart and made his hair choke.

The door suddenly closed behind him with a bang.

Liang Jixuan was taken aback. He turned his head to look, but there was no one there... Perhaps it was Night Breeze who caused the trouble.He just had this idea, but suddenly the alarm bell rang in his heart, Liang Jixuan hurriedly turned his head, there was no one in front of him.

The leading novice monk was gone, and Xiao An, who was second in line, was gone... Gu Huatian, who was pulling him just now, was also gone.

Liang Jixuan's heart beat wildly, he tried to pull the door of the room with the last hope.His heart sank suddenly, and sure enough, the door was locked.

The things encountered these days were full of abnormalities. After a brief panic, Liang Jixuan calmed down with a wry smile.He looked around, and there was an osmanthus tree standing in the courtyard, dotted with some white flowers the size of rice grains here and there. Those flowers fell with the night wind and fell on the stone bench and stone table under the tree.

Liang Jixuan had an illusion, he felt that he had returned to Guijiu Alley, he felt that Liang Jiqing would come out of the bedroom in a second, holding Xiao Hei with white gauze around his neck in his arms.This place is exactly the same as Guijiu Hutong.

"It's just that the layout is similar..." Liang Jixuan murmured, persuading himself.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at where Liang Jiqing's bedroom should have been.The door is closed, the inside is dark, the lamp is not lit, it is silent, and there is no sign of life.Liang Jixuan swallowed his saliva, he moved there and stood at the door, but he stopped, raised his hand but didn't dare to push it.

With a sound of 'rubbing', a light suddenly lit up inside the door.

Liang Jixuan subconsciously took two steps back, which was too big, almost fell down the stairs.After he finally stood up in embarrassment, the door in front of him opened quietly at some point.The slit is not big, but a piece of light is vaguely revealed, and the light hits the ground outside the door, printing a warm yellow boundary.

He froze on the spot, in a dilemma, Liang Jixuan swallowed his saliva, he took a step forward bravely, and pushed the door hard.There was a creaking sound from the door, and the hoarse sound made his eardrums sore. Liang Jixuan stood in place, his eyes widened, not daring to blink, for fear of missing something again.

The door opened, and the candlestick on the table saw the wind, and the flames jumped up, shaking violently, and even the whole time was shaking.Liang Jixuan hurriedly looked around, but there was no one in the room, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief when he was disappointed.He sat on the stool with no strength, staring at the dancing flames in a daze, Liang Jixuan felt that he was dreaming, having a chain of layers, an endless dream.For a moment, he felt in a trance that he hadn't left Guijiu alley at all. Seeing Gu Huatian was a dream, going to Gu's house was a dream, the little girl he saw was a dream, and Xiao An was a dream. Jiaoping is also dreaming.

He stared at the flames, and ghosts appeared in his eyes. Through the flames, Liang Jixuan faintly saw a depression on the quilt on the bed opposite the table.He stood up abruptly, getting up too fast, the stool that Ben was sitting on was tripped and hit the ground with a bang, he had no time to take care of it, he was focused on the movement on the bed.He saw that the imprint on the soft mattress on the bed sank suddenly, and then slowly floated up... It seemed that something he couldn't see was lying on the bed, and now it also stood up.

Liang Jixuan became short of breath, he looked around hurriedly, only felt that the air was getting thinner, there were still some things moving in this area that he couldn't see.Liang Jixuan broke out in a cold sweat.The door creaked and closed suddenly, and the flames on the table flew towards the opposite direction of the door, and then trembled back to its original state, sticking out its red tongue tremblingly.

Liang Jixuan hurriedly backed away, shrinking to the corner of the wall.He intuited that someone had entered the room, someone he couldn't see.He even vaguely heard the sound of footsteps and a slight 'cha' sound, which he was very familiar with.In Guijiu Alley, when he was lighting lanterns with Liang Jiqing, he could often hear it.

The small wooden stick was wrapped around the red head, and rolled obliquely onto the phosphorus edge of the box, with a sound of "stabbing", accompanied by a bit of sulfur smell, the flames ignited quickly.He hid in the corner of the wall, watching the matchstick float in the air, and the light suddenly rose, he leaned over, and burned it on the wooden stick, causing some charred black, he fell from the air, and fell straight into the charcoal basin in the corner.

The charcoal basin burst into flames, Liang Jixuan shrank in the corner, he saw an envelope suddenly appear in the air, the envelope was beige and yellowish.The envelope twisted and wrinkled in the air, as if someone had pinched him and tore it open. He was split in two, and the letter fell out of it, and half of the envelope fluttered into the charcoal basin. In just a moment, he was licked clean by the tongue of fire.

The remaining half was hit by the wind and fell into the sundries at the foot of the table, got stuck and did not move.

He heard a sigh clearly, and through the flames on the table, Liang Jixuan saw Liang Jiqing in a green coat squatting in front of the charcoal basin, with a dark expression.

Liang Jixuan crouched in the corner, his numb calf suddenly felt some warmth and touch, he looked down, and happened to meet Xiao Hei's ice blue eyes.He was not polite, just wearing his suit pants to wear his trouser legs.

The candlestick on the table burned to the bottom, red tears condensed into blood, and the flame slammed to the ground and went out.

Xiao Hei was gone, the charcoal basin was gone, and Liang Jiqing was gone.

Liang Jixuan couldn't help but fell silent.

tbc.