pedestrian

In the midwinter office, the central air conditioner seemed to be free.Not to mention sweaters and sweaters, he couldn't even wear a thick flannel shirt, so Tao Ran fidgetyly unbuttoned and buttoned his cuffs, buttoned and unbuttoned them again.After being restless for a long time, he finally had to admit that going to the musical with Chang Zheng at night seriously affected his working status during the day.

Of course, Chang Zheng didn't go on a business trip, and he didn't even go to the conference room to be alone.It is very rare that he just sits in the public area so frankly, with a cheerful expression and bright eyes, and when a familiar colleague passes by, he also smiles and nods slightly, making him look like the image spokesperson of this floor.

He was so obviously in high spirits that several senior advisers couldn't help turning their heads suspiciously, looking back and forth.They can be regarded as opinion leaders at the executive level. With their attention, there will only be more and more voices in the office whispering that Boss Chang is in a particularly good mood today.Only Tao Ran knew what it was about, and felt that he couldn't laugh or cry in his heart, and it was a little inhumane joy.

No matter what happened in the past or what will happen in the future, it is always a pleasing thing to make someone you like so happy right now.

Tao Ran knew that something was wrong with his eyes, so he deliberately avoided looking at Chang Zheng.Just between his position and Chang Zheng, a colleague put a humidifier, and the water mist was steaming and tumbling. He stared at it for a while, and slowly, he saw a little bit of Yun Juan Yun Shu .

For Tao Ran, thinking about life can be done anytime, anywhere.Sometimes it is only by this kind of detachment that he can maintain his inner independence and integrity.There are too many strange people and facts at work, and after the pursuit of fame and fortune has become a habit, too many choices have no time to think about whether they should or should not, and the consequences are already coming.The branches and leaves kept in the office, Bai Manman's innocent smirk at the phone screen sometimes, and the humidifier that creates a touch of poetry can help him to be in a daze for a while, and think of himself beyond the requirements of work .

If there is no connection with this job, would things still be like this if Chang Zheng appeared on other occasions in life?

Tao Ran asked himself a futile question, then sighed silently.In fact, he knew very well that the reason why he hesitated so much, and even said a lot of subtext, to buy more time from Chang Zheng, was simply because compared with all the relatives, Chang Zheng was the absolute.

No matter when and where, he can overcome the countless absolutes in the world.

He never expected that such an adventure would happen at an age when all the absurdity of youth has gone away, and the age that is about to forget about the courage to move forward.If they have a future, he very much hopes that Chang Zheng can understand his fear during this time.

These complicated thoughts ran over Tao Ran's mind at ten o'clock in the morning like a speeding train, and slammed into the mountain called integrity, creating an inexplicable shame—the company paid him a lot of wages, not to let him He was here in broad daylight, looking at the humidifier and thinking about it.

This time, Tao Ran met Chang Zheng's gaze belatedly.

I don't know how long they've been looking this way, but the eyes of the two of them were on the verge of closing. Chang Zheng didn't have time to put away the tenderness and tolerance in his eyes, and Tao Ran didn't have time to hide the surprise and touch that even when he deserted, the boss was protecting him.You look at the scenery, and I look at you, which is so classic and so emotionally touching. Tao Ran feels that he is the lucky duck who was the first to know the water in the Spring River. He can no longer deny the warmth of all this.

With just one look, it was impossible for Chang Zheng to know what he was thinking just now.But for some reason, he was able to give Tao Ran the illusion that no matter what you think, everything belongs to me.

People are not grass and trees, who can not be tempted.

Out of guilty conscience, Tao Ran hid from Chang Zheng all morning like an ostrich.When it was time for lunch, the company was full of people who dispersed quickly.He was about to go downstairs to eat something casually, when he passed by Chang Zheng, he found that he was eating that kind of simple meal-style cheap sushi.

As a person who loves Japanese food, Tao Ran couldn't help it: "You eat this for lunch?"

Chang Zheng raised his head and looked at him helplessly: "I haven't had time to sit down for several months, and I have a good meal of Japanese food, can you believe it?"

Good-looking people really have an advantage, even chewing is very seductive, like a healthy/vigorous male animal, proudly showing off its sharp teeth that can tear flesh.Tao Ran suddenly wanted to see him earnestly eat a good meal.

With a thought, he lowered his voice and asked, "What's for dinner?"

Chang Zheng was quite surprised that he would directly mention this in the office, and quickly smiled at him: "The show starts at 07:30, it would be nice to be there on time, so I didn't book a restaurant."

"Then I'll be the host, and I promise I won't be late."

"Better Japanese food stores, don't you have to make reservations, is it still too late?"

"I don't need to worry about it, you just take care of the food."

Tao Ran went through the shops he liked one by one in his mind, and picked out a few alternative options according to the geographical location of the theater, and began to think about which friends could help.

Unknowingly, he has begun to want to give Chang Zheng the best thing he knows.Tao Ran knew that his rationality was like a sandcastle by the sea, the first wave got soaked, and the second one collapsed. From then on, he was defeated like a mountain, and there was no possibility of recovery.As he walked out, he plugged in his earphones and started calling to find someone to make an appointment.

It doesn't matter whether it is rational or not, if love is really coming, how can Tao Ran, a mortal, stop it.It is better to enjoy than to resist.

That night, Tao Ran used his contacts as a local to find a Japanese grocery store with a black lacquer door in the middle of a row of white walls in the alley behind the theater, and walked in with Chang Zheng.

Japanese food is a category of catering that you can usually tell the consumption just by looking at the storefront. The resplendent ones are nothing more than that. The courtyards are so deep, and the store names are not hung with light boxes or installed, so they are really expensive.

The two walked in, and the clerk who greeted them said good evening in blunt Chinese, and then switched back to Japanese, with no particularly attentive attitude.Chang Zheng took another look at the sushi chef with a serious expression and the diners who only dared to talk in a low voice, and he simply stopped talking about the price.

"Do you come here often?"

"Two or three times a year."

"So I'm an important guest?"

Tao Ran smiled: "Stop talking nonsense, eat quickly, I don't like being late."

Chang Zheng opened the wooden box containing the chopsticks, first handed a pair to Tao Ran, then made a look of hesitation, and teased him with a smile: "Which one is delicious? Which one do you want to eat first?"

Nigiri sushi is always served, there are two identical foie gras sushi on the table, so there is no such thing as which one to eat first.Helplessly, Tao Ran had already been exposed that he deliberately brought Chang Zheng to eat at his favorite restaurant, so he really had no advantage in negotiating, so he had to continue to perfunctory.

"Okay, eat it quickly, let it cool down and live up to the hard work of the master."

Chang Zheng accepted his surrender with a smile, and began to chew slowly and gracefully.

Of course the food is impeccable, but tonight's people are also impeccable.Now that he knew that Tao Ran liked his face and body, he had to look his best. Chang Zheng worked hard to carve out his words and deeds, eating and chatting casually with Tao Ran.

Both of them are, thanks to their professions, very good at entertaining people in conversations.False sentiments can still move people, not to mention being sincere at this moment.There really wasn't a lot of sake in Yihe, so they drank it slowly, Chang Zheng and Tao Ran found that each other's eyes gradually lit up with this insignificant alcohol.

The feeling of following one's inclinations is really precious and beautiful. In the past thirty years of life, except for the muddle-headed infant period, there are actually not many bright and joyful memories.Whether you are really happy, whether you really hit it off, these are all things that are clearly on the table, all the avoidance and hesitation are not worth mentioning in front of Lingxi.

There is nothing more to say, everything is silent.Neither of them said anything that the other didn't want to hear. They finished their meal happily talking and laughing, and watched a musical in peace. Then they found a quiet place nearby and sat down to order wine. keep drinking.

"Tao Ran, tell me the truth. Did you have any prejudice against the office romance because of the previous incident?"

After talking a few words about the drama just now, Chang Zheng calmed down and listened to the softly sung background music for a while, then he suddenly seemed to have made up his mind, and spoke openly and honestly without warning.

Tao Ran held the glass in his hand and shook it slowly a few times, watching the warm yellow light fall on the amber liquor, forming an indescribable haze.After several months, this was the first time he thought of Xu Yuan, and the messy private and business affairs in another office.

His voice lowered unknowingly, with a faint smile: "Prejudice? Prejudice is the way we look at the world. I think the scariest thing about last time was not the result, but that I knew things were out of control, or If you don’t admit defeat, you always feel that you won’t be able to, and in the end..."

"It's not all your fault."

Tao Ran laughed at himself and said, "Don't blame me, who am I to blame? Xu Yuan was only so old at that time, what did he know? He is not as good as Bai Manman now. At least the little girl still knows what to do and what not to do. Xu Yuan didn't even have this self-knowledge back then. .”

Chang Zheng followed with a sigh, thinking that your biggest mistake was that you found an opponent who was not evenly matched, and then you had to bear the responsibility of the two of you, and insisted on persisting until the end.

Just when he thought Tao Ran wanted to change the subject again, the other party pondered for a long time before opening his mouth again.

"I have never been able to find a way to reconcile with this world. These years... I have never been able to find it. Sometimes I feel that I am rich in the world, but more often than not, I have nothing. What can I give you, and you What can you give me. Asking and giving are interdependent, without these, many things... I really don't know where to start, do you know what I mean?"

Chang Zheng was afraid that the mimosa would shrink back again, so he looked deeply into his eyes the whole time, trying to give him some confidence to finish speaking.Perhaps it was because his expression was too serious and his eyes were too gentle, Tao Ran simply gave up on himself and let himself look at him.

——Come on, watch as much as you want.

In this situation, with this kind of you and me, once it starts, it will definitely be an endless game.Instinct is simple, life is hard.The road in the past has been muddy and tortuous, and the road in the future will never be better.Why on earth are we, to take the initiative to carry the weight of another person, to make difficulties even more difficult.

Chang Zheng smiled because of his frankness, stretched out his hand and hugged his shoulder vigorously, and replied in a low voice: "I understand, I know everything."

Tao Ran followed suit, and the joyful and low-pitched laughter lasted for a while before it stopped. He stared into Chang Zheng's eyes, and suddenly sighed: "How can I tell you anything..."

"Yeah, I can tell you anything anyway."

At this moment, the eternal gap between the two souls seemed to disappear. Chang Zheng forgot that it was his original intention to guide Tao Ran to talk more. He just succumbed to his eager desire to communicate and drifted with the flow.

"We can talk a lot, but these...you and me, us, all that we have talked about and will talk about in the future, isn't enough, is it? It's all piled up, and it's not enough for you to believe again, maybe we'll be together Give it a try, will it be a little different?"

Tao Ran couldn't help but took a big sip of wine, and the icy-cooled hot impulse surged up. He asked, "So you know how to reconcile? Have you believed in it again?"

While answering him carefully, Chang Zheng shook his wrist, signaling that he can talk well without drinking like this.

"People clenched their fists for confrontation, perhaps to protect the treasure in their palms, or perhaps to confront themselves. But when the tension disappears, the fist must be loosened after all. This is a gesture of reconciliation with the world. I really want to To reconcile, and to trust again, I can only say that I am willing."

It couldn't be more straightforward.The last time we had a deep talk, I peeled the onion until my heart was empty.But this time, Chang Zheng actually dared to cut open the void, and talked to him about his own bones, flesh and blood, and blood.Frankly speaking, Tao Ran was shocked by his determination.His determination that this relationship must have a beginning, in turn made Tao Ran start to doubt his doubts.

So Tao Ran responded with a long silence to his self-confession.Chang Zheng was not offended by this reaction, on the contrary, he felt that the result was twice the result with half the effort.

A person is most sincere when he is silent.

Just because I listened to it, I couldn't, and I didn't dare to agree easily.Identity is everyone's hole card, once it is shown, everything else will be hidden.

At the same time, on another level, Tao Ran already understood that small movements such as hugging his shoulders and shaking his wrists were Chang Zheng's tentative attempts.He just wanted to remind him with practical actions, since everyone wants it, why bother to suppress it.

As expected, this chat lasted until the dead of night.The taxi took Tao Ran back first. In fact, there was a lot of detours, and the fare would cost at least a few dozen yuan more, but Chang Zheng told the driver so, and Tao Ran didn't have any objections.

Changzheng has been here before, and probably knows him.When the driver drove to the boulevard in front of the community, Chang Zheng had already turned his head and looked at him, as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped talking.The lights of the street lamps were not completely connected together, and Chang Zheng's handsomeness was almost shocking in the alternating light and shadow changes.

Tao Ran drank not too much, and being a little drunk gave him the long-lost relaxation.When the car was about to stop at the door, he suddenly leaned over and kissed Chang Zheng's face lightly.

Chang Zheng was so surprised that he subconsciously asked, "Why?"

Tao Ran smiled and stroked his knee, his palm was slightly burning: "Why not. I am very happy tonight, thank you."

After finishing speaking, he opened the door and got off the car, stood outside and waved goodbye to him.

Chang Zheng never expected that in middle age, a relationship that started with a kiss on the cheek could still exist.Tao Ran watched him go all the way away with a dazed expression, disappearing into the vast night, and finally couldn't help laughing.