pedestrian

Tao Ran hates all things that create a sense of weightlessness, such as jumping off a building, such as the recent phone call at midnight.

Even if the bottom of the cliff is a valley of flowers, no one likes the process of being pushed down.He deliberately didn't think about it, it just so happened that Chang Zheng and he were too busy to see each other, so it would be nice to take advantage of the fastest working pace a few years ago to calm down separately.

After the partners reported their work, the company organized them to go to Saipan for a week, and then came back to finish the year-end summary of all project managers in a hurry. The Lunar New Year is coming soon.Chang Zheng took a few days off work a few days ago, so he left early. Tao Ran made a reservation to fly to Auckland the day before New Year's Eve, so he stayed in the office until the end.

In order to make himself more comfortable on the [-]-hour red-eye flight, Tao Ran hesitated for a while looking at the huge suitcase when he went to work that day, and finally went out in casual clothes for the flight.Ye Qi couldn't be contacted all the time, so Caesar entrusted him to Wu Yueyin who didn't plan to go back to his hometown.When Young Master He followed his mother to the door and took away the take-out box containing Caesar, he smiled very rarely, which is rare.

Most of the people in the office have already left, only a group of local staff who don't have to go back to their hometowns are left to kill time, and everyone is dressed casually.When Tao Ran entered the public area, he took a few extra glances to confirm that he wasn't too conspicuous today, so he relaxed and slowly pushed the box inside.

I wanted to find a small conference room, and leave early in the afternoon, and this year will be over.Unexpectedly, not long after he sat down, Bai Manman rushed in without knocking on the door, with a furious expression on his face, it seemed that nothing good happened.

"Close the door first."

Miss Bai took a deep breath, restrained her emotions, and obediently turned around and closed the door.

"Tell me, what's wrong with the new boss."

Recently, Chang Zheng and Tao Ran were busy with their own business, and new projects were started after the year, so Bai Manman re-entered the rotation mechanism and was assigned to Yang Bojun and the old man as temporary workers.After meeting several times in a row, Bai Manman saw that Tao Ran was hesitant to speak, but he didn't have time to stop and listen to her complaints.It seems that the little girl's complaints have changed from quantitative to qualitative, and have escalated into anger.

"Boss Jia has a small belly! Public revenge!"

——Senior partner Boss Jia, nicknamed "Old Man".

I haven't talked to her properly for more than a month, and Bai Manman is still the same Bai Manman.Tao Ran sighed, and pressed his brows together: "Get to the point, don't talk nonsense."

Miss Bai was so angry that her face turned red, and she couldn't care less about the disgust of her own boss: "When the big bosses were out to play last week, I saw Boss Jia in the tea room, so I asked him why he didn't go with him."

Tao Ran knew about this. Boss Jia's profit increase ratio of the entire income pool did not meet the standard, and he was not qualified to travel with other partners with public funds.

"Oh? You are quite courageous, you dare to ask questions that are not in your head?"

"I..." Bai Manman paused for a moment, and immediately regained his composure: "I'm a kid, how could he be serious with me? Besides, his own answer is also very shameless, he actually said that he doesn't like red-eye flights , so I didn’t go with you.”

Tao Ran was speechless for a while.The old man is really good enough, the kid is just young, and it's not that IQ is in arrears, this answer can indeed be said to be quite shameless.

"Okay. Then, what happened today?"

"The whole company has New Year's gift certificates for employees. He deducted all of us and gave them all as gifts to customers!"

The extent of this ungodliness really exceeded Tao Ran's expectations.His attitude immediately became serious: "Who are you referring to?"

"We don't know if Manager Yang has one. Anyway, we don't have any consultants working. Those few ice cream coupons are nothing, but Boss Jia's work... really..."

Tao Ran interrupted her: "You also know that he is the boss anyway, so don't say a few words. Come on, you take my two cards first, and then you don't make any noise."

Bai Manman was startled for a moment, then took two steps back by himself, and said in a low voice, "I, I didn't come to tell you about this just to ask you for something."

Tao Ran smiled: "I know you are not. You have been working with me for more than half a year, and this is what I gave you personally. Take it if you tell me."

The little girl thanked her again and again, and accepted it embarrassingly.Everyone came to the door, she thought about it, then turned around and asked Tao Ran: "Should we complain to the personnel about this?"

Tao Ran didn't bother to look up at her anymore: "If other people want to go, don't worry about it, anyway, just don't stand out."

This matter can be big or small, Chang Zheng and this old man Jia have always been at odds, and Tao Ran knows it too.After thinking about it for a while, he still felt that he should call Chang Zheng and talk to him.We will meet again in the next year, and if Chang Zheng doesn't know anything about it by then, it might be another trouble.

For the first time in history, when he called, Chang Zheng turned off his phone.

Throughout the year, there was only one thing that allowed Chang Zheng to use the power off to maintain his sense of ritual.

It's cloudy again, and the dark southern town doesn't care about waking up or sleeping, and the passage of time is meaningless here.People work in the same job all their lives, hold the same prejudices, live in the same group, and lead a life that remains the same.

After being in the cage for a long time, I don't know what confinement is. Every time I come back to such a place, I feel suffocated.

Chang Zheng was haunted by old dreams for most of the night, and lay in bed until after eight o'clock, unable to fall asleep no matter what.It was still very early before the appointment for lunch. He wandered the streets of his hometown, from the silence to the sound of people.

The commercial street and the square are all by the river, and the buildings have no special characteristics at all, with corners similar to corners, and arcs similar to arcs.Chang Zheng was tired from walking, so he found the big rock on the river beach that he liked to sit on when he was a child, and watched the river for a long time by himself.The restaurant where I met that person was in the tallest building in the town, like a tower but not a tower, with a strange style and neither fish nor fowl.From where he sits, even the best dining establishments here are as crude as black humor.

He was born in this cage, and he walked out after wearing out all his flesh and blood, and he was reincarnated to be what he is today.But just like this ridiculous, self-righteous restaurant, life began to be torn apart from that summer, and everything after that could no longer be shared with the people who cared most before.They had no choice but to meet each other in such a broken place year after year.

Their fate is here, and only here.

Seeing that it was almost eleven o'clock, he knew where the man lived and which intersection he should pass to get here, so he naturally looked in that direction.Not long after, a familiar figure appeared around the corner.

He is not very tall, but because his back is always straight, he always looks outstanding.He is not handsome at first sight, but he has a very special temperament, which is enough to distinguish himself from the common people.The arrogance of the early years and the melancholy later are deeply engraved between his brows, and there is an extra softness, which he only keeps for himself in the impression.

Chang Zheng stood up, lowered his head to tidy himself up, then raised his arm, and swung it over there a few times.

"Return to the boat!"

Wu Guizhou turned around in response, and as expected he showed his face and smiled: "Ah Zheng."

Allowing himself to indulge in this smile for a second longer, Chang Zheng stepped forward and said, "I arrived early, let's go in together. There are not many people here this year."

Both of them greeted each other with a smile, exchanged a few words of dispensable things like a new menu in the restaurant, a drop in drink prices, etc., until they were seated, ordered, and the dishes were served, and gradually became relatively silent.

Once a year, Chang Zheng and Wu Guizhou meet here to have a meal, and then each go to the joys and sorrows of the next year. There is no contact until this time next year, when they see each other again.This is a ceremony that belongs only to them, and they will never miss the appointment year after year.

"You... have you had a good year?"

Chang Zheng was always so cautious when asked how he was.In contrast, Wu Guizhou was much calmer: "Not bad, not bad, so be it. I may be the only one in the whole town who has come out publicly. I think I have a better life than those who have been hiding all their lives." , much better."

With this attitude, Chang Zheng could only swallow back his concern: "Is that so, if you think it's good, I'm relieved."

Wu Guizhou smiled gently, turning his back on customers: "What about you, are you still busy this year? Are you still on business trips?"

"Well, it's still the nature of the job, and business trips are inevitable. You know, I was just promoted last year, so the pressure will be greater than before."

The way he answered honestly was really similar to the way he was called by the teacher to answer questions many years ago.Wu Guizhou saw it, and couldn't help but smile a little warmer: "Then during the new year, you should have a good rest. Anyway, you and your parents have nothing to say, why don't you sleep more, they can't rush Go into your room and drag you out to meet your relatives."

It's all about the scene, you can say whatever you want, it's better not to say it.Chang Zheng raised his head to meet his eyes, and slowly asked: "At this time last year, you said that a new colleague always asked you to have dinner with him, what happened afterwards?"

Wu Guizhou replied calmly: "There is no future. He only dared to approach me, and he didn't dare to say what he wanted, so let's forget it as soon as possible to save trouble."

Oh, save yourself trouble, this sentence is very familiar.The aftereffect of the young acquaintance is that Chang Zheng can always see himself in Wu Guizhou's words and deeds.Maybe he is no longer the current self, but everyone has come all the way from the haze of memories, he really can't tell whether it is nostalgia or regret.

He didn't know how to continue, but Wu Guizhou didn't feel embarrassed, and he spoke calmly again: "I really have nothing to say here, it's like this every year. But you... you finally have good news, right?"

Chang Zheng's heart sank: "What good news?"

Wu Guizhou looked into his eyes and smiled slightly: "You're in love again. I can see it. Do you still want to hide it from me?"

"How did you get it?"

"Don't ask, I won't tell you."

Wu Guizhou's eyes seemed to have a flash of cunning, he hadn't shown such an expression for a long time, and Chang Zheng was stunned for a while.At this point, if you can't say it, you have to say it.It has been like this for many years, Chang Zheng can only follow Wu Guizhou's wishes.

"..." Chang Zheng thought for a while, and said cautiously: "I met a person this year, he..."

"Don't say it, don't say it." Wu Guizhou immediately stopped him, and tapped his finger on the table with a half-smile: "It's enough for you to enjoy the love, but don't say it to make me jealous."

— Jealousy, he said jealousy.

Chang Zheng was speechless.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Wu Guizhou laughed, at least he looked really happy: "I'm talking nonsense, why can't you take a joke? I've been looking for the right person, and now you Isn't it good to find it first?"

Wanting to grasp Wu Guizhou's true emotions is no less difficult than fishing for the moon in the water.He is always too thoughtful, determined, and unwilling to tell anyone even a few words of the truth.

More than ten years have passed like a flash, they have all changed, but they have not changed.

Chang Zheng had no choice but to take a sip from the teacup to hide the wry smile on his lips.