Tentative

Qu Zhe is too thin, Shen Yizhuo thought.

He showed his waist, which was completely unhealthy white, and his back was only covered by a thin layer of muscle, as if he could touch the bones with a little force.Because the body was slightly bowed, and the spine was protruding, Shen Yizhuo couldn't tell what it was like, his thoughts went back and forth, and finally fell on "Maybe Qu Zhe hasn't read those text messages".

The wound was not deep, so it shouldn't be a big deal, but the cut was quite long, and at first glance it would feel serious.It's hard for Shen Yizhuo to imagine that the picture of him naked would be so...distressing just because his waist and back are so thin.

He applied the medicine carefully, threw away the cotton swab, and pulled off his clothes: "Okay."

"Ah."

Qu Zhe turned his head to look at him, thinking that he would have something to say.

But Shen Yizhuo really did what he said, after taking the medicine, he packed up his things and planned to leave.Qu Zhe noticed that he was holding a book in his hand, and he didn't intend to put on his suit again, so he opened the door.

The book was probably just taken out of the bedroom, and the suit——according to Shen Yizhuo's temperament, he probably wouldn't want it.Qu Zhe watched him leave, and didn't make a sound until he changed his shoes and went out. In the end, Shen Yizhuo said indifferently: "If you have time... Tomorrow night, I will treat you to a movie."

"...Let's talk about it." The blunt refusal seemed to stiffen the atmosphere, after Qu Zhe faltered, he reached out and grabbed the doorknob, preparing to close the door as if to drive someone away.But Shen Yizhuo held onto the door frame and said, "I'll pick you up at the convenience store."

"Let's talk." Still the same response.

Shen Yizhuo lowered his eyes, let go of his hand, said "good night" lightly, and took the initiative to close the door without waiting for Qu Zhe to close it.

The room suddenly returned to silence, Qu Zhe stood for a while and walked towards the sofa.He forgot to wear slippers, and stepped on the wooden floor with bare soles, the sound of his footsteps was sticky, with an indescribable sense of loneliness.

I can feel it, I can feel it completely, Shen Yizhuo wants to restore the old good heart.

But no matter how carefully Qu Zhe thought about it and tried to find evidence that they were better off, he still found nothing.So this behavior seemed utilitarian. Shen Yizhuo never liked him, but just liked having such a dog by his side who came and went as soon as he was called.

Being with him was exhausting.

Qu Zhe passed the coffee table, picked up the cigarette case and lighter that had been put down before, and went to the French window to smoke.There is nothing to see outside the window, only the sky that is grayed by light, and countless tall buildings and lights.If it was an old-fashioned building like before, you could still see how Shen Yizhuo walked out of the corridor and how he went back; but such an exquisite and high-end community, and the surrounding high-rise buildings, barely blocked the view.He looked down on his toes, and could see occasional passing vehicles, everything was as strange as another world.

He looked at it for a while, then looked up at the clothes and pants that were drying.How can I have time to think about these illusory things now, and whether I will wear pants to work tomorrow will be a problem.

After Qu Zhe packed himself up and lay down on the folding bed in the study, he took out his wallet and took out a neatly folded note from a certain interlayer. After unfolding, there was a series of numbers written on it.He thought about how to start for a moment, but he lost his mind when he thought about it, so he stopped thinking about it and just called.

After a few beeps, the person on the other end of the phone tentatively said, "Hello...how are you?"

Qu Zhe inexplicably felt a little wanting to laugh, the corners of his mouth raised a little, and he responded softly, "It's me, Qu Zhe."

"..."

The other party's silence was also expected by him, and he continued unhurriedly: "I'm back here again, tomorrow night, do you want to have a supper together?"

"……it is good."

The person on the other end of the phone is Jiang Yuzhao, and this is exactly the phone number Jiang Yuzhao left behind last time.

Time has passed, he has changed, Shen Yizhuo has also changed, and Jiang Yuzhao is no longer that "bad boy" who is always impatient and looks bad.I don't know when, Jiang Yuzhao has become humble and polite, and has patience with people and things... Maybe the only thing that hasn't changed is that he can't hide his thoughts.

Hearing Qu Zhe's invitation, he obviously paused and hesitated, and then came down with a clear entanglement.

Qu Zhe wanted to ask about his recent situation, but he opened his mouth first: "Are you still with him..."

"Yes, not really." Qu Zhe said, "He is married to my sister, so...to be precise, he is my brother-in-law now, and I can't help it."

Jiang Yuzhao was silent for a few seconds: "...I know."

Then he went on to say, "I'm getting married soon, too."

Qu Zhe was stunned for a moment, and quickly explained: "That's not what I told you to come out..."

"...I know, you don't need to explain." Jiang Yuzhao said, "I used to look down on him, and I thought he was inferior to me, but now I don't think so...Everyone is scum."

"Jiang Yuzhao..."

"It's still a friend, I will definitely help if needed." Jiang Yuzhao continued, "Tomorrow night, right? What time and where is it?"

After saying those few words that both parties knew well, he seemed to have adjusted his mentality, and his speech returned to his former crispness.Qu Zhe didn't dwell on what he had just said, but told him the time and place, and added: "Shen Yizhuo will come tomorrow, but I don't want to go out with him, it might be a little embarrassing."

"Then I understand what you mean." Jiang Yuzhao said, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

The call ended and the time was just past zero, so it was actually not "see you tomorrow", but "see you today".He looked at the date in a daze for a while, then turned off his phone and went to sleep.

When Qu Zhe woke up the next day, it was past ten o'clock.It was rare for him to sleep so long—since his parents passed away, he had become less sleepy, and slept lightly, and often the wind blew the window loudly, which could wake him up from long dreams.

He yawned and left the room, and at a glance he saw several paper bags beside the coffee table.

It seems that Shen Yizhuo has been here.Thinking about it, he walked over and opened it to have a look. There were new clothes and trousers inside, and he knew it was autumn clothes when he felt the material. There were also two pairs of shoes, which were his size.He put the things back again, went straight to the balcony, and reached out to touch his pants.

Still moist, not dry.

Wash your face, brush your teeth, change your clothes, and then go to Qu Xiaoyu's for dinner like a routine.Qu Zhe is not disgusted, he likes sitting next to Qu Xiaoyu, listening to her chattering, as if he can gradually make up for the time apart.From unfamiliar and clumsy, they don't know how to get close to each other, and gradually become familiar.

He didn't think too much, and finally put on his wet pants and went out with his belongings.

The paper bag was left there, as if no one had touched it.

Jiang Yuzhao arrived as scheduled, a little earlier than Qu Zhe got off work.He hastily greeted the other party, indicating that he might have a while, but Jiang Yuzhao waved his hand and said he was waiting outside.

Not long after seeing each other, Qu Zhe somehow felt that Jiang Yuzhao's appearance had changed a lot.

The contours are deeper, especially the eye sockets, with some bruises; the hair is also a little longer than when we met last time, and there are still some unmanaged stubble on the chin.In general, a lot of haggard.Qu Zhe sped up his actions and began to count the payment to prepare for the shift. After a few minutes, another person also came, but before entering the store, he saw Jiang Yuzhao first.

Qu Zhe caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye and paid attention for a while. He saw Shen Yizhuo standing beside Jiang Yuzhao, lighting a cigarette, and then looked away.

At this moment, he had the illusion of going back to the past. The two of them were still teenagers, students who had made mistakes, standing at the door of the office, ignoring each other.

Beside the glass window, Jiang Yuzhao raised his eyes to look at the person, because he knew it beforehand, so he was not surprised.Shen Yizhuo was wearing casual clothes, and he still looked a bit like a college student just by looking at his face; Jiang Yuzhao was on the contrary, because he didn't dress up well, Hu Zhuo added a few years to him, and he looked much older than Shen Yizhuo.

He wasn't surprised, but Shen Yizhuo was.

"Why are you here?" After Shen Yizhuo lit his cigarette, he took a deep breath and looked at Ma Ludao.

Jiang Yuzhao also looked at Ma Lu: "What do you think?"

"For Qu Zhe?"

"you can say it this way."

"What about your girlfriend?" It sounded a little mocking, but Shen Yizhuo's tone was flat, like a greeting between ordinary friends.

Jiang Yuzhao smiled jokingly, and replied, "What about Mrs. Shen?"

"Excuse me, she's fine."

"I hate your pretentious appearance the most." Jiang Yuzhao restrained his smile and said calmly, "I asked him to have supper."

"He has an appointment, next time."

Only then did Jiang Yuzhao turn around and look at Shen Yizhuo.But the other party didn't look at him, it seemed that he was unnecessary.The two of them never had respect for each other, and they still don't: "Don't always help him make decisions, he will speak for himself."

"okay."

Shen Yizhuo didn't want to think about why Jiang Yuzhao knew that Qu Zhe was here.Once he thought about it deeply, he would get some answers that he didn't want.

Soon after Qu Zhe came out of get off work, Shen Yizhuo glanced at what he was wearing, frowned slightly, but soon calmed down: "Let's go, do you want to eat something first?"

Qu Zhe smiled, and said the words he had prepared: "Sorry, I have an appointment with Jiang Yuzhao today, next time."

Shen Yizhuo narrowed his eyes slightly: "You don't have to do this, I don't like it."

Hidden behind, the unspoken words are - "You don't have to provoke me like this".

"...I don't like other people interfering with me." Qu Zhe said, "Next time." After he finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Yuzhao and said softly, "Let's go, I want to eat something, I'll treat you."

Jiang Yuzhao glanced at Shen Yizhuo, and then took the lead.Qu Zhe followed, and the two of them just walked side by side, looking intimate, but not crossing the line, leaving Shen Yizhuo behind alone, ignoring them.

He stood there watching for a long time, the cigarette in his hand burned to the bottom and burned his fingers.It took Shen Yizhuo a while to react, he threw away the remaining filter, and wiped the dust between his fingers.

The meat was scalded, and the flesh-red blisters popped out quickly, and the pain was severe.