Shanghai morning

The day before New Year's Eve, Wang Yao posed as a model for Feliciano for the last time. The oil painting was about to be completed, but Ferri didn't let anyone see his unfinished work. In his words, "I want to surprise everyone at the exhibition."Thinking of his nude paintings being exhibited in public, Wang Yao felt very uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop Ferry, after all, they were just an employment relationship.But Wang Yao thought about it, since it was an art exhibition, the poor Chinese people in the neighborhood would not go to see it, and Arthur was too busy to go, so he would not have time to go, so the possibility of embarrassing himself was relatively high. Small.

Ferry drew very carefully today, unlike in the past when he danced with his brush according to his mood.Although he doesn't know Western painting, Wang Yao guesses that it is the same as Chinese painting. The most important thing to draw a dragon is the finishing touch, so Ferry is now doing the finishing touch.

"Ah! It's done!" Ferry threw away the pen happily, "This is the best work I've ever drawn!"

"You will draw better than this." Wang Yao got up and said with a smile, reaching out to pick up his clothes.

"But you haven't watched it yet," Ferry asked, tilting his head, "won't you take a look?"

"Forget it, it's better not to look at me like that! Besides, I don't understand art." Wang Yao smiled and went behind the curtain to put on his clothes.

"So, Yao, will you go to my art exhibition?" Ferry asked expectantly.

"I'm afraid not." Wang Yao shook his head with a feigned regret, "I heard from Luther that Chinese people are not allowed to enter the place where your art exhibition is held."

"Hey? Is it okay to have an invitation letter?" Although Fei Li was disappointed, he didn't have much doubt about Wang Yao's words.

"Probably not. Your art exhibition is very important, and I don't want any trouble." Wang Yao said to leave.

"Then at least take a look!" Ferry pointed to the canvas, "just take a look!"

Wang Yao went around to the drawing board and couldn't help asking in surprise, "Is that so?"

Ferry smiled smugly: "How is it? Very creative design?"

Although looking at himself in the painting was a bit embarrassing, Wang Yao sincerely admired: "It is indeed very different!"

Wang Yao knew that he should leave, and finally ended his work as a mannequin. He was both relieved and a little bit lost. There were two reasons for his loss: he could no longer earn this money, and his life would become more difficult in the future. And he had no reason to set foot in the house again.

Ferry also had to buy plaster, a job he never left to the servants.Wang Yao was also about to leave, but was stopped by Luther: "Let's have some refreshments before leaving, Lao Chen only makes dim sum better." Lao Chen is the Chinese chef of Luther's family, and neither Luther nor Ferry I like his cooking.

Wang Yao didn't refuse, and sat down at the table.Yun Jian served tea for the two of them, Wang Yao looked at Yun Jian with a guilty conscience, but Yun Jian not only did not look at him intentionally, but also did not deliberately avoid him, as if everything was as normal as any other day.Yunjian used his slender and clean hands to pour tea for the two people at the table neatly and steadily, and placed the small silver shelf containing various exquisite pastries in the center of the table, then put away the tray and retreated.

The dim sum tastes good, as good as the cafe at Three on the Bund. It would be great if Al could come and try it.But Al's behavior last time was very weird. Even if he has not seen each other for a long time and is unfamiliar, he wouldn't run away without even saying hello, right?Wang Yao didn't know where he offended Al.

"Yao?" Luther's voice brought Wang Yao back to reality.Just now Luther asked him if he was satisfied with the tea, Wang Yaowu was stunned and did not answer.

"What's bothering you?" Luther asked.

Wang Yao quickly focused on the drinks and food in front of him: "I'm so sorry! The snacks are delicious, I'm just wondering about one thing."

"Can you tell me?" Luther put the cup back into the saucer.

"Old Chen has worked here for many years, right?" Wang Yao vaguely remembered that Luther seemed to have said that his father hired Lao Chen when he was still in China.

"Indeed, he came here earlier than me." Luther himself only started living in Shanghai a few years ago.

"You have always disliked the dishes he cooks, but you have never said that you want to change the chef." Wang Yao asked for a long time.

Luther thought for a while and said: "Old Chen has been here for a long time. He works hard and has clean hands and feet. Although I don't like his food, it's not easy to dismiss him. And—"

Wang Yao understands the real reason behind this "and".

"And Rhodes is only willing to eat the food made by Lao Chen." Luther's tone softened, "Chinese cooking is too greasy. Although Lao Chen can't cook German food well, fortunately the taste is light." Speaking of this, He actually smiled a little: "This guy Rhodes is not only a clean freak, he is also very picky about food. He doesn't eat a little bit of oil. Sometimes he will get angry with me and starve all night."

Do not eat oil?Why didn't he starve to death!Wang Yao cursed in his heart.Even though he has been with foreigners for a long time, he still can't understand why some people can be extravagant and have a lot of dissatisfaction?And as long as he can pay next month's rent and keep Wanwan from starving, he will be thankful.

And what about those Chinese workers who are in jail?It is a great fortune for them to survive to get out of the prison cell.

And some people's troubles are just a little too much oil in the dishes, God is so unfair.

"You seem to take good care of Mr. Edelstein." The tea in front of him was already cold, and Wang Yao didn't want to drink it.

Luther said in a tone of obvious happiness: "Rod is very important to me. He is a clean and pure person. Only when he is with him will life become easier. Until the first time I met What was he doing while he was there?"

"Huh?" Wang Yao listened intently.

"He broke a key of my piano, and wept anxiously, as if it was some terrible crime." Luther recalled with a smile, "I was almost six years old that year, and I was already at my father's request. Learn to be a qualified heir to the Beschmidt family. Rhodes is eight years old like my brother, and he is always bullied by his brother."

"Then what happened later?" Wang Yao couldn't help asking.

"Of course I took the blame for him in the end, but my father didn't believe it, and insisted that it was my brother who did it, so my brother was beaten." Luther couldn't help laughing out loud while talking about childhood anecdotes.

No wonder Gilbert would have trouble with Roderich, Wang Yao can imagine how Gilbert would be furious after being wronged.Wang Yao recalled that when he was still in Beijing, his stepmother pawned things from the house to gamble, and they would always rely on him. His father never said a word, picked him up and beat him up, no matter what he explained, he didn't believe it.

Luther continued: "At that time, I thought Rhodes was so beautiful, like Narcissus in Greek mythology, and he was indeed as proud as a narcissus."

"It's hard to imagine that you can be friends with such an arrogant person." Wang Yao said bluntly.If it is a beautiful man, Wang Yao thinks that Francis is the most beautiful, as long as he can shave the stubble all over his face.

"That's because of his fragility, he was just protecting himself proudly." Luther knew his friend very well.

Wang Yao, however, disdains this kind of statement. Such a person is described as a "paper tiger" in Chinese, which is not commendable: "It seems that Mr. Edelstein also has troubles. In our Chinese words, Said: Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite.” It doesn’t matter whether it is the Thirteen Confucian Classics, the Tao Te Ching, the Tripitaka or the Bible.

"What Rhodes has experienced is much more painful than ordinary people. I don't think we can understand it, so no matter how willful he is, I will treat him well." Luther didn't want to talk too much about Rhodes' past. It was a holy taboo for him.

The sound of the piano upstairs came in a timely manner, and Wang Yao, who had nothing to say, made up his mind.Today's song is very peaceful and soothing, it seems that Rhodes is in a good mood.

Wang Yao drank the cold tea in one gulp, stood up and said, "I seem to have forgotten something in the studio, can I go up again?" Ferry's studio is never locked, and there is no need to lock it.

Luther readily agreed, and Wang Yao nodded his thanks to him, then turned and went upstairs.

Coming to the closed door of the piano room again, this time Wang Yao did not have the same timidity and retreat as last time. He boldly raised his hand and knocked on the door with his knuckles a few times.Same as last time, the people in the house did not respond, Wang Yao decisively pushed open the door.

Rhodes, who was playing the piano, turned his face to the door in a little surprise. After seeing Yao, his expression immediately became disgusted and impatient: "What are you doing here again?"

Wang Yao was not embarrassed by Rhodes' attitude, he said calmly: "Ferry's painting is finished, today may be my last visit."

"You came here on purpose to tell me this? Then you can go out now!" Rhodes said, returning his attention to the piano and continuing to play the interrupted piece.

"I'm here to say goodbye to you," Wang Yao wanted to say what had been buried in his heart for a long time, but found it was not so easy, "Maybe I will never see you again."

"There's nothing to regret!" Rhode finally couldn't take it anymore, "I never want to know someone like you! You don't need to know me either! One day I will get out of this house like you! I will be kicked out like a dog go out!"

Wang Yao originally wanted to leave, but when he heard Rhode's last words, he clenched his fists without any hesitation: "Why do you think you will be driven away?"

"Am I obliged to tell you? Who do you think you are?" Rhode stood up angrily.He was slender and thin, very handsome in the sun.

"Then who do you think you are?" Wang Yao asked calmly, without taking half a step back.

"You..." Rhodes didn't expect the Chinese to be so rude, he suddenly didn't care, and laughed at himself, "Do you want to know? Well, I can tell you." He walked towards Wang Yao step by step Accompanied by footsteps, he expressed his grief and indignation in a melodious voice like music: "I, like you, am a superfluous person who does not belong to this family. I am a disgrace to the Hedwiley family. I am the illegitimate child of Mrs. Hedwiley and the housekeeper! I When I was eight years old, she put me in foster care with the Beschmidt family, because the old Beschmidt loved her madly and would do everything for her. But even so he would not give his surname to a child Bastard, how did it turn out? He gave me the last name of a manservant in his family! So I—Roderich Edelstein—are a big joke! A filth that both families want to get rid of! "He has already walked in front of Wang Yao, that beautiful face is even more exquisite and flawless when viewed up close. It is the first time that Wang Yao is so close to Rhodes, so close that he can even smell the clean smell on his body.

Rhodes sneered and said: "The two young masters of Beschmidt have always hated me. Gilbert wished that I would leave immediately. Although Luther never said it, I know he must be very tired of me. If it wasn't for fear that I would leave Their father and my mother's love affair would have thrown me into the sea long ago! It's a pity that I'm not a little fool like Feliciano, and I can't be liked. If Luther wants me to die, Then let him come in person! Don’t let a Chinese come and humiliate me over and over again!" He said too excitedly, his pale cheeks flushed, and his bright jewel-like eyes sparkled And something moist.

Wang Yao listened to him calmly, and then said coldly: "Is this what you want to say?"

"What else do you want? Do you think I'm as lowly as you?" Rhode looked at Wang Yao arrogantly and self-destructively.

Wang Yao shook his head: "Do you think you are unlucky? Do you know what real misfortune and real despair are? Roderich Edelstein, you are an out-and-out fool!"

"What did you say?" Roderich blushed angrily.

"I should really let you try, what is it like to be hungry and cold outside, I guarantee you will never complain about your current life!" Wang Yao gritted his teeth and said word by word, "You are in a warm house , enjoy fine clothing and food, and be taken care of like a prince, but you are not satisfied, you are too greedy!"

"You don't need to worry about these, please go out!" Rhodes couldn't bear Wang Yao's accusation.

Wang Yao suddenly pushed him back hard, and Rhodes was surprised to find that he was no match for Wang Yao's strength. He was pushed all the way back, and his legs hit the piano bench, so he had to sit down.Wang Yao pressed his shoulder, making him unable to move.

Wang Yao lowered his head and looked deeply into Rhodes' clear eyes: "You selfishly use your so-called insignificant pain to torture everyone who admires you, such as Luther, such as... me!"

Rhodes was stunned, his wide eyes didn't even blink.

Wang Yao's hand was raised high suddenly, and he pulled it down towards Rhode's face with the wind.Rhodes closed his eyes in horror, trembling and waiting for the pain, but felt that hand was just gently caressing his face, and then Wang Yao's contradictory voice: "Luther loves you too much, and I, how can you Is it really hurting you?" The hand that imprisoned Rhodes was released, and when Rhodes looked again, he only saw the back of Wang Yao walking out of the door.

Rhodes sat slumped on the piano bench, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Wang Yao came downstairs, and Luther asked him, "Did you find what you left behind?"

Wang Yao smiled and said, "You'd better go up and see Mr. Edelstein, he might be a little unhappy."

Luther heard the words, and immediately went to the piano room after sending Wang Yao away.

Rhodes turned his back to the door, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Rod, what's wrong with you?" Luther stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder worriedly.

Rhodes turned around and hugged Luther tightly as if startled, crying bitterly.

"Luther, don't leave me!" Rhode cried helplessly, burying his face in Luther's generous chest.

Luther hugged him back without any hesitation, his strong arms hugging Rhode's thin body tightly.Luther put his face on the top of Rhodes' head, smelling the smell that belonged to Rhodes: "No, never!"

Walking in the cold wind on the busy street, Wang Yao's heart was clearer and firmer than ever.

Do something that you think is right, even if it is only once in your life.

When he got home, Wang Yao spread out the letter paper and wrote "Honda Chrysanthemum" on the top.