Play bone

Despite the pretense, it is necessary to keep a low profile in order to be safe.

The B&B chosen by An Huawen is not the most famous in the town. It is small in scale and even a bit remote—far away from the center of the town, but less than 200 meters away from the abandoned Wu family’s old house.

This is another warm and unique inn, including a three-story imitation wood structure building and a poolside courtyard full of blooming flowers.

The owner of the inn is not a local, but an oil painter who often travels here, and the tenants are often related to the art industry.It's just that in the past few days, the entire homestay has been booked out, and the only distinguished guests are Shen Xingze and his party of four "businessmen investigating the flower business".

Facts have proved that Shen Xingxuan's cross-dressing method was very successful - when he checked in, a movie starring him was playing in the living room on the first floor, but the girl at the front desk didn't recognize the unshaven, gray-haired, and a little hunchbacked girl in front of her. Uncle Yan is the popular lover on the screen.

It was four or five o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at the homestay. After packing their luggage, they went downstairs to have dinner.The boss himself can be regarded as half a gourmet, and the chef's skills are naturally good-of course, the focus of this meal is not entirely on filling the stomach.

To be on the safe side, they did not publicly discuss the purpose of the trip during the meeting.Only An Huawen took the opportunity of serving food to ask the waiter what happened in the town more than 20 years ago.

However, what is disappointing is that all the guys at the homestay have come to the town one after another in the past ten years, and they don't understand the situation at all.In addition, according to them, at least half of the young people in this small town have relocated to the city, and the permanent residents are instead old people and migrants hired to take care of the flower fields.

Although there is no good news, the things that should be done still need to be done.After the meal, the four of them came to An Huawen's room on the second floor to discuss the focus of tomorrow's investigation.

The investigation work on the periphery had actually started several days ago-the town is not big, so there are no local newspapers or radio stations. The nature of the incident more than 20 years ago is unknown, and the people involved are unknown. It is time-consuming and labor-intensive to conduct a large-scale media investigation, and it is easy to leak rumors.

There is only one police station in the town, but to apply for access to the case records of the year, a lawyer must come forward and provide valid reasons; as for the archives in the town, it will be closed for renovation for half a year and will not be open to the public.The file access application was submitted two weeks ago, but it seems that it has disappeared.

In other words: systematic and methodical search seems difficult to do, and I am afraid that the only way to do it is to resort to a slightly primitive but indestructible old method.

Gordon asked the guy at the hotel for a tourist map of the town. An Huawen took out an old map found on the Internet more than ten years ago, compared the two, and combined with Shen Xingze's memories, slowly identified several important places. The exact location of the place.

Kindergartens, elementary schools, grocery stores, book stalls, children's paradise... Just like the online games that children often play, the outline of Shen Xingze's childhood life gradually became clear.

According to the psychiatrist's suggestion, they will walk around these places in the next few days to see if there are any clues that can stimulate Shen Xingxuan's memory.

After the simple combat meeting, it was getting late, and everyone who was tired from the journey went back to their rooms to wash and rest.

Long nights, no heart to sleep.After Lu Li took a shower, he went to look for Shen Xingxuan while wiping his hair.The door was unlocked, and as soon as he opened it, he smelled a strange smell.

It is floral, but mixed with a smell of smoke.

Shen Xingxuan's room is connected to a large terrace, which is filled with various potted plants.May and June are the time when the plants grow wildly. Gardenias and jasmines are in full bloom. The milky white flowers are eye-catching even at night.

And Shen Xingze was sitting on the recliner beside the flowers, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Lu Li walked straight over, actually wanting to criticize this kind of spoiling the scenery; but he thought about it again, but he also took a cigarette from the cigarette case on the table, and put it in his mouth.

Then, he leaned over and aimed his cigarette at the cigarette butt near Shen Xingze's mouth.

Shen Xingze was taken aback for a moment, and realized that he wanted to light a cigarette, so he cooperated naturally.However, the smoldering spark on the cigarette butt was too weak, the two of them struggled crookedly several times without success, but Shen Xing chose to inhale and exhale forcefully several times, completely burning the cigarette on his mouth.

It wasn't until Lu Li couldn't help laughing out loud that Shen Xingze realized it and hit him hard on the back of the head.

"Bullshit!"

Lu Li clutched the back of his head, dragged a stool and sat beside Shen Xingze.

Shen Xingxuan didn't continue to light a cigarette, but he ignored him, and looked up at the sky above the deck chair—it was a quiet night in the small town, without the optical pollution of the big city.The stars shine like thousands of broken diamonds poured on black velvet.

The two of them enjoyed the peace for a while, maybe because they felt that they had treated Lu Li too much, Shen Xing took the initiative to cough lightly.

"...Do you know why I want to be an actor?"

In the dark, he couldn't see Lu Li's expression clearly, but the voice next to his ear sounded quite relaxed.

"Looking in the mirror, I feel that I am so handsome that I can't bear to hide it alone, so I decided to become an actor and share it with the world."

"Be serious with me."

"I'm talking about myself."

It's a joke, but Lu Li is indeed interested in this question: "Then tell me, I won't interrupt, listen carefully."

"...It's actually nothing special."

The smell of smoke had long since dissipated, and Shen Xingze groaned for about two or three seconds in the mixed fragrance of jasmine and gardenia.

"When I was young, I often heard my mother say that she would take me to the city to play and meet my dad only if I behaved obediently, politely and lively. So no matter what I heard or encountered in the kindergarten, as long as I When I get home, I will pretend to be happy and obedient... Granny Fen has never doubted it, and my mother can't see it. Slowly, I began to feel that maybe I was born to be good at acting and deceiving people."

Having said that, he reached out to touch the cigarettes on the table again, but finally held back.

"...But, no matter how well I act, I will still be sent back to this small town in the end."

The moon rose from the hill to the east of the town, covering the entire rooftop with a quiet silver-blue tulle.Lu Li blinked, and under the bright moonlight, the tall man beside him suddenly had an immature, boyish outline.

This boy, who only exists in afterimages of time, tries hard to grasp his own destiny time and time again, but what he gets is always loneliness and loss—maybe this is also the cause of the insecurity and paranoid desire to control in the future.

Lu Li, who always thought he was eloquent, became annoyed at his lack of words.

He wanted to comfort Shen Xingxuan, but after repeated deliberation several times, the words he composed couldn't express a ten-thousandth of the emotions in his chest.

In desperation, he had no choice but to do what he did and send a warm hug.

"Everything has passed, and now you are strong and beautiful, high above you, like the brightest star in the night. Your destiny is only in your own hands."

Shen Xing hesitated to speak, but finally accepted the hug quietly, and hugged Lu Li back at the same time.

"...At least, I still have you."

------

Early the next morning, the search for Shen Xingzai's lost memory officially began.The four of them took the map that was researched and integrated last night, drove from the hotel, and slowly headed towards the center of the town.

The first to be found was the grocery store of that year.The small shop that used to sell all kinds of candies and toys has now been replaced by a brand new milk tea shop. Gordon tried to strike up a conversation with the young female shop assistant, but she seemed to be mistaken, and instead blushed and asked Goudan for contact information.In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, and Shen Xingze didn't think of anything, the four of them left the milk tea shop in a hurry and rushed to the next target on the map.

From the bookstore to the dim sum shop, we also passed the vegetable market and drugstore on the way - unfortunately, the changes over the past 20 years are too great. Some of these places have become parks, and some have been used for other purposes. In short, they are beyond recognition and cannot be recalled. Shen Xing chooses any memory.

On the way, although they also consulted several local middle-aged and elderly people, and indeed some people knew that there was a little boy less than eight years old living in the Wu family mansion, but more information is that no matter how much you ask, you can’t ask. not coming out.

They spent most of the morning, stopping and going all the way, but every time they went to a place, they were disappointed.

"What if we get nothing this trip?"

The most restless Gordon asked the crucial question.

"Then the only option is to try hypnotherapy."

An Huawen obviously thought about it a long time ago: "In any case, the hidden dangers that may cause heart problems must be eradicated."

Lu Li didn't say a word, but secretly observed Shen Xingxuan who was beside him from time to time.

Ever since he got up this morning, Shen Xingxuan has been very silent - of course, he has never been a person who makes noise.However, his silence today is more like a kind of brewing, thinking about how to express what is in his heart.

"How are you?" Lu Li tried to guide him, as if testing the fire.

"Actually, I had a dream last night."

Shen Xingze spoke suddenly, and the carriage suddenly fell silent.

"I dreamed that the four of us came to this town. At the beginning, the town was exactly the same as what we saw yesterday afternoon. But suddenly it started to snow heavily. I was standing in the middle of the road and turned my head to look back. I saw my mother in a red dress and the grandma of the grave standing at the door of the Wu family’s mansion, waving to me. But I turned my back to watching them go further and further...then, I heard—”

Having said this just now, Shen Xingze's voice stopped abruptly.

Because it wasn't just him, everyone in the car heard it at the same time, and a melodious music melody came from a distance outside the half-open car window.

"……This is it!"

Shen Xingxuan involuntarily shuddered twice, his eyes widened, and his face turned livid.

"That's the voice I heard in my dream!"

Lu Li quickly grabbed Shen Xingxuan's hand, and was surprised that his palm was already wet and cold.He immediately reminded Gordon to open the glove box in front of the passenger seat and prepare oral medication for angina.

However, Shen Xingxuan just took it easy for a while, and immediately made it clear that he didn't have any problems.

"I'm fine...but what's the sound?"

"do not know."

An Huawen should be the calmest person at the moment: "It sounds like some kind of broadcast. The rhythm is quite lively, and it should be aimed at children."

As he spoke, he steered the vehicle to turn a corner, and a yellow triangle warning sign with two children appeared beside the road ahead.

"It's school!"

Gordon, who had been looking at the map, also called out at the same time.

"Brother Xing Ze, you used to go to elementary school here for a year!"