Play bone

Lu Li picked out an Art Nouveau style brooch for his mother.A gilt-plated bust of the goddess rests on a beautiful amber the size of a dollar coin, with a baroque pearl underneath.

The selection process is indeed complicated.Fortunately, the French bodyguards who accompanied him helped Lu Li a lot in bargaining.From the beginning to the end, Shen Xingze never took the initiative to give any opinions.It was as if he came here just to see what Lu Li would buy.

The brooch comes in a small wooden box carved from thick twigs.Lu Li took the loot and left the antique shop. The next stop was the flea market.

Guessing that Shen Xingxuan would continue to follow him, Lu Li didn't bother to ask for his opinion.Anyway, when the two of them were together before, they didn't talk much, and they could often tell what crooked ideas the other party was playing with just one look.

The time is close to four o'clock in the afternoon, which is the busiest time.The market aisle less than two meters wide is full of people, including local Western Europeans, Asian tourists, black-haired and pale Eastern Europeans, as well as red-white old beauties and dark and fit Africans... It has become a miniature United Nations. .

In front of a small stall selling tourist souvenirs, Lu Li stopped to pick out key rings and fridge magnets.To his surprise, Shen Xingze also walked to the next stall and communicated with the stall owner in standard American English mixed with a few French words.

What else could there be here that could catch Shen Xingze's eyes?

After paying the bill, Lu Li moved over curiously.It was found that the stall owner was handing a small red, white and blue bow tie to Shen Xingze.There is also a round metal nameplate under the tie.

Lu Li couldn't help but confirm to him, "Is this a collar? It's for cats."

Shen Xingxuan was puzzled by his question, so he glanced at the stall owner again.The French beauty seemed to understand what they were discussing, and immediately compared cat ears and meowed twice.

"...Of course I know." Lu Li smiled wryly.

The two cat collars cost ten euros, which is indeed a bit expensive, but Shen Xingze doesn't care.He fished a leather wallet from the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a card.

The female stall owner glanced at the American Express black card with an exaggerated expression, then shrugged regretfully.

"Sorry, cash only."

Shen Xingze nodded to express his understanding, and then looked down at the stack of yellow and purple coupons in his side pocket.He gave up the idea of ​​taking out money, put the wallet in his coat pocket casually, and then turned to look at Lu Li.

"I don't have change, you pay for me first."

Lu Li's gaze was still on Shen Xingze's handmade wallet, which was obviously a gift he gave three years ago.For Shen Xingxuan, the value of the wallet itself may not be much more valuable than two cat collars, but it can be seen that he has always cherished it.

It wasn't until Shen Xing asked the question a second time that Lu Li came back to his senses.He hurriedly took out a crumpled 20 Ouse and handed it to Shen Xingze, and then suddenly "remembered" that an important item had been left in an antique shop, and he had to find it quickly.

I don't know if Shen Xingze misunderstood that he didn't want to continue to advance money, and Lu Li couldn't care less.He ran back to the antique shop in one breath, opened the door and went straight to the corner, took out an old vinyl record from a wooden storage box, and walked to the counter to pay the bill, panting heavily.

He had been optimistic about this record just now, but he didn't buy it right away because of Shen Xingxuan's presence.

Shen Xingze used to collect vinyl discs, which is one of the few hobbies he has made public.This jazz vinyl disc with Milky Way Star Sea printed on the cover made Lu Li inexplicably feel that everything from the packaging to the content was very suitable for Shen Xingxuan.

After paying the money, Lu Li tried a few times and finally managed to stuff the vinyl disc into his backpack, hiding it perfectly.It was less than a quarter of an hour before the final assembly, and he had to return to the parking lot.

At the same time as he opened the store door, Lu Li found Shen Xingxuan.The man was sitting on a bench in the corner opposite the antique shop with a cigarette in his hand.Two bodyguards stood on the left and the right, attracting the attention of passers-by from time to time.

Lu Li waved at him, then pointed to the watch on his wrist.

Shen Xingxuan understood immediately, and walked towards Lu Li after he pinched his cigarette.But before he took a few steps, a scruffy gypsy child suddenly ran out from under the small bridge behind him, and hit Shen Xingze's waist with precise movements from behind.

Shen Xingxuan staggered half a step when he was hit, one of the two bodyguards stretched out his hand to support him and protect him behind him; the other quickly reached out to grab the child, but the tall man was obviously lacking in agility.In the blink of an eye, the gypsy kid had already run seven or eight meters away, heading straight for the corner of the antique shop.

Lu Li saw the child holding Shen Xingxuan's wallet at a glance - presumably, Shen Xingxuan showed off his wealth when he bought a cat collar just now, and then put the wallet in his coat pocket casually, that's why he was coveted .

No more time to think carefully, Lu Li saw the child running in front of him.He rushed forward with a stride and accurately threw the person to the ground.

The gypsy child let out a muffled groan when it landed, and immediately went mad and bit violently.Lu Li was hit in the stomach several times. He thought it was just a few punches, but when he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of the cold light of the blade!

The abdominal pain continued, and Lu Li was completely shocked.The gypsy child was still struggling desperately, but luckily two bodyguards and police patrolling the market had arrived, took the blade from his hand, and picked him up like a chicken.

Shen Xingxuan also ran over, squatted on the ground, and helped Lu Li from the ground into his arms.His strength was so great that Lu Li even wondered if he had become a paper man.

"How about it?!"

Seeing Lu Li reaching out to cover his stomach, Shen Xing stretched out his hand to lift his hem.The hand trembling failed once, but the second force made a tearing sound of fabric.It turned out that the clothes were pierced with two holes by a knife, but no blood leaked out.

"..."

Pain is almost gone.Lu Li looked down and saw two triangle-shaped knife marks on the belt, but there was no wound on his body.

Only then did he realize that his life was saved by this new belt.

The gypsy thief was turned over to the local police station, but because he was too young and did not cause actual injuries, he would not actually receive any substantial punishment.At most, they will be locked up for one night, and they will continue to do evil tomorrow morning.

The local police even said that this kind of thieves always commit crimes in gangs, and they didn't take any further action when they discovered that Shen Xingze's bodyguards had guns just now.It is fortunate that the personnel are safe and sound, and there is no property loss.If the investigation continues, the gang may retaliate against Asian tourists in the future.

It sounds infuriating, but considering the team is leaving early tomorrow morning, it is not wise to expand the situation.After deliberation, Shen Xingze finally chose to give up the pursuit.

It was five o'clock in the evening when we left the police station, and the convoy returned to Paris in the dark.Lu Li followed Shen Xing and sat in the main car.Although they usually don't talk much and won't be embarrassed, the atmosphere at this moment is obviously tense, like a vacuum.

Lu Li felt that he was a little short of oxygen, so he couldn't help but speak first, "I'm sorry, I made senior brother worry about me just now."

For a long time, Shen Xingxuan did not speak.There was a row of small lights on the roof, thanks to them Lu Li was able to confirm that Shen Xingze was not asleep.

After a while, Shen Xingze finally moved his chapped lips.

"What...what were you thinking at the time?"

Lu Li recalled the scene for a while.

"Actually, I didn't think too much about it. I just thought that I should catch the thief and get the things back quickly."

His original intention was not to be too utilitarian, but it was this understatement that suddenly ignited Shen Xingxuan's anger.

The man turned his head and stared at him fiercely, like a wolf staring at a dying prey.

"Haven't you ever thought that you are different from those bodyguards, you are unarmed! What if you are stabbed by those knives? You are probably dead!"

Once it started, he didn't intend to give Lu Li any chance to explain, he just vented his suppressed emotions for hours.At this moment, he even hated Lu Li, and hating this Lu Li reminded him of the hellish consternation and panic many years ago.

The past and the future, which have always been inseparable and have not completely overlapped, are forcibly welded together by the flames of anger at this moment.Shen Xingze didn't realize at all that his thinking had fallen into a pathological chaos.

He even leaned over and put one hand on Lu Li's waist.

"If it weren't for this belt, the belt I gave you, you would be lying in the French morgue by now!"

Lu Li was forced by Shen Xing to retreat in the narrow area between the car door and the seat.His muscles tensed up, as if he was ready to run away at any moment.

But this is just a subconscious conditioned reflex, while his rationality made the completely opposite choice at the same time.

He stretched out his hand and lightly pressed the back of Shen Xingze's hand.

"There is something I don't know whether to say or not..."

"If you shouldn't say it, then don't say it." Shen Xingze was obviously still angry.

Lu Li laughed dumbfounded and stopped talking.He just grabbed the backpack on the back row sideways, and took out the antique vinyl disc from it.

Unfortunately, when he fell with the thief just now, the fragile plastic disc had been broken into several pieces.

Maybe this item appeared too inexplicably, Shen Xingze's anger was successfully paused.

"I originally wanted to give it to you." Lu Li smiled wryly.

After staring at Lu Li for half a minute, Shen Xingze's gaze finally turned to the album cover with the stars painted on it.Lu Li's hand holding the record shook slightly, and clear veins could be seen on the back of his hand, which was proof of his nervousness and sincerity.

For some reason, Shen Xingze slowly began to calm down.

He took the record and gently felt the raised stars on the cover with his thumb.

"Which antique shop did you buy it?"

Lu Li nodded, his eyes sparkling under the light.He said gently that he remembered that it was said in the magazine that Shen Xingze likes to collect vinyl discs, and he originally wanted to take those clothes as a small thank you.

Shen Xingze has calmed down a lot.The broken vinyl disc was in his hand, and it made a crackling sound when he moved it a little.After a while, he found that the same crack seemed to be happening deep in his heart.

From the moment he found the knife marks on the belt, he began to believe that he saved Lu Li's life; he even secretly had the idea of ​​bringing this "new Lu Li" under his control.

But the present broken gift was telling him another truth: he was not someone's savior, at best he had redeemed a terrible mistake made by him.

No.Thinking about it further, in fact, all of this—whether it is the cause or the effect—is completely out of his control.Just a coincidence, the most impotent coincidence.

The anger was subsiding, and Shen Xingze felt that he had fallen from a purgatory of fire into an abyss of ice.

Lu Li didn't miss Shen Xingze's hesitation.He took a deep breath, slowly straightened up, and regained his own position, but he didn't let go of Shen Xingze's hand.

"Many things in this world are originally unreasonable. Birth is not because you want to be born, and death is not because you want to die. The more precious something is, the less you can control it. The only thing you can control is yourself."

After he finished speaking, the people around him remained silent.But the almost aggressive Shen Xingze just now had disappeared.

The broken vinyl disc was also silently taken away - it was perhaps the most worthless gift Shen Xingze had ever received in his life.