Mr. Butler on the catwalk

It was the night of the 23rd, and Zhang Yishan was standing alone in that backlit alley.He has been waiting here for a long time, his hands and feet are stiff and stiff.

Finally, when he couldn't help looking at the street again, the person he wanted to see finally appeared.

Alfred was walking towards him slowly.Through his steady steps, he couldn't see any eagerness.

Because of his leisurely posture, Zhang Yishan once again felt a certain uneasiness.

"Why did you come so late, I waited for you for an hour..." Zhang Yishan said in a low voice.

Alfred smiled at him and helped him tidy up the scarf:

"So you're blaming me?"

Zhang Yishan became confused because of his gentle movements, and there was some stubbornness in his tone: "If you don't want to see me, just tell me. Don't make me..."

"...This is punishment." Alfred's mouth was slightly raised.

"What kind of punishment..."

"It was you who said you would not meet for a while, and you were the one who asked me out... So what should I do with my self-esteem? You underestimate your influence on me, and I will feel sad too... Let you feel That feeling of being thrown aside, that's my ugly revenge."

...It is clearly a sentence that can bring out hatred, but Alfred uttered it as a love language with obvious desire for exclusiveness.Zhang Yishan was struck dizzy by these words for a moment, but he still reacted with difficulty and said: "That is to say, you made me wait here on purpose."

Alfred raised his eyebrows: "If you feel angry, you can hit me."

Facing the man's easily changing expression, Zhang Yishan suddenly felt a dull pain in his head.Can't be taken away by this man, the purpose of his coming here today is——

"That's not the question. I'm here today to ask you, Luo Lin's last perfume endorsement... Did you intervene?"

Alfred let out a breath, and became expressionless a little bit: "I haven't contacted you for so long, and you came to see me just for this matter?"

Zhang Yishan gritted his teeth and continued: "It has nothing to do with that. I need to know the answer..."

"...When you start to doubt a person, his answers are no longer believable. What's the point of me saying yes or no."

Zhang Yishan was choked up by such a sentence and couldn't speak.After a while, he said in a rare, remorseful tone: "I shouldn't have shown you those things...I don't want to doubt you, but I..."

Alfred's unilateral lips raised.He stretched out his hand and pulled Zhang Yishan into his arms: "... I feel sorry for what happened to Luo Lin. But I think you understand that he may be a gentle friend, but he will not be the best model .So no matter how it goes, the winner in the end...you know who that would be. Don't put on such a pained look, I thought you liked me, didn't you?"

Zhang Yishan struggled in Alfred's arms, and whispered as if giving up after a long time: "As long as you tell me, you didn't intervene in that matter..."

Alfred touched the top of his head, moved the corners of his lips with a half-smile, and said neatly, "It's not me."

The restless expression on Zhang Yishan's face finally relaxed slowly.He looked very tired, and after leaning against Alfred for a long time, he asked softly, "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve... Will anyone come to see you?"

Alfred showed an unhappy expression that Zhang Yishan couldn't see: "...no one."

"...can you celebrate with me?"

Zhang Yishan, who said so, unconsciously became expectant, and was suppressed by force.Alfred touched his cheek: "I have something to do tonight... If you are willing to wait, I will come back and stay with you."

Zhang Yishan raised his head and looked into Alfred's eyes.The gentle look in those eyes was so strong that it was unreal.

……

the next day.

Christmas Eve.

…Because today’s Christmas dinner is scheduled to start at 07:30, the family members of the campers who were invited by LGM to have a meal rushed here when the day just got dark.The first to arrive was a woman with a stern expression and rich clothes--Edmund Foxface hurried over to claim his mother.Then there's Portovite's sister, Luke's aunt, who had been Ayestas' college advisor.These guests with different faces gave Luo Lin a sense of déjà vu. He stood near the door, handing out pre-dinner snacks to the people with a smile on his face, and helping to hang up other people's clothes aside.

It's warm in this room.But whenever the door was opened and closed, the cold wind always came in, and sometimes some snowflakes were swept in, which fell on the floor and turned into small drops of water.Luo Lin had stood at the door and laughed for a long time, but just thinking about how his relatives would not walk in through this door, he suddenly felt a little cold.

He was in a daze, and gradually lowered the tray on his left hand.The door hadn't been opened and closed for a long time, and the people who had been with him had also left, busy going to accompany their family members or friends.When Luo Lin heard the laughter of a child behind him, he couldn't help turning his head - Sean's daughter Alisa was being thrown high into the sky by his father, her soft blond hair and the hem of the red skirt were flying happily stand up.

Luo Lin looked away in a daze, and then found a pair of old hands in front of him, holding an open small cloth bag: "Would you like some gingerbread, young man?"

Luo Lin let out an "hey" and looked at the owner of these hands—it was a woman with dark skin and silver hair, a little fat, about 60 years old, wearing a plain blue skirt with white pattern.The old woman smiled kindly, with rough warmth in her voice.There was a different kind of concern in the eyes looking at Luo Lin.

Luo Lin suddenly felt a little embarrassed, smiled dully, then stretched out his right hand, and took out a gingerbread figurine from the cloth bag in the woman's hand.This is artisanal food, rough in outline but delicious as hell.

Luo Lin was about to nod his head to say thank you, but someone suddenly hugged his neck from behind, and then said loudly to the old woman in front of Luo Lin: "Hey mom, I knew you would not stop coming!! Crowe What about here?? Isn’t he coming to eat??”

The old woman—Mrs. Black smiled dotingly and helplessly: "Don't talk about Claus like a beggar, your brother has his own family...Okay, Rivers, get off other people's shoulders , you won't find eucalyptus leaves to eat* on him."

She then turned her head to Luo Lin:

"Young man, you really shouldn't be standing here alone on this holiday. Come and sit at the table with us..."

Rivers excitedly leaned in front of his mother, and said loudly: "Mom, do you know, he is Luo Lin, I told you, I..."

"Restraint, Rivers, I recognize this child—" Seeing Luo Lin's expression becoming a little puzzled, the old woman didn't explain, she just smiled and let Luo Lin hold his hand, and walked towards the fireplace in the living room. go forward.

In the following time, Rivers seemed more and more happy.He sat on the sofa with his mother and Luo Lin, and started talking in a low voice.Mrs. Black is a careful and considerate person, and she will choose topics that Luo Lin can easily participate in, so that Luo Lin gradually begins to actively express his opinions.Luo Lin, who has always been used to being a listener, was a little apprehensive at first, but when he found out that his words could make Rivers laugh out loud, he felt even warmer in his heart.

In the middle of the conversation, Rivers was called out to prepare dinner and set the table. Luo Lin originally wanted to go out with him, but Mrs. Black stopped him: "Would you like to go for a walk on the terrace with me?"

Although Luo Lin was a little dazed, he followed out.

……

"Son, you don't like Rivers, do you?"

Standing in front of the balcony railing, Mrs. Black said softly.Luo Lin was surprised at first, then lowered his head in embarrassment.

Mrs. Black smiled at Luo Lin like this: "You don't have to feel embarrassed... Rivers told me a lot about you, so I know he likes you very much. I even called him for a while He will cry like a child while calling your name. I am really curious about you and have been looking forward to seeing you."

The old woman paused, then continued with emotion:

"Before Rivers was clamoring that he was in love again and hanging out with all kinds of young people. I'm glad you are as friendly, mature, and kind as he said. But I also know that other kids may Would love to be with him, but you're different. You look at him—the way I look at him."

"Ma'am, I..."

"No, no need to explain, good boy. I'm glad you can take care of him as an elder, I appreciate it very much. Just want to tell you that Rivers has been stubborn since he was a child. He may not be very bright, but for What he really wants, he is absolutely unwilling to give up. Rivers said that you are a very soft-hearted person, so I implore you one thing-if you think you have no possibility of loving him, then firmly refuse. Otherwise, he will persist with hope and refuse to let go no matter what. Maybe you don't want to hurt him, but he persists like this... I think he is very pitiful."

Luo Lin was silent for a long time, then nodded:

"Thanks, I see. Dinner is about to start, let's go back."

...Luo Lin didn't remember clearly that Christmas dinner.The golden red and silver shadows on the tableware and cups lingered in front of him all the time. The luster on the dishes and utensils should be very attractive, but the reflection of the chandelier on the top dazzled his eyes.Luo Lin remembered that they prayed before the meal, but Luo Lin forgot who shook his hand.

Sitting at the long table were fourteen campers and their families.Others who were not present should have gone out with their loved ones.

Rivers sat opposite the long table, and seemed to be trying hard to chat with Luo Lin, but Luo Lin just remembered what Mrs. Black said to him, so he couldn't help smiling.

After finally finishing the meal, the visiting guests began to say goodbye and chat again.Luo Lin sat on the seat, feeling slightly embarrassed.He didn't want to disturb those people who were immersed in the festive atmosphere, just watching Rivers or Luke show their close and warm expressions to their relatives, he suddenly felt a little lonely.

He sat in his seat until a Staff patted him on the shoulder and led him to the now empty second floor.

There is actually a very small room on the second floor, diagonally opposite Luo Lin's current bedroom, which is usually used to store sundries and photographic equipment.Now the door of this small room was open, and the sundries were piled up in one corner, but there was an extra table and chairs in the middle of the room. Staff pointed to the open laptop on the table and said to him, "Sith asked me to tell you that your family left you a video message."

Luo Lin responded, thanked him, opened his chair and sat down.

He moved the mouse, opened the window Staff pointed to, and saw his mother's face appear on the screen.

The mother, who was over half a century old, had a bit of panic on her face, and asked whoever was outside the camera: ——is this the beginning?

It seemed that someone silently gave her an affirmative answer, and the mother turned her face again, but cautiously, she said something in non-standard English:—Hello?

Luo Lin laughed silently, but facing the face of his mother whom he hadn't seen for a long time, his nose suddenly felt a little sour.

In the video, the mother calls her own nickname in a local accent, saying:

——Maomao, are you okay there?

——Mom in the United States has never been there. The TV said that there are many bad guys and guns there. If you go to work there, you should be safe.

——It seems that there is a festival in your place, let your mother talk to you, but my mother doesn't know what to say.

——But don’t try too hard, tell mom when you suffer.Mom has no ability, the only ability is to have a sensible son like you.You are more important than anything else, if work makes you unhappy, you come back.

——You haven’t come back for a long time, Mom misses you.

……

My mother didn't cry when she said those words, she just thought about the sentence, frowning slightly, as if she was afraid that she might make a mistake or say something badly.The light was not turned on in the small room, and the staff closed the door when they left, so Luo Lin just sat and listened quietly in the darkness of this room.The light on the screen reflected on his face, and he was smiling, but there was a slight twinkle in the corner of one eye.

The background of this video is an ordinary indoor scene. It should be the new house that I sent money back to build, but I never went back to see it with my own eyes——Luo Lin was very happy that he was able to pay off his debts and support his family.But he also knew that what his mother wanted was not just a new home, but also a son who could always be with him.

At the end of the mother's conversation, she waved her hand in embarrassment, and said no more, she was ashamed, she couldn't do it.At this time, a familiar male voice sounded from outside the camera, and said to his mother, "Then, auntie, can I move the machine outside the courtyard and talk to Luo Lin again?"

"What's wrong, you brought the machine, thank you for your hard work!"

Luo Lin slightly opened his eyes wide, and that voice was——?The picture on the screen vibrated violently, and gradually stabilized after a while, and it was the outdoor dirt road.After a while, as the camera rotated 180 degrees, Luo Lin was surprised to find that He Shiwei's smiling face appeared on the screen.

He Shiwei seemed to put the DV on the courtyard wall, straightened it, and then took a few steps back.Then, he laughed unabashedly: "How are you, Mao Mao?"

Luo Lin's expression suddenly became embarrassing - He Shiwei is not his mother, and he is not seven years old now.

"I never thought you had such a name—I'm so happy," He Shiwei cleared his throat, but the smile on his face still couldn't be concealed: "It's not in vain that I drove for a long time to your hometown, Really worth the price of admission.”

"... Sith faxed me a few days ago, saying that Christmas is coming, and I have to prepare a roll of family tape for you. Look at how nice I am, and rushed over with the machine... Are you moved? "He Shiwei said so, rubbing his fingers under his nose.

"It's not easy to find your place. The bridge to be crossed on the road is broken, and you can't cry. But your mother is very kind, and she entertained me for dinner just now——Your family cooks all the time. It's a taste."

"If I say that I think your mother is a good mother-in-law, will you want to beat me?"

"Just kidding, don't care about it, don't be angry, and don't think about turning off this video—I'm just being serious, you must listen carefully."

"Cough, um..."

"It's over, I can't think of what to say, go back and ask if this paragraph can be cut..."

"...I never thought this would be so difficult." He Shiwei breathed out in the camera, hesitantly, as if he didn't know whether he should look at the camera or not.The silence lasted for a while, and then he raised his head and said seriously to the camera: "I really want to see you, I don't want to talk to a DV... But now I have no other choice. You always love Desperate, and always enduring when encountering things, I really feel that I can feel at ease when I watch from the sidelines."

"Maybe it's me taking too much control, sorry."

"I have always hoped that you can go further in your career, so I sent you out with all my strength. But now when I think about the sad things you might encounter, I start to regret it again. "

"Really, I said it as if you will always be frustrated... Actually, I know exactly how much potential you have, so just ignore my nonsense and keep going. You will prove yourself to others... You are so good .”

He Shiwei laughed self-deprecatingly:

"I said a lot of things, but I was actually narrow-minded. I don't want you to go for so long, I don't want to see you, I don't want to let you spend Christmas in that ghost place alone."

"I really miss you. You have to work hard there, and I'll wait for you to come back."

"...Speaking of which, when I was eating the dishes cooked by your mother just now, I always felt that you were standing in the kitchen and you were busy."

"You will become a top model in the future. Would you still cook a meal for me at that time?"

"...Merry Christmas, Luo Lin. No matter what you think, I'm always here."

He Shiwei walked towards the machine, the screen trembled for a while, and then went completely black.

That's the end of the whole video.

Luo Lin sat on the chair for a while, got up and closed the computer, pushed the door of this room open, and walked outside under the warm yellow light.

"……Merry Christmas."

After closing the door behind him, Luo Lin said something in such a low voice.His eyes were half downcast, and there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

The author has something to say: * Mrs. Black means Rivers is a koala.I have written three chapters of what happened on Christmas Eve.As far as the main emotional line is concerned, He Da happily took the video... Luo Lin and Duan Fei had a showdown; the one who abused was the second-rate youth Rivers, so I think I really have no preference... Cough In addition, the feelings among the other campers, Alfred's another big lie (this guy is really hopeless) will also be revealed this night.Because I was on a very good list this week, I told Master BJ that I would update [-] words a week... so you are blessed! ! !I have already written the manuscript for tomorrow! ! !At least the short days are more guaranteed! ! !Looking at the outline, Boss He will fly to the United States in a week, and the three rivals in love seem to be killed if they face each other... Anyway, thank you very much for returning to the love you gave me last time! ! !Love love love endless ah! ! !There is no pressure to change [-] a day! !Do I have horns on my head? !Captain, boy, actually, I have already commented on your long comments! ! !If anyone gives a long review, you believe me to update [-] a day! ! !