Fire to the Abyss

Chengzhou District is located in the northeast and has a vast area. It has more than a dozen secondary administrative districts under its jurisdiction. Chengzhou City is one of the more developed ones because of its proximity to the sea.Unlike other cities, Chengzhou's winter is cold and long, and because of its proximity to the sea, warm and humid air flows across the sea, so it is always rainy.

Xia Yan vaguely remembered the few years he spent in the duty room of the police force, it was always raining lightly.

One year, a few hooligans ransacked several small shops while they were home for the New Year.He is not too young to be bold, and he has all kinds of weapons, which are even more complete than the ones painted on the control knives science display board in the team.When Xia Yan came back from the police, his police uniform was completely soaked, with blood stains sticking to his skin, his hair was also soaked, there was a little blood on the corner of his mouth, his eyes were fierce, his whole body was like a lion with unruly fur.He went back to the detachment without a ghost or a ghost like this, startling Zhong Qing who came to see him.

Xia Yan was actually taken aback by Zhong Qing's sudden appearance. She was supposed to be having fun with her family during the New Year, but she was waiting for him in the empty hall of the detachment.Seeing Zhong Qing's pale face, Xia Yan realized that he might not be very handsome. He raised the corner of his lips and showed a very standard reassuring smile: "Qingqing, why are you here? Come and see me——"

If he hadn't collapsed before he finished speaking, then the smile would really have worked.

When Xia Yan was unconscious, he felt that he was being hugged by someone. That person's heartbeat was fast, and his chest was abnormally warm.

When he woke up again, he was already in the hospital, and Zhong Qing was by his side. He hugged the worried little woman in front of him tightly, thinking that she really loved him. How could such a thin body faint before him? When he aroused such a great potential, he picked up a man who was thirty or forty catties heavier than himself and sent him to the hospital.

Xia Yan seldom dreamed about these past events. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was hit by the bright sunlight outside the window. He got up and opened the gauze curtains. This year's New Year's Eve, the sun was shining all over the city.

Xia Yan took out his mobile phone, swiped Zhong Qing's name back and forth with his fingertips several times, and pressed the dial button.

This time, it was not the cold female voice who could only say "the phone you dialed has been turned off" who responded to him, Zhong Qing answered the phone.

She just said "Hello" in a calm voice, but Xia Yan read an unprecedented sense of alienation from it - her tone of voice when answering the phone was always cheerful.

Xia Yan squeezed a blunt smile into the air: "Happy New Year, my——princess."

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Qing was silent for a long time before speaking: "Happy New Year. But, don't call me that again, I have become someone else's princess."

Zhong Qing's tone of voice when she said this was strangely calm, and it calmed down Xia Yan's supposedly sad emotions.

Xia Yan: "Can you tell me about it?"

There was another silence, Zhong Qing's breathing could be heard through the receiver, Xia Yan didn't speak, just waited patiently.

After a long time, Zhong Qing spoke again: "Okay, let me tell you, just listen to me."

"Ah."

"Counting it all together, we have been together for seven years. This is not a seven-year itch, but a doomed ending. I fell in love with you at first sight. The first time I saw you was in a small bar. At that time Lu Yuan just graduated, and a group of you were drinking in a bar to celebrate. I fell in love with you at a glance. Later, I asked a friend to find out your name, your age, your school, what type of girl do you like, and when do you meet? Where to eat, when and where will I pass by, etc. I heard that you like cute and lively girls, I put away my high heels and tight skirts, bought myself a lot of cute clothes, put on cute makeup, and opened my mouth It's just "people", even I feel disgusted.

"You like to eat sweets. On Fridays, you will always go to a milk tea shop with Lu Yuan. You will order a cup of milk tea and a mousse cake there, and chat with Lu Yuan while eating. For me, the cakes there are sweet. Tired of teeth, milk tea is like boiled water with paste, but I still go there every Friday to "run into" you, and finally, you noticed me. After I proposed to date you, you quickly agreed to me , At that time, I was so happy that I didn't fall asleep all night, but it was ridiculous when I thought about it later. How long can a love that started in this way last?

"In the seven years I've been with you, I haven't been able to be myself for a single day. I've always played the image of your perfect girlfriend, revolving around you like the earth. You are my sun. When you are busy, I miss you and don’t dare to call to disturb you when I think of crying. When you need me, I immediately drop everything to find you. However, when you don’t seem to need me, I can count on one hand. The longer I get along with you, the better I will be. The more chilling I was, I used to think that after being together for a long time, even if you didn't like me that much at first, you would gradually get used to me being by your side, and in the end you couldn't leave me...

"But time doesn't seem to be on my side. It's been seven years, and the only person you care about is your brother. You must not know that I went to Chengda to teach, and I used my relationship to let me teach your brother's class because I can share a little more common language with you. It’s very sad. In the past seven years, I have wanted to give up countless times, and I have gritted my teeth countless times to persevere. I always deceive myself. After a long time, you will change. But I still lose in the end It's been seven years, you never said a word like me, love me... I'm tired, it's really tiring to guard someone who doesn't love me, do you understand?"

The voice of the last sentence was almost choked up, Xia Yan really wanted to refute "Of course I like you", but his lips moved, but he couldn't get the words out.

"Of course you don't understand. You have never really liked anyone. How can you understand. You don't have to feel sorry for me. It's all my own choice. I am not a weak and delicate princess. I have been strong since I was a child. Don't look back, it's fine now, you are my south wall. You don't have to worry about me, I have found someone who really treats me like a princess, and I don't need any disguise in front of him. "

Xia Yan habitually wanted to take out a cigarette and light it, but he couldn't find anything after touching it for a long time, so he just sighed and replied softly: "Yes, I got it, I wish you happiness."

Before that, he never thought that he could say "I wish you happiness" calmly.

Xia Yan couldn't help but think, could the relationship of these seven years really be so unbearable?

"By the way, anyway, I won't contact you again in the future. Let me tell you something. Are you still in contact with Lu Yuan?"

Xia Yan was immersed in deep self-analysis, and casually replied: "Ah, what's wrong?"

"I always feel that he cares too much about you... Well, he cares too much about you. In fact, every year on your birthday, he will send you a message at midnight to say happy birthday. It was deleted in , so you don't know."

Only then did Xia Yan realize what Zhong Qing wanted to say, and said helplessly, "I said, why hasn't he stepped on the spot to send me birthday wishes these past few years? The ignorant girl, this is just his personal habit, maybe he just set it up to automatically send letters, you girls just think too much."

Zhong Qing raised her voice a little: "Xia Yan, it's really not that I think too much about it. Do you still remember that one year during Chinese New Year, you fainted in front of me?"

"Remember, didn't you send me to the hospital?"

"Do you have any brains? You are so big, how can I carry it? When I went out to find someone to help, I happened to see Lu Yuan smoking at the gate of the detachment. He was the one who sent you to the hospital. I was like an outsider the whole time." Seeing him frantically picking you up and cramming you into the car to take you to the hospital, that was the first time I saw him look so flustered, and before he left, he asked me not to tell you that he was here."

Xia Yan was taken aback for a moment, Zhong Qing had always spoken softly to him in the past, this was the first time he heard her speak in such an impolite tone, then he thought that maybe this kind of Zhong Qing was the real one, and smiled slightly .

"Oh? Is it him? I thought it was a time of crisis that inspired your potential! He happened to be there, and there were only you, a weak woman who couldn't lift her hands and shoulders, and Lao Zhao, who couldn't walk easily in the duty room. Shouldn't I be sent to the hospital? I was almost bloody at that time, and no one would be flustered. Qingqing, your evidence is not enough to file a case. The friendship between us is purer than the sea, you Stop thinking about it."

"The sea is not pure at all, mentally retarded. Let alone, I am going to pick up my boyfriend. Also, the name Qingqing is really disgusting."

Before Xia Yan could reply, Zhong Qing hung up the phone, Xia Yan kept holding the phone, walked to the balcony with a dull expression.

Although the sun in winter is like a lamp in a refrigerator, the sunlight this day is quite sincere, as if it wants to clear away all the haze for a month at once, and shine on people with incomparable warmth.Xia Yan opened his arms, as if he wanted to embrace the fresh air warmed by the sun. He suddenly felt that the sun was more gentle than ever before.

Suddenly, he laughed loudly: "Hahaha, so it is like this, hahaha——"

This smile is hearty, without any haze.

"Hey, upstairs, what's the noise about the New Year's Eve?"

Xia Yan poked his head out and looked down, the old man downstairs was twisting his neck awkwardly and glaring at him, Xia Yan made a funny face at him in a good mood, and the old man's cheeks bulged out of his anger immediately, as if A faded frog.

"Old man, what are you shouting about?"

This voice is the old man's wife, different from the old man, she is a kind-hearted old lady, who occasionally sends Xia Yan some souvenirs from his hometown, she is the only person in the whole building who cares about him, Xia Yan is very grateful to her.

The old man immediately stopped looking at Xia Yan, turned back to the old lady and said, "Hmph, I was taking a nap on the balcony, and the psycho upstairs suddenly laughed out loud, which startled me and rolled off the chair, with my hands smashed." It's skinned, now, look."

This old man has dementia, and his intelligence is equivalent to that of a primary school student. Every time he talks to the old lady, he has the tone of a child acting like a baby. The combination of that tone and his innocent old face is quite funny. Xia Yan covered his mouth in time I didn't laugh out loud.

"I'll see where I got knocked. Oh, how many times have I told you that the young man upstairs has a bad brain and lives alone. It's poor, so don't be as knowledgeable as him. Come on, go into the house." Go, I'll stick a little cloth on you, and the wound will heal quickly."

Xia Yan:? ? ?

The old lady cared so much about him, so she thought he was really crazy?

Xia Yan suddenly remembered that one day not long after he moved in, there was a case that required him to go to the scene immediately. After washing in a hurry, he put on his clothes and rushed down. When he arrived at the scene, he found that the toothpaste foam on his mouth hadn't been washed off, and his shirt buttons were also buttoned. wrong.He was too anxious when he went out, and he rolled down the stairs without any hindrance when he stepped on the air, and landed right in front of the old lady's house on the third floor.

Just then the old lady opened the door, and she was about to go out to buy vegetables with a vegetable basket in her hand.The two looked at each other awkwardly for a while, Xia Yan smiled at the old lady, then quickly got up and continued to roll downstairs.

Thinking about it now, the old lady's shocked expression at that time seemed to have a bit of sympathy.

The old lady must not understand this truth: not everyone who has toothpaste foam on the corner of his mouth, buttoned the wrong button, or fell down the stairs is not mentally handicapped.

Xia Yanming's mood suddenly became complicated. He couldn't find half a cigarette at home, so he could only chop loudly on the chopping board, cutting all kinds of ingredients all over the kitchen.

"Brother, why can't the kitchen door be opened?"

When Xia Lin came, Xia Yan had already set up a table of dishes. He followed the steps of the recipe completely, but the result was different from the picture on the recipe.However, Captain Xia was quite confident in his learning ability, so he handed Xia Lin a bowl of rice: "Why bother so much, come on, let's serve dinner."

Looking at the cruel dishes, Xia Lin couldn't help but ask, "Brother, did you blow up the kitchen?"

"Nonsense." Xia Yan reached out and tapped Xia Lin's bowl lightly with the tip of his chopsticks: "I closed the door too hard just now and accidentally broke the lock. I'll find someone to fix it in two days. I haven't seen it before." You talk so much, hurry up and eat."

Eyes floating up, left hand touching chin, Xia Yan's habitual reaction when making things up.Of course, such an obvious lie can be discerned even without observing the brother's small movements.

Xia Lin glanced at the closed kitchen door with a complicated expression, guessing that it must be quite tragic inside.

Xia Lin: "Brother, do you have any beer?"

"The nurse told me to ban alcohol and tobacco for a month, but I didn't buy any."

Xia Lin said sadly, "Oh."

Xia Yan raised one eyebrow: "What's the matter? Can't we eat without wine?"

"Oh, no." In order not to hurt the old brother's glassy heart, Xia Lin took a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth with great sadness.

The results showed that these dishes were much better than expected. It may be that the amount of condiments was put according to the recipe. Except that the stir-fry was a bit mushy and the seasoning was not evenly stir-fried, the taste was still passable.

After the two of them finished their meal, they chatted routinely. When Xia Yan said that he was misunderstood by the old lady downstairs as a disabled person, Xia Lin laughed at him severely. Later, when he mentioned Zhong Qing, Xia Lin said mercilessly: " It's a good thing to break up, so don't delay other girls. I've advised him not to be with you a long time ago, but she insisted on not listening. "

Xia Yan: "Ah? What? You actually persuaded her to break up with me? Haven't you considered that your brother will die alone for the rest of his life, dear brother?"

Xia Lin stood up from the sofa, picked up his coat and walked out the door: "Suddenly remembered that I have something to do, so I'm leaving first."

With a smile in the corner of Xia Yan's eyes, he said to the back of his brother who hastily left: "Hey, little brat."

Where do so many things come from during the Chinese New Year?Xia Lin must have gone to see her father.

The relationship between the two brothers has been very stiff since the father passed away. Xia Lin stays alone in the dormitory every year and refuses to have a meal with the brother. This time it has improved slightly because of the Chengda case. They all tacitly kept silent about their father's love.Xia Yan also goes to visit his father every year, and he only goes there after Xia Lin is gone.