desolate

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"You...why didn't you come last night? Did something happen?"

"Well, I have something to do at the last minute, and it's already late after work, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, oh yes, are you at work? Then I won't bother you."

"alright, bye."

"Bye-Bye."

Pei also put down his phone, and used a Band-Aid to cover the wound on his face again. Although this method had little effect, after all, there was more than one wound, so he could only try his best to cover up the most obvious one.

He looked at Su Ya on the sofa, expressionless, but the other party still looked back with awareness.

"Are you satisfied?"

Pei Ye sneered, threw the old band-aid on the coffee table, and threw it in front of her.

"I... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's all my fault, I'm sorry..." Su Ya covered her face and cried again.

This is the third time.

From last night to now, Su Ya has cried three times, and Pei also finds it inconceivable, won't her tears run dry?Why can't I shed a drop?

He put the iodophor back on the table, and said flatly: "I'll take two days off to help you sell the house as soon as possible. After paying back the money, I won't take care of your business anymore."

Let's make a clean break.

The red liquid was stained on the clothes, like a pool of blood, which was a bit of an eyesore, and I didn't know whether to wash it well.

Su Ya suddenly grabbed Pei Ye's hand: "...Where are you going? You can't go, I swear I really don't smoke anymore, really, you believe me! You see, I took you back from the side of the road Come on, I have raised you for so many years, you give me a chance, I really don’t smoke anymore, really, I will never touch it again..."

As she spoke, she knelt down, and her tears hit the back of Pei Ye's hand, which was so cold that it made people sick.

The grace of nurturing...

Nothing to repay.

"...Why? Why me?"

Did he deserve all this?

If possible, he also wanted to ask hysterically, anyone is fine, let someone tell him, what can he do to get better?But he couldn't even do that.

too tired.

Pei also withdrew his hand.

He finally left the house.

It was sunny outside, and there was not a cloud overhead, and the late summer sun seemed to be roasting him, burning him to ashes.

...he finally left.

But where should he go next?

August NO.16 is Pei Ye's birthday on his ID card.

today Tomorrow……

Two days left.

Zhou Ze opened the phone calendar and set an event reminder in the note of NO.16.

Unfortunately, that day was also the beginning of Huayu's third year of high school, so he wanted to celebrate Pei Ye's birthday one day earlier, even if it was just to eat a cake together.

However, it was a little late when he remembered this matter, it was too late to pick gifts online, so he thought about it all night and planned to give a pair of sneakers.

Although Pei also doesn't seem to know how to play, Zhou Ze can teach him if given the chance.

It was rare for him to knock on the door of Zhou Xuan's room today, because it was too sunny outside, and his real brother was hiding in the room to sleep.

What a waste of money.

"What are you doing..." Zhou Xuan looked helpless with a pair of sleepy eyes.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, and you're still sleeping?" Zhou Ze walked into his room, facing a strong smell of cologne.

"Brother, I don't sleep until five o'clock in the morning!" Zhou Xuan followed behind him, "What's the matter with you?"

In the center of the room were two open suitcases, the same as they had been on the first day he checked in, and they had apparently been left untouched since then.

Zhou Ze crossed these two roadblocks with difficulty, found a chair and sat down by himself: "Don't sleep, you will accompany me to buy shoes later."

Just as Zhou Xuan lay down, he heard his words and played again.

"You go by yourself. Besides, how can there be two big men shopping? Don't you have any friends?" Zhou Xuan said with a look of disbelief, "...Oh yes, you really don't have any friends."

He has been here for almost a week, and he only saw Xu Dazhi once, and the two of them didn't seem to know each other very well.

Zhou Ze took out his mobile phone: "If you don't go, I'll call Sister Guan Xi, I heard that she has..."

The next second, Zhou Xuan stood up immediately: "Don't!"

"I go!"

As if worried about the other party's sudden change of mind, he quickly changed his clothes and shoes, and stood in front of Zhou Ze while brushing his teeth, warning him not to be a small thing with a mouthful of toothpaste foam in his mouth.

"hurry up."

Zhou Ze put down his phone compromisingly.

It took less than 10 minutes for the two of them to go out. The sun was scorching outside. Zhou Ze lowered the brim of his baseball hat a little. Even with sunglasses on, he could feel the resentment in Zhou Xuan's eyes.

Zhou Ze turned his head slightly, pretending he didn't see anything.

"Where can I buy it?" Seeing him looking up the map, Zhou Xuan took a look, "So far?"

The nearest shopping plaza to them was in the center of the old city of Pingjiang. They didn’t even need to take a taxi to walk there, but most of the shops inside were self-employed, and the quality of the goods varied, so it was considered a big supermarket at best.

On the contrary, a large shopping mall has opened in the new urban area, and several brand stores have settled there since it opened. Zhou Ze plans to go there for a stroll.

The new urban area has only been developed in the past two years, and the surrounding area is not as lively as the old urban area. There is even a large wasteland opposite this shopping mall.

As soon as Zhou Xuan got out of the car, he was impressed by the smallness of the county.

"After staying in Beijing for a long time, I really take myself seriously." Zhou Ze commented on him unceremoniously.

"..."

His mouth has been poisoned a lot recently, and Zhou Xuan has a deep understanding of this.

But if he refuted it, the other party would definitely be even more merciless, so he has learned to be good, and now he pretends not to hear it.

As soon as they entered the mall, the cold wind that hit their faces lowered their body temperature slightly.

There are several brand shoe stores on the first floor.Zhou Ze walked over one by one, and occasionally asked Zhou Xuan to choose styles for him.

"This pair is not suitable for you..."

Holding a pair of black and white sneakers, Zhou Ze looked carefully: "What's the use of suiting me, it's not for me to wear."

"?"

Zhou Xuan pulled the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose to the top of his head: "Did you buy it for someone else?!"

Zhou Ze changed another pair: "Yes."

"male?"

"……yes."

"Are you sick! It's a fucking 32-degree day, and you came out to buy shoes for a man?"

"You might as well use a loudspeaker to broadcast."

Zhou Ze looked at him coolly, resisting the urge to stuff the shoes in his mouth.

"..."

For the entire afternoon that followed, Zhou Xuan was immersed in the reality that his own brother had come out, and he completely forgot about the fact that he promised to help pick out the shoes when he came.

Finally, when Zhou Ze finished paying and walked out of the shopping mall with new shoes, Zhou Xuan suddenly remembered and asked, "You didn't buy this for that teddy head last time, did you?"

"Teddy head? Who?"

"The last time I came to the hotel to look for you!"

"Him? How is it possible?"

Zhou Ze stared at him puzzled, as if saying "You are stupid".

"really not?"

"..."

After Zhou Xuan repeatedly confirmed, Yu Sheng sighed like a catastrophe: "It's good if it's not, it's good if it's not, that kid doesn't look good."

"..."

Zhou Ze thought to himself, sometimes he really doubts whether the two of them are brothers or not.

However, in order to thank Zhou Xuan who was still willing to go out during the dog days, he generously treated him to a meal of Mala Tang.

Back at the hotel in the evening, Zhou Ze ordered another cake online. After doing all this, he remembered that he hadn't seen Pei Ye for a day. He looked at the time and he should be leaving get off work soon.

So he swiped to WeChat and made a video call.

After waiting too long, the other party picked up, but it was not a video, but a voice.

"...What's the matter?" The other party's voice was a little soft.

"It's okay, are you off work?"

"Not yet, I may have to work overtime today."

"Then you..." "By the way, when do you start school?"

Zhou Ze originally wanted him to come to him after work, but he was interrupted by the other party as soon as he spoke, and even asked about this unpleasant topic.

"...the day after tomorrow."

"..."

Pei Ye was silent for a while, probably because he didn't expect it to be so soon.He looked at himself reflected on the phone screen again—the injury on his face was obvious, and it might take ten days and a half months to fade away.

This is also the reason why he is unwilling to take the video.

He really didn't want Zhou Ze to get involved in this mess.

Not at all.

So he was silent for a short while, and then resumed his flat tone: "...Brother Ze, I'm sorry, my client is here, can we talk later?"

"Pei..."

The phone was disconnected.

Return to silence.

Zhou Ze opened his mouth a little at a loss, then pursed it tightly, and the corners of his mouth were drawn into a line.

He realized that something seemed to be going wrong, and he didn't know what to do or what to do.

Can only watch helplessly.

It is useless to do anything.

The author says:

hi, here we come