grey alley

After taking the medicine for almost three months, Pei Xiqing didn't feel any big changes, but Lu Mingzhou felt obvious changes.

Pei Xiqing seldom pesters him now, and no longer clings to him like a cat like before.

Lu Mingzhou regretted it, and when he learned the reason, he felt very complicated, but occasionally woke up in the middle of the night after falling asleep, and found that the people around him were still tossing and turning lightly.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingzhou rubbed his eyes.

"Can't sleep." Pei Xiqing was startled by his sudden voice, opened his eyes, and moved in his direction.

This was a side effect of the medicine, the doctor had already told them, Pei Xiqing was a little haggard during this time.He was drowsy during the day, occasionally dizzy, shaking hands, accompanied by slight anxiety, but could not sleep at night.

"Is it okay not to eat?" Pei Xiqing asked him in a low voice in the dark, "I really don't like to eat this."

"Be obedient, eating this is good for your body." Lu Mingzhou touched his face in the dark, slowly traced his outline with his fingertips, and finally put his thumb into his lips, touching it tightly. two rows of teeth.

After a while of silence, he whispered with the same volume as Pei Xiqing: "But if you really feel uncomfortable after taking the medicine, let's report it to the doctor and see if we can adjust it or stop the medicine, shall we?"

Pei Xiqing loosened his clenched teeth, letting his fingertips protrude a soft tip of his tongue.

"It's okay." Everything will be fine.

At the same time, there was silence in Xue's house.

Xue Yu had already fallen asleep, while Xue Dongqing on the first floor was sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, watching Xue Lan sitting across from her with no expression and crying.

She was crying, her voice was kept as low as possible, but it was inevitable that she would make noises, which made Xue Dongqing's brows and eyes stained with a little impatience.

She clutched the blood test sheet in her hand, put her hands on her knees, and choked up sobbing: "Dad..."

"What should I do……"

Xue Dongqing was calm and indifferent.

"I didn't know it would happen, I didn't want to, but he said...he said he didn't like children and wanted me to kill them..."

In the middle of the night, the empty hall echoed her confused words: "I...I don't know what to do..."

Xue Dongqing pointed at her arm with her finger, and frowned slightly, "Xue Lan," his voice was cold, which made people feel a little unreasonable, let alone facing his own daughter: "How old are you now?" gone?"

His question made Xue Lan's crying choke, and gradually weakened.

"Adults should be responsible for their own actions, have you heard this sentence?" Xue Dongqing looked directly at her without showing any sympathy, "Did you ever think about the consequences when you indulged?"

"But... But, he said he didn't want to wear a condom..." Xue Lan wiped her red and swollen eyes, and while doing it, Lu Guanqing begged her in every possible way, with a look of suffocation, kept begging, kept begging Coax, "Is it okay if you don't wear it?" "I won't get it inside" "It's okay, you can take medicine afterwards..." In the end, she was always confused and it made sense, and she couldn't stand Lu Guanqing's torture at all.

Xue Dongqing frowned, which meant that he was already a little angry, Xue Lan shrank unconsciously, and heard the other party repeat it again, her voice lowered and became cold: "How old are you now?"

It's not that you have to rush to find your father when something happens, and it's not that you will be overwhelmed with regrets when there is a problem. She is not seven years old, not 17 years old, she is already 27 years old.

No matter what, people at 27 should have their own independent thinking and judgment, understand what they want and what they don’t want, and actively strive for what they want, instead of waiting for what they like to come to their door , You have to learn to reject what you don't want, instead of hesitating and causing regret for a lifetime.In the end, I lamented my own life every sentence, but it was only venting and crying instead of looking for the reason for the problem.

For a person like Xue Dongqing who started from nothing when he was young and got to where he is now by relying solely on his ruthlessness when he was young, Xue Lan's character and behavior undoubtedly made him feel angry, and the other party Still adding fuel to the fire.

It's too hot.

"So?" He lowered his face: "Do you want to keep this child and persuade him to marry you? Tell me, Xue Lan, do you plan to keep this child?"

Xue Lan murmured for a moment, then lost her voice.

"Stupidity should have a limit," Xue Dongqing stood up, and said coldly: "You have to know how old you are, and whether the other party is at an age that loves to play. You are so eager to send yourself up because you are afraid Can't I get married in the future?"

"I won't care about you, you can handle it yourself. No one cares about you when Xuesong is gone, so you just make yourself like this," Xue Dongqing's gaze was like a knife, and she plucked out a strong flush from Xue Lan's face Bloody: "Reflect on yourself."

"But of course." He continued to smile, because he seldom smiles usually, and now he smiled with some sarcasm, coldly: "If you insist on giving birth to this child, then I have no objection, But how you are responsible is up to you.”

Xueyu's voice suddenly came from the second floor, "What's wrong?"

The two were startled, and turned their heads to see Xue Yu standing on the side rail. His eyes were probably uncomfortable because of the light in the hall. He covered his forehead with one hand, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked sleepy: "What are you talking about?" ?”

Xue Dongqing's complexion changed quickly, and she immediately left the hall and went up the stairs. Xue Lan watched him walk away without hesitation, watched him climb to the second floor and stood in front of Xue Yu, and whispered to persuade him to go back Sleeping, the concern and worry in her tone that she hadn't seen at all, and the unconcealed look of worry on her brows, she suddenly understood how Xuesong couldn't stop his temper for so many years.

Before being persuaded to go back to the room, Xue Yu asked them if something happened, Xue Dongqing glanced at her, and said lightly, "It's nothing, it's just a trivial matter."

Xue Lan raised her head and opened her eyes wide, watching their figures disappear behind the door on the second floor, her heart gradually cooled down.

------

"Don't cry," Lu Guanqing put his hand on her back and patted it lightly, "Do you still have me?"

Xue Lan wiped away her tears, but still couldn't stop sniffing.

"So you said... Did your father say he doesn't care about you?" Lu Guanqing sighed, "To be honest, judging from this matter, Mr. Xue has indeed acted a little heartlessly."

"He doesn't want me and my brother at all, he only wants Xueyu," Xue Lan bit her lips, "I suspect that we are not his own at all, only Xueyu is his child, and he only has Xueyu as a child— —”

Sensing a certain change in her tone, Lu Guanqing touched her shoulder comfortingly, "It's okay, it's okay, I will always be with you, but I think what you said is wrong."

Xue Lan sobbed, "What's wrong?"

"Alan, I don't know if you've noticed, but the first time I saw Mr. Xiaoxue's photo, I felt like this. Although you and him are half-brothers, you don't have the slightest similarity in appearance."

Xue Lan didn't answer.

"He doesn't look like your younger brother, nor does he look like your father. I find it very strange. If there is anyone in the family who is not Mr. Xue's child, it should be him," he shook gently. Xue Lan's body, bit her ear and said: "Don't you think so?"

------

As soon as June passed, Pei Jiajun finished the college entrance examination.

He had been working hard before, sitting in the classroom day and night to study questions, Lin Chunli called him and didn't go home, so he stayed in school until the end of the college entrance examination.

When the bell rang for the end of the exam time, he listened to the roaring cheers from every floor, picked up his pencil case and left the exam room. The faces of the students passing by around him were beaming with joy when they were liberated, but he was the only one who couldn’t fit in with the cheering crowd , a little confused.

He hasn't been home for almost four months.

During this period of time, he has been suppressing himself from looking at his mobile phone. Every month, Lin Chunli will call over there regularly for his monthly living expenses. rejected by.

He really didn't want to go back, and going home would make him feel depressed.

After the college entrance examination was closed, the examination room was closed, and he saw every guardian waiting outside the school gate to seal the school gate tightly, tense, expectant, relaxed, relieved, and so on, just so many unfamiliar faces , unfamiliar expressions squeezed together, but there was no one he wanted to see.

That person would pick him up every time he was out of school, and because the school gate was crowded, he parked the car far outside the school fence, stood behind the crowd, looked at him shallowly, did not make a sound or moved, and waited. He saw him first, then raised his voice and called out "Brother" at a long time, then rushed over regardless of the crowd.

It's a pity that this kind of picture will never appear again in the future.

He slowly packed his things, packed the big and small bags, and turned on the phone, which showed dozens of missed calls, all of which were from Lin Chunli and Pei Sanliang.

When Lin Chunli couldn't get through, she switched her voice: "Jiajun, have you just passed the college entrance examination these days?"

"You must eat well, sleep well, take the test well, and pay attention to rest."

"When did you finish the exam, Jiajun? When will you move to the dormitory this afternoon? Your dad will pick you up."

"Jiajun, answer the phone, have you finished the exam?"

……

Compared with Lin Chunli's series of greetings in recent days, Pei Sanliang seemed much more straightforward.He couldn't get through the phone, so he turned on the voice and said loudly: "When will you finish the exam? I'm at the school gate, when will I come out?"

"Don't fucking turn it off, turn on your phone, I'll be waiting for you for two hours soon."

"The bastard doesn't answer the phone, right..."

Pei Sanliang has been waiting for a long time and has a grumpy temper, but Pei Jiajun deliberately turned off his mobile phone for the past two days and didn't read a single message. He didn't know how long Pei Sanliang had been waiting, and he didn't bother to call back.

Pei Sanliang cursed and sent him a series of voice messages. The last one was two hours ago. Pei Jiajun took too long to pack his luggage. When he clicked on the last one with a blank face, Pei Sanliang's irritable voice came from inside, "He Damn, you still haven't answered the phone, you did it on purpose, okay, okay, you are worthy of being my son, if you are capable, you can walk back with your luggage today, I'm too lazy to serve you!"

Pei Sanliang drove home by himself without waiting for him.

Pei Jiajun was standing at the gate of the school with his luggage. There were very few people in the school. He turned on his mobile phone and saw the person holding a shower to water the flowers in the corner of the hanger on the screen saver. He leaned forward slightly, revealing With half of his face in profile, there is always a flat expression on his face without waves.

He suddenly wanted to call his brother and tell him that he had finished the college entrance examination and did well in the examination. He had no distractions in the examination room and performed exceptionally. He was confident that he would get a good grade. He emptied the dormitory and prepared to leave the school. He is no longer a wayward child who has not grown up.

He misses him very much, wants to hear his voice, talk to him, and flirt with him as before.

But he doesn't have that stand and courage now.

Pei Jiajun stood where he was, looking at the occasional vehicles on the road at the door, and suddenly cried out without warning.

There was a rift in the family because of the 20 yuan incident. He couldn't forgive himself for being so harsh on his father who used his excuses to cover up his selfishness, but he resented him even more for targeting and taking pleasure in bullying Pei Xiqing. my younger self.

In the end he didn't owe their family anything at all, they were the ones who owed him.

The pressure that had been on the top of his head for a long time finally broke out with the end of the college entrance examination. He stood at the door and kept wiping his tears with his sleeve, but the more he wiped, the more he wiped. How did you get through it? Faced with Pei Sanliang's superficial kindness and secret oppression, Lin Chunli's unpleasant rejection and meanness everywhere, and his heartless brother's malicious making things difficult from time to time, I was depressed and powerless here. During the past five years, I used my thin shoulders to carry a debt of 20 yuan, without saying a word.

He is distressed.Hindsight hurts badly.

His brother was right to choose not to come back.

It is the best ending for Pei Xiqing that they parted ways and they no longer communicate with each other.

But, but...

Pei Jiajun knelt down and dialed a number with trembling fingers.

beep - beep - beep -

After a long wait, it seemed that every second was stretched infinitely, so after the connection on the other end of the phone, he was still a little afraid to make a sound.

"Hello?" Pei Xiqing's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Jiajun?"

Pei Jiajun clenched his right hand into a fist against his chest, his voice was joyful and smiling, but the expression on his face was uglier than crying, "Brother, I'm done with the exam, the college entrance exam is over, I'm going to leave school now gone."

There was silence for a while, "Have you finished the exam, how do you feel?"

"I feel pretty good about myself."

"That's good," the voice on the other end of the phone said lightly: "It must be very hard these few days, go back and have a good rest."

Pei Jiajun blinked, and the tears in his eye sockets could no longer hold back. The hot tears fell down and hit the back of his hand, and his voice remained unchanged, "Okay, I will, bro, now—"

"Huh? Who are you calling?" A man's voice on the other end of the phone came from far to near, "Are you hungry? The housekeeper has already prepared dinner."

Pei Jiajun's five fingers holding the phone froze, and he heard Pei Xiqing's intermittent voice "My brother", "College entrance examination", "Going later..." After a while, there was an ambiguous sound of water, mixed with his brother's vague voice Snorting softly, he squatted on the spot a little at a loss. After the movement over there disappeared, he whispered into the phone with a dazed expression, "Brother... who was the person who just spoke?"

"Hmm..." Pei Xiqing said, "My boyfriend."

Pei Jiajun didn't move for a long time, and slowly repeated: "Boy...friend...friend?"

Pei Xiqing hummed again, "Jiajun, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet..." Pei Jiajun lowered his head and muttered: "Brother, you go and eat, I have to eat later, mom is calling me."

"OK, bye."

The security guard at the school gate saw the student whose parents hadn't come to answer the phone for a long time, and buried his head in his knees for a long time without any movement. Seen from a distance in the darkening night, the figure squatting among a pile of luggage looked like A poor, abandoned, homeless puppy.

Pei Xiqing put down his phone, his dishonest hands were still moving back and forth under his clothes.

He lowered his head and grabbed Lu Mingzhou's hand that ran down his waist, "Did you do it on purpose just now?"

Lu Mingzhou raised his eyebrows at him, with a look of "Isn't this obvious enough?"

Normally, he wouldn't bother people when they were on the phone, let alone do some malicious things while on the phone.

A long time ago, he glanced at the notes on the contacts on the phone, and he always felt that Pei Xiqing, a younger brother who had no blood relationship, was sometimes too clingy to him, and Lu Mingzhou didn't like it.After all, in his opinion, this kind of behavior is more like making some meaningless redemption, which is quite annoying.

"Have a meal?"

Pei Xiqing grabbed his fidgeting fingers, "Yes."

Lu Mingzhou blew into his ear, "Hey, have you noticed that you seem to have become a little colder recently?" He squeezed Pei Xiqing's chin with playful strength, and sighed again: "Little scumbag, don't you? I want to wipe my mouth clean after eating at Uncle's and run away."

Pei Xiqing smiled, lowered her head and licked the back of his thumb that he was pinching her, "Then I will make it up to you?"

His small movements were light and quick, leaving behind a hallucinatory slight itch, from the back of Lu Mingzhou's hands all the way to the bottom of his heart, numb.

Lu Mingzhou clicked his tongue, bent down and picked him up easily, and went up to the second floor.

So the butler watched resentfully as he made a table full of dishes all night, and silently lit a candle for himself beside the vase.

Tonight's candlelight dinner seems to belong only to Niu Colu's, Guan, Orphan and Widow's family.

The author has something to say: Good night, Ruhua and Sister Shiliu.