Manhattanhenge

Su Hui is not interested in grandpa's birthday party, and he is very picky eater, and has no expectations for those delicate but boring foods.

He hoped that his family would sit around the dining table like he did when he was a child. There was a big old-fashioned cream cake on the table, and there was a big meal cooked by Chen Ma.

But that was all many years ago.Later, they hardly celebrated their birthdays at home. On such occasions that should have been warm, Su Hui was always forced to meet many people who had nothing to do with him.

Grandpa Ji Tai is extremely precise in his performance, and cannot tolerate any mistakes. He even regards the face he has worked so hard for so many years as a treasure, above everything else.

Even the mother, who bypassed her grandfather to fall in love and get married with her father, was almost kicked out of the house by him, and said the cruel words "If you don't leave him, don't come back in this life".

Perhaps the harsh words were too much like a curse. Before his mother left, his father Su Jin was involved in a car accident and passed away.Like repaying a debt, Ji Yanan was returned to the Ji family.

Ji Tailu didn't feel sorry for Su Hui's father's departure, but repeatedly asked Su Hui to change his surname and follow his.Thinking that Su Jin left early, there is no need to leave any traces on his grandson.

Under Ji Yanan's insistence, this request was not fulfilled.This is the mother's rare persistence, just like she insisted on changing "Yanan" to "Yanan".

Su Hui often heard from her grandmother that her mother had a lot of opinions about her original name when she grew up, and she thought she was no less than any man.The two couldn't stop arguing, and quarreled several times. Finally, under the mediation of their grandmother, they each took a step back and only changed one word.

These past events made Su Hui extremely curious about how her mother, who was quite rebellious in terms of name and love, became what she is today.

Maybe it's because of him.

Because the proud mother had a mentally ill child.

"I picked out a set of clothes for you and put them in your room. You just wear this set and don't wear anything else. Remember? Then I have prepared a gift for you. I will give it to you when I see your grandfather." he."

Su Hui listened to his mother's voice on the phone without interrupting, even though he thought it would be rude for someone else to prepare a birthday present.

He knew that his mother didn't trust him, and not many people trusted him.

Even Chen Ma, whom he likes, can't 100% believe what he said "I have really taken the medicine", and will still respond with a skeptical attitude and ask again.

"By the way, my hair stylist will come to your home at five o'clock to cut your hair. Your hair is too long now, and you don't look like it. You should cut it fresh."

"Okay." Su Hui said calmly.

Manic excitement mixed with frustration from his family, Su Hui walked back to his room from the garden, this is the only way he always escapes, like a lost dog getting out of the doorway.

Before he opened the sliding glass door, he saw the suit of clothes hanging on the white vertical hanger, white shirt and black trousers, and a pair of expensive leather shoes.

He stood barefoot in front of the hanger, and changed clothes one by one as his mother asked.

The servant outside the door kept knocking on the door, saying that the hairdresser had come and asked him to go out.Su Hui was a little irritable, and she used some strength to button her button, and finally tore off the second button on her chest.

Su Hui still went out like this.

Facing the hair stylist, he smiled friendly and let him play with his face and hair like a mannequin in a window.All the compliments seemed soulless, Su Hui just wanted to end it quickly.

As soon as the cutting was finished, Mother Chen came over, holding Su Hui's medicine in her hand, resisting the noise of the hair dryer with a slightly louder voice, "Master, Miss asked me to count the amount of pills, I think it's the same as this morning, Did you forget to eat..."

Su Hui's memory is different from that of normal people. He often loses some life fragments like frame skipping due to illness, so everyone in the family is skeptical of his words.

But he stubbornly said that he had taken it, and Chen's mother was a little embarrassed, so she could only repeat that the number of pills had not changed, and that his mother had repeatedly told him that he could make fewer mistakes when taking medicine in normal times, but absolutely not today.

It seemed that Su Hui couldn't go out without taking medicine. He just didn't want to go, and he didn't want to lose his temper with Chen Ma, so he walked into the garden like a child, looking for a watering can everywhere, intending to take care of his own flowers and plants.

But Chen Ma misunderstood, thinking that he was looking for rope again, she was so frightened that she immediately called Ji Yanan.

The mother quickly changed her mind, went home before going to the hotel, forced Su Hui to take the two pills, and used some embarrassing but effective methods in front of the hairdresser who had no time to escape.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Su Hui turned his head sideways, staring at the traffic outside the window motionlessly, thinking of opening the car door and jumping out, but he couldn't open it.

"Did you take a gift? It was the Fulong Inkstone I asked a friend to buy from a famous craftsman at a high price. I heard it was a tribute from the past. Your grandfather should be able to appreciate it. He likes to write calligraphy and needs it." .”

Su Hui didn't look back, thinking of the heavy gift box and the gift she had made by hand in the past, it took a whole month, but grandpa didn't directly say that he didn't like it, it didn't conform to his upbringing.But Su Hui could tell that he put it directly in the cabinet, together with the packaging, and did not show it.

Compared with a priceless inkstone, the things he made are indeed cheap.

When getting out of the car, Su Hui obviously felt dizzy.He stood still and slowed down, and when he walked to the hotel elevator, he was softly scolded by his mother.

"I'm waiting for you, so hurry up."

"Mom, I'm not feeling well." Su Hui walked to her side.

"Where is it uncomfortable?" Ji Yanan looked at him with concern, but found that Su Hui's neckline was open, "Why don't you wear your clothes well?"

She started to tidy up, only to find that the buttons were gone, a little unhappy, "Where are the buttons?"

A physiological nausea came up, and Su Hui held back, "I feel a little... nauseous."

"You're really disobedient, you can pull the buttons off even when you're wearing clothes." Ji Yanan had no choice but to pull down the hem of the clothes behind him, so that the neckline would go up.

When the elevator arrived, she grabbed Su Hui's hand and said, "Drink some tea and press it down. Are you secretly eating something you shouldn't eat again? I've said it countless times, don't eat indiscriminately when you're outside... "

When they saw the guest, they were on the phone in the corridor, and when Ji Yanan greeted him with a smile, she stopped talking, smiled, and stopped telling Su Hui.

They booked the largest private room, the size of two suites, with all kinds of entertainment in it.

A pot of purple phalaenopsis was placed in the center of the round table for eating, and some guests had already been seated.As soon as Ji Yanan entered, the acquaintances inside smiled and walked over quickly, talking to their mother and son.

An unfamiliar aunt came towards Su Hui and hugged him affectionately.The precious perfume on her body irritated Su Hui's respiratory tract, violets and iris, and the rich powder and powder gas rushed.

I feel sick.

Su Hui endured the discomfort, and was led by Ji Yanan to sit down beside her grandfather, and gave him the inkstone as if submitting homework.

The shame of others made Su Hui feel like sitting on pins and needles.

The old acquaintances around who had friendship with Grandpa passed on the inkstone one by one, and they all showed thumbs up to Su Hui, and praised him extremely.Su Hui didn't answer, and sat with downcast eyes.

"Xiao Hui will be graduating in two years, so when the time comes, do you plan to go to the central bank or..."

Su Hui said that he hadn't thought about it yet, and Ji Tailu smiled, "He has a childlike heart, and he's not good enough. He can't compare to your grandson. He has made a career so quickly, and he is young and promising."

Several people began to flatter each other, and the scene couldn't be more familiar.The dizzy reaction increased, he supported the seat with his hands, and drank several sips of tea but couldn't suppress the nausea and nausea. He felt like vomiting even though he hadn't eaten anything.

Not far away, grandma got away from the chatting of the wives at the side, walked towards Su Hui, and gently pulled Su Hui into her arms, "Why is our little Hui losing weight again? Eat more."

Seeing grandma, Su Hui felt better, "Grandma, you look really nice today."

"When you praise me, you praise yourself. You chose me." Grandma said with a gentle expression.

She is interested in literature and art, and she also devoted herself to it when she was young. Now that she is retired, she often travels around the world and is not often at home.

But as long as she is here, Su Hui feels safe.Grandma is different from everyone else and can understand him.

Su Hui smiled like a child, but the grandfather beside him said seriously, "Su Hui, sit down."

Su Hui had no choice but to get out of her grandmother's arms and sit upright.

"You're not a child anymore. Learn more from your uncle. You still look like a child when you grow up. You're not calm at all."

His expression was too serious, and even the people around him couldn't help but come out to smooth things over, "Xiao Su is still young, how big is this, and Mr. Ji, you are just such a grandson, you must have a bright future."

"Yeah, he won't be a famous figure by then!"

"After that, Xiao Su will have to take care of us.

Hearing these people's vain flattery made Su Hui feel even more uncomfortable. He couldn't even help wondering if these people would still be like this if he wasn't born in this family, or if all the wealth and status they had lost.

Not long after, another person walked in from the door, Su Hui raised his eyes and saw that it was Xu Zhi.

The last time I saw this stepfather was a month ago, and I heard from my mother that he was assigned a very important mission abroad, and there was a high probability that he would be promoted when he came back.

Judging by his smug look, I'm afraid he has received good news.

"Xiao Xu is here."

Hearing the guest's voice, Ji Tailu raised his eyes and nodded slightly.Xu Zhi took off his coat, and said a few words of apology, and apologized with tea instead of wine, as always thoughtful and tactful.

Seeing him coming, Ji Yanan walked over with a smile.Although she was well maintained and beautiful, the years still left traces on the corners of her eyes and brows, especially when standing in front of her partner who was eight years younger than her.

This kind of incompatibility was not without objection in the early days, and Ji Tailu was the first one.But Xu Zhi is not easy. He was still a small staff member, but he was able to persuade Ji Tailu by himself to agree that he and Ji Yanan should be together.

Su Hui's eyes looked at Xu Zhi's fake smile, and he thought in his heart that even his own biological father didn't get such recognition.

The combination of this couple has never stopped the discussion behind it. The college students in the ravine got on the phoenix nest and rose all the way, relying on Ji Lao's only daughter to change their fate against the sky. Xu Zhi seems to turn a deaf ear to such comments, and only thinks about it For their own career, for the leap in class.

On the sofa, Xu Zhi was pouring tea for Ji Tailu with a smile, and glanced at Su Hui from the corner of his eye, "Xiao Hui looks good recently, isn't she doing well in her studies? Did you encounter any interesting things at school?"

Su Hui forced a smile, "No, maybe it's almost summer. I like summer better, so I'm in a good mood."

"That's good. A good mood is the most important thing." Xu Zhi took a sip of tea himself.

"Recently, a colleague's daughter in our office fell in love, and the relationship was really deep. Unfortunately, the other party didn't seem to be a good person. The colleague thought it was unreliable, so he asked her to think about it again. I didn't expect the little girl to cry at home. I didn't even eat any food."

Grandpa listened, shook his head, and put the teacup on the table, "It's not good."

"That's right." Xu Zhi smiled, "Love is to make you feel good. If you exhaust yourself physically and mentally for others, you will put the cart before the horse."

A guest caught something and joked with a smile, "Should Xiao Hui be in a relationship now? She looks so handsome, there must be many girls chasing her."

The other laughed immediately, "No, my friend's daughter just likes Xiao Hui, and she even cares about me asking for a phone call. How dare I, tell him quickly that this child is the only grandson of Mr. Like something, let them not count on it."

Ji Tailu smiled, "Not at all, he is not in the right place now, nor is the time."

"Yes, when the time comes when uncle will serve as your staff, there will still be many good girls in our circle."

"Hey, is there a granddaughter in Chief Wang's family..."

Su Hui listened to everyone's words, and gradually developed tinnitus, buzzing in his head, and wanted to vomit.

Grandma was called away by his mother, Xu Zhi made him the center of the topic with a few words, and it was too late to run away.

Su Hui drank another cup of tea, but the symptoms still didn't get better, but the symptoms got worse.

Everyone is almost there.As soon as the appetizers were served, my grandfather's old subordinates stood up and toasted to say congratulations. As soon as he opened his mouth, Su Hui couldn't bear it. He got up suddenly, walked out quickly, left the box, went to the bathroom outside and vomited.

The dizziness continued and her legs felt weak. Su Hui realized that something was wrong.He didn't eat anything bad, but lithium poisoning.

In the private room, Ji Yanan smiled and said that Su Hui had gastroenteritis recently, so don't worry everyone. After the guest finished his congratulatory speech, he used the excuse of urging Cai to go out to find his son, but he couldn't find it.

She turned on the phone and saw the messages from Su Hui, there were many messages, the words were confusing and illogical.

[Su Hui: I said that I have already taken the medicine, if you don’t believe me, you must let me take it again]

[Su Hui: I was poisoned by excessive lithium salt, and now I am poisoned. ]

[Su Hui: I know how to do it, celebrate your birthday well, don't come to me, you are afraid of being criticized]

[Su Hui: I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry]

When I called again, Su Hui had already turned off the phone.

This is not the first time this happened, Ji Yanan frowned, held back his emotions, turned around and called the driver Feng Zhiguo, asking him to find Su Hui.

Feng Zhiguo got the order and drove around around the hotel, but he couldn't find the wayward young master, and felt extremely bored.

This job is not as easy as he imagined.

In this huge city, there are many people who are worried about work, and Ning Yixiao is the same.

On this day, he could have ended his tutoring work for this semester smoothly, but he saw that Ding Xiaochen had suffered a more serious injury, the bruises on his neck were appalling, his knees were also swollen, and he was walking with a limp.

In the middle of the class, Ning Yixiao got up, left the room and called the mother of the child. The other party hesitated on the phone, ambiguous, and cried weakly when Ning Yixiao said, "I really can't do this anymore." out.

He asked Ding Xiaochen's mother to call the police, but the other party faltered and hesitated.

Ning Yixiao knew that he had no position and could not even be regarded as a real teacher, but he still told this mother about the possible more serious consequences in the future, and heard her fall into a painful silence.

Ten minutes later, Ning Yixiao took the child to the hospital.He was very silent along the way, but Ding Xiaochen comforted him, "Teacher, don't be angry."

Ning Yixiao always smiles at ordinary times, and rarely has an expressionless face.He knew that this would scare Ding Xiaochen, so he smiled, "I'm not angry."

While waiting for registration at the hospital, he said again: "You should be angry, you have the right. When you grow up, you can leave this house. You should study hard for this purpose, understand?"

Ding Xiaochen nodded, his eyes flushed, and he whispered thank you teacher.

Ning Yixiao was not sure if he could continue to be his teacher after today, so he just said to him: "He is not worthy to be your father."

"I suggest that after you go back, let your mother take you to report the crime. Even if you can't get him punished for a while, remember to grit your teeth and bear it, and return it to him in the future."

Ding Xiaochen held back his tears and nodded, unable to even say thank you, Ning Yixiao patted him on the shoulder and took him for an examination.

On the way, he received a call from Ding Xiaochen's father, so he went to the corridor to answer.

The other party reprimanded him very loudly on the phone, almost furious.Ning Yixiao listened in silence, staring at the hospital slogan "Gathering the hearts of parents all over the world, warming the hearts of all the world" posted on the wall.

"Who told you to meddle in your own business? What I paid for was you to give my son extra lessons. What are you? You still have to sue, you little bastard, I really give you face!"

After hearing what he said, Ning Yixiao actually had a mocking smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Mr. Ding, why are you so angry?"

The other party was dumbfounded when he asked him such a question. He did not expect such a reaction.

Ning Yixiao smiled and said kindly, "Is it because I suggested your wife call the police? Or is it because I taught your son how to deal with people like you?"

"you!"

"Mr. Ding, these are indeed your family affairs, I have no way of asking. Of course, you can continue to beat Ding Xiaochen, at worst, kill him, but do you really dare to take your life? As far as I know, you are a technician from an outsourcing company. There is not much room for advancement, it is easy to be replaced by newcomers, and they are also carrying high mortgages.”

The man opposite obviously lacked the confidence just now, and he pretended not to be afraid, "What do you mean by that!"

Ning Yixiao was extremely calm, "You don't dare to kill Ding Xiaochen, he will grow up one day, you will grow old, you will be so old that you can't even lift your hands, and you will be destroyed with a kick."

"If you pay me, I'll teach you the last lesson. Leave a little room for everything, especially your own son. After all... raise a child to guard against old age, don't you?"

Ning Yixiao smiled and hung up the phone.

He knew that if he did this, he would lose his job.

Ding Xiaochen's father was a cowardly and incompetent person. He was angry at work and only dared to vent his anger on his wife and children. Now that he stabbed a knife, the other party would definitely try every means to complain against him.

Ning Yixiao had expected it long ago, so he deliberately chose to make the move after the last class was over.

Within two to three minutes of sending Ding Xiaochen to his grandfather's house, the training institution called for accountability and ordered him to resign.

But the training institution has no reason to start with his class fee, just as he expected.

It was raining outside and he was alone.Lining never took a taxi overnight on weekdays, and he saved as much as he could. Today he paid a large sum of examination fees and medical expenses for Ding Xiaochen, but he also knew that this was just a temporary help, and he couldn't do more.

At this time, Ning Yixiao recalled sporadic bad memories, like wearing an old coat that had been forgotten for a long time, reaching into the pocket, and groping for some shredded and dried paper towels.

When he was beaten when he was young, he had no hospital to go to. He heard that salt water could be used to disinfect, so he went to the seaside of the fishing village to wash his wounds. The result became more and more serious, and he was almost regarded as a thief by the villagers who raised Haihong.

The sun was very poisonous that day, Ning Yixiao remembered it very clearly.

It rarely rains lightly in Beijing.

In the evening, the sun has completely disappeared, and the sky is a gradually darkening gray blue.Ning Yixiao walked on the sidewalk, passed under the overpass, and passed by a building that shone with golden light. The bustling neon lights were reflected in the puddles, turning into a dirty oil painting.

He has no direction, and wants to be taken to a happier place by the rain.

In the end, Ning Yixiao reached a bus stop, and finally planned to go back.

The billboards at the site glowed with a blue-purple halo in the rain, like a dream.

Focusing his eyes little by little, Ning Yixiao vaguely saw a familiar figure, who was sitting on a stainless steel bench, his white shirt was dyed light blue by light, his silhouette was hazy, there were many empty mineral water bottles on the chair, on the ground Too.Staggered here and there, more like a pile of melancholy wine bottles.

His neckline was open, his expression was empty, his shirt was half wet, somewhat transparent, like a lonely painting.

That was Su Hui.Ning Yixiao stood still after confirming.

Maybe there was some kind of wonderful telepathy, Su Hui turned his head at this moment and met his gaze.

Two desperate people meet in embarrassment.

The author has something to say:

Ning Yixiao, hurry up and pick up Xiao Hui home, it's raining to pick up cats!