1999

There are several Internet cafes in Life Street that operate all night long and can be consumed without an ID card. Wu Jiusheng went to one of them the night he left from Jiujiu BBQ.

He spent ten yuan in the most inconspicuous camera position, and took out the memory from the computer whose display had been damaged.He still remembers the product number that he noticed when Xue Jintong handed over the patrol stick to him, XT-006, he found the same model on Taobao, and managed to download a CD of enterprise software .

After using the virtual CD-ROM to run the software, Wu Jiusheng successfully read the file in the memory, a form filled with personnel codes, regions, and timelines.As long as the form is handed over to Si Mao, his task will be completed. The information inside is very valuable, and one form can be exchanged for [-].However, what Wu Jiusheng wants most now is not money at all.

He couldn't accept Hu Da's plan to abandon everything and leave Pingxiang, but he wouldn't be so stupid as to send himself to jail.He still has a score to settle with the person who provoked him by talking about himself. He must first find a way to get out of Simao's plan.

There is always a way, Wu Jiusheng thought.

He had to leave a way out for himself.

The Internet cafe during the night time period is very quiet, and the surroundings are very dark. When it is close to dawn, many people have already fallen asleep in their seats, and only the humming of the air conditioner and the cooling fan of the main computer can be heard in their ears.Wu Jiusheng stared at the coldly glowing screen and thought for a long time.

The next day was Friday, a working day. When Wu Jiusheng entered the factory, he had a pair of dark circles under his eyes that made many people look at him.He barely slept all night, and he held the removed memory stick in his hand and hid it in his pocket.

He was late that day, and the full attendance award that he had insisted on for more than half a month was ruined. When he checked in at the workshop, other people were already busy on the assembly line. Seeing him, Xue Jintong quickly raised his head and looked over.He looked very excited, and there were doubts about Wu Jiusheng in his eyes.

What's the matter, I didn't hear from you all night last night.Have you got everything you copied?

Wu Jiusheng understood what he meant, but it was not convenient to talk at the moment. He avoided Xue Jintong's eyes, and sat down in front of the desk as if nothing had happened.

He hasn't figured out how to explain to Xue Jintong what happened last night.After Huda's beating, it took him a long time to recover from the old psychological shadow, and forcing himself to make the final decision almost took all the courage in his life——

During the lunch break, everyone temporarily stopped their work and went to the cafeteria to eat in groups. Wu Jiusheng picked an opportunity when no one was paying attention, and handed over the memory stick in his pocket to Xue Jintong.

At this point, he is regarded as consummated.Xue Jintong showed a satisfied expression towards him, and affectionately put the young man's shoulders and pulled him into the dining hall.

It was still the regular workers who gathered together for dinner today, but when Xue Jintong and Wu Jiusheng, who arrived later, sat down in the seats they helped to occupy, both of them noticed that the current atmosphere was a little bit different. Subtly different.

Several adjacent tables were unusually quiet. Usually at this time, they would eat loudly while eating, discussing wages, hometown, and the voices of parents in various factories. Looking at each other, they all whispered to each other, and a strange atmosphere diffused wantonly under the ceiling.

Wu Jiusheng had just taken his seat when the voice of a worker behind him reached his ears.

"Hey, did you all hear about what happened last night?"

"Is that the one that the people from the administration office were passing on as soon as they came to work this morning?"

"Isn't it? It's said that the security guards on the night shift made the report yesterday. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them during the day shift. Otherwise, I would have to ask them face to face."

"You must be full. That kind of thing is still two men. If you ask me if it's disgusting or not, maybe they will tell you all the time!"

"What are you two men, what are you talking about? I haven't heard anything this morning."

"That's because you arrived too late. Anyone who came to work at eight o'clock knows that. Those in the personnel department were chatting next to the punch card machine. They said that when they were patrolling around our factory yesterday, they caught a couple Gay, fucking in the woods."

"Oh, what era is this, gays dare to be so high-profile?"

"Isn't it? Ten years ago, he might have been arrested and paraded through the streets."

"The times are different. It's okay for people to like it, but you can't just mess around outside at night, how dirty people's eyes are!"

"Don't tell me, I heard that the gay man who was caught is known to many of us."

"Who? Could it be the workers in the factory?"

"It's not from our factory. It's a restaurant on the street across the river. It's said to be a barbecue restaurant. The owner used to be a gangster. He must have a gangster background."

"So strange?"

"You haven't heard of it."

Whispering voices mixed with one or two laughs and meaningful exclamations poured into Wu Jiusheng's ears.He was holding the dinner plate, and the spine on his back was like a steel bar suddenly petrified. After a while, his neck would not be lowered, and his head would not move.He didn't expect the rumors to spread so fast, and he didn't expect that the security guard who found out yesterday knew Hu Da.

Xue Jintong, who was sitting opposite him, also keenly captured the words just now, his eyes moved, and his eyes pierced Wu Jiusheng's face like an arrow.Wu Jiusheng's face also turned green and white.

He remembered what Hu Da had told him, saying that no matter what, he must not expose the fact that he was with a man in front of others. At that time, Wu Jiusheng thought he was making a fuss out of a molehill. Lala casually commented on what it feels like to have a glow on his back.

If he hadn't met Huda, he might have joined the discussion at this moment. He used to be curious about all new things, but he rarely stopped for a moment to think about the hurtful words of others. place.

Huda said he might understand when he was older.But Hu Da himself has gone through so many years, he must understand, at least, it will be more profound than Wu Jiusheng.Hu Da's life and his business had been peaceful in Pingxiang. Wu Jiusheng knew that Hu Da's personality was cautious and reticent, so he could live in every possible way. If it wasn't for rushing to save himself in a hurry——

Just as Wu Jiusheng was in a daze, more presumptuous words appeared in the speech topic.

"You know what the gay guys do?"

"What else can I do, there is only one hole in my body, use it there."

"I only know that hole can be used for shitting, and I don't mind putting it in the shitting place..."

"That's right, gay people are dirty anyway. Not only is the place dirty, but there are also various diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS, all brought out by them."

"I've read reports before, and it seems that more than [-]% of AIDS in China is spread by these gay men."

"Really? Then the boss Hu you mentioned will..."

"If you get involved in this kind of thing, you will die. Of course, it's better to be careful."

"Yeah, he's still a restaurant owner. It's scary to think about it. Fortunately, I haven't eaten at his place, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night."

"If he is really sick, many people in our factory have been to his store. Could they have been infected?"

"Don't scare me!"

"Who scared you? I read the news before and said that many AIDS patients knew that they would die, so they retaliated against the society, dipped their own blood in needles and stuck them in car seats, in order to infect people everywhere."

"It's too wicked!"

"There is also someone who drips blood directly into the food for sale. It seems to be a barbecue buyer. It's scary."

"If you say it again, I'm going to throw up..."

The words of unreasonable self-suspicion were heart-wrenching, Wu Jiusheng flicked his wrist, and overturned the entire dinner plate in his hand.Before the other workers could react, Wu Jiusheng had already grabbed the person who spoke the most vigorously and punched him.

He was originally a person with little strength in his hands, but this punch came suddenly, and he used some strength from where he didn't know. The opponent was caught off guard, and he was knocked out by his fist, causing his knee to get stuck on the leg of the stool. On the road, everyone fell back on their backs.

Seeing this scene, most of the people present stopped their movements in shock, and the one who reacted first jumped up and grabbed Wu Jiusheng by the collar.

"You are fucking sick!"

Wu Jiusheng was dissatisfied, and struggled a bit by grabbing the opponent's arm.

"A group of big men know how to talk about others behind their backs all day long. I want to see who is sick!"

"Who are you! What do we say ours has to do with you!"

"You talk like fart. It smells worse than shit. If it affects my eating, it has something to do with me!" Wu Jiusheng roared.

He hadn't slept all night, his eyes were already bloodshot, and looking at them now, even the corners of his eyes were red.It was the first time for him to experience that kind of naked malice from an irrelevant stranger, that malice made him feel cold all over the place, and his stomach was full of nausea.Why would there be such a person in this world? They have never even seen Huda himself, and they have no idea what kind of person he is, so they can use such appalling nonsense to make up about him.

Wu Jiusheng couldn't help feeling terrified. The reason why Hu Da was so prescient about these malicious thoughts was that he had experienced all these things somewhere before?He had experienced it, so he solemnly admonished himself over and over again.

Thinking about it now, it seems that Hu Da's painstaking efforts to persuade him were all for his own good.

Last night, knowing what consequences would be brought about by doing so, Hu Da still protected him without hesitation. The only person exposed was Hu Da himself, and the topic never came to Wu Jiusheng. He was safe and clean. The luck that Hu Da traded for himself almost made Wu Jiusheng cry.

Even he wondered if he had been crying too much recently.It's not like the heartless Wu Jiusheng before.

Someone in the dining hall really recognized him.

"Hey, isn't that Asheng from the chip workshop? It's the one who doesn't live in a dormitory in the factory and spends a lot of money to live alone outside?"

"It's him, he looks like a child, no wonder he was spoiled and spoiled."

"No, I seem to have heard someone say that the house he rents outside the factory seems to be on the second floor of Jiujiu Barbecue!"

"Jijiu BBQ? That's not the one from yesterday..."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"That means they live together..."

"Yes, then do you think you will..."

The person who was talking exchanged a few glances, and everyone thought of the same point.

The young man and Boss Hu of the barbecue shop are living together. Boss Hu is gay. Just now the young man had an argument with someone because of him. The man who was caught shooting wild cannons in the woods last night, shouldn’t he? Will there be him?

In an instant, countless gazes passed over the crowd and fell on Wu Jiusheng.

Before they could see the young man clearly, the worker who had been hit by him before had already rushed forward and punched Wu Jiusheng back in the cheek.When that punch fell, the corners of the young man's mouth, which had been so easy to close, split open again. He was knocked to the ground, lying on the ground, exhausted and haggard, the dark red under his eyes seemed to overflow from the eye sockets.

He was wronged, but also regretted. The grievance was for Hu Da, and the regret was because he hated himself for being impulsive and unwilling to listen to Hu Da's advice.

But the person Wu Jiusheng is most angry at the moment is probably himself. He hates himself. He has no courage in front of so many people. He would rather punch people or be beaten than force himself to shout at everyone. "Yes, he and I are together".

He is so cowardly, ignorant, and ignorant of the heights of the sky and the earth, but Huda is still willing to cover the truth for such a person.

All kinds of emotions wandered and collided in the heart, making the eyes of the young man who fell on the ground look extremely deep and confused.

Only then did people discover that the young man with the bright red corners of his mouth was very handsome and good-looking. His face was small, as if he hadn't fully developed. The lines of his eyebrows and eyes were very soft, just like a little girl, with long eyelashes and short, fluffy hair behind his head. Below, is the white and slender neck.The youth is very white, and in the thin joints of the body, the blue blood vessels under the skin can almost be seen. People who are malnourished will be like that, a little sick, but like fragile glass, it makes people want to take a second look.

It is rare for them to discover this side of youth, and an idea arises as if waking up from a dream.

Could the guess just now be true?

Thinking of this, everyone's expressions became weird.

While the crowd was stirring, a clear voice suddenly came out, interrupting the mosquito-like discussion.He Jiajia pushed away a few onlookers who were blocking in front of him, approached, and gave Wu Jiusheng a hand.

"Aren't you dirty, all of you? It's wrong for Ah Sheng to do it first, but think about it for yourself, if one or two chew people's tongues behind their backs and say those rotten words, don't they deserve the beating?"

He Jiajia is a beautiful and eye-catching girl. There were many people who knew her in the factory area. Seeing her come out to help, they all remembered some rumors about Wu Jiusheng and her before. I went to Wu Jiusheng's workshop to find him and had a fight. The incident was broadcast in the factory, and the whole factory reported criticism.

That's right...Wu Jiusheng doesn't know what to do with He Jiajia. After all, he probably likes girls. Just change to a normal man and let He Jiajia not choose. How could he get involved with a barbecue shop owner? I'm getting old, smelly and hard, I can't...

With He Jiajia's reminder, although the young man who was beaten still looked unhappy, at least his mouth was restrained a lot.The lunch break was originally short, and besides gossip, they also had to face the harsh reality of life and work. After putting the dinner plates in a pile next to the trash can, workers in twos and threes started walking towards the factory building together again. The matter is just talk, not worthy of their deep study.

He Jiajia and Wu Jiusheng, who were left behind, glanced at each other, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Their last meeting was not pleasant, and the last words the two left to each other were angry words.He Jiajia could tell at that time that Wu Jiusheng really didn't like her. She was a little hurt and a little lost, but she didn't feel that she couldn't continue to be friends with him.

She knelt down, looked at the thoughtful young man, and sighed:

"Why do you pick a place every time you get hurt, I'm afraid it's rare to heal."

She pointed to the corner of Wu Jiusheng's mouth, and Wu Jiusheng pulled that part.

"Do you also think that I am very ignorant?" He asked He Jiajia, "I became impulsive, and did what I said hurt people?"

He Jiajia laughed.

"Xiao Asheng, you have become cunning. I am embarrassed to be angry with you if you admit your mistake so actively."

After Wu Jiusheng heard those words, he woke up from the deep guilt. He glanced at He Jiajia, and said to her seriously: "I'm sorry."

He Jiajia was a little stunned.She waved her hand at the young man, and was about to ask him if he needed her help to apply medicine to the wound, when the voice of Xue Jintong, the team leader of the chip assembly workshop, came from behind him. He was calling Wu Jiusheng, and at the same time said to He Jiajia:

"It's time to go to work, just hand him over to me, and you should go back to the quality inspection team, so you don't lose points."

She knew that Xue Jintong and Wu Jiusheng were in the same workshop, and they lived together before. Xue Jintong had always taken care of Wu Jiusheng, and the two had a good relationship, so she completely relaxed her vigilance, and offered Xue Jintong a place so that he could see Wu Jiusheng's situation clearly. .

Wu Jiusheng's expression was very awe-inspiring, but he still patted He Jiajia and said to her, "Go."

"Yes," Xue Jintong looked over with a smile, the flash behind his glasses was clearly visible, "I have a few words to talk to A Sheng."

He Jiajia left.The first thing Xue Jintong did after she left was to hold Wu Jiusheng's hand and pull him directly into the nearest men's toilet cubicle.

Before Wu Jiusheng could open his mouth, he asked, "The person who was in the woods with Boss Hu last night, was it you?"

Wu Jiusheng didn't nod or shake his head, he knew Xue Jintong didn't care about this.Sure enough, the next second, the words behind followed.

"Did he find you last night?"

Wu Jiusheng retreated instinctively, looking at Xue Jintong warily.Xue Jintong grabbed his wrist too hard, and the look in his eyes was too cold, which made him feel uneasy.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Jiusheng asked, "I've already given you what you want."

"How can this be done?" Xue Jintong smiled lightly, and said disapprovingly, "You have to take a lot of risks when you take a formal action. To be honest, I really didn't expect the two of you to have that kind of relationship, but since Boss Hu Now that I know about you, one more person who knows also means more risk, you don’t understand this truth, do you?”

His eyes looked around Wu Jiusheng like a snake. Wu Jiusheng thought that this man was gentle, and the light in his eyes was always very quiet. Only then did he realize that it was not quiet, but a city, and his emotions and anger were invisible. Xue Jintong, who seems to be serious and indifferent to everyone, actually has the deepest thoughts. He doesn't need to say a lot of words, he can convey them only by the aura around him.

Now Wu Jiusheng felt it. In Xue Jintong's eyes, Hu Da was clearly a threat.

"He won't tell it!" He immediately emphasized, "I have cooperated with you once, and I am on the same boat as you. Telling it will destroy me, and he will definitely not call the police."

Xue Jintong listened and patted Wu Jiusheng on the shoulder.

"The relationship between you is so close, it's natural for you to believe him. But why should I believe it? In this world, the most unreliable thing is feelings."

When he mentioned those two words, there was a spark in his eyes.Not long ago, his girlfriend who was talking about getting married abandoned him. He made countless phone calls to his hometown, sent her countless messages, and even sent her his small savings to show his determination. However, they failed to retain the relationship that lasted for seven years.They have expressed their hearts to each other since they were students, and made many vows to each other. After arriving in Shenzhen, Xue Jintong worked very hard and achieved the position of production team leader with his own efforts. Originally, he planned to work harder , to help his girlfriend find a satisfactory job in Shenzhen, and then they can start a family. Who knows that at the critical point, the other party will turn his face and deny him. The relationship of several years, together with the memories, can be said to be discarded or discarded. Between men and women Besides, if a man and another man are not accepted by the world, and they have only known each other for a few months, wouldn't they be like duckweed, breaking up as soon as they say it?

For this cooperation with Simao, he even bet his own job, just to earn a lot of money to return home, so that the woman who dumped him at the beginning can see her and regret it.Not to mention Hu Da, who has nothing to do with him at all, but Wu Jiusheng, who he has been taking care of in the past, if he gets in his way, Xue Jintong can also be merciless.

Wu Jiusheng could see his thoughts from his facial expression.His expression instantly became very defensive.

"Don't touch him." He blurted out, "If you bother him, I'll tell you all about you!"

That sentence surprised Xue Jintong, he raised his eyebrows, unexpectedly the young man in front of him was even more naive than he thought.

He really thought he could threaten himself by saying that.

"You made a mistake," he said to Wu Jiusheng, "Now you have to beg me. If you agree, you will give me half of the [-] cents that will be paid to you every month. I can consider helping you keep it a secret. After all, if this matter gets to the ears of Si Mao and his group, it will not be as simple as talking about it."

Wu Jiusheng frowned tightly. He understood what Xue Jintong said, so he was more cautious.

"You don't need to share half, I can give you all. But only this time, I won't do it in the future." He replied.

"You want to stop? It's a bit late." Xue Jintong looked at him with a half-smile, "Who told you to withdraw? It was your good friend? He is not young anymore, so he wouldn't have such a naive idea, would he?" .”

Xue Jintong suddenly reached out and patted Wu Jiusheng's cheek.

"Little brother, listen carefully. Not only do you have to keep going, but you also have to collect the money and hand it over to me truthfully every time. Don't try to clean it up yourself, or I'll kill you." The nasty things about the two of you are exposed, and everyone knows about it. At that time, not only you, Boss Hu, will not be able to survive in Pingxiang, but you will also lose your job. You will lose your source of income and offend Si Mao. I don’t need to explain the end. If you are sensible, just be honest, maybe I will say a few words for you in front of people like He Jiajia, so that you won’t be treated like a plague god and hide from you, right?”

Wu Jiusheng was stunned. He really didn't expect that Xue Jintong would threaten him so nakedly. After all, he also had mutual care for each other, but it was worthless at this moment.

"You—!" He blushed and pointed at Xue Jintong, but he didn't expect the other party to smile instead of anger, and instead grabbed his finger pretending to be intimate.

"Also, I forgot to tell you just now." Xue Jintong said to him with a smile, "I just went to the administrative office and said that you were not feeling well, so I specially entrusted me, the team leader, to help you ask for a few days off."

"What are you going to do!" An ominous premonition rose in Wu Jiusheng's heart. He pushed Xue Jintong away, and when he was about to run out, he heard the threat from the other party, "Before you leave, you should think clearly. Put the two of you together." The news of the incident spread throughout the factory area, and it only took one afternoon for me."

Wu Jiusheng's footsteps stopped.Immediately afterwards, Xue Jintong's breath came up.

"Still running?" he asked.

Wu Jiusheng clenched his teeth tightly.

He was shocked, but not afraid. From the moment Xue Jintong put forward the conditions to him, such a situation had already been expected. Although Wu Jiusheng lacked experience in dealing with people, his brain was not bad. Especially when the opponent also indirectly threatened Huda.

He might still be unwilling to accept Huda's simple and rude way of communicating last night.But he wasn't really stubborn, ignorant of right and wrong.More importantly, he is not a person who will not believe in the oath he made. Even though he said those angry words to Hu Da last night, before going to work this morning, Wu Jiusheng's mind was already very calm. He said that he would only like one person in his life. Even if that person is stubborn and tough, even if he is much older than him, he never thought of abandoning the other person in the face of threats.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have prepared everything last night.

Wu Jiusheng stood still, raised his head, looked directly at Xue Jintong and said, "What do you want?"

"Come with me." Xue Jintong replied, "It just so happens that today is Friday, including the weekend, and I asked you for four days off. Before the official start of the operation, I can't just let you run around. One day, if you really don't have a clear mind, what should I do if you get stabbed out by me. But don't worry, I will definitely pick you up after getting paid from Si Mao. After all, there will be a next time, next time This time, little Asheng, you will be brother Xue's cash cow from now on."

The sweet smile on the corner of his mouth made Wu Jiusheng feel sick.But the young man didn't say anything, just nodded slowly.

At the same time, the man who was watching the barbecue for a long time, sitting with his back against the closed front door vibrated, and received a new message alert.The message was sent from Wu Jiusheng's number.

"Brother Da, I'll take a few days off to go back to my hometown. Do you have anything you want to eat? I'll bring you special products when I come back."

Xue Jintong watched Wu Jiusheng type that message word by word. After seeing the message that the message was sent successfully, Xue Jintong grabbed the phone and turned it off, withdrew the phone card, and threw it neatly into the urinal. A handful of water washed away.

Hu Da stared at the text message he had just received, and blinked his stinging eyes that hadn't closed all night. He lowered his head and looked at the USB flash drive in his hand, showing a complicated expression of self-blame.