drowning tide

full moon.

That night Yi Huai had a somewhat weird dream.

He dreamed that he was climbing the stairs: that kind of old-fashioned tube building, with layers of psoriasis-like rental advertisements pasted on the dark walls, and the narrow corridors were filled with sundries from various households, making it more and more gloomy.I don’t know which restaurant forgot to turn on the range hood, and there was a choking smell of oily smoke everywhere. He didn’t remember how long he had been crawling, just crawling numbly, and saw the opposite scene a few times in the middle, which was exactly the same as here. The mirror has two sides, which is very boring.A door appeared in front of him. He pushed open the rusty iron door, but he didn't expect to step on the ground and fell straight down.

The wind brushed against his cheeks, and the weightlessness made his heart constrict, his lower abdomen felt sore and weak, and his hands and feet could not use his strength. He closed his eyes, and suddenly something lifted him up and put him on a soft grass.The sun is not very hot, the roses in the garden are in full bloom, and the big clusters are very rich red, like oozing blood, and the skylark is chirping in the distance, and he rolled around, his breath is full of freshly trimmed grass. A fishy smell that hits the nose.

He wanted to get up, but suddenly someone pulled his hand. This person's palm was dry and his fingers were warm and strong. He turned his head slightly and saw a slender neck and light-colored lips that belonged to a young man. He immediately lost all resistance and let him pull with.The two of them didn't talk, just laying like this, he tried to see his blurred face clearly, but a rose fell from nowhere, followed by a second one, he tried to dodge it, but there were too many, the overwhelming rose crackled They drown.Like a dead person at a funeral, he feels unlucky, and raises his hand to sweep away the heavy flowers. If one hand is not enough, he uses two hands... That person disappeared, leaving him buried alive by the impenetrable rose, gasping for breath. are somewhat difficult.

·

"Why are you in a daze? You've recovered."

Someone snapped their fingers, and Yi Huai regained consciousness immediately.He was sitting in the passenger seat, with a seat belt tied on his chest, and the road outside the window looked like a late-stage intestinal obstruction.

Fei Chuan accepted it as soon as he saw it, and patted his chest to celebrate that it was a good thing he followed, "If you want to drive this car, I don't even dare to think about the consequences if you lose your mind halfway."

He shaved his beard today, changed into a well-tailored black suit, and his hair was carefully combed. He looked much better than his usual foolish look.

"I'm sorry." Yi Huai didn't talk back, but admitted his mistake honestly, "I will pay attention."

"I see that your complexion is not very good, don't you think you are sick?" The car in front of him did not move for a long time, and Fei Chuan chatted with him boredly, "If you are sick, tell me, I don't have to ask you to come. How good it is to rest at home, don't you think?"

In the past few years, Fei Chuan has dug holes for him. This time, he was not sure whether Fei Chuan was joking or trying to trick him, so he didn't answer immediately. The next second he looked at Luo Yi in the rearview mirror with a scrutiny, and his hands He shook his head, lowered his eyes, "It's nothing."

"It's really nothing?" How could Fei Chuan let him go so easily, his eyes hidden behind his glasses were somewhat aggressive, "Young people should not shy away from medical treatment, it's not good if a minor ailment turns into a serious one."

He forced a smile, "Really, it's just that I didn't sleep well."

There was no need to bring up a private matter like having a strange dream at night, especially in front of Luo Yi, he couldn't say it.

"Ender again?"

When the one with the highest status spoke, Yi Huai and Fei Chuan shut up at the same time.

"Really?" Luo Yi asked again, the subtext was not to let him ask a third time.

Yi Huai was still a little dazed, usually he and Fei Chuan fought Luo Yi and never cared about it, why did he suddenly intervene today?But the boss still had to answer the question, and he answered very frankly, "No, it's not about Ender's business, it's my own problem."

Ander is an Alaskan dog raised by Luo Yi. He is seven years old and started barking at night. Yi Huai is a light sleeper and woke up several times at night. He asked the veterinarian and security guards during the day but they couldn't get a definite answer. Instead, Luo Yi knew about it. thing.

"Ah, it's moving."

The signal light turned green, injecting new life into the lifeless road. Fei Chuan stopped talking to Yi Huai, and respectfully said to Luo Yi in the back row, "It will be soon after getting on the bridge, and we should be able to get there before dark."

In order to prove what Fei Chuan said was true, there was no traffic jam on the way, and he boarded the Rongmen Bridge across the sea very smoothly.The Rongmen Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge, and the steel cables on both sides cut the sky into countless pieces. Yi Huai opened the car window on his side, and the humid and warm sea breeze blew in immediately. Leaves marks on the skin.

It seemed to have rained lightly in the morning, and the reason for using it seemed to be because he had never seen it with his own eyes, and the land dries quickly in summer, so there were no traces left in the afternoon.As the car passed the middle of the bridge, a beam of sunlight fell obliquely on his side, like the focused spot of light when he was playing with a magnifying glass to make a fire when he was a child, and it was frighteningly hot.

I don't know if it's the aftereffect of not sleeping well yesterday, but his heart is still beating even though he didn't speed up.

Luo Yi didn't like noise, so Fei Chuan didn't turn on the car music, just letting the silence spread.

Yi Huai thought of that dream again, and in the end countless petals completely submerged him until he couldn't see even a trace of light, and then he woke up.After waking up, he lay on the bed, his heart was beating violently, and it was difficult to calm down. He got up and read the profit statement, changed his clothes at dawn and went to the company, and then spent most of the morning in the conference room.

He belatedly remembered that there seemed to be an oil painting called "The Rose of Elagabalus" that painted a similar scene. Thinking of this, he couldn't tell what it was like--dreaming about this kind of thing is not a good omen , making them go to funeral instead of celebrating birthday at this time.

·

Rongcheng is a seaside city. Before the reform and opening up, it stood out among the fishing villages. However, the slums remained the same, and the gap between the old and the new was clearly reflected, which contradictoryly divided the entire Rongcheng.

Today is the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, a good day for the full moon.There are full moons every month. For most people, only the moon on August [-]th is worth seeing, and the rest are not too round. For a small number of people, June [-]th is more important than August [-]th. many.

June [-]th is the birthday of Wen Zhengting, who is at the helm of the Wen family.For a person of status and status like Wen Zhengting, of course, the birthday banquet will not be finished by giving gifts and cutting cakes like ordinary people. Business partners, close relatives and distant relatives from all walks of life will come to congratulate with generous gifts, and various birthday celebrations will be arranged in turn. It can be as short as four or five days and as long as a week.

There is an unwritten convention in this event, that is, Wen Zhengting will leave the day before his official birthday to Wen's family, and this year is no exception, so Luo Yi specially set the day of his visit to be the next day.

There was a dizzying row of luxury cars parked on the green lawn in front of the manor. If Fei Chuan hadn't been guided by someone, he really wouldn't know where to park the car.

Looking at the luxurious and imposing building not far away, Yi Huai felt a little emotional. He never thought that one day he would come here to visit—a few years ago, the Wen family also sent invitations, but even if Luo Yi went, he would ask Fei Chuan to follow him. None of his business.

The person who came to pick them up was Wen Zhengting's personal assistant. He said that Mr. Wen was waiting for them in the study, and that Mr. Wen was too old to come out to greet them in person. Please don't be offended by Mr. Luo.

Yi Huai stood obediently behind Luo Yi, but he didn't expect a shadow to fall in front of him a few seconds later.He raised his eyes and met Luo Yi with no expression of joy or anger.

"Follow me to meet people."

Normally, Fei Chuan would go to this kind of thing, but this time Luo Yi actually picked him. He was a little surprised, but it didn't show on his face, pretending not to see Fei Chuan's prickly eyes beside him, and gently Say hello.

Why is it him?He couldn't think of an answer, or he had never understood what Luo Yi was thinking since many years ago.

·

The manor is built on the mountain, and it is mainly divided into three parts: the south side is the residence and banquet hall of other members of the Wen family. For example, today’s reception is held in the auditorium here; On a sunny day, you can drink tea and coffee under the parasol; as for the rest, it is Wen Zhengting's private domain, where his study, living room, conference room and some leisure and entertainment facilities are located. Even Wen's family has only a few who can enter at will, and the rest have to make an appointment with the assistant before confirming the specific time.

Yi Huai knew why it was so complicated: the Wen family's black-haired family had cleansed up and went ashore in recent years, but it still had some relationship with those businesses behind the scenes, especially Wen Zhengting...

Suddenly, two people came out from the corner in front of them. The two groups of people met each other on a narrow road, and they both stopped and looked at each other.

On Yi Huai's side were three people including his assistant, and on the other side were a man and a woman who looked very young.Because of some past events, Yi Huai was very sensitive to everyone around him, so he quietly observed the couple.

In summer, the sun doesn’t set until very late. There are chaotic thick clouds floating in the sky, and a crack is suddenly split in the middle. The golden sunlight falls vertically on the marble floor tiles. Perhaps it’s because of fear of getting sunburned. The girl in a small magenta dress quietly Moved to the dark side.

The assistant was the first to react, "Miss Wen, is he in the study now, sir?"

It turned out to be Wen Li, the granddaughter who was said to be Wen Zhengting's favorite, Yi Huai knew it.

"I'm still there. He kicked me out when he said there would be a very important guest." Wen Li greeted them with a crisp voice, "Brother Luo, long time no see."

"You came back from America?"

"I got off the plane in the morning. Are you also here to see grandpa?"

"Almost, how are you doing?"

"is acceptable."

At this end, the two of them exchanged pleasantries, Yi Huai, who was ignored, looked over Luo Yi's shoulder and looked at the silent man.

This is a very tall man, wearing a well-tailored iron gray suit and a dark blue tie, his figure is lean but not too strong, like a vigorous cheetah, between elegance and full of explosive power.

Sensing his gaze, he turned his head, with polite doubts on his handsome face, as if asking if he had offended him inadvertently.

Just as the topic fell on him, Wen Li grabbed his left arm, "He is my friend, and his Chinese name is Yin Yuan." She blinked her eyes and stopped talking.

Luo Yi knew what she meant, so he didn't ask any more questions, anyway, some things can be seen with eyes.

"I go first."

This accidental meeting here was over, Yi Huai followed behind Luo Yi, and when passing by Yin Yuan, he suddenly heard him say in a volume just enough for everyone to hear, "You have been looking at me, it is because I have something to say." Is something wrong?"

The attention of the others, including Luo Yi, turned to them all at once.

"It's nothing." Yi Huai's voice was a little trembling. He swallowed, hoping that the other party would not hear it, "You..." He originally wanted to say that you are a bit like someone I know. Is this sentence too old-fashioned? Said, after all, he has not forgotten that Luo Yi is still standing beside him.

Yin Yuan moved closer, the cologne smell on his body filled Yi Huai's breath.

It was a little far away before, but when he looked closely, Yi Huai found that his facial features were somewhat westernized, and his pupils were not completely black but a deep gray.

Yi Huai just felt dizzy when he was looked at by these eyes, he forced his brain to run fast, and finally found a good reason within a reasonable pause time, "I'm sorry, I was a little distracted just now, I'm sorry to cause you trouble .”

Calm down, he warned himself, the nails were about to dig into the flesh.He couldn't get Luo Yi's attention on this kind of matter.

"It seems that I was thinking too much, sorry." Fortunately, before he lost his composure, Yin Yuan returned to a safe distance, "I wasted your time."

This short moment of confrontation made Yi Huai's back break out in a thin layer of cold sweat.

"What's the matter with you today?"

After the two left, Luo Yi really asked the teacher for his crimes, his tone was cold and impatient, "If you don't want to do it, go and call Fei Chuan to me now."

"Sorry." He just repeated sorry.

The stairs are winding, half of which is covered by sunlight and half of which is not. The moment Luo Yi turned his head, the sunlight fell on his side face. His nose bridge was high and his browbones were straight. He looked more like him than his father who died young. His mother, but because he has been in a high position for many years, his expression is always a bit sinister, and it is difficult for people to feel close.

"Follow me and don't get lost. It would be bad if I see something I shouldn't see and cause me trouble."

To go over, Luo Yi said another meaningful sentence.

Yi Huai breathed out slowly, "I see."

He knows better than many people how many dirty secrets a family like this can hide. After all, Luo Yi never avoids him when he does certain things, even a bit like doing them deliberately for him to see.

For example, when he was sixteen or seventeen, Luo Yi once dealt with a traitor who betrayed him in front of him.

He had a nightmare for a long time, and when he closed his eyes, he was beaten to a bloody mass of flesh, and then the gunshot rang out, and the crystal lamp above his head shattered, and countless broken glass looked like falling bright stars.

If it was to frighten him, then Luo Yi did it.He was almost too scared to be himself.