drowning tide

Yi Huai remembered that he and Nie Xicheng had a very rare quarrel a long time ago, saying that the quarrel was actually inaccurate, but he couldn't think of more accurate words to describe it.

He couldn't remember exactly what caused it, but he remembered that Nie Xicheng slammed his fist on the wall with a sullen face, and then walked away silently with his things, leaving him staring at the spot on the wall. The blood stains made my heart feel like a heavy stone was pressed, making it uncomfortable.

The cold war after the dispute lasted for three full days. During these three days, he showed 12 points of stubbornness, non-violent non-cooperation, refused to talk to this person, refused to approach this person, and even refused to have a little eye contact with him.

It was the most daring thing a kid could do for a dependent kid—even though the family who took him in had been so good to him, he still had the constant fear of making them angry and being kicked out, so everything All have to be cautious.

That night, he lay on the bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, his mind was full of the cold back of Nie Xicheng when he left the restaurant, suddenly the phone on the table rang, and he was so startled that he hurried over to grab it in hand.

It's that guy calling.He didn't know how to talk to that person now, so he boldly hung up once, but the phone rang louder and louder after less than half a minute of silence.

Once, twice...the man was ready to not give up until he answered the phone, and no matter how he hung up the ringer would ring again.

"Hello?" Tired of hanging up the phone, he hesitated for a long time before getting through, "...what's the matter?"

"Twelve times, you hung up on me twelve times." As if seeing through what he wanted to do, Nie Xicheng's tone became extremely dangerous, "Don't hang up again!"

"Oh." He replied blankly, "I didn't..."

The truth was that his finger touched the end button, but he wasn't stupid enough to admit it himself.

"Then do you have something to tell me?"

He thought for a long time, and finally replied hesitantly, "...No."

In fact, there is, but now he doesn't want to say it that much.

He held his breath and waited for the response from the other side, and quietly took the phone away by the way, so as not to be shocked again.

"If you have nothing to say, then listen to me. I have something to tell you." Nie Xicheng was much calmer than he thought, "I..."

Nie Xicheng stopped talking as soon as he got started, Yi Huai was afraid that something would happen to him, "What are you going to say?"

Their room is separated by a wall. If you put your ears against the wall, you might be able to hear the echo from that side. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Yi Huai's heart skipped a beat, and then the phone hung up. Looking at the phone screen, I can't tell what it's like in my heart.

Go ask him tomorrow.He sighed and was about to go to bed when he heard a knock on the door.

"Open the door for me." Nie Xicheng's tone was not heavy, but these four words made him tremble all over.

He wanted to pretend he didn't hear it but he gave up. It was too late, he had just answered the phone, even if it was the reincarnation of the sleeping god, it was impossible for him to fall asleep so quickly.

"Yi Huai, open the door for me, I know you are awake, I have something to say to you."

The longer it dragged on, the more troublesome it became. He took a deep breath, and went over to open the door for Nie Xicheng—he didn't know what he was afraid of, as if standing outside was not a young man who got along day and night, but a terrifying and hideous monster.

The door just opened a crack when it was pushed open by someone's arm. The 17-year-old Nie Xicheng has grown very tall, looking down at him, he had to raise his head to meet those dark gray eyes full of storms .

"Little bastard, aren't you going to open the door for me?" Nie Xicheng, who already looked like an adult man, lowered his voice, "Why are you willing to open the door for me now?"

Yi Huai, who was afraid that he would beat someone up in anger, shrank his neck and took a silent step back.

"Are you afraid of me?" Nie Xicheng's pupils shrank, knowing what his gesture meant, "Do you think I'll beat you up?"

Seeing that he was really angry, Yi Huai quickly shook his head, refusing to admit what he was thinking.

"What do you mean by shaking your head?" However, Nie Xicheng followed closely, "How would I know if you didn't tell me?"

"I..." He paused for a long time, then said dully, "I'm not afraid of you."

Only then did he notice that Nie Xicheng's hair was in a mess, and he seemed to have rushed over from the room, even wearing his slippers backwards.

"why are you laughing?"

The tense atmosphere was swept away, and Yi Huai quietly looked away, trying not to laugh out loud, "It's nothing." He added, "Really."

"I have something to tell you." Noticing what he was looking at, Nie Xicheng blushed with shame, "Don't look!"

Yi Huai, who didn't look at it, quietly shifted the weight of his body from his left foot to his right foot, "Then what do you want to tell me?"

Then he did something that Yi Huai never thought of.

He lowered his head, pressed against Yi Huai's forehead, and forced him to look at himself, "It's my fault, can you forgive me? I won't say that again."

"I have learned a lesson, will you forgive me?"

The moment Yi Huai saw this person, there was still a hard lump in his heart, even if he didn't have any malice, he still stuck there and didn't make him feel better. Until this moment, all the hard feelings like ice turned into a sour stream of heat .

"I've forgiven you a long time ago, and I have done something wrong." He whispered, "I shouldn't deliberately make you angry."

"You forgive me?"

"Well, sorry."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man took his arm and turned it around half a circle, and closed the door while the two exchanged positions.

"What are you doing?" he said in panic.

"What else can you do? It's time to go to bed at this point. I'm sleepy if you're not sleepy."

Nie Xicheng climbed onto his bed without any scruples, lifted the quilt and lay down on it, and then generously left half of it for him, "Come on, I won't send you to school if you don't get up again, and leave you alone." at home."

Yi Huai, who hadn't reacted yet, stared at this brazen man—as if he was not the driver who drove them to school every day.

Probably because his patience was exhausted when he made the phone call, Nie Xicheng couldn't wait for him to come by himself, so he got up and put him on the bed, covered him with the quilt, and turned off the light.

Yi Huai tried to struggle for a while, but the age gap was there. The thin and thin him was no match for Nie Xicheng who had been exercising all the year round.

"Are you going to sleep?" Nie Xicheng threatened him through the quilt.

Yi Huai, who managed to get out of the quilt with great difficulty, yelled loudly at Nie Xicheng, "Hand, show me your hand."

Nie Xicheng didn't understand what he meant, and stretched out his nearest right hand, Yi Huai looked at it and threw it away, "It's not this hand."

Seeing that the man didn't move for a long time, he pulled his left hand by himself.The scratched wound had begun to scab, and he carefully touched the reddened edge, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Nie Xicheng felt a little itchy when he touched him, and tried not to laugh out loud, "It didn't hurt a long time ago. Did I scare you then?"

Yi Huai shook his head, then nodded again, "A little bit, just a little bit."

"I was really angry at that time, but I never thought of beating you up. I will never use violence against you." Nie Xicheng pulled back his hand and shook it, "Go to sleep, I'm so preoccupied, I have dark circles under my eyes It’s all out, do you think I can’t see it? Really, if I had a younger sister, I wouldn’t necessarily coax her like this, don’t be ignorant of your blessings.”

Yi Huai nodded, closed his eyes, but woke up screaming in cold sweat within an hour.

"Mom!" He lay on the bed panting, waiting for his emotions to calm down. During this period, he was afraid of waking up the people around him, so he quietly moved to the edge of the bed, but was pulled back.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Nie Xicheng opened his eyes and pulled him a little closer so that he could lean on his chest.

He was silent, and finally nodded, "I dreamed of my mother. She asked me for help. I asked her where she was but she didn't tell me. She just said that she was in pain and cold, and told me to run away..."

Uncle Nie and Aunt Jiang said they had been looking for her and told him not to worry, but somewhere in his heart he was saying that she was found by that person, and she was no longer in this world.

"Don't be afraid, even if Auntie is gone, I will protect you." Nie Xicheng thought that he was simply afraid, so he pulled him closer, so close that he could hear his heartbeat, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you." it's here."

The palms stroking his hair were very warm, making him gradually sleepy again.He closed his eyes and listened to the man's even breathing, which made him no longer afraid or panicked.

——I will protect you, even if my strength is negligible, I will try to protect you.

This time he didn't have any nightmares and slept soundly until dawn.

The next day at the dining table, Jiang Xue looked at them with a smile, as if she had seen through everything, "Are you reconciled?"

Yi Huai lowered his head in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Over there, Nie Xicheng was still changing his school uniform when he went downstairs. The high school uniform is the most common shirt and trousers, but he looks very tall and handsome when he wears it.He buttoned up a few buttons casually, leaving the small half of his chest exposed, and picked up his and Yi Huai's schoolbags, "It's about time, it's time to go."

Here Yi Huai doesn't eat fast, and when he sees that he is about to leave, he desperately stuffs things into his mouth.

Noticing that he was about to roll his eyes due to choking, Nie Xicheng hurriedly fetched a glass of milk to comfort him, "Forget it, eat slowly, I'll just wait for you."

Yi Huai, who had finally let go, looked at the time on the wall clock, "Are you going to be late?"

"Late is always late, and it's not the first time." Nie Xicheng pulled the dining table and chairs and sat down, "If you ask me, such things as early reading shouldn't exist...Mom, what are you staring at me for?"

"Stinky boy, be careful when your father comes back to beat you." Jiang Xue raised her palm and pretended to hit him, but she laughed halfway through, "Forget it, for Yi Huai's sake, I will make you late today, but I won't make an exception .”

·

--do not leave Me.

Yi Huai opened his eyes, his heart was beating fast.who I am?Why am I here?Questions like these filled his mind.

The gentle and quiet night surrounded him, and in the darkness that was almost drowning, he gradually recalled everything that happened.

My name is Yi Huai, and that person is Nie Xicheng.I live for this.I live for these people.

"Nie Xicheng..." He hurriedly picked up the phone and glanced at it, but the phone was hung up long ago.

The call record lasted for two and a half hours. I don't know if I accidentally hung up or the person over there took the initiative to hang up.Disappointment and frustration welled up in his heart, and he hesitated for a long time before calling back.Calling back what they can say, it was he who fell asleep and let this great opportunity go to waste, it was he...

"May I come in?"

Only then did he notice that someone was in the corridor outside, and the voice should be Mama An.

"May I come in?"

Ma An asked again, and he came in with a hoarse voice.

Her footsteps were very light. If the surroundings were not too quiet, this small voice could basically be ignored. She floated to his bed like a wandering ghost, touched his forehead, "You have a fever."

No wonder he felt cold all over and couldn't move his hands and feet. It turned out that he had a fever.

"Really?" He rolled up the quilt tiredly and turned sideways, unwilling to show his fragile appearance in front of her. "It will be fine in a while."

"Why didn't you tell me if you were uncomfortable?"

It should be the meaning of caring about him. Instead of relaxing, he was so vigilant that even the hairs on his hairs would stand on end.

Now there is no one else in the room except him and An's mother, even the bodyguard who is responsible for protecting him has to stand by in a nearby room according to the rules.In other words, he and Anma are alone.

An Ma has been an old servant in Luo's family for decades. From her twenties in the Mood for Love to now a gray-haired old woman, she has devoted the best years of her life to this woman without any complaints. family.

She has been Luo Guanying's nurse and took care of the newborn Luo Yi with her own hands. She has no children or other relatives, and she brought up the father and son of the Luo family who are the closest two in her life. Luo Yi once said personally, If he had to choose, he would rather let Ann's mother be his grandmother.

As for Luo Yi's real grandparents... Even Yi Huai knew that the relationship between him and his mother was very tense, so tense that they could be considered harmonious if they met without you dying.

"I don't want to trouble you. I'm fine. You can go back and rest."

Ma An didn't like him, and he could tell from the first day he came to this house.

Who in the family would like him except Andre, who knew nothing?Who would like the son of the murderer who killed the master of the house?

Even if Ma An never showed this disgust, he was still afraid to meet her eyes, for fear of seeing resentment and hatred in them.

"Luo Yi asked me to take good care of you."

After taking his temperature, An's mother still didn't take back her hand. Her rough and skinny palm stroked his cheek, from his forehead to the bridge of his nose, to his cheeks and ears, and finally to his neck.

Will she strangle me?Yi Huai suddenly felt very boring.Although he was ashamed of her, his father had already paid the price for what he had done, and he could not die in this place.

"sorry."

He accumulated a little strength in his hand hidden under the quilt, and decided to play it by ear.Even if he is not in shape, it is not a problem to deal with an old woman who is helpless.

Of course he hoped as much as possible not to get to this point.

"You look more and more like her, the eyes and the nose are almost the same."

What An's mother said nailed him in place and he couldn't move.

Who is "she" and why do you say he looks like her?He struggled to get up, and asked her to speak more clearly, but her palm was extremely warm, with some indescribable pity and love.

"Anma, tell me," he sighed weakly and hoarsely, "who is she?"

"I've called the doctor. You should sleep for a while and don't think about anything."

Because the room was too dark, he couldn't see Mama An's expression clearly, the only thing that was lit was the silver pin on the old woman's chest, "I won't hurt you, how could I hurt you, sleep, sleep a little longer , the pain will be gone when the doctor comes."

An Ma hummed a lullaby hoarsely, and he closed his eyes uncontrollably.In the distant past, it seemed that someone sang the same ballad to lull him to sleep and called him a good boy.

Who is this person?