drowning tide

At the company's regular meeting on Friday afternoon, Yi Huai stared at the report in front of him. Because he hadn't turned the page for too long, even the assistant next to him noticed something was wrong, so he couldn't help reminding him quietly.

He came back to his senses, the person speaking on the stage was the person from the financial side, and he was almost finished speaking. After listening to a few words, he could roughly understand what he said to the other side during the few minutes when he was distracted.

It has been almost two weeks since the acquisition of Tianshi was launched. The other party noticed it early and made a series of decisions such as adjusting the capital structure quickly. However, they have made more preparations in the early stage and will not be defeated by such a small means: the company's legal department and It has long been discovered that Tianshi’s shareholder contract has a fatal flaw, and it is concentrating on launching a fierce attack. The long-term cooperation M&A consultant has already analyzed in the report submitted to him how the other party will respond, and which points are smoke bombs , which points they need to really pay attention to.

On the whole, the situation is still under their control. As long as they are steady and steady, it will be a matter of time before Tianshi is annexed. But for Yi Huai himself, any accidents during the merger and acquisition will easily lead to a sudden change. The whole body, so he won't have much sense of certainty before the whole thing is settled.

After the finance, it was the turn of the operation department. After the operation was finished, it was basically over. When the meeting was adjourned, the assistant was sorting out the documents, and Yi Huai stood up first.

"Vice President Qiu, wait a minute, I have something to tell you."

There are two vice presidents in the company, one male and one female. Yi Huai is a little more familiar with this vice president Qiu than the other serious female vice president.

After he went to college, Luo Yi drove him to practice. In the first one or two years, he was at the headquarters, running errands and copying documents for others every day. The person who led him was this Vice President Qiu.

He compared the performance of the two vice presidents horizontally, and came to the conclusion that without his intervention, the position of CEO would most likely be handed over to this vice president Qiu.

"What's the matter?" Vice President Qiu stopped and looked at him kindly.

"During my absence, many things have troubled you." He looked sincerely into Vice President Qiu's eyes, feeling a little uneasy in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face.

Vice President Qiu looked at him for a while, wondering if he understood his temptation, "Natural disasters and man-made disasters are unexpected by no one, don't take it to heart, as long as everyone is safe and sound. My wife knows that after your car accident , told me several times that next time she goes to the temple to burn incense, she will definitely give you some amulets, and I heard that the Qinghong Temple in the west of the city is the most effective, and many people go there to seek safety."

"Remember to say thank you to Sister Yao for me." Yi Huai nodded, showing a trace of gratitude just right, "I heard that you often worked overtime a while ago, so stay at home and spend time with your family this weekend, lest Sister Yao find out and blame me .”

Vice President Qiu responded with a smile, "Then I'd rather be respectful than obedient, and invite you to come to my house for dinner some other day."

Since he had nothing else to do, he simply said goodbye to Vice President Qiu and walked out.

After his promotion, his office has also changed. The new office is much more spacious and brighter than the previous one. It is equipped with a separate pantry lounge. At this time, the computer screen is on, and the documents are piled up on the large mahogany desk. , the part to be processed is on the right, the part that has been processed is on the left, and a few sticky notes are pasted on the desk calendar next to it, with his daily itinerary for the past few days written on it.

According to the schedule, he still had other things to deal with before he got off work, but he didn't start to do it right away.

The result of the trial just now was similar to what he thought. He could clearly see how much he was worth. He might have established some things like prestige, but it was far from enough. It was not as good as Vice President Qiu and his group. He has been an old man for seven or eight years, so Luo Yi must have promised them far greater benefits than this position.If he hadn't discovered those things, he would definitely be too terrified by now, but even if he did, he still doesn't have much sense of reality—unless Luo Yi admits it himself, or he finds definite evidence, guesses can only be guesses, Their relationship will always be stuck at this stage.

What interrupted his thoughts was the phone ringing in the office, he went to answer it, "Hi, hello, I'm Yi Huai, what can I do?"

·

At seven o'clock in the evening, Yi Huai walked out of the company building and saw the gray BMW parked by the side of the road.

The man leaning against the car door had profound and handsome features, his broad shoulders and long legs were better set off by his shirt and trousers, and he held a cup of coffee in his hand, attracting the attention of many female employees.

"Wait long?"

Hearing his voice, Nie Xicheng handed him the coffee, opened the car door for him, and then walked around to the other side and sat in.

"Not long."

Yi Huai let out a sorry breath, "I'll come out earlier next time."

"No need." Nie Xicheng glanced at him, turned the car key, and started the car, "What time is the appointment? It's my personal habit to be 5 minutes ahead of time. You don't need to take it to heart."

His shirt cuffs were rolled up high, revealing a smooth forearm with smooth muscles, but Yi Huai's focus is not on this...

"Is it ugly?" Nie Xicheng glanced at the bleak scar, "I think it's ugly too, there are more under the clothes."

Yi Huai didn't expect him to say this, he didn't look at it or didn't look at it, and finally shook his head slowly, "It's not ugly, I just..."

Before he finished speaking, someone touched his head and said jokingly, "Don't be sad, it won't hurt a long time ago."

Before he could react, Nie Xicheng withdrew his hand first, and focused on the road ahead, "The doctor asked me before if I wanted to have surgery to remove it, but I refused because I didn't think it was necessary. Now your opinion is more important. If you don't like it, I'll ask about laser surgery after a while."

In the evening rush hour, Rongcheng is congested from the first ring to the sixth ring. Everyone is equal before the traffic jam. From BMW Porsche to Volkswagen Chery, it is difficult to move. Only the small eDonkey bicycle can flexibly shuttle in the last remaining space of the road.

Yi Huai froze for a moment, then subconsciously expressed his true inner thoughts, "It's fine if it hurts, I think it's good too."

From that day on, Nie Xiguo really began to pursue him. If it was said that he tried his best to get close to this person before, then the situation of the two of them is reversed now.

It's not that he hasn't been pursued by others. Even though he was so indifferent when he was studying that he didn't talk to most of the people in the class for a year, there were still people who were attracted by his appearance and deliberately created a chance encounter in the library, especially for him in a certain professor's class. Take a good front row seat and invite him to watch a new drama released together, but in the end they are all defeated by his intentional alienation.The problem lies here, these are negative teaching materials, a means he uses to keep a distance from those people, and he has no idea how to do the reverse.

He was the one who agreed to Nie Xicheng. He didn't have no feelings for Nie Xicheng. It was because Nie Xicheng's feelings were too serious and he didn't want to answer hastily, so he couldn't leave Nie Xicheng alone. He didn't want to let this person sad.For this reason, he even did something that was not in line with his personality at all—before the first date, he turned on Google to search for how he should deal with this situation. Google didn't give him even a single useful answer, and he hesitated to pack up his things and go meet that person, but such anxiety dissipated after the first date.

In fact, what they do together are very ordinary things, such as eating together, watching movies, playing billiards, drinking and chatting in bars, etc., but because it is too ordinary, he feels unrealistic instead.

Sometimes Nie Xicheng would tell him about his time in the United States, and sometimes he would quietly listen to him talk about his experiences. Even he himself could not imagine that there are so many things in his ordinary life that he can share with this person. .

The void created by the separation would never be truly filled, but they could make it less vacant—he would finally be free from the lonely, never-responsive watch.

·

"arrive."

What Nie Xicheng took him to this evening was a barbecue bar, where iron products can be seen everywhere, smoky brick walls, maple furniture with simple workmanship, thick knitted printed cushions, and the interior decoration of American country style is reminiscent It started with the popular Western films of the last century.

Sometimes he wondered how Nie Xicheng found so many strange places, for example, a bar they visited a few days ago, which looked plain on the outside, but was actually made to look like the inside of a pirate ship. From the wine list to the dress style of the waiters, everything is in accordance with the standards of the age of exploration.He sat down in shock, drank two glasses of whiskey with Nie Xicheng, and suddenly remembered that when he was a teenager, he found pictorial posters about sailing in Nie Xicheng's room more than once.

The past that was gradually forgotten rose from the depths of memory, and the face of the boy who liked sailing and said that if he couldn't think of anything to do in the future, he would go to the navy became vivid again.

He was reminding me in his own way, so is it the same this time?He pulled out his chair and sat down, asking uncertainly, "Do you like Westerns?"

"Why do you say that? Oh, I see. I haven't watched Westerns much. I prefer horror movies and documentaries. This place was introduced to me by a friend. I wanted to bring you here because you said you didn't hate barbecue the day before yesterday."

Nie Xicheng sat across from him and handed him the menu on the table, "Order first, and tell me if you don't like anything."

Yi Huai doesn't like chicken very much, and he usually doesn't eat much at night, so he can order a few items. After consulting Nie Xicheng's opinion, he called the waiter to hand him the order.

"Do you have other friends in Rongcheng?" Yi Huai fiddled with the gleaming silver knife and fork in front of him, "Did... you met at that time or something else?"

He spoke very vaguely, anyway, as long as Nie Xicheng understood what he meant.

"It's the son of an acquaintance of my father's. I don't know if you've seen it... Well, you must have seen it. It's the personal assistant next to Wen Zhengting."

Nie Xicheng answered very simply, and Yi Huai was so surprised that he stopped even picking up the cup to drink water.

He met Wen Zhengting's assistant when he came to celebrate his birthday with Luo Yi last time. He was a very docile and quiet person. He was thin and not particularly good-looking but handsome enough. He looked much younger than his actual age. Anyone who said he was 25 or [-] would believe it. .

From what he saw, this person should be very trusted by Wen Zhengting, so he thought about many possibilities, but he never thought that this person would be involved in Wen Zhengting's death.

However, the son of Uncle Nie's acquaintance, he had a deep hatred with Wen Zhengting, and Wen Zhengting had a relationship with someone like Xu Laodao... Adding up these factors, Yi Huai suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Is he the posthumous son of Yang Er?"

"Do you know who Yang Er is?" Nie Xicheng looked sideways when he heard the words, his expression was a little cold under the light, "Uncle Chen even told you this."

Yi Huai was taken aback, subconsciously thinking that he had done something wrong, and said hesitantly, "I know, I grew up with Uncle Nie, and later...that Yang Er who died of drug addiction in prison, right? ?”

Although he and Uncle Chen didn't tell anyone later, he never expected that some of the things he did could be hidden from this person's eyes.

But even if Nie Xicheng knew about it, he would still do it: whether it was adopting him for two years or sending someone to find his mother, Uncle Nie would always be kind to him, even if it wasn't for Nie Xicheng. Something had to be done, otherwise his conscience, which had been suffering so much, would be overwhelmed—he had never seen Uncle Nie’s body with his own eyes, but had only heard Nie Xicheng’s description. Through these simple words, he could imagine what happened to Uncle Nie during his lifetime. What, he hated Wen Zhengting even more than he hated Luo Yi.

Nie Xicheng closed his eyes, the cold illusion no longer existed, replaced by melancholy and sorrow, "After he was made addicted to drugs by Wen Zhengting, his girlfriend fell out with him and ran away secretly in the middle of the night, even my father thought she was After beating the child, no one expected that she would actually give birth to the child, and she couldn't bear the shame to come back to her father and the others, how could a single woman survive with a child, and ended up being Wen Zhengting's lover in desperation."

"How did he know his life experience?"

Having recognized the thief as his father for decades, Yi Huai felt unbearable pain just thinking about the moment he knew the truth.

"At first, he just wanted to know who his biological father was. Who knew that there were more and more clues, and finally he found out." Seeing that his face was not right, Nie Xicheng asked worriedly, "What's wrong with you?" ?”

Yi Huai originally wanted to say something that he had been worried about, but he swallowed it abruptly, "...it's okay."

——If the truth he traced all the way was that his mother really died at the hands of Luo Yi, then what would he do?Can he do it?

"I put myself in my shoes and thought about it, a little uncomfortable."

Nie Xicheng watched him for a long time, not sure if he believed his rhetoric, but finally took half a step back and didn't put any pressure on him, "What else can I do? At least he survived."

It happened that the waiter came to serve the meal. In terms of dining habits, they were still the same as in the past, adhering to the rule of not talking when eating or sleeping, and not talking easily unless there was something urgent.

Yi Huai concentrates on the grilled wagyu beef and mushrooms on the plate. He has eaten messy Western food for several years abroad. After returning to China, his three meals a day are basically arranged by An's mother. An's mother is good at everything, but the taste has become more delicate in recent years. Health preservation made him almost forget that he was still a young man who liked junk food.

"Wipe the corner of your mouth." Nodding the corner of his mouth, Nie Xicheng held back a smile and picked up the tissue at hand and handed it to him, "Slow down, don't eat like a cat."

Yi Huai blushed imperceptibly, and grabbed the tissue to wipe his face.

Yue Mo thought his reaction was very funny, and Nie Xicheng looked at him with his chin in his hands. He was extremely embarrassed, and wondered if there was something embarrassing about him that he didn't notice.

Enough of the jokes, it would be too much to continue, Nie Xicheng restrained his smile, "Don't worry, there is nothing dirty. By the way, Ah Huai, are you free tomorrow?"

Yi Huai recalled his weekend schedule for two days, and made sure that there was nothing that he had to come to the company to deal with, "Do you have anything to do?"

"I want to take you to a place. What time do you get up? I'll pick you up when you get up."

"Six o'clock." Facing Nie Xicheng's obviously disbelieving gaze, he lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Luo Yi won't allow me to stay in bed, and I always have a lot of things to do... so I get used to it over time. Yes. Many things are not so difficult after you get used to them.”

·

After dinner, Nie Xicheng drove him home.

He still lived in Luo's house. In his expectation, when Luo Yi came, he would ask Luo Yi again if he could move out.

There are few residents in the wealthy area on the mountain. At this point, there are only a few lights not far away and luxury cars passing by occasionally. Because of greetings with security, Nie Xicheng's car was finally able to drive in this time. He went not far from the door of the house.

When it was time to say goodbye, Nie Xicheng put one hand on the steering wheel and looked at him sideways, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Yi Huai knew that he should say goodbye, but these two simple words seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them no matter what.

The warm night gradually eroded the small space in the car, and an unknown and ambiguous atmosphere floated among them. He heard himself making a small voice, but it was difficult to distinguish what he said.

He seemed to be calling the man's name.

"Don't look at me like that, I'll think you're giving me permission to kiss you."

Yi Huai raised his eyes to look at him, his eyes were extraordinarily calm, "Haven't you already done it?"

"Well, since you have nothing to say, then I have something to tell you." Nie Xicheng pressed the back of his head and brought him to his side, "You allowed me to do this."

"Well, I allow it."

He's already dating this guy, so it's pretty smooth that this happened, isn't it?

The man's palms that hooked him were very hot, and his lips were also very hot. The place where he was bitten was a little painful, but the gentle lick that followed made his back numb.

Before they knew it, their postures had completely reversed. Yi Huai, who was pressed on the seat and kissed wantonly, grabbed the man's neck, and inserted his fingers into the hair that was not as hard as it looked.

"Wait a minute, we can't go on any longer."

Just when he was one last step away from losing control, Nie Xicheng suddenly let go of him, pushed him away, met his confused gaze, "It will hurt you."

Under the dim light, Nie Xicheng's pupils completely spread into a chaotic blackness, and his chest heaved violently. If he went down, Yi Huai knew what was holding him just now without looking.

"It would be too much to continue, and I don't want you to regret it."

"is it?"

Yi Huai gasped for breath and straightened her messed up clothes.It's easy to give in to desire, but hard to stand up, his buttoned fingers are shaking all the time, the place he's been kissed has been burning hot, there's a blurry version of himself in his mind that's madly wanting more, he never knew Kiss can also make people excited.

Nie Xicheng kissed his temples for the last time, and his rough and hot breath echoed in his ears, just like his heartbeat at the moment, "See you tomorrow."

"I'm going back." Yi Huai reached out and hugged him tightly, "See you tomorrow."

He got out of the car and left as if he was escaping. When he walked halfway, he looked back and saw that the car was still parked in place.

The moment he made up his mind to turn around, the car drove away. He slowly let go of his palm and stared at the lines on his palm. The only thing he could be sure of was that he had no regrets or fear.