【Zhou Xiang】The Tropic

1.

Time goes back to the morning, and the whole story is quite simple.

Father Sun recognized Zhou Zekai first.After all, he watched almost every match Sun Xiang played back then.Of course, not only competitions, but strictly speaking, Zhou Zekai's sense of presence was equally strong for quite a long period of time, whether it was commercial posters, commemorative albums, or promotional videos.

However, compared with the slightly youthful Captain Samsara, the calmer aura and business-like attire in front of him really refreshed the impression in his memory.So after receiving the business card, Father Sun was stunned for a second.

And Zhou Zekai didn't know anything about it.Who told Sun Xiang to look like a pretty girl from his family.In addition, due to the nature of his work, he couldn't keep up with the competition, so it was normal for Zhou Zekai not to recognize him.

Father Sun hid his surprise very well. After exchanging pleasantries, he quickly and seriously chaired the meeting.This delay will be delayed until lunch time.During the dinner, the atmosphere changed from serious to relaxed, and Dad Sun raised his mouth "seemingly casually", and everyone realized that there is such a special connection between the two parties.

Chinese people love gossip and excitement on the one hand, and they are more satisfied with the talks on both sides. The desire to promote the project is on the other hand-Zhengchou has no reason to deepen the relationship. Of course, there are also guys with other ideas. They urged the two to talk more about the old days.

"It's not that exaggerated." Father Sun reacted quickly, laughing and laughing, raised the glass of orange juice, and signaled calmly, "I usually listen to my kid muttering, and it's actually the first time I've seen Ze Kai. Excellence is worthy of the name, and the future generations are formidable."

"You're absurd." Zhou Zekai stood up tactfully, took a teacup instead of wine, and took the initiative to clink glasses with his father to meet the needs of the spectators.

Father Sun lowered his head and took a sip, a hint of appreciation flashed across his downcast eyes.

There are many taboos in dealing with government and businessmen, and it is also a period when the "X regulations" are like a curse. Even if you have good intentions, how can you be so blatant.The two parties were like mirrors in their hearts, and throughout the whole meal, there were only a few sporadic conversations, and the distance was kept just right.

In the afternoon, the two sides continued to "see-saw" around the project.Time passed quickly, as if in the blink of an eye, it was already dark outside the window.Zhou Zekai raised his wrist to look at his watch, it was three minutes to six.Because there are other matters, Father Sun withdrew first, and the meeting came to an end.

Before leaving, Zhou Zekai found that the other party winked at him secretly, with a special meaning.

If he felt something, he lowered his head and touched his phone.Sure enough, WeChat added a friend request.

After passing, Father Sun cut straight to the point: Is Zekai free on the schedule?

Zhou Zekai seemed to have been prepared: Tomorrow night.

Father Sun: Hehe, it’s rare to come to Chongqing, how about a light meal?

Zhou Zekai: I am very happy.

2.

Here you can see Zhou Zekai's superficially cautious yet bold style of doing things—at noon, after he realized that the other party was Sun Xiang's father, he dared to bluff Sun Xiang's "home visit" without any invitation, and he didn't care about it at all. Worried that the other party would confirm, Gein quickly made up his mind to visit Sun Xiang no matter what, and he also had a thorough understanding of Sun Xiang's character.

He knew that Sun Xiang loved saving face the most, and he was worried that the probability of the "black history" being exposed by his parents was extremely high, but he thought that the matter was a foregone conclusion, and he couldn't stop him from visiting, so he must have a headache.At the same time, Sun Xiang has always been concentrating when doing things. When he is so busy, he will subconsciously avoid such tricky and "sub-priority" things. I belatedly forgot to tell my family.

Sure enough, throughout the afternoon, Sun Xiang didn't respond as if he hadn't seen the message.

In the evening, Zhou Zekai and his companions visited Hongya Cave and enjoyed the colorful night view of the Yangtze River.Zhou Zekai took several photos and shared them with Sun Xiang, together with a panorama of the hot pot at dinner, the news at noon was wiped out.

Only then did Sun Xiang make any noise. The first message was: "Tsk, no wonder you insisted on adding me on WeChat. It turned out that you were worried that the email system has attachment size restrictions."

Zhou Zekai talked about him from left to right: Have you been here?

Sun Xiang: Of course, not only did I come, I also swam in the river!

Zhou Zekai: Great.

Sun Xiang: Perfunctory!You don't even have a thumbs up expression, you probably don't believe it at all, right?

Zhou Zekai: Thumbs up.jpg

Sun Xiang: Haha, well, I'll take it as you believe it.I can really swim far!Ah, didn't I tell you, when I was young, I had a dream.

Zhou Zekai: What dream?

Sun Xiang: Cough, it's all my cousin's fault.I remember it was the summer vacation of the first grade of elementary school, and I learned swimming from him.I am quite a genius, and I will be able to row in the swimming pool for half a week.Then he tied a "follower" around my waist and encouraged me to fight against the wind and waves in the Yangtze River.

Zhou Zekai: Isn't it dangerous?

Sun Xiang: It is indeed dangerous.But my dad, my uncle, my brother, and several adults watched... I didn't digress. Anyway, I swam more than 100 meters when I went into the water for the first time. The speed of progress, etc., must have been able to swim along the Yangtze River to Shanghai Beach.

Zhou Zekai: Do you believe it?

Sun Xiang: ...

Zhou Zekai: Penguin pushes glasses.jpg

Sun Xiang: ... Are you laughing at me!I'm too lazy to tell you, go to work.

Of course there was work to be done, but their chat didn't end, it continued one after another.For Sun Xiang, this feeling was amazing. He was obviously very busy, and he needed to type every word carefully, but he couldn't help but reply to Zhou Zekai's news. He felt as if he had something to say to Zhou Zekai. Chat, don't worry about the silence at all.And, perhaps because of the foreshadowing of the first revelation, it seems not so difficult to reveal more childhood embarrassments.

"It's still my brother," Sun Xiang said after a while, "It's almost where you are now. We walked together along the river to Chaotianmen, and walked to the Qiansimen Bridge..."

"Thousand servants door?"

"Oh, it's night, I don't know if you can see clearly, look up, the biggest and closest one, the red one."

"Can't see the color, but I know which one it is."

"Yeah, just walking under the bridge, I found that the shoelaces of a passer-by were untied, and I wanted to remind him, but just as I opened my mouth, a light rail passed over my head... I yelled so loudly that the person had gone far away, I didn't hear it either. Are you angry!"

For 2 minutes, Zhou Zekai did not respond.

Sun Xiang:? ? ?Zhou Zekai? ?What about people?

Sun Xiang: Zhou Zekai?

Sun Xiang: Lost your phone? !

Sun Xiang: Shall I call you?

Zhou Zekai: Just under the bridge.

Zhou Zekai: It is very loud.smile.jpg

Sun Xiang: ...Don't even think about it, Lao Tzu's embarrassing things are not for you to laugh at!

3.

On the second day, it was still a full eight or nine hours of difficult see-saw. Fortunately, in the evening, the two parties finally reached a framework cooperation intention, and the specific details can be put aside until the two sides make additional research and preparations. Make a second round of contact.

At dinner time, Zhou Zekai and his companions exchanged a few words and split up.He went back to the hotel and changed into a casual outfit, made an appointment to rent it out, and took a fruit basket with just the right amount, and headed to the neighborhood that Father Sun had given him the address.

After entering the door, compared with the beautiful woman, the smell of pepper on his face taught him more intuitively what a "warm welcome" is.

Zhou Zekai... sneezed.

Mama Sun couldn't help but pass the paper towel: "Your uncle likes to put pepper in his cooking, but don't worry, there are also non-spicy ones!"

In Mama Sun's words, the two of them have met several times before, "familiar noodles", so they just treat themselves as if they were at home and relax.

"Ze Kai is here! Let's eat some fruit first, and then we'll cook a dish!" Father Sun, wearing an apron, poked his head out of the kitchen, smiled very cordially, and argued with the serious leader in the meeting room. If there are two people.

"Okay." Zhou Zekai nodded obediently, "Uncle has worked hard."

This calm appearance, coupled with his increasingly handsome appearance, made Mama Sun, who already liked him very much, happy no matter how she looked at it.

As she led the way, she complained: "I told Sun Xiang very early on that I had the opportunity to invite my teammates to play at home, but this kid was disobedient and dragged it off until he graduated, so he invited Fang Minghua from your team. So many years have passed , Zekai has retired for 4 years? Has it been 5 years?"

"5."

"Hey, it's been 5 years, but luckily we met again, what a coincidence! When your uncle told me about it, I thought he was bragging!"

4.

For dinner, Zhou Zekai finally tasted the handicraft of Father Sun, which Sun Xiang said was "unique in heaven and earth".Every dish is delicious.Even though he can't eat spicy food, Zhou Zekai was not out of politeness at all, but because he couldn't suppress the glutton, he bravely stretched his chopsticks towards the red side at the risk of getting angry.

The result is unquestionable... I was so hot that I couldn't help but breathe out.

Mother Sun snickered and directed Father Sun to bring out the sliced ​​cantaloupe, let Zhou Zekai relieve the spicy, and gossip with him.

Just like that, I don't know who started it first, but everyone naturally talked about tomorrow's day——Sun Xiang's birthday.Maybe it was because he drank two more glasses. Father Sun couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The reckless boy who "run away from home" in order to hand in the form turned into an adult with his own ideas and career in a blink of an eye. The only thing that made them worry about him was his single issue. ——Living alone, the daily report of good news but not bad news, I don't know if he can take good care of himself.

"Uncle and aunt, don't worry." Zhou Zekai answered in a timely manner, "He is very capable of living. He can still take care of me occasionally."

"Take care of you? Could it be...?" Mama Sun keenly caught the voice of Zhou Zekai's words.

"Well, we live together for the time being." Zhou Zekai smiled sheepishly, and then briefly explained why Sun Xiang moved here.

"Where is there?" The two elders of the Sun family exchanged glances. Father Sun looked at Zhou Zekai with a more friendly and appreciative look. Otherwise, according to his personality, he might just set up a row of army beds in the office, or simply sleep on the sofa."

Mama Sun made no secret of her liking, wishing Zhou Zekai could be treated like her son: "It would be great if your schedule wasn't so rushed, Auntie will take you around and make you some delicious supplements!"

5.

The happy time is always short. After dinner, Zhou Zekai couldn't stay for long. After Sun's father cleaned up the dishes, he hurried to prepare the "birthday gift" for his son.

While waiting for the break, Ms. Sun was afraid that Zhou Zekai would be bored watching TV with her, so she offered to take Zhou Zekai around the house.Zhou Zekai naturally had no objection, so it didn't take long for him to step into Sun Xiang's room logically.

Before coming here, Zhou Zekai had imagined what Sun Xiang's room would be like, but he couldn't escape the "normal boys" setting, such as basketball or football posters, guitars, and CD racks. Glory-related showcases and various fashionable electronic products are must-haves.

...So when he first saw this room where Sun Xiang had lived for more than ten years, and occasionally came back to live in it, he couldn't help being stunned.

The only thing he guessed was the cabinet related to glory, but other than that, it was another special type of "toy" that took up half of the country.Like galvanized but essentially plastic swords, colorful belts, wristbands, masks, and all sorts of... watches?

He quickly recalled the things Sun Xiang had used, and finally remembered the blindfold he was wearing when he met Sun Xiang that day.Because the pattern is quite special, I once asked Sun Xiang what it was, and Sun Xiang gave him four words.

So: "These are... Kamen Rider's peripherals?"

"Yes. Hey, he is willing to tell you this? You have a really good relationship!" Mama Sun seemed to remember something interesting, "He liked this very much when he was a child, and then he went to play e-sports, and he lied to show his determination." It’s more childish than Glory to say that you’re not interested. Hey, it’s just a blunt mouth. I haven’t stopped buying peripherals in private. I’m sorry to send them to the team, so I’ll mail them home and I’ll show them to him.”

Afterwards, Mama Sun picked up a "watch", stuffed it into her belt, and snapped it shut.Immediately afterwards, the display hole of the belt suddenly glowed, and a series of strange but passionate Japanese words came out.

"How is it? Is it fun?" Mama Sun showed a few demonstrations enthusiastically, "I don't really understand, but no matter how old he is, he's still a child, so you can do whatever you like."

However, when she talked about which one was a commemorative model for several years and which one was limited to a certain exhibition, she was so familiar that it didn't look like she "didn't understand".

Zhou Zekai thought to himself that these two are indeed mother and son, not only are they similar in appearance, but also in the way they lie and talk about their favorite things with radiance.

At this time, while talking, Mother Sun handed over a "watch": "Look."

"It's also limited?" Zhou Zekai was at a loss.

"Haha," Sun's mother blinked, "No, no, this one, Sun Xiang probably wants to throw it away the most. Because there is a very interesting story behind it. I wanted to tell Fang Minghua the last time I came here. If the brat didn't succeed in making trouble, then Do you want to listen to Zekai today? Don’t you think that Auntie has more saliva than tea?”

When it comes to this level, how can Zhou Zekai fail to understand the nonsense.Besides, he himself has already whetted his appetite by this foreshadowing. If Mama Sun hides it, maybe he will encourage the other party.

So Zhou Zekai naturally nodded quickly: "Yes."

6.

It turned out to be a clichéd "hero saves the beauty" story.

Sun Xiang, who just entered junior high school, met a group of gangsters from the same school chasing the girls on the road, and got into a fight when he saw the injustice on the road.The price of being handsome is that both arms are hanged.

"I came home and said I bumped into it by accident, and he said I bumped into it, do you believe it?" Sun Mama still shrugged her shoulders with a smile as she recalled, "No matter how you bump into that position, you won't tell a lie! And I dare not look at it. In my eyes, two sentences were set out by me."

The truth is, at that time, Sun Xiang had very strong self-esteem, felt ashamed of being injured in a fight, and didn't want to admit it.In order to save Sun Xiang's face, he helped him wipe off the potion, and Mother Sun didn't say a word, and the mother and son pretended nothing happened.However, just because Sun Xiang doesn't want to mention it doesn't mean others will forget it.

The girl he helped was actually in the same school and in the next class.She was grateful, but also shy, and embarrassed to thank her in person, so she asked around for Sun Xiang's hobbies, and then used her pocket money to buy a peripheral that Sun Xiang had been longing for for a long time. in the schoolbag.

Unaware of this, Sun Xiang returned home with his schoolbag on his back. He didn't realize the existence of this "watch" until he accidentally brought out the thank you note when he took out his homework and textbooks.

"It's a pity that he lost the note." After revealing the old truth, Mama Sun shook her head regretfully, "It's good to keep it, to commemorate a missed first love."

Zhou Zekai was completely taken aback by Sun's mother's bad taste, and when he sympathized with Sun Xiang, he was also secretly glad that this friend was too rough in a certain way.

7.

Sun Xiang was busy all day, and it was nearly twelve o'clock when he remembered that he hadn't sent a message to Zhou Zekai all day.

Because of this, when he realized that Zhou Zekai had finished his "home visit" and packed a whole box of delicious food for him, his first reaction was not happiness, but super guilty conscience.

"That... my pretty girl didn't say anything strange, did she?" He probed.

"No." Zhou Zekai said first.

Before Sun Xiang had time to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw that the opposite party simply shattered his dream with only five words: "One sentence, the watch is very interesting."

Damn!

Sun Xiang thumped the table.This strong Cantonese accent, this dazzling word "watch"...he is a fool if he doesn't know what happened.

Zhou Zekai immediately received a screen full of emojis of hitting the wall and vomiting blood.

Sun Xiang changed the subject abruptly: "Did my father remember to vacuum?"

"Yes." Zhou Zekai replied, "I checked." As if he guessed that Sun Xiang would ask this question, he immediately sent five or six photos.

"Ahhhhhh stop! I'm so hungry!" Sun Xiang was glad that Zhou Zekai was willing to cooperate with him to change the subject, "You can smell the fragrance through the screen! When can you bring them back?"

Zhou Zekai: ...

This string of ellipses made Sun Xiang feel strange waves.Through the screen, he could perceive not only the scent, but also Zhou Zekai's "speechless" expression.

He stared at the profile picture of someone who was also remarked as "kaikai kid" and asked himself: Do you want to coax?

After getting along for this period of time, he has basically mastered the skills of what kind of news to make the other party happy.A few words, emoticons, and moving your fingers are as simple as drinking water.However, out of some kind of rebellious psychology, at this moment, he didn't want to use this kind of "observation and carefulness" on Zhou Zekai.

He replied: Yo, why, unhappy?

Zhou Zekai: ...

Sun Xiang raised his eyebrows, and typed with his lips hooked: I invited someone to eat and shop on the day of his birthday, but it turned out that it was my birthday, and this friend went to my house to eat and drink, and I could only stare helplessly. Look, what's the matter in a hurry?

Immediately, he began to look forward to how Zhou Zekai would express his grievances—this was almost a subconscious behavior.According to the previous experience of choking Zhou Zekai, he would be in a good mood whenever he operated like this.

Sure enough, Zhou Zekai sent six points for the third time.

"Hahahaha!" Sun Xiang laughed loudly, "I knew it!"

However, an accident happened—after laughing, the lightness in his heart lasted less than a second.He was surprised to realize that instead of happiness, irritability kept coming.He couldn't settle down and deal with the mail.

At this time, he did not feel that it was difficult.

He quickly stood up and walked to the French window in two steps.

In my eyes, I first saw the dark shoreline of the Huangpu River, then the Century Avenue with scattered vehicles, and then I took a look at the brightly lit buildings in the nearby CBD.

—he's tried it before, and it's good for regulating his emotions.Because Sun Xiang discovered by accident that the above sequence carried a special sense of ritual.

It awakened Sun Xiang's memory of the glorious years.

Sun Xiang remembered very clearly that about 10 meters away from the exit of the player channel, there was an entire wall where the league schedule was posted.The team logo, name, and the score of each game are all clearly marked on the top.No matter how many times you watch it, it will make people feel excited and motivated-it not only tells passers-by the current battle situation, but also conveys another message: for the common dream, so many players are working hard for it.

And many years later, when he admired the night view of Lujiazui late at night, the row upon row of office buildings in his vision, and thousands of windows with lights on, gave him almost the same sense of motivation—the battlefield is on the sidelines, the dream has changed, but we must strive for it My mood didn't change.

Sun Xiang watched quietly for a while.

A second accident happened.

He found that he still couldn't get out of the restless mood.

Immediately afterwards, his body moved one step ahead of his reason—Sun Xiang turned around and picked up the phone. For a few seconds, he actually tried to long press the message to withdraw it.

This is of course useless.If Zhou Zekai had seen it, it would be impossible to forget it because of his withdrawal, and the statute of limitations for withdrawal had also expired earlier.

At this time, he began to reflect on his behavior just now, and the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he was, annoyed that he shouldn't be so inexplicably amusing others, just for his own momentary pleasure.After all, he can usually say a few nice words to partners he is not familiar with, so why did he raise the standard when he came to Zhou Zekai's place, so he was so stingy?

Sun Xiang bit his lip, staring at the ellipsis that Zhou Zekai sent last.Compared with trying to make someone happy, saving face becomes irrelevant at this time.

With a heartbeat, he typed in the input box:

Well, rather than the food, I still look forward to the landlord coming back soon!

Not long after this message was sent, Zhou Zekai's feedback came.

Four or five in a row.

To sum up, the general idea is that he has been too busy recently, and he will be busy all day when he returns to Shanghai tomorrow. He will not be able to catch up with Mercury's press conference, and he may not be able to prepare a reliable gift for him immediately.Let him never mind.

The irritability in Sun Xiang's heart instantly turned into clouds and drifted away.No matter how quickly Zhou Zekai replied and how serious his attitude was, he wanted to laugh as much.

Laughing that he and Zhou Zekai are evenly matched is a matter of face and duplicity.

It's probably nothing more than the two kindergarten children's awkwardness.

Sun Xiang curled his lips and typed: Come on, what is the relationship between us!Besides, doesn't He Xi count as a gift from you?

TBC