The Pentium Era - South to North

After getting in the car, He Hongmei asked Zhang Chen if he was going to Guijie or where?

Zhang Chen said, I want to eat hot pot?

"It's July, do you want to eat hot pot?" He Hongmei asked.

"Why, it can't be done?" Zhang Chen asked, "Are you afraid to go?"

He Hongmei laughed: "What a joke, I am a girl from Chongqing, would I be afraid of hot pot? At twelve o'clock at noon, under the sun, I will eat with you."

Zhang Chen said: "Okay, then when you finish eating, you will no longer be a Chongqing girl, but an African girl."

He Hongmei laughed.

Although the two of them were still talking and laughing, for some reason, they felt that they were much more reserved and polite now than when they were together before. He Hongmei felt that there was no way she could be like Xiaoli. When she saw Zhang Chen, she hugged him and cried, although she really wanted to hold him and cry happily.

He Hongmei took Zhang Chen to a Chongqing hot pot restaurant called "July Liuhuo". When they arrived at the door, He Hongmei pointed to the sign of the store and said to Zhang Chen, "Did you see it? It's as you wish," Zhang Chen laughed. .

The boss here knew He Hongmei and greeted her when he saw her. Obviously she was a regular customer here.

The first floor of the hot pot restaurant is the lobby, and the second floor is the private rooms. When they arrived on the second floor, it was strange that they served Chongqing hot pot, but the layout of the private rooms was that of a Japanese restaurant. There was a square table on the tatami with a square table top. There is a square stainless steel cover on top, which looks like an exhaust fan, which can suck away the fumes from the hot pot below.

On both sides of the square table, there are two straw mats for sitting. Near the door, there is a three-tiered low table for placing vegetables. On both sides of the wall, there are several cushions on each side. When the time comes, you can lean against it casually, half sitting and half lying down.

"Don't be surprised. This place used to be a Japanese food shop. The business was not good and it couldn't be opened anymore. When the boss transferred it, he thought it was very comfortable to sit and eat hot pot like this, so he kept it. You will know after trying it. It’s really comfortable, especially when there are not many people.”

He Hongmei and Zhang Chen said that she almost told him that when Xiao Zhao came to Beijing in the past, the two of them would come here to eat hot pot every time, but she didn't tell him after thinking about it.

Zhang Chen had already thought of it, and said, "Then you and Xiao Zhao must come here often."

He Hongmei said yes, every time Xiao Zhao comes to Beijing, we will come here. In this private room, we have been here no less than twenty times.

As He Hongmei said, Zhang Chen subconsciously looked around the box.

The two took off their shoes, got on the tatami, and sat face to face. He Hongmei handed the menu on the table to Zhang Chen and asked him to choose. Zhang Chen looked at each item, chose what he liked, and ticked the boxes. He Hongmei After taking it over, I added a few more and asked him, "cold beer?"

Zhang Chen said yes.

"He has draft beer here." He Hongmei said.

Zhang Chen said: "Then let's make beer."

The red pot was served first, cooking, and then the dishes came one after another. He Hongmei didn't drink. She ordered sour plum juice for herself. She told Zhang Chen that she wanted to drive. It was midnight in Beijing, and there were many cars driving like crazy.

"More crazy than you?" Zhang Chen laughed.

"Who am I? Those who dare to race on the road in the middle of the night are basically young men. They have backgrounds and are confident. The speed of the car is basically proportional to the background of the family. We come from a small family like us. How dare we get here? If you drive fast, the most you can do is run wild in the countryside.”

He Hongmei said, Zhang Chen laughed, and He Hongmei also laughed.

The two of them kept clinking glasses and eating food. The air vent above their heads was making a sizzling sound. Zhang Chen watched the oil smoke rushing inside. This made the air in this private room much fresher than the private rooms in ordinary hot pot restaurants. This design, It's not bad, and it's really comfortable just sitting like this.

"Master, will you still do a fashion show this year?" He Hongmei asked.

Zhang Chen shook his head: "No way."

"Why?"

"Not in the mood."

"Because of Xiao Zhao?"

"Not entirely." Zhang Chen said slowly, "I'm scared."

He Hongmei was startled and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

Zhang Chen smiled bitterly and said: "I think I am born to be unlucky. When I get too many good things, bad things will happen. I have to stop in moderation."

"How come you have such an idea?"

"Really, it comes naturally. This idea came up before Xiao Zhao's accident." Zhang Chen said, "After a successful fashion show, the brand's reputation became even more famous. Orders came in like flakes, and the factory worked hard. We expanded our production capacity and produced a warehouse of clothes, and then suddenly this epidemic came and gave you a wake-up call. Using that bad word, fate made a joke on me."

"No, it's not like this. This epidemic is not targeting you alone. Everyone is unlucky. It's just a difference in the size of the loss. It's the same for me. I designed half of the costumes, but the crew is in trouble. Wenwen took it I can’t find anyone even with a baseball bat,” He Hongmei said.

Zhang Chen wondered: "What does she want to do with a baseball bat?"

"She said she was going to knock out the momentum. Without momentum, how could they compensate for the losses? But she was discouraged when no one was found."

Zhang Chen laughed, and after he finished laughing, he said: "What I said is true. It's like God is reminding you. It's the apocalypse, telling you not to be too greedy and not to think that everything will be perfect."

"Not good." He Hongmei said.

"What?"

"I can't tell. This is not the master I'm familiar with. I just like that. It's okay. I can do it. It's simple. I'll do it. They can't do it. I can do it. Those so-called famous designers are rubbish masters. I like that kind of domineering attitude. and confidence." He Hongmei said.

"People can change, and so can Master." Zhang Chen said.

"No, you can't change."

Zhang Chen sighed. He wanted to tell He Hongmei that when he held Xiao Zhao's hand and dipped a cotton swab in iodine to draw the Zhang Chen watch, he could feel the hand he was holding even through his gloves. It was slowly getting colder, and he knew that Xiao Zhao was going away. He held her hand, but couldn't hold her back. The feeling of powerlessness made people despair.

What domineering and self-confidence? What can you change? You can't change anything. You look at the person you love the most and it slips away from your hands. You are trembling but you are helpless. Zhang Chen thought of being in Haicheng Taoyuan Hotel. In the KTV box, when he saw Hong Ganglu beating Xiao Zhao, he could still rush over with a utility knife.

But in that ward, he really felt his weakness. He felt that he was the most useless person in the world, the most incompetent, the most bluffing, and the most embarrassing. If he didn't allow himself to draw seriously When he was sleeping, he would lie on the ground and cry loudly like a child, shouting Xiao Zhao's name.

However, he couldn't even lie on the ground and cry like a child in front of everyone. He still wanted to maintain his dignity. He felt how hypocritical he was. At that moment, really, he was very If you despise yourself, how can you be domineering and confident?

Zhang Chen sighed again, looked at He Hongmei and said, "Tell me about you, how are you now?"

He Hongmei said: "I have nothing to say. It's very simple. I can say it in one sentence. Because of the epidemic, the crew also stopped. Now it is back to normal. I am working on three projects at the same time."

"Are you too busy to come here?" Zhang Chen asked.

"It's so busy. The three projects are all projects that the director himself knew would be bad movies. He didn't have to use any brains. He just pieced together what he had done before and gave it to him."

"Be careful not to ruin your reputation." Zhang Chen warned.

"What's so famous about the costumes?" He Hongmei said with a smile, "When you watch a TV series, who is wearing the costume at the end of the subtitles?"

"That also has a reputation in the industry." Zhang Chen said.

"Then the whole industry must know about this film. Once it's made, I don't know if it will be broadcast. There is a high probability that it won't be broadcast. Even if he wants to destroy my reputation, he can't do it."

He Hongmei smiled and continued:

"That is, the stupid coal boss wants to please his lover and let her play the leading role. He finds a director and makes a movie in a serious way. When the movie is finished, the director takes the money and leaves. This lover, Maybe he’s tired of being played by the coal boss and wants to find his own way out. Is this kind of film worth taking seriously? It’s just used to support my dozen or so workers.”

"I didn't expect that in your industry, you have such a way to play."

Zhang Chen shook his head. He could tell that half of He Hongmei's words were filled with anger. He was angry with himself for what he said before, and he would change his words.

Zhang Chen raised his glass and touched it with He Hongmei. He Hongmei took the other glass and said to Zhang Chen, I want to drink too.

Zhang Chen filled it up for her, and the two of them drank it in one gulp.

Putting down the cup, He Hongmei looked at Zhang Chen and asked, "Master, can I ask you something?"

"you say."

"That day when you were in the ward, just before you drew her watch, what was the last thing Xiao Zhao said to you?"

"You want to know?" Zhang Chen asked.

He Hongmei nodded.

"She said that she couldn't survive. After she died, she asked me to marry you. She also said that you would be good to Zhang Xiangbei." Zhang Chen said word by word.

"Haha, let me take over her class, right?" He Hongmei laughed, but her eyes were already red. She said, "Did you know that when Xiao Zhao was in Beijing, she also said the same thing when we were joking? If so. Do you know what I said at that time?"

Zhang Chen shook his head.

"I said yes. Anyway, I like them both, father and son... So, master, will you marry me?" He Hongmei stared at Zhang Chen and asked, "I said it was true that I liked you, and Xiao Zhao also knows it."

Zhang Chen was stunned there, speechless for a moment. He was not hesitating whether to say yes or no, but he was hesitating to say what would hurt He Hongmei. This topic moved too fast and too directly.

"Forget it, let's not embarrass you." He Hongmei said, "I won't marry you, even if I really like you, I am very selfish. I don't want my husband. I have other women in my heart. No matter this woman Wherever I am, I also know that it is impossible not to have Xiao Zhao in your heart, and I can’t bear to let you forget Xiao Zhao.”

Zhang Chen breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. He felt that the restraint was gone and that he and He Hongmei could get along with each other as easily as before.

He Hongmei glanced at Zhang Chen and continued:

"Really, that day at the cemetery, I saw you holding Xiao Zhao's urn and leaving like that. You didn't throw her in the cement pit, but took her home. I was really sad. I like it and feel that this is my master and the person worthy of Xiao Zhao's love. At that moment, I was really jealous. Do you know what I am jealous of?"

Zhang Chen shook his head.

"I hope it's me in that urn." He Hongmei said, "Of course, I don't hope that you are just impulsive."

Thank you Hu Hu for the reward of two fishes! Thank you pcm600812, wxd121, and book friend 20200623234510452 for your monthly votes! Thanks for all the votes and reading! Have a good evening everyone!