A heartbeat, a lifetime

Chapter 37 The Most Familiar Stranger (1)
Cities in the northwest are different from those in the south, and they always have a feeling of thick soil and desolation.

There is no other reason for me to come here, just because I came here for a group trip when I was in college.When alone, especially at a time like now, you can always find some sense of security when you go to a familiar city.

I left my few luggage at the hotel, packed a bag and went out.

I can't get enough of the plane meals every time, but fortunately, the city's snack street is famous all over the country.Because it was after dinner time, this century-old shop seemed empty, and the waiter lazily gave me a big noodle pancake and walked away.

I followed the example of the locals and devoted myself to tearing the cake.This thing looks simple, but it is not easy to tear.Half an hour later, I took the messy and uneven shredded buns to scoop up the hot soup. The master chef in charge of the spoon glanced at me, shook his head and said, "Girl, this tearing is really artistic."

I smiled and took the steamed bun topped with hot broth from his hand, "It's delicious when you break it yourself."

Because it was already early summer, the fans in the store were whistling. I picked up a chopstick fan and blew it several times before putting it in my mouth.After eating half of it, it became unbearably hot, and kept calling: "Boss, I want a glass of iced plum soup."

After eating a bowl full of beef steamed buns, I went out and turned left, and ordered a large amount of sesame sauce to rinse the hairy belly. In fact, my stomach was already [-]% full, but every time I came here, I couldn’t seem to restrain my appetite. .While waiting for the waiter to serve the food, I checked the time and turned on my phone.

Several text messages popped up one after another.

I just stared at the message from Xu Zhuo.

all the best.

The waiter lazily came over and threw a large pot of shabu-shabu belly in front of me, with a bang, just like the stone in my heart that fell at the moment.I let go of my hairy stomach, and involuntarily called out Shen Qinjun's phone, wanting to dial it, but I was afraid that he was still in a meeting, so I should send a text message instead, I really didn't know what to send, but I noticed another system text message from the bank , which shows the amount of money flowing in my account, which is terribly large.

Just so hesitant until I finished eating a pot of hairy belly, I still didn't have the courage after all.

As night fell, the snack street gradually became noisy, red lanterns lit one after another, and the majestic city walls crouched like giant beasts in the twilight.I was in the crowd when I heard my phone ring.

It wasn't without apprehension when he took it out, but when he finally saw the caller ID, it wasn't Shen Qinjun.I couldn't tell whether it was relief or loss, I picked it up and said "Hello".

"Just finished the meeting." Xu Zhuo said calmly, "The bank has already completed all operations."

"I saw the account reminder message."

"Are you a little distressed?" She chuckled, "Bai Xi, I think you should not come back for a while. If you didn't see Gao Qi's face today, you probably have the heart to kill you."

I was a little guilty, and I was silent for a while, "He won't let you go, do you want to come out and hide with me?"

"I'm not like you, Bai Fumei, I have to work." Xu Zhuo smiled on the phone, "Do you know what Shen Qinjun said to me today? He said he welcomes me to work in Rongwei's legal department."

"That's a good thing." I suddenly didn't know what to say.

"At the meeting, he rejected QL's proposal, and Takasaki didn't have a chance to mention layoffs or anything. I think Shen Qinjun meant to take back all of QL's equity, and the government has come forward to initiate negotiations. I'll hang up first , I'm afraid Shen Qinjun is looking for you everywhere in a hurry."

I stood on the street with people coming and going, and I was still a little dazed until now. In the past three days, I really did this thing.

I transferred all the equity in my hand to Shen Qinjun.

Even if I knew that the death of my parents was due to his casual request, but at that time, he and I were so young, so what did we know?I have lived as Bai Xi for more than 20 years. I don't want to bear Su Yan's painful past, nor do I want him to bear it...

After all, he has been secretly caring about me.

And I have always liked him very, very much.

Knowing his stubbornness and pride, knowing that he would not ask me for help even if he was killed—it doesn’t matter, I can pretend to negotiate with Gao Qi, but it’s just to help him buy time.Knowing that he is short of funds, it doesn't matter, my equity can be transferred for free.

I asked Xu Zhuo to help me draw up all the contracts, signed them all last night, and then asked her to help me take them to Rongwei.I even thought that he might not accept such a gratuitous transfer from me, so I wrote a power of attorney and handed over my rights in the board of directors to Shen Qinjun as an agent, so I think he can always accept it.

Now, I finally know that he has accepted my shareholding, and I am relieved for no reason.

With Shen Qinjun's personality, unless he truly treats me as one of his own, he will never accept it - thinking about it this way, I feel a little happy in my heart.

At night in the ancient city, the sky is still so heavy, the stars are dim and unclear, a few long kites are floating, and the air is dry but free.I didn't want to go back to the hotel yet, I was sitting by the flower bed in the square in a daze, when Lao Mai, who hadn't contacted me for a long time, suddenly called.

"Bai Xi!"

The sound made me tremblingly hold the phone away.

Lao Mai often scolded me, most of the time because he thought I was stupid and not enlightened, but this time it was a little different, it seemed to be particularly serious, he called me on the other end of the phone, and there was no movement, as if he didn't know what to say.

"Master?" I replied cautiously.

"Do you know what you did?"

I can imagine the expression on his face wrinkling his thick black eyebrows when he said this, it must be cold and terrifying.

"Me, what did I do?"

He paused, and said in a harsh tone: "Bai Xi, I don't understand, why are you rushing to post about Shen Qinjun?"

I froze, trembling with anger.

There were many people sitting around the flower bed, including couples, elderly people, and parents with children, but those figures were shaking in a daze, and I took a deep breath, "Mai Zhendong, can you stop talking so harshly?" Right? Yes, I helped him. There are not many people who treat me well in this world, Shen Qinjun is one, why can't I do this?"

Old Mai's sneer on the phone was very clear, "He treats you well?"

There is no need to tell others about the matter between me and Shen Qinjun, I am not even interested in arguing, I just said: "Mai Zhendong, if it were you today, I would do the same."

Lao Mai fell silent, and his tone softened when he spoke again, "Where are you?"

After hesitating for a while, I finally told him.

"Don't come back these two days. I'll come to you as soon as possible."

"Why?" His tone was weird, maybe he was worried that Takasaki would settle accounts with me?

"No reason." Mai Zhendong was a little impatient, "You wait for me to come to you."

The phone hangs up.

I think he was too nervous, even if Takasaki wanted to settle things with me, Shen Qinjun would still be there.I did him such a big favor, can he help me with Takasaki?

On the way back to the hotel, I looked down at my phone again.

Still a quiet black screen.

No one else came to me again.

In the early hours of the morning, I was still in a drowsy sleep, and my phone rang sharply.

Even in my sleep, there was still a trace of anticipation in my heart. I picked up the phone and put it to my ear, and said "Hello".

"Bai Xi, I'm here."

I sat up, "Where have you been?"

The city was still cold at four or five o'clock. I walked down the Bell and Drum Tower wrapped in a sweater, and saw a man in a black windbreaker in the most intricate underground passage.

He didn't have any luggage, with his hands in his pockets, but he looked in another direction, leaving me with a tall and straight back.

"Mai Zhendong!" My voice still echoed in the tunnel.

He turned to look at me, and walked towards me with big strides without concealing his tiredness.

"Why are you in such a hurry—" I muttered dissatisfiedly, and was suddenly pulled into his arms.

The neckline of the crisp windbreaker rubbed against my cheek, and he hugged me very hard without saying a word.

Old Mai would never do this to me.

I was so nervous that my hands and feet were stiff, but I also felt that the meaning of this embrace seemed to be more to comfort me, and it had nothing to do with men and women.

I muffled my voice in his arms and said, "What's wrong with you?"

He let me go quickly, raised his eyebrows, "Why is this underground passage so complicated, I haven't found the right way after searching for a long time."

I pointed to the flashing guidepost above my head, dumbfounded, "Are you illiterate?"

He shrugged and walked beside me, "Come on, I want to take a shower, I have been waiting at the airport for more than four hours."

"Why did you lose your temper with me yesterday?" I couldn't help asking after all.

"Actually, I guessed that you would definitely do this." The wind from the city swept in from the exit of the tunnel, and he gave me a half-smile, "I was the one who was too restless last night."

I didn't speak.

"I have never seen such a courageous person who transfers so many shares for free, and is so considerate that he even pays the stamp duty, transfer fee and transaction commission by himself." He said slowly, "Do you really think you have too much money?" Is there a lot?"

I smiled wryly, and said in a low voice, "Master, do you have to mock me like this?"

At this moment, the city is not as quiet as it looks on the outside. Young men and women are coming and going at the entrance of the bar, and the top of the taxi is shining with a slightly drunken red light.

"If I were in Shen Qinjun's position, would you do the same?" He asked calmly.

"I will." I deliberately made my tone lighter.

He stopped suddenly and looked at me gently, "But it's still different. Bai Xi, you like him."

My heart skipped a beat, and I forced a smile to meet his scrutinizing gaze, "Why are you talking about that?"

"I just think you're so stupid." He pursed his lips, and there was a softness in his eyes that I couldn't understand. "If you were my sister, I would be so mad at you."

Mai Zhendong opened another room, which was next to my room, and went in to take a shower by himself.

I started to feel uneasy.

Mai Zhendong usually ignores me, and every time he comes to me impatiently, it is because something happened to me.

But this time, I am fine, what is he doing for?
Shen Qinjun's lack of news also made me feel a little weird, could something happen?
While thinking wildly, Mai Zhendong knocked on the door.

He was wearing a hotel bathrobe and his short hair was still wet. He sat casually on the sofa and took out a cigarette.

"Why on earth are you here?"

He held the cigarette in the corner of his mouth, but did not rush to light it, and said slowly: "I have several projects to go to other places, do you want to go together?"

There was a thud in my heart, and I knew something must have happened, otherwise he wouldn't have said such things to me.

"What happened, tell me directly." I looked at him calmly, "Dr. Xia should have told you, now my mind is normal, and I can bear any blow."

I've never seen this man look so embarrassed, as if he had hidden a lot of words but couldn't say them out, I frowned, "Are you...are you angry?"

"Ok?"

"Is it because your family has already negotiated with QL, and then I messed it up, so you are so angry?"

"..." Mai Zhendong curled his lips coldly, "What is the relationship between my grandfather and Mr. Shen? If you can buy it out at a high price with QL, you really look down on these old men."

"Then what are you dissatisfied with?"

"I don't care about their revolutionary friendship, but what about you? What are you?" He looked at me, then turned away, and lit the lighter with a "snap".

"Do you want to ask me what I'm trying to do?" I slowly picked at the corner of the bed sheet, "Actually, I really don't want to do anything, those equity and dividends are just a bunch of numbers to me. I think Shen Qinjun is pretty good too." Easy, besides, you know him..."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at me.

"His original intention was that he didn't want anyone's help, so I went through all the procedures alone. Although these things were transferred to him for free, when he recovers, I think he will definitely return the money to me. "

He didn't comment, and I also felt embarrassed, hehe smiled, "Look, I've actually calculated it in my heart... I won't suffer."

He breathed out the cigarette, and finally smiled, "Yeah, you are the smartest."

I could only smile embarrassingly.

"Has he contacted you?"

"No."

Unexpectedly, but also unexpectedly, I heard Mai Zhendong sigh, "When do you plan to go back?"

"I don't want to go back yet."

"How about this, you go back to Chu City with me. I'll take you to see a new project my studio has taken over." He glanced at me, "I haven't worked for so long, why did you forget to adjust the aperture?"

We took the plane that night and returned to Chucheng.

We stayed at the same hotel that I stayed in late last year on a business trip.I still remember that night when Shen Qinjun drove the car on the highway covered with thin ice. When I woke up from the nightmare, he hugged me hard, his face full of horror.

"Room card." Mai Zhendong pushed me, "Let's go."

"Oh." I came back to my senses, took the room card, and went upstairs with him.

Because I flew by plane for two consecutive days and didn't even sleep late, I seemed to be infected with a kind of "vehicle syndrome". The symptom was migraine, which hurt like someone was hitting my head with a hammer.

I took a hot shower and was about to take a nap when there was a knock on the door.

"I'm not hungry, and I don't want to go out to eat." I yawned as I closed the door, as if there was a visible vein throbbing on my forehead.

"Here, an exclusive secret recipe for treating headaches caused by airplanes and cars." Mai Zhendong handed him a paper cup and left.

Hot mocha with a thick layer of cream.

Drink it in a room with the central air on low and the temperature is just right.

I turned on the TV and drank the coffee one gulp at a time. The headache really stopped, but... the idea of ​​taking a nap also went to waste, and I suddenly became energetic. I called Lao Mai: "Master, Let's go now!"

The car turned around and turned around, and finally arrived at a small town before the coffee completely failed.

The flowing water bends and stops at the door of a family, and two red lanterns flicker faintly under the eaves.I followed Lao Mai into the house, and the entire hall was extravagantly dug into a pool of running water, flowing gurglingly, with light smoke.

The room is quiet. It is said that it is a jewelry store, but there is no service counter. It seems to be the residence of a wealthy family in the old days, and it is hard to see for a while.The half wall on the left hand side is made into a bogu shelf, with various colored screens on it, revealing the swaying figures behind.

After a long distance, I heard a male voice laugh heartily, "You are finally here."

Old Mai went up to meet him, and patted the young man on the shoulder, "Brought friends over to have a look."

The young man was about the same height as Old Mai, but thinner. I couldn't see his facial features clearly from a distance, and I could only hear "Hey, it's changed again" sensitively.

As expected, Lao Mai punched him and said with a smile: "My sister Bai Xi, you have to greet him well."

He introduced to me again: "Mo Jiaming, a jewelry seller. Buy whatever you like, and his things are not deceitful."

I shook hands with him with a smile, and finally saw this handsome young man clearly, his eyes and movements were very calm, but he wore a small diamond earring on his left ear that didn't match, which seemed a bit rebellious.

"Hello, Miss Bai. Since I'm Lao Mai's younger sister, it goes without saying—your brother helped me make a jewelry appreciation album, and I'm very satisfied. I'll give you whatever you fancy today."

"Mr. Mo, don't listen to his nonsense. I don't have any money." I said honestly, "Actually, I just took pictures. I followed him today to see if I can do your business."

Mo Jiaming laughed loudly, and led us around behind the screen. There was only an Eight Immortals table in the room, and all kinds of jewelry boxes and plastic bags were piled up in disorder on it.At first glance, there is no difference between selling miscellaneous goods, but after a closer look, you will find that these are finished jewelry.Next to it is a half-open safe, and the staff wear gloves and are accessing items.

Two or three people were choosing jewellery, and a young man was leaning on a chair with a cigarette between his fingers, watching his girlfriend try on a ring excitedly.Those rings are all exaggerated styles, studded with emeralds and diamonds, worn on the hands, it looks like a small cluster of fireworks blooming at the fingertips under the light.

(End of this chapter)