Chapter 117: Sinking
Another month passed. In the blink of an eye, it had been almost two months since he had come to the capital. It was plain and uninteresting, but he was as if he had been transformed. From the inside out, he was almost like two different people. The muscles that had been gradually built up had filled up his tall and straight frame. The dull and lifeless eyes were filled with color, and the world was no longer gray.
He had also made some new friends, young or old, of the opposite sex or the same sex… they had formed his network of relationships. If he ignored the small and immeasurable diameter, he thought that it should be considered his new circle of friends.
His beard had grown, and Su Yu had shaved it clean with the electric razor that Xia Qiange had bought for him in front of the mirror in the bathroom. He had washed his face with a facial cleanser, and his dry winter skin was soaked with water and looked much brighter. He shook off the residual water on his hands, and he looked up at himself in the mirror. He felt familiar and strange, as if he had returned to the time when everything had not yet been destroyed.
He had changed into another set of clothes that he had carefully thought about and matched. He had checked the color combination of the top and bottom on his phone for a long time. Besides his adolescence, when he would pay special attention to his image, he had rarely put too much effort into his attire. But today, he had rarely dressed up.
Not counting the transfer, it would take more than an hour to take the subway alone. He still maintained a frequency of almost once a week to go to the place where Xia Qiange worked to see her. It was not a very romantic date, but it was in line with their current status as a couple. He thought he should always do something. He was now her… boyfriend.
He was not familiar with this city. He did not have the fear of the North Country, but he did not like it either. He was like a passerby and could not find much sense of belonging here. But this place seemed to have been destined to be his end. He once again suddenly had a sense of powerlessness towards fate.
Su Yu got off at the subway station, but he did not go to the company to find her according to the address Xia Qiange had given him. He stood on the street, which was a sea of people, and identified the direction. He went to a very large shopping center nearby. It was the most prosperous and lively place he had been to since he had come to the capital.
He was a little not used to the noisy and chaotic crowd around him. He was like a primitive human who had just entered modern society. When the indicator light turned green, the crowd began to move slowly again. He was pushed forward, and when he came back to his senses, his wide palm was sweaty.
He was walking in the crowd, wearing a baseball cap with its brim pulled low. He was wearing a single shirt and long pants, and he looked very inconspicuous. Su Yu suddenly remembered his helplessness when he had just come to the capital. At that time, he was as fragile as a startled bird.
When he was out with the girl, he always felt that the other party was like a hydrogen balloon that he was holding in his hand. It was as if she would fly away if he let go, and he would not be able to see her in the blink of an eye. He would anxiously push aside the crowd, his steps rushed and staggering. He would hold his hand and shout her name without caring about his blunders.
The months of domestic life were mixed with plainness, like an illusory and ethereal dream. The fear of the dream not yet waking up was like a persistent curse, clinging to him. Everyone was ravaged in front of him, and his world in the end did not belong to him.
But every time he turned his head with a cold sweat on his back, the hydrogen balloon would obediently hand the string to him, and it would even bump into his arms. She would smile at him with her delicate and thin, rouge-like eyebrows and eyes. Everything was so beautiful that it was unreal, yet it had really happened.
Only she had not changed at all.
The corners of his lips, which were hidden in the shadow of the brim of his hat, were slightly upturned. Su Yu walked past the chaotic and numerous small shops on the second floor of the shopping center. Pleasing a girl was a subject that needed to be studied. Xia Qiange was not an ordinary girl. He still couldn’t figure out what the girl was craving. She was as elusive as a wisp of fog. He was in it, but he couldn’t find her inside.
Her birthday was in a few more days.
After wandering around for a while, Su Yu’s eyes were a little dazzled. He passed by the stairs on the third floor, and just with an unintentional glance, a jewelry store had rushed into his vision. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but he approached with his empty pocket, which had not much money.
Rows of intricately designed rings were lying quietly under the light, shining brightly. The dazzling metallic luster was reflected by the diamonds and fell into his eyes. His deep and dark eyes were suddenly lit up.
A fragile and restless heart seemed to have found its end, and it suddenly and quietly returned to its original position.
“Hello, sir. Are you looking to buy a wedding ring? We can also provide customized services here. A single ring on your lover’s hand represents a lifetime…”
“I…”
He almost subconsciously put his hand into his pants pocket and rubbed the few rough banknotes. He still didn’t have enough money, but maybe it would be enough after a few more months of saving.
But that was a lifetime…
…
Su Yu went directly to the law firm. He had to raise his head and press his neck back until it was sore to barely see the top floor of the tall building. He was standing at the bottom of the building, small and inconspicuous. He was holding a beautifully packaged small bag, and inside were a few roses he had bought when he had passed by a flower shop.
He had been stopped by the security guard the first time he had come. He couldn’t prove his identity, and he was too lazy to go up and have to greet Xia Qiange’s colleagues one by one. After that, he would just wait on a bench in the square downstairs. Every time he sent a message, Xia Qiange would come down soon. But this time, he was holding the flowers and had been waiting for a long time. The message he had sent had not been replied to, and his phone call had also not been answered.
The square was full of people coming and going. It was not uncommon to see men and women in suits and leather shoes going in and out of the building. His low-key attire suddenly seemed a little eye-catching here. He pulled the brim of his hat down even lower, and the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of those people carrying laptops or briefcases and rushing past him.
He suddenly remembered that he had once been one of them. The half of his life that he had once broken off seemed to have started to connect with the present. There was no regret. He just felt a deep boredom and fatigue. His gaze fell on a few small dogs that were rolling and playing on the flower bed.
Perhaps they were tired of playing. And he was too quiet. He was sitting on the bench, motionless, like a scarecrow that could not sense any danger. Two small dogs with curly fur were lying at his feet, listlessly. They even yawned without any warning. He touched their fluffy ears and inexplicably thought that they had been here for so long. Had they seen a girl working here? He had to find her.
The sky was beginning to be dyed with the color of the sunset from the corner. He saw the first ray of bright red light. He opened the bag and glanced at it. Fortunately, the weather was cold, and the flowers were still fresh. But he didn’t know how long they could last. He just hoped that before it got dark, it would still be so bright and beautiful.
Su Yu patted his pants and stood up. He looked at the building and then stared at the clean message bar on his phone for a few moments. He turned and was about to leave. The two black and white small dogs at his feet suddenly woke up and barked at him from behind. He followed the sound and turned his head. He saw the small dogs running a few steps towards him and then running away without any warning, which was confusing. When he turned his head again, his body suddenly stiffened, and his dark pupils contracted. In the next second, the other party accurately bumped into his eyes.
The girl was standing behind him. A bright red color broke through the heavy clouds and poured down, landing on her deep black hair. She was smiling at him, and her lips moved.
“Let’s go home…”
