between clouds and mud

Chapter 27

Zhang Chengnian loves to be clean. He always takes a shower when he gets home. He never smokes at home, but this time he smoked a whole pack and fell asleep lying on the sofa.

In the workplace, one fate, two luck and three skills.

If you can occupy two of them, you will be a winner in life, and Zhang Chengnian does not have the first two.

The third thing, there is still room for effort.

The next morning, he was woken up by Lao Gu's phone call. Knowing the news of his resignation, Lao Gu first expressed his regret, and then sent out an invitation.

"What about the two of us?"

Probably because he smoked too much, Zhang Chengnian's voice was a little hoarse: "Would you like to do a project with you?"

Old Gu smiled: "When I knew you jumped out of the design institute, I knew you wanted to do something, and do something practical. Why do you think your brother's temple is too small to accommodate a big Buddha like you?"

After a moment of silence, Zhang Chengnian still declined.

"Okay, you just don't get hurt, kid." Old Gu also found an excuse to call him and make jokes, otherwise he would be worried that he would keep his words in his heart and become depressed: "He is a designer who has studied abroad. The things we make are really handy, which is incomparable, and the starting point is different.”

"There is also the white-eyed wolf that you brought as an assistant, who was bitten once to improve his memory. He has a good life, even if his ability is not good, and he has a good reincarnation. This is also a skill." Old Gu sighed: "When you are young, everyone has Go hard, you have a long way to go, just know that hard work is not enough, people still have some luck."

After Lao Gu finished speaking, he hung up the phone. He sat on the tea table in the office, brewed a pot of tea, and sighed while holding a cup.

"It's just like when I was young."

Lao Gu was born in the army when he was young, and those who served in the army in those days had almost the same gold content as college students today.

When he retired from the military, the old Gu's house still had a plaque on the door - the plaque of Glory House.

Old Gu had a photo of him when he retired, and Mrs. Gu showed it to Zhang Chengnian.

Although a little faded, the photo shows a handsome young man with a handsome face and high spirits.

When he was young, Lao Gu was able to endure hardships, he was pretentious, and had a bit of aloofness in his bones.

Just bad luck.

People are over 40, there is no splash in career, and the whole family eats together.

His character and temper have been polished and smooth, and his only pastime is to drink some wine with his brothers at the dinner table to express his disappointment.

Zhang Chengnian took a break for a period of time, which was considered a long vacation for himself.

Lao Gu asked him to come out for dinner from time to time, and he didn't shirk it.

"Why don't you go home and visit your grandpa?" Old Gu asked him, crossing his legs while sitting on the food stall.

Zhang Chengnian sat aside and lit a cigarette, but didn't answer.

But all men understand that if they fail to achieve any results, they will not be able to get over the hurdle in their hearts.

A little bit of achievement, people like to remember the old days, feel a lot of emotion, and pay attention to returning home in good clothes.

"Human, every day is less than one day, and each meeting is less." Old Gu, who has been here, couldn't help but sigh a few words.

"What about the girl? Something went wrong?" Old Gu asked, taking a sip of his wine.

Zhang Chengnian exhaled the smoke from his mouth and shook off the ash from his fingertips: "I'm sorry for my problem."

"I don't agree with what you said. How many girls like you, but you don't like it." Lao Gu put down his chopsticks and said with emotion: "Xiao Zhou is a good girl, take good care of her."

Zhang Chengnian smiled, extinguished the cigarette on the empty plate on the table, and said every word.

"She is a top student at Peking University."

"Her mother, a corporate executive."

"Her father, I guess he will be promoted in the past two years."

After Lao Gu listened, he pondered for a while, as if struck by lightning: "Are you playing with your brother?"

He digested it for a long time, and seeing that Zhang Chengnian was not joking, he sighed: "That's really inappropriate."

Zhang Chengnian was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "I can't hold back after all, I've delayed her."

After drinking a glass of wine, Old Gu smiled unscrupulously, and changed the topic by making jokes.

The tone was a bit humorous and teasing: "Your face is suitable for soft food, so doesn't Mr. Chen still favor you? But you have no eyes, and the project you talk about becomes someone else's."

Mr. Chen is in his early thirties, and his family is rich and beautiful.

She specially organized several bureaus, under the pretense of talking about projects, but in fact it was just to chase men.

Seeing Zhang Chengnian's calm attitude, Mr. Chen became impatient.The lipstick mark on Zhang Chengnian's collar was probably left at that time when he blocked people in the bathroom and confessed directly.

Lao Gu didn't know what happened to the two of them in the bathroom, and it turned out that Xiao Zhang offended the client he had been talking about.

In addition, his previous Dakun project had a little limelight, which blocked people's way, and his colleagues in the company also secretly made troubles.

There is no way to stay, and the name is called resignation, but in fact it is fired.

"Don't push yourself too hard, you should fight hard when you are young, and don't play yourself useless." Lao Gu said with emotion: "There are many good girls, and it is normal to ask for nothing."

"I'm in my early forties, and my back and legs hurt. As I get older, I know that health comes first."

He is someone who has experienced it, and looking at this stubborn, persistent, and bruised young man with his head slumped, it seems that he is distressed and helpless when he sees himself when he was young.

At London Airport, Zhou Song didn't see Jiang Lele, but a tall man stepped forward to greet her.

Zhou Song thought for a while before he recognized it: "Chi Ye?"

Chi Ye nodded, took the box in her hand, and led her to the underground garage.He drove Zhou Song to Jiang Lele's apartment downstairs, with a guilty expression on his face: "She's not in a good condition."

Jiang Lele lived in a high-end community, Zhou Song knocked on the door after getting out of the elevator.There was no movement inside, Zhou Song opened the door with the key Chi Ye gave her.

It was daytime, the sun was shining brightly outside the window, but the room was dark and silent.

Zhou Song turned on the light and walked in. Jiang Lele, whom I hadn't seen for more than a year, was lying on the bed, her face was a little pale, Lele was blinded by the light, until she saw Zhou Song's figure in her gradually clear vision, her face was still dry tear stains.

"Does it hurt?" Zhou Song sighed, standing at the end of the bed and looking at her.

Jiang Lele had just had an abortion, and her voice was a little weak: "It hurts, it hurts."

Zhou Song put down her luggage, she was really busy, serving Zhang Chengnian in Shenzhen, and coming all the way to England to serve Jiang Lele.

Jiang Lele grew up smoothly. The flowers in the greenhouse have never suffered any major setbacks, and they don't know that people's hearts are sinister.

After being frustrated in love, learn how others are in love, but they don't know that the price girls pay is often the biggest.

If it hurts, it will have a long memory.

Jiang Lele didn't dare to let his family know what happened.After Zhou Song heard the news, he got the visa right away. The process took more than a month to come down, and he booked a ticket to fly over when he got the visa on the same day.

"If your mother knew, how distressed she would be." Zhou Song walked over and hugged her gently.

Jiang Lele buried her head and trembled. At this moment, in a foreign country, a friend traveled thousands of miles because of her phone call.

Those who love her and those who care about her regard her as a treasure, but she tramples on her body for the sake of those who don't love her.

Zhou Song checked the time difference. At this time, it should be three in the morning in China.Her mobile phone had no signal in the UK, so she took Jiang Lele's mobile phone and sent a message to return home.

Jiang Lele's cell phone rang quickly. Zhou Song told Zhang Chengnian that she was safe on the phone. When she was about to hang up, the person on the phone asked, "Isn't Zhou Li having surgery this month?"

"We still have to wait for foreign equipment. The operation has been postponed." Zhou Song finished his explanation and hung up the phone.

Jiang Lele looked a little surprised: "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know either." Zhou Song returned the phone to her, and she boiled a pot of hot water and poured the cold water beside Jiang Lele's bed.

"Aren't you in a good relationship?" Jiang Lele was in a mess, and began to worry about others.

"I'm wishful thinking, I'm very tired." Zhou Song poured hot water for her: "Let's concentrate on preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination."

Jiang Lele took the water glass slowly. Every young girl is full of expectations for love. When she loses love, she falls into endless pessimism, and finally she is exhausted physically and mentally.

It turns out that there are also people who can afford it and let it go.

Zhou Song checked in the kitchen and Jiang Lele ate junk food such as hamburgers, chicken wings, and fast food during this period of time.

The supermarket that sells Chinese food ingredients is a bit far away, and Zhou Song is not familiar with the place where he was born.

Enthusiastic comrade Chi Yao called to greet him from time to time, saying that he happened to have time to drive Zhou Song there.

Jiang Lele answered the phone with a dull voice, and she asked hesitantly, "Chi Ye, do you like her?"

There was no reply from the phone, but Jiang Lele knew that she guessed right, she held back her tears: "Then come over later."

Jiang Lele looked up at the busy figure in the living room, her vision gradually blurred.

No wonder, then it all made sense.

Lying on the bed blankly, she thought of the snow on the walls of the Forbidden City, the postcards of the rainy day in Switzerland, and the canoe in the cherry blossoms of Jianhe River.

It's all her self-righteous love.

Chi Ye was driving a sports car, but the speed was slow. There was still leisurely music playing in the car. Feeling that the atmosphere was not right, Zhou Song asked, "Is your car not powerful enough?"

There were not many cars at night, Chi Ye glanced at her through the rearview mirror, stepped on the gas pedal, and kindly reminded: "Then hurry up."

The car accelerated suddenly in an instant, and Zhou Song was so frightened that she grasped the seat belt tightly due to the strong push back brought by the inertia, her ears were buzzing, and after regaining her thoughts: "Drive slowly, Safety first."

Chi Ye laughed, and he slowed down.

"Is it exciting, how about the thrill of adrenaline rush?"

After Zhou Song loosened his seat belt, his palms were sweating.

After parking the car, Chi Ye took her into the shopping mall.

After the two finished choosing the ingredients, they went to the living area to pick out a thermos.

Zhou Song was listening. He communicated with others with a very standard London accent, which was quite a gentleman, and it was different from the dandy when he spoke Mandarin.

After leaving the supermarket, Zhou Song habitually walked to the right. The driving position in the UK is reversed, which is different from that in China.

Chi Ye was standing on the right, he was tall and deliberately blocked her: "Why, let me open it for you?"

Zhou Song walked aside: "No, I don't have a driver's license."

On the return journey, the speed finally became normal, although it was still slow.

From the corner of his eye, he flicked the interior rearview mirror from time to time.

Zhou Song took the initiative to speak: "Who is that person?"

"A British guy, it's quite miserable." Chi Ye observed her expression: "I was so scared that I dropped out of school."

After a moment she said, "Thank you."

Zhou Song recalled a vague impression in her heart, but she didn't remember it very clearly: "Chi Ye, did we know each other before?"

"Is there?" Chi Ye's voice was a little casual: "Many girls have asked me this question, but I don't mind getting to know you better."

"I have a boyfriend."

"I also have a girlfriend." Chi Ye didn't take it seriously: "Let's share it together, it's fair, and you won't suffer."

Hearing him talking about his girlfriend, Zhou Song smiled invisibly: "Your vision is not very good."

"Indeed." He finally turned his head and looked at her openly for a few seconds.

In the short one-month relationship in the first year of high school, he bullied her very badly, and it's a good thing that he doesn't remember.

Zhou Song stayed in London for half a month, Jiang Lele was not in a high mood, lying on the same bed and sleeping on each side.

Zhou Song put his ticket on the bedside, reached out and turned off the light: "Jiang Lele, I'm going back to BJ tomorrow."

For half a month, Zhou Song took care of her meticulously.

Jiang Lele is weak and has a bad appetite. Zhou Song is studying various tonic soups. The hot water in the thermos is always warm. During the day, he always draws the curtains to bask in the sun.

At that time, two girls who had just finished their college entrance examinations were lying on the bed together, planning a beautiful holiday life.Zhou Song recalled: "There are many more interesting things in this world than men."

This is what Jiang Lele said, but she forgot.

Jiang Lele wiped her tears and hugged her friend tightly.

In addition to love, there are many worthwhile things in the world.

People are always easily blinded by the beauty in front of them and ignore the scenery along the way.

Many things that we think are very important at the moment are just a page of importance when we look back many years later.

A good girl deserves to be loved well, but the premise of loving someone is to remember to love yourself well.

In the second semester of the junior year, the students who were preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination began to plan which tutor they were going to take the exam for. Seeing that Zhou Song hadn't moved, they asked her curiously.Zhou Song stated that he did not intend to take the BJ test.

The classmate nodded: "Are you planning to go to Wuhan University?"

For the research direction of geological sciences, the University of Earth Sciences is obviously also a good choice.

Zhou Song was a little uncertain: "Or... Sun Yat-sen University."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a standing figure walking slowly under the shadow of the trees.

Just like in the year of the school sports meeting in the first year of high school, he waved to her slightly outside the excitement.

It's just that he was a young man at that time, but now he is the outline of a mature man.

(End of this chapter)