Mask

Chapter 16 The Stubborn Red Rabbit (2)
After taking the ginger soup, he put it on the edge of the balcony and continued to feed the turtle with his head down.

"Then I'll go home first." Masako said softly.

He didn't respond.

She turned and walked to the living room, took her bag and her coat.

When she was walking towards the porch, his voice sounded from behind her: "Let's go after dinner."

Masako turned sideways and saw him slowly walking into the living room with ginger soup: "Also, regarding Yu Wenyi's younger brother, he knows what to say and what not to say."

He was reassuring her that he thought she would be disturbed by it.

"Even if Yu Wenyi finds out, I won't do anything." Masako replied, "She doesn't dare to offend you easily."

"You think I'll be offended because of you?"

"If Yu Wenyi is smart, she should have the same awareness as me when she likes you."

"What enlightenment?" He stood by the table and randomly picked up some food with his chopsticks, without moving the food, as if it was just for the salty and sweet taste.

"Whatever you do, follow you," she said quietly.

Duan Yousi looked up at her: "Do you think you really follow me?"

Those eyes were sharp.

Masako lacked confidence: "Except for that..."

"What I'm talking about is..." He pointed at the dish with his chopsticks, "Have you put any salt?"

After hearing this, Masako went to the dining table and took a bite of the food with chopsticks. There was a light taste in her mouth, and she became a little hasty at the moment. She looked at Duan Yousi without saying a word. Duan Yousi's eyes were the same as before Sharp, undiminished.

"Does it mean that once I kiss you, you will mess up everything." He said jokingly, then turned and walked towards the bedroom.

"Then what do you want to eat?" Masako asked immediately, "I'll buy it for you, okay?"

You can't let people who have a cold go hungry.

He stopped, turned sideways and thought for a while, and said, "Preserved egg and lean meat porridge."

……

"The third store on the west side of the road opposite the building." He said as he walked to the coffee table, picked up his wallet, took out a hundred bill and put it directly into Masako's pocket, "It needs to be hot, so go early and come back early .”

After speaking, he looked at Masako.

After sighing softly, she nodded: "I see."

The cold night air rushed into her neck. When Masako came out of the building, her eyes were covered by her hair, and someone happened to pass by her side. When she pushed her bangs away, that person had already entered the building, and Masako went straight to the opposite side of the road. , without knowing it.

The porridge shop named by Duan Yousi is a very popular shop. Even at night, there are long queues of customers in front of the counter, and she happened to be in front of the shop.

The night breeze was slightly cool, and there was a difference between hot and cold environments, so I couldn't help but think back to the warmth of Duan Yousi when he was behind her—the kind of back that was pressed against his arms, and the waist that was tightened, as if the back of the neck still had some subtleties. tactile sensation...

Masako came back to her senses and took a breath of cold air.

She clearly understands that some ambiguity must be tolerated. If he gets it before he gets it, then she will always be just one of the Yingyingyanyans around him.

Carrying a food bag that smelled like porridge, Masako walked slowly on the way back. When she arrived at the door of the apartment, she was about to open the door, but when she found that the door was ajar, she stopped.

"Just take a bite." At the same time, Yu Wenyi's sweet voice came from inside.

Masako hesitated, put her hands holding the food bag behind her back, and silently looked inside through the gap in the door.

The preserved egg and lean meat porridge in the same package as Masako's was placed on the table. Yu Wenyi sat at the table with her head half propped up, persuading her softly over and over again.

Duan Yousi's face was covered by a thick mask, he leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes without saying a word, turning a blind eye to this person and thing.

"You caught a cold today, I was worried all day, Qiyan didn't care about you at all, and even complained to me about you." Yu Wenyi simply scooped up a spoonful of porridge and handed it to his mouth, "Okay, take off the mask , don't you love this the most?"

He looks away.

"Also, you are very bad." Yu Wenyi sat a little closer to him again, "Why tell my brother, it's not obvious to let him know that I belong to you?"

Although it was a reproachful tone, she smiled very sweetly, especially when she said "your people", her eyes were very bright.

Masako held the food bag in her arms, leaned against the wall, and kept the porridge hot with her body temperature.

"Don't come if you haven't been told." This was Duan Yousi's first sentence back to Yu Wenyi, and from Masako's side, there was no ups and downs in his tone.

"But you have a cold."

"Flu X."

"what?"

"I've got a deadly X flu."

Chair legs scraped against the floor, he said as he stood up.

"Not at all!" Yu Wenyi also got up, and she could hear her mood becoming unstable, "Duan Yousi! Since that night, you have been ignoring me for several days! You can't treat me like this!"

"Go back." His voice became low, and he gave the order to evict the guest.

"I don't want it!" Yu Wenyi was very stubborn, "You know how hard it is for me to pretend in front of Qiyan every day, when she told me her birthday plan, I really wanted to tell her that we have been together for a long time! "

Masako tightened her hand holding the bag.

"Then you stay here." His voice still did not have any ups and downs, and his footsteps were heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Yu Wenyi yelled.

"Crack!"

The door opened in response to the sound, and Masako turned her head sideways. Duan Yousi saw her after she came out, so she quickly closed the door and locked it from the outside before Yu Wenyi chased after her.

"Duan Yousi!" Yu Wenyi slapped the door loudly.

Masako looked at him, he restrained his temper, and walked towards the elevator alone: ​​"Send you back."

(a small paragraph was deleted)
On the night bus back home, they sat in the last seat by the window.There was still warm porridge on Masako's lap, she put her hands on her sides and bowed her head in silence.

Duan Yousi put his hand on the car window, watching the passing street scene outside, the two fell into silence.

After a long time, Masako took a deep breath, reached out and opened the packaging bag: "Are you still hungry?"

His cell phone rang, and he hung up after looking at it.

"It's still warm." She lowered her head and continued.

"Mo Yazi." He took off his mask and looked towards the front of the empty carriage, "You may not be my favorite one, but you are the most obedient one around me."

"I said that I will obey you." She lifted the plastic box cover, "Everything will be obeyed."

After speaking, she took a spoonful of porridge and handed it to his mouth.

The car was bumpy, and he flipped the phone with his hand on the window, while he himself looked into Masako's eyes with playful and deep eyes.

The car will arrive soon.

Masako paused when she walked to the door of the car with the food bag, recalled what he said just now, turned around and asked, "May I ask you a question?"

"ask."

"Which is your favorite?"

"you do not know."

Duan Yousi's eyes were extremely calm, without any disturbance.

But at least Yazi knew that it was not An Qiyan, not Yu Wenyi, but another one.

4
As the sky darkened, Masako walked into her small courtyard facing the night breeze. The house was brightly lit at this moment, the door was half open, and there was a faint thumping sound of pacing.

The house was never lively, and there were strange noises. She walked up the steps quickly and bumped into Xiuxiu's mother who was about to come out at the door, causing her to yell "Ouch".

"Auntie," Masako regained her composure, and supported her, "Why are you here?"

"Why did you come back?" Xiuxiu's mother's tone was full of reproach, "Your mother almost got lost today!"

"What's wrong with my mother?" She shook her hand.

"If you don't go home, your mother went out to look for you. She walked a block away. Fortunately, she met my brother and sent her back!" Xiuxiu's mother said, pointing to the living room.

Masako looked in the direction she was pointing at. A tall and thin man in a shirt and a gold chain was rubbing his chin and looking around the small house, stretching his neck and pacing non-stop.

"Come on, let me introduce you!" Xiuxiu's mother whispered behind her.

It's strange, since Xiuxiu's mother knew that Masako's mother was ill, she seldom approached here. This time, she not only sent the woman home, but also waited here until Masako came back, as if she had regained her previous enthusiasm.

At Xiuxiu's mother's request, she brewed a cup of hot tea, brought it to the man's side, and called softly, "Uncle."

The man who was looking up at the second floor hastily turned his head, looked Masako up and down, and replied, "Oh, hello!"

"Thank you for bringing my mother back." She nodded in thanks.

The man stroked the back of his neck and said something with his lips. When he met Masako's clean and deep gaze, he immediately changed his expression again, and laughed loudly: "Oh, it's okay! We will all be neighbors from now on! "

"Yazi..." Suddenly, Xiuxiu's mother gently tugged her sleeve behind her, signaling her to speak outside the courtyard.

The man put his hands in his trouser pockets, and continued to look around with his head poking around. The open shirt was still stained with oil, and he kept murmuring.

Outside the courtyard, beside the green plum tree.

"It's like this, Masako." Xiuxiu's mother rubbed her hands back and forth, and looked at the man in the living room, "He, although he is my younger brother, is actually about the same age as your mother."

Masako raised her head slowly.

Xiuxiu's mother explained the issue of age: "Don't think that Xiuxiu is young, in fact, my aunt was not young when she gave birth to Xiukai. When you first moved here, I thought your mother looked young, and chatting with her was very difficult. Knowing that she gave birth to you when she was young, so your mother's age is similar to my brother's."

Masako didn't talk, so Xiuxiu's mother continued: "Masako, you usually work hard to take care of your mother. You run between school and home. You will be going to school soon. It's not a way to go any further. It just so happens that this time your mother got lost and was taken care of by you." My brother brought it back, and let me tell you, the two of them got along very well along the way, your mother doesn't look sick at all, really, she was normal when I first saw her."

"Is he not married yet?" Masako asked calmly following Xiuxiu's mother's wishes.

"Oh, don't mention it, he is good at everything else, but he is too idle, and his eyes were picky when he was young, so he is still single now..."

"Auntie, I see. Thank you, but my mother is more respectful and has a big temper, which will cause trouble for uncle."

Masako politely and firmly refused, Xiuxiu's mother hurriedly took her hand,
"Hey, Masako, don't make a decision so quickly, you see that your mother has this disease every three days, and she needs someone to take care of her, right?"

"It will trouble you."

"He is willing!" Xiuxiu's mother blurted out.

Masako paused, frowned and said, "Auntie, but I don't want to."

After hearing this, Xiuxiu's mother relaxed her brows, sighed, and her tone gradually changed: "Masako, sometimes you have to think for your mother. You are your mother's only hope after all, but... I See how busy you are while going to school, taking care of her, working part-time, and dating or something..."

When talking about the word "love", the tone is very strong, as if she must force Masako to remember that she was caught by her at the door of the house one morning.

"It would be so sad for your mother to know, and besides, both of them are a bit interesting. Your mother said that my brother looks like her husband, but my brother doesn't dislike her for having that problem. Our family sees you mother and daughter It's pitiful to be dependent on each other, so I don't object to it. Once this matter is on the table, it will be ugly if you suddenly cut it off from Masako."

Under the strong persuasion of Xiuxiu's mother wave after wave, Masako remained unwavering.

"How about this, Masako!" So Xiuxiu's mother used the last resort, "My brother, he just came back from another place, and our family can't spare a room for him at the moment. I see that there is still a vacant room in your house, so let's take it Let him rent here, first to supplement your family, and second, let's get along with each other first, and you, also give Auntie this face, okay?"

The evening breeze is cool, and the green plum leaves are rustling.

After a long confrontation, Masako had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Afterwards, the man's luggage was brought over, and the living room became extremely crowded in an instant.While fanning the wind with his shirt collar, he raised his chin at Masako: "Oh, little girl, what's your name?"

"Speak politely!" Xiuxiu's mother patted his arm, then looked at Masako with a smile, "His full name is Li Jie, Masako, just call him Uncle Jie!"

"Uncle Jie, I'm Mo Yazi, your room is the one on the right side of the living room. My mother likes to be quiet and doesn't like to meet strangers, so if you have friends, please try to get together outside as much as possible, and hope to get along well." Masako is concise And finished speaking neatly, looking at him.

The man laughed loudly and said, "Masako! This name looks like a Japanese name!"

"Masako is of mixed race, you can ask questions later, anyway, there is plenty of time!" Xiuxiu's mother kept urging him.

"Oh, good! Good mixed race! This voice sounds as comfortable as the name, unlike my silly nephew..."

"Okay!" Xiuxiu's mother was a little angry, "Hurry up and pack up, Masako is going to bed, and she has to study tomorrow!"

There was a bang bang bang bang in the living room. Masako walked up the stairs alone. When she looked back at the man, she saw that he was kicking the suitcase with his feet. murmuring.

The door was gently opened, and the woman was sleeping on the bed, hugging the pillow, her eyebrows stretched, and she slept deeply.

After closing the door, Masako leaned against the wall, the light of the living room spread to her feet, but her body was in the shadows.

Only first.

early morning.

Masako got up early and went to the market to buy some preserved eggs. Together with the lean meat left over from yesterday, she added cooking wine, vegetables, chicken bouillon, and a little sliced ​​ginger to make a pot of delicious porridge, then sprinkled with chopped green onions, served into a thermos bottle.

She put her schoolbag and thermos on the table in the living room, and was ready to fry two poached eggs for the woman 10 minutes before departure.

When she came out with the tray, Li Jie, who came out shirtless and wearing boxers, yawned, scratched his back, and looked into the thermos bottle with the lid unscrewed.

"Hey!"

Masako yelled, put the plate on the table, and quickly took the thermos back from him.

Li Jie was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Masako: "Masako, I'm just looking at it, and I don't want to eat it!"

"If you want to eat, there is in the pot in the kitchen, this is not for you." Masako lowered her head and quickly covered it, then put it in her schoolbag.

Li Jie narrowed his eyes, then laughed and teased, "For your boyfriend?"

"It's none of your business." Masako lifted her schoolbag and turned her back to him, "Also, Uncle Jie, please pay attention to your image. After all, we are just the relationship between the landlord and the tenant."

"Little girl, don't have such a sharp mouth." Li Jie said he wanted to pat her on the shoulder, but when Masako started to start, he lost his hand and withdrew his hand resentfully.

At the gate of the courtyard, the old people who came back from morning exercise gathered together to chat.

"Xiuxiu's mother's younger brother is back. Do you know that he has gone to live with the newly moved sick woman..."

"I saw them moving things last night, why did they live together so quickly?"

"I think it's probably Xiuxiu's mother's idea. This woman has always been shrewd. Knowing that her brother has no house or money when he comes back from prison, the family despises him, so she randomly puts a sick woman on him to see how bullying they are. That Although the woman is sick, she has a house, and her daughter is also extremely smart, and she will have a bright future."

"Masako, good morning!"

The loud greeting called Masako, she stopped and turned her head to look at the lively crowd.

"Morning, grandma."

Then he took out the thermos bottle from his schoolbag and hugged it in his arms. After passing through the temporarily stopped noise, he quickened his pace and left.

It was also so fast when entering the school gate that he didn't notice when he collided with Wan Ye with a "bang".

Her footsteps were slightly unsteady, Wan Ye supported her in time, and shouted happily: "Mo Yazi!"

"Give this to Duan Yousi." Masako handed the thermos bottle to Wan Ye absent-mindedly. The boys and girls in Class [-] behind him looked at her, and she said in a low voice, "Please, thank you..."

After speaking, he left in a restless mood, leaving Wan Ye standing in place holding a thermos.

Not long after, Duan Yousi, who walked into the school gate alone, walked into the crowd, and the greetings of "Master Duan" came and went one after another from the boys and girls.

He walked up to the still Wan Ye, touched his shoulder, and then saw the familiar thermos in his hand, and slowly took off the mask.

Wan Ye was thinking about something, and looked at him sideways.

He glanced away, coughed, turned his head again, and looked at Wan Ye helplessly.

Something has been discovered.

"Let's talk." Wan Ye said sullenly.

From behind, Yu Wenyi, who had been keeping a distance from him, looked at the two people in front inexplicably, and An Qiyan, who had just arrived, "slapped" her shoulder.

Yu Wenyi was startled.

"What's wrong with You Si and Wan Ye?" An Qiyan just looked at the front and folded his arms, "The aura is so strange."

"I don't know, I just arrived..."

Yu Wenyi smiled awkwardly.

"By the way, where were you this morning?"

"at home."

"That's it." She nodded slowly, "I knew I was calling you, but Yoss didn't answer my calls this morning, causing me to come to school alone..."

5
When the morning bell rang, Masako came back to her senses and realized what a ridiculous thing she had done.

Wan Ye will definitely find out!
The bell rang quickly, Lu Jianer buried her head in her homework, Yang Xin was yelling with friends around her, and Yu Qi stood by the podium and arranged the homework neatly.

Masako hesitated for a long time looking at the phone screen, and finally found Duan Yousi's number to send a text message——

"Sorry, it might be troublesome."

As soon as the screen showed that the transmission was successful, the sunlight in front of her eyes was blocked, and Masako raised her head.

Yi Xialing, who had been silent for a long time, returned to her usual domineering manner. With her hands on her desk, she leaned over and said, "Student Mo Yazi, I didn't do my homework yesterday."

"We didn't do it either." Behind her, the arrogant girls with their arms folded surrounded them one by one as if they were watching a show, lest the scene would not be chaotic.

On the podium, Yu Qi glanced at the scene without seeing it, continued to collect his homework, and said: "If you haven't handed in your homework, hand it in quickly."

Lu Jian'er hurriedly raised her head to look around, and was taken aback by this posture, but the project was so huge that she didn't dare to speak for a while.

Masako is very calm, yes, that kind of calm look that everyone in the class is familiar with.She took out the homework book from her schoolbag and put it lightly on the table, without even looking at Yi Xialing, she said in a flat tone: "Copy it."

After finishing speaking, she got up to go outside the classroom.

"Hey!"

Yi Xialing was upset, and when Masako passed by her side, she tightly grabbed her wrist.Masako turned her head sideways, and the eyes of both sides met within a very short distance.

Yi Xialing was slightly taken aback.

She had never seen Mo Yazi's eyes so cold and stern, that feeling of being so cold that her whole body was frozen, her hands were loosened because of a momentary fear, Masako withdrew her gaze, and continued to walk outside the door, Yi Xialing stood in the original ground, breathing tremblingly.

There are too many emotions hidden in that glance, ecstasy, slight anger, impatience, awakening, cover-up, and indifference again.

The corridor was bathed in the morning mist, and Masako finally showed the tiredness of many days. She put her arm on the edge of the balcony, holding the phone quietly in the palm of her hand.

Someone walked by behind, Masako noticed the figure from behind, and immediately stopped: "Yu Qi!"

He paused and turned around.

"Thank you." Masako said.

Thank you for not telling Yu Wenyi.

(End of this chapter)