Gentlemen's Friends

Chapter 17 Part 2: Lu ([-])
"Ah, be careful on the road. Then when will you come back?" Thinking of the place so far away, Qu Tongqiu felt invisible.

Ren Ningyuan buttoned his cuff buttons and glanced at him: "I'm often not in T City. If you have anything to do, you can ask Ye Xiutuo to help you. It's the same. I'll leave his number to you."

When Ren Ningyuan had a slight expression, he looked very gentle. His dark eyelashes made people feel warm all over his body: "Let's spend the weekend with Xiaoke well."

You can rest for two days on weekends, and you will inevitably have to work overtime on Fridays. When Qu Tongqiu finally squeezed into the subway that was more crowded than usual, and arrived at the restaurant that he had made an appointment with Zhuang Wei, he could see the impatient aura of the man from a distance. figure.

"Sorry, I'm late from get off work," Qu Tongqiu panted and took a seat opposite him, "Have you heard the news that I postponed the meeting for half an hour? You haven't been waiting for a long time, have you?"

Zhuang Wei seemed to have been sitting there for a while, but he didn't get angry. He raised his eyes and looked at him: "No, I just arrived too. Let's order, what do you eat?"

Qu Tongqiu was a little surprised, Zhuang Wei had a good temper today, but the way he looked at him was a little weird.From time to time, he looked at him, and when his eyes collided, he immediately turned his eyes away, but he had to pretend that nothing had happened.

Qu Tongqiu paused for a while, knowing that it was because of the DVD, he opened his mouth first and said, "I'm sorry, I misplaced one of the DVDs I borrowed from you last time."

Zhuang Wei coughed and picked up the wine glass: "Do you see that kind of thing?"

"Uh, look at it once in a while." Qu Tongqiu felt that he should act more righteously to avoid being teased. "It's not surprising. I've been divorced for so long."

Without a girlfriend, of course I can only watch DVDs.

Zhuang Wei held his wine glass and looked at him. After a while, he raised his eyebrows and said, "No wonder you don't get married anymore."

Qu Tongqiu felt that his logic was a bit strange, no one would be reluctant to get married after watching a DVD.Not wanting to continue this kind of topic at the dinner table, he pointed to the menu: "How about the beef tongue?"

The two ate a self-service mini barbecue, waiting for the meat slices and fungi to be cooked in the gaps on the wire mesh, and chatting while brushing the sauce.

Zhuang Wei turned the steak over and asked casually, "You and Ren Ningyuan are living together now?"

"Huh?" This statement sounded really nasty, "It's like living together sometimes. I borrowed his place. He comes here occasionally for the convenience of work."

"So it's not living together?"

Qu Tongqiu grilled his Pteris mushroom with a smile: "That goes without saying. Don't get me wrong." The two big men were talking about cohabitation.

Sure enough, Zhuang Wei raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, and brushed several layers of sauce on the beef: "Then you are still single now? Are you not dating?"

Qu Tongqiu nodded honestly: "Well, yes."

"You can bear it."

"It's okay." It's not like I can't live without a wife.

Zhuang Wei didn't speak again, and after a while, he threw the grilled steak on his plate: "This piece is cooked."

"Ah, thank you, thank you, I'll do it myself."

"You bake so slowly. Clumsy."

Qu Tongqiu even ate a few slices of Zhuang Wei's roast beef, and was flattered.Zhuang Wei was surprisingly friendly to him tonight. He has never been so kind to him since he was a student. I don't know if he is about to change his luck.

After dinner, the two walked slowly to a nearby theater to watch a movie. Zhuang Wei had already bought the ticket, and Qu Tongqiu wanted to share the ticket money with him, but he gave him a sideways glance.

"Eat popcorn?"

"it is good……"

"Juice or milk tea?"

"juice……"

It feels a bit strange to enter the movie theater with a big bucket of popcorn bought by Zhuang Wei, but I am very happy.The classmates who had a cold relationship in the past, after so many years, showed signs of warming up.

We couldn't be friends when we were teenagers, but when we reach middle age, we probably feel that we get along well.Ren Ningyuan is like this, and so is Zhuang Wei.Thinking about it, I feel that the popcorn that I only ate when I was young has become kind and delicious.

It was late when the movie ended, but Zhuang Wei teased him: "You don't plan to go back to sleep at this time, do you? This is the weekend, don't be like the old man."

I was in high spirits, and I didn't have to go to work the next day, but I also received a call that my daughter had arrived home safely, so I could rest assured.Plus he hasn't had a nightlife for too long, Qu Tongqiu can't think of a reason not to have a drink.

I followed Zhuang Wei to the recommended bar. The bar was quite large, and it was packed with people on weekend nights. The atmosphere was very warm, the wine was good, and the music was even better. The blood in the heart was commotion, and the face and body gradually became hot.

The guests seemed to be enthusiastic and talkative. Because of the space and the noise, they were sticking together and talking, full of smiles, and a very intimate and friendly atmosphere.Qu Tongqiu felt that the strangeness between Zhuang Wei and Zhuang Wei disappeared, and the two sat next to each other and chatted like old friends.

He had already drank a lot of beer at the barbecue before, and after drinking this again in the bar, Qu Tongqiu gradually became top-heavy. .

"Zhuang Wei..."

"how?"

"Why are there so few women here?" Occasionally I saw some fashionable and bold girls, but I always felt that they were different from ordinary bars.

Zhuang Wei glanced at him: "Have you never been here before? This is Ren Ningyuan's store."

Qu Tongqiu was dizzy for a while before the message "Ren Ningyuan's shop is for men" appeared in his brain. He looked up at Zhuang Wei's face in a daze, and his brain slowly reported to him that Zhuang Wei liked men. It's normal for Zhuang Wei to come to this kind of shop, so he drank his wine with peace of mind.

"Hey, did you drink a little too much?"

"Uh……"

"Let's go."

"Um……"

"Would you like to come to my house?"

"Um……"

Qu Tongqiu got into the car, fell over, and fell asleep peacefully...

When he woke up a little bit, he heard Zhuang Wei scolding him: "Why do you get so heavy when you're drunk? You won't get back fat after just two drinks, right?"

Lie on Zhuang Wei's back, his mind is still clear, but he can't use any strength in his hands and feet.Fortunately, Zhuang Wei didn't throw him on the ground without cursing, and his actions were not considered rough.

After entering the room, Zhuang Wei walked a short distance and put him down: "It's dead."

Sitting in the bathtub, Qu Tongqiu felt that his body was hard and a bit cold, and he let out an uncomfortable "hmm", and was about to fall asleep again from being sleepy.

"Don't sleep, take a bath first."

Qu Tongqiu's head was heavy, his hands and feet were heavy, and his whole body was heavy. He half opened his eyelids, squinted at the man in front of him, felt very happy for some reason, and smiled at him: "Mmm..."

Qu Tongqiu vaguely felt that when he was newly married, his older and more mature wife would often take the initiative to hold his face. He was still shy, and when his lips touched, he felt shy and happy. Mood.The good smell on his wife made him feel that he was the luckiest man.

But I don't know when my wife became so bold and powerful.

Being hugged and kissed tenderly, Qu Tongqiu responded instinctively, but he couldn't help but feel puzzled in a trance. The slightly familiar but more unfamiliar feeling made Qu Tongqiu flustered and wanted to bend his legs, but the smiling wife suddenly turned into Ren Ren. Ning Yuan's face.

This accident startled him a lot, his leg twitched, and he opened his eyes suddenly.

The man in front of him who was panting slightly and looked down at him was Zhuang Wei.

Qu Tongqiu was taken aback again, almost confused by the dream and reality, and acted silly for a few seconds.During this gap, Zhuang Wei came up again.

Qu Tongqiu shrank back, but when he struggled, he realized how weak his movements were. Because of the alcohol, he was like a frog paralyzed by a poisonous snake, almost unable to move, letting himself be mermaid.

In his life, he has experienced the most unbearable and painful experience, but that has gradually become a dark and fuzzy trace in his memory, which he can escape and ignore.And now, clearly, humiliation from someone familiar, this feeling is too cruel.

No matter how weak the friendship is, no matter how easy he is to be bullied, for the sake of his former classmates, Zhuang Wei shouldn't treat him so unscrupulously.

Even though my mind is not clear, I still feel uncomfortable in my heart.

When he woke up, he found that there was still quite a thick darkness in front of him. After a while, Qu Tongqiu realized that he was curled up in a ball under the sheets.

He covered his head, but he could hear the movement outside. Zhuang Wei had already got up, and Qu Tongqiu could vaguely hear him walking around in the bedroom.

"Are you awake?"

"..."

"Okay? Can you get up? What do you want to eat early?"

With a nonchalant tone, even the slightest apology can't be felt.

He is indeed an insignificant little person. For them, what happens to him is not a big deal, and they don't have to fear any responsibility or revenge.

At the very least, he should get an explanation, at least give him a "sorry".

There was a slight sound above the head, and it was Zhuang Wei who lifted the quilt.

"what happened?"

Qu Tongqiu trembled for a while, and said hoarsely, "How could you do this?".

Zhuang Wei seemed to be very surprised by his reaction, he froze for a moment, and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Qu Tongqiu hurriedly opened his eyes, the corners of his eyes were red, and he stuttered: "You, how could you..."

Zhuang Wei's face became ugly. After a while, he raised his chin and looked at him more and more condescendingly: "Oh? You don't want to? If you don't mean that, then why did you come to me? If you didn't mean that, I What are you doing with me home?"

"I, I, how could I..."

Zhuang Wei snorted: "Do you dare to say that you are not implying me?"

Qu Tongqiu's lips trembled in anxiety, and his mouth became more clumsy: "You...I..."

"If you hadn't hinted, why do you think I should attack you?"

"I……"

Qu Tongqiu's chest was so oppressed that it was about to burst, but he didn't know what to say. He only felt his temples throbbing, his face was red and hot, his eyes were sore, and he could only breathe heavily.

Zhuang Wei became impatient, and said impatiently: "Okay, don't do this. Just be straightforward. Now that you turn your face and deny your account, you want to say that I did something wrong and I'm sorry for you?"

"..."

"Then what do you want me to pay you?"

"..." Qu Tongqiu opened his mouth, but he could only pant, unable to make a sound.

"Go back and think about it before you think it over. If you have something to say, you should make it clear as soon as possible. Don't use the same trick you used against Ren Ningyuan to deal with me."

Leaving Zhuang Wei's apartment, Qu Tongqiu walked a short distance to take the subway. .

He pulled the handle and shook it all the way.There was a lot of stuff in his chest, and the corners of his eyes were sore and swollen, but they couldn't get out.

It's no longer the age where you can say whatever you think.

Qu Tongqiu finally walked home, he was relieved when the door of the apartment appeared in sight, and hurriedly raised his head to wipe off the layer of sweat on his forehead.

After opening the door and entering the room, I saw Qu Ke lying on the sofa and talking on the phone, probably chatting with a friend, mixing in some words he didn't understand, bursting out with crisp laughter from time to time, and hitting the pillow, looking very happy.

Looking at her daughter's appearance, her gloomy mood was comforted a little, but at the same time, she felt a little tired.

He couldn't think about what happened last night. No father would be obsessed with such absurd things.There are still many things that he needs to worry about. For a man in charge of a family, the most important thing is the immediate and future family livelihood, the planning and efforts he has to make in order to live with his daughter.

Qu Tongqiu endured the pain and sat on the sofa. After talking on the phone, Qu Ke turned to him: "Dad, you are back. You played late last night, didn't you? Was it fun?"

"Um……"

"Did Dad eat breakfast? I bought tofu curds, do you want to eat?"

Qu Tongqiu saw the white thing delivered to his eyes, and suddenly felt nauseous. With difficulty, he held back the acid water rushing to his throat, and reluctantly said, "Daddy has eaten it."

"By the way," Qu Ke put down her glass, excitedly, "We have a party this weekend, and we are meeting in M ​​City, which is not far away at all. Can I go to play? Stay at a friend's house?"

Qu Tongqiu cheered up: "What party?"

"Our forum gatherings are full of interesting people."

"Are you going to meet netizens? No, there are many scammers on the Internet. Girls are easily deceived by netizens. It was broadcast on TV before. Didn't you also watch it?"

"That was the show six or seven years ago. It's different now. I won't be so stupid. Besides, we are all girls. There is nothing to lie about."

"Well, across the Internet, you don't know whether it's a man or a woman..."

"The times are different, the Internet is already very real, Dad, don't be so old-fashioned."

"No matter how real it is, I have never seen it before. How can I believe it? Otherwise, you will leave me their phone numbers, and I will be relieved if I can get in touch."

"Dad! There's no such thing!" Qu Ke got a little impatient, and pouted, "There are bad people on the Internet, but in reality, don't they? If you're so worried, just don't let me go out for the rest of your life."

Once the daughter gets angry, the father is vulnerable: "Then I only need a few phone calls? Let me talk to their parents or something, there must be a guarantee..."

"That would be considered a freak! It doesn't make sense to you."

Seeing his daughter's angry appearance, Qu Tongqiu sighed and rubbed his temples: "Okay, you can go."

When the father and daughter quarreled occasionally, it was not a big deal, and they soon reconciled as before.The relationship can be considered very good, but gradually I feel that I really can't keep up with their times.

Even if I try my best to accommodate their thinking and accept their buzzwords, I still gradually become a person of two worlds.The old father who can't keep up one day will be left behind.

"Dad, are you unwell? If you are sick, I won't go."

"It's okay, I have a little cold. Dad is the last thing to worry about. Only worry about you."

"Know it."

Seeing Qu Ke happily packing up her things, Qu Tongqiu changed her posture so that her back would not hurt too much.

He had to hide it with trepidation. Children of this age are at the most sensitive period of rebellion. If what happened last night is discovered, it will not let him get any sympathy and care. Instead, it will give him the dignity and authority of being a father. All completely broken.

After sending Qu Ke out the door, Qian reminded her to remember to call to report her safety, and then went back to take a bath for herself.But no matter how hard you wash, you can't get rid of that discomfort.

At first, I just felt pain, and gradually the pain became bigger and bigger, like an infected wound.Feeling unwell and worried about my daughter, I lost my appetite, so I randomly found some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving tablets and took them, then went to bed and lay down to rest.

He fell asleep in a daze, his body was uncomfortable, and he tossed and turned the quilt into a mess.I haven't eaten all the time, I'm hungry, but I don't have the energy to get something to eat. My mouth is dry and I want to drink water. I called "Xiao Ke" twice, but no one responded. Only then did I realize that my daughter had gone out to play.I had to lie back alone again.

For some reason, I really want to talk to Ren Ningyuan.But it was too far.Even he didn't know what to say if the phone was connected.

After sleeping on the stomach for an unknown amount of time, he was awakened in a daze by the sound of the doorbell.When he got up, he found that it was already dark, so he groped to open the door. The room was dimly lit, but the voice-activated light at the door was already on, and Qu Tongqiu could see the face of the man standing outside the door at a glance.

Qu Tongqiu was so frightened that he woke up completely, and was about to close the door immediately, but the other party stretched out his foot to resist it.

"You don't have to do this." The man frowned, pushed open the door vigorously, and stepped in unceremoniously.

"What are you here for?"

"Let me explain things clearly," Zhuang Wei gave him a high-handed look. "What do you think I'm going to do? Don't think too much."

Qu Tongqiu's frightened beating heart finally calmed down, and when he came to his senses, he was indeed overly victimized.After all, they are two sober men now, and he is not the type who will be violent at any time, so there is no need to be afraid.

But he still didn't want to sit down and have a conversation with this man. The contempt of this arrogant man was as sharp as a knife, cutting the self-esteem of others to pieces without mercy.

What's more, he couldn't argue with him at all, and now he only felt top-heavy, and wanted to go back to bed, so he could only vaguely say: "I don't need you to pay for anything, and I won't tell anyone. Let's pretend it never happened, so let's forget it." .”

(End of this chapter)