Chapter Thirty-Three

The movie-filled weekend is over.

Chi Xueyan felt that this weekend could be ranked among his top ten favorite days.

Although getting along with He Qiao was very happy this day, but he liked too many days, so he can only be ranked here.

As temperatures continue to drop, the calendar has finally turned to December.

In the last month of the year, many people are looking forward to snowflakes, gifts, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.

Chi Xueyan was not in the mood to welcome the festival.

By the end of the year, not only will there be more patients making appointments, but there will also be a bunch of various summary reports to be written.

He doesn't like to read such things, let alone write.

In this nine-to-five job, the only part Chi Xueyan hates is writing reports.

It is annoying enough to write a summary report for the day before leaving get off work every day.

This month have more yearly stuff to write.

So from the first day of December, he began to avoid this matter silently.

For example, after waking up from lunch break, there is still a while before going to work.

In the past, Chi Xueyan would choose to go to the window to look far away, letting his thoughts wander for a while, until he slowly entered the working state.

But not now.

He always thinks of a blank report file.

There are even strict word count requirements.

So Chi Xueyan decided to play with his phone.

Friends are always exciting and helpful for diverting attention.

[Wang Shaojing: I don’t want to hear the word fortune-telling again/pray]

It was Chi Xueyan's fault, so he smiled and nodded.

[Ren Xuan: The second basketball court at 8:00 p.m., passionate 3V3, currently one lacks five, enthusiastically sign up (college students are not allowed to participate, your physical strength is too good, I can't beat)]

The seventh blind date partner, Mr. Ren, who often gets along with the students, has recently left the order. Chi Xueyan specially changed his note to his full name.

He hasn't been out to play for a while, and he has no other plans tonight.

So Chi Xueyan casually commented a 1 below, and Ren Xuan quickly replied ok.

Usually, the communication between the two of them occasionally going out to exercise is like this.

The next one is from He Qiao.

Seeing this dynamic, Chi Xueyan was a little surprised.

[Little Eleven: New icon for Christmas.]

The accompanying text is very simple, only a few words, but the pictures are very cute.

It is the festival-limited edition icon of the "Three Trees" mobile app.

Before Ye Qing said that he wanted to change the name of the app, he asked for their opinions, and finally accepted Chi Xueyan's proposal.

Like the name of the app, the new LOGO is three small trees side by side, with a simple design and childish strokes, which can easily inspire users to have positive feelings.

In the new Christmas icon that He Qiao sent out in advance, there is a small red and white Christmas hat on each tree, with snowflakes floating on the side, and the small fur ball on the tip of the hat is blown by the wind.

It looks awkwardly cute.

But Chi Xueyan subconsciously glanced at the date displayed on the phone.

It was indeed the first of December.

So he couldn't help leaving a message from the bottom of his heart.

[Shahryar: The design staff are working hard.]

The work content of twenty days later was completed so early.

And he is still resisting writing the annual summary report.

He Qiao's reply came very quickly.

[Little Eleven: A bonus has been issued.]

Seeing this convincing reason, Chi Xueyan couldn't help laughing.

It is worthy of being a sanctimonious capitalist.

He glanced at the three little trees wearing Santa hats again, and forwarded the picture to the family group.

[Shahryar: Does it look like a family of three?]

This is the origin of the name of 3Trees.

After successfully arriving at work time, Chi Xueyan put away her phone.

The busy afternoon was short and long, as usual.

When the day's work was completely over, when Chi Xueyan picked up the phone again, it was already full of unread messages, which was the same as always.

There is a message from Ren Xuan, telling him that the school cafeteria has a new product, you can stop by for dinner, then take a break for a walk, and then go to the basketball court.

In the university where Ren Xuan taught, the food in the canteen tasted very good and was quite famous. Every time Chi Xueyan went there, he would try new and fantastic products, so he responded neatly.

There is tender and merciless abandonment from parents.

[Mr. Han: Like, I also saw He Qiao’s post, this little hat is so cute.]

[Mr. Han: Oops, are you implying that you want to spend Christmas with us?]

[Mr. Han: When you grow up, you have to learn to celebrate festivals by yourself, and your parents are going on dates.]

[Mr. Chi: Your mother is right.]

[Mr. Chi: Haha.]

Chi Xueyan: ...

He didn't think so much.

I don't want to care about this overly loving couple, so let's reply with a cold "haha".

There was also a message from He Qiao.

The message was up to date and arrived on time after he got off work.

He probably saw him finish his work and change his white coat from the opposite window.

[Little Eleven: How do you want to spend Christmas?]

It was clearly still late autumn outside.

Chi Xueyan only thought that he was reminded by the new icon made by the staff of the design department, and asked casually.

So he answered casually.

[Shahryar: I don't care, look at you.]

[Shahryar: Not having a birthday with your family?]

He knew that He Qiao's birthday was on Christmas Eve, and he had been waiting to cooperate with the other party's arrangement.

The other party entered for a while before sending a new message.

[Little Eleven: My mother asked us to live together.]

[Shahryar: OK.]

His reply was very simple and there were no unnecessary questions.

At the top of the chat box, there was another burst of typing.

Chi Xueyan didn't care, got up and left the consulting room, saying goodbye to the colleagues she met.

After he stepped out of the elevator, he received the next message.

[Little Eleven: What do you want to eat tonight?]

[Shahryar: I played ball with Ren Xuan at night and went to his school cafeteria to eat.]

So today he didn't go to the opposite office building to wait for He Qiao to get off work.

Chi Xueyan walked into the underground garage, just opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat, the phone in his pocket vibrated continuously.

He picked up the sudden call and asked, "What's wrong?"

He Qiao's tone was similar to usual, as if he was just confirming the evening arrangement with him: "Shall we go now?"

"Yes." Chi Xueyan responded, "Just about to set off."

I don't know what's new this time.

Hope you don't have to wait too long.

In imagining food, he was already beginning to feel hungry.

Maybe because he could hear the impatience in his voice, He Qiao didn't say any more, but asked, "When will it end?"

"Not sure, it starts at eight o'clock, maybe around ten o'clock."

"I'll pick you up."

Chi Xueyan wanted to say no, but these four short words were clearly in a gentle tone, and seemed to reveal a flavor that could not be rejected.

So he did not refuse: "Okay, on the second basketball court."

It happened that was tired after playing the ball, and was too lazy to drive.

After hanging up the phone, the sapphire blue sports car drove out of the basement.

Chi Xueyan vaguely remembered that in the last similar conversation between them, there seemed to be a question at the end: Will come to pick you up after the end?

There is a slight difference from the previous sentence.

The maple leaves on both sides of the road have quietly fallen to the ground, laying a long carpet of crisp walking on the clean road.

That dazzling blue walks away.

The air today is exceptionally calm. Most of the time, the balloon man on the windowsill of a tall building just waits limply.

Occasionally, when a ray of wind blows by, its body will fill up all of a sudden.

become brilliant.

The new dish launched in the cafeteria is squirrel fish with excellent appearance.

Sounds like it will be expensive, a bit more than what a university cafeteria should have.

However, this dish only sells for three yuan.

There were neither squirrels nor fish in it.

The ingenious raw material of this "squirrel fish" made Chi Xueyan obsess over the whole basketball game at night, so much so that he missed two of his best three-pointers on weekdays.

Coincidentally, Ren Xuan, who organized the game, couldn't be said to be very attentive.

The two were ridiculed by several other friends who played together that they exchanged their skills for love.

Doctor Chi, who has been single for many years, just got married, and Teacher Ren, who has been single for many years, has a new partner.

The golfers agreed that the main purpose of Ren Xuanyue's game was to find ways to show affection.

Teacher Ren is very popular among the students, and there are some very handsome people on the basketball court, so there are many college student audiences who come to watch.

The basketball fell into the basket, and the young and enthusiastic audience immediately cheered.

Ren Xuan glanced at the crowd and regretted, "It's a pity that I have something to do today, so I can't come and watch me play."

Golfers: "...tsk."

This is a relatively simple show method, and everyone can click his tongue.

There are also relatively high-end Xiufa, which can only be understood by people who like to read, such as Chi Xueyan.

By the end of the game, as the night darkened, most couples said goodbye with a simple goodnight.

But college teachers who teach literature have a more romantic and reserved approach.

Putting down the basketball sweating profusely, Teacher Ren couldn't wait to talk about the good night session he had carefully conceived.

"I've already saved a lot of novels, and I'm just waiting for this day." He shared with Chi Xueyan enthusiastically, "I'm going to start reading the one by Cortazar, have you read it?"

Ren Xuan cleared his throat and skillfully recited the beginning of the novel: "It sounds like a joke, but we are indeed immortal..."*

Chi Xueyan accurately caught his foreign literature stalk, and joked: "Should I still put a yellow flower on the bedside?"

The name of that novel is "A Yellow Flower".

It tells the story of a person who is numbly waiting for the end of the suffering in his life. One day, he came across an ordinary small yellow flower in the park, and suddenly felt a kind of breathtaking beauty, and the rest of his life gave birth to a new meaning.

This is an image suitable to be associated with a lover.

"Hey, you reminded me." Ren Xuan's eyes lit up, "This seems more romantic, I'll go buy a nice vase in a while, and sure enough, it has to be you."

Seeing his undisguised excitement, Chi Xueyan also smiled: "Remember to treat me to dinner later, just squirrel fish."

Love always seems to fill people with a desire to share.

On the court in late autumn, unrelated little yellow flowers, squirrel fish, and spectators outside the court flashed in his mind.

Suddenly, Chi Xueyan remembered something.

He turned to look to the sidelines.

As the game ended, in the crowd that gradually dispersed, Youdao's figure was still standing in place, his crisp coat was similar to the night.

He saw He Qiao.

I don't know when it came.

He never cared about the audience.

He Qiao was watching here from a distance, and his eyes met, so Chi Xueyan took the initiative to raise his hand in response.

Ren Xuan looked over and couldn't help shaking his head with a smile: "Okay, now it's me who was shown."

Unlike couples, the two of them are certified and will soon return to the same home.

He Qiao came to pick Chi Xueyan up, and by the way, he also greeted him and shook hands.

Ren Xuan felt that compared to the day of the wedding, He Qiao seemed to have changed a little bit.

What is the specific difference, he can not tell.

Because the attitude of the other party is still very gentle and polite.

...just a little stronger.

It doesn't look like Chi Xueyan's character who likes sports, does he?

Ren Xuan wiped his sweat with a towel in wonder, and watched the two leave side by side.

On the way back, Chi Xueyan chatted with He Qiao who was driving.

"Have you noticed any difference between Ren Xuan and before?"

"...No, where?"

"He's in a relationship, and he feels like he's different, but he's still a bit more normal than Su Yu."

Chi Xueyan's voice fell, and the speed of the sports car seemed to slow down a bit.

"Are you in love?"

"Well, I have known my former classmates for a long time."

He Qiao paused for a while before asking him: "What mood are you in?"

Chi Xueyan felt that this question was a little weird.

But he still replied truthfully: "Happy for him, he is the kind of person who really wants to get married and start a family."

"Do you think he will marry his current partner?"

"It's possible. After all, we've known each other for a long time and are good friends. It's only recently that we found out that we like each other."

This kind of long-term relationship is probably relatively stable.

Chi Xueyan's tone was normal, and even the speed of the sports car became normal.

He Qiao held the steering wheel, staring intently at the way home.

As soon as he entered the house, Chi Xueyan went straight to the bathroom in the second bedroom. He sweated a lot from playing golf. The first thing to do was to take a shower to wash off the stickiness all over his body.

Just as he was walking into the second bedroom with a clear purpose, He Qiao behind him asked him, "Do you want to take a bath in the master bedroom after you come out? I'll fetch water for you."

Chi Xueyan thought for a while, and found that it was difficult for him to refuse the proposal, so he nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."

Soak in the warm bathtub with exhaustion after exercise.

The bath water that has been placed in advance, the mist is transpiring, the foam is floating, and the water temperature is hot.

Chi Xueyan suddenly remembered the illusory and beautiful yellow flower in foreign novels.

So, at the moment when he was about to walk into the shower, he stopped.

During the brief moment of stillness, Chi Xueyan talked about what he had seen today in an inconspicuous manner: "I ate squirrel fish in the cafeteria at night."

He Qiao also stopped walking towards the master bedroom, looked back at him, and answered without any surprise: "What is it made of?"

He doesn't bring up the commonplace.

Hearing this, Chi Xueyan laughed and answered him seriously.

"It's made of potatoes."

The cut golden potatoes, poured with sweet and sour tomato red sauce, can almost be faked.

It was the weirdest squirrelfish he had ever eaten.

But it also tastes the best.

Chi Xueyan walked into the bathroom with a smile.

The door closed, leaving only a warm yellow light on the floor.

A gust of wind blew by, and the balloon man floating outside the kitchen quietly opened his arms in the night.

He Qiao looked away from the door that gradually heard the sound of water, walked through the living room to the master bedroom.

On the coffee table in front of the TV, there were a few books that Chi Xueyan was reading recently.

One of the beautifully bound collections of fairy tales was placed on top, and he had just flipped through it last night.

It was a wedding present from a university teacher who taught foreign literature.

The bathroom in the master bedroom is also lit.

When Chi Xueyan took a brief shower and came out wrapped in a bathrobe, the water in the big bathtub was almost full.

When passing the living room, the surrounding scenery changed slightly.

The collection of fairy tales was pressed at the bottom of several books.

Chi Xueyan didn't notice.

His hair was wet, water droplets kept falling on his neck, and then seeped into the snow-white bathrobe, leaving meandering water stains along the way.

Just like the day when He Qiao prepared to fill the bath water, the bathroom door of the master bedroom was ajar.

This time, Chi Xueyan walked over with a normal expression.

Under the dim light, he leaned against the door, admiring the good students' concentration on their homework.

The rolled up shirt cuffs were wet again.

For no reason, he thought of He Qiao's appearance when he was waiting by the basketball court tonight, in a pure black coat as silent as the night.

Quite good looking.

He Qiao still didn't seem to notice the wet sleeves.

The sound of running water finally stopped, Chi Xueyan walked towards the bathtub, and said casually, "Good night."

He Qiao walked towards the door and responded, "Good night."

But this is not the last line of dialogue tonight.

In the hot bathroom, Chi Xueyan heard his voice sound again.

Familiar voice, familiar serious tone.

Only the emotions behind the words are strange and vague.

"That day, you said you owed me a detail."

In the same place, in the same dense mist, in the same passing by, He Qiao asked him softly, "Can it still be fulfilled?"

The author has something to say:

*Note: "It sounds like a joke, but we are indeed immortal." Quoted from Julio Cortazar's novel "A Yellow Flower", translated by Moyani.