Chapter 53

"Sorry, I didn't fall, right?" Qi Ji's throat was a little itchy, and he coughed before finishing his words, "I didn't pay attention just now, I won't next time."

Pei Yusheng stretched out his hand and put the square box back to its original place. Hearing this, he frowned and glanced at him.

Qi Ji still lowered his eyes, and happened to catch a glimpse of the red mark on the palm of the man's palm when he retracted his hand.

That's a sign that the box was held too tightly to be smashed out.

"When is it, and you are still worried about whether it is broken?" Pei Yu said in a deep voice, "This is a crystal box. It is heavy and sharp. If it does fall down..."

He never believed in bad luck, good luck or bad luck, but he didn't say the rest of the sentence.

In the end, he said another sentence: "What if it hits you?"

Qi Ji was slightly stunned, obviously not expecting the other party to say such a thing.

Isn't Mr. Pei angry because the square box was knocked off...?

His lips opened and closed several times, but he failed to organize language successfully. In the end, it was Pei Yusheng's phone that rang first.

The phone was still on the table, and when he saw that the box was about to hit someone, Pei Yusheng rushed up, and he didn't have time to pick up the phone. Hearing the bell, he just glanced at it, closed the cabinet door first, and asked someone to sit on the sofa before turning around to pick it up.

Qi Ji held the tablet and stared at the cat's paw pillow in his arms for a while, but he couldn't help looking up and looked at the person who was answering the phone.

It was getting late, the man looked cold and solemn, and half of his deep face was hidden by shadows, looking gloomy and dangerous.

But in ignorance and unconsciousness, it is tempting to sink into deep depression.

But soon, those pale eyes turned around. The man was clearly on the phone, but he still noticed Qi Ji's gaze.

Sometimes Qi Ji really wondered if there was any program on Mr. Pei's body. As long as he looked at the past, the other party would receive a reminder.

Before he could look away, Pei Yusheng had already hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?"

Qi Ji squeezed the pillow, her palms sweating slightly. He shook his head: "It's okay."

Pei Yusheng didn't ask any further questions.

"I'll go out and lie down," he said. "I may not be able to come back tonight. You have a good rest."

Qi Ji nodded, but saw the man walked to the cupboard and took a few bags from it.

Including the crystal box that almost hit Qi Ji just now.

Before leaving, Pei Yusheng said again: "These days may be quite busy, don't wait for me at night, go to bed on time."

Qi Ji asked, "Then Mr. Pei at night...?"

What should do if fall asleep again?

Hearing him take the initiative to ask, Pei Yusheng's expression softened a little.

"Telephone contact." The man said, "The phone bill has already been charged for you."

Qi Ji was startled: "I'll just charge it myself."

"The call time may be longer, so I'll help you recharge it first." Pei Yu said, "Auntie Lin will come over at night, eat on time, and rest early."

The person had already been delivered to the door, so Qi Ji didn't want to delay the other party's time because of the phone bill, so he said, "Okay, Mr. Pei also take care."

Pei Yusheng just left.

After a few days, the man didn't come back, and only occasionally called. When he first started talking more than a month ago, Qi Ji was always nervous because he didn't know what to say. As time passed and the number of contacts increased, he gradually got used to it.

Sometimes even if he doesn't say anything and just turns on the video, Qi Ji can naturally spend a long time with men.

Everything is business as usual, as if nothing has changed.

In the absence of Pei Yusheng, the work on Yuntu is still going on, especially the construction of Qingpu Lake New District has become the top priority. However, Qi Ji's work focus has gradually shifted to the headquarters. Due to the official entry and the success of the snack plan, he has significantly more contact with the Xinghai Design Department.

Everything developed step by step, except for Pei Yusheng who never came back. Just when Qi Ji was about to forget the name Wen Chuming, he suddenly received a call from Zhao Mingzhen.

Dr. Zhao asked him to go to a cafe after get off work to talk.

The coffee shop has an elegant environment, and the air is filled with a mellow coffee bitter aroma. You can see that the consumption here is not low. The booths in the store are quite suitable for chatting, but to Qi Ji's surprise, as soon as he came in, he was led into a private room with a more comfortable decoration.

When he entered the room, Qi Ji realized that he and Dr. Zhao were not the only people who came this time.

There is also a friend of President Pei who he has met twice - Lian Qing.

Seeing Qi Ji, Lian Qing was also a little surprised: "Is it you?"

Zhao Mingzhen introduced: "Xiao Qi is the nurse of the second young master. Before the second young master was insomnia, he was there, so he was called over this time."

He said to Qi again, "This is the owner of this cafe, Lian Shao."

It turned out that the store was run by a family. Qi Ji thought to himself, no wonder he was taken to the best room as soon as he arrived.

"We've met before, when the second brother started martial law mode in the villa last time."

Lian Qing said, and couldn't help rubbing his shoulders. He obviously still had a deep memory of that over-the-shoulder fall.

Qi Ji also remembered that Lian Qing's body was very soft and naturally flexible. When he fell over his shoulders, his movements were easy and smooth, without any effort.

I just don't know if Lian Qing wants this kind of compliment.

Qi Ji sat down and ordered a cup of strawberry tea covered with cheese milk. The things were brought up quickly. He bit the straw and listened to Zhao Mingzhen: "The information from the Second Young Master during his service was given by Lian Young Master. Today, I found Lian Young Master to talk about the Second Young Master's experience."

He even counted the sweet grapefruit tea, and he didn't like the bitter taste: "Actually, there is not much information left to collect. Let me tell you what I know first."

After all, some things are inconvenient to be recorded.

"Okay." Dr. Zhao asked, "Can you tell me about the Vice-Captain Wen first?"

"Wen Chuming, right?" Lian Qing said, "He has a good relationship with the second brother. When the army was on holiday, the second brother took him to play in City B."

Zhao Mingzhen thought about it and said, "That thing back then..."

Lian Qing obviously knew what he meant: "I've heard a bit about it."

"Back then, they participated in a maritime mission together. The mission was a success, but when they were retreating, Wen Chuming was ambushed. The second brother tried to save him, but he didn't come back."

Speaking of this matter, even Qing's expression became a little sad.

"According to the memories of the people who went on the mission together, the situation was urgent at that time. In the end, Wen Chuming directly pushed the second brother who was trying to save him into the sea."

"The firepower of the team is insufficient, so they can only retreat first. When the large force successfully counterattacks, and then go to find Wen Chuming, there is no one to be found."

Lian Qing's voice was slightly dry.

"According to the captured prisoners, Wen Chuming was filled with boiling water, tied with stones... and thrown into the sea."

As he spoke, the sound of breathing was barely audible around him, and the room was terribly silent.

"After the incident, the troops salvaged the waters for three days and found nothing."

Lian Qing sighed lightly.

"In the end, they couldn't find Wen Chuming's body either."

Qi Ji was silent, and the gentle and handsome face appeared in front of him again.

Although he already knew some facts, he could not think of...

It would be such a sad story.

Zhao Mingzhen obviously felt the same way. He paused before saying, "The second young master..."

Lian Qing nodded, "This matter hit the second brother hard."

"That's why I just wanted to say, even if you don't mention it, I will remind you." He said, "Wen Chuming's death anniversary is approaching, so pay more attention to the second brother's mood."

Zhao Mingzhen was shocked: "Is it recently?"

Although Qi Ji didn't speak, he also looked at Lian Qing.

He remembered Pei Yusheng's recent departure, and the brooch that the other party took away before he left.

Lian Qing nodded, "This Sunday."

Three days left.

Zhao Mingzhen frowned and asked, "Did the Second Young Master have any special reactions around the anniversary of his death two years ago?"

"I don't know much about this either." Lian Qing said, "Second brother left the country after retiring. He had very little contact with China in the past two years. We were afraid of exposing people's scars, so we didn't ask them in detail."

"But two days ago, the second young master's mother also told me to pay attention to the second brother's mood. I guess it has something to do with this date."

Qi Ji listened and remembered the meeting with Aunt Xu before.

At that time, Xu Yunchi also told him to ask him to help take care of Pei Yusheng.

Lian Qing didn't finish his words: "And the second brother had the first seizure...actually when he just retired."

Zhao Mingzhen asked, "A seizure?"

"It's just the loss of control of insomnia for a long time." Lian Qing said, "It's not the first time he locked himself up in martial law mode in the villa before."

"The real first attack was two years ago. The second brother failed to fall asleep for more than half a month before and after his retirement. After losing control, he drove away all the people who approached and smashed the whole house."

Qi Ji tightened her fingertips.

The strawberry milk lid was still hot, but the fingers on the side of the cup were cold enough to lose their blood.

He finally understood why Lian Qing came so close to the enemy last time. It was also clear how many blows Pei Yusheng had suffered.

"It took three full days for the second brother to be sent to the hospital after exhaustion." Lian Qing sighed, "That's why I want to remind you to pay more attention to the anniversary of the death."

The doctor has the duty of confidentiality, and Qi Ji also signed the contract. Lian Qing just told them about it. After listening to the whole story, Zhao Mingzhen's expression became more serious, and after discussing a few questions in detail, he left the cafe in a hurry, preparing to go back and work out a targeted plan with his colleagues.

Dr. Zhao was picked up by Li Xinjie, who happened to be nearby. Qi Ji was about to leave, but was stopped by Lian Qing.

"That... Xiao Qi, right? There's a box of black tea for the second brother, please take it away."

Lian Qing went to get tea, and Qi Ji went downstairs and waited. After a short flight of steps, he walked top-heavy.

There was a stabbing pain at the temple, and the heartbeat accelerated a lot. Qi Ji's vision was a little blurry, and his chest was very tight.

He simply pushed the door and walked out of the cafe, waiting outside the door.

But the fresh cold air didn't bring much sobriety to people, on the contrary, the freezing made people more and more uncomfortable. Qi Ji barely recovered until Lian Qing called him.

"This, take it." Lian Qing handed over two beautiful paper boxes.

Qi Ji let out a low cough and took over the carefully packaged tea leaves.

But just as he got the thing in his hand, he suddenly felt a stabbing gaze like a needle.

Qi Ji frowned and raised his head, but at the source of his sight, he saw a young girl with a sweet smile and wearing a snow-white cotton skirt.

The girl flew over like a white butterfly, but instead of facing Qi Ji, she skillfully held Lian Qing's arm.

"Aqing, I finally see you!" Her voice was sweet, "I haven't seen you out for a long time, I thought I remembered the wrong time."

She is obviously proficient in language skills. Even if she waited for a long time to act like a spoiled child, she took the initiative to say that she remembered it wrong.

Lian Qing really felt guilty because of her words: "No, I just took a while to chat."

He turned to Qi Ji and said, "Go back first."

Qi Ji was about to leave when he noticed that the girl raised her head and gave him a gloomy look from a place that Lian Qing couldn't see.

Qi Ji is not good at responding to kindness, but he is extremely sensitive to maliciousness. He could clearly feel the girl's hatred, and he thought that the needle-like gaze when he just took the tea came from the other party.

But Qi Ji obviously didn't know her, and he didn't know Lian Qing well either.

After staring at Qi Ji, when Lian Qing turned his head, the girl changed back to her smiling face and sweetly chatted with Lian Qing.

"Aqing, I want to drink grapefruit tea today, can you help me make it?"

After confirming that she had never seen the other party, Qi Ji ignored her and left.

When returned to the villa, the interior was still empty, and no one came back. Qi Ji put away the tea and sat in the deserted living room for a while, and finally put on his coat and walked out.

Pei Yusheng doesn't smoke, and there is no stock in the villa. And since Qi Ji moved in, the tobacco that was once used for collection has also been put away.

Qi Ji wanted to smoke it, so she had to go out and buy it herself.

On winter nights, the lights in the convenience store look pale and cold. Qi Ji bought a pack of cigarettes and walked silently along the road.

In fact, he hasn't smoked for a long time, and he has stopped chewing tobacco for a long time. After all, it is not good to escort and approach the employer with the smell of smoke.

But now Qi Ji suddenly became addicted to smoking, and his mobile phone was pitch black, and the news never lighted up.

——The employer probably won’t be back tonight.

Don't worry about the smell of smoke remaining, Qi Ji stood on the side of the road and lit one with the same newly bought lighter.

The pungency of the tobacco rushed straight into the chest from the mouth and nose, accompanied by the cold night wind, finally making the drowsy mind a little awake.

Qi Ji took a cigarette and walked forward slowly.

The Rose Villa was not far from the Pujiang River, and he walked to the riverside not long after. The night is getting darker, the lights are coming on one after another, and it is already the most lively time by the river.

The crowd gradually gathered, Qi Ji did not want to push people, he turned his back to the bustling lights and walked to the sparsely populated river bank.

Without the lights, the water is only gray and black. The river is vast, the tobacco is bright and extinguished, and the fine smoke slowly rises, and it is all blown away by the cold night wind.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Qi Ji coughed uncontrollably.

It was so cold that he only wore a thin coat, and the tip of his nose and ears were aching from the cold. The cigarette that haven't touched for a long time has also changed its taste, and a bitter taste is diffused between the lips and teeth.

Qi Ji coughed badly, but instead of snuffing out the cigarette, he took a deep breath.

It was like fighting poison with poison, but the itchy throat was suppressed instead. The coughing sound gradually became weaker, and the wet curled eyelashes trembled twice. Qi Ji opened his blurred eyes and looked up into the distance.

The water was sparkling, reflecting a little dim light. The starry sky was dim, and he stared at the river in a trance.

In the distance, a giant freighter slowly passed by, streaked long white marks on the water, and disappeared in an instant.

No matter how magnificent the handwriting is, it cannot leave any traces on this water wave.

Only those who look at the water still remember it alone.

Lian Qing's words were still in his ears and never dissipated. Looking at the water, Qi Ji couldn't help thinking of the night the two spent by the sea.

They sat together on the beach that night, looking at the waves that kept coming, their ears were full of the sound of wind and water.

When looking at the sea, what was Mr. Pei thinking?

At that time, Pei Yusheng had just come to S City not long ago, but as soon as he came, he bought a house by the sea and arranged it carefully. Qi Ji hadn't thought about it before, but now he realizes that perhaps Hai has a very special meaning to Pei Yusheng.

The long burning soot fell down, and the red light of the cigarette butt suddenly lit up. Qi Ji couldn't help raising his hand and rubbed his sore forehead.

The night wind was cold, and the smoke was bitter, but what made Qi Ji unbearable was the pain in his chest.

It's his own fault.

Qi Ji wondered why, he heard such a sad story, and his body was full of regret and sadness for the two protagonists. But there is still a point on the top of his heart, so selfish and ugly for himself.

why?

Obviously, the one who needs comfort is the employer who has lost a good friend. Obviously, he should complete his work more responsibly. He was well aware of this, but at this time and so embarrassingly, he gave birth to his own selfish desires.

Qi Ji really didn't understand why he became such a crowd.

The smoke curled up and quickly burned to the end. The icy fingers stiffly took out a new one and rekindled it in the jumping firelight.

Qi Ji was completely cold, and even the white smoke wafting from the cigarette tail seemed to be consuming the heat drawn from his body.

Thoughts are still noisy, the only clear thing is the accusation against self. Qi Ji was smoking cigarettes one by one under the river breeze, staring absently at the faint red dots on the river.

Until the phone in his pocket rang.

There is nothing special about the electronic ringtones that have been heard thousands of times, but half of Qi Ji's body is suddenly numb.

The heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and the frozen left hand groped twice before taking out the phone.

But when he saw the caller ID, he was completely frozen.

It was not the familiar name that lit up on the screen, but an unfamiliar number.

Qi Ji closed her eyes.

His man was still standing by the river, but his soul had already floated above his head, looking coldly at this unfamiliar body from above.

He doesn't know himself at all.

The cigarette butt went out, the fingertips swiped the lock screen, and the voice of the opening was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

"Hey?"

There was silence for a while, and after a long while, a young female voice came out timidly.

"Excuse me, is it... Qi Shi?"

Qi Ji frowned, barely regaining consciousness, and coughed, "It's me, are you?"

"I, I'm..." The man's voice was weak and stumbling, it seemed that Qi Ji's breathing would scare her a little, "I'm Xia Jing."

Only then did Qi Ji hear her voice: "...Cousin?"

Xia Jing is the daughter of Aunt Qi Ji.

It stands to reason that the blood relationship between the two is also close. But since his parents passed away, Qi Ji has cut ties with all his relatives in his hometown. He has not been in contact with this so-called cousin for nearly three years.

In this case, calling my cousin is just out of courtesy. If it were another son of my aunt's family, Qi Ji wouldn't even call my cousin.

But this title obviously flattered the other party. Xia Jing quickly said, "Yes, it's me. Xiaoji, I didn't expect you to remember me..."

Qi Ji was too busy to take care of herself, and had no intention of being polite to her, so she asked directly, "Is something wrong?"

There was a deep breathing voice over there, as if she had made up her mind. Xia Jing asked him timidly, "Can I borrow some money from you?"

Before Qi Ji could answer, she hurriedly said, "No, not much, 2,000 yuan... or 1,000 yuan is fine. I'll pay it back to you as soon as I earn it back from my part-time job."

Sure enough, relatives and friends who had not been in touch for many years suddenly found someone, either to get married or to borrow money.

In the interest of getting along with each other as a child, Qi Ji did not directly refuse: "What are you going to do with the money?"

Although he grew up with his aunt, his friendship with them has long since been wiped out. When his parents died, he cut off all contact directly.

But Qi Ji didn't expect that Xia Jing took another breath, but couldn't help crying.

"My parents and my brother... both are gone, I'll borrow money and take care of their funeral..." Xia Jing couldn't help sobbing, "I'm sorry, Xiaoji, I know I shouldn't disturb you, but I really I have no choice but to come to you..."

Qi Ji's breathing stagnated.

Although he hadn't been in contact for three years, he didn't expect his aunt's family to die.

He looked around, found a shelter from the wind, walked over there quickly, and said solemnly, "What's going on?"

As the wind became quieter, the voice on the phone gradually became clearer.

"My brother joined a group before and has been asking for money from the family," Xia Jing tried her best to suppress her crying and explained, "My parents gave him the money, but later, the more he asked for more, the more my parents couldn't come up with it. , followed him into the group. In the end, the group asked them to pay for the sale of the house. Mom didn't want to agree, so my brother forced her, went home, took the fire and said that he would turn on the gas, and killed them if they didn't sell the house. "

"As a result..." She whimpered, "As a result, the valve leaked, and my brother kept turning on the fire, they, they just... woo..."

Qi Ji frowned, "When did it happen?"

Xia Jing sobbed, "Go on, last week."

She also hurriedly explained: "I will take care of the funeral after borrowing money. I will not give the money to those who have been investigated. They have all been arrested. The government has also come to help us seek compensation."

"But, but I don't have enough money to bury the three of them together, so I want to find you..." Xia Jing explained incoherently for fear that Qi Zhi would not believe, "And the person who cheated on my uncle before was also caught, as well as the debt collectors. , were caught, I didn't lie, really..."

Qi Ji's heart skipped a beat.

He took the phone from his ear, opened the bank APP, and logged into an account.

That was the account that he regularly made money from every ten days. At this time, when he logged in, the balance in it was still a bright string of digits, and it did not return to zero.

But this money should have been taken away two days ago.

Qi Ji took out the old phone again and opened the text message box, but there was no new message in it.

He tentatively broadcast a number.

The mechanical female voice directly told him that this was an empty number.

Qi Ji paused.

There was still Xia Jing's weak voice on the phone, talking about the results of the investigation and the reports of the local media, Qi Ji listened in silence, and grabbed the old man's machine whose surface was mottled.

He had imagined this scene countless times, but when this moment came, Qi Ji only felt an unreal sense of illusion.

The burden on his back for three years, the culprit that caused him to lose his parents, a debt of 20 million yuan.

...that's how it ended.