Seven years after my death, the male protagonist of the substitute novel was criticized

Chapter 17 Duan Chengyu’s Dream

Pei Yizhou saw the government officials off and looked at his watch. It was already past the end of get off work time.

He returned to the office building and found that there was only one person left in the general manager's office. There was no one at Lin Lu's workstation. Three twisting dragonflies were flapping their wings around the words "Lin Lu", ready to fly.

"Knock knock—" He knocked on the door, took a step inside, and asked the remaining Sister Chen calmly, "Has Lin Lu left?"

Sister Chen was also preparing to leave work. When she saw it was the boss, she stopped packing and nodded to report: "He left at six o'clock and said he was going to the supermarket."

Yes, she recently took some money from him on the pretext of an advance of half a month's salary, two thousand yuan, which was totally not as much as the amount on the card he gave her, but it made her more interested in shopping in the supermarket, and she never got tired of buying some fruit snacks every day.

Pei Yizhou remembered that she was going home to buy things again, and his expression relaxed a lot. He nodded to indicate that he understood, and prepared to go back to the office to get his clothes and go home.

Sister Chen stopped him at this time and said hesitantly: "Boss Pei, Xiao Lin didn't seem to be in a good mood this afternoon. He didn't talk and stared at the computer absent-mindedly. I don't know if he is feeling unwell or encountered something."

Pei Yizhou's brows slowly knitted together, and he asked in a deep voice: "What happened? Or did someone tell her something?"

Sister Chen: "I don't know. Nothing happened in the office. She helped to receive customers in the morning, prepared fruit cups, and ordered meals at the restaurant. I don't know much else."

The lights in the office were bright, but Pei Yizhou only took half a step inside, and most of his figure was still in the darkness outside. When he frowned, the shadow cast by his brow bone made his eyes seem dark and gloomy.

"Okay," he said without much change in tone, "I understand. Next time if she acts strangely, tell me."

After saying that, he returned to the office. Within two minutes, the door was closed and he disappeared into the corridor with big strides.

Sister Chen was still packing her bag. She looked at the lights outside the corridor that were lighting up and going out, then looked away thoughtfully for a moment.

Why are you so concerned and anxious about a sister who is probably not your biological sister?
-

When Pei Yizhou arrived home, Lin Lu had just made a chestnut and yam chicken soup. The aroma of the green pepper stuffed with meat mixed with the sizzling sound in the pot instantly melted the cold brought in from outside.

"Brother, you're back?" She still held the spatula in her hand, and moved away from the pot as far as possible, and looked at him at the kitchen door. "I'm almost done with the dish! Everything is just right~"

Pei Yizhou closed the door and paused as he entered the living room. He controlled himself to change into home slippers as usual, took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then approached the kitchen.

"Why are you still making soup? Are you in a good mood?" he asked casually.

Lin Lu used a shovel to turn the green peppers over one by one, thinking that it was true. After all, Duan Chengyu finally faced up to the dream and took the initiative to exchange WeChat with her. She, who had a strange secret in her heart, found a similar person who was gradually awakening, so she must be in a good mood.

But before she opened her mouth, she recalled the secret she had overheard at noon, and thought about the original meaning of this meal, and felt a little guilty.

"I'm in a good mood. This soup is specially made for you. You've been very busy lately. You have to attend online meetings when you get home. Sister Chen and the others also said that you had to fly to other places every now and then. Sometimes you had too many meetings and didn't have time to eat."

The casserole soup on the table immediately became different. Pei Yizhou smiled gently, like the male host in countless happy families, and put the dishes and chopsticks on the table: "I heard that you were in a bad mood this afternoon. Are you angry because you know I didn't eat on time?"

Lin Lu answered vaguely: "I am a little angry."

The green pepper stuffed with meat is ready and served on the table while hot. The aroma and heat linger under the special dining lights, creating a warm and sweet atmosphere.

Pei Yizhou served her soup first. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fruit plate on the bar in the living room. The orange color stood out in this monochrome home.

He asked, "Did you buy oranges? You always eat a lot of fruit and complain of stomach discomfort after eating. This time you can't eat more than two a day." Lin Lu's back felt a little tight. He stuffed a green pepper into his mouth and nodded vaguely.

She intuitively felt that if Duan Chengyu wanted to keep this a secret, he should keep it a secret forever. Telling what happened today would be like feeding the food originally fed to catfish to grass carp, and she would be bitten too.

Although this violated their "family agreement", they had agreed that the two brothers and sisters would become a family and could not hide or lie to each other, and should discuss and make decisions together on any matter. But...but she subconsciously felt that she could not discuss this matter with Pei Yizhou.

Just like Pei Yizhou would never tell her about the lover who had an accident.

There needed to be a line between them to reinforce the fact that they were just brother and sister.

Pei Yizhou placed the soup next to her and asked her to eat slowly. He talked about going to a warmer place for vacation at the end of the year to celebrate the New Year.

"As you gradually integrate into this place, more and more people will definitely know about your affairs, make random guesses and disturb you. Let's go on vacation early and stay away from those people. When we come back after the new year, when things get busy again, there won't be so many people paying attention to this matter."

In fact, deep down in his heart, he was always afraid that she would be upset if someone mentioned the past. Although his unhappiness this afternoon might not be due to related issues, he did not want to take the risk and was eager to take her away from here for a while.

Lin Lu had no reason to refuse, so he nodded and agreed without much thought.

She can now communicate with Duan Chengyu online no matter where she is, even on vacation.

Pei Yizhou's heart suddenly softened when he saw that she agreed obediently and looked as if she would be at ease as long as he was around.

He wanted to touch her hair, hug and kiss her like before, rub his lips against hers, and whisper some intimate words. But no, he didn't have the status and qualifications to do so now.

He lowered his eyes and drank the soup, swallowing all the impatience, desire, and depression in his heart mixed with the chicken soup.

-

At midnight, most people fell asleep.

After Duan Chengyu finished a long-distance phone call, he was finally able to lie down in bed quietly.

Perhaps it was what happened in the supermarket today that made him constantly recall, ponder, and analyze. He thought of Lin Lu too many times, and this time he even saw her in his dream.

It’s not the Antarctic ice sheet, nor the scene where Lin Lu falls into the ice and shouts for help, but the face-to-face moments in the dim room.

Dreams are always vague and incomplete. He couldn't remember the surroundings, nor did he focus on any communication they might have had. He couldn't even see Lin Lu's face clearly. He only had a feeling, as if he saw her raising her head across from him through the steam rising from the bathroom.

The pitiful image of a wanderer, the bewildered expression, and the strong tone of voice as she held back her tears while asking him something, were very similar to the way she was when he first saw her some time ago, standing still but her eyes seemed to be shaky.

He reached out to grab her, his fingers passing through the mist, and just when they were about to touch her cheek, what he felt in his palm was what seemed to be wet dandelions filling the sky.

Duan Chengyu woke up suddenly, rubbed his temple and sat up. It was almost dawn outside.

But the strange thing was that the furniture and ceiling lights seemed upside down and floating in his eyes. No matter how he closed his eyes and opened them again, they remained the same. The dizziness and nausea made him fall asleep quickly.

　Two parallel plots, the emotional one should be relatively clear (everyone should be able to see that), what do you think this plot line will be like? —A tabloid reporter raised the microphone to interview.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)