A heartbeat, a lifetime

Chapter 9
I was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to explain, but Mr. Shen took the conversation very naturally: "Xiaoxi works in the group, it's rare that she doesn't find the old man annoying, so I always catch her to play chess with me."

Old Man Mai laughed, "I mean! Just now I thought Ah Jun had found a good wife."

When he said that, I quickly denied it, while Mr. Shen looked at Mai Zhendong with a smile, "Zhendong, what about you? Have you found your wife?"

He originally looked at me as if he was thinking, but now he looked at Mr. Shen with a gentle and respectful expression, "No, I'm still working hard."

Mr. Mai looked at the game of chess on the table, and greeted him one after another: "Come on, come on, our brothers haven't played a game for a long time."

I took the opportunity to say to Mai Zhendong: "Master, I have been thinking about it by myself during this time and took a lot of photos. Can you give me some pointers?"

He raised his brows slightly and agreed, "Okay."

I always remember Mai Zhendong once said to me that the best fashion photography practice is to capture pedestrians on the street.When a person can capture beautiful and compelling images in the ever-changing world, it marks that the photographer's aesthetics has basically matured.

I showed Mai Zhendong my street photography homework during this period.He flipped through one by one, commenting very seriously, not as irritable and impatient as before at work, and the problems he pointed out to me were all sharp and to the point.However, what made me really happy was that Mai Zhendong said to me lightly: "Actually, they are all good. You just lack experience and... a better set of equipment."

Seeing that I was smiling very happily, he also grinned slightly and said, "Bai Xi, it's actually a pity that you gave up photography—the editor-in-chief appreciated the set of photos you took for models last time. "V" easily It does not publish work by new photographers."

Su Wen, the editor-in-chief of "V", is notoriously picky. I was even more happy. Just as I was about to ask, my aunt suddenly said, "Huh? The young master is back too?"

I looked back and saw Shen Qinjun standing at the door, looking at me and Mai Zhendong, paused for a moment, then turned away as if nothing had happened, and greeted with a smile: "Grandpa Mai."

"Ah Jun is back, I'm playing chess with your grandfather." Mr. Mai said with a smile.

Shen Qinjun paid New Year's greetings to Grandpa Mai, smiled and looked at Mai Zhendong, and said hello lightly: "Long time no see."

Mai Zhendong leaned on the sofa, stretched out his long arm, and it rested on the sofa behind me, and said lazily, "Hey!"

Shen Qinjun was silent for a while, just about to say: "Bai..."

But Mr. Mai said: "Come, come, Ah Jun and I will have a fight."

Mai Zhendong patted my shoulder and asked: "I have a new machine in the car, do you want to try it with me?"

I am naturally very happy: "Okay."

"I'll take Bai Xi to see a camera, and you play chess slowly." He greeted briefly.

The two old men didn't say anything, only Shen Qinjun frowned slightly and gave me a deep look.

When I walked outside, there was no smoky heating, and a chilling chill immediately hit me, and my spirits suddenly lifted.

The courtyard of the Shen family is huge, with winding water, lotus dots, and a whole stone wall filled with smog.

Mai Zhendong said: "When I was young, I loved playing hide-and-seek here, and I often hid behind that wall."

I was curious, "Then you and Shen Qinjun have known each other since childhood?" Actually, what I want to ask is why they pretended not to know each other when they clearly met each other when they were filming a blockbuster for Qin Mou.

Mai Zhendong glanced at me and said casually, "I'm a few years older than him, but I haven't been able to hang out with him since I was a child."

I pursed my lips and smiled, "I think so too."

Mai Zhendong is free and easy, usually laughing and cursing, making people hate and love him at the same time, unlike Shen Qinjun, who is deep and introverted at best, but at worst, he is really "sad", even though I have inexplicable feelings towards him I have to admit that I am a little afraid of him.

He suddenly took out a cigarette and handed it to me, "Have you not smoked for a long time?"

I hesitated, but took it anyway.Although Roewe has a smoking room for employees, as a girl, I always endure it. I only order one when I am working overtime at home in the dead of night.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said.

He said "hmm".

"You have such a good background, why did you go to become a photographer?"

"At first it was to pick up girls." He exhaled a smoke ring, squinted his eyes, and put his hand in his pocket in a very chic manner.

I'm speechless.

"Besides, I don't want to be like him." He glanced back and smiled, "Too tired."

I followed his gaze and looked back, and there was a figure standing behind the plum-blossom window lattice, as if facing our direction.

Later this afternoon, we didn't try the new machine either, we just chatted, chatting all over the world.Maybe it's because I'm no longer a colleague, but I feel that Mai Zhendong is very attractive from the bottom of my heart, but such a man is like a hurricane, probably no one can hold him back.

After they left, Mr. Shen also went back to his room to rest.I sat on the sofa, thinking that when we had dinner later, it would be time to say goodbye to him.

Uncle Zhao Benshan's skits are still playing repeatedly on TV. Although it is jubilant, it has passed after all, just like this lively New Year.The sofa beside me suddenly sagged slightly, I turned my head to see that Shen Qinjun sat down beside me silently.

A year passed, but he seemed to be thinner, his brow bones protruded slightly, and his eyes looked brighter.

I thought he had gone out too, but I was surprised for a moment, "Why didn't you go out?"

He folded his fingers and put them on his lap, as if he didn't hear my question: "Are you familiar with Mai Zhendong?"

"He used to be my master."

He turned his head to look at me and frowned, "Master?"

"I'm his assistant, and I've always been scolded." I said indifferently, "Didn't you see it last time?"

Instead of answering, he asked, "Did he teach you to smoke?"

Uh... this question chokes me.I could hear that his tone was not kind. If he said yes, he would probably be even more unhappy, so I thought about it and replied: "It's not..."

"Okay." He interrupted me a little rudely, "Stay away from him next time."

"Why?" I suppressed the slight anger in my heart, "Although he scolded me before, he was not bad."

"Nice guy? How long have you known him?" He said flatly, "He's the kind of person, you don't even know when he's going to kill you."

It was the first time I heard him speak so harshly and harshly about others, and I couldn't help being stunned, "Why is the person you mentioned so different from the Mai Zhendong I know?"

He also approached a little closer, "You don't believe it?"

"When I was his assistant, he often scolded me, but he would finish scolding and never take it to heart. In the photography industry, people trample on others. How many people are jealous of him in his position? He never I mentioned my family background, and if a newcomer has a good work, he will also recommend it to mainstream platforms. He seems to have a lot of girlfriends, but he will change to a second one after handing over one." I said seriously, "I don't think he is so scary. .”

He stood up from the sofa and never looked at me again, "He used to be with Qin—"

In the middle of speaking, the sentence stopped, and he looked at me from top to bottom, "In short, I don't want to see you contact him again."

finally, I understand--

Maybe Mai Zhendong once chased Qin Mou, or maybe they were really together... I don't want to know these details, all I know is that it was because of Qin Mou.

Anger, or rather frustration, came from my heart, and I didn't want to argue with him, so I also stood up and said, "You have no right to control who I make friends with."

I think this huge living room makes people feel tight in the chest, or it makes me feel uncomfortable to be in the same room with him-I strode to the stairs, intending to pack my things and leave.

He grabbed my wrist and said in a deep voice, "Why are you having a child's temper?"

Auntie just walked in, saw us like this, and said "Hey": "What's wrong?"

I quickly said: "Auntie, I'm going home, can I call a taxi here?"

Auntie glanced at Shen Qinjun and said, "Ah, you left so soon? Does the master know?"

He was silent, his face was dark, I nodded and said, "I know."

"What kind of taxi is it called? I'll ask the driver to take you home." The aunt said and went to get the phone on the table.

"Don't call." Shen Qinjun pursed his lips, let go of me, as if provocative, "Let her go back by herself."

I simply packed my things and went downstairs, and went out the door without looking back, regardless of Auntie's obstruction.

This is the suburb of Feihai. In fact, I am not familiar with the roads, and I was dragging my suitcase, so I walked slowly and tiredly.At the intersection, I simply stopped, took out my mobile phone and called the taxi company.

After reporting the address, the customer service on the line said, "It's the Spring Festival and there are few taxis. You may have to wait there for a while."

The hand holding the phone was already frozen, like an ice cube. I switched the phone to the other hand, stomped my foot and said, "Okay."

In less than 10 minutes, I couldn't wait any longer.

The weather is really cold, the boots on my feet are as cold as steel, hard and uncomfortable, the coat on my body is as thin as paper, and only my exhaled breath is warm all over my body - I am stiff Scalp, drag the box forward, so that it can be warmer.

There was the sound of a car passing behind me, and I got excited, maybe it was a taxi!
Looking back, it was Shen Qinjun's car. When it passed me, the speed of the car didn't slow down at all, it just whizzed by.

At that moment, I was more disheartened than ever.

During this period of time, my heart was beating and flustered, what was it for?

For such a bleak ending?

I couldn't help but want to laugh, but I choked on a breath of cold wind. On the cold and empty street, a person was coughing heart-piercingly.After finally straightening up, I looked up and saw his car parked not far ahead. He had already got out of the car and looked at me calmly.

Stride over, or simply stand and wait for a taxi?

I thought about it, stopped, and looked across the street in silence.

When the taxi was delayed, he finally walked up to me and held out his hand to help me with my suitcase.

I gave him a cold look and turned away.

He smiled, "Okay, enough trouble?"

Do you really think I'm a child?Slap a sweet date, and I'll follow him all over again?

I was even more annoyed and vowed not to look him in the eye today.

"I'll take you back."

"I called a taxi." I coughed, "Thank you for your kindness."

He took out a box, "You left this behind."

The Leica camera, which I left and returned to him on purpose.

"Repay you." I said concisely, then bypassed him and continued walking.

With the bright lights behind me, I turned my head subconsciously, hoping that it would be a taxi.But in such a blink of an eye, the roaring engine has already reminded me deafeningly that this is a high-speed sports car, and it is only a few meters away from me at the moment.

I froze there until someone hugged me, and the two hugged each other awkwardly, and rolled to the side of the road.

I was crushed under him in a daze, between life and death, my mind was not blank, but I saw large pieces of blood flowing down—like real, blurring my vision.

I couldn't help screaming, this moment is the real fear, if it wasn't for his quick and quick roll, there would probably be real blood everywhere now.

Seeing me like this, he didn't even have time to pull me up, so he asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"

"It's okay..." I paused for a long time before I could say a complete sentence, "I'm fine."

He pulled me up, and I noticed a bloodstain on his left cheek, probably scratched when he rolled on the ground, and the right side of the sweater was also torn, and I felt a little guilty.

He walked to the side of the road without saying a word, picked up my suitcase, and opened the car door again. Seeing that I was still standing there, he couldn't help but said, "I'm going to the hospital for treatment, don't you want to stay with me anymore?" Here?"

(End of this chapter)