For a moment, the world seemed to be quiet.
The sun shines brightly and dimly along with the kapok flying on both sides of the road, making peopleâs eyes hurt.
Chen Ruoyu hurriedly pulled out the hand that was clasped by Shi Ran and asked, as if nothing had happened, âAuntie, what did you say?â
Chen Shiwei sighed, stared at the road ahead, and said, âQuickly check the address of your fatherâs art exhibition. Is it the place in front? Itâs really old, and I canât remember exactly where I was at home. â
A misunderstanding
The car was still driving forward. Chen Shiwei looked at the road conditions in front of him intently and didnât look back to see what Chen Ruoyu, who had not responded to him for a long time, was doing.
Chen Ruoyu breathed a sigh of relief, took out her mobile phone, and checked it neatly: âWait a minute, Auntie.â
After a while, she looked at the artistic white building in front of her and nodded. âYes, Auntie, itâs the place in front, and you have to turn left at the next intersection.â
âOkay.â Chen Shiwei nodded and started changing lanes according to Chen Ruoyuâs directions.
Chen Ruoyuâs hand pulled away quickly, and Shi Ranâs palm with the rough rind of the orange was aching.
She just sat in her place obediently, holding the most direct murderer in her palm, her eyes with a bit of frustration that she didnât even notice.
Because of this little episode, the rest of the journey was too quiet in the car. But just now, Chen Yinbing seemed to close his eyes to rest a little, and he looked at Chen Ruoyu and Shi Ran in the rearview mirror in silence.
Chen Shiwei drove the car through several levels smoothly and finally stopped in front of the huge white building.
Chen Ruoyu and Shi Ran got off at opposite ends of the car. Shi Ran was not used to walking with the elderly Chen Yinbing, so she went around from the back of the car to find Chen Ruoyu.
The noon sun in the spring was too bright, and it fell on Chen Ruoyuâs back, casting a soft golden light on her.
Shi Ran just looked at Chen Ruoyu, who was walking beside Chen Shiwei and looked at her hand hanging by her side, and the orange that was held in her pocket rolled again in her palm.
Shi Ran suddenly wanted to hold hands with Chen Ruoyu in front of her parents.
The gallery invested in by the Chen family was built at the beginning of this year, and Chen Yinbing, which shows held the first exhibition how much the Chen family attaches to this place.
Chen Yinbingâs exhibition layout was very quaint, which was in line with the personal style of his paintings. She didnât know if it was Chen Yinbingâs own idea or not. The quaint venue combines well with the modern minimalist style as if it came out of ancient paintings and was integrated into modern life.
This was the first time that Shi Ran had enjoyed an exhibition of paintings by nearly one person. After walking around, Chen Ruoyu and the others got separated.
They designed the exhibition hall on the southwest side of the exhibition with a circular arch. The light casts the shadow of the twigs outside the gallery on the wall as if it were integrated into the painting, which was extraordinarily ingenious.
Shi Ran walked over and noticed two paintings that looked exactly the same under light and shadow.
One left and one right together. She didnât know what the purpose was.
âWhich one is better?â
Chen Yinbingâs voice suddenly came from behind Shi Ran. He was wearing a Chinese-style long gown, with his hands behind his back, like an old gentleman, with a kind of oppressive force.
Shi Ran thought that if Chen Ruoyuâs aura was hereditary, it must be hereditary for Chen Yinbing.
Although her little head was making such a slight mistake, Shi Ran did not forget to answer Chen Yinbingâs question. She looked at the two paintings and answered without hesitation: âLeft.â
Chen Yinbing did not express his opinion but continued to ask, âTell me what you think.â
âThe one on the left is more casual, and the one on the right seems to be a deliberate imitation.â Shi Ran pointed out bluntly, âIt can be seen that Uncle Chen likes this painting very much and has copied it more than once.â
âYou little girl, your eyes are poisonous.â Chen Yinbing was not angry but nodded with a smile, âYes, the left side is my wifeâs painting from over 20 years ago, and the right side is my copy.â
Shi Ran was a little surprised when she heard this.
She still remembered the story she got from Chen Ruoyuâs side. Even Chen Yinbing, even the Chen family, had a kind of admiration and pity for the late Chen Ruoyuâs mother, and she preferred Song Yi. It was likely that her eyebrows were like Chen Ruoyuâs mother.
The left was just the phrase âWan Wan Leiqingâ in the TV series.
Some people were heartbroken by this sentence, and some people used this sentence to soar.
Shi Ran was a little rebellious, and she dared to say what others dared not.
Also, this matter was still related to Chen Ruoyu.
Maybe it was because the newborn calf was not afraid of tigers, or maybe it was really overthinking itself. Shi Ran looked at Chen Yinbing and pointed out: âAlthough it can be seen that some parts are trying to depict the randomness of the original painting, they indeed imitated it. They can imitate it. After all, it is still imitating. No matter how random it is, it is deliberate.â
âSince ancient times, when painting, I only learn the style and character, not the skin. No matter how real a shell is, itâs just a slap in the face. The soul and style that fit are the most cherished. â
The voice fell, and the entire venue became extremely quiet.
Shi Ran actually revealed the tacit secret of the Chen family in this way.
The sunlight poured in straight from outside the gallery, but the two prints on the wall looked extremely cold.
Chen Yinbing looked at Shi Ran expressionlessly. His eyes were so deep that one could not see any emotion.
Chen Ruoyu and Chen Shiwei, who had just wandered here, were standing not far away.
Chen Shiweiâs hands hanging by his side were slightly curled together, even sweating. Chen Ruoyu was watching Chen Yinbingâs facial changes, ready to step forward to protect Shi Ran.
The surrounding atmosphere was like a taut string that may have broken.
Suddenly, a thin and strong arm cut through the steady light, and the blue veins and skin provoked by the wrist bone were like mountains painted on the opposite side, rubbing Shi Ranâs hair and falling on her shoulders.
âYou little girl, you are too bold.â
After saying that, Chen Yinbing shook Shi Ranâs shoulders, which looked a little weak with an unclear emotion.
And Shi Ran just stood like this, not intimidated by his movements at all, and her straight shoulders were not bent by his movements in the slightest.
The taut thread didnât break in the end. Chen Yinbing said nothing after that, but his face seemed heavier than when he first came.
Because he and Chen Shiwei had other things to deal with, Shi Ran and Chen Ruoyu didnât follow them into the car but walked back to the company.
It was past noon, and the sun was not so dazzling. The wind was blowing the skirt with the traffic passing through, and it was soft and full of the smell of spring.
Shi Ran looked at the Kapok that was driving on both sides of the road. The soft light pink color fell on the side of Chen Ruoyuâs face, and the misplaced perspective was as if a Kapok was attached to the personâs head.
It was just that Kapok was gentle, but this person seems to have some worries.
Shi Ran looked at it and asked knowingly, âWhy does your expression seem so serious?â
Chen Ruoyu didnât hide either. She turned to look at Shi Ran: âYouâre too bold.â
She was really sweating it for her just now.
Shi Ran was different: âI say nothing, someone has to say it. They are partial, I am not. â
âYou are my girlfriend. Even if there are two words in front of you, you are still your girlfriend. If I donât protect you, who will protect you?â
Shi Ranâs words were domineering, and she even added an emphasis on âyesâ, as if to remind Chen Ruoyu that she was qualified to protect her even if it was an internal test, or if it was logical to give herself an extra quilt. permitted rights.
Chen Ruoyu pursed her lips, and then a smile appeared in Shi Ranâs eyes.
She likes Shi Ranâs domineering.
It turned out that under the situation that I had become accustomed to and learned to be indifferent to, there was still a person who would say a word for me.
At that moment, the wind picked up the long hair on Shi Ranâs face, making her hair messy.
Shi Ran thought she was wrong. Kapok was not as gentle as Chen Ruoyu.
Shi Ran was a little uncomfortable with such a gentle scene, so she blinked at Yan Jin unnaturally, and then said, âBy the way, should I cheer for my uncle on the first day of the weekend art exhibition? Can I accompany him?â
âSong Yi will also be there that day,â Chen Ruoyu reminded her.
Shi Ran waved her hands hurriedly, âForget it, itâs not worth it.â
When the two returned to the company, it was almost time to get off work. After all, Zhou Yuan was there, and they did not consider Shi Ran an unexcused absence from work.
When you get off work, take Chen Ruoyuâs special care home. After the car was parked in the underground parking lot, Chen Ruoyu told Shi Ran that she had something to deal with and asked Shi Ran to go upstairs first.
Shi Ran looked suspicious at Chen Ruoyuâs cell phone, which didnât even turn on, but obediently got out of the car alone, leaning on the door frame and saying, âCome back early then.â
Chen Ruoyu nodded, âDonât worry, soon.â
Shi Ran took another look at Chen Ruoyuâs car, then closed the door and walked towards the elevator alone.
This point was the time when the social animals got off work. There were many tired office workers in the elevator. Shi Ran counted them secretly, thinking that their âcasualâ apartment was quite favored by the social animals.
When Shi Ran was about to turn on the light, the phone in her bag vibrated.
The caller was Shi Yu.
Shi Ran suddenly had an awful premonition, picked up the phone, and asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
Shi Yuâs voice sounded a little low: âSister, the people who came to the court in the afternoon took Dad away.â
Shi Ran was taken aback. She forgot to turn on the lights and walked straight to the windowsill: âWhat?â
Shi Yu: âThen the companyâs uncle, Wang, came shortly after my father was taken away. My father was greedy for a lot of money, according to him. He received rumors two days ago, but it was to no avail. He may have to squat. Bureau.â
Shi Ran couldnât help but feel a little uneasy when she heard this.
She had no relationship with Shi Haijun but had an actual family relationship with Shi Yu: âWhat about you, how are you?â
Shi Yu shook his head: âIâm fine, sister. Now the only thing thatâs clean in our house is the company I worked with, Song Lan. â
âThen how is your company running? I have saved a little money hereâ¦â Shi Ran hurriedly spoke, but was interrupted by Shi Yu before she finished speaking: âSister, you donât have to worry about me. The Shi family originally owed you money. How could I be so embarrassed to ask you for money? Donât you have to pay the mortgage with your money? â
âShi Yu.â Shi Ranâs eyes dimmed a bit.
In this family, only Shi Yu felt that way.
Shi Yu let out a smile on the other end of the phone, pretending to be sunny as if Shi Ran could see it: âSister, Iâm really fine. The skinny camel is bigger than a horse, although the Shi family is defeated, but as long as this matter doesnât affect you, you can stay out of it.â
Shi Ran understood, but couldnât help but be reminded: âOkay, donât be too tired, you are not in good health.â
Shi Yu nodded and said half-jokingly, âWell, I know, Iâm just telling you about this. Donât know until the news comes out tomorrow, and Iâm going to deceive you for a meal later.â
Shi Ran smiled as expected, but Mother Shiâs voice came over the phone.
Shi Yu glanced back at Mother Shi, who was going to come downstairs to pick up the phone to talk to Shi Ran, and hurriedly said, âOkay, sister, I have something to deal with here, so Iâll hang up first.â
Shi Ran probably understood Shi Yuâs intentions and tacitly replied, âOkay, pay attention to Xiaoyuâs body.â
âWell, you are also a sister.â Shi Yu said and hung up the phone in a hurry.
The room did not turn on the lights; only the light from the shopping mall outside, projected by the floor-to-ceiling windows, barely illuminated the place beside the window.
Shi Ran held the phone with her hands down and sat in front of the glass window with a radiant smile on her face.
Her home, which was already in ruins, finally collapsed.
But with this smile, Shi Ranâs expression froze.
She looked at the night scene of neon lights outside the window; she didnât know what to do next, so she sat by the window like this. Her distracted eyes didnât know where to look.
Does Shi Haijun deserve it? Of course, it deserves it.
It was just that Shi Ran didnât feel relieved when she wished this person would die immediately on New Yearâs Day. She felt as calm as if she had just seen someone being arrested and put in jail on the news, and there was a faint sense of unease and pain in her heart.
For Shi Yu and herself.
âClick.â
At that moment, the door was opened from the outside.
Chen Ruoyu turned on the light in the corridor outside and walked through the door with a large bag of snacks.
The room was dark except for a figure sitting in front of the window, shrouded in neon outside the window.
The surrounding light was too bright, making people thin and frail, curled up in a ball, lonely and vulnerable as if someone had abandoned them.
Chen Ruoyu seemed to sense something and walked towards the figure cautiously, finally standing behind Shi Ran.
âWhatâs wrong?â Chen Ruoyu asked softly, as if afraid of scaring Shi Ran.
Shi Ran was not frightened as she wished, raised her head slightly, and said to the person standing behind her, âCome here a bit.â
Chen Ruoyu obeyed and walked to Shi Ran with a large bag of snacks.
The plush rabbit slippers slowly appeared under the window, and the plastic bag of snacks made a squeaking sound.
The sudden movement shook the moonlight, the slender arm gripped the body with the cool wind outside, and the skin on the back of the hand was even more provoked.
Shi Ran hugged Chen Ruoyu without saying a word.
It was like hugging the home she was looking for.