40

Song Wanyue bought a plane ticket for two days later. Aunt Qin helped her pack her luggage and also prepared some specialties from North City for her to take back.

Song Wanyue received no less than ten phone calls a day.

From mom's dad, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

They were all reminding her to be careful on the road.

Song Wanyue was a little helpless: "I'm not a child anymore, and this is not the first time I'm flying alone."

-

Duan Baiting said on the phone yesterday that he would take time to come back today, and he really promised.

Song Wanyue was still eating in the dining room when she saw his Cullinan parked in the yard.

She put down her fork and went out. Duan Baiting had already changed his shoes.

Taking off coat.

He was dressed formally today, wearing a coat over his suit.

A few flakes of snow fell on the ends of my hair, and my whole body was filled with cold.

She walked over and threw herself into his arms: "Why are you here so early?"

He lowered his eyes and looked at the person in his arms. After not seeing her for a few days, she became even more clingy.

He deliberately asked, "Don't you want to see me so early?"

"Of course I do." She raised her head and complained, "How can you misinterpret other people's meanings at will."

When Aunt Qin saw him come back, she went to the kitchen to add another bowl of rice, saying that she had stewed soup today.

Bone soup, calcium supplement.

Duan Baiting specifically reminded that Song Wanyue had been grinding her teeth occasionally at night recently, and it was probably due to calcium deficiency.

"Drink less coffee in the future."

I usually rely on coffee to stay awake, so sometimes I drink several cups a day.

But I'm on vacation recently, so I don't need to get up early. I can just sleep when I'm sleepy. There's no need to drink coffee anymore.

She nodded: "I understand." She

was unusually well-behaved.

It has been snowing these past few days, and more people have gone to the old city scenic area to check in, so the roads have become congested.

Song Wanyue simply didn't go out.

Fortunately, they have tight security here, otherwise it would have become a check-in attraction.

After returning to the room, she opened the curtains and saw the snow weighing on the branches and the frozen river.

The whole world is quiet, so quiet that it makes people feel leisurely.

The firewood in the fireplace makes crackling sounds as it burns, and the ventilation system in the house is on, so there is no need to worry about the possibility of carbon dioxide poisoning.

Song Wanyue threw a sweet potato into the fire: "This is what the kitchen aunt gave me today. She said it would taste very good if you roast it with firewood."

Duan Baiting nodded, and without any sense of romance, he took a cigarette and lit it close to the fire.

The orange firelight reflected on his face, flickering slightly, and the lines of his profile were sharp.

He has a very good bone structure, and even when he gets older, he will only become more mature with the passage of time.

The smoking posture is a bit careless and lazy. At this moment, he looked at the sweet potato that Song Wanyue threw into the fireplace.

"Weren't you full just now?"

Song Wanyue squatted down and said, "I was full, and I thought it was fun, so I wanted to grill one."

Duan Baiting nodded without saying anything, smoking quietly.

Song Wanyue didn't wear much today. She was wearing a sweater knitted by Aunt Qin. It was made of thick pink and white wool and was soft and skin-friendly when worn.

The collar and cuffs are trimmed with fluffy white edges.

Next to the warm firelight, she yawned slowly, occasionally looking down at her cell phone.

Because of his good manners, he sits very straight.

She usually ties her hair up at home, but today she casually tied it into a bun, revealing her slender and fair swan neck and the round and full back of her head.

I don't know what he is looking at, he is looking at it so seriously.

The slightest sound of a log burning in the fireplace startled her.

She covered her chest and muttered, "I'm scared to death."

When she looked up, she found Duan Baiting looking at her.

I don't know how long I looked at it, but the cigarette between my fingers had accumulated a long piece of ash.

She tilted her head and smiled at him: "Are you peeking at me?"

Duan Baiting came back to his senses, dusted off the ash from his cigarette, but did not answer her. Instead, he asked: "What were you looking at just now, so seriously?"

"I was looking at shoes. New models are out. But they're so ugly."

She was a little disappointed and put her phone down.

Ever since the brand changed its designer, her desire to consume has plummeted.

Duan Baiting nodded.

Although he didn't understand her shopping habit, he never asked too many questions.

He has nothing but a lot of money.

"When are you going back to Shanghai?"

Song Wanyue said, "I bought a plane ticket for the day after tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Song Wanyue asked him, "When will you finish your work? Will you come to my house for the New Year this year?"

Although she didn't know what the situation was like in the Duan family, she could see that Duan Baiting did not have the trait of a harmonious family bringing prosperity.

He is more like a lone eagle, strong enough that he does not need to travel in a group.

"We'll see when the time comes, if there's time."

The answer was ambiguous, and Song Wanyue knew in her mind that there was probably no time.

The aroma of sweet potatoes was already wafting out, and she yawned again.

Duan Baiting stopped talking and his eyes fell on her face which was illuminated by the firelight.

Noticing his gaze, Song Wanyue looked up and met his gaze.

Her pupils are like water, very alluring.

After not seeing each other for many days, even a silent look at each other is like a raging fire.

Duan Baiting held her in his arms and kissed her, rubbing their lips against each other and swallowing with his Adam's apple.

The room was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, and the sound of sucking water even drowned out the sound of dry firewood burning in the fireplace.

Song Wanyue's entire mouth was invaded by his tongue, and he ravaged every corner.

The movements seemed gentle, but in fact, each one was so overbearing that he wanted to eat her alive.

Song Wanyue's chest heaved violently, her mouth was forced open, saliva flowed from her lips.

Duan Baiting finally let her go and took a tissue to wipe her clean.

She looked so pitiful, her lips were swollen and red from being bitten, and her eyes were filled with tears.

Duan Baiting held her face with both hands, lowered his head, and panted as his nose touched hers.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it."

Song Wanyue shook her head, her face full of tears. She didn't know whether to say she was considerate or ignorant.

"You don't have to endure it."

She leaned back into his arms, "Duan Baiting, don't endure it."

His breathing became a little heavier and he lowered his eyes to look at the person in his arms.

After a while, he held her and sat her on the bay window, then pulled the curtains behind him.

He moved slowly and at a leisurely pace, and was in the mood to ask her how she had been doing these days.

She answered vaguely: "No... No, I miss you every day."

He smiled and knew she was lying, but his depressed mood suddenly brightened up a little.

He turned her in another direction and opened the curtains slightly, allowing her to look out the window.

It snowed heavily today and a thick layer of ice formed on the river surface. There was snow next to it, clean without a trace of impurities.

It's like entering a crystal clear world of ice and snow.

Because all the property around here is Duan Baiting's private property, there is no one to be seen.

"In spring, a kind of small pink flower blooms by the river."

After hearing Duan Baiting's words, she wanted to turn back, but she really didn't have the strength.

She could only lean against the window and ask him, "Do you like it?"

Although she couldn't see behind her, she knew that he should shake his head.

"It's okay."

That means you don't like it.

Song Wanyue felt that he was a bit strange. He seemed very ambitious, but in fact he was so pure and simple that he didn't care about anything.

A bit disinterested.

But how can a person not have desires?

So she was very curious: "Isn't there anything you desperately want?"

He slowed down for a moment, as if he was really thinking seriously.

Without waiting for Song Wanyue to speak again, he hugged her tightly.

There was a violent storm and she was stranded and trembling on the shore like a drowning fish.

Aunt Qin knew that they were enjoying a long separation, so she tacitly didn't disturb them.

In the room, Song Wanyue lay in Duan Baiting's arms: "After I return to Shanghai, you have to call me every day, okay?"

He nodded: "Yeah."

Song Wanyue stared into his eyes and felt that he was perfunctory.

He lowered his head and gave her a quick kiss on the lips: "What are you looking at?"

She felt as satisfied as after a big meal.

"Of course I'm looking at you."

He smiled and said nothing.

In fact, when she first met him, she didn't understand anything, she just felt that the big brother in front of her was very pitiful.

The education she received at home and the love she received since childhood made it impossible for her to turn a blind eye.

So I went over and hugged him.

But in Song Wanyue's eyes at that time, he was just a handsome brother whom she met by chance at the funeral.

After the funeral, she returned to Shanghai and quickly forgot about him.

If it weren't for the engagement at home, her little memory of him would have vanished long ago.

Even if I think about it later, it is just fragmented pieces.

At that time, she never thought that she would lie in the same bed with him so harmoniously.

She was even prepared to treat him with respect.

Don't interfere with others' business.

She doesn't ask about his private life, and he has no right to interfere with hers.

But by some strange coincidence, she seemed to have really fallen in love with him.

As for what kind of liking it was, she couldn't tell.

All I know is that she didn't resist when she was with him. And I'm a bit dependent and obsessed with this feeling.

Just like at this moment, her eyes rekindled his desire that had just been extinguished.

The figures are intertwined, enjoying the pleasure for a moment.

Duan Baiting didn't stay at home for too long. He left in the afternoon.

Song Wanyue lay on the bed and watched him come out of the shower and put on his clothes. She

asked reluctantly, "Will you come back tomorrow?"

He looked apologetic, halfway through tying his tie, and walked to the bed to kiss her, "When I'm done, I'll go to Shanghai to find you."

She sat up and clumsily tied his tie for him.

Naturally, it was not as neat and tidy as usual, but rather a little crooked.

It's obvious that he just learned it and hasn't even put it into practice.

She reached out and touched it, then touched his face: "Remember to think of me."

Duan Baiting's mind moved slightly, and he lowered his head and took the initiative to rub his palm before she could retract it.

"Yeah."

He answered gently.

It was rare to see him showing such a humane look. Song Wanyue suddenly felt reluctant to let him go. She hugged him for a long time and left a deep kiss mark on his neck as if to play a prank.

Then he was willing to let him go.

-At

eight o'clock in the evening, the Duan family's old house was brightly lit.

Because of ancestor worship.

According to custom, as the eldest grandson, Duan Baiting has many things to take care of personally.

He can't leave.

But he still set aside a day to go back and accompany Song Wanyue.

The Duan family was very lively today. Duan Hengyu suddenly fell to the ground and twitched, as if he was addicted.

The old lady was so angry at his miserable appearance that she almost had a heart attack.

That's why Duan Baiting was urgently summoned back.

The maid took out a new pair of slippers for him at the door and placed them respectfully at his feet: "The old lady is in the bedroom. She is better now. She said she doesn't want to see anyone, so don't disturb her."

Duan Baiting changed his shoes: "Okay."

The living room was full of people at this time, with different expressions.

Some looked bored, some had sarcastic expressions, and some yawned and frequently looked down at their watches.

Duan Baiting looked around and didn't see anyone, so he asked the maid, "Where is he?"

Knowing who he was asking about, the maid hesitated and answered, "The private doctor gave the fourth young master an injection of sedative, and he has fallen asleep now."

Duan Baiting nodded, "Send him to the police station after he wakes up."

The maid was stunned: "But..."

He gave her an indifferent look, and the other party was immediately frightened and lowered her head in silence.

Although all the people in the room share some of the same blood, they are not even close to each other.

We never see each other on weekdays, and only during major festivals or to worship ancestors would we have to meet.

Cousin Duan He is a smooth person, good at superficial work. When she saw him, she called him "cousin" all the time, which was very cordial.

"Why didn't my cousin's wife come today?"

Duan Baiting sat down, crossed his legs, and lit a cigarette: "She is busy."

He was unrestrained in front of them, and didn't need to worry about whether the ventilation was on or whether he would be choked by the smoke.

That kind of chilling arrogance was not concealed at all.

He dusted off his cigarette ashes and waited for the clock to pass twelve.

This is a custom that has been passed down for hundreds of years. Before offering sacrifices to their ancestors, the younger generations in the clan have to fast for half a month.

Taking turns to keep watch.

He didn't know whether the feast he had on Song Wanyue today was considered a break of the rules.

After my aunt got married, her household registration remained and her children all took her surname, Duan.

During the holidays, she would always come back from the United States, tired and dusty, with her husband and children to visit her elderly mother.

He appeared filial and respectful on the surface, but in fact he was calculating how long she would live.

The old man left all his inheritance to his eldest grandson, and the lawsuit over the inheritance lasted for several years.

Several elders have privately tried to make things difficult for this nephew who is related to them by blood.

Duan Baiting was still young at that time, and the project was maliciously disrupted, so he just started over again.

With no one to rely on, he could only clean up the mess left by his aunts and uncles with the help of a lawyer.

Later, the bones became hard and they could not find any place to bite, and were bitten back several times.

Only then did I realize that there were no spineless people named Duan.

The previous silence was just forbearance, waiting for one to grow stronger.

And then pay it back a hundred or a thousand times.

Duan Lin is the youngest son of Uncle Duan Baiting. He got a degree by donating a building to the school.

I often use the words "college genius" to describe myself.

"I heard that Third Uncle's new wife gave birth to a daughter some time ago. I wonder if big brother has gone to see her?"

Duan Baiting raised his eyes calmly: "No."

Duan Lin smiled: "That woman doesn't have a very good reputation. When she was young, she relied on sleeping with the director to get her position. I heard that the director was already in his seventies at that time, and sometimes he had to be forced to sleep with him together. Over the years, she has suffered a lot to become a movie queen. Now that she is at this age, she still dares to give birth. It seems that she and Third Uncle are truly in love."

Even though he could hear the sarcasm in his gentle smile, Duan Baiting was too lazy to say a word.

Stop or justify.

His immediate response was indifference.

It was as if the third uncle he was talking about was not his father.

Duan Baiting lit another cigarette slowly.

The old man was a romantic man during his lifetime. After marrying a wife, he also had many mistresses outside.

Later, Duan Baiting's grandmother couldn't stand it anymore and divorced him.

The old man did not remarry for a long time, until he was fifty years old, when he married a young wife who was the same age as his son.

Not all of Duan Baiting's brothers and sisters are sitting here.

The illegitimate descendants who are stranded outside simply have no right to set foot in this place.

Still relying on the Duan family for support.

This time of year is when the days are most miserable.

Duan Baiting raised his hand and touched his crooked bow tie, and his cold expression softened a little.

-Song

Wanyue sent a message to Duan Baiting before boarding the plane.

It was a selfie of her in first class.

Straight from the original camera, her skin is so good without a single blemish, and her smile is so gentle.

I posed for a long time and finally chose the one I was most satisfied with from countless photos.

——Let's get on board.

He must be busy, so he replied a little late.

[Duan Baiting: Send me a message after you land.] 】

The flight attendant came over to remind her that the plane was about to take off. Song Wanyue replied "OK"

and turned her phone to silent mode.

She slept all the way back to Shanghai, and her luggage had been sent back home in advance.

Her cousin drove over to pick her up, and she was still in a state of confusion from just waking up.

I yawned, sat in the passenger seat, fastened my seat belt, and took another nap.

In response to my cousin's questions, I gave incoherent responses.

"Why did you come back alone? Where's your husband?"

Song Wanyue spoke weakly: "He has something to do and can't leave for the time being."

The cousin asked again: "Where's Yi Jin? Didn't she come back with you?"

Jingxiang's real name was Xu Yi Jin. When she was eight years old, she thought her name was ugly. Doraemon happened to be very popular at that time, so she gave herself a name.

——Shizuka.

Although the name on her ID card has not changed, her friends all call her Shizuka.

"She'll be in a few days."

The cousin shook his head and smiled: "Uncle Xu is almost mad at her. She refused to go on blind dates and refused to go for internship at the company."

Song Wanyue's sleepiness was mostly gone: "Could it be that Uncle Xu already knows that it was me who took in Shizuka?"

The cousin chuckled: "Do you think this can be kept secret? Who else can Shizuka go to except you?"

Thinking of Uncle Xu's intimidating face, Song Wanyue leaned back in her chair in pain.

It's over, it's over. Going back this time is really a trap.

Uncle Xu will not let her go.

She will definitely be treated as Shizuka's accomplice and dealt with together.

When I was almost home, I remembered that I forgot to report my safety to Duan Baiting.

When she got off the plane, her phone had only 2% battery left, and it barely lasted until her cousin found her, and then she turned it off.

She charged it in the car, but the phone started up slowly in winter and it took a while for the screen to light up.

Several messages and missed calls popped up at once.

[Duan Baiting: Have you arrived yet?] 】

【Duan Baiting:? 】

【Duan Baiting: Is the plane delayed? Why can't I get through on the phone? 】

【Duan Baiting: Song Wanyue, remember to call me back when you see this message. 】

Seeing so many messages and missed calls at once, Song Wanyue felt a little guilty for some reason.

As soon as I got off the car, I found a secluded place to call him back.

The call was answered almost immediately. I guess the person was waiting with his phone in his hand.

She took the initiative to admit her mistake: "My phone was turned off, and I just charged it."

She thought he would blame her, but he said nothing. He just asked her what the weather was like in Shanghai.

"It's warmer than North City."

He took off his coat before boarding the plane.

"Yeah."

Seeing that he seemed to have nothing to say, Song Wanyue asked tentatively: "Then... hang up first?"

Duan Baiting asked her: "Anything else?"

"No."

His tone was flat, without too much ups and downs: "Then wait a moment."

The cousin parked the car and came over, and saw her still standing under the sycamore tree outside.

He shouted, "Why are you standing there? Aren't you cold? Come inside."

Song Wanyue made a "hush" gesture to him and waved at him.

Motioned him to go in first.

Seeing that she was on the phone, her cousin didn't continue to disturb her. He just urged her, "Hurry up, don't catch a cold."

"Got it." After replying to her cousin, she was about to ask Duan Baiting if he missed her.

Then she heard him say, "Come in first."

"But if you go in, I won't be able to talk to you on the phone." She was a little embarrassed. "My family members are all in there. They will definitely ask me a lot of questions."

"It's okay. There will be time."

Song Wanyue was silent for a long time, then reluctantly hung up the phone.

As soon as I entered the house, as expected, the living room was full of people.

All the gossips and rumors came.

As soon as her mother saw her, she wiped her tears and walked forward: "My baby, let me have a good look at you."

She looked Song Wanyue up and down, left and right. If people didn't know her, they would think she was exiled to the northwest.

Her aunt told her to stop crying: "Wanyue looks so energetic and doesn't look like she has suffered any hardship."

Her mother was still wiping her tears with her head down: "It's all because of mom and dad's uselessness, otherwise we wouldn't have sent our baby to Beicheng for an arranged marriage. That Duan Baiting didn't bully you, did he? He probably didn't do anything to you?"

Not only the outside world has a stereotype about Duan Baiting, but even Song Wanyue's parents do the same.

I don't think he is a good person.

Song Wanyue was eager to protect her husband and spoke well of him in front of her mother: "He is a very good person and he is very good to me too."

It was rare for her to defend someone like this. Song's mother stared at her for a while but did not delve into her abnormality.

I was completely immersed in the joy of my daughter returning home.

In the whole family, no one cared except her cousin who casually mentioned in the car why Duan Baiting didn't come back with her.

No one asked about it again.

Is it that she feels that it is impossible for him to accompany her, or that it doesn't matter whether he comes or not.

The atmosphere at home is full of joy and joy. It is not as deserted as the Duan family's, but very lively.

Even when going out to eat, they would book the entire restaurant.

Zhou Wenyang arrived late.

Song Wanyue saw him and still held a grudge against him, so she asked in an unfriendly tone: "Why are you here?"

Song's mother secretly pinched her under the table and told her to say less.

"Yangyang would be lonely at home alone, so I asked him to come over."

Song Wanyue snorted, but still handed him a set of bowls and chopsticks.

Their two families are old friends. They grew up together and their fathers were friends.

So Song's father and mother treated him as their own son.

It was a rare opportunity for him to take a vacation, and he had to face an empty house, which made Song's mother really worried. So she called him along,

and the meal was very lively. The nephews were usually noisy, but they didn't dare to act rashly in front of their aunt Song Wanyue.

One look from her frightened them so much that they dared not speak.

Even though she is no longer the youngest child in the family, she is still the most favored one.

-These

days at home, Song Wanyue is very busy every day.

With a new identity, the etiquette is no longer the same as when I was a child.

You have to be more dignified.

After being dignified all day, I finally had a moment to catch my breath. I just lay down when I was woken up by the phone.

It was Shizuka who called. She had been scolded by her father the whole day.

Although I was mentally prepared, I still couldn't avoid crying.

-Inside

the bar.

Jingxiang fell into Song Wanyue's arms, gasping for breath, while Qu Song and Fu Yue stood by, helpless.

While Song Wanyue was coaxing her, she also did not forget to scold the two men for being useless and unable to help at all.

As for Zhou Wenyang.

Song Wanyue glanced at him and realized that she could not rely on him anymore.

They all grew up together, and Song Wanyue is the only one among them who is married.

Qu Song felt that he was innocent: "I drank all night last night and was called here after only sleeping for two hours today. Isn't that enough?"

Song Wanyue was too lazy to pay attention to him.

It took three hours to coax Shizuka into calming down, from seven o'clock to ten o'clock.

The phone at home called half an hour ago, asking when Song Wanyue would be back.

It was Zhou Wenyang who took the phone and said that Song Wanyue was with him, and only then did her parents feel relieved.

"She can't drink much, Yangyang, you keep an eye on her and don't let her drink."

"Okay." After hanging up the phone, he was about to return the phone to Song Wanyue.

The vibration in the palm of my hand was slight, and I really didn't see it unintentionally.

The moment I subconsciously lowered my head, I finished reading it all.

[Duan Baiting: Are you asleep? 】

He paused for a moment, but still handed it over.

Song Wanyue was delighted when she saw the message on her phone.

He asked Zhou Wenyang to keep an eye on Jingxiang, and only after moving to a quiet area did he call Duan Baiting back.

These days, making a phone call every day seems to have become a habit.

Although she hadn't been back for a few days, she was full of resentment.

Complaining to him all the time.

Duan Baiting usually doesn't say much, but at least he will listen to her quietly.

Every time, she would add at the end: "I miss you so much."

He lowered his head and lit a cigarette, the corners of his lips raised: "Then I'll go there the day after tomorrow."

Her eyes suddenly lit up: "But can you leave because of your family matters?"

"The time may be a bit tight, I'll go and come back on the same day."

Song Wanyue felt a little distressed after hearing this: "It's so hard."

She knew that he was overwhelmed with trivial matters recently, and she could hear his tiredness just from his voice.

It's rare to have free time, but I still have to travel back and forth between two cities.

He said calmly: "It's okay, I can rest on the way."

Even though she specially found a quiet place, the DJ sound could still be heard clearly.

Duan Baiting must have heard it, so he asked her, "Outside?"

"In the bar, Shizuka was scolded by her father and made her cry, and a few of my childhood friends and I were there to keep her company." She added, "I didn't drink."

When he heard the word "childhood friends", he fell silent.

After a long time, I finally asked, "Who is there?"