During the Snowstorm - Chapter 15

Yin Guo returned to the apartment after practicing in the ball room for a while. There was no one in the house.

When she was in the bathroom, she saw that Lin Yiyang was in a hurry in the morning and confiscated the razor that had been collected. She thought of a question, whether it would be bad for the blade if she didn’t put it away all the time. She was inexperienced.

She leaned against the door and opened WeChat to ask him.

So—I saw those three sentences again, and there, it was still the last conversation between the two.

We went to Brooklyn together today, had lunch, strolled by the beach for a long time, and discussed the large carousel of the Internet celebrity for a long time. They took the subway together again, and even for fear of taking the wrong station, he sat with Bai Bai for a stop… Yin Guo’s head rested there, is this a date?

Just grabbed the straps of his backpack and wanted to say: I don’t have a boyfriend.

Later, he didn’t lose face, but he should feel it, right? Let him go to Washington to give him a message, understand?

Yin Guo leaned her head against the door frame and felt panicked. She took off her ponytail and let her hair loose. She stared at the razor for a long time, and then thought of Lin Yiyang.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated, and it was the owner of the razor.

He sent a location, it was the DC train station. Here he is.

This is the agreement between the two before they separated. He is really…a man who keeps his promise.

Xiaoguo: I’m here too, at home.

She thought about it, decided to be honest, typed quickly, and pressed “send” while she didn’t regret it—

Xiaoguo: Also, I saw your news last night. I do not have a boyfriend.

Before he could catch his breath, Lin Yiyang replied.

Lin: I know.

How can it be?

Xiaoguo: Who told you? Did you ask my brother?

Lin: If you have a boyfriend, you won’t go out with me today.

Lin: Is it reasonable? this inference.

If there were no three sentences from last night, today would be an ordinary lunch, but with the problems of last night, eating today is not simple. That’s right.

Just as Yin Guo was about to go back, the door opened, and it was Wu Wei who came back.

Wu Wei was carrying a bag of packed dinner. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Yin Guo wearing a cold suit, a scarf, and a hat. He didn’t know if he was going out or just came back. He was leaning against the bathroom and smiling while holding a cell phone. . There was only a light source in the whole room, yellow light. She turned her head to look at Wu Wei, her eyes were a little confused, and she pulled down the scarf that covered most of her face: “Are you back?”

“Ah, yes, you are—” Wu Wei said, “Going out? Or did you just come back?”

“just came back.”

Yin Guo left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom as if he had done something bad.

Wu Wei really couldn’t figure it out. He probed and saw what was in the bathroom, which could make the girl laugh so happily…

***

Lin Yiyang was on the second floor of the burger shop, at a table for four by the wall, tore open the paper wrapping the hamburger, and took a bite.

He looked down at his phone, two new messages.

It doesn’t matter: the girl is standing at the door of the bathroom and giggling, I watched for a long time, but I didn’t understand why she was smiling. By the way, I put your razor away for you, and you don’t need it in the bathroom. It’s time to be dull. In return, tell me, have you kissed me?

RedFish: Hmm.

Look at Wu Wei’s news first, then Yin Guo’s.

A bunch of words, one word, but the latter is more vivid, he can imagine her “um” voice.

Lin Yiyang smiled and took a sip of Coke.

In front of him, his classmates who had made an appointment to go back to school with him had just arrived, walked up to the second floor, and sat across from him with a smile: “I heard that you are going to join Xinhua News Agency? Washington Branch?”

Lin Yiyang nodded.

“That’s good.” The classmate commented.

It was good, before I knew Yin Guo.

In the Washington branch of Xinhua News Agency, one of his senior brothers is also inside. He helped me during the interview. My brother’s family is in China, and he plans to stay here for two years before going back. When he filled out his intentions, he chose to live in DC.

He took a big bite of the burger, chewing it slowly.

Over the years, he has lived his life only by looking at today, and he is too lazy to think about tomorrow. People can’t think too much, plan too much, worry too much, it will weaken the execution.

And now, he has to learn to think more.

***

A week is short, especially when the days are just monotonous training sessions.

Although Yin Guo didn’t directly ask him if he would come this weekend, he had already adjusted the time subconsciously. I trained a little early on Friday and got home at 6 o’clock.

The apartment she rented was on the third floor, and instead of waiting for the elevator, she went straight up the stairs.

Outside the door, I deliberately listened and didn’t make any noise.

Next week is the competition between the youth group and the youth group. It is estimated that the group of people in Dongxincheng will be closed for training and will not come.

She guessed and took out the door key.

“Sister is in the ball room.” My cousin’s voice came from the stairs.

Who are you talking to? You won’t run into Lin Yiyang, will you?

She turned around in surprise, and saw the turn of the stairs. The first one came up was her cousin, followed by a man wearing black casual trousers and a black cashmere short coat.

The man looked up.

Yin Guo’s heart trembled: “Brother…”

“Well.” Meng Xiaodong agreed.

The cousin ran up flatteringly, took the key from Yin Guo, and opened the door for his own brother: “This is great, look at it, I’m going to renew the lease for another year after the school is set.”

My cousin is most afraid of-

No, it should be this person that children, big and small, are most afraid of on weekdays. He has been the kind of “other people’s child” since he was a child, the kind of person who is so good that he can go to heaven. If his relatives can’t control the child, he likes to teach him. There are many people who have been beaten by Meng Xiaodong. Meng Xiaotian, his own younger brother, was beaten the most. Yin Guo was a girl and was only scolded. It was nothing.

“Aren’t you coming?” Yin Guorang aside and asked carefully.

Meng Xiaodong walked in, followed by Yin Guo and his cousin.

There is no one in the apartment.

My cousin turned on the light, and Meng Xiaodong looked around the apartment.

“I didn’t come looking for you,” he replied. “If you can’t even handle this kind of competition, what career do you play?”

I didn’t say I couldn’t handle it either.

Yin Guo secretly slandered, and asked again with a good temper: “That’s to watch the youth group competition?”

The people from their club came late. The game will start next Saturday, and it will not arrive until Wednesday. After a few days to adjust to the jet lag, they will go directly to the game. Unlike Dongxincheng, they are very relaxed. They have led the team there early, and they have to play around for a while.

“I came to Lin Yiyang,” Meng Xiaodong gave an unexpected answer.

he? Yin Guo’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly exchanged glances with her cousin.

Is it the cousin who slipped the tongue, or did the club coaches overhear the gossip?

“When will he come back?” Meng Xiaodong asked again.

“Not quite sure.” Yin Guo replied vaguely.

“Aren’t you two very familiar with him?”

“The two of us…we have a good relationship with him,” Yin Guo said slowly, keeping himself logical, trying to cover up his relationship with Lin Yiyang that was a little bit different from ordinary friends, “He seems to come back every weekend. , probably around this time on Friday,” she looked at her cousin, “isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes.” My cousin cooperated with her.

“Is there any contact information?”

“I have it, brother, I have it.” My cousin said first, and took the initiative to block the bullet for Yin Guo.

Everyday Yin Guo treats this cousin much better than his brother treats him, so at the critical moment, his first reaction is to carry everything and protect the poor cousin who is like a chick.

“Help me ask, when will he arrive,” Meng Xiaodong reminded his cousin, “don’t say I’m here.”

Brother what do you want to do? Yin Guo’s heart throbbed.

She quickly exchanged glances with her cousin.

My cousin had to send the message truthfully, and Lin Yiyang replied quickly.

My cousin cleared his throat and reported, “Go downstairs.”

Meng Xiaodong responded. He took off his coat, folded it in half, and placed it beside the sofa. The upper body was a tailored white shirt with black cufflinks.

Yin Guo noticed that his cousin had unbuttoned a shirt button.

He has a lot of dress rules, and he has always been buttoned up. Shouldn’t he really want to fight? Not so much, right? A teenage opponent who hasn’t seen each other in high school, still thinking about fighting until today?

Yin Guo didn’t dare to speak, so he quickly sent a WeChat message to his cousin, who was so stunned that he didn’t look at his phone. Yin Guo moved to his side and kicked his cousin’s shoes. My cousin woke up, saw her winking at her phone, and then looked down.

Xiaoguo: Your brother has a bad temper. If there is a quarrel in a while, remember to stop him.

Tiantian: Can’t stop…

The door lock squeaked.

The three looked over together.

Outside the door, Lin Yiyang put his sports backpack on the floor and inserted the key into the keyhole. He raised his hand and rubbed his neck. He accidentally fell asleep on the train, his posture was wrong, and he froze all the way. His fingers circled back and he touched his chin. There was new stubble, which he hadn’t shaved for two days and forgot all about it.

When she opened the door, the first person she saw was Yin Guo. She was standing at the door with her long curly hair tied into a ponytail. Her face was extremely small and her curves were beautiful. Lin Yiyang didn’t expect her to be at the door, and asked in a low voice, “Don’t go in?”

Yin Guo pursed her lips and glanced at the living room.

“Brother Yang,” the cousin bite the bullet and took two steps closer to his own brother, “this is my brother, my brother, my name is Meng Xiaotian, his name is Meng Xiaodong.”

This sentence is nonsense. When Meng Xiaodong arrived in New York, he said that he knew Lin Yiyang, but Xiaotian had no idea how he knew him. Of the four people in the room, he was the only layman who did not understand.

Lin Yiyang heard the words “Meng Xiaodong” and looked at the old friend who had been looking at him for a long time.

After many years, Meng Xiaodong is still Meng Xiaodong, and he only has billiards. Even his usual clothes are no different from those on the court. As long as he puts on a sleeveless suit, vest and bow tie, he can dress rigorously for the game.

And what about him? Meng Xiaodong frowned and looked back at Lin Yiyang’s outfit.

A sports hoodie with a casual jacket over it, black sneakers, and especially jeans. He is carrying a sports backpack in his right hand, his beard is not shaved, his hair is messy, and his standing posture is half leaning against the door in a sloppy state.

A few seconds of silence.

With a snap, Lin Yiyang threw the gym bag to the wall. The gym bag was very dirty. He was going to wash it this time, so he threw it all over the place.

He pointed to the bottom of his neck, implying that Meng Xiaodong’s collar was not buttoned: “It’s not like your style.”

“It’s too hot in the room, so I unpacked it myself.” Meng Xiaodong said.

Lin Yiyang unzipped his coat, took it off casually, and threw it on the armrest of the sofa: “It’s a little hot. I’ll wash my face, you sit first.”

“It’s all men, so don’t be so polite,” Meng Xiaodong said coldly, “Have you ever seen such a dirty person?”

Lin Yiyang rubbed his neck, but it still hurts a lot. He estimated that it would be better to rinse it with hot water: “I didn’t greet you, but my neck hurts. I want to apply a hot towel to it.”

He went directly into the bedroom, and the voice came from inside: “If you have something to do with me, just wait.”

Meng Xiaodong almost thought that he had met a total stranger.

If it was Lin Yiyang in the past, he wouldn’t be so easy-going, including the way he talked to Yin Guo when he entered the door, that was an attitude that would never appear in him. He knows how to show mercy to others, and how to understand the warmth and warmth of people, but in Meng Xiaodong’s eyes, he is like being plucked, from an eagle roaming high in the sky to a turtle dove hiding in America.

Lin Yiyang went into the bathroom without saying a word of nonsense.

My cousin kept saying that he was tired and sleepy and went back to the bedroom. Yin Guo also entered the bedroom. She closed the door and sat on the bed worriedly, looking out through the crack of the door. Ten minutes passed extremely slowly, completely counting the seconds.

About a few minutes later, she saw through the crack of the door that the door to the bathroom was opened, and Lin Yiyang came out shirtless in sports trousers. A thin slit, no specific picture can be seen.

“Yin Guo.” My cousin called her from outside the door.

She was about to agree.

“Close the door.”

“Oh.” She agreed and pushed the door.

There was a slight sound of the lock cylinder clasping the keyhole, and the outsiders could no longer hear what they said.

Lin Yiyang stood in the living room, just shaved off the stubble on his face, and just pressed it with a hot towel for a few minutes, which was not very useful. With his upper body naked, he looked for Futarin in the plastic storage closet against the wall in the living room: “What do you want to say, and let someone close the door?”

“I haven’t figured out how to start.” Meng Xiaodong said the truth.

“Then think about it slowly,” he replied.

Both of them deliberately lowered their voices, not wanting to be heard by the two children in the bedroom.

Lin Yiyang threw the cold towel back into the bathroom, opened the cardboard box, poured out a small plastic tube of Voltaren, twisted it open, squeezed out a little bit, and wiped it on the back of his neck. People walked into the bedroom, picked out a clean short-sleeved shirt, and walked out again.

“Have you figured it out yet?” he asked.

“I’m here to find you. I haven’t heard any news from you in recent years. If it wasn’t for Xiaotian talking about knowing two brothers, I really didn’t expect you and Wu Wei to be in New York.”

He said nothing and threw the medicine back into the plastic drawer.

“You don’t play anymore?” Meng Xiaodong is someone who doesn’t like to corner, so he hit a straight ball, “Don’t you think it’s a pity?”

He closed the drawer: “Keep playing, betting on the ball will make money quickly.”

Meng Xiaodong was not very happy to hear it: “I don’t want to talk about gambling, you know I have a bad temper.”

He squinted at Meng Xiaodong: “It’s good to have a few words with you, do you understand what fake politeness is?”

Four eyes meet. Their two former opponents, in the silence of this moment, looked at each other again.

Over the years, it has changed, and it has not changed.

Among the three of them back then, Meng Xiaodong was the most naughty and delicate, but he was the most honest and serious in his bones. And he, with a surly face, is the same inside and out, and his character is the most difficult to beat. Only Jiang Yang, who is virtuous, upright, gentleman, and polite, is actually full of “bad water”, and can resolve their fights every time.

And now, Jiang Yang is not there.

Lin Yiyang couldn’t bear to face Meng Xiaodong at first glance, and the false self-cultivation that he had cultivated for many years was about to break.

Lin Yiyang sighed, and first rounded up the game: “You are a world champion, what’s your competition with me, a nobody?”

“You’re going to laugh at yourself? What about the old Young Master Yang?” Meng Xiaodong didn’t take his set.

“Everyone has gone to three, so what’s the matter with Young Master Yang,” Lin Yiyang laughed at himself, “Can we stop talking? When old friends meet, you can eat and drink, but you don’t need to reminisce about the old days.”

“Okay.” Meng Xiaodong agreed unexpectedly.

The next sentence is: “Then talk about my sister.”

…

He didn’t say a word, just stared at each other with a look of mockery.

As if to say: good tactics?

Meng Xiaodong was rare, and after entering the house, he smiled for the first time.

It’s like returning: I’m not stupid.

On the way here, Meng Xiaodong had already guessed seven or eight points through the information given by his brother. As soon as Lin Yiyang entered the door, looking at his state and Yin Guo’s worried expression, he increased to nine points.

At this time, Lin Yiyang’s demeanor made him even more certain.

“Guess right?” Meng Xiaodong chased after the victory.

Lin Yiyang finally smiled: “Meng Xiaodong, are you naive?”

Meng Xiaodong also smiled: “It’s rare to have a handle on you, it feels good.” He took the coat from the corner of the sofa, put it on, and said, “I heard that there is a ball room downstairs, take two shots, let me try it Do you have the qualifications to cut a line among the many suitors.”

Lin Yiyang was not very happy with this sentence: “If you want to find an excuse to play with me, you don’t need to be so roundabout.”

Meng Xiaodong acquiesced: “See you downstairs.”

Ti Yinguo is just to give each other an excuse, Meng Xiaodong misses playing with him too much.

It is precisely because they are opponents that they are the best friends. It is the kind of deep friendship that does not need to hangover and mess with each other, and does not need to make friends with each other.

“Find a shirt and put it on,” Meng Xiaodong dropped his last words before leaving, “I don’t play with anyone who wears this.”

“This” refers to the short sleeves on his body.

The people left and the door was closed.

It sucks, but that hasn’t changed.

Lin Yiyang put down the glass, went back to the bedroom, opened the closet and rummaged through Wu Wei’s shirt. Wu Wei is about the same size as him, and there are a lot of shirts in the closet, most of which are prepared for competitions. Lin Yiyang pulled for a while, took out a pure black piece, unbuttoned the buttons, and took off the half sleeves on his body. He stared at the shirt with his bare upper body for a long time, twisting the fabric with his fingers, it felt really good.

When I was a child, I wore the most ordinary clothes, with pleats before bed, smoothed the creases with a damp towel, hung them up, and wore them to the competition the next day.

Maybe it’s because he has a strange and indelible feeling about shirts and trousers. He hasn’t bought one of his own over the years, and he’s borrowing it for temporary use.

I still remember the dress code for the match: long-sleeved shirt, dark trousers, all buttons on the shirt should be kept closed, including the cuffs, and the top should be tucked into trousers.

Lin Yiyang put on his shirt.

At the door, Yin Guo heard that the door was closed, and sneaked out to Wu Wei’s bedroom door.

She gently pushed open the half-closed door: “My brother has nothing to do with you, right?”

The voice stopped quietly, she held the edge of the door and saw a completely different Lin Yiyang. In the room, the curtains were half drawn, and there was light shining on his upper body. He was buttoning his shirt button by grain, and the black shirt made his face very unusual, very…

Lin Yiyang came to her and asked her in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, “Can you still watch it?”

What did he say?

“I wear this.” He pointed to the shirt.

Haven’t worn it for playing in years.