Yu Yi, who also took a taxi home in the middle of the night, was afraid of disturbing the sleep of his sister, mother and son, so he opened and closed the door quietly, but after walking a few steps, he saw that the light in the kitchen was on, and Yu Nan was still cooking in it.

"Are you back?" Yu Nan asked.

Yu Yi glanced at his nephew's bedroom.

Yu Nan said knowingly: "Maomao went to bed early, as long as he fell asleep, the thunder would not wake him up." Maomao is Yu Nan's son.

Yu Yi smiled and nodded.

"It's so late, what are you busy with?" Yu Yi asked.

"I'll cook something for you. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it in the morning." Yu Nan was nearly ten years older than her younger brother, but she was well maintained, and she didn't look like the mother of a teenager.

She put down her things and came out of the kitchen, "Did you see her?"

"No." Yu Yi sat down on the sofa.

"No?"

"She said she has other business." Yu Yi smiled.

He received a call from Zeng Li, telling him that she was not going. He asked why, and she said, you used to have a classmate named Ai Jing Chu, and I am in a relationship with him now, he may not want me to see you alone, so I will not see you for now.

She has always been such a person who can't lie, and she is honest in everything she says.

Really don't consider other people's feelings.

"Ayi, why are you unhappy?" Yu Nan asked.

"No, I don't think I'm leaving tomorrow, so I can't bear you?" Yu Yi replied with a smile, "I can't wait to take my sister back in my pocket and cook soup for me every day. Of course, Maomao should also bring it with me, otherwise my sister will definitely cry. Then I will introduce a man to accompany my sister, and let my brother-in-law say that I should not do it every day, so I regret going." Yu Nan is currently in a cold war with her husband because of work.

"Stop being so talkative." Yu Nan smiled, "I'll serve you tremella soup."

After Yi Da had eaten half a bowl of sweet soup, Yu Nan said, "You should also find someone who is caring. If you are outside alone, it will make your family feel bad."

"Aren't I always looking for it?" Yu Yi replied.

"Yes, find one for another." Yu Nan was furious.

"Do you want to exchange two for one?" Yu Yi blinked.

Yu Nan raised his hand and patted him on the forehead, "Don't be so glib."

"Are you a lobbyist sent by our mother?" Yu Yi finally understood.

"You are in your thirties. Ah Yi, if the matter between you and Zeng Li had been resolved, maybe the child would be soy sauce."

Hearing that she mentioned Zeng Li again, Yu Yi couldn't help saying: "There is already someone in Zeng Li's house. In the future, don't just bring it up and talk about it. It's not good for others to hear it."

Yu Nan was stunned for a moment, "Really? Is someone already there? I like her quite a lot. It's a pity that she is much better than your later girlfriends. She is obedient, and she doesn't even know how to quarrel with others. She is what you say, and you grew up watching her. She knows everything. It's really worry-free to be a sister-in-law at home. There are so many things to do now. You and her are of the wrong generation, and you are not close relatives. Don't care what others say? I'm sorry about the family..."

"Sister," Yu Yi interrupted her, "It's been so many years, what are you still talking about?"

"I heard that she has been single. I always thought she couldn't let you go."

"Maybe it's just that she hadn't met the right person? Don't be too affectionate for me."

After a while, Yu Yi suddenly asked: "I often read books saying that love will eventually turn into family affection, isn't that true?" He didn't read any books, it was said by his ex-girlfriend.

Yu Nan thought for a while, "Probably so, your brother-in-law and I have been married for almost twenty years, so it probably feels like this."

"What about the other way around?"

"The reverse of what?"

Yu Yi didn't ask questions, didn't continue to explain, and instead started making jokes with his eldest sister. It was almost two o'clock when he fell asleep. He lay on the bed in the room, and as soon as he closed his eyes, he remembered that year when Zeng Li was led to him by her grandma and taught her to call him little cousin, but she looked at him timidly, but never spoke...

Arriving at the airport early the next morning, Yu Yi had just checked in his luggage in the terminal when he saw Zeng Li arrive as scheduled.

Her face is less fleshy than before, but her body was thin. She still has long hands and long legs. She wears a simple white T-shirt and shorts. She looks like a college student, but her hair has grown a lot. Like her mother, she was born with wavy hair. When she was studying, because of her hair, she had to go home every semester to get a certificate, otherwise the school would force her to straighten it on the grounds that middle school students could not perm their hair.

Because it was agreed in advance which hall it was, and Yu Yi was standing at the door, so she found him as soon as she entered.

When his eyes fell on Yi, Zeng Li froze for a moment, slowed down, and walked towards him step by step. For so many years, she thought that she would cry when she saw him again, but on this day, she didn't.

"Hey." Yu Yi tilted his head and smiled.

"Hey," she said.

"With Ai Jing Chu, you ignore me?" Yu Yi smiled.

"No..." She couldn't help being embarrassed, not knowing how to answer. She thought about asking Ai Jing Chu to come, but what was that? Bringing your current boyfriend to demonstrate against your ex? Say I'm better off without you? That didn't feel right, especially since they've been friends for so many years.

She had sought Ai Jing Chu's opinion beforehand.

He said it doesn't matter.

I don't know if it really doesn't matter, or if I really don't want to see it.

"Nobody sent you off?" Zeng Li thought he would see Yu Yi's relatives.

"They've gotten used to it a long time ago. Maomao has a remedial class today, and my sister is going to accompany him to school." Zeng Li naturally knew who Maomao was.

He added: "And isn't there you?"

In the morning, there was no place to stroll around in the international departure hall, and even the chairs were scarce, so the two of them had to go to the fast food restaurant next to them to sit.

Yu Yi has a rich chatterbox, and he can't stop talking as soon as he starts. He talked about the current situation of those people Zeng Li knew at home, and about his life abroad. Even small things, described by him, can become very interesting stories.

And when Zeng Li was talking, Yu Yi sat across from her, propping his chin, while the fingertips of his other hand tapped rhythmically on the table. In this regard, he had exactly the same habit as Ai Jing Chu.

He looked at Zeng Li with his head propped up like this. If it was someone else, even Ai Jing Chu, she would be uncomfortable, but she wouldn't if the other party was Yu Yi. They are too familiar, just like childhood friends, even if they have not been in touch for many years, they are a little strange at first sight, but after a few words, they will gradually become familiar again.

Every time she spoke, his eyes would always look at her braces first, and he finally asked, "How long have you been wearing braces?"

"Half a year." Zeng Li replied.

"Is this how I met Ai Jing Chu?"

"En."

Like Ai Jing Chu, he is an intelligent and transparent person, who can guess the general idea with just one question.

"Is he... nice to you?"

"Fine."

"I didn't expect you to be together." Yu Yi said.

"I didn't expect that either."

"You need to be more independent in the future. I'm not talking about life, but about emotion." Yu Yi looked at her and said.

The root cause of his breakup with her must be here. She takes love too seriously, it can rise to the same importance as life, and he probably thinks that love is just a condiment in life because his world is so wonderful. He didn't want to lose himself, and he didn't want to hurt her, but the pressure made him breathless, and in the end he cowardly chose to escape and give up.

So, he called her and told her that he was not suitable for her and that he had another love.

But after these years, after experiencing changes, looking back, such feelings are so pure and precious, maybe there will never be a second woman in this life who can give him that.

Not without regret.

But he is not the kind of character who will only hurt the spring and the autumn, people must always look forward when they live, don't they?

Yu Yi said again: "However, Ai Jing Chu is different from me. He may be the right person for you. He has a much smarter brain than ordinary people, and it is easy for him to manage things that others bother with. Moreover, his family conditions are also very good. He doesn't have to worry about mundane matters, and he doesn't bow his head to others. He can concentrate on his medical career and is completely a person who lives in his ideals." Therefore, if he loves someone, he will do it wholeheartedly, right?

Yu Yi didn't say the last sentence. Ai Jing Chu was not like him. He struggled to survive, and he had become completely unrecognisable.

But Zeng Li understood, and didn't know how to answer, so she just nodded.

He stared at her, remembering how she looked when she was a child, and couldn't help reaching out and touching her face.

She did not avoid his hand.

Yu Yi's fingertips rubbed the skin of her cheek reluctantly for a while, then patted her head again and said, "Good girl."

Hearing this, Zeng Li burst into tears instantly. In those years, when his parents quarreled at home, he would always tell her jokes to coax her, and after coaxing, he would use these three words. They were like a fuse, triggering all of Zeng Li's suppressed emotions.

Yu Yi laughed, "Why do you still cry when you grow up so big? Didn't I always say that you are ugly when you cry?" He teased her, but he still couldn't help getting up and hugging her to his chest to comfort her.

Her tears were like bursting a bank.

Yu Yi patted her on the back and said, "Okay, don't cry, if Ai Jing Chu sees me taking advantage of you like this, he will definitely beat me up.

"If a tooth is knocked out by me, I have to seek treatment from him, how embarrassing.

"You don't know, they don't have any special skills in oral cavity, they just have strong hands, and they can break steel wires with pliers with one hand, but I can't beat them."

These few words of Yu Yi almost made Zeng Li laugh out of tears.

Later, when the time was almost up, Yu Yi sent Zeng Li to the door, and after saying goodbye, he turned around and walked a few steps, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him calling softly: "Xiao bai di."

Yu Yi froze in place, and turned around later. This was the first time in his life that he heard Zeng Li call him that on her own initiative.

Zeng Li made a goodbye gesture to him, and the tears on his face had been wiped dry.

He smiled at her.

Yes, not without regret.

It's just that neither of them is the person each other is looking for.

Zeng Li left the airport and went back to the city, bought some ingredients on the way, cleaned the toilet thoroughly after arriving home, and then started cooking, cooking a lot in one go, filling the table. She sat at the table without moving her chopsticks, just quietly looking at the dishes, all of which were slightly salty and spicy. In fact, she has never liked chili, but Yu Yi likes it, so she likes it.

The dishes she is good at are all learned according to his preferences.

This time, she didn't cry any more, and sat quietly at the table without eating a bite. When the dishes got cold and lost their bright colors, she got up and dumped everything into the trash can one by one.

When she started to pour the peanuts in the soup, she suddenly remembered Ai Jing Chu's unreasonable appearance when she said "I don't eat peanuts". At this time, the phone rang, and it was Zeng's mother.

"They said you fell while riding?" Zeng's mother asked bluntly. The two of them haven't spoken much since the last quarrel.

"Yes, there's a few stitches."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't have time at that time, and after that, I felt that there was nothing to say."

"What about now?"

"It's all right, all the stitches have been removed."

"What's good? You've been hurt for a hundred days. I made you some fish soup by the way today. Come down and get it."

"Ah?"

"What? Hurry up, there are still people waiting for me to go shopping. I'm at the gate of your community, come and get it quickly."

When Zeng Li arrived, she saw Zeng's mother standing alone on the side of the street with a thermos in her hand. She said she was in a hurry, but when she saw Zeng Li, she stood without handing over her things.

"Let me see the wound." She said with a straight face.

Zeng Li raised her chin and showed her. Although the wound had stitches removed, it hadn't healed completely. It looked a little bumpy, and there seemed to be some soft tissue bruises inside the flesh and bones, and it protruded, which was very unsightly.

After Mama Zeng's examination, her eyebrows were all furrowed together, "If it's not going to get better, what should I do if it's disfigured?"

"It will be fine." Zeng Li comforted her.

"Don't eat ginger, soy sauce, chili, garlic, etc. in the next few months. The mullet and peanut ribs soup I stewed for you is good for the wound. I will stew it tomorrow after drinking it."

Zeng Li smiled.

"If you found a good husband's family earlier, would you still need me to work so hard?"

Zeng Li smiled again, she didn't dare to touch her mother's words.

"Why can't you be more careful? What kind of bicycle do you ride? You can ride it. You also rode a bicycle to school in junior high school. Why did you fall? It's not good to fall, but on the face. You said that you are a big girl who is not married. If you are really disfigured, what will you do? You have been fed for nothing for more than 20 years. Why don't you make progress? If you call me earlier, we will ask your acquaintances to find you a good doctor, you..." She babbled endlessly.

"Mom," Zeng Li persuaded in a low voice, "won't you go up and have a seat?" People come and go, it's not good for neighbors to see.

"Ah?" Zeng's mother stopped talking, remembering that she was very busy just now, "No, I'm very busy, how can I have time to care about you? I'm going."

Zeng's mother never dragged her feet when she did things, she handed things to Zeng Li and walked away, but Zeng Li called her: "Mom."

"Thank you." Zeng Li said.

Mama Zeng's expression froze, she pretended to be nonchalant and replied, "Stop doing this to me."

Zeng Li went back and filled the steaming fish soup into a bowl, held it to his mouth and blew, and drank it all in one gulp, his stomach was full, and his whole body was covered with sweat.

A city's travel introduction was being shown on TV, and she suddenly had an impulse when she saw it, and she got up to pack her luggage. She had never acted so vigorously before. She first contacted the travel agency, then called Director Li to ask for five days of annual leave, then confirmed the air ticket and hotel, and left in the afternoon.

At the airport, she lastly called Ai Jing Chu.

Her heart beat uncontrollably as she dialed the number.

When the call was connected, he was still in a meeting. They had a seminar in this city this weekend. The topic was led by A University, and he participated in it, so he was always busy.

"He's gone?" Ai Jing Chu asked about Yu Yi.

"Gone."

"Wait for me at home, I'll be there when I'm done." His voice was low and gentle.

Zeng Li said, "I want to go out for a walk."

"Then you go, I will pick you up in a while."

"No, it's a long trip." She explained.

"Where are you going? Where are you?" His tone was not indifferent.

"I'm at the airport and I'll be leaving in a while."

"Because of me?" he asked.

"No, no." She subconsciously denied, and after a while, said slowly, "Yes."

Ai Jing Chu didn't speak at the other end.

But Zeng Li said: "Don't be angry, it's because of me, not because of you."

He seemed a little angry, and said sadly: "If you don't want to see me, you don't have to."

After saying this, the conversation between the two fell into silence.

After a while, Zeng Li suddenly opened her mouth and called him softly: "Ai Jing Chu." That tone was extremely soft and soft, which would soften the hearts of others.

She said: "Since I was very young, I have envied those people in magazines who travel around with a backpack, but I have lived for more than 20 years, and the farthest distance I have traveled is from the small county town of my hometown to here. People like you who can go back and forth between the two ends of the world may not understand my world? I used to think that I had no money. Later, when I made money, I told others that I had to work. Walking in the dark. I am always afraid of strange things. I am afraid that the destination I want to reach is actually not as good as I thought. I am afraid that there will be people in a strange city who scare me. I am afraid that I will spend all the money in my passbook and I will not be able to go home. I am even afraid that the hotel will be bad or the road will be difficult. So when I hear interesting stories about other people's journeys in books or in life, I always secretly make up my mind to go there and have a look, but I am timid when things come to an end."

Ai Jing Chu listened to Zeng Li's words without saying a word, and after she stopped, he said: "As long as I'm here, you don't have to be afraid of anything."

"Ai Jing Chu." She called him again.

"Yeah." He answered.

"You don't know, in this world, at this moment, what I'm most afraid of is actually you." She said, "I'm afraid that after I get you, I will find that you are not what I dreamed of, just like Yu Yi. Last night, on the way to meet Yu Yi, I suddenly realised that you are more important to me than Yu Yi. I think I'm in love with you, but give me a little time, okay?"

Zeng Li held the phone in one hand, and pressed the other to her chest. Her heart was still beating, but this heart was only temporarily placed here.

In fact, the ideal is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. Zeng Li's travel planning was not very good.

Her first destination was to see the sea, but due to the weather, the flight was delayed for nearly three hours, and it was almost midnight when she got off the plane.

When she finally arrived at the hotel by the sea with her luggage, the front desk smiled and said, "Ma'am, your reservation has been cancelled."

"Why?" Zeng Li was dumbfounded.

"You didn't specify how long to reserve it on your reservation, we usually only reserve it until six in the afternoon."

"But my flight was delayed, so I arrived late."

"Sorry, because we couldn't contact you, and another guest came to ask for a room, so it has been cancelled."

"Is there any room left?"

"No more." The front desk customer service continued to smile.

She dragged her luggage and walked in this rainy and wet