When the car drove into the courtyard of the Villa, the winter night was already too thick to melt away.
After the engine sound was extinguished, Xizhou fell into a deep quiet unique to the suburbs Villa. Only a few dogs barking occasionally came from the distance, which made the quietness more complete.
Zhao Chen did not get out of the car immediately.
He sat in the driver's seat, with his hands still on the steering wheel, looking at the orange light coming from the Villa window.
That light was specially left by Su Wantang before going out. She said that it would not make the house feel too deserted when she came back.
It's really not deserted.
At least at this moment, this light made him feel that this place that was once full of repressed memories was being rewritten into a different look bit by bit.
There was a slight rustling sound from the passenger seat.
Su Wantang unbuckled his seat belt and turned to look at him. "Tired?"
"No." Zhao Chen shook his head and finally let go of the steering wheel.
"It's just... it's a bit uncomfortable to stop suddenly."
He opened the car door, and the cold air immediately rushed in, refreshing him.
The two of them walked into the house one after another.
The heating is on fully and slippers are already placed at the entrance.
There is a faint aroma in the air, like a mixture of orange peel and cinnamon.
"You rest first, I'll make tea."
Su Wantang took his coat and hung it up, walking briskly towards the kitchen:
"Pu'er, right? I've saved some Old Tea Head for ten years, it's just right to drink tonight."
Zhao Chen responded, but did not go to Living Room immediately.
He stood in the entrance hall, looking at the back of Su Wantang busy in the kitchen.
She put on home clothes, a soft off-white sweater, and her long hair was tied loosely behind her head, exposing her slender neck.
Boil water, warm cups, get tea... the movements are smooth and smooth, with a reassuring proficiency.
This scene has been repeated countless nights in the past two months.
But tonight, perhaps because the year-end work came to an end, or perhaps because of the heart-to-heart talk in the car, he looked at it particularly carefully.
Somewhere in my heart, I felt a soft collapse.
He walked to Living Room and sat down on the sofa. His body sank into the soft cushions, and the nerves that had been tense for a long time were finally completely relaxed.
On the coffee table are several books of Caijing Magazine and an open document - left behind by Su Wantang when he was tidying up in the morning.
He picked up the phone casually.
The screen lights up, and there is a small red dot in the upper right corner of the avatar of Shen Zhiyi in WeChat.
When I clicked on it, it was a message sent half an hour ago:
"Achen, are you off work? Are you busy today? (expression: probe)"
Followed by a photo, it is of Living Room in her home. The coffee table is filled with Nuts, candies and all kinds of New Year Goods. In the background, the TV is playing the warm-up program before Spring Festival Gala.
"I'm so exhausted from preparing New Year Goods with my parents! (Expression: collapsed)"
Zhao Chen looked at the message and raised the corners of his mouth unconsciously.
There are a lot of things going on in the company these days, so their contact is a little sparser than usual.
Every day, I send a few WeChat messages in the morning and evening, saying good morning and good night to each other, and talking about what we are busy with.
There are also phone calls, but they often don't last more than a few words. There is a call coming in from his side, or he has to rush to a meeting.
Every time he hung up in a hurry, Shen Zhiyi would always say, "You are busy first, leave me alone." There was no complaint in his voice, only full consideration.
But Zhao Chen knows that she cares.
Su Wantang occasionally reminds him softly:
"Xiao Chen, Zhiyi asked me today if you stayed up late again. She was too embarrassed to bother you all the time."
There was careful concern hidden in those words, and a sense of not wanting to cause any trouble for him.
Today, I can finally talk to her properly.
He made a video call.
The ringing only rang once before being picked up.
Shen Zhiyi's face appeared on the screen, her bedroom was in the background, and the warm yellow bedside lamp reflected her smiling eyes.
"Achen!" There was clear excitement in her voice, "Is it so early today?"
"Well, the company is on holiday."
Zhao Chen adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable.
"There is basically nothing important to do between now and the beginning of the new year."
"Really?" Shen Zhiyi's eyes suddenly lit up, it was happiness from the bottom of his heart.
"Great! You can have a good rest!"
Her happiness was so pure - not because he could accompany her, but because he could finally take a break.
This realization made Zhao Chen feel warm in his heart.
"Yeah, I can finally take a breath." He said in a Panasonic tone, "What about you? What are you doing?"
"I just finished taking a shower, and I'm going to read a book for a while and then go to bed."
Shen Zhiyi took the phone further away, letting him see that he was wearing furry pajamas and holding a panda doll in his arms.
"Are you... tired today?"
"Not tired."
Zhao Chen Looking at her soft look, her voice softened unconsciously,
"I just held a few meetings to deal with some year-end matters."
"That's good." Shen Zhiyi put his chin on the doll's head, his eyes curved into crescents:
"Sister Wantang said you went to see... that person yesterday. I was worried that you would be in a bad mood."
She spoke carefully, avoiding the name "Zhao Jianguo".
"I've seen it, it's okay."
Zhao Chen briefly mentioned it, I don't want to talk about it in this rare warm moment,
"It's up to you, New Year Goods, how are you preparing? It looks like a big battle in the photo."
"Oh, don't mention it!"
Shen Zhiyi immediately puffed up his face and began to complain nonchalantly,