That year Ling Ling was twenty-three years old, took a reporter's license, and worked for nearly a year.
At the age of boiling blood and ambition, even if she is calm and self-possessed, she thinks she understands the dark side of the society, but at that age, she will inevitably have some impractical fantasies, which will lead to her cognitive bias, and thus suffered from the blow of the destruction of the reality and the disillusionment of the ideals.
Threatening phone calls filled with malice, the editor-in-chief's seemingly euphemistic but sheepishly smiling accusations, the ridicule and mockery of other peers, and people hiding behind the screen verbally executing her for trying her best to find out the truth ......
She remembers that time as a time of dishevelment, not unlike her own. Such a time hadn't come before in her life, and it didn't come again for the rest of her life after she walked out. Like a clear dividing line cutting the past from the future, clear as day.
She was made to stay out of the house and didn't dare to turn on her cell phone to access the Internet. Nestled in a small apartment every day, in addition to the basic physiological needs is to read or write, during the period received a phone call from her mentor, her respected mentor always believe in their own winning students, for her in the newspaper of the Jiang'an Daily Newspaper to find a job, two months after the internship.
With things winding down, Ling Ling started going out every day. Sometimes with a book, sometimes with a laptop, sitting on a park bench near the neighborhood to slowly kill the whole day.
When the sun died in the sky, Ling Ling returned to her chaotic nest.
Still nothing to do, but not meaningless anymore.
Then go on doing nothing, and give yourself another month to wait for the break of dawn, for the turn of events to come, for the sun to be reborn the next day.
--
She can still clearly recall that first encounter, like a good old, good old black and white movie, playing in her head frame by frame, without color, without sound, and she, the only one audience in this silent old movie.
Ling Ling and Tong Qinghe's meeting, falling in love, to separate, there is indeed a little bit of luck and destiny exists, but in the end, it is inevitable to fall into the clichéd story.
This story is very standard, Ling Ling thought, but also very boring.
At that time she was in a cafe, holding a cup of caramel macchiato, a notebook spread out in front of her, a golden pen pressed horizontally against the page.
The coffee in her hand became more and more bitter, and it was obviously so sweet at the beginning. Ling Ling looked at only half of the notebook paper, swallowed the cold and bitter liquid in her mouth, pondering that after drinking this bit of coffee she will withdraw.
It doesn't even feel as comfortable as staying at the Sequoia Grove Park near her home.
As she closed her book and put her pen in her shirt pocket, a gentle voice came down from overhead.
"Are you a novelist?"
Ling Ling looked up, only glimpsing a piece of light curry-colored corner of the shirt, and a dark fragrance faintly wafted across the end of her nose.
Like a bud waiting to bloom, inconspicuous yet intoxicating.
Her eyes followed that piece of clothing corner.
The man very naturally pulled open the soft chair opposite her and sat down, crossed his fingers on his chin and surveyed her with interest.
Ling Ling did not have much of an expression, and did not talk, just slowly leaned back on the back of the chair, the pen fell clothes heavy.
The woman stared at her for a few seconds, and suddenly smiled, as bright as the sunlight that penetrates the dark clouds, and her warm voice was very soothing, "I am Tong Qinghe, the voice shouts tempting Ruoxi Qinghe's Qinghe."
She raised her chin and rushed Ling Ling's laptop on the table with a nudge, repeating her earlier question, "Are you a novelist?"
Ling Ling lowered her eyes, the electronic dial on her wrist flashed, 14:00
Her gaze slowly moved upward. The woman was wearing a khaki colored thin windbreaker with a light blue shirt inside, the sleeves were pulled up to the elbow, a few rays of sunlight fell on the desktop, and also on the woman's white left wrist and shoulder, a diagonal line, like a knife across her body, Ling Ling looked inexplicably a little irritated.
She shook her head, as if to deny and as if to shake off any untuned thoughts, and then looked straight into the eyes of the other party and said I am Ling Ling, Ling Ling of Ling Kong, Ling Ling of Yan Ling
--
Seeing Tong Qinghe again, is in Ling Ling went to the newspaper internship to participate in the first selection of the topic will be.
She heard the editor-in-chief point to Tong Qinghe's name, and the pronunciation of these three words instantly stirred up her memories from half a month ago.
A calm voice sounded behind her diagonally. Ling Ling turned around to look, Tong Qinghe was dressed in a semi-formal professional suit, calm and competent, blending well with her own gentle temperament.
Tong Qinghe's voice is not loud, but it carries the undercurrent of total confidence, enough for everyone in the conference room to hear clearly. Each sentence would break at just the right place with the frequency of her breathing, with a specific beat, rhythmic and staccato. From that time Ling Ling felt that Tong Qinghe was especially suited to reciting, and was really too good at it.
Ling Ling suddenly realized something, lowered her head, turned a page of the blank meeting record book, fell on the "Tong Qinghe" three words, some out of the ordinary, the tip of the pen poked in the mouth of the last "and" word, slowly blotting out a black ink spot.
She lifted the pen, looked at the words on the book, tore off the page, folded two folded at the end of the notebook.
But that ink spot bled onto the following two or three pages, and also left an indelible mark on her heart.
After the meeting, Ling Ling returned to his office. Said office space, in fact, not even a computer, but she also has no public office. A part of the reporters went out to continue to track their own responsible hotspots, others are catching up, no one has time to arrange a trainee.
Someone knocked on her desk. Ling Ling raised her head and met Tong Qinghe's smiling eyes that curved into a crescent moon, "Can you help me do an interview on this topic together?"
...... Tong Qinghe was an accident.
At that time, Ling Ling had just climbed out of an abyss and was eager to seize any opportunity that would invigorate him. Only afterward did she return to ponder why Tong Qinghe was helping her at that time.
Tong Qinghe's car had a heavy smell of leather. Seeing Ling Ling closed the car door and wrinkled her nose, she explained very apologetically that she had changed the new seat covers only a few days ago, and had not yet had time to go and buy aromatherapy, so she could only let Ling Ling endure it for a while.
The man rubbed his nose hard and then said very calmly, "I'm fine."
"You first tell me about the person you are going to meet in a while."
Ling Ling in the previous magazine to do is the piece of social news, magazines and newspapers are not the same genre, but the process of obtaining information is basically the same, she did it with ease.
The final draft was signed by two people.
--
After the three-month internship period, Ling Ling was transferred to a new position, and Tong Qinghe invited her to dinner, saying it was a celebration.
Ling Ling is allergic to alcohol, Tong Qinghe claimed to be healthy, so the two never took two cans of Coke, before the food was served on the open drink.
In the past, every time they finished a report together, Tong Qinghe would treat Ling Ling to a meal, a peaceful meal sitting in a restaurant, not the kind of randomly coping with a mouthful in the car while working.
Three months together, so Ling Ling always have a little basic impression of this person.
Qinghe means bright and harmonious, Tong Qinghe people like his name, treating people casually and courteous, but also not humble and not overbearing, humility engraved in the bones, bone is also the bone of pride. As for the work, with the mentor's evaluation is not different.
Not afraid of authority, the persistent pursuit of truth, like for it to be born.
After mixing and mingling, they will be a little more lively, but overall they are still introverted.
Tong Qinghe is six years older than her, but has become her ideal.
For now.
"Are you really not writing a novel?" Somehow Tong Qinghe brought up the question she asked when they first met
Ling Ling shook her head. "Not writing. Just going to observe and record just to find something to do, but no idea of writing a novel."
She had really been a wasted dog for too long in that period, isolated from the human world for more than a month, and the basic ability of a journalist is to establish a trusting relationship with strangers in a short time. She chose to write about observing other people just to pick up the skill of observation again, and work on her writing in the meantime.
This is Ling Ling's own method, but writing a novel is something she really hasn't thought about.
Tong Qinghe laughed and said, "Seriously, I saw your sad face at that time, like a novelist who was stuck in Kawen to the point of insomnia, and had no choice but to go to a crowded place to find inspiration."
Ling Ling also couldn't help but curl her lips, this first impression deviation is too big.
A novelist? Too far. A novelist is first and foremost a rhapsodist, a bunch of people with an alternate universe in their heads. Then they mobilize all their intellect to make that universe work like the world of the present, and they observe the lives of some of those people, and the accounts written in that way are called novels.
Where does she get that?
The meal was served one after another, and the two stopped talking, ate without saying anything, and buried their heads to eat in peace and quiet.
The dinner was uneventful to the end.
The night of the spring wind whistling past, Ling Ling squinted, the zipper was pulled to the highest end of the Punching Jacket, half of the face shrinking in the collar. Old people often say "spring cover autumn freeze", the spring wind into the bones of the cold is difficult to get rid of.
When she saw the child Qing and the windbreaker jacket hanging on the arm, only wearing a thin shirt walked into the neon flow of the city night scene, side shadow and integration of so natural ......
...... Ling Ling truly feel cold for each other.
Tong Qinghe slightly tilted his head and closed his eyes. The spring breeze lifted the hair at her temples and the white corners of her coat. Ling Ling shook his head, his sight started from the top of her head, slowly swept over the bridge of her nose and lips, to the collar of her shirt between the hidden collarbone.
She is in the arms of the wind, the whole person through an unseen laziness and ...... sexy.
Tong Qinghe looks like she remembered that there is still a person standing a few steps away, she smiled at the silent person and opened her mouth, "Can you do me a favor?"
Ling Ling only felt that no matter what request Tong Qinghe made now, she would agree without hesitation.
She turned her back to Tong Qinghe and said carelessly, "Put on your jacket first, it's cool at night."
However the more casual tone could not hide her dry voice.
This spring intoxicated night.
--
"That's it, all the interviews ah planning ah and so on are your responsibility, I assist." Tong Qinghe bit the pencil, his voice slurred, "The previous division of labor, reverse it."
Ling Ling did not reply, focused on driving, in fact, not so focused, she divided some of her mind to think about another thing.
Four months ago, a patient's family violently injured a doctor, resulting in the death of a doctor. At that time in the magazine is Ling Ling is responsible for following up this incident, the editor-in-chief intended to let her casually write to rub a hot spot, but Ling Ling that time ...... tiger strength on the head, all the way to track down to Jiang'an City, the leading medical industry, in the person's press conference to make the group leaders can not get off the stage. The magazine was suppressed, and she was dismissed from the company, and was blocked by the network public opinion in the rental house for three months.
Under such a predicament, Ling Ling also calmed down to think. If a small reporter in an unknown magazine offends the leader of a large group, under normal circumstances, the other side may not care very much, Ling Ling is very sure that even if they do not put pressure on the magazine, she will be fired, but ...... on the network to bring the rhythm, to hire people to intimidate her, blocking her at the door of the house a little too much! I don't think that's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
Ling Ling is incredibly certain that the other side is putting in this much effort just to shut her up.
Because she has the right doorway.
Jiang'an City is practicing health care reform, including the Changsheng Group of medical units are key experimental objects, received a large sum of money from the state.
The medical devices and special drugs produced by the Changsheng Group bring in far more profit than a doctor doing a ten-hour surgery. Netizens have abused the deceased doctor for falling into the money, but in such a distorted system, why should humanity be required to be noble?
In the final analysis, the Changsheng Group is making money out of this, and the state has failed to keep up with the reforms of the entire healthcare system, victimizing not only all the doctors, but also the people.
But no one realized the problem. Everyone covered their ears, laughed and laughed, danced on red-hot coals in shackles, and waited to be countered by the karma they had planted.
In between waiting for the stoplight, Ling Ling looked sideways at Tong Qinghe, who was pinching a red pen and sketching on her notebook.
Tong Qinghe raised his hand and pinned a strand of broken hair behind his ear, the red pen spinning unconsciously between his fingers, drawing a mischievous yet dashing arc. She slightly lowered her head, her side face calm and gentle.
Ling Ling has been watching her, in the second before the red light changes to recover the line of sight pull down the handbrake.
For a whole month, they visited several large hospitals and small clinics, branches of the Changsheng Group and some other companies in the medical field, as well as hundreds of patients or patients' families.
The notebook on the messy guide and the recorder in the large section of the recording into a clear statement knocked into the computer, Ling Ling only felt two things, one is this real chapter to set off is really fucking difficult, the second is the child Qing and in the end hold what purpose, she knows that she once suffered because of this matter of denigration, and if she wants to check, and why to take her and almost all the process to do it. The first thing I want to do is to give myself a chance to do it.
These thoughts flashed by, Ling Ling shook his head and continued to type.
--
On a certain day, Jiang'an Daily published an article with more than 30,000 words, y analyzing the progress of healthcare reform, the contradiction between doctors and patients, and a series of problems in the city's healthcare system.
The follow-up response and rectification since the fall can not be.
What Ling Ling didn't expect was that when the report was finally sent out, it was only signed with her name. She went to find Tong Qinghe, but was blocked back. All the interviews, organizing and writing are Ling Ling's own, Tong Qinghe just used some contacts, the program how to count can not be counted on her head.
But Ling Ling's heart is clear, without Tong Qinghe, she will not be able to write this story, but the other side of the attitude is so clearly surrendered, Ling Ling face acceptance, in fact, or intend to when to ask Tong Qinghe, what she means.
Later on, this news report won a news award, and Ling Ling got a bonus, which was used for a dinner party with reporters and editors-in-chief from the same department, as well as a few leaders.
As the teacups touched the glasses filled with various kinds of wine, Ling Ling always wore a smile on her face, lightly explained that she was allergic to alcohol, and then used tea as a substitute for wine, making use of all the superficial courtesies and useless manners.
Just a little bloated stomach. After the incident, Ling ran to the restroom three times, helpless to the extreme.
She has just come into her own, and she has to rely on a little trickery that she despises but has to do to get her footing, but some big shots don't have to, and only others have to toast to her, not to her.
For example, Tong Qinghe.
Ling Ling's side to deal with a bunch of people, Tong Qinghe side also surrounded a bunch of people, the scene is similar but not the same nature. Compared to Ling Ling's fumbling, Tong Qinghe is obviously more familiar with the situation. She talked and laughed in the crowd, the corners of her eyes were mildly smiling, the goblet in her hand and the red wine reflecting the light, glittering when she clinked glasses with others.
When this pile was dispersed, that pile was also dispersed, as if by appointment. The two coincidentally met their eyes, Tong Qinghe smiled, raised the cup with one-third of the red wine left, and held it up to Ling Ling, drinking it all in one go.
Who was the one who said before that you should take care of your health and not touch alcohol?
"Red wine nourishes the face and does not hurt the body, I allow myself to drink a little when I am happy."
Ling Ling gave her a look, "You are happy?"
They were side by side on the soft leather sofas in the corner of the box, splitting into two worlds with the center of the room, not interfering with each other.
"Very happy." Tong Qinghe gave this answer very seriously. More than an hour after the meal, Ling Ling converted the amount of tea he had poured into two pots according to himself, Tong Qinghe should have been poured a bottle and a half of red wine.
Ling Ling reached out to wrench Tong Qinghe's face, carefully confirming whether this person's eyes are disoriented, the result is that the person's eyebrows are curved at her, smiling like a proud cat.
"Why do you think you are not very happy."
"Not happy nor sad." Ling Ling replied. In fact when she saw Tong Qinghe's face it was not so calm.
Tong Qinghe raised one eyebrow, still obediently letting her hold her face.
"Are you drunk?"
"If I'm drunk, then I'm not far from death."
Tong Qinghe laughed a few times, his hand on Ling Ling's wrist bone gently rubbed a few times, and said, "People can get drunk without drinking."
Ling Ling thought, this is true, the last time she invited Tong Qinghe for dinner, she was inexplicably slightly drunk without drinking. It is evident that the key reason for her being drunk or not is not really in the wine.
Rather, it is the person.
There is a Japanese novel written in the name of the curse.
Then this person's curse is called Tong Qinghe, unique and only one, in addition to designating that this person is Tong Qinghe, there is also a special binding meaning to Ling Ling.
The meal will be nearly twelve o'clock before dispersed, all the people from all walks of life to show their skills to leave, like the eight immortals crossing the sea.
Ling Ling only intercepted the child Qinghe one of the magic, in the middle of the night and strange chauffeur to stay together unsafe reasons, hard to pull the child Qinghe to their own rented small apartment.
Tong Qinghe originally sat obediently in the living room, Ling Ling felt that she was still a little drunk, otherwise how could she be so obedient. While she was packing up the bed Tong Qinghe dawdled over to the bedroom door and asked if she could dim the lights in the living room.
Ling Ling didn't look back, "There's a remote control in the first drawer of the TV cabinet that can control the brightness of the lights."
When she walked out of the bedroom with the changed sheets and quilts, she found that the living room lights were dimmed to an ambiguous yellowish color, and Tong Qinghe sank into the sofa with her arms wrapped around her hands, her head tilted back and her eyes closed, in a manner of being slaughtered by others. Ling Ling walked to her side and put down the things in his hand, and with a slight turn of his head, he was met with a pair of black eyes.
"......"
Tong Qinghe looked at her with unblinking eyes, Ling Ling has never seen her this soft, it may really be the alcohol.
"You sleep in the bedroom, I'll sleep on the sofa. The bed covers and sheets on the bed have been changed and are clean."
Tong Qinghe didn't move, still looking at Ling Ling with those moist eyes, Ling Ling sighed and resigned herself to sitting next to her, "What do you want to talk about?"
Tomorrow they are all resting, otherwise Ling Ling would not have organized a party today.
"Don't want to chat."
Ling Ling is not sure if it is her own illusion, usually Tong Qinghe's pair of black and white eyes are always drenched in laughter as well, but today it makes her feel a little dangerous - it contains a pure desire, starlight transformed into a rolling fire.
And when Tong Qinghe clasped the back of her neck and kissed her up, Ling Ling thought to herself that the good guy turned out to be drunk and disorderly.
...... Then I was forced to do it?
--
By the time Tong Qinghe woke up, the next day's sun has set, Ling Ling remembered that the second before she fainted just to see the first ray of sunshine into the room.
It was very nice to meet the sun twice in one day.
Tong Qinghe exhaled into her ear and said she was starving.
What can you do if you are hungry?
Ling Ling first found a clean white shirt for Tong Qinghe and she did not wear a few slim pants, and then she casually wore a set of sportswear.
Tong Qinghe tried on the clothes, the shirt buttons she tied four or five, the hem of the clothes directly tied pants waist. Ling Ling couldn't help but look a few more times, only to feel that this kind of wear is really very provocative.
The dirty clothes that were changed were moved to the bathroom by Ling Ling, and when setting up the washing machine Ling Ling glanced at the mirror, and was speechless for a moment at the few clear marks on her neck. She asked Tong Qinghe if she could wait a while, she gave her food below.
Tong Qinghe had wanted to say go out to eat, but changed her mind once she heard that Ling Ling wanted to cook herself.
The shirt that Ling Ling hasn't worn a few times unexpectedly suits her. Tong Qinghe neatly tidied up the bed before going out of the bedroom to look for Ling Ling in the kitchen.
The water in the pot was already boiling, bubbling and rolling out in a cloud of white steam. Ling Ling lightly added salt, chicken essence and thirteen spices, and pinched a handful of hanging noodles and threw them into the pot.
Waiting for the noodles to float up, when the pot is open again, Ling Ling will fish the noodles into two bowls, the soup is poured in, and the pre-cut soy sauce beef covered in the surface.
Before and after no more than twenty minutes. Tong Qinghe received a bowl of hot beef noodles from Ling Ling, smiled and joked, "perfunctory."
Ling Ling knew she was joking, but still couldn't help but explain, "I'm afraid you're overstarving, so I made it with ready-made beef, it may not be as authentic, but the flavor shouldn't be bad."
Tong Qinghe put the bowl on the dining table, turned around and pinched Ling Ling's face, his fingertips still carrying a slightly higher heat.
Ling Ling: "......?"
The aroma of the soup noodles is hooking, the noodles are cooked chewy, and the beef in sauce is slightly cool and just the right amount of salty. Tong Qinghe clamped a piece of meat, asked, "This beef is quite delicious, where to buy?"
The person who was slowly purring the noodles raised his head, and after swallowing what was in his mouth, he replied, "My mom made it, if you like it, I'll get you a piece when we leave."
Tong Qinghe also did not be polite with her, agreed and continued to eat.
She was eating happily, but the person who was already full of thoughts was not going to play dumb. Ling Ling put down his chopsticks, leaned back and leaned on the back of the chair, counting his slowly accelerating heartbeat, waiting for her to finish eating.
Tong Qinghe was in no hurry, and finished the noodles with a good appetite, even drinking half a bowl of soup. She squinted her eyes comfortably after putting down the bowl, with insatiable satisfaction between her brows.
"Am I allowed to call the police?"
Ling Ling stared at Tong Qinghe's face, but she didn't want the other party to be very laid back, and smiled very lazily, "Yes."
Then she sat up straight, crossed her fingers on the desktop, and tilted her head, "But how are you going to explain to the police that you're eating at the same table as me?"
Tong Qinghe's aura is lazy, she seems to be completely pinpointed Ling Ling's mind, so she has a good grasp of the situation, obviously still the same gentle smile, but vaguely show a few points of last night's Mei.
On weekdays, Ling Ling's impression of Tong Qinghe is gentle, easy-going, and even elegant, but now this scene, this atmosphere, Ling Ling suddenly felt that the Sven scum is also counted as one of the woman's qualities, as if it does not conflict at all.
After several minutes, Ling Ling only raised his eyes to meet Tong Qinghe's smiling eyes, and softly broke the silence, "Then there is no reason why I don't need to call the police."
"Well ...... there is ah."
Tong Qinghe stroked his chin, pretended to be deep pause for a few seconds, and then the color of God, said the words but beside Ling Ling helpless and funny, more happy.
"Be my girlfriend. Then this kind of thing is you love me, heaven and earth, not a crime."
--
......
Ling Ling's original somewhat scattered eyes suddenly focused, shrugged his shoulders and again that mixing with the wind and water to swim with ease of the editor-in-chief Ling, rather than a few years ago is still a bit of a hot-blooded Ling reporter.
Yin Yue stirred the ingredients in the fruit tea with a straw and asked, "What happened?"
Ling Ling was silent for a long time, and then laughed very carelessly, which fell in Yin Yue's eyes with a few points of sadness.
"Then she went to East Africa as a war correspondent without saying a word, and gave me a call to say break up before getting on the plane." They were sitting in the window seat when a milk cat walked by on the street. Ling Ling watched the dirty cat deftly cross a puddle, her heart soft and confused.
"I spent the twilight of spring with a whole lot of disappointment."
--------- ---------- ---------- ---------
Here's my some nonsense that can be ignored.
There's quite a bit of crap I want to say.
This fic is a spin-off of a longer piece I've been conceptualizing, but this spin-off has been grinding away at me for ages. I had planned to finish it eight days before the end of summer vacation, but I ended up dragging it out until this point.
When I was writing it I pondered how to write all this nonsense about characters, about emotions, about other people's stories in that world ...... and deleted them one by one, it was too crumbly and boring, wait until I brewed them into a less boring story.
I rewrote this story three times, and I sent it to a good friend after I'd written half of what I'd originally intended. My biggest worry was that it would be too ...... frivolous or something to just have two people together, but she ended up pointing out a lot of mistakes elsewhere, and my biggest worry was instead nothing.
The most important thing is that the piece about cooking the noodles I originally wrote was that Ling Ling smothered the soy beef in the pot for a while.
In fact this would have cooked the beef and very much affected the flavor.
...... Expose me for not being in the kitchen much anymore.
Yuanwasi: and not a professional eater.
Sure enough, you must have common sense to write novels, although they neither romanticize nor improve writing, but at least they can make your novels more credible :)
Very, very thankful to Yuan Waxi, Ouyang Chenxi, Wolf King, Long Dream ...... are actually a person (wooden) seriously read my original draft! and gave advice, tomorrow school starts please eat compressed cookies, true . Field army food hahahahahahahahaha
2021.10.12