My Boyfriend - Past or Now

Rebirth

This "goodbye", and a few months later. The flu was spreading all over the city, and he unfortunately joined the influenza army. After two days, he found that the fever gradually went up and could not be suppressed, so he had to go to the hospital for a hangnail injection at the urging of his assistant.

After sitting down for a while, he noticed an extraordinarily beautiful woman in the crowd and couldn't help but look at her a few more times, only to find that she was Cici, who had a red face.

He hurriedly took off the IV bottle and moved to sit next to her. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair to recuperate, and did not notice him. This time, she didn't continue to lose weight, but she was still worryingly thin, and her red cheeks were deeply sunken.

He called out to her softly, "Cici."

She opened her eyes unexpectedly, saw it was him, smiled first, and the smile stopped before it reached her eyes, "What a coincidence."

"You have a cold too?" He asked without words.

"Yeah."

"Me too." He said.

Cici looked at him over, "Don't work too hard."

"You too."

Cici nodded, then leaned back in her chair to continue resting.

He wanted to say something, but finally asked, "Have you ...... been better lately?"

Cici opened her eyes again and looked at him quietly, and after a long time, she said, "It's okay, it's been more than six months."

More than half a year.

That months, Eric asked her a few times, apparently also no news of her. And she had long been replaced by someone else as the popular figure at the dinner table and drinks.

"That's good." Come out for a meal and tea sometime," he said.

Cici didn't respond.

He added, "Just me and you."

"Okay."

"Cici," he organized the language: "If you let go, in fact, do not prevent letting go of the knot, he still cares about you."

"I know." She looked up at her IV, then rang the bell, "I'm almost done, go back and organize some information."

Liam looked at her blankly.

The hand that she hadn't given the drip to was tapping irritably on the back of the chair, and when she couldn't wait for the nurse for half a day, she simply pulled out the drip herself: "I'm in a hurry, I'll leave now."

He looked at her fleeing figure, and then looked back at the blood stains left on the back of the chair after she pulled out the needles in a panic. Chewing repeatedly, she said, it's okay, it's been more than six months.

But six months is clearly not even enough to stop the pain.

Liam came home from the hospital and received a phone call from Eric before he could sit down, Eric asked, "Have you been in touch with Cici lately?"

He hesitated a little and chose the truth: "I saw her this afternoon, at the hospital."

"The hospital?"

"Yes. I just happened to run into each other." Liam kept it short and sweet: "I think she also has the flu and is on an IV."

Eric was silent for a moment: "Is she okay?"

For Liam, this was a difficult question to answer; he didn't know much more about Cici's health than Eric did.

"I don't know." He took a puff of his cigarette: "Looks pretty thin, and her spirits aren't that good."

Eric didn't say anything.

"But," Liam added, "it's better than that."

Eric seemed to be deliberating his words, and after a long time, he asked, "What are the chances of a dinner date?"

Liam listened to Eric's words, did not rush to answer, silently stammering several puffs of smoke, instead of answering, asked: "Is your good day coming soon?"

"Yeah." Eric's tone was light, without much emotion: "Before and after most of the year, almost."

"Then don't see it." Liam poked his cigarette into the ashtray and let off steam: "It's good for you and her."

This is where the phone call came to an end. The company's new home is located in the heart of the city. He saw Cici a few times from afar, eating alone on the street, and also seeing her struggling to carry a full container of water home. However, he did not come close once.

No reason, just afraid.

This Cici is completely different from the one he knows. Independent, quiet, deadly.

He also thought that maybe Cici had really been "dead" a long time ago.

This day, as usual, he watched Cici carrying a large bag into the community, after getting out of the car and leaning against the door to smoke a cigarette.

The lighter was not lit for several times, and he was vaguely agitated, flinging the lighter ready to light again. He was tapped on the shoulder.

He turned his head and saw Cici standing quietly behind him, with a faint smile on her face.

Liam was embarrassed: "What a coincidence."

"I've seen you several times."

Liam had no words to say.

"Have you eaten?" On the contrary, Cici asked, "If not, I'll treat you to eat."

"Where to eat?"

Cici lifted her chin.

He followed his eyes and saw a ramen restaurant.

"It won't be too much, right?" Cici smiled again.

"No, I don't think so!"

Liam doesn't even know what he's nervous about.

"Are you over your cold?"

Cici was stunned and laughed out loud, "It's been months, I'm over it."

Liam rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I haven't talked to you since that time."

"Yeah."

There was silence again, Liam wanted to slap himself to death, he was so good at talking, how could he not say anything at the critical moment.

Cici looked at him with her chin in her hand, her eyes curved as if she was smiling, but there was no smile in them.

"I found you ages ago." She said, "Why didn't you say hello when you came?"

"Just came to see if you were okay."

"Pretty good."

"That ......"

Cici looked at him questioningly.

"Eric asked about you several times ......" Liam paused to observe Cici's reaction and found that she was still looking at herself lightly, not even her eyes changed, so he continued reassuringly, "Are you feeling better now? A little?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Cici lowered her eyes and played with her chopsticks: "It's been fine for a long time."

"Then ...... want to have dinner together?"

This time Cici was silent for a few seconds before answering, "Yes."

Eric and Liam arrived early, and the two ordered a pot of tea and chatted about it.

When he refilled Liam's tea, he saw a familiar figure walking from afar, wearing a sharp beige professional suit and an even lighter expression on her lightly made-up face.

It took him three seconds to realize that the person was Cici.

The movement in his hand stopped for some reason.

Liam had mentioned to him about Cici a few times, saying that she had become independent and was doing well in her new work environment, having been promoted twice in six months. He also said she was quieter and more mature than in the past.

Eric was still pondering when Cici's gaze faintly crashed in.

There was no joy, let alone resentment.

She walked up to them without a hitch: "Sorry, a little late."

"Not late." Liam smiled: "We came early and sat and talked."

Cici nods at Eric and sits down next to Liam, who doggedly pours her tea: "Thirsty? Have some water. What, did you work late today?"

"Yeah." Cici sipped her tea: "A little."

Liam nodded: "Order, right?"

The whole meal was somewhat uninteresting, with Liam and Eric mostly chatting without nutrition throughout, occasionally asking Cici before she responded.

Eric watched her motionlessly until everyone put down their chopsticks and he was sure that Cici had really walked out.

"Liam," he said to Liam, "I want to talk to Cici alone."

The smile on Liam's face was instantly withdrawn and he looked at Cici questioningly, "Is that okay?"

Cici smiled, "It's okay."

"Then ......" Liam was still unsure: "Then I'll wait for you in the car and take you home later."

"Hmm."

Liam watched Cici's expression again and again before he stood up. Giving Eric a warning look, then leaving.

"Something to drink?" Eric asked.

"Anything."

Eric called over the waiter and ordered a pot of pu-erh and continued to speak, "Excuse me."

Cici obviously didn't expect him to start off like this, and froze for a long time before replying, "It's okay, how long has it been."

"How are you doing now? I heard you got a new job."

"Yeah."

Eric sighed for some reason: "I'm actually quite happy that you're like this. If you can, you can still come to me if you're in trouble. Although ......" he paused and swallowed what he didn't say: "I'm still your brother."

Cici laughed: "Then I'll have two brothers."

Eric saw her smile that did not reach the bottom of his eyes, the end of the heart slightly put down.

The two of them chatted and drank tea for a while, Eric suddenly stopped, looked at Cici for a few seconds, took out an invitation from his bag and put it on the table.

Cici looked up at him.

"My wedding next month."

Cici looked at him quietly.

"I hope you can come."

The dizzy feeling surfaced again a little. Gradually I did not know what to say, the whole brain in muddle in general.

Cici still looked at Eric in front of her.

This meal she was calm, listening to Liam and Eric chatting about what she knows and does not know. She also feels that she is finally let go and come out.

When she heard Eric say that he was still her brother, she didn't feel much sadness.

But the moment she saw the invitation, she suddenly felt some meaningless. What exactly is meaningless, she does not know. Probably nothing is meaningful.

Cici held her bag tightly, walked quickly to the toilet, and then stared at herself nervously in the mirror. I think I should cry out, but my eyes are so dry that it hurts, and I'm trying to make an expression, but my face is like wax, and it hurts when I tug at it a little, and it hurts all over my body.

I don't know how long it took, but Cici finally felt that her hands and feet were no longer cold and her limbs were tingling. Even her head is no longer dizzy, she straightened her hair, opened the bathroom door and went to her seat.

But there were several strangers sitting in the seat where she and Eric originally sat, and there was no sign of Eric at all.

She looked down and laughed at herself, thinking he would be waiting for her in her seat, but she didn't even have that patience anymore.

But what surprised her even more was that there was no Liam's car in the parking lot.

Even Liam had left?

She took out her cell phone and called Liam's number, but it took several tones for Liam to answer the phone. What?"

Cici was stunned again: "Where are you?"

"In Battello!" Liam paused, his voice far away: "It's Cici ah ......" and brought the microphone closer: "Why are you calling me for a bathroom break? What game is it again? And also ask me where, haha, you keep your voice down, I conspire with you!"

Cici was even more puzzled: "Didn't you say you'd send me home?"

Liam laughed out loud: "Cici, what are you playing at, Eric is right next to me, why are you angry with him again? Come on, I'll give him the phone and let him talk to you ......"

Liam's voice from near and far, then Eric's low voice rang out, "What's wrong? Cici."

Gentle, with a smile, and a strong doting.