before and after

Chapter 37

Ye Ruixin walked up the stairs slowly and returned to the room.While the bathtub was filled with water, Ye Ruixin shaved off the newly grown beard in front of the mirror.

The warm water relieved the aches and pains in the body, and Ye Ruixin curled up in the spacious bathtub.He likes the feeling of moisture in his nasal cavity, with a new energy.When Ye Ruixin got up when the water was about to cool down, the pain in her lower back was still coming.He took out the Chinese medicine pack from the medicine box and used it.

Fortunately, the weather outside is good, and the sunny days for several consecutive days are not humid.Ye Ruixin slowly lay down on the bed.He had long been used to his body, so he could only lie on his side at this time, and lying on his back would exacerbate the pain.The mobile phone was placed within easy reach, Ye Ruixin closed his eyes, even if he couldn't sleep, he must let himself have a good rest.

The sleep was intermittent as expected, and every time I was about to fall asleep, I would suddenly wake up, and the cycle repeated.Around noon, Ye Ruixin no longer forced himself to wake up from the sleep that never came.

The hot compress medicine bag relieved the low back pain a lot.Ye Ruixin took out oatmeal and yogurt from the refrigerator. After stirring, he didn't eat right away, but went to the bookshelf to get a book.He knew he couldn't sit still and read type, so he took a photo book.Spreading out the album on the table, Ye Ruixin flipped through the pages with his fingers while eating oatmeal.

Although Ye Ruixin's eyes looked at the photos in the hardcover album, in fact he didn't even see the contents of the photos clearly.I bought this photobook when I was in college. At that time, he was attracted by a black-and-white photo of an iceberg in a bookstore.Now turned to this photo again, Ye Ruixin carefully looked at the perfect composition created between black and white, the sky is gray, the sea is as black as ink, only the iceberg in the middle of the picture is pure white.

Ye Ruixin stared at the iceberg, and suddenly felt that it was much smaller than he remembered.Obviously this is an illusion, but in a trance, it seems that the black sea water is flowing still, and then melting the remaining white bit by bit.

There is an unrealistic sense of flow.

Gazing at the painting, the bowl of oats is finally being eaten.Ye Ruixin closed the album, took the bowl to the sink to wash.There was still the dinner plate from last night in the sink. The sound of the faucet turning on turned Ye Ruixin's attention to her ears. Accompanied by the sound of gurgling water, Ye Ruixin listened to the change in the sound of the friction between the rag and the dinner plate.There is such a big difference between fast and slow.

The sudden ringing of the phone broke the silence at the moment, which caught Ye Ruixin by surprise.Quickly rinsing her hands clean, Ye Ruixin hurriedly picked up the phone.

"Hey."

"The rescue team arrived at the place where Liang Xiao and the others lived, and the hotel was almost destroyed. Several of his colleagues were killed. I contacted Joe, and he said that he did not see Liang Xiao during the earthquake. Now there is only this news, at least Not bad."

Ye Ruixin listened to Liang Xiu's words with bated breath, and didn't exhale until he finished speaking.Ye Ruixin suddenly remembered the text message that morning, and hurriedly said:

"Liang Xiao should have been jogging in the morning at that time. He sent me a text message just after five o'clock."

Hearing this news, Liang Xiu's voice on the other end of the phone also became a little excited.

"Okay! The running place is relatively empty, and the possibility of surviving is much higher in an instant. Next, I will go to the hotel and look for it!"

"By the way...do Uncle and Aunty know about this?"

Hearing Ye Ruixin's question, Liang Xiu was a little surprised, but he couldn't help getting closer to Ye Ruixin.

"It's my mother's birthday this week, and they went on a trip. They probably don't know about it yet, so they didn't call me to ask about it." Liang Xiu paused for a while, and continued, "I will be able to enter the disaster area soon, and the people there The signal has not been repaired yet, and we may not be able to contact you. If your parents call, you should keep it a secret, and wait until I come back to talk about anything.”

"it is good."

The whole world became quiet again, Ye Ruixin continued to rinse the last plate in the sink, but had no time to feel those subtle sounds.Originally, Ye Ruixin was planning to go back to her villa these days, and there were still some things to deal with in the orphanage.But now he doesn't want to go anywhere.

After making arrangements through the phone calls, Ye Ruixin made a phone call to Steward Liu.Ask him to ask the driver to bring some ingredients over. The earthquake in California is paying attention to the entire United States.Of course Steward Liu knew what might have happened, he didn't ask any more questions, he just sent some fresh and easy-to-cook ingredients to the driver according to Ye Ruixin's order.

Ye Ruixin put the photography collection back on the bookshelf and replaced it with an unfinished collection of essays.

The book was flipped through page by page, and Ye Ruixin even turned on the stereo to play Liszt's "PianoWorks Vol.1-8 (Jorge Bolet)". Liang Xiao often played this passage when he was reading.

The sofa was newly bought for this renovation, and it is much harder than the previous one.Ye Ruixin used to like to lie on a soft sofa, but now a soft mattress or sofa would aggravate his back pain. This leather sofa is moderately soft and hard. They went through several furniture companies to choose this one.

Ye Ruixin still remembers that afternoon, the warmth of early winter was just right, so that she wouldn't be too hot to sweat after moving the sofa.Because of the western exposure of this window, there was an episode where the sofa was placed here.

"When reading in the sun, the eyes are stimulated by ultraviolet rays too much, and the conjunctiva and cornea in front of the eyeball will be damaged. Eye stinging, tearing, photophobia, difficulty opening eyes and other diseases will occur."

"Liang Xiao, you are so annoying!"

Ye Ruixin covered Liang Xiao's mouth with his hand, preventing him from continuing.But just holding on for a second, Liang Xiao turned his back on him, and the long speech simply rang in Ye Ruixin's ears, making him unable to break free.

"Light is the most basic condition for vision. This kind of light is not the glare reflected by a smooth mirror, but the diffuse and uniform reflection emitted by the object, that is, the brightness of the surface of the object. Prevent eye fatigue and obtain the best visual effect , the brightness of the object to be viewed should be increased to an appropriate level. This is very important and should be taken seriously.”

Speaking of the last few sentences, Liang Xiao himself laughed out loud.Ye Ruixin even laughed and struggled in Liang Xiao's arms, protesting constantly.

"But I'm going to put it here! It looks good here!"

Liang Xiao let go of Ye Ruixin helplessly, and carried the sofa over with him.

"It's enough if you just said that's the reason. You also said that it's better to read here. You only read a few books a year."

Hearing this, Ye Ruixin put down the sofa.All the weight went to Liang Xiao.The sofa is so heavy that one person cannot move it at all.Liang Xiao raised his head suspiciously, but Ye Ruixin frowned and questioned him.

"Liang Xiao, so you have so much dissatisfaction with me."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Ye Ruixin put the book on his lap, and the sunlight shone on the beige pages.Words seem to be split apart, and there is no way to form a complete sentence.

"Doctor Liang, it's okay to read in the sun occasionally, right?" '

Ye Ruixin was still reading line by line.I didn't find it until my own shadow covered the pages of the book.After reading this book, the sky is already dark.The window was not closed tightly, and the sound of leaves being blown by the wind came from outside the window.

The fatigue brought about by the lack of sleep enveloped Ye Ruixin's whole body, his limbs were sore and he had a migraine.A body in desperate need of rest is in stark contrast to a hyperactive mind.Ye Ruixin was not going to force himself to sleep again, he knew that would be useless.

Liang Xiu's call came early the next morning.The voice on the other end of the phone was very calm. He should have waited until dawn before making this call.

Hospitals, stadiums, schools, and any place that could be used as a temporary refuge, Liang Xiu ran all over, and there was no news of Liang Xiao in the entire block.But fortunately, Liang Xiao's name was also not on the death list.

Liang Xiu didn't say much.But Ye Ruixin is very clear that the next waiting will become more and more difficult.It has been more than 48 hours since the earthquake.Communications equipment in Los Angeles was also restored an hour ago.If Liang Xiao is okay, he will definitely call back.But if he's stuck somewhere...

Rescue teams are continuing to detect and excavate the ruins and buildings.But as time goes by, the possibility of Liang Xiao's survival will become lower and lower.

The horrible emptiness, the breathless dread, and the nausea.Ye Ruixin's heart almost stopped beating.The whole house was quieter than ever before, and it was eerily silent.

Ye Ruixin thought of Liang Xiao's pain at that time, and he wanted to ask Liang Xiao how he would survive the cruel time.

Once this idea popped up, Ye Ruixin's rationality that was forcibly controlled instantly collapsed.He didn't want Liang Xiao to have any connection with the word "death", he didn't allow this word to appear in his mind.But the more this is the case, the more anxiety will spread its minions, roaring unscrupulously in Ye Ruixin's mind, gnawing at Ye Ruixin's soul.

Ye Ruixin wanted to escape from all this.But it seemed that someone kept roaring that terrifying word in his ear, and then drilled into his mind from the pinna.Ye Ruixin hugged her head tightly, and even pulled her hair to dispel this terrible thought.Ye Ruixin breathed heavily in the thin air.He felt that he was on the verge of collapse, and he even wished that he really died back then!

The pretended calm finally broke, and Ye Ruixin endured such suffering in this room.Anywhere is fine, he's leaving, he can't take it anymore!

Ye Ruixin opened the door as if fleeing and walked out of the room. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't even know how to move his legs forward.He just wants to keep going, as if he can get out of the current predicament.The chaotic scene in memory keeps rolling and sticking together.Ye Ruixin clenched her hands tighter and tighter, and her joints began to ache, but all these were better than the feeling of suffocation at this moment.

"Mr. Liang!"

Xia Yang stopped Ye Ruixin who was in a daze at the interface, and Xia Yang saw Ye Ruixin when he was going out.He watched Ye Ruixin walking towards him in a daze, his steps were bumpy, even if he accidentally stepped on a stone, he could fall to the ground.

After calling out "Mr. Liang" again, Xia Yang made Ye Ruixin's gaze focus on him.Ye Ruixin raised his head and looked at Xia Yang. The moment his eyes met, Xia Yang was somewhat unacceptable.Xia Yang has seen Ye Ruixin in a more frightening way.Excitement and paleness after drug injection, accompanied by excited chatter.At that time, he looked crazy and dangerous, but none of those could compare with the fear in his eyes at this moment.

"I'm so scared..." Ye Ruixin looked at Xia Yang and said.

The words seemed to be squeezed out of breath.I don't know if it was because she was wearing too little, but Ye Ruixin's lips trembled uncontrollably.Ye Ruixin's trembling and powerlessness were conveyed through his cold hands.

"What should I do?" Ye Ruixin asked again.

Xia Yang looked into Ye Ruixin's eyes, and his rapid breathing made his eyes foggy.The pain hidden in the water vapor seemed to have teeth, biting Xia Yang's heart, spreading the pain and anxiety wantonly.

Xia Yang has never experienced the pain that comes with happiness.He should have had the chance to be thankful for his loneliness, but Ye Ruixin's appearance made Xia Yang understand this.If you know it, you already have it, and you have lost the qualification to be lucky.

"Dr. Liang will be fine! He will definitely come back!"

Although it was a comforting word, Xia Yang said it so definitely.This affirmation stems from Xia Yang's belief in this love, and he firmly believes that this relationship is invincible.The power of conviction was transmitted to Ye Ruixin's body through Xia Yang's hands. Ye Ruixin took a deep breath involuntarily, and her tense body finally gradually relaxed.

"Where have you been?" Ye Ruixin suddenly asked Xia Yang on the way home with Ye Ruixin.

"Ah."

Hearing the sound, Ye Ruixin turned to look at Xia Yang.

"You used to stay at the gate of the orphanage like this?"

Xia Yang nodded in embarrassment.Ye Ruixin chuckled lightly.

Walking to the door, Ye Ruixin realized that she didn't bring anything with her when she went out, not even changing the slippers in the room.Now he had to sit with Xia Yang on the terrace in front of the house, waiting for Butler Liu to bring over the spare key.

Ye Ruixin closed her eyes and leaned back on the wicker chair, the shade of the Hu Tong tree just covered the glare of the sun.

"It's always me talking, today it's you talking."

Xia Yang was a little overwhelmed by the right to speak that suddenly fell into his hands. He glanced at Mr. Liang and opened his mouth after a few seconds.Xia Yang is not good at words, his topics seem hollow or even a bit boring.But there was someone talking in his ear, which made Ye Ruixin feel better.

About an hour later, Butler Liu delivered the key.Ye Ruixin walked into the room and looked at the phone, there was a missed call from an unfamiliar number.He hurriedly called back, but no one answered.Ye Ruixin called back again after a few minutes, but there was still no answer.

Not wanting to let anxiety control her again, Ye Ruixin asked Butler Liu to send Xia Yang back, saying that she wanted to take a good rest.After the two left, Ye Ruixin took out two sleeping pills from the medicine box and took them.

Ye Ruixin hasn't taken sleeping pills for a long time. When he was in Hong Kong, it was almost a must for him to fall asleep every night.But then he relied on something even scarier. Sleeping pills were useless to him.But today he hopes to take effect quickly, he needs to rest, because he doesn't know how long he will last.

There was music playing in the room, and Ye Ruixin tapped lightly with the movement.He couldn't remember which movement he fell asleep with, but the whole record had already been played by the time the door knocked downstairs.

Realizing that this was not a hallucination, Ye Ruixin immediately got up from the bed.The heartbeat accelerated again involuntarily, Ye Ruixin's hand paused for a few seconds on the metal doorknob, and slowly turned the door lock.

The moment he saw Liang Xiao, Ye Ruixin was stunned.Even when the whole person was embraced by Liang Xiao, Ye Ruixin didn't let go of the cold doorknob.A sharp, almost painful joy overwhelmed Ye Ruixin.Ye Ruixin hugged Liang Xiao tightly, as if using all her strength.

He wanted to blame Liang Xiao for tormenting himself; he wanted to applaud the ecstasy of the moment to the whole world; he wanted to tell all the unspoken attachments; chaotic emotions exploded in Ye Ruixin's mind, and finally he couldn't say a word byte.Everything is not important anymore, at this moment Ye Ruixin just wants to hug Liang Xiao like this, and doesn't want to let go for a second.

Ye Ruixin's forceful hug made the bruises on Liang Xiao's body burst into pain.But like Ye Ruixin, he is extremely eager for the reunion at this moment.Touching Ye Ruixin's back, Liang Xiao comforted:

"It's alright, I'm back."

After saying this, Liang Xiao could clearly feel Ye Ruixin's emotional fluctuations.The silent sobbing gradually turned into loud crying. Ye Ruixin pulled Liang Xiao's clothes tightly.Liang Xiao shifted the weight of Ye Ruixin's body towards him, hugging him like a baby.

Ye Ruixin's tears at this moment squeezed all Liang Xiao's self-blame into his heart, causing endless pain.No one understood the pain of losing a loved one better than himself, Liang Xiao tasted a kind of regret like chewing, and couldn't help feeling a little sour.

"I'm sorry....I made you worry. I'm sorry..."

Kissing Ye Ruixin's hair, Liang Xiao kept apologizing.

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