Luo Jiaotian handed over the phone.
Luo Binhan began to read the email displayed on the screen. Judging from the suffix and date of the receiving address, this email was sent to Luo Jiaotian's campus mailbox late last night, and Luo Binhan didn't even know that this mailbox existed before today. Its text is very brief, but enough to confuse anyone:
Luo Jiaotian:
I returned to Lihai City a few days ago and am currently staying at Zhou Yu’s home. You can come for a meeting in the near future without telling others.
Shun Song Xueqi.
Luo Binhan
Luo Binhan read this short email a dozen times, as if he could dig out clues to the puzzle from the monotonous print. He had no idea who sent the email. He couldn't help but think about what he would do if he really wanted to notify Luo Jiaotian. Of course, it wouldn't be by email, but by phone or chat software. There are only two occasions when he uses his email address. Either he uses his personal email address to register a website account, or he uses his company email address to deal with foreign-related institutions.
It would never be his way to contact Luo Jiaotian by email, and that also meant that it wouldn't be Yaleriga or Jing Huang, if they really wanted to pretend to be him - but then again, they There is absolutely no reason to do so. And he couldn't imagine Nan Mingguang doing this. If Nan Mingguang really wanted to tell Luo Jiaotian, it couldn't be easier than to make a phone call, let alone do it in someone else's name.
"Hmm..." Luo Binhan finally stared at the screen and said, "It's quite interesting. I haven't sent you this, and I can't figure out who did it."
He secretly remembered the sender's email address, and then returned the phone to Luo Jiaotian. The latter looked quite uneasy, so Luo Binhan didn't seem to take it to heart. He said casually: "It's nothing, maybe someone is joking with you... When I went to your university to find Zhou Yu, I met a few people from your school. I thought they might know from Zhou Yu that I was back, so Decided to play a joke on you. They are jokers, and your school's internal email address is not hard to guess at all, as long as you know your name and student number. I guess that's what it's about. I I’ll ask Zhou Yu later.”
Luo Jiaotian hesitantly agreed, but Luo Binhan thought that there was no need to ask Zhou Yu. No, he actually didn't know Zhou Yu's college classmates at all, and Zhou Yu would never leak the news of his return to unrelated people. What a strange thing. Who would have known that he was back, knew that he lived here in Zhou Yu, and also wrote such an email with completely different wording than him? But somehow, he wasn't particularly worried about it. It seemed like there was no malicious intent in this weird email, it was just... a little too detailed. It was detailed enough to make Luo Jiaotian believe that he wrote it himself, even though writing emails was not his style at all.
"Have you told anyone else about this?" Luo Binhan asked him, "I...well, I just came back a few days ago, so I'm not in a hurry to say hello to others yet."
Luo Jiaotian shook his head slowly. Luo Binhan wasn't sure if he was overthinking it, but he felt like he saw a glimmer of understanding in Luo Jiaotian's expression. Unwilling to face the complex, noisy and scary social world, he guessed that Luo Jiaotian had always felt this kind of resistance. However - another voice in his heart, a voice of reason, said to him - you are two different people, and you are facing two different problems.
"I've been living on campus for the past two weeks." Luo Jiaotian said succinctly, "I'm preparing for the exam and I haven't gone back yet."
This sentence might sound a bit confusing to outsiders, but Luo Binhan knew exactly what he wanted to express. Luo Jiaotian is a truly honest person - not the kind of person who pretended to be brother and sister with his high school crush and deceived the entire class. Luo Jiaotian's level of lying is disastrous, especially for people who know him well and have complete control over him. If Luo Jiaotian was still living at home—to be precise, living with his mother, Luo Binhan didn't think he could keep such a major secret. Xie Zhenwan would know what was going on within three days. But now that Luo Jiaotian lives in school, things don't seem to be that bad.
"To be honest," Luo Binhan said, "I originally thought you wouldn't live on campus. After all, you study in the city."
"I asked for it myself." Luo Jiaotian said. His voice was calm at first, but after a few seconds he seemed to feel something was wrong again, and added a little unnaturally: "It is more efficient to study this way, and it is convenient to go to the library and classroom."
"Ah, yes," Luo Binhan said, "You do have a heavy academic load."
For a second or two, neither of them spoke, as if both of them were thinking about whether what they just said sounded true and credible. In order to support his point of view, Luo Binhan added: "Zhou Yu also lived on campus back then. You know, in terms of his living habits, it was not easy to accept dormitory life. But fortunately, he never used his own hygiene Standards require others, and I have always suspected that the dormitory is just a place where he sleeps. Other than that, he lives in the library, or the anatomy room or something."
Luo Jiaotian smiled hastily. Luo Binhan continued: "Actually, I guess you are all about the same... I see that everyone in his dormitory is extremely busy during the exam season, and now it is your turn to have this good day."
He didn't get an answer, but Luo Jiaotian didn't seem to care at all. Even though two and a half years had passed, Luo Binhan still felt that the person standing in front of him was not an adult in the true sense, but still a senior high school student. A very hard-working senior high school student, he thought in his heart and believed that there are various possibilities in the future, and the biggest and only difficulty that needs to be overcome is the exam. Sometimes he suspected that studying hard in itself brought Luo Jiaotian some sense of entertainment, some kind of focused experience that separated him from reality through difficulties and torture. Rather, it was an act of asceticism. But he didn't know if this thought was true, because he had never felt that way himself.
Suddenly he had a strong impulse to tell Luo Jiaotian something that was on his mind. But he restrained himself in time - of course he wanted to say it, this was one of the reasons why he called Luo Jiaotian out of Zhou Yu's house - but not in that instinctive way. To pour out all his truest emotions and thoughts was something he had rarely done in the past, which was not to say that he had never had that urge. He often has such thoughts, but he has mastered a technique a long time ago. Just like people who are new to a certain sport must know how to actively pay attention to their own behavior to detect and overcome irregular and instinctive wrong actions, language and emotions can also be conscious and controlled in the same way.
He didn't say anything, but motioned to Luo Jiaotian and him to walk farther away, continuing their family walk that excluded Zhou Yu. The streets in the morning showed dark blue and pale tones, which seemed to indicate that there would be a rainy day soon. When two people in student uniforms walked past them, Luo Binhan suddenly stopped and looked left and right on both sides of the street.
"I remember there was a Quinye Street nearby." He said, "It was a small commercial street with a bookstore, a milk tea shop, a stationery shop... Anyway, it made money from nearby students. Do you have any impressions?"
Luo Jiaotian nodded a little doubtfully.
"Are you still here?"
"Still."
"It's best to renovate it." Luo Binhan said with a hint of resentment. His half-brother looked at him with increasing confusion. But Luo Binhan couldn't explain to him why he mentioned a little-known school district street. Saying "little-known" may be a disgrace to this street, because the last time Luo Binhan heard someone mention it was in billions of light years, billions of star distances, and billions of star layers (he actually had no idea whether this word could be used at all) somewhere other than so used). In the turbid purple alien night, the guitar-playing monster told him about the bookstore on Quinye Street, psychology and crime...and Quinye Street, together with the planet that hosts this street, this universe Dust is nothing at all. Why did Zhou Wenxing mention Quinye Street at that time? Is this all just his crazy imagination? Perhaps Zhou Wenxing never existed, that nightmare scene never existed, and even Jing Huang never existed. He really just went to Africa and made up a ridiculous story in the hallucinations caused by the heat and poisonous insects.
Luo Jiaotian still looked at him, waiting for him to explain why he was so dissatisfied with Quinye Street. When Luo Binhan looked at his face, nightmares and myths became thin and false. What he faced was a real human face, with dull eyes, swollen eye bags, bulging and obese from studying hard all day long, and adolescent acne scars in the gaps between his cheeks - despite this, Luo Jiaotian was far away Not ugly. This is not an ugly face, but a real face that exists in the world. As long as they are real people, whether they are weather-beaten or pampered, all they have is a face that cannot withstand time and environment.
He turned his eyes away, and at the same time told Luo Jiaotian that there was a person he hated who once spoke highly of Quinye Street. This undoubtedly aroused Luo Jiaotian's curiosity, but just as Luo Binhan thought, when things seemed to involve some kind of negative privacy, Luo Jiaotian always tended not to ask anything. He suggested that they go for a walk on Quinleaf Street, so they walked half a block further to see the small commercial street that had been praised by nightmares. And it was even more mediocre than what Luo Binhan remembered. Those who want to move closer to the classical style of the eaves, the students who sneak out during breaks, the pet dogs that sneak in and out of the crowd, as well as the so-called specialty snacks and the former residences of local celebrities.
This street may reflect some municipal planning hopes for tourism development, but from Luo Binhan's perspective, it is really difficult to attract people. It really didn’t attract any celebrities or internet celebrity tourists, except for the super criminals who traveled through the universe. He did find a bookstore, but it was not filled with crime and psychology books like what he had heard from Zhou Wenxing. He seemed to only see a variety of teaching aids and those books with colorful covers. , mostly fantasy themes sold to adolescent students. Luo Binhan really wanted to buy a few copies for Jing Huang and Momoluo to read and preserve some precious records of aliens' contact with local culture, but he resisted this desire because Luo Jiaotian was standing next to him. After all, he still has some image projects to maintain.
Their aimless wandering finally ends up in a candy shop. At this time, Luo Binhan was still thinking about what was so charming about this street. He found strangely that the more truly this street appeared in front of him, the thinner the meaning of Zhou Wenxing's name became. He couldn't even remember the face that seemed so docile and amiable. If Zhou Wenxing walked into the store at this moment and sat in front of him and said "Long time no see", would he really recognize him? Maybe he would regard this person as an ordinary student. What a strange thing. A few days ago, he felt that the world under his feet was false, but now he felt that only Lihai City was real. The entire universe no longer existed, only here, this closed, real, and boring place. The tiny place was not created by his imagination but shaped and dominated him. The nightmare and the myth have disappeared forever. Zhou Wenxing will never appear in this story again. There will never be a day when he walks into his door wearing student-style clothes and reminds him that the world is much bigger than he imagined. But what about Jing Huang? And Momolo and Yaleriga? Do they disappear into thin air too? No, he realized he didn't want that... not really...
Luo Binhan shook his head violently. Luo Jiaotian on the opposite side may have interpreted this behavior as a comment on the dessert on the table. He put down his spoon nervously, as if he felt that he shouldn't eat half of his smoothie before Luo Binhan agreed. Luo Binhan really wanted to ask him what kind of laws he had violated by eating his smoothie, but he still held back. He would never ask that, because it would only make Luo Jiaotian more nervous. Why is Luo Jiaotian always so panicked? What was it that scared him so much? He may never know the answers to these questions. Sometimes he even suspected that Luo Jiaotian hated him very much. This was not completely impossible, but that didn't explain everything. Then he further came to a conclusion that might be closer to the truth: Luo Jiaotian didn't hate him, but just wanted him to completely disappear from his life.
"I have always had a stubborn stereotype of doctors," Luo Binhan said while scooping his smoothie. "Doctors are the kind of old-fashioned and serious people who live completely out of touch with modern society and do not understand the world. Apart from research and treatment, Don’t care about any entertainment.”
Luo Jiaotian hesitated whether he should agree. Luo Binhan then continued: "But later I noticed that I was actually only familiar with the personal situations of two doctors, and that was Zhou Yu and his father. I think these two cannot actually be regarded as models at all, right? You What do you think of your classmates? Are they all easy to get along with?"
"Everything is fine." Luo Jiaotian said slowly. He held the spoon carefully, as if he was trying to think of whether there was any other meaning to these words. Luo Binhan said happily: "Look, in fact, most of the people who study medicine are... ordinary people, I mean they don't have any quirks, just like everyone in other professions. Have you heard of the old man? Did you ever have a craniotomy? That was done by Zhou Yu’s father. But actually it was a coincidence, because our brain surgery expert is usually not in the country. The old man originally found another doctor, and his My personal price is six figures. It’s not too expensive, right? You can avoid queuing by paying a fee, and you’re guaranteed to do your best. If he had done the surgery at that time, I think the situation wouldn’t have been too bad. In fact, I I am quite curious about this matter. The old man actually chose a doctor who refused to charge instead of the most qualified and famous local doctor. He would not be reluctant to pay such a small amount of money. I really want to know what made him believe Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu’s father is a better choice. Don’t you think actual clinical performance is more reliable than academic results? What should Zhou Yu’s father do if he makes the wrong incision on the operating table?”
He laughed carelessly. Luo Jiaotian's eyes began to show confusion. Luo Binhan still said happily: "Don't take this seriously. I guess asking a price is very common in their line of work. After all, there are so many people anxious to ask you to save their lives, and some of them feel that their lives are worse than theirs." Others are more valuable. They will look for favors that you can't refuse, just like the old man did to Zhou Yu and his father, but when the favors are not so difficult to refuse, you have to have a standard to measure who is more urgent."
"I think," Luo Jiaotian whispered, "that is something the hospital is responsible for arranging."
"That's also an arrangement." Luo Binhan said, "Yes, I'm not saying that all doctors do this. Everyone has their own way of living, right? Some people don't want to work hard in vain, and some people suffer I can't resist the temptation of enjoyment. I heard that a director of the hospital where Zhou Yu interned was once murdered. He made a deal with a young and beautiful medical representative. I don't know what happened specifically, maybe it was forced, In short, this medical representative took an overdose of sleeping pills one night. After seeing the suicide note, her mother came to the hospital with a long-handled fruit knife to find someone. It is said that there were more than thirty knives on the body in total, and Zhou Yu was involved in the murder at the time. The criminal passed by. He was probably the first few people to see the crime scene, only half a minute later than a frightened nurse. Did he ever mention this to you? There was another time when he was intern The leader of the hospital organized a party, and the next day he was the only one sitting in the duty room eating mangoes, because everyone else was locked up in the police station. Well, the unexpected impact of the crackdown on underground KTV activities, and then there were several people Being diagnosed with the disease... is quite confusing, isn't it? No one is more professional than those who do this, but they still fall for it like other idiots. At that time, I first heard the news from my friend at the police station, and I immediately I called Zhou Yu and asked him how he was doing now. He said that he was eating mangoes in the duty room - he was a true atheist, and I admired him very much. There was also that duty room, where a nurse once hung himself. Because she owed gambling debts and blackmailed patients. Before she committed suicide, she talked with Zhou Yuchang all night, but she didn't talk much about herself, but talked about many scandals in the industry. She may have completely collapsed at that time, so Zhou Yu asked her to go back first Get some sleep and stay emotionally stable so you don’t make a mistake during an important surgery the next day.”
Luo Binhan paused, took a few sips of the melted smoothie, and then said thoughtfully: "You can't really blame Zhou Yu, because she is doomed no matter what. But to be honest, I sometimes feel that Zhou Yu's head There is a little problem. Or I should say this is his talent, always passing by some kind of murder scene. What will happen if he becomes a detective? "
Luo Jiaotian was already restless. He looked at Luo Binhan with almost frightened eyes, like a young bird facing the first thunderstorm in its life. Luo Binhan also looked at him calmly, and said in the same cheerful tone: "These are just examples, some shocking and weird things. But it's interesting to think about it, right? You see, even these groups who are closest to death, their Life is not that...should I say serious? Pure? Their lifestyle is no different from the rest of us. I think studying medicine can't really teach them anything except pure knowledge. It's just a technique. For those who want to Doctors are not much different from us in how they live their lives. Zhou Yu is a weirdo first, and then a doctor. But if all doctors would automatically become as weird as him, it would be a wonderful sight...ah, This will definitely not happen. People will not change their nature because of their profession, nor can they turn themselves into a pure profession. Having said that, I have always felt that nature cannot be imitated. Maybe you will I think someone is living a very chic life, but you can't make yourself become that person, wearing similar clothes and doing similar things. Some people think it's natural to do this, but for imitators, I Thinking about that wouldn't lead to a happy life. It's a bit like... asking a dog to live like a cat? What do you think?"
Luo Binhan finally stopped talking. He lowered his head and focused on the smoothie in the bowl. When he was about to finish his bowl, he heard Luo Jiaotian say calmly: "Yes."
"I heard that your college entrance examination results were very satisfactory." Luo Binhan said, "The one you got was your first choice. It was thirty points higher than your second choice in the business school."
"Yes."
"Congratulations." Luo Binhan said, "I really should give you a gift. But it's not too late now. Let me think about it... maybe you would like to go abroad and go shopping during the summer vacation? Wouldn't it be a bit boring to be alone?" Ah, I forgot that you like to be alone. Then I think you may also want to have a small apartment to live alone, and a study room where no one will disturb you. After all, learning requires atmosphere and environment. "
"but……"
"I will talk to the old man about this." Luo Binhan used his cheerful tone again, "After all, it will cost him money, right? In fact, I think you might as well study abroad for a while after graduation. Lihai Medicine All I can say is that the hospital is pretty good in China.”
Luo Jiaotian said nothing, with a strange light flashing in his black eyes. He seemed to be tentative and said: "My mother..."
"Ah, this." Luo Binhan said, "Of course, there may be some twists and turns, but I think Aunt Xie will agree with my point of view in the end. After all, I will take over the family affairs in the future, and my arrangement will of course be the most appropriate. "
They never mentioned it again. Luo Jiaotian buried his head in eating smoothies while Luo Binhan kept asking him about school affairs. He also seriously suggested that Luo Jiaotian must find time to exercise, otherwise sooner or later he will fall into the nightmare of sudden death from staying up late to prepare for the exam.
"You still can't find a girlfriend." Luo Binhan said solemnly, "It's hard for medical students to find a partner. Do you understand? You may not even be able to provide a complete full-day date once a month. By then, everything will be over. Save the day with your handsome face and hot body.”
Luo Jiaotian choked on his smoothie and coughed. He said weakly: "It's time for me to go back and review."
"Go." Luo Binhan said, "Remember to go to the playground and run laps more often."
Luo Jiaotian quickly walked through the store door and left. Luo Binhan sat in the shop and watched him walking onto the street, silently walking through the crowd with his head lowered. He felt that from this perspective, Luo Jiaotian was really out of place with other passers-by, like a dark cloud floating alone on a sunny day. But he didn't know if it was more comfortable to be a dark cloud than to merge into the bright sun. Integrated into the bright sun, this metaphor reminded him of Nan Mingguang. Maybe during that period of time, Luo Jiaotian saw him as another version of Nan Mingguang. Isn't that true? As Zhou Yu pointed out, he and Nan Mingguang have something in common. And this thought made him immediately close his eyes and burn with anger secretly.
