That Nameless Summer Chapter 19

conflict

The late winter wind covered the snow particles and beat against the window lattice, making a tiny sound.Halfway through the winter vacation, the snow in the alley has been trampled tightly, revealing a gray background. Even the bustling breakfast shop on weekdays is only willing to open half of the door curtain at noon.

Song Li was nestled on the sofa, his fingertips running across the familiar chat box on the phone screen – the last message was on New Year’s Eve, and the “Happy New Year” he sent fell into silence without any response.

There was an unfinished exercise book spread out on the desk, and next to it lay the washed-white coat that Ling Qingye had put on him on the last rainy night. The fragrance of the soap locust was diluted by the snow, but it was still clear.

It’s not that he hasn’t thought about taking the initiative to contact me, but every time he clicks on the input box, he doesn’t know what to say.

Ask him how he is doing these days?Afraid of exposing the troublesome things he doesn’t want to mention; ask him when we will meet?And I was afraid of getting a cold rejection.

On the other side, on the top floor of an old residential building, Ling Qingye was sorting documents in front of a dim lamp.

Spread out on the table were Zhou Yanan’s diaries and a thick pile of litigation materials – the evidence that he had found after he had gone through three archives to prove his father’s illegal disposal of real estate.

The screen of his mobile phone turned on and off, which was the special attention notification sound he had set. Song Li’s circle of friends updated a news, with only one photo: the snow outside the window, and a cup of steaming ginger tea.

Ling Qingye’s fingertips hovered above the screen, and after a long pause, he still didn’t click.

He remembered what the lawyer said, “This lawsuit is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and may also lead to a lot of rumors.” The thought of getting closer was suppressed by reason.

He couldn’t drag Song Li into this muddy water. The young man who always wore a bright smile shouldn’t be entangled in such troubles.

The phone on the table suddenly rang. It was from my father’s assistant. His tone was still undeniably tough: “Mr. Ling said that if you continue to be stubborn, you won’t even be able to get your college tuition.”

Ling Qingye’s hand holding the receiver tightened suddenly, and his knuckles turned white.

He was silent for a few seconds, and his voice was so calm that there was no wave: “I know.”

After hanging up the phone, he walked to the window and looked at the snow-covered alley downstairs.

The lights in Song Li’s house were on, and a warm yellow glow filtered through the curtains, like a small flame.

He recalled that when he was a child, the tiger-headed little boy held up an orange candy and handed it to him and said, “This is super sweet.” He recalled that in high school class, Song Li secretly marked the words he wrote wrong, and drew a crooked smiley face on the note.

These images were the only bit of warmth he could hold on to in countless difficult nights.

Maybe the snow was too quiet, maybe the thoughts were too intense, so he accidentally opened the chat box, entered and deleted, repeated several times, and finally left only one line: The snow is heavy, be careful when the roads are slippery when going out.

The moment he pressed the send button, he suddenly panicked, as if he had done something out of the ordinary. He quickly put his phone upside down on the table and pretended to continue reading the file, but his ears were involuntarily paying attention to the message notification sound.

At this moment, Song Li was staring at the message that suddenly popped up on the screen of his mobile phone, and was stunned for half a minute.The warmth of his fingertips came through the screen, and he suddenly smiled, and most of the gloom in his eyebrows disappeared.

He didn’t reply, he just stood up and walked to the window, looking at the lighted window opposite.

The snow is still falling, in fine pieces, falling on the locust branches and accumulating a thin layer.The two teenagers were separated by a street, looking at the same piece of falling snow, with the same restrained concern in their hearts. Without a single unnecessary word, they reached a silent tacit understanding in this silent winter.