No te apoyes en la barandilla oeste para retener el claro otoño

Capítulo 30

"Do you have any frames?" he asked eagerly.

"some."

"are you sure?"

"Of course," Ling Ge thought. "I often use it as a mirror when I go downstairs."

Jian Dongping smiled, took out a ballpoint pen, and drew a staircase in the center of a piece of white paper. Then he handed the pen to her and said, "You continue. Draw the location of that painting for me, as well as the locations of the kitchen, living room, study, small living room, and storage room. Oh, and don't forget the window."

Ling Ge marked the locations of the living room, kitchen, and storage room around the staircase according to his memory.

"So, if someone goes to the storage room, others who are eating in the living room won't be able to see it because the stairs are in the way," Jian Dongping asked, staring at the floor plan Ling Ge had drawn.

“You couldn’t see it anyway. The dining room is in the corner of the living room, how could you possibly see it? The storage room is at the end of the ground floor corridor, next to the study and a small living room, opposite the living room and kitchen, and the window is behind the stairs. The painting is hanging directly opposite the stairs.” She pointed out the marked spots on the painting one by one with her finger.

"Isn't there a door leading to the garden from the ground floor corridor?" he asked.

"The door to the garden is in the living room, and you can also go to the garden through the kitchen."

Jian Dongping looked at the painting for a while, then laughed.

"I understand," he said to himself.

What came to your mind?

“Ling Ge, I’ve roughly guessed who killed Su Zhiwen,” he said.

"Who is it?" His words startled her. In her haste, she grabbed his trouser leg and kept asking, "Who is it? Tell me, who is it?"

He looked down at her hand, and she realized she had been somewhat out of line, so she quickly let go of him. He looked at her with downcast eyes for a while, lost in thought.

“I’m not entirely sure yet, but I think it’s pretty close. I need to find out a few things now. Can you help me, Ling Ge?” he asked, looking at her earnestly.

"Go ahead and say it." She nodded, feeling a heavy burden on her shoulders.

"Does walking in Zhang Yufen's slippers make any noise?"

"Yes, it has a plastic base."

"So, who in their family has the habit of getting up early to exercise?"

"Fang Qi practices yoga in the garden almost every morning before going to work. Old Mrs. Shen gets up even earlier. She usually takes a walk in the garden. Her legs are not good. She has a fracture and rheumatism. If Yu Shan comes to stay, Fang Qi will pull her to do yoga together in the morning. Fang Qi does it well, but Yu Shan's movements are not right. You can tell at a glance. There is also Fang Rouzhi. It seems that she often goes to dance the fan dance with her friends in the morning."

What kind of shoes do they usually wear?

“Leather shoes. Fang Qi and Yu Shan both wear leather shoes. Only Zhang Yufen wears running shoes; she thinks they're more convenient for working.” Ling Ge didn't understand why he was asking these questions.

"But it's summer now, and they're all wearing leather shoes?"

“What does summer matter? Fang Qi wears stockings and high heels all year round because that’s what she has to wear to work. When she’s not working, she still wears stockings and leather shoes. I’ve never seen her wear sandals. As for Yu Shan, she does wear sandals, but they’re high-heeled leather sandals, the strappy kind, the really pretty kind.” Ling Ge couldn’t help but think of his old sandals as he spoke, his tone filled with envy.

"What about Fang Rouzhi?"

"She also wears leather shoes, but they're just ordinary flat shoes, some even with heels. Zhang Yufen always says that Fang Rouzhi pretends to be poor and pitiful, wearing the same black trousers and black leather shoes all year round." Ling Ge couldn't help but laugh whenever he thought of Zhang Yufen's ridicule of Fang Rouzhi. "Actually, Fang Rouzhi doesn't dress that badly; she just likes to wear black. Besides, you don't always wear the same thing in winter and summer."

“I don’t care about the pants, I only care about what shoes they wear,” he muttered to himself.

Ling Ge frowned. "Why are you only concerned about things related to feet? What a weirdo!" Thinking of this, she felt her face start to burn again. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice her expression.

What shoes is Grandma Shen wearing?

“She wore flat casual shoes. They weren’t leather shoes, they looked like they were made of cloth, and they looked very ordinary, but Zhang Yufen told me that the old lady’s shoes were all brand names, and even the most ordinary ones cost 800 yuan a pair.”

Jian Dongping thought for a moment and said, "Okay, pay attention to what shoes they wear when they practice, and try to find out whose shoes have dog bite marks."

What do you want to investigate?

I'll tell you about that later.

"Keep me in suspense again!" Ling Ge rolled her eyes at him.

"Go and inquire again about the area under the stairs, the place you mentioned where the dog's litter box used to be. After the puppy died, did you store anything there?" He paused for a moment and said, "Also, I'd like to meet with Shen Biyun. Please arrange it for me."

Although Shen Biyun had been kind and gentle to Ling Ge during her stay at the Shen family home, she was still afraid of this elegant and refined, yet very dignified old lady.

“If you want to see her, why don’t you call her yourself? If I go and tell her, wouldn’t that mean you’re back? Then I’d have no reason to stay at her house anymore.” Ling Ge couldn’t understand how Jian Dongping could not grasp such a simple principle.

"It's only interesting if you're the one to ask her out." He subconsciously touched his chin. "Don't worry about it, just go and tell her and she'll understand. Ask her to meet me here tomorrow at noon."

"What...what do you want to ask her?" she asked, very curious.

He looked at her, smiled, and said nothing.

"Can I go?" she asked softly.

“Come with her,” he said casually, leaning back and placing his arm on the sofa behind her.

Ling Ge glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost 5 o'clock. It would take an hour to take the bus back to the Shen family from here. She had promised Zhang Yufen that she would go back for dinner and felt bad making them wait, so although she was reluctant, she still stood up.

"I should go back now, they're waiting for me to have dinner," Ling Ge said. She really hoped Jian Dongping would invite her to stay for dinner, but he just smiled at her.

"Okay." He stood up as well.

He didn't even try to salvage the situation, which disappointed Ling Ge. She thought to herself in frustration, "I must have been deluding myself. He doesn't like me at all, and he didn't even come back specifically for me. His explanation about 'BTW' (partnership) was just because he was tired of that game. And that orange ice cream didn't mean anything; he just made it because he was bored." Thinking about all this, her mood was worse than when she arrived. She had arrived angry and resentful; now she was frustrated and disappointed.

"Well then, goodbye," she said sullenly, glancing back at him.

She felt that the man she knew before was a colorless sketch; she only knew he was intelligent but a bit mean. Now, however, she suddenly felt that this sketch had been colored; his hair had turned black, his skin whiter, his eyes brighter, and even the veins on the inside of his arms had become clearly visible. What was going on? How had he become so vivid?

She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door, about to open it, when he walked up behind her. She thought he was going to ask her to stay; if it were before, he definitely would have done so. But he simply said:

"I'll see you off."

She didn't say anything, silently changing into her sandals. The buckles were a bit loose, and she was in a hurry, so it took her several tries to get them on. He kept watching her as she put them on, and she felt embarrassed again by her worn-out sandals. She decided that once the case was solved, she would go to a discount store and buy a new pair. They wouldn't be as good as Yu Shan's shoes, but at least they would be better than her current ones. However, she then thought that if he knew she was going to buy cheap stuff, he would probably laugh at her again. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel angry. "I'm going to buy cheap stuff! You can look down on me, but I can't help it! I'm not like you white-collar workers!"

She put on her shoes, fuming, and headed straight for the elevator. He closed the door and followed her.

"Why are you walking so fast?" he asked.

"I'm in a hurry, people are waiting for me to eat!" she said without turning her head, then turned back and blurted out, "Is your stomach feeling better?"

This question clearly embarrassed him. He glanced at her but didn't answer. Now she felt a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "I saw you looking like you were in a lot of pain the other day."

He tilted his head and stared at her, one eye bigger than the other, looking a bit fierce, but Ling Ge knew he was trying to figure out what she meant by those words, so she quickly laughed it off.

“I was just asking casually. We’re just friends. I was just concerned about you,” she said.

"Thank you for your concern," he said as he stepped into the elevator.

In the elevator, neither of them said a word.

“It’s not a stomachache,” he suddenly said after stepping out of the elevator.

Although his voice wasn't loud, it still startled her, and she stopped.

"What...what is that?" She was both curious and flustered, unsure of what he would say next.

“Three years ago, I had an accident that affected my health, but perhaps the most important impact wasn’t physical, but psychological. I don’t want to explain why,” he said calmly, looking directly at her.

Ling Ge still didn't understand. She took a few steps and saw him following behind her. Suddenly, she turned around and took his hand. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to hold his hand since they met. She didn't know where she got the courage. His hand was different from that day. It was dry and warm. She was a little afraid that he would shake her off, but he seemed very obedient. He kept his head down and let her pull him all the way to the street.

"What's wrong with you? Can you tell me?" she asked.

He looked at her, and just as she was about to let go of his hand, he grabbed it instead.

“Actually, I’m physically the same as a normal person, it’s just that my heart… has a problem.” He smiled and pointed to his heart with his other finger.

"Three years ago, you had a girlfriend. Was your... well, was your affair related to her?" Ling Ge knew that Jian Dongping had dated a female model three years ago.

He looked at her for a while before saying, "After I left her, I discovered that she had given me a disease."

infectious disease?

"What illness?" Ling Ge asked, trying to guess hepatitis, but she didn't say it aloud.

He didn't say anything.

"Is it serious? Are you cured?" she asked cautiously.

"Hmm." He looked away and nodded.

"What, what illness?" she asked again.

"Are you scared?" He stared into her eyes.

She shook her head, persisting in asking, "What exactly is the illness?"

"Don't ask, Ling Ge, I won't tell you." He smiled and released her hand, reminding her, "Don't forget, we're just ordinary friends."

She was still a little unwilling, and just as she was about to speak, he raised his voice and said:

"I can't say, and there's nothing to say."

She dared not imagine what illness had prevented him from speaking, but she knew it must have caused him immense suffering. It was truly tragic; three years had passed, and he was still not fully recovered. Looking up at him, she suddenly felt as if he were being swallowed by darkness, and a wave of sympathy washed over her.

“Jian Dongping, you’re wrong. We’re more than just ordinary friends; we’re best friends. I’m not afraid of any infectious diseases at all,” she said to him sincerely and gently.

He looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and finally smiled and hugged her.

"Yes, good friend," he nodded and said.

For the first time, she willingly wrapped her arms around his waist. Although he wasn't muscular, he was very toned, and she felt safe and happy leaning against his chest. She truly wanted to stay in his arms forever. "It's just that there's something wrong with my heart." At this moment, she savored those words again, feeling that they contained endless bitterness, so she hugged him even tighter.

"I won't pry into your affairs anymore. I just hope you get better soon," she said softly.

"I need some more time."

"how long?"

"Um?"

"When will you finally get better?" She felt she had asked a very direct question, but now that she had said it, there was no going back.

He released her, looked at her and smiled, as if he could see right through her.

"What are you laughing at?" She frowned, pretending to be angry.

“I don’t know either. Ling Ge, so how about this?” He put his hands in his pockets, as if trying to control himself, and said, “How about we become a couple before marriage?”

"Preparing couple?" Ling Ge was taken aback. What did that mean?

Seeing her confused expression, he explained, "Let's be good friends for the first three years. If you're still single after three years, then we'll be together. What do you think?"

Ling Ge hadn't expected their so-called "pre-marital relationship" to be like this. He spoke so smoothly; it was clear he'd had this idea for a while. She felt deeply disappointed. Who knew what would happen in three years? His ability to say such things only proved he didn't care about her. Thinking this, her heart immediately turned cold.

"I don't think it's necessary. Let's just be friends for life." Although she was sad, she still said generously, she never thought of relying on him.

"Are you angry?" He observed her expression.