The difference between cloud and mud

Although Xiao Fengtai hadn't talked about his life with Xiao Zhizhong for a long time, shortly after the music festival, the gift from his father still arrived as scheduled.One day when he came home from school, Xiao Fengtai found a brand new mechanical watch on his desk.

The watch is stored in a teak box lined with black velvet, and the stainless steel bracelet shines brightly under the light.Xiao Fengtai looked at the gears on the dial that meshed precisely with each other.Clocks are a symbol of the increased efficiency of capital utilization during the Industrial Revolution.Why do some people still spend huge sums of money on such gadgets in the era when electronic timers have penetrated into millions of households.

Father's new secretary doesn't do enough homework and he never wears a watch.Xiao Fengtai began to miss the long-term friendly agreement reached between the former secretary and them. The overly glamorous single mother shared the gift funds her father gave her with him.

In the end, he didn't do anything, mainly because he didn't want Xiao Zhizhong to be affectionate and think that he cared about his love.

He didn't expect Xiao Zhizhong to really take this matter to heart.It was rare for Xiao Zhizhong to stay at home during dinner, and he toasted Xiao Fengtai before starting: "Good job."

Xiao Fengtai didn't return the compliment, the chairman has a lot to do every day, time is precious, and he never spends aimlessly in family life.

There was an embarrassing silence, and Xiao Zhizhong continued on his own: "The group subsidiary is spun off and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Next week, I will hold a small dinner in your name to meet potential cornerstone investors."

"Since I borrowed your excuse, I will let you play a solo, and then officially introduce you to the outside world." When he spoke, he looked like an emperor meeting his officials: "Behave well, and don't let me down."

Xiao Fengtai swallowed a mouthful of steak: "I won't go."

Xiao Zhizhong was noncommittal to his resistance: "Go home on time after school tomorrow, and the tailor will come to measure."

"Whatever you like, I won't be there anyway." Xiao Fengtai put the knife and fork on the table with a bang: "I'm full."

He returned to the room and slammed the door shut.On the desk, the teak box is still open to the sky, and the mechanical watch sits on the velvet lining, and the hands point to a quarter past eight, like a crooked, malicious mocking face.

Xiao Fengtai does not have any musical ideals, and often performs in various semi-formal occasions, making a wallflower to embellish Xiao Zhizhong's almost flawless image.Xiao Zhizhong doesn't know the piano, and the audience he invites usually doesn't know either.Xiao Fengtai sometimes mispronounced a few sounds on purpose, watching a group of big men in suits and leather shoes clapping pretendingly, he was ridiculed and happy in his heart.

Xiao Zhizhong's image is related to the interests of the group, and the Xiao family—the family of Xiao Fengtai's mother—is the controlling shareholder of the group, and maintaining Xiao Zhizhong's image is protecting his mother's legacy.At first he had to hypnotize himself to pick up the bow, but gradually he got used to it and even found pleasure in it.

But today is different.His performance and his music have been endowed with a more innocent, more romantic, and more noble meaning because of Jiang Tong, and what was once taken for granted has become unbearable.

He could return to the concert hall with his eyes closed, and Jiang Tong's silhouette was clearly visible in the darkness.He leaned forward, staring intently at him, and only him.Xiao Fengtai can do anything for that gaze.

A week later, on the day of the dinner party, he carried his violin on his back and ran away from home for the first time in his life.

Jiang Tong received a call from Xiao Fengtai while operating the centrifuge.

"Where are you?" The teenager sounded out of breath, as if he had just finished a marathon.

"Laboratory" Jiang Tong replied subconsciously, and then realized something was wrong: "What's wrong?"

"Sure enough, I'm working overtime." On the other end of the phone, Xiao Fengtai laughed loudly, with a sense of victory in his laughter: "I'm downstairs from you."

Xiao Fengtai's unexpected arrival made Jiang Tong both surprised and happy, and the surprise was greater than the joy.He hurried downstairs and saw Xiao Fengtai sitting on the steps of the building with a piano case beside him.The suit jacket was thrown on the steps by him, his back was facing Jiang Tong, his shirt was soaked with sweat, revealing the thin and clear curves of two butterfly bones.The light from the laboratory building was neatly cut by the window edges, and elongated and deformed halo-yellow rhombuses were projected on his back, as if the paint was soaked in water, and the luster was dimmed, replaced by a damp and ambiguous chaos.

"Kenneth" Jiang Tong heard himself call his name.He felt that his throat was tight, but his limbs were numb, as if his body had already melted in the hot Nanyang evening, and only a mass of pure spirit condensed in the air.

Xiao Fengtai turned around and stood up, looking directly, the whole person seemed to be fished out of the water.He picked up the piano case, grabbed the expensive suit jacket in his hand, and waved at Jiang Tong casually: "Good evening."

Before Jiang Tong could react, he ran downstairs in small steps and took the coat and violin case from Xiao Fengtai's hands.Worsted wool fabric is grasped in the hand, a smooth and delicate weight, which can modify the figure of the owner of the clothes to be straight and straight, but it is a pity that outdoors on Po Island in summer are no different from a personal sauna.

But no one would be foolish enough to run a marathon outdoors in such a suit.In places where the clothes are fragrant and the temples are fragrant, and the cups and cups are intertwined, the room temperature is maintained at 20 degrees in four seasons, and the clothes no longer need to have any basic functional purposes.

Jiang Tong's eyelids twitched, but he decided to stay still and accompany Xiao Fengtai to continue the play: "Sorry, I thought Chinese class was canceled this week."

"There's nothing to apologize for, it's indeed cancelled." Xiao Fengtai said bluntly.He jumped down the three steps, and the calfskin shoes hit the ground with a crisp click.

He walked forward on his own, as if he was sure that Jiang Tong would follow, and Jiang Tong did catch up with him in a hurry.

"Take me around the school." They walked in silence for a while, Xiao Fengtai said suddenly: "Maybe I will study here—who knows."

Of course you don't.Jiang Tong thought in his heart, and still agreed with kindness.

The timing of Xiao Fengtai's arrival was not coincidental. On the evening of the weekend, the school's most popular museums and libraries were closed to welcome visitors. Most of them were newly built buildings with the same glass curtain wall and fluid arc structure. They looked like crystal palaces under the sea in the dark blue night. Stunning, but after watching too much, it gradually becomes lackluster.Jiang Tong explained a few important points, Xiao Fengtai nodded in agreement, but his expression was dull, as if nothing was necessary.

The school is neither big nor small, Xiao Fengtai lacks interest, Jiang Tong is happy to fish in troubled waters, and ends up wandering around hastily.The school exit connected to Linhai Park, and he bought two cups of iced coffee for Xiao Fengtai and himself at the park entrance.Xiao Fengtai pressed the wall of the cup to his face, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"It's very good here." He said seriously, "I want to stay in Singapore to study."

Jiang Tong put forward a mild objection: "I think you can apply to an overseas school with a better ranking."

Xiao Fengtai sneered: "The ranking is done by the magazine to cheat money."

"Actually, in the final analysis, it doesn't make any difference to me which university I go to or whether I go to university." He suppressed his smile and said gloomily.

"I hate him." He said without thinking, his jaw tensed, and his teeth creaked: "I hate him for always winning, hate him for always being in control."

It seems that there is an awkwardness with the family.Jiang Tong understood, and felt relieved.It is common for adolescents to run away from home for a short period of time in a rebellious mood. Even if he behaved like him, he used the excuse of school tutoring in high school and wandered out late at night. I just cycled around the road and went home when I was tired.

"I don't want to preach, but parents' decisions—especially at your age—are correct most of the time." Jiang Tong said gently: "If you really don't like it, maybe you should respect their attitude instead of confronting your elders head-on , Stick to your own opinions, and slowly let time convince them, the effect may be better."

"I've already passed the rebellious period of youth." Xiao Fengtai said impatiently: "You probably never Googled my father's name."

Jiang Tong didn't seem to feel the sharpness of his words: "The occupational disease of a scholar is to study his own life too much, which is not good for himself or the people around him. If there is anything I need to know about him, sooner or later someone will tell me of."

"It's a good habit, but it just makes you miss a lot of fun in life." Xiao Fengtai nodded approvingly: "I'm too lazy to talk about it, but you can go back and check."

"It's a long, wonderful story."

"His life has nothing to do with me." Jiang Tong said softly: "I only care about the part of this world that is related to me—a very small part."

"Since you are too lazy to talk, it doesn't matter."

Xiao Fengtai stopped, Jiang Tong was two heads taller than him, he looked up at him, his eyes reflected the moonlight like water.

"Jiang Tong" His voice is very soft, very soft, almost drowned in the rustling of leaves and the distant sea waves.

"Do you often talk to people late at night like this?"

There is a smile on the corner of his mouth, very naughty, are his lips so red and plump?Jiang Tong was a little lost. He wanted to use all his strength to suppress his left hand and stop himself from touching the boy's jaw.

"I've had a few times with my friends, but as a teacher, it's the first time I've talked with my students." He heard his own answer.The strange sense of levitation is back.

"Part-time teacher." Xiao Fengtai whispered.

They were very close, too close, so close that Jiang Tong could clearly see the water droplets left by the iced coffee on Xiao Fengtai's cheek.The moonlight and lamp shadows are cut by the tree shadows, and the changing and flowing shadows add an indescribable secrecy and seriousness to Xiao Fengtai's expression.

There was a cool and soft touch from the fingertips, and Jiang Tong trembled all over.Xiao Fengtai took his hand.