the landlord is a former

——The first time I saw you, you stood there like a fragile treasure, and I suddenly wanted to take you away and hide it.

Half an hour away on the subway, Xia Lan leaned against a corner to avoid being bumped into by others. Even so, the crowded carriage made her feel uncomfortable. She was not afraid of crowding, and she was afraid of crowds, and her psychological fear far outweighed her physical discomfort.But at this moment, the words on WeChat echoed repeatedly in her mind, tears were in her eyes covered by her hair, and her vision was blurred and clear for a while.

Back at the residence, she was limp on the sofa like a puddle of mud, crying bitterly.

That person could easily see through her essence, like a predestined tacit understanding, she didn't dare to think about it.If no one understands her and comforts her, maybe she can survive for a while, but once someone understands her and sees through her easily, then she will have no reason to linger on in the end.

She can't lie to herself.

She is fragile, but not a treasure. She wants to leave and hide, but she knows that there is no such place in the world.

It was getting dark, and the room was dark.

Xia Lan curled up on the sofa, merging into the darkness, and the black dog squatted behind her, greedily sucking the black air of corruption and stench emanating from her body, and then grew bigger and bigger, tightly chaining her.

Every house was lit up with star lights, reflecting large and small light and shadows projected on the walls, the smell of food wafted from the balcony, Xia Lan felt nauseous, her eyes seemed to be covered with spoiled tears, and her eyelashes hurt when she opened them. She turned over, her head was dizzy, and she didn't want to get up again.

Go to sleep.

In every battle, Xia Lan is the winner.

This time she won again, but it took a relatively long time, half a month.

Qiao Lu sent her messages every day, asking her questions about art, and discussing oil paintings with her. Xia Lan replied patiently, working while taking medicine, and her condition improved a bit. Later, she deleted that sentence from the chat history. In this way, what is out of sight is clear, so that you don't always want to look back.

Over the weekend, Xia Lan received a call from Qiao Lu.

"Xia Xia, do you have time tomorrow?"

The man's deep and sexy voice came through the receiver, the tone was gentle and light, like a smooth and round pebble, it fell lightly into the lake of her heart, causing ripples.

Xia Lan didn't know that she had turned into a voice control, so she smiled into the air: "Yes."

"Come to my house?" Qiao Lu also smiled, his tone became cautious, "Draw a portrait for me."

Sure enough, there was silence on the phone for a while.

Qiao Lu was holding the custom-made oil painting from last time, and her eyes fell on the girl in the white dress in the painting. She didn't know whether her eyes were dazzled or her brain had hallucinations. She seemed to see the white dress fluttering, the black hair flying, and the girl running.

Losing her mind, she forgot to change her words and said next time—artistic inspirations come and go without a trace, and she doesn't want to force others to make things difficult for her.

She couldn't help stretching out her index finger, gently stroking the linen, but fearing that it might get stained, she quickly retracted it.Xia Lan's warm and soft voice sounded beside her ears: "Okay."

The girl is always like this, quiet and introverted, with few words.

Wechat, phone calls, reality, all the same.

Qiao Lu was deeply fascinated by this, and wanted to put her by his side, and was even more delighted to hear her promise. He smiled through the phone and said, "I'll pick you up at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Before Xia Lan could refuse, she said, "You can't refuse."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Lu received the name of a subway station, and Xia Lan said that she would be waiting for her at Exit No. [-] at nine o'clock.

The next day was fine, the early winter sun was weak, and there was a bit of biting chill in the damp and cold air, and a little wind blew up.

Qiao Lu came to wait near the No. [-] exit of the subway station early, turned on the heater in the car to the maximum wind speed, and the small space was as warm as spring.

Near nine o'clock, a girl came out of the alley across the road. She was slender, with shoulder-length hair, a large wooden box in her left hand, an easel in her right hand, a backpack on her back, and her steps were as light as swallows.

"Xia Xia."

Qiao Lu opened the door and got out of the car, crossed the road with her eyes on her, stepped forward to take the wooden box in her hand, took her hand naturally, and walked to the side of the car.

Xia Lan shrank her hands, but did not break free.

"It's a bit cold, get in the car quickly, I'll put your stuff." The palm of his hand was cold to the touch, Qiao Lu was afraid that she would be cold, so he quickly opened the trunk, put the wooden box in, patted her shoulder lightly, and took the easel.

Xia Lan hesitated for a moment, nodded obediently, looked at the front door and the back door of the car, and suddenly encountered a difficulty.

It is not appropriate to sit in the co-pilot, and it is not polite to sit in the back.

I don't know if Qiao Lu has a partner, she just sits in the co-pilot like this, the partner should mind, right?But sitting in the back, he seemed to regard Qiao Lu as the driver.

Where should she sit?Strapped to the roof?

"What's the matter?" Qiao Lu put away his things, closed the trunk, saw the girl standing by the door in a daze, and opened the front door for her, "Come in, it's cold outside."

Xia Lan came back to her senses, said thank you in a low voice, took off her backpack and hugged it in her arms, got into the car properly, sat down, and fastened her seat belt.

I hope she won't be seen through what she's thinking.

"I'm single." Qiao Lu turned his head and smiled after sitting down, "Sit in the co-pilot as you please."

"..."

awkward.

The little girl blushed a little.

Qiao Lu lives alone in a duplex apartment. There are many celebrities in the complex, ranging from the [-]st, [-]nd and [-]rd lines to the [-]th line. The environment and location are slightly better than Fu Baiqiu's, but far from the Mid-Levels Manor of Hibiscus House.

The overall decoration style of the house is in cool tones, more black and white are used, the lines of the furniture are simple and smooth, and the placement of the space divides the space structure just right, making it more crowded and less open.

Oil paintings can be seen everywhere in the house, hanging on the wall, placed in the cabinet, leaning against the bar, each one is very familiar.

Xia Lan's eyes were bright, and her heart was rippling.

They are all her paintings.

"Am I a qualified fan?" A lazy and sweet voice came from behind, Xia Lan turned around slowly, and saw Qiao Lu walking towards her with a smile, and there was unconcealed admiration in that smile.

She didn't answer, but bent her lips and lowered her head in embarrassment.

No matter how others praise or express their love, Xia Lan never believes it. She is polite and considerate in face, and laughs it off in her heart.She thought she didn't need to be affirmed or liked, but she was not. She was just too numb, and buried the throbbing deeply in her heart.

It was a wonderful thing to be loved, and it used to scare her.

For many years, she has firmly believed that as long as she is happy, she will be unlucky immediately. There seems to be a certain god in the dark, marking her like a shadow, and now happiness is only fleeting.

The girl is quiet and introverted, reserved and shy, which is what Qiao Lu likes.

I want to take this fragile treasure away, hide it in a place where the world can't see, and then declare that she is my own treasure.

"Have you had breakfast?" Qiao Lu raised his hand, wanting to stroke her hair.

"Hmm." Xia Lan dodged instinctively, realizing that she was embarrassing, so she quickly changed the subject, "What kind of portrait do you want to paint? Half-length or full-length?"

Qiao Lu hung his hand in the air, and put it down naturally, with the same smile: "The whole body, interior scene."

"Then... it may take a long time."

"It's okay, good things take time."

Longer is better, the longer the better, Qiao Lu thought so, and made a small calculation out of selfishness.

Xia Lan nodded and said nothing more.

Because it is custom made, everything from the paint on the canvas to the lighting environment, and even the mood of the creator is very particular. Xia Lan thought that she was in a good state today, so it would be no problem to come here and make a first draft.

Rather than saying that she values ​​each of her works, it is better to say that she values ​​Qiao Lu as a client more.

She now believes that Qiao Lu really likes him.

However, it is enough to like the work. As for the person she said that night, just listen to it. If it is true, it will arouse her physical disgust.

The interior scene chosen by Qiao Lu is very simple.

Standing in front of the French window with a thick white frame, she has her hair neatly done and light makeup on. She is wearing a wine red shirt with a stand collar and long sleeves, a pair of pure black narrow-leg pants, and a pair of stiletto shoes on her feet. Leaning against the window frame, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a goblet, rippling with crystal clear scarlet liquid.

Xia Lan supported the easel and sat directly opposite her. Every time she raised her eyes, the eyes collided and met, and the sensitive cells in her heart were electrified.

She would not believe that this man was 30 years old and didn't look at his eyes.

The sun fell on the top of the woman's head, and the thin bangs on her forehead were like a purple waterfall, slanting straight down, and the shadow hit the side of her jaw, which made her thin face more three-dimensional, and her facial features became more profound.

Her eyes are brown, with a gentle smile flowing in them, full of water, as if it would overflow at any time, and behind the gentleness, there is something buried deeper that is as hard as a rock,

That was something Xia Lan had never seen or experienced. She was magnetism, and she was iron. Every time she looked at her, she had to resist the gravitational force.

She pursed the corners of her mouth lightly, the lines gradually became shallower and deeper, and the flowers bloomed when the clouds cleared away, lazily and wantonly.

Xia Lan was looking at her, she was looking at Xia Lan.

The girl was close in front of his eyes and within reach, but Qiao Lu felt that she was standing thousands of miles away, more like an illusory shadow of smoke.

She sat there, moving the paintbrush, her eyes revealed feelings that did not belong to this world, like a god.

She is a transparent glass doll, dyed with shimmering colors by the sun, she is extremely beautiful, but it will shatter when touched, so she has to be taken care of carefully.

Resisting the urge to touch, just looking at it like this is also good.

On the first day, Xia Lan only started the first draft.

Qiao Lu offered to let her live at home at the right time, and the easel, paints and tools were also placed together. She can also change clothes and put them back to the original shape at any time, which is convenient for her to create.

Xia Lan hesitated.

This full-body painting will take at least half a month to complete, but they don't know each other very well, and they don't have a relationship that allows them to live together.

"Double the price, is that okay?" Qiao Lu said, afraid that the girl would not allow it.

If she knew Xia Lan well enough, she would never have said those words, but if not, Xia Lan also understood, so at the moment when her emotions were about to show, she took it back dangerously.

"No need." Xia Lan raised the corners of her mouth and took a deep breath, "I can live here."

Painting is her dream.

In order not to let her dream become a burden, she tried her best to live, fought against the virus tenaciously, and put herself in the cloak of a normal person.

Not wanting to sell paintings for money, not wanting to take painting as a career, is the last dignity she reserved for herself.

People like her are ridiculous, and they are often the ones who should be ridiculed the most. For example, someone once told her: If you can’t get enough to eat, why do you draw?Noble what?

That person was wrong.

It was color that saved her and kept her alive, not food.

"I'll take you to have your fingerprints taken." Qiao Lu smiled and took her hand.

Xia Lan was flustered in her heart, and said euphemistically, "It's fine if you're at home, I can't draw without you."

This is the truth.

I heard that celebrities are very busy. When she is away, it is useless for her to live here. What is fingerprinting for?

"That's right." Qiao Lu nodded, walked down her steps, and let go of her hand quietly.

Don't worry, take your time.

Xia Lan lived on the first floor, and Qiao Lu's bedroom was upstairs.

She warned herself that she was only staying temporarily and not to cause trouble to others. She would go out early on weekdays and eat all three meals outside. When she came back at night, if Qiao Lu was there, she would continue to draw. If not, she would read books or use her mobile phone. Never remove anywhere except the room, bathroom and living room.

The house will be cleaned regularly by the part-time auntie, and Xia Lan will help to clean it when she meets her, which makes the auntie very panicked and tells Qiao Lu.

Qiao Lu himself was also distressed.

The small calculation was successful, but the progress of the matter was not as good as she imagined. Let alone becoming familiar with her, it was a luxury for Xia Lan to speak to her more than ten words a day.

She complained to Fu Baiqiu and his wife:

"Xia Xia is too sensible, the kind who rejects people thousands of miles away."

"She doesn't seem to like physical contact with people."

"What to do, what to do, it's been almost a week, my idol is still my idol, I have no intention of upgrading to a good friend."

In front of his friends, Qiao Lu is like two different people, he can say anything carelessly, and he has no formality.

Shi Jinzhi ridiculed her for not being able to eat peaches and being anxious, Fu Baiqiu didn't give any advice, just let her go with the flow.

Two bad friends.

Ah.

Qiao Lu didn't know that while observing Xia Lan, he was also being observed.

Xia Lan tried very hard to restrain herself from having unnecessary thoughts, but she couldn't turn a blind eye to the two people who looked up and looked down, let alone staring at each other for two or three hours in a row while painting.

Her piece of rusted iron was drawn closer every day by the magnet, and resistance became more and more futile.

She likes Qiao Lu's eyes, the gentleness with stories in it, and the hard security behind the gentleness.

It turns out that thing is called a sense of security.

For her, a sense of security is the most precious and scarce commodity, but for Qiao Lu, a sense of security is just an accessory of a strong heart.

One day, on a Saturday, Qiao Lu was at home, and his assistant, Ms. Yu, was also there.

They were talking about work in the living room, and Xia Lan sat next to her mixing paint, listening to each other a few times, going in one ear and out the other.Then Qiao Lu suddenly stood up and walked quickly towards the door, the figure disappeared outside the door, the assistant called her from behind, and hurriedly followed.

Xia Lan was stunned, looking at the half-open door before it was too late, hesitating whether to close it or not.

People left, what did she draw?

After a while, Qiao Lu came back, passing through the living room like a gust of wind, Xia Lan subconsciously turned her head to look, and caught a glimpse of her face as cold as iron, her hands trembling, almost knocking over the palette.

The assistant hurriedly followed in and went upstairs with her.

The bedroom door was closed, and Xia Lan vaguely heard the sound of arguing.

Her heart was suspended, and a feeling called anxiety gradually surged, devouring her uncontrollably.

Whenever someone speaks loudly, or an argument breaks out, she becomes anxious, restless, and afraid.Her chest seemed to be stuffed with a ball of cotton, which made her breathless. She put down her paintbrush, supported the wall with one hand, tightly knit her brows, and breathed heavily with her mouth open.

She hated her sharp hearing, the soundproofing of the door was good, but it didn't work for her.

Fortunately, the quarreling stopped soon.

Xia Lan let out a heavy breath, and the mist in her eyes slowly faded away.

The bedroom door opened, and the assistant sister came down, her face was a little ugly, as if she had been wronged, she glanced at her when she passed the living room, she left in a hurry without saying a word.

Xia Lan sat there in a daze, at a loss.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps came from the stairs, she suddenly came back to her senses, raised her head uneasily, and saw Qiao Lu walking towards this side with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Xia Lan stared at her in a daze, and asked in a convulsion, and wanted to slap herself after asking.

How could anyone ask such a question face to face?

Pretend you don't know anything, nothing happened, didn't see, didn't hear, isn't it good?

It's embarrassing now.

"It's okay." Qiao Lu's face changed slightly, and he quickly returned to his smile, which was too fast for people to notice.

Her eyes were as gentle as ever, and the rock-solid things in her eyes stood up, she leaned over naturally, her eyes fell on the canvas, and she couldn't hide her surprise, "Wow, is this taking a photo?"

The light radiated from her eyes, with a sense of warmth, and the smile marks on the corners of her mouth deepened.

The two were very close, and their senses were infinitely keen. Xia Lan heard her regular and steady breathing, smelled the leisurely and intoxicating fragrance on her body, and then felt her heart rate rising steadily, and all the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Looks like you slapped me flat and stuffed it into the canvas, huh?"

Qiao Lu looked at it carefully and was overjoyed, but when he turned his head, he saw the girl blushed as if she was drunk, and thick rouge was applied to her fair skin.

There was a slip in her throat.

"Xia Xia."

"Huh?" The girl suddenly raised her head and met her straight gaze. "Oh, it's almost finished..."

"Then I won't draw today."

"?"

As soon as the energy came up, he didn't care about anything.Qiao Lu straightened his back, gently grabbed her wrist, and said with a smile, "Come with me to the movies."

"..."

Xia Lan doesn't like to go out very much, especially to places with many people.

Being in the busy city made her anxious, tense, and insecure, and her mood deteriorated, ranging from irritability to crying, to dizziness and breathlessness.

But she somehow got out with Qiao Lu.

The city center, commercial street, the most noisy and prosperous place.

Qiao Lu said that he wanted to drink milk tea and eat desserts, but both stores were crowded.Xia Lan didn't know which of her tendons was wrong, and she even offered to queue at the milk tea shop.

There was a huge crowd of people, standing, sitting, chatting, playing with mobile phones, it seemed that everyone was looking at her.

"After you finish shopping, go ahead. I'll wait for you at the elevator." Qiao Lu whispered in her ear, pointed in one direction, and went to the dessert shop after speaking.

This shopping mall is nine floors high, each floor has a large space, there are many shops, twists and turns, and there are two elevators alone.

The direction Qiao Lu pointed is easy to remember. A normal person can see the elevator by turning left and going straight.

Xia Lan forgot that she is not a normal person.

She is afraid of unfamiliar environments and crowds. She is a road idiot, has no sense of direction, and looks the same in everything.

When she came out with two cups of milk tea, she walked for a while, looked around, and found that the decoration style of the surrounding shops was similar, and the uppercase English trademarks were the same. She couldn't find the direction, and she realized that she was lost.

Anxiety surged up, my mind went blank, and I even ignored the fact that I could look up at the signs.

There were a lot of people, coming and going, walking together, talking and laughing, everyone seemed to be looking at her as they passed by her, she stood in the crowd at a loss, flustered and frightened like a fool.

Her eyes carefully searched for faces, none of them were Qiao Lu, and accidentally met someone else's gaze, the moment of embarrassment was enough to break the calm she had worked so hard to maintain.

She is such a useless person.

Why is she here?She wanted to go home, to hide, to cry in a corner where no one was around.

The eye circles gradually turned red, sore and full. Xia Lan walked aimlessly in circles, searching for faces in vain and carefully. It wasn't until she saw someone chatting with a mobile phone that she suddenly remembered that she could make a call.

Stupid her forget it.

She was holding the milk tea with one hand, and was about to put the other hand into her pocket when someone grabbed her tightly.

"..."

Feeling the warmth on the back of her hand, Xia Lan raised her head in a daze, seeing a familiar face with worried eyes.

"Xia Xia—"