TCOR CH16

Chapter 16 It’s a great shot, I love it

To understand the Iliad, it is necessary to understand the beginning of the Trojan War – the Golden Apple.

At the wedding feast of the mortal hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis, the goddess of quarrels, resentful that she had not received an invitation, left a golden apple with the inscription ‘For the most beautiful goddess’.

The three goddesses, Hera, the mother of the gods, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Venus, the goddess of love, argued over the title of ‘most beautiful goddess’. They asked Zeus to decide about the golden apples, but Zeus left the problem to Paris, the prince of Troy.

Hera promised Paris the richest country in the world, Athena the wisest man and Venus the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen.

This mortal woman was the queen of Sparta, one of the Greek city-states, and was so beautiful that Paris, who had long admired her, did not hesitate to give Venus the golden apple.

At the touch of the goddess’ finger, Paris won Helen’s hand and took her back to Troy. This move led directly to an attack on Troy by the Greek allies.

The war lasted ten years, with many deaths and injuries, and eventually led to the destruction of Troy.

The story of the Iliad takes place during the last two months of the war and the main character is Achilles, son of Peleus and the goddess of the sea.

Shen Wunian leaned into my ear and carefully told me about the background of the film and the lives of the characters. In order not to disturb others, he leaned very close to me, and because the background of the film was so complicated and there were so many characters, he almost never stepped back when he leaned over.

I couldn’t help but eat a kernel of popcorn every time he spoke. As he talked, I ate, and at the end of the last film, when my fingertips touched the bottom of the bucket, I was shocked to realise that I had eaten the entire bucket of popcorn by myself.

The subtitles on the big screen were rolling, the overhead lights had not yet come on, and one by one people were getting up to leave. Shen Wunian looked back at the crowd and seemed to be getting up as well.

I grabbed a handful at the bottom of the bucket and pinched a kernel of popcorn and sent it to his mouth, ‘You haven’t eaten it yet, finish it for me.

By this time, the couple sitting to our right had already stood up and were about to leave, Shen Wunian looked at the popcorn in my hand, grabbed my hand and lowered his head to bite into it.

Perhaps due to time constraints, he didn’t bite as precisely, but bit into my finger, the tip of his tongue hooked onto the popcorn kernel and licked it from between his fingers.

The wet touch was like lava, and I was so shocked that I immediately tried to pull my hand back, but the force of his tug on me increased, pulling me in the opposite direction.

It should be bought for you to eat, let’s go, everyone behind us is getting up. He pulled me to my feet and led me slowly through the crowd towards the exit.

I looked at his back and pursed my lips, tightening the bucket of popcorn in my arms.

After all, I hadn’t put the kettle on for more than three hours, and as soon as I left the screening room, I asked Shen Wunian to wait for me at the entrance to the theatre, and then I went back to the washroom.

When I entered the washroom, I had to take off my trousers before I realised I was still holding the popcorn bucket.

I eventually flattened it and threw it in the bin, and after a smooth trip to the toilet, when I washed my hands, I made sure to scrub the parts of my fingertips with hand sanitiser. But for some reason the slippery, wet and hot touch lingered for a long time, including the ear that had long received Shen Wunian’s low murmurs, and no matter how much I splashed it with cool water, there seemed to be no way of cooling it down.

Well, there was no difference on the surface.

Outside it was surprisingly raining, not too hard, but quite densely. In this cold weather, walking back to school without an umbrella, let alone ten or two minutes, would turn you into an icy heap.

I was worried, I saw the theatre under the rainy eaves, Shen Wunian leaning on a long-handled transparent umbrella, looking at the curtain of water falling from the corner of the glass, some out of focus, I do not know what to think.

Around him, people come and go, the sound of rain, the sound of people, all kinds of voices mixed in one place, the product variety of the sky, but he seems to be the world of independence, not the slightest tarnish. Just like New Year’s Eve night, I was in the warm inside, through the window to see him standing in the snow, felt that he was so lonely, so pushed the door out ……

I squeezed through the crowd, walked in his direction, he seems to have some senses, in my distance from him there are still a few steps, turned back to look.

It’s raining, I don’t think you have an umbrella. I’ll walk you back to school. He said, holding his umbrella up to the rainy eaves.

You’re not driving?’ I asked as I stepped into his umbrella.

‘I had a few drinks last night and took a taxi. It was raining when I got here, and this is the umbrella I borrowed from the restaurant, and I have to return it tomorrow.

Originally I wanted to let him give me the umbrella on the line, I walked with him to the curb, sent him to the taxi, he got out right under his house, can not get wet, the result is that he said that this umbrella will have to return tomorrow, I was not too good to open the mouth to ask him to borrow a moment.

Under the street lamp, in the rain, at twelve o’clock in the midnight of the river city street pedestrians are already very few. Shen Wunian and I walked side by side, not too fast, chatting from time to time, talking about the weather and the film, but also about the war.

If it hadn’t been for the golden apple, wouldn’t Troy have fallen?

The scenes of blood and flesh in the film really make your heart pound, and I can’t help but think of those photos of Xu Mastiff. Is the reality of war not just as brutal?

Then there are black apples, blue apples and purple apples. It doesn’t matter what kind of apples, if you want to go to war, a drop of water that crosses the border can be an excuse. Shen Wunian was unimpressed.

‘So the goddess is an excuse, and so is Helen.

‘You’re a man too, don’t you see? He said, ‘How good we are at disguising our desires as crowned ‘apples of gold’.

I was momentarily speechless, lost in thought.

The shoulder got wet. Suddenly, Shen Wunian stretched out his arm and pulled me further into the umbrella.

My thoughts were instantly interrupted, I looked up at him, he also looked at me, smiled and said, ‘In the future, when you walk in the rain with Bai Qi Xuan, you can also use this trick.

Indeed, my desire for Bai Qi Xuan is now well hidden. My heart wants to pick him up, but the disguise is like a brother and sister, and there’s even a special relationship counsellor.

He’s so busy at work, I don’t even know when I can ask him out again after this time. Just thinking about Bai Qixuan makes me sigh.

However, Shen Wunian didn’t seem to be worried, he removed his hand from around my shoulder and said, ‘He left early today, and with a guilty conscience in his heart, he will definitely want to make it up to you. You can offer to let him entertain you at his home, you can have dinner and then watch a film together, a single man and a widowed man, feelings can heat up quickly.

Go to his home? Shen Wunian’s suggestions were always unexpected, as if he was prepared for Bai Qixuan’s every move, well aware of it: ‘Won’t that be a bit sudden?

It won’t be sudden if you come to my house tomorrow for a rehearsal.

Xu Mastiff’s photography exhibition closed yesterday, all the works have been sold, these two days Miss Xu is having people pack the photos, the difference between the specialised art transport company transported to the collectors.

It’s not my turn to pack, I’m only responsible for dismantling various pieces of equipment, restoring the exhibition hall, and I should be able to wrap up the work by three or four o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the latest.

But I still have to go to the Golden Splendour in the evening, I took today off, if I take tomorrow off again, Tony will definitely count me out.

I can only stay until eight o’clock tomorrow at the latest.

Shen Wunian frowned, ‘How much do you pay for an hour’s part-time work? I’ll make it up to you in double.

I immediately refused, ‘I know you have a lot of money, but this isn’t about money.

Then what is it?

I mused, barely holding back two words, ‘Well …… principle. Afraid that he would look for me again at Golden Splendour, I warned him in all seriousness not to spend money there again, ‘Money is precious, you can’t waste it like that, or else money will think you don’t value it and won’t come to play with you in the future.

Money still has thoughts? Shen Wunian raised his eyebrows, obviously not believing.

There is ah, everything has a mind, I have an elder sister who studied medicine, every time we do an experiment we have to worship that machine to say good words to it, other people don’t worship, all failed, only she succeeded again and again, even her tutor felt incredible. We can’t talk about superstition, but we can be materialistic.

So, according to you, the person who doesn’t use money should be the most pleasant to money, will money flow to him in a steady stream?

‘Neither. Money likes to travel, to see here, to see there, to stay in one place for a long time, it gets bored, but it will try to escape. So the best way to get along is still to spend where you should spend and save where you shouldn’t spend, so that we can achieve tension and sustainability.

A good tension and relaxation, sustainable development, listening to the words of the gentleman, thatched. You put ancient times is also an excellent strategist, open mouth can be …… ‘Shen Wunian said to say, to make himself laugh, the hand of the umbrella constantly shaking, water beads are falling on my face.

Aiya, do you know how to hold an umbrella?” I hold his hand, do not let him shake, himself also began to laugh, “really, my elder sister said now with this machine office in BFF, as long as she greeted, familiar with the senior brother and sister experiments can be ……

I also have a carry-on keycaps of senior brother …… hung on his neck, said not to use this keycap, the code will always report an error ……’.

‘I used to have a broken mobile phone, the repair of the phone said it could not be repaired, but I have been praising it, said it Tough, it took another six months it ……’

‘Maybe it wasn’t broken in the first place, it was the phone repair guy who wanted you to buy a new one from him who said it was broken.

‘It’s not ……’

I thought the ten minute drive would be long, but in a few words we were down in the dormitory.

Good night, see you tomorrow. Shen Wunian held his umbrella and watched me enter the building.

I held the door open and waved to him with a smile, ‘Good night, see you tomorrow.

The dormitory building was lit only by a dim white light, and since school hadn’t started yet, the corridors were silent and the hostel aunts were nowhere to be found.

In such silence, the only thing that made its presence known was the dripping rain outside the door. I had already left, but I couldn’t help looking back.

Outside the glass door, Shen Wunian stood on the steps, half sideways, the transparent umbrella hiding his face. Maybe he was taking a taxi, he looked down and fiddled with his mobile phone, not noticing me in the doorway.

The light in front of the door, the light from the street lamp, combined with the reflection of the light from the rain on the ground, made the water mist on the glass door look like an oil painting.

Ghostly, I took out my mobile phone, zoomed in, focused on the door and took a picture of Shen Wunian’s blurred silhouette.

Sister said that photography should always have a theme, but at this moment I do not know what I want to express.

Going upstairs, I looked at my own masterpiece on my phone, not wanting to let it disappear into the world so quickly, and sent it to Shen Wunian in a flash.

How can I make a messy …… today?

Even a face is not there, which is good to see, but also send it to others …… Stopped, I was annoyed and wanted to withdraw, the other end Shen Wunian, but has seen the message.

[I was wondering when you would send it to me.]

So he already knew that I was secretly filming Oh.

My footsteps continued, I thought about the words, added and deleted, felt how inappropriate they were, and finally just sent two ‘bare teeth’ emoticons.

Almost simultaneously, Shen Wunian’s next sentence appeared.

[I like it very much.]