Shenzhen's lights are like stars, and the night is particularly dazzling. In this eye-catching modern city, Li Qiang (pseudonym) is one of many hard-working people and an ordinary IT engineer. Due to the nature of his work, he travels every month, often for a week.
In his small family, there is a gentle wife Zhang Qian and a lively 7-year-old son Xiaohao. Every time he returns from a business trip, what he looks forward to most is Zhang Qian's warm smile and the heavy love that Xiao Hao threw into his arms. But recently, Li Qiang has begun to notice some subtle changes.
Today, it was another night when he returned from a business trip, Li Qiang dragged his luggage, and when he opened the door of the house, the long-lost warmth greeted him, but soon, his eyes were attracted by a few points of cigarette ash on the balcony.
"Qianqian, what's going on with the soot on this balcony?" Li Qiang put his luggage on the sofa and asked with a frown.
"Oh, that's right, maybe the upstairs neighbor accidentally dropped it." Zhang Qian was busy handing Li Qiang slippers while answering casually.
Li Qiang does not smoke, Zhang Qian has also quit for many years, he knows that the neighbors in the community get along well, and they pay attention to these small details with each other, and it is unlikely that such a situation will occur.
"Aunt Wang upstairs, didn't she go to the United States to see her daughter? This... There's no one at home at this time, right? Li Qiang knew that his wife had a gentle personality and was reluctant to argue with others, but he was still a little uncomfortable in his heart.
Zhang Qian also seemed to notice her husband's displeasure, and hurriedly explained: "Maybe it's a neighbor on another floor." Don't think too much about it, hurry up and take a bath, I have prepared your favorite braised pork for you. ”
Xiao Hao took Li Qiang's hand on the side and changed the topic with a grin: "Dad, Dad, you're back!" Let's go play the game, you promised me last time. ”
Li Qiang smiled and touched Xiao Hao's head, but the string in his heart was still tight. The cozy nest he built did not allow the slightest crack.
After dinner, Li Qiang pretended to be casual and walked to the balcony, pretending to enjoy the night view, and asked casually: "Qianqian, has anyone around you been in trouble recently?" Or, how did we handle Xiaohao's schooling? ”
Zhang Qian sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a book in her hand, and after hearing the words, she looked up and replied with a smile: "It's not troublesome, everything is fine." Hey, don't worry, I'm staring at Xiao Hao's learning. ”
"Well, that's good." Li Qiang nodded, but felt that the cloud of doubt in his heart had not dissipated.
That night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and his thoughts were like clouds in the night sky, unable to stop. In the end, the conflict and confusion led him to make a decision - to install surveillance cameras to see what the secrets of the home really were. On the weekend before the business trip, Li Qiang secretly installed home surveillance to avoid Zhang Qian and Xiaohao as much as possible. He told himself that it was for the safety of his family, even though deep down he was spilling suspicion like a vine.
This business trip was longer than usual, and the pressure of work and the doubts at home were intertwined, which made Li Qiang constantly distracted. He couldn't wait to make sure his guess was wrong, and longed for the home under surveillance to be the warm haven he remembered.
The plane landed, and Li Qiang hurried home. As soon as the door opened, he greeted him as warm as ever, and Xiao Hao also greeted him with a smile: "Dad, you're finally back, I miss you so much!" ”
"I miss you too, baby." Li Qiang reluctantly smiled and picked up his son, but in his heart he was thinking about how to find an opportunity to check the surveillance alone.
At night, after Zhang Qian slept with Xiaohao, Li Qiang found an excuse to return to the study. He turned on his computer, connected to the monitor, and his heart couldn't help but beat faster. In the picture, everything is normal at home, until the appearance of the face-to-face man.
On surveillance, the man walked into their living room, he looked to be in his mid-thirties, and he was well-dressed. Li Qiang watched the man walk around his home familiarly, took off his coat, and sat down on the sofa. Even more unacceptable is that Zhang Qian appeared in the picture, her smile and talking to this man affectionately.
A trace of pain and anger flashed in Li Qiang's eyes, and he saw that Xiao Hao was also in the picture, shouting at the man: "Uncle, will you take me to the park to play today?" ”
The man smiled and agreed: "Of course, Xiaohao, it's always fun to go to the park with your uncle, right?" ”
This conversation pierced Li Qiang's heart like a pinprick, and his doubts poured out like a tide, which was difficult to contain. In the next few days, he tried his best to stay calm, observing Zhang Qian's every move, looking for opportunities to communicate with her.
Waiting for the weekend, Li Qiang finally couldn't help it, he took advantage of Xiao Hao's time to go to the neighbor's house to play, and asked Zhang Qian directly: "Qianqian, is there a man at home often?" Who is he? ”
Zhang Qian was stunned, obviously she didn't expect Li Qiang to ask her so directly. She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, that's my cousin, he needs help with something lately, so I asked him to come over." ”
Cousin? Li Qiang didn't know why, but his anger and suspicion had made him lose his mind, and he asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?" How could he have the keys to his home? ”
"Because you're busy every time you go on a business trip, I don't want to bother you." Zhang Qian's expression was slightly anxious, "As for the key, he helped me take Xiao Hao some time ago, and I gave him one." ”
The doubts in Li Qiang's heart were not solved because of this, but he felt more and more unacceptable. That night, unable to calm his inner impulse, he made a decision - to call the police. He wants to find out, after all, this is not only about feelings, but also about the safety of the family. After the policeman's uncle came to the house, Li Qiang greeted them with some ignorant panic and deep grievances. He confessed his findings to the police, his face a mixture of anger and anxiety.
The policeman listened and took notes, and asked softly, "Mr. Li, are you sure that this man in the family is not your relative or friend?" ”
Li Qiang replied, "I... I really didn't know him, and my wife hadn't mentioned it to me before. ”
The policeman glanced at Zhang Qian and asked softly, "Ms. Zhang, can you explain the identity of this man?" ”
Zhang Qian's face was pale, obviously she didn't expect things to develop to this point, she said in a trembling voice: "He, he is my cousin, he really just came to help see Xiao Hao, because of the pressure of work, he will smoke." ”
The police threw a professional smile: "We will verify the identity of this man." Mr. Lee, do you have any evidence that this man has committed illegal acts? ”
Li Qiang hesitated for a moment, and watched the surveillance video again: "No, there is no illegal behavior, it's just... I don't think something is right. ”
The policeman turned to Xiao Hao again, squatted down and communicated with him on an equal footing: "Little friend, can you tell your uncle that my cousin often comes here?" What does he do? ”
Xiao Hao didn't seem too scared: "When my uncle comes, he will take me to the park to play, buy me delicious food, and help me review my homework." ”
The policeman's uncle glanced at Li Qiang in embarrassment: "Mr. Li, it looks like you may have misunderstood." We will then contact the man to verify everything. Until then, stay calm. ”
After the police left, the atmosphere in the house became silent and solemn. Li Qiang sat on the sofa with his head buried low, while Zhang Qian stood aside with tears in her eyes.
After a while, Li Qiang whispered: "Qianqian, I... I really love you and Xiao Hao, but that man..."
Zhang Qian interrupted him: "I know, I should have told you about my cousin earlier." He's been out of work lately, he's emotionally unstable, and I just want him to have a temporary place to live. ”
Li Qiang said dejectedly: "But why are you even hiding such a thing from me?" Isn't there supposed to be no secrets between us? ”
Zhang Qian hesitated for a while, and said slowly: "I'm afraid you misunderstand, you work so hard, I don't want you to be distracted by things at home." ”
Li Qiang closed his eyes and sighed, realizing that his extremism may have hurt this warm home: "I... I may be too sensitive. ”
The conversation between the two was full of unfinished words and deep helplessness, but there was Xiao Hao's puzzled gaze beside him. Affection and misunderstanding constitute a delicate theater of family, waiting for the final solution. Late at night, Zhang Qian finally mustered up the courage to tell Li Qiang in detail about her cousin's recent situation: after losing her job, she collapsed, and her family relationship was also strained. Li Qiang listened silently, and his heart gradually softened.
"Qiangqiang, I really just wanted to help him, and I didn't expect such a big misunderstanding." Zhang Qian choked up, and her tears couldn't stop falling.
Li Qiang took a deep breath and said slowly: "Qianqian, it's me who is not good, I am too suspicious." Your kindness is the most beautiful I've ever seen, and I even question you. ”
Zhang Qian walked up to Li Qiang and shook his hand: "We are all at fault, we will communicate more in the future, no matter what it is, we have to carry it together, okay?" ”
"Okay." Li Qiang's eyes were also full of tears, "I decided, I will reduce business trips, or try to choose short-distance ones, I can't always let you carry all the family responsibilities alone." ”
In this way, the home was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere again. After that, my cousin got Li Qiang's understanding and help, found a new job, and began to adjust his life in an orderly manner.
Xiao Hao no longer saw his father's nervous expression, but loved to smile even more. Home, as if it has also healed the rift that was once cut open by misunderstanding.
In the days that followed, Li Qiang did reduce the number of business trips and learned to measure the balance between work and family. After dinner, the whole family sat around the dining table, Xiao Hao excitedly told interesting stories about school, and Zhang Qian and Li Qiang gently exchanged small happy moments in the daily life of a family.
On a calm night, Li Qiang looked out the window at the bright moon and pondered, perhaps all these setbacks were to make him understand that the companionship and trust of his family were far more important than his achievements at work.
The haven of home is finally back to peace. Li Qiang closed his eyes, thinking about how many ups and downs were waiting for them to face together in the future, but at least at this moment, they had learned how to love and tolerate each other better. And isn't true happiness in these ordinary and real daily lives?