Clouds and the Moon

Wen Zhuyao shook their clasped hands, a smile on her face, her eyes reflecting the other person's gaze: "Of course not, I miss you very much."

"I see."

Mo Wen didn't say anything more and just sat there side by side.

When it was almost time, Wen Zhuyao got up and walked inside. The brief reunion brought a sadness that seemed out of place.

"I'll leave it here." She turned her head, suppressing the tears welling up, trying to remain calm, not wanting a single tear to ruin the relaxed atmosphere she had created.

The tears she wanted to shed were hidden by the hug, and she secretly wiped them away.

Mo Wen gave him a final hug, a hug he wanted to etch into his memory, along with the tears he wiped away. He said, "Alright, I'll go back after I see you go over."

"Okay, text me when you get home. Remember to eat. Getting back at this time won't be too late." Wen Zhuyao glanced at the time; it was his usual mealtime when they were together.

Wen Zhuyao waved to him, turned around and walked towards the security checkpoint. She had never been here before and was unfamiliar with the layout, so she didn't know which way to go.

She asked the staff and got specific directions.

The gazes behind him remained fixed on her until she disappeared from sight, and only then, with nowhere else to look, did they reluctantly look away.

Wen Zhuyao joined the queue and felt relieved. She glanced at her phone and saw a message from Mo Wen.

Did you get the wrong person?

"Don't worry, just ask someone. Don't be afraid."

"I can't see you anymore, I'm going back."

Now, when she sees these things, tears fall like beads from a broken string, one by one, and when she reaches out to catch them, they all slip through her fingers.

She can't clean it properly.

But still outside, in a public place, Wen Zhuyao took a deep breath and cleared her mind to stop thinking about these things.

Calm down.

Things can't be forgotten, they'll always exist. She thought of the lollipop in her bag again, the candy that had been put inside.

"I heard you liked it before, so I bought it when I looked for you, but I forgot to give it to you. I'm giving it to you now." Mo Wen handed her the orange-flavored lollipop the first time he saw her.

Watching her put it in her bag, I quietly put my hand down.

Wen Zhuyao looked away, her head bowed. She packed the bag when it was handed to her, took it, and walked out, her emotions fluctuating.

Just like tears that can't be wiped away, farewells can't be wiped away either.

Throughout the journey, she was constantly filled with feelings of unfamiliarity, curiosity about her surroundings, searching for direction, and brief moments of sadness.

"I've passed through security. I miss you so much." On her way, she chose to reply to the message, choosing not to suppress her emotions when she could control them.

A reply appeared on her phone very quickly.

"I'm on the subway, how are you?" Mo Wen went downstairs from the airport and got on the subway. After a few stops, he had to transfer.

Wen Zhuyao looked at her location and replied, "I'm at the Satellite Terminal MRT station, waiting for the train."

"Just focus for now, and come find me when we get to our resting place." Mo Wen was afraid that she would get distracted and not realize that she had gone the wrong way.

He couldn't be there to help immediately.

Wen Zhuyao replied with relief, "Understood."

She boarded the bus, which was packed with people, many of whom were on their way to their destinations, just like her. This sudden feeling brought her a sense of peace.

Wen Zhuyao didn't send another message to Mo Wen until she found a place to rest. She also took out the candy from her bag, opened it, took a picture, and sent it to him.

“I ate this candy, and now I’m waiting. It should take no more than an hour.” Wen Zhuyao also attached a photo of the ground.

It was already late, and through the transparent glass, she could see the dark night. The airport was also dark, and the air conditioning was on full blast, with a chill lingering around her.

Wen Zhuyao pulled her coat tighter, and as she quietly waved, she unexpectedly caught a familiar scent. She brought her sleeve to her nose and sniffed it. She wasn't mistaken; it really was that familiar smell.

"My clothes smell like you!" Wen Zhuyao sent him a message, quite amazed, sharing the news with him.

Mo Wen opened his phone and looked at the photos that had been sent, one by one, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions: "I have your scent on me too."

"It's good that you've arrived. Be a good boy and wait a little while. I'll be home soon."

Wen Zhuyao sent an emoji and typed with her legs crossed: "Okay, you can focus on your ride. I'll contact you again before I board the plane."

"No, you haven't left here yet, so let's not stop talking." Mo Wen's thinking was simple: as long as they were still in the same city.

They didn't separate.

It cannot be described as separate.

The sweetness in Wen Zhuyao's mouth couldn't mask the sourness in her throat, nor could it conceal many things: "Okay."

The passage of time is hard to explain.

The conversation continued intermittently until Wen Zhuyao found a seat and sat down, at which point it finally came to an end.

Wen Zhuyao bid a reluctant farewell and switched to flight mode, unlike when she arrived.

Or perhaps it's nighttime.

This time she fell asleep quickly and soundly, and some of the situations that had occurred when she came did not reappear at this moment.

During this time, Mo Wen also arrived home safely, facing two pairs of curious eyes.

He confessed to it.

"Is there any food left?" Mo Wen still had to ask, to get the conversation started.

Mother Mo grabbed a handful of melon seeds: "Yes, you can begin your performance now."

"I'm in a relationship. She came to see me on my two days off, and I spent the time shopping with her. Today, I took her home."

Mo's mother stopped eating sunflower seeds, pondered for a moment, and said, "That's someone I knew before, you..."

"Yes, we met while playing games. We went out to play together during the National Day holiday, and she was there too. That was around that time." Mo Wen readily admitted and went to get some food.

"That's good, don't move," Mo's mother put the sunflower seeds back, "I'll give you an extra treat."

Mo Wen: "..."

Wen Zhuyao opened her eyes groggily, got up and followed the crowd, picking up her luggage.

"I've gotten off the plane, I'll take a taxi as soon as I get out."

She let everyone know she was safe and then just followed the crowd to a random place.

Upon arriving at the entrance, I found the place somewhat unfamiliar.

Wen Zhuyao blinked and walked out, reaching the roadside to open the app and prepare to call a car.

A nearby driver approached and asked, "Do you need a taxi? The car is right here, you can just get in and go."

"No need." Wen Zhuyao refused and walked a little further, finding a place where there weren't many people.

It's still inevitable that some people will come up and ask if you're going to leave.

The software showed that the order was successfully accepted, even though the distance was not far and it should only take three to five minutes, but the delivery was incredibly slow.

Wen Zhuyao couldn't help but seek comfort from Mo Wen, as she was still very scared to face it alone late at night.

"I was outside trying to hail a taxi when so many people came up to me asking if I needed a ride. It was scary."

"Why are you so slow? Are you afraid I'll cancel my order?" Wen Zhuyao seemed to have discovered something. This was the first time she had chosen a flight that landed at night; before, she would have taken the subway earlier to go home.

I've never experienced anything like this before.

Mo Wen had already packed up and returned to her room by this time. When she saw the message, she asked, "Do you want to call? I'll go with you."

"It's alright, the car is here now."

Wen Zhuyao was too lazy to take out her earphones and refused to come: "My earphones are in my bag, I don't want to find them."

"How about I chat with you, or what do you suggest?"

She kept watching the location and noticed that the GPS showed the car had moved. Wen Zhuyao walked forward a bit, reached the front of the car, and got in.

"It's okay, get on the bus." Wen Zhuyao sent her the message, then turned to look out the window.

The feeling of motion sickness surged up again.

She hadn't taken her medication beforehand and had slept in, so she was in a dazed state and felt quite dizzy.

Mo Wen was completely relieved. He put his phone on the table and just stared at it, waiting for the next message.

It took Wen Zhuyao an hour and a half to get home, and it was almost midnight. She quickly packed her luggage.

I hadn't even had a chance to take off my coat.

Just as I was about to take it off, I smelled that scent again.

Wen Zhuyao felt she couldn't hold back any longer. She took a dejected shower, hugged her coat, and after she finished, she sent a new message to Mo Wen.

"I miss you so much, I feel like I can't control my emotions, why don't you cry?"

"I didn't see you cry when I left. How did you control yourself? Tell me so I can learn from you."

Mo Wen's tears were like the moon in the clouds—they existed, yet remained unseen.

"A video?" His eyes were red, and his voice was muffled.

Wen Zhuyao looked at the time she had finished packing; it was past 2 a.m., and it was still a weekday.

"You sleep, I'll sleep too, it'll be fine after a while."

She'll feel better soon. For two days in a row, Wen Zhuyao relied on her coat to calm herself down. Whenever she had free time, she would think of one thing: how empty she was around herself.

Taste can be both comforting and a key trigger for pain.

Besides these, the videos went from being infrequent to being watched frequently; I would watch them whenever I had time, even if it was only for a few minutes.

After that, we simply stopped interfering with each other and put our work aside by turning off our microphones.

Until the coat really needed to be washed.

The flavor is about to disappear.

Wen Zhuyao knew she couldn't continue like this, so she told him, "I need to wash my coat, otherwise it won't smell like you anymore."

She took a picture and sent it to him as a keepsake.

Then I simply threw it into the washing machine and tidied up the room while I was at it.

They rallied again.

Instead of asking, he would say encouragingly, "Great job! Reward someone as great as you with a gift."

"Remember to sign for it at the door in half an hour. I'm busy for a bit."

After reading the message on her phone, Wen Zhuyao replied with an emoji and continued working.

I took a moment to grab the surprise gift at the door.

It's not obvious from its appearance, but it should be food-grade. It says to keep it refrigerated.

Wen Zhuyao stuffed it directly into the refrigerator and continued working. After finishing today's quota, she went to hang up the clothes and wiped the floor.

Takeout ingredients.

After settling everything in, I checked the gifts in the refrigerator and found a special cake.

Wen Zhuyao carried the game to her computer desk, opened the game, and prepared to log in and do her daily tasks.

I watched a movie while eating, and then left the game running to complete tasks.

Private messages kept popping up.

Chi Nuo: "I've finally met you, Xiao Zhu... Zhu Zhu!!"

"I'm so tired of my mom nagging me. I just had a job interview less than a month ago, and she's already finding fault with everything I do."

"I really wish I hadn't started school early, otherwise I would have gone back to school a long time ago."

"I'm going crazy."

Seeing her state and thinking of her stubborn aunt, Wen Zhuyao suggested, "Why don't you come over here and stay for a while?"

"Anyway, I'm going back in December. It's almost Chinese New Year, so it'll be perfect if I go back with you then."

Chi Nuo rushed over, holding up an emoji, blinking her eyes, and asked, "Really?"

"Would it be too much trouble for you if I contacted you..."

Although she can be said to have cheered up now, she still needs something to shift her focus before she can say goodbye completely.

"It's no trouble at all. Just say you'll come next time." Wen Zhuyao didn't think it was any trouble, regardless of whether there was a reason or not.

If Chi Nuo comes over, I can stay by her side and play with her, which will help her as well as myself.

There are two rooms, one of which is a private space, so it won't cause any problems.

Chi Nuo jumped up happily, waving her arms and legs around the room: "I'll go talk to you right here! It's still you, my darling!"

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Wen Zhuyao continued eating cake, watching movies, and idling her quests, waiting for her reply.

I only realized she hadn't responded when I was halfway through my meal.