Chapter 125 Former Residence, Academy, Keeping One's Word The shadows of the two men were hidden by amber...
There were very few vehicles on the road at night, and with the help of a car speeding at the speed limit, the two quickly arrived in L City.
Due to city regulations, the vehicle's autonomous driving function was automatically turned off upon entering the city of L, and control of the vehicle was returned to Fu Ze.
On their way to Maple Leaf Hospital, the two passed by the submarine station, their first stop upon arriving in L City.
Looking at the brightly lit and bustling platform day and night, Fu Ze was filled with emotion.
Perhaps this is what they call "things have changed, people have changed".
Of course, the only one who is "not" is himself; Hara Miki is still the same Hara Miki.
Looking in the rearview mirror, Fu Ze suddenly noticed that Yuan Jianxing, who had been resting with his eyes closed, had now sat up and started looking around.
Recalling Yuan Jianxing's words, "I want to take you to a few places. Places related to me," Fu Ze asked, "So? Where are you going to take me during this time before the operation?"
Yuan Jianxing didn't answer, but instead said directly, "Right now, move aside."
Fu Ze readily followed the other party's instructions and parked the car steadily on the side of the road.
Before Fu Ze could fully climb out of the car, Yuan Jianxing, who had gotten out first, grabbed his hand and led him toward a narrow alley.
Fu Ze hurriedly slammed the car door shut, saying with a wry smile, "Slow down, my legs aren't as long as yours right now."
Yuan Jianxing immediately pointed out: "It clearly didn't exist before."
Fu Ze: "...Okay, okay, you're right, let me have a turn."
At the same time, he also decided that he would no longer allow Hara Kensei to drink alcohol.
After walking for about two blocks, Yuan Jianxing finally stopped and pointed to a courtyard covered with vines, saying, "This is where our family lived before my father came back to L City to recuperate before he passed away."
Although Fu Ze had some guesses about where he might be led, logically there was a considerable difference between what he "expected" and what Yuan Jianxing "witnessed" firsthand.
“The house was inherited from my father’s ancestors. We originally planned to sell it, but my mother wanted to return here to live out her old age, so we kept it.”
However, judging from the state of the vines on the gate, this place has probably been uninhabited for a long time.
Yuan Jianxing lived in V City for a long time because of work, so Yuan Jianxing's mother probably didn't want to be reminded of those memories.
What a waste of such a good location.
As Fu Ze made this guess, Yuan Jianxing reached out and plucked the sparse, yellowish-green leaves.
The leaves in this state are very resilient, and no matter how many times he pulled them, he couldn't clear a clean field of vision.
"Hey, hey, stop messing around, you can see it here too." Pressing down Yuan Jianxing's hand, Fu Ze gestured to the stacked wooden crates next to him.
Then, the two grown men helped each other up onto the rickety pile of wooden crates and peered over the wall.
Behind the locked gate was a gravel path overgrown with weeds, at the end of which stood a classic two-story brick building in the L City style.
A piece of land has been artificially reclaimed next to the small building.
Judging from the types of tools placed beside the land, most of this area was used to grow vegetables, while a small portion was used to grow flowers.
A wooden archway was also built next to the flower planting area.
By observing the withered branches clinging to the cracks in the wood, it's not hard to imagine what a magnificent sight this place would be when the flowers bloom.
"Although it's a place to live, I haven't actually spent much time here." Hara Mihoshi's tone carried a hint of nostalgia.
“Yes, you told me that.” Fu Ze replied softly, “You study in V City from Monday to Friday, and only return to L City on Saturday and Sunday.”
“On rare occasions when we are together, my father and I would play together in the garden, and my mother would paint under the arcade next to it.”
Fu Ze suddenly perked up.
Wouldn't that mean I could see what Hara Mihoshi looked like as a child?!
Could it be like the little kid I imagined back then, dangling his leg and clutching his schoolbag on the intercity train?
Just when Fu Ze thought Yuan Jianxing would take him inside to find two paintings to look at, Yuan Jianxing said, "After my father passed away, my mother burned all the paintings about him and focused on commercial creation to save up for my tuition."
Unlike the detached tone Hara Mihoshi used during their first conversation, this time his words were tinged with obvious sadness.
"And I followed her wishes and officially transferred from V City to L City."
At this point, Yuan Jianxing jumped down from the wooden box and opened his arms to Fu Ze above.
"We don't have much time today, but there are still several places I'd like to take you."
In L City, which had lost its light and faded into varying shades of gray, Yuan Jianxing's deep blue eyes appeared so profound.
And in this deep and secluded place, a person's shadow was fully displayed.
"Let me borrow the key from my mother later, then we can go in, okay?"
Fu Ze didn't stand on ceremony and jumped directly into Yuan Jianxing's arms.
"You're the host, so we'll do whatever you say."
His arms wrapped tightly around Hara Mihoshi's neck, trying to embrace the little Hara Mihoshi from many years ago.
After being placed on the ground by Yuan Jianxing, Fu Ze very tacitly took the hand that Yuan Jianxing offered, and the two started running together.
Since entering this world, this seems to be the first time that Fu Ze has no idea where he will go, who he might meet, or what he will do, but he is not worried at all.
Because Hara Miki was right next to him.
Along the way, their shadows were stretched and shortened by the amber streetlights, as if they were shuttling through the gilded folds of time.
Their footsteps splashed up the remaining rainwater on the road and startled the flock of pigeons roosting on the billboards.
The wind filled their clothes, making it seem as if the two of them were lightly leaping between buildings and stars.
As they passed a 24-hour laundromat, the two figures were swept into the dazzling foam of the washing machine drum.
Among thousands of bubbles, thousands of them run side by side, stepping on the same frequency in every universe that exists only for a fleeting moment.
This time, the two ran a longer distance than last time, so long that Fu Ze was a little out of breath.
Even Hara Mihoshi's chest heaved slightly.
After stopping again, Yuan Jianxing pointed to a magnificent gate that looked quite old: "Here..."
"Wait, wait, wait." As he stood up, catching his breath, he looked up and saw the name engraved on the building next to him. Fu Ze made a stop gesture. "You don't actually attend that Nuberlin Conservatory of Music, do you?"
Yuan Jianxing nodded.
"So how did you get the letter of recommendation?" Fu Ze asked humbly.
If Lilith Lee is telling the truth, this thing should be very difficult to obtain.
If I can replicate the way the original star obtained the recommendation letter, perhaps I can use this opportunity to get closer to Raven.
Yuan Jianxing stated confidently, "My father is an honorary graduate of the Nubernaya Conservatory of Music, so as his child, I don't need any additional recommendation letters; I only need to pass the entrance exam."
……OK.
Being born into the right family is also a matter of luck.
Suddenly, Fu Ze noticed something amiss. "But I remember you said you only started learning the saxophone after you transferred back to L City."
“That’s right. Considering my father’s influence, the school made an exception and gave me a three-month grace period, even though I had never played a musical instrument before.” Yuan Jianxing said frankly, “That’s when I started learning.”
"You passed the entrance exam after only three months of study?" Fu Ze was greatly shocked.
"It was just luck," Yuan Jianxing said calmly. "We can't rule out the possibility that other factors played a role."
Fu Ze was filled with awe.
No wonder Harami Hoshino commented that Lilith Lee was "lacking in talent," because he was once a true genius.
After leaning against the railing and recounting a few more interesting stories that had happened at school, Yuan Jianxing led Fu Ze to the next location.
Based on Hara Mihoshi's life experiences, the next location would naturally be—
“Juvenile detention center.” Standing on the hillside, Yuan Jianxing pointed to the low concrete building below. “The right side is the administrative area, used for visiting guardians and interrogations. The left side is the detention area. I spend most of my time on the left side.”
After visually estimating the distance between the two, Fu Ze asked in shock, "Then how did you manage to expose those who lied to the executives, and ultimately be discovered by Xu Xiezhi?"
"When leaders came to inspect the area, the juvenile detention center, in order to demonstrate the success of its quality education, made me perform." Yuan Jianxing's tone was full of contempt and disdain.
“I performed well during rehearsals and was chosen to be the leader. But when it came to the actual performance, I deliberately played every note out of tune and ruined their performance. As a result, I was put in solitary confinement in the administrative district.”
Fu Ze clicked his tongue in amazement.
Yuan Jianxing has the nerve to criticize himself for not knowing "properties"? When he rebelled, didn't he rebel in a big way?
The pot calling the kettle black.
“Coincidentally, the place where I was detained was separated from the interrogation room by only one wall.” Yuan Jianxing used a twig to draw a simple layout of the juvenile detention center’s administrative area on the ground. “And because the room was enclosed by light steel keel and plasterboard, the sound insulation was not very good.”
"The boy who was interrogated by Director Xu, who was then the deputy detachment leader, usually slept in the same bunk as me. When Tian Chen wasn't supervising him, he would gang up on me and bully me, while also bragging about the dirty deeds he had done."
Fu Ze raised his hand and asked, "Did he ever bully you?"
“He thought about it,” Yuan Jianxing said with a smirk, “but he backed down after he found out why I was in here.”
Fu Ze could understand that.
He also had a previous experience of finding himself in prison after completing the "death and rebirth" ritual.
In prison, there is a natural hierarchy among criminals who are admitted for different crimes.
Generally speaking, those who kill or commit arson out of revenge are ranked first, those who commit economic crimes are ranked second, and those who commit other crimes are ranked last.
A juvenile detention center is nothing more than a small prison.
"Although that person presented himself perfectly, I still managed to find the flaws in his repeated attempts."
Yuan Jianxing's expression was a half-smile.
"But I didn't expose it right away; I was waiting for an opportunity."
“I made my move when he was facing Director Xu.”
Fu Ze was deeply moved.
There may be some coincidence involved, but who can say that these things have nothing to do with the efforts of Hara Mihoshi himself?
How different is real life from so-called fake simulations?
"You should know what happened next." After all that commotion, Yuan Jianxing finally collapsed from exhaustion and sat down on a rock on the hillside. "That's how I was chosen by Director Xu and brought out to become an executive officer."
Fu Ze asked, "Have you ever thought about picking up the saxophone again? Even if you don't use it to make a living, you can still keep it as a hobby."
"No." Supporting herself with her hands behind her back, Yuan Jianxing looked into the distance. "I've thought about it later. If I hadn't listened to my mother and learned the saxophone, would she have become so extreme, and would she have..."
He took a deep breath and continued, "That way, I wouldn't have gone insane and ended up in a sanatorium after being expelled from the Nuberon Music Academy."
Fu Ze immediately apologized: "I'm sorry."
"That's all for now regarding L City. If you want to know more about my past, I'll have to go back and check which cases have been declassified..." Yuan Jianxing looked intently at Fu Ze, "and then I'll tell you more."
“Okay.” Fu Ze sat down next to him, leaned his head on Yuan Jianxing’s shoulder, and said softly, “The chief must keep his word.”
If he had previously hesitated about how he, as the GM, should handle the world, he has now made his decision.
Regardless of Yuan Jianxing's true identity, I must protect Yuan Jianxing, and in doing so, I will also protect Yuan Jianxing's past, present, and future.
He assured me.
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Author's Note: Wishing all readers a Happy New Year! [cheering emojis]
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