Chapter 61 Wish
The lively sounds around me suddenly quieted down.
Tan Xi was also shocked by her roommate's unexpected use of a basic attack followed by a powerful ultimate.
Such a question is completely inappropriate to ask the person in question, but... she can understand why the other person would ask it.
In those live stream clips, just a handful of sand slipping through the sands of time, you can see two people. When you see two people who clearly love each other but gradually miss each other, you can't help but think of this kind of "questioning".
Is it really impossible for them to meet again at dawn and dusk?
They clearly love each other, and even their current way of getting along still seems respectable and familiar.
With such mixed feelings, Tan Xi's gaze fell on the two of them.
Mu Jiu was clearly taken aback for a moment, but after a few seconds of contemplation, he quickly raised his hand to signal Ling Zhao to answer.
"What has happened in the past will always exist, just as it is happening now."
She seemed to be recalling something.
It's normal to feel offended by such a pointed question, but Mu Jiu still looked at them with a gentle smile: "We will all try our best to leave no regrets here."
Everyone understood the underlying meaning.
After a moment of silence, everyone seemed to want to use the lively atmosphere to cover up the "future" that could not be mentioned.
At the end of the interaction, Mu Jiu raised his hand and waved to the noisy crowd, saying, "Everyone, please wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Zhao, who had left halfway, turned around and walked quickly toward the car parked by the roadside, carrying several bags with the milk tea shop's logo.
The bag was bulging and steaming slightly.
The two men, each carrying two bags, walked towards the fans and handed them cups of warm milk tea.
The sweet aroma of milk wafts out, warming both fingertips and heart.
Tan Xi held the warm milk tea cup, feeling a sudden sense of disorientation.
Those two figures had disappeared into the distance at some point.
My roommate next to me finally came to her senses and stared blankly at the group photo on her phone.
Seeing Tan Xi looking at her, she closed her eyes and forced a smile as usual: "Chao Mu is just as I imagined, both of them are gentle and considerate... That's enough, isn't it?"
Tan Xi: "...Hmm."
On the other side.
As the screams and shouts of the crowd gradually faded into the distance, Mu Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although I already knew that the number of fans supporting the Asahi and Mujou pairing was greater than I had imagined, I still didn't expect it.
When she was suddenly asked that question, she immediately recalled interviews from various popular dating reality shows. After thinking hard, she referred to the most foolproof source of nonsense literature.
It seems like an answer, but it doesn't actually address the question directly.
There shouldn't be any problems this time... right?
Just as Mu Jiu was trying to re-examine the plausibility of that statement, a voice suddenly came from a few steps behind him.
"...The production team just notified me that I need to do a post-interview."
Ling Zhao took off her backpack and handed it to her: "You should go back to the cabin first."
Mu Jiu blinked, nodded slightly in surprise, took his backpack from him, and walked towards the cabin.
Several ginkgo trees by the roadside rustled in the wind, scattering golden leaves all over the ground, making a soft, crunching sound when stepped on.
A cool breeze, seemingly from nowhere, swept past my ears.
Mu Jiu subconsciously pulled up her collar, burying half her face in the soft fabric. The faint scent of laundry detergent lingered around her nose, mixed with a faint hint of ginkgo leaves.
After the world quieted down, only her footsteps echoed on the path covered with fallen leaves.
This feeling is a bit strange.
Mu Jiu stopped and looked back.
His silver-gray hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and his back looked broad and sturdy.
...She seemed to have rarely seen his back.
Mu Jiu lowered his eyes.
During those three days, apart from sleeping and resting, she seemed to be able to easily hear his voice and sense that he was by her side.
Although she could feel herself becoming somewhat strange because of last night, she instinctively wanted to distance herself from places where she had been with him and sort out her feelings on her own.
But once the other person left, she suddenly felt a sense of emptiness beside her.
It was as if a gap had suddenly appeared, and cold air rushed in.
...I do seem a bit strange.
Mu Jiu turned around and walked towards the hut.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
My steps toward the post-survey site came to an abrupt halt.
Ling Zhao stood at the crossroads, the wind swirling up the ginkgo leaves on the ground, brushing against his trouser legs.
His hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, and his gaze passed over the layers of golden yellow, landing in the direction where Mu Jiu had just left.
[Ahhhhhh, is this what idol dramas are like? Chao Mu clearly turned around, but just missed the moment when the other person turned around. How can Chao Mu always be so heart-wrenching and so sweet? Waaaaaah!]
[Who understands? This kind of tragic ending, where two people clearly care deeply but neither of them says a word to ask or try to keep the relationship, is really killing me, sob sob sob]
[In the past, I would have definitely questioned whether the production team had a script, but this is Chaomu. Even if it were scripted, I would still kowtow to the director a few times to make them film more!]
The comments section was filled with cries of pain and adoration. On screen, Ling Zhao slowly withdrew his gaze and took out his phone from his pocket with his slender fingers.
The screen lit up, displaying a map sent by the production team that marked "Ex-Boyfriend's Room".
He swiped his finger across the map, his gaze sweeping over the streets and landmarks. Once he was sure it was correct, he put his phone back in his pocket and headed toward the floor indicated.
But the message Mu Jiu sent in the middle of the night kept replaying in his mind.
[mujiu: Based on the usual patterns of dating reality shows, most people start crying after entering the room.]
[mujiu: But we've already broken up, so it's normal to be a little cold towards each other. However, if it doesn't meet the audience's expectations at all, it will raise suspicions.]
[mujiu: So, it's okay if you can't cry in your room. You can go outside and squat down on the stairs, trying to increase your breathing and the feeling of choking. If that doesn't work, try slurping your nose like you're slurping noodles. Anyway, no one will pull you up to see if you're crying or not.]
If it's just crying, he can actually put on a good performance; it's not as bad as when he acts out other expressions...
Ling Zhao stepped onto the last step.
The moment the door was pushed open, my steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
My gaze fell upon the sign in the center of the room.
[The coffee shop where we first met]
On the display shelf by the wall, there was a beautifully framed photograph. The background was a scene he knew all too well: the old coffee shop where he had worked part-time during college, with warm yellow light illuminating the wooden tables and chairs, and two steaming caramel macchiatos on the table.
The camera wasn't pointed at anyone, but it precisely captured a fair hand making a "V" sign at the corner of the table.
The photo frame next to it shows a view taken from upstairs.
Mu Jiu, wearing a strawberry bear plush coat and holding a pink hat, glanced at him sideways. The hat drooped, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. He, on the other hand, was wearing a bright green sad frog coat and tilted his head to look at her.
Further inside, there was a photo of the two of them hanging on the wall. It was a dance studio for two, and a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror reflected their figures. His arm was around her waist, and she was leaning against him in an intimate pose.
He can tell you when and where every photo was taken, but many of them were moments captured without his knowledge.
As the photos passed by, the dazed look in Ling Zhao's eyes gradually faded.
His gaze finally settled on the display stand in the very center of the room—
It was a transparent glass box, inside which was a yellowed notebook.
Dozens of sheets of printed paper were clipped to the thin rope above the glass box.
A breeze slipped in through the half-open window, causing the printed papers to sway gently and make soft rustling sounds.
Upon closer inspection, the swirling words jumped into his eyes.
[I never expected him to accept my confession!!!]
He actually sings very well, I don't know why he doesn't like to sing in front of people.
[He remembered the dishes I liked to eat; the recipes were ones I had shared with him before, and I was surprised that he recreated them to taste exactly the same as what I had eaten.]
He's actually very thoughtful and sensitive, always paying attention to my feelings, but I wish he wouldn't be so reserved and would think more about himself.
[This is his first album release, and I hope that many more people will like him soon.]
[He's a terrible dancer. If he dances like that with other girls on stage at a concert, won't that become a black mark on his record?]
Each time, the words were brief, but as the story progressed, those seemingly light and lively sentences gradually became dull and tiring.
In the last few pages, Ling Zhao's movements as he brushed the pages became even slower.
Why do you no longer say "I miss you" every time you see me? Why do you no longer ask me how my day was? Why... do you never ask me anything?
Why have we become like this?
………………
I hate you.
...In fact, he was not prepared to see such words at all.
Ling Zhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He probably doesn't need to stand outside the door trying to appease the live stream cameras anymore.
He knew perfectly well that Mu Jiu would always put in even more effort to make everything seem to be under her control.
Although she was sometimes a little clumsy, she always watched him intently.
That was probably out of her responsibility to her identity as an actress, or perhaps out of her responsibility to "a relationship," even if "this relationship" was just a contractual ex.
He knew that, which is why... he was unwilling to speak.
When Ling Zhao walked out of the room, the wind he brought with him swept up the slightly cool air in the corridor, masking the faint chill that naturally emanated from him.
The staff member standing guard at the door noticed the lingering melancholy in his eyes and hesitated before stepping forward: "Teacher Ling Zhao, would you like to rest for a bit before the next interview?"
He loosened his collar, his voice devoid of emotion: "It's okay."
The staff member nodded and led him to the next room.
The moment I opened the door, a warm feeling, along with a faint citrus scent, wafted towards me.
The room was sparsely decorated, with a light beige carpet covering the floor. A light brown fabric sofa stood against the wall, and a lamp on the small round table next to it cast a warm yellow glow over the entire room.
After the staff handed him a cup of warm tea, seeing that Ling Zhao's brows visibly relaxed slightly, they became serious again: "Do you know that Teacher Mu Jiu did not choose to come and see the ex's room?"
Ling Zhao paused, his fingers hanging at his sides curling almost imperceptibly, his tone calm to the point of nonchalance: "I guessed it."
The staff member nodded, tactfully not continuing the topic: "When the two teachers wrote their wishes on the plaques in City D, we recorded what they wrote... Did Teacher Ling Zhao think about what her ex might have written at the time?"
"Maybe...it's related to family."
Ling Zhao's gaze fell on the desk lamp beside him, his eyes glowing with a warm amber light: "If she wants to fulfill her wish, she's probably the type who'd rather rely on her own efforts to achieve it."
"Teacher Mu Jiu did say that." The staff member nodded, then stepped aside to clear the projection screen behind him and pressed the switch on the remote control. "But not this time."
Ling Zhao looked up blankly and heard a sound like a gentle stream flowing softly, tinged with hesitation.
"The wishing plaque... was written for Ling Zhao."
As she finished speaking, a wooden plaque swaying in a red silk banner flashed across the projected image.
Those reds resembled fervent prayers, yet also tangled red threads.
The camera then zooms in, focusing on the strong, powerful handwriting:
May all his prayers be answered, and may his future be bright.
[To be able to live again, just for myself.]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com