5. Lullaby
◎Doomsday◎
After the symphony under the starry sky that night, some things seemed to start to change.
Liang Chuling started contacting Li Xun more frequently, almost every day.
The reasons vary, but the core idea is highly consistent: I don't want to be alone.
Li Xun accepted all the offers.
It seems he has a special switch for dealing with Liang Chuling; the mode automatically activates whenever she appears.
I would stroll with her, drink with her, and spend an entire afternoon with her in the comics section, listening to her complain about which teacher at school had assigned some insane homework, or what bizarre furniture her mother had bought.
The relationship quickly grew closer through this intensive time together.
Liang Chuling even began to feel that going to see Li Xun was like going back to another home.
One midnight, she woke up with a start, sitting up abruptly.
Could it be that her father is also enjoying this kind of pleasure?
So instead of going back to his own home, he found himself another home outside!
She was so shocked that she couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.
On Saturday afternoon, they had just finished their class with Li Chi when a torrential downpour began outside, accompanied by hail, making a loud crackling sound, like the end of the world.
Liang Chuling recalled the doomsday she knew when she was very young, which was the world-renowned December 21, 2012. She picked up her phone to check the calendar and found that today was also December 21.
She was overwhelmed with emotion!
As Liang Chuling drank the matcha Li Xun had ordered for her, ate the small cakes Li Xun had bought for her, and wore the hair clips Li Xun had bought for her because he noticed her bangs were blocking her eyes, she couldn't help but feel surprised: the end of the world, huh? She was experiencing the end of the world with Li Chi and Li Xun, which seemed pretty good.
Sixteen-year-old Liang Chuling is growing up and maturing normally, but she is still a teenager.
Young people, faced with fantasies of the end of the world, felt no fear, only curiosity.
More than how to survive, they care about who will be by their side when the world ends and danger strikes.
Who she is is very important. Liang Chuling has a vague premonition that whoever she is around will mold her into someone associated with that person.
Who does she want to be molded into what kind of person?
She remains the main character, but the main character can, of course, be changed by someone important, which is incredibly appealing and has endless charm.
"This weather," Liang Chuling frowned as she looked out the window.
The driver took the day off, and she originally planned to take a taxi home by herself.
"Let's go when the rain gets lighter." Li Chi glanced out the window, then turned to Li Xun and said, "Should we take Chu Ling to our house for a while?"
She had things to do at home on her computer, and she didn't have a VPN on her phone. Also, Li Xun hadn't finished his exam paper.
But I really don't feel comfortable leaving Liang Chuling alone in the music room; she's still just a child.
Nevertheless, Li Chi would still ask his son for his opinion.
Home, for her and for Li Xun, is still different.
Neither she nor Li Xun ever invited their friends or classmates to their homes.
Despite their distant relationship, being an independent mother and son, and having cold personalities, they both value the existence of "home" so much.
If Li Xun showed even the slightest hesitation, Li Chi would never have raised the suggestion a second time.
But Li Xun said okay, and even helped Liang Chuling put her water bottle into the side pocket of her backpack, and then picked up the heavy backpack for her.
The three of them took the elevator directly down to the basement level and went from the underground parking lot to their home building.
After arriving home, Li Xun went to the kitchen, poured two glasses of warm water, and handed them to Li Chi and Liang Chuling.
"Thank you." Liang Chuling took the cup and looked around the house with some curiosity.
The area isn't particularly large, but the layout is open and offers excellent views.
The decor remains minimalist, with a lot of white and gray, giving it an impersonal feel.
A row of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stood against the wall, crammed with books and sheet music, along with an upright piano in the corner.
Liang Chuling's own home, thanks to her mother's maximalism and love of buying luxury goods, resulted in a lot of strange and unusual furniture being added to her purchases, making it quite a colorful and elaborate collection.
She had little interest in her own home and hadn't seen many other people's homes, but she felt that Li Xun's family was very warm and welcoming.
Because he was worried that she wouldn't be able to go home and couldn't bear to leave her alone in the music room, he brought her along and invited her to visit.
Like tracing a painting, you copy the original image, but what comes out is your own unique characteristics and understanding.
So this seemingly inhumane decorating style now seems embarrassing.
Seeing her holding the cup in a daze, Li Xun assumed she was bored and said, "Want to read a book for a while? Or watch a movie?"
"Anything is fine." Liang Chuling didn't really care what she did.
Finally, they settled into the sofa in the living room and watched an animated film on the projector.
Li Chi went into the study and closed the door, presumably to handle some work.
Halfway through the movie, Liang Chuling, still not fully immersed in the story, suddenly wondered, "Why is there such a large portrait of Chairman Mao in the music room?"
“My mom idolizes him…” Li Xun answered, and even he felt like he was joking, but it was the truth.
Liang Chuling was naive and believed everything Li Xun said. She nodded and thought Li Chi was really cool, and liked him even more.
Seeing that she looked listless, Li Xun wanted to get her something to eat.
The sofa wasn't big, and the two sat very close together. When Li Xun stood up, the back of his hand accidentally brushed against Liang Chuling's hand. Liang Chuling didn't react at first, but Li Xun grabbed her hand—
The temperature is very high.
Liang Chuling looked up in surprise.
Just as she looked up, Li Xun touched her forehead with the back of his hand.
Liang Chuling was so startled that she lowered her head again.
Looking down, Li Xun noticed that Liang Chuling's ponytail was tilted to one side. From her neck, he could see that she was only wearing a thin sweatshirt, without any fleece lining.
Li Xun felt a little guilty for not observing carefully enough: "You have a fever." He said it with great certainty.
"Huh?" Liang Chuling thought to herself that she was actually quite energetic, and reached out to touch her forehead.
It is indeed a bit hot.
The effect was immediate; I immediately felt drowsy and lethargic.
"I feel so dizzy, Li Xun." The effect was too immediate; Liang Chuling felt her throat start to hurt, and she leaned back on the sofa, feeling like she couldn't breathe.
"Wait for me a moment." After saying that, Li Xun opened the balcony door a little. The balcony window wasn't closed, and fresh air was flowing in. He then poured a glass of warm water for Liang Chuling to drink slowly.
After observing for a while, Li Xun noticed Liang Chuling secretly watching TV while drinking. He wanted to laugh but felt sorry for her, and he wanted to sigh but felt it was inappropriate. He suppressed his laughter and his sigh, and had no choice but to get up and walk away—and also suppress his observation.
Liang Chuling didn't think much of it when he left.
She fell ill once, probably in the middle of the night, and it was the nanny who came upstairs to wake her up in the morning when she realized she was late and hadn't gotten up yet.
Liang Chuling was half asleep and half awake. Thinking that her mother had returned, she clung to the nanny and kept calling out "Mom."
The nanny touched her forehead and then her earlobe with her lips with tenderness.
Lost in thought, Liang Chuling realized she must be a pretty lucky person.
She doesn't like to ask for too much.
She has a family that can support her education, talent that can support her ambition, a healthy body that can recover from every illness, a good state of mind that allows her to accept anyone leaving, a heart that cares for her, and people who care about her with that same heart.
She is so lucky.
She was a little dizzy with luck, but even in her dizziness, she still felt lucky.
"Don't sleep, go to bed. I just changed all four pieces of bedding," Li Xun suddenly said.
Li Chi's house has three bedrooms and one living room, but one of the bedrooms and the study have been combined to create a large office, leaving only two bedrooms.
Neither of them brought any outsiders home; leaving a guest room as a pretense was pointless.
Li Xun could only temporarily settle Liang Chuling in his bedroom.
I opened one window halfway; if I opened it too wide, I was afraid the wind would blow too hard, but if I opened it too narrowly, I was afraid it would create a sharp, piercing draft.
Liang Chuling took her medicine, drank some water, and lay down. A belated dizziness washed over her, and her mind swayed back and forth. A heartfelt question escaped her lips: "Why did you say not to run away, yet you told me to run away?"
It was incoherent and rambling, but Li Xun understood immediately. He leaned down and said softly, "Because he has EVA, a cheat system, and superpowers, while you can only rely on your own strength. Don't try to apply successful models to yourself; that's unfair. You're already amazing."
Liang Chuling couldn't reply; the medication made her drowsy. She only felt someone talking in her sleep in her ear: "Go to sleep, Liang Chuling."
Okay, she replied in her mind.
"Today is the end of the century," she thought to herself.
Liang Chuling did not sleep soundly.
She felt like a small boat tossed about in a storm.
The dream was sometimes cold, sometimes hot, and bizarre and fantastical. One moment it was his father's face, the next it was his mother's back. Finally, it froze on the moment when Li Xun touched her forehead with the back of his hand, the touch feeling real.
In her hazy state, she felt someone gently tuck the blanket around her, and a damp towel was placed on her forehead.
When I regained consciousness, it was completely dark outside the window and the rain had stopped.
It took me a while to realize that this wasn't my room when I opened my eyes.
There was a faint, clean scent that belonged to Li Xun.
She moved around and felt much better.
"woke up?"
The sound came from the doorway. Li Xun leaned against the doorframe but didn't come in.
"Mmm." Liang Chuling propped herself up and sat up, leaning against the headboard. She had changed into a cotton T-shirt and cotton trousers.
"My mom helped you change; your own clothes were soaked with sweat." Li Xun then came in and handed her the cup: "It's warm, pear juice, drink it."
Liang Chuling took it, drinking it while looking at Li Xun.
"What time is it?" she asked.
“It’s past nine o’clock at night.” Li Xun pulled up a chair from the desk and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You slept for more than three hours.”
"Oh." Liang Chuling held up the cup.
The room was quiet; next door was a study where you could hear Li Chi typing on the keyboard.
She also heard Li Xun twist his neck.
There are people around you, near you, each busy with their own lives, not disturbing each other, yet they still exist in each other's lives.
"Are you hungry?" Li Xun asked again. "I made some millet porridge."
Liang Chuling didn't really have much of an appetite, but her stomach growled.
She felt a little embarrassed, but also thought it was only natural!
So she blushed and tilted her head back.
Li Xun smiled and said, "I'll get you a bowl."
He stood up.
"Wait," Liang Chuling called out to him, "Have you been here the whole time?"
Li Xun didn't turn around: "No. I just come in to check on things occasionally."
As Liang Chuling drank her porridge, that strange feeling returned to her.
When you're sick, someone takes care of you; when you're hungry, there's porridge; in a space that doesn't belong to you.
"You can even cook porridge?" she asked, trying to make conversation, unable to imagine what Li Xun's hands, which danced across the piano keys, would look like when he made porridge.
"Yes. I also made the pear soup. I can make other things too. Would you like some?"
"Let me think about it, hehehe." Liang Chuling smiled shyly.
"Don't be shy, I wasn't planning on doing it anyway," Li Xun teased her deliberately.
"..." Liang Chuling wanted to roll her eyes. Who cares!
Li Xun couldn't help but laugh.
Liang Chuling didn't mind and continued, "Your family is doing very well."
Perhaps it was illness that made her vulnerable, or perhaps the pear juice and porridge softened her, but Liang Chuling suddenly felt a little wronged.
“Your home is nice.” She repeated.
Li Xun really wanted to sigh: "Next time you're not feeling well, you can call me."
Liang Chuling looked at Li Xun.
He sat there, the light shining on his face, making him appear lively, even though he himself wasn't that lively.
The lights were like a curtain, but the stage was Li Xun's face—a very dazzling stage. The curtain was half-drawn, and the dividing line was very winding, reminding Liang Chuling of the winding lines she drew with her left hand.
What is being covered up?
The end of the world always seems to come quickly for adults, but it's slow for children—slower than they imagine, and slower than their emotions can process.
But the time spent traveling was cut frame by frame, frame by frame, frame by frame, and the director almost choked up. After he finished choking up, a ship with winding lines sailed out from behind the curtain.
Liang Chuling thought to herself that this ship had carried her through this apocalypse.
After she finished her porridge, Li Xun took the empty bowl and handed her a glass of water and medicine. "Take your medicine and then sleep a little longer?"
Liang Chuling obediently did as she was told.
After she lay down, Li Xun turned off the light for her.
“I’ll be right outside,” he said, pointing to the living room. “Call me if you need anything.”
"Li Xun," Liang Chuling called out to him.
He turned around.
"Thank you." This time she said it earnestly, and not content with that, she added, "You know today is the end of the world? It's okay if you don't, because we've all survived. Thank you. I'll take you away from the apocalypse someday too."
Looking at her, Li Xun inexplicably recalled a comic he had read before.
The comic isn't particularly exciting, but it features a cheerful little girl who, from the moment she's born into this world, is happy throughout the thirty chapters of the comic.
In the dim light, which came from behind him, Liang Chuling could clearly see his face, while he himself could not see Liang Chuling.
Li Xun couldn't see her clearly, but he couldn't help but think of that happy little child, and couldn't help but think that Liang Chuling should be just as happy.
So this time he laughed very loudly, wanting her to see clearly: "Okay, thank you in advance. Sleep well, Liang Chuling."
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