self
A vast array of fireworks burst forth on the horizon.
Brilliant, colorful, dazzling, and radiant.
With a large number of tourists during the summer vacation, the Qincheng government does not disappoint them by setting off fireworks every night at public expense, provided the weather is good.
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the malfunctioning brakes in the vehicle of life had regained their function.
Zhu Shiyi couldn't help but close his eyes.
The fireworks were dazzling and spectacular, creating a vibrant and bustling atmosphere.
It seems she has caught on.
...
Human perception is amplified infinitely at the moment when the body resonates with the soul.
But when the thought is about to press the shutter, this feeling vanishes in an instant.
Zhu Shiyi opened his eyes.
There's a kind of fleeting emotion called "gaining and then losing."
The last burst of fireworks vanished in an instant.
The ephemeral beauty in my heart seems to bloom only briefly, fleeting in the blink of an eye.
It's that feeling of receiving something.
Like fireworks, it vanishes in an instant, leaving no trace.
Yet it is etched in my memory.
It is desire.
...
Zhu Shiyi suddenly became certain.
Face your inner desires.
With glazed eyes, she gazed at the night sky.
The fireworks were vibrant, but they couldn't overshadow the gentle moon.
The moon is bright and the stars are few. The moon is almost full, and the stars seem unable to blink. Only one lonely star, whose whereabouts are unknown, can be faintly seen.
"When one is in a state of self-awareness, one views things through the lens of self, and thus all things are colored by my own image."
People often see mountains as not mountains and water as not water.
But a mountain is clearly a mountain, and water is clearly water.
Why is the clamor of last night now silent, and the stars of tonight so lonely?
—Because everything is colored by my own image.
It's the desires in your heart that are causing this.
So, who am I?
...
Zhu Shiyi squinted.
She seemed to hear the wind.
The wind rose, and the waves roared; the clouds surged, and the dark clouds dispersed.
She also heard the footsteps of pedestrians, sometimes bright, sometimes quiet, as if they were tiptoeing and almost lost their footing.
As the fireworks fade, the brightest stars shine through.
She even forgot to blink.
The moon's halo grew increasingly blurry.
Beside the star, countless stars appeared, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, indistinct, small and faint.
But it is true and real.
Zhu Shiyi blinked, and Xingzi suddenly disappeared.
Unwilling to give up, she opened her eyes wider and once again tried to stare at that bright star.
Other stars reappeared.
Zhu Shiyi's eyes stung, but she couldn't bear to blink. She pointed to the star in the sky and said softly, "...There's actually a star."
Lin Changren looked over and asked, "How come I don't see it?"
“That one, the brightest one, if you keep staring at it, you can see a lot of little stars around it,” Zhu Shiyi discovered a new world, “I have never seen so many stars before.”
Yuecheng is an emerging technology city, where there is no night or stars among the modern buildings.
"Let me see," Lin Changren squinted, his tone suddenly rising, "There really is one!"
Pan Yue also looked at that star.
Just look at that one, and you'll find you're not alone.
"Let's play some music," Zhu Shiyi said, pulling out her phone. "It'll feel better with headphones on; the sound quality from the phone's speaker isn't as good."
“Use mine,” Pan Yue unlocked the screen, “panoramic sound effect.”
Zhu Shiyi didn't mince words: "Do you have a membership?"
Pan Yue: ......
Pan Yue: "Recharge now."
Zhu Shiyi: "It's okay, I have some, use mine."
Pan Yue fiddled with the phone for a bit, then turned his head and handed it to him: "Done."
Zhu Shiyi: ......
"Efficiency." She gave a thumbs up.
Zhu Shiyi found a few songs, put them in the playlist, and played them on repeat.
"I've allowed time to spread wrinkles, and I've tightened my grip on the things I care about."
Her starry eyes sparkled.
Its body is firmly planted on the ground, like a tree. Though not large, it can take root and sprout, both downwards and upwards.
It stretches out into the universe, connecting with the starry sky.
"Mommy, look what those three people over there are doing lying on the ground?" Zhu Shiyi vaguely heard a little girl's question.
It's really strange, isn't it? It's lying flat on the street.
"They...the older brother and sister, are lying on the beach meditating. Would you like to try it?" The little girl's mother said this unexpectedly.
"Yes!" the little girl said excitedly in her soft, childlike voice.
Hmm, maybe it's just weird.
But so what? It doesn't bother anyone. I can lie down whenever I want, as long as I'm comfortable.
"Because you will live vertically and linger horizontally."
Humans cannot defy the laws of nature; we cannot escape time, we can only acquiesce to its passage and live life vertically.
But what Shuiping cherishes most is his youth.
It is eternal.
......
Lin Changren received a phone call.
His maternal grandmother was angry that he didn't even greet her when he arrived in Qincheng, and told him he had to come back for dinner the next day.
“Oh no, I still have to work tomorrow,” Lin Changren said helplessly. “My home is very far from here, it takes almost two hours to drive there. I didn’t tell my grandma because I was afraid she would call me to eat.”
“The old lady prepared so much food, and she couldn’t bear to throw it away even though she couldn’t finish it. I don’t know how many days it will take for her and my grandfather to eat this meal.”
“The older generation is reluctant to waste food, and they are afraid that we younger generations will go hungry,” Zhu Shiyi frowned slightly, “but I really can’t bear to see them eat the leftovers.”
“Yes, I try to persuade them every time, but there’s nothing I can do,” Lin Changren stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes. “I can only go earlier tomorrow and stop them before they start cooking.”
“Old Pan is up,” Lin Changren said, rubbing the sand off Pan Yue’s legs. “Let’s go together tomorrow. We’ll rent a car, go have lunch, and then come back to the coffee shop in the afternoon.”
“We have a lot of things to do.” Pan Yue frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with the decision, which was affecting his work.
“My grandma asked for it,” Lin Changren squatted down and tugged at Pan Yue without saying a word, “We have to give her face. Let her try the old folks’ cooking.”
Pan Yue shook off the tugging and pulling.
He stood up and agreed: "You drive, I'll look at the plans on the road."
Zhu Shiyi also stood up.
The kite, lying on the ground like a plank, was wrinkled and looked rather wicked.
Zhu Shiyi picked up the kite with disdain: "Do you want this kite?"
It's 25 yuan, it would be a real shame to lose it.
It's useless to have it.
"No." Lin Changren shook his head.
Suddenly, he looked in the other direction for a few seconds.
"Give it to me." Lin Changren reached out his hand to her.
Zhu Shiyi watched as Lin Changren, holding the kite she had given him, walked towards an old man leading a little boy.
Zhu Shiyi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So impressive?"
What if people think I'm trying to kidnap a child? Or what if they don't want the child? That would be so embarrassing.
She unwittingly got caught up in internal strife for others.
“It’s resolved,” Lin Changren said, patting the sand off his hands. “Let’s go back to the hotel and take a taxi.”
Zhu Shiyi: ......
I admire that. That was incredibly fast.
She overthought it all; she shouldn't overthink it next time!
"Shiyi," Lin Changren raised his hand to check his watch, "what's your reply?"
"I'll take a taxi," Zhu Shiyi replied.
"Okay, be careful, it's late at night and you're all alone." Lin Changren nodded.
"Let's go together." Pan Yue looked down at his phone.
Lin Changren: ?
"Do you live in Banshan?" Lin Changren asked Zhu Shiyi.
Zhu Shiyi responded, "Yes."
“…What a coincidence,” Lin Changren said, drawing out his words as he glanced at Pan Yue. “Then we can go together, it’ll be safer.”
Although they had confided in each other, Zhu Shiyi still didn't trust getting into a stranger's car.
Being in an enclosed space, unlike on a main road, with just a few of them, is really not safe.
She was about to refuse.
"Save some money on taxi fare." Pan Yue suddenly handed over his phone, which showed a taxi order.
The number of people waiting for the bus ahead is 47.
"Look carefully, the destination is the hotel." Pan Yue added a surcharge to call a taxi.
Zhu Shiyi was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant and chuckled.
--
The driver was an older man, and inside the car, he was playing DJ music with great enthusiasm.
Pan Yue, sitting in the back seat, habitually closed the background apps on his phone.
He paused as his fingertip touched the music app, then tightened his grip, and as if possessed, clicked on it.
The playlist lies quietly, the songs playing on the beach.
Except for the last two or three poems, which were requested on a whim by Lin Changren, the rest were all by Zhu Shiyi.
Pan Yue scrolled down.
He doesn't have many songs, but he hasn't heard most of them.
However, there's one song whose title looks familiar.
It's also a bit comical.
"The Great Wisdom"?
What song has this name?
Upon closer inspection, oh, it's "Too Clever".
Pan Yue unconsciously curled his lips slightly.
He remembered; it was a song Zhu Shiyi sang in the coffee shop.
It was as if he had suddenly thought of something.
My body, before my mind could even process it, honestly opened the photo album.
The first one is a video of Zhu Shiyi singing.
He clicked on it casually.
A light, ethereal female voice floated in the air.
Pan Yue's hand trembled, and he subconsciously pressed and held down the volume down button.
The DJ's voice was very loud, slightly masking the noise.
The volume can be set to the highest level, plus the surround sound mode that's already set up on the beach.
Zhu Shiyi, in the passenger seat, turned around.
"I think I heard you playing music." Zhu Shiyi's eyes were slightly puzzled, her round, bright eyes sparkling.
Although she didn't quite hear it, the voice sounded like hers.
Pan Yue gave a soft "hmm".
He held out his phone: "I just suddenly remembered that I recorded a video of you singing in a coffee shop, thinking of using it for future promotions."
“Sorry, I forgot to communicate with you and didn’t get your consent,” Pan Yue said, pursing his lips. “If you mind, we’ll delete it immediately.”
Lin Changren gave him a strange look.
What do you mean by "we"? What's the point of dragging him into this?
*
"Let me see." Zhu Shiyi took the phone and turned up the volume.
The video angle is incorrect, and the camera shakes slightly from time to time.
In the distance, backlit, her face was not clearly visible.
A sea breeze swept by, and a few strands of hair fluttered and swayed gently.
The camera suddenly swayed, and the focus became blurry.
When the focus shifts again, the mountains and seas dim.
The afterglow of the setting sun was warm and bright, like a pink rainbow.
The girl's silhouette was as dark as ink, with long hair at her temples lightly brushing against her face.
The clear, bright sound softened the sunlight.
The world is like an oil painting.
"Wow, this is gorgeous!" Posting this on WeChat Moments is perfect for showing off your big boobs. "This has such a great atmosphere, did you take this picture on purpose?"
Pan Yue lifted his eyelids slightly, then lowered them again, and softly hummed in agreement.
"Sure, can you send it to me?"
She looks terrible on camera, so this beautiful photo is extremely rare.
“…Okay,” Pan Yue took back his phone, “I’ll add you.”
Zhu Shiyi hummed in agreement twice and then showed Pan Yue the WeChat QR code.
Pan Yue's phone suddenly displayed a battery warning, counting down the time until it would automatically shut down.
He frowned slightly, exited the photo album, opened WeChat, and used the scan function.
The car's interior lights were dim, and nothing could be scanned.
The phone shut down automatically.
"The power's out." Pan Yue's brows furrowed even deeper.
"It's okay, playing music drains the battery too much," Zhu Shiyi comforted her. "Let me add you, what's your phone number?"
“It’s on my business card.” Pan Yue’s brows relaxed.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of the hotel.
Zhu Shiyi got out of the car: "By the way, could you please tell me how much the fare is? I'll pay you in cash."
"It's just a small favor," Pan Yue said, closing the car door. "Consider it payment for the video promotion."
Something that was easy to do?
Zhu Shiyi retorted, "That's not what you just said."
"What did I say?" Pan Yue leaned his head back slightly.
"You said you wanted to save on taxi fare," Zhu Shiyi said with a sly smile.
As expected, Pan Yue was a man with a cold mouth but a warm heart.
Pan Yue looked away and said, "I'll talk."
He turned around: "I'll save you some money on a taxi."
......
Back in his room, Zhu Shiyi collapsed onto the sofa.
I'm so tired, I just want to give up.
I'll take a shower and remove my makeup later.
I'll post it on WeChat Moments later; I don't want to edit the photo now. I'll definitely do it tomorrow.
Is there anything else? Seems like there isn't.
I really want to just lie down in bed...
But there was still sand on him.
With a cry of anguish, Zhu Shiyi clutched his temple.
After coaxing herself to finish the shower with sweet talk, she didn't even bother to blow-dry her hair before collapsing onto the bed and scrolling through videos.
A certain matter was completely forgotten by a procrastinator.
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