Chapter 84: Like an Old Friend Returning (Part 4) Like a dream, like dewdrops, like a dream, like a bubble...
From the moment I turned on the lights until I returned to the dormitory and lay on my bed, I could never forget that feeling.
Zhang Deng turned his head to look at Wei Yuanye, and found that Wei Yuanye had no intention of sleeping. Zhang Deng asked: "You said we -"
As soon as he opened his mouth, Wei Yuanye placed a finger on his lips. Zhang Deng understood that this meant he should be quiet.
Zhang Deng's fragile heart was about to break again. Wei Yuanye covered the two of them with the quilt and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Walls have ears."
Zhang Deng suddenly felt a chill.
He stared at Wei Yuanye with wide eyes. Wei Yuanye just touched his hair soothingly. The newly cut hair had only a layer of hard stubble. Zhang Deng's hair was hard, just like his stubbornness and stubbornness. It felt very relaxing to touch.
Zhang Deng whispered, "Have we gotten into trouble?"
He had a feeling that they really knew something tonight that they shouldn't have known.
Wei Yuanye also asked in a low voice: "Are you afraid?"
There was still a faint smell of alcohol on him, which sprayed on Zhang Deng's face. Zhang Deng felt that he was drunk again after just sobering up. He said, "I can't."
Wei Yuanye said: "Because you are brave."
Zhang Deng was probably really drunk, and he repeated Wei Yuanye's words like a child: "Because I'm brave."
Wei Yuanye said: "You are the bravest person I have ever met."
"Then you are lying." Zhang Deng retorted subconsciously.
Wei Yuanye said: "Because I have forgotten everyone else."
Zhang Deng smiled and said, "Okay."
Wei Yuanye placed a wet kiss on his forehead and said, "Don't worry, go to sleep."
Zhang Deng finally relaxed his tense nerves under the comfort of alcohol and emotions, his breathing gradually became deeper, and he fell asleep.
But Wei Yuanye knew that it was not because Zhang Deng was no longer confused, nor because he felt safe because of what he said.
Zhang Deng seems to have an adaptive regulator in his body. When his stress accumulates to a certain value, he will force himself to rest.
Before meeting Wei Yuanye, Zhang Deng was already such a mature adult.
This incident did not seem to have a very big impact. At least no one found Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye. It was not like what Zhang Deng had imagined, that a group of people in white clothes suddenly rushed into the house, escorted them to a mysterious place without saying a word, questioned them very seriously, and then had their memories erased.
Wei Yuanye's transfer application was approved. Apparently, because his length of service was too long, he was also given the right to choose his own starting date. Wei Yuanye chose one month later.
However, even if Wei Yuanye was free, Zhang Deng didn't have much time and energy to devote to him. On the contrary, he was quite busy recently. He was still writing a book that he wasn't sure if he could finish. He also had to occasionally accept Chi Xiaoxia's invitation. Chi Xiaoxia could scold his colleagues for an entire afternoon while chewing ice cream. Hearing this reminded Zhang Deng of some not-so-good memories of his own.
Chi Xiaoxia still sees the world in a relatively binary way. He seems to be able to distinguish only between good and bad. People with intermediate qualities make him feel chaotic, so he hates them with a vengeance. Zhang Deng had just heard him complain about his office colleague wearing the office slippers that he had made a special mark on, and he also told others that he was very girly for marking his own slippers.
Chi Xiaoxia said, "It's obviously because their slippers are smelly, so they always deliberately wear mine."
Zhang Deng bit his ice cream and said, "Are there people like this here?"
Chi Xiaoxia said, "It's terrible."
"It's okay," Zhang Deng said indifferently, "They just don't have very good brains. You can forgive them."
Chi Xiaoxia looked at him in confusion.
Zhang Deng said, "Yes, I think people with significant cognitive biases about the world are also mentally deficient. They attack men with feminine traits in their lives, yet choose to enjoy the value women bring to their lives. Why would you be angry with such contradictory people?"
Chi Xiaoxia: “…”
"You look especially like a teacher now," Chi Xiaoxia thought for a moment and said.
Zhang Deng felt a little embarrassed by what he said, scratching his head and saying, "Really?"
"What I mean is, I feel sleepy as soon as you open your mouth," said Chi Xiaoxia.
Zhang Deng's expression changed and he broke down: "I don't really want to be a teacher."
Chi Xiaoxia: "It's so funny."
"Hi," a voice rang out, and a man ran towards them. "See you again. Huh? Do you live in the square?"
Chi Xiaoxia: "Actually, we are the permanent NPCs here. As long as you pass by, we will automatically send you a mission."
The man said with his hands behind his back, "So what is my mission now?"
Chi Xiaoxia: "Go back and study."
Man: "This is a long mission."
"The main quest," Chi Xiaoxia said, "is of course long, spanning your entire life. Just slowly comprehend it."
Zhang Deng said, "Do you have a name?"
The last time they met, the man didn't have a name, only a ridiculously long number. Zhang Deng didn't have the habit of calling people by their numbers.
The man said, "What a coincidence! I just gave myself a name. My name is Yuxing."
He explained what the two characters were, and Zhang Deng said, "It's an interesting name."
"I really like the word 'Yu,'" the man said. "It means the four corners of the world, the universe, a high place overlooking the world, providing shelter from the wind and shade."
Zhang Deng said, "It proves that you are a very ambitious person."
"Is that so?" The man smiled faintly, "Maybe."
Zhang Deng believes that words must carry meanings beyond human imagination, and the power of words is beyond everyone's imagination, so it is actually a good thing that humans cannot name themselves. If everyone can decide their own name, then everyone's ambitions will be revealed.
"Yuxing," Chi Xiaoxia said, "Great then, have you enrolled?"
Yu Xing said, "I entered yesterday. I attended the warning meeting, which told me a lot of things I shouldn't do. But the only thing I didn't hear was what I could do."
Zhang Deng asked, "Is there anything we can't do?"
Chi Xiaoxia said, "It's simple. Just look at what you usually do and you'll know. None of them will work."
"Not really?" Zhang Deng said.
Apart from occasionally traveling around the world secretly, he hasn't done anything particularly excessive.
Yu Xing said: "To be distracted by pleasure, to neglect one's duties, to be fickle, to be content with what one has, and so on..."
Zhang Deng understood clearly: "It's really me."
"Are the requirements for you really that strict?" Zhang Deng thought it was unreasonable. "We're all human, so it's normal for us to be a little lazy."
Chi Xiaoxia said, "Who told you they were human?"
Yu Xing also said: "Citizens of the World Tree cannot be considered human beings."
Zhang Deng: "How do you define the scope of humanity?"
Chi Xiaoxia said, "Humans should at least be natural beings. They are born from human parents, and are pure-blooded humans. We can't find our parents even if we look upwards. We were born entirely at the request of the World Tree. We can probably only be considered quasi-humans."
Zhang Deng: "Are you humans much more advanced?"
"The numbers are small, but the breed is superior," Chi Xiaoxia said. "It's difficult to mass-produce them. It depends on how you compare them. In terms of intelligence and force, humanoids are definitely superior, but in terms of racial reproduction, humanoids are completely inferior to humans."
Yu Xing looked at Zhang Deng and said, "What do you mean, aren't you?"
Zhang Deng said, "I am a low-level human who only knows how to reproduce."
Chi Xiaoxia said angrily, "I clearly didn't mean that."
"You're an excellent human being," Chi Xiaoxia said. "Why do you always intensify conflicts and provoke confrontation?"
Zhang Deng said: "Because I think you are human beings too."
Zhang Deng did not agree with Chi Xiaoxia's species classification at all. He believed that anyone who could speak human language, look like a human, and bleed red blood when a knife was inserted could be called a human.
"You're the one who exacerbated the conflict," Zhang Deng warned. "You're dividing humanity into two camps. Be careful, there's going to be big trouble."
Chi Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment, and Yu Xing said, "That actually makes sense."
Yuxing said: "But it seems that no one has paid attention to this issue."
"You should cherish your free time now," Chi Xiaoxia said after a moment's pause. "After graduation, you won't have time to think about these trivial things."
Yu Xing said, "But why aren't you a citizen of Yggdrasil?"
Chi Xiaoxia said, "He came here with my husband."
Zhang Deng: “…”
"Something went wrong in my world." Zhang Deng tried to polish the story, but Chi Xiaoxia immediately let him know. "When Wei Yuanye was helping him, they developed feelings for each other. His pain shifted to being unable to leave Wei Yuanye. Without Wei Yuanye, the world would collapse, so he brought him here. He is a special existence in the World Tree."
The story was so shocking that Yu Xing didn't know how to react. He thought for a moment and said, "A touching love story."
Zhang Deng refused to admit this fact, but his words of rebuttal were too weak, so he said, "Forget it, it's up to you."
Chi Xiaoxia was also puzzled: "But no one has come to you yet. Do they want to give you an explanation for this matter?"
Zhang Deng: "I don't need any explanation."
"When Wei Yuanye retires," Zhang Deng said, "or when Wei Yuanye quits, wouldn't it be great if we could all go back together?"
Chi Xiaoxia: “…”
"Are you stupid?" Chi Xiaoxia asked, "How could he possibly retire? It's even more impossible for him to quit. Citizens of the World Tree don't retire, they only sacrifice."
These words made Zhang Deng stand there dumbfounded.
It wasn't that Zhang Deng hadn't thought about this question; he had just subconsciously avoided it. Ever since he'd been with Wei Yuanye, Zhang Deng had been subconsciously avoiding the topic of their future.
No matter how he rehearsed, he couldn't find the option that his cruel physique would show them mercy.
So Zhang Deng tended to weave a more promising path for himself - Wei Yuanye would quit sooner or later, and he could wait until that day.
However, Wei Yuanye's lifespan seemed to be very long. According to Zhang Deng's private understanding, it was at least four or five hundred years. Zhang Deng began to feel that his choice and persistence seemed naive and ignorant after such a long time.
"What should we do then?" Zhang Deng asked.
Chi Xiaoxia: "You're stupid, of course you'll cry, make a scene, and then commit suicide. Apply for the right to live permanently in the World Tree. Once you become a citizen of the World Tree, you'll have the same lifespan. Then, go take the make-up exam to get your diploma, and then complete missions to earn points. That's how you two can be together forever."
Chi Xiaoxia said, "You two are only in this temporary state now. Didn't Wei Yuanye tell you? The World Tree won't let an outsider stay there for long. It's strange, why do you seem to know nothing?"
Zhang Deng just doesn't know anything.
In fact, he would not have thought of such a thing, but Wei Yuanye did not tell him, so he just muddled through it with his eyes closed. He thought there really was a simple and easy road waiting for them ahead.
After hearing what Chi Xiaoxia said, Zhang Deng's face darkened a lot.
Chi Xiaoxia said, "I thought you two had already discussed what to do about this matter."
"It's unprecedented for outsiders to apply for permanent residency, but you've also completed two missions," Chi Xiaoxia said. "I think it should be fine."
Yuxing said, "Don't worry, there will always be a way out when you reach the mountain."
Zhang Deng smiled, not wanting to chat with them anymore. He used the communicator to send a message to Wei Yuanye: "What are you doing?"
Changing careers is a very troublesome matter, and there are many procedures to be handled. Wei Yuanye has been very busy recently, carrying a lot of documents and other things with him when he goes out, and when he comes back he brings back a lot of blank forms.
Wei Yuanye didn't reply immediately. Zhang Deng felt a headache and said, "I'll go back and rest for a while."
"Don't be angry," Chi Xiaoxia said, "I'll let you go only if you promise you're not angry."
Zhang Deng smiled silently and said, "Why should I be angry with you?"
Yuxing also said goodbye to him. On the way back, Zhang Deng felt that his head was sore that it seemed as if his head was about to explode. He arrived at the dormitory in a daze, buried his head in the quilt, and tried to squeeze out a few tears, but no tears came out.
I miss Xiaomi so much.
Zhang Deng suddenly thought that it would be great if Xiao Mi was here. At this time, Xiao Mi might not comfort him, but would lie quietly somewhere in the house licking her fur, not caring about his collapse. He felt calm, as if there was someone tall enough to hold up the sky if it fell.
Zhang Deng lay down and held his breath, then lay back down again, looking up at the ceiling, falling into a kind of silence like a dead fish, neither able to die nor live.
Why not just forget it, Zhang Deng thought, take it one day at a time. Isn’t having no solution also a solution?
In a short while, he comforted himself and told himself that there was no point in worrying about something that had not happened.
Then he got out of bed, found his computer, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed in the dim sunlight, and opened his document.
The heroine had just finished a long run. She stopped in the open space in front of the playground, panting, and felt a taste of iron in her throat. She looked at the girls outside the playground wearing dresses and shorts, carrying fashionable bags, walking past the playground, as if they were walking in completely different time zones.
"Li Xin," someone patted the girl's shoulder from behind. She turned around and a boy tossed her a bottle of ice-cold water. "Sit down for a while."
Li Xin sat down on a chair in the audience next to the boy, with an empty seat between them. The boy said, "You're running faster and faster."
Li Xin made a "hmm" sound from his throat as a response.
The boy asked, "Why don't you learn sports?"
Li Xin said: "My mother wants me to be a nurse."
"How can there be a nurse like you?" The boy smiled and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean anything else. I just said that you are suitable for studying sports."
Li Xin said "hmm" again.
The boy suddenly asked, "Do you want to learn sports?"
Li Xin looked at him strangely.
The boy said, "Come with me."
The boy gave Li Xin a business card and said, "Go find this person, he can help you."
Li Xin saw two words written on it: "Not sent."
Followed by a phone number.
When Zhang Deng was engrossed in writing, his eyes would narrow slightly. The door was opened from the outside and the light came on. Zhang Deng looked up in confusion and saw Wei Yuanye bringing back another pile of forms.
Wei Yuanye was a little surprised to see him at home: "You're not turning on the lights? Didn't you say you were going out to play?"
Zhang Deng murmured, "I'm back again."
His thoughts returned to his novel, and then he felt that Wei Yuanye should have gone to wash up, and after washing up, he lay on the bed. After a while, he sat beside him, looking at Zhang Deng and typing.
Zhang Deng typed quickly as if he had divine help:
——
After Li Xin returned to the dormitory, she felt very strange no matter how she thought about it. At first, she thought that the boy might be a salesperson for a certain gym, or some fraud gang who wanted to cheat her of her money.
Li Xin thought about it and threw the business card into the trash can.
The afternoon class was about practicing giving injections to patients, requiring all students to give each other injections. Since they were studying nursing, there were few boys in the class, and 95 percent of the class was girls. The girls spontaneously paired up, and the boys also joined forces to keep each other company. Unfortunately, Li Xin didn't have anyone to choose from. And since the class had 47 students, there was just one extra person.
Li Xin gave herself acupuncture, leaving bruises all over her body. Her hands, which never trembled even when she was running, were shaking slightly when she pushed the needle for the third time.
The teacher held her hand while teaching her, but she gradually lost her patience and said, "You are as hard as a rock."
Wei Yuanye quietly watched Zhang Deng. Under the fluorescent light of the computer screen, Zhang Deng's normally dull and gentle brow ridges and eyebrow arches appeared firm. When the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed, he looked extremely stubborn.
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