Second chorus
After circling around, they returned to the stage. The lights in the entire venue slowly dimmed, leaving only a beam of white light shining on the center of the stage. The music started again, and Yu Zou bent down and reached out his hand to Du Pianjian. Du Pianjian placed his hand in his palm, and the two smiled at each other. As the melody transformed into intertwined notes, they sometimes drew closer and sometimes drifted apart, their clasped hands always connecting them.
Once again, they were close together, and Du Pianjian asked, "You're tone-deaf, but you can still dance?"
"I just memorized it." Yu Zou admitted frankly, his bright smile making people wonder.
The song then enters its second chorus, with a brisk and powerful rhythm, and the lights become colorful. Yu Zou suddenly bends down, raises his hand, and nimbly spins around.
Du Pianjian couldn't help but chuckle as Yu Zou happily played along with the dance steps that had been stolen from him. On the third round, Yu Zou took Du Pianjian's other hand and said to him earnestly, "I hope you're happy."
The melody paused briefly, and the emcee loudly announced the official start of the banquet, inviting everyone to join this sea of joy. The music reached its climax again, and people left their seats to join the dance floor. He Honghan pulled Shi Nao, urging him to temporarily forget his troubles; Zhao Junjie pleaded with Li Kuo, but the latter remained unmoved. Those who were moved participated, while those who remained still watched, sharing in this dazzling and luxurious feast.
Du Pianjian smiled: "Of course I'll be happy."
Yu Zou winked at him: "Then let's turn it into the next moment that's bound to happen, and run away."
The magic of words: when people are afraid, they call it a spell; when they believe, they praise it as a vow.
Amidst the rhythmic hum of machinery, the magnificent dome of the banquet hall slowly receded from its center, the crystal chandeliers jingling and flickering in disarray, revealing a dazzling starry sky. Accompanied by the fierce roar of the propellers, pure white steel angels descended from the heavens, the hanging boarding stairs serving as a sacred path to paradise.
The hems of their clothes fluttered in the airflow, as if trying to break free of their bodies. Yu Zou put his arm around Du Pianjian's waist, stepped onto the boarding stairs, and waved two fingers of his right hand in front of his forehead toward the still-unresponsive crowd below, mouthing "Goodbye."
The two climbed into the cabin, and Du Pianjian poked her head out again, placing her hand on Yu Zou's chest, and plucked the flower from her hair, tossing it to the crowd. The helicopter rose gracefully, disappearing into the vast night sky, the golden flower lingering in the air currents, unable to land for a long time.
A few moments later, the people at the banquet were able to regain their voices.
"Asian time, 2:43 PM on March 21st. Asian, the manuscript of paradise, welcome."
Du Pianjian slowly opened her eyes on Yu Zou's shoulder, just in time to hear the time announcement. Looking down through the glass, the archipelago appeared as a mosaic of contrasting colors on a blue ocean, making one wonder if it truly existed or was an ideal world rendered by a computer. The polarized regions divided modern and underdeveloped areas; the largest archipelago was filled with high-rise buildings, while the smaller islands on the edges were sparsely populated. After a flight of about two hours, they crossed six time zones to reach Aspen.
The helicopter landed on a helipad in the forest. A cone-shaped volcano could be seen opposite, its summit shrouded in a thin layer of smoke. The mountains were lush and green. Aspen, being closer to the equator, welcomed spring earlier than the capital.
Yu Zou helped Du Pianjian down and walked along the forest path. The sunlight filtering through the trees cast dappled shadows like spotlights. Occasionally, branches that might touch Du Pianjian were brushed aside. The pebble path was as clean and smooth as if it had been washed. The extreme tranquility made all kinds of sounds exceptionally clear.
"Did I scare you with what I said?" Yu Zou was referring to the oath he made, which involved suddenly changing his plans and extending what should have been a night of rest into a honeymoon vacation.
"without."
Du Pianjian's expression was indifferent, revealing neither truth nor falsehood in his words. Yu Zou knew in his heart that this was just polite talk; everything clearly indicated that he hadn't yet entered Du's heart. From childhood to adulthood, Yu Zou's romances had often started smoothly with just a slight liking, but that didn't mean he was the type to be discouraged by minor setbacks in the pursuit. He added, "I said it very seriously, and I'm prepared to take responsibility for those words. You'll see."
Du Pianjian looked up at him, a hint of doubt in her eyes. Her eye makeup amplified the beauty of her eyes, and the electric light emanating from them was so intense that no one dared to look at them for long. Even Yu Zou could only hold out for five seconds before giving up and pointing ahead, saying, "We're almost there."
The sound of the waves grew clearer. Beyond the trapezoidal exit lay the beach, where a long wooden boardwalk stretched from the main island to a spindle-shaped sandbar in the sea. On the sandbar were a dining table and two chairs. As the two walked on the boardwalk, the wooden planks creaked. The seawater below was a crystal-clear turquoise color, revealing the winding seabed dunes like overlapping gemstones.
A waiter pulled out chairs for the two, and a small boat carrying food quietly approached. The waiter placed plates in front of them, filled with ingredients unique to Aspen. Volcanic rock oysters, their shells covered in red pores, had a crisp texture and a mineral flavor reminiscent of flint. The waiter pried open an oyster with a drizzle of local sour lime juice, and placed it before Du Pianjian; another piece of volcanic rock was pried open, and oysters grilled inside were placed before Yu Zou.
Bluefin bonito, a deep blue hue, colorful coral shells, a volcano-inspired salad platter, and other dishes were placed in front of the two of them, one raw and one cooked. Du Pianjian's fondness for raw food was the first trait Yu Zou discovered about him; what he initially found a little frightening now seemed quite endearing. More than filling their stomachs, Yu Zou preferred watching Du Pianjian eat; even when he genuinely enjoyed something, it only made his eyes light up slightly.
As the grand finale, a pyramid of raw volcanic beef liver, cut into regular cubes, is displayed in a gem-like box sculpted from ice. The stench of blood is frozen in the ice, its sheen resembling jelly. The sunset is making its most magnificent finale; no matter how reluctant we are to let it go, this day will eventually pass.
Light melted into the sea, transforming into clusters of floating coral shells. Even the bubbles in the wine glass couldn't escape it. A cool breeze blew from the beach to the shore, carrying the lingering warmth of youth, ruffling Du Pianjian's hair. As it fluttered across his forehead and neck, even the hairpin seemed to come alive. Light and shadow swirled on his face, illuminating the shape of time. Yu Zou's voice transformed into a wisp of wind: "I truly wish today could last forever."
The darkness stretched out from the other side of the volcano, the lighthouse on the coast lit up at the same time, the seawater receded from the beach, and two sets of footprints walked in opposite directions.
On a natural platform on one side of the main volcanic wall, a villa hangs like an eagle's nest between the sea and the sky, with a glass panoramic cable car taking two people inside. The basalt exterior, dark charred cedar planks, and angular architecture combined with the bold cantilever design make one feel as if they are sleeping in the clouds.
Yu Zou left the room with Du Pianjian and exited through a side door leading to a naturally formed cave inside the cliff. Inside the cave was a natural pool filled with filtered volcanic geothermal spring water. His bracelet screen lit up, indicating the inhibitor's effects had worn off. Yu Zou lowered the bracelet, slid down to rest his head on the bank, letting the water submerge his neck, allowing the released pheromones to dissolve in the water.
The lighting was extremely restrained and tried its best to imitate natural light, with only a few handmade copper flower-shaped candlesticks on the rock wall. The sound of waves crashing against the rock wall was amplified. In the misty water vapor and the shocking white noise, Yu Zou's nerves were relaxed like never before.
Until the narrow sky cut off the lightning, and the rumbling thunder surrounded him from all directions. Yu Zou propped himself up and emerged from the water; the splashing water was steady and abundant, like a large amount of silk instantly sliding down his shoulders. The rising white mist lingered around his outline, unwilling to dissipate, until he wiped it away with a towel. Yu Zou picked up his bathrobe and put it on, took out a strip of suppressants from his pocket, pressed two tablets and popped them into his mouth, thinking that Du Pianjian should be asleep by now.
There was only one way back to the room, with a few dim wall lamps abruptly broken in the middle due to the open air. The triangular eaves of the suspended balcony were very characteristic of the local area, with bougainvillea climbing on both sides. When Yu Zou arrived, he noticed that the flowers were about to bloom.
When he looked again, there was another figure under the flowers, with his back to him looking out the window at the torrential rain and lightning. His half-dry hair was still dripping with water. His kneeling body, bound tightly by an indigo belt under his golden plum red robe, showed an elegant curve. There was a bottle of Burgundy in the ice bucket beside him.
Yu Zou's relaxed body tensed up again. He walked over and sat down at a safe distance: "Why aren't you asleep?"
Du Pianjian held a wine glass in his hand, the translucent golden liquid still within, and lightning flashed with an unusual color in his eyes. Yu Zou's impromptu escape was premeditated, a fact he understood the moment the first raindrop fell.
"I wanted to have a drink, and I thought I'd sit here since I was passing by. Would you like a drink?" Du Pianjian magically pulled a glass from the ice bucket, poured the wine, and handed it to him. Yu Zou reached out to take it and noticed that besides the choker, he was also wearing a necklace with a small black disc pendant. He couldn't help but think back to those few hours at the villa on the hillside.
"What a unique necklace. What brand is it?" Yu Zou raised his glass to him and took a sip. The aroma of vanilla-flavored toasted bread was like that of freshly baked bread, and the chilling chill locked in that woody, smoky flavor.
"This?" Du Pianjian pressed her fingers on her collar, then pulled it open slightly to reveal the necklace in its entirety. "It's my medal."
Is this your first competition? What kind of competition is it?
“No, this is my first time trying.” Du Pianjian took a sip of wine, his eyes becoming sharp and smug. “I made a different sound with the bow.” For example, instead of placing the bow on the strings as usual, he made eye contact with the violin teacher.
“Indeed, it is of great significance.” Yu Zou was impressed but didn’t understand. His eyes drifted to the side, and he suddenly noticed the drinks that he used to have when he was a child in the refrigerator opposite him. He immediately drank them down in one gulp, walked over and took out two bottles. The smooth, transparent glass bottles contained a light green liquid. Yu Zou held the bottle neck with his right hand, made the cap stick, and tapped it on the ground.
"This is a drink I loved when I was a kid. Have you ever tried it?"
"Bang—Sizzle—"
As the bottle cap fell to the ground, Du Pianjian's gaze followed its rolling motion until it hit the wall and fell over, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes: "Of course, it's just a pity that it stopped being produced after I started junior high school."
Yu Zou froze as he raised his glass, his mind racing. He didn't realize it until he thought about it, and it was terrifying. While Du Pianjian was just starting his junior high school life, he had already been accepted into Ji Huisheng's lab for postgraduate studies, halfway through his student life.
Tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide burst in his mouth, the fresh, sharp fruity sweetness becoming even more pronounced under the onslaught of tartness and bitterness. The empty glass was held up to him, a little bit remaining at the bottom. Yu Zou understood, pinched the glass, used the glass holder to cut open another bottle, poured him a third of the drink, and placed it beside him.
"And you? Do you have anything of great significance?"
"Nothing. For me, family and friends mean the most."
"many."
Du Pianjian raised his glass to drink, and Yu Zou suddenly realized that this was a very inappropriate answer for him. Just as he was about to salvage the situation, Du Pianjian lowered his hand, looked at him, and asked, "If one day, your family kidnaps you, beats you, insults you, and hurts you, what would you do?"
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