Chapter 73 Meteor "I saw it, the brightest one."...
On the day of the sports meet, there were one or two curious and bold classmates who came to ask Yan Ning what he and Lu Chen had been talking about after Lu Chen left.
Yan Ning used the "Application Guide" in his hand to prevaricate, and these people accepted it quite smoothly.
Perhaps, it was also because, in the eyes of the public, she and Lu Chen had never had much in common.
Two days after the sports meet, it was Yan Ning’s turn to have a heart-to-heart talk with the head teacher of the Senior 3 Science (1) class.
Yan Ning used his free time during those days to carefully study the "Application Guide" and also looked up a lot of information at home. With the guidance of an experienced class teacher, Yan Ning quickly decided on several target colleges and corresponding majors.
Yan Ning most wants to go to Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Huazhong University of Science and Technology's strong major in mechanical engineering is her first choice.
Because she grew up in the staff housing compound of the Institute of Materials, Yan Ning has always been interested in engineering. After some research, she found that mechanical engineering best suited her expectations for future study and work. After communicating with her parents, they also supported her choice.
So, in a very ceremonial manner, the entire senior year of No. 1 Middle School used a class meeting time to require all senior students to follow the college entrance examination model and fill in their target colleges and majors.
Yan Ning wrote down the top goals of Huada University without hesitation, and then handed them to the head teacher who happened to be on inspection first.
At the same time, there was Class 1 of the Literature School, which was separated by several layers of thick floors and walls.
Lu Chen also wrote with a flourish. While the people around him were still scratching their heads and struggling, Lu Chen's completed application was smoothly handed to another head teacher on the podium, who had just returned from handing out the forms and whose chair was not yet warm.
Two worlds, two pieces of paper.
Although at first glance, because of their different target majors, the colleges chosen by Yan Ning and Lu Chen, the two top students who submitted their papers first, seem to be poles apart, and no two of them are the same.
But if you really put these two thin pieces of paper together and compare them carefully.
You don’t need an experienced teacher to see that after reading a few more times about the geographical locations of top universities these days,
The ranking of these two people's preferences corresponds one to one.
For the colleges with the same ranking, the farthest distance between them is that one is in the east and the other is in the west of the city, and they are not even in the same city.
This is in addition to the unknown tacit understanding between the two.
Also, the day before the school asked students to submit their applications, Lu Chen, who was not supposed to be on duty in the outdoor sanitation area, "happened" to switch shifts with someone else, and "happened" to wander over to the Science Class 1 not far away. With a faint smile in his eyes, he met Yan Ning, who was on duty.
As they passed each other, the man lowered his voice, so loud that only the two of them could hear, and said to Yan Ning:
"Talk on the phone."
It was a slightly chilly day in early autumn, and Yan Ning's cold cheeks were instantly warmed up, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.
This was the first time the two had communicated since the sports meet.
And soon, that same night, there was a second time.
That night, Yan Ning finished her homework early and then used the excuse of being sleepy to tell her mother that she wanted to go to bed early.
Of course, in reality, after Yan Ning turned off the lights, climbed onto the bed, and covered her head with the quilt, she took the mobile phone on the bedside, turned it on, and directly clicked on the dialog box with "L".
On the other end, Lu Chen was already online.
In a normal, ordinary, and somewhat official communication.
"Xiao Haiyan" and "L" on the screen have confirmed the application form for the next day.
Yan Ning had been in bed for too long, and his breathing was a little difficult. He glanced at the time, which was not too early, and typed:
Xiao Haiyan: -[It’s late, let’s stop here for today, good night.]
The following appears on the left side of the screen:
L:-[Okay, good night.]
L: -[Kitten sleeping under the quilt.gif]
Yan Ning also sent back an emoticon of a sleeping cat. The communication ended here. Yan Ning turned off his phone and crawled out from under the quilt. His head was slightly sweaty, and as soon as it came into contact with the air, the heat spread and a slight chill came over him.
Yan Ning didn't turn on the desk lamp and groped in the dark, putting his phone back into the drawer of the bedside table.
Then, she lay on her back on the bed and closed her eyes, planning to fall asleep and just fall asleep.
but.
Ten seconds later, Yan Ning turned over.
Half a minute later, she tugged at the quilt, which was actually covering her quite well.
Three minutes, five minutes, seven minutes passed. She patted the pillow, scratched her arms, and even tugged at her collar. She felt strangely that the pajamas she was used to wearing seemed to be a little off today.
More than ten minutes passed, and Yan Ning finally opened her eyes unable to bear it any longer, staring at the dim ceiling. She had to resign herself to the fact that she couldn't sleep.
As for the cause of insomnia.
In Yan Ning's chaotic mind, the culprit that prevented her from falling asleep was the two scenes that were replayed over and over again -
The top floor of the auditorium.
The remaining warmth on the back of her hand, the words that had just been spoken, and the pair of dark eyes that were so close to her, looking at her.
And, shyness, nervousness, confusion...with all kinds of complicated emotions intertwined, she couldn't say anything and could only nod randomly.
And, just now, in this quiet night.
On the phone screen, the two people were communicating smoothly, normally and peacefully, just like many times before.
But--
Lu Chen.
How can he be so calm?
Why is he so calm?
You know, since the end of the sports meet that day until today, every night when she falls asleep, the memory will surface, and she will always experience it again, that burning feeling on the back of her hand, and then spreading throughout her body, making her face flush, her heart beat fast, and she tosses and turns until she can't fall asleep...
So, in the darkness, Yan Ning felt a subtle sense of imbalance.
She has never been a person who is too greedy or cares too much about gains and losses.
But this time.
Yan Ning made a secret decision.
Regarding the debt that Lu Chen “owed” to her in the audience that day.
She later.
We must get it back with interest!
Although, a decision has been made about the "later".
However, in the past few days, she was able to calm herself down and fall asleep within twenty minutes, but Yan Ning had no good solution to her insomnia tonight.
She tried changing her lying positions in bed, but found that the hypnotic effect was very limited.
Two minutes later, Yan Ning simply reached out and took out the mobile phone that he had put back into the drawer.
Turn on the computer and turn on the screen.
Yan Ning's original idea was to browse some online information to help her get out of her previous mood, but when the time came to choose the software to open, she finally realized that she had to open some information.
It was like a strange coincidence.
Yan Ning's hovering fingertips paused and moved.
For a moment, a thought came to her mind, and what she wanted to open was the penguin icon that she had closed not long ago and that had disturbed her mind.
Yan Ning pursed her lips, hesitating for a few seconds.
Then she followed her heart.
never mind.
Take a look at the updates that “L” posted before.
To some extent, it can distract her attention and help her forget about recent events.
Yan Ning convinced himself and tapped the screen a few times, just as he was about to scroll down again -
A new, unfamiliar moving picture stopped her in her tracks.
Yan Ning took a closer look.
That's a photo.
In the photo, indoors at night, a beautiful orange cat, with a pair of round, bright eyes, wearing a cute little bear hat, sits obediently with its hands in its pockets on the top seat of the cat climbing frame.
The photo also has the text:
L:-[It seems I’m not the only one who can’t sleep late at night.]
The post was published 3 minutes ago today.
The screen of Yan Ning's mobile phone remained on this new update for a long time.
In the dim bedroom, her eyes began to feel a slight sting due to the stimulation of light, but she still didn't want to move away even a little bit.
My thoughts are in a whirlwind.
There are items related to her.
The little bear hat on Qijin's head was the birthday gift she gave to Lu Chen last year.
Location, yes.
Qijin sat on the top layer of the cat climbing frame.
And that day, in the crowded stadium, all those things that happened between her and him, unknown to outsiders, also happened in the top seats.
In addition, the word "又" in the accompanying text has a strong meaning and is exactly the same as her own situation, as well as the time when this update was posted.
All of this.
Superimposed together——
It is undoubtedly explained.
In the quiet of the night, on the other end of the phone, in a different space, the person who had just typed this status update was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep, just like her, because of the same worry.
I can't tell the reason.
This realization made Yan Ning feel something inexplicable, something she herself couldn't quite understand - peace of mind, as if she had suddenly landed from the void where she had no place to go back to solid land.
At the same time, she felt something all too obvious: happiness.
Yan Ning turned off his phone and didn't browse any other messages.
She lay down on the bed, found a comfortable position again, closed her eyes, and waited quietly for the sleepiness to come over her.
After a while.
Yan Ning was drowsy, and before he finally fell asleep, the last thought that came to his mind was:
That debt.
She should just charge less interest.
-
Life in the third year of high school is stressful, busy and fulfilling.
Not long after school started, Yan Ning's free time decreased rapidly. Gradually, he almost no longer had the opportunity to go to Wen1 to play with Xin Jing, and the number of times he met Lu Chen also became less and less.
But Yan Ning knew that this was all for a better future for everyone, so rather than feeling a little lonely, she was more looking forward to the future.
At the same time, Yan Ning devotes himself to study every day. He keeps the lights on longer at night and sets the alarm clock earlier when he wakes up, but he still often feels that time is not enough.
Along with the empty pen refills, there are papers handed out like snowflakes, notes that can be piled up into a small mountain after being sorted out, and various exams that seem to be trapped in an infinite loop and repetition, and you don’t know when they will start.
The days go by like this, getting longer and longer, yet passing quickly.
In early January, when the first snow of the new year fell, students from a middle school faced their final exams for the semester.
The snow was not small. It had been falling intermittently for two days. The places where the ground was not cleared were covered with a thick layer of snow.
When it finally stopped, the exam was just over.
So, like a caged bird finally returning to nature, on the afternoon after the exam, many people shouted "Liberation!" "It's vacation!" They didn't even go home, but went out with their friends to enjoy the snow scenery, eat delicious food, and have fun.
Yan Ning informed his parents in advance and went with Xin Jing to the pedestrian street, which they both wanted to go but had not been able to for a long time.
Yan Ning and Xin Jing, two good friends, both had a lot to say to each other.
They ate and talked, walked and talked, talked and laughed until it was completely dark. It would be a bit unreasonable not to go home, so the two said goodbye reluctantly at the station.
Yan Ning was very happy and joyful during this short period of relaxation.
only.
The only thing she felt a little regretful about was——
This day.
She didn't get to see Lu Chen.
Grandpa Zhao, who was traveling, was returning to Wancheng on the train that evening. After Lu Chen finished his exams, he went directly to the station to pick up the old man. Yan Ning made an appointment with Xin Jing to go to the pedestrian street, and the next day, he would go back to the Materials Institute's staff quarters with his parents.
"Xiao Haiyan" and "L" told each other all these during their last chat before the exam, which was not very frequent.
And the sentence after L:
-[Would you mind letting me know when you come back? I think I'll be passing by Beizhuangyuan Road.]
The pedestrian street is not far from Huize, and the bus is only three stops away. Before, Yan Ning and Xin Jing usually took the bus home after shopping.
Bei Zhuangyuan Road is a nickname given by the students of No. 1 Middle School. The road on the north side that turns to the intersection and leads to the street where No. 1 Middle School is located is called "Bei Zhuangyuan Road". Correspondingly, there is also a "Nan Zhuangyuan Road".
Yan Ning took a bus home from the pedestrian street, and the stop where he was to get off was on Beizhuangyuan Road.
On that night when we snuggled in the quilt and chatted secretly.
When I first saw this message.
Yan Ning couldn't even remember whether she had told Lu Chen that she had the habit of taking the bus home, but then her heart beat uncontrollably twice, because she understood -
It’s not a long walk, about a hundred meters, from the station on Beizhuangyuan Road to the entrance of Huize Community.
This means.
That’s right.
He wanted to accompany her through this period.
This also means that she and Lu Chen can not only meet after a long time, but also talk face to face. This is of course very happy for Yan Ning.
So, of course, she replied without hesitation:
-[I will definitely tell you!]
The agreement has been made.
But unexpectedly, when Yan Ning got on the bus to go home that day, she was a little nervous and excited. She had already edited the message she wanted to send to Lu Chen, but just as she was about to send it, she suddenly received a call from her mother.
Yan Xiangrong came to Huize in advance to pick up Lin Xinci and Yan Ning to take them back to the Materials Institute's staff quarters. Moreover, the luggage had already been loaded in the car. Lin Xinci told Yan Ning not to even go back to 301 and to get in the car directly at the intersection outside the community.
As a result, plans cannot keep up with changes.
The message Yan Ning sent started with "sorry". The agreement between her and Lu Chen was ultimately not fulfilled.
Time is always tight during the winter vacation of senior year in high school.
After returning to the staff quarters, Yan Ning made a long study plan that filled her daily schedule, leaving her with almost no free time. Not only did her contact with the outside world decrease, but she also could not say more than a few words to her parents whom she met every day before rushing back to her room to study.
In a blink of an eye, the Spring Festival is approaching.
This year it was Yan Ning's turn to celebrate the New Year at his grandmother's house. Yan Ning and his family of three drove to his grandmother's house on the day of the Little New Year.
Yan Ning still locked himself in the room to study every day until the night of January 30, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The end of the day's study meant that Yan Ning's three-day vacation, which started on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, officially began.
Also means.
In the early morning, it was Lu Chen’s eighteenth birthday.
Of course, Yan Ning always remembered and always kept celebrating Lu Chen's birthday as the top priority of his winter vacation plans.
From the moment he closed the book until his grandmother called him to dinner, Yan Ning stayed in his room, flipping through six or seven apps on his mobile phone, concentrating more than he did on an exam. He checked the news for more than half an hour before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately.
There was no problem with the birthday gift she wanted to give.
At dinner time, my aunt and her family also arrived.
It was already dark outside. The TV in the main room was playing the news. The whole family was sitting around the dining table, eating and chatting about what had happened in the past year.
Yan Ning was originally well-behaved and answered whatever others asked her.
But after a local news report was broadcast on TV, Yan Ning's attention was drawn away. He was thinking about what excuse to use to leave the table and was a little absent-minded.
"Ningning, auntie is asking you a question." Lin Xinci frowned and shouted.
Yan Ning finally came back to his senses, "Ah."
Obviously he didn't hear what his aunt asked.
“Eh—”
Shen Gefei, who was peeling an orange and eating it next to him, noticed that Yan Ning was not in a good state, and jumped out to speak, "Ningning, your face is a little red, do you have a cold?"
As Shen Gefei spoke, he secretly winked at Yan Ning.
Yan Ning understood and returned a grateful look, then said, "I woke up from my lunch break and felt a cool breeze. I thought I'd go to bed early later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Ning felt a little regretful.
As soon as her grandparents heard that she might be sick, they immediately came over anxiously, touched her head, took a thermometer, and went to find medicine.
Finally, although it was confirmed that Yan Ning did not have a fever, grandma still found another thick quilt and put it in Yan Ning's room to prevent her from catching a cold again tonight.
After all the trouble, Yan Ning apologized to his family in his heart, but he still got the opportunity to return to his room alone early.
To the room.
The cell phone was in the suitcase, and Yan Ning took it out immediately.
After checking the information from all parties again to ensure that everything was foolproof, Yan Ning looked at the time, 21:23, and felt that it was about time, so he opened the chat software, clicked directly on the dialog box with "L", and then typed and sent the words that he had been brewing for a long time.
Small sea salt:
-[Are you asleep?]
-[There seems to be a shooting star tonight! Want to watch it together?]
Yes.
The gift she wanted to give to Lu Chen for his eighteenth birthday was a meteor shower.
In fact, Yan Ning had been hesitating for a long time about what to give Lu Chen on his birthday.
Grandma Cen had just passed away half a year ago. Although Lu Chen's condition had improved over the past six months, it was his birthday and the Spring Festival was approaching. In such a situation, he was afraid that he would miss his family more and feel sad.
So, Yan Ning thought about it over and over again, but he didn't know whether he should give Lu Chen a gift or not, nor did he know what to do to make Lu Chen feel even a little bit happy on his birthday.
Until Yan Ning saw the news that there would be a meteor shower in the early morning of January 31st.
She finally felt that she had found a suitable gift.
If Lu Chen believed that people would turn into stars after death, then the meteor shower could be seen as Grandma Cen coming to accompany her grandson.
Even if he didn't believe this, Yan Ning was willing to believe that the wishes Lu Chen made to the shooting stars on his birthday would come true in more and better ways.
There was no light on in the room.
Moonlight poured into the room through the window, and the tiled floor seemed to be dyed with the color of the moon.
Yan Ning sent the message with a nervous mood and waited quietly for a while.
She actually didn't expect Lu Chen to reply immediately.
So, after the phone was silent for a long time.
Yan Ning, phone in one hand, tiptoed to the window. She sat down, wrapped in a blanket, staring intently at the vast, deep blue sky, counting the nearby stars.
According to the news, the best time to observe the upcoming meteor shower is between 10 pm tonight and 2 am tomorrow morning.
At this moment, Yan Ning made a decision in his heart -
She doesn't plan to sleep tonight.
The shooting star is just an excuse.
Even if she had nothing, she would never let Lu Chen spend his birthday alone.
It doesn’t matter whether Lu Chen replies to her message or not.
At twelve o'clock, she must be the first to say "Happy Birthday" to him.
She wanted to be with him.
Even in such a faraway place, dozens of kilometers away, he still wanted to say something and find someone to chat with.
She was able to be the first one to respond promptly.
A cold is a good excuse. Even if she feels sleepy tomorrow, she can still say it's because of a cold...
The stars in the sky are twinkling.
Yan Ning counted slowly, one, two, three...
When she got to the twenty-ninth one, the phone in her palm suddenly vibrated.
The night is too quiet.
Yan Ning was even startled, but as soon as she came to her senses, she quickly picked it up with both hands to look at it, not even caring about the blanket slipping off her shoulders.
It's "L".
He said:
-[good. ]
-[But there's a small problem. It's cloudy here.]
Yan Ning:!!!
She had remembered to check the weather, and before dinner tonight, she had checked the weather here and in the city to make sure it was cloudless and suitable for observing meteors.
Unexpectedly, in just a few hours, dozens of kilometers away, the weather in the city changed again.
Yan Ning hurriedly opened the weather app on his phone, swiped to the right, and arrived at another district where he lived.
Sure enough, it showed that it would be cloudy now and in the next few hours.
Solution Solution...
An idea flashed in his mind, and Yan Ning quickly typed:
-[Then I'll broadcast it live for you!]
-[Can I see the night sky in your eyes?]
Two messages jumped onto the screen almost simultaneously, making it difficult to tell which came first.
So, Yan Ning clicked on the screen without thinking.
Dozens of kilometers away.
My phone ran out of battery and turned off at some point. When I connected it to the charging cable, the battery level in the upper right corner showed only 1%.
Stare at the information on the left side of the screen repeatedly.
Lu Chen's eyes softened, and he couldn't help but think -
What kind of expression would she have when she typed these words?
When she was thinking seriously, she would habitually frown slightly and lower her eyelashes. However, when she thought of a solution, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes would burst into an extremely moving light...
Distraction only lasts for a moment.
The video invitation that popped up suddenly immediately drew Lu Chen's full attention back.
The heavy curtains revealed only a small gap. There was no light in the room.
Tomorrow is his birthday.
The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.
During the days that Grandpa returned to Wancheng, he would go to Grandma's grave and spend most of the day there every day.
Tonight, Grandpa came home feeling cold from being outside. He forced a smile and said to him:
"Xiaochen, go to bed early. When your dad comes back tomorrow, we will celebrate your birthday together."
He said yes.
But the house is still too quiet.
It was so lonely that the closer it got to his birthday and the Spring Festival when families reunited, Lu Chen would spend too much time on every night numb and aimless, with an empty mind, staring at the blurry and dim ceiling, without even a trace of sleepiness.
The same is true today.
Now, Lu Chen stood up in a hurry, almost in a panic, reached out and grabbed his hair twice, and directly pressed the video connection button.
on the screen.
A beautiful, lovely, too wonderful face, one he had imagined countless times in his mind, finally appeared. The warm orange light made her hair fluffy, and her almond-shaped eyes blinked slowly.
"Strange, why is the screen black? Is the phone malfunctioning?"
The girl muttered quietly, moving a little closer to the phone.
Then, the coldness that had filled the room for a long time began to dissipate.
That warmth instantly filled his heart, and the turbulent sea of his heart calmed down.
"No."
As if afraid of scaring the other person, Lu Chen spoke softly, trying his best to hide the hoarseness in his voice, "I forgot to turn on the light."
At the same time, Lu Chen subconsciously raised his hand to turn on the bedroom light, turned around, and turned on the small table lamp on the bedside.
The same orange, slightly dim light illuminated his outline.
Then, the next second, Yan Ning's eyes on the screen became sparkling:
"Okay, I can see you!"
As a result, Lu Chen's mood also became much better.
The meeting was a happy one, but through the lens, Yan Ning could still see Lu Chen's fatigue. She offered a solution again:
"Are you... ready to go to bed? Why don't you rest and I'll take a picture of the shooting star so you can watch it tomorrow."
"No, I'm not sleepy."
The denial came out too quickly, and Lu Chen only realized after he finished speaking that he was not sleepy, but the lights were off and his hair was so messy.
It seemed as if he was too decadent.
He didn't want her to worry, so he added, "I'm just a little tired, so I lay down for a while."
"I see."
Yan Ning didn't ask any further questions, as if they had a tacit understanding with each other.
Then, Yan Ning lowered her voice and began to talk about her situation:
"I'm alone in the room now, with the curtains closed and the desk lamp on, but if the curtains are opened later, I'll need to turn off the lamp."
"The news forecast says the meteor showers will begin around 10 o'clock and reach their peak around 12 o'clock. Wait a moment while I adjust the camera to the rear and try to find the best angle for the shot."
Yan Ning was here, chattering on and on.
Lu Chen was right there, listening quietly.
The video was a little bumpy as she walked back and forth, but Lu Chen's eyes never left her for a moment.
Yan Ning couldn't find a phone stand, so he took a few thick books from the bookshelf and made a temporary support on the bay window. He then opened a corner of the curtains and said to Lu Chen on the other side:
"I'm going to adjust the camera first."
Lu Chen: "Okay."
Yan Ning turned the lens and adjusted the angle for a while, finally ensuring that the phone would not fall over and the rear camera could just capture the sky outside. Worried that the phone would run out of power mid-use, she even connected a power strip.
In order to charge the phone, Yan Ning had to unplug the headphone cable and lower the volume of the external speaker to only two levels.
Yan Ning tried to look at the stars in the sky with his mobile phone screen, but he could only see a blurry shadow.
"Isn't this too unclear?" she asked.
A low, clear voice, still distinct in the stillness of the night, answered:
"I feel good."
Yan Ning knew that the effect was not very good.
There is no other way.
I can only pray that the pixel of my phone will not fail when the meteor appears.
After doing all this, Yan Ning looked at Lu Chen on the phone screen again, leaned over, and whispered, "I'm going to open the curtains, so I have to turn off the desk lamp first."
Lu Chen leaned against the wall, his voice slightly hoarse, but his eyes were gentle, "Okay."
Yan Ning quickly and quietly turned off the lights and came back. She took a piece of laundry and spread it on the floor. She sat down by the bay window, looking up at the sky at almost the same angle as Lu Chen on the other end of the phone.
She just glanced at the time and it was almost ten o'clock.
The night sky is still as vast as before, with no changes.
"Okay, everything is ready. If you're sleepy, you can take a nap. I'll wake you up when the shooting star comes."
Yan Ning lowered his voice and made the suggestion again, patting his chest as if he was confident in leaving it to me.
After the filming, she remembered that the camera was not aimed at her and Lu Chen could not see her.
So, she leaned closer to her phone and said solemnly:
"Really, you can trust me."
"Wouldn't it be boring to leave you waiting alone?" Lu Chen's eyes were gentle.
"No." Yan Ning shook his head quickly.
"But," on the screen, Lu Chen's dark eyes were looking at her, "I want to be with you more."
With just one sentence from him, Yan Ning could no longer say anything to refuse.
after all.
She really wanted to be with him.
"Then, let's chat for a while?" Yan Ning asked.
"Okay." Lu Chen replied.
Yan Ning moved closer to the bay window, resting his chin on one hand in front of his phone, and placed the other hand aside so that he could adjust the lens angle and capture meteors at any time.
Anticipating that he would have to say a lot, Yan Ning lowered his voice and even tried to make sure that his voice could be picked up.
"Can you hear me like this?"
"able."
It was like going back to those early mornings when the two of us sat on a bench on the street.
She knew that he was in a difficult mood, so she naturally took over the responsibility of starting a conversation.
"When I was little, I really loved winter evenings in the suburbs. I don't know if you've ever seen a brazier for heating, with firewood crackling inside, it's so hot. You can put a rack on top and roast sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes in winter are really soft, sticky, and sweet."
"There was a big window in the room where we warmed ourselves by the fire. I was small and short at the time, so if I sat a little further away, I could see the bright stars in the dark sky outside through the window. I loved counting them for fun when I had nothing to do. Sometimes, I would also count the branches, which was more difficult. The wind would blow and the shadows would sway, making it easy to make mistakes."
"Birds would fly in from time to time from the trees, and you could hear all sorts of bird calls. There were many beautiful tits in the mountains here. One time..."
"And, and..."
Yan Ning shared the fragmented, warm and happy moments in her memory.
She was also cautious.
Avoided all family names.
And the other side.
Lu Chen listened to every word.
The holes, pain, and wrinkles in my heart seemed to be filled up bit by bit.
Yan Ning kept staring at the night sky and talked for a long time.
It was so long that she almost forgot the passage of time.
suddenly.
“—It’s a shooting star!”
Just as I finished telling the funny story about the neighbor's cat that looked very much like Qi Jin, Yan Ning let out a small cry of surprise.
At the same time, she quickly picked up the mobile phone on the windowsill and was about to point the camera at the bright meteor in the sky.
But I don't want to.
Suddenly, there were sounds of footsteps and voices coming up the stairs. It seemed that grandma was a little worried and wanted to come to the room to see her.
Without having time to think, Yan Ning was still looking for the angle to photograph the meteors, while frantically trying to turn off the external speaker volume. In a panic, his fingertips accidentally touched and turned the camera back to the front camera.
In the corner of the screen, her outline was vaguely illuminated by the moonlight and lights outside the window.
And it only takes less than a second.
The meteor disappeared in a flash, leaving only a faint trail.
Yan Ning: ...
There was no point in being upset, and she didn't have time to explain. She just made a "hush" gesture with her finger to Lu Chen on the other end of the phone, turned off the volume, and subconsciously put the phone to her chest to cover it.
In the dark.
All senses are amplified.
Yan Ning's heart was pounding, and the phone in her palm was hot. She listened to the adults talking in low voices outside, and she couldn't explain the nervousness in her heart. She didn't know which side was more responsible.
Grandma's plan to visit her was eventually stopped by her cousin who said, "Ningning must have fallen asleep after taking the medicine."
It was several minutes later before everything outside became quiet.
Yan Ning lifted the phone from his chest.
The moment she saw Lu Chen waiting for her on the other side of the screen again, she belatedly thought—
just.
Her heartbeat.
Will it be too noisy?
Yan Ning did some self-examination and said, "I'm sorry, I accidentally cut the camera and didn't let you see the first meteor, but I promise I won't make the same mistake with the next one!"
"I saw it." Lu Chen suddenly spoke.
"What?"
"Just now, I saw the brightest one."
Over there, Lu Chen's eyes were too focused and gentle.
Those dark eyes were fixed.
Yan Ning was stunned for a moment, and even had an illusion that he was looking directly into her eyes through the screen.
Even if there is only moonlight here.
Even on the call interface, she was just a blurry shadow.
Yan Ning's cheeks quickly became a little hot. He sat down by the window and unconsciously said "hmm".
No one paid much attention to the window anymore.
It was at this time.
A reminder popped up above Yan Ning's phone screen.
【The 29th day of the lunar year】
She wrote it down to remind herself not to forget this important day.
That is to say.
12;00.
January 31st has arrived.
Yan Ning quickly turned his gaze to the person on the screen and said seriously:
"Lu Chen, happy eighteenth birthday!"
"Thanks."
Lu Chen answered, then smiled and asked, "Perhaps the birthday boy can get the privilege of making a wish on a shooting star?"
A moment later.
Yan Ning's face became even hotter. His fingers gently twisted the satin bow on the pocket of his home clothes, but he also said softly:
"Can."
"Then I hope, the shooting stars bless me—"
On the other end of the phone, Lu Chen closed his eyes, speaking sincerely and devoutly:
“Every year is like today.”
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