I glanced around casually, but it was pitch black inside, and I couldn't see anything. I felt more and more uneasy, could something have really happened...
I turned to leave, but heard a bang in the auditorium.
“Cluster”, “cluster”, “cluster”…
That was the sound of candles being lit.
I turned around.
——The sky full of fireflies came into my eyes.
It was a heart made up of thousands of candles, the candle flames flickering. Xia Jiawen stood on the stage, his hair neatly styled with hairspray, wearing a neat suit on the upper body and incompatible shorts on the lower body, holding a bouquet of roses in his hand, his face full of nervousness.
The students' smiling faces gradually appeared in the darkness as the candles lit up. They waved glow sticks in their hands to cheer for Xia Jiawen.
"Teacher Xia, I will definitely succeed in proposing!"
"Teacher Xia, come on!"
…Turns out they’re all here.
I finally understood why Xia Jiawen was so anxious about his suit pants last night. It turned out that he planned to propose on Christmas Eve, a holiday with such a good meaning.
This guy, didn’t he know to borrow a pair of trousers? He actually proposed to me while wearing shorts.
He knelt on one knee in front of a woman on the podium, holding a rose and a diamond ring in his hand.
"Yawen, I like you! Marry me!" His face turned red.
The female teacher covered her lips with tears in her eyes.
The union of a partner is sacred and meaningful in the minds of human beings. He is a romantic, and even if the end of the world is approaching and he will fall into a long wait, he still wants to make sure of his feelings before the ark sets sail.
Finally, in his eyes, there was only strong love left, as if the whole world favored him.
I sincerely wish him well, having someone to accompany him, maybe his long and lonely life will become more colorful.
...But time is running out.
This thought suddenly popped up in my mind, and I don’t even know why I thought so.
We clearly still have a lot of time, but I... suddenly had this thought.
Looking at the happy couple, I turned my head and looked at the cold wind outside the door. Lu Shu stood not far away, holding a black knife in his hand. He looked up at the lonely blue moon in the sky, as if thinking about something.
"He wants love before the end of the world." Lu Shu said.
Love before the end.
I have heard the story of Noah's Ark. When the flood that destroyed the world was imminent, humans built the ark. The Millennium Project is also known as the "Ark Project". For most people, their lives will end in the flood, perhaps including Xia Jiawen, perhaps including me. We also don't know when our lives will end, maybe it will be a long time, maybe it will be soon.
Behind him, people were already dancing, as if it was a carnival before the end of the world. Teacher Xia's confession was successful, and the children danced around him, and festive music was played on the radio.
I can hear laughter coming from far away - the laughter of young people in the dormitory, the laughter of people playing games in the computer room, the sound of people opening presents around the peace tree... so distant, so numerous, and so joyful.
Then I saw the monitoring room next to the auditorium. I walked into the monitoring room and saw the scene outside Jiuyou on the monitor.
——Books were burned, pictures were smashed, blood, flesh, and heads were smeared all over the ground. It was a chaotic scene filled with fighting.
It turns out that the world outside the ivory tower has become so chaotic. The war over faith and history is so brutal.
Outside the Nine Netherworld, tall buildings collapsed, artillery fire roared, corpses were scattered all over the ground, and the scene was devastated.
Within the Nine Netherworlds, people sang and danced, children laughed, couples danced together, and celebrated peace.
This makes me feel confused.
I am not angry at the ease in the Netherworld, that is as it should be. I just feel a strong sense of confusion... What can we reverse? What can we change?
Lu Shu stood beside me.
The sound from the surveillance screen and the sound from the auditorium blend together, as if they were in two different days and places.
I heard the laughter of children.
I heard the crying of children.
I heard the beautiful flow of the waltz.
I heard the explosion of the building collapsing.
I heard laughter erupt as the desserts were tasted.
I heard the screams left by the burning fire.
I heard all the good stuff.
I heard all the despair.
"Dad...Mom...where are you...help--"
"Teacher, try this tiramisu, it's so delicious..."
"Don't kill me, don't kill me... I won't mention the old gods again, please... ah——"
"Teacher Xia hasn't finished telling us the story yesterday. Can we continue today?"
"That is my hard work, the music score I wrote with great effort, you can't burn it, you can't--"
"Do you like the instrument I gave you? Yawen, I also want to write a song for you..."
…
I gazed briefly into the void of the future. What was on the other side of the cliff?
In this broken civilization, who is making the bet with the higher dimension, and who can witness the end? I have hated myself for being a human more than once. Humans have a short life span, not even one tenth of the life span. So I can only place my hope on the unknown future.
I remember Xia Jiawen asked me last night after drinking, what is your wish. At that time I said, even God will not fulfill the wish of a drunkard, have a good rest.
I covered him with his coat, and he stared at me with his red eyes for two or three seconds, then squinted his eyes and seemed to be going to sleep.
But he pulled his coat closer and finally whispered in my ear.
...My wish is that you all be safe. Good evening.
Under the blue full moon, I looked at his tired face. Perhaps due to years of staying up late, there were deep dark circles under his eyes.
What I was thinking at that time.
...I think it would be nice if that were true.
The flowing sound of waltz lingered in my ears, and I felt a hand suddenly brushing my forehead, this action represented a blessing.
“God bless you.”
Lu Shu said so.
"Where did you learn this?" I briefly regained my will. This was not something he would say.
He gave me a clean smile, dry and rare on his face.
"Peace Festival, this is the blessing between friends."
"I hope you're well."
"I hope I'm fine."
His pronunciation was awkward, as if he was not used to this kind of blessing. Perhaps in his past life, no one could make him do this. This awkward blessing couplet reminded me of someone, but I quickly suppressed my thoughts.
I heard that everyone will make a wish on Peaceful Day. That was Li Mingyue’s idea, but what about my wish?
I'm thinking.
I still hope we can go home together.
Then I asked him about his wish, just like Li Mingyue asked Xia Jiawen.
His eyes brightened a little, as if something very pure was rising in his eyes.
He said,
His wish is for us all to be safe. Good evening.
…
good evening.
Today is Christmas Eve.
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