A Starry Night (Part Two)
In the midst of the revelry, even the dazzling fireworks seemed to become mere accompaniment. They were too far away, their brilliant yet distant bursts illuminating a corner of the sky, quiet as a silent painting, yet very clear, clearly reflected in Zhou Zeyu's eyes.
Sorkov tilted his head to look at her, and neither of them spoke, passing those gentle three minutes in silence.
The moment the fireworks stopped, Zhou Zeyu seemed to suddenly come to his senses, patted his face, and murmured, "Beautiful. It's been a long time since I've really watched fireworks properly."
Do you still feel nauseous?
Zhou Zeyu lowered his head and felt it for a moment before honestly answering, "I don't want to think about it anymore."
"Do I feel drunk? Do I still have energy?"
"It's alright..." she hesitated, then asked, "What's wrong?"
“It’s too far from here,” he stood up and held out his hand to her. “I’ll take you somewhere closer.”
Zhou Zeyu nodded, then seemed to pause for a moment, took a deep breath, and as if he had suddenly made up his mind, slowly placed his hand on Solkov's palm.
Solkov laughed; that wasn't what he meant.
He lightly tapped the back of her hand, stepped aside to avoid her, casually picked up the bag beside her, and gestured for her to follow him, saying, "Tell me if you faint."
However, Sorkov didn't need to worry that she might faint at any moment, because the road down the mountain wasn't difficult to walk, and the moment Zhou Zeyu saw that scene, her drunkenness, along with the confusion and sorrow of the past few days, all disappeared.
She rarely, or rather almost never, has ever seen such a scene.
The fireworks that were just moments ago far away are now within reach, so close they seem almost tangible. A sky full of sparks bursts and scatters before my eyes, a moment as bright as day, so dazzling it's mesmerizing.
The entire dark sky was like a painting, with fireworks calmly splashed across it. In one of the illuminated corners, Zhou Zeyu sat in a daze for a long time.
From this vantage point, you can see the Adud Bridge across the Belgrade River, but not the bustling city center. It's like a hidden viewpoint, where the water reflects the scattered light from the ripples, and the fireworks create tiny splashes as they fall, immersing the entire river in such dazzling brightness.
She held onto the railing, seemingly wanting to touch the water's surface, but quickly withdrew her hand, as if muttering to herself.
"Thank you, Sorkov."
Sorkov, who was resting with his eyes closed against the cabin wall, didn't respond immediately after hearing her words. After a while, he gave a somewhat uncertain "hmm," and asked, "Is it pretty?"
"It looks good." She nodded.
Fireworks, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, intermittently illuminated her face. He carefully observed Zhou Zeyu's expression, but she simply stared quietly at the sky, her face calm and almost expressionless, as if she were lost in thought, but her eyes were vacant, clearly reminiscing about something.
“I never had time to go home before. Many years I would spend the whole year at the training base. Fang Xiaocan and I would secretly cry because we missed home, so Coach Xu would take us to the park to set off fireworks.”
He listened quietly, watching Zhou Zeyu's eyes soften little by little as he fell into a deep reverie, gesturing with his hands: "Not the big fireworks like these, but the small ones, the kind you can hold in your hand. You can light them with a lighter and they shoot out with a whoosh, making a crackling sound."
The gentle ripples swayed the boat slightly, the force so tender it was almost hypnotic. The girl's voice came and went, and Sorkov, a little tired, fought off sleepiness, almost falling asleep at any moment.
When he was jolted awake from a nap, the fireworks had already ended without him noticing. Zhou Zeyu didn't wake him up, but just leaned back in his chair without saying a word, staring blankly at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
She noticed he was awake almost immediately, turned to look at him, and said with a smile, "You must be very tired lately."
Sorkov suppressed a yawn and waved his hand. "It's alright, anyway, it's just these kinds of things."
She smiled faintly, "You're so busy, yet you still have to find time to teach me to swim, try to take me out to relax, and waste time listening to my pointless complaints. Sorkov, you've actually been good enough to me; you don't need to do so much."
Is it unnecessary?
Why is it unnecessary?
But Solkov didn't say those two sentences aloud. He didn't rush to answer her and remained silent for a while.
Then, after an unknown amount of time, he breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and spoke very softly, "I know you, Zhou Zeyu."
Zhou Zeyu gave him a strange look. "Of course you know me, just like I know you."
“No,” he said calmly, “you’re talking about now, I’m talking about the past.”
She looked puzzled. "You knew me before?"
Solkov looked at her, nodded slowly, and said casually, "It was a long time ago, when you had just started playing. I watched a few of your matches and remembered you."
Sorkov lowered his head and remained silent for a while. "Actually, that day... I thought I was seeing things. The lights were too bright, and I didn't wear my glasses when I went out, but I didn't."
He looked up at Zhou Zeyu and said, "I never expected to see you here."
Zhou Zeyu was stunned, as if something had suddenly choked him, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. He shrugged casually and said, "But I did show up."
“Yes, it did happen,” he said, a faint smile appearing on his face, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by an almost indifferent calm. “So I was wrong.”
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer, but just sighed very softly, as gentle as a feather drifting in the wind, slowly gliding across Zhou Zeyu's cheek.
"It's nothing." He closed his eyes again.
Zhou Zeyu didn't press him further. She glanced at him for a moment, then silently turned back, quietly looking up at the night sky. There wasn't a single star in the sky, and all she could long for was the evening breeze.
She didn't know how much time had passed; it seemed like an instant, yet also like centuries had gone by. When she came to her senses, she happened to hear Solkov's words.
“I did these things willingly, so you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Zhou Zeyu was stunned. She looked at Sorkov, seemingly surprised and astonished by his words.
He added, "Zhou Zeyu, I'm just doing my best to make you happier. You have too much pressure, but you can be happier."
You can be happier, happier than everyone else, or at least happier than you are now.
But Sorkov still didn't say those words aloud.
As time passed, the alcohol slowly took effect, and Zhou Zeyu felt waves of dizziness washing over her. She pinched her arm, but it was no use; the alcohol seemed to have numbed her pain receptors as well.
She suddenly realized why Sorkov was so worried about her being drunk, because it was a truly unpleasant feeling, like floating on clouds, feeling unreal and swaying as if trying to grasp something but unable to.
Zhou Zeyu covered her face and let out a long yawn. She felt dizzy and muttered to herself, "Happiness, happiness... Okay, I want to be happy forever too."
“But it’s not that easy.” She paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke in despair.
“This is certainly not an easy thing, but we’ll take it slowly,” Solkov replied.
However, he did not receive a reply from Zhou Zeyu. He thought she was just thinking about how to start the conversation, but after waiting for so long, when Solkov looked at her again, Zhou Zeyu had already fallen asleep in her chair.
He lay face up, sleeping soundly.
Sorkov heard himself chuckle softly. Looking at her disheveled appearance, he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
He took his phone out of his pocket, carefully removed the phone case, and took out the piece of paper hidden inside.
I've known him for a long time. On the front page of the newspaper, in the most prominent place, a blurry black and white pixelated image of that all-too-familiar face was displayed. A girl with a childlike face held a trophy high, laughing heartily as she looked at him.
But as time has passed, the little pieces of paper that were secretly cut off back then have long since become almost tattered with the passing of time, and the girl who once seemed carefree has slowly withered under the merciless ravages of time.
The evening breeze was already a little cool. Solkov exhaled and, in the dim light, gently held up the piece of paper, subtly comparing it with the sleeping Zhou Zeyu.
How did you lose so much weight? You weren't tall to begin with, and you haven't grown any taller over the years. Not only have you not grown taller, but you've also lost all the fat on your face.
Where did it go? Did it disappear silently, just like the years have passed?
How can I get back?
He exhaled very softly, put the piece of paper into his phone, turned to look at the sleeping Zhou Zeyu, paused for a moment, and finally reached out to tuck her wind-blown hair behind her ear.
She wasn't heavy at all; in fact, her bones would even dig into your bones when you carried her. Yet, despite being so light and airy, she carried a heavy burden in her heart. How could she be happy?
The journey back was smooth and without any mishaps. Solkov gently lifted the sleeping Zhou Zeyu and sighed almost imperceptibly.
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