It’s Colder Today

He Sui yelled at her, veins bulging in his forehead and neck. It was clear that he was the murderer, but he collapsed before Shi Yun. It was sympathy for Shi Yun, but also anger at him.

He took a deep breath to prevent himself from crying. He Sui passed by Shi Yun and reached out to open the door of the fire escape. The door opened, and the noise outside the mall immediately drifted into the silent fire escape.

Shiyun, you know very well that it's impossible.

That was all he said at last, and then the fire escape door slammed shut.

The closed door made the fire escape quiet again, and Shi Yun didn't know how long he stood there until the lights went out.

She walked out of the fire escape with red eyes. Ji Yanli was standing not far away holding her clothes and bag. He Sui and Ning Yanyi have gone back.

This dinner was in vain. They came out of the shopping mall without taking a taxi. They walked around to the moat of the capital city behind the shopping mall. The street lamp lighting up the health trail nearby could not find the moat. They could only see a piece of black lying in the river bed.

The wind was a bit strong tonight. Shi Yun and Ji Yanli walked slowly along the moat. The wind turned their noses and Shi Yun's eyes red.

They didn't hold hands. The two of them looked at the road beneath their feet, with only the fabric of their coats touching from time to time.

Finally, it was Ji Yanli who broke the silence between the two of them. He opened his mouth and watched the white air come out of his mouth, as if he had smoked.

I'm a bit similar to your childhood friend.

When Shi Yun heard his words, he stopped in his tracks. The people next to him were still walking forward. They changed from side by side to one behind the other.

Maybe, a little bit.

Ji Yanli's hands in his pockets tightened: So is it because I look like you that you are with me?

As Ji Yanli turned around and looked at Shi Yun who was a few steps behind him, he added: Answer me honestly and don't lie. You are with me because you regard me as your childhood friend. A substitute?

Shi Yun looked at him, and suddenly a snowflake fell into his sight.

From one piece to another, she raised her head and looked at the night sky, unable to see where the snowflakes came from.

Raising her head, snowflakes fell on the corners of her eyes. She blinked, but it stimulated her eyes and secreted physiological tears. Shi Yun moved his dry lips: No.

The answer is 'no'.

The unbelief and the surge of joy made Ji Yanli a little overjoyed for a moment.

But the torch of joy did not hold high for long. She carried the wind and rain and extinguished the torch in an instant. Shi Yun's expression and movements remained unchanged, and she continued: Rather than looking like him, you are more like his brother. His brother is my first love.

-

Life has returned to its previous pattern, and Shi Yun is still either in the library or in the laboratory.

When I get tired of writing my thesis, I go to the second floor to read poetry collections.

She liked the unique smell of ink and dust in the library. The cleaning lady lowered her head and mopped the floor as if ignoring everything.

Shi Yun leaned in a place that would not interfere with other people's search for books or her aunt's cleaning. She was flipping through Zhu Zhu's poetry collection. Suddenly a hand patted her shoulder. Shi Yun looked back and saw that it was Fu Jing.

They went to the coffee shop in the library, and Shi Yun ordered two lattes. The two of them randomly found an empty seat. Naturally, Fu Jing came to see her for nothing else, and Shi Yun immediately guessed that it must be about Ji Yanli.

Fu Jing said that Ji Yanli called him last night, and the voice on the other end of the phone was very broken. Because Ji Yanli was not in a good state at the time, Fu Jing did not fully understand the cause and effect of the matter.

All you could hear on the other end of the phone was what Ji Yanli said about Shi Yun treating him as a substitute.

They were sitting next to the window. When they turned around, they could see the artificial lake in the school. Next to the artificial lake, there was a crooked weeping willow tree and a row of stone benches. In the early days, when the old campus was not renovated for the first time, there were several dormitory buildings nearby. At that time, there were always students hanging their quilts on those stone benches.

Later, because of the appearance of the campus, the school did not allow students to dry their quilts here.

Shiyun looked at the cat taking a nap under the willow tree, and the sun shone on her through the window.

Her pupils were photographed like transparent brown glass beads, and the fine suede on her face turned into a golden edge that outlined her face.

A small drop of water rolled down the side of the iced latte cup. When you pick up the cup, you can see a small circle of water spots falling on the table.

Why do you think someone would look for a substitute? Shi Yun said, retracting his gaze from the window and turning to look at Fu Jing opposite.

She was waiting for Fu Jing's answer, but he shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

Shi Yun continued: It's because there is no way for people to be memorialized as specimens or cloned, because if they are gone, they are gone.

Ji Yanli is not from the capital. He lives in the suburbs of Beijing. Although it borders the capital, the drive home takes more than two hours.

Shi Yun rushed to the Polytechnic University to find him before he went home for the New Year.

The door of the boys' dormitory in their school was open, and the dormitory aunt did not control the entry and exit of people. At this time, many students had already gone home for the holidays, so she didn't cause any sensation when she walked in the boys' dormitory.

Ji Yanli's roommate was startled when he saw Shi Yun. He thought of how Ji Yanli cried his heart out when he returned to the dormitory more than half a month ago, and his attitude towards Shi Yun was not good: Ji Yanli went for an interview.