After midnight

Wu Si woke up earlier than usual today. When he opened his eyes, the clock just pointed to eight o'clock. He hesitated for only two seconds in the warm bed before he resolutely decided to get up. If it were usual, he would at least lie down for another twenty minutes.

Wu Si got up early today for no other reason than because it is the weekend and Xu Xing and Bai Ming are both at home.

Wu Si got up, washed up, and walked to the living room. He saw Xu Xing on the balcony looking down at something. So he asked without thinking, "Xu Xing, what are you looking at?"

Xu Xing turned around and saw that it was Xiao Wu, so he said, "I didn't see anything. The weather outside is pretty good today, and the sun is out. But it will be cloudy again in a few days, and I heard it will snow. By the way, Xiao Wu, why don't you sleep a little longer? You got up so early and I haven't cooked yet."

"Why don't I do it?" Wu Si got up early to make breakfast for them. He didn't expect Xu Xing to get up so early on a rare day off. And he already knew how to make porridge. Although making porridge was a simple thing, he learned it from them. So he planned to make it for them.

"Let's do it together. What do you want for breakfast?" Xu Xing walked down the balcony naturally.

"I want to eat spicy and sour cabbage, and there are red peppers in the refrigerator."

"Then I'll fry some eggs and steam some sweet potatoes. You can cook the porridge first, I'll change my clothes and come out." Xu Xing was wearing pajamas, he didn't have time to change clothes or wash up. He opened his mouth, yawned, and walked to his room.

When Xu Xing came out again, the two of them prepared breakfast together. It was almost nine o'clock. At this time, Bai Ming came out with sleepy eyes. He probably got up because he smelled something. Bai Ming washed up briefly and sat down at his usual seat at the dining table.

Wu Si put down his chopsticks after finishing his meal. He said to the two people who were still eating, "Where are we going today?"

Bai Ming paused while peeling sweet potatoes. He said, "I don't want to go out today. It's too cold in winter. It would be nice if we could play cards, games and take a nap in the house."

"Well, there is a book I have been reading for a long time and I haven't finished it yet." Xu Xing also said.

Wu Si was very confused. Xu Xing was fine, but Bai Ming was a noisy guy. He couldn't stay idle all day long and was basically not at home for rest. He would drag him out almost every weekend, and there would always be places he had never been to. But Wu Si would not say anything. He nodded and said, "Then I'll go to my room and sleep for a while."

This was true, he had slept a little late last night. Now that he was not going out, he felt sleepy again.

Wu Si slept until nearly eleven o'clock. When he got up again and went to the living room, it was empty. He glanced at the book spread out on the table, walked past the table and went to the balcony.

He glanced down and then quickly looked away.

"Awake?" Wu Si turned around and saw Xu Xing had just come out of the bathroom.

"Well, where's Amin?"

"He's in his room. How about getting him up and playing a few games?"

"Okay."

Xu Xing went to wake Bai Ming up, and Wu Si sat alone on the sofa in the living room. The thin sunlight fell on the floor tiles, without adding a trace of warmth. Wu Si saw the calendar on the table, which showed that in a few days, it would be the new year.

But the calendar, like his shadow, casts shadows on the ground.

As Xu Xing said, the weather changed again the next day. The temperature dropped sharply, and the weather became chilly and foggy again. Large patches of gray-black leaden clouds accumulated in the sky, so thick that it was hard to breathe.

When An Yan looked out the window, gusts of wind rustled the dead leaves on the tree. The weather forecast was right. It was very likely to snow in the next two days. I hope this snow can cover the entire Jiu Kingdom.

After drinking a sip of hot tea, An Yan held the book and moved closer to the electric heater. When Xiao Su and Zi Ling were not at home, he preferred to keep warm this way. The fiery red light reflected on him made his world smaller. He was in a daze while reading a book until the doorbell rang outside.

Who would come to see him at this time? An Yan looked at the clock in confusion. It was 2:40 in the afternoon, not even 3 o'clock. An Yan got up with a blanket wrapped around him and went to open the door. The cold wind gave him a shiver, and Wu Si's stiff face appeared in front of him.

"Come in quickly!" An Yan was very afraid of the cold, so after giving the order, he turned around and walked quickly into the house.

Wu Si carried his luggage into the house and closed the door. Once the door was closed, the room became even darker, with only a faint red light coming through. Wu Si followed the light and walked into the living room. Only then did he realize that An Yan had turned off all the lights and drawn the curtains, turning two or three o'clock in the afternoon into seven or eight o'clock in the evening.

"Please sit down. Are you cold?" An Yan pushed the electric heater away from him.

As soon as Wu Si sat down, he felt the temperature of the electric fan, just like the quilt at home that made him reluctant to leave. He calmed down and looked at An Yan, who was only wearing a sweater and sitting on the blanket outside, looking at him lazily with the eyes of a little animal. His mood suddenly improved a lot.

"An Yan, I'm here to say goodbye to you."

"Why? Have you thought about it?" An Yan frowned.

"Well, I'm planning on leaving here."

"But, May 4th, you leave..."

"If you leave Xindu, you will no longer be able to protect me. I know that."

"I don't understand, why?" An Yan asked again. Looking at Wu Si with half of his body reflected in red, An Yan was puzzled. During the time he lived with Bai Ming and Xu Xing, Wu Si should have lived a happy life.

"I have my reasons." Wu Si said softly.

He could have just walked away, but he felt he had an obligation to tell Anyan, so he decided to come see him before leaving.

"I see. I'll go get a glass of water." An Yan stood up and took the teacup over, sharing the jasmine tea he had brewed with him. After he finished doing this, he returned to the sofa.

Wu Si took the water and tasted it silently. Jasmine tea smelled very fragrant, tasted fragrant and clear, and could sweeten people's hearts. Wu Si leaned back slightly, and after the words came out, Wu Si relaxed.

"An Yan," Wu Si said, "You know the relationship between Qi Qi and me best, so you also know how painful it would be for me after Qi Qi died. It was indeed an extremely dark period, but recently, when I think of Qi Qi again, I no longer just recall the pain and sadness."

What Wu Si said was true. After the weather outside faded, his facial expression was very gentle. He continued, "Because recently I think of all the happiness and joy I had with her. I miss her very much, and every word she said to me. She said that the world is good, with many lovely people and many unseen landscapes. I have met Xu Xing and Bai Ming, and now I plan to go see those landscapes."

"Does it have to be now?"

"Well, I don't want to cause you any more trouble. I hope Xu Xing and Bai Ming can still live happily like before."

"Xu Xing and Bai Ming don't know that you are leaving." Since Wu Si said this, An Yan understood.

"Yeah." Wu Si nodded slowly.

An Yan said nothing more, and Wu Si also stopped talking. For a moment, only the fiery red light was burning in the room.

"If you have really thought about it, then I understand." After a long time, An Yan spoke.

"Well, I've made up my mind. But Anyan, I will still come back. And when I come back, I will be brave and live upright under the spotlight." Wu Si said with a smile.

When Wu Si said this with a smile, An Yan was completely convinced from the bottom of his heart. "Xiao Wu, I am very happy that you can accept this world with Qi Qi's love and find yourself. You know how to find me, right?"

"Yeah." Wu Si smiled shyly, with the color of life in his eyes.

After a while, An Yan saw Wu Si off. He watched Wu Si walk away with his luggage in the wind, and then returned to the house. He stared at the teacup that Wu Si had drunk water from, and thought, Wu Si finally existed in this world.

That afternoon, Wu Si walked westward, step by step away from Xindu.

It was only seven o'clock in the evening when Xu Xing and Bai Ming hurried back home. The bar was locked from the outside and closed today. They were panicking and opened the door to take a look. The bar was empty and no one was there.

After returning home, Bai Ming turned on the light and walked straight to Wu Si's room.

After opening the door, what came into view was also an empty room that was completely dark.

Xiaowu was neither in the bar nor at home, and he couldn't find him.

"Bai Ming." Xu Xing's serious voice came from the living room, and Bai Ming immediately turned back. He ran over and saw Xu Xing standing by the table in the living room. There was a letter on the table where they often sat together to eat, and Bai Ming walked over.

The contents of the letter open as follows:

Bai Ming and Xu Xing, I am leaving. I am sorry that the bar is not open today and it has caused you trouble. Thank you for taking care of me during this period, and please forgive my willfulness. Please don't come to find me, but if one day I want to come back, can I come back here again? Love you Xiaowu.

"I'll go find An Yan." Bai Ming said.

"Bai Ming, Xiao Wu left on his own."

Everything in the living room was neatly tidied, the floor had just been mopped and was spotless, and the trash in the trash can was thrown out along with the bag. Xu Xing saw this and knew very well that Xiaowu had left on his own.

"I know Xiaowu left on his own, but I don't understand why he left so suddenly. Where can he go after leaving here? Will it be dangerous for him to leave alone...Xu Xing, do you think Xiaowu doesn't like someone monitoring his life? I told you not to agree."

"That may be possible, but I think the main reason for his departure is definitely not because of this. I believe in Xiaowu, shall we wait for him to come back?"

Bai Ming didn't say anything, took the letter and walked into the house. Seeing Bai Ming close the door and change into pajamas before coming out, Xu Xing knew that he had compromised. He firmly believed that Xiao Wu would come back, and he also firmly believed that Bai Ming had the same idea as him, and they would all wait for him at home.