After midnight

"Brother." Su Ziling compromised. He called out Yin woodenly, but nothing else happened.

He could deny everything, but he couldn't deny the last sentence. Su Ziling really never felt that he belonged here, even after awakening his memory. The long fifteen years had changed too much.

"Zi Ling, even though you chased me here without hesitation, did you really never hesitate in your heart?"

"I hesitated... especially when facing my parents." Su Ziling sighed, holding his head and leaning back, his voice so low that it seemed like he was talking to himself. "I also thought about what choice I would make if Xiao Su was not there."

"But after all... I can't let him go. Brother, I can't just leave An Yan alone." Suddenly, Su Ziling let go of his hand, stood up and stared at Yin with a burning gaze.

"I understand. As a 'Guardian', this is your mission and responsibility."

"You're right, but..." Su Ziling seemed to have thought of something and lowered his head. "Brother, I'm actually very scared. Really scared."

Su Ziling kept saying he was afraid, but he never went on to say what he was afraid of.

Seeing this, Yin retracted his gaze from Su Ziling. He raised his face to the night sky and said, "The kid who kept staring at you curiously today is called He. As you can see, he is the youngest among us, only fourteen or fifteen years old. But you would never have thought that he is the strongest among us."

"Is he stronger than you?" Su Ziling asked in surprise. He couldn't tell at all.

"Yes, stronger than me."

"Ye, Qing, Wu, He, and Wuying. To be honest, I never thought I would meet these people and establish such a deep bond with them. I was also very scared. I am alone. If I really die accidentally one day, how sad it would be."

"Brother, don't say that." Su Ziling felt so uncomfortable that he didn't know what to say.

"Zi Ling, I'm not saying this to make you sad. I'm saying that you're right to be afraid. Everyone is afraid and has things to be afraid of."

"So brother...are you afraid of losing them?"

"Fear."

For a moment, silence spread.

"...But only if you are afraid, you won't lose." Yin said, his voice was unusually firm. "Since you are afraid, do your best. An Yan is still waiting for you."

"An Yan is still... waiting for me?" Yin's words were like thunder in his ears. Su Ziling stared into Yin's eyes, feeling an inexplicable desire.

Yin looked straight at him. "Remember I told you before that you should experience this world well? Even if you are originally from this world, even if you will come back eventually, the marks that time has left on you over the past few decades cannot be easily changed."

"I……"

"Don't rush to refute. How did the people in this world, me, An Yan, and those people you met, live the way they are now? It is far from enough for you to just listen and watch. You cannot understand how the laws that operate in this world are behind the scenes. So, Zi Ling, if you don't have the same hatred and can't empathize with him, you can't stand by An Yan's side now."

"So... An Yan abandoned me?" The feeling of powerlessness and bitterness instantly surged into Su Ziling's heart again.

"It's not abandonment, Zi Ling." Yin said with a twist of the corner of his mouth, "...I don't know, in fact, I don't know An Yan very well, but if it was for the same consideration, I'm afraid I would keep you, but that would definitely not be abandonment."

"What considerations?" Su Ziling was eager for another possibility.

"I think that's because we all hope that you can live well, live freely and happily. So it's definitely not abandonment... He doesn't want to restrict you with the identity of 'guardian'!"

Yin's words hit the nail on the head. In An Yan's eyes, the three words "Su Ziling" were far more important than "guardian".

"Think about it carefully, Zi Ling. Think about what you should do."

Su Ziling's eyes widened, and he couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. Countless self-consolation was not as good as a deafening warning from others. In the bright and dark and intertwined light and shadow of the water maze, Su Ziling slowly, slowly clenched his fists, and Yin had quietly left without knowing when.

Su Ziling was awakened by a couple laughing and walking by. It was late at night and the people in the water maze gradually dispersed. Su Ziling looked around in confusion for a while before he remembered where he was. He hurried home, and Xiao Su was still waiting for him.

An Xiaosu sat stubbornly on the short sofa where Su Ziling had held her. She hung her head and placed her hands in the shadow between her legs, crossing them, looking very resistant. In front of her was a completed puzzle, but she didn't even look at it.

Yin and Wuying sat beside her helplessly.

Su Ziling rushed back to save the day. When Xiao Su saw him, his eyes lit up. Wuying slowed down her voice and said softly, "Xiao Su, brother is back, let's go to bed."

"Yeah." Xiao Su nodded obediently at this time.

Su Ziling smiled apologetically at Yin and Wuying, then walked around them, picked up Xiao Su, and prepared to go upstairs to send her to the room that Yin had prepared for her alone.

"Zi Ling~" Yin shouted at his departing figure, "In fact, the water maze is most beautiful during the day. You might as well take Xiao Su to see it tomorrow."

"Okay, brother, you should go to bed early too. Good night." Su Ziling turned around and responded.

When he came out of Xiao Su's room again, there was no one in the living room. Su Ziling turned off the lights and walked back to his own room next door.

The next morning, the sun shone through the glass windows, filling every corner of the living room. Wuying heard footsteps coming downstairs, sat on the sofa and said to them, "Zi Ling, Xiao Su, there is breakfast in the kitchen, do you want to eat anything else?"

"That's enough, thank you Sister Wuying. Where are my brothers?"

"Everyone is out for something, you guys eat first."

The breakfast Wuying prepared was a bit simple, with millet porridge, meat buns, fried dough sticks and pickles. When Su Ziling and the others finished eating and were about to clean up, Wuying stopped them and said seriously, "Zi Ling, do you still remember Yin's suggestion last night?"

"remember."

"Then go ahead, I'll be there." After getting Su Ziling's reply, Wuying closed the magazines spread on her legs one by one, packed them up neatly, and went to the kitchen.

Since Wuying specifically told him again, it seemed that he had to go. After leaving home, Su Ziling did not choose to take the hanging window. He took Xiao Su and walked slowly on the streets of Xindu, just like An Yan did when they first arrived in Qingdao.

It was almost noon when we arrived at the water maze. The scorching sun made the ground warm. But Su Ziling was surprised to find that the water maze square under the scorching sun was still bustling with people. The white building with a diamond-shaped dome was shining because of the reflection of light, and people poured in like a stream of carp.

Su Ziling held Xiao Su's hand and watched for a while before deciding to go in. His goal for coming back this time was very clear, which was to find An Yan. If Wu Ying hadn't reminded him this morning, he might not be here. But at this moment, his own strong desire told him to go in.

"Xiao Su, let's go there first and then find a place to eat." Su Ziling looked at Xiao Su. Xiao Su's face was red. It was not known whether he was tired from walking or because he was sunburned.

"Okay." Xiao Su responded, a little gloomy. It was the end of June, and the hot summer had already arrived.

"How about I hold you?" Su Ziling opened his arms towards her. But Xiao Su shook her head, took Su Ziling's hand and walked forward.

The water maze was about three or four stories high, and was built entirely of milky white rocks. Its entrance was semi-elliptical and completely open. Su Ziling and Xiao Su entered without any obstruction.

As soon as they entered, they immediately felt the coolness emanating from the rock wall. Su Ziling reached out and touched it. The milky white ore was rough and cold. This milky white ore was everywhere in the water maze. On the ceiling, walls, and under their feet, these milky white ores flickered with faint colors.

Su Ziling and Xiao Su walked forward on the one-meter-wide road, but soon, they saw several forks in the road. They chose an intersection and turned the corner, and then they couldn't help but stop. There was a lot of space inside the water maze.

These milky white minerals reflected the brilliant light of the rainbow, overlapping and dreamlike. Su Ziling raised his hand, and in an instant, thousands of identical movements flashed on the minerals on the rock wall, like a mirror wearing a rosy cloud. What on earth are these strange minerals?

Su Ziling leaned over to take a closer look. It was very different from the layer of ore outside the water maze he had just entered. The color here was slightly lighter and seemed to be somewhat transparent, as if crystal was wrapped inside. Why was this so?

"Brother Ling, let's continue going inside." Xiao Su tugged at the corner of Su Ziling's clothes. She had recovered her spirits and couldn't wait to go on the adventure.

"Hold my hand tightly and don't run around." Su Ziling said seriously. He probably understood why this place was called a water maze.

"Yes!" Xiao Su saluted mischievously.

It was his first time here, and he couldn't make out any useful signs, so Su Ziling had no choice but to walk around as he pleased. He stepped on the slightly convex road and continued to walk deeper. He stretched his neck and looked around, and suddenly, he seemed to catch a glimpse of something, it was light! The light in one place was different!

"Xiao Su, let's take a look over here."

The closer he got to the light source, the faster Su Ziling's steps became. Suddenly, Su Ziling stopped abruptly. The light source was the sunlight outside.

Looking out through the guardrail, the cobblestone path quietly turns into the green trees and flowers, connecting the water maze square with the wide road. The glass exterior walls of several buildings opposite reflect the blue light.

Unconsciously, they had reached the third floor and were approaching the top floor. Su Ziling let go of Xiao Su's hand, took a step forward, and carefully tilted his head to look up. Under the blue sky and white clouds, Su Ziling could only squint to see the same milky white rocks and a little arc on the top floor.

"Xiao Su, let's go up."

It is possible to reach the top floor, Su Ziling's heart suddenly jumped. But suddenly, he stopped again, he looked outside again, and then tried to take a step outside, he stood in the sunlight, and then stepped back.

"What's the matter? Brother Ling."

"Xiao Su, do you feel cold?"

"No, I feel very comfortable."

As for the coolness of the water maze, the longer you stay in the water maze, the cooler it will feel, and you may even feel cold. But they walked around here for most of the day and didn't feel uncomfortable with the temperature. Is the temperature here constant? It's not right. Su Ziling couldn't figure it out, he just felt that the water maze was really amazing!

"Let's go." With a place he wanted to go, Su Ziling began to consciously choose the fork in the road. But sometimes the stronger the purpose, the easier it is to get lost.

When Su Ziling returned to his original position, he sighed silently and said to Xiao Su: "You lead the way."

"Okay." Xiao Su agreed readily, jumping and leading the way. Su Ziling hurriedly chased after him.

Xiao Su ran all the way and soon stopped there. Is it here? Su Ziling was a little puzzled and walked over with his long legs. Su Ziling was deeply attracted.

The roof was arched high, and the shining lights just hung there quietly, neither dazzling nor scorching. The sunlight they projected was so pure and holy that it made people forget everything. Su Ziling stood here, and the moment seemed to be eternity.

Su Ziling blinked his eyes and took a step forward unconsciously. It was so cold! Su Ziling quickly retracted his foot and looked down. He squatted down in surprise, staring at it carefully. After a while, he stretched out his fingers and touched it carefully. It turned out to be water. It was indeed water.

The water was so clear that it was almost transparent, and he could not notice it at all. He looked over the water surface. Behind the glass door a few dozen meters away was an open-air lawn, where many pedestrians were sitting or lying down to rest. It seemed that they had reached the roof.

"Brother Ling, this way!" Xiao Su had found the way over. There was a passage next to the pool that could be passed through.

Pushing open the glass door, the natural fresh air and the scent of green grass hit you in the face. The lawn here covers half the size of a football field. At the end of the lawn is a banyan tree. In the shade of the banyan tree is a store that sells food and drinks. There is also an antique coffee shop, and the cabinets in the coffee shop are filled with potted plants and books.

Su Ziling and Xiao Su finally found a piece of open space and lay down like everyone else. The grass was soft and the sun was not so hot with the glass cover above their heads.

"Are you hungry? I'll go buy something to eat first." Su Ziling stretched and sat up.

After the two of them finished their snacks leisurely, they sat for a while. People around them came and went, but no one noticed them. Everyone was in a leisurely state. Su Ziling yawned and lay down. He really went to bed a little late last night.

Su Ziling was awakened by the burning sensation in his palm. It was An Yan! This thought immediately entered his mind. He stood up quickly and looked around in the crowd.

A man wearing a white T-shirt, black jeans and a pair of conspicuous red shoes, whose back looks like An Yan, was about to open the glass door and exit from the top floor of the water maze.

"Xiao Su!" Su Ziling woke Xiao Su up and chased after him.

Su Ziling paid no attention to the open glass skylight, the setting sun, and the slightly warm breeze. He kept staring at the man's back and chased after him. In the water maze, the dazzling roof still made people want to look up.

Su Ziling chased after him relentlessly, and avoided the confusing forks in the water maze by instinct. The burning sensation in the palm of his right hand made his heart beat faster. He did not hesitate at all, and did not dare to stop at all. Finally, in the square of the water maze, he quickly caught the man's hand.

Su Ziling grabbed his left hand, causing the man to turn around unexpectedly. The face with sharp eyes and starry eyebrows was exactly An Yan.