four year itch

[In the emptiness of stone, death is not the end / But a changeable original fact / Stone shatters, glass is born] [1]

It was not a very grand signing event, but a very small-scale meeting event, and even the venue seemed to be arranged in a hurry.Not many people came, the second floor of a bookstore could cover them all.

When Xu Ruibai walked in, he was stopped by a Beta. Beta handed him the autograph book: "I'm sorry, sir, we don't reserve seats here, and there are numbers for entering. Please leave your name here and get a number."

Xu Ruibai glanced at him, took the pen and paper, and wrote "Xu Ruibai".

"Remember to carry the number on your chest, there will be a lucky draw at the end of the meet and greet." Beta reminded him with a smile.

Xu Ruibai nodded to her, and put the number with 16 in his pocket.

While waiting in line for the autograph session to start, Xu Ruibai received a message from Ye Jia to CX330: "The autograph session is about to start, I'm a little nervous."

Xu Ruibai didn't want to reply at first, but he still couldn't hold back: "Don't be nervous, the audience are all your fans, they should be nervous."

"What if I find out that I am different from what they imagined?"

"Don't worry, they'll all love you."

"how do you know?"

"Of course I know." CX330 said, "The little fans who can't be there will also cheer for you in other places! Signing is going well!"

"Teacher Ah Cha, come in!" The staff shouted at the door.

"Oh, okay." Ye Jia quit the chat box with CX330, and put the phone in his pocket.

The five authors entered the venue together, and the venue was small, so the applause from the fans was particularly enthusiastic.It's not the first time Ye Jia has seen such a scene. When he was the editor of Xu Ruibai, every autograph event he saw was more grand and grand than this one.But it was not him who stood on the stage. He had always been a bystander, and now the applause was for him. These people were all his fans.

The boy who used to only spy on and envy the beautiful world is now slowly creating his own planet.

Apart from nervousness, it is probably more excited.

The signing session started, and the flow of people moved forward slowly.

A tall figure stood in front of Ye Jia, and put the book in front of him with his knuckles. Ye Jia didn't look up, opened the book, and said habitually: "Hello."

"Are your hands... tired?" The figure in front of him bent over, moved closer, and asked.

Smell of cedar.

Ye Jia raised his head in surprise, and after seeing the person in front of him clearly, he couldn't help smiling: "Why did you come?"

Xu Ruibai pulled on his mask and rolled his eyes: "Ah Cha's first signing, you can't miss it."

Ye Jia felt that this conversation seemed familiar.

Xu Ruibai coughed lightly, and explained seriously: "When I passed by the door two days ago, I saw a promotional poster with Ah Cha written on it. I think it should be you."

"Well, what do you want to write?" Ye Jia lowered his head and asked.

"It will be all right."

Ye Jia wrote on the inner page: Happy New Year and all the best.

The tip of the pen paused, and then wrote TO Xu Ruibai at the front.

Time and space are reset backwards, and if it was wrong from the beginning, start all over again.

——This time I will run to you instead.

"This is for you." Xu Ruibai put the translucent gem into Ye Jia's hand.

"What is this?" Ye Jia asked.

The gemstone still carried the temperature of Xu Ruibai's chest, under the illumination of the indoor lights, it looked like a sealed miniature universe.

"Gift." Xu Ruibai said, "You have seen it before."

"Is it... Opal?"

Xu Ruibai nodded, looking at him with gentle but firm eyes: "After the end, can we have dinner together?"

"Let's talk about it after it's over." Ye Jia returned the book to him, and took Opal into his hand.

Because there were not many fans present, the signing ended in less than an hour.

The host held the microphone and said: "The next step is the lucky draw of our event. Let us invite our investor, Ms. Bai."

As soon as the words were finished, Omega, wearing a plain coat, came out from the back of the venue with a splendid demeanor, and applause erupted as soon as he appeared.

As if sensing something, Ye Jia subconsciously looked in Xu Ruibai's direction, and found that Xu Ruibai was also looking at him.

They saw the same blankness in each other's eyes.

"I invite our Ms. Bai Zhuyu to draw prizes for our entire event."

Bai Zhuyu glanced at them with a smile, he couldn't tell whether it was pity or confidence in his eyes.

She said softly, "Number 16."

"Number 16." The host picked up the autograph book and repeated, "Mr. CX330."

CX330?Is he here?So one of the people who just signed up is the CX330?Now that you're here, why don't you tell yourself?

Ye Jia stood up excitedly and looked into the crowd.

"Are you number 16?" the host raised his finger and pointed in one direction, and said loudly.

Ye Jia looked in the host's direction. It was a bewildered face, the one he was most familiar with.

CX330.The seemingly unrelated sentences automatically pieced together into a picture in Ye Jia's mind, and flashed quickly.

"I may not be able to go to your signing."

"It's been called the loneliest star in the universe."

"Just want to tell him."

"Then don't send roses next time."

"Have you seen Lermontov's The Devil?"

"I'll always be a big fan."

is the same name.

It turns out, it turns out.

"Give a little applause to Mr. CX16 No. 330, and welcome him to our stage." The host kept repeating the same words.

Xu Ruibai's footsteps moved, as if he heard a dull bell knocking on his head.It's all over now.Whether it is CX330 or Xu Ruibai.

Bai Zhuyu knew him too well.

She knew that he would never miss Ye Jia's autograph session.

He heard Bai Zhuyu say to him softly: "The time you have with Ye Jia was stolen by me with my acquiescence."

All the freedom you want, I give you.

Bai Zhuyu won again.

Xu Ruibai looked at Ye Jia for a long time, and was pushed towards the stage by the people behind him.

Ye Jia kept retreating, his mind went blank.

The person who cured his insomnia was the one who made him insomnia.

The person who got him out of depression was the one who made him depressed.

He was full of joy to start a new story, but still an old man.

——Everything you get is what I want to give you.

None of them escaped from the beginning to the end.

The ring, is closed from the start.

"Run away!" Ye Jia heard the voice in his head.

Cowards have nothing to do but run away.

Ye Jia ran outside the venue.There was a commotion at the scene.

Xu Ruibai glanced at Bai Zhuyu, then turned and ran in Ye Jia's direction.

Bai Zhuyu stood on the high platform, motionless, as if he was a god coldly overlooking the joys and sorrows of human beings.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, traffic flowed like water on the main road in the city center.Ye Jia heard the whistling wind and footsteps behind him, and he knew that Xu Ruibai was about to catch up to him.

"Don't come over!" Ye Jia stopped in front of the sidewalk, turned around and shouted at Xu Ruibai.

Xu Ruibai stopped two meters away from him and called him softly: "Ye Jia."

"Don't come here yet!" Ye Jia panted heavily, and made a gesture of resistance, "Please let me calm down, I'm in a mess right now, I can't think of anything."

Everything happened too fast and in a hurry, he just needed a little time to digest this fact.

The green light jumps to the yellow light, and he only has three seconds.

Ye Jia quickly ran towards the opposite side.

Seeing Ye Jia's figure getting further and further away, the sense of frustration and powerlessness surged up, Xu Ruibai rushed into the traffic without even thinking about anything.

The yellow light flashed twice, and red took over the sight.

"what!!"

Ye Jia turned her head in panic.

Screaming brakes, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground, the screams of passers-by, his own voice.

collide together,

All are the voices of fate.

[1] Excerpted from "The Glass Factory" by Ouyang Jianghe