【Summer Five】Iron City Wall

Two weeks passed in a flash.

On this day, the state university sent a bus to send a bus full of students and teachers to watch the ceremony.When driving on the viaduct, many students stuck to the window and looked out, marveling at the pale and bleak snowy permafrost, and couldn't help but lower their voices to discuss some anecdotes in the area, regardless of whether they were true or false.

Xia You closed her eyes and rested her mind, her forehead pressed against the glass window.The well-damped vehicle didn't make too much noise. Although he couldn't fall asleep, he still felt a little drowsy amidst the chattering and laughing.

"Professor Xia You, have you ever been to District [-]?" The associate professor of materials department sat next to him and asked with an embarrassed expression.

The young man seemed a bit afraid to talk to him. Xia You opened his eyes, still smiling lightly, "I've been there. When I was an undergraduate student, I had an internship opportunity, and I was lucky enough to be selected by my tutor. This time."

"You didn't stay?" the associate professor was surprised, "I thought that according to your professional ability, it would be a bit condescending to teach in a university..."

He spoke more and more quietly, feeling a little presumptuous.

Passing the speed bump, the body trembled slightly, and Xia You simply woke up.

"It varies from person to person. Maybe I don't want to be here, I don't have much self-motivation, and life at state university is right for me."

After finishing speaking, he deepened the smile hanging from the corner of his mouth, and laughed at himself: "People in my family often say that I am old-fashioned, and I think I'm right."

The associate professor refused to accept, "You are so talented that you won't be ashes in a small automation institute, regardless of a larger research institute? And it is said that people who are not hot-blooded are wasting young people, who hasn't done something stupid."

A string of drops of water passed by the window, Xia You stared at it for a while, then turned around and said, "That's right, there were really stupid people in the past."

When we arrived in District [-], it was raining patter outside.The raindrops hit the car windows regularly, and the exquisite buildings were soaked in the mist, only the outlines could be seen vaguely.The students who were full of anticipation sighed, as if they were also swept away.

The bus went straight to Avenue des Champs-Elysees, the most prosperous block in the Iron City Wall, and it was also the destination designated by the organizer.The waiters came out with umbrellas to greet them, and a carload of people emptied their luggage one after another, shook off the water stains on their clothes, and stepped into the 300-meter-high hotel.

"Everyone, put your luggage away, and you can move freely tonight!" The old professor who led the team shouted at the front desk, trying to attract the students who were analyzing the golden section facing the spiral staircase.

Passing through the carefully placed bonsai in the center of the hall, Xia You entrusted the suitcase to a manager who was looking after the bar, and quietly left the hotel with the voucher and a portable umbrella.

He took out the terminal while walking, clicked on the latest contact in the text message interface, and called up the map sent to him by the other party.As the evening approached, the rain curtain did not show signs of restraint. Instead, it was dyed camel red by the setting sun. Drops fell on the umbrella surface, splashing ripples half a finger high.

"Romanweikang District - No. 12 Shanglin Street." Xia You stopped a taxi, closed the door, and told the driver the address.

On the way to the destination, Xia You leaned against the window, watching the continuous light rain falling from the sky, splashing on the smooth and tidy asphalt road, and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

He has been to District [-]—before the story has reached the end.Although it is due to the kindness of the tutor, how much selfishness is mixed in it, even I am not very clear.At least he once made a special trip for half a day to stop at the gate of the parliament, his footsteps stuck in place, his hands raised and lowered.The soul seemed to be torn in two, one half screamed and ordered him to knock on the door, while the other half watched indifferently and calmly, ordering him to cut off his nostalgia.

In the end, Xia You never stepped into the palace that symbolizes power and wealth.

During the trance, Shanglin Street arrived.The driver's words woke up the passengers, Xia You handed him the banknotes, got out of the car and opened the umbrella, and stepped into the hazy street scene.

The location is a small high-end tea restaurant, the booths near the window are full of people, and the circular dining table is filled with fragrant meals.He stopped in front of the window and saw two petite figures passing through a large family.

They were facing the window, and their dresses were a little thin in the autumn weather.There was clearly a drink on the table, but he didn't take a sip, allowing the heat to dissipate, and the cup wall turned from scalding hot to icy cold.If you pay more attention, you can see their tightly clasped hands, and the forcibly suppressed anxiety and joy on their pale faces.

After a few glances, Xia You made up her mind.

He pushed the door open, wiped off the water stains on the soles of his shoes on the velvet mat on the porch, pulled out the umbrella cover and skillfully wrapped the umbrella, and went straight to the booth.

"Yo," the young man lowered his voice as much as possible, tiptoeing into the fragile dream, "Nanako, Mimiko, are you all right?"

The two sisters trembled like frightened birds, their backs trembled slightly, and they turned their heads very slowly.Seeing who came, their faces were blank for a moment, and their eyes were filled with tears.

Like a pool of steam, a hot pool filled the two pairs of eyes, making the eye sockets and the tip of the nose red from the smoke.The girls didn't speak, they couldn't even make a sound, they just stared at Xia You in a daze, tears overflowed, and dripped down their cheeks.

"It's me." Xia You smiled, warm and eager, with imperceptible connivance, "It's me."

Mimiko sobbed, and covered her mouth tightly with her hands, blocking all the crying and howling that came out of her throat.The hand that Nanako held with her was so forceful that it oozes blood, the line of her lips moved, and the broken words parted her teeth, trembling out of tune, "Sir...?"

The face in front of him was handsome and elegant, with narrow and long eyes, and the brows were condensed with quiet smoke and fire. Just looking at it, one will feel a sense of alienation like sandalwood from the bottom of his heart.

It is not a sunken and flat middle-aged man, nor does it have the glaring value of "55"; he is the one who redeems them, teaches them, and gives them meaning. The title that has been sealed for ten years finally rises from the grave and returns to the world of fireworks with a full body. .

Xia You sat across from the two, stingy in giving a comforting hug.He just watched them quietly as usual, and Ren Nanako stretched out a hand in tears, clutching the corner of the clothes as if begging and longing.

The girl called out hopelessly and dazedly: "Mr. Xia You..."

Her god smiled slightly, grabbed that hand, and rubbed the back of it pitifully with five fingers, making it even more difficult for Nanako to restrain herself.Again, he replied softly: "It's me."

When the flood gates opened, the sisters raised their heads, their eye circles were still red and swollen, but they miraculously stopped crying.Mimiko raised the corners of her mouth with difficulty, tore open her skin from the usually quiet girl, and showed a sorrowful and joyful smile to the young man.

They knew that Master Xia You didn't like to see girls cry, because tears couldn't solve any problems.But he is considerate and can always comfort others in the most inadvertent way - such as watching, such as whispering.

After the newly ordered drinks were served, the two sisters finally calmed down a little and were able to speak properly.Mimiko wiped her tears with the back of her hand from time to time, her hands with the twins were still trembling, but her eyes gradually became firmer.

"I didn't expect you to really..." Nanako sighed, "We thought Andersia was lying."

Xia You took a sip of hot tea and said, "No way, even if he hasn't made any progress in the past ten years, at least he is no longer as delusional as before."

Before the war of extermination started, Xia You had already explained to Andre that if anything happened to him, he would take care of the two sisters on his behalf.Andre owed him favors in many matters, coupled with some superior old feelings, he agreed very sincerely.

The news of Xia You's accidental survival also reached Andre through secret channels - he was the only one who knew the dual identities of Xia Youjie and Subaru Lawrence, and the fact that "he is still alive".

Now the young master who inherited the family winery has faded from immaturity, and has somewhat taken on the responsibility of being a human being.Xia You was taken aback when he informed him, but he promised not to let it out—the rebels had already exposed it, and Xia You made it clear that he had no intention of rebelling; In his hands, the head of the family, who has been in the market for several years, made the best choice for himself without thinking.

Hearing what he said, Nanako felt relieved, but she was still a little bit aggrieved: "It said in the letter that your injury hasn't healed yet, is it true? It's all because of Major General Po Yexiao. Next time we meet again, Mimiko and I will definitely help you. Sir hang him!"

Xia You smiled with her chin in her hand, "It doesn't matter whether you can beat him or not, he is my best friend, so you are not allowed to make a move."

"What?" Nanako was surprised, "You mean..."

He didn't continue this topic, tilted his head to take a sip of his drink, and tapped his slender index finger on the table.Mimiko tugged Nanako under the table, the latter understood, kept silent, and lowered her eyes.She looked at Xia You's hand resting on the table, and suddenly remembered the ring he had worn.

That was about ten years ago. Xia You had just taken over the remnants of the rebel army, and was busy running around to attract talented people.Among the gangsters, it is not surprising to meet any kind of people, so fights are inevitable.

Every time, every time Xia You made a move, he would carefully remove the ring, put it in a storage bag and seal it carefully.After finishing the chores, he asked Mimiko to take out the wet wipes, first meticulously wiped off the blood on the ring finger of her left hand, and then took out the ring again, put it on with care, and pushed it into the base of the finger.

The two sisters once thought the ring was very beautiful, and with Xia You's attitude of cherishing it, it might have some special meaning.Unexpectedly, this thing disappeared inexplicably one day, and was never worn by the owner again.

Mei Meizi vaguely remembered that during that time Xia You went to the first district to study with her instructor, and when she came back, her complexion was very ugly, and her fingertips were also clean.As the years passed, even the thin and long white marks that appeared due to the lack of sunlight all year round gradually disappeared, and gradually obliterated all traces of the ring.

This association is very strange, and Nanako also knows that she is biased, so she changed the subject and asked, "How is your life now, sir?"

Xia You didn't know that the little girl had already checked her own background, and replied, "It's pretty good that I got a professor's idle job at District [-] State University."

When he said it so calmly, the sisters' eyes turned red and they wanted to cry again.

No matter what expectations they have for their "should be", Xia You should not bear the responsibility of appealing to others.He lowered his head to drink, and gave Nanako four or five minutes to calm down before continuing to speak.

"Anyway, I'm fine, so don't worry. You'll live with Andre first, and we'll talk about it later when I've settled down completely."

There was a lot of noise inside and outside the restaurant, and the noise covered up the silent sobbing of the twins.Nanako understood that she was just distressed and dissatisfied, so she tried her best to hold back her tears, letting the crystal liquid swirl in her eye sockets, and it took a long time for her to fall.

"I understand." She said, "Mr. has worked hard for more than ten years, and no one can deprive you of the right to take a break from your burden."

Xia You smiled relievedly, reached out and stroked the top of the girl's furry head, her palm was warm and generous.He said: "Don't be sad, I will contact you from time to time. Besides, I came to the first district this time to participate in the military exercise, and I will stay for a while. If you want to see me, just contact me."

The automatic door slid open, the young man left the restaurant, opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain.

The traffic is constantly flowing, and the well-dressed pedestrians have an elegant demeanor, and even conversations need to be hidden between the sleeves.Xia You was in the hazy mist, and occasionally looked up to see the trajectory of raindrops falling on the eaves, and suddenly felt that the whole world was far away from him.

The crying faces of the twins were still in front of his eyes. He pressed his heart lightly, sighed, and a wry smile appeared on his face.

"Night Owl-I..."

As he thought about the upcoming exercise ceremony, a ray of silver flashed across his mind in awe.The color was icy cold, but it contained a power that would make moths rush to the flames, as if all living beings were frightened, and only the fire of God was looking forward to it.

The tall and thin figure lingered on the side of the street for a long time, finally stopped a taxi, and left the Romanville area.