Chapter 40

◎ Nostalgia ◎

Having said that, Wu You was like a thorn in the hearts of the two people, moistened by tears, taking root and sprouting, and Du Ningyang was not a person who could keep things to herself. She was not in a good mood throughout the dinner, much more depressed than when she first got home.

She almost unconsciously picked up the kelp shreds in the cold dish and pushed the sesame seeds and chili seeds on it aside, but she didn't pick them up or eat them.

Zhu He also had his own troubles. The two looked at each other in silence, not disturbing each other, and finished the meal with their heads down.

It was boring.

The wall clock ticked, ticking, and it was already ten o'clock.

Du Ningyang stood up and was about to put away the plastic box and bag and throw them into the trash can. Zhu He said, "Let me do it, you go take a shower first."

She withdrew her hand, went to the balcony to collect the bath towel and clothes, and went into the bathroom in slippers. The sound of water came, Zhu He tied the garbage bag and put it at the door, and walked back to the computer.

He then realized that the page stopped at the sleepwalking universe, the image of the electronic tombstone was enlarged, and the handwriting on it was clear at a glance.

She left the bedroom after him, so she must have seen it, so she was unhappy, alas.

Zhu He sighed heavily and wanted to slap himself, but he really couldn't forget Wu You, nor

could he forget those happy and prosperous days. Compared with the same batch of people who entered the society, he and Du Ningyang's life was not bad, but compared with the time when he was with Wu You, it was much worse.

They have a lot of things to consider, such as balancing income, rent, water, electricity and savings; there are more realities to face, such as having to smile and greet people and things they hate in order to make a living.

Merging into the endless crowds of Shenzhen City, becoming the most ordinary dust in the vast sea of ​​people, they each have resentment towards the world in their hearts, rather than the vigorous expectations they imagined before.

Compared with the wages and prices in Huaicheng, they are considered to have a good salary, but compared with the rising housing prices in Shenzhen, it is like a drop in the ocean, and it is foreseeable that they will never be able to reach it.

Ask parents for money? They are not like that.

Go back to Huaicheng to live a comfortable life? Go back now, I can't afford to lose face.

The future and hope are worn away bit by bit by day. They all know it, but choose to ignore it painfully and pretend not to see it.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, Du Ningyang came out wiping her hair with a bath towel, and was startled to see Zhu He sitting in front of the bed.

"You sit here without turning on the light, who do you want to scare to death?" Her fatigue and anger were washed away by the hot water, and water droplets dripped down her neck. Her slender legs bypassed Zhu He and went to find a hair drying cap.

Zhu He patted his thigh with one hand, motioning Du Ningyang to sit over. With the other hand, he picked up the hair dryer cap and raised it, "Here, come, I'll wipe it for you."

This is the bad thing about being with someone who has dated someone else. You always feel some inexplicable jealousy. She sat on his lap suspiciously, wondering if he had done the same to Wu You before?

Du Ningyang glanced at Zhu He hesitantly, with a hint of unintentional fragility in her eyes.

Zhu He gently and skillfully unfolded the hair dryer cap, wrapped her thick black hair like seaweed, then gently rolled the bottom of the towel upwards, buttoned it, and took advantage of the situation to put his arm around her waist and hold her in his arms.

His chin rested on her shoulder, his warm breath rising and falling, and he said, "Honey, I'm sorry. I will forget her as soon as possible. Believe me, I didn't mean it..."

"I don't want to talk about this."

She used a lot of force to push him away.

The person is gone, what's the point of talking about this? Besides, it was not a normal breakup. They did not fight to the death. In the midst of tenderness and sweetness, they were suddenly forced to separate, and then they were separated forever.

Can you forget it just by saying so? No one would believe it.

She didn't believe him. To be honest, she didn't want him to forget her. If Zhu He forgot Wu You, then the trait that fascinated her about him would disappear.

She always liked the sincere and frank Zhu He. Sometimes when she looked at him, it was like looking in the mirror. One of her who dared to love and hate fell in love with another self who dared to love and hate.

One nostalgic self understood another nostalgic self.

Zhu He's arms were tightly around Du Ningyang, and he refused to let go no matter what. "We haven't talked about it properly. I didn't want to face it before, but it's unfair to you. There is no use in avoiding it. This thorn is between us and must be pulled out."

"But you can't forget her, just like, just like I can't forget her... She is very good, she is an angel, why should we forget her?"

She thought that they should always be grateful to her, bless her, and hope that she is happy in heaven, or has gone to a stable next life.

In the summer when she was with Wu You, she accidentally mentioned that her relationship with her parents was tense and like enemies, her troubled and hopeless teenage years without care, and her short life was like a shower that could invade the city at any time.

Du Ningyang sincerely hoped that she could be his sister in the next life, because he had the best father and mother in the world.

"I don't want you to forget her, because I can't forget her either. We must remember her, but I don't want you to feel sorry for me when you think of her again."

"I want you to love me, love me wholeheartedly, and in the future, when you mention Wu You, you will only think of her as a cherished friend of ours. We must live well with her share."

"Zhu Zhu, do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu Zhu's face was buried in Du Ningyang's chest, and the warm tears mixed with the water droplets that had not been wiped away in time, wrapped in his sobbing voice, mixed with the thread of pain, soaked into her heart.

She knew that he understood her words, and she knew that he had always wanted to do this, but thoughts and actions were often delayed and could not be carried out at the same time.

But she would accompany him, proceeding bit by bit, stripping off the fragile soft ribs, and becoming each other's armor.

Without hearing Zhu He's answer, Du Ningyang continued to talk to himself: "The year she left, I came across a tattoo shop called 'Memorial'. At that time, I had the idea of ​​getting a tattoo, but I didn't know what to tattoo. When I was busy, I forgot about it and put it aside."

"Zhu He," she held up his tear-stained face, looked at him seriously, and whispered like coaxing a child, "I've thought about it. I'm going to tattoo Wu You's name on my arm so that I won't forget her. Just like the little tombstone you set up for her in the sleepwalking universe, that's your way of commemorating her, and in the future, I'll have mine too."

"In the future, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, it will be fine."

-

The raindrops hit the window sill cracklingly, and Du Ningyang was awakened by the sound of the rain. Last night, she and Wen Xu talked a lot, mainly she was talking, and he listened very carefully.

She didn't know that so many things could happen in the few years that seemed to pass in a flash. What surprised her even more was that although she had never mentioned it to anyone, she could still remember those moments and emotions clearly.

She opened her heart to this sudden stranger. How useless. She thought so.

She got up slowly. This was Wen Xu's room. She folded his quilt for the first time. Although it was folded into a bun, it showed her feelings.

Wen Xu had already gone out to the studio and left a message for her, saying that he had agreed with the waitress at the restaurant next door and ordered a small stir-fry set meal, asking her to get it as soon as she got up, and to stir-fry it quickly over high heat so that she could eat it hot.

Nourished by fresh love, a withered heart revived and beat again. Even though there was a risk of being hurt again, it made her feel very good. Du Ningyang brushed

her teeth, hummed a little tune, and walked lightly downstairs to get lunch. But in the next second, she saw Zhu He sitting on the steps at the door. Perhaps because it was cold, he changed into a black fleece sweater jacket and pants. His thin figure blended in with the gloomy sky.

Standing behind the glass door, she looked at him, and her good mood disappeared. A man who came back after a complete breakup was as annoying as a slug, making people want to get rid of him even more.

It was not Du Ningyang's style to indulge Zhu He to come to her again and again.

She pushed open the door, invited him in, asked him to sit on the sofa reserved for guests, and even poured him a glass of warm water. Her words were cold and restrained, without a trace of emotion.

"If you have anything to say, say it all today, and then we won't meet again."

"This is the last time," she added, "This is the last time I will talk to you."

His hands on his knees were open to her, hoping that she would jump into his arms like before and tell him "We will be fine."

She stood far away, unmoved, and Zhu He looked at her with resentment, his eyes gradually reddened. He said, "Don't do this, it's not the last time."

"It's not up to you to decide," she lowered her head and accidentally glanced at the tattoo on her arm, frowned and looked away, "Maybe there will be guests coming later, you should tell me quickly."

"Wu You is not dead," Zhu He lowered his eyes, "She is alive and well, but she ruined our next few years... I think we should go back to our lives and be fine."

Just like they had promised after hugging and crying, to be fine.

"I swear I won't play games anymore. Recently, I've met a lot of people with my dad and traveled to a lot of places. I'm thinking about finding an opportunity to do something... I can always do something, and our future will be better. I have confidence, really." "

Wife, let's start over, okay?"

If it were in the past, she would definitely ask him everything about "why Wu You didn't die", but now she doesn't care at all, and there is no ripple in her heart.

She thinks that it is their karma that they are not destined to be together in the end. In fact, there were signs from the beginning, but she insisted on it.

The same river that soaked her shoes and socks and caused her to fall will never be stepped into again.

"It was never because of Wu You," she pointed to the door, "Congratulations, you go."

He just stared at her, his eyes full of tears, full of reluctance. It turns out that this is the feeling of losing something you get without cherishing it. It's

very uncomfortable.

"Don't meet again in the future," she said, "Let's let each other go and live our own lives."

-I

saw that it was written on your graduation certificate that it was Huaimei Branch. What is the relationship between this branch and Huaimei?

It's been three years since I graduated, how come I only have less than half a year of work experience?

Did you get a permanent job in your last job?

Your portfolio is not very good, what drawing software do you use?

Oh...now the software for UI vector design has been upgraded.

Talk about your views on the development of the industry.

We can't give you the salary you expect for now, as you know, the economy is in recession.

Well, let's keep in touch.

...

Affected by the aftershocks of the financial crisis, the legendary golden March and silver April did not arrive, and a large number of young men and women poured into Shenzhen. They heard that there was gold everywhere, so they tried to find a place here.

Zhu Zhu walked out of one company after another in disappointment, and his interviews always ended in failure. The spring temperature in Shenzhen is approaching 30 degrees, and it is so hot that it makes people breathless.

The shirt he wears under his suit jacket is often soaked with sweat, and he has to wash it every day.

At night, they washed the white shirt and hung it on the balcony of the rental house, watching the hot wind blow it dry weakly.

She looked at the dress fluttering and shared some trivial things with him, "My colleagues said that the return of the south wind is coming soon, and we have to buy a dehumidifier, otherwise the clothes will go bad."

Zhu He took out a yellow cylindrical machine from the cardboard box in the corner, wiped the dust floating on the surface with a rag, plugged it in, pressed the button, and the small fan started to turn.

"Here, we have it, you can use it."

Wu You was clamoring to buy this dehumidifier. At first, he was like Du Ningyang, and he didn't take the return of the south wind seriously. It was just some annoying water droplets. How could it make life so chaotic?

But the dehumidifier was old and couldn't survive the long humid season of the year. It soon broke down, and their clothes went bad one by one.

It was a very unpleasant smell, but after smelling it for a long time, it seemed acceptable, and it could coexist with mold. Every time I thought about enduring it, the smell became more pungent.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and threw away all the clothes that were stained with the smell, no matter if they were expensive clothes she saved up to buy or cheap clothes for the sake of good style. She didn't expect that Du Ningyang, who loves beauty more than anything else, would also run out of clothes one day.

The washing machine was busy all the time, and the clothes had to be spun dry immediately after washing, even if the spun dry function was like a decoration.

Du Ningyang finally took out a small notebook and sat at the table to calculate how much money she could spend and how much money she had to save each month.

She asked Zhu He, "How long will it take for the return of the south wind to pass?"

Zhu He touched her head, "It will be over soon, when the sky clears up and the temperature rises."

"Then I won't buy a dehumidifier this year, and I will buy the latest model next year, the best performance, and it will last for ten years," she thought, just hold on a little longer.

The rent is paid every quarter, and the water and electricity have to be paid every month. At present, Zhu He's savings are supporting it, but there is not much left in the savings, and it can only last until this time next year at most. Du Ningyang's salary can't support the lives of two people.

Zhu He is under increasing pressure, but he can't bring himself to compete for those less decent jobs.

Du Ningyang comforted him, "It's better to have nothing than to have something of poor quality. If you want to find one, just find a good one and get it done in one go. Sometimes you have to wait for opportunities, right?"

Zhu He nodded.

The next day, the interview location was in a building near the Digital Plaza. As expected, it was another wasted trip. Zhu He looked at the billboards in the plaza with large fonts saying "High Price Recycling of Electronic Products" and made up his mind.

Otherwise, he could sell his assembled desktop computer. When assembling it, he chose the best parts. It has been used for more than two years and has not been stuck at all. It should be able to sell for 8,000, oh no, 10,000, it should be able to sell for 10,000. Three months' rent, a whole quarter without worrying.

If you want to play games, just go to the Internet cafe and play a few games.

Zhu He walked into the Digital Plaza. It was crowded inside. The glass counter was surrounded by people choosing mobile phones. There was a quiet shop in the corner. No one was interested, but it offered him a low price in the 30s.

"Three thousand for a whole set? Handsome guy, my machine is all top-of-the-line. Are you mistaken?"

"Yeah, it's all this price now."

Zhu He leaned his hands on the glass counter, and the cold white light strip below made his face look a little pale. Under the glass counter, there were rows of large-screen smartphones, both domestically produced and imported, all with a big "Gaming Performance Machine" written on them, indicating the rapid arrival of the mobile game era.

"Are you sure?"

"What you have is outdated, and electronic products are updated very quickly," the guy in the baseball cap said impatiently, "Why don't you go ask other shops? No one can offer a higher price than me... I usually offer a higher price because the location of my stall is not good."

Other customers came around to ask about the phone, and the guy walked around Zhu He, put on a smiling face, and greeted him, "Or you can move it here and let me take a look. If you maintain it well, I'll give you an extra 200 yuan. I really can't give you more."

Zhu He looked around again, and the guy was right. No one offered a higher price than him.

On the way back, he was a little depressed. Everything was really going wrong, but then he thought, it's not necessary to sell it to the people in Digital Plaza, it doesn't matter where you sell it, right? He has a friend in the Dream Universe who seems to be in this business, so why not ask him.

Nan Nan told him: [Brother Gabe, this is indeed the market now. I advise you not to sell it. You will lose a lot.]

Gabe: [Well, I'll think about it.]

Nan Nan: [Didn't you make a lot of money by trading equipment before? Are you not going to do this after selling the computer?]

"The next stop is the Exhibition Center Station, where you can transfer to Line 3..."

Before he could answer, the subway announcement made Zhu He put his phone in his pocket. He followed the crowded flow of people up the stairs, walked across the platform, and lined up to transfer to the next train.

While waiting, his phone vibrated, and he took it out to read it out of boredom.

Nan Nan: [You have so many customers and good credit, it's a pity.]

Nan Nan: [But it's true. Now there are more and more people trading equipment. You have to stock up a lot, and the cost of initial investment is also high.] Nan Nan:

[Alas, these days, you have to sacrifice your child to trap wolves. It's really difficult.]

He looked at the small screen of his phone, and the hope in his heart seemed to revive little by little. Although the computer is no longer valuable, he and Wu You have made a lot of money with it.

Or he can restart it and make it his career... ? As long as he works hard enough and can endure enough, why can't he create a universe in the sleepwalking universe?

The station announcement sounded again, and he arrived at his destination. When he stepped into the car, he was lifeless and depressed, but when he stepped out of the car, his steps were brisk and full of fighting spirit.

Congratulations on logging into the game that night, brushing fifty loud speakers in the whole server, saying happily: Friends, I wish Gabe is back!

A few people in the list poked his little window and asked him to play together. Looking at the dimmed names on the list, he comforted himself, it was only because today was a weekday.

On the weekend, they must be as lively as before.