After all, it was a specially sent birthday greeting in advance. Even if He Tianran wanted to keep a distance, he would not be so indifferent to reject others' kindness to him.
He replied: "Thank you, Xixi, why didn't you send it the same day? You don't have to be so cautious~ Hahaha."
Jiang Xixi: "Aren't you afraid of being misunderstood? By the way, Brother He, how are you and Sister Ai Qing getting along recently? I don't even know if your confession has been successful~"
Seeing this reply, He Tianran was immediately embarrassed. After typing "No" with his finger in the chat bar, he paused for a second, quickly deleted it, and typed "Of course it was successful"...
Watching the cursor behind this sentence flashing, He Tianran finally pressed the send button...
He no longer wants to bear the burden of another girl's expectations for him...
On the chat box, the reminder that the other party was typing a message kept flashing, but it was never sent. It was obvious that the little girl had a similarly complicated mood after receiving this message.
However, this kind of silence only lasts for a minute. Online chatting seems to bring people closer, but without the face-to-face atmosphere and details, there is a lot of room for emotions to change. Many words are expressed through words. It won't be so embarrassing anymore.
Jiang Xixi: "Haha, congratulations to brother. How does it feel to catch up with the person you love?"
He Tianran: "Of course it feels like getting your wish... Xixi, just cry if you want to (hold your forehead)"
Jiang Xixi: "I won't cry, Jiang Xixi needs to be strong!!!"
He Tianran: "..."
Jiang Xixi: "Brother He, are you free tomorrow? I want to give you a birthday gift in an honest way. Of course, you can ask Sister Cao to come with me."
"..."
He Tianran was stunned when he read the text, especially when he saw the four words "birthday gift", he seemed to recall something.
"Okay, I'm free. Thank you, Xixi. You're really spending money."
"Haha, thank you. It's your birthday, and Brother He has helped me so much in the past two years. I wanted to give it to you a long time ago, but I never had the chance. Brother He, let's see you tomorrow! "
"Well, see you tomorrow."
The campus is quiet at night.
He Tianran put down his mobile phone and slowly leaned back on the chair. His head was raised, and the night light on the table reflected the ceiling in a faint orange.
The music on the computer had stopped long ago, and the man just sat on the chair and relaxed for two or three minutes.
"Dip, beep, beep——"
When everything calmed down, the man seemed to hear such continuous soft sounds in his ears, and his shoulders shook slightly...
Then he stood up, walked to his closet, and opened it.
He stretched out his hands and swept away the hanging clothes. His eyes quickly stopped at the source of the sound, and saw that in a corner of the closet, the gun symbolizing his eighteenth year was quietly hanging. A gift for the new year...
That was the pocket watch given to him by Cao Aiqing.
He Tianran carefully took off his pocket watch and opened the cover, his expression calm and gentle.
On the dial, the mechanical second hand tirelessly records the passing time.
Thinking about it, no matter how time repeats itself, as long as He Tianran has not experienced any pranks, he will become friends with Cao Aiqing.
Therefore, the bright sunrise after a long wait on the beach on New Year's Eve has been witnessed by the two people in countless timelines.
…
…
"Ai Qing, it happens to be Tian's birthday in three days. Why don't we just have a dinner party on that day? We have spent the past few years together, okay?"
"sure."
"What gift do you think I should give you? It feels like he lacks everything."
"Guo Huai, just have a nice drink with him. He will definitely be happy."
"Really? Haha, okay, if Ai Qing is okay with you, I will tell him."
"Um."
…
At the same time that He Tianran found the pocket watch, Cao Aiqing, who had returned home to rest during the weekend, looked at the chat history with Guo Huai on the screen of her mobile phone. She folded her hands on the desk, leaned down and tapped her chin.
"A gift?"
The girl murmured softly, and her eyes unconsciously looked at the base of the lamp beside her.
There, there is a string of shiny moon-white Bodhi beads.
This is exactly the same as the bracelet she threw into the lead washing pool...
In other words, this is the same thing that represents the hundred and eight troubles.
Of course, this was not something Cao Aiqing fished out from the lake later, nor was it the "real thing" she had left behind after she had deceived her and replaced the civet cat with the prince. She had indeed thrown away the string of curses that could travel through time and space and manipulate fate...
But that was all before the world restarted...
Now, this string of beads has returned to her by chance.
As long as she went to Quan Ling Temple with He Tianran during the autumn outing, as long as she was admitted to the University of Hong Kong, and her class organized a meeting with the old monk to fulfill her vows, as long as the process remained unchanged, the result would not change.
The difference may be that only He Tianran's side has changed...
Thinking of what He Tianran had done for herself recently, Cao Aiqing couldn't help but express what was in her heart:
"How about giving it to him..."
The girl asked herself, her thoughts were as deep as the night, but this time, there was no trace of sadness in her heart.
…
…
The next day.
The time Jiang Xixi and He Tianran agreed upon was after class in the evening, at Wenhui Bridge on the other side of Xueyuan Road.
It is well known to students in the university town that there is no bridge at Wenhui Bridge, or in other words, there was one in the early years, but later in order to build the city and expand the land, the bridge was demolished long ago to fill in the river and change its course.
It sounds funny. In fact, Wenhui Bridge was not called Wenhui Bridge at first. To be honest, it was just an unknown small stone bridge. But then the news came that the university town was going to be built here. In order to have good intentions, the local leaders Therefore, the Shiban Bridge was specially renamed Wenhui Bridge.
I just didn't expect that now that the bridge is no longer there, the original name of Stone Bridge has also been forgotten in people's memories. The reason why there is still a name like "Wenhui Bridge" here is because it is a section of Line 7 of the Hong Kong City Metro. The hub station is also the most convenient subway station from the university town. Its name is "Wenhui Bridge West".
Since here is the airport to the north and the train station to the south, in the minds of the students, this station gradually has the meaning of parting ways and meeting indefinitely. Over time, a saying called "No Regrets Falling" was born. Standing in the west of Wenhui, there is a proverb about the difference between going north and south.
The specific location agreed upon with Jiang Xixi was naturally not a crowded place like the subway entrance. He Tianran was sitting at the outdoor seat of a Starbucks about 500 meters away from the subway station, holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa with both hands. , took a sip with enjoyment.
The weather in Hong Kong City has turned cooler in December, and now the people on the streets are wearing thick clothes, puffing out white breath, and looking busy.
He Tianran's eyes wandered through the crowd. It didn't take long for him to catch a glimpse of Jiang Xixi, who was small, wearing a white fur ball hat and a warm coat, wrapping herself tightly. .
But what is more eye-catching than her outfit now is something she is carrying on her back.
Seeing the direction from which she came, He Tianran was sure that the little girl had just come out of the subway entrance. The man waved, and Jiang Xixi put a smile on her face, and trotted towards him with her legs crossed.
"Slow down, I'm just sitting here, I won't run away." He Tianran smiled and pushed another drink ordered on the table, "Hey, the Matcha Frappuccino you just ordered on WeChat."
"Thank you! Here, Brother He, a birthday gift for you!"
Jiang Xixi took off the things on her back and handed them over with both hands.
That's a guitar.
He Tianran was in a daze for a moment. He took it and held it in his hands. He looked at the scratched piano bag and asked uncertainly:
"This is... the piano you use?"
Jiang Xixi smiled and nodded, "Yeah! But I haven't played it much since I went to college. It would be a pity to keep it at home, so I ran home and brought it to you today!"
"Why did you think of giving me this?"
The girl sat down and took off her heavy coat. When she saw He Tianran opposite, looking at Qin in a daze, she rested her elbows on the table, held her face in her hands, and sighed:
"Brother He, the account on your little website has not been updated for several years. Have you stopped playing the piano?"
"..."
He Tianran was speechless. Seeing that the former idol did not answer, Jiang Xixi thought to herself:
"Brother He, I used to go to comic exhibitions with you, make cosplays, play together, and eat together. These were of course very fun, so much so that I forgot that we first met through guitar. Until these two months, we We stopped contacting each other, but it made me care about this matter again. When I think about you giving up playing the piano, I feel even more unwilling than if I don’t play the piano..."
He Tianran said with a wry smile: "Isn't this normal? People are always interested in different things at different stages. Just like you, Xixi, you liked guitar before, but now you like Cos, and maybe you will like it again after graduation. If you pick up other things, it may be an interest or a hobby. When you say you put it down, you don’t really want to put it down, it’s just that you pick it up less often.”
Although the other party explained so patiently, the little girl lowered her head and stirred her Frappuccino, using a little emotion in her heart to complain softly:
"That's true, but I liked you because Brother He played the guitar so well..."
He Tianran smiled and said:
"Is the male idol filter broken now?"
Jiang Xixi wrinkled her nose and glared at him viciously.
"Hmph! It's amazing to have a girlfriend! You feel confident when you talk!"
He Tianran didn't answer the question. He opened his guitar bag and found a Taylor spruce guitar. Although it was a little worse than the Yamaha red label guitar he used before, it was already good for daily playing. Very good.
"Really give it to me?"
He Tianran was silent for a moment and then asked.
Jiang Xixi looked at the piano, hesitated for a second or two, and then nodded vigorously as if she had made a heavy decision.
"Um!"
The two got acquainted because of the guitar. Jiang Xixi fell in love with He Tianran because of this hobby and advantage he had cultivated since childhood. However, now, no one among them chooses to continue playing the piano.
Perhaps, if Jiang Xixi was still the little girl who wanted to fulfill her dream of playing with her, then there might be some intersection between them.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case in the world.
But that’s okay, isn’t it?
At least Jiang Xixi wouldn't suddenly become lost after a long pursuit.
Just like He Tianran said, people will always like different things at different stages of time. For things in the past, it is too absolute to say that they don’t like them. But to put it bluntly, as long as they pick them up less often, it proves that …
I don’t like it that much anymore.
Therefore, He Tianran knew very well what Jiang Xixi meant by giving him this piano.
The man held the piano in his hand, looked at the little girl in front of him sincerely, and smiled with relief:
"...I like this gift very much, Xixi..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and rubbed the body of the piano again, his eyes seemed to be looking at this long-lost old friend, and he murmured:
"Thank you...thank you..."
At this time, Jiang Xixi may not be able to understand all the emotions in He Tianran's words. She just returned to the beginning, with an expression of admiration and expectation on her face, and couldn't wait to propose:
"Play something, Big N."
From the little fan girl who chases N University updates on the Internet to the girl who congratulates her brother all the time, to the female college student who now picks up this title again in real life, Jiang Xixi is really as she said, no matter what No matter which reincarnation it is, no matter which time they meet, she will grow.
"good."
He Tianran agreed to her request. He thought about it and did not move the strings in a hurry. Instead, he hit the panel of the piano box with the thenar of his right thumb, making a sound similar to a box drum, followed by a sound. There was another sound, and the dull drumbeat seemed to be beating in people's hearts. Mixed with it were a few melodious piano sounds that gradually overshadowed the sound of the drums. The connected melody became a prelude to an increasingly sad feeling in this bleak winter. .
He played "Anhe Bridge".
The man did not sing, but just let the melody flow freely on his fingertips. Many pedestrians came and went in the music, and occasionally some people stopped to listen for a while. Some of them stayed to appreciate it, while others hurried away not long after they stopped. On the road again.
Perhaps this song is too famous. Even though He Tianran didn't sing the lyrics, after the familiar interlude, Jiang Xixi's eyes moved, and the passers-by's lips and teeth twitched slightly. Melody, as if he could hear other people's voices, he heard these two sentences——
I know those summers, like youth, can never come back
Instead of dreaming, we can only do it with difficulty...
…
However, in He Tianran's heart now, he is more moved by the last six words of the song than these two sentences -
So hello and bye.
Maybe it was because his youth had come back so many times that he finally felt the weight of these six words until he finally reached the end of this post-adolescence period...
The rendering of music gives the streets where people come and go in winter a different kind of mood.
Sensitive, sad, confused and ordinary.
After the song was played, there were sporadic applause from the crowd. He Tianran nodded to the pedestrians who stayed for this purpose, but after that, he still avoided the final ending of the song and the crowd dispersed.
No regrets, I stopped in the west of Wenhui. I have no time to travel to the north and the south.
As if to confirm this sentence, the gathering crowd slowly dispersed, and they merged into the sea of people again, and among them, He Tianran seemed to see the back of a familiar woman...
It seems like, Cao Aiqing?
He Tianran was not sure. Jiang Xixi's voice sounded in his ears again, interrupting his desire to take a closer look.
"That's great. I didn't expect my guitar to make such a sound..."
Jiang Xixi was melancholy and happy at the same time.
The former is because of the sadness of music, and the latter is when I see my idol playing the guitar again.
"You will always improve with more practice. What's the matter? Do you want to take it back again?"
He Tianran joked.
Jiang Xixi shook her head: "No, every time I watch N Big Fingerstyle, I want to work hard to learn the piano, but every time I pick it up, I just play 53231323 times randomly, so instead of leaving the piano here with me, it is better to let it play. What a good home!”
The man was startled, then smiled.
The little girl stood up and picked up her glass of drink, with an inconsistent look on her cute little face. She said:
"I am leaving!"
He Tianran was collecting the piano. He was a little surprised when he heard this and asked:
"Leaving after delivering the things? Don't want to talk more."
Jiang Xixi shook her head again:
"I don't want it. Jiang Xixi doesn't want to be dissatisfied. She knows that Brother He has a girlfriend and wants to get involved. Brother He is the same. When you go back, be sure to explain to Sister Cao how you got this guitar to avoid misunderstanding...
And... Brother He, don't always get too close to the opposite sex in the future. We used to play together because you haven't confessed your feelings to Sister Cao. Now that we are together... it's not appropriate for us to do this... …Hmm… I feel like he is a scumbag, and doing this is really worthless in the eyes of girls…”
Listening to the little girl talking a lot as if she had a guilty conscience, He Tianran didn't make fun of anything. He just looked into Jiang Xixi's clear eyes and said seriously:
"knew."
"Well... then I'm leaving..."
"...Goodbye, Xixi."
"Goodbye...Brother He."
Jiang Xixi glanced at him one last time, turned around resolutely, and that small figure with a stubborn back walked away, gradually drifting away.
He Tianran was very sure that this was not the last meeting between him and Jiang Xixi, but it was indeed their farewell to a relationship.
Will she be strong again?
She must be able to do it!
With such expectations for Jiang Xixi in his heart, He Tianran stayed where he was again, watching a person move firmly towards the future.
…
…
Many days later, a small incident occurred in the music area of Xiaopo Station that no one paid much attention to.
A guitar fingerstyle UP master named "NaturaL" finally remembered his password and updated a fingerstyle video after not updating for several years.
Since he has been offline for many years and is on an unpopular channel, he has lost a lot of fans and there are only a few dozen replies in the comment area.
Among them, there was a first-level trumpet named "Pi Xixi" who replied happily:
"(), ok! N Big is finally back! Happy, happy, happy, I want to change my name to Gao Xixi! I will always be a fan of N!"
If you click on this user's attention list, you can find that "NaturaL" is his only attention.
The fingerstyle content released by NaturaL this time is an old song...
From Jay Chou——
"Broken String".
