"Hmm?"
A young man entered the room, carrying groceries in his hand. As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed an extra person in the house, someone who looked somewhat familiar.
Ning Yu also set down her teacup and looked towards the door.
She recognized this person; it was the guy who had sold her the electric piano.
His peculiar attire was gone, and his exaggerated hairstyle had been replaced with a normal medium-length haircut.
His earrings and lip rings seemed to have been removed, and he now exuded a completely different aura, losing that rebellious vibe he once had.
He also had a guitar case slung over his back, looking like he had just returned from an outdoor performance.
"Oh... is that you?"
He walked into the living room, set down his guitar, and placed it aside.
"Xiao Lian, do you know him?"
Wan Lian, who was beside them, picked up the teapot and teacup again and poured him a cup of tea.
"Yes, she's from the exploration team, and she was helping me investigate my brother's case..."
Wan Lian was also a bit puzzled. Although the Fangzhou Base was small, it seemed a bit too coincidental, didn't it?
"So, what's your relationship with her...?"
"Oh~ I sold my electric piano to her before."
The young man pointed at Ning Yu to explain.
Ning Yu felt like she was getting used to these coincidences and smiled as she asked the young man, who was preparing to drink his tea:
"Why didn't you give up your little hobby?"
She was a bit curious because she clearly remembered that the guy had decided to give up and find a regular job in the base.
The young man seemed to have expected Ning Yu's question and answered:
"Well... I actually only gave up for one day. On the second day of my cargo transport job at Fangzhou, I sneaked back to the square after work and performed alone."
"To be honest, if it weren't for that duet we played together that day, I might have really given up."
He smiled at Ning Yu.
Ning Yu pondered: Like him, ordinary people could also take on cargo transport jobs, although it was very dangerous, so it usually required a group of people to work together.
Unlike Wan Heng, who, as an awakened individual, could handle the job alone.
But because it was so dangerous, Fangzhou offered high rewards, which always attracted people willing to take such risks for substantial payouts.
It was somewhat similar to the lifestyle of the "Three-River-and-Big-God" folks, where one day of work could sustain them for several days.
Except that the "Three-River-and-Big-God" folks chose to live a laid-back life, while this job was literally a matter of life and death.
"Then I unexpectedly found that even when survival was at stake, there were still people willing to listen to me sing..."
He seemed a bit embarrassed, as if he were neglecting his responsibilities while others were earnestly trying to survive, and here he was, singing for a living.
Ning Yu turned to look at Wan Lian beside her:
"So, what's your story...?"
Judging by the situation of these two, it seemed like they were living together? That was fast.
Wait... was there going to be more couple drama? There had been a lot of that lately!
Wan Lian, hearing Ning Yu's question, shyly glanced at the young man who was still drinking tea and said:
"After that failure, I went out for a stroll. At first, I wanted to jump from a high place in Fangzhou to the outside world."
"Then I saw him there, sitting on the ground with an acoustic guitar, playing and singing for everyone. There was quite a crowd around him."
"To be honest, it was quite nice to listen to. Since the disaster began, I haven't heard anyone sing for a long time, and it felt like a luxury."
She fiddled with the hem of her clothes as she spoke slowly.
"Ah... that day was also a coincidence. I saw her looking lost, so I went over and asked her what song she wanted to hear."
At this point, the young man took over the conversation and continued.
"She just shook her head and turned to leave. In that moment, I had a bad feeling..."
"Then I grabbed her... and asked her to at least listen to one song, one that I really liked."
The young man's eyes sparkled, as if he had returned to that afternoon.
"Oh? What song did you sing for her?"
Hearing this question, Ning Yu became curious. What kind of song had brought these two together and made the girl give up her thoughts of suicide?
The young man, hearing Ning Yu's question, lit up and grabbed his guitar from the side, eager to play.
"Want to hear it?"
Ning Yu thought for a moment, since there wasn't much else to do, she slowly nodded.
Before Ning Yu could even agree, he had already placed his hands on the guitar and played a simple, slightly melancholy intro.
"Compared to Nakajima's version, I prefer Akita's, which is his own, guitar-accompanied version."
He explained as he played, though Ning Yu didn't know who he was talking about, so she didn't understand the names he mentioned.
【I once wanted to end it all, because seagulls were crying at the harbor.】
【I once wanted to end it all, because apricot blossoms bloomed on my birthday.】
As soon as the lyrics came out, Ning Yu felt a pang in her heart. What a sad scene and reason, wouldn't it make someone even more inclined to...
The following lyrics seemed to describe mundane aspects of life:
The spilled sunlight, the insect's corpse, the fishing port's lighthouse, the abandoned bicycle, the self kneeling on the bed apologizing to the past...
These images wove a scene filled with despair.
【I am Don Quixote, fighting an invisible enemy in this six-tatami-sized room.】
Fighting an invisible enemy...
Ning Yu pondered over these lyrics and looked at Wan Lian beside her, wondering if she knew what "invisible enemy" meant.
【I cried because I was loved, because I knew the warmth of people.】
When these lyrics were sung, the story seemed to take a turn.
It seemed that someone had appeared in the story, someone who had brought hope back to everything.
【I once wanted to end it all, but I saw your beautiful, radiant smile.】
【Always thinking about dying must be because I have lived seriously, right?】
Wan Lian beside her was also listening intently. Suddenly, she poked Ning Yu's hand and said seriously:
"I really like the last few lines of this song."
As the young man's tone gradually lowered, Ning Yu thought the song was about to end, but it was then that the song reached its climax.
【I once wanted to end it all, but I hadn't met you yet.】
【Because there are people like you, I have a little more affection for the world.】
【Because there are people like you, I finally have some expectation for the world.】
Ning Yu pursed her lips and didn't speak, quietly listening to the final coda with Wan Lian, before finally clapping for him.
So that's it, "but I hadn't met you yet."
The song spoke of the most desperate things but also conveyed the most hopeful message.
Ning Yu glanced at Wan Lian, whose eyes were wet with tears, and the young man, who was awkwardly scratching his head and putting away his guitar.
"How was it? Did I sing well?"
The young man walked over, took a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and handed it to Wan Lian, while also asking Ning Yu, whom he considered a professional, for her opinion.
Ning Yu nodded and gave a few casual comments.
In fact, perhaps at the right time, delivering the right song to the right person was more impactful than technical skill.
Compared to now, that day Wan Lian must have felt something that others couldn't, a moment of happiness that only she could possess, something no one else could experience.
That's why she was sitting here today, smiling and talking with them.
The young man ultimately didn't give up his small hobby.
Wan Lian ultimately didn't give up her life.
Both of these things seemed to be connected to herself:
If she hadn't stopped Wan Lian's first attempt at suicide, if she hadn't played a duet with the young man to buy the electric piano.
Would the story have turned out completely different?
Indeed, it was a coincidence, but compared to those heartbreaking events, Ning Yu preferred such coincidences.
Like a line she particularly liked: There are no miracles in this world, only inevitability and coincidence, and what someone does.
If my presence and actions have inadvertently led to such coincidences, then these unexpected occurrences serve as delightful embellishments to the otherwise mundane tapestry of daily life.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
Resolve] Gu Yang was once a true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect, but after failing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation regressed, his foundation was damaged, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he was about to be demoted to a menial servant. At his moment of despair, he awakened the [Daily Intelligence System]. By refreshing it daily, he could learn about countless hidden opportunities and secrets within the cultivation world! [Today's intelligence has been refreshed] [White Intelligence: One month ago, the Foundation Establishment spiritual item "Profound Ice Spirit Marrow" used by the host to attempt his breakthrough contained a trace of the poison "Bone-Corrobing Spirit-Dissolving Powder".] [Purple Intelligence: Tonight during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), a wisp of "Golden Crow Primordial Flame" will overflow... If this flame is devoured, it can recast the shattered cultivation foundation, fully restore cultivation, and awaken the one-in-ten-thousand—Primordial Supreme Yang Body. [Click to view coordinates]] [Golden Intelligence: Shen Qingyue, a Golden Core elder of the Falling Cloud Sect who possesses the Nine Yin Body, suffers from backlash of cold energy every full moon night, causing her strength to plummet and excruciating pain. Grand Elder Zhao Wuji has secretly bribed Shen Qingyue's personal maid, Hongxiu, and learned the rear gate array node of the protective formation "Clouds and Mist Veiling the Sun Array". Tomorrow late at night, he intends to take advantage of Shen Qingyue's flare-up of the cold poison, when she is weak and unable to resist, to use a secret technique to refine her into a cauldron and force her into a Daoist partnership. [Click to view coordinates]] The cultivation world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and human hearts are as treacherous as ghosts? Sorry, but I can read the script! From then on, relying on his informational advantage, Gu Yang proceeded step by step with careful planning. Seizing opportunities, plundering fortunes. Selling intelligence. Playing rivals against each other. Step by step, he ultimately became the Immortal Emperor!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
