city ​​of angels

To Ning Yu, that night was both long and short.

The fireworks left in my mind is a grand heartbeat.He used to suppress all the throbbing towards Ah Chong, and buried it in his heart calmly. After a long time, those affections precipitated and deteriorated, and slowly dried up.But dry things can easily be ignited by a spark and burn into a prairie fire.

Ning Yu sat in the room all night, unable to fall asleep.

He repeatedly recalled the ups and downs of Ah Chong's previous speech, the arc of his smile, the tone of his every sentence, and how beautiful the fireworks were.

Ning Yu began to feel uncomfortable after thinking about it.He annoyed himself for being so stupid, he didn't remember to record a video, so now he can only keep recalling it in his mind.

He was also set off a firework in his mind, blowing up all his sanity.The alarm sounded in my head, this time the reminder sound was very sweet and very soft, the voice said——

The progress bar of falling in love with Chong has been loaded, and the current progress has reached 100%.

The voice was so soft, as light as a gust of wind.What can be said is a definite answer.

He stared at his phone and sat all night, waiting for Ah Chong to say to himself—"Are you asleep? Chatting?"

But that night, Ning Yu didn't wait for Ah Chong.

During that period, Ning Yu began to think about some things, and he gave up thinking about how sincere and how false Ah Chong was to him.Ah Chong is a free person, he has no position to harass the other party more.

For Ning Yu at that stage, it was a great comfort to have someone to talk to him every day, and he would not expect too much.But after thinking about it, Ning Yu found that his thoughts were starting to go wrong.

Because of that firework, he started wanting more.

But in fact, this precious memory to Ning Yu is just an episode in life to Ah Chong.

The person in charge of the activities in the square that day was a good friend of Achong, who asked Achong to watch the excitement, and then let Achong and himself go home to see the precious second-hand car parts he bought from the second-hand car market.

When Ning Yu called, Ah Chong was playing a small game on the side of the square to breathe, and the crowd was too hot.He was bored, then his phone vibrated, and he saw a video call from the contact named 'Ning Yu/7.25/Wood'.

For those who are a little more familiar, Ah Chong is used to adding birthdays and preferences after the other party's WeChat name.Ning Yu mentioned his birthday to him once, and Ah Chong added it easily.

For Ah Chong, the fireworks and the happy birthday are nothing but random things.His wechat is full of contacts, men and women, tourists and friends, those who have slept with but not slept with, ambiguous and prudish, countless, and there is no shortage of Ning Yu.

So at that time, Ah Chong didn't realize that what he gave casually turned out to be the last straw that crushed Ning Yu's love for him.

After the event in the square that night, Ah Chong and his friends were busy refitting an E34 five-series all night. During the two of them, they drank a whole bottle of Jager plus Red Bull, and they were so comfortable that the pores of their bodies were breathing wantonly. Feel free to say "chat with you" to Ning Yu.

Ning Yu waited until seven o'clock in the morning, went to the bathroom to take a shower, made himself a bowl of noodles and ate it.He thought to himself, Ah Chong might have gone to bed very early last night, or he might have slept very late. He didn't look for him, so he didn't want to be disturbed.But now that it's daylight, maybe ask?

I really want to talk to Chong.

So Ning Yu sent over to ask, Brother Chong, are you awake?

After thinking about it, Ning Yu added another sentence: I promised to chat with me last night, does it still count?

On the other side, Ah Chong, who had just returned home from his friend, was lying on the bed. He checked his phone before going to bed, and only saw this message from Ning Yu.The memory of last night appeared, and he just remembered that he seemed to talk about chatting with this person.

I didn't take it to heart because it wasn't that important.

After thinking for a while, Ah Chong went back to the past: Why do you wake up so early today if you don't go to work?

Ning Yu went back in seconds——

Ning: Well, I got up early on purpose to tell you the first words when I was 23 years old.

Ah Chong smiled, lay down and made a phone call.

"Last night, I had a fight with my friends late, so I forgot about it." Ah Chong said calmly, "What time did you go to bed?"

"Around one o'clock." Ning Yu didn't intend to tell the truth, and it was meaningless to say it as if it was miserable, "I know you have something to do, so it's the same if we talk about it now."

Since what happened last night was indeed due to his own negligence, Ah Chong was very patient with Ning Yu at this moment, which can be regarded as compensation.I asked Ning Yu how his birthday was, whether he slept well, what he had for breakfast, and how far the wooden pony he made a few days ago did. He seemed to be very concerned about Ning Yu's life.But Ah Chong has always had a sense of proportion and boundaries when talking to Ning Yu, so that people will not be misunderstood further.

After chatting for a while, Ning Yu became more and more itchy, and he felt this way every time he chatted with Ah Chong.

He obviously didn't sleep all night, but Ah Chong was not sleepy at the moment, he was free to chat with him, and asked, "Aren't you planning to go out to have a good time today?"

"I shouldn't go, I have to look at work again." Ning Yu was annoyed when he mentioned this matter, and sighed, "Oh, I was very happy to hear you talk, but when I think about going to work tomorrow, I start to feel uncomfortable .”

Ah Chong could only ask: "What?"

Ning Yu hesitated, but still told Ah Chong that he seemed to be excluded in the company.

Thinking that the other party might feel bored, Ning Yu spoke briefly. Unexpectedly, Ah Chong became interested, and asked, "Didn't you offend someone? Tell me carefully, what happened to you in the company?"

Ning Yu could only recall, picking up the key points like reporting work, Ah Chong talked about his recent workplace life.In the end, he added: "I have done what I should do seriously, and I don't think I have any problems in terms of work."

Ah Chong laughed after hearing this: "You yourself said that you are in a big company. I think, a big company is a place to learn to be a human being. Where there are people, you have to respect human relations. No matter how good your work ability is, colleagues If the relationship is not handled well, it is also a failure. My suggestion is, first buy a bottle of perfume or other small gifts for your senior sister at the same school, and you can also treat her to a meal, break through from the people nearby, and take your time. "

After finishing speaking, Ah Chong gave Ning Yu some small suggestions for interpersonal communication, and even taught him how to flatter the leader in a decent and non-greasy way.

This kind of thing is completely a blind spot in Ning Yu's life, but it is the strength of Ah Chong, a veteran in the service industry.

Ning Yu felt a little aggrieved at first, and felt that there was no need for him to play with his little brain.But Ah Chong spoke very sincerely, and he began to feel sad and moved when he heard it.

This is the first time anyone has taught him this.Ning Yu has a restrained personality and a thin skin in this regard. After hearing Ah Chong's key points, he felt suddenly enlightened.

Ah Chong finally concluded: "I know that nerds like you don't think much of these things, but companies are different from schools, especially in big companies. Sometimes being tactful is not about compromising, but about protecting yourself. "

protect yourself.Ning Yu repeated softly, thinking, is he caring about me?

"Thank you Brother Chong." Ning Yu expressed his gratitude sincerely, "I have listened to it, and it is very teachable."

Achong chuckled on the phone: "Let's take it as a birthday present for you, and you don't need to thank me. Besides, just thank others verbally? How can you be so insincere?"

Ning Yu: "...how can I thank you?"

Ah Chong thought for a while before saying, "Originally I planned to take a nap, but I told you that I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. You have to be responsible, find a way to make me fall asleep, and I have an appointment with a friend at night. Just... sing a song Come on, sing a song for brother!"

Ning Yu was embarrassed: "...I sing really badly... You can't fall asleep after listening to it."

Achong said: "Then what to do, because you can't sleep anymore, you have to be responsible."

He said this lightly, but it seemed surprisingly ambiguous. Ning Yu's heart trembled a few times, and he was completely dizzy.

After being dazed for a while, Ning Yu saw the Kindle on the desk from the corner of his eye, grabbed it and hurriedly said, "...how about I read to you? I've been reading a book for the past two days... Anyway, every time I read this This book is quite hypnotic..."

Ah Chong was silent for a while, and then said into the receiver: "What is the title of the book?"

""Minimalist History of the Universe"," Ning Yu said carefully, "Uh...it seems a little boring, otherwise I'll search for some bedtime stories..."

How could Ah Chong be interested in this kind of thing...

"Read it." Unexpectedly, Ah Chong interrupted Ning Yu, and said, "I may not understand, you have to read slowly."

After Ning Yu started reading, Ah Chong has been very quiet and listened attentively.

Ah Chong was still sneering on the phone at the beginning, and he thought it was the first time someone he had slept with said: I will read to you, and it has nothing to do with me, this Ning Yu is really a bit dumb .

Ah Chong felt a little disdainful and abruptly arrogant, but somehow, he still said by mistake: You read it.

Ning Yu's voice is not very pleasant, but he reads very carefully and slowly, which makes him feel a little funny at first.But seriousness will never be let down, so after listening to it for a while, Ah Chong actually started to listen to this, which has nothing to do with his own life, the story of the universe.

"...It is what it looks like after the expansion of the universe. So 130 billion years ago, it was neither cold nor hot, and you are there now."

where is it?

Ah Chong thought to himself, this person reads the expansion of the universe for himself, and reads 130 billion years ago, which sounds very distant and illusory.The strange thing is that such a picture really appeared in my mind - a mass of gas condenses, gathers more and more, and then explodes slowly...

A Chong started to feel a little sleepy.He suddenly thought of his childhood when he was listening to the expansion of the universe.

That was when he was just brought back to Thailand by his third sister.At that time, Bangkok was not developing well, social security was a mess, and there were no jobs to find, let alone a single woman like the third sister who had no education and no special skills, and what was even more frightening was that she had a child with her.

Probably the most difficult time for them.Too poor, so poor that he could only go to the temple to steal tributes to eat.

There is no moral bottom line when people are at the end of their way.At that time, the third sister, who had no moral bottom line, took him to join a pickpocket organization.

Ning Yu: "—the first star has not been ignited, so all the matter you see is not from nuclear fusion in the core of the star. Therefore, you are surrounded by the smallest atoms, and hydrogen atoms account for the vast majority , and some helium atoms... It is the light that originally filled our universe, a light that shines everywhere, a light that will only become Microwaves of light..."

A light that shines everywhere?Ah Chong thought to himself, with so many technical terms, isn't that sunshine.

Things that are equally available to everyone are also the most abundant and cheapest things in this part of Bangkok.But... thinking about it carefully, it seems that the old Ah Chong was not illuminated by the sunshine of the City of Angels, and he and the third sister lived in the shadows for a long time.

Ning Yu: "—after blinking again, you go back another 130 million years, to [-] billion years ago. The critical last scattering surface—the surface at the end of the visible universe is now only one light-minute away from you, That means your visible universe is only one light-minute deep, which is less than one-eighth of the distance between the earth and the sun."

So is the surface at the end of the universe very close to me or far away?Ah Chong thought to himself, what a pity, I don't understand these things.

When Ning Yu was a child, he might be able to use the stars and the universe as popular science books, but when he was a child, Ah Chong had to partner with his third sister to pick up other people's wallets in crowded places.

Their usual tactic at the time was that the third sister would dress up as a young lady with good conditions, find a man who looked good and talk to him, and while they were talking, Ah Chong would sneak up from behind and cut the man's pocket...

Ah Chong can change the coin from the palm of his hand to the bottom of Ning Yu's cup, not because he likes magic, but because he has a pair of skillful hands that have stolen countless wallets.

There is also the experience of being caught and beaten by mistake. Ah Chong was still young at that time, and when he was caught, he would often beat and scold others before giving up.

At that time, little Ah Chong asked the third sister: "Can I stop stealing? I don't like stealing."

Not only do I not like it, but I am more afraid, and I don't know why, so I want to steal it.

The third sister answered him calmly: "Don't fucking try to drag me down. Before you find a new way of life, be honest and obedient, understand?"

Ning Yu: "——The entire universe has only become transparent for 60 seconds."

60 seconds?

Ah Chong thought to himself, how fast.He has struggled for more than ten years from a person with bad records to what he is now.

Ning Yu: "——It's really hot. 3000°C, everywhere...still in the dark age, but everything around is so bright. You can't help but suspect that the name is not at all appropriate."

3000°C...It sounds really hot, Ah Chong thought, much hotter than Bangkok.

He looked up at the window.

The sunshine in Thailand is indeed not stingy, and it has been very warm since the morning.There are a few mango trees outside his house, and they bear fruit. The mangoes are half-ripe, with a little yellow in the green, hanging by the glass window, and also leaning on a small piece of light on the glass window.

When the wind blew, Mango shook his body, and the sun also rippled, and a few rays of light swayed to the table, chair, bed, and his face in Ah Chong's house.

The sun was too dazzling, Ah Chong frowned and grabbed the T-shirt next to the pillow to cover his face.

Ning Yu's voice reading was still slow, and gradually became distant in Ah Chong's ears.

He seemed to be brought to that place hotter than Bangkok by Ning Yu's voice.He saw his body melt, so comfortably melted—he felt that at this moment, he and the untouchable world were now one, and they coexisted, high, high, in space.

Ning Yu: "—you pause there."

You pause there.

After this sentence fell, Ah Chong finally fell asleep in the story of the universe.

But Ning Yu didn't know, he was still studying.Ah Chong didn't make a sound, and Ning Yu read on honestly.He hadn't slept all night, and Ning Yu couldn't help yawning a few times because he was too sleepy, but thinking that Ah Chong might still be listening, he forced himself to hold back his sleepiness and continue reading the next line.

The weather in Shanghai today is not very good. It has rained a little, and the sky looks dirty, mixed with some unclean haze.Ning Yu glanced at the window during the time when he was too sleepy to read, and he began to think about it, remembering what he thought about when he was in a daze last night...

The straight-line distance between Bangkok and Shanghai is 2886.06 kilometers, and the flight time from Shanghai to Bangkok is 3 hours and 40 minutes.Ning Yu found out the data at that time, swiped his fingers across the table from one corner of the table to the other, and only read these numbers silently once in his heart, and then firmly memorized them.

He has always had a good memory.

2886.06 kilometers, converted to 1096.04 miles... 3 hours and 40 minutes, you can make a rough wooden doll...

Thinking about it, thinking about it, sleepiness swept over his consciousness, Ning Yu finally hit his head on the table, and began to sleep on his first day at the age of 23.

The phone was not hung up, it was always connected, and they were all asleep.

At that time, Ning Yu slept well, but his neck hurt a little, and he seemed to have a lot of dreams, but he couldn't remember what he dreamed of.

He slept for more than 9 hours, and when he woke up, Ning Yu only reacted for a second, rubbing his eyes hurriedly and grabbing the phone.

Ah Chong should have woken up earlier than him, and had already hung up the voice call.

Ning Yu looked at their dialogue column, and the latest section showed——

[Sunday 14:32 pm]

Call duration 520:01

It was the first day of Ning Yu's 23 years old.