Neverland

Xu Muzhou woke up in a daze from the distorted space, just squinted his eyes, before he opened them, he was dazzled by the long-lost sunlight.

He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to cover the light outside, but a hand stretched out from the side, covering his eyes first.

The gentle and soft light golden sunlight sprinkled on his face from around the outline of that hand, Xu Muzhou squinted his eyes comfortably, his whole body was lazy, and he didn't want to move a bit.

So he squinted his eyes and raised his hand to grope for the hand in front of him, and lazily opened his mouth and said, "You woke up so fast."

It was only after Xu Muzhou opened his mouth that he realized that his voice was unbelievably hoarse. Xu Muzhou was stunned for a moment before he belatedly remembered what he was doing before the last mission.

Yan Cen sat on the edge of the bed neatly dressed, with only one hand stretched out, his eyes were fixed on Xu Muzhou—as if he had been sitting here looking at him like this for a long time before teleporting into the mission world .

Xu Muzhou: "..."

Long-lost memories came flooding back, and he rarely felt hot on his face, so he gave a dry cough and pulled Yan Cen's hand.

"It's okay." Xu Muzhou said softly, "It's not dazzling anymore."

The sunlight outside is light and clean, but it’s actually not that glaring, and you can get used to it in a second or two.Xu Muzhou held Yan Cen's hand in his palm, but was really reluctant to let go, so he caressed it cherishingly.

Yan Cen opened his mouth, hesitated to speak, "You said before—"

Xu Muzhou turned his head to look at the sky outside, and suddenly said, "Did it just rain outside?"

Yan Cen swallowed what he wanted to say just now, and looked out of the window for the time being, before humming, and replied: "Yes."

Xu Muzhou maintained the posture outside and watched for a while, then let go of Yan Cen's hand, and sat up on the bed.

"After heavy rain, the seaside air is good, and rainbows are easy to appear." Xu Muzhou said, "Come out for a walk with me."

Yan Cen stared at him for a while, finally said nothing, just nodded, pulled the coat hanging at the foot of the bed, and put it on Xu Muzhou.

They stayed in the mission world for a long time this time, and it has been a few days since Neverland. When Xu Muzhou and the others came back, the time of Neverland happened to be in the early morning. The golden morning light outside fell on the sea, and the castle was quiet. Yes, for a while, only the sound of their footsteps going down the stairs could be heard.

Xu Muzhou stepped on a pair of slightly larger flip-flops, walking half a step ahead of Yan Cen, as if he used to take a walk after dinner every day, with one hand in his pocket and the other hand around his coat, kicking and stamping on the ground go downstairs.

The weather outside was fine today, and they were in a good time. Before Neverland, it rained heavily for seven days, and it just stopped in the early hours of this morning.

The air was full of moisture after the heavy rain, and there were still traces of the heavy rain on the shore. When Xu Muzhou went out, he glanced at the pontoon bridge, and saw a row of footprints that hadn't completely disappeared.

Xu Muzhou stood at the door for a few seconds, then glanced at Yan Cen behind him from the corner of his eye.

Just as he thought, Yan Cen's footsteps were stopped, he looked at the simple plastic booth beside him, and his eyes were falling on the crudely packaged plastic bottles on it.

Yan Cen's eyes were complicated and struggling, Xu Muzhou looked away after only one glance, and walked forward calmly.

He didn't check to see if Yan Cen really took the things, but tightened his coat and stepped onto the pontoon first.

The pontoon bridge was floating on the sea, and there was no load-bearing pillar under the bridge. When you stepped on it, it was crooked, as if it would be overturned at any time.

But Xu Muzhou has walked across this bridge countless times, and he has already gotten used to it like walking on flat ground.

The slightly cool sea water came over from the bridge, didn't touch Xu Muzhou's white insteps, gently brushed his ankles, and then retreated into the sea.

When Xu Muzhou walked to the middle, he only felt that the bridge deck behind him sank slightly - it was Yan Cen who followed.

The dazzling sun rises slowly from the sea level, and is gently accepted by the light-colored sky.

Xu Muzhou stopped and stood on the shore, squinting his eyes to watch the sunrise on the sea, waiting for Yan Cen behind him to follow up.

The sea of ​​Neverland is very beautiful, just as Xu Muzhou said with emotion countless times before, there is no illusion of the land of the dead here, but it is full of fireworks everywhere, and the place that can be bright is terribly bright, there is no light at all. gloomy look.

Compared to Toya's small place, this place is simply a paradise full of hope, and it makes people feel good just looking at it.

"I have a question for you, Brother Yan." Xu Muzhou said.

Yan Cen, who got off the pontoon bridge, took a few steps forward, stood beside him, and asked, "Huh?"

Xu Muzhou naturally turned sideways and walked forward side by side with him, just like they gossiping every night, walking slowly and leisurely.

"You said, Neverland can erase my memory, can it erase my instinct?" Xu Muzhou asked.

Yan Cen looked sideways at his face, was silent for a while, and said honestly, "I don't know."

"I don't think so." Xu Muzhou said to himself.

Yan Cen didn't say right or wrong, but asked gently, "Why?"

"Because I love you." Xu Muzhou said.

Yan Cen paused.

Xu Muzhou didn't seem to feel that he said something shocking to the world at all, he just stopped following Yan Cen's movements naturally, put his hands in his pockets, turned around casually, and looked at Yan Cen.

"And you are the only existence I have gained in my life. If you disappear all of a sudden, even if I don't remember it, I must still feel it." Xu Muzhou smiled and said: "Although I don't know what Qin Wei will look like when she goes back , When I dream back at midnight, will I have a vague dream of an invisible figure... But I know that the child who is robbed of the only candy in his pocket will not feel very good."

"But the choice is a difficult game with blindfolded eyes and ears." Yan Cen was uncommonly vacillating. He lowered his eyes, and his long eyelashes seemed to sweep across Xu Muzhou's heart, and even his voice changed. It's a little hoarse: "Fate uses the two big words 'unknown' to deceive people, so that they will go forward without complaint and step on the blades and thorns that have been set."

"Muzhou, all the regular employees of Neverland are all in hiding, and can only gain a chance of life in the world by stealing other people's identities." Yan Cen smiled wryly: "Don't you think this is... rude? .”

"Perhaps everyone in Neverland was the most important person in the original timeline. You shoulder greater responsibilities, have a wider vision, and see problems from a wider perspective-so you probably don't know what ordinary people are. Thoughts." Xu Muzhou said, "Let me tell you what ordinary people like me are thinking about in the world."

Yan Cen pursed his lips, and put on an expression of listening attentively.

"Every ordinary person, when they are in a difficult situation, hopes that someone can help them." Xu Muzhou said: "In fact, I didn't believe this. I think it is a foolish thing to pin our hopes on nothingness. ...but now I don't feel that way."

"Maintaining the balance of the world line for thousands of years and protecting the spirit and obsession of thousands of people is a great thing." Xu Muzhou said: "You have brought hope to people."

"Do you know how people will call you after thousands of years?" Xu Muzhou asked suddenly.

Yan Cen was stopped by his question, and asked suspiciously: "What?"

"They call you gods." Xu Muzhou said: "People always hope that gods will descend from the sky to save all living beings and save themselves...and you are doing this kind of work, aren't you?"

Probably no one had ever said such a thing to Yan Cen before, so he was stunned for a second visible to the naked eye, and didn't answer the words.

"Everyone has their own suffering in this world. You have seen it for so many years, and I have seen it a lot." Xu Muzhou said, "Don't let it happen to you, you have to suffer again."

Xu Muzhou paused, and suddenly asked: "...Did you take something at the door just now?"

Yan Cen took a deep look at him, then took out his hands that had been in his pockets and spread them out in front of Xu Muzhou.

—He was empty-handed and took nothing.

"No." Yan Cen said.

Xu Muzhou smiled suddenly, this time he smiled sincerely, with the corners of his eyes slightly bent downwards, looking brighter than the sun on the sea.

"You said before that if they were a little bolder or a little more cautious when making choices, things would be completely different." Yan Cen looked into Xu Muzhou's eyes seriously, and whispered: "... But now, it's your turn to choose."

"I want to stay in Neverland." Xu Muzhou smiled easily: "Actually, for me, it's the same wherever I work. Interesting job, lovely colleagues, good bosses, and incorruptible Body and soul. And... eternal love."

"Of course, the five social insurances and one gold will still be paid. Please convert them into points and add them to my card." In fact, this is not an easy decision, but Xu Muzhou shrugged his shoulders pretending to be relaxed, and said: " Social animal mentality, laugh at me."

In fact, Xu Muzhou thought about this matter many times before making this decision.He understood Yan Cen's concerns, and he still remembered Zhong Lu's warning. He even thought about the sensitive issue of whether he would regret it more than once.

However, the moment he actually made this decision, Xu Muzhou suddenly realized that not only was this matter not as difficult as he imagined, but it made him feel relaxed.

"Let's let the original body break down, delete the anchor point on my timeline, and follow the development of the timeline." Xu Muzhou looked sideways into the distance and said, "It doesn't make sense that I have done so much for the balance of the world. In the end, I became the exception of 'unbalanced'."

"Of course, I'm just an ordinary person. Even if I die, I'm not eligible to enter Neverland... But it's because I have done a lot of temporary work for Neverland." Xu Muzhou said: "Mr. Yan, how about opening a back door and letting me become a regular employee?"

"Who said..." Yan Cen's Adam's apple rolled violently, and said: "You can control me, and you are a 'person who can control the world'."

"Really." Xu Muzhou blinked at him, and smiled a little narrowly: "If Neverland asked someone else to do an internship, you might fall in love with him."

"No." Yan Cen said: "Because you are also... the only instinct in my fate choice."

The cool sea breeze swept across the sea from the distant water and sky, wrapped in cool water vapor, and raised the hem of Yan Cen's wide coat.

The seashore that Xu Muzhou showed in the crystal ball stood opposite Yan Cen, but this time there was only gentle and long-lasting love in his eyes - he stared at Yan Cen's beautiful amber eyes, and could clearly see Yan Cen in the other's eyes. own reflection.

Yan Cen looked at him tenderly for a while, and then smiled.He seemed to be relieved of something all of a sudden, he relaxed his whole body, stretched out his hand to brush away Xu Muzhou's forehead hair that was blown by the wind, slowly bent down, and gently touched Xu Muzhou's cheek with his cool lips. Between eyebrows.

"...you are a gift given to me by fate." Yan Cen said.

It was a very light kiss, without a hint of lust, as clean as the blue sky of never-ending land.

Xu Muzhou closed his eyes, accepted the "imprint" piously, then opened his eyes, and stretched out his arms to hug Yan Cen in the slightly presumptuous sea breeze.

He tiptoed slightly and leaned closer to Yan Cen's ear.

"Brother Yan." Xu Muzhou said, "You are the beginning of my new life."

——END