Collapse Simulator, why are we drifting apart?

Fifth month.

In the early morning, the sky was gray and cloudy. Not long after he walked out of the door, it began to drizzle. Then the rain got heavier and heavier at a fast speed. Soon, Fan Mu, who was working outside, was soaked like a drowned chicken.

"Today was kind of a bad day."

Fan Mu looked at the sky outside the window, complained softly, then began to change into his work clothes and quickly got down to work.

He has now begun to adapt to his current life, except that he still thinks about Firefly occasionally.

It is hard to imagine that just a while ago he was a decadent, unemployed vagrant who spent his days eating. Well, that's not quite right. He also opened a small shop, but there were basically no customers.

"Welcome, what would you like to eat?"

…………

The rain lasted all day and only stopped slowly in the evening when the sun went down.

The sunset after the rain seems even more gentle. It gently sprinkles on the wet earth, dyeing the whole world with a golden halo.

The air is filled with a fresh scent, and the afterglow of the setting sun illuminates everything, making everything seem so peaceful and beautiful.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Fan Mu suddenly recalled the rainy day when he first met fireflies. It was also this kind of heavy rain that was falling from the sky.

Looking at the rainbow vaguely appearing in the sky, he stood on the street, staring at it in a trance on the wet ground, and his attention was attracted for a moment.

"It's almost there, just one month!"

A month is not long, because he has experienced more than 100 months like this. A month is very long, so long that Fan Mu feels irritated. He feels that the more than 100 months in the past were not as difficult as this one.

He had never thought that there would be a day when he would miss someone so much that he would not even want to drink tea or eat. This was a life trajectory he had never thought of, and it was so beautiful that he could not even imagine it.

He originally thought that he would die unknowingly in his sleep on a warm afternoon in his twenties or thirties, in the free wind, in a dim room.

Death is silent and sudden, just like a rat dying in a gutter, no one cares, dying in a corner where the sun never shines, slowly decaying, stinking alone, and finally returning to nature.

Back in the house, Fan Mu, who had been busy all day, could finally take a break.

He felt extremely bored doing the same thing day after day. His only hope in life every day was that the firefly would be one day closer to returning. Apart from that, he only felt a little happy on payday.

It turns out that life can be boring and yet full of expectations. This is what life should be like.

Fan Mu sighed as he lay on the bed. During the time he spent with Liuying, his life was filled with nothing but joy. He was so happy that he almost forgot what kind of life he lived before he met her!

……

June.

The agreed time arrived, and Fan Mu excitedly rushed home from work. While walking on the street, he could see military trucks heading into the city.

It made him even more certain that she was back!

I pushed the door open with great anticipation, and the faint sunlight illuminated the dim room. There was no one, not even a mouse.

The feeling of anticipation welling up in my heart receded.

"Aren't you back yet?"

As the saying goes, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Fan Mu put the flour he bought on the counter, then lay on the counter cart bored, staring blankly at the broken wooden door opposite, as if expecting something to break in.

……

the next day.

"You haven't come back yet?"

Day three.

Fourth day.

……

Nearly half a month had passed, and military trucks could still be seen occasionally on the streets, but Fan Mu still hadn't seen the figure he had been thinking about day and night.

He felt worried, but he wasn't overly anxious because he knew Liuying was fine. She was just... maybe delayed by something and couldn't get back.

Nothing will happen to her!

"Let's go out... and take a walk!"

Without pushing the door open, Fan Mu saw the dim scene inside through the crack and he knew she had not come back yet.

Unlike the previous times when he waited at home with great anticipation, this time the melancholy in his heart forced him to go out for a walk. Why hadn't he come back yet?

He had clearly been waiting for so long, and the agreed time had clearly arrived.

"Where should we go?"

He lowered his head and thought, and found that there was actually no place in particular he wanted to go.

A waterfall outside the city?

There is no point in going there alone. Besides, he still has to go to work. It is not advisable for him to travel far. He needs to save some energy.

"Let's go for a walk in the park."

Apart from this, it seems like... there is nowhere else for him to go.

Walking on the road, the sun sets, and the golden glow shines on every person who is in a hurry. But perhaps because the world has just turned golden, or perhaps because they are still children and full of energy, the park is full of people coming and going.

In recent years, the city is no longer as dim as before. There are more lights and pedestrians. A new generation has emerged, and they have put the past behind them and are welcoming their own new life.

The golden afterglow fell on everyone, smoothing out the wrinkles on their faces, as if painting on their faces, painting a faint smile and a warm feeling.

"Today, the weather is nice and the temperature at night is just right." Fan Mu walked on the path in the park, looking at the laughing children, muttering to himself.

He heard it as he passed a mother and son coming towards him.

"Mom! I want to eat candied haws."

"Okay, Mom will buy it for you, but you can only buy one!"

He heard it when he passed by a young couple holding hands, laughing and playing.

"Honey, when will you marry me?"

"Well... let's wait until the Chinese New Year. I'll go pay my respects to our parents and set the date at the same time!"

He heard many similar words afterwards. There was nothing he could do about it. The park under the setting sun in the evening was so beautiful, so artistic and attractive.

It is undeniable that when hearing these words, Fan Mu felt a surge of envy and jealousy in his heart, but not much.

Because... he also has someone he likes and the person he likes also likes him.

"It's a bit... lonely!"

I am all alone, and I don’t even have a friend to invite to the park.

Fan Mu stretched hard. Today's sunset was too warm, making him a little sleepy.

As he walked, he thought, why not just go back today?

But this thought was suppressed not long after it came to his mind. Fan Mu stared absentmindedly at the swing that was swaying gently in front of him. There was a child sitting on the swing, and another child was standing behind it, pushing it happily.

Fan Mu just watched them like this until the sun set, until they went home together.

At this time...the clouds in the sky were extremely bright red. He could no longer see the sunset from where he was now, but only a thick high wall.

I sat on the swing and swung around, but it wasn't that...meaningful. It wasn't as fun and joyful as I remembered.

The sun was about to set and night was falling. Fan Mu stood up with a breeze and prepared to go back, but suddenly a voice came from his ear.

The voice was light and quick, yet weak and forced, and it floated tiny and free to his ears, gently caressing his ears, making them itchy.

"Want me to... push you?"