toffee

What does it feel like to die?

Lu Yuxing has experienced it more than once, but he still doesn't know how to describe it.It was like being pressed down by a huge hand, that force was so heavy, yet so light.

He didn't have time to think about Tang Tang again, let alone other people.Lu Junxiong who was alone at home, Cui Yuqin who died not long ago, Yu Feng who was sent back to work by Ye Xue...

There are so many ties to a person living in this world, but at the moment of death, he couldn't even hold his lover's hand.

Darkness swept in, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a dazzling day in front of him.

The pain all over his body disappeared, Lu Yuxing barely opened his eyes, and found that he was in a pure white space with no end in sight.

The feet and the top of the head merged into one, like nothingness.

"Go back."

A soft female voice suddenly sounded from behind, Lu Yuxing turned around abruptly, facing the woman in front of him and the huge monster behind her.

In the empty space, a towering circular machine stood up, with copper-colored gears of different sizes, cleverly stacked and inlaid together.This thing doesn't work. From the shape, it looks like the internal structure of a pocket watch.

In front of it stood a woman in a blue cheongsam.

The clothes on the woman were decades ago. Her long black curly hair was combed into a side part and draped softly on her shoulders, making her look very gentle and mature.

Lu Yuxing looked at her face and quickly remembered who this person was.

"You are... Tang Tang's grandma?" He looked around in surprise, "What kind of place is this?"

Ruan Zhen smiled and nodded.

"This is a gap in time." She gestured to Lu Yuxing to look at the huge device behind her, "Look, time is still here."

Lu Yuxing frowned slightly, and took a step forward.

"Where is Tang Tang?" He was not in the mood to understand this mysterious device, "Am I dead? Why are you here?"

Ruan Zhen's white lotus-like arms were exposed under her cheongsam. She crossed her arms and walked in front of the device, saying, "Young man, you have too many problems."

Lu Yuxing was afraid of everything in this space, Ruan Zhen walked towards him, he couldn't help but take two steps back.

"Don't worry, Tang Tang is in another place."

She stood still in front of Lu Yuxing, and there was no echo in her voice in the void.

Ruan Zhen is more beautiful than in the photo.She has warm eyebrows, dimples on her cheeks when she smiles, and her facial features are quite similar to Tang Tang.Lu Yuxing looked at her for a moment, and the guard in his heart was relieved a lot.

"Is this the space created by wisteria?"

Lu Yuxing looked around, then raised his arms and looked over and over again.He was still wearing the clothes he had worn before he went out, and the scar on the inside of his wrist was still there, but there was no trace of the car accident.

"Yes, this is a crack created by the wisteria breaking through the river of time."

Ruan Zhen slightly turned her head to look at him, "I thought Xiao Tangtang would bring a girl as cute as him, but after waiting for so many years, I didn't expect it to be a man."

Lu Yuxing's face flushed slightly, and he didn't know how to answer.

"Okay, let's just be a man." Ruan Zhen sighed, "Xiao Tangtang has a bad temper, so you should take it easy."

"He's fine." Lu Yuxing replied, "He's very gentle."

Ruan Zhen looked at him and shook her head meaningfully.

In the infinite space, there is only a vast expanse of whiteness.Lu Yuxing bypassed Ruan Zhen, raised his head and walked under the huge device, when he suddenly thought of something.

The clock keeps running only if the gears turn.So now the gears are stationary, is it because of him and Tang Tang?

Lu Yuxing watched with bated breath, facing such a huge thing, he was like a drop in the ocean, the mortal beings when the gods looked down on the human world.

After a while, he had an answer in his mind, and turned around to ask Ruan Zhen:

"What do I need to do now? Will I stay in this gap forever like you?"

Ruan Zhen had a surprised expression on her face.After a while, she nodded and said:

"Yes, you need to make a choice."

After that, she stretched out her hands, palms facing up, and spread them out.

Lu Yu walked forward and saw something in each of her palms.

The left hand is a metal clockwork, and the right hand is a round and beautiful gear.

"The clockwork represents you," Ruan Zhen said flatly, "the gear represents Tang Tang, you can choose one."

Lu Yuxing frowned slightly, "Choose one?"

"Yes." Ruan Zhen said, "Whoever you want to live, choose one."

On the other side, in the same pure white space.

Tang Tang got up from the ground, and what he saw was a huge dial.All the hands are stagnant, and the edge of the dial exudes a metallic luster.

He was slightly dazed, and then fixed his eyes on a familiar figure standing in front of him.

"grandmother!"

He looked at Ruan Zhen in disbelief, then staggered up and threw himself into her arms.

"Xiao Tangtang is growing up..." Ruan Zhen patted his head lovingly, "Grandma misses you."

The two hugged for a long time before Tang Tang suddenly came to his senses.

"Where is this?" He raised his head suspiciously, looking at the huge dial behind Ruan Zhen, "Is this wisteria?"

"This is a gap in time." Ruan Zhen said.

Tang Tang nodded, "When I was a child, my grandfather told me. I thought it was just a fairy tale, but I didn't expect it to be true."

A trace of sadness flashed in Ruan Zhen's eyes, she raised her hand and gently stroked his head.

"But when I asked him about something else, he said he didn't remember." Tang Tang's eyes fell back on Ruan Zhen, "Grandma, what happened?"

"Grandma can't tell." Ruan Zhen looked sad, "This is the rule."

Tang Tang looked at her and quickly understood.

His grandparents also went through this experience back then, but his grandfather's memory was erased, and he didn't remember what he experienced here at all.

"Grandma knows it's not easy for you." Ruan Zhen looked at him reluctantly, "It's not easy for you and the person you love."

Tang Tang was startled, and quickly asked, "Where is Ah Xing? Will he come here too?"

"He's in another place." Ruan Zhen made a silent gesture, pointing to the dial, "The back."

Tang Tang's shoulders drooped, he took two steps back, and said resolutely:

"What am I going to do? Grandma, tell me, I'm not afraid."

Ruan Zhen paused for a moment with the hand on his shoulder, then took it back.

She took a half step back, raised her plump arms, and spread her palms, revealing the two items in her palms.

"I understand." Tang Tang glanced at the clockwork and gears, "Choose one."

The space was reversed, and on Lu Yuxing's side, Ruan Zhen also displayed these two exquisite little things in her hands.

Lu Yuxing looked at it silently for a long time, then reached out to get the gear.

Ruan Zhen glanced at him, Lu Yuxing's brows showed calmness, his bony fingers gently pinched the thin and cold gear, and held it in his hand.

"Have you made up your mind?" Ruan Zhen's hands trembled slightly.

Lu Yuxing held that gear, like a devout believer.

"I've thought about it," he said, "but before I do that, I want to ask one more thing."

"You said."

"Why do I lose my memory?" Lu Yuxing asked, "At least give me back my lost memory before I die."

He stood tall, with a piece of pure white nothingness behind him.

Ruan Zhen pursed her lips, her eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.

"You don't have to make a choice so quickly." She raised her hand, and the huge device behind her made a "boom", and all the gears began to rotate counterclockwise, making a heaven-shaking sound.

——"Look at everything that happened first."

On the other side, Tang Tang, who was still observing the clockwork and gears, suddenly raised his head.

On the originally static dial, the hour and minute hands suddenly started to move counterclockwise.

The author says:

The next chapter reveals the 1.0 memories that Lao Lu has forgotten

The title of the chapter comes from Cen Ninger's Utopia in a Moment. "Even if the body is full of pain, so what, some good things can change the body."