People in Tokyo, the world is clear

"Come."

Amid the cheers of several people around him, he acted as the godfather who distributed mosquito coils.

First, I gave it to the two youngest college students present:

"Ogiso."

"Thank you, senior!"

Yisi company rescue three devices

"Takahashi...Come to think of it, we have the same last name."

"Yes, yes... I didn't bring a lighter, so I'll have to borrow a light from you later."

"Well, Xiaolin..."

"I don't smoke."

"Ok."

Then, the office worker who called himself Takahashi looked over and handed a cigarette to Dongye.

"Higashino-san..."

He was about to reach out to take it, but the next second, Dongye stopped moving.

"My wife doesn't like the smell of cigarettes and is trying to quit."

"Oh oh oh."

Speaking of this topic, office worker Takahashi suddenly laughed and said, "Higashino-san really cares about his family."

A hint of joy and pride appeared on his face. "Come to think of it, I'm planning to save some money in two years and then go back to my hometown to get married. Tokyo isn't the right place for us."

Marriage?

Dongye, who had witnessed it, glanced at the lazy woman behind the man who was also lighting a cigarette.

Further chit-chat was heard in fragments.

I heard a voice with inexplicable pride:

"We are both first love. I hope we can be together till the end!"

First love?

Dongye was a little surprised for a moment, and glanced at the lazy woman, watching her puffing on her cigarette boredly.

But when the cigarette butt burns out, he doesn't throw it away like other smokers around him.

Instead, he turned around, walked a few steps, and stuffed it into a trash can more than ten meters away.

At that moment, some words emerged naturally from my mind:

[I've seen gentle girls who cheat on their partners. I've also seen carefree girls who smoke and drink and stay true to their love.]

...

[Many times, perhaps, gentleness is just an act. But character and the kindness in one's bones cannot be faked...]

"what."

I was confused and started thinking some strange words.

Dongye couldn't help but shook his head.

Listen to the young man next to me named Xiao Linsen start a conversation.

"The nights are getting shorter."

"So, summer is coming."

"Yes."

"Speaking of which, how has everyone been doing lately?"

Someone brought up a topic that made the gathered men laugh.

"It's hard to say. It's hard, it's happy, it's both. Anyway, I just live my life."

Just keep going...

Dongye heard this.

Looking up, I saw the sun gradually sinking into the horizon.

Will tomorrow be better?

do not know.

but...

indeed.

"Although it's hard, let's just keep going."

This is life.

Chapter 17: Fate's Desire

"The Odyssey, derived from the ancient Greek word Odyssey, tells the story of Odysseus, the beggar king of ancient Greece, who wandered for ten years on his way home."

It's raining in Itabashi, Tokyo tonight.

"Today, this historically charged word has acquired a special, general meaning. Primarily, it refers to a long and arduous journey or process."

The alley leading home is very narrow.

There were also drops of rain hitting the asphalt ground, splashing water and soaking my trouser legs.

Lin Sen, holding an umbrella, glanced at the female singer beside him.

She seemed a little tired. Although her face still had some vitality, it also looked tired.

Or maybe she had overexerted her voice tonight, the only sound she made was her breathing, which was drowned out by the heavy rain, and she appeared in a rare state of stillness.

not talking.

In the rain, only Lin Sen's own voice echoed:

"Just now, during the intermission outside the store, while chatting with Higashino, he mentioned this word. He was saying with emotion that a year ago, when he came to Tokyo with the award, he was full of confidence and expectations. Although he was uncertain about the future, he was full of energy and enthusiasm, just like Odysseus enjoying the fruits of victory after conquering Troy."

Along the way, I passed by telephone poles covered in paper. On one of them, there was a warning written: "Beware of pedestrians in the presence of motor vehicles."

"But now, after a year of wasted time, he always wondered if he would have to endure the same hardships as the Odyssey, spending another ten years experiencing, and becoming indifferent to, the warmth and coldness of human nature."

The alley between the buildings was narrow. To the left were single-family houses, enclosed by a low wall with iron railings at the stone base. Vines climbed over the rusty levers, and the moist air was filled with the scent of rust and grass.

"At that time, he knew your story. He expressed his feelings to me. He said, 'Isn't it true that fate is reluctant to favor country kids like us who can't even stand on the same starting line as others?'"

We passed another sign saying that the second floor is an accident-prone area.

Two young men walked towards me. They had oddly dyed hair, wore colorful nylon clothes, wore smoky makeup, and had world-weary expressions on their faces. Their attire was a bad one that reinforced the stereotype.

Relying on confidence in his physical fitness, he walked in the rainy night without dodging or avoiding the heavy rain.

"At that time, he also asked me how long Qingshan-san planned to hold on."

Another woman, dressed modestly, passed by. As we passed each other, she deliberately lowered her umbrella to shield her face.

"Qingshan, do you know how I answered?"

This question made Qingshan Xiazhi turn his head and look over.

He subconsciously wanted to speak, but seemed to realize something and suddenly fell silent. He just shook his head vigorously to indicate that he didn't know and wanted an answer.

"I said, maybe, probably, she herself doesn't know."

Lin Sen took two steps sideways and squinted his eyes to avoid a car with its low beam and side marker lights on.

"However, from ancient times to the present, anyone who has a shred of reluctance to give up will spontaneously search for something to keep them going during their journey. In the Odyssey, that was the wind god's pocket, the sirens' song, and the raft on the sea."

At this point, Lin Sen shrugged:

"But what makes Odyssey so classic and popular is that what keeps you going at one stage may become a new challenge the next moment."

"When the bag, used to protect against wind and waves, was opened, the headwind inside blew the boat backwards, returning it to the island of the wind god where it started. Then, they had to start all over again, braving the headwind they had never experienced before."

"The sweet song of the sirens is a new weather vane on the vast ocean, but it can only be heard from afar and not enjoyed."

"The raft was the only thing that held me back on this last lonely journey. However, even this small boat, a safe haven for me, was destroyed before the end."

"It seems that this difficult journey always becomes lonelier and lonelier. Before you truly reach the other side, it feels like you are failing and losing every second. The straw that saved your life in the last moment will mercilessly pierce your body in the next moment."

"When I said this to Dongye, he seemed very upset. Because now he couldn't be sure whether the work he had invested so much hope, energy and effort in would be successful. It might even end up being worse than his previous one."

Having said this, Lin Sen stopped, held up his umbrella and turned to look at the girl who had been standing beside him for an unknown period of time.

She acted as if she was suddenly swept up by some emotion. Or perhaps, this emotion had been pent up inside her and was only brought out at this moment.

Lin Sen saw some grievance and discomfort on her face.

But he didn't respond with the same emotion, he just laughed.

He took two steps forward, and through the umbrella, for the second time since we met, he gently gave this older girl a light frontal hug:

"But it's really nothing. Just sort out your emotions, face the stab of fate, and find another reason to persevere. As long as there's any hope or yearning in your heart, that's the reason to muster up the courage to do it."

This sentence also seemed to break down the door that was tightly closed to certain emotions.

Then Lin Sen heard a choked sound from the girl who had remained silent since six o'clock tonight.

"But..."

A voice I had never heard before today rang in my ears.

Turbid and dry.

Weak and rustling, no longer as clear as before.

It comes down to only one reason -

My voice is hoarse.

What is even more difficult to accept is that this muting occurred in the middle and late stages of the small concert when the atmosphere was about to reach its climax.

"Ming Ming, the last few songs are all my favorite and best songs."

The girl in front of him seemed to be trying hard to hold back tears. She reached out and grabbed his back with some force:

"Besides, we've been preparing for the promotion for so long, a month..."

In the end, she tried her best to breathe out, but all she could make was a scream that couldn't even be drowned out by the sound of the rain:

"How could this happen! Really... so unlucky! Everything was fine at the beginning, and everything was in place bit by bit. Why did it have to be ruined by something like this?"

"It's not too bad."

After ending the hug, Lin Sen used his free hand to hold Qingshan Xiazhi's shoulders.

She was literally on the verge of tears.

The most unacceptable thing is not failure, but the inability to show the best of yourself.

Lin Sen could understand this feeling.

Just like in professional competitions, they didn't lose because they tried their best but lacked the strength, but they had a clear chance to win, but for some reason they made a huge, huge, low-level mistake and lost the victory that was within their grasp.

If the situation is serious, it may become a lifelong pain and regret for the contestant.

But in fact, perhaps in the eyes of others, even if it fails, this journey is not meaningless.

Rather than dwelling on this, as a viewer, we actually hope that this failure will be just a part of the legendary story.

Rather than a conclusion.

So, Lin Sen said:

"Look, Qingshan. In the end, you did your best to complete those songs with guitar solos. And, in the end, everyone applauded you."

"But..."

The girl bit her lower lip, but was quickly interrupted by Lin Sen who patted her shoulder.

"I know. You had the opportunity to do better, but in the end you couldn't even fully demonstrate the results of your previous efforts. In this way, the applause sounds more like consolation. You feel bad about this, right?"