Chapter 4 Pursue

For several days in a row, my head was in dire straits. During the day, use simple and precise words to form the content of the service proposal; At night it is written in sensual soft text. "The winter when she turned and left, the temperature was abnormally cold. It seemed that her back had taken away all the warmth. And the tears that overflowed from the corners of my eyes quickly froze in my heart." This is a text that can only appear at night. If it were daytime, I would not blame the unusually cold winter for the departure of my lover; I can only deduce that it is because La Nina makes winters colder.

And the time I stayed in that cafe happened to be the time when day and night were about to be exchanged. The girls who study art these days arrive earlier than me, if she sees me, she will wave to me; If you don't see me, I will take the initiative to sit in the seat opposite her. While she was looking out the window or looking down to draw, I would pull the service proposal out of the briefcase and get back to work. Occasionally we talk and chat, and the topic usually revolves around her art world. Strange to say, when I talk to her, my mind often enters. When I got home, I would lock myself in my room and sit in front of the computer.

First get rid of the heavy feeling produced by applying a lot of logical words during the day, and prepare to write novels. It's a bit like a samurai returning from battle takes off his armor and begins to paint with ink. If you are tired, just stretch hard, or stare at the wall in a daze. My room is decorated in a Taoist style, based on the principle of inaction, so there is nothing on the walls. I don't step away from my computer unless I want to drink some water. Get up and walk out the door, and see Dadong and Xiaoxi watching TV in the living room. Dadong has a bitter face, while Xiaoxi's face is like that of a news anchor when reporting a plane crash.

I walked lightly and slowly approached the refrigerator. "Hello." When I took a can of coffee and walked back to the room, Dadong stopped me, "Sit down and watch TV." "I'm going back to my room to write a novel." I didn't stop. "Don't write novels now, watch TV!" Dadong looked at me and said. "Why, you want to hinder other people's free will?" Xiaoxi looked at Dadong and said. "..." I looked at Dadong and Xiaoxi, not knowing who to tell. "No, I just..." Dadong rubbed his hands, and said in a low voice, "I just want him not to be too tired, take his time writing novels, and watch some TV occasionally for a rest."

"Didn't you always tell me to..." While I was talking, Dadong shook his head at me and held out his right index finger. He should mean that it can be offset against a day's rent, right? "Do you want to take good care of your body? So I decided to listen to you, take a break and watch TV." My reflexes were alright, talking like a vehicle turning right after slamming on the brakes. I sat between Dadong and Xiaoxi, turned my head and asked Dadong softly, "Is it a day?" Dadong nodded. I was very happy, and turned to Xiaoxi again and said, "Why don't you come every day?"

"You are welcome, but others may not." Xiaoxi seemed very sad. "Talking nonsense!" Dadong raised his voice, "I welcome you very much." "Sailing away means leaving the land, not welcoming the beach." Xiaoxi actually said profound words. "I..." Dadong blushed and was speechless. "It's too wasteful." I blurted out. Dadong and Xiaoxi turned their heads at the same time and looked at me suspiciously. This is of course a waste, because no matter how much they argue, I can only offset today's rent. It would be better if Xiaoxi came every day, and then there would be some small problems every day, then I wouldn't have to pay the rent.

But of course I can't tell them the mystery of it. "What is this Korean drama doing?" I pointed to the TV. My personality is that if I speak too quickly and say the wrong thing, it distracts other people's attention. "The hero is a married man, and the heroine falls in love with him..." Dadong pointed at the TV and said, "And this supporting actor likes the heroine. Now he is going to prevent the heroine from going to find the hero." Dadong explained in detail, but I just asked casually, not interested. "Don't you have any self-esteem?" The supporting actor on TV held the hand of the heroine, angrily.

"No, self-esteem is the only thing I have." The heroine turned her head with a firm expression, "So the only thing I can abandon for him is self-esteem." "Well, that's a good dialogue." Dadong turned to me and said, "You need to learn more." "Oh." I replied. "The heroine and I seem to be in the same mood." Xiaoxi said suddenly. "Don't talk nonsense." Dadong said. "Those who sailed away never heard the cry of the beach." Xiaoxi said profound words again. Dadong's face turned red again, while Xiaoxi's face still looked like a news anchor reporting an air crash.

And I was like walking into a smelly toilet, afraid to breathe hard. It seems that today's rent is really not easy to earn. However, it is true to use people's money to eliminate disasters; it is human nature to play dead in embarrassing situations. I am a person who studies science. When truth and human feelings conflict, I always stand on the side of truth. So I stretched out my finger, and with a "pop", I opened the can of coffee in my hand. The eyes of Dadong and Xiaoxi were also attracted by this sudden clear voice. "Ah..." I took a sip and said, "I don't want anything, I just want coffee!"

Turning around and asking Dadong: "Didn't you tell me to think about coffee advertising copy? How about this slogan?" "Coffee is not a sports drink or a functional drink, how can you use "ah" to express a sense of pleasure. It should express a sense of elegance, as if drinking coffee will bring peace to the world. " "Then listen to this slogan..." Xiaoxi interjected, and Dadong looked at her curiously. "Those who sail away, please don't forget, the coffee on the beach is fragrant." Dadong, I'm sorry.It didn't help you, but made Xiaoxi say something profound.

The stalemate in the living room continued until the Korean drama was over. "I'm going back." Xiaoxi said. It's so natural, I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Are you leaving?" Dadong stood up, "I'll see you off." "No need." Xiao Xi walked directly to the door, opened it, and said back, "Those who sail away, why should they care whether the beach is accompanied by shells or not." Xiaoxi just closed the door, and Dadong immediately said to me: "Hey! Shell. Follow quickly." "shell?" "I'm the one who sails away, of course you can only make shells." Dadong shook his hands and urged, "Hurry up!" I quickly got up, ran out the door, and caught up with Xiaoxi at the elevator entrance. Xiaoxi was slightly surprised when she saw me, but she didn't say anything, just smiled. The elevator came, and I walked in with Xiaoxi, but we still didn't talk. Along the way, I always stayed one step behind Xiaoxi, following her quietly. "Listen to Dadong," Xiaoxi suddenly stopped and turned around, "Are you writing a novel?" "Yeah." I took another step forward, just shoulder to shoulder with her. "Do you like it?" Xiaoxi continued to walk forward. "What do you like?" I also continued to walk, maintaining the same speed as her. "Writing a novel." "Oh?" I stopped, "I didn't think about it." Xiaoxi smiled, and stopped to wait for me, and I rushed up. "Dadong likes it very much." Xiaoxi said. I didn't answer, and began to wonder whether I really like writing novels. "Self-esteem is the only thing I have. Therefore, the only thing I can abandon for him is self-esteem." When Xiaoxi said this line from the Korean drama on TV just now, I froze for a moment. "I often envy the characters on TV who can live simply for one reason." Xiaoxi looked up at the night sky, "Unlike in reality, the reasons for living are always complicated." "Life in reality may be simpler. There is no reason at all, just living." I smiled, "Or the reason for living is just because I don't want to die." "Oh?" Xiaoxi also smiled, "It's a weird idea." "I hope to live a stable and simple life." "Hmm." I nodded. "Dadong's lifestyle makes me feel that it is not stable enough." Xiaoxi slowed down, stepping on the ground step by step, like a drunk trying to find balance. "I seem to be stepping on the deck. Although it is still on the ground, I feel the ups and downs of the waves at any time." Although I can't understand Xiaoxi's feeling, I can imagine it. "Let's go here." Xiaoxi smiled, "I'll take the MRT back by myself. Bye-Bye." "Okay." I looked around, and I had reached the gate of the MRT station, "Bye-Bye." Xiaoxi walked into the MRT station, turned around and said, "Can you also let me live in the novel?" I froze for a moment, not knowing what to answer. "It's okay." Xiaoxi smiled again, waved and left. On the way back, I continued to think about whether I liked writing novels or not. Opening the door, before sitting down, Dadong asked, "Is she okay?" "It's okay." I sat down, "Why did you upset her?" "When I was watching TV with her just now, I saw an advertisement for whitening cosmetics, and she said she wanted to buy it. I said why buy it?Watch a few more horror movies and your face will turn pale. " "Wow! This sentence has five stars!" I laughed. "I'm joking. I didn't expect her to be upset." "You're not very good at making jokes. Dogs and monkeys can be funny, but turtles can be very cold." "Nonsense." Dadong glared at me, "As soon as she gets upset, no matter what we talk about, she will always lead the topic to ask me to find a stable job." "Hmm. Xiaoxi may have practiced the eighteenth form of Tathagata's divine palm -- Ten Thousand Buddhas Chaozong." I smiled, "And then?" "Then we got more and more deadlocked, and she got angry." "Xiaoxi hopes you can be more stable." I remembered what Xiaoxi said just now. "I know that." Dadong seemed helpless, "She is an elementary school teacher, she goes to bed after ten o'clock every day, and wakes up before six o'clock in the morning. But I am used to nightlife, and there is too much difference in life and rest." "When she was about to leave the advertising company, she was against it. Over the years, she always asked me to find a regular job. But..." Dadong sighed again, "I really like writing." "why do you like it?" "There's no reason to like it!" Dadong was a little excited. "Ok." Just like I can't understand Xiaoxi, I can't understand Dadong's feeling, but I can still imagine it. Back in front of the computer, my mind is still digesting what Dadong and Xiaoxi just said. "Can you also let me live in the novel?" Suddenly thinking of Xiaoxi's words, I fell into deep thought again. Xiaoxi and Dadong have been together since they were students, and they have been in love for a long time. She is a very traditional girl, and she seems to be the type who is very good at caring for her husband and raising her children. According to Dadong, Xiaoxi admired his writing talent before, so why is Xiaoxi upset because of Dadong's writing now? "Hey, do you want to go out for a drink?" Dadong knocked on my door and said to me through the door. I looked at my watch, it was past 12 o'clock, and I had to go to work tomorrow. "But it's late now," I said. "But I want to buy you a drink." Dadong said again. "What's so good about that." I immediately stood up and opened the door. My personality is that if people want to treat people, they feel that time is not an issue at all. We went to a pub, which is usually the only place that is awake at this time. All Pubs look similar, always dimly lit, with loud music, and piles of cigarette corpses lying in the ashtrays. However, the sound equipment of this Pub may not be very good, so the music is not played very loudly. And the music sounded very lazy, as if the performer was recording in pajamas. It didn't take long for us to sit down, and after only two or three gossips, Dadong waved towards the door. I turned around and saw a man and a woman approaching our table, and sat down too. The man sat across from me and the woman sat next to me.Dadong introduced these two to me as his screenwriter friends. "How's the progress today?" Dadong asked them. "When I went to the bathroom in the morning, I knew that I was lucky today, and I would definitely write smoothly." The man answered with a gloomy expression, a half-smile rather than a smile. The woman didn't answer, but took out a pack of cigarettes from her purse, opened it and took out one. "Why?" Dadong asked. "Because I pulled the "four"." After the man finished speaking, he laughed. "You can just say that you have a "straight flush"." The woman was very disapproving, she lit a cigarette with a cigarette in her mouth, and said coldly. After listening to these conversations, I couldn't help but start to look at these two people. The man's figure is considered short and fat, and his neck is very short, and his chin and shoulders are almost in a straight line. His hair is much thicker, but most of it does not grow upwards, but to the left and right sides. It seems that there is a large group of things wrapped around the ears. The eyes are round and big, the nose is aquiline, the lips are thin, and there are a dozen or so scattered beards on the lips. When speaking, his face will habitually shake from side to side, and occasionally his teeth still bite his lower lip, making a creaking sound. It looks a bit like an owl. The woman wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses with very small lenses, but large enough for her eyes. The face is thin and long, and the few red spots on the cheeks have witnessed the traces of acne. The hair is also very long, but it doesn't seem to be combed very much, letting it flow naturally on the shoulders. When I sit down, I always feel that the chair is uncomfortable, and I often twist my waist restlessly to adjust my sitting posture. What's weird is that she always raises her head and blows smoke rings upwards, and sticks out her tongue after she finishes. Feels like a cobra. "Jane, how is your writing?" Dadong asked Cobra Girl. "Don't call me Jane." Cobra Girl blew out another smoke ring, "I changed my name." "Why change?" the owl man asked. "Jane sounds like 'cheap', so I changed it to an imposing Katherine." "Katherine has something to do with momentum?" The owl man was very curious, and his face began to shake from side to side again. "Katherine removed the middle, like the sound of "King", which is very in line with my kingly demeanor." "Really?" Ying Man's face was still shaking from side to side. "This kind of nomenclature is beyond your brain's comprehension." Snake Girl glanced at him. "Namology is only valid for Chinese names, is there also nameology in English?" I finally couldn't help asking. Hawkman and Snakewoman turned their heads to look at me at the same time, their eyes were sharp. I feel as if I am the common prey of both - the mouse. "Chinese numerology is extensive and profound, and of course Westerners can also apply it." Snake Girl answered me. "Is that so?" Eagle Man bit his lower lip and squeaked again. "For example, according to physiognomy, a plump and round nose is a symbol of wealth. The Greeks' noses are pointed and straight, and there is no flesh on the nose, so Greece is a poor country in Europe." After the snake girl finished speaking, she glanced at me. Snake puts her left hand flat on the position of her navel, with the back of her left palm supporting her upright right elbow, forming a 90-degree angle with her hands.As for the right hand holding the cigarette, the fingers are bent into an arc. Although this posture is almost the standard action of all women who smoke, but in my opinion at the moment, it is very similar to the snake fist in Chinese martial arts. And Eagle Man's right hand has five fingers forming a claw, and he is nimbly grabbing the French fries on the table, like an eagle claw. "I hear you're bluffing." Eagle Man said, shaking his head after chewing a few chips. The snake girl raised her eyebrows, the eagle man's eyes widened, and the confrontation between the eagle and the snake was about to break out. Dadong coughed twice, and said, "Let's get down to business, let's talk about the script." After hearing the "script", Eagle Man and Snake Girl's eyes lit up, and they put away their Eagle Claw and Snake Fist respectively. "I've always felt that the title of "The Wasted Land and Love" is not well-received," Snake Girl said. "I think it's pretty good," Hawkman said. "Where is the wasteland? It should be called the Snow Land." Snake Girl said. "I would like to hear a good opinion." Eagle Man said. "Listen well." Snake Girl glared at Eagle Man, "Love should happen in the cold season, so that it will show its purity and warmth. What can there be in the wasteland? The dust flying everywhere will only make the eyes hard to open That's all, can you see love?" "But isn't a lot of love all because of being blinded?" I couldn't help but say. The eagle man and the snake woman looked at me at the same time, and I subconsciously closed my mouth. "The wasteland symbolizes a barren land, perhaps like a desert. But if there are flowers born of love nourished in the desert, wouldn't this image be very good?" Eagle Man said while shaking his head. "Imagery?" Snake twisted her waist and adjusted her sitting posture, "I can only imagine that lovers who have not drank water for three days in the desert will finally fight over a glass of water." "Would it be better in the snow?" Eagle Man shook his head faster. "If it is a lover trapped in the snow, they will hug each other to keep warm until their death!" Snake Girl's hands at a 90-degree angle seemed a little tense. "The desolate imagery of the desert can compare with the vitality of love!" Eagle Man's right hand turned into an eagle claw again, and the creak sounded very sharp. "The cold feeling of the snow can produce the classic dialogue of love!" The snake girl quickly raised her head and exhaled the smoke ring, and then stuck out her tongue twice, one more than usual. "Conversation?" Ying Man stopped shaking his head, as if he was a little puzzled. "That's right!" Snake Girl stretched her waist, "Only the classic dialogue is the king of a love story!" "There can also be classic dialogue in the desert scene!" ""I love you like this snowflake" and "I love you like this wind and sand", which kind of dialogue can highlight the romance of love?" "But the wind and sand can highlight passion!" Eagle Man arched his body and protested loudly. "Passion?" Snake Girl snorted, "That's simply called wasteland has adultery, or wasteland has lover." "Haha." I couldn't help laughing when I heard that there was a lover in the wasteland. After laughing twice, he suddenly felt that something was wrong, so he quickly picked up the water glass to drink water, pretending to be very busy. "Okay, that's the end of this topic." Dadong said, "I'll think about the title again." Dadong was still as calm as a tortoise, unaffected by the eagle and snake's fight. "Jane, oh no, Katherine." Dadong smiled, "Let's discuss your script first." "My current progress is about the same as last time, just strengthening the dialogue part." Snake took out three manuscripts from her purse, one in her hand, and one to Dadong; The other was thrown to Ying Nan, who stretched out his right hand and grabbed it in the air. "Hey." Snake Girl turned her head and said to me: "It's cheap for you, come and watch with me." "Is it cheap? I think it's expensive." "Huh?" Snake Girl didn't seem to understand. "It's okay." I realized that what I just said might lead to a snake kiss, so I hurriedly turned around to read the manuscript in her hand. So the three of them began to discuss the scenes, characters and dialogue written by Snake. The stories and characters written by Snake Girl are very simple, there are not many scenes, but there are a lot of dialogues. And her story really happened in the cold season, and the scenes almost always have snow. In the white world, there are boys who always wear blue coats and girls who always wear red coats. At the beginning of the story, there is a passage: "The loneliest person is the person who no one thinks he (she) will be lonely." "These words are just common sense," Ying Man said. "You know what a fart." The snake girl immediately retorted. Eagle Man had a lot of opinions, and although Snake Girl always retorted, she still made some notes. The story and characters of Yingnan are obviously much more complicated. The main characters are a man and three women. The scene revolves around the growth process of the male protagonist, spanning more than ten years. "One man and three women?" Snake Girl snorted, "This man is really bad." "The conflict between the characters is high in this way." Yingnan said. "After ten years of delay, I really don't want to do it. I'm just talking about it." Snake Girl still doesn't think so. "This is called a huge structure!" The eagle man spoke loudly again with a pointed throat. During this time, I usually just play the role of listener and rarely speak. They were very focused in their discussions, and there were occasional arguments, but usually they were of the sarcastic kind. Since I have to go to work tomorrow, I peek at my watch frequently. I suspect that I am probably the only one who cares about the existence of such a thing as "time" at this time. Later, Dadong saw my movements, so he also looked at his watch, and said: "Let's stop here today. Come to me another day to discuss." I can finally yawn openly. Walking out of that Pub, the weather was a bit cold, and I couldn't help sneezing. The snake girl approached me and said to me: "The weather is getting cold, put on an extra layer of clothes, and be careful not to catch a cold." I was startled and a little embarrassed, my cheeks were slightly hot, and I said, "Thank you." "How is it?" Snake Girl said again, "Are you a little touched?" "Yeah." Although I nodded, I was puzzled by her question. "This is why I just said that love stories should happen in the cold season. Such a simple dialogue can easily move people." Snake Girl grinned, "If I say: the weather is getting hotter, wear less clothes." A piece of clothing, be careful of heatstroke. You probably want to beat me." After the snake girl finished speaking, she laughed loudly, revealing two rows of uneven teeth. After Eagle Man and Snake Girl left, Dadong and I hailed a taxi and took us home. "Are the two of them okay?" Dadong asked me in the car. "People are okay, but they are a little weird." I said. "Strange?" "Well. The man is like an owl; the woman is like a cobra." "After what you said, I also feel like it." Dadong laughed. "Do they often quarrel?" "Well. They have a certain degree of paranoia respectively, but sometimes they can complement each other." "Paranoid?" "They all like screenwriting. They are all screenwriters in their interests, work and life, so they will inevitably be paranoid." "yes?" Before Dadong answered me, the car had already arrived at the apartment downstairs where he lived. After entering the house, Dadong sat directly on the sofa and took a breath.Then he said: "My life with them is very simple, and I usually live to write things. Although I will try new life styles, this is because I want to gain new experiences to write things. Over time, it is inevitable that there will be some paranoia.Only you can concentrate on life. " "Concentrate?" I also sat on the sofa. "When you are living, you don't need to consider the factors of writing at all, of course you can concentrate on it." "But I'm still writing now." "You just draw from life, you don't live to write." Dadong's profound words made me sit on the sofa and bow my head in thought. "Go to sleep, you have to go to work tomorrow." Dadong said. "Yeah." I nodded and walked into the door. When I got back to my room, I lay directly on the bed. When I close my eyes, I can vaguely see a few pairs of eyes in the dark. Those were Xiaoxi's eyes, and the eyes of Eagle Man and Snake Woman. There is a desire in their eyes, as if they are pursuing something. What Xiaoxi wants is stability, but what about Eagle Man and Snake Girl? Sense of accomplishment?Satisfaction of interest? What about me? My personality is that if I can't think of an answer to something, I will fall asleep. So I fell asleep very hard. When I woke up, it took ten seconds to realize that I was in Taiwan. It took another half a minute before I knew it was time to get ready for work. But no matter how much time I spend, I still can't get the hair to stick to the scalp smoothly. In the past, no matter how chaotic it was after getting up in the morning, I could always enter the company at exactly eight o'clock. But since Miss Cao praised me for this talent, I have lost this talent. Too deliberate pursuit of the result of entering the company at 8 o'clock, but made me a few minutes late. Today, I deliberately didn't look at my watch and moved by instinct, but I entered the company at eight o'clock. No wonder people say: Life is always lost deliberately, but gained inadvertently. "Morning." Ms. Cao greeted me, then turned to look at the clock on the wall behind her, "It's amazing." "Where." I tugged at the corners of my mouth, showing a formal smile to conceal some nervousness. "How about we make a deal?" "Promise?" My nervousness disappeared, replaced by curiosity. "Well." She smiled, "If you show up between eight o'clock and eight o'clock in the future, I will sing a song. But it will only be valid if you show up within this minute." "I just need to arrive early and show up at eight o'clock, don't you have to sing every day?" "That's true." She lowered her head and thought for a moment, "So you can't do this." "it is good." "Then it's agreed." I walked a few steps forward, becoming more and more puzzled, and couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Why did you make such an agreement?" "Working will be more fun this way." Ms. Cao smiled happily. It was the first time I saw her smile like this. "More fun?" "I've always found this class fun, and it's okay if it's a little more fun." "Will it be fun to go to work?" "Although going to work is work, I still find it fun." "Yes." I replied, and continued walking. After walking more than ten steps, I seem to hear the author's best friend, inspiration, knocking on the door. I turned around and ran back to Ms. Cao's place, and said to her, "Do you want to hear a story?" "Huh?" She raised her head with a puzzled expression. "There was a girl who used her voice to make a deal with the devil in order to meet the person she liked every day. From then on, she only had one minute to speak every day, but she always used that minute to sing to the boy she liked." "And then?" Her eyes lit up, seeming interested. "The time she sang happened to be from 8:00 to 8:10, but it was only 8:00 in the evening. She would sing every day, and if she couldn't finish singing the same piece today, she would continue to sing it tomorrow. She sang dozens of songs intermittently. " "Really?" Miss Cao straightened up, "And then?" "The boy thought it was weird at first, then he didn't care, and eventually he got used to hearing her sing." "The results of it?" "One day the boy was transferred to work in Japan, and the girl went with her after all the hard work. But..." "but what?" "The boy never heard the girl sing again." "Why?" Miss Cao finally stood up and leaned forward slightly. "Yeah, the boy kept asking her when he was in Japan: Why didn't he sing?" "Then why doesn't she sing anymore?" Miss Cao seemed anxious. "How is it written?" When I was about to reply to her, the boss suddenly appeared behind me and asked me a question. "Ah? What?" I couldn't recover for a moment. "I asked you how you write your service proposal?" "The dialogue needs to be strengthened." "Conversation?" The boss tilted his head, "What are you talking about?" "It's okay." I suddenly realized that the service proposal is not a novel, "I'm almost done." "Today is already Friday, remember to give it to me next Monday." After the boss left this sentence, he walked into his office. When I was about to go back to my desk, Ms. Cao stopped me: "Your story is not over yet." "But it's working time now." I was a little embarrassed, but I still declined. Because it is the truth to concentrate on work when you go to work, and I like Miss Cao, which can barely be regarded as love; I am a man of science, and when truth and love conflict, I always stand on the side of truth. "Oh." She was a little disappointed, and slowly sat back on the chair. I went back to my seat, turned on the computer, and cleaned up the desktop. Thinking of the story I just told Miss Cao, I actually made it up. But while telling the story, I felt a sense of excitement that I had never had before. It is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from someone listening intently. Why don't girls sing anymore?yeah, why? I thought about it for a few minutes, and suddenly thought of work, I couldn't help but patted my head, and quickly returned to the computer screen. It's time for lunch break, I don't want to go out to eat, so I took out a piece of bread and ate it. After eating the last bite of bread, when I got up to get a glass of water, I found Ms. Cao standing behind me! "Woo..." I almost choked. "Sorry, did I scare you?" she said. "It's okay." I swallowed the food in my mouth and said, "How long have you been here?" "It's been a few minutes." She smiled, "Seeing that you are busy, I dare not disturb you." "What's up?" "I want to hear stories." "At first, the boy was just wondering why the girl didn't sing, but gradually, he began to miss her singing." I got up to get a glass of water, talking and thinking as I walked, and Ms. Cao followed me all the time. "Later, the boy longed to hear her sing, and the desire grew more and more, and he even felt that without her singing, he would lose the power to move forward in life. He finally found out that he fell in love with this girl." "But the girl doesn't sing anymore. So what?" "In the end, the boy tried his best to ask her to sing on Christmas Eve, when miracles are most likely to happen. But she just kept shaking her head and burst into tears, but she still didn't sing." I poured a glass of water and said after drinking: "The boy is finally desperate She turned around and left. The girl’s eyes were still wet with tears, so she didn’t see him leave. When she wiped away her tears, the boy just left for a minute.” "It's another minute." Ms. Cao sighed. "Suddenly the girl began to sing, louder and louder, and she wished the boy could hear." I also sighed, "It's a pity that the street was too noisy on Christmas Eve, the boy didn't hear her singing." "..." Ms. Cao seemed to hesitate to speak. "The girl only had one minute, and she fell down after singing. The moment she fell down, the boy suddenly turned around." "What... What about later?" Miss Cao asked cautiously. "There is no later, the story is over." "No!" Miss Cao was a little excited, "The story can't just end like this." I was a little surprised, looked at her, and didn't answer. "Is the story really over?" "Hmm." I nodded. "Li Yan, let's go have dinner together." This guy Xiaoliang came out of nowhere. "Sorry. I'm not in the mood to eat right now." After finishing speaking, Ms. Cao walked back to her seat. Xiao Liang waited for Miss Cao to leave and asked me, "What did you tell her?" "It's nothing." I also returned to my seat, "Just tell her a love story." "Really?" Xiao Liang said, "Are you talking about your experience of being abandoned?" I looked up at him, he laughed a few times, and then left. I didn't bother to talk to him and went on with my work. It's time for the end of the day, and I only have a little bit left to write a service proposal. I originally wanted to finish writing in one go, but I felt my eyes were a little tired, so I decided to finish it next Monday. He packed his briefcase and got up to leave.When I passed Ms. Cao's seat, I found that she was not off work. "Want to know why girls don't sing in Japan?" I said. "Yeah." She nodded. "The time in Japan is an hour faster than in Taiwan. If the singing is at eight o'clock in Taiwan, it will be singing at nine o'clock in Japan. Therefore, the last time the girl sang was exactly nine o'clock." Miss Cao's eyes widened, and after a while, she said, "It's that simple?" "Yeah. Stories always have twists and turns and simple ends." "You know what?" she said with a smile. "I can't be objective about other people's feelings because I'm easily moved. So please try not to tell me sad stories." "Oh." "The agreement still counts, as long as you show up between 8:00 and 8:10, I will sing a song." "Which eight o'clock is it? Your watch?" I pointed to the wall behind her, "Or the clock on the wall?" "Is there a difference?" "Have you forgotten the lesson of that story?" "Then the clock on the wall." She smiled. I glance at the clock on the wall and estimate the time difference between it and my watch. Walking out of the company building was a relief, and if there was a strong wind, I might be able to fly. In addition to the long-suffering service proposal, the excitement of telling the story is still there. Passing by that cafe, without even thinking about it, I just opened the door and went in. The girl studying art is still in the same position, picking up the pen and putting it down again, as if hesitating. "Hi." She smiled, and then looked back to the table, "It's really nerve-wracking." "What's the trouble?" I sat down opposite her. "I want to draw a picture. The name of the picture is: Now. But I still can't write." "why?" "Because when I started painting, it wasn't "now" anymore." She shook her head, "so I couldn't capture the feeling of "now." The boss came over and handed me the Menu. "What are you happy about?" he asked me. "Can't you?" I pointed to a kind of coffee on the Menu, and then returned the Menu to him. "Just curious." He put away the Menu, "Because I always think you are a sad person." He turned and walked back to the bar, I really wanted to give him the middle finger to his back. "Hi." The girl who studied art called me, "give me some advice." "From a scientific point of view, when the distance between the past and the future approaches zero, it is called the present. Therefore, the characteristic of the present is that it never really existed at all." "yes?" "Well. So it's very scientific that you can't draw it." "That's it." She smiled and closed the drawing book, "Then I won't draw." "Art and science do have something in common." "That's right." We laughed at the same time. In my impression, I don't seem to have such a tacit understanding with her, even if we have known each other for some time. Every time we meet, apart from talking, we just watch her draw and occasionally look out the window together. If we have a smile, she laughs at her and I laugh at me, never at the same time. So laughing at the same time without warning this time seems to make the atmosphere a little strange. So we laughed for a while, and at the same time turned our eyes out of the window, but another tacit understanding was formed. "Why are you so happy today?" After a while, she turned her gaze back from the window, "Did the novel go well?" "The novel is just okay." I also turned my gaze back, "Maybe it's because the work is going well." "Successful work will only make you relaxed, not necessarily happy. You must have other reasons." "I told a story to my colleagues today, and I felt a kind of excitement in the process of telling the story." "That's great, congratulations." "Congratulations?" I wondered, "Why congratulate me?" “你看看那些人……”她伸手指向窗外的捷运站，“他们在干嘛？” “走路啊。”我想都没想。 “不要看他们的动作，注意他们的神情和样子。有没有感受到什么？” “嗯……”我看着在捷运站前出入的人群，凝视一阵子后说：“他们好象在找些什么，或是要些什么。” “我第一次到这里时也有这种感觉，所以我那时画了一张画。” 我朝她伸出右手，手心向上，“给我看吧。” “好。”她笑着说。 然后打开画本，找出其中一页，摊在我手心上，我赶紧用双手捧着。 画纸上的人奋力向上跃起，伸长着手努力想抓住悬挂在上方的东西。 那些东西的形状很丰富，长的、短的、圆的、方的、扁的都有。 还有的像星星；有的像沙子；有的模模糊糊的，像阴影，看不出形状。 “这是？”我看了一会后，问她。 “追求。”她说。 老板刚好端着咖啡走过来放在我面前，听到这句话后，看了她一眼。 “嗯。”老板走后，我又端详这幅画，“是有这个味道。” “是呀。大家都很努力在追求些什么。” “所以这么多的形状是表示要追求的东西有很多种啰？” “嗯。有些东西虽然闪亮，但抓在手里却容易刺伤自己，像这些形状尖锐的星星。还有的东西像沙子，抓得再紧还是会漏。” “什么东西像沙子？” “感情呀。”她笑了笑。 “说得也是。”我也笑了笑，“那这些像阴影一样的东西呢？” “这是大部分的人一直想要的东西。”她的手指着画上几处阴影，“大家只知道要抓，但其实自己也不知道那些是什么东西。” 我看着她的画，又想着她的话，入神了一阵，回神后问她：“对了。妳刚刚为什么要恭喜我？” “在追求的过程中，因为用力，表情会很僵硬，也通常不快乐。” 她说：“而你在追求的过程中有快乐的感觉，不是值得恭喜吗？” “是吗？那我在追求什么？” “这得问你自己。”她笑了笑，“不过如果在追求的过程中感到快乐，那么你到底追求什么，或者是否追求得到，就不是那么重要了。” “有道理喔。”我笑了笑，身体一松，靠躺在椅背。 她将“追求”这张画翻到背面，然后问我：“这张画叫什么？” “画？”我很疑惑，“这是空白啊，完全没画任何东西。” “不。这个叫“满足”。” "why?" “追求的反面，就是满足。”她将手掌在空白的纸面上轻轻摩擦，“而且如果什么都没有、什么都不必追求，当然就叫满足。” “妳是开玩笑的吧？” “是呀。不过虽然是开玩笑，还是有点道理。”她笑得很开心，“不是吗？” “嗯。”我点点头，“妳好厉害。” "thanks." 我们同时端起咖啡杯，彼此都喝了一口后，又同时放下杯子。 “说真的，我也一直试着想画“满足”，但始终画不出。” “真的那么难画？” “嗯。满足是因人而异的东西，羊认为每天都有吃不完的草就叫做满足，但狮子可不这么认为。” “妳每天都能在这里喝咖啡，难道不能说是一种满足？” “这确实很接近满足的感觉。不过……”她朝吧台伸出右手食指，然后笑了起来，“我总是喝完还想再喝，怎能说是满足呢？” “看来满足真的很难画。” “嗯。而且如果很想拥有满足的感觉，也是一种追求的欲望哦。” “好深奥喔。”我也笑了笑。 她把玩着笔，眼睛盯住“追求”的背面，似乎又试着想画“满足”。 为了不干扰她，我将视线转向窗外，竟看见对面有个警察。 “警察来了！”我压低声音，“快！” “快？”她歪着头，“快什么？” "Run!" “我是学艺术的，又不混黑社会，干嘛要跑？” “妳的车子啊！”我开始着急了。 “哦。”她也看了看窗外，“我扭了脚，所以……” 她的话还没说完，我已经意识到她今天一定没办法奔跑。 于是我像一只突然闻到猫味道的老鼠，反射性起身，拔足向外飞奔。