Mo Aini woke up in cold sweat again. He rubbed his flushed face, and groaned. The more this happens, the more he reconsiders accepting the system's offer to erase his memories again....
But he shouldn't. He should suck it up, and learn to move on. This is the second route, there are two more. He can't get hung up on Hu Chuntian until the end of this game.
Today is the day of the 'ending'. He got the 'Good End', but only barely.
Everyone prepared early for the animation film festival. Other schools would be there, but Mo Aini could barely care. He heard some rumors of a rival school or something, but it was too unimportant, and he has too much going on mentally and emotionally.
"Congratulations, and thank you for your hard work." Ma Jianyu greeted them one by one, shaking their hands before they take a seat assigned to them. Well, it's not really a seat, since there were no chairs, and the children sat on the grass while watching their own animated shorts on a large projection screen.
When it was finally Mo Aini's turn, Ma Jianyu cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry, handsome fellow. Do I know you?"
He wasn't wearing his disguise anymore. It never mattered in the first place because the system will find a way to censor any mentions of his real name like before and make Mo Jiagei not notice him or forget him.
That 'shouldn't know the identity' thing is just a farce to make him believe that this really was a game where he and his sister are the only ones that are real. When in fact, even they are under the system's control, and there's nothing they can do about it. He learned that the hard way.
"I'm Jie Taime. My disease has been cured." He told Ma Jianyu.
"Ah, the Untouchable Syndrome is gone! And exactly on this glorious day! What ho, Sir Taime!" Ma Jianyu patted his back. "Truly, I'm really happy for you! Take a seat wherever you like, my good friend!"
Mo Aini looked around. She Haoran and Wang Jing still have a space in their area. He went there indifferently and sat on their side. "Hello, Student Council President. May I take a seat beside you?"
They were friends before but the two never knew him that well in this universe. She Haoran gave him a polite smile and nodded. "Of course."
He whispered to Wang Jing. "Just go talk to her, you'll never know if you don't take the chance. She'll be amiable to you, at the very least."
"You think so, sir?"
"I know so."
Wang Jing stood up and asked what Mo Aini remembers to be Li Youman, the girl who played the evil king's long-dead queen in the play. She really was pretty but....
He never would have expected that she would be Wang Jing's type! They're like Yin and Yang, Li Youman was everything delicate and gentle, bright like the sun, while Wang Jing is..... well, Wang Jing.
She Haoran caught him staring at them, and narrowed his eyes at him. "Is there a problem?"
"Ah, no." Mo Aini shook his head. (I'm not judging them, I'm actually rooting for them.) "I'm just thinking that you're a good friend, Mr. President. I'm sure the vice president is a brave woman, but falling for someone that is mostly unattainable because of society's standards..... it can be quite tough to even admit to yourself what you're feeling. Having a friend like you, Mr. President, must be a great help to her more than you know."
"..... What's your name?" The intimidating socialite asked him.
"Mo Aini."
The president looked at him from head to toe with a stern eye, but eventually, his expression softened. He offered his hand to shake. "The campaign season is still next week, I'm not the president yet. Just call me She Haoran."
"Alright, She Haoran." Mo Aini shook hands with him.
"Hmm...." She Haoran rubbed his chin. "You're more observant than I presumed, Mo Aini. That's a very valuable trait, and I personally try to practice it as much as I can. Yet I haven't seen you in the club before, I'm sure of it."
"Oh, I'm the guy who's always on a hoodie, mask, and sunglasses." Mo Aini shrugged. "Had a bad case of skin rash."
"I see. I remember now, you were in the animation department." She Haoran nodded then the loud sound of shutters came to the wide green field full of students. "Ah, the film showing is about to start."
Mo Aini secretly glanced around, looking for someone with blond hair. Nobody has it, because this world must be following the same rules of the 'real world' that it's uncommon to dye your hair. He took a long while to look..... but he's not here.
He felt a little disappointed yet kind of grateful at the same time.
The first three animated films were from schools he doesn't know the name of. He couldn't really focus on these because his mind is elsewhere. She Haoran asked him about his opinions on these films and he just made some half-assed critique to pretend like he was paying attention. It was enough for him to watch the first five seconds and the last five seconds anyway to make a believable evaluation of the film.
"The dubbing is too monotone."
"The art style is inconsistent."
"There should have been more frames for that scene to be smoother."
She Haoran took his insights seriously and nodded, writing all of them in a notebook. When it was time for a break, they got their packed lunches out of their bags and eat. Mo Aini munched on a burnt egg sandwich that he made as much effort as he did with his film critiques.
"Why did you write down my opinions, She Haoran?"
"I'll be honest. I didn't write your film analyses here." She Haoran showed him the pages of the notebook. "I made a tally every time you look around as if searching for someone. There are 67 in total, ranging from 5 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes."
Mo Aini choked on the burnt egg and cough it out. "Why would you waste your time to take note of that!?"
"Because the film showing is boring, and I have nothing to do." She Haoran easily admitted, eating from his meticulously arranged food box. "I'd rather be observing your behavior and character to get an understanding of your psyche. Who is it that you're looking for?"
"You don't know him." Mo Aini said.
"I know almost everyone in Nushen, and quite a lot from other schools, actually." She Haoran said matter-of-factly. "Try me."
"No, what I mean is.... you don't know him the way I do." Mo Aini took his water bottle and drank. It was the same bottle that a certain Tiger Emperor gave him that day when he learned the truth. "Everyone sees him as just this wild and sometimes dangerous figure, but deep inside, he's just a lonely brat. Give him a little bit of care and he would give the world to you. That's the most annoying thing about him, his loyalty."
"Interesting. I've never heard anyone treat loyalty as a nuisance." She Haoran's chopsticks clicked together as he set it down with the food box. "It sounds a little ungrateful too. Is it a case of 'The falling flowers yearn, yet the heartless brook babbles on*?' "
"I'm.... not sure. I'm not a heartless brook, it's just..." Mo Aini hugged his knees. "I'm scared my water will be poisonous for him."
"Well, poisonous or not, not giving it any water would kill the flower anyway. That person is doomed for falling in love with you." She Haoran packed up his lunch back into his bag. "But shouldn't you at least make them aware of it? Tell them why you can't reciprocate their feelings?"
"It's too complicated...."
"Maybe. But humans love to make excuses like that. Maybe it's not as complicated as you think, and that person would understand."
Mo Aini didn't know what to answer, and the film showing continued. He no longer tried to look for Hu Chuntian and focused on the shows. At sunset, it was finally the time for their own film, 'Don't Board the 5 PM Train '.
It was a story about a province boy, called Hei Mao, who made friends with another boy from the city, Ying Hua. Ying Hua visited the unnamed town because this is where his grandparents live, and they invited him to join the spring festival. Ying Hua and Hei Mao became good friends and spent time together during the spring festival. But at 5 PM, it was time for Ying Hua to leave, and they parted ways, promising to see each other again next year....
But the train got swallowed by a landslide, and Ying Hua perished.
The next day, Hei Mao woke up on the same day as Ying Hua visited their town. He had a chance to save Ying Hua again!
But he failed to convince Ying Hua not to board the 5 PM train multiple times, and he kept reincarnating over and over to the day they first met. Eventually, he asked a god from a nearby temple what to do. The god had told him....
In order to change fate, a sacrifice should be made.
So, the loop stopped once Hei Mao stopped trying to convince him not to board the train. In order for Ying Hua to be saved, they shouldn't have met and become friends in the first place. Because then, Ying Hua would get bored of the festival and go to an earlier train.
Hei Mao still watched him go, unnoticed, knowing that they probably won't see each other again, because once 5 PM had passed, he will forget all about Ying Hua. But at least Ying Hua was safe, and maybe one or two or even fifteen years later, Ying Hua will visit the town again, and they might cross paths.
"What bullshit." Mo Aini said. "Hei Mao could have just written down Ying Hua's name and made a note to himself before he forgets at 5 PM. This is Kimi no Nawa all over again---"
At the mention of Kimi no Nawa, a lump came on his throat as he recalled a distant memory.
It did not help that he can easily figure out the voice behind Ying Hua. That raspy voice that came from smoking 24/7, yet managed to sound soothing at the same time.
She Haoran looked at him strangely, but Mo Aini shook his head. He shut his mouth and didn't say anything until the show was over well into the night.
As much as he hated their own film, it was obvious that it's the best one out of all of them and they won the contest. Nu Shen High rejoiced when the winner was announced, and Mo Aini was the only one left in a sour mood.
He picked up his bag and walked to the empty bus lazily.
"Once I get in here, I'll go to the next route, right?"
[Yes. Are you done saying your goodbyes?]
"There's no need for me to say goodbye." Mo Aini opened the door and stepped one foot on the platform when—
"Mo Aini!"
He turned around and got tacked into a hug by a breathless Tiger Emperor who had been running for miles. Both of them fell down from the impact. Mo Aini reflexively covered Hu Chuntian's head as they tumbled on the grass.
"Ha.... Ha.... I missed the bus..." Hu Chuntian mumbled on his chest, huffing wildly. "I missed the bus and ran all the way here since morning....."
Mo Aini was baffled. "Are you stupid? You could have just ridden on your limo!"
"I know.... Ha.... I wasted no time to think..... Heh..." Hu Chuntian looked up at him and smiled. "Da Ge, I'm so stupid...."
Mo Aini's eyes widened. "What did you just call me?"
"I remember everything, Da Ge." Hu Chuntian stared at him, his blue eyes filled with sincerity. "So please don't go. Don't leave me again."
"You..... remember..." Mo Aini could not believe it. "How?"
"The tree, it's—"
Before he could finish answering, Mo Aini's body moved on its own and pushed Hu Chuntian with an impossible force. "No! Hu Chuntian!"
He was being controlled by the system, and was forced to go inside the bus, closing it shut! The bus drove away, and before Hu Chuntian could stand up to chase after it, the bus vanished.
"Mo Aini! MO AINI!!!!"
He could only hopelessly call out as his love was taken from him again.
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