Lin Shuang was caught between laughter and tears, wondering why only three more days could be added.
You, the campus belle, really want to jump?
What does three days mean? Did you find a part-time job for three days and realize that making two hundred thousand isn't easy?
Yes, everyone has grown up. When we were kids, we dreamt of becoming astronauts or scientists, but as adults, we realized that a monthly salary of four thousand with full social benefits is actually quite good.
If there were also weekends off, that would already be a treasure.
Astronaut? Scientist? What kind of joke is that?
We need to eat, right?
Lin Shuang couldn't think of anything to say for a while.
Tong Yao tilted her head, seemingly wanting to speak, her black hair cascading down like a patch cut from the night.
She looked at him, like a child dreaming of becoming a scientist, staring at the vast night sky filled with stars.
The long gaze ended, the child had grown up, and there were no stars in the sky.
Her eyes dimmed, losing their light.
The words that came out were, "Then I... I'll go first."
Above her head, the countdown of over four thousand four hundred minutes continued.
Second by second, it struck Lin Shuang's heart.
Lin Shuang was somewhat afraid to let her out of his sight.
Outside the window, the absurdly beautiful sunset was in full bloom, slipping into the room uninvited through the window lattice.
The lingering light of the sunset separated them, and Tong Yao stood entirely in the cold shadow.
The girl before him was even more beautiful than the flourishing sunset; she shouldn't just end her life like this.
Seeing Lin Shuang not speaking, she turned around and began to leave along the shadows.
Lin Shuang clenched his teeth and finally grabbed her hand firmly.
He almost forcefully pulled her, dragging her into the light.
"Don't go yet…" Lin Shuang struggled with his words, "How about, we go for a walk? Today... the sunset is very beautiful."
Honestly, Lin Shuang had quite a bit of experience chatting with girls, not exactly charming but usually able to make them laugh.
But this attempt was really not commendable.
No help for it, he had never faced such a situation: a beautiful flower that tugged at his heartstrings was wilting irreversibly before him.
Tong Yao, who was dragged over forcefully, made a harsh scraping noise with her shoes against the floor.
Then, the room fell into a somewhat suffocating silence.
Tong Yao lowered her head, lost in thought.
The beautiful sunset was fading, gradually losing its last warmth.
Lin Shuang racked his brains trying to say something more, even nearly blurting out a stale joke, when the girl he was holding finally whispered softly: "…It hurts."
Lin Shuang got too excited and clenched her small hand so tightly it turned red.
"I'm sorry..."
He intended to let go of her hand, but she clasped his fingers tightly, holding on firmly.
The girl's palms were as cold as ice blocks scooped from the frozen depths of the deep winter sea.
Lin Shuang instinctively covered it with his other hand, trying to pass some warmth to her.
Tong Yao finally looked up at him, "Alright, let's go for a walk together."
She pressed her lips together, probably trying to give him a smile, but couldn't manage it.
But Lin Shuang laughed with a grin.
Because the countdown above her head had changed.
It had turned into seven days.
The two of them held hands and walked out the door together.
They faced the slowly setting sun, wandering aimlessly through the streets of Huai City.
It was the time when nearby universities just finished classes, many vibrant students, running with smiles to the cafeteria to grab food, or to the internet cafes to grab seats, or to the library for spots.
Well, I wonder if they can still smile so happily after graduating and being 'slapped' by society?
To be honest once more, not only had Lin Shuang decent experience talking with girls, his experience in walking down the street hand in hand with a girl wasn't lacking either.
But, as the saying goes: the situation is different now.
Tong Yao, tightly holding Lin Shuang's hand, was silently watching the sunset on the horizon, occasionally turning her head to glance at him.
The afterglow of the sunset made her face even more stunningly beautiful.
Lin Shuang scratched his head, trying to start a conversation, "Speaking of which, there's a clearance store ahead that sells everything for two yuan."
Tong Yao then stopped looking at the sunset, turned her head, and focused on him, "A two yuan store?"
Her tone seemed like she was setting him up for a punchline.
Lin Shuang continued, "It's that kind of store that keeps announcing with a loudspeaker, last day, last day, today we sell out and stop selling. However, every time I pass by, they're still announcing 'last day'."
"I've seen those too."
"Yesterday, when I passed by, I heard their loudspeaker shouting, last day, last day, two yuan, you won't get a bad deal, two yuan, you won't be cheated."
Lin Shuang showed Tong Yao a smile he thought was very persuasive, "I was even tempted to go in and take a look, then the loudspeaker shouted, two yuan can't buy you anything. Everything for ten yuan!"
Tong Yao easily burst into laughter, still tightly holding his hand while covering her mouth and chuckling, "That sounds like an interesting store. I'd like to check it out, but isn't it their last day?"
"Just around the corner ahead. The kind that shouts about its last day usually has many more 'last days'."
Lin Shuang led her around a turn, but when the shop came into their view, it was deserted.
"This..."
That failed.
The laughter from Tong Yao beside him grew even more joyous, but that kind of laughter deeply tugged at Lin Shuang's heart.
Indeed, with a smile on her face, she raised her hand and pointed across the street.
Lin Shuang followed her gaze; there was a park across the street with an old-fashioned water tower as its landmark.
Utilizing the communicating vessels principle discussed in their high school textbooks, it provided water to the nearby residents.
While still smiling, Tong Yao said, "Today, I originally planned to jump off that water tower after meeting with you."
Before Lin Shuang could say anything, she continued on her own.
"But then I thought... the park usually has many students, it wouldn't be nice to scare innocent students by jumping."
She turned back to look at him, her tone casual as if discussing someone else's trivial matter, "So I changed my mind, thought of jumping from the observation deck on Mingxing Mountain instead, as there seem to be fewer students there today, or maybe wait three days? That day everyone has full classes, there should be even fewer people."
What should Lin Shuang say now? Compliment her for a good idea, because she's so meticulous?
He suddenly felt a bit annoyed.
"Isn't there anything in this world worth living for?"
She stared at him for a while, as if hesitating to speak.
Lin Shuang let go of her hand and turned to dive into a nearby convenience store.
The sun was almost completely swallowed by the horizon, and Tong Yao, standing by the roadside, seemed as if she too would be swallowed by the sunset.
Lin Shuang quickly ran out from the convenience store and stuffed an ice cream into her arms.
"Then what about this little pudding?"