Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

53

In the end, love was decided in an instant; if you can't seize it, the story ends.

Gu Yi was drenched, her teeth chattering as she glanced at Xu Guanrui, and suddenly started laughing. Xu Guanrui caught her laughter, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, a hint of relief in his expression. Gu Yi said, "Don't compliment me on how good I look right now, I don't accept sweet words."

"No, you look ugly, like a madwoman."

Those words sounded just like Liang Daiwen.

"But the one who'll go mad with you is me, and I'm grateful for that."

Water splashed into her eyes, and the neon lights blurred into a hazy, ambiguous glow. Perhaps that's how tenderness flowed. In the midst of her dazed thoughts, Xu Guanrui suddenly pushed her into the center of the fountain. A new burst of water shot up, splashing her and making her scream with surprise. She laughed through her tears, chasing after him, pushing him into the water spray. Cold water splashed over Xu Guanrui, but he just laughed, resisting her playful push, refusing to surrender. The rhythmic sound of the water filled her ears, splashing loudly. Gu Yi thought, the last words Xu Guanrui said, mixed with the sound of the water, left a seductive yet tender ellipsis for this somewhat cold night.

He was also leaving himself an unresolved opportunity.

Security guards came to expel them. The two ran through two blocks, the rainless night drawing curious glances from passersby. These two young people, drenched through, must have escaped from somewhere. Her earrings swayed with her running steps, and Xu Guanrui didn't meet her eyes; he only watched her earrings. Maybe for her, it was a romantic moment-drenched girl running through the bustling streets, lights of different colors reflecting off her clothes, her skin showing through, the click-clack of her Mary Jane shoes, like a humid, flowing charm.

They both inevitably got high fevers, biting thermometers while making phone calls, their voices hoarse with each passing word. Gu Yi couldn't get out of bed. Xu Guanrui kept his spirits up, telling her stories. With each word, he crawled a step closer to the fever medicine, then crawled back to the bed to continue his story... At 2 AM, Xu Guanrui's fever didn't subside, and the stories turned into rambling nonsense. Gu Yi felt like she was breathing at the bottom of a pitch-black lake. She closed her eyes and saw Liang Daiwen, whose face never smiled. The fresh longing for him sank deeper, becoming like water plants growing higher and higher, wrapping around her ankles. She couldn't rise, slowly sinking further down. Xu Guanrui's voice came from outside the lake, muffled and distant, "Gu Yi, are you okay? I'm still here..."

Who would dare mock love? All kinds of symptoms come and go, and immunity makes one silently evolve. Even water plants will wither, and the sounds from the surface of the lake will gradually become clearer. A hand reaches in, pulling her upward. She thinks, it's good to go outside and get a breath of fresh air.

Returning to work after the break, her lunch companion didn't show up-Xu Guanrui, who was dehydrated from a fever, hadn't gone to work either. With no medicine at home, he had to get an IV drip at the hospital for three days straight.

Life didn't come to a halt and gather dust like she had imagined. Everything went on as usual. There were interviews to do, articles to be written, and little comics for the public account that were occasionally shared. Every month, she received a few thousand in tips and ad revenue... She didn't have the chance to perform stand-up comedy, but it wasn't too bad.

And then, she still had to help Yu Dule with his confession.

On a weekend at the end of October, Yu Dule seriously prepared for it, asking Gu Yi to make sure Guan Xingxin was at home after 8 p.m. The two met at a restaurant, and by the time Gu Yi arrived, Guan Xingxin had already drunk two glasses of wine, her cheeks flushed as she sat at the table. Plans had to go on, so Gu Yi quickly ate some dinner, and as she stuffed bread into her mouth, Guan Xingxin asked, "Is Yu Dule going to confess to me today?"