After all, it was a birthday wish specially sent in advance, even if He Tianran wanted to keep his distance, he would not be so indifferent to refuse the kindness of others to him.

He replied, "Thank you, why didn't you send it that day? I don't have to be cautious to this extent~ hahaha."

Jiang Xixi: "It's not that I'm afraid of being misunderstood, anyway, Brother He, how have you been doing with Sister Ai Qing recently?" I don't even know if you succeeded in confessing~"

Seeing this reply, He Tianran was suddenly a little embarrassed, and after his finger typed "no" in the chat bar, he paused for a second, quickly deleted it, and re-typed a sentence "Of course it succeeded......

Seeing that the cursor kept flashing after this sentence, He Tianran finally pressed the send button......

He didn't want to carry the expectations of another girl anymore......

On the chat box, the prompt that the other party is typing a message keeps flashing, but it has not been sent, and it can be seen that the little girl is also in a complicated mood after receiving this message.

However, this silence is only for a minute, and the online chat seems to shorten the distance between people, but without the face-to-face atmosphere and details, there is a lot more room for emotional reversal, and many words are expressed through words, so it will not be so embarrassing.

Jiang Xixi: "Haha, that's really congratulations to Brother He, what does it feel like to catch up with the person you like?"

He Tianran: "Of course it's a feeling of getting what you want...... It's a pity, cry if you want to cry (support your forehead)."

Jiang Xixi: "I don't cry, Jiang Xixi has to be strong!!

He Tianran: ". . .

Jiang Xixi: "Brother He, are you free tomorrow?" I want to give you a birthday present in the open, and of course you can call Sister Cao to come along."

“……”

He Tianran looked at the text sent and was stunned, especially when he saw the words "birthday gift", he seemed to recall something.

"Yes, if you're free, thank you, you're really breaking the bank."

"Haha, what a thank you, it was your birthday, and Brother He has helped me so much in the past two years, I wanted to send you a long time ago, but I didn't have a chance, then Brother He, we'll see you tomorrow!"

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

It's quiet at night on campus.

He Tianran put down his phone, leaned back slowly back in his chair, his head tilted, and the night light on the table reflected the ceiling in a faint orange yellow.

The music on the computer had long since stopped, and the man sat down in his chair for two or three minutes.

"Drip, drip, drip—"

When everything was quiet, the man's ears seemed to hear such a continuous soft sound, and his shoulders shook slightly......

Then he stood up, walked to his closet, and opened it.

He stretched out his hands and swept the hanging garment from side to side, and his eyes soon stopped at the source of the sound, only to see that in a corner of the wardrobe, the gift symbolizing his eighteen-year-old arrival was hanging quietly......

It was the pocket watch that Cao Aiqing gave him.

He Tianran carefully took off the pocket watch and opened the cover, his expression quiet and soft.

On the dial, a mechanical seconds hand tirelessly records the passage of time.

Come to think of it, no matter how time repeats itself, as long as He Tianran has not experienced pranks, then he will become friends with Cao Aiqing.

So, on the beach on New Year's Eve, the bright sunrise after a long wait was witnessed by two people in countless timelines.

……

……

"Ai Qing, it's a natural birthday in three days, why don't we have a dinner party on that day, we've been together for the past few years, okay?"

"Yes."

"What do you think I'd give a better gift? It feels like he lacks nothing."

"Guo Huai, you can have a drink with him, he will definitely be happy."

"Really? Haha, okay, then Ai Qing, if you're OK here, I'll tell him."

"Hmm."

……

At the same moment when He Tianran found the pocket watch, Cao Aiqing, who had already returned home to rest on weekends, looked at the chat record with Guo Huai on the mobile phone screen, she folded her hands on the desk, leaned over, and clicked her chin.

"A gift?"

The girl murmured softly, her gaze unconsciously looking at the base of the lamp beside her.

There, wrapped around a string of glossy moon-white Bodhi beads.

It's the same bracelet she threw into the lead wash......

Or rather, this is the same thing that represents the hundred and eight troubles.

Of course, this is not what Cao Aiqing salvaged from the lake afterward, let alone the "real thing" left behind after she cheated and changed the tanuki for the prince, she did lose the bane that can travel through time and space and fiddle with fate......

But that was before the world restarted......

Now, this string of Buddhist beads has returned to her by chance.

As long as she went to Quanling Temple with He Tianran during the autumn outing, as long as she was admitted to the University of Hong Kong, and the class organization went to meet the old monk, as long as this process remains unchanged, then the result will not change.

The difference may be that only He Tianran's side has changed......

Thinking of the scenes He Tianran did for himself recently, Cao Aiqing couldn't help but put what he thought in his heart and appealed to his mouth:

"Do you want to give it to him......"

The girl asked herself, her mind was as deep as the night, but this time, her heart lake did not rise at all.

……

……

Following.

Jiang Xixi and He Tianran agreed on the time after class at dusk, at Wenhui Bridge on the side of Xueyuan Road.

The students in the university town know that there is no bridge in Wenhui Bridge, or in other words, there was one in the early years, but later in order to build a city and expand the land, the river was filled and rerouted, and the bridge was pushed a long time ago.

It's ridiculous, in fact, at the beginning, Wenhui Bridge was not called Wenhui Bridge, to put it bluntly, it was just an unknown slate bridge, but then the news that the university town was going to be built here came, and the local leaders deliberately renamed the slate bridge to Wenhui Bridge in order to have a good intention.

It's just that I didn't expect that now the bridge is gone, and the original name of the stone bridge has been forgotten in memory, and the reason why there is still such a name as "Wenhui Bridge" here is because it is a hub station of Gangcheng Metro Line 7 and the most convenient subway station from the university town, and its name is "Wenhui Bridge West".

Because here is the airport to the north and the railway station to the south, so in the impression of the student group, this station gradually has the meaning of parting ways, and it will be indefinite.

The specific place agreed with Jiang Xixi will naturally not be in a crowded place like the subway entrance, He Tianran sat on the outdoor seat of a Starbucks five hundred meters away from the subway station, holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa with both hands, and took a sip of enjoyment.

The weather in the port city cooled down in December, and now the people on the streets are dressed in thick clothes, spitting white air from their mouths, and looking busy.

He Tianran's eyes shuttled through the crowd, and it didn't take long for him to see Jiang Xixi, who was small, wearing a white furball hat and a warm-colored coat, and wrapped himself tightly.

It's just that what is more eye-catching than her outfit now is the thing she carries behind her back.

Seeing the direction in which she came, He Tianran was sure that the little girl had just come out of the subway entrance, the man beckoned, Jiang Xixi had a smile on his face, and trotted towards him with his legs together.

"Slow down, I'll just sit here, and I won't run." He Tianran smiled and pushed over the other drink he had ordered on the table, "Now, the matcha Frappuccino you ordered in WeChat just now." ”

"Thank you! Give, Brother He, birthday present, for you! ”

Jiang Xixi took off the things on his back, took them in both hands and handed them over.

It was a guitar.

He Tianran was in a trance for an instant, he took it and held it in his hand, looked at the somewhat scratched piano bag, and asked uncertainly:

"This is...... What piano do you use? ”

Jiang Xixi smiled and nodded, "Hmm! But I haven't played much since I went to college, and it's a pity to keep it at home, so today I ran home and got it to you! ”

"How did you come up with the idea of giving me this?"

The girl sat down and took off her heavy coat, and when she saw He Tianran on the other side, she was stunned when she looked at Qin, she was elbowing against the table, holding her face with both hands, and she sighed with emotion:

"Brother He, the account of your Xiaopo Station hasn't been updated for several years, aren't you playing the piano anymore?"

“……”

He Tianran was silent, seeing that the original idol did not answer, Jiang Xixi said to himself:

"Brother He, I used to go to the comic convention with you, go out of the cos, play together, eat well, these are of course very happy, so much so that I forgot that we met through the guitar at the beginning, until we didn't have much contact in the past two months, but it made me care about this matter again, and when I thought that even you gave up playing the piano, I was more unwilling than not playing the piano myself......"

He Tianran smiled bitterly: "It's not very normal, people at different stages, they will always be interested in different things, just like sorry for you, I used to like guitar, now I like Cos, and maybe after you graduate, you will like other things, whether it's an interest or a hobby, it's not really to put it down, it's just that the number of times you pick it up is less." ”

Although the other party explained so patiently, the little girl lowered her head and stirred her Frappuccino, and complained in a small voice with a little emotion in her heart:

"That's right, but I liked you because Brother He played the guitar super well......"

He Tianran smiled:

"Now the male god filter is broken, right?"

Jiang Xixi wrinkled his nose and glared at him viciously.

"Humph! It's amazing to have a girlfriend! When it comes to talking, there is no fear! ”

He Tianran didn't pick up the stubble, he opened the piano bag, and inside was a Taylor's spruce guitar, although it was a little worse than the Yamaha red label he used before, but it was already very good for daily playing.

"Really for me?"

He Tianran was silent for a moment and asked.

Jiang Xixi looked at the piano, hesitated for a second or two, and then nodded vigorously as if he had made a heavy decision.

"Hmm!"

The two got acquainted because of the guitar, and Jiang Xixi fell in love with He Tianran at the beginning, but it was also because of the hobbies and advantages he cultivated since he was a child, but now, none of them choose to continue playing the piano.

Perhaps, if Jiang Xixi is still the little girl who wants to fulfill her dream of playing with herself, then there may be some intersection between them.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case in this world.

But that's fine, isn't it?

At least Jiang Xixi will not be suddenly lost after a protracted chase.

Just like He Tianran said, people will always like different things at different stages of time, and for the things in the past, it is too absolute to say that they don't like it, but to put it bluntly, as long as the number of times they are picked up is less, it will be proven......

I don't like it that much.

Therefore, He Tianran knew very well what it meant for Jiang Xixi to give him this piano.

The man held the piano in his hand, looked at the little girl in front of him sincerely, and smiled with relief:

“…… I love this gift and I regret it......"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and rubbed the body of the piano again, his eyes seemed to be looking at this long-lost old friend, and he whispered in his mouth:

"Thank you...... Thank you ......."

At this time, Jiang Xixi may not be able to understand all the emotions in He Tiantian's words, she just returned to the beginning, with a look of admiration and expectation on her face, and couldn't wait to propose:

"Bounce something, N big."

From the little fan girl chasing the N big update on the Internet to the little girl who congratulates her brother one by one, and then to the female college student who now regains this title in the face of real people, Jiang Xixi is really as she said, no matter which reincarnation, no matter which time she meets, she will grow.

"Okay."

He Tianran agreed to her request, he thought about it, and did not rush to move the strings, but the thumb of his right hand tapped the top of the piano case, making a sound similar to the box drum, and then another sound, the muffled drum beat seemed to beat on people's hearts, which was mixed with a few sparse piano sounds gradually overshadowed the drums, and the melody in series became the prelude to becoming more and more sad in this bleak winter.

He played "Anhe Bridge".

The man did not sing, but let the melody flow freely at his fingertips, and many pedestrians came and went in this music, and occasionally some stopped to listen for a moment, some of them stayed to admire, and some of them stopped and hurried back on the road after a short time.

Maybe this song is too famous, even if He Tianran didn't sing the lyrics, but after that familiar interlude, in the flow of Jiang Xixi's eyes, between the slightly fluttering lips and teeth of passers-by, following the melody that he played, he seemed to be able to hear the voices of others, and heard these two sentences-

I know those summers, like youth, can't come back

In place of dreams, it can only be reluctantly difficult......

……

It's just that now in He Tianran's heart, he is more touched by the last six words of this song than these two sentences-

So hello and goodbye.

It may be that his youth has come back too many times, so that he finally survived to the tail of this post-adolescence period, and only then did he really feel the weight of these six words......

The rendering of music gives this winter crowded street a different mood.

Sensitive, sad, dazed and ordinary.

After the song was played, the crowd ushered in sporadic applause, and He Tianran nodded to the pedestrians who stopped for this, but after that, it was better to avoid the final song and disperse.

No regrets to fall to the west of Wenhui, this goes to the north and south without an end.

As if to confirm this sentence, the gathered crowd slowly dispersed, and they reintegrated into the sea of people, and in the midst of this, He Tianran seemed to see the back of a familiar woman......

It seems to be, Cao Aiqing?

He Tianran was not very sure, and Jiang Xixi's voice sounded in his ears again, interrupting his desire to see clearly.

"It's great, I didn't expect my guitar to make such a sound......"

Jiang Xixi was melancholy and happy.

The former is because of the sadness of the music, and the latter is because of the sight of the idol playing the guitar again.

"If you practice more, you will always improve, what's the matter, if you have the mind to take it back?"

He Tianran quipped.

Jiang Xixi shook his head: "No, every time I watch N big finger playing, I want to learn the piano hard, but every time I pick it up, it's a 53231323 mess, so it's better to leave the piano with me, it's better to let it have a good home!" ”

The man was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

The little girl stood up, took up her drink, and with a look of ease on her lovely little face, she said:

"I'm leaving!"

He Tianran was collecting the piano, and he was a little surprised when he heard this, and asked:

"Sent something and left? Let's not talk about it. ”

Jiang Xixi shook his head again:

"Don't, Jiang Xixi doesn't want to be crumbs, I know that Brother He has a girlfriend and has to move forward, Brother He is too, remember to tell Sister Cao how this guitar came to be when I go back, so as not to misunderstand when I get it......

And then there's ...... Brother He, don't always get too close to the opposite sex in the future, we used to play together because you haven't confessed your heart to Sister Cao, but now that we're together...... It's not appropriate for us to do that...... Well...... I feel like a scumbag, and it's really cheap in the eyes of girls......"

Listening to the little girl say a lot as if she was a thief, He Tianran didn't tease anything, just looked at Jiang Xixi's clear eyes, and said seriously:

"Got it."

"Hmm...... Then I'm gone......"

“…… Goodbye, sorry. ”

"Goodbye...... Brother He. ”

Jiang Xixi took one last look at him, and resolutely turned around, the small, with some stubborn back, went away and drifted away.

He Tianran is very sure that this is not the last time he and Jiang Xixi will meet, but this is indeed their farewell to a relationship.

Will she ever be strong again?

She must be able to!

He Tianran held such expectations for Jiang Xixi in his heart, and stayed in place again, watching a person firmly move towards the future.

……

……

Many days later, in the music area of Xiaopo Station, a small incident happened that no one paid attention to.

A guitar fingerstyle UP owner named "NaturaL", after a break for several years, finally remembered his password and updated a fingerstyle video.

Due to the suspension for more years and the fact that it is an unpopular channel, his fan loss is very serious, and there are only dozens of replies in the comment area.

Among them, there was a first-class trumpet named "Poor Stuff", who replied so happily:

"yes! N big finally returns to provoke! Happy, happy, happy, I'm going to change my name to happy! I'll always be a big N fan!"

If you click on this user's watchlist, you can find that "NaturaL" is the only one they follow.

And the content of the fingertips released by Natura L this time is an old song......

From Jay Chou's——

"Broken Strings".