Guan Yudong almost couldn't hold the ice cream firmly, and he relied entirely on his body instinct to rescue the innocent strawberry filling.
"Wait a minute." He was in a trance after hearing these powerful words. "Let me think about it... Have I really seen it?"
"No, I really saw it. Is this the real dimensional wall breaking? But it's too broken..."
The other people around him didn't hear Tao Zhiyue's words clearly, and just thought that the usually cheerful little official was having another fit.
"I told you not to eat so many ice creams. Three or four a day will make you stupid!"
"You better wake up and don't fall into Alzheimer's disease so early!"
The instigator, Tao Zhiyue, pretended to be calm, watching the situation with his eyes and his nose, and secretly took out his mobile phone to take a picture of the TV screen as a souvenir.
When Guan Yudong cast an eager gaze towards the camera in his pocket, that section of the news had just finished being broadcast.
So Tao Zhiyue patted Guan Yudong's shoulder encouragingly and said with concern: "Eat less ice cream and drink more warm water."
Then he walked out of the lounge happily and lowered his head to send a message to Huo Ran.
[Tao: You look so handsome today, who helped you pick it out?]
[Tao: Cat giggles.jpg]
From far behind him came Guan Yudong's broken voice: "You have no idea what I've been through... Ignorance is so good."
[Xiao Huo: It’s you!]
[Xiao Huo: Cat Grinning.jpg]
[Xiao Huo: When I was having lunch just now, I almost wanted to take off my suit.]
[Xiao Huo: Fortunately, I reacted in time, stopped unbuttoning my clothes, pretended to brush off the wrinkles on my clothes, and then put them down as if nothing had happened.]
[Tao: There is a picture o(*≧▽≦)ツ]
[Tao: I am preparing for the sharing session this afternoon. Will the forum continue later?]
[Xiao Huo: Yes, but I have nothing to do this afternoon, so I can just sit down and listen.]
[Xiao Huo: It’s so tiring to maintain this expression. My face is almost stiff.]
[Tao: Then I’ll give you a punch!]
[Tao: ('-ノ)`-]
Huo Ran did not need to speak at the TOD Development Forum in the afternoon, but at the regular Friday sharing session of Yikeshu Game, it was finally Tao Zhiyue's turn to share.
When listening to Guan Yudong sharing the Mosquito Game a month ago, everyone was talking excitedly about their common memories related to mosquitoes, and Tao Zhiyue was lost for an entire afternoon because of this.
A week ago, Artist Xiao Song enjoyed some unpopular delicacies hidden in the streets and alleys of Jinbei City. Everyone in the conference room was drooling and wanted to eat them.
Tao Zhiyue looked at the pictures of food flashing on the screen and was surprised to find that he had eaten every one of them.
Although the price was that his face became a little rounder, but looking at the tempting static picture, Tao Zhiyue seemed to be able to recall the feeling of eating. It was delicious, and the person standing next to him at that moment also had a beautiful smile.
Now, after watching the noon news, the people were discussing with their minds wide open the large-scale building complex that was about to be built in Jinbei City.
Some people are imagining a more convenient and livable lifestyle in the future, some are looking forward to the miniature city described in the news, and some are wondering whether a developer who obviously has a lot of money can build an IP theme park by the way.
In the distant new city of northern Shanxi, large tracts of vacant land are still waiting to be actually developed, but in the imagination of countless people at this time, a brand new building of memory has already been built there.
Tao Zhiyue stood at the window and stared for a long time. The sky was blue and the summer sun was scorching.
After the lunch break, everyone walked leisurely to the meeting room on the third floor.
As usual, each department in the project team summarized the progress of the week, Fang Shiwu planned the goals for next week, and amid thunderous applause, this week's work was completely completed. Tao Zhiyue walked up with his computer, ready to play the PPT that he had prepared in advance.
Fang Shiwu was considerate: "Don't be nervous, just chat casually and say whatever comes to your mind."
"This is Xiao Tao's first time sharing, and it's hard to predict what the content will be. Will it open today? Let's make a blind bet on a game!"
"Except for the fixed two-choice Guagua, the others are hard to predict, hahahahahaha."
"Come to think of it, Guagua, what happened to you? Why did you become like this after eating ice cream at noon? Did you really freeze silly? Do you need some stomach-strengthening and digestion-promoting tablets?"
Today, Guan Yudong's soul was out of his body, as if he didn't hear anything. He just held a cup of warm water and looked at Tao Zhiyue on the stage in confusion.
Tao Zhiyue suppressed his laughter and calmly opened the PPT. The cover was a photo of an amusement town. Half of it was colorful buildings with a fairy-tale atmosphere, while the other half was ruins.
Someone in the audience immediately started scratching their heads: "It looks so familiar! I seem to have been there. What was it called? Is it that Tian…"
Tao Zhiyue replied: "Paradise Town, in the suburbs of Jinbei City."
This was discovered by Huo Ran when he was looking through work materials. Paradise Town, as a large amusement town that has been in operation for nearly twenty years, is the childhood memory of many locals.
Later, due to outdated facilities, it stopped operating the year before last. However, the demolition process was very slow, and the bright colors and dilapidated buildings mixed together formed a unique landscape.
So last weekend, Tao Zhiyue and Huo Ran went for a walk around this deserted and empty town and took a lot of photos before it completely disappeared.
"Yes, yes, it's Paradise Town. When I was in elementary school, every time I did a little better in the exams, I would shout that I wanted to go there to play. Now it's been demolished?"
"When it was reported in the news a few years ago, didn't many people say they wanted to go there for the last time? I was shocked that it hadn't been demolished for so long..."
Listening to everyone's comments, Tao Zhiyue played the slides and provided explanations.
"I stumbled upon this place last week and went there with my friend... my boyfriend."
Tao Zhiyue, who is not used to showing affection in public, tried to remain calm: "Most of the facilities there are out of service, but probably because people keep coming here to take pictures, there is a low-altitude cableway that runs through the entire town, which is still in operation."
“The view from the cable car is amazing.”
In the aerial photos, there are all kinds of amusement facilities, full of the retro style of the last century, with high color saturation, horror house, castle, carousel, tree house with small train tracks...
It looks like a fairy tale world, accompanied by yellow excavators and broken walls, earth-gray bricks and colorful debris piled up into a high hill.
The scenic spot billboards that can be seen everywhere have been torn by long-term wind and rain, with holes appearing on the enthusiastic slogans. The sidewalks are covered with weeds, and discarded soda cans are twisted into a ball.
Next to the lake that is about to dry up, there are several jacaranda trees in full bloom. The purple flowers on the tree seem to be filled with fluttering butterflies, blooming among the ruins.
The cable car only takes ten minutes one way, and although it was moving very slowly, Tao Zhiyue still felt that he had seen enough. He glued his eyes to the cable car and took several trips back and forth with Huo Ran.
That day it was his turn to exclaim: "If only I could paint, this place is so special."
"Then let's learn to paint together." Huo Ran said seriously, "You paint here, and I'll paint you."
Tao Zhiyue was very clever: "Merge them together. You can draw the me that is being drawn here, and I won't have to learn."
“… We agreed not to use nesting dolls!”
Amidst the chatter and laughter, his feet suspended in the air passed through a fairy-tale dream, and the wind brushed across his cheeks. Until this moment, Tao Zhiyue still remembered the feeling of being in heaven.
The other people in the conference room were obviously also brought into the same atmosphere by the large number of photos, especially the two artists. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Can you send me the photos? I just want to go back and touch the board now."
"It's really nice. I have somewhere to go this weekend."
"It's so desolate to go alone, is there anyone who wants to go there in a group?"
"High school students can have a spring outing, so can we also arrange a summer outing? Will writing code and plotting in such an environment give us some special inspiration?"
"No, wake up, isn't it nice to have a picnic and play cards?"
After chatting for a while, everyone got down to the point in unison.
Xiao Huang: "Since you are hanging out with your partner, how can you not take a photo of the two of you? So I am not particularly satisfied with Xiao Tao's sharing this time, and I suggest you fix it on the spot."
Xiao Song: "I second the motion. I want to see the real afternoon tea!"
Fang Shiwu tried to restore some dignity for the gossipers: "After hearing too many sad love stories of Xiaoguan, everyone would occasionally want to eat some dog food to change their taste."
Tao Zhiyue had just closed the PPT and sent the file to the company group. He was stunned when he heard this and was thinking about how to respond.
Guan Yudong, who had just rebuilt his worldview, was one step faster than him. He turned his head to look at this group of ignorant mortals, and suddenly a strange sense of pride arose in his heart.
"You have already seen it. I just watched it in the lounge at noon."
His tone was very dreamy: "Ultra-clear 4K quality, direct output on a large screen, the one as handsome as Xiao Tao is the afternoon tea. If you can't remember, there will be a news replay in the afternoon. Let's go and relive it together."
After a moment of silence, while his colleagues looked as if they were dreaming, Guan Yudong took a sip of warm water with satisfaction.
He couldn't be the only one to be struck by the soul.
This week's sharing session, which was extremely rich in content, ended successfully amid everyone's shocked howls.
Tao Zhiyue was actually a little embarrassed, but luckily after everyone finished eating the lemons, no one asked too many questions. At most, they ran over to shake his hand and said that they would take this dreamy European feeling to draw cards in the game, hoping to win on the first try.
Tao Zhiyue, feeling both amused and helpless, returned to his seat and slowly began to turn off his computer, preparing to go off work.
[Tao: The sharing session is over. Everyone seems to have enjoyed it very much and even said they want to go to Paradise Town to relive their childhood.]
[Tao: Watch TV with me at noon, and now they know that person is you.]
[Tao: Your new nickname: Afternoon Tea!]
[Xiao Huo: !!!]
[Xiao Huo: I should have styled my hair this morning, but I just randomly scratched my hair.]
[Xiao Huo: That’s it. I forgot what I said this morning. I don’t think I made a fool of myself.]
[Xiao Huo: I hope your boyfriend thinks I’m handsome too.]
[Xiao Huo: crying cat head.jpg]
Tao Zhiyue was amused by him again. Thinking of the big colorful bear hidden under his suit, he suddenly felt an urge to meet him.
[Tao: Don’t worry, everyone thinks you are a serious CEO, and this illusion seems to be stubborn at the moment.]
[Tao: Are you still busy at night?]
[Xiao Huo: The forum is almost over. There will be a buffet in the evening, and then I will be free to do whatever I want.]
[Xiao Huo: Do you want to have a midnight snack together?]
[Tao: Good idea.]
[Tao: But I'll just watch you eat_(:3∠)_]
[Tao: I will definitely go running tomorrow morning.]
[Xiao Huo: Dog rolling around.gif]
[Xiao Huo: You said the same thing yesterday!]
[Xiao Huo: I think you need a fitness coach who will always urge you to exercise, so that you can eat without worry.]
[Xiao Huo: Come to think of it, your current company is so far from home, you have to get up very early every day.]
[Xiao Huo: Would you consider moving?]
[Xiao Huo: The project has been basically finalized. I want to find a decent residential area to live in. I don’t want to stay in a hotel all the time.]
[Xiao Huo: Then, maybe by chance, we will become neighbors.]
[Xiao Huo: Free fitness guidance and leftovers elimination service!]
[Xiao Huo: Getting by cutely.jpg]
This was the second time Huo Ran brought up this matter, and the last time he was more tactful.
Tao Zhiyue cooked too much dinner that day, thinking that the taste would change after being heated up the next day. However, he could not finish it in one meal, so he packed the dishes and put them in the refrigerator regretfully, and complained to Huo Ran casually.
Huo Ran, who was still busy in a meeting late at night, took the time to reply: I love eating midnight snacks!
Tao Zhiyue realized what he meant only afterwards and wanted to respond, but couldn't find the right opportunity.
The cute little penguin who had managed to get away with it lay in a round ball on the screen, his fingers moving across the screen, with a hint of hesitation still lingering in his heart.
Even if you just become neighbors, weekend dates can quickly develop into seeing each other every day.
The closer the two people are, the more trivial things they can share. Tao Zhi is more worried that he will confuse the difference between the two worlds and accidentally talk about some experiences that do not belong to this world, such as the vampire game and his father coming home from get off work to buy watermelons. He is also worried about whether he can handle such a close relationship.
Most of the other things in the villa were revealed. As he was sitting in the chair, he was confused, when he heard hurried footsteps on the stairs.
Tao Zhiyue looked up reflexively and saw Jiang Ye walking down with a weeping fig tree in his arms, looking somewhat excited, completely different from the melancholy man he was in the morning.
Jiang Ye saw him and greeted him naturally, "Are you not leaving yet?"
Tao Zhiyue nodded and watched his movements curiously.
Jiang Ye carefully placed the weeping fig tree on the small round table on the balcony, looked at the golden sunlight carefully for a while, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"You're not mistaken. It's really sprouting."
He seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be sharing with Tao Zhiyue, the only person present.
The fig tree experienced a strong wind last night, and its leaves have become much thinner. Some of its thin side branches have also been broken, revealing fresh light yellow wounds.
But where Jiang Ye's eyes fell, the brown bark was slightly raised and a tiny light-colored bud emerged.
He watched intently, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.
It was the first time that Tao Zhiyue saw him smile after being in the company for so long, but he unexpectedly found his expression familiar.
He recalled in a daze for a while, and then he remembered that Huo Ran seemed to always look at him with a smile like this in the past month.
The weeping fig tree faces the sun, absorbing the setting sunlight, its green leaves trembling in the wind.
Jiang Ye took out a sketchbook from the drawer of the small round table, sat on the chair, lowered his head, and began to write and draw.
Tao Zhiyue left work quietly and closed the door gently.
[Tao: OK^-^]
[Tao: This weekend’s schedule: house hunting!]