This was not the first time that Na Chen had said this to him, but the distance, the occasion, the unexpectedness, and the gentle but somewhat hoarse voice of Na Chen when he said this still made An He's hands tremble violently.
"Damn!" An He's car crashed directly into the billboard on the corner.
Nachen, who was following closely behind him, rushed forward at this moment and crossed the finish line a few seconds later.
"How is it?" Na Chen let go of the handlebars and smiled at him while sitting in the car.
"What a big move," An He looked at the screen helplessly, Na Chen's result was nearly a minute faster than his, "I was scared to death."
"You have to use this ultimate move first," Na Chen got out of the car and stood in front of him, still laughing, "I don't think I'll win no matter what I play tonight."
"You sound so great," An He said happily, getting out of the car and giving it to the little boy who had been staring at them. "You can't win without my ultimate move."
"Really?" Na Chen crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"Can we go first?" An He glanced to the side and lowered his voice, "Everyone is looking at us."
Na Chen smiled and followed him to the claw machine next to him. Several people who had been watching the car race turned their heads to look at them.
"What else are we playing?" An He tossed the coins in his hand.
"Play something you can't do," Na Chen snapped his fingers and turned around, "You can't catch up even if you practice for ten years."
"Is that so?" An He was stunned.
"Yes," Na Chen waved his hand and pointed forward, "playing the drums."
An He was happy: "Want to play?"
"Well, you want to see how I play the drums normally, don't you?" Na Chen walked towards the drum machine, "I'll let you have a look first."
The drum machine is actually not that difficult, but not many people play it, because you can play it well after a few days of practice. But this thing is like a dance mat, it is not easy to play it beautifully.
"This is a real electric drum." Na Chen walked over and took a look and said in a low voice.
"How about the drums?" An He asked with a smile as he stood aside.
"Not very good, a low-end model from Roland," Na Chen sat down, picked up the drumstick and gently tossed it up. The drumstick spun around and fell back into his hand. He casually played a series of rhythms on the drum, "This drumstick isn't very good either."
"What kind of configuration do you want for a game..." An He smiled. Na Chen's rhythmic movements quickly attracted the attention of several people around him. Someone came over. An He lowered his voice and said, "Don't embarrass yourself."
"Give me a simple one so I can see how to play it." Na Chen said in a low voice, turning his head to look at the onlookers.
An He put in a coin and tuned him a simple one-star song.
"One star?" someone behind me said, seeming a little disappointed.
After the song started, Na Chen stared at the screen with the drumstick in his hand, but didn't play the drums. After a while, he turned his head and looked at An He: "Isn't this a Jin band? So stupid?"
"You..." An He sighed, "What do you think?"
"I thought there was a drum sheet, but there isn't one like this.﹎雅文＿吧> w=ww`.-yaw·en8" Na Chen clicked his tongue and tapped a few times following the rhythm. It was obviously more complicated than the one on the screen and sounded quite nice.
An He was about to say, "Why don't you just knock it randomly?", when someone who was watching behind him came over and said, "Damn, you're a professional, right? You can show that you have a plan."
The man pointed at the screen again: "You can change the drum pattern."
An He had never played this before. He poked a few times according to the man's instructions. The screen changed to a piece of five-line music, but the symbols on it were so confusing that he couldn't understand them at all: "Is this it?"
"Hmm," Na Chen took a look and nodded, "It's really oversimplified."
Yixing's song was not difficult for Nachen. From the moment the drumstick fell, he suddenly changed.
An He was somewhat amazed at the fact that no matter what kind of drums or what kind of circumstances Na Chen faced, he could always immerse himself in the rhythm once he started.
When the song ended, a lot of people gathered around them, and there were two little girls holding up their cell phones to take pictures.
"Let's get an expert," someone said.
"What is expert level?" Na Chen asked An He.
"I don't know, why don't you try it?" An He liked watching Na Chen play drums, even if it was in front of a game console.
"Yeah." Na Chen smiled.
An He couldn't hear much difference between the expert-level pieces, he just felt that the drum score was more complex and had more variety.
When the music started, Na Chen glanced at the score, lowered his head and raised his hand, the drumstick fell, strong drum beats sounded, and after a few bars, people around him applauded.
Nachen's expression didn't change, and An He was a little unsure whether he heard anyone cheering.
This was the first time he saw Na Chen playing drums at such a close distance. Na Chen's body swayed gently with the music. Every movement was full of rhythm and dynamics. Smooth drum beats leaped out from his hands.
handsome.
An He hesitated for a moment, took out his mobile phone from his pocket, clicked on the video and started recording Na Chen.
When the song ended, An He saw from the camera of his mobile phone that Na Chen turned his head, pressed his finger lightly on his lips, and blew a kiss to him.
An He's phone nearly fell to the ground. There were at least twenty people surrounding him, and this action looked like a high-definition close-up in the eyes of the onlookers.
He quickly turned around and squeezed out of the crowd, and Na Chen threw down his drumstick and followed him out.
Someone even said disappointedly: "Master, you don't want to play anymore?"
"I don't want to play anymore," Na Chen said with a smile, "I can't find the feeling."
An He walked out of the arcade with his head down, and then Na Chen came over and pulled his arm: "Are you angry?"
"No," An He touched his face, "I just have a fever."
"I didn't mean it." Na Chen stared at his face, as if trying to confirm whether his words were true or not. "Are you not unhappy?"
"Really not..." An He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. After a pause, he added, "You definitely did it on purpose."
"Really not!" Na Chen smiled, took the cigarette from his hand and took a puff, "I just accidentally let my true feelings slip."
"Slut," An He turned his head and looked into the arcade, "What else do you want to play?"
"Let's stop playing. How about we find a place to eat?" Na Chen touched his stomach. "I'm a little hungry. Let's eat..."
"I'm not hungry," Anhe answered him quickly, "I'm not hungry at all, I don't feel it at all, the hamburger is still against my throat. > Yawen > 8w=w`w`.·yawe=n`8-.`c`om"
"You want revenge, right? I just let you eat a hamburger first," Na Chen said with a smile, "You are such a grudge-taker. Are you any adult at all?"
"Then have a burger. I'll buy it for you." An He glanced at him and walked towards the burger shop across the street.
"Forget it," Na Chen quickly chased after him and hugged his shoulders from behind, "Let's just take a walk first. I'm not hungry anymore."
Angel held his arm, and the two of them walked forward, one in front of the other, swaying left and right, without any destination in mind, just chatting as they walked.
"When I had nothing to do in the past, I would drive around the city, from the Second Ring Road to the Fourth Ring Road," Na Chen rested his chin on An He's shoulder, "I watched many buildings being built."
An He smiled. He had never seen what Nachen was like when he drove around the ring road, but he could understand. Perhaps he and Nachen had felt the same kind of inescapable loneliness and boredom at the same time. On countless nights after dinner and countless weekends when he couldn't muster the energy, while Nachen was driving around the streets, he might have been soaking in the bathtub or curled up on the sofa.
"When we are bored in the future, we can go out for a walk, drive around together, sit on the sofa and watch TV together, or soak in the bathtub together..." An He laughed halfway through his words. Yes, the same thing will be completely different if there is one more person doing it together.
Of course, this person has to be the right one.
He once thought that there would not be such a person, and he also thought that even if there was such a person, he would not be in the mood to wait any longer.
But Chen still came and there was no way to avoid him.
When passing by a Thai restaurant, An He stopped and asked: "Want to eat?"
"Don't you still have a hamburger stuck in your throat?" Na Chen let go of him and asked with a smile.
"I slid down after strolling for a while," An He walked towards the restaurant, "You can take a look and learn a few tricks and see if you can make me some Tom Yum Goong soup and pineapple rice next time."
"Why is my life so miserable?" Na Chen sighed, "I have to think about the menu just to eat a meal."
"We take turns. You cook one meal, I cook the next, and you cook the next..."
"After I finish your meal, will I still be alive to cook for you the next one?" Na Chen frowned, "Just look at your pot that is so mushy that it's hard to put it down."
"Make sure you stay alive." An He patted his shoulder.
In fact, Anhe is not particularly fond of the taste of Thai food, but the strange taste of Thai food that is neither sour nor spicy and has a creamy flavor always makes him enjoy it.
Na Chen ate very seriously, picking out the ingredients in the soup from time to time to take a look.
Halfway through the meal, An He's cell phone rang. He answered the call and it was his second aunt.
Tomorrow is the day for Grandpa's cremation. He thought his second aunt wanted to ask about his mother, but before he could open his mouth, his second aunt said directly: "Tell your mother not to go tomorrow."
"Huh?" An He was stunned.
"If you didn't care when they were alive, there's no need to join in the fun now that you're dead," Second Aunt said in a cold tone. "There's no name on the tombstone. You're divorced anyway, and you don't have any contact with the old people. I don't know what's the point of writing it on the tombstone."
An He's hands felt a little numb. He rested his elbows on the table and held the phone, not knowing what to say.
After his second aunt hung up the phone, he stared at the food on the table.
He had already adjusted himself to the point where he stopped thinking about certain things, but his second aunt's words almost brought him back to square one.
Yes, the marriage is over, the person is gone, and they live their own lives.
The meaning of home has long been lost.
Now even their names are not on my grandfather’s tombstone.
Daughter, son-in-law, grandson.
This was originally a clear relationship in his family, but now it has suddenly fallen apart.
"Anhe," Nachen grabbed his hand, "what's wrong?"
An He came back to his senses and smiled: "It's my second aunt's call."
"What did you say?" Na Chen asked.
"Speaking of grandpa... let my mom not have to go and see him off tomorrow," An He said with some difficulty, "and... there are no our names on the tombstone."
Na Chen didn't say anything, but held his hand tightly.
An He sighed, picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth, but it tasted tasteless.
"Are you still going?" Na Chen asked after a while.
"Go," An He put down his chopsticks, "I must go, my mother... we'll see then."
"Are you okay?" Na Chen was a little worried.
"Well, what can happen?" An He closed his eyes and took a breath. "These are not things that can be changed just because I am depressed. Even if nothing changes, it will not have any substantial impact on me. I will still be the same as before."
These words were spoken to Na Chen, and also to myself.
Sometimes, some things are just like that.
It doesn’t matter whether it is good or bad, or whether it is solved or not, the only thing to do is put it aside.
It was almost ten o'clock when they came out after eating. The two of them walked slowly along the street, chatting for more than an hour before returning to the video game arcade to get the car.
"Wait for me here," Na Chen said, his car parked at the back door of the arcade, "I'll go get the car."
"You're still talking about taking a car? You talk as if you want to take a big car." An He smiled.
"Wait here while I get my little toilet."
"What toilet?"
"Don't you think my small battery looks like a toilet?" Na Chen jumped all the way to the back door.
After Nachen said that, when he drove the small white electric car over again, Anhe suddenly felt that Nachen was sitting on the toilet, making a lot of noises...
"Come up, I'll take you back." Na Chen shook his head.
"Actually, this is not a small toilet. Compared to the size of a toilet, it is quite big." An He sat in the back seat, squeezed forward, and hugged Na Chen's waist.
"Then it's the big toilet. Are you ready?" Na Chen honked the horn. "Yes, I have."
"Fuck, you're almost there!" An He pushed him, "We just finished dinner not long ago!"
Na Chen drove An He downstairs while driving the toilet, then parked the car but had no intention of going upstairs.
An He looked at the time and asked, "Aren't you going up?"
"Well," Na Chen got out of the car, grabbed his arm and pulled him in front of him, quickly leaned over and kissed him on the face, "I have to go back to get my clothes for work tomorrow. I've left the set in the office to be washed. It will be too late to go back tomorrow morning to get it. I'll be late."
An He smiled and touched Na Chen's face. Na Chen talked to him about work in a very normal tone, which made him feel at ease. Na Chen, who had always been unrestrained and free-spirited, would rush back in order not to be late for work.
"Then go back and don't open the toilet too fast on the road." He smiled.
"I will be there for your grandpa tomorrow. After you sign, I will take you to the crematorium," Na Chen thought for a moment and kissed him again, "Don't think too much. I'll be with you."
"Yeah," An He hugged him and rubbed his back hard a few times, "I know."
When Na Chen drove away, An He did not go upstairs, but stood downstairs watching his back. Perhaps he saw from the rearview mirror that he was still standing there. After driving about ten meters, Na Chen suddenly whistled loudly and started shaking his legs.
An He immediately remembered Na Chen's rhythmic "Pu La Pu La" and gave him the middle finger from behind: "Fuck!"
He remembered that Na Chen said "Don't learn from me", so he stretched out his index finger and made an "oh yeah" gesture.
Na Chen smiled, honked the horn twice, and drove the car out of the gate.
The night is nice today, the moon and stars are crowded in the sky, the weather is warm, and the wind blows on my face with moist warmth, a little sticky, but still very comfortable.
Instead of driving home, he turned into another road.
Today is an ordinary day, but for Na Chen, it is a little different.
Today is the day my father passed away.
He hasn't visited the cemetery since his father died, and he doesn't know if he will go there in the future, but he still doesn't plan to go to the cemetery today.
He drove the small battery for almost forty minutes before he finally stopped on the side of the road.
Further up this road is my father's company. It was along this road that my father drove out and crashed head-on into a car parked on the side of the road.
Na Chen pushed the car across the street, sat on the sidewalk, and stared at the flat and clean road in a daze.
"Dad," after a long moment he lowered his head and pulled out a tissue from his pocket, "what are you thinking about?"
The tissue was gently twirled between his fingers, slowly rolled into a small white flower, and Na Chen placed the flower on the ground: "I never knew what you were thinking, what you were thinking, what your mother was thinking, why you two, what happened to you two... I still don't know."
The wind blew gently, and the hair on his forehead swept across his eyes. He raised his hand to rub his eyes and whispered, "I have always wanted to prove to you that I am not what you said I am, but no matter what I do, you won't look at me. Why is that? I don't know, but it doesn't matter."
"From now on, I won't do it for you anymore. I'm doing it for myself," Na Chen lit a cigarette and squinted his eyes in the smoke, "I'm doing it for someone who deserves me. There's always someone waiting for me, and there's always someone who can see me. Even though that person isn't you, I'm satisfied."
The author has something to say: Continue tomorrow.