The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1170 Time Stops
"... I have nothing to wear, I have no money, God, I can't go home like this, like this, like this, like this, like this."

"God, I can't go home like this."

Indifferent, quiet and melodious, a faint sadness flows in the melody, sad but not hurtful, just like a letter from home that has traveled across the ocean, embarking on a displaced journey, quietly hiding its fragility and helplessness, arming itself with tenacity and courage, pulling up the collar of its coat, and walking alone in the snowy winter.

"If you missed my train, you'd know I was gone. You'd hear the whistle a hundred miles away, a hundred miles, a hundred miles..."

Before I realized it, the voice deep in my throat couldn't help but hum along softly -

One hundred miles. One hundred miles.

The low singing voice surged in the bar, like an echo from the depths of the soul.

Unconsciously, my sight and attention drifted towards that solitary lamp.

There is nothing special about it, but it always makes people worry and care. The noise and the clamor are still surging in the air, but the mood has slowly sunk into the cold and bleakness of winter in the melody.

After the song ended, Niao Niao's emotions were surging. In order to hide her brief vulnerability, the guests in the bar looked at their friends again, raised their voices to continue the conversation, which made the conversation even more obvious.

It was as if nothing had happened.

However, the figure on the stage didn't care and was completely focused in his own world.

The slender and powerful fingertips lightly plucked the guitar strings.

The melody flows gently.

The world has magically become quiet. The breeze blows across the blue ocean for a long distance, opening its arms to embrace the lush green forest in front of it. The sound of waves hitting the rocks hums in the rustling sound of swaying treetops. The light golden sunlight penetrates the cloudless blue and falls on the fingertips, dancing gracefully.

Then, I was the only one left in the world, with a guitar and a voice.

"I don't want much..."

Clear, clean, pure, spotless, yet it catches your ears in an instant.

The words disappeared in my throat and I subconsciously turned my head to look at the stage. The corner deep in my heart quietly collapsed. I took off my armor and threw away my mask. The softest and most vulnerable part was exposed to the air without warning.

"…I just want to hear you knocking on my door. If I could see you again, I would have no regrets even if I died." (Note 1)

Light and gentle, without great ups and downs, without great joy or sorrow. Lying on the lawn on a summer afternoon, watching the clouds rolling and unrolling in the clear sky, I feel the comfort and tranquility, but after calming down, I feel the vicissitudes and grandeur of time slowly slipping through my fingertips.

A guitar, simple chords.

A voice with real feelings.

That's enough.

"When you said your final goodbye, a part of me withered quietly; I lay in bed with tears streaming down my face, all alone without you."

Between the light clouds and the gentle breeze, it faintly reveals the scars and stumbling steps after going through so many hardships.

There is no sadness, no bitterness, but instead one can see the calmness slightly raised at the corners of the mouth, and the happiness and joy that once existed are flying up and down between the strings.

The heart trembled slightly.

"But if you really loved me, why did you leave me?"

"Take me away, take me away..."

"All I want, all I need is to find someone, someone who is just like you."

Sadness, a brief pause, but in the next moment watching the fingertips flying quickly, the notes flowing between the vibrations of the strings, the happiness and joy quickly stirring, and the clear voice humming softly.

“Just like you…”

“Just like you…”

Involuntarily, my heart began to beat faster.

Between surprise and astonishment, he suddenly raised his head and looked at the figure. The man was bathed in a goose yellow halo. The corners of his mouth hidden behind his beard were slightly raised, outlining a beautiful arc.

It should be a quiet and sad song, but at this moment, it feels turbulent and exciting. Closing their eyes, they seem to be running on the endless Gobi Desert, opening their arms to embrace the raging wind. As they run, the wilderness turns into a forest, and they get rid of the gray and brown and plunge into the green all over the sky and the earth. Every pore in their body opens up and they breathe hard.

That is joy, that is happiness.

The smile blooms freely.

However, why are the eyes filled with tears?
"Look, you made me a better person, a person I am not familiar with. You took my soul and wiped it clean. Our love is like a scene from a movie."

Fingers are flying; melody is turbulent.

The rhythm of the guitar strings hidden behind the singing is getting faster and faster, cheerful and excited, and the emotions between the lines quietly fade away from darkness. It is not sorrow, not pain, not struggle, but after the passage of time, he is finally relieved and finally has the courage to face himself, a strong look back.

More importantly, it is a growth, a transformation, and a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

"But if you really loved me, why did you leave me?"

"Take me away, take me away..."

"All I want, all I need, is to find someone, someone...just like you."

In the tavern, everyone's eyes were completely focused on the figure in the center of the stage. Even Jim and Rebecca stopped and tilted their heads, staring quietly at the scene in front of them, their hearts wandering freely in the warm current.

Then, the man's smile rose slightly, breaking free from his restraints, shackles, and burdens.

Run as fast as you can.

Thump, thump, swish, swish, the slender fingertips plucked the strings faster and faster, it was dazzling and overwhelming.

The gurgling stream flows into the roaring river, and then flows westward to merge into the vast ocean, roaring with turbulent waves.

My heart beat faster and faster, and started to sprint at full speed uncontrollably.

They seemed to have returned to their youth, with those worries, pains and struggles trapping them tightly. Adolescence was so long and dark, with no end in sight. They tried to call for help but could not find anyone to turn to. They could only hug themselves tightly and cry in the corner.

One step, another step.

One day, and another day.

I persisted like this until one day, I couldn't bear it anymore, so I started running.

There is no direction, no purpose, just like a child, running freely and wantonly, breaking free from the constraints and shackles, and bravely embracing freedom.

As I ran, my heart started beating again.

As I ran, a smile began to appear on the corners of my mouth.

As I ran, the dawn slowly tore through the darkness.

The galloping melody, the galloping strings, the galloping rhythm, converge into a raging wave, roaring on the eardrums.

The heart is almost about to burst.

Under that solitary lamp, the man sang loudly—

“Ohhhh, ohhhh…oh…ohhhh…ohhhh…”

Little by little, climb to the top.

With cheerful dance steps, flying shirts and surging wind, they finally broke free from their shackles and rushed out from the scars and darkness of their memories.

Embrace the sunshine.

I started crying while laughing, and started laughing again while crying. I had no time to care about all these. I just ran wildly without thinking about anything else, and finally broke out of the cocoon and emerged as a butterfly.

Then, finally grew up.

Note 1: All-I-Want (Kodaline)

(End of this chapter)