Translator: 549690339
In the noon, with the temperature rising and the shadows thrown by the walls on either side becoming short and narrow, there were no shaded spots, so the four people decided to halt their exploration temporarily.
They took a break in a fruit shop.
The “wall” was made up of numerous shops and mixed concrete.
The fruit shop had watermelons, and the ice shaver next door had ice cream. That store was decorated with numerous mirrors. Tan Xiao quickly grabbed a few ice cream bars and ran, not daring to stay any longer.
Bai Youwei, sitting in the cool air conditioning while enjoying her watermelon, once again marveled inwardly at how electricity was such a great invention.
Tan Xiao spotted a sporting goods store sitting above the fruit shop and, on a whim, decided to climb up to take a look. Fearing he would fall, their teacher held a watermelon slice and nervously watched him from below.
The surroundings were peaceful; the only sound that could be heard was the gentle hum of the air conditioner.
Bai Youwei paused from eating watermelon after a few bites, her eyes slightly squinting in the afternoon tranquility, giving her a drowsy feeling.
The dozen or so watermelon pieces in front of her all had been nibbled at once, with each triangular piece missing the top corner.
Shen MO was speechless.
While she was free to eat any watermelon in the entire shop, such wasteful behaviour was not something most people would do.
He was about to admonish her, but upon seeing her squinting her eyes dozing off, decided to let it go.
Bai Youwei’s nap didn’t last long.
Tan Xiao threw down a baseball bat from upstairs, startling her awake with a thud.
Shen MO saw her eyes widen in fear in that instant as if she were a startled cat. Even her pupils shone brightly. He thought she was about to have a fit, but she just blanked out for two seconds before returning to normal.
She didn’t seem grumpy at all.
Tan Xiao continued to throw down multiple items, and despite being in a wheelchair, her excitement was undeterred: “Is there more? Is there more?”
Tan Xiao shouted from above, “Do you want roller skates?”
Bai Youwei: “Throw it down, throw it down!”
He asked, “What do you want roller skates for?”
“I don’t want them for anything,” Bai Youwei looked up with bright eyes, “I just find it fun watching him throw stuff.”
Tan Xiao loved sports, so he ransacked the sports goods store and tossed down a heap of sporting goods. He and their teacher then started sorting and selecting his way through the pile of goods.
Shen MO, standing not too far away, chatted with Bai Youwei, “Why is it that
Tan Xiao hasn’t changed?”
“Because he’s just too straightforward, I guess,” Bai Youwei replied with a faint smile, “He has no hidden side, no secret thoughts. His positives and negatives are all out in the open, so the mirror probably wouldn’t affect him.” Shen MO looked thoughtful, “So what’s in the mirror is our shadow side?”
“You can’t exactly call it the shadow side…” Bai Youwei thought for a moment before rephrasing, “It’s more of a negative representation, the things in our subconscious that we dislike or avoid, the things we don’t want to accept. Our teacher seems very open-minded, but he is actually afraid of getting weaker and growing old. You, on the other hand, appear righteous and selfless, like a hero…”
She paused, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Shen MO, “But in reality, you don’t really care about the world at all. You save and help people simply because it’s your job or due to the influence of your upbringing. Your heart is colder than anyone else’s.”
Shen MO stared at her, his gaze intense.
His pupils were pitch black, like an endless abyss where all his emotions were hidden deep within.
After a long pause, he finally asked, “And what about you?”
Bai Youwei recalled the crying face and couldn’t help but chuckle.