Why it never ends

The next morning, when Ding Yuqing saw Ding Jiali again at the dinner table, she was very sure that something must have happened to him.

If Ding Jiali was just a little ridiculous and annoying before, now he has become unbearable - his eyes, tone, and the inexplicable determination and arrogance in his gestures all made her feel on pins and needles. This scene instantly reminded Ding Yuqing of the time when Ding Jiali earned his first pot of gold from Shi Pingchuan in high school. At that time, he suddenly became particularly annoying and wished he could talk about a topic every moment so as to show off to others. The person sitting here imparts life lessons.

This made Ding Yuqing feel a strong crisis. She vaguely felt that Ding Jiali seemed to have gone further on a certain road. Although she was not sure which road it was, it undoubtedly highlighted her dilemma of standing still.

What makes Ding Yuqing even more puzzling is that Ding Jiali is not the only one who has undergone tremendous changes in this family - Shi Pingchuan and Hesta have also become preoccupied. She chatted with Ding Xueyang about the changes in Shi Pingchuan, but her sister just thought that it should be caused by fatigue. After all, Shi Pingchuan did work overtime and crazy during this period.

Ding Yuqing had no choice but to shut up.

At around seven o'clock in the morning, Hesta showed up looking tired as expected. She poured herself a bowl of yogurt and sat down at the table as before.

"Why don't you sleep longer on the weekend?" Ding Yuqing looked at Hesta, "Do you have any plans today?"

"I'm going out in a while," Hesta replied in a low voice, "My friend's mother is coming by train this morning, and I'm going to pick her up at the station with her."

"Friends from school?"

"No, I just came to District 14 and I met a friend in Mei County." Hesta replied, "I probably won't be back for lunch at noon. Please help me talk to Ms. Xu later."

"A boy?"

"what?"

"Is this friend of yours who just came to District 14 a boy?"

"Girl."

Ding Yuqing tilted her head, "You know, you look weird lately."

Hesta stopped stirring the yogurt spoon in her hand, "...something is strange."

"Sometimes when I see you, I feel that you are full of energy, and sometimes - such as now, I feel like you have become a different person." Ding Yuqing paused for a while, "Wilted."

Hesta let out a few dry laughs. She lowered her eyes slightly and whispered, "Is it so obvious?"

"What's going on? Tell me?"

Hesta glanced at Ding Yuqing, seeming to be hesitating whether to speak or not.

"It's nothing, it's just... I seem to always have nightmares during this period."

"What kind of nightmare?"

Hesta shook her head, "I won't remember it when I wake up."

"When did it start?" Ding Yuqing asked again, "What have you done before?" Hesta frowned slightly, "Before... I went to a lecture with a friend."

Ding Yuqing's expression moved slightly, as if she noticed something, her eyes lit up, "Is this friend of yours a boy or a girl?"

Hesta raised her head and said, "Girl."

"Oh..." His intuition failed again, and Ding Yuqing was a little disappointed, "You continue."

"Although I can't remember exactly what I dreamed about, I have a vague feeling that I must have dreamed about the same thing these past few days." Hesta looked at the chandelier on the ceiling. "A friend just told me about it some time ago. A joke is also a story about a person who wakes up and can’t remember what he dreamed about. I think I can also put paper and pen by the bedside, so that when I dream again, I just need to write down what I dreamed about immediately. Come and I will know the answer.”

"It's a good idea," Ding Yuqing nodded again, indicating that she was listening carefully, "Have you tried it?"

"I tried," Hestad said. "I put a pen and paper next to the bed last night."

"Is there any result?"

"Have."

"What is it?" Ding Yuqing asked curiously.

Hesta's eyes fell vacantly on the table in front of Ding Yuqing. She was silent for a while, as if she was reminiscing, or as if she was lost in her own thoughts.

"Edgar's Dark Tales," Hestad replied.

……

No matter how Ding Yuqing asked afterward, Hestad did not give any further explanation. She pretended to be troubled and said that maybe this was the subconscious wrapped up in layers, and it would take a psychoanalyst who was good at interpreting dreams to solve the mystery. But in fact, when she saw the words "Edgar's Dark Tales", Hesta realized the problem - she had already realized it, but she just never thought about it.

In the past few days, Ksenia invited her to have a meal together. In the afternoon, the two of them walked slowly from one end of the school to the other. Hesta listened to Ksenia talk about her childhood and her entertainment when she was confined to a wheelchair. She would take a long piece of specially whittled wood and gently stir the coals in the fireplace.

Tap the charcoal gently, and the white ash falls like snow on the pine forest. The hot charcoal underneath bursts out bright yellow, then gradually dims to orange. Sometimes my mother would pick up a long and thick shovel to stir the embers, and large sparks would instantly burst into the fireplace... The scene was extremely brilliant.

Hesta listened attentively, imagining a little girl stirring coals alone in front of the fireplace, and felt that meeting Ksenia at this moment was almost a miracle. This is not only about how Ksenia overcame all difficulties to embark on her academic career, but also about how she came here due to many coincidences and deviations. It seems that the gears of fate between the two are tightly meshed, and any deviation is impossible. will cause them to miss.

However, she thought again and again of the water stains on Ksenia's book during the lecture that day. The scene was like a very fine grain of dust. It was originally just a bit of fly ash that would go unnoticed wherever it went. , but it happened to fall into the eyes.

At first, Hesta didn't understand why she kept thinking about it...until this morning when she saw the words on the paper, she couldn't help but be shocked - she clearly remembered that it was the first time she and Liz met. gift received at the time. At that time, she wanted to refuse, but Liz said that if the book was always left on the shelf without being read, she would probably feel lonely.

Hesta couldn't help but begin to re-examine her feelings for Ksenia. She began to wonder why she wanted to see her, talk to her, and be by her side so much.

What do I like about Ksenia?

Hesta was surprised to find that she could not give an answer. She could recall many details of her time with Ksenia. Every unexpected meeting with Ksenia was accompanied by amazing joy and sweetness, but she said She couldn't figure out what she liked about her, because Ksenia rolled into her heart in one piece. The process was reckless and sudden, and she didn't have time to examine it, so it seemed suspicious.

Why are you so sensitive to the differences between Ksenia and Liz?

Hesta also had no answer, and at the same time, the question frightened her.