Nanke Yifu Chapter 3

Where can I find the pond again (3)

Chi Fu was not yet nineteen years old when he first met Yan Laixi.

I was wandering around the school with nothing to do, and happened to see a comic exhibition.The scale was small, tickets were still on sale, and Chi Fu decided to go in and take a look.

A comic exhibition of this level is not so much an exhibition as it is a gathering of fans in a large circle. They dance together, take photos, and display their own products. There is not even a host on the stage, and it is all organized by the participants themselves.

The only gimmick is probably the autograph signing on the other side.There are some books and postcards next to it. Some people buy things from there and queue up.The queue is not too long, but from this angle it is enough to block the people sitting inside.

Chi Fu walked over there, but not for the autograph. He didn’t even know what he was signing. He saw a stall over there that seemed to display fan art of a work he liked before. It was a very unpopular work. If it was true, it would be an unexpected surprise.

It’s a pity that it’s not easy to meet unpopular friends, but it’s hard to say whether there are any unexpected surprises.

The booth happened to be on the side of the autograph area, and when I turned around, I could see the people sitting there from a distance.

At a distance of more than ten meters, from the side, when Chi Fu just looked over, he was still lowering his head. Even this made Chi Fu’s eyes light up.

So he went to buy a book and joined the ranks of those who got several discounts.Chi Fu thought that if he didn’t go and take a look, he might regret it for the rest of his life.

While waiting, he flipped through the book he just bought. There were two words written in the author’s column, “Nanke”.

Nanke?

Chi Fuxiang, who was standing opposite Nanke across a table, indeed had an appearance that seemed to only appear in Nanke’s dreams.

Yan Laixi was not yet twenty-two years old when he first met Chi Fu at his first autograph signing.

Writing novels was originally just a way to record those memories that only belonged to him in his sleep. It was an accident that it became his main business. He didn’t think the stories he wrote were very fascinating. Until he entered the stage, Yan Laishi was still worried about what if no one came at all.

Fortunately, although there were not many people queuing up, it was definitely not deserted.

There was plenty of time, and except for some little girls who were very introverted and shy at first glance, most people would say a word or two to him while he was signing, or ask him if he could write some blessings, and a few complimented him on his good looks and asked if he could take a photo with him.Yan Laixi responded one by one. He was not a person with a good memory and could not remember everyone who stood still in front of him and left after dozens of seconds, but there was one person who impressed him deeply.It was a man standing slightly out of the blue in the queue. He looked young and was probably still in school.

Most of his readers are girls, but it’s not because of gender that makes him so impressive.

Except for saying thank you when he finally took the book he handed back, the man just stood there and stared at him motionless the whole time.Yan Laixi could feel that there was no malice in his gaze, and there was no sizing or scrutiny. If he insisted on speaking, it was more like admiring the mesmerizing scenery he encountered by chance on the road.

His foggy blue eyes showed a daze for a moment or two when he was looking at it, which was a bit cute. Yan Laixi smiled at him, and like everyone else, said before he walked away: “Thank you too.”

Chi Fu was completely stunned, especially when he smiled at himself, it felt like the only person in front of him was left in the world.

After returning home, Chi Fu stayed up all night reading the novel.I read it carefully and tried not to damage the book.Then he put the books away properly, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling for three minutes. He picked up his mobile phone and searched for the name “Nanke” on several commonly used novel platforms. When he found it, he decisively recharged his subscription, and then read each book one by one in the order he wrote.

None of Nanke’s books are very long. The longest one is less than 300,000 words, and there are short ones of tens of thousands of words.The stories he tells are just like himself, bright, soft, quiet and delicate, like the tender green of early spring.The earliest one was four years ago. The title of the book is the same as the protagonist’s name, called “Wind”.

Chi Fu noticed a pattern. In every one of his books, the protagonist’s name must have “wind” in it.It may be part of a word, it may have the same pronunciation, or it may appear as a pronoun.

What’s so special about the wind to him?

Chi Fu didn’t know. He only knew that when he went to class on Monday, the spring breeze, which was synonymous with warmth, made his eyes hurt. It was not advisable to stay up late.

Sleep is very important, but it is also the best time to squeeze out. It is true that you will feel uncomfortable after staying up late, but isn’t that what happens after you are done?

By the time Chi Fu finally realized that he had read all night just to keep his eyes open for that shocking face, he had already read through all the works in Nanke’s column at that time.

Just like that, when he saw the new signing information, Chi Fu decided on his itinerary without hesitation.This time I was just being his reader, and there was absolutely no reason why I wanted to see that face again.

Well, to a certain extent, there is something wrong with such a beautiful person not wanting to think about it at all.

Throughout the first half of the year, Yan Laixi was invited to some small exhibitions one after another, and every time, no matter where the venue was, Yan Laixi would see the young man staring at him in fascination.The only communication between them was “thank you” and its variations, not even a “you’re welcome”.Before Chi Fu knew it, Yan Laixi had secretly remembered him and looked forward to meeting him many times.

As the New Year approaches, the new work “Flying Mirror”, which was just completed in the second half of the year, unexpectedly became popular.Some people, if a surprise comes too unexpectedly, will not believe its authenticity. Yan Laixi is one of them.He was even willing to believe that it happened to be the same name and that the data was wrong, so that when he finally confirmed that the fact was indeed the fact, the joy that should have appeared at the beginning also passed.

Therefore, the first question that Yan Laixi thought about was whether there would be more signers next time. If there were a lot of people, would he still come?

There will indeed be a lot of people, so many that Yan Lai wouldn’t dare to go there if he was a rare person.But this was work, and he couldn’t go without it. Besides, someone would see him soon. Yan Laixi could only suppress the fear in his heart and smile.

From the moment he entered the venue to the official start, Yan Laixi kept searching in the crowd. He told himself that there were too many people and it was normal not to want to wait in such a long queue. He told himself not to expect too much, so that he would not be too disappointed even if the result was not good.

But when he really didn’t see the person he wanted to see until the queue was half short, he still felt a little sad.

It doesn’t matter, it will get better after a while.

Yan Laixi comforted himself, maybe when the heat subsided and there weren’t so many people around, he would be able to see him again.

Another benefit of getting used to mentally preparing for the worst in advance is that you will be extra surprised when you get the results you want.

Yan Laixi heard him muttering that he would come earlier next time, so he quietly tore a piece of paper from his little notebook and wrote a line.

“Seeing you is like seeing a stream in the sky.”

Then he took the written note into his hand.

Got a brain cramp?If you suddenly write something like this to someone, it would be a huge misunderstanding!

“Isn’t that for me?” This was the first thing the other party said to him besides “thank you”.

Yan Laixi smiled apologetically and shook his head, hoping he didn’t see anything.

Chi Fu didn’t pay much attention to the novel itself or news other than Nanke’s own itinerary, so that he knew that the popularity of “Flying Mirrors” was much higher than every previous book, but he was still a little dumbfounded when he saw the dense crowd in front of him.Chi Fu swore that if someone had told him a year ago that you would wait in line for several hours just to get a few autographs or meet someone, he would have thought that person was joking.

Standing for a long time made his back and legs hurt, and he felt uncomfortable everywhere. However, his mood was extremely stable. As long as he thought that it was to see Nanke, he would not complain at all.

To be honest, Chi Fu doesn’t like “Flying Mirror” very much.It was not because the writing was not good, nor because some plots or concepts did not suit his liking. Chi Fu felt that Nanke was not happy when he wrote this book.He couldn’t explain the reason. He always felt that just like the protagonist who knew from the beginning that he was destined to leave, the author seemed to be suppressing something in his heart.

When he arrived in line, Chi Fu saw Nan Ke tearing up a piece of paper and writing a line of words on it. He wrote very quickly and the handwriting was sloppy. It was not easy to read from Chi Fu’s point of view. He thought it was for him and didn’t look at it carefully.

The note was not among the returned items. Chi Fu asked, “Isn’t that one for me?”

He really wanted to know what was written on it, but Nanke shook his head at him.

What a pity, I knew I would have identified it better just now.

Not all the heat brings good things.

In the spring of the next year, due to the publication of the physical book of “Flying Mirrors”, Yan Laixi visually observed that the number of people at the signing site reached a new high, and the “equipment” that could be seen at a glance also had its own merits.

This is the most troublesome point for Yan Laixi.

Because there were too many people, everyone’s time could only be compressed, so “numbers” appeared.The first one can be simply interacted with, the later ones can be specially signed, and the later ones can only be signed and left.

The problem is this interaction. Young and energetic people can always come up with some weird little games, but not all of these games can make everyone happy.

Yan Laixi himself is not an outgoing person and has a soft temper. When he encounters someone who goes a little too far, he can only smile and continue.He couldn’t show his discomfort because he didn’t want the other person’s beautiful day to be ruined by him.

The young man was still the same as before. He just looked at him silently and left after signing, “wasting” a good front position.When it was his turn, Yan Laixi would deliberately sign slowly, since it should have been his time anyway.

It’s really hard to get used to being around an unfamiliar, overly outgoing person.When the staff reminded him of the time, Yan Laixi actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The person opposite obviously sped up his movements and speech, quickly apologized and said he would end it soon.There is nothing wrong with her approach as there is no clear time limit on the interaction.

When she wanted to continue and end her preparation as soon as possible, a hand stretched out from behind and waved it where she could see it. After getting attention, she asked: “I’m sorry, I have something urgent…”

He was not tough and would never make things difficult for Yan Laixi. The one who spoke was the young man he saw every time. The girl in front of him didn’t even wait for him to finish speaking, and didn’t even think about what was urgent. She just gave up her position in just ten seconds without any reluctance.

While the other party was placing things on the table, Yan Laixi called to the girl who was about to leave, and casually took a small ornament he brought on the table and gave it to her as compensation.Then he turned around and mouthed to the person opposite: “Thank you.”

In order to cooperate with the performance of the trick, Yan Laixi signed quickly this time. He said to the person in a low voice: “If you have time, can you wait for me at the side door after the show?”

He packed up the things, raised his head and handed it over, and found that the man’s eyes rarely fell on him. He was looking at the small ornament that was missing one, did he want one too?

Before Yan Laixi could take back his hand and give him one, he ran away in a hurry. The environment was noisy, and he didn’t know if he heard what he just said.

When Chi Fu saw Nan Ke being frightened by the sudden movement, he already wanted to remind him that the identity of the reader and the time of interaction were not excuses for completely throwing away the sense of boundaries with a person whom he had only met a few times in real life.

The staff’s reminder gave him a chance, and he only had enough time to come forward to make up a clumsy and over-the-top excuse. Fortunately, the other party didn’t pay attention to his reasons and happily gave up his position.

Nanke gave the girl an ornament, and he wanted it too.But Nanke smiled at him and secretly said thank you, which was also nice.

“If you have time, can you wait for me at the side door after the show?”

It was indeed a little noisy around, but definitely not so noisy that I would hear hallucinations.

Chi Fu involuntarily drifted to the small ornaments and his eyes were fixed there. He took the items Nan Ke sorted and handed back, pretended to be anxious according to his previous excuse, and ran to the stairwell before he realized what he was doing.

Was that Nanke inviting him just now?Nanke?initiative?Looking for him?

Are you not dreaming now?

From the moment he entered the stairwell until the end of the show, Chi Fu never left.Firstly, he was afraid of meeting the girl just now, and secondly, he was blinded by such a big thing.

When the show was about to end, Chi Fu came to the side door and hid behind a tree. He was afraid that the girl hadn’t left yet and it would be difficult to explain the encounter.When Nanke appeared in sight, he immediately ran up to meet him, worried that the other party would think he had left.

When Nanke saw him, he also quickened his pace, smiled and gestured to him not to worry, and then pointed to the side. Chi Fu obediently walked over and waited.

“Thank you just now.” Nanke thanked him, and then extended the invitation again, “Have you had dinner? If you are free, would you like to have a meal with us? I’ll treat you.”

It was just a small favor out of wishful thinking, or even the kind that would cause trouble to the other party if not handled well. It was really not worth it and should not be treated. But the point now was not who was treating him, but Nanke asking him if he wanted to go to dinner together.

No matter what the reason is, if he refuses, Chi Fu will burn incense every year from now on to commemorate the great opportunity he missed.This kind of big surprise that will never come back, no matter what, agree to it first and then say: “Of course! Where to go?”

“Do you have any taboos?” Nanke asked him.

Chi Fu shook his head.

“Then let’s go eat hot pot.”

Nanke put one of the small ornaments on the table in his pocket, which was an orange puppy.He rubbed his fingers over it to relieve the tension.The other party didn’t have any special reaction at that time. He was worried that what he said was not heard at all, and he was also worried that his move was too abrupt and made others uncomfortable.

The figure trotting towards him dispelled all worries, Yan Lai thought, like a puppy, it is really cute.

He quickly raised his hand to signal the other party not to worry, and then pointed to a relatively hidden place.The venue was not empty yet, and Yan Laixi didn’t want to be misunderstood that the two knew each other privately, for fear that it would cause trouble to the other party.

“Thank you just now.” Even though he had told himself many times that this would be abrupt and inappropriate, Yan Laixi still decided to give it a try, “Have you had dinner? If you are free, do you want to go have a meal with us? I’ll treat you.”

Unexpectedly, the other party didn’t even think about it and agreed very quickly: “Of course! Where to go?”

I’m really not afraid of being kidnapped and sold.

“Do you have any dietary restrictions?” Yan Laixi thought about his poor recipe and prayed that it would not contradict the answer he was about to get.

Fortunately, this is a good boy who is not picky about food.

“Then let’s go eat hot pot.” Yan Laixi said, cooking whatever he wants, it won’t be so broken that it’s hard to pick it up, and it won’t put a little coriander like stir-fry. The whole plate will be full of coriander flavor and inedible. It’s a very friendly food to him.

While in the car, Yan Laixi was struck by the gadgets in his pocket, and then he remembered that there was a small gift that he had not handed over. He put the puppy ornament in his hand and wanted to call out to the person next to him.

By the way, he doesn’t know her name yet.

The foggy blue eyes suddenly glowed when they saw what he was holding, as if they were filled with lake water under the moonlight.

“Is it for me?”

“Yes.” Yan Laixi nodded, handed the things over, looked at the man’s excited expression, and said, “I forgot to introduce myself just now. My name is Yan Laixi. How do I call you?”

“Chifu.”