planet reborn

"Tender, juicy, with just the right amount of heat and seasoning, your tongue touches this delicious food first, turning it into a biochemical signal that is transmitted to your brain through the nerves. Then the brain begins to secrete a pleasant hormone, stimulating

It controls every organ in your body, making them active and making you happy at the same time. But is all this true?" He suddenly asked me a question.

Seeing my frozen face, the old man burst out laughing. His face was filled with the kind of triumphant look that appeared after a successful prank. He did not mean to comfort me, but continued to follow his train of thought and said: "Actually,

, you still have a third question to ask me, don’t you?”

"What?" I was a little nervous, but I hoped he could tell me what I wanted to ask.

"Where is the girl who brought you here?" The old man really hit my mark. He smiled at me, winked playfully and said, "Don't worry, I will let you see her."

Suddenly, there was a huge engine roar outside the restaurant. I turned my head and looked over. A huge bus crashed through the wall and rushed in front of me. The smoke and dust filled the surrounding area. I had no time to avoid this sudden attack.

, just instinctively

I closed my eyes. Common sense should be that I would be knocked away by this huge thing, and the collision should be very painful. However, my body's reaction was that it was not painful, and it was very gentle. When I opened my eyes

Behind the eyes, a real face appeared in front of him.

"Don't sleep. We've arrived at the station. It's time for you to get off." That face opened his mouth to speak.

Only then did I realize that I was sitting in the corner of the bus, and the bus driver pushed me awake. I looked around, and the scene just now had disappeared. I quickly concluded that I was sleeping in the bus just now.

Now, the alley, the girl, the old man, the old woman, the black cat and the steak were just another dream.

Thinking of this, I felt a lot more relaxed, and I quickly apologized to the bus driver. Then I got off the bus. Passing through many parked buses, I left the hub and came to the side of the road. Here I still saw

There were no people and no vehicles. The buildings and roads in front of me were very unfamiliar.

Sir, I have lived in this polluted big city for thirty years, but I have never been to this place. I turned back to the hub and looked again. Except for those huge buses, there was no trace of anyone.

The air was filled with the same eerie stillness I had felt before.

I looked at my watch. It was almost noon, and I thought I couldn’t delay any longer and had to go back to the company immediately. I decided to find a taxi and walked along the sidewalk, hoping to find an intersection.

Try your luck, this may be a newly expanded area in the city, and the various supporting facilities are not yet complete, which is why it is sparsely populated. I thought so. However, before I had gone very far, a taxi

The car had already come from behind and stopped in front of me.

I opened the door and got into the car, and a burst of air-conditioning air rushed towards me. I let out a sigh of relief and slumped in the seat. The car had started, and the driver asked me where I wanted to go while changing gears, so I moved a little.

He moved his body so that he could sit more comfortably, and vaguely mentioned the location of the company. The driver stopped talking and focused all his attention on driving.

It seemed that this was indeed a dream. The taxi was driving on the highway leading to the city. The skyscrapers in the city center appeared in my sight. There were cars passing me around. The highway began to become crowded and I entered the city.

District, traffic has blocked the road, pedestrians are crossing the streets everywhere, and various shops, restaurants, department stores, and supermarkets on both sides of the road are open for business.

As bad as it all seemed, for the first time I felt sincerely close to this declining city. That's because after encountering a series of weirdness, this head-scratching reality made me feel so.

A sense of return.

The taxi stopped in front of the building where I worked. I paid the bill and got out of the car. I walked quickly through the glass curtain door and walked into the lobby. The huge crystal chandelier overhead generously spread dazzling light to every corner, covering everyone.

The faces of every person who passed in front of me looked very pale, and the marble floor reflected their figures unreservedly, making it look like they were walking on a mirror. I strode to the elevator and pressed the button.

After walking into the company, I didn't go directly to my seat. Instead, I snuck into the employee lounge against the wall like a stealing rat. Facing the water dispenser, I drank one cup after another. I don't know why.

I was very thirsty, and my stomach kept twitching due to hunger. Although the smell molecules of the steak in the dream still adhered to my nasal mucosa, it was not real after all.

"Thank God, you're finally here." Xiaoxue's voice came from the door behind him.

I drank another glass of water in one breath and placed my hands on the countertop, breathing heavily.

"What's wrong with you?" Xiaoxue's tone was concerned.

"It's nothing." I waved my hand and said without turning around, "I didn't sleep well last night. I'll be fine in a while."

"I went to work first. I sold you a sandwich and put it at your place." Xiaoxue said and was about to leave.

The moment she disappeared, I turned my head and looked, and a white floral dress appeared in front of me, which made my calm heart suddenly start beating again.

"Stop." I said almost in a commanding tone.

"What's wrong?" Xiaoxue turned back and stood at the door looking at me.

I pulled Xiaoxue into the stairwell and stared at the dress she was wearing that I had seen in my dream. Xiaoxue looked down at herself and asked me, "What's wrong? Is there something dirty? Or is it torn somewhere?"

I asked her: "Where did you get this skirt?"

"It's been a long time, but I haven't worn it before. I just put it on today. What's the problem?" Xiaoxue was already nervous from me.

I tried to recall the scene in my dream. I was not sure whether the girl was the Xiaoxue in front of me, but I came to a preliminary conclusion through comparison in my memory. Although the skirt was the same, I was sure that the figure on the back was not the Xiaoxue in front of me.

That girl has a tall figure that I prefer, while Xiaoxue is a little shorter and plumper.

"What happened?"

"It's okay." I explained with a smile: "It's fine, it's so beautiful."

Her expression softened, and she looked up and down the stairwell. Apart from the two of us, there was no third person. She approached my body and said, "Can you come to my house tonight?"

This sentence made me feel excited. I lifted Xiaoxue's chin with my fingers, looked at her beautiful face, and asked teasingly: "What's the benefit?"

Xiaoxue knocked my hand off, turned around and walked out. I hugged her from behind and said, "I'll go."

Xiaoxue didn't resist, leaned into my arms, rested her head on my shoulder, and suddenly asked me a very disappointing question: "How are you and her?"

The arms I had just tightened around her waist relaxed slightly, and I answered her: "Give me some more time."

Xiaoxue broke away from my arms, walked out of the stairwell, and left me there.

I spent the whole afternoon in a daze, facing the computer screen not knowing what to do. People kept passing by me, discussing something, doing something, everything had nothing to do with me. My mind was out of control.

The ground kept repeating the previous scene, the small restaurant, the old man's words, the little man, and the back. (To be continued...)