the earth is online
Chapter 242 – Extra 1 (2)
Tang Mo was absent-minded all day.
The library had a morning meeting every week, scheduled for Friday morning. He stood in a corner of the room. Once the morning meeting ended and they scattered, he heard Xiao Zhao and another girl excitedly talking about the popular female singer Lian Yuzheng opening a concern in Suzhou.
He walked up to the window and the sun struck the eyes of the young black-haired man. He squinted as Xiao Zhao passed by him while excitedly saying, “I managed to grab some tickets. It might be at the top but there were too many people grabbing tickets. My phone screen was almost broken…”
As the atmosphere of summer became more intense, Tang Mo couldn’t help raising his hand to block the sun.
He was walking through the bookshelves when he heard a low and quick whisper. It felt like someone was reading very excitedly and Tang Mo subconsciously thought of one person. He walked over and saw that it really was the huckster.
Yesterday, he said that he was going to Shanghai to see his daughter. Tang Mo didn’t know what the result was but the huckster looked like his usual self today.
He was holding a copy of ‘Secret of the Mayan Civilization’s Disappearance’ and he was excited when he saw Tang Mo. “I ate a meal with Shanshan and she said she would see me next time.”
Tang Mo was confused but he realized that Shanshan was probably the huckster’s daughter.
After talking about his daughter, the huckster held the book and danced. “Do you know the Mayan Civilization? Your must know it!” He answered himself without letting Tang Mo reply. “They disappeared overnight! A great civilization disappeared overnight. Do you know why? I’m sure you don’t know! There is a god in this world. God sent down punishment and they all disappeared!”
Tang Mo glanced at the huckster. “Mr. Chen, if you can, please remember to put the book back on the shelf.” Don’t give them more work.
Tang Mo nodded politely and turned away. Behind him, the huckster was still talking about the ‘Mayan Civilization’, the ‘punishment of God’ and ‘humans will die overnight.’ Tang Mo somehow started to think about if. If there was something that could make humans disappear overnight…
It was probably only humans.
Tang Mo walked back to his seat with no expression and left this strange idea behind him.
If there really was something that could make humans die overnight, what type of despair and predicament would humans face at that time?
Nanjing, Nanshi University Affiliated High School.
A blond foreign child and his classmates were taking physical education classes. He joked with his female classmates and took a basketball from his classmates. One classmate asked in a depressed manner, “Edward, you are a foreigner. How can you be more pleasing to the girls than us?”
The blond boy replied in an innocent manner. “They are the ones who like me.”
Wuxi, Taihu Lake Park.
The young man with silver glasses pushed his cousin away without any mercy. He smiled slightly, “Okay, I want to go to the haunted house. It is useless to hold me. You might as well hold him. Maybe it will be better.”
Chai Rong, who was preparing to enter the haunted house, was startled, “Huh?” He paused before asking, “Wait, do I know you?”
An Chu also said, “Yes cousin, we don’t know this person.”
Xiao Jitong pushed up his glasses. “We seemed to see each other last year.” He smiled and his eyes curved. “Don’t we know each other?”
An Chu, “…”
Shanghai, Tongji University, the dormitory area for foreign students.
The tall foreign boy and blond girl were walking along the avenue. The latter asked curiously, “Jack, I heard that the famous Chinese female singer is going to hold a concert in Suzhou. Are you going?”
Beijing, the 80th High School.
A pale boy lay silently on the table, holding his stomach as he looked down at the ground. Gradually, his stomach became more and more painful. After a moment, he stood up, “Teacher, I want to go to the infirmary.”
The teacher nodded. “Take care of yourself. Ruan Wangshu, if you are still uncomfortable next time then don’t go to class. Your body is important.”
The boy paused as he walked out of the classroom before continuing to move forward.
He went to the infirmary and saw the female doctor playing a mobile game. She heard the door open, looked back and waved her hand. “It’s you again. Lie down on your own. You are the one who knows your illness best. Go back to class when it doesn’t hurt.”
Ruan Wangshu looked at the name badge on the female doctor’s chest: Li Miaomiao.
“Yes.”
He walked over quietly and lay down.
Schools, office buildings, factories, construction sites…
Everything was peaceful and quiet.
What if humans truly perished?
Tang Mo soon forgot this nonsense. In the evening, he returned home and received a courier box from the doorman. It contained Lian Yuzheng’s concert ticket.
Tang Mo silently looked into QQ.
[Mo Tang: Is the ticket sent by you?]
The other side answered quickly.
[Victor: [Yes, a friend gave me two tickets. I heard this female singer is holding a concert in Suzhou tomorrow.]
Tang Mo, “…”
The ticket was sent so there would naturally be a concert.
His eyes stared quietly at the lines on the computer screen. After a long time, Tang Mo’s lips curved and he typed: [What clothes will you be wearing tomorrow?]
[Victor: Guess. What will you be wearing?]
Tang Mo replied without hesitation: [You guess.]
Both of them were silent for a while and didn’t ask a question.
[Victor: Let’s play a game.]
[Mo Tang: Yes.]
It was like everything was right and nothing was wrong. Like every day and night for the past 23 years, Tang Mo slept very well tonight. He wasn’t unable to sleep, nor did he toss and turn. He slept until dawn. He was just about to get dressed in the morning when he suddenly remembered that today was Saturday.
He made himself a bowl of noodles.
His phone lit up while he was eating the noodles. He grabbed it and took a look.
[Fatty: I bought a house!]
[Youze Brother: Damn, you can afford to buy a house in Shanghai? You have grown, Fatty.]
It was a good chat of three people called ‘Good Brothers Walk Together. Those Who Buy a House First are Dogs.’
Tang Mo typed back.
[First Dog: Where did you buy it?]
[Administrator Youze Brother has changed the user’s name ‘Fatty’ to ‘Second Dog’.]
[Second Dog: Pudong! It is second-hand!]
The group talked very cheerfully. By the time Tang Mo finished eating, everyone had promised to go to Shanghai next month to help the Fatty move, while also meeting up.
Time passed extremely quickly. The sky darkened and Tang Mo changed into a white shirt, jeans and grabbed the keys to go out. He waited for the elevator and looked at the man in the mirror of the elevator. Somehow, he had pushed back his hair. He realized this point and froze.
“…This isn’t a blind date.”
The elevator opened with a ding. The young man coughed with embarrassment and entered the elevator.
The concert was about to begin and a crowd was flocking in the direction of Suzhou Stadium. Tang Mo wasn’t in a hurry. He waited for ways of men and women to rush into the stadium, watching the light sticks waving in their hands. He thought about it but didn’t go to the roadside stall to buy one.
He was just passing the last stall while his gaze was attracted by a light accessory in the corner.
It was a black headband with two small devil horn lights tied with wire. Once the button was pressed, the devil horns blinked blue. Tang Mo looked at it for a few seconds and seemed to think of something. He pulled out his mobile phone and said, “I want one of those.”
Holding the blue devil headband, Tang Mo walked towards the door they promised to meet when he suddenly slowed down.
Beside him, countless young men and women wearing blue devil horns on their heads happily walked into the stadium. The dark crowd blocked the agreed upon ‘Door 23’ and at least 100 people could be seen with one glance.
Moonlight shown down and the surrounding sounds were extremely noisy. However, Tang Mo didn’t move.
Half a minute later, he suddenly turned and walked back against the flow of the cowed. The concert tickets in his hand were wrinkled from where he pinched it. As he walked out of the crowd, Tang Mo looked up and was stunned.
In a sparsely populated place, a tall and handsome man standing in front of the last stall, holding the blue devil horns headband in his hand. He stood upright, like a straight poplar tree, standing out in the crowd.
Their eyes met and for a moment, the wind seemed to stop.
Tang Mo clearly heard his heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump…
It was beating extremely quickly.
Then the man moved his slender legs and walked forward. As the distance narrowed, Tang Mo’s breathing became faster. A low male voice was heard in the cool wind and the moonlight seemed to become more beautiful.
“Mo Tang.”
The voice was sure and there were no doubts.
Tang Mo lightly raised an eyebrow. “Victor.”
Victor smiled and waved the headband in his hand. “I wanted to give this to you. I thought it might be suitable for you to wear. However, it looks like you already have one?”
Tang Mo, “…”
His expression didn’t change as he placed it in the other person’s hands. “I’ll give it to you.”
“…”
After giving the items to each other, silence fell between the two men.
It was unknown who made the first noise and Tang Mo reached out first. “Tang Mo.”
The man heard these words and carefully imprinted the name in his heart. Then he held out his hand and smiled slightly. “…Fu Wenduo.”
Tang Mo asked, “Are we going to watch the concert? In fact, I’m not very familiar with this singer.”
Fu Wenduo answered, “Then we won’t listen.”
Tang Mo laughed. “Okay.”
The two people moved against the crowd and walked outside the stadium. Suddenly, Tang Mo remembered a question. “How tall are you?”
Fu Wenduo replied, “185?” He didn’t understand why Tang Mo asked this question.
“…Nothing.”
He was 5 cm taller…
As they walked outside the stadium, loud and joyful music spread from the building onto the road. Tang Mo reached out to stop a taxi while Fu Wenduo stood behind him and stared. No cars stopped for a while and Tang Mo remembered to call for a car with a car software.
He managed to find a taxi and as if sensing something, Tang Mo turned his head and met the eyes of the other person.
His throat was slightly choked up as Tang Mo asked, “What’s wrong? What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at you.”
The answer was extremely direct.
Tang Mo’s fingers were tense. “Well?”
Fu Wenduo told him, “It is much better than I thought.”
He was originally nervous but all his tension disappeared at these words. Tang Mo smiled. “What did you think I looked like?”
“Glasses, not tall, very pale and very quiet. Like a Southerner?”
“Then can you guess what I imagined you to look like?”
“…Like this?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“You guess.”
Fu Wenduo was about to say something but the car arrived. He naturally opened the door and let Tang Mo enter first. As Tang Mo entered the car, he seemed to say a word that dissipated into the dark night by the gentle wind. Fu Wenduo’s movements stopped for a moment. Once he entered, he saw that the black-haired young man was already sitting on the innermost side, clinging to the window and looking out the window.
The car started and the driver didn’t speak. There was only the night wind hitting the glass.
[…You are also my favourite appearance.]
Tang Mo suddenly turned his head and stared at the man beside him.
Fu Wenduo raised his index finger to his lips in a ‘shh’ gesture.
The driver was still driving and didn’t notice the two men sitting in the back and smiling at each other.
If humanity was to perish one day, what type of despair would they face?
Tang Mo couldn’t think of an answer.
He just knew that the person he liked also liked him back. This impartial and consistent person appeared at the right time. If he had to describe this feeling, it must be destiny.
He didn’t have an appearance he liked. Once this man appeared, everything that Tang Mo liked became this man.
The car slowly moved away from Suzhou Stadium and blended into the night.
Fu Wenduo didn’t expect that after he left the stadium, inside the concert venue that contained 10,000 people, a young woman wearing a black leather coat with her hair in a ponytail quietly pressed a hand to her ear and frowned. “Who did you say that you saw?”
“Hehe, Fu Wenduo, Major Fu. Ah, no, I heard he was promoted. Then it is Lieutenant Colonel Fu.”
Mu Huixue, “…”
“Fly, do you think we are really here to see the concert?”
The baby-faced youth stood in the crowd and blinked. “Little deer, I really saw him.”
Mu Huixue, “…”
“Call you stop calling me by that disgusting name?”
“Then what do you like? All I know is that you are called ‘Deer’. Perhaps you can tell me your name. I would be very happy to call you by your name…” Then after a few seconds, Bai Ruoyao laughed. “The target has appeared in the 8 o’clock direction.”
Mu Huixue’s expression sank. “Understood.”
This evening, Lian Yuzheng’s concern was successfully completed. No one noticed that the director of the technical department of a foreign IT company was taken away by an always smiling youth and a speechless woman.
This evening, Russia’s Red Square.
A strong man in dignified clothes held up his daughter in the air and exchanged soft kisses with his wife as they attended the annual festival.
In a university dormitory in the US, the two good friends John and Bell were working hard on their dissertation.
In Shinsaibaishi, Osaka, Japan, Yamamoto Takao finally finished negotiating a list and left the company at midnight.
Tang Mo didn’t understand the terrible physical strength of a special forces until this night. He strolled around Guanqian Street and Pingjiang Road with Fu Wenduo. There was a thought in his heart. Fu Wenduo seemed to be in good health and wasn’t tired at all.
As soon as this thought rose, he dismissed it.
In the past six months, some people intersected while there were some people who might never intersect in this life. Autumn was ushered in to the Northern Hemisphere.
Early the next morning.
Tang Mo reached out from the quiet and pressed his mobile phone alarm clock. His face didn’t look very good. First, he removed the arm from around his waist and then got out of bed, picking up his clothes from the floor. His back pain was terrible. The two sides might’ve made all the preparations but it was his first time, so he still didn’t feel good.
Fortunately, he had the foresight to take some time off yesterday. Thus, he didn’t have to go work today. It was just that he didn’t think about turning off the alarm clock last night. Now he woke up and couldn’t sleep.
He went to the kitchen to cook some porridge. Tang Mo leaned against the door and thought about the rest of his life.
Suddenly, he looked up and quickly glanced behind him. His gaze stopped on the other person and Tang Mo frowned. “You make no sound when walking.”
Fu Wenduo entered the kitchen and started cooking. “I am used to making no sound. What are you thinking about?”
“Thinking about us in the future.”
Fu Wenduo raised his head. “What about us?”
Tang Mo smiled. “Victor, aren’t you going to take responsibility?”
Fu Wenduo replied, “The responsibility is very big. I don’t know if I can afford it. If I have to bear the burden…”
Tang Mo said that he wanted to hear the details.
“I will exchange the rest of my life. How about it?”
Tang Mo replied, “It doesn’t seem… hmm…”
The gentle kiss blocked the young man’s next words. Fu Wenduo’s hand grabbed Tang Mo’s waist. In the small kitchen, porridge was cooking on the gas stove as a man lowered his head and gently kissed the only person he loved in this life.
The intertwined lips and tongue were like love that couldn’t be separated.
At the dining room table, the two of them ate porridge.
Fu Wenduo suddenly opened his mouth. “Today is a special day.”
Tang Mo was startled and took out his phone. “It is November 15. I remember that this isn’t your birthday?”
“It is the day you promised we would always be together.”
If the earth didn’t go online, the fact that I love you still won’t change.