Chapter 177, Disappearance (Part )
Zero is gone.

Zhuo sat alone in a chair on the deck.

The waves gently hit the shore, the light cruiser Elizabeth dragged a long and narrow water park, and occasionally "encore" could be heard from the audience on the shore.

It means one more song.

Zhuo did not rush back to the cabin, but walked to the fence on the flooded deck.

Utsunomiya Shuo leaned against the iron fence at the edge of the yacht, feeling the wetness and coldness on his arms, in a daze.

The water under the boat was black, shimmering under the refraction of the broken light from the shore. Occasionally, you could see colorful little goldfish poking their heads out of the sea, swaying their bodies and swimming away - they must have been caught at the stall and then released.

"I am bored."

A strong wind blew past my feet, making my wet clothes feel cold.

Utsunomiya Zhuo tightened his grip on the railing and stared blankly to the north and then to the south. On one side was the boundless black sea, and on the other side was a bustling crowd that was about to fade away... Zhuo felt like an alien stuck in a gap, unable to move forward or backward.

...Faced with Zero's escape.

Zhuo really felt very powerless.

Many years ago, Zero might have stood on the hilltop of Black Swan Harbor, looking down at the glaciers in front and behind him, and overlooking the world. When he was most helpless, he was taken away from there by Zero, escaped from hell, and wandered all the way to this day...

This experience of life and death was like a mountain that made Utsunomiya Shuo hesitate.

Zhuo had no right to ask Ling for anything, and he would not do so. It was even more impossible for him to pursue her - not because he did not dare, but because he could not.

You were not there when others needed you the most, and you got through the most critical moments with the support of others. Now you have survived everything... To say some childish words at this time with such audacity is not only stupid, but also despicable.

Zhuo thought for a long time, until the dew on his forehead condensed to a certain level and dripped down his chin.

He slowly turned around and walked back the way he came, step by step.

……

When I returned to the cabin, I saw Su Enxi sitting on the sofa.

"You're back. Go take a shower." Su Enxi was lazily holding the remote control and changing the program on TV.

"……okay."

Zhuo looked around but did not find Ling.

"Sanwu has also gone back to his room to take a shower," Su Enxi looked up and said, "Oh, by the way, Sanwu said he had some things to deal with in the past few days, so he will stay with me for the time being. I will contact you when he has finished dealing with them."

"Oh," Zhuo nodded listlessly and walked slowly towards the stairs. Then after a few seconds, Su Enxi's previous words connected into one sentence in his mind, and he suddenly woke up.

He paused, turned around and asked, "How many days?"

Su Enxi nibbled on a potato chip, staring at the TV screen and nodded, "Well, I don't know the exact time."

"……Oh."

Zhuo responded.

"Is there a conflict?" Su Enxi asked casually without turning her head back to watch the TV.

"no.

Zhuo himself was not sure whether it was a contradiction or not.

"That's right." Su Enxi nodded. "It's really hard for people like Sanwu to have conflicts. Come on, go take a shower."

"Ah."

He then walked towards the stairwell until his figure disappeared into the shadow of the stairwell.

Su Enxi, who was sitting on the sofa, then turned her head and looked in the direction he had left, with a fixed look on her face, not knowing what she was thinking.

...

...

When Ling said he would be away for a few days, he really meant it.

Zhuo never saw her again after the fireworks display.

Sachiko and Shuichi naturally noticed this situation first... after all, Zhuo came back alone... so they asked about this matter after they got home, asking if they had a fight or something. Zhuo evaded the question and said that Ling also had friends here, and that visiting our house was just one of her purposes, and she also wanted to stay at her friend's house for a while... that's what she said.

The summer vacation without Ling would pass as usual. He just needed to go downstairs to eat on time. There was no difference, except that no one would wake him up or deliver three meals to his bed.

He did not move back to the room on the third floor, but still lived on the balcony on the fourth floor.

On the one hand, I feel that Zero might suddenly come back one day.

On the other hand, I also feel that Zero might come back suddenly.

The days passed just like they did in the past. Except for eating, Zhuo would stay in his room all day reading the books he had read, or just sit there in a daze.

Sa Chiko seemed to notice something was wrong, but did not say it clearly.

She started dragging Zhuo around to meet different girls. Girls of this age are either lively and energetic, or shy and introverted, pure like a little flower... Maybe Sa Chiko put in a lot of effort this time, and the girls she met were all very cute, all of them were beautiful girls who could definitely become the protagonist or the second female lead in the second dimension.

Zhuo also restrained his past carelessness and began to obey Sa Qianzi's arrangements. He chatted with those girls more or less, and sometimes went to the park and the beach under the watchful eyes of both sides' parents...

He is already serious.

But more than ten days passed, and Zhuo didn't remember the names and appearances of any of the dozen girls. Instead, he was impressed by some of their humorous and considerate parents... Later, Sa Chiko stopped this kind of "wide-ranging blind date".

I heard from Sha Qianzi that those girls all remembered me, and almost all of the girls’ parents were very satisfied with Zhuo, and wanted them to continue to have contact with each other, or even get married right there.

It seems that compared to girls of the same age, Zhuo is more popular with parents.

fantastic.

It can also be said to be fantasy.

Because even he himself doesn't understand why or what kind of charm he has that allows him to do all this.

When he asked about Sa Chiko, Sa Chiko kept it a secret and refused to continue.

A bit hateful.

In the scorching heat of August, even with air conditioning, being stuck in the room still makes people feel irritated.

On the last day of summer vacation, Zhuo still got up at 7 o'clock... This habit of waking up on time seemed to have been engraved in his bones and was completely out of his control... But he lay on the bed and did not get up until after 9 o'clock, when Sa Qianzi downstairs called him to go downstairs for breakfast. Only then would Zhuo stretch himself and go downstairs, feeling "two hours late".

After dinner, Zhuo sat on the fourth-floor balcony basking in the sun, staring at the photos of Ling on his phone in a daze.

Even he himself couldn't explain what was wrong with him. He was 18 years old, and his future had just begun, so how could it become so hopeless?

During this period, Zhuo told himself countless times that he should cheer up and tried hard to get to know other girls, but in the end he felt annoyed.

Is there nothing else in this world that makes him feel meaningful except zero?

Zhuo didn't understand.

(End of this chapter)