Chapter 079: Anomaly 45

Chapter 079: Anomaly 45

Yu Bai's face showed surprise as his eyes widened slightly at that moment.

He asked, "A star?"

Why did Xie Wufang suddenly think of making a star?

The answer came, "A star from the heavens."

Yu Bai laughed, almost reflexively saying, "I know it's a star from the sky; I wasn't asking about that..."

Because it was so well-shaped, compared to the nearby watermelon that wasn't particularly round, this was an exquisitely crafted snow star. Clearly, Xie Wufang wasn't bothered by the cold, and his fingers were much more dexterous than Yu Bai's.

Moreover, for some reason, despite being non-human and this being his first attempt at building a snowman, with a clumsy and haphazard example next to him, he had managed to do such a good job.

But Yu Bai didn't continue on this topic, too preoccupied to clarify this subtle misunderstanding.

He was more curious about another question: "How did you know this shape represents a star?"

Almost everyone, when imagining a star, would picture a golden five-pointed star in their mind.

But this was merely a beautiful human fabrication.

The stars people could see, truly far away in the sky, weren't shaped like that. They were distant planets and celestial bodies, spherical or irregular.

In short, they wouldn't have five sharp points.

Xie Wufang was succinct: "I learned it from a phone."

On the silent night when drunk humans were sound asleep, the clear-minded deity was learning about snowmen and stars in this world.

This was something the sleeping people didn't know.

So Yu Bai just laughed, his eyes sparkling with pure delight.

"It's very beautiful," he said. "It's the most star-like star I've ever seen."

With five adorable points made of soft snow, yet incredibly firm, it was both contradictory and strange.

The man holding the snow star in his palm asked, "Do you want it?"

Yu Bai nodded without hesitation, reaching out to take it, but suddenly hesitated.

Xie Wufang noticed the subtle change in his expression. "What's wrong?"

"My hands are almost frozen, playing with snow is so cold," Yu Bai couldn't help but smile. "I can't hold it like you... I need to think where it would be best to place it."

A moment later, the snow star was gently placed by the clear-eyed human on top of the undeniably large snowball watermelon, side by side with the twig vines.

But as soon as it was set down, the star plopped off.

Like sliding down a slide.

Confused for a moment, Yu Bai nearly swore as he hurriedly bent down to look at the fallen snow star.

...So all his efforts to roll the snowball still resulted in a very round one!

"Good thing you packed it tightly."

Picking up the intact star, Yu Bai sincerely sighed in relief. "It would have been a shame if it broke; it's so cute."

Xie Wufang, looking down at him, softly said, "It won't break."

His frost-bitten fingertips carefully tried placing it back on top of the watermelon, Yu Bai, fully focused, casually said, "I hope it melts a little later."

This time, the star successfully took up residence on the watermelon's head.

Fingers quickly retreating into his coat pocket felt a sudden warmth.

The autumn, which was both winter and summer, suddenly didn't feel as cold.

But the gentle snowflakes continued to fall mercifully.

The snow star never melted.

When the entirely white watermelon gained its first beautiful star, the people causing a ruckus nearby finished their snowball fight, panting and leaning over to watch. After a brief confusion, they all agreed that it was clearly a giant watermelon.

"A huge snowball, really looks like a watermelon!"

The panting little boy, still holding his sides from laughter, but not forgetting his concern, said, "Hey, Xiao Bai, I wanted to ask you something."

Yu Bai asked, "What is it? Go ahead."

"How do we leave this time-space?" Yuan Yuhang asked somewhat nervously. "...Have you found a way?"

He asked how they would, not how they could.

Yu Bai sensed a familiar reluctance.

Just like the self who once lingered in the time loop, unwilling to leave.

But after thinking about it, he could only apologize slightly, "We don't need to do anything. When time flows back to the moment we entered, we'll return to the real world."

He hadn't had the chance to tell them what Xie Wufang had done before.

The little boy listened, stunned, muttering, "That leaves us with only six days then."

This beautiful dream had less than a week left.

"Yes, at seven in the morning six days from now," Yu Bai whispered softly, "I'm sorry."

"Cough, what apology is this?" Yuan Yuhang quickly waved his hand, his words tumbling out incoherently, "This isn't your fault. I should be thanking you. How wonderful it is to return to reality. The winter here is freezing me to the bone; warm weather is truly better—"

But then, he suddenly asked without any preamble, "Can... can I stay here?"

Yu Bai glanced at the man beside him, recalling their previous conversation, and shook his head. "Probably not. When the timelines overlap, only one dimension can continue to exist, or there will be problems."

A person couldn't remain in a dimension that was about to vanish completely.

The little boy with an innocent face immediately said with a heavy sense of disappointment, "Warm weather is indeed better!"

Yu Bai didn't expose the old man's insincerity. After a moment of silence, he softly asked him, "Would you like to play chess with Uncle Zhang? Last night, I mentioned it to him, and he's very willing to play chess with you."

"I don't want to!" The little boy hung his head, his tone hurried and quick, "...I can't beat him anyway."

Yu Bai didn't press further.

With fingers no longer as cold, he molded a snowball that could barely be recognized as a polyhedron and showed it to the old man. "Look, does it resemble a star?"

"..." The little boy, with his puffy, goldfish-like eyes, hesitated before saying, "Yes, it looks very much like one."

As he spoke these untruthful words, he silently turned away, sniffing.

Glistening droplets fell into the soft snow, disappearing without a trace.

When the all-white watermelon gained its second peculiar star, a spontaneous star-shaping competition began in the vast courtyard.

Those who passed by the snowball watermelon would first marvel at the exquisite cuteness of the star on the left, then shake their heads at the star on the right, which looked rather chaotic.

Using Xie Wufang's star as the benchmark, everyone tried to mold snow stars that could match it.

Perhaps it was the innate human tendency to join in the fun and compete, embedded deep within our genes.

For example, He Xi's first act upon waking up in the morning was to run to the courtyard and use the accumulated snow to hone his star-shaping skills.

First, try to shape a star, then go have breakfast.

It felt so delightful not having to go to school.

He could fully enjoy this precious and unforgettable snowy day.

A little girl with braids sat under an ancient, rustic corridor, intently focusing on molding a five-pointed star.

Soon, a boy wearing black leather shoes appeared at the other end of the corridor, also heading out to play in the snow. Seeing her, he hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to come over and play with her.

But the little girl, who had been smiling, looked up at the sound and immediately turned her back without hesitation, changing direction to sit facing another way.

Suddenly faced with the back of her head, Zhang Yizhe was taken aback, a hint of embarrassment crossing his features. He stopped in his tracks and walked alone into the pristine snow.

After that night's reunion family banquet, the group of children and relatives who had come to visit the elderly man were greatly disheartened, and some gradually left.

But others remained in this home they rarely returned to.

Some were still not giving up, trying to rack their brains to please the old man and reclaim the property that should rightfully belong to them from the unexpected illegitimate child.

Others were subtly moved by something, wanting to spend a few more days in this house that was usually empty during the winter filled with apocalyptic speculations.

Or perhaps both reasons applied.

Under the eaves where snowflakes danced, the bright red nail polish stood out, a beautiful, slender finger holding a cigarette, occasionally flickering with an orange glow.

The woman gazed at her son playing alone in the snow nearby while smoking and talking on the phone.

"Yes, we're still at his grandfather's house, so I need to take a few more days off... Exactly how many days? I haven't decided yet."

Ahead, the silver-haired elder walked along the corridor, smiling as he gently touched his grandson's head. "Do you like snowy days?"

The once arrogant little boy smiled back at him, showing a rare display of innocence. "Yes! Grandpa, do you want to build a snowman?"

In the corner, under the eaves, Chang Baoqin paused in her speech. When she spoke again, her voice carried a touch of bewilderment. "...Wait until the snow stops."

"It's the first time A Zhe has seen snow here since he was a child."

On such a beautiful snowy day, people's hearts seemed to soften just a bit.

And this snowfall, neither too heavy nor too light, never ceased.

From that tranquil evening, it continued for a whole week, blanketing the earth in purity, countless snowflakes drifting as if they would reach the very ends of the world.

Zhang Yunjiang spent what was probably the happiest week of his life, a happiness akin to a fantasy he had never dared to dream of.

He had never been this happy before.

There were no disputes over money and companies, no words that caused headaches and chilled the heart, no talk of shares, inheritance, or handing things over to outsiders...

But there was his own grandson, building snowmen with him for the first time, and those new friends he had made through chess, accompanying him through this sudden winter.

However, the old man, caught up in the star-shaping craze, spent half a day making a snowflake star with his reading glasses on, but it wasn't much better than the strange polyhedrons in others' hands.

It simply couldn't compare to Teacher Xie's superior skill.

Whether it was shaping stars or playing Go.

Now, Zhang Yunjiang was increasingly convinced that the endgame he had solved once with Xie Wufang in the park had at least one more path to resolution.

But it was vague and elusive, nowhere to be found.

Perhaps it was because he was old, his mind dulled.

Perhaps there were just too many happy moments these days, leaving him with little inclination for the Go games he once indulged in.

On an early morning, the old man was alone in his study, pondering over the game records for a long time. Checking the time, he estimated that the children should be waking up for breakfast soon, so he planned to join them in the dining room.

But as Zhang Yunjiang pushed open the door of the study, he saw a little boy pacing back and forth in the hallway.

"Xiao Hang?" He called out in slight surprise, "Are you looking for me?"

The little boy hastily took a step back, feigning nonchalance, "Ah? No, I'm just passing by on my walk."

The old man followed up, "Oh, have you eaten yet? Are you heading to the dining room?"

"I've already eaten," he reflexively replied, then after a moment's thought, added softly, "Are you going there? Then I'll go too... Anyway, I didn't eat enough."

"Alright, let's go together," Zhang Yunjiang smiled, "You should eat more this time; it's still some time till lunch."

Thus, two figures, one tall and one short, walked towards the dining room together.

In the gentle rhythm of their footsteps, the little boy quietly asked, "What were you doing in the study just now?"

"I was pondering over a game left unfinished."

After answering, the old man remembered what Dr. Yu had said about Yu Hang being a little chess fanatic who loved playing Go, so he asked, "After breakfast, do you want to play a game with me?"

The little boy, barely reaching the height of his hand, was taken aback and suddenly shook his head.

"No!" Yuan Yuxing whispered, "I don't want to play with you."

His senior brother had always been better than him since they were young.

He had lost again and again.

This time, he might lose in a complete mess, unable to hold back his tears.

How embarrassing.

So the peculiar little chess fanatic refused the old man's invitation to play Go again and again.

But he spent meal after meal, hour after hour, with the other party.

Until the seventh morning, when the sky was faintly lit, and the pale blue air still drifted with white snow.

The hour hand on the wall clock had just passed five o'clock. The old man, who slept very little, was already up and in the study, about to open the notebook containing the game records. Before others woke up, he was going to do his routine solitary work.

But a set of footsteps that had become increasingly familiar sounded from afar, accompanied by hurried knocking on the door.

The little boy, who had been lingering around for days, finally pushed open the door to this study.

Without waiting for a response from inside, he uncharacteristically asked first, "Wanna play Go?"

The child's eyes shone brightly, subtly revealing emotions much heavier than his age.

The old man at the desk was slightly stunned but quickly put down the notebook in his hands. Without asking why, he said gently, "Sure, now?"

"Yes, now."

There were only two hours left now.

In this long and arduous life, he could afford to lose one last time.

But when they arrived at the elegant Go room, after the little boy sat down properly on the cushion, he heard the old man speak hesitantly, "Xiao Hang, would you like to try playing a game left unfinished?"

"A game left unfinished?" He asked, "The one you've been studying in your study all the time?"

"Yes."

Yuan Yuxing was about to nod in agreement when he heard Zhang Yunjiang continue, "It's a game I played with an old friend... the friend I was looking for everywhere when you came over that day."

"In fact, Teacher Xie had found a way to turn defeat into victory for the game that was clearly lost that day, but I always felt there was another solution. Unfortunately, my abilities are limited, and after thinking about it for several days, I still haven't figured it out."

"Would you like to give it a try?" Zhang Yunjiang looked at him expectantly, "Although I haven't seen you play before, when we eavesdropped on Teacher Xie's class together, I could tell you have extremely high aptitude..."

After he finished speaking, the little boy was lost in thought for a long time, then surprisingly picked up the jar full of black stones himself.

He murmured, "I will win."

Seeing this, the old man was taken aback and hurriedly said, "I did indeed want you to take the black stones because the black side is in a seemingly hopeless position, which requires an attempt to reverse the situation."

The little boy's movements stiffened, and he pretended to push the jar back to him, "...you set up the game."

The old man then arranged the game left unfinished that he knew by heart.

This was initially a game between two old men under the shade of a park tree. The white stones were calm, while the black ones were anxious, alternating until they reached a situation where the black side was bound to lose. This led the old man holding the black stones to feel displeased and vent his anger on an innocent passerby.

At this moment, Yuan Yuxing, who looked like a child, vaguely thought that he had no extraordinary aptitude; he had always been a talentless, lousy player.

But he was incredibly certain that he could win today's game.

Even if it meant stubbornly taking the black stones that were destined to lose.

Because like Zhang Yunjiang, who had studied the game records for several days in this timeline, he also knew this game by heart.

Because in the reality where he hadn't met Xie Wufang and Yu Bai in the park, he had also buried himself in studying this game left unfinished for many days.

That day, Yuan Yuxing lost as usual, losing to a game that was basically one-sided, even Zhang Yunjiang, the winner, couldn't think of a solution for the black side for a moment.

But somehow, they both felt that there should be a solution.

It would be a miraculous move, akin to a celestial being descending from the heavens.

The two men, their brows furrowed in deep thought, remained engrossed until the sun set over the park, its twilight hues scattering across the landscape. As the chess game concluded, they parted ways, each lost in contemplation during their homeward journey, as if transported back to their youth, when they first learned the game.

Yuan Yuhang, who was always bested by his senior brother, harbored a burning determination. For several days, he avoided challenging him to a match, vowing to turn the tables. He pored over the previous game, neglecting sleep and meals, meticulously analyzing every move.

Finally, an ingenious solution dawned on him.

With renewed vigor, the elder man called his counterpart, with whom he hadn't spoken for days, eager to invite him to the park for another game of chess. He couldn't wait to reclaim victory.

But he was blindsided by the news of his friend's passing.

Holding the phone, Yuan Yuhang was speechless, unable to utter a single word for what felt like an eternity.

In the twilight years of life, death was as omnipresent as breathing, a stark reality that now confronted him.

And so, with black piece in hand, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, he placed the decisive move on the board—a step unlike any taken by a novice breaking through a stalemate.

It was a move distinct from one made by someone compensating for lack of talent with sheer hard work.

The elder man, holding the white piece, was visibly startled. He held his breath involuntarily, his face contorting into an expression of sudden enlightenment and bittersweet satisfaction.

In the stillness where even a pin drop could be heard, the old and the young, each wielding pieces of contrasting colors, alternated their moves, weaving a tapestry of reversed fortunes on the board.

Black against white, victory against defeat, life against death.

Each crisp tap of a piece landing echoed in the confined space, punctuating the silence.

When the final piece was placed, Yuan Yuhang emerged victorious without a doubt.

He knew he would win.

He had finally, unequivocally, triumphed over his brilliant senior brother from his youth and his gracious chess companion in his old age.

Using the solution he had pondered over for a long time in another world, the one he had eagerly wanted to show Zhang Yunjiang.

The one he had once believed he would never have the chance to reveal to his opponent again.

"This is simply a stroke of genius from beyond the heavens!"

Defeated, Zhang Yunjiang struggled to contain his excitement, bursting into laughter. "It's truly marvelous, marvelous... Little Hang, do you know what 'a stroke of genius from beyond the heavens' means?"

The boy, having won the game, merely stared at him in a daze, silent as if his spirit had wandered far away.

Zhang Yunjiang, still caught up in the moment, explained: "In the game of Go, it refers to a move of exquisite brilliance, one that secures victory instantly, just like the black piece you placed. A single piece can, in an instant, turn the tide of the game."

But the reluctant-to-leave boy said, "It's a god coming from a very distant place."

...No, perhaps two gods.

Outside, snowflakes danced in the air, blanketing everything in a pristine white, like a dream.

Inside, at the ends of the chessboard crisscrossed with black and white, sat an elder and a child, facing each other.

Time stood still.

Still like a vast river without visible banks.

On this side, Zhang Yunjiang smiled warmly. "You don't understand."

On the other side, the boy, tears welling up in his eyes, smiled. "Neither do you."