After putting down his phone, Pei Tingsong still couldn't fall asleep. It was already 3: 30 in the morning. He sat at his desk and turned on his computer. The USB was lying on the table. He thought about what Fang Juexia said in a fit of pique. He picked up the USB and plugged it in.
But when the computer popped up a dialog box asking if he wanted to open it, Pei Tingsong hesitated.
It wasn't a good time yet.
He could see that Fang Juexia cherished his creation. As a creator, he could completely understand this feeling. A work of painstaking effort needed to be treated better.
After pulling out the USB, Pei Tingsong laid on the table. When he closed his eyes, he thought about the interview. They gave different answers to almost every question. Fang Juexia was like a window. Just by pushing it open a little, he could see a world completely different from the one he was in.
He had never seen such a person. He lived quietly and soberly. He didn't need any slogans, nor did he need to show any rebellious spirit. It was as if he was born with the ability to maintain himself.
Pei Tingsong remembered something. He sat up and searched for the documentary about the proof of Fermat's last theorem.
He didn't know much about mathematics since he was a child, and he wasn't very interested in it. Before he watched it, he guessed that the movie experience wouldn't be very good. But what was surprising was that he actually looked at it seriously and even went deep into it.
Clang —
There was a sudden noise outside.
Pei Tingsong paused the movie, took off his headphones, and quietly walked out of the room. The source of the sound seemed to be the living room. He walked along the corridor and didn't expect to see Fang Juexia.
He was still wearing the plush coat that Ling Yi gave him. He was squatting in the corridor sneakily. Pei Tingsong wanted to scare him, but he was afraid that he would really scream and wake up the others. So he quietly approached and squatted next to Fang Juexia.
The two of them were next to each other, blocking the corridor exit.
Fang Juexia was completely unaware that there was an extra person next to him. He was trying to tidy up a stack of books that he accidentally knocked over when he passed by. On top of the book was an old copper vase. He walked along the walkway and bumped into the vase as soon as he turned the corner. The vase fell to the ground with a loud thud, giving him a fright.
Fang Juexia set the vase upright and placed it beside his hand. Most of these books were so old that their pages were curled up. Perhaps it was because of this that they were pressed down by the vase.
Pei Tingsong must have just moved them here and had no place to put them, so they piled them here. Fang Juexia's obsessive-compulsive disorder made him involuntarily organize the books for him. Until the last book was left, there was a rectangular bookmark on the opened page. Under the light of the floor lamp, he recognized the handwriting.
It was Pei Tingsong.
Fang Juexia could not help but whisper, "A robin is trapped in a cage, and the whole of heaven is in a frenzy …"
"Cough."
The sudden cough scared Fang Juexia so much that he sat on the ground and accidentally knocked over the vase.
Shit!
The vase did not fall down as he expected. The walkway was still very quiet, so quiet that Fang Juexia could hear his own heartbeat.
The faint light of the floor lamp illuminated the face that was so close to him. Pei Tingsong was so close to him, with one hand on the wall of the walkway, facing him.
"You …"
"Shh." Pei Tingsong released his hand from the wall to stabilize his center of gravity, which he had leaned forward to save the vase. He gently placed the vase down.
Fang Juexia held the bookmark in his hand in a daze. His eyes were wide open, and he stared at Pei Tingsong motionlessly, like a frightened hamster.
Seeing him like this, Pei Tingsong held back his laughter and took the bookmark away. He pretended to be angry and stared back at Fang Juexia. He lowered his voice and said, "You didn't sleep in the middle of the night just to peek at my bookmark?"
Fang Juexia's expression was a little innocent.
He was innocent to begin with.
"No …" He also lowered his voice. "I was a little hungry, and I wanted to come out to eat, but I accidentally bumped into you."
Pei Tingsong nodded meaningfully. He put the bookmark in the last open book and placed it on top of the stack of books.
Fang Juexia stood up with the help of the wall. He was really scared just now.
"I'm hungry too. Is there anything to eat?" It was too dark, so Pei Tingsong turned on the lights in the dining room.
"Okay." Fang Juexia started to get busy without saying anything.
Their kitchen was semi-open, separated by a small bar. Pei Tingsong sat in front of the bar and poured himself a glass of juice. He also poured a glass for Fang Juexia and placed them across from each other.
He quietly watched Fang Juexia get busy in front of the counter. This was a rare scene for him. Since he was a child, he only had a nanny who was in charge of food and living. They would not and could not eat at the same table with him. When he was still a child, he was already used to the loneliness of eating alone, especially after his grandfather passed away.
"Do you want to eat fried eggs?" Fang Juexia turned around and whispered to him.
Pei Tingsong shrugged. "Sure."
Not long after, Fang Juexia carried a few plates and placed them on the bar. Six crystal clear shrimp dumplings, two soft-boiled eggs, and a plate of radish cake.
"You can cook so fast?" Pei Tingsong asked.
"It's just a midnight snack." Fang Juexia knew that he was an otherworldly young master. "The shrimp dumplings are frozen, but they taste good. You can eat them after steaming them." He pointed to the radish cake. "My mother sent it to me some time ago. She made it herself. You can try it."
Although Pei Tingsong was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he was not picky. Even when he was sent to Star Map to suffer, he rarely complained.
He picked up the shrimp dumplings and stuffed them into his mouth. They were more delicious than he expected. Fang Juexia's eyes lit up when he saw him, and a smile appeared on his face.
"This is really delicious. No wonder you like it."
Fang Juexia was stunned for a moment. Then he remembered that this was a quick question. He poked the egg with his chopsticks and let the sugar flow out. "The morning tea in the restaurant is even better."
Pei Tingsong picked up another piece of radish cake. He was very curious about the taste of this rectangular soft paste.
"This is delicious too."
Seeing his satisfied expression, Fang Juexia was a little happy.
He ate like a child. But it was also true. He was a child who had just turned twenty a few days ago.
Thinking that this plate of radish cake was made by Fang Juexia's mother, Pei Tingsong was a little envious and a little curious. "Did you eat your mother's cooking every day when you were young?"
Fang Juexia took a sip of fruit juice. "Not necessarily." He hesitated for a few seconds, then explained, "My mother was a middle school teacher. When I was in elementary school, she often didn't come back to cook. She would give me money and ask me to go downstairs to buy steamed rice or something. But whenever she had time, she would cook for me personally. "
So his mother was a teacher. When he heard Fang Juexia talk about his family and childhood, Pei Tingsong felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
Fang Juexia seemed to have thought of something. He looked up at the camera in the corner of the restaurant. "They're recording at night too."
"It's okay." Pei Tingsong picked up another shrimp dumpling. "We don't have a microphone. They can't hear us."
"But they can see us secretly eating supper."
Pei Tingsong said vaguely, "You're so hungry that you can't sleep. Why do you care about that?" He glanced at Fang Juexia. "Besides, look at how skinny you are."
Fang Juexia choked. He knew that this guy wouldn't say anything good. He changed the topic and reached out his chopsticks for the last piece. "Why aren't you sleeping? Don't you always sleep? "
"I'm watching Fermat's Last Theorem."
Hearing this, Fang Juexia accidentally dropped the shrimp dumpling that he had just picked up. He really didn't expect that the person in front of him would watch a mathematics documentary because of his words.
Pei Tingsong rested his chin on his hand and looked at him. "It's better than I thought."
"Really?" Fang Juexia put down his chopsticks. "I thought you would find it boring."
"There are a lot of things that I don't understand. After all, I'm not good at mathematics." Pei Tingsong said, "I wanted to watch it because you said that it moved you."
These words were faintly burning in his ears.
"But my level is limited. My experience after watching it will definitely be different from yours. So I want to ask you. "Pei Tingsong looked into his eyes." Why do you like it so much? Is it because of the academic spirit? "
Fang Juexia lowered his head and picked up the remaining small pieces of radish cake. He neatly stacked them one by one. "Well, after all, for more than three hundred years, so many people have been trying to prove this theorem. This process is very exciting. "
"And," he raised his head. "Wiles dreamed of proving Fermat's Last Theorem when he was ten years old. He actually did it when he became an adult. Can you imagine that feeling? "
He saw the light in Fang Juexia's eyes. His entire being seemed to have come alive. Pei Tingsong couldn't help but want to nod and affirm him.
"Of course," Pei Tingsong said. "When he said this, his expression was very similar to yours."
Fang Juexia was a little embarrassed. He restrained his expression and took another sip of juice. "No, it's just that every time I think about it, I feel very excited."
Pei Tingsong almost instantly thought of Fang Juexia's definition of an idol in the interview.
"So, this is what you call the realization of dreams."
Fang Juexia nodded. His face showed a kind of calm. "At least this existence made me dare to dream when I was a child."
Pei Tingsong was surprised. "When did you start to think like this?"
Fang Juexia drank the juice in his glass. "The first time I watched this movie was when I was in junior high school. I still remember the beginning of this documentary. I might remember it for the rest of my life. "
"Is that the monologue?"
As he recalled, his eyes gradually softened. "I remember that the background sound of that section was the ticking of a clock. Wiles said, 'The most appropriate metaphor to describe my experience in mathematics is the process of entering a dark house. Because when a person enters complete darkness, they will stumble into furniture, over and over again. '"
This was surprisingly similar to their accidental experience.
"Gradually, you will figure out the position of each piece of furniture. Maybe after six months or more, you will find the switch, you can turn on the light, and suddenly you can see everything. At that time, you will clearly know your position. '"
Fang Juexia paused. After a moment of silence, he said again, "I know I'm in the dark right now."
"But one day," he looked up at Pei Tingsong and smiled calmly, "I will turn on the light."
"I will clearly see my position and let everyone see me."