Chapter 1: A meteor smashes into my head

As the sunset fell and neon lights illuminated the lonely and bustling city, Li Feng waved goodbye to his colleagues and strolled along the wide and chilling street.

Step by step away from the neon lights and into the darkness, Li Feng opened the somewhat rotten wooden door, walked in, put down his coat, and lit a cigarette. The fire became the only light in this small space, flickering. The windowsill was filled with the hustle and bustle in the distance. The neon lights were still there, but they were getting farther and farther away.

Beijing, a city so vast it felt like it stretched to the brink of extinction, was Li Feng’s only hope. Why couldn’t he find a place for himself? He bid farewell to his beloved girlfriend and resolutely set foot in this international metropolis, full of ambition and ambition. But reality gradually wore him down. Once a campus icon, once a recipient of countless accolades, reality slowly brought him to a state of quiet, solitary stillness in his ten-square-meter urban village.

“Mom, are you okay? How’s Dad?” Li Feng’s phone vibrated. Looking at the number on it, a warm feeling appeared on his face. He rubbed his stiff cheeks and turned on the incandescent light. It was a bit dazzling, but the filament burned brightly, and the sparks were still as beautiful as ever. A faint halo of light spread out. There was only a wooden bed and a wooden table in the room. Toiletries were placed against the wall, and a notebook was casually placed on the bed. The corner of the lazy table was a little damaged.

“Okay, everything is fine. How are you, child? No skipping words.” The mother’s concerned voice might be the last ray of warm sunshine in this late autumn. Li Feng put on his coat, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he looked up at the tall buildings. The promises and bold words he had made in the past seemed so ridiculous.

“Mom, I’m fine. Did you receive the money I sent a few days ago? Don’t be reluctant to spend it. Dad, let him drink less. It’s not good for his health.” Li Feng pinched out the cigarette butt in his hand and stared blankly at the bright high-rise buildings and windows in the distance. He wondered when he would have a small room there, so that he wouldn’t have to get up early tomorrow to queue up for the toilet, and he wouldn’t have to hold his stomach and endure it in the middle of the night.

“Child, it’s cold outside, so wear more clothes. Just use the money to buy flowers. Mom and Dad are looking forward to your early return.” The woman’s voice was filled with a hint of longing. In the quiet night in the bustling city, in the small room, it was so clear. Li Feng felt water droplets on his face. Really, could he go back?

There is no going back, really, there is no going back. Looking out the window, the moment he hung up the phone, Li Feng tried to make himself strong, curled up like a baby, leaned against the door, and cried softly. Was he really wrong?

The TV in the next room buzzed, announcing tonight’s rare meteor shower. Li Feng looked up, took a look, and then left. He didn’t want to stay in this small room for a moment except to sleep. Outside, it was still bright as day, with lights and pedestrians. The distant bustling scene seemed unreal, a phantom, floating. Li Feng felt his pocket and gave a wry smile. He didn’t bring a cigarette. When did I become so inseparable from it? Who is it that strikes at my soul in the darkness of the night?

The young man, full of ambition, slowly stumbled onto the uneven road. The wounds from the thorns were now covered in blood. Li Feng’s eyes seemed to reflect the green mountains and clear waters of his childhood, the chirping of birds, and his happy childhood. He wondered if the flowers had already bloomed on the distant ridges, and if his mother’s hair had already turned white. Four years had passed, and he felt so tired.

Lying in the deep shadow of the grove, I looked up at the sky, the only place I had. The sky was starless and moonless, dry and gray. Perhaps this is how Beijing should be in summer.

“Meteor.” A girl screamed in the distance. Li Feng watched in horror as a flash of white light appeared. Time stopped at that moment. His eyes finally caught a glimpse of bright red. A figure in the distance approached, and infinite darkness engulfed him. The girl’s screams in his ears gradually turned into silence.

White, the whole body was white. Li Feng opened his eyes and it seemed like a century had passed. He looked up and felt a sharp pain. He took a breath and looked at the IV bottle hanging in front of him. He smiled bitterly in his heart. He went out to see a meteor, but unexpectedly hit his head. He didn’t know if he was the ripe watermelon at home that burst and sprayed scarlet juice.

“Hey, you’re awake. How are you?” When the nurse saw Li Feng wake up, she walked in with a smile, holding a bottle of medicine in her hand. It seemed that she was changing the dressing.

“Hey, look, I can’t even shake my head. Oh, how many days have I slept?” He didn’t even dare move his hands now, afraid of irritating the pain in his head. Perhaps the anesthetic had worn off; even without moving, he still felt a slight tearing sensation. His head felt like a giant bucket, and even lying down, he felt like he was carrying a thousand pounds. The numbness was piercing and tearing, like ants biting him.

“Hehe, you are lucky. You have slept for more than ten days.” The nurse changed the medicine quickly and wrote it down while speaking. Then she turned around and said with a smile.

“More than ten days?” Li Feng was stunned. “Miss Nurse, can you help me find my phone?”

“Oh, your cell phone is out of battery. How about I lend you a cell phone? Wait a moment.” The nurse looked through Li Feng’s belongings beside her and found that her cell phone was out of battery.

“Thank you.” He dialed the familiar number. “Hello, Hengke Real Estate. How can I help you?” Without skipping a word, he said, “Xiaoman, this is Li Feng. Please transfer me to Manager Liu.”

“Ah, Brother Li, what happened to you these days? Manager Liu is very angry.” The girl’s voice was a little worried, which made Li Feng feel a little warm.

“Hello, Manager Liu, I’m Li Feng. Sorry, I…” Before Li Feng could finish, a roar came from the other end. “Don’t give me any reasons. You’re not dead yet. I’m telling you, Li Feng, you’ve been fired from the company. Your things have been thrown away long ago. You don’t need to come back.” The last sound echoed in the white ward. Li Feng was stunned, then smiled, perhaps relieved. Looking at the surprised nurse beside him, he smiled slightly and raised his hand to hand back the phone. “Thank you, sister. By the way, the medical deposit?”

“Ah, the lady who sent you here paid the deposit of 20,000 yuan for you.” The nurse put away her phone and looked at the ** boy with a puzzled look on her face. There was still a hint of childishness on her resolute cheeks and a faint smile, as if nothing had happened just now.

“Has that lady come here these days?” Li Feng only remembered that the last thing he saw was a blurry world, an ethereal and distant voice, a blurry face, and a faint figure that was getting farther and farther away.

“It seems that there is no such thing.” The nurse was also a little confused. Looking at Li Feng’s reaction at this moment, it seemed that he didn’t know much about the lady, or even felt unfamiliar with her.

“Oh, thank you.” Li Feng knew that he might not see his savior again, and perhaps he had forgotten that he had saved a poor man that night.

The ward fell silent again as the nurse left for rounds. Li Feng raised his hand to touch his head, taking a few deep breaths. Hey, Li Feng touched the base of his ear and found a hard, mung bean-sized lump. He was a little surprised to find such a small thing in his ear.

With a firm push, Li Feng’s body trembled with a bang, like a machine that had been unused for a long time, suddenly starting up and vibrating. Li Feng’s vision went dark, and the hollow, cold sound of machinery echoed in his ears. “Activating the Life Assistant Space, number 2012. Space docking successful, host confirmed, Milky Way Blue Mercury time, Galactic Calendar, 2012 AD.”

Li Feng was a bit stunned, staring at the scene in disbelief: a clear spring, three thatched huts, two mu of farmland, and a few green bamboos in front and behind the houses. Li Feng rubbed his eyes, took a few steps forward, bent down and touched the corn stalks in the field. The touch turned them to dust, oxidized. Li Feng kept touching the corn stalks in front of him. In less than half an hour, there was nothing around except the lonely hut and the clear spring.

“It seems no one has been here for a long time.” Looking around, except for the area where he was standing, everything around him was hazy, as if shrouded in dust. Li Feng touched it carefully. It felt like jelly, soft and slightly elastic. Seeing that there was no danger, Li Feng applied a little force and it bounced back. It seemed that they had walked over. Li Feng was a little scared. Where was he? He was not in the hospital. Finally, he touched his ear. Li Feng’s vision darkened. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was surrounded by people.

“Doctor Zhang, he’s awake.” The female doctor who was examining Li Feng exclaimed in surprise.

“Let me take a look.” He took the tool handed to him by his assistant, opened Li Feng’s eyelids, took a look, and breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s okay. We were so busy. Young man, you scared us to death, hahahaha.” Everyone around him breathed a sigh of relief, and laughter filled the small ward.

“Doctor, what’s wrong with me?” Li Feng looked at the room full of doctors and nurses, feeling confused. He had only slept for a short while, so why was there such a big fuss?

“Young man, you were in a state of near-death experience just now. You almost lost your heart.” The situation had frightened several young nurses. They had been awake, but now, sweating profusely and looking pale, it seemed like another hemorrhage. They hurriedly called a doctor. Seeing Li Feng’s rapidly beating heart, the young doctor, sweating profusely, ordered the nurses to call the duty supervisor.

“Thank you, doctor, thank you everyone.” Li Feng broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn’t actually been to a paradise, but the gates of hell. It didn’t seem like it. Li Feng felt a small, mung bean-sized lump of flesh under the skin behind his ear. He knew it wasn’t a dream. But now, Li Feng didn’t dare to press it randomly.

Before he could deal with Qin Chu, Li Feng thought it would be best to wait and see what happened. His life was more important. As for the rest, he would wait until he was discharged from the hospital.

Perhaps because of the life-or-death experience, Li Feng has become much more optimistic. He no longer cares about being fired by the company. As his wounds healed and his body recovered, he would bask in the sun and read books every year. The restlessness and injustice in his heart slowly turned into a gentle stream. His heroic spirit was gone, his ambitions were unfulfilled, and it seemed that those were no longer important. Li Feng missed his hometown more and more, where there were mountains and waters, green wheat fields, blue trembling skies, and endless mountains in the distance. Li Feng was tired of the quiet and peaceful life. After being discharged from the hospital, he simply packed up, paid the rent, and said that he no longer rented the house. The landlord took the money without saying anything and took people to see the house in the afternoon. Looking at the young face following behind the landlord, with its childish and hopeful cheeks, Li Feng was stunned. How similar he was to his past.

Beijing – Goodbye, my former dream.

As he watched the distant city slowly merge into the black night, Li Feng felt surprisingly calm. His hometown had arrived. His heart skipped a beat. As he stepped off the train, the familiar accent of his hometown lingered in his ears. His parents and son had returned.

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