Chapter 184 Finale After bidding farewell to Teacher Wu who kept saying thank you, An Ran and Shi Jian walked back towards the night falls, there is a sense of tranquility in the campus. The surrounding street lights sway in the breeze, flickering, as if accompanying their steps. Anran slowed down her pace unconsciously. The snow around her looked particularly crystal clear under the light, forming a dazzling white carpet. "I thought I would be lucky enough to pick up a cat on the first day of the new year." She said softly, with a faint smile at the corners of her eyes. "You are indeed very lucky." Shi Jian also smiled, her eyes soft and warm, "Not only are you lucky enough to pick up a cat, you are also lucky enough to pick up a child." "It seems to make sense when you think about it this way." An Ran turned around and looked at Shi Jian, joy overflowing from her eyes, with expectations for the New Year surging in her heart. She never thought that after the New Year's Eve party, she would have such an experience, full of surprises. It happened on the first day of 2006, as if heralding new gains and good luck. The tranquility of the campus and the tenderness of the snowflakes interweave into a dreamy background, making this relaxing atmosphere even more charming. "Happy New Year, Shi Jian." Her voice was like a warm winter breeze, gently blowing through Shi Jian's heart, "May you get what you want in the new year, and be safe and happy." "Happy New Year, and I wish all your wishes come true." Shi Jian's expression was gentle, and her eyes were filled with an peaceful, delicate and flawless smile. The two walked side by side on the path on campus. The night sky was dotted with stars, like silver powder sprinkled on the sky. The branches of the cypress trees swayed gently in the breeze, exuding a faint fragrance.
An Ran couldn't help but stop and look up at the bright crescent moon. The moonlight shone through the leaves and onto her face, looking particularly soft. "You can go home now. You don't have to send me off any more." The reason why the two are still together is because the party is approaching the last program, a game interactive session, and An Ran had already told Shi Jian that she didn't want to play games and wanted to leave early. So, when she came out of the auditorium, Shi Jian was already waiting outside the multimedia classroom with her short boots in her hand. "There's only a little way left, and I want to walk it all with you." Shi Jian was silent for a moment, then spoke out his true thoughts. An Ran blinked and said, "That's fine." She was no longer in a hurry to get Shi Jian back, but let him walk slowly beside her. “Sometimes, I really want to be a cat.” Thinking of the little Lihua who had just been carried away by little Wu Haoxuan, An Ran's expression became gentle. "You know, cats have a shielding ability that humans envy. Their hearing is more than three times that of humans. They ignore you not because they can't hear you, but because they don't want to pay attention to you. This is indeed a very rare and practical ability. It can shield you from annoying people and things, not be consumed, not care about other people's comments, and go your own way." Shi Jian was a good listener. No matter what An Ran said or where the topic turned, he would listen to her patiently. "It's the first time I've heard of this." Compared to cats, we often cannot "block out" ourselves. Other people's comments, unexpected situations, and past traumas can make us trapped in negative emotions and unable to extricate ourselves. How are emotions "invaded"? How do we develop “shielding power”? In order not to upset others, she always ignored her own feelings and chose to face them with a forced smile. Because at the conscious level, she knew that arguing with them would not produce any results. So she always told herself to just pretend she didn't hear it, it was just a small matter, it would be over once it was over, and thinking about it would not change anything, but she always found herself feeling very sad afterwards. It seems like no matter what I do, I can't make myself happy. When emotions become strong and clear enough, it is easy for people to fall into almost compulsive repetition. The brain will reproduce the reaction at that time again and again, the "alarm center" amygdala is repeatedly activated, and the pituitary gland releases more stress hormones. Not only will she physically relive the tension, anger, and grievances she felt at that time... she will also be wrapped in a layer of self-blame and shame. In an unconscious process, a very small thing will drill deeply into her mind, take root and grow in her emotions, and she will unknowingly fall into a vicious battle with "emotions". Later, she discovered that the way to break out of this vicious circle of constantly feeding bad emotions was to cultivate her own "shielding ability". For example, when she felt uncomfortable hearing someone say something, she would stop it in time.
For example, she found that once she came into contact with certain people and they made her have uncontrollable negative thoughts, she would physically distance herself from them. She neither denied, suppressed, nor allowed herself to indulge in them. Instead, she directly identified with the "emotion" itself and used the emotion. Anger urges her to defend her territory and boundaries, disgust allows her to drive away harmful factors and protect herself, and fear allows her to escape danger in time. No matter how much she practices, there are still lessons she needs to learn in the process. Until I saw An Jing this morning, tonight, she played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the stage. "Do you know why I didn't play the 'Rachmaninoff Piano No. 2' that I told you about before, but played the Moonlight Sonata instead?" "I originally wanted to ask you." Shi Jian's heart was moved. "To me, Rachmaninoff's Piano No. 2 is about despair, redemption, and hope. I like it very much and love it deeply, but I don't want to play it for people who don't understand it." Shi Jian's breathing stagnated. "Look, the night is so beautiful tonight." An Ran suddenly changed the subject. She looked up and pointed at the dark sky above the campus. "Today, I feel very happy." "Is it because you picked up the child and the cat?" Shi Jian's gaze followed her fingertips and looked up at the sky above her head, with tenderness in his eyes. "No." An Ran turned her head, her eyes shining like diamonds, "It's because I found that I have the ability to speed up the realization of my dreams." "That's great." Shi Jian was surprised for a moment, but soon showed a warm and bright smile, "You will definitely get better and better in the future." “I also think I will get better and better.” So confident, certain, and sure. I will get back double the things that have been robbed from me and take revenge on the feelings that have been hurt in the shortest possible time. But I choose not to hate. Shi Jian, I am happy that when I stumbled in the snow just now and saw your hand reaching out to me, I suddenly found that I could no longer hate anyone. The main text is finished, and the extra chapters will be updated one after another at a faster pace. I am grateful to the book friends who have been with me all the way. On this last day of July, I wish you all can continue to create, feel, and experience the richness and diversity of life in the next five twelfths of the time.