Thomas Chase was, on the contrary, no longer afraid.

He stood up calmly, the innate nobility his grandfather spoke of overcoming his fear. He looked straight into the spotlight and the galaxy of flashing lights, waved, his smile composed and confident, exuding a maturity and poise beyond his years.

Even as he slowly lifted the red cover from the computer, his smile never faltered, as if he had practiced this for years.

In that dazzling moment, Thomas Chase seemed to see his own future.

When the press conference ended, all that was left was free mingling and a Q&A session. The atmosphere relaxed a lot, reporters rushed to the front to photograph the computer, and many guests below exchanged business cards and chatted happily. The little girl ran over excitedly, stumbling over her words as she praised his performance.

He still only smiled with pressed lips, but this time it wasn’t out of shyness.

“Thomas Chase, come here!”

He turned around to see Marine Corp standing among a group of reporters, calling out to him loudly.

For some reason, he felt a bit flustered inside. He walked over and was made to sit obediently in front of the computer.

An open blank document appeared before him—Thomas Chase's school didn’t have a computer lab, so naturally there were no computer classes. He had only ever used a computer a little at a relative’s house, playing a few rounds of Minesweeper and Solitaire.

In fact, it wasn’t until after middle school that he learned the name of that vast blank screen before him: Notepad.

“Thomas Chase, the reporters want to take a few photos of you with our new brand. Don’t be nervous, just type naturally, no need to pose, let them take a few candid shots from different angles.”

How could he not be nervous?

He stiffly placed his hands on the keyboard, not knowing which key to press for a long time.

“The input method is switched to Smart ABC, just type the words ‘炫亮少年’, and we’ll take a few shots from behind and the side.” A reporter urged impatiently from the side.

Surrounded by so many “long and short lenses”.

Thomas Chase suddenly wanted to call for help.

It felt as if bullets were about to pierce his facade. The superior image he had put on.

He slowly found the keys for xuan on the keyboard, which weren’t arranged in any logical order, and typed the first character “炫”, but accidentally hit another key, and two huge characters suddenly filled the blank screen.

“炫耀”.

Several reporters around started laughing: “This kid can’t type at all, how can he use a computer?”

Thomas Chase felt his ears burning. He looked up and saw Marine Corp’s slightly embarrassed expression.

He couldn’t remember how it ended after that.

He didn’t remember the young staff member who handed him a rose and stuffed money into his hand, saying, “This is your payment, thank you, little classmate.”

He didn’t remember the complicated expression on the face of the class monitor girl, who surely knew how to use a computer.

He didn’t remember the beautiful gesture of Marine Corp’s older sister, who patted his shoulder with a smile and comforted him, “You actually did very, very well, don’t take it to heart.”

He didn’t remember his parents’ proud tone when they got the money and patted his head, saying, “Our child is really promising.”

He didn’t remember how soon his classmates all found out he couldn’t type and crowded around to ask, “Thomas Chase, your family doesn’t have a computer?”

He was a little prince who couldn’t type. No matter how beautiful the stage and spotlight, they all became a magic mirror revealing his true self.

The rose in his bag had long since been unconsciously crushed into flower paste, staining his math book a bright rouge red.

“Do you think I’m weird, remembering such an embarrassing thing from seven years ago until now?”

Zoe Young lowered her head, lost in thought, neither nodding nor shaking her head.

The Thomas Chase she saw was a tall, handsome boy in front of the computer, but she didn’t know that behind that calm expression was the helplessness and fear of being exposed and ridiculed.

He had seen a bigger world, but also faced mockery, and understood the harshness of the truth.

So when he walked out of the Wangjiang Hotel and saw his father waiting in the cold wind, his face wrinkled by the chill, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Some of the world’s contradictions had come to trouble him too early.

For example, his father waited outside in the cold wind, not coming in so as not to embarrass him, asking with concern, “Are you tired? Are you cold?” but at the same time urgently asking, “Did they give you the money?”

For example, the class monitor girl liked his excellence and elegance, but when she saw “炫耀” and saw his father, her face was full of surprise and disdain.

For example, himself.

“Actually, I don’t even know what I wanted to say to you today. As I talk, I keep getting tangled up in that embarrassing little episode from back then…

I know I’m hypocritical, living a pretty exhausting life. I don’t dare make a single mistake, don’t want to offend anyone, always putting on a fake front…” He laughed at himself, but was interrupted by Zoe Young.

“I know, Andrew Lane said some harsh things because of Charlotte Lee. He’s brainless, don’t take it to heart. You and Andrew Lane are different, each with your own strengths and choices, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Thomas Chase just thought she was saying nice words, because no one could say such nice words better than he could himself.

“Oh, really?” He smiled.

Thomas Chase extra “I know, you’re great. How could I and Andrew Lane be so reckless? You’re great too. How did someone so similar to you, like Summer Carter, suddenly go crazy and throw everything away—but you’re just good for a while, occasionally sighing that your youth isn’t as flamboyant as ours…”

She looked straight into his eyes.

“But you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”

Thomas Chase stopped smiling.

“In fact, you haven’t done anything wrong. You’re telling me all this just to say that you’ve worked hard to live well, inside and out, but you don’t seem very happy. So, people like me and Andrew Lane, do we regret it? Are we happier or more satisfied than you?—You’re just good, that’s all, right?”

After a long silence, Thomas Chase slowly spoke: “So what’s the answer?”

Zoe Young smiled: “I can only tell you, if you did what we did, you’d feel even worse than you do now.”

So there’s no need to be better, and no need to change.

No one grows into who they are overnight.

He has his own choices, right or wrong doesn’t matter.

A youth spent calculating and managing can still be wonderful.

When Zoe Young left, she told him she had seen Charlotte Lee, and she was doing well.

“I guess, when you were with her, you must have been very nervous and very tired.”

He didn’t argue.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like that beautiful girl.

He was just afraid—afraid she’d see the face of someone who couldn’t type. Things had turned out this way, and it wasn’t that he didn’t feel regret. But as Zoe Young said, he didn’t actually regret it.

Nor did he feel any loss.

A child who takes the wrong path isn’t necessarily a bad child.

So, is a child who never took a wrong step actually pitiful?

Thomas Chase decided never to think about it again.

But whenever he closed his eyes, in this early spring that felt like late autumn, he would remember the heavy river and endless gray clouds that morning.

Suddenly, his thoughts drifted somewhere unrelated.

His name was clearly Thomas Chase.

Yet the first four words of that poem were “暮霭沉沉”.

In that instant, he understood his grandfather.

Luckily, he was the last three words. One day, when he stood high enough, he would be able to break through the small world and its limits, and see beyond the clouds.

He wanted tomorrow.

Those who live only for today will never understand.

Michael could say that in her less than 20 years of life, she had no regrets. She lived boldly, openly, happily, with a clear conscience.

Yet her greatest regret was that she would never again have the chance to make any more regrets.

In the days that followed.

She still had so many stories that never had the chance to happen.

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Michael & Benny extra (unfinished)

The latest chapter of Hello, Old Times updated fastest!

“Actually, the first time I met him, I didn’t even remember what he looked like.”

After Michael escaped death once again, her energy was much worse than before. She was always tired, leaning against the cushion, and every sentence she spoke took a great effort.

Seeing the pity in Zoe Young’s eyes, she smiled and waved her hand just before the other could speak to stop her, noticing how her own knuckles flashed pale and abrupt in the sunlight.

Too thin.

“It’s okay, I’m not tired. I have to tell you.”

Zoe Young moved her lips, then sat quietly.