"A cool breeze gently blows and quietly slips into my clothes, summer steals away unnoticed. The days rush by, filling me with a hundred emotions, I long for that vibrant scene. A gentle breeze carries you into my heart, changing my life in an instant. No amount of passion can truly measure its value, yet there's no need to fear the wind and rain anymore—"
Shao Ling watched speechlessly as Ke Xun, Wei Dong, and Luo Yi basked in the sun and sang wildly in the cold wind on the distant snow-covered ground.
"Winter is Coming Art Museum," the name itself suggested, a newly built museum located in a picturesque spot in City C—of course, in autumn, you'd be treated to stunning views of ginkgo and maple leaves, but now it was deep winter, and all that could be seen were gnarled, bare branches and a vast expanse of white snow.
The art museum was nestled deep within this landscape of interwoven white snow and black branches.
The snow on the ground was thick enough to cover one's ankles, and despite the bright sunshine, it showed no sign of melting.
It was still early, only eight in the morning. No one had yet visited this place. The messy footprints on the snow all came from those three idiots in the distance.
They had built three surprisingly sturdy snowmen, but for some strange reason, they were now riding on top of them, belting out Cantonese songs with a Lao suburban accent.
Was this… a doomsday carnival? A way to relieve stress before death?
Shao Ling walked over steadily, his face full of disapproval.
"Blow, blow, let the wind blow, wipe away the bright tears in my eyes—"
Shao Ling heard Ke Xun's voice rise sharply at the end.
This person's voice was probably a blessing for those who appreciate beautiful voices; it had a naturally charming tone, yet also a clean, youthful quality.
He heard footsteps behind him, turned around singing, his eyebrows raised, lips curved, and his fluffy, messy hair billowing. Sunlight shone on the snow in front of him, reflecting into his eyes, making them shine, like those handsome young men from his school days, carefree and unrestrained.
In that instant, Shao Ling suddenly understood the extreme cruelty of the "painting."
The sunlight, the clear snow, the boy and the song before him, were as fragile as a piece of glass as thin as a cicada's wing under the "painting's" palm, easily shattered.
"...Blow, blow, let the wind blow, take away all the sorrow, who cares who's in the wind—" The "boy" sang, slowly raising the snowman's head with both hands, and smashed it down on Shao Ling's face with a wicked grin.
Buried in the snow by three huge snowman heads: "..." I retract all my ignorant imagination.
"Come on, Brother Shao, let's have some fun!" Luo Yu was pressed down on the snow by Wei Dong, paddling in place like a frog swimming.
Shao Ling: "..." Are these three really the ones about to risk their lives to be painted? How come they're all so carefree...
"What are you thinking about now?" Ke Xun sat on the headless snowman's body, hands in his down jacket pockets, half his face tucked into his fluffy scarf, looking at him with a smile. "Are you particularly envious of Luo Bo's carefree and easygoing nature?"
Shao Ling: "You're no worse than him."
Ke Xun laughed: "I've been through so many paintings. If I don't take things easy, how can I get through it? You see, whether you're frowning and tense, you still have to be painted; whether you're eating, drinking, and having fun, you still have to be painted. The result is the same, so of course you should choose a better and more enjoyable process. Luo Bo is more open-minded than the rest of us in this respect—although this kid is still afraid and cowardly when he should be."
Shao Ling looked at Luo Yu, who was stuffing snowballs into Wei Dong's crotch: "..." ...What was I going to say again... "Where are the others?"
"Look, there's a cafe next to the art museum. They're all huddled in there." Ke Xun pointed with his chin.
"The café's open so early?" Shao Ling looked over there; the art museum wasn't even open yet.
"The owner lives upstairs; he'll come down as soon as you call." Ke Xun jumped off the snowman, bent down and made two large snowballs, sneaking towards the unsuspecting Wei Dong and Luo Yi.
"..." Shao Ling didn't want to pay attention to the three of them making a ruckus anymore. He was more curious about how Ke Xun made such a sturdy snowman; even with such a big man sitting on it, it wouldn't collapse. He kicked the snowman, and his toe sank into its body, only to be stopped by something hard inside.
"..." Okay, it was filled with a large landscape stone. Ouch.
Winter is coming. The art museum opened at 9:30 AM, so there was still almost an hour left. Shao Ling decided to hide in the café to warm up and get away from the idiots.
Mu Yiran and Qin Ci sat facing each other, their heads slightly tilted, looking at the snow scene outside the window and the three silly snowmen playing around in the snow.
Zhu Haowen and Fang Fei sat on opposite sides, each fiddling with their phones.
Shao Ling felt that everyone was like the day before the college entrance exam, having put down all their study materials, stopped thinking about the textbooks, and tried their best to relax completely, preparing to face the moment that would ultimately determine their fate with the most relaxed and full emotions.
Shao Ling was still a little unaccustomed to this state—even during his own college entrance exam, he had studied until the very last minute.
"The Winter Is Coming Art Museum, it's said, was originally intended to be an indoor theme park, but problems arose within the team responsible for the project, so it was shelved. Later, it was converted into an art museum, but the name was retained from the original theme park, somewhat similar to the old station art museum, which seems to further confirm the clue we summarized." Shao Ling stood next to the four-person booth, looking at Mu Yiran and the others.
Mu Yiran nodded slightly: "The person in charge has quite a background. Because of a car accident, photos of him were posted online, and netizens dug deep into his complex interpersonal relationships and private life, starting with the luxury car he drove. This involved some rather sensitive events, so the project was halted and cooled down for more than a year."
"Whether intentional or unintentional, it seems that there is always some unseen force eliminating all irrelevant factors, wanting to build the art museum where it wants to be built," Qin Ci said.
"Weren't these issues already discussed in the group? Why are they being repeated here?" Fang Fei looked up from her phone screen, looking at the men in front of her with a slightly strange expression.
"Nervousness makes people tend to repeat what they've already said," Zhu Haowen said calmly without looking up.
Shao Ling and Qin Ci: "..."
Shao Ling shook his head slightly: "I always feel... my preparation for entering the painting is still insufficient."
"In fact," Qin Ci comforted him, "past experiences have proven that no matter how much preparation we do beforehand, the painting we ultimately enter is never the one we pre-selected. So it's better to let nature take its course and not put too much pressure on ourselves."
Shao Ling lowered his eyelids, walked to an empty seat, and ordered a white coffee.
Halfway through his drink, the door was opened from the outside, and with a gust of cold wind, the three Snow Fools walked in in a line.
"Boss, a latte, please," Wei Dong said, taking off his hat as he called out, "The most handsome one here will pay."
He gestured with his hand to indicate the area where the eight members were located.
The boss came over with a tray and asked Ke Xun, "So, this gentleman will pay?"
"The boss has a good eye," Ke Xun smiled. "Let me ask, how many people have visited that art museum next door these past few days?"
The boss shook his head: "It's been snowing these past few days, nobody's come, and there aren't any exhibitions. But maybe there will be some people today. Yesterday a film crew came here to shoot some scenes, and I overheard them saying they were coming to shoot a few shots today while I was having coffee here. They also said this art museum is less crowded, making it convenient for filming."
After the boss left, Shao Ling asked the older members: "Isn't there any way to stop people from entering the target exhibition hall?"
The deaths of the young people in "The Journey" had left everyone feeling quite somber for a long time.
Cao Youning, the only survivor, was indeed not here.
"There's no way," Qin Ci sighed. "Those of us who have tickets, that is, those who have already entered the painting, can only enter before 8 PM that evening. After that time, you will not be able to enter the painting again and will die within a few days.
"But newcomers seem to be exempt from this restriction in the real world. That is to say, once we enter the painting, if not everyone has gathered, time inside the painting will stop until all the newcomers have entered."
"And the newcomers in the real world might not even arrive at the art museum and enter the painting until three days later—of course, this hasn't happened yet, but previously in the painting 'Pure Land,' time within the painting stopped because the number of people couldn't be gathered immediately. So we speculate that if the number of people can't be gathered, time within the painting will remain stopped until the newcomers are all there."
"So what's meant to come will come," Wei Dong shrugged helplessly. "If it's destined for you to enter the painting, you can't escape it. Mr. Shao, don't worry about others. You can protect this one but not that one; in the end, you'll only feel frustrated and powerless."
Shao Ling fell silent again.
"Out of sight, out of mind. Let's go, the museum should be opening soon," Ke Xun said, standing up. "Let's be the first ones in so we don't have to worry about the others. Whoever's supposed to go in will go in eventually."
With a "crash," Luo Jin almost dropped his cup, clutching his stomach and looking up at Ke Xun. "We…we're going in already? Aren't we going to wait? I need to use the restroom…"
"Go ahead." Ke Xun squeezed his shoulder. "The sooner we go in, the more time we'll have to get to know the environment in the paintings. It's better to go in early than late. You can't avoid this."
Luo Jin's lips trembled, and he struggled to his feet, pulling on Ke Xun's arm. "I'm not going. Then…let's go in."
The group walked slowly through the snow towards the art museum.
Luo Jin was at the very back. If Ke Xun hadn't been holding him back, he would have almost collapsed to the ground several times, refusing to take another step.
Like a child afraid of getting a shot at the hospital, the closer they got to the clinic, the more afraid and anxious they became.
Ke Xun pulled him to his side, put his arm around his shoulder, and led him forward. As they walked, he hummed a song softly to comfort him: "The cool breeze gently blows and quietly enters my clothes, summer steals away without a sound... No matter how much passion I give, I can't measure the truth, but I don't need to be afraid anymore—the wind and rain invade—"
"Blow, blow... let this wind blow... take away all the sorrow, who cares who is in the wind..." Luo Yu hummed along in a trembling voice, a string of tears that were so cold they stung his skin fell onto the muddy snow at his feet.