Chapter 5 — Melting Glacier

5He put on a specialized warm suit, pushed open the heavy isolation door and entered. I stood outside the glass door, looking at him in the cold white mist, meticulously adjusting each sophisticated device. Each movement is focused and serious. Same as before. My heart was confused, not sure if it was disappointment or something else. Perhaps, he really has forgotten me. Or, you and I are just a "specimen of abnormal behavior". About ten minutes later, he walked out. “Okay, let's start.” He said to Director Vuong. Then he turned to me and suddenly said: "Miss Lam, to ensure effective filming, I think you should directly experience the environment inside." I was stunned: “Me?” “Yes.” He nodded, "Only by feeling it yourself can you guide the model's emotions and capture the most authentic moment, right?" That sounds... very reasonable. I cannot refute. Principal Vuong also stood next to chime in: "Yes, yes, Professor Tham is very thoughtful. Miss Lam, then I won't bother you." I was in a dilemma, I could only grit my teeth and wear specialized warm clothes. When I was about to step in, Tham Duc Chi suddenly called back: "Wait." He walked over, holding a spare tie in his hand, identical to the one he wore when we broke up. "Your gloves are not up to standard, the wrists are too wide, easily leaking in the wind and causing frostbite." As he spoke, he calmly stood in front of everyone, grabbed my wrist, used the tie to wrap it tightly around the outside of the glove, and finally tied a neat, beautiful knot. His fingers were cold, but his movements were very gentle. The distance was so close that I could smell the familiar cold pine scent on him. My heart, as if tied tightly by that tie, began to beat erratically. “It's done.” He retracted his hand, took a step back, his eyes were deep behind the glass, "Come in." I almost messed up my steps as I entered the simulation compartment. The heavy door closed behind them, blocking out all outside sounds. The world immediately became quiet. Only the low hum of the cooling system remains. The cold air of minus twenty degrees was like thousands of small needles, slipping through the gaps in the warmers, sticking straight into the skin. As soon as my breath escaped, it turned into white mist before my eyes. I followed Tham Duc Chi's "instructions", slowly walking in the cabin, feeling this extreme cold. Underfoot is a layer of artificial snow, each step makes a "crack" sound. The light above simulates the calm, blue polar sky, and on the wall also uses projection technology to create brilliant moving aurora bands. Very beautiful, but also very... lonely. Exactly like the inner world I once thought about Tham Duc Chi. I was dumbfounded looking at the artificial aurora when the door behind me suddenly opened. I turned around and saw Tham Duc Chi walk in. He wasn't wearing any warm clothes, just a thin white shirt. He locked the door. "Clack" sounded like lightning in my heart. "Tham Duc Chi, what are you doing?" I reflexively took a step back, my voice shaking slightly. He didn't answer, just stepped closer to me step by step. In this icy world created by his own hands, he is like the absolute ruler. Every step he took seemed to step on my heartbeat. When standing in front of me, his tall figure completely enveloped me. I just realized, his face was unusually red, his eyes were a bit vague, but most of all there was an emotion that had been suppressed for too long - almost crazy. "You... you drink alcohol?" I smelled his breath, in addition to the familiar cold pine scent, there was also a faint scent of wine. "Yes." He replied softly, his voice hoarse, "There was a party at the hospital this afternoon, I got drunk." "Then go out quickly, it's too cold here, you'll get sick!" I panicked and raised my hand to push

But he grabbed my wrist — the same wrist that was tightly wrapped by his tie. His hand was startlingly hot, a sharp contrast to my cold gloves. “Sick?” He laughed softly, the laughter sounded strangely in the empty simulation compartment, "Lin Nhien, do you know, during the ninety-four days you left, I was sick every day." My heart trembled slightly. "I looked up all the documents, analyzed all the data, trying to find a reasonable explanation for my 'illness'." He looked straight into my eyes, saying each word clearly, "Heart pounding, insomnia, loss of appetite, unable to concentrate. The final diagnosis is - I have lost an... important variable." He held my hand tightly, with terrifying strength. "You are that variable, Lam Nhien."