Chapter 2.2 A Sudden Breakup? Was there a rival?

Xu Aida swallowed the choking urge and asked, "Where's my phone?"

Liang Siyu thought she was afraid of nightmares but was too embarrassed to admit it, so he smiled and hugged her tightly: "You haven't given me a good morning kiss yet."

She gave him a gentle push, intending to get up herself. He kissed her cheek: "Okay, okay, I'll get up."

He got out of bed, took her phone out of her bag (it was dead), and brought it to the bedside to charge it. He then touched her hair and asked, "What do you want for lunch?"

Xu Aida tried to ignore his touch and looked away from the old cell phone: "I'm going to take a shower, we'll talk later."

She needs to explore more, test whether this world is real, before deciding which restaurant to go to. Ideally, she should go somewhere far away or randomly, to see if the city has a "simulated" feel.

She herself works on brain-computer interfaces, and it's clear that, from a technological development perspective, time travel is much more difficult than visual simulation.

She certainly remembered where she was.

December 14, 2014, RM Hotel in Seattle.

This was the first year she met Liang Siyu. She followed her mentor from UC Berkeley to JHU and joined the MIRA Lab.

Before the Christmas holidays, the two of them attended a seminar at the University of Washington (UW).

They plan to rest today and go on vacation to Las Vegas tomorrow.

Ned proposed to her tonight, and she accepted without hesitation back then.

They went so far as to register their marriage in Las Vegas the very next day.

Ned hesitated for a moment, feeling that registering like that lacked a sense of ceremony.

But she laughed: "Why waste time?"

She has always preferred simplicity and efficiency and doesn't care about worldly opinions.

Any algorithm based on currently observable factors predicts that they will be happy.

At that time, she was too naive and didn't realize how much time and environment could change a person.

The real world is even less logical than the worst science fiction movies. If their story were made into a film, it would definitely be one of the worst movies with a completely illogical plot.

Xu Aida entered the bathroom, where hot water was poured over his head—this world is so well simulated.

My vision blurred just right, with soft water droplets slowly creeping up my face; the sensation was terrifyingly real.

She wiped away a tear; though difficult, tactile sensory deception was entirely possible.

However, the visual details of the tiny water droplets are so realistic and perfectly in line with the laws of physics that the amount of computation required is enormous.

Her heart was already tipped in favor of time travel. Which one? Another parallel universe without interference? Or the same spacetime?

She shook her head, refusing to think about abstract and distant questions, and forced herself to focus on the present.

There's another big problem tonight—it's best not to let him take out the ring.

She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and started drying her hair, but then broke out in a cold sweat.

The noise, somewhat like the roar of a plane before it crashes, gave her a terrible headache.

She tried to take deep breaths, but it still didn't work.

She had basic psychology knowledge; this was PTSD from a plane crash. Even though her mind knew she was safe, her body instinctively resisted the similar noise.

"Fine," she said, throwing down the hairdryer and coming out with her hair still wet.

Liang Siyu saw her wet hair and his eyes showed disapproval: "You think drying your hair is a waste of time again?"

He shook his head helplessly. "Ada, this is a holiday."

Besides, Seattle is often rainy in winter, and she would easily catch a cold if she went out with her hair wet.

He grabbed the hairdryer. "You sit down, I'll do it."

She sat down in a daze. Yes, she used to be too lazy to dry her hair, and Ned would always nag her about it during the first year of their marriage, often helping her by doing so.

Later, he went to film a movie, and they were in a long-distance relationship. She lived alone and got used to blowing on her own.

Strangely, when he helped her blow-dry her hair, the noise seemed to become a little more tolerable.

But she still had a bit of a headache, so much so that the plan she had just come up with was shattered again.

The noise finally stopped.

He asked, "There's a Spanish restaurant in Capitol Hill with good ratings, want to try it?"

Capitol Hill? Spanish food? It seems the same as in her previous life. She nodded; it was a half-hour train ride, enough time for her to gather her thoughts.

As she left the hotel and headed towards the light rail station, he stopped her, saying, "The Uber hasn't arrived yet."

She was about to ask why they didn't take the light rail when she suddenly realized that it was December 2014.

The light rail line from the University of Washington to downtown Seattle will not open until the spring of 2016.

Spring 2016, a spring she will never forget.

That year, she went to Europe for nearly three months of academic study. Two weeks before she returned, Ned told her in a video that he had taken leave to rest for two weeks and help a friend shoot a public service announcement.

She didn't think much of it and even joked about which talent scout had persuaded him. However, not long after she returned, she received the news that he had decided to drop out of school and change careers.

This feeling of disconnect gave her an even bigger headache. She glared at him, unable to hold back her anger once again.

Why is it that the man who wasted his talent and abandoned his ideals is completely unaware of this? Shouldn't God give him a second chance? Why is she the one thrown back to square one?

Just as she was about to speak, a car pulled up in front of the hotel; it was the Uber he had booked.

Once in the car, he discussed yesterday's seminar with her as usual, but she wasn't in the mood to engage.

"Stop talking, let me think of a new algorithm myself." The carriage fell silent.

She did indeed have a new algorithm—ten years later, her control algorithm was considered industry-leading.

Now she's back. Although she doesn't know how to solve hardware problems, she knows the future direction, and the promotion of neuro-prosthetics should be able to be accelerated.

She smiled slightly. In this light, her "premonition" had some meaning after all, and wasn't all torture.

Liang Siyu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her smile. Of course, he had noticed that she was probably frightened by the nightmare and was in a bad mood.

As we approached the restaurant, she suddenly said, "Let's get off a block early; I want to walk around."

He nodded and helped her out of the car, hoping that she would be happier after the walk and forget the nightmare.

Xu Aida let go of his hand, randomly chose a small alley he had never been to before, and walked at varying speeds.

She needed to re-examine the possibility of visual simulation, so she deliberately focused on the puddles reflected on the ground, the couple holding hands on the street corner, and the pedestrians hurrying past.

The flow of light and shadow, the physical details, the expressions and movements of people are all meticulously crafted, without the slightest flaw.

Such a massive and complex computational workload is far beyond what she could imagine the technology capable of achieving. Algorithmic advancements are still possible, but the hardware and energy requirements are too high.

Most likely, she really has returned. A time travel of unknown origin, or perhaps, a rebirth.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the two ate their meal quietly.

After the garlic oil shrimp arrived, he took her portion first. His slender fingers held the knife and fork, deftly and precisely peeling off the hard shell without damaging the shrimp meat.

Xu Aida knew that this was a habit of many medical students, practicing their fine motor skills in everyday tasks. These hands currently belonged to a prospective MD (Medical Doctor).

The final dessert arrived, and he ordered her a blood orange sorbet.

She'd always preferred a refreshing sorbet to a rich ice cream. She took a spoonful; it tasted wonderful, and her lips felt cool.

Looking at his hands and his smile, she almost softened and wanted to accept his proposal tonight, just like she always had.

She even considered persuading him not to change careers and to stay.

Even though he was an actor, he was unhappy in the end. She supported him unconditionally in her past life and accepted the long-distance relationship, but it didn't end well for her.

If all else fails, she can be unreasonable, shed a few tears, and beg him not to leave. Surely he'll feel some reluctance towards her?

The thought startled her. She had lived for a full ten years, knowing full well what was going to happen.

But Ned only needed one meal to almost sway her mind, even turning her into the kind of person he hated most—someone who would beg for love.

no.

This can't go on any longer.

It would be wonderful to reunite with a young Ned, the man whose eyes still held light, but everything will pass. Ten years have passed, doesn't she understand?

"Let's break up," she blurted out.

"What?" Liang Siyu, who was drinking water, was stunned, thinking he was hallucinating.

"We're breaking up. I've had enough." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was crisp and cold. "Now, immediately, right now, do you understand?"

She had had enough and finally decided to let go. After signing the agreement, she was dragged back by fate in less than half a day, forced to tear up the initial sweetness.

"What do you mean?" Liang Siyu raised his voice and looked into her eyes.

Those eyes, usually gentle and cunning, now burned like fire, sharp and piercing.

His expression and his words made it seem as if he had done something to wrong her.

"What's wrong with you?"

He clenched his fists, trying his best to control his voice, but he wasn't very successful, and many people in the restaurant looked at them.

Hsu Ai-ta reminded him, "Don't argue here, I don't want to embarrass myself."

Liang Siyu couldn't help but frown. She was even turning the tables on him. How come he had never realized that this woman was so unreasonable?

He took out his credit card and gently raised his hand to signal the waiter to pay the bill—he would never be so rude normally, he would quietly wait for eye contact.

"There must be a reason, right? What did I do that made you feel like you've had enough?" He lowered his voice, his teeth grinding together.

Of course, she had plenty of complaints to vent to him, but unfortunately, none of those things that she was "fed up with" had happened at this point in time.

She didn't dare look at him anymore, staring only at the glass: "I just think you're not that great, you're not interesting at all. Is that wrong?"

Not good? Nothing interesting? Nobody has ever humiliated him like this to his face before.

Liang Siyu didn't consider herself vulgar or narcissistic, but after being told this, she couldn't help but refute it point by point in her mind.

Physique, appearance, IQ, EQ, lifestyle, future potential—which aspect of him deserves such scrutiny?

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: "You don't actually like that old man from yesterday, do you?"

During the tea break at yesterday's seminar, many people came to chat with them about their research. The person they disliked the most was Professor Nelson from the University of Washington.

Nielsen outwardly talked to her about neural signals and algorithm improvements, but his eyes were practically glued to her.

He even invited her to visit his research center and startup, showing off that he had just secured Series B funding.

What old man? So much time had passed that Xu Aida had no idea who he was talking about.

The seminar and the many colleagues they interacted with were mostly older than them.

However, this didn't stop her from venting her anger, and she casually retorted, "At least they can persevere."

Those who survive in academia, who hasn't put in more perseverance and effort?

Him? He changed careers halfway through, and after a few years, he abandoned himself and became so superficial and vulgar.

In the past six months, whenever she overheard him talking to his friends on the phone, eight out of ten times he talked about cosmetic procedures.

Liang Siyu was utterly furious. Insist? This wasn't the first time, was it? Well, perhaps they'd met at past academic conferences.

"He pursued you before? Didn't you tell him you already had a boyfriend?"

What is he saying? I never realized before that he was so illogical and unreasonable.

Xu Aida was too lazy to argue: "I told you, we're breaking up. You're not my boyfriend anymore."

She got up immediately. Her Uber had arrived, and she needed to go back to the hotel to pack her things—she couldn't possibly share a room with him again tonight.

“Stop right there!” he almost shouted, trying to stop her.

She walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

He was stopped by the waiter, hastily signed the bill, and even forgot to take his credit card back.

He watched her close the car door, and just as the car started to move, he acted impulsively, rushed over, and yanked open the car door.

The driver, who had just started moving, was startled and slammed on the brakes, cursing loudly, "FU*K!"

A note from the author:

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Explanation of the male and female leads' backgrounds and language:

The male and female leads are both of Chinese descent and native English speakers, communicating entirely in English while in the United States. Their Chinese proficiency was very poor during their time in the US, and they only began to learn and improve it after returning to China.

In her previous life, Ada went to Hangzhou and gradually improved, eventually starting to communicate with Ned in Chinese. Later, she naturally started calling him by his Chinese name, "Siyu".

After being reborn and returning to the United States, Ada still speaks English, so in her mental activities, she mostly calls him Ned. For Ada, this is just a matter of language habit.