Bonus Chapter: It turns out he'd been looking for me from the very beginning!
“He saw us.”
These words came as a bolt from the blue.
It exploded in Su Wanqing's mind.
She froze completely.
She was held in Lu Zhanting's arms, but she couldn't feel any warmth at all.
All senses and all thoughts were frozen on the eerie scene not far away.
The young Lu Zhanting, dressed in a crisp military uniform, was holding the young girl in his arms.
But his gaze transcended the barriers of time and space.
It broke through the barriers of memory.
It was nailed straight to her body.
That's not an illusion.
Absolutely not.
It was a determined, focused gaze, filled with a sense of inquiry.
How is that possible?
This is just her memory.
It happened in the past.
It was recreated by some unknown force.
The people inside are probably just repeating their words and actions from back then, following a fixed script.
They are shadows.
It is an illusory projection.
How can a shadow have its own consciousness?
How can a shadow see people who don't belong to that time and space?
Su Wanqing's heart was pounding erratically.
She felt her worldview being shattered by a gentle yet forceful power.
Then, reorganize.
“Why…” Her throat was dry.
He managed to utter a few words with difficulty.
Lu Zhanting did not explain immediately.
He simply held her even tighter.
He used his own body heat to warm her cold body.
His chin rested gently on the top of her head.
The gesture carried a reassuring meaning.
"Don't rush."
His voice remained steady and calm.
"Haven't you always wanted to know what I was thinking back then?"
Su Wanqing was taken aback.
I subconsciously looked up.
He met her deep, dark eyes.
Those eyes seemed to hold the entire starry sky.
yes.
She had always wanted to know.
The moment he caught her.
At the moment when his life and her life first intersected.
What exactly is he thinking?
“Now, you can ask him yourself.” A faint smile appeared on Lu Zhanting’s lips.
Should I...go and ask him?
Su Wanqing was completely dumbfounded.
Whom should I ask?
Ask about the young Lu Zhanting from your memory?
This is absurd!
However, Lu Zhanting's expression did not seem like he was joking at all.
He released his grip on her.
He then gently took her hand.
Then he took a step toward that recreated scene.
"Let's go take a look."
Su Wanqing's steps seemed to be nailed to the spot.
Unable to move.
Reason told her that everything before her eyes was beyond the realm of common sense.
Emotionally, however, an irresistible curiosity gripped her heart like a vine.
She wanted to know the truth.
I want to know what exactly happened.
I'd like to know the answer to that question even more.
In the end, she obediently let Lu Zhanting lead her.
Step by step, we walked towards that frozen moment.
As they drew closer, everything around them became clearer.
The cicadas chirping in summer, the slogans on the training ground, the rustling of leaves in the wind.
These sounds seemed to have been pulled back to our ears from the distant horizon.
And the two people in that scene became increasingly real.
My younger self was still nestled in the arms of that young officer.
Her small face was deathly pale, still shaken.
Clearly, they hadn't recovered from the fear of falling.
The young Lu Zhanting remained in that same pose.
His embrace became my strongest support that summer.
But his head was always slightly raised.
Their gazes were fixed on the approaching group.
Or rather, it's locked onto Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing's heart was in her throat.
She could feel her heart pounding harder with each step she took closer.
This is an unprecedented experience.
She was like a ghost intruding into someone's dream.
We are going to uncover a secret that has been sealed away for many years.
Finally, they stopped just a step away from the perfect couple.
So close that Su Wanqing could clearly see her younger self, with glistening tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
The collar of his military uniform was slightly disheveled from his earlier movements.
“He…” Su Wanqing was about to speak.
But Lu Zhanting stopped him with a gesture.
Lu Zhanting simply looked at her.
He silently mouthed two words.
"listen."
listen?
What are you listening to?
Su Wanqing was filled with doubt.
But I still held my breath.
All attention was focused on hearing.
Then she heard it.
A faint soliloquy, almost completely drowned out by the sound of the wind.
It carries a hint of youthful innocence.
It came from the mouth of that young Lu Zhanting.
"Found it."
boom!
Su Wanqing's mind went blank once again.
Found it?
Did he say "found it"?
Was this the first thing he said after catching her back then?
No...that's not right.
Su Wanqing tried desperately to recall.
She remembers it very clearly.
She was terrified back then and took a long time to recover in his arms.
He stammered his thanks.
His response at the time was cold and indifferent.
It was a sentence with the sternness characteristic of soldiers.
"Student, please watch your behavior. This is a military restricted area."
It's not "found" at all!
So... what's happening now is a discrepancy between her memory and reality?
Or did he actually say those words back then, but his voice was so soft that she didn't hear them at all?
Countless questions flooded in like a surging tide.
It was about to overwhelm her reason.
She turned her head sharply and looked at Lu Zhanting beside her.
I desperately want an answer.
Lu Zhanting, however, simply gave her an encouraging smile.
He raised his hand.
I gently pushed her back.
"Go."
"He has something to say to you."
Su Wanqing stumbled.
He took a step forward uncontrollably.
This step brought her completely into the realm of that memory scene.
Strange things happened.
The young Lu Zhanting, who was originally holding the girl, suddenly made a new move.
The young "Su Wanqing" in his arms suddenly became transparent.
It turned into specks of light.
Then it completely dissipated into the air.
It was as if her mission was already complete.
You can leave now.
Now, on this stage of memory, he is the only one left.
And then there's Su Wanqing from the future, who just barged in.
The young Lu Zhanting slowly lowered his arms, which had been wrapped around the girl.
He straightened up.
Those dark eyes, even sharper and colder than Lu Zhanting's now, stared at her intently.
His face was expressionless.
There was neither the shyness of a teenager nor the seriousness of a soldier.
There is only one that surpasses his age.
A deep, inquisitive calm.
Su Wanqing felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
She even had a delusion.
What's in front of me isn't a projection of memories at all.
Rather, he is a living, breathing person with flesh and blood and his own thoughts.
"you……"
Su Wanqing mustered all her courage and wanted to ask.
However, the young Lu Zhanting acted before her.
He slowly raised his right hand.
His movements were slow.
It has a sense of stillness, like a slow-motion movie.
That hand had distinct knuckles and was clean and slender.
The owner of the hand reached it out to Su Wanqing.
His target was her face.
Su Wanqing stood frozen in place.
They even forgot to breathe.
She stared at the hand that belonged to the past.
It has traversed the torrent of time.
Carrying the scorching heat of that summer afternoon.
Little by little, it gets closer to itself.
Behind her, Lu Zhanting, who belonged to the "present," did not stop her.
He just stood there quietly.
Like a silent guardian.
Witnessing this incredible scene.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at that moment.
In Su Wanqing's pupils, the increasingly close finger was clearly reflected.
The finger that belonged to young Lu Zhanting was about to touch her.
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