33. Flying light, flying light
The two haven't known each other for very long, by Earth time. Yet, they've shared many heartfelt things in those few short months.
Apart from details about his identity.
He kept making excuses, which wasn't like him. But if he told her, she'd probably think he was a madman and a liar, and that would probably be the end of it all. From that blue sunset, he knew this day would come sooner or later, but he couldn't help trying to postpone it.
After being delayed again and again, it's probably time for it to happen now.
During that year, Fang Kaixuan only spent a few weeks with her, and the two were ultimately separated more often than together. When they were apart, he vowed to improve his Chinese, so she assigned him to learn a Tang poem every day.
The two were obviously just joking around, like playing house. But he did indeed come across a poem that was absolutely astounding: Li He's "The Shortness of the Day." The more he read it, the more he felt that the poet had written an elegy.
It happens to sound a bit like their theme song.
Flying light, flying light, let me offer you a cup of wine.
Can fleeting time pause for us even a little while?
Gu Qiye made up his mind. He had been occasionally absent-minded lately, but Fang Kaixuan assumed he was thinking about work and didn't take it seriously. Little did he know that he was thinking about this matter all the time.
But it's still hard to speak up.
It's not that I'm afraid of a bad outcome. A bad outcome is inevitable. It's that I'm afraid she'll be frightened.
“I told you I’m much older than you.” He was determined to confess everything that night; a dream could not continue in such an dishonest manner.
Because in his world, seeking truth and being realistic is the most important thing.
"How much older? Three years? Five years? I don't think that will be a problem."
Fang Kaixuan still didn't take it seriously. They had only met by chance, and while they felt a little special towards each other, they were far from making any vows of eternal love. Why was he so rigid, insisting on emphasizing the age difference? Besides, anyone would see that he was in his prime, with no reason to worry about aging.
He thought for a moment and then rephrased it: "Have you ever seen the movie 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'?"
“Of course.” Fang Kaixuan was somewhat absent-minded, wondering what excuse he would use to absolve himself of responsibility. “Don’t tell me that you’re like Benjamin in the movie, emphasizing your age because you’ll get younger and younger and eventually return to infancy.”
"No, no, I mean, what would you do if I got very old?"
Fang Kaixuan began to grow impatient with this vague excuse. He had never been so dishonest before.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Her face had turned ugly.
"I really hope I can stay."
"But...what?" Fang Kaixuan knew that these words were always followed by a "but." What came after the "but" was what the other party really wanted to say; the words before were just smokescreens to make it less embarrassing when someone was hurt.
She was willing to be more understanding of him, but her patience was almost exhausted: "It's okay, you can just say it."
There's no need to make up excuses.
To ease the tension, she smiled and shook her head: "Usually at this point, men will say things like, 'I'm seriously ill and can't be a burden to you.'"
This doesn't sound like a question. It's more like an exclamation.
Fang Kaixuan couldn't help but touch his hair. His hair was slightly wavy and stiff, fluffy in her palm. She gently comforted him, "I'll be an old lady by then. Don't worry."
He forced a smile. Fang Kaixuan wondered if he was truly suffering from a serious illness and was afraid of weakening soon, hence the question.
It's clear that he's full of energy, going up mountains and down to the sea, and doesn't seem like someone who's seriously ill at all.
Seeing her confused and sad expression, he sighed, took her hand, and touched the back of his ear. It was a metallic skin, smoother and colder than the rest of his body.
"You won't believe me if I tell you."
“Why not give it a try? Otherwise…” she whispered, “I’m really afraid I won’t be able to trust anyone anymore.”
He found her in the desert of trust she had found. If they continued to go around in circles like this, that precious connection would truly vanish.
He understood that this sentence was similar to Fang Kaixuan's version of an ultimatum.
So, as if afraid of regretting it, he quickly said, "I think you have already noticed many details about me that are illogical and out of step with the times, but you are unwilling to delve into them and have simply let them go. But the problem is always in your heart, and I can feel it. Today I must tell you that I do not live in the same era as you; I am only staying here for work. If I were to live here long-term, I would age rapidly due to the drastic changes in the environment."
Wait a minute.
Fang Kaixuan raised his eyes and stared at him intently.
“Do you remember me saying that we have a pleasant climate at level four and are no longer troubled by extreme weather?” he said.
"This is true for many island nations."
“No, I’m not talking about regional differences,” he said carefully, “I’m talking about time.”
“Please continue.” Something was pounding in Fang Kaixuan’s heart, but strangely, it seemed as if the fog had cleared, leaving him clear. “Don’t worry, I won’t run away in fright. At least I’ve seen Looper and The Time Traveler’s Wife, and I can even accept the Truman Show’s cameras all around me. But I need to know more.”
"If you open your eyes tomorrow morning and find that I have revealed my true form, would you be afraid? Like a Malayan tapir."
He still hasn't learned to joke appropriately and in moderation.
Fang Kaixuan stared intently into his eyes: "I'm serious."
“I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized, “I was worried you were scared, so I made an inappropriate joke.”
Fang Kaixuan said softly, "Of course we're afraid. But even if the Trisolarans descended today, they might not necessarily destroy us, right?"
“I am not an alien. I am just an ordinary person. You can think of me as a 120-year-old man.”
"I'm not a gerontophile." At the crucial moment, Fang Kaixuan actually relaxed.
At least he wasn't some cold-blooded alien or other species that couldn't communicate. I just saw the news this morning about someone hiking in Hokkaido who was dragged away by a bear and eaten alive, leaving only his limbs.
At least they're not from our kind, so we can at least have a proper conversation.
Thinking about it carefully, there's really nothing to be afraid of.
Throughout history, humanity has always sought two abilities: time travel and telekinesis.
With today's advanced technology, interstellar travel is commonplace, and time travel has long been theoretically supported; it's only a matter of time.
"You actually accept this?" This time it was his turn to be incredulous.
"Please don't say that you've loved many people; I'm just the first one who believed you," Fang Kaixuan said with a wry smile.
"No, please don't misunderstand me. You can probably imagine that the space agencies and militaries of major countries have been conducting this kind of research for a long time, just like the US-Soviet space race back then, regardless of the cost. Although it is still far away for ordinary people, it is not a secret that we need to keep."
"you?"
"Is it really as simple as taking a plane?"
"It's more like a spaceship. Time travel within a century is roughly equivalent to today's lunar landing. Although only a very small number of people can participate, it's not impossible."
It was like a long business trip. They were like two travelers who met on a journey.
Is it hard to accept?
That's true.
Are you scared?
It doesn't seem so.
Fang Kaixuan desperately hoped this was all a strange dream. He hoped that when he woke up tomorrow, he would just be an ordinary person.
His explanation continued.
"This is a routine project, for collecting biological samples or researching certain topics. Because in the near future, many species that are visible today will become completely extinct. Since the beginning of the 21st century, dozens of species have already gone extinct, and the rate will accelerate in the coming decades. Only then will humanity wake up to the need to protect the environment, otherwise it will eventually backfire."
Fang Kaixuan was still curious at this moment, "Tell me about your time."
"We can now control all the weather. Therefore, there are no more hurricanes, floods, or sandstorms. Every day is perfect weather: sunny and mild, with sunsets and rainbows, constant temperature and humidity, and no more mosquitoes."
Just then, a small group of insects crawled across their roof. Fang Kaixuan, who was usually terrified of insects, suddenly found them all endearing.
"That's so boring."
“I think so too, but few people agree, because a constant temperature environment is most conducive to intellectual development. As for physical activity, it has long been extinct, and there are better ways to build muscle or obtain dopamine.”
"So middle-aged men no longer consider running marathons fashionable?" she joked.
He didn't catch the sarcasm in the voice: "Spending three or four hours running dozens of kilometers is considered a pointless thing."
"So, isn't it silly to go through all that trouble to climb a volcano? You can have any peak experience without any pain."
“I don’t think so,” he said softly. “A sunset seen in the cold wind is not the same as a perfect sunset seen after setting the weather mode.”
Fang Kaixuan laughed instead: "Who would believe that I actually had the mind to discuss endangered species and the weather with you, instead of you lying to me?"
"I'm sorry. If I had said all this at first, you would have just thought I was crazy."
Of course. Fang Kaixuan recalled the beginning of their acquaintance; back then, her eyes were lifeless, her heart empty, filled with irony towards herself and the world. If he had said that back then, she would have either rolled her eyes and left, or simply called security to get rid of this madman.
It's been a whole year already.
She suddenly came to her senses and asked softly, "So, when are you leaving?"
///
The end? What's that?
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