Chapter 38, the main text concludes; An Nianyu's memories.
An Nianyu still remembers the first time he met Ning Yanzhao; it was one day during the summer vacation after his third year of junior high school.
That day, An Nianyu was once again disheartened by his family situation. His mother, who was chronically ill and frail, and his father, who was too busy with work to take care of things but was very strict with his studies, did nothing to lessen his mental stress, even though the family was financially well-off.
Of course, An Nianyu was extremely lucky compared to other families that were struggling financially, and sometimes he felt that he was just complaining.
But people always ask this question: why can't I have everything from childhood to adulthood and have no worries at all? An Nianyu also knows the reason. The answer is that it is impossible for people in the world. No matter what their life background is, they will have different levels of worries.
The accumulation of various mental pressures over a long period of time eventually became unbearable for An Nianyu.
Then An Nianyu thought about taking a day off occasionally. After the nanny settled his sick mother, he went out and thought about finding an internet cafe to play games all night. Of course, his way of relaxing was nothing special. He admired his own barren mind.
That day, An Nianyu was walking along the road when he noticed it was raining. He looked up and saw Ning Yanzhao standing on the overpass in the heavy rain.
An Nianyu had excellent eyesight. He saw that although Ning Yanzhao was getting wet in the rain, she seemed completely unaware of her unfocused gaze or the raindrops sliding down her cheeks. This gave him the illusion that she didn't know she was getting wet.
Ning Yanzhao was wearing headphones, seemingly completely immersed in her own world.
Normally, An Nianyu doesn't care what strange things pedestrians do, but perhaps influenced by her own emotions, she inexplicably started to speculate that day.
At first, An Nianyu thought that Ning Yanzhao might be like him, feeling lost in life, which was why she did such a thing on a rainy day. However, her actions quickly shattered his assumptions. She suddenly took out a camera from her bag.
Even though it was pouring rain, Ning Yanzhao still took out her camera and started taking pictures of the scenery, which she couldn't quite place.
An Nianyu, as if possessed, moved even closer to see what she wanted to film.
Because the distance was closer, An Nianyu could hear kind people around her reminding her, "Little girl, why aren't you using an umbrella in the rain? The rain is getting heavier, hurry home."
But Ning Yanzhao just smiled and said, "It's okay."
At the time, An Nianyu didn't understand what Ning Yanzhao was willing to film even in the rain, and he just thought she was acting strangely. It wasn't until after school started that he found out.
As the start of the school year approached, it was the second time that An Nianyu saw Ning Yanzhao outside of school. She was a member of the school's publicity department, and it turned out that the photos taken at the time were taken by her for the theme of urban industrialization.
As for why the filming took place on a rainy day, An Nianyu later told other members of the publicity department that it was because she felt that the chimneys filled with rain and mist had a particularly atmospheric feel.
At that moment, An Nianyu thought to himself, Ning Yanzhao is such a strange person.
When An Nianyu saw Ning Yanzhao again, she was cleaning the school corridor and was secretly making a heart shape with her hands on the wall. He found her even stranger.
Everyone says that "interesting souls are one in a million." After these few encounters, An Nianyu saw Ning Yanzhao more and more often at school. Then, just like in many novels or TV dramas, he seemed to slowly fall in love with her. He also knew that this feeling was called unrequited love.
"An Nianyu, An Nianyu, I'm here. Have you been waiting for a long time?"
An Nianyu snapped out of her reverie and looked at Ning Yanzhao running towards her.
"No, let's go."
"OK."
It is now 2025.
Even though Ning Yanzhao is now holding An Nianyu's hand and the two of them are walking calmly on the street, looking at the street scenery that seems no different from before except for some newly opened shops, they can't help but sigh at how fast time flies.
After the New Year's Eve party that year, Zhou Luoyi's minor car accident did not cause him any physical injury, but he seemed to suffer a severe mental trauma and often talked nonsense. So, in the end, his parents had no choice but to take him abroad for treatment.
Zhou Luoyin naturally explained the entire process of what had happened in this world to her adoptive parents, without expecting them to have no complaints about her. Surprisingly, they didn't blame her, and in the end, everyone was at peace with each other.
Ning Yanzhao eventually deduced that An Nianyu's unexpected death was related to his long-term work fatigue, coupled with Zhou Luoyi's insistence on drinking with him under the guise of reminiscing.
After stopping Zhou Luoyi back then and confirming An Nianyu's safety, Ning Yanzhao realized that the time loop had finally ended.
An Nianyu followed the "arrangement" of the two time points, taking his mother abroad for medical treatment and studying abroad. In the end, his mother recovered smoothly, and he returned to China to work.
Everything was the same as before. Ning Yanzhao performed steadily in the college entrance examination and was admitted to a prestigious university in that big city as before.
Everything was different from before. In order to make her life a little different, Ning Yanzhao chose a more interesting major for college this time, since most liberal arts graduates end up with the same job.
For Ning Yanzhao, this new university life has been more enriching than the previous period when she was busy with competitions and GPA.
In addition, there is another difference: this time, An Nianyu came back to confess his feelings to Ning Yanzhao when she graduated from high school.
Two people who were secretly in love with each other confessed their feelings when the time was right, and then naturally got together.
I still remember that summer after graduating from high school.
It was at the entrance of the alley leading to Ning Yanzhao's house. After Ning Yanzhao returned from her class graduation party, she saw An Nianyu, who had returned to China for summer vacation, from afar. He was still looking at that mural.
Even though Ning Yanzhao didn't make a sound, An Nianyu immediately noticed her arrival and looked at her with a smile.
At that moment, Ning Yanzhao had a feeling that he was about to say something "big," and within minutes, her premonition came true; he confessed his feelings to her.
"You know what? I've actually liked you for a long time."
"I know."
"So, Ning Yanzhao, are you willing to be with me?"
"Of course I'm willing." That's been the case from the very beginning.
It was after such a simple conversation that the two of them got together.
During their university years, the two would meet whenever they had time.
When we don't see each other, we each study and enrich ourselves.
Ning Yanzhao and An Nianyu have now successfully graduated from university and recently found suitable jobs. Compared to their previous life experiences, they have gained new insights. Both sets of parents are very satisfied with their situation, and their lives are getting back on track.
Now, the two of them have dinner together after get off work and then take a walk outside.
Because of busy work schedules, we usually go straight home. Today, the two of us had a rare moment of leisure to go out for a walk.
As the two walked, when they came to the overpass where they had first crossed back to this place, Ning Yanzhao thought of everything that had happened during that time and was filled with emotion. Fortunately, everything was over, life was becoming more and more hopeful, and everything would get better.
At the same time, An Nianyu, who also noticed the same scene, recalled the first time the two met. It was in the third year of junior high school, and he first saw Ning Yanzhao on the overpass when it was raining.
As the two were reminiscing about their past, an old man's voice interrupted them. Judging from his attire, he could be described as an old Taoist priest.
"Young men, would you like your fortunes told? I think you two have a connection, so I'll give you a free reading."
Actually, even after An Nianyu and Ning Yanzhao had been together for a long time, Ning Yanzhao still didn't know why she had been triggered to travel back in time until she met this old Taoist priest today.
Ning Yanzhao had never seen this old Taoist priest before, but the moment she saw him, she felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Strange.
"Should we calculate it?" Ning Yanzhao asked An Nianyu.
"I'll do whatever you say."
"Alright then, let's do the math. We're already here, and it's free anyway." "We're already here" is a very common phrase in Chinese culture.
Under An Nianyu's skeptical gaze, the old Taoist priest first stared at the two people's faces mysteriously for a long time, saying he was looking at their faces, and then wrote a bunch of "ghostly scribbles" on a piece of paper.
Ning Yanzhao thought that if it were according to the common tropes in TV dramas, one shouldn't hear any good omens, because many fortune tellers just want you to buy their amulets or similar items.
So if you happen to hear something unpleasant, you can treat it as a minor incident and not take it too seriously.
Then, just as Ning Yanzhao had guessed, the old Taoist priest solemnly stroked his white beard, shook his head, and finally clapped his hands, sighing, "This male benefactor and this female benefactor are truly not destined for each other."
Just as Ning Yanzhao was about to say "I knew it," he didn't expect that when An Nianyu heard it, his mood clearly dropped. He actually believed it!
After greeting the old man, Ning Yanzhao pulled An Nianyu away.
"Don't believe in fortune tellers; we decide our own destiny."
“We have a future full of endless possibilities, how can we stop here? Since his outcome isn’t good, then we’ll defy fate.” Seeing that An Nianyu didn’t respond, Ning Yanzhao added.
Before Ning Yanzhao walked away completely, he looked back at the old man one last time, but the old man had already disappeared. He really packed up his stall very quickly!
As Ning Yanzhao turned to look at the old Taoist priest, An Nianyu, seeing Ning Yanzhao who thought she hadn't been noticed, recalled the scene from when the old Taoist priest announced the result.
There was a time when I was living like a walking corpse, seemingly uninterested in anything;
He felt an instant sense of empathy when someone unexpectedly passed away due to heart problems. Afterwards, he couldn't believe he was seeing his own funeral. Meanwhile, Ning Yanzhao was secretly crying alone in a corner unknown to everyone.
Finally, Ning Yanzhao returned to her high school days and made many efforts to save him...
Memories flooded in at that moment, and everything felt so real.
"Oh my god! You don't really believe that, do you? Why are you still spacing out? Let me tell you, a lot of them are scammers, they just try to trick you into buying things. If we really want to calculate, we should find a more professional one."
Memories are real yet fleeting, but what An Nianyu sees now is a more vivid Ning Yanzhao. So he guesses that those memory fragments might be their stories in another time and space.
"No, I believe you, and I believe us."
An Nianyu believes that their story will not end here.
"That's more like it. Let's go get some late-night snacks."
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and the piece of paper with the words "Fate is bitter, but it can eventually be resolved" written on it, which the old man had seen as the two walked away before they finished speaking, vanished into the distance with the wind...
"Yan Zhao, Yan Zhao."
"What do you want?"
"Let me ask you a question. What kind of music did you usually listen to with your headphones on when you were in high school?" On the way to the late-night snack shop, An Nianyu finally asked the question that had always been on her mind.
Not only did he see Ning Yanzhao standing on the rooftop in the rain twice, wearing headphones and listening to music, but he also called her several times during the school's free time, and she didn't hear him. However, An Nianyu just pretended not to care and said that he would never admit that he had actually been curious for a long time.
"It's a song called 'Time Difference,' which I've been listening to on repeat for a long, long time."
"Time Difference? Is that the song you said you liked the most in Chinese class?"
"right."
"Why?"
"Because my favorite lyric is, 'I want to fall in love with you in a moment without time difference, because you are not for sale.'"
Not just now, but every day thereafter.
(End of main text)
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