Chapter 122 Silence
"twenty one."
Yun Zhan found a place where Wen Sixue wasn't around and called 21 out alone: "What's going on? Is it really some kind of illusion?"
Unlike most people, she didn't simply dismiss Wen Sixue's words as an absurd nightmare.
Yun Zhan knew Wen Sixue too well. He knew she wasn't the type to become hysterical for no reason. If it was just a normal nightmare, she would snuggle into his arms for comfort, instead of stubbornly and obsessively holding his hand with brokenness and unease in her eyes.
Moreover, everything Yun Zhan experienced was beyond the realm of reason. She was a time traveler, wandering through different time periods, and different choices would lead to different paths.
Therefore, Yun Zhan would seriously evaluate even the most absurd and impossible things.
Now, she chooses to unconditionally believe and value every word Wen Sixue says, and to perceive every emotion she has.
"Let me check... I'll first see if Bai Jichen's side was behind it, and then I'll ask the Supreme God."
The electronic sound of 21 echoed in Yun Zhan's mind.
"Hmm... I analyzed Wen Sixue's brainwaves and mental state... She seems to have some kind of emotional stress reaction after deep REM sleep, probably a post-nightmare syndrome. But the content of the dream seems... a bit unusual."
Yun Zhan frowned and tapped the wooden table in front of him with his free hand: "What's so special about it?"
21 was silent for a while, as it was exploring deeper. After a while, 21 gave an explanation that sounded somewhat magical.
"The main god just replied that it did not interfere in your affairs. Bai Jichen's side doesn't have anything, so the illusion is unlikely."
"Based on my speculation, I feel... it's more like she glimpsed or 'senseed' the possibility of other parallel timelines at a subconscious level within her dreams."
"Other timelines?"
Yun Zhan suddenly tensed up, his heart leaping into his throat.
Actually... she didn't fall in love with Wen Sixue from the beginning; she fell in love with her later.
Back then, in the illusion... she was considering whether or not to reciprocate the feelings of the female protagonists. If she hadn't chosen Wen Sixue at that time... perhaps the timeline would have been different.
Yun Zhan suddenly felt guilty. She pinched her eyebrows hard, starting to feel uneasy. What if Wen Sixue saw the other timelines...?
"This doesn't feel good..." Yun Zhan bent down and buried his face in his knees.
"Yes," 21's voice continued.
"Yun Zhan, do you remember what you were like at the beginning? I mean when you first transmigrated to this world."
Yun Zhan certainly remembered.
When she first transmigrated, her life trajectory was clear: her goal was to complete the mission and go home as soon as possible.
Emotions, especially love, are the least important option in her life plan, and are even completely excluded.
She viewed everything around her with a scrutinizing, indifferent attitude, focused solely on completing her mission to get home.
21 seemed to know what she was thinking and continued, "Actually, you used to be quite aloof. You didn't care about anything outside of missions, let alone dating. Your first meeting at the theater was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."
"So, it's possible... in most timelines, you didn't choose to go out, and you didn't meet at that theater. Or, even if you did meet, given your mindset at the time, you would only have seen her as an insignificant leading lady; to you, she was just a pretty person who had nothing to do with you."
In those timelines, you wouldn't fall in love with her.
The last sentence of 21 was calm to the point of being cruel, yet it was also incredibly real.
Yun Zhan's body tensed up suddenly.
21's words were somewhat chilling upon closer examination. Yun Zhan had never realized so clearly how lucky and accidental it was that he had met Wen Sixue.
Everything only requires a tiny deviation.
If she hadn't impulsively decided to see that play that day, or if she had left right after the play without giving her the brooch from the audience... any seemingly insignificant choice would have pushed them onto two parallel lines that would never intersect.
On that parallel line, Wen Sixue will encounter Yun Zhan, the indifferent man in her dreams who doesn't recognize her or love her.
That's why Wen Sixue was so afraid.
“But this is not an illusion, it’s real.” Yun Zhan remained silent for a long time before his emotions gradually calmed down.
"In my timeline, the ending was predetermined from the moment I first saw Wen Sixue in the audience."
...
After a while, Yun Zhan picked up the scattered fish and put them back in the bucket. These fish were delicious, and it would be a waste not to eat them.
She put the fish aside. Wen Sixue's emotions had calmed down a lot, but her eyes were still red. She sat quietly on the sofa without saying a word, staring at Yun Zhan without blinking.
Yun Zhan poured her a glass of warm water and handed it to her, then sat down next to her.
"Ah Xue, I need to talk to you about something."
After thinking about it, Yun Zhan felt it was necessary to explain things to Wen Sixue and let her know what she had been through.
This is better than brushing it off with something as trivial as "it was just a nightmare."
“Ah Xue.” Yun Zhan looked directly into her eyes and said frankly, “I’ll tell you honestly, it really doesn’t seem like a dream. According to 21’s analysis, you may very well have…seen other timelines.”
Yun Zhan paused for a moment, giving Wen Sixue time to process it, and then used a more common and easy-to-understand term: "You can think of it as a parallel world."
When Wen Sixue heard the words "parallel world," her eyes widened. This was somewhat beyond her comprehension, but she would believe anything Yun Zhan said.
This was something unknown to Wen Sixue, and she was a little frightened. She gripped Yun Zhan's hand tightly in return.
Wen Sixue's emotions, which she had finally managed to calm down, became complicated again. Her voice trembled slightly with fear: "So... you mean, in another timeline, or many timelines... we weren't together?"
The moment she asked that question, Wen Sixue could hear her heart pounding wildly out of control.
Yun Zhan was right beside her, their hands clasped tightly, able to feel each other's warmth. But in another time and space, they were strangers, never having met. This realization transformed into an uncontrollable fear, gripping her throat and suffocating her.
After learning about these things, she wouldn't feel relieved; on the contrary, she would feel a deep sadness.
I feel sad for my lonely self in that world, and I also feel sorry for Yun Zhan in that world who missed out on his own.
"Don't be so sad. Before I met you, 'love' was never an option in my life plan."
Yun Zhan's voice was very soft. She peeled back her layers and showed them to Wen Sixue: "I used to be indifferent and self-centered. I thought emotions were a useless burden. So, it's very possible... the person you met in your dream was me back then."
She did not deny that cruel possibility, because it was a fact.
Wen Sixue's eyes reddened again.
"But even in other timelines..."
Wen Sixue raised her head and grabbed Yun Zhan's sleeve. Her eyes were red and she was a little stubborn: "I also want you to like me. I feel like... I can't accept the fact that you don't love me."
Even if you and I are complete strangers in that world, even if you are indifferent and aloof, I still hope that you can be moved by me and fall in love with me.
This was her humblest, yet most persistent, wish.
It seems she can no longer tolerate the possibility that "Yun Zhan doesn't love Wen Sixue," even if that only exists in a parallel universe.
Whether those timelines exist or not is not important to us.
"The important thing is that you made me fall in love with you in this timeline. You did something that never happened in most parallel universes. You're amazing, Xue."
Yun Zhan also felt that he was very lucky to have taken this step and chosen to be with Wen Sixue.
She looked into Wen Sixue's eyes and wiped the corner of Wen Sixue's eye with her fingertip: "You have the most real, unique, and exclusive Yun Zhan, which belongs only to you."
Wen Sixue nodded.
Yes, why be sad about those vague and uncertain possibilities?
She has already achieved the best possible ending.
This is the person she risked her life to win over, and the rest of her life she fought for.
Wen Sixue buried her head in Yun Zhan's arms, burying her face deep in the crook of his neck, breathing in the comforting scent.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the steady breathing of the two people.
After a while, Wen Sixue seemed to have completely calmed down.
Yun Zhan then loosened her grip a little, took out a wireless earphone case from her pocket, took out a white earphone, and then leaned close to Wen Sixue, naturally trying to help her put it on.
Yun Zhan's hot breath brushed against Wen Sixue's ear, causing a slight tickle that made Wen Sixue's neck involuntarily tighten.
"Let's listen to this."
She said softly, "This is a song from the North, a very quiet folk song. I think it's pretty good and has a stress-relieving effect."
Yun Zhan wanted to use music to distract her and help her get out of her bad mood.
However, the moment the cold earphone was gently inserted into Wen Sixue's left ear, Wen Sixue's face visibly turned pale.
After that, Wen Sixue's entire body stiffened.
In Yun Zhan's view, the moment Wen Sixue put on the headphones, her face seemed to be frozen by frost, the color draining from her face and turning deathly pale.
She had been nestled in his arms and acting coquettishly before, but now she was filled with panic and helplessness.
Wen Sixue bit her lower lip, afraid that Yun Zhan would find out...
Yun Zhan's actions were too sudden; she hadn't yet figured out what expression to use to respond in a way that would appear natural.
The ear that was just plugged into the earphone can't hear anything.
She could not hear the melodious folk songs, nor the "soothing melody" that Yun Zhan had mentioned; all she could hear was deathly silence.
She never intended for Yun Zhan to know this secret from the beginning; she carefully kept it hidden in her heart, not daring to reveal the slightest flaw.
Previously, she had deliberately stood to Yun Zhan's right side when speaking, and would always subconsciously turn her right ear outward when sleeping, using every means to cover it up, for fear that he would discover this little "imperfection" in her body.
She was afraid that Yun Zhan would ask more questions, afraid that she would feel guilty after learning the truth, and even more afraid that this imperfection would become a barrier between them.
"What’s wrong with you?"
How could Wen Sixue's little actions possibly escape Yun Zhan's notice?
Yun Zhan's expression suddenly turned serious. She had unintentionally touched Wen Sixue's deepest, most unwelcome wound in the most unintentional way.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Wen Sixue froze there, not daring to move, even her breathing stopped.
Her mind went blank, filled only with the panic of being discovered; this worry overwhelmed her instantly.
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