Chapter 28: 29 Hours in a Day. Beyond the Uniform Measure of Time…
There are surprisingly many people dining at this time today, as if they all came here after watching the Century Sunset.
Dong Lanyi ate the sweet crab roe while chatting with Qin Yi about the upcoming itinerary.
"Let's go somewhere fun before coming back for the Lunar New Year, Xiaoyi." There were still ten days until the Lunar New Year, and there wasn't much fun to do in Singapore. "But we've already tried everything nearby."
They have traveled to almost all the surrounding countries in recent years.
As soon as the holidays came, the two of them would land in Singapore, rest for a few days, and then set off on their journey.
"Is there anything you want to play or where you want to go?" Qin Yi asked.
"There's nothing special about it," Dong Lanyi said. "The only thing is that I wanted to see snow. The snow in Lan City was really beautiful, but it's a pity that it has stopped. But we've visited all the nearby countries, and going to Europe seems too rushed, and we only went there two years ago." She sighed.
"Eastern Europe? It's snowing a lot in Russia these days. Can we go see the aurora borealis?"
Dong Lanyi raised her eyes, her gaze gradually brightening. "Great, great. Eastern Europe happens to be closer to us."
Qin Yi nodded, freeing his hands to pick up his phone and start booking tickets. "Leaving the day after tomorrow? Otherwise, we'll miss the Spring Festival."
"Okay, let's get ready tomorrow."
The rest of the meal was spent planning the route, including which city to visit, where to chase the aurora, which museum Dong Lanyi liked and must visit, and when to return.
It was almost ten o'clock when we finished eating.
Dong Lanyi asked the waiter to settle the bill.
The waiter came over and said, "This is already done."
"Huh?" Dong Lanyi quickly shook her head. "No, no, we just finished eating." She pulled a card from her pocket. "I'll swipe it."
The waiter confirmed: "It's really tied. A girl tied it."
Dong Lanyi scratched his head in confusion, "Who is it... Is it someone else's mistake?"
Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat at that moment, and he guessed some possible situations.
"Xiao Yi..." Dong Lanyi had to look at Qin Yi in confusion, "If that's the case, someone must have tied the wrong knot."
Qin Yi asked the waiter, "Is this the girl at table 28?"
The waiter nodded immediately: "Yes, there are two girls eating at their table. They are about the same age as you."
"So small." Dong Lanyi muttered.
Qin Yi asked a little worriedly: "How does she know which table I am at?" This place is very secluded.
Waiter: "She asked me, and she said she was wearing a mask and a hat, very tall, and in a black T-shirt. You're the only one who meets the requirements in our store today, and the timing is perfect, so let's get it done."
Qin Yi: “…”
Dong Lanyi murmured, "That seems to be correct."
Qin Yi nodded and asked, "Have they left?"
"Left ten minutes ago."
Qin Yi told his sister to leave. They had been eating for a while, studying travel guides.
But he didn't expect that the little ancestor said he wanted to treat him to a meal in Singapore, and in the end, he really did.
He couldn't help laughing.
After leaving the restaurant, Dong Lanyi asked him, "Xiao Yi, could it be that you, that..."
"Um."
"Didn't she know you were in Singapore? Why did she pay for us? Are you exposed?"
"No, she was riding her bike on the beach and got hit by someone, and I helped her up. Then I heard she was coming here for dinner, so I came. Who knew she was also in this restaurant? We just met again. She just treated it as a thank you, thanking me for helping her up."
"..." Dong Lanyi couldn't help but smile, tilting her head to look at him, "This is the first time I've seen you... care about someone to this extent. Did you go because you knew she was going to the East Coast?"
Qin Yi just smiled and said nothing, remaining silent and admitting it.
Dong Lanyi suddenly couldn't laugh anymore and asked him hesitantly, "What will you do if we go on a trip? You won't be able to see her."
"It's okay," Qin Yi said calmly. "I can't create chance encounters every day. My Hanhan will be terrified and call the police to tell them someone is following her."
“…”
She laughed helplessly.
…
The first thing Yu Han did when she got home was to take out the Century Sunset photos from her camera. She was dizzy with the beauty of it.
Qin Yi had just arrived home at that time. When he walked into the yard, he saw the photo she sent and replied: "Home, Han baby."
"Yes, yes, I have homework tonight, so I have to hurry."
He smiled.
Yu Han: "I'll send you the photos after I finish editing them, and then post them on Instagram and WeChat Moments. I have a lot to do."
“…” Qin Yi chuckled.
Their parents were waiting for them in the living room. Qin Xin was holding her cell phone and was about to make a call when she saw the two of them come in leisurely, one in front and one behind.
"You two," Qin Xin immediately accused, "you're playing so late and coming back so late, it's almost eleven o'clock."
Dong Lanyi leaned over and said, "We just finished dinner at ten o'clock, Auntie."
The couple: "..."
Dong Shuqing was confused: "Did you two go abroad to eat?"
Dong Lanyi laughed: "No~ I went to the East Coast to watch the sunset earlier. Did you see uncle? The sunset today is particularly beautiful."
"I saw you two at the restaurant. You two went to the beach, didn't you?" Qin Xin said with a helpless smile, "We were sitting in the restaurant with our partners at the time."
Dong Lanyi put his arm around his aunt's shoulders and nodded as he stood beside the sofa. "We had afternoon tea this afternoon. We're not hungry. We didn't have dinner until eight o'clock. We ate at Parkway Plaza near East Coast. It took us half an hour to get back. It's quite far."
"It's far away, that one." Qin Xin nodded.
Dong Lanyi: "But, uncle and aunt, Xiaoyi and I are planning to go to Moscow to see the snow and the aurora. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."
"Going to Moscow?" Dong Shuqing hesitated. "How long will you go? Aren't you two coming back for the New Year?"
"Oh, I came back. Moscow is so close. I came back before the New Year. Uncle, you always suspected that Xiaoyi and I were going to become homeless people abroad."
“…”
The couple couldn't stop laughing.
After Qin Yi had finished talking to his parents, he went upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he replied to Yu Han, "There are so many things to do. How long will you be busy, little ancestor?"
Yu Han took time out of her busy schedule to talk to him: "Are you going to bed?"
Qin Yi: "It's still early. It doesn't matter what time it is. It's my day off. If you can't finish it right away, I'll go take a shower."
"Okay, go ahead. Call me when you're done. I should be almost there."
"Okay. Then you try harder. I can pull all-nighters but you can't, huh? Go to bed early tonight."
"Okay, I'll be more efficient today so I can meet Qin earlier."
Qin Yi was amused by her and laughed as he went to the cloakroom to get clothes.
While taking a shower, the sunset photo she had just sent flashed through his mind, so Qin Yi wondered whether he should tell Yu Han that he was going out to play.
If you say so, how can you explain that you are “rich” and rely on bonuses?
But he was unwilling to keep it to himself. He wanted to share the aurora with her. If he didn't share these things with her, there would be no value for him to see them.
Qin Yi freed his hand to pick up his phone and set a photo she shared as the chat background.
My hands were wet and the operation was not sensitive, so I accidentally sent a period.
Yu Han: "Huh? Aren't you taking a shower?"
Qin Yi: "Yes, I'm washing it. I sent it accidentally." He withdrew the period.
"Why are you on your phone while showering? Do you want to share your abs?"
“…”
Qin Yi took a deep breath, wiped his hands, and began to type seriously to reprimand her: "How can a teenager say such a thing?"
Yu Han: "I follow a lot of models on Instagram, don't you know?"
Qin Yi: "..." His Adam's apple rolled, and he gave the order with difficulty, "Unfollow."
Yu Han: "No, you and I are just online friends, don't worry about it."
Qin Yi: “…”
Yu Han: "But if you send me a picture, I can unfollow you."
Qin Yi: “…”
He took a deep breath, pressed the voice message and sent a message: "Wait until I finish washing, I will definitely deal with you."
"Hey hey hey stingy!"
Qin Yi: “…”
He dropped his phone without replying and quickly took a shower.
…
Not receiving a reply, Yu Han silently captioned the beautiful picture on her Instagram, sent it, and then posted it on her Moments.
My classmates in China all commented that it was so beautiful, saying that Lan City was cloudy all day and there were not even stars, let alone a century-long sunset.
When Qin Yi finished taking a shower and was about to clean up her with his phone, he found that the post on a certain little ancestor's Instagram read like this - When can we watch it together?
Qin Yi sat on the bed, holding his phone. He bent over, resting his elbows on his knees. He stared at it for a minute before commenting, "Almost there."
When he heard that she was going to post on WeChat Moments, Qin Yi exited Instagram and went to WeChat Moments.
The little princess was here, perhaps because there were so many people, so she didn't feel comfortable being sad. The caption on her nine-square grid read: "Watch it with me."
He guessed that it was him who was invited, so he liked the message and sent her a private message.
"I'm busy, little ancestor."
"Yeah, yeah. You're done."
"Well, come and beat you up."
"You're so amazing! Can you sneak into Singapore along the power lines? I'm going to report you! I'll make 5,000 yuan."
"..." He laughed. It was only five thousand dollars. It was only twenty to thirty minutes' journey from the Bukit Timah residential area to the East Coast.
He half-seriously joked with her, "Be careful, if you see it in the blink of an eye, it's all over."
The little princess was completely unaware of the dangers of the world and was lost in her own fantasy: "Come on, I'll be waiting. My parents are not at home, you can stay at my house."
“…” He never stops until his words shock people. The younger he is, the bolder he is.
He immediately made a phone call.
"If you call me without any photos of your abs, I won't answer the phone." The little princess said on the voice call.
"..." Qin Yi sighed, stood up and walked to the balcony, lying on the sofa to blow his hair, "How dare you bring that up? You're so young, aren't you afraid of getting your eyes hurt by looking around?"
"..." Yu Han was so shy that she buried her head in the bed. She felt very upset when he pointed out her joking words seriously.
She mumbled, "Don't talk nonsense."
Qin Yi asked calmly, "If you don't talk nonsense, how can I lead you astray?"
"Who told you to send me a message while taking a shower? You flirted first." Yu Han felt that the fault was not hers.
Qin Yi felt even more wronged: "I just touched it by mistake, so I can't escape the death penalty? Your laws in Singapore are so strict."
She laughed so hard that she could not help but resist stubbornly: "Humph, it's strict. If you keep doing this, you will at least be sentenced to life imprisonment."
Qin Yi smiled, chatted with her for a few more words, and finally talked seriously about his plan with the person on the other end of the phone, "Hanhan, let's be serious."
"Huh? Why am I not serious?"
"I'm going on a trip these few days, so I might not be able to talk to you on the phone for such a long time every day, but you can always contact me, okay?" He was a little worried about her being home alone. "Before your parents come back, please don't go too far, okay? It's not safe."
Yu Han's attention was completely focused on his first sentence: "You're going on a trip, where? With whom?"
"Let's go to Moscow with my sister. Can I take a picture of the aurora for you?"
"Okay, okay!" Yu Han said she had never been to Russia. "Take a picture of the aurora for me! I've never seen it!!"
"Okay. When will your family return to Singapore?"
"Hmm." She took out her phone and flipped through the calendar. "I just called, and they said they'll be back with my grandparents on the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month."
"Not until the day after tomorrow." Today is only the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, and I'm really worried. "Can you not go out to play tomorrow? Go home after school, don't go riding your bike, wait until your family comes back before going out to play."
I subconsciously wanted to ask her if her hand still hurt, but when I came to my senses, I stopped myself, as if there was something stuck in my throat.
Yu Han's obedient voice came over: "I'm not going to ride anymore."
Qin Yi: "Well, be good. Wait until your family goes back. At least there will be someone there if something happens. I really don't feel comfortable leaving you alone."
"Okay, then when are you going to play?"
"the day after tomorrow."
"Oh, but why do you have money to travel?"
“…” A belated question.
Qin Yi coughed lightly and said, "I've participated in quite a few competitions this year, you know. The prize money is quite high."
"Wow, this is how academic elites make money." Yu Han stroked his chin in thought before finally saying, "Well, you can have fun. It's a pity that I had to go to school when you had money. I was born at the wrong time."
“…” He laughed.
Yu Han couldn't smile at all, and became even sadder: "Wow, I won't go back to China this Spring Festival. My family will celebrate the New Year in Singapore from now on."
"It's okay." Qin Yi immediately comforted her, "You went back last year, and we didn't meet."
"Are you saying these words to comfort me, classmate Qin?!" She exploded.
Qin Yi chuckled softly and soothed the man on the phone: "Don't be angry, I just want to say that if you go back this year, we still won't be able to see each other, even if you want to. So don't mind the New Year, okay? We'll meet at a different time later."
"You're going somewhere else to celebrate the New Year again, right?" She remembered that he was going to Taipei last year.
"right."
"Well, the New Year is not a good time for us to meet. Then you can travel first and have fun. Play with your sister, the school beauty sister."
Qin Yi was afraid that she would remember the scene at the airport yesterday. She had said yesterday that his sister was beautiful.
Fortunately, the little princess changed the subject after she finished speaking and did not think that this travel combination was an "astonishing coincidence."
"If I were to contact you at this time every day, it would only be afternoon. I remember there's a five-hour time difference between Moscow and Singapore. Well, I won't call you then. Go and have some fun."
"It's okay. I can call you anytime. If I don't hear from you for a few days, wouldn't my trip be in vain? Even if I saw the aurora, it would be extremely boring."
She laughed and buried her head in her pillow, feeling very happy.
"You just left me a message on Instagram..." she asked.
Qin Yi: "Yeah. What's wrong?"
"Maybe it won't work again."
"No what?"
"I always feel that for various reasons, I can't see him. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment."
Qin Yi thought of the two times she had returned to China specifically, one time when he didn't want to see her, and the other time when she finally didn't want to see her.
The last time, I deliberately didn’t tell him because I was afraid of meeting him.
I feel sad when I think about it. I feel sad for the little princess nowadays who says that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
"I promise, I won't do that again," he said. "It was better not to see you before, for all sorts of reasons."
"Well, even if it's suitable in the future, it might not be convenient for various reasons."
"No, never again."
Qin's translation was not nonsense; it was carefully planned according to the actual situation.
He said, "You will graduate at the end of this year."
"But you, you are different from me." She was depressed. "I won't be able to see you when I return to China."
Qin Yi: "I will be a senior this fall. After this year, I will only have one semester left next year. However, normally, I should be admitted through recommendation, so I will basically not have to attend classes next year."
Yu Han's voice began to brighten a little: "It means... we can graduate at the same time. Right?"
"right."
So this meeting is a must, and we have plenty of time to meet.
Yu Han was happy and felt that good days were just around the corner.
…
Blizzard in Russia in January.
From the moment she got off the plane, she was bombarded by heavy snow. Dong Lanyi was overwhelmed by the beauty beyond words, but also felt extremely cold.
The hotel they stayed in had an arched lattice floor-to-ceiling window. After Dong Lanyi packed her luggage, she held her camera and took pictures in front of the window, taking pictures of the snow on the balcony and the Baroque-style buildings in the snow in the distance.
Qin Yi fell on the sofa in the living room and chatted with Yu Han on his cell phone.
“It actually snows in Yale,” Dong Lanyi said suddenly, “but I won’t be back for the New Year next year.”
Qin Yi raised his head and looked towards the window.
Dong Lanyi looked back and asked: "Xiaoyi, which school are you going to apply to?"
Qin translated: "Domestic."
Dong Lanyi: "I expected that." She lowered her head to look at the camera and murmured, "You must want to stay local so that you can take care of your grandparents. You shouldn't go too far. Your sister is very busy filming and can't come back."
It was obvious that she was feeling a little down. They had been studying together since childhood. Qin Yi said, "I'll come to see you when I have time. I'll be mostly fine by the beginning of next year, so I'll come to see you."
Dong Lanyi chuckled and nodded.
"Have you decided what to read? While I'm in China, I can analyze it for you. Otherwise, when I'm gone, there will be no one to talk to you about it."
"What you want may not work out, and the next best thing is still being considered."
"Which one do you want to go to? You might not be able to get into one?" She was surprised. "Don't you want to choose those popular majors? If so, you can pick any one."
"Hmm, not interested, boring."
"If you study mathematics, do scientific research, study biology, study physics, or any of these, they're all pretty much the same, and you have to delve into them all by yourself, which is boring."
"Um."
"So what do you want to read?"
"medicine."
"Medicine." She came over in surprise. "Why? I never knew you were interested in this."
"I've been thinking about it for the past two years. I don't really have any particular interests in other subjects. It just so happens that I can participate in competitions in biology. If I can win a prize here, I can be admitted to medical school."
"Then why are you interested in medicine?"
"At one point, I learned about a very complex congenital disease and thought, 'This field is also good.' It seems that compared to studying mathematics and physics, this field of research is more attractive and less boring."
"What about your girlfriend?" she asked curiously, "Do you study together?"
Qin Yi shook his head: "She won't. I don't know what she's interested in yet. We haven't discussed it yet."
"Ah, you haven't dated?" Dong Lanyi thought they must be together.
Qin Yi chuckled: "I really haven't talked about it."
The university entrance exam in Singapore is completely different from that in China. After a period of time after the high school final exam, you have to take an exam related to your major. The results of this exam will determine which school you can apply to.
So in general, she doesn't need to think too much before graduation. Even if she doesn't do well in the graduation exam, she can take a few days off and then work hard on the major she wants to study to save herself. So it's not too late to think about it after she graduates.
"Are you sure? You have to be careful about this. After all, no one in our family studies this," she spread her hands. "My sister didn't, and neither did I. No one in the family studied or worked in this field either. No one can give you any help or advice."
"I'm not sure yet. I have to win a prize in the National Student Olympiad. If I don't, there's nothing I can do. If I rely on the college entrance exam, my teachers won't let me give up my recommended admission to study this."
"Yes, that's a pity. You should think about it carefully."
…
We took a flight early in the morning and arrived in the evening, so we were a little tired.
Soon after, both of them returned to their rooms to rest, letting the blizzard sweep across the ancient city.
Before going to bed, Qin Yi sent a message to Yu Han.
It was already two o'clock in the morning over there, but she didn't expect the little princess to be staying up all night again.
The little princess said that her parents and grandparents arrived in Singapore today, so she can go out and play tomorrow night. She plans to go to the beach to fly kites with her classmates.
Flying a kite shouldn’t be dangerous, Qin Yi agreed, and asked her to be careful.
Yu Han: "It's only ten o'clock in Moscow now, five hours late."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Will you miss me for 29 hours?"
“…”
Qin Yi made a voice call.
She didn't listen.
After flirting, the person buried himself in the pillow and disappeared, as cowardly as a paper tiger.
Qin Yi called patiently and repeatedly, and finally after the third call, she was forced to answer.
As soon as the call was connected, he was tortured.
Because the first sentence was said by Qin Yi: "Of course, I will think about our baby Hanhan's 29 full hours outside of the universally measured time."
"Wuwuwuwuwu." I'm dying.
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