Truth?

Lin Xian recalled the night before last, when Chu Anqing came to his room in the middle of the night to chat, and was caught in the act by Huang Que...

That night, Chu Anqing told him that she couldn't sleep, so she went to the training room to train for a while.

Then Huang Que came downstairs and saw her, and the two chatted, and Huang Que even told Chu Anqing about the spacetime particles.

This isn't the truth?

There's something being concealed?

And according to Chu Anqing... Huang Que deliberately wanted Chu Anqing to hide it from him, with a very serious and earnest attitude.

He suddenly understood.

No wonder.

No wonder Chu Anqing was so nervous and scared when she heard Huang Que's voice outside the door, covering her mouth in fear.

And when she opened the door to sneak away and found Huang Que waiting there, her hair stood on end in fright, like a sea urchin.

At the time, Lin Xian thought Chu Anqing's reaction was a bit too intense.

Even if a man and a woman alone in a room might lead to speculation...

But they were innocent, their conscience was clear, and there was nothing to be afraid of? It was as if Huang Que had caught them in an affair.

Now, Lin Xian finally understood.

He had a clear conscience.

But Chu Anqing had a guilty conscience; she felt guilty!

Huang Que had just sternly told her not to tell Lin Xian, but then she was caught chatting in Lin Xian's room... it looked like she was going to tattle!

No wonder Chu Anqing was so scared that she became a sea urchin; there was a hidden story behind it.

"What truth?"

Lin Xian sat up straight and asked,

"What exactly happened that day?"

...

Chu Anqing took a sip of her drink with a straw, cleared her throat, and began to slowly recount.

The night before last, she really couldn't sleep and went to the training room to practice on her own; that part was true.

But while she was practicing, she suddenly heard a series of loud noises from the bathroom next door, accompanied by the sounds of various pots and jars falling to the ground, and violent coughing.

At the time, Chu Anqing felt that something must have happened to someone, so she quickly ran to the bathroom next door to check.

And then!

"The scene inside really scared me!"

Chu Anqing still looked worried as she recalled,

"The shelf in the bathroom had fallen, and everything on it was smashed on the ground. Huang Que-jie was lying in the mess, kneeling on the floor, her hands supporting herself, shaking all over, and coughing violently."

"I was so scared that I quickly ran over to help Huang Que-jie up. But... she kept pushing me away, not letting me get close to her. And she kept her head buried, no matter how I called her, she wouldn't look up or let me see her face."

"Then I got up and was about to run out to call for help, to call a doctor, but she grabbed me again and said not to call anyone, just to wait for her there. But she didn't raise her head the whole time... I really didn't know what to do at the time, so I just squatted next to her and watched over her."

"Soon, she stopped coughing, her body stopped shaking, and her breathing calmed down. Then she looked up at me, smiled, and said she was fine, just that she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. I was shocked and confused at the time, and looked her up and down for a long time, and found that she seemed to be fine, except for her hair being a little messy and the heel of her high heel being broken, she seemed to be really okay."

"If I had to say something... I don't know if it was my imagination, but I felt that Huang Que-jie's eyes seemed to be a little 'darker'. Before, they were always bright, crystal blue, as if they would glow, very beautiful and deep; but when she looked up, I felt that her blue eyes weren't as bright... But, but that must be my imagination! I also know that people's pupil color doesn't change, right? It must have been the light in the bathroom at the time."

"Then Huang Que-jie stood up as if nothing had happened, and told me that she didn't know what was going on either. She suddenly had a stomach cramp, as if she had a charley horse, and it hurt so much that she couldn't stand still and fell down, knocking over the shelf holding the pots and jars in the bathroom. She told me to clean it up with her, because she didn't want to bother others or let others know about this embarrassing thing."

"It was at this time that she earnestly, seriously, and even sternly told me not to tell anyone about this. And she specifically emphasized that I couldn't tell Lin Xian-xuezhang you... she probably thought we were close, so she was afraid I would tell you that she was sick, right? Then we cleaned up the bathroom together, and then went to the training room. She told me about the spacetime particles, and then she left, and I returned to the dormitory. On the way, I heard you talking on the phone in the dormitory... You know what happened after that."

...

Lin Xian listened to Chu Anqing's description and understood the whole story.

In fact, most of what Chu Anqing said before was true.

She had simply omitted the part where Huang Que fell in the bathroom due to physical pain.

But...

Lin Xian couldn't understand.

Why would she specifically tell her to keep this a secret from him?

And so earnestly?

It wasn't necessary, right...

Everyone has times when they don't feel well? Lin Xian could understand such things happening to anyone. Sometimes kidney stones or appendicitis can be so painful that you want to die. Lin Xian had seen many such cases over the years and wouldn't look down on anyone because of it.

Ridiculous, who would look down on someone for such a thing?

So, Huang Que told Chu Anqing to keep this a secret from him...

[It's not a matter of face.]

Then what could it be?

Lin Xian noticed the details Chu Anqing mentioned earlier...

First of all, Huang Que didn't let Chu Anqing call for help and then was fine after a while.

This meant that she wasn't sick. She knew she didn't need help, and she knew she would recover after a while, so she stopped Chu Anqing from calling for help.

Secondly, she never let Chu Anqing see her face. Chu Anqing could clearly feel this deliberate attempt.

Eliminating silly reasons like worrying about her face or being afraid of destroying her image... the most likely reason was that Huang Que was afraid that something on her face would be seen by others, or that there was something on her face at the time that she didn't want anyone else to know.

Finally, and most importantly.

[The color of her eyes.]

vv had said it, and Lin Xian could also feel it himself: Huang Que's crystal blue eyes were definitely not normal.

It couldn't be natural.

No one can have such bright eyes that seem to flow, like starlight.

Let alone in reality.

Even in cartoons, you rarely see pupils that give the illusion of glowing. Whose eyeballs can be like LED lights?

He hadn't ignored this issue before.

But what was the use of caring?

Her eyes were like that, that was a fact. Even if it was biologically impossible, it was already on her face; he couldn't just dig them out and study them.

Chu Anqing said that she noticed Huang Que's crystal blue eyes had dimmed.

Lin Xian recalled Huang Que outside the door that night, and Huang Que he had seen in the two days afterward; the brightness of her pupils had returned to normal.

This...

Lin Xian was speechless for a moment.

Could this person be a robot?

Out of power?

And then secretly went to change the batteries?

That was a bit of a stretch...

Not to mention 2024, even if Huang Que really traveled from 600 years in the future, Lin Xian believed that robots could never be as agile as humans.

Moreover, at the astronaut training base, they often had physical examinations and blood tests... he had personally seen blood drawn from Huang Que's arm, and they had eaten and drunk together.

Besides, you need to go through security checks when taking a plane or going abroad; if she were a robot, she would have been discovered long ago.

In short, let's forget about the robot theory; it's too far-fetched.

Combining the above thoughts.

Lin Xian believed that the most reasonable answer was—

[Assuming that Huang Que is a time traveler, there must be something wrong with her body. Is she running out of time? Or is her body about to disappear? Or... is she being attacked by certain spacetime laws, such as spacetime elasticity?]

Huh?

Lin Xian felt that the inspiration he had just had really hit the core.

[Attacks from spacetime laws!]

If these time travelers are doing things that change the cause and effect of spacetime, will they be subject to some kind of backlash, even within spacetime elasticity?

If this theory is correct.

Then Lin Xian had new curiosity...

Changes within spacetime elasticity will be subject to backlash.

What if you do something that exceeds spacetime elasticity?

What will happen?

Will it be forcibly eliminated by the power of spacetime to prevent paradoxes?

Unclear...

Lin Xian felt that the more he thought about it, the more fantastical it became; these were all things with no evidence at all.

"Are there any other details to add?"

Lin Xian looked up at Chu Anqing.

Chu Anqing shook her head,

"There's nothing else. After cleaning up the bathroom, Huang Que-jie threw away her broken high heels and changed into a pair of flat shoes from the training room."

"I see."

Lin Xian said softly,

"No wonder she didn't make any 'da-da-da' sounds when she came to my dormitory door that day, or when we thought she had left; it turned out she had changed into flat shoes."

"If she had been wearing her high heels that night, we would have heard her approaching long ago, and wouldn't have noticed her until she knocked on the door."

In that case.

A lot of things made sense.

"Maybe Huang Que just didn't want us to worry too much." Lin Xian said casually,

"She's so old, much older than us, and she's the commander-in-chief; she's so capable, she must be much more powerful than us. I don't think you need to worry about her too much; she'll definitely handle everything well."

"But..."

Lin Xian looked at Chu Anqing with some confusion,

"Why did you think of her when you heard this song?"

"Because Huang Que-jie is really 'lonely'!" Chu Anqing said,

"Haven't you noticed? Huang Que-jie is always alone. She... she's like a gust of wind that doesn't belong to this world; no matter where she blows, she doesn't have a sense of belonging, she doesn't belong anywhere."

"Think about it. First of all, let's not worry about whether Huang Que is her real name or not. We don't know her age, but she definitely looks like she's in her thirties. A woman of this age... is she married? Does she have a husband? Does she have children? We don't know anything. Based on our observations... she probably doesn't."

"Her phone never rings. Neither her phone ringtone nor her WeChat ringtone has ever rung... it seems like she really doesn't have family, no friends, no social life, and no one to chat with."

"In front of us, she always acts very reliable and powerful, as if she can handle anything. But... none of these things can change her loneliness! She's like she's not from this world; I understand not having friends, but doesn't she even have family? She can't have just popped out of a rock, right?"

"And the thing I can't figure out the most is..."

Chu Anqing paused.

She rubbed the drink cup with both hands and said softly,

"This time, we're taking a spaceplane to capture spacetime particles in space. Even if I don't understand these things very well, I can tell that it's not an easy task. You and Teacher Liu Feng have good reasons; you want spacetime particles. Gao Yang-xuezhang and I are your friends, and we have this relationship, so we definitely want to come and help you. But... what about Huang Que-jie?"

Chu Anqing looked up, blinked her eyes, and looked at Lin Xian as if questioning his soul,

"[Huang Que-jie doesn't want spacetime particles... so what reason does she have to help you so wholeheartedly?]"

...

In an instant.

Lin Xian was stunned.

He had never thought about this question!

All along, he hadn't really been grateful to Huang Que, and always complained that she was an enigma.

He had never thought about this question either.

Because...

Huang Que had always been "leading" him.

Huang Que would pave every step of the way for him, reminding him of the cat-and-mouse game, reminding him to pay attention to Zheng Chengha, reminding him that there was something he wanted in the mirror, arranging the spaceplane for him in advance, and waiting for him at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. She even made a special trip to the United States to save Chu Anqing, who was cheering him on at the scene.

This...

From this perspective.

Huang Que was spoiling him too much, almost like a mother spoiling her son... that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but in fact, Huang Que was indeed like that, thoughtfully guiding him every step of the way.

To the point that.

For so long.

He had taken this for granted, as if it was his due.

But Huang Que didn't owe him anything.

"..."

Lin Xian was silent.

He changed his sitting position.

And reconsidered this question.

Still couldn't find a reasonable answer.

Chu Anqing was right.

Huang Que wasn't targeted by the Seven Deadly Sins, wasn't locked onto by Kevin Walker, she didn't need spacetime particles... so why was she so thoughtfully playing a game of pretend with him?

* * *

Lin Xian's watch beeped softly.

He raised his wrist to look; it was the reminder he had set. The time was 10:30 PM.

"It's time to go back."

Lin Xian turned his wrist to show Chu Anqing the time,

"It's time."

"Eh~~ so fast!" Chu Anqing seemed to not have had enough fun,

"Ugh, Huang Que-jie, why didn't she let us stay outside until after the New Year's countdown before going back?"

"Maybe it's for safety reasons."

Lin Xian stood up and pointed to the door,

"Let's go. The special car that brought us is waiting outside."

...

An hour later.

The black sedan with the white license plate drove into the secret astronaut training base, which had no signs and was not marked on any map.

After stopping, Lin Xian and Chu Anqing got out of the car.

They found Huang Que standing in front of the hall steps as always, looking at them with her arms crossed,

"Anqing, your father sent you some things to the Space Agency. Because this mission is top secret, he can't be told you're here, so he had a colleague from the Space Agency bring them over. They're at the door of your dormitory."

"Wow, what is it!"

Chu Anqing was happy to receive a gift from her family at the last moment of New Year's Eve, the transition from old to new year.

She was obviously impatient.

She waved to Lin Xian,

"Then Lin Xian-xuezhang, I'll go back first! I'm going to see what my dad sent me... if there's anything good, I'll share it with everyone later!"

With that, she hopped away.

The car with the white license plate also turned and left.

In the huge front yard of the base, only Lin Xian and Huang Que remained.

If it were before...

Lin Xian might have complained to Huang Que about something, whether it was the curfew or her enigmatic nature.

But now.

After hearing what Chu Anqing said.

He didn't know what to say to Huang Que.

"Heh."

Huang Que was still the same, smiling proudly and confidently, and looked at the watch on her wrist,

February 9, 2024, 23:59:34

"You really know how to arrive just in time."

Lin Xian spread his hands,

"The traffic was too heavy. I followed your instructions and got in the car at 10:30. Besides... we're not children. What if we're late? I'm with Chu Anqing; nothing will happen."

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

...

In the distance, in the sky.

Fireworks filled the air.

Welcoming the New Year and saying goodbye to the old.

In the wind, you could still hear the sound of firecrackers in the distance.

It seemed.

That the new year had arrived.

Ding-dong!

In the first second of the new year's Spring Festival, a WeChat notification popped up on Lin Xian's phone.

He picked up the screen to see what the message was.

"Lin Xian."

Huang Que's voice came from the front.

Lin Xian looked up.

At the same time, the WeChat chat page with Zhao Yingjun opened, and Huang Que's voice came simultaneously—

[Happy New Year.] "Happy New Year."

As if watching a movie, Lin Xian heard the voice and saw the subtitles at the same time.

In that moment, he received the same New Year's greetings from two women.

He nodded.

Looking at Huang Que,

"Thank you, and I wish you... a Happy New Year too!"

Huang Que tilted her head and smiled.

She put her hands in her coat pockets, turned around straight, and walked into the hall with the sound of her high heels clicking on the ground.

"Is that all..."

Lin Xian chuckled and typed on his phone, replying to Zhao Yingjun,

"Thank you, and I wish you... a Happy New Year too!"

...

Back at the dormitory.

He was really tired after spending a day shopping with Chu Anqing.

It felt like shopping was more tiring than daily training.

After washing up, he lay on the bed and looked at the time.

00:27

"Let's sleep."

He was too tired.

Covering himself with the quilt, Lin Xian fell asleep almost instantly and entered dreamland.

...

...

Huff...

A dry and hot summer breeze brushed his face.

Before going to bed and washing up, he still felt cold. As soon as he fell asleep, it was already the end of August again. It was really a world of ice and fire.

Opening his eyes.

Before him, there were still dozens of armed soldiers tightly surrounding him.

Like the previous hundreds of scripts.

A person dressed as a captain came out and threw out an electronic arrest warrant,

"Lin Xian! You are now under lawful arrest for the crimes of anti-humanity, endangering the Earth, and disrupting spacetime!"

Heh.

Lin Xian smiled indifferently and raised his head to face the sky—

Suddenly!

His eyes widened!

The countless silent skies he had seen before!

At this moment!

There were actually a dozen huge airship balloons floating in the distance!

Each one was enormous!

Flying slowly!

Brightly lit!

Pressing down on the city like an invading fleet!

On these dozen huge airship balloons, the same glittering slogan was printed in the largest font—

[The Best Time Capsule in the World! Celebrating the 600th Anniversary of Taim Bank!]