As soon as Chu Qing finished speaking, Qi Weichen, who had always been calm, had a slight tremor in his fingertips. Then he composed himself.
“He isn’t me.”
“Hm?”
“I’m eighteen now and 1.85 metres tall. If my growth plates haven’t closed, I’ll continue growing taller in the future. But this person looks less than 1.8 metres tall, which is quite different from my height. So he can’t possibly be the forty-one-year-old me,” Qi Weichen said flatly.
Chu Qing looked at him. “Not necessarily. Don’t people shrink as they get older? Maybe he’s the shrunken version of you.”
“Forty-one is the prime of life,” Qi Weichen replied calmly, meeting her gaze.
While the two of them stared at each other in silence, the middle-aged man ran over. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and frowned as he asked, “Chu Qing, Qi Weichen?”
“That’s us,” Chu Qing immediately answered.
“I’m a dorm teacher from Chengde High School. I’m here to pick you up and take you to school. I was supposed to arrive after three, but something delayed me. Hurry and get in the car. I’ll arrange your accommodation for you,” the middle-aged man said. Then he noticed what they were wearing and froze. “Why are you dressed so thickly in this heat?”
“Who asked you to come pick us up?” Chu Qing quickly diverted the question.
Sure enough, the man’s attention was redirected. “Your parents, of course. But the principal didn’t give me the specific details. I only know the surname is Qi. Didn’t your family tell you Teacher Wang would be coming to pick you up?”
Chu Qing hesitantly looked at Qi Weichen. Under the sun, the young man’s eyes were cold. After staring at the man for a long while, he lowered his gaze and said to Chu Qing, “Go with him.”
“Okay.” Since Boss Qi had spoken, Chu Qing quickly agreed.
The man immediately called for them to follow him. They crossed to the other side of the road and got into the school vehicle. It was called a school bus, but it was actually a seven-seater business car that looked expensive. There was no one else inside, clearly meaning it had been sent specially to pick up the two of them.
As soon as she entered the fully air-conditioned car, Chu Qing let out a long breath. Her energy visibly recovered. Qi Weichen, on the other hand, looked rather pale. From the moment he got into the car, he did not say a word, so quiet he seemed to have no presence at all.
“Do you want some water?” Chu Qing asked worriedly.
He shook his head slightly, then nodded again, pressing his lips together without saying anything. Chu Qing twisted open a bottle of water and handed it to him. After he drank a few mouthfuls, she naturally took it back. She was just about to drink when she suddenly remembered that they had already broken up. Drinking from the bottle he had used seemed a little inappropriate.
“Why aren’t you drinking?” Qi Weichen spoke his first sentence since getting in the car.
Chu Qing smiled awkwardly and screwed the cap back on, placing the bottle by his hand. Qi Weichen looked at her silently, but in the end, he said nothing.
“You two, aren’t you hot dressed like that?” the dorm teacher driving asked again.
Chu Qing coughed and vaguely replied, “It’s been too long since we came back. We forgot to check the weather forecast…”
“You came back from the Southern Hemisphere, right? It’s winter over there now.” Once the dorm teacher was somewhere with air conditioning, he became much more talkative, and his tone improved considerably.
Chu Qing gave two dry laughs. Afraid that the more she said, the more mistakes she would make, she did not dare speak again. Feeling bored on the road, she leaned against the window and looked outside, but she could not find a single familiar street. The only place that felt somewhat familiar was what had once been City A’s largest shopping mall. Now, a huge word—“Demolish”—was written on its outer wall.
Eighteen-year-old Chu Qing rarely felt the melancholy of things changing while people remained. She listlessly withdrew her gaze, while also feeling grateful that Chengde High School, the place they were going, was her and Qi Weichen’s alma mater. No matter what, being able to go somewhere she was extremely familiar with was a kind of comfort to her right now.
Half an hour later, Chu Qing stood at the entrance of Chengde High School, staring speechlessly at the luxurious iron gate and the Western-style buildings visible through the bars. With difficulty, she asked the dorm teacher beside her, “This is Chengde?”
“Yes. First time here, right? I’ll arrange your accommodation first, then you can look around yourselves.” As the dorm teacher spoke, he walked into the school.
Chu Qing quickly followed him and tried to probe indirectly. “I remember Chengde High School used to be pretty run-down. When did it become this nice?”
“I’ve worked here for over ten years, and it’s always been the best private high school in City A. Who told you it used to be run-down?” The dorm teacher looked at her strangely.
Chu Qing smiled awkwardly. She subconsciously glanced to the side, and when she realised no one was beside her, she quickly turned back. Seeing Qi Weichen walking unhurriedly behind them, she urged him to hurry up. Qi Weichen silently looked at her, then quietly quickened his pace.
The two followed the dorm teacher forward. After passing the teaching building and the sports field, they arrived at the dormitory area. The entire dormitory area was enclosed by walls, forming its own space within the vast school grounds, looking very much like a small residential community.
At that moment, there were only a few people in the dormitory area, each of them looking so relaxed they might as well have been out shopping. Noticing the curiosity in Chu Qing’s eyes, the dorm teacher explained, “Registration only starts tomorrow and the day after. School officially begins the day after tomorrow, so not many people came today. Oh, right, your suitcases are with security. Follow me.”
Chu Qing quickly nodded. As she followed, she noticed Qi Weichen had fallen behind again. After hesitating for a moment, she slowed her pace. Qi Weichen glanced at her, then quietly followed behind her.
When they arrived at the security room, the dorm teacher had already brought out two large suitcases. He gave the pink one to Chu Qing and the black one to Qi Weichen, then took out an envelope and handed it to Qi Weichen. “Your daily necessities are in the suitcases. This letter is for you.”
Qi Weichen took it but did not open it immediately. Instead, he folded it and put it into his pocket. The dorm teacher did not mind and directly gave each of them a key. “You’re both in Class 2, Grade 12. Qi Weichen is in a double room, Chu Qing is in a single room. The room numbers are on the keys, so you can go straight there.”
“Why are the dorms different?” Chu Qing asked curiously.
The dorm teacher paused. “How would I know? Dorms are chosen by request. There are single, double, and four-person rooms. Your parents must have requested it, so the school arranged it that way.”
“Okay, thank you, teacher.” Although Chu Qing was even more confused, she stopped asking since he did not know either.
The dorm teacher handed them their keys. “All right, there’s nothing else. Just remember to report to class before 7:30 the morning after tomorrow. Do you have any other questions?”
“Yes!” Chu Qing quickly raised her hand. “Where’s the infirmary?”
Qi Weichen looked at her. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, no.” Chu Qing smiled awkwardly.
Qi Weichen studied her for a moment. Seeing that she seemed fairly energetic, he did not ask further. The dorm teacher told them the exact location of the infirmary, and after confirming that they had no more questions, he turned and left.
As soon as he was gone, Chu Qing hurriedly urged Qi Weichen, “The letter. Take it out and let’s see.”
Qi Weichen glanced at her, then silently took out the letter. There were only a few short lines written on it—
“I and she joined a national research and development project in June 2042. For the next year and a half, we will be unable to contact anyone. Inside the suitcases are temporary IDs and necessary living expenses. Stay at the school with peace of mind. Before you return to 2019, countless surprises are waiting for you.”
There were less than a hundred words in total. Chu Qing read it back and forth more than ten times, then finally asked uncertainly, “The ‘she’ mentioned here… is that me?”
Qi Weichen said rigorously, “There is no evidence to indicate that it is you.”
True… Chu Qing frowned, then read it carefully again. “So what this means is, as long as we stay here, we can return to our original time, right?”
“Mm.” This time, Qi Weichen gave an affirmative answer.
Chu Qing smiled and stopped worrying over whether the “Qingqing” mentioned in the letter was her or not. “That’s good, then. Let’s stay here for now and wait to go home… It’s just a pity about my holiday. I barely got to play for two days, and now I have to go back to school again.”
The thought of school starting the day after tomorrow made her melancholy again.
Qi Weichen glanced at her sweat-damp hair and her apple-red cheeks. His lashes lowered. “Go back to your dorm first. Change your clothes.”
“Right. I’ll go see my dorm first. A single room, huh? Your character is way too good. You’re actually this generous to an ex-girlfriend you broke up with over twenty years ago.” Knowing exactly whose blessing had allowed her to settle down here, Chu Qing praised him flatteringly.
However, Qi Weichen merely coldly took the letter back from her and pulled his suitcase away to find his dorm building. Chu Qing was already used to this personality of his. She glanced at his steps, which were much slower than usual, then pulled her suitcase away to find her own dorm too.
The dormitory buildings were neatly arranged in rows. Qi Weichen easily found his own building, located his room according to the number on the key, and opened the door directly.
The accommodation was excellent. Both beds were loft beds with desks underneath. Beside the desks were wardrobes. There was air conditioning in the room, and the partitioned balcony held a washbasin. Opposite the washbasin was the bathroom. Basically, everything a dormitory should have was there.
Qi Weichen quietly walked around the room once, then opened his suitcase. Apart from daily necessities and clothes, there was also a phone placed on top. He silently took out the phone, turned it on, and opened the contacts. There was only one number saved there. The contact name was “Qingqing.”
Qi Weichen lowered his eyes and looked at the phone. His lashes cast a small shadow beneath his eyes. After an unknown amount of time, he heard knocking at the door. He got up and opened it. There was no one outside. Only a box of Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid and a box of prickly heat powder lay quietly on the ground.
Qi Weichen picked them up and brought them back into the room. After drinking one vial of Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid, he went to take a shower. When he came out, he had changed into a T-shirt and shorts from the suitcase. Once he changed into summer clothes, the red rash caused by his previous thick clothing was exposed. He dusted himself with prickly heat powder, and only then did the stinging itch ease considerably.
While Qi Weichen was sorting himself out, Chu Qing was not idle either. After taking a refreshing cold shower, she lay on the spacious 1.8-metre-wide bed in her dorm, enjoying the air conditioning while emotionally sighing over how generous Qi Weichen was to his ex-girlfriend.
She had just used the new phone to look up the current Chengde High School. Only then did she learn that fifteen years ago, the school had changed its principal and board of directors, and had been rebuilt directly into the largest elite private school in City A. It had long stopped being the ordinary high school in her memory. For the forty-one-year-old Qi Weichen to casually arrange for them to attend this school, he must be doing very well.
…Well, of course. He was a study god, a creature who had crushed everything with his IQ back when they were students. How could he possibly do badly after entering society? As for herself, who knew which restaurant she was washing dishes in right now? Underachiever Chu Qing mourned for herself for three seconds, then connected to the Wi-Fi and started downloading mobile games from 2042.
From the moment she moved into the dorm, Chu Qing did not go looking for Qi Weichen again. She spent two days playing games alone in her room, and finally, on the third day, the first day of school arrived.
According to Chu Qing’s past experience, every time they moved up a grade, they would be reassigned to a new class. The first seating arrangement would then follow the rule of first come, first served—whoever grabbed a seat got it. Although she did not know what the rules were like in 2042, she still set an alarm for 6:30 and was ready by 7:00, running toward the classroom.
Unfortunately, when she arrived at the classroom door, the lock had not yet been opened. However, there were already a few people waiting at the door, and one of them was Qi Weichen. He was fair-skinned, clean, and handsome; wherever he went, he was the kind of presence that drew attention. Just standing there, many girls were already sneaking glances at him.
Chu Qing originally did not want to talk to him, but from the moment she appeared, Qi Weichen quietly looked at her. Although there was nothing particularly oppressive in his gaze, being stared at like that still put a lot of pressure on Chu Qing.
Helpless, she had no choice but to walk over and greet him. “You’re here so early.”
“Mm.”
…Very good. That answer gave her absolutely no way to continue the conversation. Chu Qing breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to move somewhere else when she felt his gaze follow her.
The corner of her mouth twitched. Once again, she searched for something to say. “How’s your roommate? Easy to get along with?”
“I don’t know,” Qi Weichen answered.
Chu Qing paused. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“I haven’t seen him.”
Chu Qing suddenly understood. “He hasn’t arrived yet. I thought something had happened.”
Just as the two of them were making awkward conversation, a woman in her thirties wearing glasses walked over. After opening the door, she wrote four words on the blackboard—“Choose your own seats”—then turned and left. Seeing that this was exactly what she wanted, Chu Qing quickly jogged to the very last row and sat in the seat against the wall while everyone else chose seats near the front and middle.
Qi Weichen had just claimed two front-row seats when he could no longer find her. After searching around, he finally saw her in the corner. Chu Qing seemed to sense something and raised her head, meeting his cold, clear eyes. She instantly lowered her head and pretended she had seen nothing.
Qi Weichen lowered his eyes. After a long while, he silently took back the book he had used to reserve the seat beside him.
Seeing that Qi Weichen did not come looking for her, Chu Qing could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. This seat was the blind spot of the classroom. Whether it was the teacher teaching class or the leaders doing inspections, it was difficult for them to see any small movements here. So she had always regarded this place as an auspicious treasure land. Every time school started, she arrived this early specifically to snatch this seat. Later, after she started dating Qi Weichen, she had been forced to sit with him in the front row. Now that she could finally return to this seat, she definitely could not give it up.
It was almost 7:30, yet there were still only a few people in class. With the sharp instincts of an underachiever, Chu Qing immediately smelled the scent of a lax school atmosphere. She immediately lay down on the desk and began catching up on sleep.
She had played on her phone all night yesterday and had woken up early this morning, so she soon fell into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, such good sleep did not last long before she felt someone patting her shoulder.
“Hey, get up. You’re sitting in my boss’s seat.” A boy’s arrogant voice came from above her.
Chu Qing gave an unhappy little hum and did not intend to bother with him. As a result, the person pushed his luck and directly started shaking her desk. This time, Chu Qing was completely irritated. She impatiently sat up straight and narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her.
The boy had originally looked fierce and menacing, but after seeing her face, he froze. He instantly regretted scaring such a pretty female classmate. Just as he was regretting it and trying to find a way to smooth things over, this pretty female classmate, with a face that was both pure and cute, spoke unhurriedly.
“I claimed this seat first. Are you fucking blind?”
Boy: “?”
While he was still stunned, the two boys behind him burst out laughing. The boy’s face instantly flushed red with anger, and he no longer cared whether she was pretty or not. “Hurry up and move for me! Everyone in Chengde knows this seat is our boss’s treasure spot. Only our boss can sit here!”
Chu Qing glanced at the front row. After seeing that Qi Weichen was not in his seat, she completely let herself go. Lazily leaning against the back wall, she gave a light scoff and said, “Get lost.”
In a confrontation, the most infuriating thing was when one side put everything into their performance while the other remained completely calm. The boy was thoroughly set off by her disdainful attitude. Just as he was about to rush over and teach her a lesson, a small commotion sounded behind him. Then one of the boys following him tugged at him. He immediately sneered. “My boss is here. Let’s see if you can still act so tough in a moment.”
Chu Qing raised her brows and looked toward the classroom door. She saw a tall boy wearing a black mask walking in. He wore an oversized T-shirt, ripped jeans, and a pair of trainers. His entire body exuded an arrogant aura. Wherever he passed, people unconsciously quieted down, as if intimidated by his presence.
However, Chu Qing did not care about any of that, because all her attention was focused on his hair, dyed in a riot of colours like a turkey. Her mind was filled with only one question—
With his hair dyed like that, did his mother not beat him?
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