Chapter 61 Farewell to the Past

Chapter 61: Farewell to the Past

"Long time no see, Chancellor."

Lin Fan checked his watch. "Just needed to borrow someone from you for a bit, no need to be in such a hurry."

"Save it for the police. Kidnapping, minimum 30 days detention."

Lin Fan hadn't expected to get away scot-free. The electronic shackles were off, but a dark ring remained on his wrist. It seemed that keeping bad company had taught even the rabbit to bite. "Rather than arresting me, you should be more concerned about your... fiancé."

The man who had been silent since You Jinhui's arrival slumped to the ground.

"It seems he received my 'gift'. Farewell."

Chen Jiyan had no memories from before elementary school. He thought it was normal for kids not to remember their preschool years, only to later discover he seemed to be an exception. He even once thought he had intellectual problems and felt inferior because of it.

In his impression, his father passed away very early, and his mother raised him alone. After starting work, he gave over almost his entire salary. He was too busy; life and work were inseparable, and he rarely had any free time. Video calls were at best once a week.

Even on the day of the accident, his first thoughts were about work handover, the morning meeting—all those things that seem so trivial in the face of life and death. Chen Jiyan hadn't anticipated death, let alone transmigration. He thought the worst-case scenario would be some minor injuries, since the shaking wasn't that bad, and the panic in the exits was just because it was crowded. At most, a few days in the hospital, during which he couldn't neglect work. Of course, since leaving home, he had always reported only good news, never troubles; his family definitely had to be kept in the dark.

"Mom," seeing the familiar face, he tried to force a smile, but tears welled up uncontrollably. Fortunately, this wasn't a real call. He saw his own background was still the white wall of his old rented room. Unlike the Ding Shu system's projection, he didn't know what technology was used to simulate his image, while he himself watched and spoke from a detached, god's-eye perspective.

Every video call home was just casual small talk, but now it felt incredibly precious.

"You look very tired lately."

"It's okay. My skinflint boss is going on a business trip, so I probably won't have to work overtime anymore." He tried to keep his voice sounding normal. A willow branch was pinned to the window in the background there; the time was still around Qingming Festival.

Work, the rainstorm, the earthquake, the meeting—it all felt as distant as a past life. He couldn't even remember his boss's surname now.

"I changed jobs. Got a new boss. He's quite nice, doesn't deliberately make things difficult for me." As always, he picked only the good things to say.

"Tell me, if an asteroid really hit Earth like in the news, if the world ended, what would you do?" Chen Jiyan didn't know the fate of those living in the past, when the disaster that would end humanity would strike, or if there would be any warning signs.

"And if... a small group of people survived, would you want to be among the survivors?"

"Are you under a lot of pressure lately?"

"If that day really came, would you want to live?"

"If I can live, I live. If not, then so be it. Anything else? I have a mahjong game with Auntie Wang."

"One more thing. Mom, I'm seeing someone."

Her spirits lifted immediately. "When? How old? Where from? What's their personality like? Tall? Good-looking?"

"Didn't you have mahjong?" Faced with this barrage of questions, Chen Jiyan answered them one by one. "Over a month ago. Three years older than me. His hometown is a bit far from here. Personality... okay, I guess. Taller than me. Good-looking."

"Taller is good too. Do you have a photo of the girl?" She brought the phone closer to see clearly.

"And... he's not a girl."

"Married?" She was shocked. "Chen Jiyan, it's wrong to break up someone else's relationship!"

Only upon hearing her accusation did he belatedly realize that in their dialect, 'girl' referred to an unmarried young woman.

Though the dialect was rarely used anymore.

"No, no, it's not that. He's... he's a man, like me." Chen Jiyan stammered in explanation.

"Oh good, good. As long as you're not wrecking a home. Huh? A man?"

Ms. Wen took a long moment to process this, finally letting out a deep sigh. "A man it is then, as long as you're happy." At least he's not hurting anyone. Kids these days all have their own minds; as long as they're happy.

"What, I'm quite open-minded. I know you young people nowadays don't want to get married. As long as this isn't an excuse to avoid blind dates... maybe it'll be legal in a few years anyway. You should still make it official."

"I really like him."

There were actually a thousand things he wanted to say, but separated by who knows how much time and space, words failed him. Chen Jiyan sometimes wished everything in the New Calendar was just a figment of his imagination, or an exceptionally long and convoluted dream, and that he would wake up and have to face life again.

"Have people been treating you badly? Looking at you, you seem so tired."

"Mmm, a bit tired. Not exactly mistreated, though." Just very lonely. Different from the loneliness of living alone in a first-tier city after graduation. If the past was like islands scattered across the same sea, the New Calendar felt more like a ship adrift in an unknown ocean, without direction or purpose.

"After you became an adult, I told you, I don't have much experience left to give you. Life is just difficult. One day when I'm gone, you'll have to learn to cope on your own. Having a partner is a good thing; at least you can support each other. After all, parents can't be with you your whole life. When I'm gone, the person you'll spend the most time with is your partner. You have to treat them well, understand?"

"I understand. Thank you, Mom."

"Alright, alright, suddenly getting so sentimental, I'm not used to it either. I'm hanging up now."

"Mom, goodbye."

"Okay, okay, goodbye, goodbye."

"Can I come see you?" she suddenly asked before hanging up, then explained, "I have nothing to do at home alone anyway. I was planning to visit a friend, I could stop by to see you."

Sensing his silence, Ms. Wen quickly added. "If you're really too busy, it's fine. It's just... it's been so long since I last saw you. Last time was before the New Year."

"Take care of yourself. Remember to air out the place when the seasons change. And hand cream—last time your skin peeled so much your fingerprints wore off. Remember to use it. Eat more seasonal fruit. Don't buy clothes that are too cheap..."

Mothers were truly miraculous. He hadn't said anything, yet she seemed to have already understood everything.

He actually wished he could look at her a little longer, tell her everything, pour out all his pain to her, like when he fell as a child and felt better after being comforted by an adult.

But it was impossible now. He had become an adult, living alone in the New Calendar.

At least he had said a proper goodbye. Though separated by great distance, different places and times, human life only moves forward. They shared the flow of life.

"Should I be keeping an eye on you every moment?"

When the guardianship relationship existed, he could still monitor his situation through the system at all times. Now, he could only rely on the tracker to find him.

He carried him back to Mando. His hair had grown longer, his nails too. Tears still clung to his eyelashes. He wondered what dream had made him so sad. His face had lost some flesh, not as plump to the touch as before, but still soft. In the light, you could see fine down. He looked deceptively peaceful in sleep—quiet and well-behaved, easily evoking pity and the urge to take a bite.

Of course, being mature, he wouldn't commit such beastly acts. He just increased the pressure of his fingers pinching the cheek, leaving a noticeable indentation.

"Still not awake?"

If he didn't wake up soon, he didn't know what he'd do next.

"It's you," Chen Jiyan dropped all his guard, revealing a gentle, soft smile. "I saw my mom."

He awoke from the darkness, the cold tide receding. Opening his eyes, he saw the blue eyes he longed for and couldn't wait to share.

"I didn't say anything else, but I told them about you. If Mom could meet you, she'd definitely like you too."

"Let's get married."

The person he had just promised his mother he would spend his life with now, at dusk, with beautiful eyes and a low, husky voice, extended the invitation.

Chen Jiyan felt like a sailor lured in the vast, deep ocean by a siren's song—defenses down, armor discarded, unable to resist.

Noticing his almost imperceptible nod, You Jinhui slid a cool ring onto Chen Jiyan's left ring finger.

In their clear-headed moments, the most intimate gestures between them had only been holding hands and embracing.

"When did you prepare this?"

"That night after the engagement party, you were still there, but you disappeared the next morning. Did you go get it made on purpose, or did you just see it and buy it?"

"Earlier, you said you had something to take care of back at Dingshu—was it to pick this up?"

Chen Jiyan asked several questions in a row, only to be cut off.

"Focus."

Chen Jiyan: ... He hadn't even gotten a good look at it yet.