I almost touched the moon

Three years ago, July 7nd.

If Wen Song had to find any advantage during the five years when she was separated from Cheng Che, it was that after losing her love, she could focus completely and wholeheartedly on her studies.

On May 27 of the second year after the separation, she completed her doctoral research project, which takes an average of three and a half years, in just months. She successfully passed the defense and received leave to supplicate, which meant the end of her two years and three months doctoral career.

Although people around her always called her Dr. Iseylia since the moment she received the doctoral offer from Oxford University, it was not until that moment that she was truly, truly, Dr. Iseylia.

On the day of the defense, her supervisor smiled and said to her, "Now you should really get some rest."

In the past two years, she has hardly had a weekend or holiday. She goes between the office, laboratory, and library every day. Her home has become just a place to sleep, and not even a place to go home to sleep every day.

At that moment, Wen Song felt really exhausted. After returning home, he slept soundly from seven in the evening to five in the afternoon of the next day, a full 20 hours.

However, after waking up, listening to the sound of rain and hail outside the window, she suddenly felt very lonely.

After the defense, her supervisor and classmates suggested that she continue on as a postdoctoral student, but Wen Song refused without hesitation. The reason for her refusal was simple: “I hate the weather here in Britain.”

But when she thought carefully about where to go next, she found that she seemed to have nowhere to go. She didn't want to go back to Zurich or Munich, but she didn't want to stay in the UK even more.

Almost all of Europe is filled with memories of her and Cheng Che. Not only Europe, but also the United States, Canada, China, and Japan all have traces of where they had been together. No matter where she goes, she will think of Cheng Che and their past, which makes her upset.

Wen Song didn't want to think about it anymore and immediately bought a plane ticket to Maldives. Her mentor was right, she really should have a good rest.

At 8:30 in the morning, Wen Song was pulled out of bed by Qiu Xuanyan, who urged her, "Song Song! Get up quickly!!! It's 8:30, your graduation ceremony is today!! You have to register at 9:30, did you forget?"

"Sleep for another half an hour." Wen Song turned over, buried his head in the quilt and muttered, "Or I might as well not go. I'm so sleepy."

"What a mess! This is a once-in-a-lifetime doctoral graduation ceremony! How can you not go!" Qiu Xuanyan pulled her out of the quilt, "Get up! Zhang Yue and I came to the UK specially to attend your graduation ceremony! Get up!"

At half past ten, the ceremony officially began. Wen Song and other graduates stood behind the dean of the college, in the center of the Sheldonian Theatre, where they had stepped into countless times, and solemnly said in Latin, "do fidem..." (I swear...)

At this moment, she truly obtained a PhD in astrophysics from Oxford University.

After putting on the doctor's exclusive red robe and returning to the auditorium, she stood in the center to accept the cheers and applause of the audience. Looking around, she saw many familiar faces.

Qiu Xuanyan, Zhang Yue, Eirlys, her mentor, her co-workers, her classmates, her professors, and even Yin Junze. However, she did not see the person she wanted to meet the most.

The man who had told her on her first day that he would wear a tuxedo to attend her doctoral graduation ceremony.

Suddenly, Wen Song's eyes became moist, and tears could not be restrained from flowing out of his eyes. He had clearly promised her that he would not miss any important moment in her life. Today was her doctoral graduation ceremony, so how could Cheng Che not be there?

After the ceremony, Wen Song walked out of the auditorium door wearing a red robe. Yin Junze walked up to her and handed her a bouquet of flowers with a smile.

"Seven years ago, I won the world championship for the first time, and you gave me a bouquet of flowers at that time. I never thought that seven years later, I would be in Oxford, accompanying Iseylia to the graduation ceremony."

He was wearing a black suit today, which was not his usual style. I guess he bought it specially for attending her graduation ceremony. Compared with the casual style in the past, it was more formal and noble, and it also made his handsome features look particularly handsome.

"Thank you."

Wen Song generously accepted the bouquet, which included sunflowers, yellow roses, pink roses, and some other flowers she didn't recognize. The combination was beautiful, but her favorite white roses were missing.

"Isn't your girlfriend here with you?" Wen Song asked with a smile, "I missed her so much."

Yin Junze smiled and said, "She has to go to work today and can't come. But she asked me to bring the gift. We chose it together to see if she likes it."

Then, he handed Wen Song a huge packaging box.

Wen Song opened the letter and found an oil painting inside. The person in the painting was her, with the bright Milky Way behind her. There was also a sentence on the back, "The whole Milky Way is twinkling for you, best wishes to Doctor Iseylia Wen."

(The whole galaxy is twinkling for you, wishing Dr. Iseylia all the best.)

"Wow, it's so beautiful." Wen Song said in surprise, "It must have been painted by Yunzhen, it's so beautiful, I will definitely hang it in my bedroom and look at it every day."

"Yes, we spent a long time choosing a gift. It seems like you have everything, so I have no idea what to give you." Seeing that she liked it, Yin Junze smiled, "She said why not draw a picture for you. Seven years ago, you supported my dream, so seven years later, let me support your dream."

"Thank you." Wen Song looked at him with tears in his eyes. No matter how much estrangement there was in the past, it disappeared at this moment.

She and Skyline were lucky because they had never really entered into a relationship, so when time passed and took away the past entanglements, they could still be friends. But if they had truly loved each other deeply and painfully, how could they really let go of their past grudges?

"What's going on?" Qiu Xuanyan and Zhang Yue walked up and asked in surprise, "You two are not...rekindling your old love?"

Qiu Xuanyan even pulled Wen Song aside and whispered to her, "Baby, even if you are angry with Cheng Che, just ignore him, he is a scumbag, he is not as good as Cheng Che."

"What are you thinking?" Wen Song explained, "Jun Ze has a girlfriend. His girlfriend is studying for a master's degree in Sheffield. He also studied computer science in Sheffield after retiring last year. We are just friends."

"That's good, that's good." Qiu Xuanyan and Zhang Yue were relieved after hearing her words, and walked up to greet Yin Junze.

Yin Junze also smiled in return, looked at his watch and said: "It's a little late, I've got to go back to Sheffield, so I'll be off. Bye Ilia!"

(It’s getting late and I have to go back to Sheffield, so I’m leaving now.)

Wen Song also said goodbye to him, but before leaving, he suddenly turned around, looked at Wen Song and said in Korean: "Ilia, give me a hug. I am lucky to be able to witness you realize your dream seven years later."

"Okay." Wen Song walked up to him, hugged him gently, and whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

After Yin Junze left, Zhang Yue walked up and said to Wen Song, "Is it just a pretense that he has a girlfriend? Why do I feel like he still likes you? What were you two talking about just now?"

"Impossible." Wen Song shook his head and said, "Our personalities are too similar, there is no way he would like me. He didn't say anything, just some polite words.

He urged again, "Let's go, we still have to go to the academy. I'm so tired. I told you not to wear high heels, but Mr. Qiu insisted that I wear them. You all have to look up at me."

"Yeah, Song, stop wearing high heels." Zhang Yue also said, "Just now when you and Yin Junze were hugging, you two were the same height, and you were wearing this doctoral hat, so you looked much taller than him."

Wen Song smiled indifferently, but his thoughts suddenly drifted far away, "When my sister is with me, I can wear high heels casually without the trouble of being too tall."

At this moment, a little girl ran up to Wen Song, handed her a bouquet of white roses, and said sweetly: "Hi! You must be Doctor Iseylia right? Someone asked me to give you this bouquet, congratulations on your PhD graduation!"

(You must be Dr. Iseylia, right? Someone asked me to give you this bouquet of flowers to congratulate you on your doctoral graduation!)

Wen Song looked at the bouquet of flowers, and thousands of possibilities flashed through her mind. However, she looked around and did not see the familiar figure.

She squatted down and said to the little girl, "Yea, I'm Iseylia. Thank you my little sweetheart! Could you tell me who asked you to gimme this bouquet?"

(Yes, I am Iseylia. Thank you so much my sweetheart, can you tell me who asked you to give me this bouquet of flowers?)

The little girl thought hard and said, "An Asian man in tuxedo, he's very tall!"

"Thank you so much!"

Wen Song immediately thanked the little girl and asked, "Can you, can you tell me, where he was?"

The little girl pointed in the direction of the door, but showed a puzzled look: "He was there, but it seems he's gone."

Wen Song didn't even have time to thank her. She ran quickly with the flowers in her arms in the direction the little girl pointed. However, apart from a few graduates taking photos and tourists, there was no one she wanted to see.

She didn't believe it and continued running along the street. She kept feeling that she seemed to have seen Cheng Che, the tall figure in a black tuxedo holding a white rose, but why couldn't she find her?

Suddenly, her heel stepped on something, her footing lost, and she fell to the ground. Although it didn't hurt at all, she couldn't help crying.

Qiu Xuanyan and Zhang Yue also rushed to her side at that time. When they saw the bouquet of white roses in her hand, they understood everything. Qiu Xuanyan hugged her and comforted her softly, "It's okay, Songsong, don't cry, don't cry, you are not hurt, right?"

Zhang Yue also took out a tissue to wipe her tears, and said as he wiped them: "Don't cry, Song. You can't cry on such a happy day."

Several passers-by passed by and asked them with concern if they needed help. A young woman in a doctoral gown sat on the ground in front of the Sheldonian Theater and cried bitterly. It was dramatic and eye-catching no matter how you looked at it.

"It's ok." Zhang Yue smiled and thanked the passerby for his kindness. "She's just too excited after getting her doctorate."

Passersby immediately expressed their understanding, and left when they saw that they did not need help.

"Songsong..." Qiu Xuanyan helped her up, and together with Zhang Yue, she supported her and walked back slowly, "Go back quickly, you still have to go to your college soon, don't think about it, be good."

"I will never wear high heels again!" Wen Song cried as he said this, "It really wastes my time!"