Eating melons

Although the two inevitably felt a sense of emptiness and were saddened by the loss of a like-minded comrade, they felt even more of a silent blessing.

They stopped frequently bothering Li Shiyuan, who was living a peaceful life in Dalian.

Only at certain times each year, such as Li Shiyuan's birthday after the time travel, or the anniversary of their joint breakthrough in overcoming a technical challenge, Wei Wei and Xiao Xuemu would think of him without prior arrangement.

"I hope you're really home, Shi Yuan," Wei Wei murmured to herself. She only hoped that Li Shi Yuan had been reunited with his family.

"Continue to shine in your era," Xiao Xuemu would sometimes murmur to himself while gazing at the starry sky.

They accepted this fact, just as they accepted the era that had accelerated because of them.

In the face of grand time and history, an individual's fate appears so insignificant yet full of miracles.

They lost a friend, but perhaps they fulfilled his greatest dream and got what he had always longed for.

Like a kidnapped child finally returning home, Li Shiyuan has finally returned to his beloved parents, which is something to be happy about.

And they will continue on their own path, carrying with them the shared memories and mission with Li Shiyuan, and steadfastly moving forward in this new era they have helped shape.

Li Shiyuan's "departure" seems to have passed peacefully.

But in reality, it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in Xiao Xuemu's heart that were difficult to quell for a long time.

Xiao Xuemu hesitated for a while. If Li Shiyuan really went home and could really go back, would Wei Wei go back too?

Because of this incident, Xiao Xuemu took a leave of absence and stayed at home with Wei Wei for a long time. He would often wake up in the middle of the night to check if Wei Wei was still there.

Wei Wei didn't think much of Xiao Xuemu's leave request, assuming he just wanted to take a break.

After all, Xiao Xuemu and Li Shiyuan could be said to have grown up together since childhood.

For Xiao Xuemu, Li Shiyuan was like a brother, a father, a teacher, and a friend.

As for Xiao Xuemu waking up in the middle of the night, Wei Wei was too tired during this period. Not only did she have to busy herself with researching post-disaster reconstruction information, but she also had to coax Xiao Xuemu when she got back.

In addition, Xiao Xuemu was very careful after waking up at night and made almost no noise, so Wei Wei did not notice anything during the time Xiao Xuemu was resting.

Xiao Xuemu doesn't really want to go to work anymore, but there's not much he can do about it.

Originally, he and Li Shiyuan were the backbone of the research institute and laboratory. Now that Li Shiyuan, the backbone, has fallen, they are relying on him.

Knowing that he and Li Shiyuan had a good relationship, he took a few days off to recover. The people in the lab and research institute could manage, but if it went on for too long, they wouldn't be able to hold on.

Therefore, even if Xiao Xuemu didn't want to go back, he had no choice but to go back.

On the surface, Xiao Xuemu remains the same steady and reliable national-level scientist and physicist, burying himself in the laboratory every day, pushing forward projects that are crucial to the nation's destiny.

But he would still be awakened by nightmares at night, and no one knew about it.

A week after Xiao Xuemu returned to the lab, Wei Wei keenly sensed the subtle cracks and panic deep within Xiao Xuemu's heart.

This panic is especially pronounced in the dead of night.

Wei Wei noticed that Xiao Xuemu would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, unconsciously tightening his arms around her, as if afraid that she would disappear in her sleep.

At first, Wei Wei thought he was just sad about Li Shiyuan's situation or that he was under too much work pressure.

But after a while, she sensed the unease hidden in those hugs, an almost instinctive fear, and Wei Wei realized something was wrong.

"Old Xiao, what's wrong?"

When Xiao Xuemu woke up again in the early hours of the morning, his forehead even covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, Wei Wei couldn't help but turn around and look at him with concern.

Xiao Xuemu remained silent for a moment, then buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled, carrying a rare hint of vulnerability.

"Weiwei... what if you... suddenly disappear too?"

Wei Wei was stunned, not reacting for a moment. "What's gone? Aren't I right here?"

Xiao Xuemu held Wei Wei tightly, and Wei Wei even felt the pain.

"It's like Shi Yuan, suddenly leaving and returning to your original world."

Wei Wei immediately understood what Xiao Xuemu was afraid of.

Li Shiyuan's departure served as a terrifying precedent, shattering Xiao Xuemu's preconceived notions.

They always believed that time travel was one-way and an irreversible arrival. The only one who believed this was Li Shiyuan, or rather, he was just stubbornly clinging to the idea.

But Li Shiyuan's success suggests that the "coming" and "going" of the soul may involve an element of chance that they cannot understand or control.

“Silly boy,” Wei Wei felt a pang of sadness and hugged him tightly. “How could I not be here? I’m right here, right beside you.”

“But Brother Shi Yuan…” Xiao Xuemu raised his head, his eyes filled with undisguised fear.

“None of us know what happened. What if... what if one day you also encounter an accident, and when you wake up, you won't be yourself anymore... I…”

Xiao Xuemu's voice choked up; he couldn't imagine that situation.

If he were faced with a body that possessed Wei Wei's appearance but contained a completely different, unfamiliar soul, he didn't know if he would break down.

That kind of loss is more despairing than death; death is the end, and it is remembrance.

But that kind of "replacement" implies an eternal search and a separation that feels like being worlds apart.

It is a wait of countless years, an endless wait, a wait with an unknown outcome.

Who knows what the chances are of Wei Wei traveling back in time again? It's not even certain if there will be such a chance again.

Wei Wei understood this fear, which stemmed from the fear of the unknown, the fear of what science could not explain and what was unattainable.

“Look at me, Lao Xiao.”

Wei Wei sat up, turned on the light, and cupped Xiao Xuemu's face in her hands.

"I don't know the secrets of time and space, nor do I know what exactly happened to Shi Yuan."

But I know that the greatest fortune I have had in coming here is meeting you.

We've been through so much together, created so much; this bond is stronger than any rule of time or space.

She paused, her tone becoming more firm, "Moreover, our situation may be different from Shi Yuan's."

I 'actively' integrated into this era. There are no longer any ties I have to go there, and I don't have any strong desire to go back.

Most importantly, based on our observation, Li Shiyuan is not unfamiliar with current technology at all and picks it up very quickly. It seems that he and Brother Shiyuan accidentally swapped bodies before, so they can now switch back and get back on track.

But I'm different. I had an accident over there, and so many years have passed. I no longer have a body, not even a corpse; only a skeleton remains. So it's not so easy for me to go back.”

However, rational analysis cannot completely dispel the shadow of emotion.

That fear of loss has already been planted, and can only be gradually dispelled by time and a constant sense of security.

One evening, Xiao Xuemu watched Wei Wei intently reading documents in the study. The lamplight outlined her soft profile. He walked over and gently hugged Wei Wei from behind.

"Weiwei."

"Ok?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you will try your best to stay."

For me, for our little one, and for all that we've created together.

Wei Wei put down the documents, covered his hands that were wrapped around her waist, and spoke softly but with utmost seriousness.

"I promise you, I will stay firmly anchored here, right beside you, and I will not go anywhere else."

"Anchoring?"

Wei Wei nodded. "Don't forget, I also have a system store. You've provided it with so many things, it definitely won't let go of us two big spenders."

Once I've anchored myself to you and bound you to my heart, even the universe wouldn't want to separate us.

“Anchoring…” Xiao Xuemu repeated the word, feeling that it was extremely fitting.

Their careers, their families, their love, and the dedication they poured into their country—all of these are the "anchors" that bind their souls.

Since then, Xiao Xuemu's condition has gradually stabilized.

He still occasionally feels a pang of fear, especially when Wei Wei is away on business or feeling unwell, but he no longer lets that fear control him.

He devoted more energy to his work and family, using a fulfilling life and tangible possessions to combat his anxieties about the unknown.

He knew that the secrets of time travel might never be fully understood, and the randomness of time and space was beyond his control.

But all he can do is hold on to the present moment, strengthening the bond between them through daily companionship and shared struggle.

Wei Wei is his most important and indispensable "anchor point" in this vast space and time.

As long as this anchor point remains, his world will not collapse.

He was determined to become Wei Wei's equally solid support.

Furthermore, they are bound by mutual interests. Seeing the system shop becoming increasingly stocked with good items due to the massive influx of grain, Xiao Xuemu felt that it should be reluctant to part with him and Wei Wei, who were major customers.

If it were someone else, it would just revert to the previous pattern of feeding in small groups. After he fed hundreds of millions of tons, who would still care about those small groups?

If Wei Wei is sent back, even if she continues to hand over the food to the system store, without his space providing a continuous supply of food, even if the country were to acquire it, there wouldn't be as much food to sell to the system store as there is now.

After all, if we rely entirely on manual cultivation from outside, we certainly can't sell that much. There are so many people out there who need to make a living, and food doesn't just fall from the sky.

His planting space is different; it's getting bigger and bigger, and it's impossible to estimate how many things he's planted or raised in it.

The crops grown in this space now exceed China's annual production in just six months.

Currently, four-fifths of the grain produced annually is sold to the system's online store, with only one-fifth being distributed to the public.

In this matter, Xiao Xuemu is unique, so Wei Wei's inexplicable golden finger will probably try her best to bind the two of them together.

For the first time, Xiao Xuemu was glad that he had confronted Wei Wei back then, thus binding their fates together.

Time is the gentlest and most effective medicine for healing the soul.

Xiao Xuemu no longer wakes up inexplicably in the middle of the night, clinging to Wei Wei and seeking confirmation.

Instead, what I feel now is the sense of peace and tranquility that washes over me when I wake up in the morning and see the peaceful sleeping face of the person next to me.

He once again devoted all his energy, even more so than before, to scientific research.

It seems that only by constantly creating and breaking through, filling every gap in time with tangible results, can one more deeply anchor one's position in this era, and thus silently respond to Wei Wei's promise and protection.

Of course, Xiao Xuemu also inadvertently passed on Li Shiyuan's mission and dream.

Xiao Xuemu was used to having two plans, and he also wanted to create a machine that could travel through time, so that even if the worst thing happened, he would have a direction to follow.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, China, this giant ship that has already set sail, is heading towards a wider, deeper blue sea with unprecedented speed and stability.

In the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century, China's leading position in the field of science and technology has spread from breakthroughs in individual areas to a comprehensive advantage, and has begun to build a systematic ecosystem.

In the digital age, with China as the standard, the "Huaxing" communication standard and its derivative technologies have not only been fully popularized within China, but have also begun to be exported as an international standard.

Personal terminals based on domestically produced chips and operating systems, such as smartphones and tablets, are popular all over the world. Their smooth experience, powerful functions, and unique ecosystem applications have created a huge "Huawei fan" group in addition to "Apple fans".

A digital ecosystem led by China has begun to take shape, bearing the deep imprint of Eastern wisdom from its underlying hardware architecture to its top-level application services.

As a leader in China's energy revolution, China has achieved a milestone breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion research in the top-secret "Golden Crow Project," realizing long-term steady-state operation.

Although it is still some distance from commercial application, its clear prospects have allowed China to firmly grasp the commanding heights of future energy.

At the same time, the cost of high-efficiency photovoltaic, wind power, and next-generation energy storage technologies continues to decline, making clean energy account for a larger share of the national energy structure than fossil fuels.

It has truly realized the vision that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

The manned lunar landing program, known as the "Chang'e Project," was carried out as scheduled. Chinese astronauts not only set foot on the moon again, but also began to establish a small scientific research outpost on the moon.

In the Mariana Trench, more than 10,000 meters below the surface, China's domestically built full-ocean-depth manned submersible "Fendouzhe" operates routinely, bringing back countless precious deep-sea samples and data, leading the forefront of marine science.

When Wei Wei reviewed these reports, she often felt as if she were in another world.

These goals, which were still in the conceptual or preliminary exploration stages in her native world, have already partially become a reality here.

The policy research office where she works has gradually shifted its focus from "providing direction" in the early stages to "optimizing paths" and "anticipating and avoiding the social and ethical risks brought about by new technologies."