The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

As dusk falls, the entire room is bathed in the soft afterglow of the setting sun, as if gently covered by a golden veil. The interplay of light and shadow creates a tranquil and comfortable atmosphere.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze wafted by, bringing a touch of coolness and quietly dispelling the summer heat that had begun after the start of summer.

Such a relaxing atmosphere makes it easy for people to fall into deep thought...

Shang Yibo wore a light yellow, loose-fitting silk shirt and matching baggy trousers, looking relaxed and comfortable. His freshly washed hair was wet and slightly messy, sticking to his forehead.

He curled up in the beanbag chair in front of the bay window, as if he had become one with his surroundings.

His mood seemed to resonate with the twilight, carrying a faint melancholy. Beneath that languid exterior lay an indescribable loneliness. His gaze was vacant, as if looking through the window into a world known only to himself.

His disheveled hair and casual clothes seemed to be deliberately concealing something. His worries seemed to have settled deep within the beanbag chair under the bay window, growing ever more profound with the passage of time.

And so, he seemed to be immersed in his own world, enjoying the solitude and bearing the melancholy.

He had been sitting in this position for quite a while, probably too comfortable and relaxed to move.

Returning from the press conference, away from the noisy venue and the public eye, Shang Yibo returned to his own territory and was immediately plunged into this indescribable emotion.

This apartment building, located in a bustling downtown area, is one of the early developments by the Rushang Group. It features a large, single-level design, but incorporates a loft structure on the top floor, resulting in a somewhat incongruous layout. Its advantages lie in its excellent location, convenient access, and the quiet, superb views from the top floor.

Shang Yibo chooses to stay here most of his time in Beijing; the place offers excellent privacy. Apart from his special assistant Ding Jiajia, no other members of his team know about this place. For Shang Yibo, it's both a safe haven and a place where he can escape the public eye and reconnect with himself.

The silence was broken by the sound of a text message on my phone. Without even looking, I knew it must be Ding Jiajia sending me the departure time for tomorrow.

They had been busy for months arranging their work schedules so that they could go to Xichuan City smoothly tomorrow, and finally managed to free up these few days.

As departure approached, Shang Yibo's initial anticipation turned into a sense of melancholy. A series of questions flooded his mind: "Will this trip be fruitful? Will she return to Xichuan?"

Two years ago, after Shang Yibo gradually regained his lost memories, he returned to Xichuan City and found Yangxi Road in Ximen, which held his memories.

However, the scene before him felt completely unfamiliar. The old alleyways, old Western-style houses, communal houses, and stone-paved roads of his memory had vanished without a trace, replaced by towering skyscrapers that seemed to tell the story of the changing times.

The former stone-paved road has been widened into a busy two-way four-lane highway, with a constant flow of vehicles and bustling crowds.

Shang Yibo also visited his old university, Sunan University, which had undergone tremendous changes. The campus had expanded considerably. Some of the familiar majors had been merged, while others had disappeared into the annals of history, never to be found again.

Although Shang Yibo longed to find clues about the past in these familiar places, the changes before him left him feeling somewhat disappointed. These places, which once held his memories, could no longer provide him with any useful information.

"If I go to Xichuan again this year and still can't find her, am I just supposed to wait for her to come looking for me? Did I start looking in the wrong direction from the beginning?"

Shang Yibo's mood began to darken.

"Am I not standing high enough, not dazzling enough? Has she not seen me, or has she stopped paying attention? Should I continue down this path, or give up? No, I'm unwilling to give up? I can't bear to?"

Shang Yibo couldn't muster any energy today. For the past two years, he had set off with passion and expectation each time, only to return disappointed and frustrated. He began to wonder if it was worth continuing if the outcome was the same this time.

Alternatively, one could simply leave the entertainment industry and seek help from the media or hire a private investigator to find her directly. This might increase the chances of finding her, and leaving this world of fame and fortune would free one from the constraints of public opinion.

It took Shang Yibo nearly two years to gradually match the scenes in his "dream" with reality. With each corresponding scene he found, his memory of the events in the dream became more vivid. These scenes replayed repeatedly in his mind, as clear as a movie. He gradually pieced together these fragmented memories, forming a complete narrative. He finally understood: it wasn't a dream, but something that had actually happened. Those people, those events, and the girl he deeply loved.

The next day, Ding Jiajia drove to pick up Shang Yibo herself. This was a private trip, and they didn't disturb anyone. They arrived at the airport early in the morning.

The airport was bustling in the early morning, but not many people noticed Ding Jiajia and Shang Yibo's whereabouts. The two walked one after the other, both with a hint of heaviness on their faces.

As the plane took off, Shang Yibo looked out the window at the city gradually shrinking, feeling a mix of emotions.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

This trip made him feel both excited and somewhat uneasy.

……

Zhou Yanruo only asked the company for five days off, and she planned to use this time to go back to her hometown, Xichuan City.

In order to stay in Xichuan City for a longer period of time, she specially booked the earliest flight in advance, so that she could squeeze out more than half a day.

At 10 a.m., Zhou Yanruo arrived in Xichuan City.

As she stepped out of the airport, she felt the dampness of the rain-soaked air, which carried the fresh scent of earth. This unique atmosphere of the southern rainy season felt both familiar and strange to Zhou Yanruo.

She took a deep breath, as if inhaling the memories of her entire hometown, and a surge of inexplicable emotion welled up in her heart.

This is her long-lost hometown, and the place where her heart truly belongs. Even after the passage of time, it still holds her most precious memories and emotions.

Yes, Zhou Yanruo had not set foot in Xichuan for five years. Time flies.

Five years is not just a blink of an eye; twenty years would pass in the blink of an eye. Those long-forgotten memories, frozen deep in the mind, begin to melt and come alive again once you return to this familiar place, lingering in your heart and impossible to shake off.

The former canal branch has now been filled in and transformed into a wide main road, and the constant flow of traffic reflects the city's rapid development in recent years.

The weather was rather humid and hot today, which was typical for July. Fortunately, the sycamore trees provided excellent shade, greatly reducing the oppressive heat. Zhou Yanruo walked along the sidewalk lined with sycamore trees, deliberately slowing her pace and strolling alone, like a leisurely tourist.

The small pavilion is still in its original location. It's a small octagonal pavilion with exquisite carvings on the beams. Because it's a relic from the Qing Dynasty, it was preserved. When the road was built, it was intentionally bypassed, so it feels like the pavilion was built at the end of the road. Only when you get close to the pavilion can you see that the road continues after the bypass. Not far away is the bustling commercial street of Xichuan City. In recent years, the city's urban planning has incorporated many creative cultural and tourism buildings, giving the ancient city a new lease on life. The rise of social media and short video live streaming has attracted many young people to visit these places.

Under the bright sunshine, the colors of the pavilion are much more vibrant than before, which must be due to careful management and frequent renovations. It looks nice, but it has lost its rustic charm.

Today is a weekday, and although the pedestrians here are not exactly bustling, it is still more lively than in a typical neighborhood.

Zhou Yanruo slowly walked along the tree-lined path into the pavilion and found a relatively shady spot to sit down.

She tried desperately to search her memory for anything related to this place, but the people and events she could recall had become blurry. Fragments of memories flashed before her eyes, but she couldn't focus them clearly. She could still feel the bitterness, but she could no longer find those images that could release her emotions. Zhou Yanruo leaned weakly against the pillar, shook her head, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down.