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

The ancestral home of the Ling family, meticulously constructed by the production team in the suburbs of Huizhou, is a true recreation, cleverly utilizing a surrounding peach grove and the naturally formed Yansai Lake as a backdrop. In the drama, the Ling family was once the wealthiest family in Huizhou, and their residence was designed with opulence and grandeur. The house fully adhered to the typical Huizhou architectural style, boasting snow-white walls, vibrant green tiles, and towering, dignified gable walls. Every detail reveals the family's refined traditions and immense wealth, making viewers feel as if they have traveled back to that era, personally experiencing its extraordinary grandeur and splendor.

The hall was brightly lit, and filming was in full swing.

Zhou Yanruo quietly bypassed the hall and entered the tranquil back garden. Here, far from the noise of the lights, a bright moon hung high in the cool sky, illuminating the garden path with a silvery sheen.

She stepped into a small pavilion and chose a spot where she could see the lake and also vaguely make out the hall.

This pavilion is much smaller than the octagonal pavilion on Yangxi Road, so small that it seems unable to contain their laughter and noise from back then.

She thought that with the passage of time, everything had changed, but fate played a cruel trick on her, and everything seemed to have returned to the beginning. The people were still the same, but the events were no longer the same. The innocent sentimentality of youth seemed so fragile in the face of the harsh realities of the adult world.

What she least wanted to face was the vicissitudes of time, like the alluring yet poisonous dahlia. Yet, what was most irretrievable was precisely the passing of time.

At 38, I'm facing the person I was at 20. What makes me feel awkward is not only the change in status, but also the feelings that have nowhere to go.

When Zhou Yanruo said "let go" to Shang Yibo, it wasn't just talk; it was her true feeling right now. For twenty years, she had been suffering like being torn apart by a knife, but today she finally got the answer, making all her stubbornness a meaningless wait. Isn't this the moment of liberation?

She had felt a flutter in her heart a few days ago, and she was glad that she had controlled her heart in time and prevented it from growing into love.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was so late; who would be texting her?

Zhou Yanruo took out her phone and saw a notification that she had received a private message on Weibo.

She opened her private messages and saw a message from an unknown ID: "Can you sleep at night like this? The hatred for your parents is irreconcilable, yet you feel at ease?"

Zhou Yanruo had received such private messages several times, each time from a different ID, but the tone of the text was identical, clearly from the same person. This person deliberately changed IDs frequently, with the obvious intention of concealing their true identity.

She tried to open this person's homepage, only to find it empty. The only thing that caught her attention was the IP address displayed: Huizhou. This was no coincidence, as she had just arrived in Huizhou the day before, and this person who sent her the private message had just happened to "appear" there. Could this person be right next to her?

While in the RV, Shang Yibo's sudden revelation of his identity and recognition of her caught Zhou Yanru off guard, leaving her momentarily flustered and unable to control herself. Now, however, she has finally calmed down and begun to carefully analyze the ins and outs of this series of events.

She had been following Shang Yibo for more than half a year. Judging from tonight's events, Shang Yibo recognized her as Zhou Yanruo at first sight, but he did not acknowledge her.

This afternoon, Shang Yibo said he went to see Zhang Qian with Jian Zheng, and upon returning, he couldn't wait to reveal his true identity to her. At the time, she was shocked by this truth, immersed in her personal emotions, and overlooked other potentially important clues. What kind of meeting prompted Shang Yibo to suddenly decide to reveal his identity and confront his feelings?

Before hastily fleeing the RV, Shang Yibo revealed a piece of information: Yin Bei was his biological father. Yin Bei also had a complex relationship with her parents, a detail she hadn't been able to clarify before leaving. Could his involvement be in her parents' tragedy? And did the person who frequently sent her private messages possess some crucial information, hence their sharp and sarcastic questioning?

Zhou Yanruo's mind was in chaos, with various thoughts intertwined, making it difficult for her to sort them out.

*

The following afternoon, a series of urgent doorbell rings startled Shang Yibo from his sleep. He hurriedly got up, opened the door, and stood outside Zhou Yanruo.

"Ruo... Yanruo, it's you? Come in quickly." Shang Yibo was both surprised and delighted that Zhou Yanruo had taken the initiative to come to him.

This surprised and delighted him.

Zhou Yanruo did not respond and went straight into the room.

Shang Yibo quickly closed the door and followed him into the living room.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Zhou Yanruo asked abruptly as she sat down on the sofa.

"Yeah, I'm alright. How are you? You don't look like you've had a good rest." Shang Yibo scratched his hair, responding somewhat awkwardly. He noticed that Zhou Yanruo had large dark circles under her eyes, and her face was gloomy, not much better than her dark circles.

"How can you still sleep at a time like this?" Zhou Yanruo glared at him, her tone tinged with indignation.

"Didn't you tell me to focus on filming? I still have night scenes to shoot tonight. How can I be in good shape if I don't sleep?" Shang Yibo said ingratiatingly.

Seeing that Zhou Yanruo not only took the initiative to find him, but also spoke much more casually, Shang Yibo felt very happy. This change was exactly what he had been hoping for.

Zhou Yanruo didn't respond further and went straight to the point: "Tell me about Zhang Qian."

Shang Yibo turned to get sparkling water from the refrigerator, but in that moment, he quickly thought about how to tell Zhou Yanruo about Zhang Qian in a way that would avoid hurting her again.

Turning back, he changed his mind: "It's so cold, and you haven't had enough rest, so don't drink ice water. I'll make you a hot coffee."

"No need, I'm not here for coffee. Don't hover around me, sit down and let's talk." Zhou Yanruo refused Shang Yibo's offer firmly.

Shang Yibo had no choice but to sit obediently next to Zhou Yanruo, while Zhou Yanruo got up and sat on the sofa opposite.

Shang Yibo pursed his lips and slowly said, "Zhang Qian was my classmate and Jian Zheng's roommate in college."

Zhou Yanruo sat up straight and listened attentively.

Shang Yibo recounted in detail to Zhou Yanruo how Zhang Qian had worked at Professor Zhou's experimental center until the laboratory accident, during which Zhang Qian became the sole survivor of the disaster. He added, "Yanruo, these are all things that Zhang Qian told me and Jian Zheng himself. I don't know how much of it was embellished."

Shang Yibo gazed at Zhou Yanruo's gradually reddening eyes and continued, "Zhang Qian and Yin Bei do bear some responsibility for that accident. My biological father... he... he let down Professor Zhou and Professor Yang, who are your father and mother."

After listening, Zhou Yanruo silently stood up and walked towards the door.

"Yanruo, I'm sorry," Shang Yibo said to her with deep remorse.

Zhou Yanruo didn't turn around, but simply replied, "It's not your fault."