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

The rain started in the middle of the night and didn't stop until morning. In July in Jiangnan, the rain not only failed to dispel the summer heat, but the low air pressure made it even more humid and uncomfortable.

Wang Jie wore a short-sleeved white shirt and black trousers, the shirt tucked into the trousers. Despite the hot weather, he insisted on dressing like this.

If Jian Zheng saw him still wearing a shirt today, she would definitely sneer and laugh at him again: "Aren't you hot? You're not a little girl, why are you covered up so much? In this hot weather, it would be so much better to wear shorts and a tank top, it's cool and comfortable."

"A teacher should act like a teacher."

As soon as Wang Jie rode his bicycle out of the alley, he saw a girl standing on the steps of the octagonal pavilion across the street, waving at him. When he got closer, he realized that the girl waving at him from the steps was Zhou Yanruo.

He rode his bike to the octagonal pavilion across the street, and when he reached the steps, his long legs allowed him to put his feet on the ground easily, bringing the bicycle to a steady stop.

"Good morning, Teacher Wang," Zhou Yanruo said playfully, bouncing slightly as she stood with her feet together.

"Good morning, what are you doing standing here? Aren't you going to class?" Wang Jie asked, straddling his bicycle with one foot on the ground.

"Wait for you."

"Wait for me? Is something wrong?" Wang Jie asked, puzzled.

"I'll go with you."

"I ride a bike."

"You can give me a ride to school."

"this…"

Wang Jie was in a dilemma. It was quite far from here to the school. It would take 40 minutes by bike, or even more than half an hour.

"It's hot, and the bicycle will be too sunny. Why don't you take the bus instead?"

"Tch, who wants to ride on your bicycle?" Zhou Yanruo said angrily and walked away.

Wang Jie shook his head as he watched Zhou Yanruo walk away in a huff. Girls always have a temper. In this sweltering heat, she was already dying of heat just pedaling her bike, and now she had to carry someone else on the back. She was bound to get heatstroke.

Just as he was about to turn the car around, the pager in his pocket rang. It was a message from Jian Zheng, who had been quiet for several days: "I'll wait for you at school. Come back to school with me after class."

Wang Jie didn't need to look for a phone to reply to Jian Zheng's message. He understood that the first school mentioned in the message was the training class, and the second school was their college. Knowing Wang Jie's personality, he figured he would have already gone to the school to find him after sending the message. Anyway, there was only one class this morning, which would end at 10 o'clock, and the two of them could ride their bikes back to school and have lunch at the student cafeteria.

Why would Jian Zheng suddenly want to go back to school? The few times he went back to school after graduation were only to visit him. He even vacated his dormitory early and moved back home.

Now only Wang Jie and Zhang Qian from Kunming remain in their dormitory. Zhang Qian is currently without a place to go because his internship company hasn't been converted into a permanent position. Wang Jie is staying at the university because his home is too small, he has too many books, and there's simply no room to store them all if he moves them back to his small room in the dormitory building. Also, he hasn't finished some work at the university, so staying at the university is more convenient for him.

Thinking about a bunch of random things, Wang Jie had already arrived at the school gate.

Coincidentally, I ran into Zhou Yanruo again at the school gate.

Only then did Wang Jie notice that Zhou Yanruo was wearing a light purple floral dress today, with her short, ear-length hair tucked behind her ears, revealing her delicate face. This was completely different from her usual style of wearing jeans and a t-shirt; she had transformed from a somewhat spirited girl into a gentle young lady.

The bus stop is a bit far from the school. It takes about 10 minutes to walk there after getting off the bus.

Zhou Yanruo walked for a while under the scorching sun, her face flushed. She was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and a strand of hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to her cheek, making her look delicate and lovely.

"It takes about the same amount of time to get to school by bus and bike," Wang Jie greeted Zhou Yanruo.

Zhou Yanruo rolled her eyes at him, didn't reply, and walked towards the school on her own.

Hi everyone, good morning!

Jian Zheng suddenly appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of Zhou Yanruo and blocking her way in a great mood.

Zhou Yanruo glared at Jian Zheng, then stepped aside and walked into the school.

"What's wrong with her?" Jian Zheng asked Wang Jie, pointing at Zhou Yanruo's back.

"I don't know," Wang Jie replied.

Jian Zheng strode onto the back of Wang Jie's bicycle and said, "Let's go, you go to class first."

"You didn't ride a bike?"

"I've already ridden it and put it in the bike shed. I'll come out to meet you."

Wang Jie carried Jian Zheng to the bike shed, parked the bike, and the two walked together toward the teaching building.

"I'll wait for you at the cafeteria. It's so damn hot today, it's already unbearably humid this morning."

"Yeah, it should be over by 10. You still haven't told me what you're going to do at school."

"Professor Zhou from Tsinghua and Peking Universities wants to collaborate with our school on a laboratory project, and I'd like to meet him."

“Which Professor Zhou?” Wang Jie remembered something and said, “Oh, the Professor Zhou you heard give a lecture.”

"Yes, yes, that's him. I can't explain it in a sentence or two. You go to class first, it'll be late, I'll talk to you later."

Wang Jie walked into the classroom. Today's English lesson was a film analysis class conducted in conjunction with the art appreciation teacher. The film chosen by the teacher was "Jane Eyre," a very familiar and early Hollywood art film.

Wang Jie was responsible for explaining the English lines and how some English grammar rules were expressed in colloquial language.

When analyzing Jane Eyre's most classic line, the appreciation class teacher, also a woman, gave a moving performance: "Do you think I can stay here and become someone insignificant to you? Do you think I am a tool that moves on its own? A machine without feelings? Can I bear to have my bread taken away and my water spilled from my cup? Do you think I am soulless and heartless because I am poor, plain, plain-looking and short? You are wrong! My soul is as noble as yours, and my heart is as full as yours!"

After the art appreciation teacher finished reading the lines, the classroom fell silent for a moment, followed by enthusiastic applause from the students.

Wang Jie looked at Zhou Yanruo, who was sitting at the back of the classroom by the window.

To ensure a better viewing experience, the curtains on the two windows closest to the television were drawn, while the two windows at the back were left open and uncurtained to maintain ventilation.

Zhou Yanruo sat in the back row by the window, her face turned to the side as she looked out the window. She wasn't watching the film, nor was she listening to the teacher's interpretation of the lines. Her thoughts seemed to have already drifted out the window.

The students remained enthusiastic throughout the two-hour class, and were still reluctant to leave even at the end.

This was Wang Jie's main class, which was an English class. So, after explaining the film, Wang Jie helped the art appreciation teacher remove the videotape and then watched her leave the classroom first.

Turning around, I summarized the key points of today's lesson with the students before announcing the end of get out of class.

When Wang Jie reached the classroom door, he looked back again. In the back row near the window, Zhou Yanruo was still in the same position as before, as if everything in the classroom had nothing to do with her.

He had just reached the first floor when Jian Zheng walked over from the side cafeteria.

"I guess you've finished class too, let's go," Jian Zheng said to Wang Jie.

“Your class just gave a thunderous applause. I have to say, was your class really that exciting?” Jian Zheng questioned.

"It wasn't me. I was watching a movie, and the teacher was reciting lines. The teacher's recitation of the lines was excellent."

"What movie is this? Is it really that good?"

"Why do you have so many questions? Why don't you come to class too?" Wang Jie said with a smile.

"With my appearance, no one would want me. Besides, I'm not happy about having to lose weight."

"That's true, not letting you eat is practically taking your life."

"What movie is it?"

Jane Eyre

"Why would I think this is such an old-fashioned movie?" Jian Zheng said, pouting.

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Why watch this film? Does it even have any real-world relevance?"

"Of course there are. Equality, freedom, and love are eternal themes."

"Is it okay for women to pursue equality, freedom, and love? How else do they need to be liberated?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know that men are facing three mountains right now, and they're almost suffocating under their weight? It's time for men to be liberated, okay?"

"How come I didn't know there were three mountains in front of me?" Wang Jie said, feigning seriousness. "Tell me, what are these three mountains in front of you?"

"Women, wealth, and career."

"Nonsense."

"Haha, I'm not talking nonsense."