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

At 7:50 p.m., the tea room of the Yihua Hotel was enveloped in a tranquil atmosphere. Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo arrived one after the other and entered Fangxinzhai, which they had booked in advance. Inside the tea room, bamboo curtains hung lightly, sandalwood incense wafted in the air, and dim yellow light shone on the wooden tables and chairs, reflecting a sense of warmth and peace.

Zhou Yanruo sat in the wicker chair, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of the teacup, her fingertips trembling slightly. Shang Yibo noticed her unease, gently took her hand, and said in a gentle but firm voice, "Yanruo, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Zhou Yanruo forced a smile and said in a low voice, "I'm not afraid at all, just a little nervous. I don't know who's targeting me like this, those private messages are so vicious and mean. I only returned to China last year, I haven't offended anyone at all."

Shang Yibo gently patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "Don't overthink it. You're such a good person, how could you offend anyone? Everything will be clear when you meet them later."

Zhou Yanruo pursed her lips, a slight smile appearing on her face. Her seat faced the entrance, and through the bamboo fence, she could see a waiter leading a young man towards them. The man wore a black hoodie, the brim pulled low, obscuring his face, but he was tall and slender, his steps light and quick. As he drew closer, Zhou Yanruo's smile froze, a flicker of unease crossing her eyes.

Shang Yibo noticed her unusual behavior, followed her gaze and turned to look at the door, a look of surprise on his face: "Xiao Guangzi? What brings you here?"

Zhang Xiaoguang walked to the table, took off his hat, revealing a handsome face. He first nodded to Zhou Yanruo, his tone somewhat reserved: "Yanruo, sister..." He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly heard Shang Yibo's voice. He abruptly looked down and realized that the person sitting opposite Zhou Yanruo was actually Shang Yibo. He froze, his face full of surprise: "Teacher Shang? It's you!"

His gaze darted back and forth between the two, finally settling on their clasped hands. He seemed to understand something, and his tone was somewhat incredulous: "Teacher Shang, you...you're Yan Ruo's boyfriend?"

Shang Yibo smiled slightly, neither denying nor denying, but simply nodding. Zhang Xiaoguang was momentarily speechless, his mind instantly flashing back to the uproar over the scandal from a while back. At that time, paparazzi and anti-fans had pushed the rumors about Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo to the top of the trending searches, and he and his assistants had been working day and night to quell the public outcry, completely overwhelmed. Who would have thought that those rumors were actually true? The storm of public opinion not only didn't affect them, but instead created a beautiful story.

Zhang Xiaoguang stood there, momentarily at a loss. He had come with guilt and a prepared explanation, but the scene before him left him feeling somewhat bewildered. After all, Shang Yibo was a big star he had worked for, practically his boss, and had always treated him very well.

"Little Guangzi, have a seat." Shang Yibo pointed to the seat opposite him, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable authority.

Zhang Xiaoguang hesitated for a moment, but finally sat down. His gaze lingered on Zhou Yanruo's face for a few seconds before quickly shifting away, seemingly unable to look her in the eye. Zhou Yanruo, on the other hand, kept her head down, her fingers tightly gripping the teacup, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"I'm surprised to see you, Zhang Xiaoguang. You took advantage of being around me to spy on other people's privacy and send those malicious private messages. What are your intentions? What exactly do you want to do?" Shang Yibo got straight to the point, his tone tinged with coldness.

After a brief moment of surprise, Zhou Yanruo came to her senses and said angrily, "What did I do to offend you? Why are you doing this? I always thought of you as an honest and kind child, but it turns out you have such a dirty heart."

Zhang Xiaoguang bit his lip, as if making up his mind. He took a deep breath, took out a yellowed photograph from his pocket, and gently pushed it in front of Zhou Yanruo.

“This is my dad,” he said in a slightly hoarse voice. “His name is Banning, and he is one of your father Professor Zhou’s most outstanding students.”

Zhou Yanruo's gaze fell on the photograph, and her pupils suddenly contracted. The man in the photo had a refined appearance, wore black-rimmed glasses, and smiled brightly, revealing a set of white teeth.

The man looked vaguely familiar. She squinted and remembered; it was many years ago when she seemed to have seen him at her home in Tsinghua or Peking University. Back then, there was always a male student who was taller and stronger than him who came to her home. Every time he came to her home, he was very attentive to Professor Yang Man, Zhou Yanruo's mother, calling her "Professor's Wife" this and "Professor's Wife" that, and helping with housework.

“Twenty years ago, my father, Ban Ning, was working on a project with Professor Zhou at the experimental center of Sunan University. He was killed instantly in an accident.” Zhang Xiaoguang’s voice was low, but every word was clear. “You know about these things.”

Zhou Yanruo heard the echoes of the explosion that killed her parents again, a sound that haunted her. Her hands trembled slightly, and ripples spread across the water in her teacup.

"You're the son of the senior student? But your surname is Zhang."

“My mother remarried, and I changed my surname as well.” A trace of resentment flashed in Zhang Xiaoguang’s eyes.

Shang Yibo tenderly reached out and pulled Zhou Yanruo's hand, which was resting under the table. "Why are your hands so cold?" Shang Yibo held her hand, and the warmth of his palm brought a sense of reassurance.

"You know that it was an accident back then. Your father is gone, and her parents also died in that accident. Why are you targeting her? What is your purpose? What do you want to do?" Shang Yibo questioned impatiently.

Zhang Xiaoguang waved his hands frantically, "I'm sorry, Sister Yanruo, I'm here to apologize."

“I don’t accept it,” Zhou Yanruo said coldly. “Your vicious words hurt others, and now you think you can get forgiveness by just saying sorry? Don’t even think about it.”

"I'll have my lawyer gather evidence. You'll be facing a lawsuit," Shang Yibo said sternly.

Zhang Xiaoguang: "I know I was terribly wrong. You don't have to accept my apology, but please give me a chance to explain, okay?"

Shang Yibo stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembling. "Why should we sit here and listen to your explanation? Yan Ruo, let's go."

Zhou Yanruo remained seated, saying, "Let's see what he has to say."

Shang Yibo pointed at Zhang Xiaoguang and said, "She's just soft-hearted. I'd like to see what reason you can give." Then he sat down again.

Zhang Xiaoguang swallowed and said, "I was just over one year old when my father passed away. The following year, my mother remarried and later had a younger brother and sister."

Shang Yibo interrupted him impatiently: "I didn't tell you to register your household registration here. Get to the important points."

Zhang Xiaoguang awkwardly replied, "Okay, Teacher Shang."

Zhou Yanruo whispered to Shang Yibo, "Let him speak."