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

Shang Yibo stood quietly by the bay window, gazing down at the flashing neon lights on the Second Ring Road. The colorful lights cast faint shadows in his deep eyes. His thoughts, like drifting leaves, carried a faint sense of resentment and deep regret, slowly floating back to the distant times that Wang Jie and Jian Zheng had spent together.

They had shared many unforgettable moments together, both laughter and tears, all deeply etched in his memory. Those days seem like yesterday, yet now they are a distant memory.

He sighed softly, turned around and went to the refrigerator in the kitchen to get a bottle of chilled sparkling water, then tilted his head back and gulped down most of it.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked to the sofa and sat down.

Jian Zheng's appearance may have been an opportunity for him to start thinking about what exactly happened during the days when he was "Wang Jie," and why he was there at that time.

These mysteries are shrouded in mist, and the quietly hidden truth seems to be waiting for him to explore.

Perhaps it's time to unravel the mystery.

“Jian Zheng…” Shang Yibo’s iced sparkling water had become warm, but he was completely unaware of it.

___

September, 1999

It's been over a month since the start of autumn, but the sweltering weather still makes people feel restless and uneasy, as if the lingering heat of summer is still entangled with the arrival of autumn. The elderly often call this "autumn tiger," a seemingly docile autumn that actually harbors a scorching power that is hard to bear.

With the start of the new school year, Wang Jie's tutoring work also came to an end this month, and he temporarily put aside the idea of ​​finding a new job. There is still a month of teaching courses in the training class waiting for him to devote himself to, and his work assisting professors in collecting information and writing copy at his alma mater is also coming to a close.

However, as his workload gradually decreased, Wang Jie suddenly found himself with more free time. Accustomed to a busy life, he felt somewhat lost and disoriented at having nothing to do all at once.

Next, he will devote himself entirely to preparing for his studies abroad. A new journey is about to begin, and rather than feeling full of anticipation, he feels increasingly lost and uneasy…

"Grandpa, Wang Jie didn't go out, did he?" Jian Zheng's voice came from the outer room.

"Is he still in the inner room? I haven't seen him come out yet," Grandpa said. "Go in by yourself."

Then, the door was flung open, and Jian Zheng rushed into the room and sat directly on Wang Jie's bed.

"What time is it? Still lying in bed. Even if you said you didn't have to go to class, you can't be this lax. You're really something."

Wang Jie quickly sat up in bed, pulled over a vest and put it on. "You're early. What time is it?"

Jian Zheng watched as Wang Jie quickly got up and dressed, and clicked his tongue twice. "You're not a young lady, why are you afraid of being seen? Besides, we've lived and eaten together for four years, and I've never seen you be so particular."

"It's hot inside, let's go outside." Wang Jie stood up and walked out. "Wait for me at the alley entrance for a while, I'll wash my face and then come find you."

“I’ll wait for you at Uncle Soy Milk’s stall so we can have breakfast together.” Jian Zheng saw his grandfather sitting at the door before leaving, so he said, “Grandpa hasn’t had breakfast either, has he? I’ll go buy some soy milk and fried dough sticks and bring them to you.”

"No need, I've already eaten. You all go, you all go." Grandpa quickly waved his hand, then went out the door with his hands behind his back.

"I'll wait for you over there, it's too hot inside." Jian Zheng called out to Wang Jie and went out the door.

Wang Jie took a cold shower in the public restroom, which made her feel much cooler. Without drying her hair, she ran her fingers through her hair and went to find Jian Zheng at the entrance of the alley.

"I ordered two cups of cold soy milk and two servings of fried dough sticks with rice. Is that enough?"

"Well, tell me, what's the good news?" Wang Jie pulled over a small stool and asked as soon as he sat down.

"Hehe, it's not very serious to announce such an important matter while sitting on a small stool."

“Okay, after we finish eating at the roadside stall, I’ll rent an auditorium and invite our relatives, friends, teachers, seniors, juniors, and good neighbors. You can stand on the stage, holding a megaphone—no, I mean a microphone—and announce your important matter to everyone.” Wang Jie stuffed some glutinous rice into his mouth, chewing it with a “mumble” sound as he teased Jian Zheng, “How about it? Pretty grand, right?”

"Wang Jie, Wang Jie, is this really you? You've become so talkative when you're with Zhou Yanruo. You haven't learned anything good from her." Jian Zheng said, glancing sideways at Wang Jie.

"I told you you wouldn't be able to hold out until then. I'm telling you now, don't keep me in suspense," Wang Jie said with a smile, without arguing.

“I’ve been accepted into the Hong Kong Island Talent Admission Scheme,” Jian Zheng said.

“Great! Congratulations, you’ve got what you wanted.” Wang Jie raised his soy milk cup and clinked it against Jian Zheng’s. “When did you receive the notification? It couldn’t have been this morning, it’s only a few o’clock now.”

“It’s been three days, hasn’t it?” Jian Zheng said, taking a sip of soy milk. “My mom brought the admission notice back to me.”

"You've really made something of yourself, you've managed to stay calm. I knew it couldn't have been a notification you received early this morning."

“Logically, the notification letter should have been mailed over, so why did my mom bring it back?” Jian Zheng said. “When I asked my mom, she just said, ‘Isn’t it all the same?’”

“Your mom is right. What’s the difference? What are you trying to say? You didn’t receive it yourself, you weren’t the first to open it, so you’re upset. I just said you were calm, and now you’re acting childish.”

"Sigh, you don't understand, I'm not going to talk to you anymore." Jian Zheng hesitated before continuing.

"Stop being so sentimental. It's something to celebrate. When are you going to report for duty?"

"It's around the same time as your reporting for duty, which is also near the end of the year."

"That's great, there are still more than three months left."

Wang Jie's pager went off; it was a message from Zhou Yanruo: "Don't forget, we're filming an art short film today, let's go to school together."

"Eat quickly, I have things to do today," Wang Jie said to Jian Zheng.

"Didn't you say you didn't have class today? Where are you going again?"

"The students in the training class want to make an art short film and want me and Zhou Yanruo to be the actors."

"That sounds like fun, can I join you?"

What can you do?

“You’re all artists, so I’ll do some odd jobs for you.”

"Haha, okay, this will do."

Jian Zheng wouldn't say anything, but Wang Jie also wanted to bring Jian Zheng along. In a few months, everyone would be going their separate ways, and it would be difficult to get together again.

"Let me use your phone for a moment, I need to reply to Zhou Yanruo's message."

Jian Zheng handed the phone to Wang Jie.

“Jian Zheng and I are waiting for you at the entrance of the alley.” Wang Jie replied to the message, and made a point of emphasizing that it was “with Jian Zheng.”