What if, after many people had forgotten about Jiang Yan's death, she came back to life?
It was just an ordinary day in Ji Chu's later life. In the university classroom, he finished his lecture with a few minutes to spare.
This young professor, considered quite youthful among the faculty and known for his refined and calm demeanor, casually rolled up his shirt sleeves. Leaning on the lectern, he began, as usual, to the eager anticipation of his students, to recount the story of his first love: "...We grew up together, but we didn't date early. We only became a couple after graduation. My wife is incredibly adorable. Want to see? Well, I'm not going to show you..."
The dismissal bell rang, and students excitedly jostled their way out of the classroom. As the last of his students filed out, early arrivals for the next class began to enter and claim their seats.
Ji Chu smiled, acknowledging their greetings, then skillfully unplugged his USB drive, packed his laptop into his bag, and left the classroom.
Outside, the weather was beautiful. The sunshine was bright yet gentle, and though spring hadn't quite ended, there was already a hint of summer in the air.
As Ji Chu descended the stairs, he noticed two people at the landing. A boy and a girl, seemingly an intimate couple, were holding hands as they walked down together.
The stairs, the couple, the white shirt, the silhouette...
As these elements converged, Ji Chu suddenly froze for a moment, realizing in that instant how much time Jiang Yan owed him.
If she were still here, they too would have been like this in college, holding hands, going to class together, or waiting at the entrance for her to finish class so they could go eat together...
If she were still here, after he started working at the university, they could have gone on vacations together during breaks, or perhaps she could have occasionally waited for him after work...
If she had been part of his later life, just thinking about it felt incredibly beautiful, as if his heart might melt.
But alas, she never gave him the chance.
Without her, nothing seemed to matter.
Ji Chu had no afternoon classes, so he planned to drive home as usual and cook for himself.
From the moment he thought of Jiang Yan on the stairs, Ji Chu suddenly found himself in a strange emotional state, as if something momentous was about to happen, making him inexplicably nervous.
But when he thought about it, he was alone in the world. His parents, though busy with work, had regular check-ups and shouldn't have any hidden health issues.
So, even if something bad were to happen, there seemed to be nothing for him to worry about.
Ji Chu's car was parked in one of the roadside spots designated by the school, a black vehicle visible from afar.
Yet there was an inexplicable feeling of unease tugging at Ji Chu's mind, as if everything around him was too quiet, with only him and his shadow moving.
The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees.
Ji Chu approached his car, his heart inexplicably skipping a beat, and then — he saw a girl sleeping with her face buried against the steering wheel.
Dark hair, a petite figure, waiting for him in the car.
It was as if his earlier fantasy had overlapped with reality...
Ji Chu hesitantly reached out, touching the car window, tracing her silhouette through the semi-transparent glass, his hand involuntarily trembling.
No one knew that on this afternoon, the young professor who always boasted about his first love stood for a very long time in front of his car, daring only to look at his beloved through the window.
He began to suspect that he might be ill.
He had brought his hallucination into reality. But somehow, this kind of illness didn't seem so bad.
He finally saw her again, after caressing all her photos over and over countless times.
The class bell rang again and again, shadows contracted and expanded, and the sun gradually shifted towards the west.
Ji Chu's long-held yearning was finally satisfied. His hand moved to the door handle, slowly gripping it, applying pressure, pulling it open, while his eyes remained fixed on her, wanting to see her one more time before she disappeared.
The car door opened slowly, but she didn't vanish. Instead, she stirred, as if about to wake up.
Ji Chu's hand, longing to touch her, ultimately didn't dare to reach out. As if entranced, he spoke softly, "I'm going home now. Can you wait and come to me at home?"
He even foolishly hoped that his hallucination would leave on its own.
But in the next moment, she suddenly lifted her head groggily, looked around, and then turned towards the source of the sound.
As their eyes met, Ji Chu held his breath, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. Only by reminding himself that she was in the cemetery, that he had visited her grave just yesterday, could he barely regain his composure.
Ji Chu closed his eyes briefly, feeling that his condition might be more serious than he had imagined.
But just as he was sinking into despair, Jiang Yan suddenly lunged forward and embraced him, sobbing, "Oh, Ji Chu, it's really you!"
