"Qi Weichen, let's break up."
After enduring an agonizingly long semester, Chu Qing finally uttered these words.
It was the last day of 2019. City A had been blanketed by a heavy snowfall overnight, turning the entire city white-headed. Due to the New Year's Eve celebrations the night before, most people were still asleep at this hour. The usually bustling park was now occupied by only Chu Qing and Qi Weichen.
After speaking those words, Chu Qing silently pinched her palm, reminding herself repeatedly not to waver. She tried to discern his expression through the tightly wrapped scarf covering half his face.
"Why?" Qi Weichen finally spoke after a long silence. His voice, muffled by the scarf, sounded somewhat dejected at first listen.
...What a joke. Qi Weichen was a god, not a mere mortal. Gods don't get dejected. Chu Qing found her momentary thought utterly absurd. "Can you take off your scarf first? I can barely hear you."
"Cold," Qi Weichen replied with just one word, clearly expressing his refusal.
See? Even at a time like this, he was still concerned about the temperature. Clearly, the breakup had no effect on him whatsoever. While relieved, Chu Qing also felt a twinge of disappointment. "We've been dating for half a year. Now that we're breaking up, you won't even show your face?"
Qi Weichen remained silent. After a while, he handed her the things he was carrying. Chu Qing instinctively took them, then watched as he removed his scarf, revealing his handsome face.
He was exceptionally good-looking, with eyes like a winter's night - dark pupils exuding a cool aura that captivated the gaze. His nose was high and straight, his lips perfectly proportioned. With sharp features and a cold demeanor, standing at 185 cm tall with fair skin, always impeccably dressed in his clean school uniform and white sneakers, he stood out like a crane among chickens in the sea of scruffy high school students.
It was his superior looks that had initially led Chu Qing down this path of no return.
"Why break up?" Qi Weichen asked again. Without the scarf's obstruction, his clear, deep voice reached Chu Qing's ears unimpeded.
Chu Qing had her reasons prepared: "The college entrance exam is in six months. I want to focus on studying."
Qi Weichen gazed at her silently, his eyes devoid of emotion.
Chu Qing dreaded when he looked at her like this. She coughed awkwardly and told the truth: "Fine, it's actually because we're not compatible. Dating should be a happy affair, but it's been nothing but exhausting for both of us..."
"I don't find it exhausting," Qi Weichen interjected, a rare occurrence.
Chu Qing sighed, "Well, I do! I'm just not cut out for studying. I can't keep up with you!"
When she had initially pursued him so relentlessly, she never imagined she'd end up with a father figure! Since they got together, she'd had no freedom. He was constantly either watching her study or tutoring her himself. Their most frequent date spot was the library, and their most common activity was doing homework.
After a semester of this torment, Chu Qing's final grades had improved slightly, but at the cost of her reputation as the boss of No. 1 High School of City A. Her former underlings now avoided her, and no one called her "Boss Chu" anymore.
Most importantly, despite all her miserable cooperation, their relationship hadn't progressed at all. After six months of dating, they had only reached the hand-holding stage, and even that was limited to special occasions. She strongly felt that Qi Weichen simply enjoyed the feeling of nurturing an underachiever, and dating was just an excuse.
This semester had been the most painful of her entire school life. The worst part was that all of Qi Weichen's actions were ostensibly for her own good, and she wasn't good at refusing attractive people. That's why she had kept putting off the breakup until today, when she finally mustered the resolve to end it for good.
"We're just not on the same path. I'm beyond help, and no amount of your teaching can improve my scores much. Continuing this relationship would only hold you back. It's better to break up now and stop wasting your time," Chu Qing explained earnestly.
"It won't," Qi Weichen said coolly.
Chu Qing insisted sincerely, "It will."
Qi Weichen fell silent, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Chu Qing couldn't meet his gaze anymore. She lowered her head awkwardly, noticing his belongings still in her hands. Searching for something to say, she asked, "What's all this anyway?"
"Sunflower seeds, peanuts, hand warmers, some snacks, and a few exam practice books," Qi Weichen replied.
Chu Qing paused, feeling a hint of touched, "Are these for me?"
"They're for my girlfriend," Qi Weichen said flatly.
Chu Qing's feelings of being touched vanished instantly. "...So now that we've broken up, you're not giving them to me anymore, right?"
Qi Weichen lowered his gaze without a word. The sky began to snow heavily again, with snowflakes landing on his lowered eyelashes and quickly melting, leaving his eyes and brows looking damp.
Seeing his silence, Chu Qing didn't want to make things difficult for him. She handed the items back to him, "Forget it, I don't want them. Keep them for yourself."
However, Qi Weichen didn't reach out to take them. After waiting for a while, Chu Qing had to put them in his hands herself. Thinking there was nothing left to say, she scratched her head awkwardly and said, "Well... I'll be going then."
Qi Weichen's eyelashes fluttered, but he remained silent.
Chu Qing sighed and turned to leave. Just as she turned, she saw the ghostly image of a car rushing out of the park's fountain, heading straight for them. Startled, Chu Qing grabbed Qi Weichen's arm and pulled him to the side, falling to the ground. As they fell, her vision went black for a moment, followed by a ringing in her ears.
This sensation lasted only a few seconds before she fully recovered. Her first instinct was to ask Qi Weichen, who had also fallen: "Are you okay?"
Qi Weichen didn't answer, instead frowning as he looked behind her. Chu Qing paused, following his gaze. She saw a long, wide road behind them, bustling with traffic. They were right in the middle of the road, in a very dangerous position.
"How...?" Chu Qing's eyes widened in shock as she looked back at Qi Weichen.
Qi Weichen, somewhat calmer than her, asked after a moment of silence, "Do you feel very hot?"
Chu Qing was taken aback, only then becoming aware of the heat. Not just her body, but the air and the road were hot too. The sun blazed overhead, and the lush willow trees lining the road and the colorful flowers in the green belts all indicated that it was definitely not winter.
Chu Qing's mind couldn't process it all, and she stared at Qi Weichen in bewilderment. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Qi Weichen met her gaze, still composed, "but we can ask."
Chu Qing: "..."
Half an hour later, they had shed all the clothes they could, now sitting in the shade by the roadside wearing only trousers and sweaters. Chu Qing rolled up her sweater sleeves, still red-faced from the heat. "So, we've time-traveled to 2042?"
"Mm," Qi Weichen's response was brief.
Chu Qing slapped her thigh in frustration, "This is absurd! I was just dodging a car, how did we end up time-traveling?! I had plans to go to the internet cafe the day after tomorrow, how am I supposed to go now?!"
"Even without the time travel, you wouldn't be able to go," Qi Weichen glanced at her.
Chu Qing looked at him, "Why?"
"The flu situation is serious. Group entertainment venues will likely be closed," Qi Weichen's temples were also covered in sweat, but he spoke as calmly as ever. "Even if they're not, I suggest you stay home and do a couple more sets of practice papers instead of going out."
At the mere mention of going out, he started lecturing. Chu Qing, already dehydrated, deflated even more. "Let's not talk about the internet cafe now. What should we do? Go home?"
"We can't go home. The technology in 2042 can't support time travel. Our journey here was probably accidental. Without knowing the exact circumstances, if you rashly try to return, you might attract the attention of special agencies," Qi Weichen's voice flowed like a cool stream in the sweltering weather.
However, Chu Qing felt her head was about to explode. "I don't want their attention!"
"Then we shouldn't contact anyone for now," Qi Weichen said calmly.
Chu Qing stared at him blankly, then finally despaired: "We can't use our own identities, can't contact our families. Are we going to live here as undocumented residents?"
Qi Weichen remained silent for a long time before responding, "No, we'll soon know whether we can go home or not."
"How will we know?" Chu Qing asked immediately.
"First, we need to determine if we can return to 2019," Qi Weichen said, then noticing Chu Qing's confused look, he paused before explaining, "After time-traveling, there are two possibilities: either we're stuck here and can never go back, or we'll travel back to our normal time at some point in the future."
"What's the difference?" Under the blazing sun and wearing thick clothes, Chu Qing's brain was barely functioning.
"If it's the former, it means in our families' eyes, we've been missing for 23 years. In this case, there wouldn't be two versions of us in the same timeline, so we could go home directly. If it's the latter," Qi Weichen paused, his gaze cool but with a hint of determination, "I believe that if I return and grow up normally to age 41, I would come to help myself within three hours."
"What?"
"It's now 3 PM on August 25, 2042, Beijing time. We're at the intersection of Haifeng Road and Lin Yin Road in District C of City A. If my 41-year-old self doesn't show up within three hours, it means I didn't manage to travel back to 2019 in the future, and there's only one Qi Weichen in this 2042 timeline." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of a nearby convenience store as he calmly explained this.
Chu Qing looked at him in awe, feeling like an idiot. Although she didn't fully understand, she felt he was incredibly smart.
Qi Weichen glanced at her, then went to the convenience store. He returned moments later with two bottles of ice-cold water, unscrewed the cap of one, and handed it to her. Chu Qing quickly took it and gulped down two mouthfuls. The cold sensation traveled from her throat to her stomach, making her sigh in relief. Only then did she think to ask, "How did you get these?"
"I bought them."
"...It's been over 20 years, your money still works?" Chu Qing was a bit shocked.
Qi Weichen nodded, casually explaining, "Technology has advanced rapidly. The cash register can not only verify authenticity but also determine the value of non-circulating currency. I gave the shopkeeper 100, and he gave me a bottle of water plus 300 in new paper currency."
Chu Qing: "..." As expected of you.
Although they had suddenly jumped from winter to summer and 23 years into the future, with such a genius by her side, Chu Qing had calmed down considerably. She lazily sat next to him, whiling away the time.
One hour passed.
Two hours passed.
Chu Qing had already drunk three bottles of water, but still no one had come for them. She uncertainly asked the person beside her, "Is it possible that after you time travel back, you'll forget about coming to save yourself?"
"Impossible," Qi Weichen said with absolute certainty.
Chu Qing thought to herself, "How do you know it's impossible when you haven't even gone back yet?" But knowing she couldn't out-reason him, she wisely kept quiet.
They continued to wait. With less than twenty minutes left until 6 PM, Chu Qing felt every minute and second dragging on endlessly. She looked at Qi Weichen countless times, and each time she saw the sweat on his temples, she wanted to say, "Let's give up," but couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Just as the clock in the convenience store was about to strike 6 PM, with only one minute left, Chu Qing spoke with mixed emotions, "It seems we're in the first scenario. Now we should..."
Before she could finish, Qi Weichen suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. Chu Qing paused, then quickly followed his gaze.
They saw a man in his early forties, balding, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and black suit pants, hurrying towards them. When he spotted them, he waved urgently, then wiped the sweat from his face with his hand, casually wiping it on his pants.
Chu Qing swallowed hard, then after a moment managed to say, "You're quite... well-built at 41, huh?"
