My girlfriend is from the future!

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the underground parking garage of New Muse shopping mall, took their cards, found a parking space, parked the car, unbuckled their seat belts, and got out of the car.

The air in the underground parking garage was slightly cool, carrying the distinctive smell of tires rubbing against the ground and car exhaust. Cao Aiqing put her beige trench coat back on, adjusted her scarf, and transformed back into the elegant and poised intellectual beauty.

Looking at her, He Tianran couldn't help but recall her sexy yet shy appearance in cosplay an hour ago, and couldn't help but smile.

His wicked grin was immediately noticed by Cao Aiqing, who was already somewhat sensitive to such things, and she frowned immediately:

"why are you laughing?"

"No...nothing..."

He Tianran laughed it off, but Cao Aiqing knew exactly what he was thinking.

The girl blushed slightly and glared at him. The man didn't say anything, and the girl didn't point it out either. They both understood each other without saying a word. Cao Aiqing just remembered something and suddenly asked:
"You... your various personalities know what each other is doing, and they have memories of it?"

He Tianran thought for a moment and made a vivid analogy, "Many times it's like having a dream. You may remember the contents of the dream, but sometimes they are clear and sometimes they are blurry. But this time... is an exception."

Is anything different this time?

"I don't know if it was because the 'boy' was too willful this time, coupled with my unwillingness to be replaced, so this time I felt more like I was experiencing sleep paralysis. I could clearly 'observe' everything that happened when the boy controlled my body, but I just couldn't wake up. And the nonsense and arguments you heard him talking about were the first time that happened between the three of us personalities."

When He Tianran talked about these things, a look of difficulty appeared on his face. It must have been mentally difficult for him to recall and recount these events.

“Let’s go,” she said, “first come with me to buy groceries, and then…”

"And then?" He Tianran asked instinctively.

Cao Aiqing strode towards the elevator lobby leading to the large supermarket in the mall. She didn't turn around, but simply left behind a light, casual remark:
"Then, I'll help you recall some lighthearted memories."

He Tianran followed after him.

The large supermarket in New Muse was brightly lit, with shelves so clean they seemed to glow. The air was filled with the fresh aroma of fruits and vegetables mixed with the warm, sweet scent of the bakery, a stark contrast to the cold, hard atmosphere of the basement just moments before.

Cao Aiqing skillfully picked up a shopping cart at the entrance, naturally put her handbag into the basket, and pushed the cart straight toward the fresh produce section.

He Tianran followed beside her, and the two stopped in the vegetable section. Cao Aiqing picked up a box of exquisitely packaged tomatoes, examined its color carefully under the light, put it back, and then selected a few loose tomatoes that looked plumper and fresher.

"You... don't really like pre-cooked meals and overly packaged ingredients."

As she made her selections, she spoke casually, sharing a shared memory of life.

He Tianran paused for a moment, trying to search his memory bank as a "writer," and could only vaguely respond: "...Hmm, it seems so."

“It’s not just a feeling,” Cao Aiqing corrected him, her tone filled with unquestionable certainty. “You said it yourself. You said that kind of food doesn’t have the ‘wok hei’ (wok aroma) and doesn’t taste good.”

As she spoke, she put the selected tomatoes into the shopping cart, then turned to the refrigerated display case next to her and picked up a box of marbled beef brisket. "This, remember? Your specialty... braised beef brisket with tomatoes."

He Tianran's nasal cavity seemed to be instantly struck by a rich, sweet and sour, warm aroma with the scent of meat.

The taste wasn't from memory; it was more like a primal bodily reaction, and my Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

However, this dish is actually very simple to cook; there's no such thing as being good at it or not...

"Could it be because you like to eat it, and I often cook it for you, so you think I'm good at this dish?"

The writer He Tianran made a reasonable conjecture, and the girl's expression visibly froze as she put the beef brisket into the shopping cart.

"Who knows? You've been living on your own since high school, and you've always taken care of your own meals. Over the years, who knows what your best dish is..."

Not denying it is tantamount to admitting it.

He Tianran secretly noted down Cao Aiqing's preferences, then changed the subject, making a joke:

"Although I used to be able to cook, you have to know that since I developed dissociative identity disorder, my personalities are different from each other. For example, the 'teenager' can't drive because he considers himself a minor and has never learned to drive; while my driving skills are pretty good. Many of my actions have become subconscious, so I don't even have to think about it. Since I became like this, it seems like I haven't cooked for you. So guess, do you think my cooking skills are still there?"

"exist."

Cao Aiqing selected other ingredients without hesitation.

"So sure?"

“When I went to your house to clean last time, there were signs that the stove and kitchen had been used. Aunt Bai basically never cooks; besides you, there's no one else who does it…”

At this point, she turned her head:

"Or is it that Yu Naoqiu's visit to your house that wasn't her first time?"

The girl's gaze was almost tangible, and He Tianran waved his hands repeatedly, as if he too had some "subconscious" awareness of this situation:
"No, no, that was the first time. You were very observant. I set up the stove, and I haven't forgotten my cooking skills... but..."

"But what?"

"However... I don't seem to live as refined a life as the original He Tianran. I don't dislike pre-cooked food, and sometimes I can even make do with some junk food. To be honest, in my inner world, my image should be that of a fat person whose health and daily routine are not very good?"

He Tianran scratched his head. After using this healthy body for so long, he was almost forgetting the image of his personality projected into his heart.

Cao Aiqing gazed at his flustered expression, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but instruct him:

"Eating too much junk food is bad for you..."

"Um……"

"Don't stay up too late, look at your dark circles."

"understood."

There's a gym near your home, and there's also a chain near your company. You got a membership card after Aunt Bai told you you'd gained weight. Your phone wallet has an NFC card for access. Remember to stick with it when you have time.

"It turns out that the phone... was broken by Jiang Xixi."

"The physical card is in the second drawer of your desk, next to your gym medical records."

"Okay, I'll re-link my phone when I get to the office tomorrow."

"I didn't ask you to re-link your card, I meant for you to exercise!" "Ah, okay, okay, slip of the tongue, same meaning, same meaning."

Cao Aiqing glanced at him and finally pushed the shopping cart forward. He Tianran felt a warm current surge in his heart and felt much more relaxed. Even his steps became lighter as he followed.

Passing by the condiment shelf, Cao Aiqing ran her fingers over the rows of bottles and jars, finally picking up a small bottle of Sichuan peppercorn oil without hesitation. She said:

“When you eat noodles or make cold dishes, you like to add a few drops of this.” She put the bottle in the car. “You said it enhances the flavor better than sesame oil.”

As He Tianran watched her fluid movements and listened to her calm narration, a strange feeling spread through his heart.

These trivial details about tastes, like scattered puzzle pieces, are being picked up one by one by Cao Aiqing, who is trying to piece together a flesh-and-blood person with specific preferences in his empty cognition.

Upon reaching the aquatic product area, Cao Aiqing glanced at the live shrimp in the glass tanks, their movements slightly agitated by the oxygen pumps. She didn't stop walking, but instead said:

"You don't like eating shrimp, and you find peeling them troublesome, unless someone peels them for you."

She paused, then added, "Later... I got used to peeling them for you."

He Tianran listened in silence.

He discovered that he could indeed "see" some images—

Under the warm light, at the dining table, a pair of slender hands patiently peeled the pinkish-white shrimp shells, then naturally placed the whole shrimp meat into the bowl next to them.

The image was blurry, but it felt very real.

It was probably close to the end of the workday, and the supermarket was getting busier. Many people brushed past the two of them. Next to the paper bags with luxury brand logos in their shopping carts, there might have been a bunch of local scallions covered in mud lying casually. The white-collar worker in a suit was also carrying a bag of unassuming old ginger that was about to be taken to the kitchen that evening.

A supermarket seems to have become a place where people settle down in their lives.

Everyone was in a hurry, yet there was a moment of hesitation and tenderness in front of a certain shelf, as if they were struggling to salvage a bit of human flavor in this meticulously planned material jungle.

Cao Aiqing's shopping cart gradually filled up. In addition to tomatoes and beef brisket, there were a few potatoes, a bunch of scallions, a bottle of red wine, and even two cans of expensive blueberries that He Tianran hadn't expected. The girl said that she would eat them as snacks for him when he stayed up late working. The two of them gradually shifted their conversation from food tastes to their hobbies.

"On the top floor of this mall, there is a company that specializes in helicopter tours. You can buy a helicopter and register it there. When you have free time, you can fly around the tour routes and see the night view of the port city."

Cao Aiqing pushed the cart with one hand and raised the other hand in mid-air, drawing several circles with her fingers pointing upwards as she gestured.

"Writer" He Tianran touched his nose and smiled wryly:
"I really can't fly a plane anymore..."

To everyone's surprise, the girl's eyes lit up, and she chimed in:
"Really? That's good. Just imagine how dangerous it would be if you were flying in the sky one day and something like this happened again! I've never understood why you always like to do these dangerous things, like bungee jumping, skydiving, wingsuit flying, and so on. It's good that you've forgotten about them now!"

"I don't understand, but... I support it?"

He Tianran probed, "The original owner of this body is so good at playing games, he couldn't have always been learning them behind Cao Aiqing's back, could he?"

"Completely unsupported."

Cao Aiqing left no room for negotiation, which made the man feel slightly ashamed.

"So... since he likes extreme sports so much, are there any... activities you two could do together?"

The girl stopped walking, and He Tianran stopped as well.

"I've only been back in China for less than six months."

She meant that after she and He Tianran officially got together, they hadn't had time to develop any common interests together.

Although the two had known each other for a long time, this was their first time being a couple. And just when they should have been in the honeymoon phase, they were forced to stop some of their hard-won opportunities for intimacy because of what happened to He Tianran...

"you……"

"I……"

The two spoke in unison, then stopped simultaneously.

"You speak first."

He Tianran politely declined, thinking that since the mall's rooftop could accommodate helicopters, they should go and experience it together. Although Cao Aiqing seemed indifferent to it and was rather afraid of losing her life.

Cao Aiqing paused for two seconds before looking away, and said somewhat awkwardly:

"So...would you like to try skiing?"

"Wha...what?"

He Tianran laughed when he heard this.

"why are you laughing?"

The girl's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

"No... I didn't... cough, sure, where do we go skiing?"

"There's a ski resort inside this mall, it's huge."

In southern cities, skiing usually refers to indoor skiing. The largest indoor ski resort in the port city is New Muse, and it is indeed very large, ranking second in the world, with the first being in Dubai.

Upon hearing this suggestion, He Tianran, still smiling, exclaimed in surprise:
"Aren't you... afraid of the cold?"

"I'm afraid of the cold, not of dying! Just wear thicker gear, what's so dangerous about skiing!"

"Aren't you afraid of dying...?"

The man couldn't help but chuckle.

"He Tianran! What did you say?!"

The girl raised her hand and angrily slapped it repeatedly. (End of Chapter)