My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 59 Following this arduous journey, we finally arrived at the stars.

"I feel like I don't need to eat dinner."

As he left the butterfly garden, Lu Bai let out a burp, feigning nonchalance.

Are you on a diet?

Zhou Heming was puzzled.

"I'm stuffed from eating too much dog food."

Lu Bai chuckled awkwardly as she took out her phone.

"Who would have thought that while you two were taking your lovey-dovey photos, the dedicated and professional Ms. Lu Bai had already booked our next planetarium exhibition."

"Wow, Ah Bai, you've thought of everything so thoroughly!"

Cheng Shuangjiang, who was skilled in using psychology, immediately praised him.

"There's nothing I can do about it; I'm the only one here who isn't love-struck."

She spread her hands and then pointed to the planetarium entrance in the distance.

"The match is about to start at 2:15. Let's go find a good spot."

After their electronic reservation was checked at the entrance, they entered the somewhat dimly lit planetarium.

This is a domed building with seats arranged inside, but they are all tilted back. Zhou Heming sat down and soon saw that above the dome was actually a huge projection screen.

Directly below the center of the dome is a somewhat strangely shaped machine. Its main body is cylindrical, with two round heads, and it is fixed to the ground by a bracket.

"That is a planetarium."

Cheng Shuangjiang said that she was sitting to Zhou Heming's right, and Lu Bai was to his right. Since they arrived early, they occupied the middle seats.

“When I came here in elementary school, this wasn’t here yet.”

The seats were new; Zhou Heming guessed they had been installed in the last few years, just like in a movie theater. He said in a low voice, worried about disturbing others even though the movie hadn't started yet.

“When we came here, this place had been around for many years, and the equipment was a bit outdated.”

Cheng Shuangjiang also lowered her voice and whispered in the boy's ear.

"Well, now is the perfect time to experience it at its best."

Zhou Heming smiled slightly.

"Ah He, you're so good at talking!"

The girl gently squeezed the palm of his hand that was being held.

"This might just be the perfect balance."

Zhou Heming turned his head to meet Cheng Shuangjiang's gaze. In the dim light, her eyes shone as brightly as if they contained starlight.

Their heads were very close, as if they could lean forward slightly and touch each other.

The girl's pale cherry-colored lips were now reflecting the light, showing a warm and ambiguous color. Thinking of the soft touch just now, Zhou Heming suddenly looked away a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, just as he turned his head, an announcement came over the loudspeaker in the planetarium.

"Dear visitors, our exhibition is about to begin. Please take your seats as soon as possible."

Looking to the side, I realized that the planetarium was already packed.

hum-

As the hall went completely dark, the seats slowly rose, allowing visitors to watch the screen on the dome in the most comfortable position.

Then, a glimmer of light appeared.

That was the evening sun.

At the same time, a gentle voice began to explain.

"As the sun sets, the first thing to appear before us is Venus, also known as Evening Star."

This is a astronomical tour for the general public, telling stories about stars in Eastern and Western cultures, from the Big Dipper to Sagittarius, from the legend of Gemini to Fomalhaut. Each romantic story is told in a gentle and engaging way, combined with popular science, making it easy for everyone from eight-year-old children to eighty-year-old seniors to understand.

Zhou Heming listened intently to the familiar stories, glancing occasionally at the girl beside him.

Cheng Shuangjiang was also watching intently. The starlight reflected on her profile, making the young man feel that even the brilliance of thousands of stars could not compare to her.

"This exhibition has now come to an end. To coincide with the museum's 10th anniversary, we have arranged a special guided tour video. Please remain seated and keep quiet."

The explanation caused a slight stir among the tourists.

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at Zhou Heming with some surprise, her mouth seemingly saying something like, "Is this also a surprise prepared by Ahe?"

However, although.

Zhou Heming was actually unaware of this as well.

All I can say is that today was indeed a lucky day.

He smiled back and heard the explanation resume.

"The title of this explanatory video is 'Following this arduous journey, we finally reach the stars.'"

The screen on the dome lit up, revealing a dense forest. Inside the cave, primitive humans had built a campfire, huddled together for warmth, and the firelight cast dappled shadows on the cave walls.

At this moment, a person walked out of the cave and looked up at the sky, where a bird was flapping its wings and flying.

"Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has been curious about one question: Why can birds fly?"

Zhou Heming quickly realized that the film was about the history of human spaceflight.

Ever since the first human looked up at the sky, flying has been one of humanity's dreams.

Chang'e flying to the moon, Icarus falling, Marquis Wan Hu trying to fly with fireworks tied to him, a brief hot air balloon trip, the first flight over the hills, the shadow of war sweeping across the land, the rocket designer who turned weapons into vehicles, the first satellite echoing with radio waves, Laika the dog who never returned, Gagarin who never saw God, Armstrong's one small step, the Long March, Chang'e, and Tiangong.

The short film, just over ten minutes long, clearly presents this long, glorious, turbulent, and magnificent period of history.

Zhou Heming watched intently, the reflection of the historical images falling on his face, giving him a profound and mysterious feeling.

Cheng Shuangjiang caught a glimpse of his profile, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

Even after the film ended, the tourists were still somewhat disappointed.

"How lucky! There's even a special video." Lu Bai stretched, his voice slightly soft and sweet, as if he had just taken a nap.

"Yes, this is the first time I've seen this film. I'm so glad I did, thanks to Ah-He!"

Cheng Shuangjiang seized every opportunity to praise her boyfriend.

"So, in the end, the film still doesn't seem to answer the question: Why can birds fly?"

Lu Bai rubbed his hair.

"Because if they can't fly, they'll go extinct."

Zhou Heming recalled the popular science videos he had watched in the past that he found interesting.

"Back then, the Earth's climate and environment changed, and the ground was full of predators. If you couldn't learn to fly, you would be eaten up and wiped out. It seems that because of the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs, the sky had an ecological niche for birds, and they were able to fly."

"I see."

Lu Bai, a poor student, said, "You have more words, so you get to decide."

"Ah-He is surprisingly not very romantic when it comes to these kinds of things."

Cheng Shuangjiang, however, seemed to have a different opinion.

"romantic?"

Zhou Heming thought about it for a moment and felt that species evolution is still very cruel, and it is difficult to use any romantic explanation to describe the extinction of a species.

"Just like."

The girl hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Those who tried to fly into the sky and touch the unreachable stars in the past were not forced to make this choice because of life and death. In fact, it was a more difficult and arduous choice."

"Compared to soaring in the unfamiliar and unknown sky, which carries the risk of falling, running on the ground or hiding in a tree hole is obviously easier, but they chose the more difficult path, just as birds choose to fly."

"There is a saying in the moon landing program: 'We choose them not because they are easy, but because they are difficult.'"

"So, I think they probably want to fly."

She glanced at Zhou Heming, who was listening intently, thinking, and trying to grasp the deeper meaning behind his words.

"I want to believe that their flight is to break free from their predetermined fate and to reach the future they desire, even if some birds are destined to fall."

Zhou Heming thought of the topic he and Lu Bai had discussed.

If the story is destined to end in tragedy, would he still pick up his pen and write it down?
Zhou Heming's answer was affirmative.

Just like those birds.

Even if they all eventually fall, even if they cannot escape the fate of extinction, at least they have left their mark on the sky.

Faced with an inevitable ending, some birds chose to fly, adding a touch of fantasy to the story.

This was also Cheng Shuangjiang's answer.

"Cheng Shuangjiang has good grades, I believe in her."

Lu Bai didn't know if he had thought of the same thing as Zhou Heming, but he immediately changed his stance. He was really flexible.

"Unfortunately, it's hard to see stars in Jiangcheng."

Looking up again at the now-dark dome, Zhou Heming felt a pang of regret.

“My hometown is in a small town, and we don’t usually see a clear starry sky.”

Cheng Shuangjiang also sighed softly.

"That's easy. In my hometown, you can see them every night. If you have the chance to visit, I can take you to see the stars all night long."

Lu Bai patted his chest, confidently guaranteeing it.

"Then you'll have to treat us to a big feast."

Zhou Heming laughed.

"Absolutely, do you eat spicy food?"
Although not all Sichuan dishes are spicy, the classic ones do have a little bit of chili.

"I'm fine, what about Frost's Descent?"

In Zhou Heming's memory, Cheng Shuangjiang usually ate quite lightly, but he didn't know if it was because of her taste or because she was recuperating from her injuries.

"I can eat spicy food once the cast on my arm is removed!"

The girl also played a pun.

“Then it’s a date. How about next summer vacation? The movie I’m going to be filming will be in my hometown. Zhou Heming will be interning at the film crew, and Cheng Shuangjiang, you can come along and have some fun.”

"Okay~"

Cheng Shuangjiang pursed her lips and accepted the agreement with a bright smile.

"Summer vacation is still a long way off, and I haven't taken my orientation exam yet. But I'll try my best to make this trip a celebratory one."

Zhou Heming instinctively tried to salvage the situation, but as he spoke, he decided to be more confident.

"Ah He is becoming more and more confident~"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he praised Cheng Shuangjiang again.

"Isn't it because of you?"

Zhou Heming decided to retaliate.

"When you're in front of a girl you like, you have to be more confident to prove that you didn't choose the wrong person."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shuangjiang's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her eyelashes, her shy demeanor resembling a rosebud about to bloom.

"Cough cough."

At this moment, Lu Bai cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, now is not the time to show affection. We need to go to the next exhibition hall, or we'll miss dinner."

　Thank you to [Liu Fu], [Darcy63], and [Wan Ri] for the 100-coin donation!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)