Film and Television Time Travel: Why Do I Always End Up in Romance Dramas?

Friday morning at eight o'clock, at the entrance of Shuangyuan factory area.

Nie Xiguang, carrying a small bag, stood by the roadside, fiddling with his phone.

The screen displays the chat history with Jiang Rui:

Nie Xiguang: Send me the Zhuang serial number.

Zhuang Xu was Jiang Rui's former tutor, so naturally I had his phone number.

Jiang Rui: Sis, what are you doing? Why did you contact me first?

Nie Xiguang: Hurry up, your sister is going to end everything today!

Jiang Rui: Okay... But sis, let me remind you, if you're going to say goodbye, say goodbye properly. Don't use those "last meal together" or "last movie together" clichés, they're likely to cause trouble.

Nie Xiguang: ...You're overthinking it.

Jiang Rui: Also, remember to report to Brother Chen. It's basic procedure.

Nie Xiguang: I know! Stop nagging!

Nie Xiguang copied the number, stared at it for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and was about to dial it—

"Beep beep!"

Two clear horn sounds rang out from the side.

A black Audi slowly pulled up beside her, the window rolled down, revealing Lin Yusen's expressionless face.

"To the city center?" he asked.

Nie Xiguang was startled and quickly waved his hand, "Ah, no, President Lin, I'm going to the high-speed rail station..."

"It's on my way, get in the car." Lin Yusen said succinctly.

"No need, no need, I'll just take a taxi..."

Before he could finish speaking, another voice interrupted: "Mr. Lin, what a coincidence."

Yu Chen walked over at some point, carrying a laptop bag, with just the right amount of surprise on his face.

He glanced at Nie Xiguang, then looked at Lin Yusen: "Mr. Lin, are you heading to the city? I'm also going to the high-speed rail station. Would it be convenient for me to hitch a ride?"

Nie Xiguang: "???"

Is Yu Chen also going to the high-speed rail station? Why didn't you say so yesterday?

Lin Yusen's gaze swept back and forth between the two, without any change in expression: "Get in the car."

While Nie Xiguang was still in a daze, Yu Chen had already naturally opened the back door and tilted his head towards her: "Get in, it's on the way."

"Oh... okay." Nie Xiguang sat down in a daze.

Yu Chen closed the car door and naturally got into the passenger seat.

The car drove smoothly out of the factory area.

The atmosphere inside the car... was a little awkward.

Nie Xiguang sat in the back seat, looking at the back of Yu Chen's head, his mind full of questions.

Why does he suddenly want to go to the high-speed rail station too?

And what a coincidence to run into President Lin?

She secretly took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Yu Chen: "Are you going to Shanghai too?"

A slight vibration came from ahead.

Yu Chen took out his phone, glanced at it, and moved his fingers.

Yu Chen: Um, something came up. What time is your train?

Nie Xiguang: 9:30. And you?

Yu Chen: 10:30.

He just bought this; it was sold out on Nie Xiguang's trip.

Nie Xiguang: Okay.

She put away her phone and looked out the window with a wandering gaze.

Lin Yusen glanced at Nie Xiguang, who was clearly distracted in the back seat, in the rearview mirror, then looked at Yu Chen, who appeared calm and collected, and asked casually, "Is Engineer Yu going to Shanghai for technical matters?"

"Sort of," Yu Chen replied ambiguously. "Meeting a friend, just wanted to talk about some things. And President Lin?"

"There's a meeting at headquarters." Lin Yusen paused, as if mentioning it casually, "Chairman Sheng is very interested in the tandem battery project, and a preliminary timetable for the technical demonstration meeting needs to be presented this week."

"Understood, Hua Zong's side is already preparing the materials."

The two chatted casually about work, while Nie Xiguang in the back seat only half understood what they were saying.

The car arrived at the high-speed rail station quickly.

Nie Xiguang thanked him and got out of the car, and Yu Chen followed him out.

"Mr. Lin, have a safe trip."

Lin Yusen sat in the car, watching the two walking side by side toward the station entrance, his gaze deepening.

He wanted to say something, but in the end he rolled up the window and drove away from the station.

After entering the station, Nie Xiguang finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to Shanghai? What's the matter that's so sudden?"

Yu Chen glanced at the time: "I'm going to meet someone, just need to unbutton something." He turned to look at her, "What's your train number? Want to go in together?"

"G7123, Gate 9."

"What a coincidence, my flight is G7125, right next door." Yu Chen smiled. "Let's go, I'll take you to the ticket gate."

After passing through security, the two walked to the vicinity of gate 9. Since it was still early, Nie Xiguang sat down on a bench, while Yu Chen went to the nearby convenience store and bought two bottles of water.

"Thank you." Nie Xiguang took the water, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I... have an appointment with Zhuang Xu tonight."

She had just said they weren't close yesterday, and today she went to see him. Nie Xiguang felt like a big liar and a terrible woman.

Her little face turned so red it looked like it could bleed.

"Okay." Yu Chen sat down next to her, unscrewed his water bottle, and said, "Speak properly."

His reaction was too calm. Nie Xiguang raised her head and stared intently at Yu Chen, still feeling a little uneasy: "You... don't have anything you want to ask?"

"What do you want to ask?" Yu Chen turned to look at her. "Why are you going? What will you say when you meet them? Or will you change your mind?"

Nie Xiguang was taken aback by his question.

"That's your business." Yu Chen took a sip of water, his tone calm. "I believe you know what you're doing."

These words reassured Nie Xiguang more than any sweet talk.

She nodded vigorously: "Yes! I'm just going to put a period to this."

"Remember to tell me when you're done," Yu Chen said. "I'm curious what colors it is."

Nie Xiguang smiled and said, "Okay."

The announcement began reminding passengers to board train G7123.

Nie Xiguang stood up: "Then I'll go in first."

"Go ahead." Yu Chen also stood up. "Don't wait for me when we get to the station. My train takes more than an hour."

Nie Xiguang nodded, took two steps, then turned back and asked, "When...when will you be back after you're done?"

"It depends, maybe tomorrow or the day after." Yu Chen looked at her. "When you come back, I'll take you to that secret place."

"It's settled!" Nie Xiguang waved his hand and turned to join the flow of people checking tickets.

Yu Chen stood there, watching her figure disappear. The calm on his face slowly faded, and his eyes became somewhat deep.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Mr. Lin, your car shouldn't be on the elevated road yet, right?"

Is it convenient to turn around?

There's something I'd like to discuss with you privately.

---

Twenty minutes later, in a private room of a coffee shop near the high-speed rail station.

Lin Yusen sat opposite Yu Chen, looking at him with a blank expression: "What is it that we need to talk about privately?"

Yu Chen stirred his coffee and got straight to the point: "President Lin, I think I might know something about the misunderstanding between you and Nie Xiguang."

Lin Yusen's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Two years ago, before that car accident, someone used Nie Xiguang's name to make an appointment with you, right?" Yu Chen asked calmly. "But she didn't show up, and you waited at the hospital for many days."

Lin Yusen's fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup, his voice turning cold: "How did you know?"

"I heard Nie Xiguang mention it a little, and I guessed based on some other information," Yu Chen lied without batting an eye. "But President Lin, have you ever considered that the person who invited you might not have been Nie Xiguang at all?"

Lin Yusen stared at him without saying a word.

"You should know the Nie family's situation better than I do. Chairman Nie's first love later married into the Ma family and had a daughter named Ma Nianyuan," Yu Chen said slowly. "This Miss Ma even... occasionally uses Nie Xiguang's identity as his heir."

Lin Yusen's eyes changed.

"Two years ago, Ma Nianyuan was also in Shanghai. She learned about you through some channels, and..." Yu Chen paused, "...she was very interested in you. She used the name of the Nie family's daughter to ask you out."

"Where's the evidence?" Lin Yusen's voice was a little dry.

"I don't have direct evidence," Yu Chen said frankly, "but you can ask the friend who helped you pass on the message or made the connection back then, and carefully recall the details of how they contacted you."

He leaned forward slightly: "President Lin, you should have observed Nie Xiguang recently. Is she the kind of person who would casually use family connections, then stand someone up, and then pretend not to know anything afterward?"

Lin Yusen remained silent for a long time.

He had also made such a guess, but the guess was too cruel, and he dared not and did not want to think about it.

The only sound in the private room was the faint hum of the coffee machine.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he finally asked.

"Two reasons." Yu Chen put down the stirring spoon. "First, I don't want a misunderstanding to affect your fair judgment of Nie Xiguang's work performance. She works very hard and has great potential at Shuangyuan."

"Secondly," he looked up and stared directly at Lin Yusen, "as one of the shareholders of Shuangyuan Future, I hope there are no unnecessary barriers between the core management team, especially that personal misunderstandings do not affect their attitude towards the company's important employees."

These words were spoken frankly, yet with a touch of sharpness.

Lin Yusen gave him a deep look, then suddenly asked, "You like her?"

Yu Chen was taken aback by his directness and paused for a moment before smiling: "President Lin, this is my private matter."

"That's it." Lin Yusen leaned back in his chair, a mocking expression appearing on his face for the first time. "So, you're... clearing obstacles for her?"

"Consider it clearing up a knot for everyone," Yu Chen corrected. "Clearing up the misunderstanding is beneficial for you, for her, and for our work."

Lin Yusen didn't say anything more, he just looked at the traffic outside the window, his eyes were complicated and hard to understand.

It's been two years.

That "broken promise" that he couldn't get over, that preconceived prejudice against the name "Nie Xiguang" that he had.

Could it be that the whole thing was a misunderstanding?

If what Yu Chen said is true...

He remembered the girl diligently organizing data in the archives, her candor when offering dormitory suggestions, and her defiant gaze when faced with difficulties…

Those images were completely at odds with the "spoiled and irresponsible" image he held in his mind.

"I will investigate," Lin Yusen finally said, his voice regaining its usual calm. "If it's a misunderstanding, I will adjust my attitude."

"That's good." Yu Chen stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Lin. I have to go now; I need to catch my high-speed train."

He walked to the door, then turned back: "By the way, Mr. Lin, Nie Xiguang met with Zhuang Xu tonight just to settle some old matters for me. You don't need to overthink it."

Lin Yusen: "..."

Damn it, didn't he just say that Nie Xiguang did it for him?!

Watching Yu Chen leave the private room, the door closed gently.

Lin Yusen's expression was somewhat cold.

After a long while, he took out his phone, found a number he hadn't contacted in a long time, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed it.

"Hello, it's me. There's something I wanted to confirm with you..."