You on the other side of time

Si Yang originally planned to go back to his dormitory and find a place to carve "Don't meddle" to ensure he was always reminded of this. But less than five minutes after class ended, Xu Qingwan blocked him at the entrance of the teaching building.

"Yangyang, come to the office with me." Xu Qingwan said seriously, carrying a large bag. "These are the heatstroke prevention supplies the school gave us. I can't carry them all, so can you help me carry them home?"

Si Yang peeked inside and saw that the bag contained three packets of Banlangen granules, three boxes of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, two bottles of chrysanthemum tea, a box of face masks, and a sun hat. It could all fit in a small plastic bag, so it couldn't possibly be so heavy that he "couldn't lift it."

But he dared not argue. From childhood, he and his father, Si Xingbin, had long since reached a consensus: don't mess with Xu Qingwan. If he really couldn't stand it, he would just let it go in one ear and out the other, never talking back.

"Okay, Lao Xu, I'll carry it for you." Si Yang took the bag, easily lifting it with one index finger, but for some reason, he felt like a "henpecked husband's heir." Perhaps it was because he had spent too much time with Si Xingbin that he had even picked up this "submissive" attitude.

The two walked home side by side. Xu Qingwan was a PhD graduate who stayed on at Jinzhou University. She had taught there for over twenty years and knew many people. Along the way, people kept greeting her.

"Professor Xu, your son is getting more and more energetic!"

"This must be your family's academic star majoring in cultural relics, right? Great genes!"

"..."

Si Yang had never been interested in such flattery. He acknowledged Xu Qingwan's professional abilities, but precisely because of this, he always felt that he was living in his mother's "halo," as if his success was a given.

He sighed silently, then his nose suddenly itched, and he sneezed several times, his lower back aching. Even though he was already pregnant, the discomfort from his spring allergies lingered.

"What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?" Xu Qingwan turned to look at him, then changed the subject, "By the way, do you know the girl who sat next to you in class today?"

"I don't know her, this is the first time we've met." Si Yang quickly waved his hand, afraid that Lao Xu would start gossiping. Si Chuying's gossipy nature was clearly inherited from Lao Xu.

"That girl is good, a promising talent." Xu Qingwan clicked her tongue in praise, "She just graduated from high school, but her understanding of Jinchuan civilization is deeper than many undergraduates."

Si Yang suddenly realized that Xu Qingwan had noticed Song Wanxi auditing the class long ago, and the praise she gave in class wasn't just a casual remark. No wonder the praise back then was that "she's better than many undergraduates."

He pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "Who knows where she copied those ideas from? I don't think she's really capable of that."

"You child, you just can't stand seeing others better than you." Xu Qingwan glared at him.

Amidst the bickering, the two entered the elevator.

As soon as the door opened, Xu Qingwan didn't bend down to change her shoes; instead, she kicked them directly into the corner of the wall, making quite a noise.

Hearing the noise, Si Xingbin immediately came from the living room, squatted down to help her arrange her shoes, and asked gently, "Wife, did something unpleasant happen today?"

Xu Qingwan sat down on the sofa, her tone extremely irritated, "It's all because Teacher Sun's son is getting married, and he insists on having Yangyang be his son's best man. You know, the two kids don't even know each other, but they come to see me every day, interfering with my lesson preparation..."

"And I heard that being a groomsman or bridesmaid means you can't find a partner for five years. Your son is already not very romantic, and if he waits another five years, he'll probably be an old man."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll get you a glass of warm water and give you a shoulder massage..." Si Xingbin busied himself with his needs, not neglecting them at all.

"..."

Si Yang walked in carrying heatstroke prevention supplies and happened to witness this scene. He couldn't help but exchange a glance with Si Chuying, who had just come out of the bedroom. The two siblings' eyes were full of tacit helplessness.

Si Chuying muttered under her breath, "Brother, you were born in the Year of the Horse, you should be eating grass, but you end up eating dog food at home every day."

Si Yang put the bag on the coffee table and said self-deprecatingly, "Not only do I have to eat dog food, but I also have to be a beast of burden at any time. I really have to thank you."

After they finished speaking, the two went back to their respective rooms.

Si Yang sat at his desk, took out a notebook filled with the words "Don't meddle in other people's business," and waited until the room was completely quiet before using his meticulous thinking as an engineer to slowly sort out his experiences over the past period.

The mechanism of time travel has been basically figured out: every day at midnight, falling into the river from a specific location on the Nine-Eye Bridge will return him to the past, which is the time he is currently in, and he will wake up in his bed at home. However, when he woke up the first time he traveled through time, he was clearly on the bridge and even encountered a girl wearing the uniform of Jinchuan No. 7 Middle School.

He speculated that the first time travel was "trigger-driven," and it was that accident that unlocked the subsequent time travel privileges. Subsequent time travels, however, were all in "normal mode."

When he first traveled back to the present, he was completely bewildered. He didn't make any changes, but the rabbit in his pocket reminded him that the butterfly effect was real. This meant that, as long as he didn't drastically alter the timeline, he could warn people before disasters occurred, or even intervene slightly now.

For example, if we find that single mother who fell into a coma eight months later, she should be doing well now, right?

But he dared not tell anyone. He didn't know what the consequences of arbitrarily changing the timeline would be. Besides, if he spoke out blindly, he would only be seen as a madman.

What puzzled him even more was how he suddenly returned to the "normal timeline"? It always happened after he fell asleep, without any warning.

As he pondered, drowsiness overcame him, and Si Yang slumped onto the table, falling asleep without realizing it.

……

……

"I really don't know how big his heart is..."

"Shh, stop talking. He seems to be awake..." A familiar voice reached his ears, and Si Yang suddenly opened his eyes again.

What came into view was the thick cotton quilt on the bed opposite, and the back of dormitory head Wang Qiang's head.

He instinctively reached for his phone, and the date on the screen shocked him: March 9th.

It's March 9th again.

The last time we returned to the "correct timeline" was March 9th, and this time it's the same day again. In other words, the "correct timeline" hasn't progressed at all, remaining stuck on that day. However, the timeline we traveled back to has advanced from June 8th to July 8th.

According to this pattern, each time he goes back in time, time will advance by one month. The past timeline will eventually converge with the "correct timeline." What will happen then? But why does the "correct timeline" stay on the same day? Si Yang couldn't figure it out.

But after this time travel, one thing is certain: the trigger condition for traveling back to the "correct timeline" is falling asleep, and the fixed location to return to the "correct timeline" is the bed in the dormitory.

"Wang Qiang, you guys go to the library to write your papers, don't call me." Si Yang was stunned the moment he spoke. Even though it was the second time he had returned to this day, it was as if he had experienced it countless times, and he subconsciously uttered these words.

The noisy footsteps in the dormitory stopped for a few seconds. Wang Qiang turned around and glanced at him: "Okay, see you later."

With a "bang," the dormitory door slammed shut, leaving only Si Yang inside.