You on the other side of time

Si Yang thought to himself that if he could contact the landlord at the right time, he might be able to find out more about the single mother, or even get her phone number and communicate with her directly, saving him a lot of trouble.

But when he turned his head, he saw that Song Wanxi looked a little lost. She was holding the pocket buckle on her clothes with her fingers and rubbing the fabric with the back of her hand. She was obviously nervous.

He was immediately stumped. How could he ask her in a way that would make her more accepting? He couldn't just ask her directly, "Who is your landlord? What's his phone number?" It would be too abrupt, since the two of them weren't very familiar with each other, and there had even been a minor misunderstanding about their school cards a month ago.

Si Yang stole a glance, only to be caught red-handed by Song Wanxi.

She immediately gave him an awkward smile. "Senior Si Yang, I'll head back now. I'm going to go back and memorize my lines for the Jinchuan Museum. The part-time tour guide position at that museum is really too difficult to get."

After saying that, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Actually, this was just an excuse she made up on the spot; being anxious to go back and memorize her lines was only a small part of it, but easing the current awkwardness was the main reason.

She can talk freely when facing a group of people, but when she is alone with a boy, she is still a little reserved. Moreover, after the previous "card" incident, she deduced from Si Yang's flickering eyes that he had most likely recognized her.

"Didn't you already receive your admission letter from Jinan University? You can enter the Jinan University Museum anytime you want. There's no need for you to go through all that trouble and take the tour guide part-time exam."

Si Yang followed up with a question.

As a senior tutor in the Department of Archaeology, Si Yang's mother, Xu Qingwan, is the honorary curator of Jinda Museum, but he guesses that Si Chuying is unaware of this, and Song Wanxi is certainly unaware as well.

"I have my own things to do. I enjoy working with those cultural relics, you know? It feels like I'm talking to people from a thousand years ago..."

Song Wanxi paused here, her eyes bright, her cheeks still slightly flushed, as she gazed into the distance.

Si Yang was somewhat puzzled by that hopeful look in her eyes. He didn't know what this seemingly gentle and shy girl "had to do."

Fortunately, the two chatted as they walked slowly along the street. Besides their conversation, there were car horns and the rustling of the wind through the trees. Everything seemed so natural, and their conversation gradually returned to normal.

Si Yang understood all too well the feeling Song Wanxi described as "conversing with the ancients across a thousand years." It was the most relaxing moment he experienced while studying. He always felt that communicating with people was too tiring, requiring him to read their expressions, guess their thoughts, and understand all sorts of "subtext." But interacting with cultural relics was different. Cultural relics cannot speak, yet they can honestly reveal everything about themselves. Whatever you read from them, that is what they are, without concealment or calculation.

Hearing Song Wanxi describe her favorite subject, archaeology, in this way, Si Yang inexplicably felt a sense of "finding a kindred spirit." His tense mind suddenly relaxed a little. Although it was just a little, it made him feel much more comfortable.

A question that had been lingering in my mind for a long time finally surfaced: "So, your answer in class before was a conclusion you reached through your own research?"

Si Yang had a competitive spirit and always felt that how could a senior archaeology student like himself lose to a high school student, especially a girl? But he had been busy with the case before, and this time, he finally had the chance to ask.

"Sort of, but not entirely." Song Wanxi lowered her head gently.

Through her thick, flowing hair, Si Yang noticed the tips of her reddened ears, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Song Wanxi also sensed the subtle tension in the atmosphere and quickly changed the subject: "But the lines are really hard to memorize. Ever since I finished the college entrance exam, I've been going to Jiuyanqiao every day to memorize them, sometimes until midnight. Sometimes the wind is so strong that I get so cold."

Nine-Eyed Bridge? Midnight?

Si Yang seemed to have caught a key phrase. He abruptly stopped in his tracks. The first time he traveled back in time, when he didn't follow the rules, he returned to the Nine-Eyed Bridge. It was from that moment that it was as if the mechanism for time travel had been activated.

The girl he met on the bridge seemed to be scared half to death, and she even left behind the doll sewn by Si Chuying.

Remembering that Si Chuying had mentioned her idol encountering a "drunkard" in the middle of the night, he knew it was him. Even though he had heard the name "Song Wanxi" so many times from Si Chuying and Wen Jinxin, he still couldn't quite connect that girl with the Song Wanxi in front of him.

Si Yang slowly lowered his head and fell silent. He had originally wanted to chat with the girl casually, subtly mention his predicament, and then ask for the landlord's phone number. But his ears were burning, and he couldn't even bring himself to say "I'm sorry," let alone ask the landlord.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now." Song Wanxi didn't know why Si Yang had suddenly stopped talking. She wasn't one to waste time; she still needed to memorize lines and find part-time jobs when she got back. Her tuition fees weren't settled yet, and she couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Wait..." Si Yang frowned, struggling to utter a few words through clenched teeth, "I heard from Yingying that you live alone?"

"Yes, but I haven't lived alone for very long. My grandma passed away before the college entrance exam, and I've been living alone for the past two months." When she mentioned her grandma, a thin mist welled up in Song Wanxi's eyes again.

Although he only mentioned that it had only been a little over two months, Si Yang could tell that the hardship of living alone could not be concealed by simply saying "I haven't lived here for long".

The people from Jiuyanqiao Community often came to check on her, bringing her rice and oil. They even offered to cover part of her tuition after learning she had been accepted to Jinchuan University.

But this help was ultimately just a drop in the bucket. Song Wanxi didn't want to trouble others. Her grandmother had taught her to be strong, independent, and grateful, and not to always rely on others. Now that her grandmother was gone, she had to learn to shoulder everything on her own.

Anyway, in addition to studying, she will do several part-time jobs and work to support herself. Plus, she heard that there are generous scholarships and grants at the university. No matter how hard she tries, she will never give up on her dream.

Hearing this, Si Yang fell silent again. He had only wanted to chat a bit more so he could have a reason to ask for the landlord's phone number. But he hadn't expected that, compared to his own predicament, Song Wanxi was the one who had always lived a hard life, yet strived to be optimistic and positive.

He wanted to ask her where her parents were, and why they were leaving her to bear so much alone. But in the end, he didn't ask. Perhaps something bad had happened to her parents; otherwise, why would they abandon such an outstanding daughter? Since it was a painful matter, he decided not to bring it up again.

"But it's okay, life is bittersweet. According to Song Wanxi's first law, don't worry about things two hours or ten kilometers away, just live in the present. After all, being happy is more important than anything else."

Song Wanxi blinked and gave Si Yang a clean smile. She said this both to comfort herself and to reassure Si Yang.

She was worried that she might upset Si Yang. After all, as a sensitive young girl, she had already noticed that Si Yang had wanted to say something several times, but had held it back. His forced smile made her feel that the boy was hiding a lot of thoughts.

"You're quite optimistic." Looking at her smile, Si Yang felt a little less guilty and heavy-hearted. He forced a smile and asked his question directly, "A friend of mine wants to rent a place. I just looked at the area where you live. It's in the city center, so the rent should be quite cheap, right?"