Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Living this life over again, I can finally see the details I never noticed before-or perhaps the ones I saw but chose to ignore.
Like the birthday cake Wei Ze made by hand for Xu Nianxia. Like the way he softly coaxed the wine bottle from her hands when she refused to let go. Like how, after the party ended, a tipsy Xu Nianxia wanted Wei Ze to carry her home on his back, and he hoisted her up without a moment’s hesitation.
My other two roommates watched them, moved by the sight.
“Her brother is so good to her!”
Back then, I was naive enough to believe he was just her brother. So, when Xu Nianxia later developed a crush on someone else and started constantly trying to set me up with Wei Ze, I did indeed fall for the handsome, gentle, and attentive man he seemed to be.
It wasn’t until the truth was revealed that I realized, in hindsight, his gentleness and attentiveness were never meant for me.
Whether it was a birthday or an anniversary, he was always disinterested. As long as Xu Nianxia was present, his attention would invariably land on her.
From beginning to end, the only person Wei Ze loved was Xu Nianxia.
Just like now. I had been pulled into Wei Ze’s car, sitting in the back seat with my roommates as they dozed off. During a red light, Wei Ze turned his head, gazing affectionately at Xu Nianxia, who was also asleep in the passenger seat from the alcohol.
The night breeze blew a strand of long hair against my ear. I remained silent in the shadows, making no sound. Through the blurred vision of my slightly open eyes, I saw Wei Ze reach out his right hand toward Xu Nianxia and say in a very, very soft voice:
“Xiaxia, this time, I won’t let you marry him again.”
My heart pounded violently at that moment. I closed my eyes, retreating into the darkness, realizing with absolute clarity that Wei Ze had also traveled back in time.
He wouldn’t let Xu Nianxia marry someone else.
And I wouldn’t be with him again.
After returning to the dormitory, I lay on my bed-a place both familiar and strange. The ceiling fan whirred above, blowing gusts of hot air as I rubbed my aching head and drifted into sleep.
In my dreams, I was trapped in a loop, reliving the eight years from meeting Wei Ze to our breakup. Over and over, I heard him say:
“Yu En, let’s break up.”
The vibration of my phone rescued me from the nightmare. I stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds before picking up the phone to check my schedule. I suddenly remembered that at this time, I had taken a part-time job as a tutor, teaching English to a high schooler.
Checking the time, I quickly got out of bed to wash up, grabbed a bag of bread, and caught a bus to the student’s house.
Fortunately, I was teaching English. Because I needed to read the latest medical academic journals for my work in my previous life, I hadn’t let my English skills slip. After flipping through the teaching materials, I had a general grasp of the lesson.
My student was a high school girl. After finishing the prepared lesson, I started checking the essay her school English teacher had assigned. It was a very common topic:
*Me, Ten Years from Now.*
She rested her chin on her hand and asked, “Teacher Xiao Yu, do you think I can become a manga artist in ten years?”
I told her with absolute certainty, “You can.”
It wouldn’t even take ten years. In eight years, she would become a highly popular manga artist with a massive fan base.
“Then will Teacher Xiao Yu have become a doctor too?”
“Yes.”
She let out an “Ooh…” and suddenly pointed excitedly out the glass window at a tall, upright figure walking under the shade of the trees, holding a black umbrella. She said confidently, “Then Teacher Wen must have become a physics researcher by then.”
Through the curtain of rain, I looked up and met his gaze. My heart suddenly constricted as memories quietly surfaced-
He didn’t have a “ten years from now.”
In two years, he would die in a car accident.