Chapter 89 Chapter 89 (1/2)
Our Reality
Chapter 89
After Song Qinglan ended the call, he left the secluded corridor and returned to the library.
This library was a very modern building with tapered transparent stairs modelled after the Penrose stairs and had mechanisms installed to allow readers to be able to access different floors with ease.
Going through the changing staircase, Song Qinglan saw the person he was looking for sitting at the table reading intently.
There was a tall stack of books around Ji Yushi. It seems like he probably wouldn’t be moving away from that spot any time soon. He didn’t need to take any notes when reading and he turned the pages faster than the average person, but his expression was also more focused than everyone else.
Some people say that people with hyperthymesia can remember clearly every detail in their life, from the big changes in life to the smallest of thoughts that surface in their minds. They are unable to forget, thirst for knowledge, and it makes them a genius in a certain sense.
But for the first time, Song Qinglan strongly wished that Ji Yushi’s memory and thoughts were ordinary.
He wished that he would carelessly misread the question, hurry out the house and forget to feed the cats, and would run into old classmates outside but be unable to recall their names.
Ji Yushi sat quietly by the large bookshelf that seemed to have no end in sight.
He appeared relaxed.
During these past few days of vacation, he had been happier than ever.
“What’s the matter?”
Sensing Song Qinglan’s return, Ji Yushi raised his head and asked with his dark eyes clear and clean.
Ji Yushi.
Formerly Sheng Han.
Suddenly, those eyes overlapped with the eyes from his childhood.
Song Qinglan felt like he had reached enlightenment. The kindergarten attached to Ning University, the little girl he could no longer remember the appearance of, the joke about his ‘first love’…..Ji Yushi had given a number of hints and reminders the entire time but, because of Ji Yushi’s tendency to hold grudges and likely because he had mistaken him for a little girl, Ji Yushi had teased him like this.
Song Qinglan pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.
There were very few people on this floor and there were only the two of them sitting at this long table.
Time flowed on like a river.
The ignorant child back then had grown up to into a mature man. Their two lives had briefly intersected and then after more than a decade, it had intersected again.
This wonderful and extraordinary fate filled Song Qinglan’s heart with excitement. He directly asked, “When did you realise it?”
Ji Yushi didn’t understand, “When did I realise what?”
Song Qinglan’s eyes contained a hint of a smile and there was also some helplessness, “When did you realise that I was the little fat boy who constantly stuck to you in kindergarten?”
Song Qinglan pulled Ji Yushi’s hand over and closed the book in front of him.
He wanted him to look at him.
“Han Han.”
Ji Yushi paused for a moment, “How did you….”
Song Qinglan however asked, “Why did you wear a dress as a child?”
Ji Yushi: “……….”
Song Qinglan continued, “Advisor Ji, at such a young age you cross-dressed, deceived my feelings and made me bent. Are you going to take responsibility?”
Ji Yushi’s breathing stopped. He reluctantly explained, “That was a performance, not crossdressing! You were the one who couldn’t distinguish between male and female and constantly followed me around. How would I have known that you thought that I was a girl?”
Song Qinglan pretended not to hear and added, “You even cried when I left.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
As if they had returned to kindergarten, the two continued this childish exchange several times before it ended with Song Qinglan sealing Ji Yushi’s lips with a kiss.
Sitting in the quiet library, they shared a kiss.
Tongues and lips entangled gently.
The glass reflected their kissing appearance.
When the kiss ended, Song Qinglan rested his forehead against his and asked again, “When did you recognise me?”
Ji Yushi finally answered this question, “The first time we met in Jiang City.”
That time, he and Chief Wang were visiting the base together when he heard someone enter.
The visitor had long legs and a handsome appearance, but he exuded an air of arrogance and oppressiveness.
“His name is Song Qinglan. The sunny ‘Qing’ and the mountain wind ‘Lan’…..”
One’s appearance would change with age but it would still contain some similarities. What’s more, with Ji Yushi’s memory, it was even easier for him to make a connection. He originally still had some suspicions and thought it was too coincidental, but everything was confirmed as soon as he heard Chief Wang’s introduction.
“Fuck.” Song Qinglan couldn’t help but let out a low curse, “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Ji Yushi said, “Because I thought you were annoying at the time.”
Song Qinglan laughed out loud. Even his chest shook, “That’s true. I’m sure you noted down a lot of grudges back then. Why else would you have kept it from me for so long?”
Ji Yushi wasn’t the type to hide things. As long as Song Qinglan asked, he would definitely tell him.
But the key point was ‘as long as Song Qinglan asked’.
“You clearly told me all the other important things, but you didn’t tell me this.” Song Qinglan asked, “Why did you change your name.”
Ji Yushi, “A name is just a title. It actually doesn’t matter.”
Song Qinglan frowned.
This was something Ji Yushi had said before, but he didn’t think much of it at the time. Now, he felt that this line was more meaningful than he had initially thought.
Sure enough, Ji Yushi slowly stored away the smiling expression and asked, “Did Chief Wang call just now?”
Everything was within Ji Yushi’s expectations.
In the first place, he didn’t plan on hiding the fact that he was ‘Han Han’ from Song Qinglan for this long.
“Yes.” Song Qinglan said, “If it weren’t for your mission report, even now I wouldn’t have known that you…. met your father in Rubik’s Cube.”
Song Qinglan could almost imagine how Ji Yushi felt at the time.
Song Qinglan could also imagine that when Sheng Yun said “What a coincidence. My son also has a similar game console to the one this young brother has”, how difficult Ji Yushi’s “It really is” answer must’ve been. After all, the person who gave him the game console was right before him
But there was no real empathy in this world.
So Ji Yushi’s feelings at the time, Song Qinglan will never be able to fully understand. Just understanding a part of it was enough to fill his heart with a bitter taste.
The father and son had met in a time and space where the past and future were indistinguishable.
There was no sequence in time there so even the simplest of reminder or the smallest sentence could completely change one’s destiny.
And Ji Yushi just sat there watching his father leave before saying to his teammates, “Let’s go.”
“After returning, I have actually been thinking of a problem.” Ji Yushi slowly spoke up, “Do you think he recognised me?”
Song Qinglan’s heart felt like it was being fiercely crushed. The pain made it difficult to breathe.
This question was very cruel.