Chapter 568
Group Photo
After expressing his feelings, Han Zhou felt much clearer-headed. Although there would definitely be some twists and turns with Gu Zheng and Yi Xia in the future, it wasn't impossible for them to have a chance.
After all, both Guzheng and Yixia had expressed their admiration for Wang Lengqiu's feelings. It was impossible for them to accept each other now, but if they only accepted Wang Lengqiu, the situation would be completely different.
If you can accept the first one, you can naturally accept the second one...
Gathering his thoughts, Han Zhou first asked Wang Lengqiu some questions about the past. After comparing their memories, he finally confirmed one thing:
The reason the past cannot be truly changed may not only be due to the status bar modification, but also because this trip back to the past was not a simple time travel; the entire process seems to have been influenced by another item—
[Entrance detection recorder]
【Entering the Picture Detection Recorder: A disposable item. After activating the detection function, the recorder will actively search for items within a 50-meter radius that contain obsessions. You can select one item to detect and record the related obsessions. If you wish to retain this record, please take the Memory Freeze Pill before the recording ends. The record will be implanted into your brain in the form of a memory.】
Han Zhou remembered that on the first day he traveled back to the past, the status bar indicated that the [Entering the Painting Detection Recorder] had been activated. In other words, as early as the beginning of his travels, the [Entering the Painting Detection Recorder] had started reading and recording the process of obsession. And that item full of obsession was undoubtedly that yellowed group photo.
Undoubtedly, this photo is invaluable to Wang Lengqiu, carrying important memories of that past.
In other words, the past he returned to might not be the completely real past. It could be a world existing in Xiao Lengqiu's memory, generated by the [Entering Painting Detection Recorder] reading his obsession. When he entered this world, he seemed to be disturbing the timeline, but in reality, he was only interfering with a memory, so naturally, it would not have any impact on the real future.
The evidence is that all the points he had spent in the past were not actually deducted, and before returning to the present, he was reminded again whether he needed to take the "Memory Freeze Pill" to preserve his memories.
In addition, there are many discrepancies between his memories and Wang Lengqiu's memories, most of which are related to his attempts to change the future.
However, it's impossible to say that it was a completely fake world, since the umbrella was indeed left in the past, and he still had the hair tie that Zhong Yin had given him.
Therefore, Han Zhou is more inclined to believe that this is perhaps a time travel that combines reality and illusion, or rather, an experience that is acknowledged by time itself but is regarded as "not having happened" by the status bar.
Of course, there is another possibility: that all of this is part of the "correction" itself.
In short, aside from the period he experienced, what is destined to happen will happen. Whether it is the accidental death of Zhong Yin's parents, the fact that one of Zhong Yin's sisters is deaf and the other is mute, or that Mo Yixia is not free and Wang Lengqiu is bullied, these are all established facts. Even if he tried to stop it in the past, he could not reverse the trajectory that has already been set in stone.
Thinking of this, Han Zhou sighed, feeling a sense of powerlessness and regret. Fortunately, he had already prepared for this possibility, so even if he was unwilling, he would not fall into depression.
Instead of dwelling on changing the past, we should focus on the present and the future.
Once the status bar is upgraded to a higher level, it's not impossible to gain the power to change the past.
Clearing his mind of all those chaotic thoughts, Han Zhou finally got to the point, asking gently, "By the way, senior, what are you doing here?"
Wang Lengqiu tilted her head: "Didn't you see the note I left? I came to get the photos from my sister."
Han Zhou was taken aback, then remembered that he had said last night that he wanted to see the group photo this morning. No wonder Wang Lengqiu had come all the way here so early in the morning; she probably wanted to catch the earliest bus.
He felt annoyed and even more puzzled: "Did you leave a note? We only found a note that said 'I buried my last words in the ground'."
"It's not a suicide note, it's a photo. The note was left to me by my sister. The note I left is in the living room, didn't you see it?"
At this point, Wang Lengqiu suddenly stopped.
She finally understood why Han Zhou had appeared before her in such a disheveled state.
When she came to her senses, she had already pulled that soaking wet figure into her thin arms again, her voice softer than usual: "Have you been... looking for me all this time?"
Han Zhou did not resist the girl's embrace. Instead, he hugged her back tightly and chuckled, "Have you forgotten? I have superpowers. As long as I miss someone enough, I can come to her side immediately."
"So no matter what trouble you encounter in the future, remember to call me immediately, okay?"
The person in my arms remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he heard the girl's soft yet remarkably clear voice coming from his shoulder.
"If I just miss you, can I call you?"
Han Zhou was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Of course I can, but my superpower will wear off in a few days, so I might not be able to get here so quickly every time."
The girl lifted her head from his embrace. The dim light in the hallway cast a soft shadow on her face, making her eyes appear even brighter.
"I'll wait for you," she whispered.
Perhaps because of the deliberate estrangement in the past, it was only now that Han Zhou could see Wang Lengqiu's appearance so clearly.
Her wet hair clung to her cheeks, with droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes like dewdrops splashing in her eyes. Her skin was fair, and her lips were slightly pale from the cold, yet still retained a soft curve.
An unprecedented surge of emotion quietly welled up in his heart. If he hadn't known that he was covered in mud and looked disheveled, Han Zhou would have almost been unable to restrain himself and lowered his head to kiss him.
He finally calmed himself down and continued, "We didn't see the note you mentioned. It was probably blown away by the wind. But why is your phone off?"
"I forgot to charge it last night..."
Wang Lengqiu lowered her eyes slightly and answered softly.
She wasn't trying to act pitiful, but her pale face, made even paler by the rain, her trembling eyelashes, and her naturally helpless expression somehow created a look that would soften anyone's heart.
Of course, even without this pitiful appearance, Han Zhou would never blame her.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly his smile vanished, and his expression turned serious: "Wasn't our photo taken away by your grandfather? How did your sister bury it? And why did she leave you that note?"
“She went to my grandfather’s house with my parents a while ago, and secretly went to my grandfather’s room and took the box containing the photos,” Wang Lengqiu said softly.
Han Zhou frowned slightly: "Your grandfather doesn't know?"
"I don't know." Wang Lengqiu shook her head gently. "I only found out about this yesterday after I found that note."
Han Zhou remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
“I messaged my sister to ask her to return the photos to me, but she ignored me and told me to dig them out myself. I called my parents, and they told me not to bother them with such trivial matters and to handle it myself.”
Wang Lengqiu looked up at the dimly lit stairwell window. The rain seemed to have lessened a bit, but the sky was still gloomy.
"So I had no choice but to come and find my sister myself."
Han Zhou still wore a gentle smile, but his eyes gradually darkened: "And then? They wouldn't let you in?"
“I said yesterday that I would come this morning, but it seems I’m late.”
Wang Lengqiu did not hide anything and told the truth, "I just borrowed a phone from an aunt. My mother said that she and my father have to go to work and my sister has to go to school. She told me to wait outside and not to go anywhere. She said we could talk about it when they came back in the afternoon. They want to know why I wasn't at school today."
"It's so cold! You want me to sit in the hallway and not go anywhere? And almost all day?"
Han Zhou frowned and said helplessly, "So you're really just going to sit here and wait for them?"
"I don't know where to go..."
Wang Lengqiu simply lowered her head slightly, and her pitiful demeanor naturally emerged. Even though Han Zhou wanted to say a few words of admonishment, he couldn't utter a word for a moment.
After managing to calm himself down, he continued, "Don't your parents and your sister know that photo is important to you?"
"You should know that Grandpa usually doesn't let them touch it."
"So that's why your sister deliberately hid the photos, right?" Wang Lengqiu didn't deny it, and simply hummed in agreement.
Han Zhou fell silent. No wonder Wang Lengqiu usually didn't even dare to go home. With parents and a sister like that, it was right for her not to go home.
In the few seconds of silence, the only sound was the raindrops tapping on the window and walls. He didn't ask for any more details, but suddenly asked, "Senior, do you hate them? Your parents, and your sister."
Wang Lengqiu subconsciously wanted to shake her head, but when she met his earnest eyes, she felt there was no need to hide it, so she nodded gently.
"A little."
"Just a little?" Han Zhou asked to confirm.
Wang Lengqiu thought for a moment, then raised his index finger and thumb, indicating a small distance: "A little bit more."
Han Zhou was amused by her adorable expression and raised his hand in the same gesture: "If I did something even slightly excessive to them, would you be angry?"
Wang Lengqiu hesitated for a moment, then gently grasped his hand: "Murder is illegal."
"When did I say I was going to kill someone?"
Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. Wang Lengqiu didn't joke around, which meant that she really thought he would kill someone. Did he really look that ruthless?
He said seriously, "What I mean is, I want to teach them a lesson, is that okay?"
He had just said that he would not let Wang Lengqiu suffer any more grievances. If he let it go like this, he would definitely not be able to sleep tonight.
Wang Lengqiu stared at him quietly for a while, then nodded gently.
"Sure, but don't go too far, or I'm worried they'll call the police and arrest you."
"Don't worry, when have you ever seen an alien get captured?"
Han Zhou smiled, not asking what would be considered excessive, thinking to himself that if he didn't teach this family a lesson tonight, he would write their names backwards.
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, he wiped his hands repeatedly on his clothes, then reached into his inner pocket, took out a transparent waterproof bag, and placed it in Wang Lengqiu's palm.
"No need to look for that group photo, I've already seen it," he said with a smile.
Wang Lengqiu looked down.
The group photo, which carried so many memories, lay quietly in the bag, though the edges of the photographic paper were somewhat blurred, and the image was slightly smudged by the dampness, as if it might melt into the dim light at any moment.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to restore it to its original state."
Han Zhou was well aware of what this photo meant to her, otherwise she wouldn't have carried it with her in a waterproof bag. The reason it got damp was because it got wet when she dug it out.
Wang Lengqiu looked down at the photo. The boy in the photo was smiling brightly, like the sun on a sunny day. Even though the image was a little blurry, it couldn't hide his brightness.
She gently stroked the photo, then carefully put it away. Suddenly, she wanted to ask Han Zhou if he had just returned from the past, but when she looked up, she saw him smiling at her.
Her smile was bright and gentle, just like in the photo.
"Also, we'll have a lot more photos together in the future, so we might have to buy a photo album to put them all in."
As Han Zhou spoke, he clapped his hands and stood up. "Let's go, let's not stay here. It's still early. Let's find a hotel to shower and change clothes first, and then I'll take you to have some fun, okay?"
He turned around and, just like yesterday—no, just like nine years ago, reached out his hand.
The next second, the girl gripped that hand tightly, just like she had nine years ago.
Han Zhou smiled, and with a flick of his wrist, easily pulled her up from the steps.
The two walked downstairs side by side.
"By the way, senior, I've already confessed, so we're officially a couple now, which is better than just being friends. But you know, most of the time we'll probably just have to keep it a secret..."
After walking for a while, Han Zhou suddenly scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly, "Can you accept this?"
He worried that he might be indulging in wishful thinking. He already considered Wang Lengqiu his lover, but it would be awkward if she didn't reciprocate his feelings.
"Are lovers only slightly better than ordinary friends?" Wang Lengqiu looked over with some doubt.
"Um, what I meant by 'ordinary friends' is actually not ordinary friends..."
Wang Lengqiu understood.
She didn't answer or speak again until she was about to walk out of the stairwell, when she suddenly stopped, turned around, looked up, and quietly looked at Han Zhou.
She stared for a long time, until the sound of rain outside seemed to gradually fade away, and only their intertwined breaths remained in the stairwell.
Just as Han Zhou was about to ask her if she wanted to say something, the girl finally spoke.
The sound was very soft, just enough not to be drowned out by the rain.
I like you too.
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, thinking that the other party also had mind-reading ability, and subconsciously said "Huh?"
"Since we're in a romantic relationship, shouldn't I confess my feelings to you too?"
Wang Lengqiu tilted her head, then repeated it again very seriously. This time, however, there was no "also." It was just a simple, ordinary confession, the kind she had secretly practiced countless times.
"I like you."
The moment she said those words, Han Zhou realized for the first time that even a girl like Wang Lengqiu would blush when confessing her feelings.
A faint blush spread from her ears to her cheeks, like a plum blossom suddenly blooming in the snow. Even though she tried not to look away, her slightly trembling eyelashes still betrayed her inner nervousness.
Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and then he responded solemnly, as if responding to a samurai's duel:
"I like you too, senior."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately took out his phone and quickly snapped a picture of the scene. Before the other person could ask any questions, he immediately asked, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
He remembered what Xiao Yixia said: even the same person can be different at different times, so Xiao Lengqiu's hobbies are not necessarily the same as Da Lengqiu's hobbies.
Wang Lengqiu followed suit and took out her phone to take a picture of him, but quickly remembered that her phone was out of battery. She could only put her phone away with some disappointment and shake her head.
"No."
Han Zhou had guessed that she would answer that way, since it was a rainy day and not really suitable for going out, so he asked again, "Is there anything you want to do?"
Wang Lengqiu thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
"what's up?"
"Let's take a shower together." (End of Chapter)