Chapter 282: Qian Qian, An Qing, and CC

This novel is translated and hosted only on Bca Translation

Thump, thump, thump...

Lin Xian’s heart pounded, each beat louder than the knocks on the door.

“This is bad,” he thought, anxiety creeping up his spine.

It was 2 AM. He was alone in his room with a girl, both in their pajamas. This situation was far from ideal.

Chu An Qing’s eyes widened in shock as she quickly covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing a deep red. She couldn’t understand her own reaction.

Why do I feel so guilty? She wondered, realizing there was no need for guilt if she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Lin Xian, observing Chu An Qing’s panicked behavior, was at a loss for words.

Oh An Qing ah An Qing, if you acted normally, nothing would seem suspicious. But now, you’re making it look suspicious!

From the other side of the door, Yellow Finch’s voice broke the silence, sounding puzzled. “Lin Xian? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lin Xian replied, glancing at Chu An Qing, who was growing increasingly anxious. “There’s no way I can open this door now,” he thought to himself. “I just got up to use the bathroom,” he called out.Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

“I thought I heard you talking about me,” Yellow Finch remarked suddenly.

“No, I was just chatting with Liu Feng about you on WeChat,” Lin Xian quickly improvised, trying to sound casual. “You know how secretive you can be; it’s only natural we’d talk about it.”

“All right then,” Yellow Finch replied, her tone less concerned now. “Get some rest.”

After Yellow Finch’s footsteps faded, Chu An Qing let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Lin Xian,” she apologized, still embarrassed. “It’s all my fault. I panicked.”

“It’s okay, really,” Lin Xian reassured her, realizing his own overreaction had compounded the problem. There were many better ways to handle the situation, but he had chosen the worst.

Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Chu An Qing got to her feet. “It’s late, Lin Xian. I should head back. You need your rest too.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We have training tomorrow,” Lin Xian agreed, standing to see her to the door.

“Goodnight, Lin Xian.”

“Goodnight.” Chu An Qing waved, then opened the door.

“Ah!!!” Her scream sliced through the silence, startling Lin Xian. He turned to see Yellow Finch casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed, observing them with an amused expression.

“Impressive,” Yellow Finch commented dryly. “Didn’t know you had guests at this hour.”

Frustrated, Lin Xian flung the door wide open, facing Yellow Finch calmly. “We were just talking. Weren’t you and An Qing discussing time-space particles in the training room just earlier?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Chu An Qing chimed in quickly, her embarrassment still evident but her eyes sincere.

Lin Xian took a deep breath. “She really needs to improve her acting,” he mused to himself. “Maybe she should take lessons from VV.”

Yellow Finch straightened up, walked over, and gently patted Chu An Qing on the head, smoothing her hair. “Time to sleep.”

“Okay!” Chu An Qing hurried to her dorm room, pressed her fingerprint to unlock the door, and vanished inside, slamming it shut.

Shaking his head, Lin Xian turned to Yellow Finch. “Why are you still up?”

Yellow Finch smiled faintly, glancing down the empty corridor. “The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow’s the last training day before you guys get a break, as promised.”

“We don’t need a break; there’s so much work to do,” Lin Xian insisted.

“Take An Qing out,” Yellow Finch suggested. “Hit the mall or a park.”

“There’s no need,” Lin Xian dismissed the idea.

“Goodnight,” Yellow Finch said, leaving without another word.

Lin Xian sighed and headed back inside.

“What a mess,” VV, his electronic alarm clock, remarked.

“It’s all your fault,” Lin Xian shot back at the clock. “I thought bringing you from 600 years in the future would help, but you’ve caused more trouble than anything else. Did I mess up those 130,000 lines of code somewhere?”

“Impossible,” VV asserted confidently. “I’m only looking out for you.”

“That’s the most suffocating thing a parent can say,” Lin Xian muttered, yawning as he climbed into bed. “We have training tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Considering CC’s unique life and memories, and the fact that Chu An Qing had a vaccine scar on her arm while CC didn’t, he ruled out the possibility of them being the same person.

Sighing, Lin Xian thought about CC. He hadn’t seen her in his third dream, and he didn’t know if she still existed in the future.

“She couldn’t have just disappeared, could she?” Lin Xian wondered. “She seemed like a significant character, not someone who would just vanish.”

He felt CC’s disappearance was linked to Time Bank. Maybe when the bank reappeared in his dreams or the future, he would see her again.

“When will I see the Time Bank’s 600th-anniversary blimp in my fourth dream?” Lin Xian pondered. “And when can I finally explore the dream freely without those soldiers or the mysterious old man?”

“It’s a long road ahead,” Lin Xian sighed, exhaling another puff of white vapor. He liked the sensation of breathing out fog in the cold, something he couldn’t experience in the milder climate of Donghai.

Walking over to the bundled-up Chu An Qing, Lin Xian smiled. “You’re dressed just like the first time I saw you.”

Chu An Qing tilted her head. “The first time we met was at the MX company’s celebration, wasn’t it?”

“It was before that,” Lin Xian recounted, explaining their earlier encounters.

“Wow,” Chu An Qing marveled. “We’ve met so many times! Life is full of surprises!”

“There’s even earlier,” Lin Xian continued, sharing another story.

“Wow!” Chu An Qing’s eyes widened with surprise. “I had no idea! This is amazing! Is there any earlier?”

“Is there any earlier time we’ve met, Lin Xian?” she asked, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

“Qian Qian!!!” Suddenly, a white-haired grandmother collapsed in front of Chu An Qing, hugging her tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Qian Qian, my Qian Qian! Mom knew you weren’t dead! I’ve been looking for you!”

“Wait, wait!” Chu An Qing tried to pull away, panic-stricken.

But the old woman clung to her like a vise. “Qian Qian! Mom found you! Don’t leave me again!”

“Let go! Let go!” Lin Xian thought this had to be a mistake and rushed to separate them.

“Lin Xian!” Chu An Qing, terrified, jumped into Lin Xian’s arms once he freed her.

A crowd gathered, watching the commotion. Lin Xian shielded Chu An Qing, keeping her close.

“Qian Qian! My Qian Qian!” The old woman cried, crawling towards them, her frail hands reaching out.

Lin Xian’s heart softened. The old woman didn’t seem harmful, just confused. Before he could decide what to do, a middle-aged man with glasses rushed over, apologizing profusely.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, helping the old woman up. “She has some mental issues.”

Lin Xian relaxed, realizing it was a misunderstanding. Chu An Qing calmed down, stepping away from him.

Looking at the man and the old woman, Lin Xian thought the man looked around 60, but the old woman seemed much older, perhaps due to mental strain.

“What’s going on?” Lin Xian asked.

The man hesitated before explaining, “We had a daughter who died in a car accident over twenty years ago. My wife never recovered and has been mentally unstable. Your friend looks exactly like our daughter, which confused her. I’m very sorry for the trouble.”

Lin Xian and Chu An Qing exchanged glances, feeling a mix of sympathy and confusion.

“Qian Qian...” the old woman sobbed, reaching for Chu An Qing’s shoes. “My Qian Qian...”

The man sighed. “I’m sorry. She just misses our daughter so much.”

Lin Xian, curious, asked, “How similar do they look?”

This novel is translated and hosted only on Bca Translation

The man looked closely at Chu An Qing, tears welling up. “Exactly the same. Even the mole by her left eye...”

Lin Xian felt a chill. Could there be a third person, identical to Chu An Qing and CC? Or was Qian Qian somehow connected to CC?

“Wait, sir,” Lin Xian said, stopping the man. “You said your daughter looks just like her? Look again.”

He stepped aside, letting the man take a good look at Chu An Qing.

The man’s face contorted with emotion. “Yes... exactly the same...”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation