Location: Donghai University, Rhine Joint Laboratory, Second Floor Corridor.
Lin Xian had just ended a call with Zhao Ying Jun and walked into Liu Feng’s lab.
“Who was on the phone?” Liu Feng asked casually after noticing the entry.
“My old boss,” Lin Xian replied, putting his phone away. “Zhao Ying Jun.”
Liu Feng ran through his mental list of people he knew. “Zhao Ying Jun... female CEO... doesn’t seem to fit anywhere.”
“I don’t think I’ve met her,” Liu Feng said, shaking his head. “Or to be more precise, this woman has never been to this lab.”
Lin Xian chuckled. “You’re such a typical math nerd. Do all the women I know have to come to this lab at least once?”
“According to your theory, there should be a teenage girl showing up here to complete your so-called ‘arithmetic sequence.’ But it’s been so long, have you seen one?”
Liu Feng thought for a moment and nodded. “But math is precise. An arithmetic sequence is absolute.”
“Is this really a math problem?” Lin Xian teased. “Sure, some age gaps are possible, but where am I supposed to find a teenage girl to bring to you? Be realistic...”
“Actually, this is a dangerous topic. Stop dreaming about completing your sequence. It’s already over, complete, no more teenage girls coming to the lab—”
Suddenly, a phone rang, cutting Lin Xian off.
Ring ring, ring ring, ring ring!
Lin Xian glanced at the caller ID. It was Zhao Ying Jun again. Maybe she forgot to mention something.
He answered, “Hello, Zhao Ying Jun?”
“Sorry, Lin Xian, I called back right after hanging up,” Zhao Ying Jun said with a slight laugh. “My father mentioned it again just now—having dinner with you. Remember? My parents have been very grateful since you saved me early last year. They wanted to thank you in person.”
“We had to postpone a few days ago because you were busy. Are you free tonight? If so, let’s not delay any further. My parents are eager to meet you.”
Lin Xian suddenly remembered. Oh, that’s right.
He’d been so caught up lately—being hunted by time-space assassins, dealing with the real and fake Yu Xi twist, and the sudden appearance of the Fifth Dream—that he’d completely forgotten about other things in his life.
Last time, he canceled the dinner to meet with Elon Musk, feeling a bit guilty. Zhao Ying Jun’s parents had come all the way from the capital to thank him, and he couldn’t make it.
Canceling once wasn’t a big deal, but repeatedly refusing would seem disrespectful to her parents and rude to Zhao Ying Jun herself. He might as well get it over with.
After a moment’s thought, he realized he had no specific plans tonight.
According to his usual schedule, he’d sleep through the afternoon and into the early hours, then head back into the dream world to sneak into Big Cat’s Village and open Gao Wen’s safe to study his notes.
He could delay that for a day. It’s not like copying the “Theory of Time-Space Travel and Design of a Time-Space Machine” notebook into the real world would be finished in a week or two.
“Alright,” he agreed over the phone. “I’m free tonight. If your parents are available, let’s do it tonight. How about I book the restaurant as a way of welcoming them since they came such a long way?”
“Hehe, no way,” Zhao Ying Jun laughed lightly. “I’ll handle the restaurant. You’re the guest of honor tonight. I’ll send the address and room number to you and our driver, Xiao Li, who will take you there directly.”
“But... there’s one thing I’m a bit embarrassed about...” Zhao Ying Jun glanced over at Yan Qiao Qiao, who was swinging her legs and looking at her with her grandpa Zhao Rui Hai.
After a moment of hesitation, she continued, “If you don’t mind, my parents might bring a teenage kid along for dinner. She’s a child from my mom’s hometown who’s been with my parents lately.”
“No problem, bring her along,” Lin Xian replied casually. “Wang mentioned it to me before, about your parents bringing a kid from the countryside. You even asked him about family-friendly restaurants.”
“Since your parents will be there, and no one’s home to take care of her, it makes sense to bring her along. I’m fine with it—the more, the merrier, right?”
Zhao Ying Jun thought of Yan Qiao Qiao’s unruly behavior and felt a bit of a headache. She sighed softly, “As long as you don’t mind. Teenage girls nowadays can be quite a handful.”
“Don’t worry, really,” Lin Xian said, remembering the time when a teenage girl tore off his car door and turned his Alphard into a beehive. “I’ve dealt with my fair share of rebellious teenage girls. I’ve built a strong tolerance. As long as she’s not ripping car doors off or dropping from the sky on a motorcycle, she’ll seem calm and quiet to me.”
Lin Xian was speaking the truth. The real and fake Yu Xi, both “terminators,” had pushed his patience to the limit. He couldn’t imagine a more difficult teenage girl than those two.
One Yu Xi was like a spy from an espionage thriller, claiming to be on his side but tricking everyone, including Elon Musk, almost succeeding in killing two members of the Genius Club.
The other was a cold, emotionless assassin who brutally beheaded the fake Yu Xi right in front of him and planned to throw him into a hibernation pod for a trial in the future.
Compared to them, how much trouble could Zhao Ying Jun’s kid cause?
Next to the real and fake Yu Xi, any other teenage girl would seem like an angel.
On the other end of the phone, Zhao Ying Jun was amused by Lin Xian’s words. “Of course, there aren’t any violent teenage girls outside of movies and cartoons. I’m glad you’re okay with kids, though. A lot of people around me, including myself, don’t have much patience for them. It’s easy to get frustrated and stressed.”
“Well, that’s it then. See you tonight.”
She hung up quickly, as she always did—straightforward and decisive.
Lin Xian put down his phone and looked up to see Liu Feng with a smug smile on his face.
“What’s up?” Lin Xian asked, not understanding what Liu Feng was so pleased about.
“Hehe,” Liu Feng chuckled. “I think I heard something about a ‘teenage girl.’”
“That’s Zhao Ying Jun’s relative,” Lin Xian clarified. “Not mine. I don’t even know her. Do you think she’s going to come looking for me in the lab? I might have some charm, but I don’t think I can make a young girl fall for me... and honestly, I’d rather that not happen.”
“Who knows what kind of liking it might be,” Liu Feng shrugged. “There are many types of affection—not just romantic love. Admiration, respect, and awe are all quite normal feelings. Anyway, if a gun shows up in a story, it’s bound to fire at some point.”
“Lin Xian, I’m looking forward to seeing when that teenage girl shows up at the lab. That’s when my arithmetic sequence will truly be complete.”
Lin Xian rolled his eyes. “You can keep waiting. If it happens, you win.”
“Alright, enough joking around. I’m here to discuss something serious,” he said, walking to the central lab table. He picked up the rectangular time-space clock and checked the reading on the dial—0.0000042.
As expected, no change.
Lin Xian had guessed this outcome when he woke up this morning. Liu Feng was always very attentive to the time-space clock, and checking its readings was his first task of the day.
He hadn’t called Lin Xian by the time he arrived at Donghai University, which meant there hadn’t been any changes on the time-space clock.
Pointing at the dial showing 0.0000042, Lin Xian asked, “Why hasn’t the reading changed?”
“Because the curvature of time-space hasn’t changed,” Liu Feng replied calmly. “I’ve explained this before. The time-space clock is a device that detects changes in time-space curvature. Only when a time-space butterfly effect occurs, when the future time-space shifts, or when a world line deviates and transitions, will the curvature change.”
“So, only in such cases will the time-space clock’s numbers change to reflect the magnitude of the shift or the degree of world line transition.”
“If there’s no change now, it means no butterfly effect occurred, no future time-space shift happened, and we’re still on the 0.0000042 curvature world line, without any deviation.”
Lin Xian waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, that’s not right.”
He recalled the scene from yesterday’s dream, where he dug out Safe 1277.
He had seen it clearly.
The engraved nameplate’s font had changed from a sharp Song-style font to a rounded Microsoft Yahei.
Even though the time-space change was minor, it had happened!
So, the curvature should have changed, even if just a little... even if it went from 0.0000042 to 0.0000043, that would make sense.
It couldn’t be that the time-space change had occurred, and the details of the future world had altered, but the time-space curvature remained entirely unchanged. That would be illogical.
“Liu Feng, could there be an accuracy issue with your time-space clock?” Lin Xian suggested, pointing at the last digit on the dial. “It only detects up to seven decimal places. What if the curvature shift is extremely tiny, too small for your clock to detect?”
“That won’t happen,” Liu Feng said, moving closer and pointing at the digital display. “I built the time-space clock with a full LCD screen. Even though it looks like it only shows eight digits, it can display dozens, even hundreds, if necessary.”
“This is a complete LCD screen, after all. If you connect it to a computer, you could even watch movies or play games. So... understand now, Lin Xian? What you’re worried about won’t happen.”
“I can guarantee that if any time-space change occurs, no matter how tiny, my clock will detect it and display it proportionately. Even if the change is only 0.00000000001, the reading would change to 0.00000042001. I considered this when designing it.”
“Including the first digit,” Liu Feng continued, pointing to the lone 0 before the decimal. “What if the shift is massive, reaching hundreds of thousands or millions? Would the clock crash? Of course not. I wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.”
That makes sense, Lin Xian thought, understanding now.
The number of digits displayed on the time-space clock is automatically adjustable, so there’s no concern about precision.
Which means there’s an even bigger problem.
There was Universal Constants, time-space particles, time-space coordinates, and that “Sorrowful Einstein” painting that he still hadn’t cracked.
Now... something even crazier has come up.
He wants me to research a time-space machine!
But after the initial shock, Liu Feng understood Lin Xian’s reasoning.
Since Yellow Finch, that elusive woman, was indeed a time traveler...
If it exists, it must be possible.
Which means time travel is feasible!
The theory is sound!
The time-space machine is a real thing that can be made by humans!
He couldn’t help but imagine... if humans could really use a time-space machine to go back in time, what could they do?
They could see those who have passed away,
Fix missed opportunities and regrets,
Experience grand historical events firsthand,
And even, like Yellow Finch, manipulate humanity’s future within the limits of elasticity!
Awesome.
So awesome!
Liu Feng felt his blood boiling.
“Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll do my best to research it.”
Lin Xian checked his watch.
Although he hadn’t been here for long, it was time to leave. “I’m heading out now, so I won’t disturb your research.”
“Huh?” Liu Feng looked surprised. “Leaving so soon? You haven’t even been here ten minutes.”
“Can’t help it,” Lin Xian said, spreading his hands with a smile. “Tonight’s dinner is important. I need to prepare.”
“Zhao Ying Jun’s parents came all the way to thank me. It would be rude to show up empty-handed.”
“Donghai isn’t far from Hang City, so I’m planning to contact an old friend there to get some top-quality West Lake Longjing tea, and have Xiao Li drive over to pick it up... it’ll be here before dinner.”
“Her parents are important people who don’t lack anything, so a special local product as a gift is always the safest bet.”
With that, he waved his hand and left the lab. “See you, Liu Feng.”
“Let’s hope to see a change in the time-space clock soon, and hopefully...”
“We’ll have our own time-space machine one day.”
That evening, around 6 PM, in a luxurious villa on the outskirts of Donghai City.
Zhao Rui Hai wore a formal suit, and Yan Mei changed into her carefully chosen qipao.
The couple had dressed up well for the upcoming dinner. After all, they were thanking Lin Xian, so they had to show sincerity and respect.
Speaking of respect...
The two elderly people looked worriedly at Yan Qiao Qiao, who was watching TV on the couch.
They were concerned their granddaughter might make a fool of herself in front of Lin Xian.
They knew that Yan Qiao Qiao wasn’t exactly obedient or sensible right now, mainly due to her amnesia. She didn’t know right from wrong, or what she could or couldn’t do... It wasn’t really her fault.
“Maybe we shouldn’t take Qiao Qiao?” Yan Mei suggested. “What if she acts up and ruins the atmosphere? It would make us look like we didn’t raise her well and let Lin Xian see us as a joke.”
Zhao Rui Hai thought about it and agreed.
He walked over to the couch, patted Qiao Qiao on the head, and smiled. “Qiao Qiao, your grandma and I are going out for dinner. Can you stay home and watch TV? We’ll bring you back something nice to eat.”
Qiao Qiao turned around, picking up on the keyword: “Dinner.”
“Yes,” Zhao Rui Hai nodded. “We’re going out to eat, but it’s a bit formal. Can you stay home and wait for us?”
But...
Qiao Qiao shook her head firmly.
Her eyes were serious. “I want to go... Eat meat!”
Zhao Rui Hai and Yan Mei exchanged glances and smiled helplessly.
Alright then.
In this world, nothing is bigger than their granddaughter.
Given Qiao Qiao’s current special condition of amnesia, it’s best to let her have her way.
“Okay,” Zhao Rui Hai said, taking Qiao Qiao’s hand and pulling her off the couch. “Let’s go! Grandpa will take you to eat meat! As much as you want!”
At the same time, in Zhao Ying Jun’s apartment complex in Donghai City, in the entryway.
Zhao Ying Jun was already dressed up, looking sharp and glamorous.
She was sitting by the shoe cabinet, switching from slippers to high heels.
“Arff!” Her Pomeranian, VV, stood up straight, eyes focused.
Zhao Ying Jun looked at her dog. “You want to come to dinner?”
“Arff!” VV’s gaze was serious.
“Hehe, forget it,” Zhao Ying Jun chuckled. “Last time, you didn’t end up as dog soup, and that was lucky. You should stay away from Yan Qiao Qiao. Being near her is too risky.”
“With how much her grandparents spoil her, I worry that the next time I see you, it’ll be with chopsticks on a dinner table.”
The fluffy Pomeranian shook its head firmly. “Arff, Arff! V~~~”
Hearing this familiar whining, Zhao Ying Jun understood.
VV wasn’t insisting on coming to dinner but wanted to see Lin Xian.
“VV, do you want to see Lin Xian?”
“V~~~” VV responded with a happy noise.
“Hmm...” Zhao Ying Jun thought for a moment.
It was true, Lin Xian hadn’t been over in a while, and VV hadn’t seen him either.
VV had been in a good mood lately, thanks to Lin Xian’s comfort back then.
Now...
She decided to go along with it. Better than VV getting depressed again.
“Alright,” she said, putting on her high heels, picking up VV in her arms, and stepping into the elevator. She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s funny, but this dinner with Lin Xian really feels like...”
“The whole family is going out.”