The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 221 Zhang Qian

Shang Yibo was stunned by the scene before him. He couldn't reconcile the Zhang Qian in his memory with the person in front of him who looked so different.

He forced a smile and said, "Zhang Qian, long time no see."

"Long time no see," Zhang Qian stammered, realizing what was happening. "Please have a seat, I'll get you some water." He then turned to leave.

Seeing this, Jian Zheng quickly stood up, stepped forward, and blocked Zhang Qian's way. "No need, we're not thirsty. It's not easy to see you, so let's sit down and talk."

Zhang Qian gave an awkward laugh, then went back behind his desk and sat down with a somewhat uneasy expression: "Okay, let's talk. Talk...talk about what?"

Jian Zheng cut straight to the point: "I want to know the specifics of the laboratory explosion twenty years ago."

Shang Yibo couldn't help but glance at Zhang Qian, his heart filled with sympathy. "Zhang Qian, you must have been badly injured in that explosion, right? You must have suffered a lot over the years."

Jian Zheng glared at Shang Yibo and said in a low voice, "Now is not the time for you to show kindness, don't interrupt. Zhang Qian, let's get straight to the point, just tell the truth."

Zhang Qian's mouth twitched nervously, his scarred eyes staring menacingly at Jian Zheng, a strange hissing sound emanating from his throat. He was desperately suppressing his fear and unease, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense and oppressive.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Qian finally spoke with difficulty: "So much time has passed, and everyone has paid the price, so why are you still holding onto this? What exactly do you want?"

Jian Zheng said coldly, "It is right for the guilty to pay the price, and the innocent should of course seek justice. You know this in your heart, otherwise why do you always hide and dare not see me?"

"You're lying, I didn't!" Zhang Qian's voice sounded like it was being forced out of his throat, as if someone was choking him, so sharp it was almost a sob.

"Alright, we're not here to argue. There's no point in saying this now." Shang Yibo interrupted them impatiently and said seriously, "Zhang Qian, just say what you know. Think carefully about what to say."

Zhang Qian said pitifully, "I didn't do anything wrong, so why did they make me like this? I'm neither human nor ghost, and I have nowhere to seek justice."

"Stop acting. It's not like twenty years ago anymore. Nobody buys into this anymore. Nobody pities you. You brought this on yourself," Jian Zheng said angrily, showing no mercy.

Shang Yibo pointed at Jian Zheng and shouted, "Enough! Shut up and listen to him!"

This shout didn't frighten Jian Zheng, but it startled Zhang Qian, because in his memory, the usually gentle and refined Wang Jie had never lost his temper like this before.

Zhang Qian pursed his lips and honestly began to recount what happened back then:

February 2000

During the Spring Festival, Zhang Qian did not return to his hometown, while everyone else went home for the holiday.

Zhang Qian voluntarily chose to stay on duty, hoping to demonstrate his positive work attitude and that the school would see it and give him more opportunities. Besides, working on holidays would also earn him a considerable amount of extra overtime pay.

This experimental project has entered its third phase, which is said to be the final and crucial one. If all goes well, a report will be issued in a month, at which point the work at the experimental center will be complete, and the center will be closed. This means that Zhang Qian's work will also come to an end.

After the tenth day of the first lunar month, people who went home for the Spring Festival began to return one after another.

During their time working at the experimental center, Zhang Qian and Ban Ning became very close, so Ban Ning confided her troubles to Zhang Qian.

Ban Ning took leave to go back to his hometown, but only two days after he returned was the Lantern Festival. At this time, his wife urged him to come home again, saying that his son had fallen ill and developed a high fever for no apparent reason as soon as he left. Two days later, the fever finally subsided, but he developed hearing problems; it seemed that he could not hear in his left ear.

Zhang Qian suggested, "Why don't you go home and visit? That way you'll feel more at ease. It's not too late to come back after things are settled at home."

“I already took three extra days off during the Spring Festival, and I just got back and now I have to ask for more leave. I really can’t bring myself to ask Professor Zhou for it. Besides, the third phase of the experiment is about to begin, which is a crucial moment for the official data release. If I’m not there, all the previous experimental efforts will be wasted. And if I’m not listed as an author on the paper, I won’t be able to graduate this year. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to participate in such an academically valuable experiment again.”

“I don’t know how to bring it up, but the key is not to affect your graduation.” Zhang Qian thought for a moment and then said, “I do have an idea.”

"tell me the story."

“You’ll switch shifts with Qiu Chunliang and work the night shift for a while. At night, you’ll just be reading meters, not filling them. I’ll cover for you, and you can go back to your hometown. Nobody will know you’re not at the lab, and you won’t need to ask for leave.”

"How can that be? Can I not be seen during shift changes?"

“You’ll only be gone for three to five days at most, then you’ll be back.” Zhang Qian grabbed a few peanuts and popped them into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. “I’ve covered Qiu Chunliang’s shifts before, it’s fine. I can do the data copying myself, you PhDs don’t need to do it yourselves. Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Banning was still hesitant.

The phone on the desk rang. Zhang Qian answered it, listened for a while, and then handed the phone to Ban Ning. "It's probably your sister-in-law calling."

Ban Ning took the phone with a furrowed brow, exchanged a few brief words, and then hung up. He then took a large gulp of his drink in silence.

Zhang Qian asked with concern, "Is that your sister-in-law? Her voice sounds like she's about to cry. Has something happened?"

Ban Ning replied heavily, "My son has started having a high fever again. The county hospital suggested transferring him to another hospital. My parents have never traveled far and can't help. She can't handle it all by herself."

Zhang Qian said anxiously, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and buy tickets! The Lantern Festival is in two days, and tickets will definitely be hard to get."

Ban Ning hesitated for a moment, "I think I should ask Professor Zhou for leave first."

Zhang Qian said with some dissatisfaction, "You just don't believe I can help you?"

Banning asked uncertainly, "Are you really sure you can do it?"

Zhang Qian replied firmly, "Don't worry, I'm definitely fine."

“Alright then, I’ll be back before the Lantern Festival. Shen You didn’t go home for the Lunar New Year, and it’s her turn to take a break for the Lantern Festival. As long as I come back before she leaves, I won’t be discovered.”

During the two days that Banning was away from the experimental center, Zhang Qian worked normally during the day and stayed in the laboratory at night to take Banning's shift.

Professor Zhou asked twice why he hadn't seen Ban Ning, but he and Qiu Chunliang brushed him off both times.