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

Chapter 115 Organizing Fragments of Memories

Shang Yibo took off his baseball cap, raised his hand and ruffled his bald head, trying to hide the vulnerability that he inadvertently revealed.

Jian Zheng sat up straight and said seriously, "Don't worry, I'm here for you. Let's sort out what happened that year."

"But many of my memories are fragmented. I can't remember most of the scenes completely. Also, there are two streams of memories in my mind that are intertwined and often discontinuous."

Jian Zheng, with his neck stiff, tried his best to show youthful spirit in front of Shang Yibo, and said resolutely, "What's the panic! Didn't I say I'm here for you?"

……

September, 1999

Wang Jie received her admission letter in June, and more than three months have passed, yet she still hasn't completed the visa application process; the time has been repeatedly delayed. Now that she has finally finished assisting Professor Qian in organizing the materials, she has time to plan her visa interview at the embassy in Beijing.

He submitted his visa application via email and scheduled an interview at the embassy.

On the last day of the National Day holiday, Wang Jie received a message from Professor Qian, asking him to come to the college in the afternoon.

He knew that Professor Qian had gone to Beijing to attend an academic exchange conference, and he thought that Professor Qian would stay in Beijing for a few days after the conference. It seems that he rushed back as soon as it ended.

Professor Qian's paper received great attention from the Environmental Protection Bureau. The original paper was compiled with the assistance of Wang Jie, who naturally made a contribution to it.

Professor Qian had repeatedly advised Wang Jie, "Don't go abroad to study finance. Why not switch to 'Nature and Science' and do your master's and doctoral studies at the same time? Environmental protection in China is just starting out. You are very smart, with an extremely strong ability to construct underlying logic. You can always see through the phenomena to the essence of the problem, and you are good at independent thinking and proposing feasible solutions. I can assure you that given time, you will definitely achieve great things in this field."

Wang Jie would always respond with a smile, "Thank you for your appreciation, Professor."

He was stubborn; once he set his mind on something, he would stick to it no matter how much others tried to persuade him. Besides, he needed money—a lot of money—to change his fate and to provide his grandfather with the best possible treatment. This was his dream, and also the reality he had to face.

After lunch, Wang Jie rode his bike to school. When he passed the small shop on Xueyuan Road, he remembered that he used to often use the public phone in this shop to send messages to Zhou Yanruo.

Thinking of Zhou Yanruo, Wang Jie couldn't help but smile, a sweet feeling welling up in his heart.

It has been more than half a month since Zhou Yanruo left Xichuan, and she has not contacted him since.

After such a serious incident, Zhou Yanruo could no longer attend the training class, so she voluntarily withdrew. With nothing else to do in Xichuan, she had no choice but to return to the capital with her mother to make further plans.

Wang Jie didn't know what her situation was now, whether she had started repeating her studies and was too busy to contact him.

He didn't receive any messages from Zhou Yanruo throughout the National Day holiday, and he didn't dare to send her any messages on his own initiative. There wasn't much he could do now but wait.

Just as he was thinking about Zhou Yanruo, his pager rang in his pocket. Wang Jie took out the pager and saw that the message was from Zhou Yanruo. He was overjoyed. He had finally received her message: "Wang Jie, call this number between 4 pm and 5 pm."

Wang Jie glanced at the time; it was only 1:10 PM, more than three hours before he could make that call. He was a little anxious, but there was nothing he could do but wait; that was probably the only time she would be available to answer the phone. The two weeks apart had given Wang Jie a taste of what it meant for each day to feel like an eternity.

I'll go to the school to see Professor Qian first. It shouldn't take too long. After I finish this, it'll be about time to call Zhou Yanruo back. Having something to do will help me pass the time.

Upon arriving at the school, he went straight to Professor Qian's studio. The door was closed. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened from the inside, and Li Mengqi walked out with a smile, almost bumping into Wang Jie who was standing at the door. "Hey, Wang Jie, you got here pretty fast. Something good is waiting for you."

Li Mengqi is Professor Qian's student and was recommended for postgraduate studies this year. Recently, they have been assisting Professor Qian with his work and have gotten along well.

Wang Jie nodded to him and said, "I just arrived. What good news?"

Li Mengqi raised an eyebrow slyly, said nothing, and happily left.

Professor Qian saw Wang Jie at the door and called out to him, "Wang Jie is here, come in."

"Hello Professor Qian, when did you return to Xichuan? I thought you would stay in Beijing for a couple more days."

"I came back as soon as the meeting ended. There's nothing to stay in Beijing. I still have a lot of things to do at school."

"What can I do for you, Professor?"

Professor Qian handed over a brown paper bag, which Wang Jie took without hesitation. "What's this?"

Professor Qian said, "The research funding has come through, and this is for you."

Wang Jie opened the brown paper bag and pulled out a wad of banknotes, estimating it to be around five thousand yuan. "So much?"

"You deserve it." Professor Qian looked at Wang Jie with great appreciation and said, "When I attended the seminar this time, our research report and governance plan on environmental protection attracted a lot of attention from all sectors. The province also attaches great importance to it. The funding material is from the university, and the special funds from the province will be approved next month. At that time, we can not only conduct further in-depth research, but also implement the governance plan."

"That's wonderful. Professor Qian, your long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled."

"Whether my personal wish can be fulfilled is a small matter. The key is that it has finally attracted the attention of relevant departments. Environmental remediation and the management of Cuihu Lake are major issues concerning future generations. Our generation cannot become sinners in history."

"Yes, it's a very meaningful project."

Professor Qian extended another invitation: "How about it, Wang Jie, why don't you stay and work with us to continue this project?"

Wang Jie was too embarrassed to refuse directly, and stammered, "Thank you, Professor Qian. Mengqi and the others are all very capable. With you leading them, the project will definitely proceed smoothly. As for me, I still want to go out and take a look."

Professor Qian said with some regret, "Well, everyone has their own ambitions. But Wang Jie, I have high hopes for you; you won't go wrong no matter where you are."

"Thank you, Professor Qian."

After leaving Professor Qian's studio, Wang Jie returned to his dormitory and found that new students had already moved in.

Before the start of the semester, he and Zhang Qian moved out of the dormitory. Zhang Qian worked in the school's laboratory, and the school arranged a dormitory for him in the staff living area at the west gate to accommodate him.

When Wang Jie moved out of the dormitory, he sorted out his belongings. Apart from a few books that he hadn't taken home yet, he had disposed of everything else properly. The books are currently being stored in the dormitory supervisor's lounge. He takes some home with him every time he comes to school. Now there are very few books left, and he should be able to take them all back this time.

As Wang Jie went downstairs to leave, he looked up at their old dormitory and noticed that the windows were open. He couldn't help but wonder if the boys inside were also afraid of the heat, just like they were back then, and therefore always liked to keep the windows open.

From that moment on, Wang Jie truly felt that his university life had come to an end.

Wang Jie tied the packed books to the rear rack of his bicycle and rode away from school.