“...Mysterious.” Lin Xian couldn't help but laugh.

He had indeed been drawn in by Chu Anqing's anticipation.

But thinking about it carefully.

This was just an unrealistic fantasy of an "ignorant girl."

Sigh...

It could only be said that the infectiousness of this ray of sunshine was indeed too strong.

He couldn't control his mind for a moment and directly fell into her IQ trap, even engaging in back-and-forth banter like a hidden dragon and phoenix chick.

“But don’t worry, Senior Lin Xian.”

Chu Anqing patted her chest with a grin and guaranteed:

“If I really have the ability to travel through time and space, I will definitely tell you as soon as possible! And I promise I will find you as a child and tell you all the lottery numbers! I will make you even richer than my dad!”

“Then thank you in advance.”

Lin Xian opened the electric door of the Elfa van for Chu Anqing, letting her get in first:

“Remember to remind me to buy Bitcoin.”

“Oh no, that won’t work!” Chu Anqing waved her hand with a serious face:

“That’s illegal!”

…

Lin Xian's private car dropped Chu Anqing off at Donghai University.

Chu Anqing got out of the car and waved to Lin Xian:

“Bye-bye Senior Lin Xian, drive slowly on the road and be careful!”

“Okay, you get some rest.”

Lin Xian waved back to Chu Anqing, rolled up the car window, and drove away from the campus.

Chu Anqing watched the Elfa van disappear around the corner of the dormitory building, recalling what Senior Lin Xian had just said to her:

“Teacher Zhang Yang’s general education course… I already took that class last semester, so I can only try to register for it at the end of this semester.”

“But, I can sneak into the classroom to listen! Anyway, general education courses are all held in large lecture halls with hundreds of people, so they won’t notice~”

She stretched lazily.

She felt like she had done something really big in the past few days, something she wouldn't have dared to imagine before.

But it was very fulfilling.

Indeed…

Living should be about doing what you like and want to do.

What weighs more than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather, not every life must have value, nor must every death have value.

Just be happy!

Just have a clear conscience!

Turning around, she hummed a song and walked towards the entrance of the dormitory building.

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened.

In front of the dormitory building stood a tall woman wearing sunglasses.

She wore a beautiful windbreaker, her figure was graceful and full, and her temperament was extraordinary. The blue earrings hanging on her ears sparkled like stars in the sunlight, surrounding her gentle and elegant face—

“Sister Huang Que?”

Chu Anqing trotted over, looking at the heroic woman standing in front of the dormitory building.

When they parted at the hacker competition a few days ago, she did tell her that they would meet again soon.

But…

This was too fast!

Did she have something to discuss with her?

Chu Anqing came to Huang Que and asked:

“Sister Huang Que, why are you here?”

The elegant woman, half a head taller than her, smiled. She took off her sunglasses, and her deep azure eyes were once again revealed to Chu Anqing, their crystal-like beauty making it impossible for Chu Anqing to look away.

“Anqing, do you have time now?”

Huang Que looked down at her slightly:

“I have some things… I want to have a good talk with you about.”

…

…

In a quiet coffee shop booth on the third floor of the school cafeteria, Chu Anqing and Huang Que sat across from each other.

The two drinks on the table had long gone cold.

But neither of them had taken a sip.

Chu Anqing stared blankly, listening to everything Huang Que had just told her.

If what Senior Lin Xian had told her about the concept of time travel at the airport tarmac could still be understood from a conventional point of view.

In comparison.

What Sister Huang Que was telling her now was simply a fantasy! Completely beyond her comprehension! It was like listening to a xuanhuan novel!

“I… I I…”

Chu Anqing was at a loss for words, touching her cold cheeks with both hands:

“I really don’t understand, and I really…”

“It’s okay, Anqing.”

Across the table, Huang Que looked at her and said calmly:

“I’m not asking you to give me an answer now, and I know that this request is very difficult and excessive for you. So you don’t need to give me an answer now. You have a lot of time to think and make a decision, but please remember that these things I’m telling you, don’t tell anyone else.”

She emphasized, adding weight to her words:

“No one can know! Whether it’s your parents, Lin Xian, or anyone else… don’t tell them. You must make this decision yourself.”

“Eh?”

Chu Anqing was stunned, feeling like she had been seen through:

“Senior… Can’t I even tell Senior Lin Xian? I was really planning to discuss this with him… Can’t I tell him either?”

Huang Que slowly shook her head:

“Believe me, Anqing, the reason I don’t want you to tell Lin Xian is entirely for Lin Xian’s sake.”

“[Because of the elasticity, the key information I’m telling you is basically wrong, or even completely the opposite. If you tell these things to Lin Xian, it will definitely interfere with him. If he believes these wrong pieces of information at that time… he will definitely take a detour and miss this only, rare, precious, and crucial opportunity.]”

“Once the elasticity increases, I will correct these truths for you. But please believe what I say, although this information is wrong, it doesn’t affect the fact that the things I’m saying are true. It’s like pi, even if I tell you that pi is 5.14, this number is obviously wrong, but it doesn’t mean that pi itself is wrong.”

“Forgive me for only being able to explain these things in such a complicated and roundabout way. I am also doing it out of helplessness, I have no choice. In fact, bringing you along is just to add an insurance. The things that happen later are not within the [script] that I originally knew. It is a brand new and unknown adventure for me, so I must be cautious and consider everything more comprehensively.”

…

Chu Anqing looked shocked.

She was still unable to recover from these xuanhuan novel-like stories.

No matter what, this was all too unreal!

Silence.

A long period of silence.

Neither of them spoke.

Chu Anqing frowned, her heart unable to calm down for a long time.

“I… I want to ask…”

As if she had made up her mind, she raised her head, her eyes serious, looking at Huang Que:

“The [Alpha Matter] you mentioned… the [Alpha Matter] that can only be found in outer space, is it really… really that important to Senior Lin Xian?”

Huang Que put down her crossed legs.

Looking at Chu Anqing with a serious face.

She nodded emphatically:

“Yes, very important.” She said softly:

“[All the breakdowns and failures started from missing this most crucial item… By the time we realized it later, it was too late.]”

…

Huang Que stood up, leaving a note:

“This is my phone number.”

She picked up the coat folded on the side:

“It’s only September 2023 now, not even October yet. You still have plenty of time to consider and decide on this matter. When you finally decide, call me and I’ll tell you all the truth I can tell you.”

Whoosh—

The beautiful windbreaker was put on Huang Que, she took out her sunglasses from her coat pocket and put them on:

“Finally, let me state again, Anqing, no matter what you choose, it’s the right thing to do. Because… what the correct answer is, even I can’t guess right now. I’m just trying my best to try, to work hard, and to do what I think is right.”

“It’s just, it’s a pity…”

She smiled:

“[In fact, I know more about you, but for the same reason of elasticity, I can’t tell you now. Otherwise, it should be easier for you to make a decision.]”

“Goodbye, see you later.”

After saying that.

Huang Que turned around and walked away with the sound of clicking high heels…

Chu Anqing retracted her gaze from the figure at the corner of the stairs.

Looking at the small note with a phone number written on it on the table.

She reached out…

Clenched it tightly.

And put it in her pocket.

…

“The above is a simple understanding of Einstein’s special theory of relativity.”

In the crowded lecture hall.

Chu Anqing sat in the corner of the last row, nervously recording the notes on the blackboard, and the recording pen next to her completely recorded the content that Teacher Zhang Yang had just explained.

She pushed the glasses on her nose.

Although her eyesight wasn’t a big problem, just a little bit of nearsightedness that didn’t affect her daily life, study, or games. But in this lecture hall with hundreds of people in the last row… Chu Anqing was still worried about not being able to see the notes on the blackboard and missing some details, so she specially got these glasses.

“Student, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with your vision! 1.0 is good enough, you don’t need glasses at all.”

That’s what the staff at the eyewear store in the school said after the eye exam:

“If you still get glasses… they’ll become telescopes.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Chu Anqing nodded like a chick pecking at rice:

“I want telescopes!”

“But that’s not good for your eyes… It will cause fatigue and may even increase the degree.”

“It’s okay~ I’ll just wear them during class.”

In the end.

With Chu Anqing’s repeated insistence, she obtained these “telescopic glasses” and sneaked into Teacher Zhang Yang’s general education class every time, sitting in the last row of the classroom, secretly learning knowledge like a spy.

She really didn’t take this general education course last semester.

So theoretically, she shouldn’t be able to attend the class.

But…

In this kind of class with hundreds of people, attendance is rarely taken, and the teacher doesn’t care if there’s one more or one less person, so it’s still very easy to sneak in.

As Senior Lin Xian said.

Teacher Zhang Yang’s class was humorous, easy to understand, and very popular. Every class was packed. There was even a class where she couldn’t find a seat… so Chu Anqing stood at the back of the classroom and listened to the whole lecture.

Chu Anqing remembered that class very clearly. Teacher Zhang Yang told interesting scientific stories such as the grandfather paradox and Hawking's chrononaut experiment to deny the feasibility of time travel.

At the same time, he also talked about the famous century-long debate between Einstein and Bohr—

The Copenhagen Interpretation.

A debate surrounding quantum mechanics, almost all of the smartest scientists in human history participated in it, each holding their own opinions, debating inconclusively, and ultimately no one convincing anyone.

“Wow…”

Chu Anqing felt like her brain was cooked through and ready to be sprinkled with chili powder.

Was this something humans could understand?

Was this knowledge that humans could learn?

Bohr, Planck, Einstein… were these people all deities?!

That class made Chu Anqing truly question herself, perhaps she would really never understand these complicated things.

In fact, she was studying this course so diligently not because Senior Lin Xian sparked her interest, but because of Huang Que.

It was what Sister Huang Que had told her that made it difficult for her to make a decision and a choice.

It wasn’t just as simple as going to space last time…

There were too many things she couldn’t understand.

So.

She wanted to understand!

She wanted to understand all of this!

But…

“It’s too difficult!”

In the dormitory, it was already two in the morning.

Chu Anqing pulled the bed curtains, turned on the small desk lamp, and stayed up late in her "tent" to study hard. She hoped to learn more about… whether the things that Sister Huang Que said were true.

However.

She couldn’t even understand the basics.

“Today is the last class of this semester.”

Snapping back to reality.

On the podium at the front, Teacher Zhang Yang packed up his teaching plan, looked around the fully occupied classroom, and smiled:

“At this time of every semester, I feel very gratified to have so many students who are so interested in such obscure, difficult to understand, and unverifiable hypotheses that lack any theoretical or experimental data support.”

“The development of all scientific research starts from hypotheses, assumptions, an idea, a dream, or even bragging. Interest is always the first driving force for mankind to look up at the starry sky, to look at the sea of stars.”

“I hope that in the days to come, everyone can still maintain a certain interest and enthusiasm for science, for the unknown, and for niche academic research. There are always some things in this world that need someone to do. It may be you, it may be me, it may be him.”

“But because we don’t know who it is, it could be anyone. I cannot deny that every student present today may not become a great person comparable to Einstein or Newton in the future. What’s the reason? The reason is—”

“It’s still the same sentence, there are always some things in this world that are worth doing, that need to be done, that must be done by you! Don’t always think that you are ordinary, that you are normal, that you are mediocre. You may not be able to imagine…”

“[Every atom in your body comes from an exploded star. The atoms in your left hand and right hand may come from different galaxies. You are made of matter as old as the Earth, and one-third of that matter is even as old as the universe.]”

“It is these atoms from all corners of the universe, even the edges of the universe, that come together to become you. Therefore… how could you be ordinary? My students… each of you is a miracle of this universe.”

After saying that.

Teacher Zhang Yang screwed on the lid of his thermos cup and laughed heartily at the hundreds of people in the lecture hall:

“So! Your curiosity about the universe is your best answer sheet! Just like in previous years, I never arrange exams for this general education course. As long as you sign up, you all get full marks!”

“*!”

In the deafening cheers of the audience, Chu Anqing cursed inwardly. She finally understood why this course was so popular, so competitive, and why the slots were gone in seconds as soon as the course selection system was refreshed!

It turned out!

The real reason was that there was no exam at the end of the semester at all!

Full marks for everyone! Free credits!

…

And so.

The first half of the second year came to an end.

In the busy review and exams, she also missed the *Science Charity Gala* held by her father, and missed another opportunity to see Senior Lin Xian.

“The atoms in your left hand and the atoms in your right hand may come from different galaxies…”

Chu Anqing looked at her left hand, then at her right hand.

Slowly bringing her two hands closer together.

Holding them together.

Holding them tightly together.

“How romantic…”

Chu Anqing closed her eyes, feeling this cross-galactic encounter, the romance spanning the universe.

Opening the drawer of the study desk in the dormitory.

She took out the small note that Huang Que had left behind…

Since their farewell in the coffee shop that day, she hadn't contacted Huang Que.

Even though she had been thinking about this every day and night.

But she never had the courage to make this call.

But now…

She understood.

“I am a star.”

She repeated the words Teacher Zhang Yang had said, raised her head, and looked at her determined self in the mirror:

“I am the universe!”

…

“Impossible!”

In a luxurious manor, Chu Shanhe roared angrily:

“Don’t even think about it!!”

“Why!!!!”

Chu Anqing shouted even louder than her father:

“I thought you would definitely agree without hesitation! Haven’t you always supported scientific endeavors and respected those space heroes? Why won’t you let me go!!”

Chu Anqing never expected.

She finally made up her mind, but in the end, she was unexpectedly blocked by her father!

This was a situation she hadn't anticipated at all!

She originally thought that her father would support her more than anyone else in doing this kind of thing… participating in the country's secret plan, going to space, and carrying out secret missions, wasn't this a very honorable thing!?

“Why won’t you let me go!”

Chu Anqing shouted:

“I’m doing a good thing! I’m not going out to travel and fool around!”

“You might as well go out and travel!”

Chu Shanhe put his hands behind his back, frowned, and looked at the official document on the coffee table.

Signed by the Dragon Kingdom Aerospace Administration.

Stamped by multiple departments.

It couldn’t be fake.

But it was extremely absurd!

Absurd to the extreme!

To actually let a 19-year-old girl, without training and without any talent, go to space was completely nonsense!

“Anyway, you just can’t go!”

Chu Shanhe simply waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to discuss this matter.

At this time.

Su Xiuying also stepped forward, rubbing Chu Anqing’s face, who was about to cry:

“You little girl are really… what are you daydreaming about. Going to space to perform a mission… I thought you were kidding! How could it be your turn to do this kind of thing? How could it be your turn?”

“And even if it were your turn, could you go? What can you do? What can you help with? Wouldn’t you just be causing trouble for the country if you went? Why won’t your dad let you go? Isn’t it because he’s worried about your safety, worried that something will happen to you, that you’ll be in danger… why don’t you understand?”

Pacing back and forth, Chu Shanhe also turned around, looking at Chu Anqing, who was stubborn, pouting, and crying: “Do you know how dangerous this matter is? Although I don’t know how you convinced the Aerospace Administration to issue this ridiculous document to you, I can’t possibly watch my own daughter participate in such a dangerous plan! I don’t believe that this space mission can’t be done without you! Is there no one left in the entire Dragon Kingdom?”

“If the Dragon Kingdom is really out of people, I’ll go! Your mom will go! Even if the two of us go together! There’s no reason for you to go! Do you really think this is going on a plane? On a ship? That’s space! If something really happens, there’s no chance of survival!”

He took a long breath and glared at Chu Anqing:

“Do you think I don’t know about you secretly going to the United States to cheer for Lin Xian at the hacker competition?”

Sobbing, Chu Anqing choked, her eyes widening as she looked at her father.

This…

Could it be?

“I knew about it a few days after you came back!” Chu Shanhe pointed at Chu Anqing fiercely.

Su Xiuying touched Chu Anqing’s head:

“After your dad found out, he was so worried that he couldn’t sleep for several days… saying that he didn’t take good care of you. Even though you had already returned from the United States at that time, your dad was still scared thinking about it, and couldn’t sleep for several days.”

“No need to tell her these things.”

Chu Shanhe interrupted Su Xiuying directly, and continued looking at Chu Anqing, frowning:

“Why didn’t I talk to you about this? I didn’t scold you, did I? Didn’t argue with you, did I?”

“Your mom and I felt that the child had grown up, and was 19 years old, had her own ideas, had her own thoughts. So we pretended not to know, we didn’t say anything, we pretended like this never happened, we didn’t want to break your thoughts, we were respecting you!”

“But who knew that you would become more and more excessive! More and more excessive! I can’t tolerate you anymore! I’ve read this document, and I need to sign it. You can give up on this idea as soon as possible, I can’t sign it for you! I will talk to the leaders of the Aerospace Administration and say that anyone can go, but you can’t!”

Tears.

Instantly blurred Chu Anqing’s eyes, and she cried out:

“Why! Why won’t you let me go…”

“You say going to space is dangerous, then is defending the border not dangerous? Is being a soldier not dangerous? In wartime, is the front line not dangerous? Those aircraft test pilots, police officers, bomb disposal workers, are they not in danger? Among these people, there are many children my age! There are many girls like me!”

“Why can’t I go… Why can others go and I can’t? Give me a reason!”

“[Because you are Chu Shanhe’s daughter!!]”

Chu Shanhe was so angry that the veins on his forehead were bulging:

“Do you understand! Because you are Chu Shanhe’s daughter! So you can’t go! It’s that simple!”

Chu Anqing sobbed.

Almost out of breath.

But she clenched her fists.

Stood up straight!

With teary eyes, she looked directly at her father…

“Dad…”

Her voice trembled with sobs:

“Which girl isn’t someone else’s daughter? Which girl… doesn’t have a father? No one pops out of a rock… Even if their father isn’t called Chu Shanhe, they are all pearls in their father’s hands.”

“It’s just that now it’s a time of peace… there’s no need to do those dangerous things anymore, but if there really is something that needs you to go, needs me to go, needs everyone to go… if everyone refuses and doesn’t bravely stand up… what will happen to the country? What will happen to life?”

“Just because I am Chu Shanhe’s daughter, I can shrink back, watching the other people’s daughters rushing forward… to fight… to risk their lives… and I’ll just watch like this! Watch for a lifetime!!!”

“I don’t want to!!!!”

Chu Anqing shouted loudly!

She wiped away her tears fiercely with her arms.

Biting her teeth, glaring at her dignified father:

“[Since other people’s daughters can do it. Then Chu Shanhe’s daughter… can do it too!]”