The following year.

Lin Shilan graduated from university and was accepted into her desired major for graduate school.

Her last follow-up appointment was in July.

The psychologist hadn’t prescribed Lin Shilan any medication for a long time, and today’s routine checkup went very smoothly. The doctor said her case was very special. Mental illness generally couldn’t be described as cured, only as showing improvement. And in his view, Lin Shilan’s improvement was enormous. Her recovery from her previous condition to this state was an unimaginable miracle.

Walking out of the psychiatric hospital, Lin Shilan discovered it was raining.

She extended her hand beyond the eaves, her fingertips catching a few drops of cool rainwater. Looking at the droplets, she became a bit distracted.

This entire rainy season, she hadn’t seen any strange visions again.

The magic of the oath had disappeared. Like her peers, she busied herself with studying and working part-time, occasionally going shopping with her roommates.

—Yes. Lin Shilan had moved back into the university dormitory and had become friends with the girls in her room.

The “live well” she had promised—she had done it.

Coming out to see the doctor, Lin Shilan had taken leave from school, and she didn’t have to work today either.

A rare free moment. Looking at the pattering rain, she suddenly felt like going back to Yan County to take a look.

By train, then bus, then minibus, then walking for twenty minutes.

Lin Shilan set out in the morning. By the time she reached the old site of Yan County, it was already evening.

There was no road—she couldn’t go any further.

She stopped before the broken stone bridge, barely able to recognize this as her hometown.

The disaster had changed the landscape.

On this side of the river, many small broken pieces of concrete were piled up. What had been the road surface now had only pits large and small.

On the other side of the river, the town was abandoned, vegetation lush.

Wild grass grew in clumps, wildly proliferating. At a glance, only those broken walls and ruins, paint-mottled broken wooden boards, could prove that a small town had existed here.

Lin Shilan sat by the shore and unzipped her backpack.

She had brought two cups of milk tea.

The rain stopped. The peaceful sunset spilled on the river surface, golden light dancing.

That brilliantly glowing sun hung above the distant majestic hills, illuminating the leaves on the treetops to a translucent orange-yellow.

Dazzled by the light until she couldn’t open her eyes, she silently wiped the corners of her eyes.

Her phone rang.

It was a call from her psychologist.

Lin Shilan answered. The doctor lowered his voice, mysterious.

“There’s something—if I don’t tell you, my conscience won’t let me rest.”

“Before, you told me a story about parallel spacetime. Do you remember?”

She responded with an “Mm.”

He simply poured out everything he had buried in his heart.

“Later, I searched according to the date you mentioned. Last year there really was a patient named Tan Jin who came on the day you saw the doctor—his medical records can be found. But I don’t know if it’s someone with the same name—it might be a misunderstanding… In any case, I felt you should know about this.”

Lin Shilan thanked him.

The doctor let out a long breath and hung up the phone.

Holding her phone, she sat dazed by the river for a long while.

The two cups of milk tea—Lin Shilan drank them both by herself.

She thought about them in parallel worlds, wondering whether the Lin Shilan and Tan Jin there were alive, what they were doing, whether they were doing well. As she was thinking, she suddenly saw a familiar little local dog appear in the weeds on the opposite shore.

“Jing Jing.” Lin Shilan called out loudly to it.

The little local dog turned its head, grinning, wagging its tail at her.

Unfortunately, before Lin Shilan could confirm whether that was Jing Jing, the puppy suddenly glanced behind itself and quickly ran away.

…

Evening was mealtime.

Mountain wind brushed her face. She could smell the moist flower fragrance mixed with soil and trees.

In Yan County, cooking smoke curled up. The pleasant smell of rice wafted out from every household.

The little local dog ran toward its owner.

The owner picked it up in one motion, patting its little head: “Jing Jing, where did you run off to? Was there something over there?”

She walked toward where the puppy had paused earlier. There was a wall there—no road at all.

Jing Jing got a smack on the butt from Lin Shilan. “Were you just peeing against someone else’s wall?” She thought she had figured out the truth.

The little local dog protested its innocence, barking “woof woof woof” at its owner.

Lin Shilan had no time to deal with Jing Jing anymore. Today the family was hosting guests for a big meal. Her mother had sent her out to buy fruit—time was pressing.

While buying things, she opened her phone contacts and dialed Su Ge’s number.

“Hello,” as if waiting for her, Su Ge answered immediately: “Lin Shilan, you’re back?”

Lin Shilan laughed: “That’s right, came back to visit during summer vacation.”

Su Ge sighed: “Wow, time really flies! A whole year has passed just like that—I barely have any real sense of it.”

“Last year’s time went even faster!” Lin Shilan’s tone was even more exaggerated: “I don’t even know how I finished my college entrance exam. The flood was so severe, the entire town was almost submerged. By rights, having experienced a life-and-death ordeal, my memory should be crystal clear, but I don’t have many memories of it.”

“Ha, your brain got waterlogged, so your memory got worse,” she teased her: “Good thing the uncles from the rescue team arrived in time. If they’d let you soak a bit longer, you wouldn’t have had a smart brain to go to university with.”

“That’s right, thanks to them for saving me and our town.”

After chatting for a while, Lin Shilan finally remembered the main point: “Ah, we’re getting off topic. I’m calling to invite you to eat at my house. Are you free?”

Su Ge refused decisively: “Another day. Tonight I have to have dinner with my mom.”

Lin Shilan was also straightforward: “Okay, then I’ll invite you separately another day.”

Carrying the fruit, leading the puppy, Lin Shilan quickly rushed home.

All the guests had arrived. She greeted Uncle Tan, Aunt Tan, and Tan Ziheng. She didn’t leave out Tan Jin sitting on the side either—she blinked twice, which counted as a greeting.

Putting down her things and washing her hands, Lin Shilan also took her seat, ready to eat.

There was a cup of pearl milk tea with a straw already inserted, placed by her side.

The entire table had only two cups of milk tea.

The other cup was being held by the person across from her. He had his legs crossed, chewing pearls with relish.

Lin Shilan had a premonition this meal wouldn’t go too smoothly.

Sure enough.

Everyone was laughing and chatting, eating happily; but the activity under the table was livelier than what was on the surface.

After eating two bites, he was under the table—

After drinking two sips, he was under the table again—

Forced to multitask, Lin Shilan glared at him with knife-like eyes in hatred.

Tan Jin made faces and smiled at her.

Tan Ziheng saw her rice bowl was empty and asked considerately: “Xiao Lan, do you want more rice?”

Pretty much full, Lin Shilan wanted to save some stomach space for cherries, so she shook her head.

But Tan Ziheng’s question gave a certain idle troublemaker an opening.

“Xiao Lan, do you want pickled radish?”

“Xiao Lan, do you want beef?”

“Xiao Lan, do you want a toothpick?”

Tan Jin got excited, asking her on average once every 30 seconds.

Lin Shilan burned with anger, yet couldn’t find fault with his attentiveness.

“You’re younger than me. You’re not allowed to call me Xiao Lan.”

Why could Tan Ziheng call her that but he couldn’t? Tan Jin was unhappy.

“Xiao Lan Xiao Lan Xiao Lan Xiao Lan Xiao Lan.” He deliberately provoked her, calling it several times in one breath.

“Stop calling me that.” Lin Shilan’s temper flared up.

Looking at his chubby face, she threatened viciously: “If you call me that again, I’ll pick off your little mole.”

Tan Jin covered the little red mole on his face with his palm.

His mouth opened round—he was scared out of his wits by her ferocity.

Seeing the two youngsters having fun, the spectators couldn’t help but smile.

“So refreshing—you two have been dating for a year and still bicker every day.”

“That’s just how they are—so lovey-dovey. Ugh, can’t stand it.”

Lin Shilan glared huffily at the childish ghost across from her.

She had told Tan Jin a thousand times—when eating with family, don’t be as clingy as usual. He still sought every opportunity to interact with her. When she ignored him, he felt neglected and made an even bigger fuss.

She muttered: “Don’t even know how I ended up dating him. Must have been bewitched at the time.”

After saying this, Tan Jin stood up from his chair and directly left the table.

Seeing him leave hastily, Lin Shilan wondered if he was angry and felt a bit guilty—she actually didn’t mean it that way. Being teased by family, she had been a bit stubborn. Had this fool misunderstood?

“Where are you going?” she asked quietly.

Tan Jin turned his head.

His lips curved in a bright sunny smile.

Lin Shilan was thin-skinned, but this person’s face was thicker than a city wall. He said to her very obsequiously: “I’m going to wash cherries for Lin Shilan.”

At the table, everyone looked at each other, all holding back laughter.

Lin Shilan’s ears turned red.

She hadn’t even tasted the cherries yet, but she already tasted sweetness.