The Spring’s Appearance (10)
“Liangzhe, Liangzhe, wake up. Don’t you have a blind date today?”
“Ah…?”
I covered my eyes from the blinding sunlight. The footsteps next to me went back and forth then stopped by my bed. She tapped me on my belly. With a smile, she said, “This is the first day of your blind date. Don’t give the girl a bad impression, or else, Auntie will speak ill of me.”
“It has nothing to do with you, does it, Sis Ning?”
“Of course it does. Since your mom entrusted you to me, I have to take responsibility. Enough stalling, hurry and get up to eat. It’s hard for you to have a girlfriend at school, so you must make the most of this opportunity.”
Before me was a woman dressed in simple sleepwear. She left my room. I opened my eyes a bit more and, in a bleary state, looked at the white ceiling overhead.
I didn’t lose my memory; it was still intact. I could remember everything on that continent located in some unknown place with Mommy Vyvyan, Mommy Elizabeth, Nier and Lucia. I remembered everything that happened between us. When I opened my eyes again, I was already here, or rather, I had returned to where I came from.
“Is this a dream or not? I know I woke up during a dream then saw Mom and Lucia, and then… and then I came back. Did Mom and Lucia execute me, or was everything just a dream?” I mused.
“Hurry up and wake up, or you’ll be late!”
A displeased look on a pretty face poked in from behind the door. I responded then stood up and grabbed my clothes to quickly get dressed. I picked up my cell phone that I hadn’t seen in ages to take a look.
The task for the day was to attend a blind date. It was something Mom organised. The girl I was supposed to meet had a decent family background, so we did share a similar social status. She studied economics and looked quite pretty in her photo. I wasn’t against it. I planned to go see her.
“Wait a minute… Something’s strange. If nothing that previously happened actually took place, why don’t I feel as though anything is missing? Why does what happened here feel so familiar? Nothing feels out of place. It’s as though I never left this place,” I contemplated.
I pocketed my phone before leaving my room. There was hot milk and a big bag of bread prepared in the dining room. According to Sis Ning’s standards of breakfast, that was what she considered breakfast. She cheerfully sat down at the table: “Okay, okay, okay, let me teach you how to make girls happy. First, you have to… then…”
I didn’t listen to a thing Sis Ning said. Instead, I turned my attention to the television in the living room. It was broadcasting the morning news, which was about international and national affairs as usual.
Sis Ning was my childhood friend. She was four years older than me and had always taken care of me as an elder sister would. I guess I was one of her best friends. She was pretty, but she was still single, which was why I had no interest in the romance experience she shared with me.
“Hey!!”
“Whoa!!”
Hearing Sis Ning’s voice in my ear shocked me. She took back the glass of milk and grumpily complained, “As your sister, I tried to give you experience to make girls happy, yet you didn’t listen. Are you planning to be a shut-in for life?”
“How do you know? No guy ever used those tricks to get in your books, did they?”
“What was that, you little brat?!!”
“Okay, okay, I give!!”
Sis Ning, came at me aggressively as a wolf. As a result, I pled for mercy. Sis Ning snorted then softly said, “Listen properly and then use it…”
My attention wasn’t on Sis Ning because I heard, “Son!! Hurry and think!!” on the news. I didn’t hear it particularly clearly, but I jolted. I watched the television. For some reason, I literally wanted to leap at it. However, Sis Ning was in front of me, so I didn’t do so.
Sis Ning was baffled: “What’s the matter? Did a major incident happen?”
“Ah… No…”
“He’s not my son. He’s just a commoner. He shouldn’t be by my side. I have my son. I don’t need him!” I could still remember the last thing Mom said to me.
Perhaps I was no longer needed in that world. I didn’t know what the magical spring did, but it made a dead elf reappear. I was just a substitute to begin with. I only came to exist there after Troy died. If Troy was there, I guess I was no longer needed.
That life in that world was just a dream in the end. Try as I may, I could never beat a blood relationship. Everything I had was what I had in the present. Mommy Vyvyan didn’t love Zhu Liangzhe but Troy. Since she had Troy, my existence was meaningless.
I believed my conjecture. Mom probably never loved me. Well, I had returned to the world I came from, so I figured I should just continue living my own life. It wasn’t bad, after all. Troy should be able to live on in peace with his moms, Nier and Lucia… It was a pity but probably not something I couldn’t accept.
“Far out, I’m talking about something important to you, yet you’re not earnestly listening. This is about whether you’ll be able to find yourself a girlfriend or not! Listen in properly!!”
“Sorry, sorry, Sis Ning, I’ll listen properly. Go ahead.”
It was dull, dry and boring, but it was all I had. Nevertheless, what confused me was that I was supposed to be dead.
“How do I have this flesh body? What, am I still alive in this universe’s timeline, or has my life already been changed?” I wondered.
“Sis Sing, I did tell you to continue, but I still didn’t listen…” was what I was thinking.
After I left, I checked the map on my cell phone. The sound of cars and the bustling crowds gave me a sense of security and nostalgia. I hadn’t heard those sounds in a long time, after all. I could smell the stuff emitted from exhaust pipes and experience the convenience of humanity’s science advancements and the futuristic lifestyle.
I got onto the subway. The girl booked a spot at a café located next to the river. After leaving the station, I arrived at the river. The river current was somewhat turbulent. While it wasn’t common for there to be floods in our city, it was the first time I saw the river roiling so violently.
“Help! Help!”
“Aaahh! A child fell into the water! A child fell into the water!”
I ripped my phone out of my pocket and checked the date. You guessed it. It was the day I died. It happened in the same place for the same reason and at the same time… This time, however, I felt that I had the power to choose…
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