Chapter Forty-Seven: Untitled (Part Six)

Wen Liang found He Tianran on the sports ground.

It was already five-thirty in the afternoon. The lingering glow of the setting sun intertwined with the fiery red of the maple leaves, rendering the entire sports ground as if it had been covered with a golden-red carpet. Even the dust suspended in the air shimmered with golden light.

There were many students on the sports ground, but amidst the vast sea of moving black dots, Wen Liang spotted He Tianran at a single glance.

In her eyes, that person was radiating light as well.

Only right now, the boy was walking with his head hung low, his footsteps as listless as an old man nearing the end of his days, wandering aimlessly in circles along the plastic running track.

He truly looked devoid of even a shred of youthful vigor.

This irritated the girl quite a bit. She quickly and quietly hurried after him, then delivered a sharp slap to He Tianran's slightly hunched back. Without waiting for the boy to react, she hopped forward two steps, pivoted around, faced this little old man, and put on a fiercely pretend expression.

"Straighten your back and lift your head! You have zero presence like this! If I catch you doing this again, it won't be as simple as just smacking your back!"

Today, she wore a white baseball cap perched on her head and a simple, oversized pure white hooded sweatshirt, the sleeves covering half of her palms. Gazing at this fair-skinned girl who stood against the backlight looking dazzlingly pristine, He Tianran's spine straightened involuntarily in response to her words.

Obeying her had seemingly become a habit.

Yet, was this kind of habit truly good for him?

He Tianran searched his mind for an answer, his lips parting to utter a faint, "Yeah."

With her hands clasped behind her back, Wen Liang tilted her head up and leaned in close. She scrutinized He Tianran's expression and asked,

"Are you doing a solo tonight?"

"Huh? Isn't it you singing and me accompanying you on the guitar? Where did a solo come from?"

He Tianran was baffled for a moment, but Wen Liang had already broken into a smile.

"Haha, so you do know I'm the one singing? Then why does your current state make you look like a person about to hold a full concert? Rest assured, as long as you perform normally, you'll definitely do great! Even if you hit the wrong note, I won't go off-key!"

<div>"You're the one making me nervous right now. Can you say something reliable for once?"</div>

"Hmph~ Reliable, is it?"

Wen Liang shifted her backpack around to wear it across her chest and unzipped it. She pulled out a food container filled with a ring of Daifuku mochi. Flavors ranging from matcha and blueberry to pineapple were all present, looking vibrant and colorful.

"Ta-da! I brought snacks. Eating something sweet before a performance helps ease the nerves. Come on, let's sit on the grass and eat!"

With the food container in one hand, Wen Liang grabbed He Tianran with the other and led him over to sit down on the lawn.

"I... I don't like sweet things... Did you know that?"

Wen Liang lowered her head to open the lid. He Tianran watched her actions and posed the question.

"Starting today, you have to like them! Come on, take one yourself!"

The short-haired girl shot him an impatient look and handed over the container with zero room for negotiation.

He Tianran picked up a matcha-flavored Daifuku. It had a soft texture, its surface dusted with a layer of powdered sugar. He popped it into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it down.

"That's more like it. I went to the classroom to look for you earlier and couldn't find you. I thought you were getting cold feet and backing out. Here, take this back."

As she spoke, she retrieved He Tianran's cell phone from her bag.

With a rather peculiar expression, He Tianran took back his belongings. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Wen Liang placed the container on the ground and shook her head with a smile. "Eating sweets before singing makes your throat sticky."

The boy didn't reply. Instead, he picked up another Daifuku and swallowed it to mask his expression. After a brief pause, he asked,

"Could you... tell me more about things between us in the future...?"

Hearing this, Wen Liang froze for a moment. "Why did you suddenly think of asking that?"

He Tianran licked his dry lips with the tip of his tongue.

"It's just that you said... we aren't a couple in the future. I've always cared about that."

The young man had never dared to ask this question. To him, Wen Liang's appearance was akin to a *deus ex machina*, brimming with abruptness, drama, and yet raw reality.

She had hauled him out of his ordinary, tedious daily routine. She was like the golden finger, cheat plugin, or system found in web novels; as long as she was around, things that previously felt difficult suddenly seemed to become simple.

She suited him so perfectly that she was rapidly becoming an indispensable part of He Tianran's life.

Yet, a girl this flawless—

did not end up with him in the future.

In truth, what Ye Jiaqi and Xue Yong had said was not the worst-case scenario in He Tianran's mind. He had always maintained skepticism toward everything. Just imagine, a person who could view even their own future death with a sense of detachment wouldn't find a mere prank...

to pack that much of an emotional punch.

However, a person who liked to remain skeptical was now harboring a great deal of anticipation for the future.

Therefore, having that anticipation shattered was what he feared the most right now.

Gazing into He Tianran's obsessed eyes, Wen Liang's expression dimmed. With her legs bent and her hands braced on the grass behind her to lean her upper body back, she stared up at the sky as if lost in memory.

"Yeah... why is that, I wonder... This truly is a long and torturous story..." She tilted her head and asked He Tianran, "If I don't tell you, are you not going to give me the train ticket?"

Meeting her gaze, he lowered his head with a lump in his throat.

Why is that?

Aside from me, you seem to know nothing about the future.

No, even regarding me, you actually don't know much at all.

You didn't know I played the guitar; you didn't know about my parents; you didn't know the disguise I wore after waking up; you didn't know I dislike sweets...

If all of this could be explained away by "we aren't a couple in the future," then why don't you try proving it to yourself a little more?

If that time-travel rebirth prank is real, why did you go along with it so cooperatively?

Having already experienced this evening gala once, you should have known that Zhang Zifan would confess his feelings to you tonight, right?

Are you really just toying with me?

"Tianran, I've prepared a surprise for you tonight!"

Wen Liang broke into a brilliant smile once again. She always smiled when facing He Tianran, but these words made the boy's whole body stiffen. Moments later, he stood up.

"A-Liang..."

"Hmm?"

He took the train ticket out of his pocket, bent down, and placed it into her hand.

"The future... maybe it's better left unsaid."

He Tianran pulled his emotions together. The moment he handed over the ticket, a sense of relief washed over him, as if a burden had suddenly been lifted from his heart. He stretched his limbs right where he stood and said indifferently,

"As for the future, we can go and see it ourselves."

"..."

Wen Liang lowered her head to look at the familiar blue ticket in her hand. Her name was printed on it, set for October 1st at ten in the morning, from Port City to Kunming.

No matter how many times it happened, he would always be like this.

He was far too kind. Even though he knew all the ins and outs, at the very last moment, he would still choose to trust her.

This was probably the very reason why she liked him...

Maintaining skepticism while refusing to give up anticipation.

This was the current He Tianran.

The He Tianran about to step into the future.

Wen Liang lifted her chin, looking up at the boy who belonged to her at this moment. She raised the ticket and waved it, her face brimming with happiness.