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

Chapter 193 Lost Contact

September, 2000

Zhou Yanruo was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the Beijing TV Lantern Festival Gala, serving as one of the extras in the opening medley. She was even assigned a line from a song full of youthful imagery, a pleasant surprise that excited her for days.

On the day she received the notification, she eagerly sent Wang Jie an email and left him a message on MSN. However, several days passed, and she still hadn't received a reply from Wang Jie.

She felt a vague unease. Wang Jie had been gone for a month, and he hadn't sent her a single message during that time. Her messages, too, seemed to sink without a trace, receiving no response.

Wang Jie's MSN status always showed as offline.

Considering the time difference, she woke up several times at night to log in to MSN, but still couldn't find Wang Jie online.

She had considered asking Jian Zheng about Wang Jie's situation to see if he had been in contact with Wang Jie, but Jian Zheng had already gone to Hong Kong Island, and she did not have his contact information there.

Zhou Yanruo often had to comfort herself, perhaps Wang Jie had just arrived abroad and was busy adapting to the new environment, coupled with his heavy academic workload, so it was understandable that he had no time to take care of her for the time being.

Although she could understand, her heart was filled with longing and her mind wandered. Only by keeping herself busy could she temporarily forget this longing.

Fortunately, she has been incredibly busy lately, with extremely demanding rehearsals every day. Although she's only an extra, the competition is fierce, and she could be replaced if she's not careful.

After tireless efforts, she finally earned the opportunity to participate in the joint rehearsal. At this time, there were less than twenty days left before the official performance, including the three-day Spring Festival holiday. The rehearsal time was very tight. Although her performance time was less than five minutes, the production team still required her to participate in the entire performance to ensure its smooth running. That morning, Zhou Yanruo got up early as usual and practiced in the living room.

Yang Man carried a large tray out of the kitchen, walked to the dining table, and placed a plate of fried dough sticks, a plate of fried eggs, and two plates of side dishes on the table.

"Ruo Ruo, stop practicing and come have breakfast." After saying that, Yang Man turned around and went back to the kitchen, bringing out three bowls of soy milk and placing them on the dining table.

Zhou Yanruo was surprised and exclaimed, "Mom, what are you doing? You scared me!"

You read that right, her professor mother is actually making breakfast for her.

"What's so scary? Go brush your teeth and come eat." Yang Man said as she walked towards the bedroom. A little while later, Zhou Fang followed her out.

Zhou Fang: "Ruo Ruo, look, does the sun rise in the west today?"

Zhou Yanruo, brushing her teeth with white foam coming out of her mouth, poked her head out of the bathroom and mumbled, "Dad, what did you say? Who came from the west?"

Yang Man laughed and said, "What's the big deal about a family having breakfast together?"

Zhou Fang: "It's not strange, it's not easy."

Zhou Yanruo quickly washed up, applying oil to her face as she walked over, and saw her parents already sitting on either side of the dining table waiting for her.

Zhou Yanruo chuckled and asked, "Dad, Mom, how many days will this business trip last?"

Zhou Fang gently pulled out the chair next to her and said to Zhou Yanruo with a smile, "Come and sit down."

Zhou Yanruo obediently sat down, picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of warm soy milk, then asked with concern, "How long will your business trip last this time? It's almost Chinese New Year, are you sure you won't be able to go home for the holiday again? You should be able to get back before the Lantern Festival, right?"

Yang Man smiled and looked at Zhou Yanruo, saying, "We can complete the second phase of the experiment before New Year's Eve, then we'll have a three-day holiday, and after the New Year we'll start the third phase of the experiment."

The last sentence was addressed to Zhou Fang.

Zhou Fang nodded, then turned to Zhou Yanruo and asked, "Ruoruo, how many days off do you get for the Chinese New Year?"

"It's only a three-day break. Rehearsals start on the third day of the Lunar New Year. You guys should all come and support my first performance, right?"

Yang Man: "Of course, we definitely have to watch it. Which program are you on again? You and Dad will definitely be in front of the TV on time!"

Zhou Yanruo glanced at Yang Man and patiently said, "I've said it several times, I'm the first performer."

Her mother had never liked her pursuing an artistic career, and given her mother's repeated insistence, she was already quite grateful for the positive attitude she had shown. Zhou Yanruo dared not ask for anything more.

Zhou Fang nodded and said indulgently, "How could we miss my daughter's debut performance?"

Zhou Yanru pouted. She could still act cute with her father, and said in a feigned dissatisfaction, "You said it yourself, don't make excuses about being busy and forget later."

"Don't worry, I'll remind your mom." Zhou Fang smiled and handed a fried dough stick to Zhou Yanruo, then said, "Go to Grandma Xichuan's house after your vacation starts, don't stay in Beijing alone."

Yang Man added, "We will also be in Xichuan, but because the second phase of the experiment is quite intense, your dad and I will stay at the school's guesthouse this time. You will go back to your grandma's house on New Year's Eve. This year, our whole family will spend the New Year in Xichuan."

Zhou Fang: "You've informed all your close friends about your TV appearance, right?"

Yang Man: "By the way, has Wang Jie gone abroad to study? Do you still keep in touch?"

When asked about her worries, Zhou Yanruo felt sad. She chewed on a fried dough stick and lowered her head without answering.

Zhou Fang and Yang Man exchanged a glance and said, "Wang Jie seems to be a very ambitious kid. You don't usually like making friends, but since you two get along so well, why don't you keep in touch more?"

For the past month or so, Zhou Yanruo had been feeling down because she hadn't received any messages from Wang Jie. When her parents mentioned it, she felt even more aggrieved.

She retorted softly, "You've never even met Wang Jie."

Yang Man explained, "Your grandmother has mentioned him several times."

Zhou Yanruo didn't want to say much. She hurriedly took a bite of the fried egg, and while she was still chewing, she stood up and said, "Dad, Mom, you take your time eating. I'm running late and have to go." Then she hurriedly went out.

Yang Man quickly reminded you, "Eat slowly, and finish before you go out. It's getting colder today, and it's easy to catch a cold if you eat while walking. You still have a performance to attend, so you need to take extra care of your voice and not catch a cold."

Although Zhou Yanruo was a little unaccustomed to her mother's nagging, she actually appreciated it. Her mother rarely, if ever, gave her such advice. From a young age, she knew that her mother was different from other children's mothers because her mother was Professor Yang.

It's rare for a family of three to have the opportunity to get together for breakfast, and even more rare to be able to have a pleasant conversation at the table.

Zhou Yanruo was exhausted both physically and mentally over the past month, but a warm breakfast finally healed most of her body.