Chapter 23

Jiang Zhe, having been chased out of the kitchen by Jiang Yu’s parents, felt a bit bored. He chatted with Jiang Yu while looking around her room. It was very clean, clearly tidied up by her family.

Though Jiang Zhe had visited a few times before, this was his first time in her room. The girlish atmosphere and seeing her in it gave him a special feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

Jiang Yu, noticing he might have work to do, asked, “Don’t you have work to do? Are you going back tomorrow, or…?”

Jiang Zhe thought she wanted him to leave and said, “I’ll stay here tonight and go back tomorrow. You can stay a few more days and spend time with your parents.”

Jiang Yu agreed. “Okay.”

She noticed her drawer was locked and started looking for the key. After a while, she found it on the bookshelf. Opening the drawer, she found a diary.

The handwriting inside was similar to hers, and the content mirrored her own life. But the girl’s spoiled and playful tone wasn’t hers.

Having read many novels, Jiang Yu thought this world might be a parallel one, and the original owner might be another version of herself.

So, were she and the original owner the same person or two different people?

Feeling puzzled, Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Zhe and asked, “Jiang Zhe, can I ask you something?”

Jiang Zhe, who was casually flipping through a book, looked up and said, “Sure.”

“Do you believe in parallel worlds?”

Jiang Zhe was stunned. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and replied, “Maybe. It’s possible. But since we haven’t seen it, I don’t know.”

“Do you think people from parallel worlds could be the same person?”

Jiang Zhe thought for a moment and said, “Hard to say. Maybe they are, or maybe they’re different versions of the same person.”

Jiang Yu found this reasonable. The original owner could be seen as the opposite of herself.

Half-jokingly, she asked, “If that’s the case, would you like someone from a parallel world who is my opposite?”

Jiang Zhe fell silent.

For the original Jiang Yu, he felt only responsibility, not love.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Yu guessed his answer but didn’t mind. “If it were me, I wouldn’t like it either. Love should make a person better. But if all you get from someone is negative emotions, then even if you once liked them, there’s no point in being together. Meeting and clashing with people is meant to make life better. If life becomes worse, it means the two people are no longer suitable for each other.”

Jiang Zhe, hearing her thoughts, felt a sudden panic and asked, “What about you? Will you change?”

Jiang Yu smiled. “People are always changing. Not only will I change, but you might change too. Everything changes. People influence their environment, and the environment changes people’s thoughts. No regrets about meeting, no talk of debt. Whether this journey is long or short, I hope meeting each other brings more beauty.”

From outside, Mother Jiang called them for dinner. Jiang Yu replied and said to Jiang Zhe, “My mom’s calling us to eat. Let’s go.”

Jiang Zhe hadn’t fully processed what she said when Jiang Yu had already left the room.

“Wow, it smells so good.”

As soon as Jiang Yu arrived at the dining table, she grabbed her chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish. “It tastes amazing. This has to be Dad’s cooking.”

Father Jiang, seeing his daughter enjoying the food so much, smiled and sighed, “It’s been a while since you had Dad’s cooking, hasn’t it?”

Jiang Yu nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I’ve really missed it.”

The taste of her father’s cooking was just like her other world’s father’s.

Jiang Yu felt like crying as she ate, but she held back her tears.

Even though they didn’t have memories of the other world, Jiang Yu already felt like they were her real parents.

“Then you should come back more often,” Father Jiang said, feeling a bit emotional. His precious daughter had grown up under their care. Although their family wasn’t very wealthy, he and his wife always gave their daughter the best. They never had such a big disagreement with her before.

Men don’t easily show their tears, so Father Jiang didn’t want his family to see his vulnerability. He raised his glass to hide his emotions and said to Jiang Zhe, “Come on, Xiao Zhe, let’s have a drink.”

Jiang Zhe was concerned that Jiang Yu might not like the smell of alcohol on him later, so he asked her, “Can I drink?”

Jiang Yu nodded. “Sure, you can just sleep in another room later.”

With her father keeping Jiang Zhe busy with drinks, they wouldn’t have to share a room. Jiang Yu felt quite satisfied and smiled happily.

Jiang Zhe noticed that Jiang Yu might not be too keen on sharing a room with him, which made him feel a bit complicated. He picked up the glass Father Jiang had poured for him and took a sip.

As Father Jiang drank, he asked Jiang Zhe about his work. Father Jiang’s questions were kind and warm, unlike Jiang Zhe’s own father. Jiang Zhe envied having such a family. Naturally, he answered honestly, though Jiang Yu thought he might be a bit too modest.

Despite drinking quite a bit, Father Jiang had a knack for judging people. This son-in-law of his seemed humble and calm, and he appeared to treat his daughter well. Seeing his daughter happy and content made Father Jiang very pleased.

So, he said to Jiang Zhe, “Xiao Zhe, we might not be as well off as your family, but Xiao Yu is our precious daughter. She can be a bit headstrong sometimes. As a man and a husband, you should be more tolerant of her.”

Seeing her husband saying such things, Mother Jiang, who had been concerned about Jiang Yu’s health, gave him a stern look. “Doesn’t Jiang Zhe know what kind of person Xiao Yu is? Don’t drink too much and stir up trouble between the two kids.”

The alcohol was strong, and after a couple of drinks, Jiang Zhe felt a bit warm. He looked at Jiang Yu and, with a soft and slightly husky voice, said, “Xiao Yu is great.”

Really, she was wonderful.

Hearing that Jiang Zhe thought highly of her daughter, Mother Jiang felt completely at ease.

She then turned to Jiang Yu and said, “Your due date is approaching. When the time comes, I’ll come and help you with the baby.”

Jiang Yu didn’t want to trouble her mother and felt her mom should have her own life.

“Mom, we’ll hire a nanny. You don’t need to tire yourself out.”

Mother Jiang, who had retired and was now mostly idle at home, couldn’t stay still. With only one daughter, she naturally felt she couldn’t just leave her be.

“A nanny can’t take care of you as well as I can. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do. I can help with the baby.”

Jiang Yu said, “Then we’ll hire a nanny, and you can supervise her.”

Mother Jiang, seeing her daughter’s reluctance to trouble her, felt both touched and amused. “You two really have money to burn, hiring a nanny.”

Jiang Yu laughed. “We can afford to hire a couple more.”

Mother Jiang and Father Jiang exchanged glances, gaining a deeper understanding of Jiang Zhe’s financial situation.

Seeing their daughter doing well brought them great comfort. Since Jiang Yu didn’t want her mother to tire herself out, Mother Jiang decided to accept her daughter’s kindness. “Alright, alright. If you want to hire a nanny, go ahead. If I get bored, I’ll go traveling with your dad.”

Jiang Yu was more than happy for them to travel and see the world. “Go ahead and travel. Just remember to take photos for me.”

Mother Jiang just said it casually. With only one daughter, she couldn’t bear to leave her side when the time came.

Jiang Zhe’s tolerance for alcohol was better than Jiang Yu had expected. While her father got drunk, Jiang Zhe remained clear-headed.

Feeling happy today, her father drank more and wanted to keep talking to Jiang Zhe. “Xiao Zhe, let me tell you…”

But Mother Jiang pulled him back to their room.

Jiang Yu walked over to Jiang Zhe and asked, “How are you? Feeling dizzy?”

“I’m fine. I can handle my liquor. But don’t get too close, or you might feel uncomfortable.”

From a short distance, Jiang Yu could smell the faint scent of alcohol on him. She didn’t feel uncomfortable; in fact, she deliberately sniffed him and said, “No, I think it’s fine.”

She was very close, and her light fragrance drifted over, making Jiang Zhe, who hadn’t felt dizzy before, feel a bit lightheaded now. He said, “You go back to the room first. I’ll take a shower.”

“Okay.”

After Jiang Zhe showered, the smell of alcohol was gone, but their relationship hadn’t progressed to the point where they could share a bed. So, they tacitly decided to sleep in separate rooms. However, in the middle of the night, Jiang Yu felt uncomfortable. Her parents were already asleep, and waking them would mean they wouldn’t sleep well afterward. After some hesitation, Jiang Yu headed to Jiang Zhe’s room.