Chapter 4: Excess Estrogen Secretion

Chu Ning, drunk, was in a daze. She didn’t listen to Tang Siqi at all. Her eyes were hazy and unfocused as she looked at Tang Siqi, mistaking her for the soldier she had in her mind.

“Zhou Chenhao, that jerk, dumped me. I’ll go with you. Aren’t soldiers supposed to have the strongest principles? You kissed me, took advantage of me, shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

Tang Siqi was shocked again by Chu Ning’s words. She picked up the key words: Chu Ning had been kissed and taken advantage of by a soldier. Unfortunately, Chu Ning was drunk, and she couldn’t get any more information.

Meanwhile, at the Hongguang Brigade Commune, in the militia camp dormitory, Fu Yuzhou felt like he’d seen a ghost. The woman who had invaded his dorm had run out, and when he chased after her, she vanished. It only took him a minute to get dressed. He searched the entire militia camp but couldn’t find her. He held an emergency assembly, gathering everyone in the courtyard and personally led a search of all the dormitories.

Fu Yuzhou was full of curiosity. Who was this woman? How could she have vanished from the militia camp in such a short time? The sentry guarding the gate hadn’t seen anyone enter or leave. He couldn’t understand how she got in or how she got away. He almost thought it was all a hallucination. But he had clearly held her waist – her skin was soft and smooth, and he could still feel the warmth of her body in his palm. She had a unique scent; he didn’t need to hold her to smell it; standing near her was enough. Her scent lingered in his dorm.

Most importantly, he had only brushed her lips, but the feeling was unforgettable. They were soft and sweet, like cherry blossoms. She had even kissed his Adam’s apple. He, a man who had never been interested in women, felt an unprecedented stirring in that moment. He didn’t understand love, didn’t know that this stirring was a heartbeat, the bud of love. He only knew the feeling was strange.

But the woman had come and gone so quickly; it all felt like a dream. “It was a dream,” Fu Yuzhou told himself. But the next second, where he and the woman had fallen, he found an earring – a small diamond earring, unlike anything he’d ever seen. Everything told him the woman had been real. She had said her name was Chu Ning.

Fu Yuzhou had lived in the Hongguang Brigade Commune for three years and knew all the villagers and the educated youth who had come to the countryside. There was no one named Chu Ning. Could she be a newly arrived educated youth? During the day’s training, he had heard the militia talking about new educated youth arriving in the brigade. Most of the men in the militia camp were single and eager for female companionship, eyeing the new female educated youth. Regardless of whether Chu Ning was a new educated youth, he had to find her. Her behavior was inappropriate; she had openly entered his dorm, watched him shower, and kissed him. Shouldn’t she explain or take responsibility?

The next morning, Chu Ning woke up with a splitting headache, completely weak. Suddenly, a voice accused her, “Confess! Who’s the soldier you’re secretly seeing behind Zhou Chenhao’s back?”

The unexpected question made Chu Ning’s eyes widen. “What soldier? Siqi, aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Her mind was still foggy. She wasn’t surprised to see Tang Siqi in her rented apartment; she had invited her to stay. After discovering Zhou Chenhao’s infidelity, she had confronted him and moved out. She was uncomfortable alone, so she asked Tang Siqi to stay with her for a few days.

“It’s the weekend; I don’t have to work.” Tang Siqi crossed her arms and stared at Chu Ning, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. “Tell me, when did you hook up with a soldier?”

Soldier? Chu Ning’s mind was blank. Then, she remembered something. “Did I talk about a soldier?”

Tang Siqi said bluntly, “Yes, you said he kissed you, took advantage of you, and you wanted him to take responsibility.”

Chu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. It was all the alcohol’s fault. Why had she babbled about those things? Thinking about last night, she felt uneasy. “Besides you, did anyone else hear?”

Tang Siqi knew what Chu Ning was worried about. “Don’t worry, nobody else knows. But I’m looking forward to Zhou Chenhao, that jerk, hearing about it.”

“Don’t say anything,” Chu Ning said quickly. She had been kissed and taken advantage of by a soldier, but she couldn’t remember what happened that night or who the man was.

“So, what you said is true?” Tang Siqi asked again.

“Yeah.” Chu Ning never kept secrets from her best friend.

“Wow, Chu Ning, you’re amazing! Your second spring has arrived!” Tang Siqi was genuinely happy for Chu Ning, believing she would be happy with any man other than Zhou Chenhao.

“What second spring? It was a dream.” A soldier from 1976 and she, a person from 2024, couldn’t possibly have any connection. If there was a connection, the soldier would be a grandfather-aged man. Should she even ask him to take responsibility? Tang Siqi’s excitement was suddenly doused with cold water. “What? Chu Ning, don’t tell me the soldier was just a figment of your imagination in a dream?”

Chu Ning herself wasn’t sure if what happened yesterday was real. She didn’t want to explain to Tang Siqi. “Whatever you think, let’s just forget about it, don’t mention it again.” She didn’t believe in parallel universes. If they existed, going there last night was a coincidence. Since she was back, she shouldn’t be able to go back again. She was sure she didn’t have any cheat codes.

“So boring.” Tang Siqi deflated like a balloon. She had stayed up to hear the gossip, only to get nothing.

“I think it’s quite interesting.” Chu Ning, with a clear head, thought that heaven was playing a time-travel game with her, sympathizing with her Valentine’s Day heartbreak and giving her a small reward.

“I think you have excess estrogen and a broken brain. To prevent complete brain failure, quickly find a man to adjust your hormones.” Tang Siqi said this before leaving. She suddenly turned around and saw a woman standing at the door. She froze, speechless.