Lu Cheng found it hard to say, but he believed that there shouldn’t be secrets between a married couple. Except for things related to his job that had to remain confidential, he was willing to be open with Lin Qingqing. So, even though he felt embarrassed by what he’d done, he chose to be honest:

“You said you needed two years without being intimate with me. At first, I thought it was because you had some health issues. But after I checked your medical report, Dr. Tong said you were in great health. So… I asked Dr. Tong about it, and he suggested you might have some gynecological issues.

Then he took me to consult Dr. Yang, a gynecologist…” Lu Cheng explained the whole process. “Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I’m rushing into intimacy. I’m just… very concerned about you.”

The last four words came out with a weight and warmth that reached deep into Lin Qingqing’s heart.

“Qingqing, maybe these two years are necessary for you, and maybe you’ll have to endure a lot during this time. But I want to go through it with you. I don’t want to spend these two years constantly guessing or worrying. I believe we can face this problem together. Instead of just wondering aimlessly, why not discuss it openly?”

Lin Qingqing was stunned; she had never considered that Lu Cheng might be worried about her. Perhaps it was because she had always been independent and made decisions from her own perspective, without considering how others might feel.

But she understood his words clearly now. Only at this moment did she realize the impact her inexplicable words from the night before must have had on him.

Lin Qingqing wasn’t someone who liked to control others; on the contrary, she was thoughtful. She thought about it from another angle: if Lu Cheng suddenly said such things to her, or if he needed to go on a mission for two years, how would she feel?

She didn’t need to think hard. Lin Qingqing knew she would be worried about him, not only because he was her husband now but also because she had some feelings for him.

No woman could refuse a handsome, steady, mature man. Yet her situation didn’t allow her to fully accept Lu Cheng. But if she didn’t explain things, would Lu Cheng keep worrying indefinitely? Lu Cheng was different from others; he was a soldier who could be called away on missions at any moment. If he was still thinking about her while on duty, then… Lin Qingqing didn’t dare imagine the consequences. She knew that even a small distraction could lead to irreversible results.

“If I don’t tell you, will you keep thinking about it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Lu Cheng replied firmly. There were some things that he could separate between public and private matters, but other things couldn’t be so easily compartmentalized. He was usually calm and composed, but when life took an unexpected turn, some things he couldn’t stay calm about.

“Then…” Lin Qingqing hesitated, cautiously asking, “Do you believe in the concept of ‘soul transmigration’? In our rural village, I’ve often heard stories about it. Do you believe in it?”

Lu Cheng was speechless. Her supposed gynecological issue had transformed into feudal beliefs now. As a college-educated person from this era and a soldier, the last thing Lu Cheng believed in was superstitions. Great, now his wife was starting to believe in them, which he found even worse than her having a gynecological issue.

Lin Qingqing looked at his puzzled expression, wondering what he was thinking.

“You…”

“You…”

They spoke at the same time.

“You go first,” said Lu Cheng.

Lin Qingqing didn’t hesitate. “Do you believe what I just said?”

Lu Cheng was silent, looking at her hopeful face. He wanted to say he believed her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It wasn’t that he looked down on rural education, but he felt that Lin Qingqing wasn’t suited for that village where superstitions ran deep. Otherwise, why would a young woman like her start believing in something as bizarre as soul transmigration? He sighed, reached out, and felt her forehead; she wasn’t feverish.

She leaned back a little. “What are you doing?”

“I felt hot, wanted to check if I had a fever,” he said, casually touching his own forehead. “No fever.”

“…You haven’t answered my question. Do you believe it?” she pressed.

“I don’t know,” Lu Cheng chose a more conservative answer. “I haven’t experienced anything like that, so I can’t say.”

Lin Qingqing could understand that. If she hadn’t traveled into a book, transmigration would’ve seemed like something out of fiction to her, too. But now, she was living it.

Lin Qingqing didn’t know how to ease his worry or find a reasonable explanation. She felt that her brain was too tired to come up with anything.

Lu Cheng, seeing her silence and thinking back on their conversation, tried guiding her a bit. “Why did you suddenly bring up soul transmigration? Did… someone experience something like that?”

Despite feeling a little ridiculous, he felt the need to ask, as he hoped to gently steer her away from these superstitious thoughts.

Lin Qingqing swallowed and answered cautiously, “I… I read a novel before, where someone from the future suddenly woke up in someone else’s body from decades ago. It was a serial story, and I found the concept interesting, but I never got to read more of it. Don’t you think that’s similar to soul transmigration? Do you think it could happen in real life?”

Lu Cheng sighed. “That’s a novel. Novels and reality are different. You’re still young; don’t read such meaningless books. Now that you’ve got your high school books, focus on those instead.” He wondered who’d written such a messy story—someone from the future traveling back decades? He thought it was nonsense and preferred that she focus on her high school studies. Still, he figured she probably enjoyed novels, and while he didn’t mind her reading them, he worried they might lead her to all sorts of strange ideas.

Lin Qingqing nodded. “I will study.”

Lu Cheng reassured her, “No rush. You can relax for a few days until summer vacation, then I’ll spend an hour every night tutoring you.” He knew from experience that studying was most effective with a balanced approach. He was aware of her poor grades from his background check on her family before their marriage, and with students who struggled academically, patience was key.

Lin Qingqing held back tears and agreed. “Alright.” An hour was manageable, after all.

“Now, back to the main question. Can you tell me why you need two years?” Lu Cheng asked, seizing the moment. He didn’t want to let the chance slip away; if they put off this conversation, he wasn’t sure when they’d get the opportunity again.

It wasn’t that Lin Qingqing didn’t want to face the question; she just didn’t know how. After all, it was too far-fetched. But she also didn’t want him to keep worrying, especially if he were on a mission with her on his mind. If anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself.

But he didn’t seem to believe her previous attempts.

“What if I told you that the novel I mentioned is real?” she tried once more. “What if I said that I’m actually someone from the future who woke up here in this world?”

Lu Cheng squinted at Lin Qingqing, observing her closely. She wasn’t running a fever, and her bright, expressive eyes were filled with anticipation and a cautious hesitancy, along with a hint of resilience. Initially, Lu Cheng dismissed her talk about the novel as nonsense, feeling it was just fiction and worrying she was becoming overly obsessed with superstition. Yet at this moment, he could no longer dismiss it as mere superstition.

He couldn’t bring himself to believe her, as the whole situation seemed too bizarre. However, the cautious and careful look in her eyes made him feel a pang of sympathy. She had always been cheerful and lively, with a sparkle in her eyes like starlight. But now, that cheerfulness was gone, her liveliness had faded, and the starlight in her eyes had dimmed. Lu Cheng’s words got caught in his throat. “You… you…” He stammered, repeating “you” twice, unsure of what to say next.

“I was just kidding. Don’t…”

“So, you’re not really Lin Qingqing?”

They both spoke simultaneously.

“You’re saying that you’re from the future, which means you’re not really Lin Qingqing. And so, you can’t share a room with me, but you need two years, because in two years, you’ll leave. Is that it?” Lu Cheng asked, feeling like his mind was playing tricks on him as he tried to piece together what she was saying. However, the thought of her leaving in two years made his heart feel heavy. Was that why she had asked for those two years?

At the same time, Lu Cheng felt conflicted. Lin Qingqing was supposed to be his wife, and he should be happy about it.

No, no, what was he thinking? How could he follow her line of thinking? She must have been influenced by superstition.

“No, I don’t even know if I’ll leave in two years or if she’ll return in two years. I asked for two years because… well, two years from now, in my world, this body will reach the legal marriage age. If she hasn’t returned by then, and I haven’t left, I’d like to… truly be your wife.” After saying this, Lin Qingqing lowered her head, feeling a bit shameless for what she had just confessed.

Her mind was in a complete mess, and she didn’t even know what she was saying. She had never been very clever and had never faced such a challenging situation before. For a moment, she was truly at a loss.

She didn’t want Lu Cheng to worry about her for the next two years, nor did she want to drag things out, as it would be unfair to him in the end.

The heaviness in Lu Cheng’s heart slowly lifted, especially when she expressed her desire to be a true wife to him. It made him feel happy. But… he was also conflicted. What she was saying was unbelievable, and he was quick to label it as superstition. If she weren’t his wife, he might have assumed she was mentally unstable.

Yet, after spending time together over the past few days, he was sure that she wasn’t crazy, nor was she a superstitious person. “I…” Now Lu Cheng found himself struggling. “Could you tell me about the future world? I’d like to see if it’s true.”

He figured that a person’s words, when they spoke about something real, would differ from those resulting from superstition or hallucination.

Not knowing if Lu Cheng would believe her, Lin Qingqing started explaining, “I wasn’t good at history, so I don’t remember much of the country’s past experiences. But in the future, at least by 2022, our country is strong, prosperous, and stable. In the future, we’ve moved away from the gender biases of this era. Gender equality isn’t just talk—our country has achieved it on a global scale. Women, like men, hold positions in government, the military, and business. In the future, going to college is common, every household has a car, and…”

Listening to Lin Qingqing talk about the future, Lu Cheng’s mind started to imagine such a world. He couldn’t deny that this vision of the future was both compelling and attractive.

“But all that progress in the future was achieved because of people like you in this era, working hard to make it happen,” Lin Qingqing added. “Without you and the heroes of the past, there wouldn’t be a bright future.”

“You…” As much as her description of the future was beautiful, it wasn’t enough to convince him. “Do you have any proof that you’re from the future?”

Lin Qingqing claimed to be from the future rather than from a book for two reasons. First, she had become part of this world, so she no longer viewed it as just a story. Second, she didn’t want Lu Cheng to know that he was merely a character in a book. To him, this was a world of real people with flesh and blood.

“In the future, English is a core subject starting in middle school. Although I wasn’t good at it, I can still say a few phrases, like ‘Good morning’… I also went to college, even if just a junior college, so I know about calculus…” Lin Qingqing listed examples of knowledge from the future. “If you don’t believe me, you can wait until 1966. Based on my history lessons, the country’s situation will become tense that year, and a ten-year movement will begin in 1967, halting college entrance exams. That’s why I only mentioned graduating high school, without mentioning college exams—I knew they’d be suspended. I also know that future college students will face challenges…” She then explained the events of the ten-year movement in detail.

Lu Cheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He had never imagined that the country would go through such experiences starting in 1967. However, if these events were indeed true, there wasn’t anything he could do to change them. He was somewhat comforted by the knowledge from Lin Qingqing that, despite the hardships, the country would stand back up bravely. Knowing the outcome kept him from wanting to change things, as he had no idea what might happen if the current situation shifted.

“I…” Lu Cheng looked at Lin Qingqing and said, earnestly, “I need some time to think.”