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

Chapter 116 We are all human, why do we have such different fates?

After a ten-minute bike ride, Wang Jie arrived at the convenience store on Xueyuan Road. He glanced at the time; it was still thirty minutes to go until 4 p.m.

If he returned to Yangxi Road immediately to call Zhou Yanruo back, he would have enough time to call her between the agreed-upon four and five o'clock. However, this would mean he wouldn't be able to dial the number at four o'clock and hear Zhou Yanruo's voice immediately. Therefore, he decided to wait at the public phone there, only thirty more minutes, and he could call her at four o'clock.

Wang Jie put the books on the back of his bicycle to the ground, randomly picked one out, and sat down to read it. However, the words in the book seemed to dance before his eyes, and he couldn't concentrate on reading at all, because his mind was filled with Zhou Yanruo.

Two weeks ago, after that incident, how did they get through those many gloomy and desolate days...?

Cheng Zhi and Xue Jiang's families decided to hold the funerals for the two children together. On the day of the funeral, despite facing great pressure, Wang Jie and Zhou Yanruo ultimately decided to attend.

Unable to enter the funeral home and participate in Xue Jiang and Cheng Zhi's farewell ceremony, they bid their final farewell to their friends Xue Jiang and Cheng Zhi from afar on a small hill outside the funeral home.

Facing the gloomy sky, Zhou Yanruo said in a hoarse voice, "Don't blame us for not being able to say goodbye to you in person. Wang Jie and I, your teacher Wang, will see you off here one last time."

Life is unpredictable. Wang Jie silently prayed, "Xue Jiang, Cheng Zhi, may you take care of each other in another world and have a safe journey."

The two stood silently on the hillside, gazing at the funeral home's farewell hall inside the courtyard walls, until they watched the cars in the parking lot leave one after another, and they knew the funeral was over.

The grief of the past few days had left Zhou Yanruo utterly exhausted. Her face was pale, and her lips had lost all color. She leaned weakly against Wang Jie. "Xue Jiang and Cheng Zhi, are they really gone?"

Wang Jie held Zhou Yanruo tightly and comforted her, "They've already left, don't think too much about it. They certainly wouldn't want to see you like this."

After a while, there was no one left to see inside the courtyard. Wang Jie said, "You must be tired. You can barely stand anymore. Let's go back."

Zhou Yanruo nodded gently and said, "Okay, let's go."

The two came down the small hill and had just gone around the wall when they saw Xue Jiang's mother and younger brother still standing at the entrance of the funeral home, accompanied by two classmates from the training class.

Having already seen each other, Wang Jie and Zhou Yanruo had no choice but to go over and greet them.

Seeing the two approaching, Xue Jiang's younger brother handed the urn he was carrying to his mother and stormed over angrily. Seeing his hostile expression, Wang Jie quickly shielded Zhou Yanruo in his arms. Just as he turned his back, he was slapped on the back of the head. Before he could react, he was followed by a heavy punch. Wang Jie staggered, almost losing his balance, his head buzzing. Had he been even a fraction slower, a slap to the face would have landed on Zhou Yanruo.

Seeing this, the students from the two training classes rushed over and pulled Xue Jiang's younger brother away. Xue Jiang's mother followed behind, crying and shouting, "Xue Chong, what are you doing? Don't cause trouble. Your sister is already gone. If something happens to you, I don't want to live anymore. Please don't cause any more trouble."

Xue Chong shouted angrily, "How dare you come here, you bastards! You're the ones who killed my sister!"

He pointed at Wang Jie and cursed, "You must be the mayor's son. You think you're so superior, and that we common folk deserve to die? I'm going to beat you up. Go ahead and have your mother arrest me."

As he was about to rush forward again, Xue Jiang's mother, holding the urn containing the ashes, stood in front of Xue Chong, desperately trying to stop him, crying and pleading, "Don't hit him, don't hit him, Mom begs you, don't cause trouble. Waaah... Look at your sister, don't do it. Let's go back to our hometown and bring your sister home."

At that moment, a Jetta parked on the side of the road quickly opened its door, a man got out, rushed over, and shouted, "Wang Jie, come here, come quickly, come with me."

Wang Jie was bending down, holding Zhou Yanruo in his arms, protecting her from being hurt by Xue Chong. Hearing someone call his name, he looked up and saw Jian Zheng running towards them.

He pulled Zhou Yanruo and walked quickly toward Jian Zheng. After they met up, Jian Zheng immediately turned around and walked toward the car, opened the back door, and said, "Get in the car quickly."

Zhou Yanruo was too frightened and weak to take a step. Seeing this, Wang Jie supported her tightly with both arms. Because of the height difference of more than 20 centimeters between the two, Wang Jie lifted Zhou Yanruo off the ground, almost carrying her to the side of the car.

Jian Zheng immediately came over to help, and after helping Zhou Yanruo into the car, he sat in the front passenger seat and said, "Driver, drive quickly."

Sitting in the back seat, Wang Jie turned to look out the rear window. He saw Xue Jiang's mother sitting on the ground, holding an urn containing ashes. Xue Chong was being pulled by two students from the training class, still trying to break free and rush towards them, shouting curses. As the car started moving and drove away, they couldn't hear what Xue Chong was shouting anymore.

Wang Jie turned to Jian Zheng and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Jian Zheng replied, "I finally convinced my mother to let me attend the funeral, but on the condition that she must arrange a car to bring me here, and it can only be parked on the side of the road to watch me; I am not allowed to get out of the car and show my face."

"Thank goodness you came," Wang Jie said.

"Why did they start fighting just now? Isn't that boy Xue Jiang's younger brother? I remember seeing him a few days ago. He seemed like a very honest kid. Why is he acting like a madman today?"

"I don't know why, but as soon as Zhou Yanruo and I arrived, he rushed over and attacked us, cursing all the while..." Wang Jie said in surprise.

Wang Jie recalled what Xue Chong had just said. He must have mistaken Wang Jie for Jian Zheng, because Xue Chong had shouted, "You're the mayor's son, aren't you? If you're so capable, have your mother come and arrest me." Realizing this, and fearing it would embarrass Jian Zheng, Wang Jie stopped mid-sentence.

Jian Zheng also sensed something amiss. He understood that Xue Chong's impulsive act and assault today were likely related to recent media reports. Public opinion was currently brewing, sparking a discussion about "why different fates for the same person," and the conflict had further escalated. To maintain social stability, the city had established an investigation team to conduct an in-depth investigation, putting immense pressure on city leaders. This was why his mother had repeatedly told him not to show his face before he left home.

A moment of silence fell over everyone in the car; no one knew what to say.

Since getting into the car, Zhou Yanruo had been hunched over, feeling extremely uncomfortable, and now her head was throbbing as if it were about to split open. She let out a soft groan, shifted her body slightly, and rested her head on Wang Jie's shoulder.

As Wang Jie turned his head, he accidentally touched Zhou Yanruo's forehead. "It's so hot." He gently pushed Zhou Yanruo's arm and asked with concern, "Do you have a fever? Why is your head so hot?"

"Ugh, my head hurts so much," Zhou Yanruo murmured, her voice weak and feeble.

Wang Jie reached out and gently pressed her forehead, then pressed it against his own, comparing their temperatures, and said, "You have a fever, we need to go to the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Jian Zheng immediately turned around and said, "Zhou Yanruo is sick? Master, let's go to Xida Hospital."

Zhou Yanruo closed her eyes and mumbled softly, "Don't go to the hospital, go back to Yangxi Road."