Chapter 121: Chapter 116: Time of Death
At 00:42, the punctual white light arrived, submerging everything.
Just as time had submerged history.
A not-so-pleasant furniture smell filled Lin Xian’s nostrils as he opened his eyes.
He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
He was still somewhat disoriented.
He sat up, pulled open the curtains, and looked at the almost disc-shaped moon outside…
Unable to find a single history book among tens of thousands of water-damaged volumes, Lin Xian felt intuitively that this was not normal.
Were history books strictly controlled and not allowed to circulate in the market?
History itself was being controlled, keeping people from knowing what had happened in the past?
But what was the point of doing this?
Lin Xian scratched his flattened hair, somewhat puzzled.
“History, after all, is a matter of fact that has already happened; it serves mainly an educational, cautionary, and understanding purpose.”
“As a subject, history itself is not particularly useful knowledge, certainly not when compared to the sciences, physics, engineering; it’s a discipline with no productivity or destructive power.”
“Because it’s completely fixed and unchangeable.”
Lin Xian remembered something Zhao Yingjun once said—
“History will not change.”
As if a cool breeze had entered the sealed room, it crept up Lin Xian’s trouser legs and spread throughout his body.
history could change?
Lin Xian retracted his previous statement.
When considered from the perspective of time and the Space-time Law…
history wasn’t entirely devoid of destructive power.
In fact, quite the opposite!
[For those with the power to change history… history is the most powerful space-time weapon!]
Lin Xian felt as though he had realized something.
If he had an accurate, detailed history book that clearly outlined the time, place, and later impact of each historical event… perhaps he could actually change the future into the way he hoped it would be.
Though it was just speculation.
But even a slight control over the direction of the Space-Time Butterfly Effect would be a terrifying power.
Suppose Lin Xian didn’t like the future world in The Second Dreamland, didn’t new city enclosed by high walls.
Then perhaps he could find in a detailed history book, who was the miscreant that came up with the concept of this new city, and for what reasons it was proposed.
Then, tracing back the lineage, finding out who the culprit’s ancestors were, who their great-great-grandfather was…
Going all the way back to 2023, looking for which man and woman were in love, eventually giving birth to this scourge hundreds of years later.
If the source could be located, then everything would be simple.
By finding a way to break up their romantic relationship, preventing them from marrying, isn’t that the same as easily destroying all the steel cities 600 years later?
Lin Xian knew his thoughts were exaggerated, extreme, and difficult to achieve.
But difficult to achieve does not mean impossible.
Moreover, this was just the most straightforward example. In fact, with a detailed historical account, one could really do a lot of things.
“Could it be… to prevent someone from tampering with history, from changing it… that’s why the future world is so controlling of history, causing historical discontinuity?”
Lin Xian felt this idea was very subtle.
He was unsure if this was at all possible.
But he firmly believed that history itself was made up of humanity itself.
No matter how much it is controlled, how much it is sealed off, there will always be true history preserved somewhere.
Even if it’s fragmented, chaotic… there will surely be traces of history lingering in some corners of the world.
Just like in The First Dreamland.
Even if all history is vague and information from the past is inaccessible… haven’t the winners of each World Cup still been passed down?
Though there are no specific scores, no detailed narratives…
Those are the traces of history.
“It’s also possible that there were too few samples of the water-damaged books, or that the leak just happened to avoid the historical book area.”
Lin Xian felt it was too early to draw conclusions.
To ascertain whether there were history books in New Donghai City, one would have to wait until he could infiltrate and thoroughly investigate the matter before making a determination.
Having slept from five in the afternoon until now and turning his schedule upside down, he wasn’t very sleepy.
Lin Xian went straight downstairs.
After a late-night snack and a bath, he finally continued to catch up on some sleep.
In a rather upscale Western restaurant.
The soft classical music was soothing and lingering.
Waiters bustled in the restaurant, delivering sumptuous cuisine to each guest.
The restaurant was quite full, but it was very quiet. No one was speaking loudly. Everyone conversed in subdued tones, engaging in casual, low whispers.
Zhao Yingjun, dressed meticulously, had emerald green earrings reflecting under the warm yellow lighting, appearing like swallows flying through the sunset, exuding a mature charm.
She had taken off her dark green coat to reveal a black turtleneck sweater underneath. Sitting across from Lin Xian, she looked around at the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant:
“I’ve heard about this restaurant before, it’s close to where I live, but this is my first time here.”
“The caviar here is good,” Lin Xian also followed her gaze, looking at the classical decor of the restaurant:
“It’s my first time here too.”
In the past, Lin Xian definitely would not have come to this kind of restaurant to eat.
The main reason wasn’t the expense, but that he couldn’t tell how good the food here was…
Although it was indeed expensive.
But really, it was just not his cup of tea.
However, people who come to this place often aren’t here just to eat; many are here to discuss business.
Several appetizers were served by the waitstaff in order, and the empty plates were promptly cleared.
Lin Xian and Zhao Yingjun chatted and laughed, discussing the dishes, the flavors, and the wine.
Zhao Yingjun was indeed very knowledgeable.
This must have had something to do with her background.
But she was also polite, and smart.
She never delved too deeply into topics Lin Xian didn’t understand, such as vineyards, wine vintages, or the origins of ingredients, or the authentic ways of making Western cuisine.
Any topic Lin Xian wasn’t familiar with, she would touch on lightly and then steer the conversation towards areas Lin Xian was comfortable with.
She was truly clever.
Lin Xian could sense that she was accommodating him in their conversation, and talking to her was comfortable and natural.
Perhaps Zhao Yingjun wasn’t intentionally doing this; it was just her longstanding cultivation that made her prefer listening over talking.
This trait was actually quite rare…
In everyday life, many people like to have others listen to them talk, but few are willing to truly listen to someone else.
“Actually, when I heard you say that you wanted to leave MX Company, I felt quite reluctant,”
After the dessert was served, Zhao Yingjun dabbed the corners of her mouth with a white handkerchief, looking at Lin Xian:
“I was quite surprised by what you said yesterday. Because in my view… at least previously, I always thought that you weren’t someone so ambitious.”
“But it’s undeniable that you’ve changed a lot recently, and have become much more proactive in various matters. I’m happy for you. It’s truly a fortunate thing if a person can find their own goal, find something worth striving for.”
“Mainly, I also want to improve myself, to make my life more meaningful,” Lin Xian put down his wine glass, wiped his hands, and began to set up his persona:
“Even though living off royalty fees and sales commissions could let me lie flat for life, the way I think has changed from when I was without money to now that I have money… now that I have money, I have more to think about, and I too wish to build a career of my own, just like you.”
Lin Xian strove to build a persona similar to Zhao Yingjun’s, hoping to gain her trust, her recognition, and her appreciation.
If he convinced her that he wanted to make progress, be ambitious, and learn, maybe in the future she really would consider letting him be her secretary…
If that happened, he would have ample opportunity to see that Genius Club invitation and investigate any traces of the Genius Club by observing Zhao Yingjun’s schedule.
“But I’m self-aware, I know that I don’t have the ability to start a business on my own right now. So for the short term, I have absolutely no plans to leave MX Company.”
Lin Xian said naturally:
“I feel that being under your guidance, I can indeed learn a lot about business thinking and gain valuable experience.”
“I hope that in the future you can continue to give me advice and guidance, in all aspects, as I believe there is still much for me to learn.”
Lin Xian smiled, lifting his wine glass and looking at Zhao Yingjun:
“I’m not very eloquent, so I might have spoken a bit disorganized. Anyway, being able to work at MX Company after graduation, and having a boss like you, I consider myself very lucky.”
Zhao Yingjun too lifted her glass with a smile to reciprocate:
“Having an employee like you is my fortune as well.”
The two took a sip, set down their glasses, and started talking about the company, Rhein Cat, Xu Yun, Xu Yiyi, and various other topics…
Lin Xian learned that tonight, Zhao Yingjun had originally planned to meet with an animation MV director to discuss making a MV for Rhein Cat.
But for Lin Xian’s dinner, she had canceled.
Her daily schedule was really tight. Yesterday, she met with a composer. Today, she was supposed to meet with a director. According to her schedule for tomorrow, she had to meet a female singer to talk about the Rhine Cat Theme Song…
This kind of busy life was unbearable for him, and it was very different from the domineering CEO life he had imagined.
“Actually, lying flat isn’t too bad,” Lin Xian thought to himself, naturally not voicing this out loud.
On the surface, he had to be the MX Tiger.
Always putting progress first.
After the meal, Zhao Yingjun invited Lin Xian to join her in the business car, intending to have the driver drop him off at home first.
But Lin Xian declined, saying he had other friends to meet nearby, and suggested Zhao Yingjun should just head home.
He had deliberately chosen a western restaurant close to Zhao Yingjun’s home…
The goal was for her safety, to keep her from wandering off.
Being cautious was never wrong.
“Then I’ll be going first.”
After the gloved driver closed the car door for Zhao Yingjun, she rolled down the window, smiling at Lin Xian:
“Thank you for the dinner, the caviar was indeed good.”
Lin Xian waved and bid her farewell.
The big business car started, taking Zhao Yingjun toward her residence.
It was only a mere five-minute drive from here to her home.
Lin Xian raised his wrist to check the time; it was just after 9 PM, still a long way off from “midnight.”
“Tonight, it’s highly likely that there will be no issues.”
After waking up, the first thing Lin Xian did was grab his phone and search the news.
Donghai, shooting incidents, all sorts of keywords he searched through, all sorts of news he read through…
Not a single relevant case.
In China, shootings are rare and considered very serious. If a shooting had actually occurred in Donghai City, it would definitely have been reported.
That last night, the shooting that was supposed to inadvertently involve Zhao Yingjun and lead to her accidental death still hadn’t occurred.
Lin Xian locked his phone screen, looking at the date on the bedside clock.
“Is Zhao Yingjun’s time to die.”