第六章

Lin Qinghe sat in that special seat, waiting to go back to the past.

But the coffee shop was still the same.

The woman in white was not there. Shiyu was standing nearby. Gu Yuanzhou also did not appear.

Lin Qinghe looked around, feeling uneasy.

"It seems I haven't gone back yet," she said.

At that moment, Shiyu walked over carrying a tray. On the tray were a white coffee cup and a silver coffee pot.

"There's another rule," Shiyu said.

Lin Qinghe looked at her.

"There is more?"

Shiyu placed the cup in front of her.

"You have to start from pouring coffee into this cup to go back to the past."

Lin Qinghe lowered her head and looked at the empty cup.

"And then?"

"It only lasts until this cup of coffee becomes completely cold," Shiyu said.

Lin Qinghe understood.

She could go back to the past, but the time was very short. Only as long as it takes for a cup of hot coffee to cool down.

Shiyu continued, "After you go back to the past, please be sure to finish drinking the coffee before it gets cold."

Lin Qinghe asked, "What if I don't finish it?"

Shiyu said, "You will become a ghost. You will sit here forever."

Lin Qinghe's back suddenly turned cold.

She looked at the seat where the woman in white had been sitting.

"Was she like this too?"

"Yes," Shiyu said. "She went back to the past to see someone. But she forgot the time. By the time she realized, the coffee was already cold."

Lin Qinghe fell silent.

So the woman in white had also wanted to go back to the past. But she didn't return before the coffee cooled down.

This rule was frightening.

She could accept that she couldn't change reality. She could also endure not leaving the seat. But if she forgot to drink the coffee, she would be stuck here forever.

Lin Qinghe was afraid.

But she had already sat down here. She didn't want to give up now.

She wanted to go back to a week ago. She wanted to say what was in her heart.

Lin Qinghe took a deep breath.

"As long as I finish drinking before the coffee gets cold, I can come back, right?"

"Yes."

Lin Qinghe clenched her hands.

"I'm ready," she said. "Please pour me coffee."

Shiyu nodded and picked up the coffee pot.

"Please before the coffee gets cold..."

She poured the hot coffee into the cup.

The aroma of coffee rose. Lin Qinghe looked at the steam from the cup and felt that the sounds around her were slowly fading away.

The table, the lights, the old clock on the wall all seemed unreal.

She closed her eyes.

She thought of the first time she met Gu Yuanzhou.

It was spring two years ago. They met at work. Gu Yuanzhou didn't talk much, but he was very capable. For problems others couldn't solve, he would quietly research until the end.

Once, the project encountered a very difficult problem. Everyone was about to give up. Gu Yuanzhou worked hard alone for several days and finally solved the problem.

Lin Qinghe started to notice him from then on.

Later, using gratitude as an excuse, she invited him for coffee. Slowly, coffee became a small habit between them.

Gu Yuanzhou also talked about his dream. He wanted to work at a company in the United States. When he talked about it, he looked very happy.

Lin Qinghe felt a little uneasy even then.

If his dream came true, would he leave?

But this question, she had never seriously asked.

The surroundings grew quieter and quieter.

Lin Qinghe felt as if she was waking from a dream.

She opened her eyes.

Gu Yuanzhou was sitting in front of her, looking at her in surprise.

Lin Qinghe's heartbeat quickened.

She really came back.

This was the coffee shop from a week ago. Gu Yuanzhou had not left yet. That cup of coffee was already placed before her, slowly turning cold.