After holding onto each other for a while, I said, We should find some place to stay first. As I said that, he suddenly let go of me and got up from the ground. I reached out with my hand expecting some help, but there was none. He stood there with a blank look and said with a dry voice, Lets go.
Taken aback, I followed behind him. Even though the snow made it difficult to walk, he did not turn back to look at me. The two of us were only a few steps apart, but it felt as if we were miles apart.
I knew that something was wrong. Something must be bothering him.
That inn was still operating, but our names were not on the registration book. Wu Yu got us another room, and we turned the heater to the max. After taking a shower, I put on a simple bathrobe and went under the covers. After Wu Yu finished showering as well, he sat on the chair opposite the bed. Only after a warm shower did our pale faces return to normal.
We were sure now that we had gone back in time again.
Not only that, the jump this time was not a mere half a month.
Instead, we had jumped back half a year back, as it was the 20th of January 2017 now.
But only our person had gone back in time, and nothing else had.
This meant that our time travel was not continuous but instead in a leaping fashion.
Moreover, the jumps were getting more and more dramatic.
Perhaps I had become used to it, but after a short while of panic, I quickly felt calm as I watched the snowy white scene outside the window.
Wu Yu said nothing, sitting there smoking again, taking deeper than usual draws from his cigarettes. He had his face down with his wet hair covering his forehead. Suddenly, I felt a sense of unfamiliarity as I looked at him. Perhaps I had become used to that studious appearance of his from the few days we had on that ship. Looking at him now, his stubbled chin and muscular arms made it feel as if he was someone else. He was now the much more quiet man I had first met at the repair shop.
I knew that he was unhappy, or maybe he was sad. I felt this was how he would look if he were sad.
Ah Yu, Wu Miao shes
Before I could say anything comforting, he quickly interrupted me. Wu Miao will be fine. She died a month later. That means that people on the ship were saved.
His explanation made sense to me, which made me feel relieved. However, I noticed him trying to suppress his frustration as he made an effort to slowly breathe out the smoke.
I felt sad looking at him, but I had no idea what to do. Without any dating experience, I did not know how to cheer up a man that was depressed.
At that moment, he looked up and our gaze met. I could not understand what his gaze meant, as there did not seem like there was any emotion behind those eyes.
Should we?
Lets discuss this later. You have a good rest. Dont think too much about it. No matter what happens, Ill be here. Ill go outside to finish smoking.
Again, he interrupted me. He pushed open the glass door and went out to the snow-covered balcony with only a bathrobe. His image from behind reminded me of when he stood at that collapsing lake, and it was then that I understood why he was depressed. He did not want to talk to anyone, not even me.
Seeing Wu Miao face danger again and unable to do anything was probably why he was in a bad mood. I now felt that I had finally understood how deep the wound in his heart was.
The fact that he was so calm meant that he was already trying his hardest.