Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Jiang Xia returned to his office alone, his mind elsewhere. He was restless, unable to sit still.

His original intention was to have An Ning stay at the company so they could do something together. But he’d impulsively told her to just hang out while he went to work, making it seem like he had no ulterior motives. In reality, his motives were huge.

Restless, Jiang Xia turned and crouched in front of a cabinet. He pulled open the black door, revealing a safe.

After the BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP of the keypad, the safe opened with a CLICK. He took out a notebook, its edges worn and frayed.

Jiang Xia glanced back furtively, making sure the door was closed. Then he sat down next to the safe, crossed his legs, and began to read.

The thumb-thick notebook was filled with densely packed writing.

After flipping through it for a while, Jiang Xia snapped it shut.

”It’s do or die!”

Jiang Xia turned, reached out, and grabbed a notebook and a pen from his desk to start drafting something.

Meanwhile, An Ning was in the gym, jogging at a steady pace on a treadmill.

”Hi, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

A man walked over and tried to strike up a conversation with An Ning.

”This is actually my first time visiting Jiang Xia’s company.”

”Jiang Xia? You mean President Jiang?”

An Ning nodded. The man gave a flustered smile, wiped away his sweat, and left.

An Ning went back to jogging. She ran on the treadmill by herself for over an hour.

She didn’t even notice the time passing, her mind completely preoccupied with how she was going to make a move on someone so close to her that night. ’Will it scare Jiang Xia to death?’

’Maybe I should prepare some medicine...’

That afternoon, though the two of them were so close, neither had an easy time.

At five in the afternoon, Jiang Xia sent An Ning a text asking if she was ready to leave.

An Ning typed and deleted her reply several times before finally sending a simple ”Okay.”

Jiang Xia took the elevator down. An Ning was waiting for him by the elevator door near the gym.

DING-DONG. One person inside, one person outside. The two of them, who were usually so familiar with each other, suddenly felt like strangers.

”Hey!”

”Hey!”

An Ning stepped inside. They each stood in a corner, the atmosphere unexpectedly tense and awkward.

DING-DONG. The elevator stopped on a certain floor. The noisy crowd waiting outside the doors fell silent the moment they saw the two people inside. One by one, they all suddenly had urgent calls to make or tasks to attend to.

Within seconds, the area in front of the elevator was empty.

The elevator continued its descent. When they reached the entrance, a question arose: what vehicle should they take?

”How about my electric scooter? I’m worried about traffic at this hour.”

”Okay!”

An Ning retrieved a blue helmet from the storage compartment under the scooter’s seat and handed it to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia very naturally sat on the back, while An Ning drove.

Sitting on the back, Jiang Xia held onto the rear seat of the scooter with one hand, while his other hand had nowhere to go.

An Ning, watching through the rearview mirror, had a glint in her eye. She hit the brakes, and Jiang Xia’s free hand landed on her shoulder in a very peculiar position.

Not quite satisfied with this, An Ning used her superb ”skills” to brake sharply once more. This time, both of Jiang Xia’s hands landed on her.

An Ning smiled smugly. Though it was hidden by her helmet, Jiang Xia saw it in her eyes.

In that instant, it was as if something clicked for Jiang Xia.

’She... she seems to like me.’

’She did that on purpose.’

Jiang Xia’s heart pounded with excitement and joy. His body even began to tremble.

With a mix of complex emotions, they arrived at the barbecue stall. An Ning stopped the scooter and took off her helmet.

”Jiang Xia?”

”Yeah, coming.”

They got off the scooter, found a spot by the roadside, and ordered a pile of meat skewers.

”Should we get a drink?”

”Hmm?”

Jiang Xia looked at An Ning, who had asked the question, and nodded. ”You can drink. I’ll drive on the way back.”

”That works!”

An Ning didn’t want a drink for the sake of drinking; she just felt it would give her some liquid courage.

However, she had overlooked one thing: her alcohol tolerance.

After they found a table, the drinks arrived first. Before anything else, An Ning chugged a whole bottle.

With one bottle down, she moved her lips, trying to speak several times but failing to get the words out. So she drank more.

The skewers hadn’t even arrived yet, and she’d already finished two bottles of beer.

”Slow down. Eat something before you drink.”

”Hehehe, it’s fine. It’s nice to feel a little tipsy. Haven’t you heard that being buzzed is the best feeling?”

The An Ning before him had a charmingly silly air about her that Jiang Xia had never seen before.

”Here are your skewers. Please check your order, and just give me a shout if you need anything.”

The waiter brought the skewers. Jiang Xia picked one up and handed it to An Ning, who took it very naturally.

”Thanks.”

”Thank you for always being so good to me.”

”I’ll be even better.”

Jiang Xia’s simple ”I’ll be even better” made An Ning flash her most brilliant smile. In that instant, it seemed they both understood something.

They continued eating the skewers, and An Ning didn’t stop drinking beer. But even by the time they finished, she never found that ”buzzed” feeling. She did, however, make several trips to the restroom.

An Ning said it was her treat, and Jiang Xia didn’t fight her for the bill.

After eating, they didn’t hurry back. Instead, they took a walk along the road, bathed in the light of the sunset.

The colors of the sunset dressed the surrounding buildings in new clothes.

The dreamlike hues laid a carpet on the path beneath their feet.

”Jiang Xia, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. I don’t want to wait anymore.”

An Ning spoke up abruptly. Beside her, Jiang Xia suddenly understood what she was about to say.

This should have been the moment he had always dreamed of, but Jiang Xia suddenly cut her off. ”An Ning, no matter what you say, my answer is yes. An unwavering yes.”

”But can you let me be the one to do this?”

Draped in the light of the sunset, Jiang Xia found the confidence and courage of a domineering CEO. He faced An Ning, the earnestness and affection in his eyes on full display for the first time, no longer hidden.

”You deserve the best. You deserve to have someone pursue you with all their might and all their heart. You deserve to enjoy the process of being courted, to have the romance you’ve always dreamed of.”

Jiang Xia gently took one of An Ning’s hands and said with all the tenderness he could muster, ”An Ning, please allow me to pursue you. Is that okay?”

Given An Ning’s personality, she really wanted to ask why he had to go to all that trouble. But the moment their eyes met, she knew this was his way of showing his respect and love for her.

”Okay, Mr. Jiang Xia. I am formally notifying you, An Ning, that I permit you to pursue me.”

Jiang Xia made a gentlemanly bow, kissed the back of An Ning’s hand, and said, ”It would be my honor.”

The two adorable fools let go of each other’s hands as if they were scorching hot. Their hearts raced, and they blushed to the tips of their ears.

They quickly turned away from each other, identical silly grins on their faces.

Although they hadn’t officially established their relationship, both were absolutely certain of the future outcome.

When they turned back to face each other again, they continued walking forward in a state that was both awkward and sweet. For a moment there was silence, but it was a silence full of meaning.

”Jiang Xia, I think I’ve finally found that buzzed feeling.”

”Yeah, you’re right. The feeling of being buzzed is beautiful.”