Her scent was still that familiar, nostalgic scent.
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Li Haojun gently pushed Maria away, placing his hands on her shoulders, and studied her face, seemingly trying to find the memory of that little girl in her past.
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"What? Don't you remember me?" Maria said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
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"Hmm, you've changed a lot."
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"Am I prettier now?"
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"Yes, no, no, you're beautiful too."
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"Hehe," Maria chuckled. She tugged at Li Haojun's clothes.
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"Come on,"
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"Okay," he replied, following her out of the amusement park.
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He didn't know when, but Maria had already let down her braids, leaving only loose, flowing hair.
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Upon arriving at the lobby, Li Haojun looked up directions to the Ferris wheel. Maria pulled him along,
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"It's still early, let's go play in the Earth Village's Time Tunnel," she said.
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Li Haojun hesitated for a moment, looking at Maria's smiling face, then without hesitation, took her hand.
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"Okay, if you like, let's go," he said, running towards the Hyperloop Capsule transportation facility. Looking back,
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Maria deliberately let Li Haojun pull her along, her arms stretched straight, her body leaning back as she ran, her long hair cascading lazily behind her.
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Seeing her like this, Li Haojun was momentarily transported back to the joy of playing with his childhood friends. Although he no longer remembered any of the people who had passed through his life, that childlike joy seemed to come from a ribbon of his childhood, pulling him back to that beautiful time.
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Could Maria feel this joy too?
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Reaching the Hyperloop Capsule platform, Li Haojun stopped and turned to look at Maria, who had followed him all the way. As soon as they stopped,
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“I feel so happy, and I hope you do too,”
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“Me too,” Maria said, taking his other hand.
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“Don’t you think your happiness is my happiness?”
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Li Haojun was initially puzzled, but quickly understood.
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“Was my feeling just now a projection of yours?”
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“Not entirely, maybe a mixture of our feelings,”
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Li Haojun wanted to hug her again, this cheerful little sprite, but he restrained himself.
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“Let’s get on,” Maria said, pointing to the capsule’s hatch.
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Arriving at the Earth Village Time Tunnel amusement park, they chose an empty room. They had played this game with Qin Wenjing before. Maria recalled a moonlit beach, and Li Haojun wondered why she wanted to play it again.
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“You go first, or me?” Li Haojun picked up the brainwave interaction helmet and asked,
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"I need to see yours first," Maria said with a smile, her voice carrying a playful, pleading tone.
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Oh dear, such a sweet, ambiguous feeling...
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"Okay," Li Haojun readily agreed, putting on the helmet. However, he was also curious about where his current state would take him.
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Calming himself down, the room lights gradually dimmed. The dark clouds dispersed, and golden sunlight pierced the sky, passing between two red-brick apartment buildings, illuminating the earth once more. The sound of torrential rain that had been pouring down all around had now been replaced by the gentle murmur of flowing water.
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In the height of summer, the open spaces between the buildings were overgrown with weeds, and the wooden sheds that the residents had spontaneously built to store winter food were still dripping with rainwater.
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A little boy ran around collecting bricks and clay from the ground. He used these materials to build a dam, blocking the streams that had gushed after the rain.
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He inspected his creation, plugging any leaks with clay. As the water level rose, he gathered more bricks and clay, adjusting the support angle and reinforcing his dam.
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The once shimmering streams, sparkling in the sunlight, now converged into his reservoir, becoming a mirror-like lake reflecting the clear blue sky and white clouds washed clean by the thunderstorm—a truly magnificent sight.
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When the water level stopped rising, after admiring his masterpiece for a moment, the next step was to release the water.
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Opening a breach, the temporarily calm water regained its vitality, rushing out, creating waves that surged and churned at the breach, pulling and pounding it, as if trying to break free from its constraints and return to freedom.
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Amidst the gurgling sound of flowing water, the indoor lights gradually brightened. Li Haojun removed the brainwave interaction helmet, savoring the scene he had just witnessed, then silently gazed at Maria. He wasn't sure if what he had seen was truly himself.
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Maria smiled, said nothing, took the brainwave interaction helmet, and put it on.
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The surrounding light in the room gradually dimmed, leaving only the bright area in front of her—the blue sky through the window, with white clouds drifting by. White and pink cosmos flowers grew luxuriantly before the window, swaying in the wind, sunlight shimmering through the petals.
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The breeze blowing in from the window carried a refreshing scent, a hint of autumn. Occasionally, the clouds obscured the sunlight, and the indoor light flickered in rhythm with them, as if whispering the farewell of summer.
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Maria removed the helmet, staring silently ahead.
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Li Haojun wanted to ask her if the scene was a reflection of her own experience, but he didn't want to disturb her tranquility. Although the game system simply matched players with different historical periods and locations based on a built-in algorithm, Li Haojun was genuinely curious about Maria.
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"Was what you just experienced your childhood?" Maria asked softly, still gazing ahead.
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"I don't know," Li Haojun replied, unable to answer. Only then did he remember to check the location given as a hint: a city in northern China.
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Looking up at Maria beside her, who remained calmly seated, Li Haojun asked tentatively in a soft voice, "So, is that right for you?"
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"Yes," Maria paused,
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"Yes and no. That scene just reflected my feelings at the time; it wasn't a place I actually experienced."
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"Oh," Li Haojun responded softly, acknowledging her message and not daring to interrupt her thoughts with a louder voice,
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"Back then, I hadn't met my sister yet. That's how I felt, watching the sun rise from this side of the window every day and set on the other, not knowing how long those days would last, or who I would meet in the future,"
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Li Haojun didn't know what to say to comfort her, so she silently took Maria's left fingertips and held them in her hand. The carefree, quirky little girl in her memory seemed to have faded away with age.
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Maria glanced at Li Haojun holding her hand, then looked up into his eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.
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"Are you avoiding me because of my sister? You can think of us as one person," she said.
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Li Haojun didn't understand her meaning, unsure how Maria wanted him to treat her, and asked, somewhat puzzled,
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"Why do you say that?"
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"Because we depend on each other. She is me, and I am her," Maria suddenly said playfully, standing up.
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"Come on, let's go ride the Ferris wheel!"
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"Oh,"
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and then Add to home screen.