What Should I Do If I Time-Traveled Forty Years Later and My Lover Has Become an Old Man? - MLFYL: 04

The game shop was very large and divided into several areas, with most of the people coming and going being young people.

Despite her lack of familiarity with games from 40 years later, Yu Yao relied on her keen intuition and quickly found the classic game area. The most popular game area was crowded, but she still wanted to try out more classic games.

This area was sparsely populated, and only two young men in their twenties were standing in front of the experience corner, enthusiastically discussing the games in front of them.

Each game had a brief introduction, and those interested could try them for free for 15 minutes. Yu Yao listened to their conversation for a while, but then became curious about the game they were holding, so she stayed nearby.

When they finished, she interjected, “This game looks really fun. What’s it called?”

The two young men heard the voice and turned to her.

One of them casually replied, “Barren Planet.”

After he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened and he stared blankly at Jiang Zhonglin, who was standing behind Yu Yao.

Then he stammered, “Professor Jiang, Professor Jiang…”

The sudden shout startled his companion, who had not yet noticed Jiang Zhonglin’s presence. Startled himself, the young man quickly turned to him, eyes wide with disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

His voice trembled as he stammered, “Professor Jiang.”

Both of them, previously engrossed in animated discussions about the game, instantly transformed into two timid chicks—shrinking back and nervously fidgeting.

Encounters with teachers, even kind-hearted ones like Jiang Zhonglin who never scolded, often proved daunting when venturing out to buy a game.

It was the first time Yu Yao had heard someone address Jiang Zhonglin as “Professor Jiang.”

When she married him, he was still a graduate student, nearing the completion of his studies and preparing to pursue a doctorate. Unlike her, an ordinary person with casual academic pursuits, he was a dedicated scholar. It was no surprise to her that he had become a professor.

Sensing the students’ discomfort, Jiang Zhonglin offered them a warm, gentle smile, greeted them politely, and refrained from further comment, consciously stepping aside to avoid adding to their unease. He moved to a quiet corner nearby, adjusted his glasses with a calm hand, and gazed at a game advertisement hanging nearby, patiently waiting for Yu Yao to finish her selection.

When the two boys saw him walk away, they stretched their necks, which had already shrunk subconsciously.

Seeing them like this, Yu Yao said sarcastically, “Your Professor Jiang has a gentle nature. Are you still afraid of him?”

They felt a little embarrassed, “Professor Jiang is easygoing and gentle, but none of his students dare to speak loudly in front of him. This is a subconscious reaction when faced with a senior student of high moral standing.”

Yu Yao: “…”

What a stretch!

They looked at Jiang Zhonglin, “Actually, I am not Professor Jiang’s student. I have gone with my friend to listen to Professor Jiang’s open lectures several times. My friend’s teacher was a student Professor Jiang taught, and he has great respect for him.”

The other one asked Yu Yao curiously, “Sister, are you Professor Jiang’s granddaughter? He must like you very much, he even came with you to buy games. He doesn’t seem to like games at all, and feels strange being here. I was surprised when I saw him just now.”

Yu Yao gazed at her elderly husband, who was attentively studying the mech game advertisement displayed on the wall, his expression cautious as if navigating an unfamiliar realm.

A subtle amusement stirred within her, and she casually remarked, “Not a granddaughter, but his wife.”

The two young men would never believe such a playful assertion.

True enough, they burst into laughter, “Sister, you’re so humorous.”

One of them then asked, “Sister, would you like to buy this game? We can introduce it to you~”

From that moment on, Yu Yao chose to refrain from mentioning her relationship with Jiang Zhonglin.

Instead, she carefully selected games, guided by the enthusiastic recommendations of the two boys.

After making her selections, she exchanged WeChat contact information with them—an app that, despite being over forty years old, remains vital. Not only has WeChat endured, but it has also evolved into a comprehensive platform integrating QQ, Weibo, and various other communication, social, and dating services.

Once her shopping was complete, Yu Yao and Jiang Zhonglin moved on to purchase daily necessities and clothing. She browsed casually, pushing a cart before her as she filled it with items.

Jiang Zhonglin followed behind, occasionally picking up snacks she added to the cart and scrutinizing their ingredients list.

She indulged in choosing a variety of junk foods, believing that such treats are a vital source of joy in life. Even during moments of unhappiness, she felt the need to soothe her soul with a little comfort food.

Jiang Zhonglin did not oppose her choices; he merely offered a single comment, pointing to a bag of red-packaged potato chips, “These contain too many artificial poly-oil seasonings, which aren’t ideal. Switch to the one next to it; the ingredients are similar.”

She responded with a smile, “You’re paying anyway,” and she dutifully switched to the preferred variety.

When it came to selecting clothes, she was quick and efficient. She chose her size and picked out a few comfortable sets.

Finally, Jiang Zhonglin guided her to the entrance of a store, “Go inside and buy what you need. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Puzzled, Yu Yao asked, “Which store? Aren’t you coming in with me?”

As she entered, her eyes fell upon the lingerie displays, and she suddenly understood. She glanced back, noticing the elderly man gazing up at the grand dome of the square.

The 65-year-old man seemed somewhat embarrassed to be accompanying his 28-year-old wife into a lingerie shop.

This time, they bought a lot of things, but fortunately, they could all be delivered to their home. They returned home easily and signed for the large pile of goods at the door. They carried them into the house one by one, and it took them almost half a day to clean up.

That night, Yu Yao, who was still lying alone in the guest room, thought that she had spent the day so easily. Although something terrible had happened to her, it was not difficult to accept everything in this life—even the fact that her husband had become an old man seemed to be easy.

Jiang Zhonglin unraveled a new thread in her life, full of a mess of thousands of things, and felt much calmer than the night before.

She lay on her bed and played the game she bought today on her terminal. It must be said that games after forty are much more interesting than before. They are very exciting, and the slogan “full immersion” is not an exaggeration.

While playing, she forgot about the time and didn’t notice that it was late until she was woken up by a knock on the door.

Jiang Zhonglin knocked from outside, “Go to bed early, don’t play games, let’s play tomorrow.”

She turned her gaze toward the closed door, her mind drifting to memories of Jiang Zhonglin in his youth. Despite his rigorous academic pursuits, he would always find time to be by her side when at home.

A true bookworm, he knew little of leisure activities beyond his studies. On rare days off, when she was free from work, they would indulge in gaming together. Jiang Zhonglin would watch her with eager anticipation, his eyes filled with longing for her attention, yet he was too shy to voice it.

Ultimately, he sought to partake in her interests, asking her to teach him how to play. However, this brilliant scholar proved remarkably inept at gaming—so much so that she couldn’t even instruct him properly. He inadvertently dropped her prized king account by two levels, prompting his teammates to scold him as a fool.

Watching from the sidelines, Jiang Zhonglin saw her bravely confront and defeat the two players who had scorned him, vanquishing them thoroughly before they disconnected.

Yu Yao smiled, but immediately stopped.

Suddenly bored, she threw down the game in her hand, fell onto the bed, and cried, “I’m going to sleep.”

There was no sound outside the door, and she didn’t know if he had left yet. She lay down for a while, stood up on tiptoe, and quietly opened the door.

There was no one outside.

Jiang Zhonglin was talking on the phone downstairs, “It’s so late, sorry to bother you. I don’t know if you have time now. Is it convenient to talk?”

The man on the other end of the phone laughed, “Professor, why are you being so polite to me? Just tell me what’s going on!”

“I want to change the contents of my will that I wrote a year ago.”

“Oh, so? What does the professor want to change?” The man on the other end of the phone was a little curious.

“It’s about my heir.”

…

That night, Yu Yao stayed up quite late, and when she was abruptly awakened the following morning, her forehead veins twitched visibly, and a dull ache pressed behind her temples.

Frowning, she slowly opened her eyes and was met with the sight of a stylishly dressed elderly woman standing beside her bed, vigorously shaking her with an expression brimming with excitement and tears shimmering in her eyes.

Although she was called an elderly lady, her well-maintained appearance and dark hair indicated she was not very old; yet, her age was still perceptible, and at first glance, one might think of her simply as a “middle-aged woman.”

For a moment, Yu Yao was bewildered, unsure of who she was, but soon she detected a familiar outline in the woman’s facial features.

The woman gazed at her with eager excitement and called out, “Yaoyao!”

Wide-eyed, Yu Yao recognized her instantly. “A’ Jun?”

The woman nodded fervently, tears streaming down her face as she choked out, “It’s me, it’s really me!”

The person who had appeared in her bed so early in the morning and shaken her awake was Yang Yun, her dearest friend. They had shared the same class from kindergarten through high school, their friendship so close that they had been chosen as each other’s bridesmaids when they married.

Yu Yao exclaimed passionately and embraced the elderly lady, who was overwhelmed with tears, “Goodness, I thought you were gone forever!”

Yang Yun responded with a playful grin, “Damn, I’m only 68—still quite young, you know! How could I have left so soon?”

In stark contrast to the awkwardness she usually felt when confronting her husband, Yu Yao found herself instantly immersed in the warm familiarity of her dearest friend, Yang Yun.

“A’ Yun, you’ve aged so much…”

Yang Yun chuckled through her tears, then quickly replied, “Nonsense! It’s been forty years; of course I’ve grown older. As for you, you’re still exactly the same as when you suddenly disappeared.”

Worry crept into Yu Yao’s heart that her friend might cry herself faint at her advanced age, prompting her to ask gently, “Are you feeling unwell? Please don’t cry yourself into a faint.”

Yang Yun admitted with a soft smile, “…A bit of diabetes.”

Without hesitation, Yu Yao urged, “Then you really should stop crying.”

The two friends, one still as vain and love-struck as ever, looked at each other and suddenly burst into tears of laughter. She remained her charming, beauty-loving, and emotional self, and their reunion was infused with heartfelt joy and enduring friendship.

Her nose ran like bubbles. Yu Yao tore off a paper towel and handed it to her.

Yang Yun, not at all embarrassed, held Yu Yao’s hand, “I received the news from Jiang Zhonglin yesterday morning and hurried back from overseas. My husband came with me. I actually wanted to take my two sons and grandson with me, but they were too busy to come back. I couldn’t wait, so I came first. When Jiang Zhonglin told me you had returned, I was shocked and thought he was lying.”

Yang Yun burst into tears again, her makeup running.

Yu Yao said, “What? Are you kidding me? You’re in a hurry and you even put on makeup?”