The next time I saw Lilyana was at a meeting at the research institute.
She was there with her mentor for a project, sitting to my right. Her hair draped down, and she looked gentle and serene.
The meeting wasn't important, and I didn't really pay attention to it.
I just kept sniffing the fragrance of her perfume, thinking about what I could say to start a conversation.
[A man being proactive isn't shameful.] I thought.
But when the meeting ended, she closed her notebook, smiled at me, and then turned to talk to Billy. Billy.
A big, foolish guy, especially rough, not half as smart as me, and often went a whole week without bathing... Why did she go to him?
I stared at her, watching as she talked to him. Their heads got closer and closer, and I couldn't stand it.
"Billy, go check the status of the experimental instruments."
Lilyana was startled, looked up, and politely nodded at me. I walked up to her, holding back my bad feelings and asked:
"Did you need something from Billy?"
"Nothing."
She shook her head, "I won't bother you, I'll leave now." She seemed unwilling to talk to me.
I was livid!
That night, out of spite, I changed Billy's shift schedule, making him take the night shift, the entire night. Listening to his wails, I sneered coldly, but then suddenly frowned.
What was I doing?
Jealous of Billy?
So... I still hadn't forgotten Lilyana?
This realization made me feel miserable, and I went straight to find Billy: "What did Lilyana want from you?"
"Who?"
"Lilyana, the pretty one, the student working on the project."
Billy finally realized:
"Oh, she asked if I was involved in the time travel project. Such confidential information, how could I tell her? I just said no and let her go."
Time travel project? I was stunned for a moment.
I was very familiar with that project; it wasn't a major focus at the institute. I led its creation and was the person in charge.
Why did Lilyana ask about it?
That night, I went to find her. I waited for a long time in front of the girls' dormitory until I finally saw her rushing down.
She seemed to have just taken a shower, her body still warm, filled with the scent of body wash, and her hair was slightly damp.
She looked at me with big, confused eyes and asked, "What's the matter? Did you need something from me?"
"I can tell you what you want to know."
I shifted my gaze from her eyes to her nose: "But you have to tell me what you want to do."
Espionage was rampant these days, so I said it for her own good. She understood, pursed her lips, and quietly asked:
"I just want to know if you're working on a related project... If it's classified, then forget it, I was just asking."
It wasn't classified.
Because no one believed it could succeed, the project level wasn't high. I said, "I'm working on it."
Her eyes instantly lit up, like fireflies in the dark night, so bright, so beautiful. I'll never forget that moment.
She grabbed my hand, pleading with me:
"Then, can you please, after the research is successful, go back to the past and save me? I'm willing to pay any price for it."
