A New Neighbor

Shao Yun hurried to where she remembered the mirror to be in and seconds later, she proved her memory to be correct again. It was still in the same place as it was ten years ago, exactly three inches away from their closet.

She gazed at herself, now younger and less wrinkly. She pressed on her cheeks, bewildered with the changes. Her hair was the only thing that was consistent as she always kept it shoulder-length. Her fashion was outdated and even in this timeline, it would still be considered so. She almost only wore her mother's old clothes and she'd rather call it vintage.

"Okay, okay, now I'm ready. Let's go!" Jia Li announced suddenly, making her shoulders bounce for a second or two.

"Right, let's go," Shao Yun said and let out a subtle smile, trying to go with the flow. She headed to the door, empty-handed, causing Jia Li to raise a brow.

"Just a tip, you might need your bag too," Jia Li chuckled and nodded to the orange backpack near the drawers.

"Ah, right."

Later on, they exited and locked their room. Everything was exactly as Shao Yun remembered, like she was reenacting her memories.

"Oh? A new neighbor?" Jia Li's remark broke her train of thought.

"What neighbor?" she muttered.

A man, much taller than the two, was walking along the corridor, going towards them. He had a handful of boxes with him, all of which almost fully covering his face. Still staring, the two saw him put them down as he stopped in front of a room, which in turn revealed his looks.

Almost as if the day couldn't get any more shocking, Shao Yun immediately knew who he was. How could she forget the face of their main competitor's CEO? The one and only, Ya Zhe Wei.

However, although she recognized Zhe Wei at first glance, his presence felt different. Aside from how he failed to recognize her at all, contrary to his charismatic self, he appeared to be more guarded and distant.

Shao Yun making a deal with death, returning as a nineteen year old, and now, becoming neighbors with a strangely distant Zhe Wei?

"The world has gone mad," mumbled Shao Yun as he proceeded to the room next to theirs.

- - -

Fifteen minutes after their encounter with the new neighbor, they finally arrived on the train station. "Hey, wanna grab the cheese and egg sandwich this time?" Jia Li suggested as they walked to the ticket machines. Shao Yun only followed her, letting her lead the way.

"Okay, sure."

Jia Li stopped in front of the machine and so did she. However, when the former passed through, Shao Yun only stood still, lost in thought and clueless. She had her eyes stuck on her surroundings, simply staring in admiration. It has been years since she even stepped foot on public transport.

"Hey, your card?" Jia Li reminded her from the other side, looking at the absent-minded Shao Yun.

"Shao Yun. Hey, Shao Yun, hey." She started snapping her fingers.

"Ah, yes?"

"Your card, where is it?" she reminded once again, "People are waiting."

"My card?"

"Yeah, your card."

"Oh," she mouthed, eyes widening in her sudden realization. She swung her backpack from her shoulder, unzipping the pockets in search of it.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" There were already a few annoyed mumbles here and there, building up more panic for Shao Yun.

After a few more seconds, which dreaded them for what felt like hours, Shao Yun had her hands on her train card. Though still restless, with calm hands, she tapped the train card on the scanner and with that, she was allowed entry.

"What happened to you?" Jia Li teased.

- - - - -

Thankfully, the rest of the morning, the train ride included, went surprisingly smoother than what she expected. The two-minute walk that followed had the exactly the same route as she recalled. The 29-year old Shao Yun was now officially back as a college freshman.

"Lily!" The two heard a masculine voice, subsequently making their heads turn. A man, probably the same age as they were, as she guessed, wriggled through the crowd behind. "Lily!" he repeated.

"Oh, Dan?" Jia Li mumbled, just watching him dash in the scene.

"Hey, good morning." His voice boomed with energy and enthusiasm.

"Hi, good morning," she said her greetings back with a nervous smile. "Oh, Dan, meet Shao Yun. Shao Yun, meet Dan."

"Hi, I'm Dan, well, she just said it, but yes, I'm Lu Dan."

"Hello, Dan."

"And oh, he's a language student too," Jia Li added to his introduction. Shao Yun only forced out a smile.

"She's a finance major," Jia added in a whisper for him.

"Oh, I see, I see," Dan mumbled, visibly surprised. Shao Yun let out another smile, a pitying look this time. If only Jia Li knew he'd scram out of her life before she even makes a confession, she thought.

"We'll get going now, okay? See you around!" Jia Li bid her farewell and hurried out with him, clinging her arm on his.

"She's missing out on the cheese and egg." There were two things that remained consistent throughout the years—one, her shoulder-length hair and the other, her love for cheese and egg sandwiches.

- - -

Without a map, Shao Yun purely followed her memory for directions. A few wrong turns every now and then, but she soon reached the one place she had been looking for, and that is, the shop near the business building.

The sight of the shop's interior probably was probably the most nostalgic out of all the places and corners she had been to. The hissing and popping of the sizzles and the aroma of chicken and freshly baked bread— Shao Yun's eyes crinkled as she smiled.

Not needing to look up at the menu, she walked her way straight to the counter. "One cheese and egg sandwich please."

"Would you like to order a drink too?"

"Coffee please," she answered as she swung her backpack for her payment. When she unzipped her wallet, the amount of money, or the lack thereof, astonished her. "50? 50 yuan only?!" she gasped.

"Ah, never mind, just the sandwich please."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. And here," she said and handed the money.

Her eyes widened as the lady gave back her change; she already lost track of the pricing.

A few more moments later, she finally got hold of her sandwich.

"One grilled cheese please," another customer gave out their order. While unwrapping her breakfast, she walked away from the counter to eat.

"Sorry, Sir. We ran out of cheese for the morning. How about a chicken sandwich instead?"

Overhearing the exchange, Shao Yun carelessly let out a chuckle. The two went silent, a hint that her chuckle was too noticeable. She slowly turned around and looked back at the lady, then at the man, who in turn was gazing back at her.

The three seconds of staring dreaded like hours.

"Zhe-"

"Oh, neighbor."

Their voices clashed as the two spoke in unison and she was most certain it was Zhe Wei once again. However, before she could babble more, she immediately pressed her lips together.

"Ah, yeah," she chuckled again. "Neighbor," she emphasized.

"Sir?" the lady called out his attention back.

"Oh, right," he mumbled and faced front again. Trying to forget the awkward interaction just then, Shao Yun went ahead and sat on one of the three vacant tables. The shop was too cramped to accommodate any more.

From where she was seated, she could still observe him and his small subtle gestures, even the way his fingers tapped on his pocket. He turned around after ordering and she hurriedly averted her gaze back on her sandwich.

When she noticed him approach the door, she let herself catch one last glimpse of him. With that, she spotted him bow his head, which she guessed was a greeting for her. She shifted her gaze somewhere else again, minding her food instead.

Now with some alone time for herself, Shao Yun decided it was time to get organized. She unzipped her bag to get her journal, determined to make things right.

"Why am I even here? Why is he here?" she mumbled while scrolling past through its pages. She wasn't supposed to be in 2019. 2019 was years too far from the "teeny tiny mistake."

She continued questioning herself until she found her schedule.

"9:30, Economics."

"Then, 16:00 math tutor. Oh? The twins? Could it be?" It made her shiver.