Mu Nan was woken by the sound of knocking on the door. He turned to see that Qin Huai was sleeping deeply, so he quietly got out of bed. However, as soon as he moved, Qin Huai immediately opened his eyes. After a moment of realizing where he was, he heard the knocking and grabbed Mu Nan, who was about to get out of bed, saying, "Stay here. I'll check."
The person at the door was from the community, conducting a census. After knocking for a while with no response and thinking no one was home, they were about to leave when the security door finally opened. The worker handed a notebook to Qin Huai and said, "Please write down your name, contact information, and door number. Is anyone living next door?"
Qin Huai nodded, first filling out his own details and then Mu Nan's. The worker glanced at the information and asked, "Is it just one person living here?"
Qin Huai nodded again. The worker then handed over a paper with a QR code, saying, "This is the community group chat, divided by buildings. This is for your building. Add it, and any updates will be shared in the group. Try not to go out during this time. Contact us if you have any difficulties."
Qin Huai added the WeChat contact and thanked the worker before closing the door.
Back inside, seeing Mu Nan looking at him, Qin Huai said, "It was just a census. I've filled out all the information."
Mu Nan suddenly asked, "You know my phone number?" Since the door was open, he heard the registration worker ask for the phone number and thought Qin Huai would ask him for it. He was surprised that Qin Huai had filled it out directly.
Qin Huai nodded. Even though he hadn't been part of Mu Nan's life over the years, Mu Nan had never disappeared from his own life. He remembered Mu Nan's phone number even better than his own.
Mu Nan lowered his head and said, "You knew my number but never contacted me. Do you know that these past few months, I tried every possible way to find you? Even now that you're back, you didn't call me." He knew Qin Huai had his number in this life, and therefore he must have had it in the previous life too. But until he died, he never received a call from Qin Huai.
Qin Huai felt a pang in his heart. "I thought you still hated me for leaving, that you didn't want to see me. I thought you were living well. Jiang Xuan always had my contact information. He's been in touch with you, hasn't he? I thought if you needed to reach me, you could contact me through him. When I learned you were looking for me, I rushed back immediately. But then there were continuous rainstorms, followed by dense fog. Neither planes nor high-speed trains were operating. On the way back, I almost called you several times, but I was afraid you'd panic if you knew I was on my way back."
Qin Huai remembered Mu Nan from the past—he had a bit of a stubborn and headstrong temper. If he had called before coming back, Mu Nan might have panicked and tried to find him, which would have made things even worse. With his car running out of fuel and having to ride a bike back, he couldn't guarantee there would be places to recharge. He was worried that if Mu Nan couldn't reach him, it would only cause more anxiety and fear. After much thought, he refrained from calling.
When he left for abroad with that person, he had left contact information for Mu Nan. However, at that time, Mu Nan was very angry and had cut ties with him. When he couldn't even control his own future, offering more words was meaningless.
Because Mu Nan had never contacted him over the years, even after he returned, he only secretly observed how Mu Nan was doing. He wasn't ready; he feared that Mu Nan would tell him that after all these years, he had grown up and no longer needed the older brother he once was.
Although he had sent Mu Nan living expenses, Mu Nan had never used them. But the process of saving money for Mu Nan's living expenses made him feel that there was still a connection between them.
Just as Mu Nan was afraid of facing the unfamiliar Qin Huai, Qin Huai was equally afraid of facing the Mu Nan who no longer needed him. Before they had the courage to confront these changes brought by time, they always thought they had time to take things slowly.
Mu Nan, hearing Qin Huai's words, became more puzzled. "Jiang Xuan? After you left, I haven't seen him. Before, when I first started having those nightmares, I looked for Jiang Xuan to ask if he knew where you were. I wanted to find you, but he said he hadn't been in contact with you."
Jiang Xuan was a classmate of Qin Huai, and they had a good relationship. They used to do homework together at Qin Huai's house, so Mu Nan knew him. They weren't very close, but they had a connection through Qin Huai. When Qin Huai left, the connection with Jiang Xuan, who was just a former classmate of his brother, was minimal. If Jiang Xuan hadn't stayed in the same place, Mu Nan might not even have known where Jiang Xuan was.
Qin Huai's expression grew cold instantly.
Mu Nan looked at him and asked, "So Jiang Xuan never told you I was looking for you?"
Qin Huai shook his head. If Jiang Xuan had mentioned it, he wouldn't have heard about it from an unfamiliar former class monitor, and he wouldn't have just now returned.
Mu Nan was silent for a moment. "When did you return to the country?"
Qin Huai replied, "Half a year ago. I set up a branch of a company I co-founded abroad in City B. I initially wanted to get everything arranged there and wait until you graduated from university before coming to see you and see if you would be willing to come with me."
Mu Nan asked, "What if I didn't want to?"
Qin Huai smiled. "If you truly didn't want to and no longer needed me, I'd let you go and live the life you want. But if you were just angry and ignoring me, I'd make it up to you, until you weren't angry and would come with me."
After saying this, Qin Huai gently ruffled Mu Nan's hair. Sometimes, due to time and distance, people tend to imagine things in the worst possible way. But when things actually happen, they realize the results may not be as bad as expected and even come with unexpected surprises.
They had many things to talk about, but there was no rush. Seeing that it was getting late, Qin Huai said, "Are you hungry? Let's have breakfast first. After that, you can tell me everything you want to know."
The kitchen had plenty of ready-made food, and the refrigerator was stocked with various vegetables and fruits. Mu Nan had put these in while Qin Huai was taking a shower the day before. At that time, he hadn't decided how to tell Qin Huai about the future or the space. He thought it might take some time to adjust between them, but unexpectedly, even after just one night, many things were already cleared up, and the sense of unfamiliarity he felt when he suddenly saw Qin Huai yesterday seemed to have dissipated.
Listening to the sound of eggs frying in the kitchen, Mu Nan felt that even though the outside world was still shrouded in haze, his mood was noticeably brighter.
After breakfast, Qin Huai handled some work-related matters on his phone, made a few calls, and seemed to be making some arrangements. Once he finished, he turned off his phone, moved the small desk with the computer aside, and looked at Mu Nan face to face. "Tell me in detail about the dreams you've been having."
Mu Nan opened a small notebook next to the bed and handed it to Qin Huai. "I've been recording the dreams I've had. Some of the things recorded on it have already happened."
The notebook contained rough timelines and the environments at the time of the dreams. Qin Huai looked through it carefully, his frown deepening as he read. As he turned the pages, he no longer saw future events but rather lists of food and supplies. Considering the large amount of money Mu Nan had suddenly spent, Qin Huai asked, "Did you use that money to prepare supplies?"
Mu Nan nodded.
Qin Huai flipped further through the notebook. "Does this record what you plan to buy or what you've already bought? Where do you plan to store these things? Food is difficult to store, especially vegetables and fruits. If the environment in the future is as harsh as you dreamed, these things won't last."
Mu Nan said, "This is the second thing I wanted to tell you."
Qin Huai looked at him. Mu Nan extended his hand towards Qin Huai, and to Qin Huai's puzzled gaze, an apple suddenly appeared in Mu Nan's hand.
Mu Nan slowly explained, "The year you left, I transferred to a boarding school. One day, I had a fever in the dormitory. The teacher gave me medicine and left me to sleep in the dorm. When I was feverish, I felt extremely hot, as if I were being burned. When I was in a daze, I seemed to touch another layer of space, like another dimension. After I recovered from the fever, the feeling remained, and then I discovered an extra space. It's empty, nothing in it, and no living things can be put inside. But fortunately, nothing changes when things are put in it. It's like they are frozen in time."
It took Qin Huai a while to process everything Mu Nan had said. Perhaps Mu Nan's dreams were related to the future, and it might involve the space. But more than the space, Qin Huai was distressed about Mu Nan being alone over the years. When he was a child, Mu Nan used to fuss whenever he felt slightly unwell, needing someone to comfort him to take medicine. Even though he had anticipated such situations might arise, hearing Mu Nan talk about being alone with a fever in the dormitory still made his heart ache.
Qin Huai exhaled lightly. The past could not be undone, but he would not let Mu Nan face these challenges alone anymore. After thoroughly inquiring whether the space had any other negative effects on him and learning that aside from the extra storage space, there were no other abnormalities, he asked, "Who else knows about this besides me?"
Mu Nan replied, "I'm not foolish."
Qin Huai smiled, feeling somewhat relieved to see Mu Nan, who seemed more lively than the silent person he had seen yesterday. He continued, "Have you recorded everything in the notebook? Are there any other details?"
Mu Nan said, "I've written down everything I remember. Everything listed here, I've already bought." He then pulled out another notebook. "This one records the quantities I purchased. Unfortunately, I've run out of money, and there's no time left."
Qin Huai flipped through the pages. There were several pages detailing large and small items, including a whole box of sewing supplies. The level of detail was meticulous.
Qin Huai reviewed everything from the beginning and asked, "In your dreams, after the haze comes an extreme heat. Does it become chaotic immediately, or is there a period of normalcy in between?"
Mu Nan replied, "It gradually becomes chaotic, but it's not the kind of chaos that's completely out of control. The government's control remains, but the weather becomes increasingly extreme, making it harder to produce many things."
Qin Huai suddenly looked at Mu Nan and asked, "Are your dreams continuous?"
Mu Nan, avoiding Qin Huai's gaze, fiddled with his hands and said, "Not really, they're quite fragmented, but they can be pieced together."
Qin Huai didn't think much of it and said, "Then there's still some time. I'll handle things on my end to free up some funds."
Mu Nan abruptly looked up. "You're going back?"
Seeing Mu Nan's strong reaction, Qin Huai quickly reassured him, "I'm not going back. I said I wouldn't leave again, and I won't. I'll just handle things online. Nan Nan, I'm not leaving. I promise."
Mu Nan felt he had overreacted, but he'd rather Qin Huai give up those assets—since money would become worthless in the end—than risk leaving. He had enough supplies in his space to last for a few years at least, so there was no need to risk it for material things.
While Qin Huai was organizing his assets, he received a message from Jiang Xuan. Jiang Xuan was a classmate from middle school through high school. They had kept in touch even after going abroad, relying on Jiang Xuan to stay informed about Mu Nan's situation back home. Their communication had remained close over the years, and even after Qin Huai returned, Jiang Xuan resigned from his previous job to work at Qin Huai's company.
Since Jiang Xuan's family was in the area, he frequently came back. Qin Huai often asked Jiang Xuan to keep an eye on Mu Nan. Through Jiang Xuan, he learned a lot about Mu Nan—about his new friends, how well-liked he was at school, his participation in and awards from drawing competitions, and how happy he was every day. Jiang Xuan even copied Mu Nan's annual health check-up reports for him. Qin Huai thought Mu Nan and Jiang Xuan had a good relationship, and with that connection, he never considered that Mu Nan might not be able to find him if something happened. He was shocked to learn that Mu Nan had never seen Jiang Xuan and had even reached out to Jiang Xuan, who claimed he couldn't contact Qin Huai.
If Jiang Xuan had informed Mu Nan of his whereabouts three months ago, Mu Nan wouldn't have had to bear all this alone.
Qin Huai remembered that Jiang Xuan had once told him that when he mentioned Qin Huai to Mu Nan, Mu Nan had expressed reluctance to talk about him and said it was all in the past. Based on Mu Nan's attitude relayed by Jiang Xuan, Qin Huai had been holding back his urgent desire to see Mu Nan upon returning. It seemed Jiang Xuan had been deceiving him all along.
Looking at Jiang Xuan's name on WeChat, Qin Huai's expression turned cold.