Capítulo 840: Chapter 321: [Number 003] (Part 1)
The feeling was quite similar to the last time the Time Gear [ID 006] was activated: first came a great roar, then it felt as if the body was under immense pressure, with various strange murmurs and flashes of light passing before the eyes…
Then Zhou Wang once again saw the clown dressed in circus costume, standing in the vortex and waving to him.
This time, however, having been psychologically prepared, Zhou Wang’s endurance had improved significantly, at least without the feeling of impending doom.
Ding!
[“Forgotten Time—ID 003” has been loaded]
[Tip 1: During the retrospection, the Host should maintain the role of an observer and keep emotions stable, avoiding self-interference]
[Tip 2: To facilitate the Host’s understanding, the retrospection will activate the “Third-person perspective”]
Third-person perspective?
The last time he experienced the memory of Time Gear 006, he activated the “Dominant Perspective,” which was all about being fully immersed. This time it seemed different; it actually turned into a “Third-person perspective”…
As Zhou Wang was thinking this, blinding sunlight streamed in, and Zhou Wang instinctively squinted.
Though the sunlight was a bit glaring, it was not intense but rather emitted a warm and cozy feeling, so Zhou Wang quickly adapted. Then, before his vision recovered, a very special light fragrance wafted into Zhou Wang’s nostrils.
Not as intense as roses, upon careful sniffing, there seemed to be an indescribable stench…
This very peculiar smell suddenly evoked some distant memories in Zhou Wang, and when he opened his eyes to look at the scene before him, he couldn’t help but gaze in a slight daze.
Blue petals paving the street like the base frame of an oil painting, with some swaying tree shadows used as brush strokes, forming an exceptionally beautiful scene.
Jacarandas…
To be precise, these are the jacarandas of Ming City.
By April 23, 2022, it is exactly the blooming season of jacarandas.
Was I still in Ming City at this time?
Perhaps influenced by the system, Zhou Wang always felt that his memory from sophomore to senior year suddenly became much fuzzier, with many details he couldn’t recall. Yet, the more he looked at the street before him, the more familiar it seemed, suddenly reminding Zhou Wang of some past events.
…Because this was an inner road in the campus of Cai University, leading straight to the less busy side gate, and many of his campus memories took place on this road.
As Zhou Wang was thinking this, a slightly vacant street suddenly echoed with the light sound of tires crushing petals. Zhou Wang turned his head and saw a young man around twenty riding a shared bicycle approach.
The slightly long messy hair, dampened by sweat, clung tightly to the young man’s forehead. The white T-shirt from Senma was equally soaked by sweat, revealing some vertical stripes, paired with off-brand jeans with wear marks on the cuffs and a pair of discount sneakers bought from Aolong Expo…
The youth originally had about seventy percent of handsomeness, but under this outfit, it was instantly reduced to less than thirty percent.
Zhou Wang covered his face, somewhat unable to look straight.
Apparently, in my sophomore year, I had already let myself go appearance-wise?
However, considering it was the second half of sophomore year, it should have been the time when I suffered my first entrepreneurial failure, crushed by reality, and given that being broke usually doesn’t come with any sense of aesthetics, it was quite normal to be so scruffy.
Thinking about it, it’s quite funny. Many boys in school days never understood a simple truth: you don’t necessarily have to be very handsome; just staying clean and tidy, ensuring the scent on you is pleasant, and trimming your nasal hair would drastically lower the difficulty of chasing girls…
Unfortunately, no one would teach those rambunctious teenage boys such knowledge. Everyone always leaves countless regrets while stumbling around, only realizing years later how naive and ridiculous their past selves were.
Screech!
Accompanied by the not-so-sensitive braking sound of the shared bike, the sweaty young man temporarily parked the bike by the roadside.
It must be said, viewing “myself” from this seemingly ghostly perspective is truly awkward.
Zhou Wang felt like he was now a holographic 360-degree camera, able to realistically perceive the world around him, yet indeed not existing within this world.
In the vision, the more youthful “Zhou Wang,” after parking the bike by the roadside, wiped the sweat from his forehead, pulled out the bottled water wedged in the back seat, and gulped a few mouthfuls, then felt around his body, extracting a squashed, deformed cigarette case and a lighter.
The pack of cigarettes “Zhou Wang” held was a classic white hard-case 1956, priced at 7 yuan a pack, a rescue work by Hongta Group, and the choice for countless street smokers and rebellious student parties.
“Zhou Wang” hesitated after opening the cigarette case, as there were only three cigarettes left inside.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Wang chuckled with a sense of nostalgia, knowing why “he” hesitated.
At that time, he had a part-time job every day, leaving him no time to go to internet cafes, so alcohol and tobacco became the only channels to relieve his stress. Considering the high cost of drinking, he could only occasionally freeload on his roommate’s gatherings, hence smoking became his greatest daily pastime.
Zhou Wang originally had no smoking habit; it was only during that period that he picked it up.
But even smoking needed to be done as economically as possible. If he remembered correctly, the quota he set for himself at that time was one pack every three days, averaging about six cigarettes a day.