Hints at GL - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“I’m not here to talk to you about what happened that night…”

Even though she had already committed to the idea of burning her bridges, Su Yuan’s instinctive evasive reaction still made Zhong Ning feel uncomfortable. Looking at the slight furrow in the other woman’s brow, she felt compelled to explain, “I have something else to talk about.”

“What I’m about to say… you might find completely impossible to accept,” she took a deep breath, forcing herself to look directly into Su Yuan’s eyes. “But I have to tell you.”

Seeing Su Yuan’s expression grow increasingly complex, Zhong Ning feared she might be jumping to other conclusions. Her heart sank as she blurted out, “Do you remember when I asked you if you believed in superpowers?”

Zhong Ning was a little afraid she would hear a sharp or mocking retort from those slightly curved thin lips, but Su Yuan did not interrupt her. Her lips moved slightly: “Go on.”

“Actually… I have the ability to foresee things.”

She let out a heavy breath, finally getting it out.

Su Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as she asked in a low voice, “What did you say?”

“I mean, since I was a child, I’ve often seen things. Like… while we are standing here, maybe I could foresee who we’ll run into in a while,” Zhong Ning had never explained this to anyone before, and she struggled to organize her words. “But lately it hasn’t been working. Since I came to London, this ability has been getting weaker.”

“Of course, none of that is important. What I want to tell you is this: since arriving in London, I’ve had the same dream every single night for three months…”

“I dream that I’m in an unfamiliar bar, and I see that everyone around me is dead…” Recalling that scene, Zhong Ning’s brow knit tightly, and the corner of her eye twitched uncontrollably.

She paused, her clear eyes staring straight into the other’s gaze. “And then, I saw you.”

A visible flash of surprise crossed Su Yuan’s eyes. Her thin lips parted slightly. “…”

“You ask me why I haven’t left yet, and every time, I don’t have time to answer…” As for the part where Su Yuan gently stroked her cheek, Zhong Ning naturally wouldn’t mention that now; she skipped straight to the end. “Afterward, the dream ends abruptly. I don’t know how it turns out.”

Su Yuan looked down at her, still not interrupting. “Continue.”

Zhong Ning had no idea what Su Yuan was thinking, so she explained somewhat bashfully, “So… I came here today to tell you this. Whether you believe it or not, I just wanted to tell you that my predictions have never been wrong.”

“This event will definitely happen. I don’t know why they die; I only know that eventually, we will certainly be there,” she paused, finally making a subtle reference to the other night. “I didn’t want to keep such a serious secret from you just because of… certain things. If you don’t believe it, just act as if I never said anything.”

Finally, having let out the words she had suppressed for nearly two weeks, her tension was exhausted. Zhong Ning now only waited for a response.

A long time passed.

Su Yuan looked at her with a frown, but only said one thing: “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Zhong Ning was slightly stunned. She had expected to be ridiculed, but she hadn’t expected this kind of answer: Why didn’t you say it sooner? “But how could I be sure you’d believe me if I told you…” Su Yuan’s overly gentle reaction left Zhong Ning unable to offer a rebuttal.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never encountered a situation like this before.”

Zhong Ning still found Su Yuan’s reaction a bit unbelievable, so she explained somewhat lamely, “For three months, I could only see one scene… and I have no idea when it will happen.”

“Do you have plans in a bit?” Su Yuan interrupted her softly.

Zhong Ning shook her head, not understanding Su Yuan’s intent.

“Wait for me a moment,” Su Yuan glanced at her and then turned to leave.

Zhong Ning watched her enter through the glass door from earlier and say a few words to the tall, stranger woman while smiling. Although she couldn’t hear clearly, she could see that Su Yuan was coaxing the other person. The woman nodded somewhat reluctantly and then turned and walked away in compromise.

When Su Yuan returned, she only said one sentence to her: “Come with me to a place.”

Catching the familiar scent inside Su Yuan’s car, Zhong Ning instinctively thought back to the events of a few days ago. She felt awkward since everything that needed to be said had been said, but fortunately, Su Yuan was busy making phone calls and had no time for small talk.

“Alex, are you there? Yeah… then I’ll meet you at the Business School in a bit,” Su Yuan was speaking to someone, her tone remaining soft and gentle. “Is Carl with you? Great, see you in half an hour.”

The Business School… wasn’t that where we just were?

“By the way, where exactly are we going?” Zhong Ning couldn’t help but ask.

“To King’s College,” Su Yuan looked at her and answered simply.

“King’s,” or King’s College London, belongs to the University of London just like LSE. The campuses are not far apart and even overlap in some places.

Zhong Ning had long known that King’s College was Su Yuan’s undergraduate school, but this was her first time visiting.

She followed Su Yuan into the old, cathedral-like building, heading up the stairs on the east side of the corridor. After turning left and right and walking for a significant amount of time, they finally reached the top floor.

“This was originally a PhD study room,” Su Yuan thoughtfully held the door for her, explaining patiently. “But because it’s particularly hard to find, very few people come here. Some students don’t even know this place exists after four years of study.”

“Wait a moment, I want to introduce you to someone.”

The heavy wooden door creaked open.

This didn’t look like a study room, it looked more like an attic room with a slanting roof in this cathedral-style building. Directly opposite the door was a slanting wall with a bright skylight. It was now approaching four or five in the afternoon, and the soft sunlight happened to brush past the glass window.

The furnishings were very simple. Under the slanting wall was a row of sleekly designed white tables and chairs that looked immediately inviting. On the surrounding two walls were fabric panels with thumbtacks pinned irregularly on them for students to post papers for discussion.

Zhong Ning looked around and was about to say something.

“Sorry I’m late.”

At that moment, a man with curly brown hair and glasses pushed the door open. His physique and face didn’t look particularly British; he looked more like he was from the Middle East. As soon as he saw Su Yuan, he came over. “Hey, Anna, you haven’t contacted me in almost a year.”

Su Yuan smiled faintly at him. “It hasn’t been that long.”

The man looked at Zhong Ning beside her, his eyes widening as he asked, “Is this her?”

Su Yuan nodded.

The man’s deep eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. He stepped forward with extraordinary warmth to shake Zhong Ning’s hand. “Very nice to meet you. My name is Alex, and I’m a PhD student in Psychology here.”

A scent of cologne mixed with the musty smell of books wafted toward her, making Zhong Ning frown slightly.

“Psychology…”

It took Zhong Ning a moment to react. She looked at Su Yuan in disbelief. “You… brought me to see a psychiatrist?!” Aside from that, she could think of no other intent.

“K, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to treat you.”

Alex waved his hands quickly to explain, “KCL is famous for medicine and psychology, and my field of research is related to ESP (Extra-Sensory Perception). I’ve always been very interested in this.”

He was getting a bit excited at this point and suddenly gripped Zhong Ning’s hand tightly. “This is truly moving. To meet two living ‘supers’ within three years…” He said to Anna exaggeratedly, “Heavens, Anna, I love you too much. If you liked men, I would definitely pursue you.”

“If you keep talking, I’m going to take her away,” Su Yuan leaned against the side, watching him with a smile.

“Two?” Zhong Ning sensitively caught his word choice.

“Yes, there’s another one who will be here shortly,” Alex explained simply.

“Okay, let me think about the best way to start,” Alex put his backpack on the table, quickly entering professional mode. “Hmm, Carl isn’t here yet… Oh, right!”

He took a leather-bound notebook from his backpack and suddenly pulled out an iPad. “If you don’t mind, can I record this? I swear it won’t be leaked; it’s only to help analyze the data you provide.”

Fearing Zhong Ning would refuse, Alex added, “Or if you mind, audio recording is also fine. Of course, video is better. You know, when studying these things, it’s best to have the most complete…”

Although Zhong Ning was somewhat moved by his passion, she shook her head due to her own concerns.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t record video or audio. I don’t really want… people to know.”

“Oh… okay, I understand.”

Though a bit disappointed, Alex nodded and put the iPad back. “Of course, per Anna’s request, I promise not to tell anyone, nor will I use your case to write a thesis. Please rest assured.”

“Rest assured… Alex, you’re so humorous.”

At that moment, a standard British accent came from the doorway as an expressionless blonde man walked in. “If I asked you to delete the part about me in your paper right now, would you?”

He glanced indifferently at Alex and then looked around the room.

“Oh, Anna.” He looked at Su Yuan, which served as his greeting.

“You just have good eyesight; writing it in isn’t life-threatening,” Alex explained helplessly, bending down to pull out a chair for him. “Queen Elizabeth won’t dissect you.”

The expressionless man gave a soft huff and ignored him.

“Who are you?” Just as he was about to sit, his dull gaze landed on Zhong Ning.

Before Zhong Ning could speak, Alex frowned and reminded him, “The ‘prophet’ Anna brought over. Didn’t I tell you already?” He then patiently introduced the man to Zhong Ning. “This is Carl, he’s Scottish, a law student, and he has vision that exceeds normal human limits.”

Prophet?

Hearing that word, Carl remained as cold and expressionless as ever. “…” He thought for a moment and finally took the initiative to extend his hand to Zhong Ning. “A pleasure.”

“Well then, why don’t we start with your dream?” Alex opened his notebook and motioned for Zhong Ning to sit down.