Future Love Contract (GL) - Chapter 12

Afterward, Zhao Xinyun began to suspect whether Gresya had deliberately chosen Luo Peichen for her. After all, it had been Gresya who offered to help make the appointment. The next day, Zhao casually brought up the topic during a conversation, sounding nonchalant.

Gresya replied, “I did choose the counseling center where she works, but the First Base is a small place—there are only two centers in total. I never mentioned anything about this to her, and I didn’t tell her who you were.”

Zhao knew Gresya wasn’t the type to lie about trivial things, and she had no reason to lie in this situation. As for helping her make the appointment, it was probably just lingering guilt over the first-kiss incident. But dwelling on it didn’t seem meaningful. Luo Peichen would eventually find out that Zhao was Gresya’s “girlfriend” anyway—not that it really mattered.

Three days later, Zhao Xinyun went to the appointment as scheduled. Gresya dropped her off at the First Base but didn’t get out of the vehicle, knowing Zhao hadn’t revealed her identity to Luo Peichen. Zhao appreciated the gesture, even though she didn’t quite understand why she was going along with all of this.

She muddled through check-in procedures and walked into the consultation room, sitting across from Luo Peichen. The last time they had met had been through the helmet screen. Because she had been shocked to discover Luo Peichen was Gresya’s friend, Zhao hadn’t gotten a good look at her. Now that they met face-to-face, Zhao’s first impression of her was: meticulous, precise, serious—maybe even a little stern. Though, that last part might just be due to her facial features.

Then came the question: why would someone like Gresya—so lively, playful, and easygoing—be close friends with someone as serious-looking as Luo Peichen?

That question flashed through Zhao’s mind only briefly. Luo Peichen greeted her warmly. While it was surely part of her professional role, Zhao could tell she was probably the type who appeared cold on the outside but was warm on the inside. Their contrasting personalities made Zhao think of the saying “opposites attract.”

If their personalities were so complementary, why hadn’t Gresya ended up with Luo Peichen? Maybe she already had a boyfriend. Or maybe—just speculating wildly here—this was one of those dramatic storylines. Perhaps Gresya had secretly been in love with her best friend, who already had a boyfriend, and so she found a fake girlfriend to provoke a reaction or test her feelings. But judging by Luo Peichen’s calm demeanor, she seemed entirely unaffected. That meant Gresya’s plan must’ve failed. A pity.

…Wait. Setting aside how baseless that whole theory was, not to mention how awkward it would be for Zhao herself to get caught up in a four-person date—why was she even thinking about this?

Zhao shook her head and dismissed the thought. She started telling Luo Peichen about her recurring dream. Without revealing anything about her time travel, she explained the dream’s content, her memory loss, and her growing concern.

An hour passed.

The first session ended. Zhao hadn’t recovered her missing memories, but she felt much lighter—probably because she’d finally found someone to talk to. Gresya wasn’t there; she’d probably gone somewhere nearby to pass the time. Zhao tapped the button on her watch to initiate a call.

“I’m on my way to pick you up! Oh right, I almost forgot,” Gresya’s voice was as cheerful as ever. The background sounded noisy—she must’ve been somewhere crowded. “Someone just reminded me—the First Base will soon experience the legendary sunrise! The Second Base too. I’m setting an alarm so my watch can remind me.”

Zhao waited where she had been dropped off and soon spotted Gresya approaching.

On their way back to the Second Base, Zhao was still preoccupied with the dream. Without thinking, she blurted out, “You like Luo Peichen, don’t you?”

“What?!” Gresya was startled. “Why would you think that?”

Only then did Zhao realize she had spoken too impulsively, revealing just how far her imagination had run. But since the words were already out, she had no choice but to say, “Just kidding. If not, then why go to all the trouble of faking a girlfriend? To test her reaction?”

“Come on… don’t let her boyfriend hear you say that. Seriously, this has nothing to do with her. Honestly, if you told me I took you in out of pure kindness, that’s more believable.”

Zhao had only brought it up on a whim. It was clear Gresya wasn’t ready to reveal her real reasons—but Zhao couldn’t press the issue. Since she had spoken without thinking, she let the topic drop.

Back at the Second Base, Zhao finally enjoyed a few days of peace without being haunted by the dream. Her next therapy session was scheduled for two weeks later. During that time, she noticed Gresya seemed busier. When Zhao asked about it, Gresya responded vaguely that it was work-related.

Her evasiveness made Zhao suspicious. What kind of work would require secrecy? Still, Zhao didn’t push. With the rumored interstellar exploration plan approaching, her coworkers had started talking about it more and more. Zhao also found herself thinking about it often. Whether she’d be chosen or not was still uncertain—but come on, it’s space! Just the idea was exciting!

She worried about slipping up and revealing her status as a time traveler, so she avoided talking too much about the subject at work. Still, whenever others brought it up, she joined in. Her excitement was hard to hide, but since everyone was excited, no one found it strange.

Two weeks later.

The second therapy session didn’t yield much either. But Gresya encouraged her not to be too anxious. Zhao thought that made sense.

The space exploration plan hadn’t been announced yet, but the long-anticipated sunrise was about to happen.

Watching the sunrise was generally seen as a romantic activity. This time, Gresya didn’t ask Zhao to go, but Zhao agreed to join her anyway. Even though it felt a little awkward, a sunrise was a sunrise—why avoid it? Besides, it wasn’t like either of them were famous. Who would they be hiding from? It could’ve been a great opportunity for a four-person date, but Luo Peichen’s schedule rarely aligned with Zhao’s, so Gresya dropped the idea.

Finally, the day arrived. The two stood beneath the large plaza screen, surrounded by a crowd of other sunrise-watchers. Due to Venus’s atmosphere, you couldn’t see the sunrise from outside the base, so they had to rely on live broadcasts. Even if you were with someone you truly loved, Zhao thought, this moment wouldn’t necessarily be romantic.

Most people wouldn’t stay for the whole broadcast anyway. The sunrise took around 48 hours to complete—way too slow. Zhao thought of Valentine’s Day back in the 21st century. It wasn’t about the event itself, but the shared atmosphere of experiencing it with lots of other couples—like a group wedding?

Staring at the thin red glow on the horizon, Zhao’s mind raced. Would her lost memories affect her eligibility for the space mission? Or would recovering them change her future?

At that moment, Gresya leaned in close to her ear. To outsiders, it must’ve looked like a romantic gesture. Zhao thought so too.

She whispered, “Would you really go explore another planet with me?”

Zhao found the timing strange but still answered honestly. “Of course. You don’t need to overthink it. I want to be part of the mission—not because of you or anyone else, just because I want to.”

She had finally made it to the future. If she didn’t explore another planet, then wasn’t it like… going to a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed?

Well, she didn’t actually say that out loud. It was a bit dramatic anyway. Besides, it wasn’t like the entire point of the future was about outer space.

That thin red glow on the horizon hadn’t changed for ages. They stared at it until many people around them began sitting on the ground. Some took out tablets to pass the time. Others hugged each other. Kissing was still awkward with their suits on. A few people went to nearby restaurants or returned home—the live feed was viewable from anywhere.

Sunrises sounded romantic, but they were boring to watch, mostly because they took too long. Just staring without doing anything was dull.

Gresya suddenly pulled out a pile of snacks from one of her pockets like she was performing a magic trick. “Let’s go inside to eat. It’s too inconvenient out here.”

Zhao followed her into the shopping center next door. Gresya held her hand. To anyone watching, they looked just like a real couple. Zhao thought to herself—this was kind of nice.

Not far away, a couple lifted their visors and kissed. A few friends around them whistled and cheered. In this futuristic world, unless you were having s*x on the street, there really wasn’t much that shocked people anymore.