The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Epilogue to Chapter 1033 – The Dream of Heaven (Part 3)
The aroma of chicken soup mingled with the steam from the rice, filling the small kitchen. Natalie, with her back to Luo Dingguo, gently scrubbed a porcelain bowl under the tap with her slender fingers, holding a dishcloth. Her movements were so light that the sound of the water rinsing the bowl was almost drowned out by the rain outside the window.

Luo Dingguo sat on the small sofa in the living room, holding a notebook, but his gaze went beyond the pages and landed on Natalie's back. Today she was wearing a light pink loungewear set, the belt around her waist hanging loosely, revealing a section of her fair nape. Her blonde hair was casually pulled back, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, swaying slightly as she washed the dishes.

"Dingguo, the tea is getting cold." She suddenly spoke, her voice soft, yet it made Luo Dingguo's fingers stiffen slightly.

"Hmm," he responded, picking up the teacup on the coffee table and taking a sip. The tea was jasmine tea, with a delicate aroma, and the water temperature was just right.

Natalie turned around, wiped her wet fingers on her apron, and smiled at him: "Why have you been staring at me all day?"

Her eyes shone brightly in the warm yellow light of the kitchen, like sapphires shimmering with moisture. Luo Dingguo noticed that her eyelashes were long and slightly upturned, her nose was high and straight, her lips were full, and there was a small dimple at the corner of her mouth when she smiled.

"It's nothing," Luo Dingguo closed his notebook and shrugged casually, "I just think you look especially good today."

Natalie chuckled softly, turned around, and continued washing the dishes, the water splashing loudly. Her back was slender and upright, with smooth shoulder lines, a waist so thin it could be encircled with one hand, but full and rounded hips, and long, straight legs—a typical figure of a genetically optimized human, every inch of proportion just right.

Several images suddenly flashed through Luo Dingguo's mind:
—He and Natalie kissed under the lychee tree at Yunshan University; her lips were soft and warm, with a faint minty taste.

They made love in a small apartment off-campus. Her skin was as smooth as silk, her body temperature was slightly higher than normal, and her neck would turn a faint pink when she breathed rapidly.

He was delivering food on his electric scooter, with a diamond ring in his pocket—money he had saved up for three months—and fantasizing about proposing.

These memories are so vivid, as if they truly belong to him. But Luo Dingguo knows very well—these are the experiences of "the original Luo Dingguo".

Now, he must play this role well.
By the time Natalie finished cleaning up the kitchen, Luo Dingguo had already returned to his room. He sat at his desk, reopened his notebook, and gently traced the words on the pages with his fingertips.

Analysis of the Scientific Principles of Time Travel

Author: Luo Dingguo

Date: March 15th, 170th year of the Tianli calendar

The handwriting on the pages was neat and clear, but in some places the ink had smudged, as if it had been soaked in water. Luo Dingguo turned the pages one by one, his brows gradually furrowing.

Hypothesis 1: Luo Yaoguo's "arrival" was not a miracle, but some kind of physical phenomenon that has not yet been understood.

Evidence: Relics of King Wu of Wu secretly housed in the Luo Wu Wu Memorial Hall at Tianjing University—an electric vehicle, mobile phone, and power bank that appear to originate from another time and space.
Inference: Luo Yaoguo may have come from a parallel universe and traveled through a spacetime rift created by high-energy particle collisions.

Luo Dingguo's finger stopped on this page, his heart beating slightly faster. He continued to turn the page.

Hypothesis 2: Key historical moments exist in "quantum superposition states" that can be observed and even interfered with.

Experimental Design: The experiment will simulate the "purple lightning" that appeared on the battlefield of Suoyidu using the particle collider at Tianjing University. High-energy particles will be bombarded at specific spacetime coordinates—possible options for these coordinates: 1. Luo Yaoguo's "arrival point"—known to be the Suoyidu battlefield; 2. The location in this spacetime corresponding to Luo Yaoguo's entry point in a parallel universe—unknown.

Risk: May lead to local spacetime disorder (see Qian Heng's quantum field theory calculations).

The last page is a hand-drawn sketch of a complex mechanical device, with the caption: "Quantum resonator prototype - designed based on long-term research accumulation at the Institute of Particle Science, Tianjing University".

Luo Dingguo stared at the picture, then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple. Fragments of memories flooded his mind:

—In the dark archives, his flashlight beam shone on a yellowed booklet with the title "My Memories — Feng Yunshan" on the cover.

—In the secret vault of the Luo Wu Wu Wang Memorial Hall, there are several "sacred objects" that cannot be exposed to light, protected by bulletproof glass.

— Qian Heng, a graduate student in the Department of Physics at Tianjing University, frantically typed on his keyboard in the laboratory, with complex data streams jumping on the screen.

—Announcement issued by the President's Office of Tianjing University regarding the disciplinary action of placing Luo Dingguo on probation.
He slammed the notebook shut and took a deep breath.

"I see."

Luo Dingguo in this world is not an ordinary history graduate student at all—he has been researching how to recreate Luo Yaoguo's time travel!

Moreover, he had an accomplice, a childhood friend who also believed that Luo Yaoguo's "arrival" was a time-travel event, namely Qian Heng, a graduate student in the Physics Department of Tianjing University!
It's likely that Hong Tianjue taking him as a student and Natalie getting close to him were both for this secret.

It seems that in this timeline, quite a few people and forces have already come to realize the truth behind Luo Yaoguo's time travel.
While I was thinking, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Dingguo, I cut some fruit, would you like some?" Natalie's voice came through the door, so gentle it was almost unbelievable.

Luo Dingguo quickly stuffed the map back into the drawer and replied, "Okay, coming right away."

He stood up, took one last look at the notebook, and then hid it inside the cover of a copy of "History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" on the bookshelf.

As he stepped out of the room, Natalie was standing in the living room with a fruit platter. She had changed into a pair of loungewear shorts and a T-shirt, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. The apples in the platter were cut into rabbit shapes, and the orange segments were arranged into flowers—it was so exquisitely presented that it didn't seem like something hastily prepared. "Why are you being so domestic today?" Luo Dingguo asked with a smile, taking the fruit platter with a deliberately teasing tone.

Natalie blinked: "I've always been a good wife, you were just too busy before to notice."

Her expression was impeccably natural, but Luo Dingguo noticed that her gaze quickly swept over the room he had just come from.

“Oh, right,” Natalie suddenly said, “Professor Hong just sent a message saying he’ll take you to the archives to look up information tomorrow.”

Luo Dingguo paused slightly in his grip on the fruit fork: "So sudden?"

"He said he discovered a batch of newly declassified secret letters from Li Hongzhang, which are related to your research area." Natalie sat down next to him, a faint scent of gardenias wafting from her. "Are you going?"

Her blue eyes stared directly at him, as if they could see right through him.

Luo Dingguo took a bite of the apple, and the sweet, crisp juice burst in his mouth. He smiled and said, "Of course I'll go; this is a rare opportunity."

Natalie seemed relieved, a bright smile spreading across her face: "Then I'll go with you tomorrow?"

"Okay." Luo Dingguo nodded, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.

Hong Tianjue suddenly wants to take him to the archives, and Natalie is so eager to accompany him—these two are probably still trying to uncover the secret of Luo Yaoguo's "arrival." Interesting, really interesting!
A faint smile appeared on Luo Dingguo's lips—he was not willing to live an ordinary life!
At 2 a.m., after confirming that Natalie was asleep, Luo Dingguo quietly took out his phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered. A sleepy male voice came from the other end: "Hello? Who is it?"

"Qian Heng, it's me." Luo Dingguo lowered his voice. "Luo Dingguo."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a rustling sound, as if the other person had suddenly sat up in bed.

"Old Luo?! You're still alive?!" Qian Heng's voice instantly cleared, tinged with disbelief. "I heard you were in a car accident, I thought you..."

“I’m fine,” Luo Dingguo interrupted him, “but the situation is complicated now, and I want to ask you something.”

"what's up?"

"Quantum resonator!" Luo Dingguo stared at the bedroom door, his voice extremely low. "Is that thing even reliable?"

Qian Heng remained silent for a while, then spoke again in a serious tone: "Old Luo, have you gotten involved in Hong Tianjue's 'Arrival Plan' again?"

"That Hong Tianjue is definitely suspicious!" Luo Dingguo thought to himself. "If he weren't suspicious, how could he look so much like Hong Xiuquan? 'Plan to Descend'—who do you want to 'descend'? It can't be Hong Xiuquan, can it? That guy's long dead, what kind of 'descend' is that!"

Qian Heng's voice suddenly came again: "That thing is very dangerous. Last time, the experiment almost blew up Suoyidu!"

Luo Dingguo's heart skipped a beat—bomb Suoyidu into the sky?

Is Tianjing University also conducting time travel experiments?
"what's the result?"

Qian Heng fell silent again: "No, it doesn't count as a success."

Not considered a success?

In other words, it's not considered a failure?

Did they partially open a spacetime rift? The technology in this timeline is truly impressive! Luo Dingguo found it increasingly intriguing. Then he pondered: What caused it to not be a complete success? Was the spacetime rift not large enough? Or was the duration insufficient? Should Luo Yaoguo also destroy a rift at the location in this timeline corresponding to the entry point in the parallel universe?
Just then, the bedroom doorknob turned slightly.

"Someone's here. I'll contact you again tomorrow." Luo Yaoguo quickly hung up the phone, stuffed it under his pillow, and pretended to be asleep.

The door opened a crack, and the corridor light cast a long, thin shadow on the floor. Luo Dingguo could feel someone watching him, their gaze still full of emotion.

A few seconds later, the door closed gently again.

Luo Dingguo opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, and felt his heart race.

He is now certain that Natalie is here with a mission to be his model girlfriend. But it doesn't matter. Luo Yaoguo, who has been a powerful figure for over sixty years, is not afraid of a sex spy.

No, we absolutely cannot let Natalie get away with this!
Thinking of this, Luo Dingguo suddenly opened his throat and shouted, "Is Natalie asleep?"

(End of this chapter)