Chapter 35 Will the World Believe It?

It was Saturday.

Early in the morning at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Bukit Timah campus, Xu Jiayi was out for her morning run in the Botanic Gardens.

NUS has several campuses, with the largest located in the southwest at Jurong, not far from the equally famous Nanyang Technological University. The School of Computing, the College of Engineering, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are all situated on that main Jurong campus. The Bukit Timah campus, however, houses only the Law School and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Xu Jiayi graduated from the NUS School of Computing, and her professional career began in the Jurong area, which is densely packed with technology companies. Her first laboratory and residence were both in Jurong. But one day, two years ago, while jogging on Jurong Hill, she looked forward toward the Jurong Island oil refinery—the third-largest in the world, perpetually billowing smoke—and then looked back at the high-tech industrial parks, their dense layouts resembling microchip arrays.

A sudden, inexplicable sense of emptiness washed over her.

She moved her apartment to the Bukit Timah campus. On the day she moved in, she didn't even unpack her belongings; she went straight to the nearby Botanic Gardens and walked into the National Orchid Garden. The dazzling variety of tropical orchids, emerging from the lush, humid greenery of the rainforest plants, were not merely like embroidered brocade, but more like vibrant, rhythmic verses or the melodic expressions of a painter’s delicate and colorful brushstrokes.

Xu Jiayi’s sudden, cyber-world-induced dread gradually dissipated.

In that moment, the ever-proud and assertive Xu Jiayi admitted to herself that she missed her ex-boyfriend, Luo Nan. Just as she did now—stopping in her tracks as she ran past a patch of Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids—she recalled the scene when she saw Luo Nan at the Old Hill Street Police Station the other day.

Xu Jiayi sighed in a daze and continued her run. As an NUS alumna, she enjoyed free access to the campus, even with the restrictions imposed on the Bukit Timah grounds due to the influx of tourists. Her habit since moving here was to head to the university food court for breakfast after her run.

Her phone rang; it was Luo Nan.

"I’m taking A-Tai to Woodlands to see his grandparents. I’m passing by the Botanic Gardens and wanted to see if you were on campus..."

Xu Jiayi curled her lip on the other end of the line. Going from Geylang to Woodlands, the Botanic Gardens was nowhere near the route.

But she answered crisply, "I'm here. Let's have breakfast. I'll come to the school entrance to meet you."

Twenty minutes later at the food court, after placing her order, Xu Jiayi glanced back at Zhou Yongtai, who was sitting silently nearby, and asked Luo Nan, who was standing beside her waiting for the food to be served, "Taking such a long detour—is he in a rush to ask about the progress?"

Luo Nan thought to himself: Of course he wants to ask about the progress, but I wanted to see you too.

But the words that came out were: "Yes, it’s only natural, but A-Tai has been very polite. From the day before yesterday to yesterday, he kept saying he didn't want to bother you. Don't worry, during this time, I’ve been taking him around the city. We visited my former art academy teacher and met with a few old friends for coffee and food. Even if we’ve been followed, they would just assume you’re part of my regular social circle, right?"

"Do you think they’re that stupid?" Xu Jiayi said coolly. "Someone who can use a supplier’s identity to cover for wiring and precisely identify a high-dimensional robot like Ada—could they be ordinary?"

Luo Nan was at a loss for words, but he felt no resentment. What Jiayi said made sense, and more importantly, Luo Nan was no longer the arrogant, conflicted young man he once was.

A life of destitution, the blow of losing his parents, days devoid of dignity, and lonely, frigid nights—repeated over and over, Luo Nan had tasted the bitterness of being buried in the dust of the world. In such circumstances, hearing his ex-girlfriend—whom he had loved deeply and whose brilliance he had always admired—speak to him in the familiar language of their past rather than with distant politeness, felt incredibly precious.

It was the preciousness of not having been completely cast aside.

At that moment, Xu Jiayi actually regretted her retort. To mock someone who was kind and trying so hard to be cautious, to show off one's intellectual superiority—even a large AI language model would disdain such an expression.

Xu Jiayi began placing breakfast on Luo Nan’s tray and changed the subject: "I saw during my run that the Orchid Garden has a new special exhibition. You should come and sketch."

"Oh? That’s great. I’ll definitely come."

"Yes, I remember that besides portraits, you were very skilled at painting tropical orchids. You still have those sketches, right?"

"I have them all."

Xu Jiayi walked with long, swift strides, continuing, "I’ll introduce you to a gallery owner later. She has held exhibitions for several local floral painters."

Luo Nan carried the tray, struggling to keep up with her pace: "Jiayi, thank you!"

Xu Jiayi tilted her head slightly: "Nothing to thank me for yet. When you sell a painting for a hundred thousand Singapore dollars, treat me to a diving trip in Koh Lipe." She paused, then added, "And bring that kid Singh along."

"Alright, no problem."

Luo Nan tried to keep his tone calm and steady, careful not to look like a fool. But he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up, and when he returned to the table, Zhou Yongtai noticed immediately.

"Mr. Luo, is there good news about Ada?"

Luo Nan was suddenly embarrassed, not knowing how to respond.

Xu Jiayi placed a bowl of Laksa in front of Zhou Yongtai, sat down, and said patiently, "A-Tai, listen to me while you eat. We have some initial leads. This afternoon, I’ll be going out with members of my organization to follow up and further pinpoint the target."

Zhou Yongtai nodded gratefully: "I’ll listen to whatever you say."

Xu Jiayi said, "I’ll leave once I’m done to keep an eye on the news. Luo Nan will take you to Woodlands to find your family. Oh, and please order a set of Nyonya costume portraits from your grandfather for me."

"Ah, thank you for supporting my grandfather's business."

"Don't mention it. I’m a descendant of the Peranakan Chinese myself. My ancestors sailed from Chaoshan to the Johor Strait, married Malay women, and settled in Johor Bahru."

Xu Jiayi spoke casually, telling Zhou Yongtai about the development history of Malaysia’s Johor state and northern Singapore. But she finished her breakfast in ten minutes and stood up to leave. She had to rush to Changi Airport to join her partners and verify her suspicions.

"Ms. Xu is such a good person," Zhou Yongtai said sincerely, putting the hundred-dollar bills Xu Jiayi had left behind into his backpack.

It was summer vacation, and the campus was tranquil. In the distance, outside the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, workers were painting the exterior walls. Students who weren't interning walked in twos and threes through the sunlit corridors, heading to the library. The towering banyan trees around the lawn were lush and green, their long, delicate aerial roots swaying in the light breeze.

Zhou Yongtai stared, mesmerized. Compared to the fleeting glimpse he had caught outside another university when he first arrived, today’s scene was far richer in detail.

"This is a school," Zhou Yongtai murmured unconsciously.

Luo Nan replied, "Yes, human university campuses are all this beautiful—more beautiful than the paintings in an art museum."

Zhou Yongtai opened his mouth, then hesitated.

Luo Nan said it for him: "But in your timeline, forty-some years from now, the schools on Earth have all been destroyed."

"Yes. Forty-some years... nothing is left."

Luo Nan squinted: "In that timeline, neither Jiayi nor I will live to see our seventies. These students walking to the library will die at sixty."

Zhou Yongtai’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s: "And my mom and dad... they were born this year, so they died in middle age."

A moment later, he spoke again: "Mr. Luo, if Ada is saved, can we tell the world the truth about the future?"

Luo Nan stared at him: "I hope, more than anything, that the world will believe you."