Chapter 109: Echoes of a Past Life

“I’m logging off.”

Zhong Jing, having played for over three hours and grown tired, promptly exited the game.

She politely bid farewell to Photographer Bro.

“Alright, get some rest early.”

“Mm.”

Removing her headphones, she headed to the kitchen for a cola, as was her habit.

Just as she approached the kitchen, Zhong Tian, who had just finished drying his hair and was seated in the living room, looked over and asked, “Are you still having a late-night snack?”

“No.”

Zhong Jing opened the refrigerator and took out a can of cola.

Cola in hand, she turned towards her room.

“Don’t brush your teeth immediately after drinking cola; it’s bad for them!”

“Mm.”

Watching Zhong Jing’s retreating figure disappear behind the inner room’s door, Zhong Tian shook his head, rose from the sofa, and returned to his own room.

‘I should organize today’s drafts and then go to sleep.’

He took the drafts from his canvas bag and placed them on the desk.

“Hmm?”

‘There’s also a notebook…’

‘Did I put this notebook in my bag?’

Zhong Tian casually set it aside and began organizing and reviewing his storyboard drafts.

‘Well, these look good; I don’t think anything needs to be changed.’

‘I’ll transfer them to the computer tomorrow.’

He yawned, placed the drafts on top of the notebook, and climbed into bed.

****

Su Linxi was certain she was dreaming.

She found herself in an amusement park, surrounded by a surging sea of people, making it almost impossible to walk normally.

Despite the overwhelming crowd, she managed to weave through it, spotting two figures not far off, moving with the throng.

‘That was my past self and Zhong Tian…’

She struggled to navigate through the dense crowd, gradually drawing closer to the two cheerful, conversing figures.

The pair headed towards the towering Ferris wheel before them, and Su Linxi followed closely behind, joining them as they boarded one of the gondolas.

The two figures did not acknowledge Su Linxi, who had entered the gondola, instead sitting naturally face-to-face as if she weren’t there.

“I think it’s better to ride the Ferris wheel at night,” Su Linxi’s past self remarked to Zhong Tian’s past self.

“During the day, all you can really see below are people…”

“Then… should we come back tonight?”

“Come back tonight? If we ride it again tonight, there won’t be any cars back to Taisugi City, you know.”

“Hmm… we could always hitch a ride.”

“Eh—aren’t you worried about the cost?”

“You can’t have one without the other; consider it the price for seeing Haibin City’s night view.”

“I think…” Su Linxi’s past self blinked, pondering for a moment.

“Instead of rushing back to Taisugi City, why don’t we just stay a night in Haibin City?”

“…Stay a night?” Zhong Tian’s past self began to consider it seriously.

“But what about a change of clothes…?”

“We’ll buy some.”

“But, the money…”

“Hey, Zhong Tian, you can look down on my math skills, but you can’t look down on my wallet, you know,” Su Linxi’s past self said, patting her shoulder bag.

“Just leave anything money-related to me.”

“Ahem…” Hearing this, Zhong Tian’s past self averted his gaze.

“Your statement makes me feel like I’m being kept by a rich woman…”

“Hehe, you practically are.”

“……”

As they spoke, the Ferris wheel began to turn.

The buildings outside the window slowly descended, and the lake surrounding the amusement park gradually expanded below.

Even in her dream, Su Linxi distinctly felt herself ascending.

“Oh, it actually feels quite nice once you’re up here.”

Su Linxi’s past self held onto the glass window, observing the view below with curiosity.

Watching her past self, brimming with such high spirits, Su Linxi felt a pang of emotion.

‘I, too, had a time like that.’

She did not feel the same excitement as her younger self; instead, suspended in the air, she felt a profound sense of peace.

Su Linxi closed her eyes, simply listening to the conversation between the two beside her.

“So, are we still coming tonight?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t we?” Su Linxi’s past self replied, sitting back down and opening her phone.

“I’ll book the hotel first.”

“Don’t book anything too expensive, okay…”

“Too late, I’ve already booked the presidential suite!”

“Huh??”

“Just kidding, it’s just a regular king-sized room.”

“Wait… a king-sized room?”

“Yeah, is there a problem?”

“…This isn’t ‘is there a problem?’; this is clearly *all* problems!”

“What, are you afraid I’ll eat you up?”

“……” Zhong Tian’s past self remained silent for a long moment.

“I think it would be better to book an extra room…”

“Oh, come on, what kind of boyfriend and girlfriend sleep in separate rooms?”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’.”

“……”

Su Linxi kept her eyes closed.

The pair’s conversation stirred her memories—or rather, the dream itself was her memory.

‘How wonderful that time was…’

She opened her eyes, only to be met by the ceiling of Zhong Tian’s home.

****

Morning had arrived.

As usual, Su Linxi folded her quilt neatly, then got out of bed and entered the washroom.

Having finished her morning routine, Su Linxi returned to her room to change into her school uniform before taking her seat at the dining table.

“Good morning.”

This life’s Zhong Tian, wearing an apron, was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Despite the familiar scene, Su Linxi’s heart stirred with a melancholic beat, akin to the sadness of a long-awaited reunion.

She rose, moving almost silently behind Zhong Tian, intending to gently embrace him.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I’ll help.”

“No need, it’s already done. Just go sit down, Linxi.”

“Mm…”

She finally managed to suppress her emotions, turning away to take a deep breath and compose herself.

Accepting the breakfast Zhong Tian handed her, she returned to the dining table.

‘This life is, after all, different from the last…’

‘Some things are not meant to be done now.’

****

Zhong Tian noticed something amiss with Su Linxi.

Her recent words and actions felt distinctly different from her usual demeanor.

She seemed to be hesitating, though he couldn’t discern the reason for her indecision.

As he watched Su Linxi eat her breakfast at a much slower pace than usual, Zhong Tian’s doubts only intensified.

He wanted to ask her about it but was unsure how to approach the topic appropriately.

“……”

Ever since his previous conversation with Jiang Nanjin about Su Linxi’s reasons for staying in his home, Zhong Tian had harbored a growing suspicion towards her.

This current situation made it difficult for the suspicious Zhong Tian to simply ignore it.

Having finished his breakfast, he fixed his gaze upon Su Linxi’s eyes.

“Um… Linxi?”

Hearing him, Su Linxi looked up, meeting Zhong Tian’s gaze.

In an instant, Zhong Tian’s deep blue eyes brightened.

He had activated his mind-reading ability.

In that very moment, Zhong Tian saw two people, two individuals inside a Ferris wheel gondola.

One of them was himself.

The other, a young woman seated opposite ‘himself,’ appeared to be Su Linxi.

This young woman seemed considerably taller than the current Su Linxi, appearing to be of similar height to Zhong Tian.

Her hair was much longer than Su Linxi’s, and while her facial features were remarkably similar, the young woman’s appearance lacked any of Su Linxi’s usual youthful innocence—she looked like an older version of Su Linxi, aged by several years.

The only discordant detail between the two was the color of their eyes.

One had lake-blue eyes, the other, jade-green.

‘Perhaps, it really isn’t Su Linxi herself?’

‘Her older sister?’

‘But why would I appear with this young woman in Su Linxi’s mind?’