Chapter 36: The Lifetime That Couldn’t Be Kept

Du An had never been particularly diligent in school, so failing to get into X University didn’t leave him with much of a psychological blow.

He enrolled in another local university that was slightly less prestigious than X University and majored in finance.

His plan was to join his father’s company after graduation.

He had also started dating a girl from a well-off family. She was beautiful and ambitious, and because of her, he had matured a great deal himself.

Even before entering his senior year, he had already made long-term plans for the future, and every one of those plans included both his girlfriend and his career.

He Ting didn’t see him often anymore. Everyone’s time was precious, especially now that they both had someone precious in their lives.

But whenever they met, it was just like high school. There was no awkwardness at all.

They had accompanied each other through the purest years of their youth, and that purity would stay with them for a very long time.

As Du An carefully picked the bones from a fish, he slowly talked about his plans for the future. When he finished, he asked He Ting what he planned to do.

Smiling, He Ting said, “We’re planning to have a baby first. All the paperwork is done, and we’ve already submitted everything we need. One phone call is all it takes for the embryo cultivation process to begin.”

In this world, same-s*x couples could have children through advanced reproductive technology, though the cost was quite high.

The idea of having a child had been He Ting’s.

He liked children, and he liked animals too. He wanted to relive the childhood he had lost by raising a child together with Gu Qiuhang.

Gu Qiuhang hadn’t particularly wanted a child. They were still young; even if they waited a few more years, there would be plenty of time. More importantly, he felt that He Ting was still a child himself.

But if He Ting wanted something, he wanted to give it to him.

He thought that if they truly had a child together, a child who carried both of their features, he would surely love that child with all his heart.

The idea had come suddenly, but the decision had been made with great care.

Du An’s eyes widened.

“No way! Are you serious? You’re going to stay home and raise a baby right after graduating?”

He Ting took a sip of wine and rested his chin on his hand.

“Not necessarily. I can still do other things while taking care of the baby.”

Du An thought for a while, but in the end he couldn’t keep his concerns to himself.

Lowering his voice, he said earnestly, “Are you stupid? What if Gu Qiuhang leaves you someday? What will you have left? Listen to me. Build your own career first, then think about having children. You’re still so young. If you become disconnected from society, it won’t be easy to fit back in later.”

He Ting smiled and nodded, but the confidence and calmness in his eyes made Du An feel that He Ting was genuinely living a good life. Perhaps he didn’t need this kind of worry after all.

It was the most beautiful season of the year.

The air was filled with the fragrance of blooming flowers.

That evening, He Ting pulled Gu Qiuhang out for a walk after dinner.

They walked hand in hand, fingers intertwined, their simple wedding bands brushing gently against each other like lovers whispering sweet words.

Suddenly, He Ting remembered that night years ago.

It had been just like this.

He had been alone, miserable, with nowhere to go, until Su Bei had taken him to a bar.

That night, Gu Qiuhang had said many things to him and told him to behave himself.

Ever since then, he had been remarkably well-behaved.

He didn’t know why he had thought of it now, but as he did, he laughed softly.

It had already been five years.

Time really flew.

They reached the end of the path.

Seeing the smile in He Ting’s eyes, Gu Qiuhang couldn’t resist pinning him gently beneath a flowering tree and kissing him.

The streetlights glowed warm and golden.

The spring breeze stirred their coats.

Everything was full of life and joy.

He Ting wrapped his arms around Gu Qiuhang’s waist, buried his face against his shoulder, and whispered,

“Gu Qiuhang, I’m so happy. Everything I love is beside me.”

Gu Qiuhang held him tighter and kissed his ear.

He said nothing.

Everything was so peaceful and beautiful that there wasn’t the slightest sense of unease.

From the bend at the end of the path, a figure slowly appeared.

Like any ordinary person out for an evening walk, the stranger walked steadily toward them.

His head was lowered, his face impossible to see.

Step by step, he drew closer.

Embarrassed, He Ting straightened up and tried to push Gu Qiuhang away.

But Gu Qiuhang kept an arm around his waist.

They laughed and playfully pushed at each other.

On a night this beautiful, most people would naturally lower their guard.

The blade flashed coldly.

It was aimed at Gu Qiuhang’s back.

He Ting’s eyes were still curved in laughter.

His laughter still lingered in the air.

He didn’t even have time to be surprised.

His body reacted faster than his mind.

Instinctively, he grabbed Gu Qiuhang and turned him half a circle.

The knife was probably very sharp.

He barely felt pain.

Only a terrible coldness spreading from the outside in.

That coldness cut through him effortlessly, sinking frighteningly deep.

The system blocked most of his pain, so he wasn’t suffering much physically.

He looked up at Gu Qiuhang.

The joy that had filled Gu Qiuhang’s eyes moments ago hadn’t completely faded yet.

Shock.

Agony.

Tears.

Despair.

They slowly rose to the surface.

It was like watching one era give way to another.

Joy was gradually swallowed whole.

Tears streamed down Gu Qiuhang’s face.

Like a frightened child, he kept blowing gently on He Ting as though that could somehow ease the pain.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he whispered over and over.

“It doesn’t hurt. Just be good one more time. The ambulance is coming. Everything will be okay. You have to be good.”

It was the first time He Ting had ever seen Gu Qiuhang cry.

The despair in his eyes was like a black hole that held him captive.

His heart hurt far more than his body.

He Ting knew he was about to be pulled out of this world.

He wouldn’t die.

But in the world that remained, there would never be a Gu Qiuhang again.

With great effort, he whispered,

“Do you remember? Gu Qiuhang… live well. Don’t live with hatred. You promised you’d listen to me.”

His lips moved weakly.

His voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

But he knew Gu Qiuhang had heard him.

He could feel Gu Qiuhang trembling violently.

Amid that uneven trembling, he closed his eyes.

When He Ting woke, he was lying inside the immersion pod.

He stared blankly for a long moment before murmuring,

“Gu Qiuhang.”

Looking at the machines before him, he finally realized that he had returned from the mission world.

The sudden fracture between time and space left him utterly lost.

He wanted to throw himself into Gu Qiuhang’s arms and seek comfort.

But where was Gu Qiuhang?

Tears slid silently down his cheeks.

In a quiet voice, he asked,

“Why? Didn’t we promise to spend a lifetime together?”

The system responded.

“The world was configured according to your wishes. However, every world is affected by external variables, so outcomes are never completely fixed.”

He covered his eyes with his hand.

Warm tears soaked his palm.

The system continued,

“We must now erase your memories of the mission world.”

After a long silence, He Ting asked almost pleadingly,

“Can I keep them?”

The system had never sounded so cold.

“You chose Plan C: entering the mission world while retaining your memories of reality. According to the agreement, those mission-world memories must be erased upon your return.”

“We have to erase them.”

Then it added,

“However, if the mission is successful, those memories can later be restored according to your wishes.”

He Ting was silent for a long time before asking,

“So the mission failed?”

“Yes.”

The memories disappeared.

When He Ting opened his eyes again, there were crescent-shaped cuts in his palm where his fingernails had dug into his skin.

The dried tear tracks on his face made his skin feel tight.

He thought, ‘The mission must have failed. That was why I had been crying.’

He pursed his lips, embarrassed by how weak he had apparently been.

He asked the system once more.

The mission had indeed failed.

Looking at the blood marks on his palm, he fell into deep thought.

When he had chosen Plan C, he had already made a decision.

If the memories from the mission world turned out to be precious, he would dig his nails into his own palm before they were erased.

A reminder.

A reminder to reclaim those memories someday if he ever had the chance.

He was curious.

What had he experienced in that world that had made him claw his own palm so hard?

‘They were probably beautiful memories,’ he thought.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wanted so desperately to remember them.

He Ting walked out of the laboratory.

It was summer.

A wave of heat hit him all at once.

He pulled the brim of his baseball cap lower and walked toward the curb to hail a taxi.

His phone rang.

It was He Zhou.

He answered.

After listening for a while, he smiled, his voice carrying a hint of childish affection.

“I’m back now, aren’t I, Sis?”

Then he added,

“I want Auntie’s braised pork hock.”

Finally, he laughed brightly.

“I want the soy-braised one, Sis.”

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