Chapter 39 Going Home

That was also a snowy day, somewhat similar to now.

The snow came rather unexpectedly. It was a sunny day in the morning, but just before school was about to let out, the snow started falling and covered the ground.

She stood in the snow, looking up at the rare snowfall, her mouth agape in curiosity as she waited for the pure white snowflakes to fall into her mouth.

She was small, carrying a big schoolbag, and wearing rather thin clothes.

This was the first time Yue Yiyue had seen Xue. He couldn't say he liked her, but he didn't dislike her either.

But on that very day, she encountered a strange aunt who claimed to know her.

The aunt squatted down, carefully examining her, then smiled and took her hand: "Yiyue, I don't have much time left, let me play with you to my heart's content."

For some inexplicable reason, Yue Yiyue didn't run away. Instead, he nodded to the beautiful aunt in front of him, whose face made him seem like a good person.

The two of them went to the mall first. They wore soft sweaters and thick cotton coats. The strange aunt earnestly told Yue Yiyue to take good care of herself and not to go with strangers. Of course, she was different.

After that, Yue Yiyue went to the high-end cake shop that she often passed by and stared at longingly. The aunt waved her hand and bought several varieties, allowing Yue Yiyue to taste only three bites of each.

Sweet cake, warm milk tea.

It was like a dream.

Finally, they went to the amusement park together. On the carousel and at the top of the Ferris wheel, the aunt hugged Yue Yiyue and said earnestly, "You must live well, live until the moment we meet, and we will be fine."

"What are you thinking about?" Ye Qiu grabbed Yue Yiyue's hand tightly, interrupting her reminiscence: "It's rare to see you with such a nostalgic expression."

"Would it be convenient to tell me? It would be a way to pass the time on this boring journey."

Yue Yiyue watched as the white substance that had landed on Ye Qiu's head melted into water and finally disappeared.

Instead of directly answering Ye Qiu's question, Yue Yiyue asked curiously, "Where is this place?"

"You can think of it as a gap, a place where you can walk into the past, the present, and the future."

After he finished speaking, the two fell silent.

I wouldn't say I'm familiar with Ye Qiu, although I can sense that he wants to talk to me about something.

As for Yue Yiyue, there was nothing to say about her already blurred past, and she wasn't good at talking about herself.

Her story is boring.

The two walked on in silence.

One in front of the other.

Yue Yiyue followed behind, and gradually found it interesting to follow in Ye Qiu's footsteps.

It's like being all alone, which was her favorite game when she was little.

......

When I was a child?

My favorite?

Yue Yiyue was a little stunned. Didn't she always go home alone when she was little?

Soon new memories emerged.

No, that auntie came more than once...

In a daze, Yue Yiyue recalled the figure that was much taller than her.

He would inexplicably appear in crowds many times, and occasionally tutor her.

"Don't think too much about it. Yi Yue, this place is quite special after all, and it will have some impact on you, such as reminding you of some things from the past, but you will forget them after you get out."

The familiar voice was right there.

Ye Qiu turned around, looking at the boy whose eyes were filled with tears with mixed emotions.

"So once upon a time..."

"Of course I'll grant your little wish, Yiyue." Ye Qiu spread his arms wide, taking credit for the other half of himself without any hesitation.

Anyway, they were originally one entity, so this isn't considered deception.

Well, it's not considered deception!

In Yue Yiyue's memory, it was the same action as that aunt.

Just like when he was a child, Yue Yiyue rushed into Ye Qiu's arms like a little cannonball, smelling that familiar scent in the woman's embrace.

Looking up at the woman's face, Yue Yiyue suddenly realized that it was Ye Qiu and Gu Nanqiu.

Very similar.

They look remarkably alike.

Then I remembered that Gu Nanqiu had a cousin...

"I am an ordinary novelist who occasionally wanders through the gaps in time to gather material. As an outlier, I am ostracized, but this kind of life is quite nice."

"Our story is more complicated than you can imagine, but I *hope* you can live a healthy and happy life."

"Why didn't you come looking for me later?" Ye Qiu smiled gently, brushing aside Yue Yiyue's stray hairs: "Because of some things, I was trapped somewhere and only came back in a hurry a while ago."

Ye Qiu patiently answered Yue Yiyue's questions one after another.

"But my journey continues. I still have a lot to take care of. Only after I've taken care of everything can I come to see you."

The snow had stopped, the temperature had warmed, and the endless darkness had been replaced by light.

It's time to say goodbye.

Yue Yiyue remembered his boss's instructions, took off his heavy clothes, and put them on the clean ground to the side.

Then he took off his heavy boots.

Just as he was about to step barefoot on the ground, Ye Qiu handed him a pair of sneakers.

"I really wish I could walk with you forever, but I can't be so selfish."

Ye Qiu watched with some regret as the points of light surged toward them, her gaze tenderly fixed on Yue Yiyue.

Remember, no matter the past, present, or future, I will always be by your side—

————

When Yue Yiyue woke up, he felt a heavy weight in his chest.

It felt like being pressed down by something very, very heavy.

And everything was pitch black.

Is it still night?

Yue Yiyue felt something brush against her shoulder; it was a little damp.

It had a strange, fishy smell.

Like a giant mollusk from the deep sea, it was clinging to her body, its mouthparts exploring her nectar.

Such an outrageous idea made Yue Yiyue burst out laughing.

She soon felt a lightness in her body.

Oh, it's a conscious sleep paralysis.

Yue Yiyue peacefully closed his eyes again, letting himself fall back into darkness.

But I could faintly hear crying near my ears.

That sounds rather mournful.

Yue Yiyue is too tired.

She no longer cared about these things.

My tense nerves completely relaxed the moment I felt the familiar bed.

"Nanqiu, I'm so tired, keep your voice down." In a daze, Yue Yi squeezed out these words, using the last bit of strength to roll into that unusually soft embrace and give it a quick kiss.

Okay, quiet down.

Yue Yiyue can finally sleep peacefully.

————

After a dreamless night, when Yue Yiyue woke up, he was first subjected to a beauty bombardment from Gu Nanqiu.

Gu Nanqiu looks exceptionally beautiful today.

Her complexion was rosy, and her lips, which were usually pale, were also very red today.

She lay there, every single strand of her hair seemingly glowing.

She looks like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale.

But Yue Yiyue was not the emperor who awakened Sleeping Beauty.

She turned and walked toward the bathroom.

For some reason, Yue Yiyue always felt that she was sticky, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it; he just found it strange.

Standing in front of the mirror, Yue Yiyue looked at the rings of red marks that had appeared on his body.

It's like being bound by something, or being encircled by something.

Yue Yiyue poked the marks on his body, but felt no pain.

Some parts felt hot and spicy, as if they had been forcefully sucked by something.

But looking over, there was nothing unusual about those places.

Thinking about it was useless, so Yue Yiyue went into the shower room.

Yue Yiyue turned on the hot water and quickly took a shower.

I still have class today, so I'll go buy breakfast later and then wake up Gu Nanqiu.

Also, I want to ask if Gu Nanqiu has encountered anything strange.

After quickly planning what he needed to do, Yue Yiyue heard a knock on the door.

"Yiyue, what are you doing up so early? Can you lie down with me a little longer?" Gu Nanqiu's voice came through the glass door. It seemed that the fog inside was too heavy, and Yue Yiyue felt that the voice was damp.

She felt a strange excitement upon hearing this.

This feeling was completely foreign to Yue Yiyue.

"I have class soon, just a minute, I'll be right out."

Autumn had arrived, and the seven-day holiday was fast approaching. Yue Yiyue wanted to resolve everything before then so he could have a good time with Gu Nanqiu.

"Huh?"

"Yiyue, you've been missing for several days now. It's already National Day. I've asked the college for leave for you. I'll go with you to check in after the holiday."

The sound of Gu Nanqiu yawning came from outside, followed by the sound of slippers being mopped on the floor...

Without even looking, Yue Yiyue could imagine what Gu Nanqiu looked like now.

She quickly rinsed off the foam, dried herself, put on her clothes, and returned to her bedroom.

Gu Nanqiu lay on the bed, hugging her doll, looking pitifully at Yue Yiyue: "Come here and let me hug you, I missed you so much."

Damn it, she ruined her plans.

That's not how it works!

Gu Nanqiu, who had just noticed Yue Yiyue's disappearance and was about to rush over, was stopped by Ye Qiu, who appeared out of nowhere.

“She needs to go there to regain some of her memories, otherwise she will never remember us. Gu Ye, please try to persuade her as soon as possible so that we can return to being one. It will be better for Yue Yiyue, at least there won’t be any more lies.”

"Yi Yue once said that a relationship built on lies cannot last long. Even we only have three chances to lie to her."

“Once we activate the last two, we can return to our original form. But can you be sure that the time Gu Ye spent with Yue Yiyue, and the time you spent with Yue Yiyue, will really make the monster in the original form fall in love with Yue Yiyue again?”

"They need someone to host over there, it's your turn now. After all, if you go there when Yue Yiyue is there, she'll inevitably notice something."

Gu Nanqiu's fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, and finally she turned and walked towards that place she loathed.

Back in the present, Gu Nanqiu snuggled into Yue Yiyue's arms, nuzzled against his chest, and slowly counted the beats of his heart, choosing a spot she liked. Being surrounded by Yue Yiyue's scent felt so good; she really didn't want to go back to those dirty places.

But that's work!

It's her job!

If she doesn't go, the main god will think she's slacking off and will then find an excuse to cause trouble for Yue Yiyue.

This feeling of having a weakness made Gu Nanqiu feel incredibly happy.

But she was also afraid, afraid of the day Yue Yiyue would find out the truth.

But they won't separate.

"Were you worried during the few days I was gone?" Yue Yiyue asked Gu Nanqiu carefully, stroking her smooth, black hair.

"Don't worry, I've met my cousin, and she said she can bring you back."

This is their testimony.

Gu Nanqiu snorted coldly, which gave Ye Qiu an opportunity to make his presence known.

But his little leaps when he was a child were really cute.

Of course, she's still cute now!

Gu Nanqiu, a fanatical supporter of Yue Yiyue, looked up at Yue Yiyue's charming jawline and thought to himself.