Chapter 121 is both a first meeting and a reunion.

November 1, 2019, evening.

Beijing Capital International Airport, China.

Anru Feng picked up her luggage and left the airport. She couldn't help but look up at the moonless night sky, which was very empty.

A world without parents.

This is my only chance to travel to a parallel universe. From now on, I'll be staying in this world where my parents won't respond for a long time.

Anru Feng took a taxi home.

The door opened, and the huge house was empty and very quiet.

It was quite late. Brother Li was at his own home, and Aunt Qian, who always goes to bed early, was already asleep. The house was quiet.

Anru was quite tired from the plane ride, so she prepared a bath for herself.

When Anru Feng took off her watch, she was surprised to find a light green willow branch tattooed on her wrist.

But she has no memory of this tattoo at all?

Did a stranger accompany her to get a tattoo?

That can only be the reason.

Anru Feng touched the tattoo.

Willow branches? New life? She looked at them silently for a while and understood their meaning.

Anru Feng got into the bathtub, and as she lifted her leg, she was surprised to see a tattoo on her left ankle.

An Rufeng was puzzled. Was she really that unafraid of pain? How could she get two tattoos?

Anru Feng still has no memory of this tattoo.

It was probably the same person who accompanied her.

She had no memory of getting a tattoo, and it seemed that both times she went alone with that person, without her old friends accompanying her.

It seems she really likes her new friend.

An Rufeng examined the tattoo on her ankle closely. It was a string of German characters that she didn't recognize, but the shapes of the words seemed strangely familiar.

Unable to understand it, Anru Feng put it aside and planned to use her phone to translate it later.

After taking a shower, An Rufeng wasn't very sleepy. She went to the living room, grabbed some snacks and wine, and turned on the TV.

She didn't turn on the TV or watch it; it was just that the TV seemed lively when it was on.

A thought suddenly popped into her head, and she instinctively picked up her phone to call her parents. But the moment she picked up the phone, she realized that no one would answer.

An Rufeng took a sip of wine, leaned back on the sofa, looked at the silent light, and closed her eyes.

It's too quiet.

It was as if the entire universe had fallen silent.

the next day.

Aunt Qian got up and saw Anru sleeping on the coffee table with her head buried in her hands. She saw the wine bottle and knew that Anru was drunk again.

Aunt Qian expertly prepared a hangover soup and woke An Rufeng up.

Anru Feng felt a familiar headache, so she simply finished the hangover soup and went to the bedroom for a nap.

When she woke up again, it was already noon. After lunch, An Rufeng went to the blue snowflakes basking in the sun by the window and touched its leaves.

"Auntie, the leaves of the blue plumbago are getting a little soft. Should we water it?"

Aunt Qian, who was clearing the dishes, came over, reached out and touched the leaves, and nodded: "It's time to water them. I'll water them later."

An Rufeng laughed and said, "I'll water it. I'm quite good at taking care of blue plumbago now."

She learned it from her father.

"Alright then." Aunt Qian knew that An Rufeng wouldn't talk about things she wasn't sure about, so she entrusted the matter to her and went about her own business.

Blue plumbago that has been moved indoors for winter does not need frequent watering. Water it thoroughly only after 2-3 weeks when the leaves soften.

Thorough watering, as the name suggests, means watering until the soil in the entire flowerpot is completely moistened, until excess water flows out from the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.

Anru Feng took the watering tools and slowly watered the plant, using a thin stream of water to slowly and repeatedly water around the base of the plant.

After watering once, wait several tens of seconds to allow the water to slowly seep in before watering a second time.

Anjou stopped watering the flowerpot after repeating this process several times until a continuous flow of water came out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot, and the water volume was still relatively large.

After watering it, Anru Feng looked at the blue plumbago for a while and gently touched its soft leaves with her fingers.

From now on, I will take care of you in place of your father.

After tidying up the blue snowflakes, Anru went to her parents' study.

An Rufeng walked to the desk, where an open notebook lay quietly, now covered in a layer of dust.

This is An's father's notebook. Since An's parents passed away unexpectedly, nothing in the study has been moved and has remained exactly as it was, as if An's parents had simply gone on a long trip.

An Rufeng looked at the notes for a while, then slowly picked up the notebook that hadn't been touched for almost two years, blew off the dust, carefully wiped it clean, and put it in the bookshelf.

She carefully cleaned the dust off the painting that her mother had only half-finished, framed it, and put it away.

An Rufeng carefully put away all of her parents' belongings before calling Aunt Qian to help her clean and tidy up the study.

Aunt Qian was quite surprised that An Rufeng wanted to clean An's parents' study, since she had always refused to tidy up the room and wouldn't let her touch anything there.

Seeing this, An Rufeng said, "I won't be going to the parallel universe for a long time. From now on, just pretend that my parents have entered a secret organization and we won't see each other for a long time. Auntie, you can continue to clean the study as usual."

Aunt Qian was stunned when she heard this. Although it seemed that she still hadn't accepted the fact, at least she was going to move on with her life.

Aunt Qian smiled and replied, "I will clean it every day from now on to keep it in good working order."

Actually, it's not bad to have something to look forward to.

After tidying up the room, An Rufeng organized her father's research materials from the parallel universe and put them in the study.

When An Rufeng opened her suitcase and took out the research materials from the parallel universe she had just finished, she saw a thick photo album at the back of the materials.

Above are travel photos of her and her parents, and Anru couldn't help but look at them.

As An Rufeng turned the pages, she was shocked to discover that, starting from a certain page, all the photos were of her and a strange man!

Even more shocking is that she got married!

The following photos are all proposal photos, wedding photos, wedding photos, and paintings of the wedding scene by friends.

It took Anru Feng a while to process the news.

Looking at her parents standing beside her, smiling at the camera in their wedding photo, An Rufeng looked for her suitcase.

Sure enough, they found a card with a Korean address written on it.

KwJiYong, this person should be the one in the wedding photo, her husband, her forgotten... lover?

Without looking at the photo, An Rufeng had already forgotten what he looked like, so she took another look at the wedding photo.

The man in the photo has delicate features, with eyes that curve into two cute crescent moons. He smiles with a small parenthesis, looking clean, pure, cute, and handsome, with a youthful spirit.

Anru Feng flipped through the other photos and saw some wedding photos. To her surprise, when he stopped smiling, lowered his eyelids slightly, and looked calmly at the camera with his light brown pupils, his eyes were very aggressive and penetrating, like a lazy lion surveying its territory.

This is a man who seems to have many contrasts: dangerous yet sweet, like a lion and a cat at the same time.

She is someone who makes you want to know more about her.

An Rufeng looked at her wedding photos with him. They were quite beautiful, but seeing their intimate interactions, she felt a strange, uneasy feeling.

She didn't look at it much and closed the photo album.

After closing the photo album, An Rufeng forgot what he looked like again, only remembering the general content of the photos.

Even if a photo is taken from a parallel universe and brought back to someone you don't know in the real world, unless you've already established three bonds, Anru Feng won't remember what the person looks like even if she sees the photo; she'll only remember what the photo roughly looks like.

For example, regarding the photos with Kwon Ji-yong, she couldn't remember what Kwon Ji-yong looked like, but she knew they were of a proposal, wedding dress, wedding photos, poses, and whether they were taken in a room or at the beach, etc.

However, if she meets this person again in the real world and remembers their appearance, she can match them up when she looks at the photo. At this point, she can say that she already knows the person, so whether she sees the photo or has seen the photo before, she will have their appearance in her mind.

Of course, she still wouldn't remember what happened between the two in the parallel universe; she would only remember the interactions between them in the real world.

Anru Feng carefully put away the card with the address written on it.

She doesn't plan to go see him for the time being.

She doesn't want to develop a new, deeper relationship right now.

Although the other party might directly refuse to develop a relationship with her when she goes to him.

But just finding him and explaining the whole story to him is a very laborious task.

She doesn't have the energy to do it right now.

An Rufeng packed her things, took a nap, and then went out to see a psychologist.

When Anru Feng returned from the vet visit, she bought some treats for the cat.

"Ruyi." An Rufeng held a cat treat and beckoned to the elegant, beautiful, and aloof black cat on the cat tree.

Ruyi glanced lazily at Anrufeng and then at Maotiao before slowly descending the steps.

After Ruyi finished eating the cat treat, she nudged Anrufeng's hand with her head, wanting her to hug her.

Anrufeng held it and stroked its fur, but after about half a minute, Ruyi became unhappy, jumped out of Anrufeng's arms, and went up to the cat tree.

Anru Feng didn't seem to care much. She sat on the sofa, propped her head up, and watched it wag its tail.

Ruyi isn't very close to people, and like Anrufeng, she doesn't like to have physical contact with them.

It and Anjou Wind often share the same space, but maintain a certain distance.

What Anru Feng often does is sit on the sofa and watch her slowly and meticulously groom her hair.

In the evening, Ran Lu arrived at An Rufeng's house.

Ran Lu had just gotten off work and rushed over.

Anru Feng asked her to sit down and poured her a glass of water.

As she handed him the water glass, Anru Feng's wristwatch slipped down, revealing a light green willow twig tattoo on her wrist.

Ran Lu's eyes flickered when she saw the tattoo on An Rufeng's wrist.

The light green willow twig tattoo perfectly covered the scar, making it almost invisible.

Is she starting over?

Ran Lu drank some water, then smiled and said, "Ru Feng, let's go, I'll go with you to the doctor."

Anru Feng sat down: "I've already gone to see a psychologist."

Ran Lu's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't been very keen on going to a psychologist before.

Ran Lu's face immediately lit up with surprise. Was Ru Feng really going to move forward in life?

She knew Ru Feng wouldn't go to the parallel universe again, and she thought Ru Feng would be depressed, but she was surprised to find that Ru Feng was positive and optimistic.

Ran Lu smiled: "That's good. I have a gathering in a few days, it's about culture, would you like to come? There's an up-and-coming painter who focuses on traditional painting and innovation, you might be interested, would you like to get to know him?"

An Rufeng shook her head. She wanted to sort herself out slowly and didn't want to deal with new relationships.

She looked at Ranlu, who was dressed in a smart and professional business outfit: "You've changed a lot."

In her memory, Ran Lu's life was mostly about her lively and cheerful past.

Time seemed to have stood still for almost two years. An Rufeng said softly, "I realized I haven't really looked at you properly in a long time. I'd better take a good look at my old friends first."

Upon hearing this, Ran Lu felt a lump in her throat. Time, which had been frozen in her mind, finally began to flow again, albeit slowly. That was good enough. She replied in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

It was almost lunchtime, so Ranlu stayed at Anrufeng's house for dinner.

After finishing her meal, Ranlu fed Ruyi cat food.

Ruyi eats very regularly, three meals a day. She is not very affectionate, but she will let the person feeding her pet her more when she is eating.

Ranlu really liked Ruyi; whenever she came to the house, she liked to touch Ruyi.

Ruyi is a black cat, so it's easy to miss. Anrufeng likes to watch it from a distance. It likes to stay on the cat tree, so Anrufeng can spot it easily.

But Ranlu likes to interact with it. Whenever she comes, Ruyi tries to avoid her. Ranlu is either looking for it or on her way to look for it.

Many times, not only can I not touch Ruyi, but I can't even see her. Black cats are too hard to find when they hide.

After Ruyi finished eating her cat food, Ranlu tried to touch her again, but after a couple of touches, she wouldn't let her touch her anymore and ran away.

Ran Lu was still not satisfied and went to look for it. After searching around for a while without finding it, she muttered, "It's too hard to find. I almost got all sweaty. It won't let me touch it, but it won't even let me look at it."

Anru Feng smiled and said, "You can see it even if you don't touch it."

"I can't resist petting it," Ranlu couldn't help but say.

When they meet, it will greet her warmly, let her touch it, nudge her hand with its head, rub against her legs with its body, fall on her feet, jump on her, scratch her legs, let her hug it, and let her scratch its itch.

However, none of these will last more than half a minute, after which you should keep your distance from her.

How can I resist petting it for only a short time when it's so cute?

But if you touch it again, it will run away and only come back after a while, staying in the same space as her, watching her from a distance that is neither too close nor too far, and slowly blinking at her.

A cat-like wink, huh? It's like saying "I like you, I mean you no harm" in cat language.

Wow, how could she not want to hold it all the time!

Ran Lu glanced at An Rufeng and couldn't help but say, "Ruyi is indeed your cat, just like you."

“Where does it resemble?” An Rufeng asked in confusion.

“They’re alike in every way, in personality and habits, especially their dislike of physical contact,” Ran Lu said.

"How is it similar?" Anru Feng thought.

But she didn't refute Ran Lu; she was currently harboring resentment and only needed the cat's comfort.

Anru Feng gradually met some friends and found that they had all changed to varying degrees. Although not much, it was very obvious to Anru Feng. It was probably because she had been in the past and often came into contact with them.

An Rufeng used to be very outgoing and loved to have fun. She often organized parties and met many friends. Inevitably, some people would compare her now with her past self, and their expressions and words would sometimes inadvertently reveal their hope that she would return to her former self as soon as possible.

Anru Feng knew that they wanted her to get out of the shadows and get better as soon as possible.

But with her parents gone, she still feels sad and heartbroken whenever she thinks of her.

This doesn't mean that you'll stop being sad just by "getting through" a period of time.

Moreover, this grief stems from the precious love between loved ones that cannot be severed by time; it is the continuation of love, the weight of memory, and the eternal dialogue between the living and the deceased.

It doesn't need to be forcibly dispelled or concealed.

As long as she takes good care of herself and lives a good life, that's enough for her.

Bearing both sorrow and life at the same time is like carrying the weight of love in one's heart as one continues to move forward. Anru Feng thinks this is a good thing.

Furthermore, for the better? In what circumstances would it be considered for the better?

Is it better to be the same as before?

She feels that she is in a good state now.

The expressions and atmosphere that friends unintentionally reveal are all unintentional and stem from concern and worry.

They did not do it intentionally; it was out of love, whether intentional or unintentional.

But they suffer because of her suffering, and are part of her suffering as well.

Whenever she meets with friends, this concern and worry will be there, whether it's tangible or intangible. She's currently feeling some pressure, so Anru Feng plans to go on a trip to relax and meet with friends occasionally.

She plans to travel to neighboring countries, but she needs to see a psychologist once a month, so traveling too far is not good.

Like China, Japan has many friends, and she will definitely have many friends to meet up with then.

She has no friends in South Korea.

Seeing that Jeju Island offers visa-free entry and a 30-day stay with the option to leave at any time, Anru Feng decided to travel to Jeju Island.

Seoul at night.

A few days after Kwon Ji-yong was discharged from the military, his friends gathered together to throw him a discharge party.

The party atmosphere was lively, but Kwon Ji-yong was like a silent reef in the eye of the storm, deeply entrenched in the sofa.

He wore a baseball cap pulled low, covering his sparse hair. The black brim of the cap cast a shadow on Kwon Ji-yong's face, revealing only his well-defined chin.

He lowered his head slightly, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the rhythm on his knees in time with the music in the background.

The few slender silver chains casually draped over his wrists occasionally flashed a faint light as he moved his hands.

"Giyong, today is your discharge party, you're the star, why are you all alone in the corner?" A voice interrupted Kwon Jiyong, who was enjoying the music alone in the corner.

He nudged Kwon Ji-yong's arm, gesturing for him to look in the distance. "There's a pretty girl over there, your type. Don't you know her? Say she's your fan."

With a world-weary face, Kwon Ji-yong's two most famous ex-girlfriends were of this type, which fits his aesthetic preferences.

"Is that so?" Kwon Ji-yong glanced around casually, matching his gaze, then looked at his friend, gave a slight smile, clinked glasses with him, and remained noncommittal.

He doesn't have the energy to deal with new relationships right now.

Today's gathering was attended by a lot of unrelated people. If it weren't for the awkwardness of not showing respect, he wouldn't have wanted to come. He'd rather just have a veterans' party with close friends.

Seeing that he was not in much interest, his friend didn't say much and just drank with him.

Halfway through the party, the girl that my friend had mentioned earlier came over to greet Kwon Ji-yong, chatted for a few minutes, and politely asked if she could take a photo with him.

Kwon Ji-yong did not refuse.

When the girl moved closer to take a picture, Kwon Ji-yong subconsciously moved away, keeping some distance from her. He found it a little strange, as he was someone who didn't mind skinship.

But for some reason, I felt a strange tension in my heart, a feeling that I shouldn't be too similar to others.

Kwon Ji-yong spent some time with his family in Seoul before heading to Jeju Island with a few close old friends to relax, socialize, and meet new people. It's currently a bit of a burden for him.

Once he was discharged from the military, the things that GD needed to deal with came crashing down like a tidal wave, making it hard for him to breathe.

He doesn't want to appear as GD yet; he's not quite ready.

Kwon Ji-yong, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, jeans, a bucket hat, and a mask, walked out of Jeju International Airport with Lee Soo-hyuk and went to the car that was there to pick them up.

He saw a woman standing not far from the car, her back to them. She was wearing a white wool coat, had a tall and slender figure, and long, neat, black hair that fell over her shoulders. She was talking on the phone.

Kwon Ji-yong's gaze lingered on her for a moment without him noticing. Lee Soo-hyuk patted him on the shoulder, and he pulled down his mask, lowered his head, and got into the car.

An Rufeng called the hotel to arrange a car, and she and Brother Li got in the car and arrived at the Marriott Hotel Jeju Shinhwa World Resort.

Although Jeju Shinhwa World Resort is far from the airport and Jeju city, it offers a quiet and private environment, which is why Anju Pung stayed there.

It was nearing dusk.

Anru was traveling by car to Yuetingli Beach.

Yuetingli Beach is about half an hour's drive from Myth World. There are many seaside cafes there, making it a great place to enjoy the sea view and watch the sunset.

Not long after leaving the hotel, Anru Feng saw a uniquely designed, three-dimensional, box-shaped transparent building called "Untitled, 2017".

In the first few days after Anru Feng arrived, she strolled around the resort, familiarized herself with the environment, and visited this building. Its walls were covered with brightly colored floral graffiti, which was quite artistic.

Through the glass, you can see the unique design inside. It looks like a coffee shop, but it seems to be closed now. Otherwise, it would be quite relaxing to sit inside and have a coffee.

At this moment, Anru Feng saw a figure wearing a woolen hat and all-black attire standing quietly outside Untitled, looking inside.

She might also be someone else who, like her, was drawn to this unique building.

The car passed quickly, and An Rufeng withdrew her gaze.

Upon arriving at Yuetingli, Anru Feng went to her familiar coffee shop.

After ordering a coffee, Anru Feng sat on a high chair facing the sea, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the distant waves.

Unlike the past few days, the weather was great this afternoon. The sun was out, and the seawater was a clear turquoise, which was very beautiful.

The shop's cat jumped onto the table and, next to Anru Feng, gazed at the sea in the distance, just like her.

Anru Feng had been here a few times and was already familiar with it. She reached out and gently touched it before looking into the distance.

When the shop manager came to deliver the coffee, he saw that the usually aloof cat in his shop was sitting quietly next to Anru Feng.

Its ears stood straight up, its fluffy tail swayed gently, and it raised its head slightly, intently watching the distant seascape with her.

A person and a cat looking at the sea view is a cute and heartwarming scene.

She placed the coffee in front of An Rufeng and couldn't help but smile. Cats really do like people who don't pay much attention to them, and she was right.

It's the off-season in Jeju Island now, and it's been cloudy these past few days, so there aren't many people in the shop. An Rufeng often comes here for coffee, and the shop manager has become quite familiar with her; the two sometimes chat.

Kwon Ji-yong visited the closed "Untitled, 2017" coffee shop, and then drove around aimlessly by himself.

They drove aimlessly to Woljeong-ri. Seeing that there was no one on the beach, Quan Zhilong parked the car and went for a walk.

Anru chatted casually with the shop manager. After finishing her coffee, seeing that the weather was nice, she left the coffee shop and planned to take a walk on the beach.

Facing the sea breeze, Anru slowly walked to a corner of the beach and saw a person squatting on the ground.

An Rufeng couldn't help but glance at it curiously.

It was a man with delicate features. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms covered in tattoos. At that moment, his well-defined fingers were kneading grains of sand.

He was squatting on the ground building sandcastles!

Anru Feng couldn't help but smile knowingly.

The sandcastles were already quite tall, and he was working on the spire.

Perhaps because there was too much sand and it was too heavy, the entire sandcastle collapsed.

He glanced at it, but didn't get discouraged, and piled it up again.

Unfortunately, this time we failed at the very top again.

He continued to fight against the sand.

It collapsed once again.

He couldn't help but purse his lips, unconsciously pouting, his expression like a child's resentment.

An Rufeng stared at him for a long time, observing his expression and then looking at his hands, which were covered in tattoos on his fingers. She couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So you got so many tattoos to hide your cuteness?"

Kwon Ji-yong, who was about to begin his struggle against the sand again, looked over upon hearing the sound.

He looked up and a figure not far away came straight into his view.

Jeju Island, usually gloomy in autumn, is unusually clear and sunny today. The afterglow of the setting sun slants through the evening glow, casting a thin layer of gold dust on her flowing black hair and fair face.

Her eyes were slightly upturned, and she looked over with a smile.

Kwon Ji-yong seemed to hear a crisp sound as the ice shattered.

An Rufeng paused for a moment, then took a few steps forward and stood in front of him: "Hello, my name is An Rufeng, what's your name?"

Kwon Ji-yong looked up at An Yeo-feng and subconsciously uttered his real name:

"Kwon Ji-ryong".

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Author's Note: Originally, the plan was to end here...