Extra Chapter: The Night Before the Engagement Banquet
After returning from that mysterious space, Su Wanqing did not sleep a wink all night.
She sat on the edge of the bed, watching the sky outside the window gradually lighten, those images replaying in her mind.
Lu Zhanting, a thirteen-year-old boy.
He was covered in blood.
And then there's that line—"I've waited for you for fifteen whole years."
She raised her hand and looked at her palm.
Did those hands really save him on that battlefield?
What are you thinking?
Lu Zhanting's deep voice came from behind.
Su Wanqing turned around and found that he had woken up at some point and was lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he looked at her.
“I’m thinking…” she paused, “If I really do go back to that battlefield, then aren’t all the choices I make now predetermined?”
Lu Zhanting remained silent for a moment.
Then he lifted the covers, got up, and pulled her into his arms from behind.
Are you scared?
“It’s not that I’m afraid,” Su Wanqing shook her head, “I just think…it’s absurd.”
"I was reborn, thinking I had the upper hand and could change my fate."
"And then you tell me that everything I did might have already been written into a script."
She laughed self-deprecatingly.
"What kind of marionette is this?"
Lu Zhanting tightened his grip on her arm.
"no."
His voice was very firm.
“I have seen what true ‘destiny’ looks like.”
"It's a road with a visible end; no matter how much you struggle, you'll be dragged toward that fate."
But you are different.
He turned her around so that she faced him.
"Every choice you make is one you make yourself."
Even if those choices eventually lead to a certain 'inevitability,' the process is one you have to walk yourself.
Su Wanqing stared at him blankly.
How did you know?
Lu Zhanting's eyes darkened.
"Because I've tried it."
"I tried to change those 'predestined' things."
He paused, his tone becoming somewhat hoarse.
"But I found that the more I tried to change things, the more I was pushed back to my original path by some force."
"I only understood it later."
"Some things are not unchangeable."
"The opportunity for change has not yet arrived."
Su Wanqing's heart skipped a beat.
"You mean..."
“Yes.” Lu Zhanting nodded. “That opportunity was you.”
"Your appearance has made it possible to change many things that were originally 'destined'."
He raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek.
So don't be afraid.
"You are not a puppet."
"You're the one who can rewrite the script."
Su Wanqing felt a lump in her throat.
She suddenly threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Lu Zhanting".
"Um"
"Thank you."
"Silly girl." Lu Zhanting lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for waiting for me."
Su Wanqing said sullenly.
"Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone."
Lu Zhanting did not speak.
He just held her even tighter.
The two embraced quietly.
Until the sky outside the window was completely bright.
---
Su Wanqing's condition was noticeably better during breakfast.
She ate her porridge while flipping through an invitation on the table.
That was an invitation to Li Juan and Zhao Jianhe's engagement banquet.
The bright red paper was printed with the gilded character "囍" (double happiness), exuding a gaudy kind of festive charm.
"They actually dared to invite me," Su Wanqing sneered.
Lu Zhanting picked up a steamed bun and put it in her bowl.
"Shall we go?"
"Of course I'll go." Su Wanqing took a bite of her steamed bun. "How can I see the show if I don't go?"
She took a small cloth bag out of her pocket and placed it on the table.
"And I've also prepared a big gift."
Lu Zhanting raised an eyebrow.
"What"
Su Wanqing smiled mysteriously.
You'll find out then.
She paused, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, you said yesterday that you can see 'things you shouldn't see'."
"Can you see what will happen tomorrow?"
Lu Zhanting put down his chopsticks and looked at her intently.
"able."
"But I won't say."
Su Wanqing was stunned for a moment.
"Why"
“Because…” Lu Zhanting’s lips curled into a slight smile, “I want to see you do it yourself, and see how you teach that scoundrel a lesson.”
Su Wanqing: "..."
She suddenly realized that this man, when he got cunning, was really quite irritating.
---
afternoon.
Su Wanqing went back to her parents' home.
She wanted to tell her parents about tomorrow's plans in advance.
"What? You're going to Zhao Jianhe's engagement party?"
Upon hearing this, Su's mother's expression changed instantly.
"Qingqing, why are you doing this to yourself?"
"You're still supporting that heartless bastard?"
"Mom, I'm not here to show my support," Su Wanqing smiled. "I'm here to... settle accounts."
Su's father, who was sitting to the side smoking, looked up when he heard this.
"what you up to"
"Father, do you remember why Zhao Jianhe was able to go to the countryside smoothly back then?" Su Wanqing asked.
Su's father thought about it.
"It seems... someone is bailing him out."
“Yes.” Su Wanqing nodded. “The person protecting him is a deputy section chief in the county’s logistics department, surnamed Qian.”
"This Deputy Section Chief Qian is a classmate of Section Chief Li."
"Zhao Jianhe was able to avoid the most difficult places in the countryside and be assigned to our Hongqi Commune because of the help of Deputy Section Chief Qian."
Su's father frowned.
How do you know all this?
Su Wanqing smiled but remained silent.
Of course she knew.
Because in his previous life, Zhao Jianhe relied on this connection to rise through the ranks smoothly.
The deputy section chief, Qian, was later investigated for embezzlement, which implicated a large number of people.
This includes Section Chief Li.
However, that was five years later.
But now...
Su Wanqing took out a brown paper bag from her bosom and placed it on the table.
"Dad, this contains evidence of Deputy Section Chief Qian and Section Chief Li's embezzlement over the years."
"And there's the record of Zhao Jianhe giving them gifts in order to return to the city."
Su's father and mother were both stunned.
"Where...where did you get these things?" Su's mother stammered.
“That’s not important.” Su Wanqing stood up. “What’s important is that at tomorrow’s engagement banquet, I will show everyone what kind of people Zhao Jianhe and the Li family really are.”
She paused, then looked at her parents.
"Father, Mother, don't worry."
"This time, I won't let you suffer because of me again."
Su's father gave her a deep look.
Then, he nodded heavily.
"good."
"Father believes you."
---
night.
Su Wanqing returned to the Lu family.
Lu Zhanting had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her in the yard.
“You’re back,” he said, taking the bag from her hand.
"Yes." Su Wanqing nodded. "Everything is arranged."
"Tomorrow, there's going to be a good show."
Looking at the eager expression on her face, Lu Zhanting suddenly smiled.
"You look like a thug about to get into a fight."
Su Wanqing: "..."
"I call this coming prepared, okay?" she said irritably.
"Alright, alright." Lu Zhanting affectionately ruffled her hair. "My Qingqing is the best."
The two went inside.
During the meal, Su Wanqing suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, what are you going to wear tomorrow?"
"Military uniform." Lu Zhanting answered without hesitation.
Su Wanqing: "...Is it appropriate to wear a military uniform to an engagement party?"
“What’s inappropriate?” Lu Zhanting raised an eyebrow. “I’m a soldier, wearing a military uniform is only natural for me.”
He paused, a hint of possessiveness in his tone.
"And I need to let everyone know."
"You are my wife, Lu Zhanting."
"Anyone who dares to touch you is going against me."
Su Wanqing's heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly realized that tomorrow's engagement party might be even more spectacular than she had imagined.
---
late at night.
Su Wanqing lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did.
Her consciousness involuntarily sank into the space.
Inside the space, it was still that familiar scene.
Spiritual spring, medicinal herb field, warehouse.
Everything was in good order.
But today, she suddenly noticed a detail she had never paid attention to before.
At the deepest part of the space lies the source of the sacred spring.
There is a stone tablet.
On the stone tablet, there are a few lines of blurry writing.
Su Wanqing walked over and examined it carefully.
"Time...Time...Guardian...Guardian"
She frowned.
What does this mean?
Just then, the stone tablet suddenly emitted a faint light.
Immediately afterwards, a new line of text slowly appeared.
"The first regression will begin on the ninety-ninth day after the host awakens."
"Countdown: 72 hours."
Su Wanqing's pupils suddenly contracted.
72 hours
In other words...
Three days later
She abruptly retreated from the space.
She opened her eyes and found Lu Zhanting sitting on the edge of the bed, staring intently at her.
“You saw it?” he asked.
Su Wanqing nodded.
You knew all along.
“Yes.” Lu Zhanting did not deny it. “That’s why I said the time is almost up.”
"Three days later, you will experience your first 'retrospection'."
"And the destination of that time travel..."
He paused.
"That was the battlefield when I was thirteen."
Su Wanqing's breath hitched.
"So, everything is true."
"I really will go back to the past."
"I will meet you at thirteen."
“Yes.” Lu Zhanting took her hand. “But don’t be afraid.”
"I will wait for you to come back."
Su Wanqing looked at him.
Suddenly, she smiled.
"I'm not afraid."
"Since this is something that was destined to happen, then I will do it."
She paused, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
"Moreover, I want to see it with my own eyes."
"What were you like at thirteen?"
Lu Zhanting was taken aback.
Then, he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips.
This kiss was different from the gentle ones we'd had before.
It carries an aggressive, almost predatory quality.
It was as if he wanted to etch her deeply into his soul.
a long time.
Lips separate.
Lu Zhanting pressed his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse.
"Qingqing".
"Um"
"When you come back, remember to take my life with you."
Su Wanqing's eyes instantly reddened.
She nodded vigorously.
"good."
"I will definitely come back with your life intact."
Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear as water.
The two figures embracing each other were bathed in a gentle light.
And somewhere unseen.
The gears of time are slowly turning.
A bond that transcends time and space is about to unfold.
---
The next morning.
Su Wanqing got up early.
She changed into a navy blue modified cheongsam, simple and elegant, yet dignified.
Lu Zhanting put on his faded old military uniform.
Although old, it was ironed perfectly and the epaulets were polished to a shine.
The two of them standing together looked surprisingly well-matched.
"Let's go." Lu Zhanting took her hand. "Let's go meet that scumbag couple."
Su Wanqing curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
"good."
“Let them see.”
What does it mean to "lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot"?
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