Chapter 109, Episode 109: She seems to have overlooked a character.
Time and emotions, seemingly independent, are actually intertwined and bound together by invisible threads once they affect a person. People often say that time can heal all wounds—it can erase the most vivid details in memory, weaken the deepest loss in emotions, and even extinguish those uncontrollable thoughts.
But only those who have truly experienced it understand that some things do not disappear; they are simply buried by time, becoming silent and forbearing.
At first, Shen Mi thought that Jing Yuan was avoiding her because of what happened that night, and was using a business trip as an excuse to avoid facing the facts, thus calmly and dignifiedly widening the distance between them.
She harbored no resentment. After all, the harm was of her own making, so it was reasonable for Jingyuan to choose to avoid it, and she could understand.
Even in her interactions with Danheng, she clearly sensed this. Anything related to Jingyuan, even the slightest hint, would stir a subtle ripple of unease in Danheng's heart, even if he didn't say anything.
Shen Mi could only bury all of this deep in his heart, pretending to be calm and omniscient in front of Dan Heng, and never mention anything related to Jing Yuan again.
At the same time... she no longer had the courage to go to Jing Yuan. After all, their final conversation that night, no matter how you looked at it, made it seem as if she had already made a real choice.
Jingyuan remained gentle; even with such an ending, he was still willing to leave her with final dignity and tenderness.
This tenderness, however, became the heaviest stone in Chen Mi's heart, making her increasingly ashamed to face him. Every time she opened the chat window, her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she couldn't send a single word she wanted to say, as it was all eventually deleted by the delete key.
Without thinking, Shen Mi realized that perhaps this way, he wouldn't get hurt again.
With preparations for the celebration imminent, she had no choice but to bury all her energy into her work.
Shen Mi sighed heavily, the sound of papers turning was masked by her sigh. Qing Cu, who was opposite her, was attracted by her voice and looked up curiously, asking, "Shen Mi, what's wrong? I've been hearing you sigh a lot lately."
Shen Mi rested his chin on his hand and said weakly, "I'm just worried."
Qingcu blinked and asked, "Hmm? Worried? Worried about what? Hasn't the plan for the celebration already been finalized?"
"Sorrow for other things."
"Don't worry, let me show you the general's latest photos." Qingcu opened the promotional photos that had just been sent to her phone and handed them to Chen Mi.
Shen Mi took the phone, her fingertips slightly cool, the screen's light reflecting on her face. In the photo, Jing Yuan was dressed in a neat uniform, his expression calm and quiet, a faint smile on his lips, but he looked much thinner than when he left half a month ago.
Her heart skipped a beat, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up slightly, tinged with bitterness. Her fingers gently traced the screen, as if trying to grasp that clear yet distant figure.
Qingcu was completely unaware of the relationship between her and Jingyuan, and only thought that she sighed every day because she missed the general.
Seeing her staring intently at the photo, he immediately leaned over and said in a light and encouraging tone, "Cheer up! Although the general's return date is uncertain this time, if we work hard and make the celebration a success, it will be a way of relieving the general's burden."
"Okay." Shen Mi nodded, handed the phone back to Qing Cu, and said softly, "Can you send me the photos later?"
"Sure. I was going to post it on the official website anyway." Qingcu tapped the screen twice, and the photo was successfully sent.
Shen Mi took the phone, downloaded the photos, and looked up to ask, "Qing Cu, I think the photos show the Jade Palace Immortal Ship. Is the General going to participate in some kind of event?"
Qingcu shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness and worry: "You could say that, but not entirely. Anyway, we're all on the same side, so there's no need to hide anything from you. Actually, the general went to visit General Rong Tao, but as for the specific purpose of the visit, I'm not entirely sure. However, I overheard a little bit of what they were saying—"
At this point, Qingcu lowered her voice, turned slightly toward Chen Mi, and cautiously glanced around, as if afraid that someone might be overheard.
"What?" Shen Mi asked in a low voice.
Qingcu leaned close to her ear, her voice so low it was almost like the wind: "The Jade Palace Immortal Ship intercepted intelligence from the Antimatter Legion, saying that the Great Lord of Annihilation approved their operation. I guess the General's trip this time, ostensibly to attend an event, is actually to provide support."
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Mi felt a chill run down her spine. The images from her nightmare coiled around her like venomous snakes, the horrific scenes constantly flashing through her mind, impossible to dispel.
Countless dangerous possibilities flooded her mind instantly, engulfing her reason like a tidal wave, leaving her almost breathless. Her fingers unconsciously gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if it were the only support she could hold onto.
She dared not think further, her mind racing with uncontrollable speculation: what if this was the crucial turning point in fate the system spoke of? She was in Luofu, while Jing Yuan was in Yuque; she was utterly powerless to intervene. Worse still, she didn't even know what the antimatter legion's plan was, so how could she possibly stop it?
The tension in her chest made it almost impossible for her to breathe. Shen Mi forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling hands. She knew that panicking would be useless. She had to stay calm, she had to figure out the situation first, even if it was just to get a sliver of information.
"Chen Mi? Chen Mi?" Qing Cu noticed her sudden change in expression and quickly leaned over, his voice filled with tension and worry.
Shen Mi snapped out of her daze and realized she had lost her composure. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were vacant for a moment, as if she had been swayed by a giant wave. She forced a smile, but it sounded dry and strained: "I'm fine... I was just a little too nervous."
Qingcu comforted him, "Don't worry too much. The general has been through countless battles and has encountered all kinds of dangers. Besides, General Rong Tao is by your side!"
Shen Mi bit her lip, her fingers tightening and loosening, but her heart still felt like it was weighed down by a heavy stone. She knew Qing Cu was trying to comfort her, but no matter how many comforting words she heard, what she had to face was different from what Qing Cu thought. It wasn't just the crisis brought by the antimatter legion, but also an unpredictable turning point in fate, which concerned the entire Luofu Immortal Ship.
Seeing Shen Mi's face turn paler by the minute, Qing Cu couldn't help but frown, her tone filled with worry: "Why don't you go and rest for a bit? Don't push yourself. Don't worry about others. What if the general is alright, but you fall ill first?"
Shen Mi froze, her throat felt like it was blocked, and she couldn't utter a single word. In that instant, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning. It seemed to come out of nowhere, yet it struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her hands and feet numb.
She was startled by the thought, her heart pounding, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes. It took her a while to calm down before she said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine... I'm really fine."
She had a vague feeling that she had grasped a turning point in her destiny, but she dared not act rashly. If this intuition was not the right choice, wouldn't it be a false alarm, and she might even miss the real turning point, resulting in more harm than good?
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Author's Note: Lal ...
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