The night was as dark as ink, and the soft lights in the car illuminated the delicate tears on Shangguan Qing's cheeks.

Her voice was choked with a barely perceptible sob, "I had a dream. In the dream, you were walking in a vast white fog, getting farther and farther away from me. No matter how I called you, you couldn't hear me.

After waking up, I felt empty inside. I was so scared that one day I would really lose you and be left alone in this world."

As she spoke, she leaned gently into Cheng Ji's chest, hugging him with her arms, as if this could alleviate the uneasiness she felt.

Cheng Ji's heart was deeply touched. He hugged Shangguan Qing tightly and gently stroked the top of her head with his chin.

Her eyes were full of love and determination. "That was just a dream. If one day I leave first, I will reluctantly agree that you can find another man who treats you well."

Hearing this, Shangguan Qing suddenly broke free from Cheng Ji's arms, his cheeks slightly flushed with anger and grievance.

She opened her eyes wide, with crystals glittering in her eye sockets, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

The air in the car seemed to freeze in an instant, leaving only her rapid breathing and the occasional sound of traffic outside.

She turned around, her back facing Cheng Ji, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms, as if trying to calm the turmoil in her heart.

"What's wrong? Did I...say something wrong?"

Seeing this, Cheng Ji's heart tightened, and he quickly reached out to pull her into his arms again, but she shook him away with such force that there was a bit of fear and reluctance hidden in her force that she herself was not aware of.

"You actually asked me to find another man?"

He didn't think about living a good life himself, but he took her into consideration very carefully.

The car fell into an awkward silence for a moment, with only the complex emotions of the two people flowing slowly in the air.

"It's not like I haven't thought about this situation." Cheng Ji said matter-of-factly, "From the moment I decided to be with you, I was prepared for all the bad consequences. After all, I have a lonely star in my body and have seen too many deaths."

Either he leaves first and leaves Shangguan Qing alive, or Shangguan Qing leaves before him like his previous family members and lives alone.

But he didn't want to leave Shangguan Qing alone, even if he was not by his side.

Cheng Ji also hopes that she can live happily.

"I have something else to tell you." Cheng Ji spoke slowly.

Shangguan Qing glanced sideways, "What's the matter?"

Cheng Ji lifted up his shirt, revealing his chest. Shangguan Qing's pupils shrank in shock.

He pointed to the faint pattern next to the butterfly tattoo on his chest and said, "I found it while taking a shower this morning. There's only a tiny bit of pattern. I don't know if it's the red spider lily you're looking for."

Shangguan Qing's gaze instantly froze on the delicate skin on Cheng Ji's chest.

There, the petal pattern of a red spider lily is looming, as if carrying the secret of fate and reincarnation for thousands of years.

Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened and tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time, they were tears of excitement and hope.

She gently stretched out her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and slowly approached the pattern.

"Yes, that's what I'm looking for..."

Her voice was low and full of emotion, and every word seemed to come from the deepest part of her heart.

Her fingers finally touched the petals. The touch was cold and real, as if she could feel the faint sorrow and endless waiting flowing between the petals.

A fortune teller had said before that the red spider lily would appear along with her memory.

Is she recovering her memory?

The night was still dark, and the light from inside the car shone softly on the two of them, adding a touch of warmth to this quiet space.

Shangguan Qing turned his head slightly, his eyes fell gently on Cheng Ji's face, and his voice was full of curiosity, "Then... did you hear anything I said in my sleep at night?"

Hearing this, Cheng Ji's lips curled up gently, his eyes full of pampering and tenderness.

He raised his hand gently, and his fingertips gently slid across Shangguan Qing's hair, as if to soothe her inner turmoil.

"It was fine these past two days. He said a few words and then stopped. His voice was so soft that I couldn't hear it clearly."

His voice is low and magnetic.

Shangguan Qing's thoughts were like the surface of a lake gently stirred by the breeze, creating layers of delicate ripples.

She closed her eyes, trying to capture the fragments of her dream, but all she got was a blank.

An unprecedented light flashed in Shangguan Qing's eyes. She slowly opened her eyes, and the silence around her seemed to be broken by some mysterious power at this moment.

Her thoughts crossed the barriers of time and space, and those vague and distant images were pieced together in her mind like fragments.

"Could it be that all my memories of my life appear in dreams?" Shangguan Qing said to himself.

Cheng Ji tilted his head slightly, "What's wrong?"

Shangguan Qing smiled gently, and that smile was like the warmest sunshine in spring, instantly dispelling the remaining gloom in the car.

She opened her red lips slightly, her voice soft but firm, "It's okay, I just suddenly feel like everything has a new direction."

As she spoke, she took the initiative to extend her hand, and Cheng Ji held it tightly.

......

night.

Cheng Ji drove Shangguan Qing to a century-old restaurant in Beijing for dinner.

The lights in the store are dim and warm, and each light seems to carry a story from the past.

The store manager, an old man with a kind face, slowly walked out from the inner hall, and his eyes became unusually bright the moment they met Shangguan Qing.

He walked steadily with an incredible smile on his face, as if he had met a long-lost relative.

"Ms. Shangguan, you...you're back?" The voice was full of surprise and trembling.

Shangguan Qing was slightly shocked when he heard this, but he remained calm and shook his head politely.

There was a hint of apology and alienation in her smile, "You may have made a mistake. I am not the Miss Shangguan you mentioned."

Her eyes were clear, but she intentionally or unintentionally avoided the old store manager's eyes full of memories, for fear that she would accidentally reveal the ripples in her heart.

The old store manager was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and apologized repeatedly.

But the tenderness and nostalgia in those eyes linger for a long time, frozen in this warm night like an old photo.

There was a hint of self-mockery and relief in the old store manager's words.

He shook his head gently, and his eyes looked particularly gentle under the dim light, as if they could penetrate the dust of time and see the shadows of the past.

"Yes, it has been decades. Time is unforgiving, especially to my old bones."