Time and Space Interwoven (2)
“Hey!” The person beside her suddenly shook her a few times, only then did Ye Youqing seem to wake up from a big dream, and turned her head to look at the woman next to her.
The woman was wearing a gray trench coat and jeans, shoulder-length curly hair, with light eye makeup, looking very capable.
The woman’s name was Ji Han, she was once her assistant, and had been working with her since graduating from university. Over time, she could be considered one of the few people close to Ye Youqing.
However, no matter how close they were before, she had never spoken to Ye Youqing in this manner, usually being quite polite. Now, she seemed like a completely different person, starting to angrily clean up the glass shards on the ground.
While cleaning up, she scolded: “I told you not to stay up all night with them, but you just wouldn’t listen. If I hadn’t come early in the morning to check on you because you weren’t replying to messages, no one would have known if your body had gone cold.”
“How are you, still feeling dizzy? Luckily, I took a day off today. How about I accompany you to the hospital?” Ji Han swiftly mopped up the water on the floor, put the mop away, and looked worriedly at the still-silent Ye Youqing.
Ye Youqing had already experienced this once, so she could easily judge that this was not a dream. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant: Why did she suddenly come back like this? Where is Ci Ke? Judging by Ji Han’s appearance, this is definitely not the year she left. So, who has been living in this world all these years?
Ye Youqing suddenly threw off the quilt, ran barefoot to the dressing table, and bent down. The mirror reflected a woman’s face, with black, shoulder-length straight hair, no makeup, and a slightly flushed face, probably due to drinking the previous day. She was wearing a floral nightgown with bright colors, which made Ye Youqing’s fingers tremble.
“Where is my phone?” Ye Youqing turned and asked Ji Han. Ji Han was looking at her suspiciously and pulled a phone with a Hello Kitty case from a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed, handing it to Ye Youqing.
The phone was not password-protected. After opening it, the glaring time display confirmed her thoughts: it was already five years later.
Ji Han, standing to the side, watched Ye Youqing’s brows knit tighter and tighter, and cautiously spoke: “Could it be that you’re having a relapse? Do you still remember who you are?”
Ye Youqing tore off the eye-catching pink phone case and tossed it aside, forcing herself to calm down. She looked up and asked, “What relapse?”
“The illness from five years ago. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. You fainted outside the company building, and when you woke up, you first started rambling about going home, then claimed to have amnesia. The brain scans showed no issues, and Uncle and Aunt even brought in a psychiatrist for you.”
“Maybe,” Ye Youqing said. “My head hurts a bit. Help me recall.”
Ji Han looked Ye Youqing up and down: “Then… although the amnesia wasn’t cured, your brain was still functioning normally. It’s just that at first, you were a bit strange, speaking and acting like an ancient person.”
“You haven’t really forgotten again, have you?” Ji Han, in high heels, took a few steps forward and pulled out her phone to make a call, but Ye Youqing reached out and pressed it down.
“I haven’t forgotten, just have a bit of a headache,” Ye Youqing said softly, then sat down weakly.
She had always thought that her soul had entered the body of the original owner. Only now did she realize that it was actually a soul exchange. So if she had come back, then the one currently beside Ci Ke would be…
Ye Youqing clenched the phone in her hand tightly, then forcefully slapped it onto the bed, startling Ji Han.
Ji Han cautiously looked at Ye Youqing, feeling that at this moment, Ye Youqing was very similar to the past. Although the non-amnesiac Ye Youqing had a gentle temperament and rarely got angry, she was always cold and indifferent, not fond of interacting with people outside of work. This made people not fear her, but also not dare to get too close to her.
Moreover, Ji Han, because of work, often interacted with her, but she never really noticed that Ye Youqing had any friends. She always kept to herself, and her parents were rarely around.
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“Did you, remember something?” Ji Han tentatively asked.
Ye Youqing nodded and then shook her head, finally saying, “More or less.”
Fortunately, the original owner was quite clever, claiming to have amnesia. Otherwise, she might have woken up in a psychiatric hospital. Ye Youqing sighed.
Ci Ke was still waiting for her. Ye Youqing’s head really started to hurt. She reached out and placed her hand on Ji Han’s, and softly said, “Could you pour me a glass of water, please? Thank you.”
Ji Han was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded with an “oh,” and soon brought back a glass of clear water, watching Ye Youqing drink it all in one go.
“My mind is a bit messy right now; I can’t remember what happened yesterday,” Ye Youqing asked, holding the water glass.
Seeing that she really didn’t look well, Ji Han sat down with her: “Yesterday, you went drinking with some people. You sent me a message saying you got home at 2 a.m., and then you slept until now, 2 p.m., lying in bed with a pale face, and no matter how I called you, you wouldn’t wake up.”
“Was there only drinking? Nothing special happened?” Ye Youqing asked, holding her hand.
Ji Han looked troubled: “I don’t know about anything else. I asked the people you were drinking with; it was just a regular gathering. It ended at 1 a.m., and you took a cab home alone.”
“Uncle and Aunt are both busy and entrusted me to take care of you. If something really happens to you, how would I explain it to them? Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Ji Han confirmed once again.
Ye Youqing shook her head. She was now feeling down, her thoughts somewhat drifting: “They are still abroad and haven’t come back?”
“They returned for half a month the year you got sick. They wanted to take you away, but you were scared when you saw them and were unwilling to go.” Ji Han sighed, “But it’s good that you can remember. After your amnesia, it was like you became a different person, nothing was the same, even your personality became more youthful. I always thought you were like in those TV dramas, that you had time-traveled, but I didn’t dare to say much.”
Ye Youqing sneered at the first half of the sentence, then stood up: “Maybe that’s exactly what happened.”
Ji Han’s eyes widened, and she stood there stunned.
Ye Youqing did not explain further. She quickly scanned the surroundings. On the carpet beneath the floor-to-ceiling windows, there were some scattered books, and on the small sofa beside it, underwear was thrown, warmed by the sunlight, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Since she could cross time and space twice, there must be a trace to follow, a common factor that could trigger it, only she hadn’t discovered it yet. Ye Youqing, enduring the headache, desperately tried to recall what she had done five years ago, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn’t find anything unusual.
“Ji Han, was that project from five years ago ever completed?” Ye Youqing asked, holding her temples.
“It was completed, and it even aired on a satellite channel.” Ji Han stammered, “But after you got sick, your parents replaced the person managing the company.”
As Ji Han spoke, she took out her phone, tapped a few times, and handed it to Ye Youqing. The person in the video was saying something until the screen paused on a girl in white clothes. Ye Youqing’s heart trembled, and she quickly paused the video.
“Who is she?” Ye Youqing asked urgently.
Ji Han glanced at the screen, somewhat puzzled: “She’s an actress. She got popular for a while because of this role, but later she didn’t get much work. Her name seems to be Ci something…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Ye Youqing had already rushed out of the room.
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One hour later.
Ye Youqing casually found a light blue shirt, put on a trench coat with a suit collar, and wore boots. Her long, straight legs were crossed as she sat in the clean and bright first floor of the company, with a cup of steaming water on the coffee table in front of her.
Many people passing by her secretly turned their heads to look at her. Some who recognized her would come up and greet her. Ye Youqing nodded unconsciously, anxiously waiting for the person she was meeting.
After an unknown amount of time, the glass door automatically opened, and a woman in a pink dress walked in. The woman was wearing a mask, her wavy long hair dyed flaxen, gently lifted by the wind. She had a curvy figure, with bare legs, and wore a pair of white high heels.
Ye Youqing’s eyelashes fluttered as her gaze moved to those shoes. She then stood up, watching the woman approach and remove her mask.
Her eyebrows were meticulously drawn, her eyelashes curled and thick, slightly upturned eyes, and her lipstick was a gentle bean paste color. Her face was strikingly beautiful. She nodded slightly to Ye Youqing and Ji Han, and softly said, “President Ye, Sister Ji.”
“I am no longer President Ye.” Ye Youqing’s throat was somewhat dry, and she then gestured to the sofa opposite, “Please sit.”
Watching the woman in front of her sit down somewhat nervously, Ye Youqing’s previously intense heartbeat gradually calmed down, and she looked at Ji Han.
Ji Han understood and smiled, “Long time no see. Don’t be nervous. We just wanted to have a casual chat today. How have you been these past two years?”
Someone brought over hot water, and the woman shyly thanked them, then said, “I haven’t had many roles these past two years, just some small parts.”
The woman looked at Ye Youqing, blushed a little, and lowered her head to take a sip of water, “I don’t know why President Ye wanted to see me.”
“For some personal reasons. Mainly, I saw a role you played before and wanted to meet you. Sorry for the disturbance.” Realizing that it was impolite to stare at the other person without blinking, Ye Youqing lowered her head and smiled, “I still don’t know your name.”
“My surname is Ci. You can just call me Ci Ke.” The woman’s face was still a bit red. “That drama was a long time ago. I can’t believe you still saw it. I heard about President Ye five years ago, but I didn’t expect you to be so young and good-looking in person.”
Surname Ci… Ye Youqing’s heart had already sunk to the bottom, but she still politely smiled and chatted a few scattered sentences. The woman then had something to attend to and needed to leave.
Ye Youqing stood up to see her off. The woman’s high heels, after sitting for a while, were slightly askew, causing her to stagger forward a few steps. A sweet perfume scent flooded Ye Youqing’s nostrils.
It’s really not her. Ye Youqing closed her eyes, feeling a moment of dizziness.
The wind was exceptionally strong that day. Although the weather was still relatively mild, it felt as if a monster with a gaping, bloody mouth was blowing down to the human world. The wind howled fiercely, constantly sweeping the still-green leaves to the ground and slamming them against the paper-covered windows.
“Why is it you?” A surprised cry came from inside the house. The woman pushed Ci Ke away, looking at her in shock, her back against the bedpost as she glanced around.
Nearby, Shi Li hurriedly steadied Ci Ke, frowning at the woman who had just awakened, “Xiaoqing! What’s wrong with you?”
“You are…” The woman stared at Shi Li for a while before speaking in a puzzled manner, “Master Shi Li?”
Shi Li was completely baffled by her reaction. She looked down at Ci Ke, her face full of confusion.
“Where is this?” The woman said as she bypassed them and ran to the door, looking frightened. When she saw the unfamiliar courtyard outside the door, she turned around again, “What is this place?”
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Shi Li stepped forward to pull her back, but Ci Ke blocked her with an arm.
Ci Ke stared fixedly at the familiar yet strangely different face of Ye Youqing before her, her eyes gradually reddening, “Jiangning Prefecture.”
“Why am I in Jiangning Prefecture?” The woman stomped her foot in frustration. Ci Ke, with reddened eyes, stepped forward, only to be pushed away in disgust by her.
“Why am I with you? Where is the capital? Qin…”
“He died a long time ago,” Ci Ke suddenly said. She lowered her hands and looked at the woman, the immense grief and turmoil in her eyes from just a moment ago settling into an unfathomable depth.
The woman stood stunned, her back hitting the door frame.
“What year is it now?” The woman asked in terror.
Ci Ke let out a long breath, closed her eyes, and replied, “The 121st year of Da Qi.”
LP: NOOOO!!! I WANT FLUFF NOT ANGST!!!
