Time and Space Interwoven (End)
Ye Youqing lowered her head to look at her, then suddenly bent down, bringing her freshly bathed, tender face close to her, looking with great interest as Ci Ke’s face grew redder.
Ci Ke leaned back, and finally, like escaping, darted into the bedroom.
Leaving Ye Youqing alone, hands behind her back, trying to hold back her laughter. After laughing for a while, she found a hairdryer, leisurely dried her hair, and strolled into the bedroom.
She hadn’t tidied up since coming back, so it was a bit messy inside. Ci Ke had nowhere to sit and was currently sitting cross-legged on the carpet by the bed, holding a wooden photo frame and examining it closely.
The photo frame was somewhat old, inside it, a girl with a student haircut was smiling brightly, standing under a banyan tree with a man and a woman.
Ye Youqing approached her, sat cross-legged beside her, and casually grabbed a throw pillow to place behind their backs for more comfort.
Ye Youqing, being considerate, had preserved her original belongings and arrangements. Except for the girlish dresses in the wardrobe, almost nothing had been changed or damaged, which made Ye Youqing somewhat relieved.
“These are my parents. This photo was probably taken when I was eight or nine years old,” Ye Youqing said.
“And after that…” Ci Ke’s face showed a trace of heartache. Ye Youqing was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Don’t worry, they’re doing well, just living abroad,” Ye Youqing added, fearing Ci Ke might not understand, “just on the other side of the ocean.”
Ci Ke awkwardly touched her nose, “I just saw those pictures with only you in them, so I thought…”
“Because they don’t come back often, so there aren’t many chances to take photos with them.” Ye Youqing looked back at those ‘pictures.’ “Since I can remember, they haven’t been around. I lived with my grandparents. They passed away one after the other when I was in high school, and after that, I was alone.”
“It was at school, when I was sixteen,” Ye Youqing said.
Ci Ke furrowed her brows, put down the photo frame, and looked at Ye Youqing with eyes full of affection.
“Then… why don’t they come back?”
Ye Youqing continued nonchalantly, “They are doing business, very big business. They met abroad, and after returning to China and giving birth to me, they couldn’t take care of me, so they left me here.”
“Actually, I have younger siblings. I’ve never mentioned them before. They were born after my parents’ business had stabilized. To me, they are more of a family.”
“Later, when the elderly passed away, my parents came back once to take me with them, but I didn’t want to go.” Ye Youqing leaned back, resting against the pillow, and held Ci Ke’s hand.
“You’ve hardly met them?” Ci Ke softened her voice, her left hand reaching around Ye Youqing’s shoulder, gently patting her arm.
Ye Youqing shook her head, “You can count the times on one hand. I’m used to living alone, and I was a bit reclusive when I was in school, so I had few friends. So…”
Ye Youqing pointed to the photo wall beside them, “Actually, when I was young, I hated them. I hated that they gave birth to me but didn’t care for me. I hated that even when my grandparents were sick, they couldn’t come back in time.”
“But as I grew up, I stopped hating them.” Ye Youqing smiled.
The two of them leaned closer and closer, finally snuggling together, with Ci Ke continuously holding her.
Ci Ke felt heartache, realizing that after being together for so long, this was the first time she could truly share Ye Youqing’s past burdens.
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“Can we still go back? What about your parents?” Ci Ke asked with some confusion in her eyes, “If we could go back, would you…”
Ye Youqing paused. When she came back, her mind was full of thoughts about Ci Ke, and she hadn’t considered whether she would hesitate.
After a while, Ye Youqing spoke, “Actually, I was much happier there than here. I found a lover, family, and friends who were once unattainable, and I had a sense of security I never imagined.”
“But here…” Ye Youqing lowered her head and smiled, “No matter how many times I switch souls with her, they wouldn’t know, would they?”
Moreover, if she didn’t want to leave, Ci Ke might stay with her. That was the home Ci Ke had finally found again; Ye Youqing couldn’t bear to let her face such a choice.
Ci Ke didn’t know what to say, so she just kept gently patting Ye Youqing, like soothing a child.
Ye Youqing’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“You said you were reclusive, but I don’t think you are,” Ci Ke said, noticing Ye Youqing’s expression wasn’t quite right and decided to change the subject.
“It got a lot better later, especially when I was over there,” Ye Youqing said. Suddenly, Ci Ke leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, making a loud smacking sound.
Ye Youqing smiled, “Didn’t you say it wasn’t your body, so no kissing?”
Ci Ke ignored her.
At this moment, the phone outside suddenly rang. Ye Youqing stopped Ci Ke from getting up, slipped on her slippers, walked out, and brought the phone back. She put it on speaker and held it near Ci Ke’s mouth.
A voice came through from the phone, causing Ci Ke to jump back in fright. Ye Youqing quickly pulled her back, signaling that it was okay.
“Keke, don’t forget your interview at 3 PM this afternoon. Where are you right now?” The person on the other end, likely her agent, had a very loud voice.
Ye Youqing pointed to her own mouth, mouthing the words. Ci Ke swallowed and forced herself to calm down. “I… I’m not feeling well. Let’s cancel today.”
“Huh? You were fine yesterday. What’s wrong? Should I come and check on you?”
“No, no, it’s not necessary. I just have a bit of a fever. I’m at a friend’s house now, and she’s taking care of me. No need to worry,” Ci Ke said, following Ye Youqing’s whispered prompts.
The person on the other end offered a few words of comfort before hanging up. Only then did Ci Ke relax, clutching her chest and letting out a breath. “That thing wouldn’t stop ringing earlier, it really scared me.”
“Don’t be afraid, it’s for communication. No matter how far apart we are, we can chat,” Ye Youqing explained while using Ci Ke’s face to unlock the phone. The screen was still on the chat interface with Ji Han. After swiping up to close it, Ye Youqing suddenly noticed that a novel app was still open in the background.
Ye Youqing paused for a moment and opened the app, which displayed an ending. Among the lines, there were familiar names.
“Isn’t that my name…” Ci Ke, peering over Ye Youqing’s shoulder, was very surprised.
Memories from yesterday flooded back, and Ye Youqing recalled, “I met the owner of your current body yesterday and mentioned the drama she starred in…”
It seems that the actress must have remembered this matter out of boredom and dug out the original novel to read. She must have read it all night and reached the end.
Back when she was filming, she probably only focused on the script and hadn’t read the original novel, Ye Youqing thought, then put down the phone.
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Ci Ke didn’t understand what she was talking about and took the phone to fiddle with it.
Meanwhile, Ye Youqing fell into deep thought. She began to recall memories from five years ago. Before she fainted, she also seemed to have stayed up all night, forcing herself to finish reading the novel titled 《Pampered》.
It couldn’t be such a coincidence. She returned, and Ci Ke followed her back. It must be that a special person triggered some special condition, allowing for such a time-space crossover.
If the special condition refers to this novel, then the original owner must have read it too, which is why they could swap bodies again.
Thinking of this, Ye Youqing’s heart suddenly started pounding. She remembered the pile of messy books she saw by the floor-to-ceiling window when she woke up yesterday. The next second, she jumped up and ran over in a few steps.
The books and magazines were still piled on the carpet. Ye Youqing immediately spotted the conspicuously colored 《Pampered》, tossed face-down in the corner. The book was quite old, its pages yellowing—a clear sign that it was the same one she had read five years ago.
Judging by the bent, unflattenable corner of the cover, this book must have been buried under something and only recently pulled out.
Seeing Ye Youqing staring blankly at a book, Ci Ke walked over, squatted down, and gently asked, “What did you discover?”
Ye Youqing turned her head, the corners of her lips slightly curved.
“I might know how we can go back,” she said.
A few hours later, avoiding the scorching midday sun, Ye Youqing dragged Ci Ke out of the house and hailed a taxi to the riverside. Here, tall buildings stood across the way, towering under the clear autumn sunlight. Behind them was a bustling pedestrian street, where many people were taking photos and enjoying the lively atmosphere.
Ci Ke was both frightened and curious, gripping Ye Youqing’s hand tightly and looking around. Even the horn of a cleaning truck could make her jump.
“Poor Miss Ci, we missed the interview because of us. But I’ve already spoken with Ji Han. After we leave, I’ll introduce some resources to her as compensation,” Ye Youqing said, not caring if Ci Ke understood or not, speaking to herself.
“Put on your mask properly.” Seeing several people glancing at her face, Ye Youqing helplessly helped her tighten the mask. “Be careful not to be recognized.”
Even so, passersby still frequently turned their heads. It was simply because the two of them walking together were too eye-catching. Ci Ke was still wearing that yellow dress, her soft, silky curls blown back by the autumn wind, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate eyes, looking both sexy and sweet. Beside her, Ye Youqing had changed into black skinny jeans and Martin boots, with a cotton camisole underneath and a light yellow shirt over it, fluttering in the wind.
Ye Youqing’s smooth black hair, tousled by the wind, made her appear even more cool and aloof. Ci Ke, displeased, leaned closer to her, blocking the gazes of passing men.
The two walked hand in hand along the bustling riverside, with Ye Youqing introducing each novel thing they encountered. Time flew by, and as night fell, various buildings lit up. Multicolored lights scattered across the city like a sprinkling of stars.
They had reached a bend in the river, where the view was most expansive. The river flowed from the stars into the stars, with the buildings across constantly changing their glowing hues, resplendent and magnificent.
People began to noisily swarm forward, pushing the two of them to the riverside railing. Ye Youqing reached out to hold the somewhat panicked Ci Ke, protecting her by her side. “Don’t be afraid, there’s a light show here tonight. It’s very impressive.”
“Is it like the fireworks you set off for me?” Ci Ke asked in her ear.
“It’s even more beautiful than fireworks. It’s a pity, if we could stay a bit longer, I could make this light show just for you.”
“I know you’re amazing,” Ci Ke shot her a look.
Ye Youqing smiled with crescent eyes, resting her chin on Ci Ke’s shoulder, hugging her waist tightly from behind to block the river breeze. She kissed her through the mask, and Ci Ke turned her head to reciprocate. They went back and forth like this a few times until several girls nearby frequently glanced their way. Only then did Ci Ke turn her blushing face away.
Those girls looked like university students, blushing and whispering. Finally, one of the bolder ones scooted over and asked, “Miss, is she your girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Ye Youqing answered openly with a smile, causing a wave of suppressed squeals from the girls.
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Ci Ke, not quite understanding, also smiled shyly and secretly tugged at Ye Youqing.
At this moment, countless beams of light suddenly burst from the top of the tallest tower, shooting straight into the river. Then, music started playing, accompanied by the shouts of the entire riverside crowd. In an instant, the night sky was lit up with a dazzling array of colors.
Ci Ke nestled in front of Ye Youqing, feeling no fear at all, only overwhelming joy and excitement. She looked up at the night sky, which, though starless, was brighter than the stars, and reveled in the boundless radiance.
If the intersection of time and space is a mistake, then for the first time, she felt that a mistake could be so beautiful.
Ci Ke smiled brightly. She suddenly spread her arms, trying to reach the distant, multicolored beams of light above her head.
Ci Ke once thought she would forever drift in an endless ocean, but then she appeared. In the moment she approached her, the world found its shore.
Just as she thought there had never been such brilliant lights.
The lights pierced the night sky, scattered like river stars, illuminating the faces of all beings, and finally disappeared in the distance.
Like love, burning and eternal.