Chapter 100: Welcome Home

Chapter 100: Welcome Home

The downpour intensifies, relentless and fierce.

Tires screech against the wet pavement as Huo Yan, heedless of the deluge, wrenches open the car door and sprints toward Qin Yao and the others.

The icy rain pelts his body, stinging like needles, clouding his vision with a veil of moisture.

Huo Yan's stride halts abruptly, as a wave of unfamiliar yet intimate memories crashes over him like an ocean tide.

Following closely behind, Huo Ze notices his brother's sudden stop and instinctively speaks, "Second Brother, you... wait... why do I feel..."

Huo Yan turns around, eyes bloodshot, staring at Huo Ze in stunned silence.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom freeze mid-step, while Huo Jing murmurs in disbelief, "This... can't be..."

Memories that were supposed to be erased forever resurface, restored to their rightful place.

Not just Qin Yao, but every member of the Huo family recalls.

They remember the four encounters across the four resets, understanding Ye Le Yao's identity and purpose.

Huo Yan feels his heart constrict as if gripped by an invisible, colossal hand, making each breath a struggle.

Raindrops mingle with sweat, trickling into his eyes, yet he moves mechanically toward Qin Yao.

Qin Yao remains kneeling on the ground, frozen in place.

Beside him, Qin Hong Xi and Chu Cheng call out his name repeatedly, but he hears nothing.

It isn't until Huo Yan approaches, through the curtain of rain, that he rasps, "Qin Yao, where is Xiao Yao?"

Qin Yao's eyes are red-rimmed, gazing at Huo Yan in shock.

As the rain gradually lessens, the world before him clears.

Huo Yan sees Qin Yao, eyes bloodshot, whisper, "Yao Yao... he protected me..."

The rest of the words catch in Qin Yao's throat, replaced by a choking sob as he crumples to the ground, overwhelmed by grief.

"He vanished... Yao Yao is gone..."

"But he promised he'd return..." Qin Yao weeps uncontrollably, unsure whether he's consoling himself or the anxious Huo family members who have rushed to their side.

Huo Mom can no longer hold back her tears, which fall freely.

Sobs echo all around them.

Suddenly, Huo Yan lifts his gaze to the sky.

The heavy clouds disperse, the rain diminishing.

A gust of wind sweeps away the remaining clouds.

The rain stops, and the sky clears.

Huo Yan chuckles softly, "In the end, I couldn't stop him..."

Qin Yao remains kneeling, motionless in the same position.

Huo Yan steps forward, yanking Qin Yao to his feet forcefully. "Qin Yao, remember this: Xiao Yao left because of you. He left for your sake. So starting now, you must pull yourself together!"

Qin Yao's eyes burn, tears streaming down his cheeks without his notice.

Huo Yan enunciates each word deliberately, his voice filled with conviction. "Before he left, he made sure we remembered everything. It was to tell us that he will definitely come back. You have to wait for him!"

Qin Yao stares at Huo Yan, transfixed.

After a long moment, another tear rolls down his cheek.

Yes.

Ye Le Yao had endured so much hardship along the way.

He had finally altered today's outcome, giving himself a fresh start.

How could Qin Yao not cherish it?

His Yao Yao had worked so hard.

Now, Yao Yao merely wanted a moment of rest.

He shouldn't be sad; he should be happy for Yao Yao.

Qin Yao nods vigorously, tears falling chaotically with each movement.

He says, "I'll wait for him."

"I will wait for him."

Regardless of whether Ye Le Yao returns, and when, Qin Yao will wait.

He had been waiting for Ye Le Yao since he was five years old, for eighteen long years, until they met, knew each other, and fell in love.

Now, Qin Yao will continue to wait, anticipating Ye Le Yao's return and their reunion.

After all, waiting is what Qin Yao has always excelled at throughout his life.

...

Three days later, the fifth episode of "Let's Travel Together" was about to be recorded. However, before this recording session, the production team suddenly announced that three regular guests might be absent from this episode. Upon seeing this news, netizens were taken aback. "Huh?" "Three of them?" "How many guests do we have in total? And now three are going to be absent?" A small number of netizens found this news hard to accept, but more netizens and viewers began speculating which three guests would be missing from the recording. "I'll take a wild guess: Song Zhehan!" Why? Of course, it was because everyone knew that Teacher Gou Shi was currently in the midst of his "chasing his wife to the crematorium" saga! Netizens who voted for Song Zhehan speculated that perhaps Teacher Gou Shi was skipping the show for love. Seeing this viewpoint, many netizens felt it made sense. So they started analyzing who else might be absent. Another netizen nominated Li Siyuan. Mentioning Li Siyuan, everyone couldn't help but think of Duan Tingyan from the previous episode. So, was Li Siyuan avoiding the show because he was annoyed by Duan Tingyan? That left one more person, and it was clear who it had to be: Liu Yan! Reading this, netizens couldn't help but laugh and shake their heads. "So, just because of such trivial matters, these three are going to skip this episode?" "To say the least, they're all quite thin-skinned, aren't they!" "True, but it doesn't matter. As long as my Melon King is here, my happiness won't be lacking!" The netizens discussed with great enthusiasm, then promptly tuned into the live stream when the fifth episode was being recorded. But upon watching, they were all stunned. "Wait a minute! Song Zhehan didn't drop out of the recording after all?" "Li Siyuan and Liu Yan are also here..." "Then who isn't participating?" Soon, all the regular guests appeared, followed by the guest stars. Seeing this, the netizens suddenly came to their senses. "Ye Leyao!! Where's my Ye Leyao?" "Qin Yao? What happened to my beloved Qin Yao?" "So our little couple isn't here?" "What gives? Not only are my favorite couple gone, but even Huo Yan isn't here?" "The production team has no heart!" "Damn it, you heartless production team, I'm calling the police on you!" The netizens reacted strongly, immediately causing chaos in the comments section. More and more fans were asking questions, and even the regular guests were wondering why the trio hadn't shown up for the program. But the production team remained silent, not only refusing to respond but even avoiding the question. At this point, a passerby asked sincerely: "Could it be that these three are also going to have some sort of scandal?" Seeing such remarks, netizens and fans finally lost their patience. "? What nonsense is this?!" "I really can't help but laugh. Can you please stop saying someone's career is over just because they're absent? You've watched so many episodes of our show; don't you know that we love nothing more than eating melons on the spot? Even if these three did have scandals, they'd have to have them on our show!" This statement received overwhelming support from most netizens. Yes. If there was going to be any scandal, it had to happen on their show! Otherwise, how could you say that the three of them had scandals? After arguing for a while, the netizens still didn't know why the trio had dropped out of the recording, so they turned to the personal Weibo accounts of the three guests for answers. The first to respond was Huo Yan. Huo Yan's Weibo post was simple: @Huo Yan: "Ye Leyao went back to school; he's a college student. As for me, I'm starting to film a new project."

One sentence was to explain for Ye Leyao, the other was to explain for himself.

Upon reading this, netizens instantly heaved a sigh of relief.

"Almost forgot! Ye Leyao did indeed just start her first year at university."

"Studies should be the priority, studies should be the priority."

Fans were very understanding.

But with Ye Leyao attending school and Huo Yan filming, what about Qin Yao?

Why did Qin Yao leave the show?

Another day passed before Qin Yao's agent spoke up on his behalf—

"Due to the passing of a family member, Qin Yao will indefinitely suspend all activities in the near future."

Upon seeing such news, fans and netizens were taken aback.

It was because of this reason; it was understandable indeed.

Thus, fans and netizens left messages in droves, hoping that Qin Yao would recover soon and look forward.

There were many messages online, but Qin Yao didn't read any of them.

On the third day after Ye Leyao left, Qin Yao and Qin Hongxi handled the funerals of Old Master Gu and Gu Rou together.

On the day Old Master Gu fell critically ill, Gu Song, Gu Yu, and Gu Rou had a fierce argument. As a result, the father and son threw Gu Rou directly onto the street.

When they arrived at the hospital, Old Master Gu's vital signs had stabilized. But when he woke up, he waited and waited for Gu Rou, who never came. He then asked about her whereabouts.

Gu Song was originally unwilling to look for her. It wasn't until Old Master Gu got angry that he prepared to call someone to pick up Gu Rou.

But before he could make the call, the driver rushed into the ward in a panic, blurting out, "Something terrible has happened, President Gu. The young miss was in a car accident..."

Lying in bed, Old Master Gu felt his head buzzing. In a rush, his eyes went dark, and he fainted.

This time, he never opened his eyes again.

As for Gu Rou,

After being abandoned at the intersection by her own younger brother and nephew, who she treated like her own son, she suffered a significant blow. She wandered aimlessly on the road for a long time. Unbeknownst to her, she walked into the heavy traffic.

By the time she was sent to the hospital, Gu Rou was already in dire straits.

After a day and night of emergency treatment, she ultimately followed Old Master Gu to the afterlife.

Although in Qin Yao's heart, Gu Rou was no longer his mother.

Still, after losing Ye Leyao and suddenly learning of Gu Rou and Old Master Gu's deaths, Qin Yao felt as if someone had gouged out a piece of his heart.

In just three short days, even Qin Hongxi aged visibly.

When Gu Rou died, Qin Hongxi hadn't divorced her yet, so the Qin family arranged her funeral.

On the day of the funeral, Qin Hongxi asked Qin Yao, "Do you want to see her off?"

Qin Yao thought for a moment and said, "Let's go."

Although there was no longer any affection between them, it was Gu Rou who brought him into this world.

No matter how much resentment there was in life, it would all be wiped clean after her death.

As for the Gu family—

Qin Yao said, "We should deal with it."

Qin Hongxi nodded. "It's about time."

Previously, they had been holding back due to Old Master Gu.

Although Gu Rou was not kind to Qin Yao and disliked Qin Hongxi even more,

Old Master Gu had always been decent to Qin Yao and was reasonable.

Unfortunately, in recent years, Old Master Gu's health had declined, allowing Gu Song to take control of the entire Gu family.

Now that both were gone, Qin Hongxi no longer had any qualms about acting.

For a long time afterward, Qin Yao and Qin Hongxi were swamped with work.

A month later, numerous scandals about Gu Yu were exposed, completely ruining his reputation.

Following closely, Gu Song was exposed for economic crimes, causing the Gu family's stock market to crash and the Gu Group to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy.

Everything seemed to fall into place smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the golden autumn of October.

Today was the final day of the 'Travel Together' program.

As the program's chief director, Qin Yao naturally had to rush to the scene.

After a long absence, the regular guests all came forward to greet him.

The moment Zhou Zijian approached, he frowned and said, "Why do I feel like Little Qin has lost a lot of weight?"

Wen Xiangyue sized up Qin Yao for a long time before nodding. "He has lost weight. Has Little Qin been very busy recently?"

Qin Yao gave a faint smile, "A little, indeed."

The group chatted casually for a bit more when Liu Yan suddenly asked, "Hey, why haven't we seen Ye Leyao around?"

Qin Yao's expression stiffened imperceptibly for a moment before he quickly regained his composure and smiled, "He's been quite busy lately."

"So busy?" Li Siyuan frowned, "Busy to the point where he doesn't have time to meet with us?"

Qin Yao nodded, "Mm-hmm."

Li Siyuan was about to say something else when Song Zhehan suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

Li Siyuan looked at him in confusion.

Song Zhehan said, "Why do you care so much about Ye Leyao? Rather, you've been getting pretty close to Duan Tingyan lately, haven't you?"

Li Siyuan's face instantly flushed red, "No, Song Zhehan, which eye of yours saw me getting close to that damn guy?"

Enraged, Li Siyuan began to curse at Song Zhehan without thinking.

Song Zhehan didn't argue with him at all. He simply nodded after Li Siyuan finished a sentence, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Right, right, right."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm."

Everyone burst out laughing at the sight.

"I never thought I'd see a day when Gou Shi wouldn't snap back at someone," Liu Yan sighed.

Song Zhehan suddenly lifted his gaze.

Liu Yan felt a chill run down her spine as she heard Song Zhehan say, "I think you've been having it too easy lately. How about I help you recall the fourth episode later?"

Liu Yan hastily shook her head, "No need! Song Zhehan, thank you!"

The others laughed heartily once again.

Qin Yao was also laughing.

But the smile on his face remained faint, carrying an indelible tinge of sorrow.

Soon, Qin Yao seemed to sense something and forcibly concealed the emotions in his eyes.

The recording ended exceptionally late that day.

With a hint of chill in the October air, applause broke out on set as the final shot wrapped up.

Looking at the regular guests, tears could be seen on their faces.

Zhou Zijian was drunk, his face flushed red as tears streamed down, "Wah... honestly, I really love our show, but... but I just feel like we're missing a few people."

Wen Xiangyue wiped away his tears while saying, "Alright, alright, how old are you now? Still crying, how embarrassing is that?"

Liu Yan's eyes were also a little red as she smiled and said, "This farewell is only temporary. We'll definitely work together again in the future!"

"That's right," Li Siyuan said, "It's not like we won't see each other again. Why cry? Right?"

He looked at Song Zhehan.

Song Zhehan had his head lowered, typing something.

Li Siyuan, who was also a bit tipsy, leaned over, "What are you doing?"

Song Zhehan pushed him away expressionlessly, "I'm sending a message to Duan Tingyan."

Li Siyuan stood up abruptly, "Song Zhehan!"

"He said he's almost here," Song Zhehan smiled.

Almost as soon as he spoke, Li Siyuan heard the sound of brakes. Duan Tingyan had indeed arrived.

Not only were the guests in a commotion, but the staff members were as well.

Many staff members came over to take photos with Qin Yao, and he agreed with a smile.

After taking a photo with a girl, she returned a short while later with another picture in hand, "Teacher Qin, this photo was taken during the fourth episode. I just found it, so I printed it out to give to you!"

Qin Yao was somewhat puzzled as he reached out to take the photo. His eyes immediately welled up with tears upon seeing it.

This was a scene from the last night of the fourth episode's recording, showing Qin Yao sending Ye Leyao off.

Standing by the pier, Qin Yao had one hand covering Ye Leyao's eyes as he slightly lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The youth was half a head shorter than Qin Yao.

Under the dim lighting, only the slight curve of his lips could be seen.

Qin Yao felt a stinging sensation in his eyes and said after a long while, "Thank you."

The girl waved her hand and smiled, "You're welcome. You two must be happy, okay!"

Qin Yao nodded, "Mm-hmm."

They would be happy.

Even if Ye Leyao's return was uncertain, as long as there was hope in his heart, it was sweet.

Most of the staff had dispersed, and the guests were also packing up to leave.

At this moment, Song Zhehan suddenly approached.

Qin Yao slightly rallied his spirits: "Is there something you need?"

Song Zhehan said, "Let's talk somewhere else."

Qin Yao thought for a moment before nodding.

The two arrived at a secluded spot.

Suddenly, Song Zhehan said, "I've been remembering some things lately."

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Yao's eyes as he looked at him somewhat taken aback: "You..."

Song Zhehan furrowed his brows slightly: "They're not particularly good memories, but I saw Ye Leyao in them, so I wanted to confirm it with you."

Qin Yao understood internally.

He didn't ask Song Zhehan what he remembered; he simply said, "It's true."

Song Zhehan fell silent, and both were quiet.

After a long while, Song Zhehan suddenly smiled: "Then I really have to thank him. So where is he?"

Qin Yao remained silent.

Song Zhehan fixed his gaze on him, and after a long time, he let out a soft sigh: "I see..."

He asked another question: "Will he come back?"

This time, Qin Yao didn't hesitate, even speaking with unusual certainty: "Yes."

Song Zhehan smiled. It was the first time he smiled genuinely and openly, asking, "How can you be so sure?"

Qin Yao replied, "He never lies to me, and I promised him."

Qin Yao would wait for Ye Leyao.

Waiting for his distant love to return to his side once more.

Song Zhehan lowered his head, concealing his emotions. After a long while, he spoke again: "If one day he comes back, remember to inform me. Zhang Qiran insists on personally thanking him."

Qin Yao said, "Alright."

As the day ended, life gradually returned to its calm routine.

October passed in a hurry, and winter arrived as scheduled.

On the last day of December, the year's first heavy snowfall descended.

Qin Yao had moved all the roses from the balcony into the greenhouse early on; now, the balcony was left with only a reclining chair and a small tea table.

By the end of the night, snow had piled up outside. Qin Yao emerged from his house, shovel in hand, slowly clearing the snow. In the shade where the sun couldn't reach, he built a plump little snowman.

Imitating Ye Leyao's mannerisms, he reached out with his frostbitten fingers to poke the snowman's face.

After indenting two dimples, Qin Yao smiled as he filled them back in with snow.

Every morning thereafter, Qin Yao would come out to check on the snowman.

Until winter gave way to spring, and the snowman melted completely into water.

With spring's arrival, the roses returned to their original spot on the balcony.

These roses, well-tended by Qin Yao, had not withered during the winter, just as Qin Yao's life had smoothly progressed to its next phase.

Yet every time he awoke from dreams at midnight, Qin Yao's pillow would be soaked through.

At such moments, Qin Yao would rise, turn on the light, and sit in the study.

This study was the last room Ye Leyao had occupied.

Qin Yao turned on the computer, and soon enough, a Q-version avatar identical to Ye Leyao popped up.

Beside the computer was a transparent picture frame, housing a post-it note left by Ye Leyao, bearing a simple message:

"I'll come back for you, Qin Yao. You have to wait for me.

Signed: Ye Leyao."

Qin Yao watched as the animated avatar opened his document and typed: "Why aren't you sleeping so late?!"

Qin Yao laughed: "I miss you."

The avatar replied: "Still, you should sleep."

Qin Yao said: "Okay."

The avatar asked: "Are you just humoring me?"

Qin Yao shook his head: "No."

The avatar urged: "Then get up now and go to bed. You need regular sleep. I promise I'll return to see you sooner."

Qin Yao's eyes welled up as he stared at the words for a long time before saying: "Okay, I promise you, Leyao."

So you must hurry back.

At the tail end of the first summer after Ye Leyao's departure, Qin Yao paid a visit to the Huo family.

This year, Huo Dad officially stepped down from the Huo Group, as he put it, feeling his age and deeming it time to pass the heavy mantle onto Huo Jing.

But everyone knew that it was Ye Le Yao's sudden departure that had dealt a heavy blow to Huo Dad.

It wasn't just Huo Dad; for a long time, the entire Huo family was somewhat in shambles.

Huo Mom would wake up startled every night.

Huo Ze made repeated mistakes during his matches.

Even Huo Jing, usually the most composed of them all, made two errors on official documents, which were only caught by Assistant Feng, who promptly rectified them.

That was why Qin Yao often visited the Huo residence.

Sometimes he would play chess with Huo Dad, or teach Huo Mom how to make oat milk.

When Huo Mom tasted Qin Yao's oat milk for the first time, she couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Xiao Yao likes your milk! It really is delicious!"

The rest of the Huo family joined in the fun.

So, every time Qin Yao came over after that, he would start by making a few cups of milk.

One day, after they finished their milk, Huo Dad took Qin Yao fishing.

Fishing was an activity that required immense patience.

As the sun set on the horizon, Huo Dad couldn't resist asking a question, "Do you think...how much longer until Xiao Yao returns?"

A fish had taken the bait and was pulling the hook deeper into the water.

Qin Yao watched the line run out for a while before he finally lifted the rod.

"I don't know," Qin Yao heard himself say.

Huo Dad sighed, not pressing further.

Seasons changed, and another summer arrived.

By this time, Qin Yao had completely withdrawn from the public eye, spending his days handling various company affairs.

One day, as Qin Yao was about to leave work, he encountered two familiar faces at the company: Song Zhehan and Zhang Qiran.

Seeing the two, Qin Yao remembered that they had just signed with their company last month.

"It's been a while," Qin Yao greeted them.

They returned the greeting, then Zhang Qiran tugged at Song Zhehan's hand.

Song Zhehan said helplessly, "Would you believe me if I said no?"

Zhang Qiran glared at Song Zhehan.

Qin Yao couldn't help but chuckle, "Indeed not."

Zhang Qiran then asked, "How much longer then?"

Qin Yao remained silent because he didn't know either.

Two years had passed swiftly, yet his little system still hadn't returned.

But for some reason, Qin Yao felt that it was close.

So Qin Yao said, "It shouldn't be long now."

Zhang Qiran instantly brightened, "Good! Remember to notify us the moment he comes back!"

Qin Yao nodded, "Alright."

...

At the Time and Space Bureau.

L2 turned over in front of the massive computer, suddenly remembering something. He looked back at the screen and froze, starting to scream, "Qiu—something terrible!!!"

Qiu, hearing his cry, jumped in fright and rushed over, "What happened?"

Before L2 could answer, Qiu realized what it was, "Could it be that L1..."

"Ran away! He just ran away! That heartless dog of a system!" L2 cursed, "I've been watching him here for months, and when he recovered, he left without a word!"

L2 was hopping mad, causing Qiu's ears to ring.

In the end, Qiu had no choice but to pick up the furious orange cat, stroking its fur to calm it down. Only then did L2 quieten somewhat.

Meanwhile.

After a day of work, Qin Yao finally returned home.

The butler asked if he wanted to eat, but Qin Yao shook his head, about to say he had no appetite, when he suddenly remembered the program avatar Ye Le Yao had left behind.

Qin Yao smiled, "Bring it up for me later."

The butler acknowledged and quickly left.

Qin Yao rubbed his weary temples and pushed open the door to his room.

As soon as he opened it, Qin Yao caught a faint whiff of milk.

Qin Yao paused, then hurried towards the kitchen.

In the half-open small kitchen stood a tall figure, the young man beside a large puddle of milk, rooted to the spot, at a loss.

Qin Yao's body stiffened as he stared in disbelief at the silhouette before him, taking a long moment before whispering, "Yao... Yao Yao."

Ye Yueyao turned around, upon seeing Qin Yao, instantly revealing an aggrieved expression, "President Qin, I slipped... the milk you made for me, I didn't even take a sip..."

In the next moment, Qin Yao strode forward, suddenly pulling the young man into his embrace.

The instant their chests touched, Qin Yao felt the void in his heart, where something had been gouged out, become whole again.

The joy of reunion enveloped him, Qin Yao's voice choked with emotion, his entire body trembling, "It's alright, it doesn't matter, Yao Yao. It's okay if the milk was spilled, I'll make more for you, I'll make it for you every day from now on, alright?"

Ye Yueyao, inhaling the familiar scent of Qin Yao, couldn't resist burying his face in the crook of Qin Yao's neck.

He suddenly realized that as long as Qin Yao could hug him every day, the milk didn't seem so important anymore.

After all, at this very moment, he had already obtained the most precious person.

Ye Yueyao's eyes welled up with tears; that little system, utterly clueless about emotions, now had two streams of hot tears sliding down its corners.

Holding onto Qin Yao, Ye Yueyao said, "President Qin, I'm back."

Qin Yao's tears flowed freely, "Mm."

Ye Yueyao said, "I won't leave again."

Qin Yao: "Mm."

"I like you."

In response to Ye Yueyao, came Qin Yao's urgent and passionate kiss.

The story of cells meeting data finally drew a perfect conclusion here.

The world is bustling with chaos yet brimming with beauty.

Welcome home, Ye Yueyao.

"End of Main Text"

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