Chapter 78

Chapter 78

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The person in front of her reacted strongly upon seeing her, and it seemed...

They knew each other?

Ye Chengxing took another careful look at the other person.

She still couldn't recall any specific memories, but she felt a faint sense of familiarity. If they knew each other, their relationship must have been good. It certainly wasn’t bad, judging from the surprise and joy in her tone.

—Since this person knew her, perhaps they would also know what had happened between her and Li Jia.

So when the woman asked if she wanted to sit somewhere else, Ye Chengxing didn't refuse.

It was chilly outside, but once inside the villa, the cold was replaced by warmth.

Another woman opened the door for them, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears upon seeing Ye Chengxing.

Ye Chengxing looked at her and thought that they must know each other. After all, someone wouldn't tear up upon meeting you if they didn't have some history.

As Ye Chengxing hesitated about whether to mention her lost memories, the pink-haired woman who had brought her here spoke first.

"Boss, I have to tell you, Xi Yue has really made something of herself. She's now the Chief Gourmet." Fu Tao grinned as she nudged Xi Yue.

Xi Yue’s sad expression shattered under Fu Tao’s nudge, and she couldn’t help but call out Fu Tao’s name.

But thanks to Fu Tao’s words, the atmosphere lightened, and the two began exchanging updates on their lives.

"Xi Ran went to school today. She advanced another grade this year, and her grades are excellent."

"Chao Yi and Zhiyu are in other star systems and can't come back right away, but they're on their way back after receiving the news."

"The Gourmet Shop is doing well, or rather, it has always been doing well~"

As they spoke, Ye Chengxing vaguely recalled these names.

They had a lot to say to her, and as Ye Chengxing listened, a smile formed on her lips. She couldn’t help but say, "You’re all doing well. That’s great."

Xi Yue paused at the sound of her voice. "Sis, how have you been over the past few years? Are you okay?"

"And now that we’ve grown up, Boss, if you need anything, please let us know," Fu Tao added.

After saying this, Fu Tao glanced at Ye Chengxing and hesitated before speaking again. "By the way, Boss, does Li Jia know you’re back?"

Hearing the familiar yet foreign name, Ye Chengxing answered the questions one by one.

"I’ve been fine. Since coming back... I haven’t seen her yet."

After answering, Ye Chengxing paused for a moment before asking, "How is she?"

The expressions of the two women across from her became complicated.

Their lips opened and closed, but neither Fu Tao nor Xi Yue seemed to know how to describe it.

How could they describe it?

She was alive, living better than anyone. But it was as if she were dead, like an empty shell programmed only to live.

It was as if everything had disappeared along with Ye Chengxing.

They still remembered that snowy night five years ago.

When they and Wen Qingqi finally found the place, Ye Chengxing was nowhere to be seen. The Omega stood motionless in the snow, wearing a wedding dress and holding white roses. No one knew how long she had been standing there.

There was blood splattered on the wedding dress, which everyone initially assumed was Ye Chengxing’s. But later, they discovered that it was only Li Jia’s blood.

The amount of blood should have been fatal, but Li Jia seemed to have been healed, without any wounds or aftereffects.

After that, they never saw Ye Chengxing again. They all thought that it might be for the best, considering how crazy Li Jia had acted, locking Ye Chengxing up. It was terrifying to think about.

Despite understanding this, they all cried bitterly. In contrast, Li Jia remained the calmest about the situation.

They didn’t know the specifics, only that Ye Chengxing had left because of Li Jia. There had been plenty of sharp exchanges of words.

But the Omega wouldn’t even spare them a glance, let alone linger.

The only time her gaze lingered was when she saw photos of them with Ye Chengxing.

That was when Li Jia realized that these people had taken pictures with Ye Chengxing.

Those bright, beautiful photos.

Except for her, the one who had spent almost every day and night with Ye Chengxing, she didn’t have a single photo together with her.

—The one who had been with Ye Chengxing almost every day and night didn’t have a single photo together.

After Ye Chengxing left, Li Jia couldn’t bring herself to return to their home. She rarely entered, instead leaving robots to ensure it remained spotless.

She lived elsewhere alone, but she always prepared things in pairs.

Two toothbrushes, two sets of pajamas...

On lonely nights, she lay in bed, unable to smell the faint, soft, familiar scent in her breath.

Li Jia thought she wouldn't cry anymore; her tears had dried up along with her heart.

Yet one morning, as she was eating breakfast for two as usual, she suddenly broke down in tears when taking the last bite, almost collapsing to the ground and unable to get up. She accidentally dropped a fruit knife, which cut her skin. It was then that she realized no one would ever ask if she was hurt again.

Never again.

If Ye Chengxing were here, even for such a minor cut, she would tend to it carefully and meticulously.

Li Jia could almost picture Chengxing's furrowed brows and gentle movements.

The blood from the wound gradually coagulated. She seldom took the initiative to treat her wounds; she endured the pain, just as she had never cared about her own life. But there was always someone else who took care of her injuries with great caution.

So she got up and treated the wound, just like Ye Chengxing had done countless times before.

Two months later, Li Jia returned to that food street. She remembered that Chengxing had written something at a stall, and now it was about time.

She thought there might not be anything written for her, but she couldn't resist asking anyway.

To her surprise, the stall owner seemed delighted upon seeing her.

"You came just in time," the stall owner said, somewhat embarrassed. The owner had originally planned to throw away those papers, considering themselves just an ordinary vendor. Although they promised to deliver these items to the right person, delivering them to a celebrity seemed unlikely.

But now that Li Jia was here, it made things easier.

Thus, the stall owner's smile grew wider. "Here they are. All of these are written for you."

Li Jia held those few sheets of paper.

They were thin, and she knew that Ye Chengxing had spent a long time writing. She assumed Chengxing must have written to many people.

But she never expected that all of these were written for her alone.

Every word, every sentence, was meant for her.

Li Jia stood there, her fingers trembling. The papers in her hand felt like flames, burning her to ashes. Those words and sentences instantly rebuilt her, causing an unbearable pain in her chest.

Days later, heavy snow fell once more.

She had learned how to build snowmen, but in the end, she still created one beautiful snowman and another that was so ugly it barely resembled one.

After finishing, she built another beautiful snowman and decorated them both step by step according to her memories.

Then she waited quietly for a moment before taking out her camera and posing as if taking a group photo, capturing herself and the two beautiful snowmen behind her in the frame.

If there were someone beside her, it would be a perfect group photo.

For a moment, Li Jia almost saw a woman smiling charmingly next to her in the photo, but with a blink, reality returned.

Reality was that the photo only showed her and the two snowmen, with an oddly empty space beside her.

She longed to see her again, even in a dream, but she found it hard to sleep, tossing and turning every night with Chengxing's image in her mind.

To fall asleep, she started taking sedatives, hoping to dream of her, forgetting that such medication wouldn't induce dreams.

But she still saw Ye Chengxing in her drowsy state.

At that moment, Li Jia thought perhaps the world had finally shown her some kindness.

She lay on their bed in their old home, and the figure she yearned for sat by her side. She gently touched her face, sighing softly with a tender and resigned voice: "Have you been living poorly?"

Li Jia reached out to embrace her waist, pulling her to lie beside her, then holding her tightly.

She didn't say a word, burying her face in Chengxing's neck.

The woman stroked her hair, allowing her to hold on. "Take better care of yourself. You're breaking my heart."

Listening to her voice, Li Jia hugged her even tighter, her voice muffled with tears. "…Sister, I miss you so much."

The person in her arms didn't respond.

The entire dream began to crumble with those words.

Li Jia opened her eyes again to find herself staring at the white ceiling of a hospital room.

The electronic voice in her head carried indiscernible emotions, sounding angry yet sad. "Li Jia, did you want to die?"

If 001 hadn't woken up from its chaotic state and called emergency services, it might have been too late.

Hearing 001's voice, Li Jia chuckled softly after a moment. Her first thought was that she hadn't dreamed after all—what she saw, then, was it a life flashing before her eyes?

This confusing thought comforted her, and her response to 001 was soft. "Not anymore."

She wouldn't do this again. Ye Chengxing had used her wish contract on her, and she couldn't continue like this.

She would live, achieving fame and success, excelling academically and attending the best institutions.

She would live well, better than anyone else.

It wasn't painful, at least she felt deeply that Ye Chengxing truly loved her.

She wasn't suffering; thinking about their past made her feel incredibly blessed.

Whether one lives in the past or the present doesn't matter. Ye Chengxing was part of her past, so she would be forever frozen in that moment, the instant when Chengxing loved her the most, willing to die for her.

She still loved watching romance movies.

She enjoyed preparing a sweet milk tea and a less sweet tea while watching, as if they were still together. She really wasn't suffering.

She took good care of herself, getting a belly button piercing. The dangling star was bright, and new roses adorned her hip bones, petals winding upward as if in homage, or perhaps trying to kiss the star, gathering all its light within the petals.

Winter passed into spring and then summer, and before she knew it, her nineteenth birthday arrived, bringing with it the automatic birthday gift from the robot and a handwritten letter from Ye Chengxing.

In the letter, Chengxing congratulated her on turning another year older, her handwriting as elegant as ever.

The tone was familiarly gentle, filled with casual, everyday words and many blessings for her.

Li Jia read through each word and stroke slowly, almost lingering over every character, before returning home with the letter and gift. She locked them away in the room where all their memories were stored, including the letter she had obtained from the stall last time. It was as if she were hiding precious treasures, locking them away in a separate room with utmost care.

Later, after her exams, she received another timed letter from Ye Chengxing.

In those moments of stillness, Li Jia would struggle to distinguish reality from illusion, feeling as though Chengxing was still by her side.

Seasons came and went, time stretching endlessly, but she found that she could endure, holding onto these memories and the illusions she wove. It wasn't painful, never had been. As one New Year followed another, she would always release electronic fireworks by the riverbank to celebrate.

When asked what she was releasing, Li Jia would answer cheerfully that they were fireworks, celebrating the arrival of the new year with her beloved.

Those who witnessed this began to remember and even started sharing the tradition online.

Thus, over the next two or three years, more and more people began to celebrate in this way on New Year's Day.

The crowds by the river grew, and there were more couples than ever, but she remained alone.

Watching the couples holding hands, Li Jia felt no envy.

The sky was ablaze with brilliant fireworks.

The person she loved was separated from her by an entire world.

She could never reach her world, but she would love her until the end of her days in this one.

*Author's Note:*

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It's alright, your star has come back to find you.

Thank you to the following angels for your support:

.

Thank you to the angel who left a mine: I'll Beat You If You Dare Abandon This! 1;

Thank you so much for your support, everyone! I will continue to work hard!