---

26. Repetition

“Yinyin? Yinyin!”
The anxious cries of the elderly woman echoed distantly in her ears.

Chen Shuoyin groggily rubbed her eyes, struggling to open them. After much effort, she pried her heavy eyelids apart and made out the figure of Fang Youyou leaning over her.

Fang Youyou grabbed Chen Shuoyin’s forearm, pulling her up like she was lifting a child.

Chen Shuoyin’s head and neck felt as if they were weighed down by a boulder, dragging her in the opposite direction. She let out a weak hum of protest, her voice laden with exhaustion, “Grandma, what are you doing?”

Fang Youyou pinched her earlobe, massaging the acupuncture point to help her wake up. “You told me to wake you at 7:30. I’ve been calling you since then—it’s already 9:00! No matter how much I shouted, you wouldn’t wake up. You scared me to death!”

Chen Shuoyin’s hazy thoughts slowly cleared, like ink dispersing in water. She sat up, scanned her surroundings, and reached out to touch the empty, cold side of the bed beside her. Stunned, she asked, “Where’s Pei Yu?”

Fang Youyou looked at her incredulously, as if she had heard something impossible. “Don’t tell me he was in your bed last night? What are you reaching for?”

“Yeah,” Chen Shuoyin answered decisively.

A sharp knock landed on her forehead. “Nonsense.”

Dizzy from the hit, she barely had time to react before Fang Youyou yanked her out of bed and started nagging, “You always say you can’t stand him, but in your dreams, you’re sleeping with him?”

“That’s not—”

Before she could explain, the urgent buzzing of her phone interrupted her.

She pulled on the jacket Fang Youyou handed her and answered the call.

“Shuoyin, why aren’t you here yet? The editor-in-chief is furious.” Liu Yiran’s voice was anxious and hushed. “I told her you went to buy a replacement for a broken piece of equipment, but I won’t be able to cover for you for long. I have a new one here, so don’t bother buying it.”

The call ended abruptly.

Chen Shuoyin stared blankly at the screen. The date displayed: September 3, 2027.

Three years ago?

She came back???!!!

Chen Shuoyin bit down on her knuckle, overwhelmed by a surge of panic—an electrifying, secret exhilaration no one else could understand.

Her fingertips tingled with excitement.

The sensation lasted only a minute before she lowered her gaze back to the time. When did Pei Yu’s accident happen again?

September 13th—ten days from now.

She hadn’t returned to her original timeline. Instead, she had arrived even earlier.

As a second phone call and a flood of messages pushed her phone to vibrate again, she quickly pulled herself together and hailed a cab to her training site.

The September air, still lingering with traces of summer heat, made her unbutton her knitted cardigan, revealing the fitted T-shirt underneath. A glimpse of her pale, slender waist peeked out, like a piece of jade wrapped in soft fabric.

Liu Yiran had been waiting for her on the roadside. She rushed up, hooked an arm around Chen Shuoyin’s waist, and discreetly slipped the equipment into her hands.

The unspoken understanding between best friends was at its peak in moments like these.

“The editor-in-chief has her eyes on you. She’s definitely going to give you a hard time later, so stay sharp,” Liu Yiran whispered through clenched teeth.

“Got it.”

Chen Shuoyin composed herself and stepped forward. In front of the editor-in-chief, she swiftly unplugged the faulty data cable and replaced it with the new one, speaking in an apologetic tone, “It took a few stores to find one. Sorry, Chief.”

The editor-in-chief glanced at her, voice dripping with insinuation. “A newcomer should always remember her place. Do you really think this position is yours for good?”

Chen Shuoyin remained indifferent, her lips pressed into a straight line.

Back then, she had originally aimed to work at the provincial station as a news reporter, but due to a failed health check-up, she had missed the submission deadline and was reassigned. However, contrary to Zhu Fangning’s accusations, she had never stolen anyone’s position through underhanded means.

If she recalled correctly, a year later, she would be transferred to another city for training, and Zhu Fangning would take over her post.

So, had she already started conspiring with He Zhixuan at this point?

As Chen Shuoyin remained silent, He Zhixuan, feeling ignored, puffed out his chest and glared at her. “You were late today—that’s a fact. Half of your performance bonus is docked this month.”

“What?!” Liu Yiran exclaimed in protest.

They were still in the probation period, and the pay was already meager. Losing half of it—how was she supposed to survive?

“It’s not your money. Why are you so worked up?” He Zhixuan scoffed, then directed his displeasure at both of them. “The two of you spend too much time together. You’re disturbing the workplace atmosphere.”

His choice of words was harsh, making it clear he disliked employees forming cliques.

Chen Shuoyin silently shook her head at Liu Yiran, signaling her to drop it and refocus on work.

During lunch, Liu Yiran was still fuming. “You shouldn’t have stopped me. Everyone starts as a rookie! He climbed up because of his family connections, and yet he looks down on us who got in through hard work?”

Chen Shuoyin remained calm, as if she had seen it all before. “At least he criticizes people to their face instead of playing dirty behind their backs. I was late—he had every right to penalize me.”

Her composed attitude defused Liu Yiran’s anger. “I guess you’re right. I overreacted. You’re never late—what happened today?”

“I had a dream.” Chen Shuoyin rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Slept through my alarm.”

Liu Yiran squinted. “What kind of dream could make our disciplined Shuoyin oversleep?”

A vivid and haunting image flashed through Chen Shuoyin’s mind. She forced a smile. “A nightmare.”

“You’ve been overworked lately. Your sleep quality is probably suffering. Your vacation’s coming up—just get some rest.” Liu Yiran dug into her bag and pulled out a few sachets of calming incense from a temple. “Here, hang these by your bed. They ward off bad dreams and help you sleep.”

Chen Shuoyin accepted them, but an idea struck her. She lifted her gaze. “Yiran, do you remember that guy I used to complain about all the time?”

Liu Yiran chewed her food and replied nonchalantly, “Oh, that cold-faced hipster who annoyed you?”

Chen Shuoyin hesitated, then admitted, “Actually, that was Pei Yu.”

The chopsticks slipped from Liu Yiran’s hand, clattering onto the tray. Her lips formed an “O” shape. “Pei Yu? The Pei Yu? The rising top-tier celebrity?”

Chen Shuoyin cringed at the exaggerated title and rubbed her ears. “Yeah.”

Liu Yiran slowly connected the dots. “Wow. So, privately, he—”

Chen Shuoyin’s eyes lit up. That’s right—her best friend would always be on her side.

But one second later, Liu Yiran’s icy remark froze her in place. “—is completely different?! That’s such a huge contrast!”

“Wait, you’re not saying you find him cute, are you?” Chen Shuoyin frowned. That wasn’t what she had intended.

Liu Yiran laughed, recalling all the times Pei Yu had unknowingly embarrassed himself. “Yeah! He always appears cool and distant in public, but with you, he actually acts like a real person—with real emotions.”

A strange feeling welled up in Chen Shuoyin’s heart.

They had always been full of resentment toward each other.

Then why did her emotions feel so… different now?

---