The room was dark.

Her face felt cold and wet. Jiang Xi reached up to wipe it and found her cheeks covered in tears.

—Had she returned to the real world again?

She couldn’t adjust right away. A wave of complicated emotions surged in her chest.

With a sigh, Jiang Xi sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

A white figure darted out from the corner, startling her.

But when she looked closer, it wasn’t some ghostly shadow at the foot of her bed like she feared.

It was a cat—a big white cat raised by Lin Jia.

She was still in Lin Jia’s home. Unlike last time, she hadn’t woken up in some absurdly different place.

The big cat stretched and leapt onto the bed.

Its eyes were blue, like glimmering water droplets. It stared at her with those beautiful blue eyes, then settled down beside her.

Its snow-white head nudged the back of her hand, gently asking to be petted.

Cautiously, Jiang Xi reached out and softly stroked its fur.

The white cat purred, its eyes slowly closing in contentment.

Petting the cat gave her a strange sense of peace and familiarity. It felt like she’d known this cat for a long time.

As she continued to pet it, the chaos inside her gradually calmed.

—So, she really had come back.

This time, the journey through the past lasted much longer than before.

While she was there, Jiang Xi had done a lot of good: she brought Jiang Xiaochan back from the city, took the high school entrance exams in place of the former Jiang Daxi, and even repaired her bond with her sister. In the end, they watched fireworks and lit a sky lantern together.

She had probably done all the right things… even if something strange happened toward the end of that journey.

—Wait, the scar!

Jiang Xi quickly rolled up her sleeve to check.

Thank goodness—her arm was free of scars!

That was how it should be. She was never supposed to be injured. The one who shielded Lin Jia from that knife was Jiang Xiaochan, not her—she was Jiang Daxi.

—So… did this trip through time actually change reality?

Jiang Xi looked toward the foot of the bed… It was clean. The ghostly shadow that had haunted her for so long was gone.

A huge wave of joy surged in her heart. Could it be that the past had changed, and Jiang Xiaochan hadn’t died?

She glanced at the nightstand. The photo of Lin Jia and Jiang Xiaochan wasn’t there anymore. Did that complicated relationship between them still exist?

Not daring to celebrate too soon, she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and went to search for more clues.

If she wanted to know about her mom and sister, the most direct way was to go check the Jiang house across the street.

She threw on a jacket and ran to her family’s home.

There were people sitting outside the Jiang house, cooling off with a small table set up outside. As she approached them, Jiang Xi’s heart slowly sank.

She saw the same auntie who had spoken to her before.

The house looked exactly the same as last time, and it was still occupied by that auntie’s family.

“Miss, miss,” the auntie waved when she saw her coming over.

Jiang Xi’s mind went blank. She didn’t know what to say.

Her gaze wandered and landed on a light-blocking screen set up outside the house. The shadow it cast reflected her figure—

The auntie noticed Jiang Xi standing there in a daze, like her soul had left her body, and thought she was here to ask for money.

“You’re Xiao Lin’s girlfriend, right? I didn’t really pay attention when we talked before. Don’t be mad at me, alright? Xiao Lin’s a really good guy. All of us neighbors rely on him. You’re lucky to be with someone like him.”

As she spoke, the auntie picked up some loquats from the table and stuffed them into Jiang Xi’s hands.

“Here, miss, have some fruit. They’re really sweet.”

Stunned and confused, Jiang Xi held the loquats in her hands and walked back to Lin Jia’s house.

She placed the loquats on the table and walked into the bathroom.

All the lights were on. The mirror reflected everything clearly.

Jiang Xi looked at the mirror.

—She was gone.

Phoenix eyes, a small straight nose, a tiny mole above the lips.

In the mirror, only the grown-up Jiang Xiaochan remained.

Was this reality?

Or had she traveled through time again?

Panicking, Jiang Xi rushed out of the bathroom and frantically searched for her phone. She pulled open the nightstand drawer and dumped everything out.

A photo frame fell near her feet.

She picked it up—it was the photo of Jiang Xiaochan and Lin Jia. Nothing about the picture had changed. The crease she had accidentally made was still there.

Her phone had also fallen out with the drawer’s contents. Its screen lit up.

There were tons of unread messages on WeChat, but Jiang Xi ignored them and went straight to the photo album.

Her work photo—Jiang Xiaochan’s face.

A selfie with her colleagues—still Jiang Xiaochan’s face.

Even her ID card—it had Jiang Xiaochan’s name and Jiang Xiaochan’s face.

After going through everything on her phone, Jiang Xi completely broke down.

—She had no idea what kind of method was used, but Jiang Xiaochan had taken over her entire life.

Gripping her hair tightly, Jiang Xi screamed—overwhelmed and driven to madness.

Was this the butterfly effect caused by time travel? She had altered the past, and now everything in the present had changed. If Jiang Xiaochan had taken over her body, then what about Jiang Daxi’s body? The person who survived became Jiang Xiaochan, so what happened to Jiang Daxi?

What would happen to Jiang Daxi?

Maybe… she shouldn’t have saved Jiang Xiaochan. Jiang Xi thought selfishly.

If saving Jiang Xiaochan meant she would disappear, then she couldn’t save her. Even if she knew what Jiang Xiaochan would suffer, she would pretend not to see it and let her stay at their uncle’s house forever.

Yes. That’s what she’d do.

As long as she could travel back again, Jiang Xi could fix it.

What triggered the time travel? Fainting? Losing consciousness?

Her mind was a complete mess.

She remembered that using cold water had once helped restore her melted face. Jiang Xi told herself: try it again. It’ll work this time too. It has to.

…

Lin Jia had gone out to buy things.

The person he loved had finally come back home. He didn’t know how long she’d stay this time, but he wanted to buy her some delicious food and fatten her up a little while she was here.

He left while she was still asleep, walking quickly. As soon as he entered the shop, he went straight for what he needed. After paying, he rushed off to the next store.

When he stepped out of the fruit shop, Lin Jia glanced at his phone. She hadn’t replied to the message he sent earlier—she was probably still asleep.

Carrying several shopping bags, he returned home.

The lights were on inside.

He checked nervously… her shoes were still at the entrance. She was home.

The white cat meowed at him. Without putting anything down, Lin Jia went straight to the bedroom to find her.

The bed was empty. The nightstand had been yanked open, and things were scattered everywhere.

As he walked forward, his foot stepped into water.

The water came from the bathroom.

The lights inside were bright.

It felt warm in there, like springtime.

The heat lamp was on at full power, casting a golden-orange glow that looked almost magical.

Too much water had spilled from the bathtub. The water was ice cold.

And there she was, the one he cared so much about, soaking in the tub.

Her black hair floated on the surface like helpless strands of aquatic grass.

The plastic bag slipped from his hands, and the groceries rolled across the floor.

He rushed over and pulled her out.

“Xiaochan! Xiaochan!”

Her skin was frighteningly cold. His voice trembled as he called her name in pain.

Recalling his first-aid knowledge, he laid her down and started CPR, pressing down again and again.

“Come back… please, Xiaochan…”

Panicked and desperate, Lin Jia pleaded with her.

“Cough… cough cough, cough…”

After a few deep coughs, Jiang Xiaochan began breathing again.

He quickly helped her sit up, patting her back to clear the water from her airway.

She started speaking to him, and Lin Jia leaned in to hear.

She said, “Do you know… why… I have Jiang Xiaochan’s face?”

Lin Jia wasn’t surprised by what she said, nor did her face seem unfamiliar to him.

He comforted her with the utmost gentleness.

Jiang Xiaochan trembled helplessly. “I’m scared.”

He held her close.

Lin Jia pressed his cheek against hers.

Then he kissed her forehead.

He said to his precious girl, “I’m here. I’m right here.”

As if casting a protective spell, he repeated the words over and over, holding her tighter and tighter, as though he wanted to absorb her into his very bones.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”