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Chen Jin sputtered, “I didn’t… I haven’t… I had no idea!”
Frustrated and with nowhere to vent, she could only tell Xiao Yuyu to call her when they headed out that night. Upon returning to the bedroom, Chen Jin fired off a WeChat message to Xiao Fei: “Why didn’t you tell me about the energy rain?” Her fingers typed furiously on the screen.
“Didn’t my mom and the others tell you?” Xiao Fei replied. He was genuinely confused.
Chen Jin’s disappointment swelled. “If I knew, why wouldn’t I have gone out?” she typed back, the sting of the missed opportunity sharp.
“I thought you didn’t go out because you were afraid of catching a cold,” Xiao Fei responded.
Chen Jin felt a sob rise in her throat. “Is this how you treat me? You don’t even care enough to ask, to check on me? I’m carrying your child!” Her tears threatened to spill over.
Xiao Fei went silent. He hadn’t been attentive to Chen Jin lately, his mind consumed by other concerns.
After getting pregnant, Chen Jin could no longer use her usual cosmetics. Hormonal changes caused blemishes and pimples to appear on her face.
As a result, Chen Jin’s appearance paled in comparison to the radiant Zhang Chenjun, let alone the youthful beauty of Xiao Yuyu.
This shift led Xiao Fei to unconsciously neglect Chen Jin and their unborn child.
The days crept by until the end of July. On this day, Qiu Man visited the Zhang family home once more.
“Mr. Qiu, what brings you here?” Zhang Chenjun’s heart hammered in her chest as she looked at the guest in the study. His presence filled her with a cold dread.
“Miss Zhang, long time no see. I hope you’ve been well.” Qiu Man’s smile held no warmth, and Zhang Chenjun felt a shiver run down her spine.
“I… I’m fine,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. A forced smile trembled on her lips.
“Please, sit and make yourself comfortable!” Her words sounded hollow and her gestures stiff.
Qiu Man, unnervingly at ease, treated the space as if it were his own. He calmly prepared tea, his movements slow and deliberate.
Zhang Chenjun felt restless and desperate to escape. Her palms were sweaty, and her stomach churned as she tried to understand what had changed with Mr. Qiu. She wondered why he was radiating such intense pressure, especially since he had been quite gentle during their first meeting. Her mind raced as she grappled with these questions.
Finally, Zhang Chenjun couldn’t bear the silence any longer. “Mr… Mr. Qiu, what’s going on? Please, just tell me. You’re frightening me!”
Qiu Man burst into laughter at Zhang Chenjun’s timidness. “Don’t be scared! I’m not going to eat you,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Zhang Chenjun forced a wry smile. “Well, my legs always go weak around you,” she replied, her tone a mix of jest and genuine unease.
Qiu Man’s smile held no warmth. “I hear you’ve tried infiltrating the Xiao family… at least three times?” His question was deceptively casual.
Hearing about his interest in the matter, Zhang Chenjun visibly relaxed. “The security guards told you, didn’t they?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“They have a duty to report your activities,” his voice was flat.
“My privacy feels violated!” Zhang Chenjun retorted.
Qiu Man’s glare intensified. “Do you think you’d be sitting here, talking to me, if they hadn’t covered your tracks?” His voice dropped, laced with menace.
Zhang Chenjun rubbed her nose. “Well, it was my mistake for getting caught. I did it, I’ll take the consequences. Mr. Qiu, are you here to arrest me?”
“If I wanted you behind bars, would I need to come myself?” Qiu Man’s eyebrow arched, the challenge unspoken.
He picked up his cup and took a sip. “You’re young, unmarried. Why get tangled up with a taken man? Does being a mistress bring that much excitement?” His sarcasm was sharp.
Zhang Chenjun’s fingers traced the rim of her own cup. “I thought you’d be different from the others,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Of course. A dream prophet couldn’t possibly be a mistress. There must be a reason,” Qiu Man pressed, his gaze unwavering.
Zhang Chenjun nodded. “Yes, you’re right,” her voice found a bit of strength.
“So, you know why I’m here, don’t you?” Qiu Man asked, his tone deceptively casual.
“I thought I just had to talk about the apocalypse—I didn’t expect you to pry into my personal life too!” Zhang Chenjun’s voice held a hint of defensiveness.
“Personal matters? When have those ‘personal matters’ of yours not caused a storm?” Qiu Man retorted.
Zhang Chenjun erupted in laughter, a touch of hysteria lacing her voice. “Well, I feel quite honored, haha!”
Seeing Qiu Man’s glare intensify, Zhang Chenjun sobered up. “In my dreams, I saw that Xiao Fei has a space,” she revealed, her tone shifting to serious.
“A—what?”
“A space. It’s like portable storage you can carry around. Invisible to everyone else, only the owner can put things in it,” Zhang Chenjun explained, a slight condescension creeping into her tone.
Qiu Man’s eyes widened. “Something like that exists? All those nighttime raids on the Xiao house, all of it… just for this space?”
Zhang Chenjun nodded, knowing there was no point in hiding it. “Yes, but I haven’t found it yet.”
She instinctively kept quiet about one crucial detail—Xiao Fei’s space could grow crops. That, she intended to keep secret.
“Find it? Can something like a space be found, then change owners?” Qiu Man felt his understanding of the world crumbling. This was too fantastical.
“I’m not entirely sure. Some stories mention a medium, like an object, that controls it… maybe that could transfer ownership?” Zhang Chenjun mused, more uncertain now.
Qiu Man recalled his intel. “A ring, perhaps?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes. But still nothing after all this searching!” Zhang Chenjun’s frustration was evident.
Qiu Man paused, considering. “Aside from Xiao Fei, were there others whose lives diverged from your visions?” he asked, intrigued.
Zhang Chenjun thought carefully. “Quite a few, actually. Like, Bi Qiao’an was Xiao Fei’s partner in my dreams. They only split after graduation, then Chen Jin got with him.
“Also, Shen Yanming and Cai Chun were in Europa the entire time, even three years into the apocalypse.
“Let me see… Wei Yun from the Wei family? She wasn’t engaged to Lin Yongke, and wasn’t involved with Cai Chun either.
“Plus, a lot of my classmates had gone back to their hometowns in my dreams, but now they’re all still here in Hai City.” She trailed off, lost in thought.
Qiu Man jotted down the names. “Have you ever wondered why these people are so different from your memories?” He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
Zhang Chenjun shrugged, her shoulders sagging. “I have, but everything seems to circle back to Xiao Fei,” she said, her voice tinged with defeat.
“Oh?” Qiu Man leaned in, intrigued.
Zhang Chenjun, having investigated her changed circumstances, laid her findings bare. “Everything began to change when Xiao Fei confessed. In my dreams, he confessed to Bi Qiao’an. They dated for a few months until graduation. But here, in reality, his confession was directed at Chen Jin.
“Without Xiao Fei, Bi Qiao’an and Shen Yanming reunited and became a couple. Other changes in people and events all seem connected to Xiao Fei and Chen Jin,” she added, a touch of bitterness in her voice.
Zhang Chenjun had briefly wondered if Bi Qiao’an was also reborn. However, a reborn Bi Qiao’an would surely have targeted Chen Jin and Xiao Fei for trouble… not remained entirely uninvolved as she currently was.
Zhang Chenjun sometimes pondered if she, like the proverbial butterfly whose flapping wings could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world, was the unwitting catalyst for the changes in her reality. But the timing didn’t quite align, leaving a whirlwind of unanswered questions in her mind.
Seeing Zhang Chenjun lost in her thoughts, Qiu Man rose decisively. He then instructed someone to investigate the names he’d just listed.
The swift results were placed in his hands. Perusing the report, Qiu Man found the information peculiar, his brow furrowing in concentration. It seemed that all the shifts stemmed from Xiao Fei, a fact that left him puzzled. He couldn’t help but wonder what power this man could possess to so drastically alter the fates of others.
Remember when Qiao’an tried to hold back from taking revenge? This is her rationale: there is a certain risk, no matter how slim the chance, that she will be investigated. Taking revenge isn’t as simple as it seems, which is realistic and intended by the author. Not to mention, her character is the type to rather stay far away from such issues. But don’t worry, the author wielded her karma knife well throughout the novel.
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Katra1212[Translator]
Hi I'm Katra! Translator by day, lemon aficionado by night. Secretly suspects a past life as a citrus fruit. Squeezing the joy out of language, one word at a time.🍋