Chapter 56
Parallel World: Afterlife

On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, the day after the Qixi Festival, it was Li Mu’s birthday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a weekend. Li Mu woke up, received a gift from Lin Que—a custom-made keyboard tailored to her habits and preferences—and got ready for work.

Lin Que drove her to work. Before leaving, they checked the kitchen and bedroom to ensure all appliances were turned off and they had their keys. Only then did they lock the door. While waiting for the elevator, Li Mu took out her phone and opened an article she had been reading the night before. The article discussed ancient historical figures who modern netizens jokingly referred to as “time travelers.”

Li Mu couldn’t help but think of herself, feeling curious. Since Lin Que had said the world in the book was real, she wondered if, in the eyes of people in that world, she would also be suspected of being a time traveler.

Probably.

Li Mu closed the article, turned off her phone, and entered the elevator with Lin Que. She felt something was off.

“Why is there no one?” Li Mu found it strange.

During rush hour, the elevator was usually crowded, but now, not only was it empty when they entered, but no one got on during the descent to the basement parking level.

Li Mu was sure the elevator display showed the basement level, but when the doors opened, they were on the first floor. Was the elevator malfunctioning?

For safety, Li Mu and Lin Que stepped out.

Lin Que held Li Mu’s hand tightly. Outside the elevator, they noticed the surroundings looked different from their memory.

If Li Mu had been alone, she would have panicked. Fortunately, Lin Que was with her. They returned to the elevator hall and saw the display jump from “-2” to “26.”

The elevator then descended normally to “1,” and when the doors opened, people got on—parents taking their kids to school and elderly people out for morning exercise.

Everything seemed normal.

Lin Que and Li Mu took the elevator back up. Their floor looked completely different, with unfamiliar decorations on the doors, different from the ones Li Mu had put up last year.

Lin Que rang the doorbell, and a stranger, an elderly man, answered, claiming he had lived there for years.

Things were getting eerie. Fortunately, their phones worked, and they could contact people.

Li Mu took a day off, and Lin Que had his assistant reschedule his appointments. They called the property management and asked them to check their apartment.

The property management of their residential community has always been very responsible. Upon arrival, they sent a video to confirm. Seeing the couplets she had written herself in the video, Li Mu asked, “Could it be that we…”

Lin Que replied, “We’ve time-traveled.”

Li Mu was stunned.

Holding Li Mu, Lin Que took the elevator downstairs, comforting her, “Don’t worry, our phones still work. Maybe if we take the elevator again, we’ll get back.”

Lin Que was optimistic, but unfortunately, such a good thing didn’t happen. Taking the elevator down, the scenery outside the elevator hall still didn’t match their memory. As they were discussing what to do, a young man walked by with his phone. The young man was watching a TV show without earphones, the sound blaring—

“Lin Que! You’ll get your comeuppance!”

Lin Que: “…”

Li Mu: “???”

Lin Que was stunned, but Li Mu, despite her social anxiety, was the first to chase after him.

“Excuse me, can I ask what you’re watching?” she stammered, speaking quickly without rehearsing.

The young man replied, “Huh?”

Lin Que, a step behind, caught up and took over the conversation, quickly finding out that the young man was watching a TV drama.

Li Mu used her phone to search for the drama’s name but found nothing. She realized she might still be connected to the network from their original world, so she found the nearest Wi-Fi, cracked the password, and connected to this world’s network.

Searching again, she found it. The search results showed it was a TV drama based on the history of the Yong Dynasty.

Yong Dynasty… Great Yong?

The fictional dynasty in the book was real history here. So, this was the modern world of the book?

Li Mu got goosebumps. “I was just curious, but this is too much.”

Lin Que asked, “Curious about what?”

Li Mu shared her thoughts before entering the elevator.

“Maybe, once we understand how people in this world view you, it’ll feel like a special gift just for you,” Lin Que said, trying to cheer her up.

Li Mu felt a bit guilty for her curiosity. “I shouldn’t have let my mind wander.”

Looking a bit resentful, Lin Que said, “It got overshadowed.”

Li Mu asked, “What got overshadowed?”

“My birthday gift,” he replied. “It got overshadowed.”

Even though the keyboard he had custom-made for her was unique and crafted by a renowned international manufacturer, it couldn’t compare to the experience of time-traveling.

Li Mu was speechless. “What’s there to compare?” She remembered how Lin Qiwu once got upset because the gift she gave Li Yunxi wasn’t as good as the one from Gu Yuwen. “What’s with you Lin family members?”

Li Mu pinched Lin Que’s ear playfully and then took his phone to connect it to Wi-Fi. They sat in the lobby, each doing their own search.

Li Mu searched for the history of the Yong Dynasty. Starting from the founding emperor, she quickly found Empress Zhao Ming, Gu Shu. Clicking on the entry, she was taken to a more detailed page.

Gu Shu, the first female emperor in history, pioneered the concept of female emperors. Before ascending the throne, she had numerous military achievements, pacifying the northern borders, expanding territories, and implementing new policies. After ascending, she reformed taxes, lifted maritime bans, appointed women as officials, promoted education, and established rural schools where both boys and girls had to study for two years before taking the provincial exams.

Gu Shu was highly regarded for her gender, achievements, and for creating a prosperous era. She made the impossible possible.

After Gu Shu, the throne was no longer exclusive to men, and female emperors have existed throughout history.

Gu Shu was succeeded by Gu Chi, who only ruled for two years and didn’t leave many notable achievements, but he was known for his devotion. He had no concubines, only one Empress, Li Zhi, who had only one daughter. He made his daughter the emperor.

Whenever examples of devoted rulers were cited, Gu Chi was always mentioned.

Empress Li Zhi was also well-known because she remarried. After her first marriage failed, she became a nun and later married the youngest son of the female emperor. At that time, the female emperor had not yet ascended the throne. When she did, Li Zhi became the crown princess, and after two years as Empress, she quickly became the empress dowager.

Due to her legendary status, Li Mu found many TV dramas and literary works featuring Li Zhi as the protagonist. There was ongoing historical debate about whether Li Zhi became a nun after her first marriage failed or if she simply stayed at a temple to escape the world for a while.

Additionally, mainstream views suggested that Li Zhi and Gu Chi met when Li Zhi left the temple to return home. However, unofficial histories and a heavily fictionalized TV drama depicted them as having a secret relationship while she was still at the temple, and she was brought back home to remarry.

Li Mu searched for Li Yunxi and discovered that in this world, even those unfamiliar with history had memorized her poems in middle school.

Li Yunxi was a capable minister brought up by the Empress. Her official partner was the navigator and diplomat Gu Yuwen. However, many people in this world shipped her with her political rival, including Pei Siyuan, whom she had killed despite their shared mentorship. Besides her political contributions, Li Yunxi left behind many brilliant poems and essays, earning her the title of one of the “Twin Pillars” of the Yong Dynasty’s literature.

The other pillar was Lin Qiwu, the niece of Empress Zhao Ming. Her military prowess was so reminiscent of the young Empress that rumors spread of the Empress regaining her youth.

Lin Qiwu’s fearsome reputation surpassed even her aunt’s. She once annihilated an entire tribe, and in the fifteenth year of Emperor Huangyou’s reign, she led a few hundred soldiers to a rebellious region. Upon hearing of her arrival, the tribe split into factions—one wanting to fight, the other to surrender. The chaos led to a quick surrender to the Yong Dynasty.

Following Lin Qiwu, Li Mu found Lin Yan’an’s name.

Lin Yan’an’s style was entirely different from that of Lin Qiwu; he resembled Li Yunxi more. Both made significant political contributions and were considered “almost demonically intelligent.” Their connection appeared in a post titled “What Historical Facts Seem Unbelievable to You?”

Someone replied, “Lin Yan’an called Lin Qiwu ‘Auntie.'” The reply included a photo of an ancient family letter fragment from a museum. Although it was known that one was the Empress’s niece and the other her eldest son’s adopted son, their different styles made it rare for people to link them. The term “Auntie” was quite endearing.

Li Mu read through the Yong Dynasty’s encyclopedia entries, stopping after Lin Yan’an and Lin Qiwu. She then found Li Yunxi’s entry, which had related recommendations.

One keyword was “Four Daughters of the Li Family.”

Li Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Four daughters? Which four?

After hesitating, she clicked in. The first was Li Zhi and her legendary marriage. The second…

Li Mu’s hand trembled. It was indeed her. Her records included promoting foreign crops, understanding disease transmission, and introducing concepts of bacteria and viruses. Seeing the term “Modern Medicine’s Nightingale,” Li Mu couldn’t continue and scrolled down quickly, first seeing the youngest, Li Yunxi. She scrolled back up to the third, a businesswoman named Li Ying, who had borrowed money from her and expanded her business internationally. Li Ying was also the prototype for the modern “Goddess of Wealth.” The accompanying picture showed a statue of the Goddess of Wealth in a restaurant, full of life.

Li Mu sighed at the photo.

The old lady and Madam Qian had always worried about the reputation of the Li family’s daughters, never imagining they would all leave their names in history.

Li Mu was filled with emotion.

…

Lin Que also saw the post titled “What Historical Facts Seem Unbelievable to You?” that Li Mu had just read.

Li Mu had only read the parts about Lin Yan’an and Lin Qiwu, but if she had continued, she would have seen this reply—

“The first socially anxious person in ancient times, Li Mu, died the same year as her husband—Lin Que, the eldest son of Empress Zhao Ming, who killed his grandfather, uncle, and cousins to become the regent. According to the letter Lin Que left for the Empress, it was a love suicide.”

(Attached image)

“Where’s the official translation of the Emperor’s words?”

“Isn’t it just saying, ‘Mom, I’m going to die. Don’t be too sad. I’m actually looking forward to it and a bit anxious because I’m going to find my wife. Take care of your empire, bye’?”

“Darn, give me eyes that haven’t seen the above translation. The original text was so romantic and deeply emotional! What kind of translation is this?”

“Isn’t that what it means?”

“I thought the Empress’s family had only one love-struck person, but there are two.”

“You call Lin Que love-struck? The one who started a great purge and killed so many people? Hello?”

“I’m shipping it. I love tragic love stories, and short-lived couples are the best.”

“Both dying together counts as a happy ending for me.”

“Shipping everything will only harm you. Lin Que was impotent.”

“Isn’t that even better?”

“Those saying he was impotent must be reading unofficial histories. He just married late and chose not to have children. The rumors were spread by those who came to power after him.”

“Impotent or not, I love reading about eunuchs too. Shipping everything keeps my diet balanced.”

…

Lin Que read with great interest, taking many screenshots. He captured all the comments about Li Mu she had skimmed over, planning to print them out and keep them in a special album.

Lin Que and Li Mu spent the morning on their phones. Near noon, they went to the elevator hall, hoping they could return. Sure enough, as they approached the elevator, one that should have been on the seventeenth floor suddenly showed “-2.”

They entered the elevator and pressed the button for their floor.

The elevator ascended slowly. With a “ding,” it stopped. They stepped out, rounded the corner, and saw their familiar door with the couplets Li Mu had written.

They had returned.

Li Mu sighed in relief, collapsed on the sofa, and didn’t move, needing to calm down.

Lin Que sat on the carpet in front of the sofa, leaning against it. He held his phone in one hand, organizing the screenshots, and gently held Li Mu’s dangling fingers with the other. “Lunch out or delivery?”

Li Mu, weakly, “Delivery.”

She needed to rest first.

“And dinner?” Lin Que asked.

Li Mu replied, “Let’s go out.”

Since they had both taken the day off and it was her birthday, why not go out and have a date?

Hmm… maybe this was the best birthday gift she had received.