When Chen Xiaolian woke up again, he found himself lying in bed.
The soft bed, the familiar scent, and the familiar room.
After a moment of daze, he realized.
This was his... home.
Silently sitting up from the bed, Chen Xiaolian glanced outside the window—the outside was pitch black.
The air conditioning was on full blast, but the air in the bedroom was somewhat dry. Chen Xiaolian felt his lips crack and peel, and as he stood up, he noticed a glass of water on the bedside table.
Chen Xiaolian picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, then walked to the window.
Lights dotted the buildings across the residential area.
At that moment, Chen Xiaolian heard the door behind him creak. He turned around and saw a familiar and charming face peeping in through the crack in the door.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Yu Jiajia walked into the room, looking at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian remained silent, scrutinizing Yu Jiajia with deep and calm eyes. Such a gaze made Yu Jiajia suddenly feel a bit uneasy.
"I, I heard noises in the room and knew you were awake, so I came in to check on you. They said when they brought you back that you were sick and needed rest..."
Chen Xiaolian looked calmly at Yu Jiajia before speaking, "Why are you still here?"
Yu Jiajia paused for a moment, then seemed to bite her lip forcefully. "I..."
"Never mind," Chen Xiaolian waved his hand, his tone icy, "Where are the others?"
"Everyone else has left. Roddy is outside, sleeping on the sofa," Yu Jiajia hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I don't know what you guys did this time when you went out, but when you came back, everyone seemed to be in bad shape. Roddy was injured... You guys, did you get into a fight?"
Chen Xiaolian didn't find this joke funny, but he chuckled briefly, his eyes quickly returning to their coldness.
"Are you hungry? You've been asleep for a while, you must be hungry," Yu Jiajia's face blushed slightly, "I've prepared some food. You..."
"Alright, thank you," Chen Xiaolian nodded indifferently, "I am indeed hungry."
As Chen Xiaolian walked out of the bedroom, he saw Roddy lying unconscious on the sofa in the living room, sleeping deeply.
Approaching Roddy, Chen Xiaolian looked down at him for a few seconds, then carefully covered him with a nearby blanket.
As Yu Jiajia entered the dining room, she quietly closed the door to the dining room, separating it from the living room.
Chen Xiaolian stared at the empty dining table, seeming somewhat bewildered.
"Oh, wait a moment!" Yu Jiajia turned and ran into the kitchen, seeming a bit excited and even knocking her arm against the kitchen door. She winced in pain but quickly emerged from the kitchen carrying a large pot.
Steam rose from the pot, filling the air with a delightful aroma.
Chen Xiaolian glanced at the contents of the pot and couldn't help raising an eyebrow. "You can actually make this?"
Yu Jiajia rubbed her hands together, looking somewhat bashful. "It's not homemade, I bought it."
On the table was not a staple food but a large pot of...
Spicy crayfish.
"Well, I heard this place is really good, so I bought some back. I've been keeping it warm in the pot," Yu Jiajia squinted and smiled. "I've heard Roddy mention before that every summer, you guys love going out to eat this."
Chen Xiaolian sighed and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Alright, let's have this then. It's been a while since I've had it."
He picked up a crayfish, peeled it, and put it in his mouth.
The spicy, salty, and savory taste. Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath.
He seemed to chew very carefully and attentively.
Yu Jiajia watched Chen Xiaolian cautiously from the side.
"Not bad," Chen Xiaolian nodded and glanced at Yu Jiajia. "Thank you, you've put thought into this... Well, why don't you sit down and have some too."
"Oh, I..." Yu Jiajia was about to pull out a chair to sit down, but as she looked at Chen Xiaolian's face, she suddenly froze, pointing at him. "You... Why are you crying? Is this thing so delicious? Delicious enough to make you cry?!"
Chen Xiaolian was taken aback and gently wiped the corner of his eye with his hand, confirming the presence of moist tears on his fingertips.
He frowned, looking at his fingertips.
"Are you... are you okay?" Yu Jiajia asked with some unease.
Chen Xiaolian shook his head blankly. "I... don't know."
"You really cried?"
Chen Xiaolian felt bewildered, his mind empty. "I don't know why... Tears just suddenly came out."
"Are you... did something happen to you?" Yu Jiajia hesitated, her tone anxious. "Xiaolian?"
Chen Xiaolian deeply glanced at Yu Jiajia. Without saying a word, he picked up another crayfish, peeled it gently, and remained silent throughout. Only after he finished eating did he speak softly, "Someone very important to me passed away."
Yu Jiajia was stunned.
She was a young girl, very young, so young that she couldn't yet face the concept of death.
Faced with such words, such a situation, Yu Jiajia suddenly didn't know how to respond.
"You... must be very sad, right?"
Chen Xiaolian paused, lowering his head to look at his hands, and whispered, "I... I don't know. That's why I find it strange. I should be extremely sad, but for some reason, I just... can't feel sad. My heart feels empty, as if... there's nothing there. Yes, just nothing. I feel like I should be wailing and crying, but I don't have that impulse. I feel... too calm, this calmness, even I feel disdainful of myself, a sense of guilt."
He looked up, his face carrying a bitter smile. "Am I a heartless person? She was so important to me, and yet, when she died, I don't feel any sadness."
Yu Jiajia was stunned. She could only stare blankly at Chen Xiaolian, watching him quietly, calmly, silently peeling and eating crayfish one by one.
Chen Xiaolian ate slowly but peeled quickly. Before long, the pot was empty.
"You... finished it all? Oh..." Yu Jiajia exclaimed immediately, "Did I... buy too little? I bought three kilograms!"
Chen Xiaolian glanced at Yu Jiajia. "Normally, when Roddy and I go out to eat this, one person can eat up to eight or ten kilograms."
"Then... are you still hungry? Shall I prepare something else for you to eat?" Yu Jiajia stood up in a hurry.
Chen Xiaolian shook his head, then turned and walked into the kitchen to wash his hands. After drying them, he came back out.
"Please sit down," Chen Xiaolian sighed. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, but I kept forgetting. It's a good time to clear it up now."
"Uh?" Yu Jiajia was stunned for a moment, then her face suddenly flushed red, and she hesitated, "You... what do you want to ask me?"
Chen Xiaolian pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "What is the relationship between Qiao Yifeng and you?"
Yu Jiajia was taken aback. "Qiao... Qiao Yifeng?"
At that moment, she looked at Chen Xiaolian strangely, her expression extremely peculiar, extremely...
"Him? He's my father, of course. What's there to ask?" Yu Jiajia looked at Chen Xiaolian with concern. "Xiaolian, what's wrong with you?"
As she spoke, she seemed to notice a stain on the corner of Chen Xiaolian's mouth that hadn't been wiped clean. Almost instinctively, and yet seemingly very naturally, she picked up a tissue from the table, took out a piece, and reached out to wipe the corner of Chen Xiaolian's mouth.
This action stunned Chen Xiaolian!
Yu Jiajia's gesture was so natural, as if this kind of intimacy and affectionate gesture were entirely natural between the two of them.
Moreover, when she made this intimate gesture, the slight shyness between her brows and her expression of affection were unmistakable, making Chen Xiaolian even more suspicious!
He turned his head back and stepped back abruptly, staring at Yu Jiajia. "What... what are you doing?"
Yu Jiajia was puzzled, looking at Chen Xiaolian. "You... there's a little something on your mouth..."
"I'm asking you, what are you doing?" Chen Xiaolian wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand. "You... you..." He hesitated for a moment. "Don't you think your action just now was a bit inappropriate?"
Yu Jiajia suddenly froze, looking at Chen Xiaolian with incredulous eyes. Her face suddenly became strange, and she whispered, "Xiaolian? What's wrong with you?"
"Me?"
"Yes, what's wrong with you? Did I do something wrong?" Yu Jiajia's eyes suddenly reddened. "You suddenly went out for so long, came back sick, your friend got injured, and you didn't tell me anything... didn't explain anything... And now, I just touched you lightly, and you... what's wrong with you?"
Chen Xiaolian found the situation increasingly bewildering!
Yu Jiajia's face full of grievances... This conversation's tone was off!
"I just thought that, given our relationship, I shouldn't have to explain those things to you. And as for the action just now, I felt that it was... inappropriate between us."
After Chen Xiaolian carefully chose his words and uttered this sentence...
Yu Jiajia suddenly erupted!
"Inappropriate? No need to explain? Chen Xiaolian!! What nonsense are you talking about?!" Yu Jiajia burst into tears. "How can you treat me like this! How can you say such things to me!! Is this how you treat your girlfriend?!!"
The last few words hit Chen Xiaolian like a bolt from the blue!
Girlfriend?!
Girl-friend?!
Who?
Yu Jiajia?? Girlfriend?!!
As Yu Jiajia's tears flowed, Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath. A strange thought flashed through his mind, and he struggled to suppress his emotions, saying in a low voice, "Don't cry first, wait! Let me ask you... Are you... are you... are you saying you're..."
He took another deep breath. "Are you saying you're my girlfriend?!"
As if startled by Chen Xiaolian's serious demeanor, Yu Jiajia cried, "Of course I'm your girlfriend! Chen Xiaolian... What do you want? What's wrong with you??"
What's wrong with me?
I should be asking you what's wrong, right?!
Since when did you, Yu Jiajia, become my girlfriend?!
Just then, a voice came from the living room, and Roddy opened the door to the dining room and walked in. He saw Yu Jiajia confronting Chen Xiaolian, her face full of tears.
Roddy frowned.
Chen Xiaolian sighed, his heart pounding wildly. "Roddy! Perfect timing! You tell me, who is my girlfriend?"
Roddy was taken aback by this sudden question. He frowned at Chen Xiaolian, his gaze dark. "Xiaolian, what's wrong with you? Are you going crazy?"
He walked over, firmly gripping Chen Xiaolian's shoulder and whispered, "Of course it's Qiao Qiao! Qiao Qiao is no longer with us... Are you grieving too much?"
Chen Xiaolian suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Finally! Thank goodness.
Otherwise, he would have thought he was going crazy.
He looked at Yu Jiajia, his tone becoming somewhat impolite.
His relationship with Yu Jiajia was not that intimate to begin with, and now this girl was acting crazy in front of him, and... she even openly declared herself as his girlfriend right after Qiao Qiao had just passed away?
Chen Xiaolian felt a surge of anger in his heart. "Yu Jiajia, did you hear me clearly? Since when did we have that kind of relationship? My girlfriend is Qiao Qiao."
"Qiao Qiao? Who is Qiao Qiao? Who?!" Yu Jiajia suddenly screamed, lunging towards Chen Xiaolian as if to grab him, but Chen Xiaolian dodged out of the way, and Roddy frowned, stepping in front of Yu Jiajia. "Hey, Yu Jiajia, what are you doing? Are you going crazy?!"
Roddy's tone was very impolite. "I felt something was off when I brought him back. Why are you so concerned about her? Your attitude is a bit off! Yu Jiajia, do you have feelings for Chen Xiaolian all this time? But he has a girlfriend, you understand! His girlfriend is my good friend! So can you stop being unreasonable."
Yu Jiajia staggered, suddenly slumping into a chair, looking at Roddy in shock. "What... what are you saying! What are you saying!! I am Chen Xiaolian's girlfriend! Haven't we always been together?!"
Roddy turned to look at Chen Xiaolian in surprise, and Chen Xiaolian also looked bewildered.
In the team channel, Roddy quickly asked Chen Xiaolian, "What's going on?"
"How would I know?"
"Could she have developed delusions?"
"I find this very strange..."
Yu Jiajia collapsed onto the table, crying for a minute straight, leaving Roddy and Chen Xiaolian feeling awkward.
Then suddenly, Yu Jiajia lifted her head, glaring angrily at Chen Xiaolian and Roddy. "Fine! I don't care what prank you two are playing! Cut it out now! Or I'll really get mad! Chen Xiaolian! And you, Roddy!!"
Chen Xiaolian and Roddy exchanged a glance, and Chen Xiaolian frowned. "Prank?"
"You're still pretending!!" Yu Jiajia snapped, standing up to glare at Chen Xiaolian. "You're still pretending!!"
"Wait a minute!" Roddy suddenly held Chen Xiaolian back, his expression somewhat odd as he looked at Yu Jiajia. "You say you're Chen Xiaolian's girlfriend... do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence? Are you crazy? I am his girlfriend, what more evidence do you need!" Yu Jiajia retorted angrily. "Roddy! Enough with the prank!! I really hate this prank, stop it!"
With that, Yu Jiajia suddenly turned and took out her wallet from a nearby purse, quickly opened it, and tossed it onto the table in front of them. "You want evidence? Here it is!!"
Chen Xiaolian and Roddy glanced at each other, then froze.
Inside the wallet was a photo.
In the photo, there were two young men and women, intimately leaning against each other—clearly in a couple's embrace.
In the photo, Chen Xiaolian had a gentle smile, while Yu Jiajia had a coquettish smile, nestling against Chen Xiaolian's shoulder. The affection in their eyes was unmistakable!
When the photo emerged, Roddy exploded on the spot: "Chen Xiaolian! You... you really have something going on with her?! When did you do this behind Qiao Qiao's back? You jerk!"
Chen Xiaolian's expression turned deathly pale!!
He suddenly ran out in a frenzy, back to his bedroom, and rummaged through his wallet!
He remembered, there was also a photo in his wallet!!
But as he flipped open his wallet, Chen Xiaolian suddenly felt dizzy!!
The photo was right in front of him.
The photo in his wallet was exactly the same as the one Yu Jiajia held!
In the photo, Chen Xiaolian and Yu Jiajia were cuddled together, sweet and harmonious.
But Chen Xiaolian suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
No... no... no!!
The photo was correct!
The background of the photo, the actions of the people in the photo, were all correct!!
But... the person was wrong!
Chen Xiaolian vividly remembered that this photo was taken with Qiao Qiao!!
It was Qiao Qiao!
The woman in the photo should be Qiao Qiao! Not Yu Jiajia!!
Chen Xiaolian dashed out of the room and back into the living room, grabbing Roddy and handing over his wallet's photo.
Roddy, filled with anger, was about to shake it off but was forcibly held back by Chen Xiaolian: "Roddy! Take another look! Look closely!! Look at the background in the photo!!"
Roddy glanced at it and froze.
The background in the photo... was unmistakably...
The hotel where they stayed after finishing the Qin Emperor's Tomb Instance!!
The background was definitely correct!
But at that time, there was absolutely no presence of Yu Jiajia!!
"What... what's going on?"
"Give me your phone! Quickly!"
"Huh?"
"Give me the phone!! Quickly!!" Chen Xiaolian roared suddenly.
Roddy immediately pulled out his phone and handed it to Chen Xiaolian. Chen Xiaolian quickly opened the phone and accessed the cloud photo album.
Roddy's cloud album contained many photos, including ones taken with friends and classmates back in school, among which, of course, were group photos with their good friend Qiao Qiao.
Chen Xiaolian swiftly scrolled through these photos. Two minutes later, he weakly handed the phone back to Roddy, then took out his own phone to check...
None...
None!
None!!
None!!!!
All the photos related to "Qiao Qiao" were still there... but in the photos, Qiao Qiao was no longer there!
Whenever there was a photo of Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao together, the leading lady in the photo had become Yu Jiajia!
As for Roddy, in all the past photos where Qiao Qiao should have been present, Qiao Qiao had disappeared without a trace!!
"This one is from the mountain climbing trip we took two years ago... Everyone from the club was there, but Qiao Qiao... is nowhere to be seen."
"This one too, it's from last year on my birthday, when Qiao Qiao came to give me a gift... She's not in the photo anymore... Why?" Roddy looked at his phone, sweat beading on his forehead.
Chen Xiaolian had already slammed his phone onto the table.
His expression was terrifyingly grim!
Yu Jiajia looked puzzled at the strange behavior of these two, but at that moment, Chen Xiaolian approached her, staring into her eyes. "You said you're Qiao Yifeng's daughter?"
"…Yes," Yu Jiajia suddenly felt a sense of apprehension, sensing Chen Xiaolian's calm demeanor, almost on the verge of eruption.
"Then let me ask you, how many daughters does Qiao Yifeng have?"
"…Two," Yu Jiajia's voice trembled.
"Two?"
"Yes! One is me, and the other is Soo Soo. You know her too, Soo Soo still likes you so much... Chen Xiaolian, what's wrong with you? Please, don't scare me."
Chen Xiaolian plopped down on the ground, his heart sinking to the depths of despair!
Qiao Qiao... had vanished.
Not simply "died."
She had utterly "vanished"!
Every trace of her existence in this world had vanished!
It was as if she had never existed in this world at all!