The promises of forever no longer holding us apart, Yang Ruoning and Luo Yuan both knew she had to return, just one last time.
When Yang Ruoning saw the white jade urn in Luo Yuan’s hand, she knew the day of her homecoming had arrived.
Reopening the imperial tomb to retrieve Yue Feng’s remains was no easy feat. Due to its violation of ancestral traditions, Luo Yuan had to undertake this task secretly and alone. Thus, it was several months after returning to Bianliang that he finally obtained Yue Feng’s ashes.
Holding the white jade urn, her large backpack slung over her shoulders, she stood before the wormhole, bidding Luo Yuan a tearful farewell. He held her hand, reluctant to let go.
“Do you have to be gone for so long?”
“Yes, I need to fly back to California to bury Yue Feng in the family cemetery, and then fly back. Even though planes are incredibly fast, this round trip will take at least a day.”
“A day for you, but a whole year for me…” Luo Yuan said, his voice tinged with reluctance and a hint of complaint.
“This is the last time, my love, I promise. This is the very last time, and then I will never leave you again.” She gave him a final, lingering embrace and turned to step into the wormhole.
Fortunately, the journey home was unexpectedly smooth. Yang Ruoning had forgotten that Kinsey was one of the wealthiest people in the world. A few hours later, aboard his private jet, she found herself standing in her family cemetery on the outskirts of Santa Ana, California.
The cemetery lay on a hillside outside the city. Low rose bushes enclosed a small patch of green, from where one could glimpse the location of her home. To the left of the green, a more weathered tombstone bore the names of her parents. To the right, a newer one marked Jason’s resting place. Now, another had been added beside it.
Yang Ruoning placed a large bouquet of sunflowers on the tombstone. Sunflowers were her mother’s favorite, and she habitually brought them whenever she visited.
Then, she walked to Jason’s grave, knelt, and brushed away fallen leaves from the stone. “I brought her back, Jason. Although a lot has happened and much time has been lost, I’ve still brought her back.” She then turned to face her parents’ grave.
“There’s someone else I want to introduce to you,” Yang Ruoning felt a sudden nervousness as she introduced her lover to her family for the first time. She took out Luo Yuan’s photo again. “Mom, Dad, I met the person I love in that world. His name is Luo Yuan, and he’s an incredibly, incredibly good man. I love him very much, and he loves me too. We’re married now, and we’re very happy…”
She hesitated. “Mom, Dad, I’ve come this time to say goodbye to you as well. Because the world they live in is very, very far from here, this will be the last time I get to see you…”
“Mom, Dad, I’m living very happily now, and so is Qing Ye. We’re both doing well. You don’t need to worry; we’ll continue to be happy forever. I imagine you’ve already met Yue Feng, and you’ll have plenty of time to chat together. So, Yue Feng will likely tell you the specific details. I have to go now; they’re waiting for me in that world.” With that, she stepped forward and kissed the stone tablet before her. “Bye, Mom, Dad, Jason, and Yue Feng. I love you all. I will always miss you.”
Returning from California to the laboratory, Yang Ruoning handed back the backpack filled with weapons and ammunition, along with all her electronic devices, to Kinsey.
“You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you?” he asked. She had told him everything that had happened on the flight back.
“Yes, I have. I’ve decided to live in that world, so these things,” Yang Ruoning gestured to the items, “I think it’s best to leave them here.”
“You’ve successfully changed the future, altered the timeline – Luo Yuan gave up the throne to be with you, Qing Ye didn’t die and became the true emperor – and that future you saw at the end, what about your own future?”
She recalled seeing her own tomb and a man in a black dragon robe standing before it when she last traveled through the wormhole. It wasn't that she didn't care; she had just lost Jason and unexpectedly learned of Qing Ye’s existence. Qing Ye’s safety had clearly been more important to her than her own life at that time. But now, she had a reason to live. That future concerning herself had vaguely unsettled her. She wasn’t sure when it might occur; she didn’t know the identity of the man in the black dragon robe standing with his back to her. However, she wasn’t overly worried, as her death had occurred on the un-altered timeline. Now that the timeline had changed, she felt her fate must have changed too.
“I guess since I’ve successfully altered the timeline, all futures have changed because of it, so my future won’t happen either.”
“I hope so,” Kinsey said. “You know, a month ago when I saw you at your apartment in New York, you were drunk, like a soulless walking corpse. I’m very happy that you seem happy now. That world has truly changed you.”
“Because in that world, I found my family and my love. So, Mr. Kinsey, this should be the last time I return here.”
“I know, which is why you’re returning these modern items to me, right?”
Yang Ruoning smiled. “Yes, since I’ve decided to live there, I need to follow their way of life. These modern things only make people greedy.”
“Then what’s in this small backpack?”
Yang Ruoning gave a sly smile. “These are gifts for Luo Yuan and Qing Ye. Although I’ve only been back for a day, they’ve had to wait a whole year. So, I need some capitalist candy to appease them.”
“Hope you all the best, Yang,” Yang Ruoning and Kinsey embraced to say goodbye.
Yang Ruoning stepped onto the testing platform once more. Before entering the black hole, she glanced back one last time. As she was truly about to leave her world forever, for a fleeting moment, she still felt a pang of sadness and reluctance. However, this sadness and reluctance vanished as quickly as it came. She looked forward to the new life that was about to begin.
She gave Kinsey a final slight smile, took a deep breath, and turned to enter the wormhole.
“Wait a moment, Yang,” Kinsey called out to her from behind. He grabbed an envelope from the desk, quickly walked to her, and slipped the envelope into Yang Ruoning’s backpack. “This is Qing Ye’s genetic analysis report. I just received it yesterday. You know I’m very interested in the genes of ancient humans, so I had the lab run a genetic analysis. If you’re interested, you can take a look when you have time. Also, this laboratory will always be open, and you’re welcome to return anytime.”
Yang Ruoning nodded. “Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll be returning. Thank you for everything. Bye, Mr. Kinsey.”
With that, Yang Ruoning turned and entered the wormhole.
Inside the wormhole, it was still pitch black, as if one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. Then, with a familiar click, the same familiar old door appeared. However, on the wooden door, all the screens were shrouded in mist, and everyone’s future was obscured by fog, making it impossible to know.
“Ha, good. I don’t want to know the future,” Yang Ruoning shouted into the black void. “I don’t know which deity is controlling these images, but I want to thank you. I don’t want to see the future. You have no idea how painful it is to know the future. It’s better for people to live in the present!”