Chapter Thirty: The Final Chapter

Since this story failed to gain traction during its trial period, I am discontinuing it. This is the final chapter, intended to tie up the loose ends I previously established.

This perspective belongs to Jiang Nian.

In his past life, Jiang Nian was just a viewer, watching from behind a television screen as Shen Li was abused and bullied, driven to the brink of madness. Eventually, he watched helplessly as she was committed to a mental institution. By the time he finally tracked down her location, it was too late.

The girl he loved and idolized had already jumped to her death.

He was consumed by self-reproach, convinced that had he not been so averse to the limelight and public scrutiny—had he only accepted the show’s invitation back then—Shen Li would not have been left to face her ordeal alone.

He was only ten years old when his adoptive family took him in from the orphanage. Shortly after, however, they went bankrupt, and he was branded a jinx, subjected to constant verbal and physical abuse.

The prolonged trauma forged a silent, aloof personality. No one at school spoke to him, and chronic malnutrition left him gaunt, his skin sallow and his cheeks hollow. This only made him a target for isolation and bullying; no one wanted to be friends with him.

Then, one day, a transfer student named Shen Li spoke to him. She was the first person who ever wanted to be his friend.

Shen Li had a wonderful personality and quickly made many friends. She was agile and sharp, and no one could ever bully her. She was vibrant and lively, beloved by everyone—including him.

Yet, he knew there was an unbridgeable chasm between them, as vast as the sky and the sea, as distant as mountains and rivers. They were never meant to intersect.

One day, on his way home from school, he was surrounded by older students. Shen Li sought help and saved him. She never looked down on him, and they became friends.

Until they graduated from elementary school and parted ways, accidentally losing touch.

For over a decade, Jiang Nian searched for that girl. By chance, he saw Shen Li on television, learned her name, and finally ended his long quest.

He found her, but his deep-seated sense of inferiority kept him from approaching her. And because of that same insecurity, he lost her forever.

Driven by grief, he jumped from the same spot where she had ended her life.

Jiang Nian followed her into death.

When he opened his eyes, he had returned to a few months prior. This time, he accepted the show’s invitation. He swore he would make Pei Wenxuan pay the price.

He had not expected that this time, the girl would no longer be a victim. She was capable of fighting back on her own, so he watched from the shadows, protecting her and offering help only when necessary.

It seemed she had some misunderstandings about him, but that didn’t matter; now was not the time for explanations. Perhaps keeping his distance was the best way to protect her.

He had rejected Pei Wenxuan, and he knew Pei would not let him go easily. Thus, he chose to carry out his revenge in the dark.

Only when he watched the girl rely on her own strength to reverse her fate step by step, once again standing on that dazzling, center-stage spotlight, did he decide it was time for him to quietly exit.

He never expected that she had recognized him all along.

Shen Li: "Who gave you permission to leave my life on your own terms?"

The girl looked at him with almond-shaped eyes shimmering like ripples on water, stirring his heart. Her words were something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

"Jiang Nian, I love you."

...

In the long years that followed, they leaned on and accompanied one another, becoming the people most worthy of reliance and deep love in each other’s lives.

By chance, Jiang Nian eventually learned that Shen Li had also been reborn.

It turned out their memories of that past life were shared. It turned out that Shen Li remembered those painful days.

But he would have preferred that she had forgotten.

Forgotten forever.

...

Jiang Nian: "Shen Li, I love you."

(End)