091. Painful Farewell, Waiting

Gao Shen was resisting Gao Wei’s attempt to enter the room; if it weren’t for the fact that Gao Wei was his elder brother, he would have thrown him out long ago rather than wasting time arguing. Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from behind him—Jing Qingxin’s voice tinged with panic. Gao Shen immediately sensed something was wrong. He spun around and saw Jing Qingxin clutching her head in pain, her body curled up, her expression suffering.

Without hesitation, Gao Shen’s face turned icy as he scooped Jing Qingxin into his arms and laid her carefully on her wooden bed in the main hall. Seeing the distress on her face, his heart was thrown into chaos.

No… No! He kept repeating it silently in his mind as he sat at the edge of the bed, holding Jing Qingxin tightly in his embrace.

“What… what’s going on?” Gao Wei, who had witnessed the sudden turn of events, was utterly bewildered.

Hearing him, Gao Shen snapped back to his senses. His deep gaze turned glacial, his entire demeanor exuding a biting coldness.

Gao Wei could not help but shiver and instinctively shrank his neck. Just as he was about to say something, a figure rushed at him. Before he could react, he was hoisted up, his feet leaving the ground. In a few swift steps, he was thrown in a parabolic arc and landed with a thud outside the courtyard gate, scraping along the ground.

With a heavy bang, Gao Wei found himself dumped outside the gate. His rear burned with pain. He scrambled up, only to see the courtyard doors were already shut.

Furious, Gao Wei tried to push the door open, but discovered it was bolted. Frustration welled up within him. Knowing there was nothing more he could do that day, he stormed off, cursing as he went.

Gao Shen, moving with utmost speed, had thrown Gao Wei out, firmly shut the courtyard gate, and rushed back to Jing Qingxin’s side in a heartbeat, holding her gently, as though afraid that if he relaxed for even a moment, she would vanish from his arms.

“Qingxin… Qingxin… don’t go! Don’t leave me! Can you hear me?” Gao Shen kept murmuring softly, his voice laced with a fear he had never known before.

Jing Qingxin felt as if her head would split open, the pain unbearable, yet her mind remained clear. Hearing Gao Shen’s anxious, fearful whispers, she longed to speak and comfort him.

But at that moment, the pain in her head overwhelmed all else. She did not know why, after this time-travel, her body felt so unwell and tormented.

Yet, as Gao Shen’s gentle words poured into her ears, it was as if her heart contracted with pain as well. Her breathing quickened. Alarmed, Jing Qingxin summoned all her strength and managed to stammer, “Don’t worry… wait… I… will… come… back!”

Gao Shen held her even tighter, bitterness filling his mouth, as if by doing so he could prevent her disappearance.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed. Gao Shen dared not blink, staring into the blinding glow, his body tense with unease. For the first time, he tasted the bitterness of despair and helplessness.

In an instant, he felt his arms empty. His eyes dropped blankly, his hands frozen midair.

Jing Qingxin lay in a daze on a soft bed, her eyes brimming with tears.

She had returned—returned to her own era! Here, she had family and friends, she had everything.

But in this world, there was no Gao Shen.

Jing Qingxin lay on her back for a long time before she managed to steady her emotions. Right now, the most important thing was to find out the origin of the ancient ink jade pendant and the reason for her time travel.

Only by uncovering the truth and finding a solution could she hope to be with Gao Shen.

She instinctively reached for her phone, only to realize it had been left with Gao Shen before she traveled back. At this thought, she sighed softly, hoping he would not despair and would wait for her.

She glanced at the clock—it was already nine in the morning. By this time, her father would have left for the army. She wondered if her mother was still home.

Jing Qingxin washed up quickly, changed clothes, and went downstairs. The living room was silent.

“Oh, Miss Qingxin, when did you come home?”

“I came back in the middle of the night, Aunt Chen. Where’s my mother?” Jing Qingxin asked the housekeeper, who had just come out of the kitchen.

“Madam left a few minutes ago, I think she went to ‘Beauty’s Retreat,’” Chen Yue replied truthfully.

Jing Qingxin nodded. “I see. I overslept this morning, so my parents don’t even know I’m back yet.”

Chen Yue smiled. “They’ve been talking about you these past two days! Well, Miss Qingxin, you get some rest. I’m off to buy groceries.”

Once Aunt Chen left, Jing Qingxin immediately sat on the living room sofa and used the house phone to call her older brother. At last, instead of a system message, she heard the ringing tone, and she eagerly awaited the connection.

“Hello, Yuanyuan?” came her brother’s voice.

As soon as the call connected, Jing Qingxin asked excitedly, “Brother, where are you now? When are you coming home?”

“I’m at the border right now. I should be back in about five days,” Jing Qingmu replied in a deep voice.

Five days?! That was too long. Jing Qingxin grew anxious, feeling she would not have peace until she uncovered the truth.

“Brother, the thing I asked you to look into before you left—have you found anything?” she pressed.

A brief chuckle came from the other end. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget! I managed to find a bamboo scroll with records about the ancient ink jade pendant.”

“Did you read it?” Jing Qingxin’s heart clenched as she pressed for details.

Jing Qingmu frowned slightly. “Yuanyuan, is there something up with that pendant? You sound really anxious.”

“Yes, I am! Brother, can you come home right away?” Jing Qingxin admitted honestly. The key to everything now lay with her brother.

She had made up her mind to tell her family the truth about her journeys through time. Before, she had kept it secret out of curiosity and the fear that her family would try to stop her.

But now things were different. On the other side of time, there was someone she could not let go of. Although she did not know what would happen next, she yearned for her family’s support and help. Her brother, Jing Qingmu, needed to be here—he was the key.

“All right, I’ll book a flight home right away!” Jing Qingmu agreed without hesitation.

The siblings were fraternal twins, and from childhood shared a special bond, almost as if they were of one mind.

At that moment, Jing Qingmu could sense his sister’s unrest and agitation—feelings rarely seen in her. Having a mother blessed with extraordinary experiences, both siblings were different from the norm, usually calm and easygoing. Their family was happy, life smooth; nothing had ever caused such emotional turmoil.

So, in just a short conversation, Jing Qingmu quickly sensed something was wrong, and he took it seriously. Nothing could be more important than family.

As for Jing Qingxin, hearing that her brother would return immediately, she was somewhat relieved.

No matter how anxious she was now, there was nothing else she could do; she could only wait at home for her brother’s return.

———Author’s note———

A daily greeting!

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