In the dimly lit bathroom, Hye-Jin's fingers trembled as they searched her pocket. The USB drive—the one thread that could unravel the dark tapestry of her haunted past—was gone.
Panic ignited in her chest.
"Mira," she called, her voice sharp, echoing against the cold tiles. "Take me back to where you picked me up few days ago. Now."
Mira, ever dutiful yet skeptical, narrowed her eyes. "What are you chasing this time?" she muttered, but one look at Yue Lusi's face told her this wasn't up for debate.
"Just drive," Yue Lusi ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
They returned to the roadside where the night air hung thick with tension. Gravel crunched beneath their heels as they swept the area. Yue Lusi's heart pounded. Her bodyguards joined the search, combing every inch with flashlights. But the USB was nowhere to be found.
Then, something cold touched her heel.
She looked down.
Half-buried in the dirt was a jade pendant, its green shimmer ethereal under the moonlight. Delicate, ancient, hauntingly beautiful.
"What is this?" she whispered, crouching to cradle it in her palm. It felt familiar, almost… alive.
She tucked it into her purse, a silent vow forming in her heart to uncover its story.
"We've searched long enough," He-Ra sighed, rubbing her arms. "Come on, let's go."
"No." Yue Lusi's voice was firm, eyes fierce. "Search again."
Mira's patience frayed. "What is in that USB that makes it worth all this?"
"It's none of your business," Yue Lusi snapped, her expression like stone. "Just keep looking."
For over thirty minutes, they scoured the roadside. Gravel. Mud. Empty wrappers. Silence. The USB mocked her absence with every passing second.
Back at the estate, Yue Lusi found herself drawn to Yue Xianying's room, restless. There, tucked behind a mirror, she discovered a diary—its leather cover worn, its pages filled with soul-baring entries.
She read until dawn.
Each word pulled her deeper into Yue Xianying's life—her grief, her secrets, her fears. The diary revealed a chilling truth: their parents, though victims of different "accidents" in different timelines, were in fact the same. Names. Faces. Fates. Fixed like stars, despite the ripples of time travel.
If the parents were constant, Yue Lusi thought, then perhaps their deaths were too. Planned. Orchestrated.
YG Corporation—a kingdom run on shadows. Though Yue Xianying was its CEO in name, it was Yue Wang, her calculating uncle, who ruled from behind the curtain. And YG wasn't just any corporation—it was one of the top three in the nation, its power woven into politics, media, and the criminal underworld.
Yue Lusi's resolve burned brighter.
She would not let Yue Xianying become another pawn. Not again. She would rewrite this fate, one diary entry at a time.
The jade pendant now rested in her palm like a heartbeat, whispering secrets of a destiny not yet fully revealed.
------------
The private dining room was draped in luxury—velvet chairs, crystal lights, wine glasses that shimmered like poison chalices. Yue Lusi as Yue Xianying sat across from the man her uncle had selected for a "strategic union" he fiance"
Then she saw his face.
And time stopped.
"Fu Shen?" Her voice was barely a breath.
There he was. The man who had haunted her memories, torn her soul apart in another world. The man who had destroyed Yue Lu—her sister, her best friend.
His dark eyes met hers, cold and unreadable. "How do you know my name? Did your uncle tell you?"
She forced a smile. "How could I not? You're practically viral."
He studied her carefully, sensing something beneath her surface.
He was flawless. Dangerous. A serpent wrapped in silk. Tall, magnetic, lethal. His voice smooth as poisoned wine. His attire—tailored shadows. Every inch of him a trap.
"No need for introductions, then," he said, lips curling. "Since you already know me."
She mirrored his smirk, but inside, her mind raced. She couldn't blow her cover—not yet. Not until she dismantled him from the inside.
The date ended.
As she exited the restaurant, Yue Lusi collided with a man—hard. Her purse tumbled. Hands steadied her.
She looked up.
It was him.
The doctor. The immortal. The man from her world.
"Yue Lusi, oh i mean Yue Xianying?" His voice cracked with disbelief.
Recognition flooded her. "Doctor?"
He was heartbreakingly beautiful. Too real to be a dream, too strange to ignore.
She tilted her head. "Why are you here?"
His brows furrowed. "With a colleague"
She patted his shoulder "Then take care,i will get going."
She walked away, head high, heart thudding.
He stood in the rain, staring at her as if it were a message from another life.
In the car,Yue Lusi stared out the window, confused by her own emotions.
Why does he feel like home?
The jade pendant pulsed against her chest.
-----------
Meeting Across Centuries
A cosmic game of cat and mouse, where love and memory blur. Where timelines twist like ribbons, and every meeting is a clue to a deeper truth.
Where hearts don't forget—even when the world does.
-------------
Rain drizzled down the windshield as the city lights blurred into streaks of gold and gray. Yue Lusi sat silently in the back seat, the jade pendant warm against her chest. Her thoughts kept circling back to him—Min-Joon.
That name wasn't in Yue Xianying's contacts, but it pulsed through her memory like a secret only her soul remembered.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
I didn't mean to scare you. I was just… overwhelmed. Can we talk?
Her fingers hovered over the screen. Something in her heart whispered, Yes.
---------
They met again—this time at a rooftop café, quiet and empty, shielded from the world.
Li Xuanyin stood by the railing, hands in his coat pockets, face softened by the mist. When he turned and saw her, his breath caught.
"You came."
"I'm curious," she said, cautiously. "About you. About what you're not saying."
He smiled faintly. "You were always curious. Even back then."
She blinked. "Back then?"
"I mean… you remind me of someone," he recovered quickly. "Someone I couldn't protect."
Yue Lusi tilted her head. "You speak in riddles."
He looked down. "I have to. If I told you everything at once, you'd either run… or lose your mind."
"Try me," she challenged.
There was a long pause, the kind filled with things left unsaid.
"I know you're not just Yue Xianying," he finally said. "I saw it in your eyes the moment we collided. That wasn't coincidence. It was… fate. Again."
Yue Lusi's defenses started to melt—not from his words, but from the aching sincerity in his voice.
"I don't know who you think I am," she said slowly, "but lately, I don't even know who I am either."
He stepped closer, careful not to break the fragile line between them.
"You're stronger than you realize. In every world, every time, you're drawn to truth… and I'm drawn to you."
Her breath caught in her throat.
The rain began to fall harder, but neither moved.
"You believe in fate?" she asked, almost laughing.
"I believe in you," he said.
And with that, he gently took her hand—just for a moment. She didn't pull away.
------------
They met more frequently after that—quietly, away from Yue Wang's watchful eyes. Rooftop cafés, old bookstores, alleys soaked in forgotten memories.
Sometimes they talked.
Sometimes they just sat in silence, watching the city breathe.
Each time, Yue Lusi found herself unraveling—and for once, not in fear, but in comfort. With Li Xuanyin, she didn't need to pretend. She didn't need to be CEO Yue Xuanyin. Or Yue Lusi the sister. Or the avenger. She was just… herself.
Li Xuanyin never asked for more than what she could give. But when he looked at her, it was as though centuries passed between every heartbeat.
And sometimes, when her fingers brushed his, it felt like touching a life she'd once known—and lost.