Part One: The Changed City
“You can never step into the same river twice.
But sometimes…
the people waiting on the other side are worth the journey.”
The elevator descended in silence.
No one spoke.
The soft hum of the machinery was the only sound inside the confined space.
Yu Mingyue secretly glanced around.
Gu Mengmeng still refused to let go of her hand.
Gu Mingzhe stood beside her, his posture as straight as ever.
Xie Chengyi quietly stared at the changing floor numbers.
Lu Yanxi remained in front of the elevator doors.
Just as he always had whenever they went out together.
Everything felt familiar.
Yet…
Everything felt different.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open.
The underground parking garage came into view.
Several bodyguards waiting nearby immediately straightened when they saw the three chairmen approaching with Gu Mengmeng and Yu Mingyue.
“President Lu.”
“President Gu.”
“President Xie.”
Their respectful greetings echoed through the garage.
Then—
They noticed the young woman standing between them.
The bodyguards froze.
One of them widened his eyes.
“…Miss…?”
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yanxi’s calm voice interrupted.
“Prepare the car.”
“…Yes, President Lu.”
The bodyguard immediately lowered his head.
No one dared ask another question.
Yu Mingyue watched the scene curiously.
When the bodyguards hurried away, she leaned slightly toward Gu Mengmeng.
“…Did they recognize me?”
Gu Mengmeng nodded.
“Probably.”
“…Really?”
“Anyone who grew up in X City knows your face.”
Yu Mingyue scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“I was that famous?”
Gu Mengmeng looked at her as if she’d asked something ridiculous.
“You were.”
Then she quietly added,
“…You still are.”
Yu Mingyue laughed helplessly.
“I’ve been dead for eight years.”
Gu Mengmeng’s smile disappeared.
“…Don’t say that word.”
Yu Mingyue blinked.
“…Sorry.”
She made a small zipper motion across her lips.
“I won’t say it again.”
Only then did Gu Mengmeng relax.
A black luxury sedan rolled to a smooth stop before them.
The driver hurried out and opened the rear door.
“President Lu.”
Lu Yanxi gave a slight nod.
Then…
Without thinking…
He raised one hand toward the open door.
His movement was natural.
As though he’d done it thousands of times.
Yu Mingyue looked at him in surprise.
“…Yanxi-ge.”
He met her gaze.
“…You used to tell me to open the car door myself.”
Silence.
The driver’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.
President Lu…
Used to do that?
Lu Yanxi remained quiet.
It was Gu Mingzhe who answered instead.
“At that time…”
“You said you wanted to learn to do everything by yourself.”
Yu Mingyue smiled.
“I remember.”
She had been so proud whenever she managed to do something without help.
Opening a bottle.
Climbing stairs.
Carrying her own schoolbag.
Even opening a car door had made her feel a little stronger.
Those tiny victories had once meant the world to her.
Her smile slowly faded.
She looked at the open car door.
Then at the three men.
She suddenly understood.
It wasn’t that they believed she couldn’t do it anymore.
It was that…
For eight years…
They had regretted every moment they hadn’t been able to help her.
“…”
Without saying anything, Yu Mingyue stepped into the car.
This time…
She didn’t insist on opening the door herself.
Because she knew.
Accepting someone’s kindness…
Was also a way of loving them.
Gu Mengmeng immediately climbed in beside her.
Before anyone else could move.
She wrapped both hands around Yu Mingyue’s arm.
“I’m sitting here.”
Yu Mingyue laughed.
“Okay.”
“No one can steal my seat.”
“Hmph.”
Gu Mengmeng looked extremely satisfied.
Outside the car, Gu Mingzhe quietly adjusted his glasses.
“…Childish.”
“I heard that.”
“I wanted you to.”
The familiar exchange made Yu Mingyue giggle.
It was exactly the same as before.
For a fleeting moment…
It almost felt as though those eight years had never existed.
The car door closed.
The engine started.
As the black sedan slowly left Yunse Nightclub, Yu Mingyueinstinctively turned toward the window.
The city stretched before her.
Bright.
Bustling.
Alive.
Her eyes widened little by little.
“…”
“…This is X City?”
Towering skyscrapers pierced the night sky.
Glass buildings reflected countless lights.
New bridges crossed the river.
Driverless buses quietly moved along the roads.
A massive digital screen wrapped around an entire building.
Everything looked unfamiliar.
“…It’s changed so much.”
Her voice was almost a whisper.
No one answered immediately.
Because none of them had truly looked at the city in years.
They had simply lived in it.
Yu Mingyue pressed her forehead lightly against the cool window.
Like a child discovering the world for the first time.
“Oh…”
“The old bookstore is gone.”
“And the dessert shop too.”
She pointed excitedly.
“Didn’t there used to be a flower shop over there?”
Gu Mengmeng nodded.
“It became a café three years ago.”
“…Really?”
“And the little park?”
“It was rebuilt.”
“…The cinema?”
“It’s a museum now.”
Yu Mingyue listened quietly.
Every answer reminded her of the same truth.
Time had never stopped.
Only she had.
She smiled softly.
“…The city grew up.”
Then she turned around.
Looking at the people inside the car.
“…”
“…But all of you…”
She hesitated.
“…Still feel the same.”
The words lingered in the air.
Gu Mingzhe looked out the opposite window.
Xie Chengyi lowered his eyes.
Lu Yanxi continued watching the road ahead.
Only Xiao Bai, invisible beside Yu Mingyue, quietly looked at them all.
His small wings drooped slightly.
At last, he spoke in a voice only Yu Mingyue could hear.
“…Host.”
She blinked.
“Hm?”
“I think…”
He looked toward the three silent men.
“…They never left the day you died.”
Yu Mingyue’s smile slowly disappeared.
She looked at their quiet profiles.
No one had corrected her.
No one had said the city hadn’t changed.
Because…
The city had.
They simply hadn’t changed with it.
They had spent eight years walking forward.
While their hearts remained standing beside an eighteen-year-old girl’s grave.
Yu Mingyue lowered her eyes.
Very gently…
She whispered so softly that only she could hear it.
“…Then…”
“…I’ll bring all of you back with me.”
Outside the window…
The city lights continued to flow past.
Like time itself.
Never stopping.
Never waiting.
But perhaps…
For the first time in eight years…
It had finally begun moving forward once again.
Note : Hello everyone!
From today onwards, i will only upload one part a day because i’m busy with my work and can only use a little of my free time to write and edit the novel.
Thank you for your understanding 🥰