Chen Yue opened her eyes to a gray ceiling she knew far too well.
Manchester.
Rain hammered against the window in a dull, relentless rhythm.
She sat up.
Her movements were automatic.
Mechanical.
Her mind felt numb.
Yet something was missing.
A hollow emptiness lingered in her chest.
A void she could neither understand nor name.
She pulled on her wrinkled school uniform, grabbed her bag, and descended the stairs of the group home.
A thick fog seemed to cover her thoughts.
Erasing everything.
Wei Ran.
Her world.
Their story.
Gone.
Completely gone.
And yet…
Inside her chest, a second heartbeat pulsed.
Stronger than her own.
Sharper.
A foreign rhythm echoing through her soul.
She didn’t know who it belonged to.
At school, Mrs.
Rutherford slammed a book onto her desk.
“Late again!” “You are incapable of following even the simplest rules!” Laughter erupted around the classroom.
Chen Yue lowered her head.
Her fists clenenched beneath the table.
Then Mrs.
Rutherford shouted so loudly that Chen Yue flinched.
And something exploded inside her chest.
A flash of agony.
The second heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Wild.
Panicked.
Like a trapped animal.
As though someone, somewhere, had felt her pain.
She pressed a hand against her chest.
Struggling to breathe.
This isn’t mine.
It’s someone else’s.
Someone who is missing.
The pain vanished instantly.
As though soothed by the thought alone.
The following days were all the same.
Endless humiliation.
Crushing loneliness.
And every night…
The same dream.
A young man with blurred features running through a golden mist.
She called out to him.
Reached for him.
But he always drifted farther away.
She would wake with a start.
Sweat on her forehead.
Breathing hard.
The jade bracelet around her wrist pulsed with a gentle warmth.
She didn’t remember putting it on.
Yet every instinct screamed at her never to remove it.
One evening, after Mrs.
Rutherford shoved her against a wall and screamed that she was “garbage,” Chen Yue ran away.
She climbed onto her bicycle and pedaled until her lungs burned.
Tears blurred her vision.
Without thinking, she left the road and disappeared into the forest.
Darkness swallowed her quickly.
The trees closed behind her like prison bars.
She walked.
And walked.
Far too long.
Until she realized she was lost.
Night fell.
The cold bit through her thin jacket.
The scent of wet earth and decaying leaves filled the air.
Finally, she collapsed against a tree trunk.
Sobbing.
Then suddenly— A strange sensation swept through her.
Someone was calling her.
Not with words.
With blood.
With soul.
Come to me.
Her bracelet vibrated against her skin.
Almost burning.
Ahead of her stood a colossal tree.
Its roots plunged into the earth like ancient veins.
Its enormous trunk was covered in silver moss that glowed faintly beneath the darkness.
Familiar.
Terrifyingly familiar.
She stepped forward.
Hypnotized.
Hand outstretched.
The second heartbeat inside her chest raced wildly.
Elsewhere— Wei Ran awoke in a room flooded with golden light.
The scent of jasmine lingered in the air.
“Wei Ran?
You’re awake?” His fiancée entered carrying a tray of steaming tea.
In this reality…
She had never died.
There was no emptiness.
No scars.
No grief.
“You didn’t sleep well again.” “Drink this.
It will help.” He accepted the cup.
Feeling its warmth seep into his hands.
Everything seemed normal.
Perfect.
Days passed peacefully.
Quietly.
As though nothing had ever gone wrong.
One morning, while they shared breakfast in the garden, Wei Ran absentmindedly touched the jade bracelet around his wrist.
His fiancée glanced at it.
“Where did that bracelet come from?” Wei Ran frowned.
“I…
don’t know.” She smiled.
“You’ve always worn it.” “Since the day I met you.” Strange.
He couldn’t remember that at all.
Every night, he dreamed.
Always the same dream.
A woman running through golden mist.
Arms reaching toward him.
Mouth open in a silent cry.
A luminous thread connected their chests.
He tried to reach her.
But his legs refused to move.
Every time he awoke drenched in sweat.
The bracelet scorching hot against his skin.
Like heated metal.
Preparations for the wedding continued.
Upon red lacquer trays rested the symbols of their union.
Wedding garments.
Ceremonial jewelry.
And the crimson ribbon meant to bind their wrists together.
His fiancée approached it with a radiant smile.
“This one is perfect.” Her fingers brushed the embroidered ribbon.
As though the touch alone sealed their destiny.
Wei Ran stared at it.
And for reasons he could not explain— His stomach tightened.
An overwhelming unease spread through him.
His gaze remained fixed on the ribbon.
Too red.
Too bright.
Too…
Wrong.
Why do I feel like something isn’t right?
His throat tightened.
A primitive instinct screamed within him.
Run.
The morning of the ceremony arrived.
The hall blazed with red and gold.
Lanterns shimmered.
Incense perfumed the air.
Musicians tuned their instruments.
His fiancée looked breathtaking in her scarlet gown embroidered with phoenixes.
“Wei Ran…” “I’m so happy.” He smiled.
Yet something cold coiled deep inside his chest.
Together they approached the altar.
The ceremony master presented the red ribbon.
Wei Ran reached out.
The instant his fingers brushed the silk— Everything exploded.
Pain tore through his chest.
“Ah!” His knees buckled.
A brutal heartbeat.
Foreign.
Desperate.
As though a blade had pierced straight through his sternum.
As though someone very far away was dying.
“Wei Ran!” “What’s happening to you?!” His fiancée grabbed him.
The pain intensified instantly.
The bracelet vibrated so violently he thought it might shatter.
Images crashed into his mind.
A dark forest.
Tears running down a pale face.
A golden thread pulsing.
A hand reaching through darkness.
The blurred figure from his dreams.
She was crying.
Struggling to breathe.
Calling to him across the void.
This isn’t my pain.
It’s hers.
“Wei Ran!” “Stay with me!” “Don’t leave!” “Not now!” He instinctively stepped backward.
Toward the forest visible through the open doors.
The pain weakened.
Immediately.
And suddenly— He understood.
With absolute clarity.
She’s there.
In the forest.
She needs me.
“I have to go.” His fiancée stared in disbelief.
“Go where?!” “Have you lost your mind?!” “It’s our wedding!” He didn’t answer.
He turned.
And ran.
Past the altar.
Past the guests.
Past the scandalized screams.
Through the gardens.
Across the walls.
His feet pounded against the earth.
His lungs burned.
The closer he came to the forest— The weaker the pain became.
The more the second heartbeat aligned with his own.
At the heart of the forest stood a colossal tree.
Vibrating with ancient power.
Wei Ran stopped before it.
Breathing hard.
On the other side— Chen Yue approached.
Tears streaked her cheeks.
Her body trembling from the cold.
The giant tree towered before her.
Its bark pulsed faintly.
Like living skin threaded with glowing veins.
She slowly raised her hand.
Who is calling me?
On the opposite side of the trunk— Wei Ran did exactly the same.
Their palms touched the bark.
At the exact same moment.
A deep rumble shook the earth.
The golden thread burst into existence.
Blinding.
Vibrating.
Connecting their chests in an explosion of light.
Their hands passed through the wood.
As though matter itself no longer existed.
Their fingers touched.
Skin against skin.
Warmth against warmth.
Reality shattered.
A titanic force pulled them forward.
The illusions collapsed.
They found themselves standing face-to-face in an endless white space.
Hands joined.
Eyes locked.
Chen Yue slowly lifted her gaze.
“It’s you…” Her voice broke.
“It’s you I’ve been searching for…” Memories crashed into her mind like a tidal wave.
The library.
The palace steps.
His hand around her wrist.
The jade bracelet he had placed on her.
His breath against her ear.
“In that case…
marry me.” Wei Ran staggered beneath the flood of memories.
“I know you…” “I…” “I remember…” His voice trembled.
Chen Yue stepped closer.
“They separated us.” “They erased our memories.” The golden thread ignited between them.
Suddenly— A figure emerged from the shadows behind Wei Ran.
His fiancée.
Her face twisted with rage.
“HE BELONGS TO ME!” She seized his arm.
Her nails dug into his flesh.
Dragging him backward toward the darkness.
Chen Yue’s blood ran cold.
No.
Not again.
Not twice.
Something exploded inside her.
A power she didn’t recognize.
She lunged forward.
Tore Wei Ran from the illusion’s grasp.
Pulled him against her.
And without thinking— Guided by the golden thread.
By the returning memories.
By a need as vital as breathing— She kissed him.
Wei Ran froze.
His fiancée screamed.
And disintegrated into black smoke.
His lips were warm.
Motionless at first.
Then he responded.
His arms wrapped around her.
His fingers tangled in her hair.
The golden thread erupted into a blazing inferno of pure light.
Their heartbeats merged.
One.
Single.
Perfect.
The kiss deepened.
Burning.
Desperate.
As though they wished to become one.
As though they breathed the same soul.
The white world vanished.
They awoke inside the dwelling of the Judge of United Souls.
Lying upon cold stone.
Their hands still intertwined.
Chen Yue slowly turned her head.
Wei Ran was already looking at her.
His eyes still clouded with emotion.
“Chen Yue…” He brushed her cheek gently.
As if making certain she was real.
“Wei Ran…” A tear rolled down her temple.
He wiped it away with his thumb.
Never looking away.
“I will never forget you again.” “Never.” Chen Yue placed her trembling hand over his.
“Neither will I.” “Never again.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I will find you.” “In every life.” “In every world.” A divine voice thundered above them.
“YOU HAVE PASSED THE COMPATIBILITY TRIAL.” “You crossed two illusions.” “You resisted the temptation of oblivion.” “You mingled your blood.” “You found your souls again.” “You are now bound for eternity.” Their bracelets shimmered with silver light.
The golden thread materialized around them.
Visible.
Tangible.
Pulsing in rhythm with their shared breath.
Slowly, they stood.
Neither releasing the other’s hand.
Before them, an immense portal opened in an explosion of golden radiance.
Celestial birds with iridescent feathers soared from the light.
Circling gracefully overhead.
Their crystalline songs echoed like a blessing.
Wei Ran turned toward Chen Yue.
And for the first time since she had met him— He smiled.
A real smile.
Without a mask.
Without coldness.
Simply him.
“Let’s go.” He extended his hand.
Chen Yue took it.
Their fingers naturally intertwining.
“Yes.” “Let’s go.” Together, they stepped through the portal of light.
The songs of the celestial birds accompanied them.
Until the radiance swallowed them completely.
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