She may not understand how much willpower I used to restrain myself from holding her hand.

  But I am selfish, the girl under the faint light is so lovely and cute, her face is red from the spicy food, her lips are plump and red, silly but with a hint of spirit, she pouts at me.

  I just kept kissing her like that. At that moment, I felt my heart tremble for a woman for the first time in my life. I realized that I had actually endured many times before. Perhaps it was because of the various dangers I experienced in the past few days that I made up my mind not to provoke anymore. I also thought I could restrain myself. But such thoughts only made me more impulsive, and when I kissed her, even the smoke between my fingers was burning hot.

  I couldn't bring her into the pit. I drifted, sought, hated, and took risks. In a sense, it was also indulgence and degeneration. She was the stunning encounter when everything was safe, and if I couldn't put her in a good place now, but instead brought her into an even more dangerous situation, what's the point of talking about love?

  Perhaps I am indeed afraid of losing again.

  But at this moment, her expression is so pitiful, and her eyes contain a thousand words, I understand. Now we have fallen into what kind of situation, who knows what will happen in the future. I must take good care of her.

  So I walked towards her.

  Her expression became increasingly sorrowful. Before I could react, she had already hugged me. Does she know that if she looks at me with such eyes a few more times, perhaps I will abandon my willpower and selfishly engage in an irresponsible romance with her?

  I knew she had always been kind, and in this situation, I might need her help. So I asked her to help me save Miao Yu. She agreed readily, and was even very affectionate and friendly towards Miao Yu. I knew it was genuine, not just to please me. After all, since we returned to Miao Yu's room again, she hadn't looked at me straight in the eye. This slightly prickly attitude of hers made my heart feel a mix of sweetness and bitterness.

  But now is not the time for romance with her.

  From the moment I stepped into Wu Miao's room, I felt a little dizzy, but didn't pay attention to it.

  Who would have thought that this timeline would be so short-lived? As soon as I sensed something was off, I immediately spoke out a warning, and vaguely saw Wu Miao reveal a puzzled expression, trying to hold me back. Although I was still uneasy and unwilling, I knew she had already received the warning. With great effort, I smiled at her, then looked up at my woman. Dazed, I saw that she had closed her eyes and fallen down, her face pale. I stood up, fell to the ground, but finally grasped one of her fingertips.

  Tan Jiao, I've said it before, no matter how time and space change, no matter how history changes, I will never forget you.

  Even after waking up, I am no longer in the same place.

  ……

  But I was still in the wilderness, still in the small hut behind the garage, waking up quietly. I gazed at the morning sun that had just risen, and after a moment, my heart was once again occupied by the deep-seated sorrow that had been buried for so long.

  History has not changed, I am still here, still in this place far away from home.

  I took out my phone and frantically searched for news about Wu Miao and my mother.

  Wu Miao went missing a year ago, two days later than in history and with a different cause of death. The police still haven't found her. And my mother died unexpectedly from drowning a month later.

  I sat in the small room for a long time, clutching my phone, but suddenly a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart: disappearance means it's possible she hasn't died yet. Wu Miao might still be alive!