CHAPTER 136: CITY A

"Why are you going to City A without telling me?" Song Chengfeng’s deep voice resonated through the car’s speakers, his name glowing brightly on the screen in front of Qi Jianyi. The tone of his question carried a mix of curiosity and mild reproach, a reflection of his underlying concern.

Qi Jianyi glanced at the screen, a sly smile forming on her lips.

"Are you really going to interrogate me while I’m driving, love?" she asked playfully. Her voice carried a teasing lilt, though the truth was, she had already parked her car at a nearby rest stop, the engine idling softly in the background.

On the other end of the line, Song Chengfeng went silent for a moment, clearly caught off guard by her counter.

Then, in a voice that held a hint of sulkiness, he replied, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Qi Jianyi chuckled, unable to resist poking fun at him further. "Why?" she asked, feigning innocence. "Were you planning to come with me?"

Her teasing tone only deepened his pout, even if she couldn’t see it. "Hmm..." Song Chengfeng hummed softly, the sound laden with reluctance.

They both knew the answer. As much as he would love to join her, his responsibilities kept him tethered to his business. Although he made it a point to prioritize spending time with Qi Jianyi, there were moments when work had to come first.

"Are you busy?" Qi Jianyi asked, her voice softening slightly. Her gaze remained fixed on the screen, as though speaking to him face-to-face.

"You sound tired," she added, her tone laced with genuine concern.

"A little bit," Song Chengfeng admitted, his voice carrying the weariness of a long day. Standing by the window of his newly set-up office, he gazed outside with a calm yet tired expression, the city lights casting a faint glow on his face.

"I miss you, Qi Jianyi," he murmured. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it was filled with raw emotion—a confession laced with longing that he couldn’t suppress.

Qi Jianyi’s eyelashes fluttered briefly, her expression faltering as his words struck a chord deep within her. For a moment, her face turned solemn, but she quickly masked it with a bright smile.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" she asked, her tone lightening. "How about coming to see me in City A? Let’s have a date. I heard there are a lot of interesting places we can explore."

The suggestion seemed to snap Song Chengfeng out of his tired state. He didn’t even pause to think about his packed schedule before replying, "Sure, I’ll be there tomorrow morning." His voice, once tinged with exhaustion, now brimmed with enthusiasm and joy that was exclusive only for her.

Qi Jianyi couldn’t help but laugh at his eagerness. It was one of the things she loved about him—how effortlessly he prioritized her without hesitation.

"You’re unbelievable," she teased, her voice full of affection.

"Anything for you," he replied sincerely.

"Alright," Qi Jianyi said, her smile evident even through her voice. "I’ll text you when I arrive. See you tomorrow, Chengfeng." She started her car engine, preparing to get back on the road.

On the other end, a rare, soft smile graced Song Chengfeng’s otherwise stoic face. "I love you, Qi Jianyi," he said, his voice steady yet filled with warmth.

Qi Jianyi froze for a second, her hands gripping the steering wheel. Then, she broke into a giggle, her heart fluttering at his words.

"I love you too, Song Chengfeng," she replied, her voice sweet and sincere.

With that, she shifted the car into gear and drove off, her heart feeling light and full. On the other end of the line, Song Chengfeng stood by the window, with a satisfied smile on his face.

...

Once Qi Jianyi entered City A, she navigated the bustling streets with ease, her movements smooth and confident as if she had lived there all her life. Her car wove effortlessly through the traffic, eventually pulling into a community near the largest mall in the city.

If anyone happened to see her, they would naturally assume she was a local, familiar with every nook and cranny of the area.

And they wouldn’t be wrong.

In her real world, City A was her birthplace, the city where she had spent her entire childhood and teenage years. It was where she had grown up, built countless memories, and found her identity.

Nearly every corner of this vibrant city held a fragment of her past—laughter with friends, quiet moments with family, and even the tears shed during her struggles.

Yet, it was also the place where her heart had been broken, and her career had unraveled. Those bitter experiences had driven her to make the impulsive decision to leave, seeking solace in a city far from home. But as the days turned into months, she had come to regret her choice deeply, her heart aching with homesickness.

Now, being back in City A—albeit in a world slightly different from her own—brought an indescribable sense of comfort. The streets, though unfamiliar in certain details, still carried an air of familiarity.

Qi Jianyi had not chosen this place on a whim. Her decision to visit City A had been made after much deliberation, driven by an overwhelming curiosity and an aching longing for her past.

"What does my hometown look like in this world?" she had often wondered. The questions had lingered in her mind, refusing to be ignored.

"Does my old school exist here?" she mused, her thoughts drifting to the classrooms where she had spent hours studying and daydreaming.

"What about my family’s apartment?" she questioned, memories of her childhood home flooding her mind.

"Do my friends exist in this world?" That thought stung the most, the uncertainty tugging at her heart. After all, she had met with this world’s Xu Yichen. Then, what about her other friends?

The yearning to answer these questions had finally propelled her to make the journey. As soon as she entered City A, Qi Jianyi wasted no time, her car heading straight for the location she remembered as her family’s home.

The dream she had recently experienced had only intensified her longing for her real world, making her eager to seek out traces of her past life—even if they existed in a reality that wasn’t truly hers.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly as she approached the area where her family’s apartment had once stood. The streets felt hauntingly similar yet subtly different, like a melody played in a slightly altered key. It was both comforting and disorienting.

What would she find here? Would the apartment building still be the same? Would strangers now occupy the space that had been her sanctuary? The questions swirled in her mind, creating a mixture of hope and apprehension.

With a determined exhale, she stepped out of the car, her eyes scanning the surroundings. City A, even in this alternate world, still felt like home.

Qi Jianyi walked slowly to the park nearby, her steps hesitant yet purposeful. Her heart raced slightly as she turned the corner and saw the scene before her. Her breath caught for a moment, and her eyes widened in bewilderment.

The park looked exactly as she remembered it.

Everything was eerily familiar—so much so that it felt as if she had stepped back into her own world. The sight before her was a vivid replica of the park she had played in as a child, down to the smallest detail.

"This is so absurd..." she muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with disbelief. She shook her head slightly as if trying to wake herself from a strange dream.

"How can everything look exactly the same?" she whispered to herself, her tone a mixture of awe and unease.

The red swing set stood in its usual place, the paint slightly peeling in the exact spots she remembered. The little blue horse toy rocked gently in the breeze, its surface worn smooth from years of tiny hands gripping it tightly. Even the old ice cream stall at the park’s entrance was there, its cheerful yellow umbrella flapping gently in the wind.

It was like a snapshot from her childhood, preserved and recreated in this alternate world. Every detail, from the cracked pavement near the fountain to the row of bushes lining the park’s perimeter, mirrored the place she had grown up in.

As Qi Jianyi stood there, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming wave of nostalgia. It was the kind of bittersweet sensation that came with revisiting a place from your past, a place where you had once laughed, cried, and dreamed.

"It’s as if I really grew up in this neighborhood," she murmured, her voice barely audible. Her fingers lightly brushed the chain of the swing as she passed by, the cold metal grounding her in the present moment.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The familiarity of the scene was both comforting and unsettling. On one hand, it felt like a piece of home in a world that wasn’t hers.

On the other, it reminded her of how far she was from her real life—and how much she missed it.

The absurdity of it all made her scoff softly, a dry laugh escaping her lips. Despite her doubts and the strangeness of the situation, Qi Jianyi couldn’t stop her feet from moving forward. Drawn by the memories this park stirred within her, she wandered deeper into its familiar yet foreign embrace.

Every step she took felt like a step back in time, a journey into a part of herself she had thought she’d left behind. And yet, here it was, waiting for her in this parallel version of her world.

Seeing the familiar sight before her, Qi Jianyi couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. The memories of her childhood surged forward, vivid and unbidden, as if the park itself were summoning them from the recesses of her mind. But alongside the nostalgia came a creeping sense of unease.

For a fleeting moment, a chilling doubt surfaced in Qi Jianyi’s mind. What if the life I’ve lived for twenty years wasn’t real? The thought unsettled her, like a crack in the foundation of her identity.

But no matter how her thoughts spiraled, Qi Jianyi’s resolve remained unwavering. Even if her world was the "fake" one or the "real" one, it didn’t matter.

Her family was there—her parents, her sister Qi Jianning, the people who made up the core of her life. Wherever they were, that was where her home lay.

Her heart ached as she looked at the park, so perfectly mirroring her past. Despite its uncanny resemblance to her real world, Qi Jianyi knew better than to chase ghosts. She decided, in the end, not to visit her family’s old apartment. She could only imagine the pain of finding strangers living in the space that once held her happiest memories.

"It’s impossible for my real family to exist in this world," she murmured softly to herself, her voice tinged with resignation.

The truth of her situation was clear. In this world, her family’s counterpart existed at the Qi mansion in the capital—Mr. Qi and Mrs. Qi, her wealthy, loving parents. And the original Qi Jianyi was her counterpart here, the version of herself that belonged to this world.

While she felt relieved to know her parents in this world had a life of wealth and happiness—and that she could share in their blessings—her heart still weighed heavy with sorrow for one irreplaceable absence.

Her sister, Qi Jianning, didn’t exist in this world.

The realization pierced her deeply. Qi Jianning was the reason Qi Jianyi had worked so tirelessly to lift her family out of poverty. Her little sister had been her source of motivation.

And now, while her parents and she herself enjoyed the glory and wealth in this world, her sister had been replaced. In Qi Jianning’s stead were the twins, Qi Jinlu and Qi Jinli, who filled the home with their mischief and warmth.

Not that Qi Jianyi complained about the twins’ existence. She just found it a pity that her little sister wasn’t born in this alternate world. After all, in this world, their parents are rich and they don’t have to worry about food and clothing.