CHAPTER 166: I’LL SEE YOU IN A MONTH

"Do you think you can do it?" Qi Jianyi asked gently, watching Miss Qi’s expression.

The hesitation flickering across Miss Qi’s face was enough to tell her that her father’s request wasn’t an easy one.

"You can think about it first," Qi Jianyi added, hoping to ease the pressure.

She assumed it would take some time before Miss Qi gave a definitive answer. But to her surprise, Miss Qi shook her head and responded firmly.

"No need to think. I’ll tell them when I get back." There wasn’t a hint of doubt in her voice.

"You still live with them?" Qi Jianyi asked, curious. Miss Qi shook her head.

"No. I moved out as soon as I graduated." Qi Jianyi paused, her brows furrowing.

"Are you sure about this? Why don’t you go back and give yourself time to think it over first?" she offered again, her voice soft but sincere.

She understood that confessing everything to one’s family wasn’t easy—especially not for Miss Qi. Qi Jianyi had always been close to her family. They loved her deeply, and that love had been the foundation of their support, even when she told them something as unbelievable as soul-swapping with another version of herself.

But Miss Qi’s situation was different. A wall of resentment stood between her and her parents. Telling them about what happened seven years ago wasn’t just difficult—it was painful.

Unlike Qi Jianyi, whose life had been taken from her suddenly and without consent, Miss Qi had willingly walked away from her own life and parents. She had chosen to disappear.

If Mr. and Mrs. Qi were to learn this, it would no doubt break their hearts. To know their daughter despised them so deeply that she would rather live as someone else’s child in another world?

Qi Jianyi could only imagine how much it would hurt.

"What’s there to think about?" Miss Qi raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly. "I’ve known for the past seven years... they missed you."

Qi Jianyi frowned, confused. She didn’t understand what Miss Qi meant.

"Ever since I woke up that day, I stopped giving them any warmth," Miss Qi explained briefly.

"They just assumed I’d returned to my old, cold self. My parents, even my grandparents, would sigh whenever they looked at me." She shrugged her shoulders casually, as if it didn’t matter.

"Anyway, I don’t really care what they think of me. Since they believe I’ve gone back to how I used to be, that’s fine. At least it saves me the trouble of making up excuses." Qi Jianyi was momentarily speechless. She didn’t know how to respond to what she had just heard.

But deep down, she understood what Miss Qi’s family had been missing—it wasn’t simply her presence, but the warmth, the affection they had finally thought they’d regained. And then, suddenly, that warmth vanished. It was no wonder they were confused.

"Talk to them properly. Don’t give them too much attitude," Qi Jianyi advised gently. "I know you hate them. But they’re getting old now—they can’t handle too much emotional strain. When you tell them about us, be honest about your pain and your resentment, too. I don’t want to be the one left behind to patch up the mess all over again."

Miss Qi gave a firm nod, her eyes serious as she listened to Qi Jianyi’s words.

"I know. I’ll tell them everything," she replied solemnly. "I’ll make sure they understand that what happened seven years ago was because of me. You were just a victim caught in the middle. If they ever had any resentment toward you... I’ll make it right."

This time, Miss Qi was determined. She would return and explain the truth to her parents. If she was going to live peacefully in Qi Jianyi’s world, it was only fair that she didn’t leave chaos behind on her own. Qi Jianyi deserved that peace, too.

Therefore, Miss Qi had made up her mind. She would confess the truth—that she was the one who had stolen Qi Jianyi’s life, driven by jealousy.

She would also tell them to stop holding on to any hope of mending their broken bond.

Because from the day they returned home after her nanny’s death, Miss Qi had let go of all expectations toward her parents. Rather than clinging to an illusion that would never bear fruit, it was better for them to treat Qi Jianyi as their daughter.

Since Qi Jianyi would occasionally return to visit her family, Miss Qi decided she would do the same. She would drop by from time to time—just enough to fulfill her duty of filial piety for the people who raised her.

But if they ever hoped for her affection? That was something they would never receive in this lifetime.

Realising Miss Qi had come to terms with everything, Qi Jianyi let out a soft sigh and nodded. She stepped forward and embraced Miss Qi.

This was their second encounter. The first had been filled with hatred. But this time, both sides felt a sense of peace.

"Thank you... and I’m sorry for what I said seven years ago," Qi Jianyi whispered gently.

Miss Qi returned the hug, arms wrapping around her as she replied, "I should be the one thanking you, Jianyi."

They held each other for a moment before slowly letting go. Qi Jianyi hesitated for a beat, her expression growing uneasy.

"What if... this time, I can’t return to my world after we switch?" she finally voiced her fear. Miss Qi frowned upon hearing her concern.

That same worry had lingered in the back of her mind too.

"Don’t worry too much. Didn’t we see each other now? I believe we can swap lives whenever we want." Miss Qi replied, trying to comfort Qi Jianyi’s worries.

"But, why us?" This was one of the many questions that had been playing in Qi Jianyi’s head for the past years. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out the answer.

Why, out of millions of people, did God give the two of them the ability to swap lives with each other?

Or... were there other people like them too?

Miss Qi shook her head and shrugged.

"Who knows?" she answered.

"We would never know what God has planned for us. Maybe we were just destined to have this ability. Or maybe, God pitied me so much that he let me exchange lives with you." She replied casually while laughing at the last sentence.

Qi Jianyi rolled her eyes at Miss Qi’s words. She then followed and laughed. She felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her heart and now all that was left was hope and expectations for the future.

"One month." She muttered. Miss Qi looked at her in confusion.

"Let’s meet here again in one month." Qi Jianyi explained.

They had one month to settle things in each other’s world. Qi Jianyi still had a few matters to take care of and she wanted to spend more time with her family before leaving.

Not to mention, Miss Qi also needed to handle many things in her world. She needed to tell her family about Qi Jianyi and also make arrangements for her publishing company.

Yes, Miss Qi continued what Qi Jianyi had left behind and became a writer. She did not steal any of Qi Jianyi’s work, but created a completely new story.

Maybe, growing up watching Qi Jianyi write had somehow influenced Miss Qi after all.

She also realised she had the talent to write stories, although her chosen genres were very different from Qi Jianyi’s.

"Sure, I still have some things to do. What do you do now, anyway?" Miss Qi asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"I’m the founder of a very popular hotel," Qi Jianyi replied proudly.

Then, not forgetting to ask in return, she continued, "What about you?"

Miss Qi was surprised by her answer. After calming herself down, she responded, "You opened a hotel business? I thought you would’ve chosen writing again. I also opened a business— a publishing company, to be exact."

This time, it was Qi Jianyi’s turn to be taken aback.

"You became a writer now?" she asked, genuinely surprised. A part of her also felt happy for Miss Qi. At least she had found something she wanted to pursue.

"Well, I am. But I’m not as good as you. I just wrote a few thriller stories," Miss Qi replied with a nod. A smile formed on her lips as she recalled the overwhelming love she received when her first book was published.

At that moment, Miss Qi finally understood what Qi Jianyi must have felt when her stories were embraced by the public.

Pulling herself back from her memories, Miss Qi looked at Qi Jianyi and asked, "Why did you stop writing?"

"I didn’t," Qi Jianyi murmured softly. Her gaze dropped to the white floor, a sad smile playing on her lips.

"You didn’t?"

"I never stopped writing. I just didn’t publish any of it," she explained.

"Why?" Miss Qi asked again.

"Well, it’s complicated," Qi Jianyi said, smiling faintly as she met Miss Qi’s eyes. "It’s as complicated as your relationship with your parents—things that can’t be explained to others."

Her voice dropped lower as she finished her sentence, laced with emotion. Miss Qi could hear the sadness hidden behind her words.

Hearing that, Miss Qi understood. It was something too complicated and too painful for Qi Jianyi to talk about, just like her own wounds. So she didn’t ask further and simply acknowledged it with silence.

Qi Jianyi was relieved to see Miss Qi had no intention of pressing the topic and was quietly letting it go. It really was difficult for her to talk about it.

Just as Miss Qi had been deeply wounded by her parents’ actions in the past, Qi Jianyi had been greatly hurt by the public—by her fans.

Call it trauma or something else, but Qi Jianyi had long resolved that she wouldn’t publish any more novels.

"Then, don’t worry about it," Miss Qi said.

"When you go to my world, you can start writing again if you like. After all, even after seven years, the public still wants me to release a romance novel. They don’t know Qi Jianyi’s debut work wasn’t written by me and they keep asking for more." She paused briefly, smiling with a touch of amusement.

"I’ve never even been in love—how could I write a romance story? Now, it’s good that you’re going back. You can continue writing for me. They already love your work, and nothing should stop you from doing what you want."

Miss Qi’s tone was cheerful and encouraging, but despite Qi Jianyi not explaining anything in detail, she had still managed to guess the reasons behind it.

Qi Jianyi had been pushed into a corner by the very people she used to write for.

But now, maybe she could begin again in Miss Qi’s world if she wanted to.

"That drama... was it a success?" Qi Jianyi asked carefully.

Miss Qi nodded and sighed. "It was a huge success. Everyone came to me once the first episode aired. They all wanted to know if I had any new scripts." She clicked her tongue as she recalled the moment.

"I didn’t touch any of the profits from that drama—those are all yours. And that small actor you picked for the male lead? He’s an A-list actor now. He won a ton of awards from that drama alone." Thinking about that actor, Miss Qi sighed, visibly tired.

"What’s wrong?" Qi Jianyi laughed at Miss Qi’s exhausted expression.

"Once the drama aired and exploded in popularity, there was no way to hide my identity as the writer—especially when He Zeqing kept insisting on telling everyone that his cousin wrote it. And that Wen Renyue? He wouldn’t stop bowing and expressing his gratitude." Qi Jianyi burst out laughing as she listened to Miss Qi’s string of complaints.

"I had to keep running away from him," Miss Qi said with mock horror, shuddering slightly.

Even after all these years, she was still trying to avoid Wen Renyue. That man looked at her with so much admiration... which she felt she didn’t deserve, since she wasn’t the one who wrote the story in the first place.

That admiration had never belonged to her.

Qi Jianyi laughed even louder at Miss Qi’s exaggerated reaction. She remembered Wen Renyue—he had so much potential. Qi Jianyi felt relieved knowing he’d finally gotten the recognition and support he deserved.

Seeing Qi Jianyi laugh so heartily, Miss Qi was infected by her joy and couldn’t help but giggle along.

It was a rare scene—two women with the same face, sitting and laughing together.

This was a moment neither of them had ever imagined, yet here they were, talking and sharing stories from the past seven years. They continued talking for a long time before finally preparing to say goodbye.

Qi Jianyi smiled warmly and said, "I’ll see you in a month."

Miss Qi laughed too, playfully adding, "Please don’t change your mind."

Her words made Qi Jianyi laugh again.

"I won’t," she replied, firmly.

With that, they bid each other farewell and parted ways, each walking back toward the place they had awoken from.

After a while, their bodies slowly dissipated—fading into the surroundings—until they finally woke up from their sleep.