CHAPTER 169: HI?

"Take care of Jinlu and Jinli for me too." Qi Jianyi’s eyes widened in mild shock before she broke into a gentle smile.

She gave a nod, and a teasing glint appeared in her eyes as she couldn’t resist poking fun at Miss Qi.

"I’ll tell them that their big sister says she loves them very much." Qi Jianyi fully expected Miss Qi to roll her eyes or give her a scoff. That would have been typical.

But she was wrong.

Miss Qi didn’t roll her eyes. She didn’t sneer either. Instead, she remained quiet for a few seconds, her expression softening, before a faint smile crept onto her face.

She gave a slight nod and turned her head to the side, avoiding Qi Jianyi’s gaze.

"Hm, do that for me," she murmured, her ears tinged with a shy flush, embarrassed to have asked Qi Jianyi to pass along such tender sentiments to her younger brothers.

Still, it was a moment Miss Qi had thought about for some time. She had been meaning to let the twins know she no longer held anything against them.

After all, they had always been innocent in everything that happened.

Miss Qi had known this for a long time now. But for someone like her, admitting her mistakes wasn’t easy. Apologising outright was even harder. So instead, she kept up her distant, aloof front, pretending none of it ever happened, even if it ate away at her inside.

"Tell them... I’m sorry too." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could overthink them, her voice lower now, like she was letting go of a heavy burden.

She hoped Qi Jianyi would understand and help pass the message along to the twins.

Miss Qi worried Qi Jianyi would laugh at her or mock her sudden change of heart. But contrary to her fears, Qi Jianyi didn’t laugh. She smiled instead. A smile full of understanding, as if she’d been waiting for this day too.

She was relieved to see Miss Qi finally acknowledge what she had always believed: the twins didn’t deserve to bear resentment they had no part in.

"I will," Qi Jianyi responded firmly, nodding to reassure her.

"I’ll tell them everything. Don’t worry."

"Thank you..."

Miss Qi replied softly, recovering from her earlier embarrassment and meeting Qi Jianyi’s eyes with a genuinely grateful look.

"It’s not a big deal, really. Why are you thanking me like I just saved your life?" Qi Jianyi said, waving her hand dismissively, though the fondness in her tone betrayed her. There was a quiet pause before Miss Qi spoke again.

"I guess... this is goodbye, then."

They had lingered in this shared dream-space for a while now. Time didn’t exist here in the normal sense, but even so, they both felt the pull—it was time to wake up.

Qi Jianyi tilted her head back, glancing upward as if she could see a sky above, but it was only fog and emptiness. She nodded lightly and agreed.

"It is goodbye," she said quietly.

Yet even after saying so, she didn’t move. Not right away. Because this time, she wanted Miss Qi to go first.

"I’ll see you next month, Jianyi," Miss Qi said, nodding in farewell as she turning around.

Qi Jianyi opened her mouth, ready to say something in return, but before she could speak, Miss Qi turned back suddenly with a last-minute reminder.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something." Qi Jianyi blinked, puzzled.

"What?"

"All of my family members know now," Miss Qi said casually. "Including He Zeqing. But I already warned him not to say anything to Song Chengfeng, so I think he’ll keep quiet. In two days, there’s a birthday banquet for Grandpa He. Grandpa Song and Grandpa He are still close, so Song Chengfeng will definitely attend. That’s your chance to meet him again. I hope the two of you find your way back to each other."

Qi Jianyi lifted her brows, amused. A chuckle escaped her lips as she nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for the tip. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely grab that chance and make him mine again."

Pleased with her reaction, Miss Qi smiled and turned around one last time, finally walking away.

On her side, Qi Jianyi suddenly remembered something important. She looked at Miss Qi’s fading figure surrounded by mist and quickly shouted,

"Jianyi!"

Miss Qi turned around, surprised.

"What?"

"I forgot to tell you—I slept with my mom tonight, so you’ll probably see her the moment you wake up. Don’t be too shocked!" Hearing that, Miss Qi’s eyes widened in horror.

But before she could shout back, her figure was completely consumed by the fog. Only a faint, muffled voice could be heard—

"Qi Jianyi, you jerk—!"

Qi Jianyi’s laughter echoed through the dream world. She could already imagine Miss Qi’s shocked face.

Too bad she wouldn’t get to see it.

Shaking her head in amusement, she glanced down to see the fog now swirling around her feet.

"It’s time for me to wake up too, huh?" she whispered.

Closing her eyes, Qi Jianyi let herself be embraced by the fog, her voice trailing into silence.

"Song Chengfeng... let’s meet again."

...

Qi Jianyi felt like she was floating—weightless, untethered—as if the world had drifted far away. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

She blinked several times, adjusting to her blurred vision. As her sight cleared, the first thing she noticed was a somewhat familiar, intricately carved ceiling.

"As expected, nothing has really changed," she muttered with a sigh, shaking her head.

Qi Jianyi instantly recognised where she was. Where else could it be but Miss Qi’s bedroom in the Qi family mansion? Just like the day she had first arrived in this world seven years ago—waking up on this very bed.

Now, after all those years, she had returned and opened her eyes in the exact same place.

But this time was different. She wasn’t confused or afraid. Instead, she felt something else bubbling quietly inside her—excitement. The kind of excitement that only came from the thought of seeing someone she longed for.

Trying to suppress the silly smile forming on her lips, Qi Jianyi climbed out of bed and walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room.

She gazed at her reflection and raised her eyebrows.

"Wow..." she murmured.

"We really look alike." She found herself momentarily mesmerised. Her reaction now mirrored what she had done seven years ago—as if she had unknowingly reenacted her own history.

After finishing her moment of making faces in the mirror, she turned and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up.

After all, once she left her room, she would meet the Qi family. And this would be her first time appearing as herself, Qi Jianyi and not their real daughter, Miss Qi. Even though she had acted cool and casual earlier, it was impossible not to feel a trace of nervousness crawling beneath her calm exterior.

...

Qi Jianyi took a deep breath and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She reached up to fix her already-perfect hair, but the nervous expression on her face betrayed her calm front.

She had finished freshening up and getting ready. Now, the only thing left to do was leave her room and head down for breakfast with the family. Yet, Qi Jianyi hesitated.

What if they truly hated her?

Shaking her head, she forcefully brushed away the intrusive thought. It didn’t matter how they treated her—not really. She had returned to this world for Song Chengfeng. Everything else, including her relationship with the Qi family, could be dealt with slowly in time.

"Pull yourself together, Jianyi," she whispered under her breath, finally gathering her resolve before stepping out of the room.

Even though it had been seven years since she last walked these halls, Qi Jianyi still remembered the way to the dining room. Her feet moved on instinct, guided by the memory etched into her bones.

At the very least, she hadn’t forgotten this small detail.

As soon as Qi Jianyi stepped into the dining room, the entire room fell silent. And she was no better—her own footsteps halted, eyes widening in surprise before gradually settling into calmness.

She hadn’t expected the He family to be present. At that moment, she couldn’t help but silently curse Miss Qi for not giving her a heads-up. If she’d known, at least she could’ve prepared herself mentally.

She had thought today would be a quiet morning—just the Qi family at breakfast, allowing her time to ease into everything and meet the others slowly. Who would’ve thought the entire He family would show up instead?

From the second she entered, all eyes were fixed on her. The attention made her freeze slightly, caught off guard. She instinctively took a small step back, her lips curling into a sheepish, awkward smile.

"Hi?" she blurted out, her tone a mix of politeness and embarrassment, hoping it would break the thick tension in the room.