[Capital University – Auditorium]
The air inside the auditorium seemed frozen.
Gu Yaocheng's lecture was so precise it was almost suffocating. Every line of financial logic sounded like a dense spell, pressing heavily on Xia Muyan's chest until he could hardly breathe.
The pain surged through him like a rising tide.
It nearly suffocated him, as though something inside his body was tearing desperately, trying to break free from the shell of twenty-two years.
"And now we will move on to the Q&A session. Students are welcome to raise their hands," the host announced.
A bold girl from the back row suddenly called out,
"Mr. Gu! You said earlier that you have a lover. Does that person really exist, or is it just an excuse to reject your admirers?"
Screams and gasps instantly filled the auditorium.
Gu Yaocheng's gaze crossed the sea of people and locked directly onto Xia Muyan.
His low voice sounded, carrying a strange sense of fate that seemed to pierce through time itself.
"Yes."
"I love him very much."
He paused briefly before adding softly,
"I've loved him since my last life."
The entire hall fell silent.
Then an explosion of shocked voices followed.
The moment Xia Muyan heard the words last life, something inside his mind detonated like thunder.
The pain became unbearable.
Lowering his head, he stood abruptly, barely acknowledging Lin Zi before hurrying out of the auditorium.
[Cherry Blossom Street]
He didn't know how long he had walked before reaching the end of Cherry Blossom Street.
The blooming cherry blossoms drifted through the air with the wind.
Soft pink petals covered the road like endless snow.
Beautiful—
yet fleeting.
Just like their first meeting in that other lifetime.
Xia Muyan bent forward, gasping for breath.
The cold wind rushed into his lungs, bringing waves of sharp pain.
He only knew one thing—
He had to leave.
Leave that man.
Leave this place where his heartbeat had lost all control.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Steady.
Heavy.
Each step seemed to fall directly on the rhythm of his heart, leaving him nowhere to escape.
"Xia Muyan."
A low voice called his name.
His entire body trembled.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned around.
Gu Yaocheng had followed him out without him noticing.
He was now dressed only in a black shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up. Standing beneath the swirling cherry blossoms, his elegant bearing carried a dangerous, obsessive tenderness.
The moment the lecture ended, he had set down the microphone and left through the side door.
Xia Muyan dug his fingernails into his palm. The sting of broken skin barely kept his sanity intact.
He straightened his back.
His face was pale, but his voice remained distant and calm.
"Mr. Gu… is there something you need from me?"
Gu Yaocheng stopped three steps away.
His gaze was greedy, as if he wanted to carve Xia Muyan into his very bones.
"…Are you really that afraid of me?"
Xia Muyan pressed his lips together, forcing himself to meet the man's eyes.
"No."
Gu Yaocheng let out a faint, self-mocking laugh.
"Is that so?"
Xia Muyan lowered his lashes and answered quietly,
"Yes."
Amid the falling petals, the madness in Gu Yaocheng's eyes slowly faded.
In its place came a grief so deep it seemed unbearable.
He murmured softly,
"Long time no see."
The four words were as light as the wind.
Yet they felt like a key sliding into a locked door deep within Xia Muyan's heart.
The door did not fully open.
But the faint light that seeped through it allowed him to glimpse another fragment of memory—
[The Previous Life]
[Rochefort Manor]
Morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist, striking the towering stone walls of the manor and revealing the weathered marks of time.
Birds chirped brightly in the forest.
Their songs passed through the ivy-covered windows and drifted into the silent corridors.
"Young master!"
A young servant called anxiously, clutching the hem of his long uniform as he hurried across the polished marble floor.
His footsteps echoed sharply through the manor.
He searched the entire estate before stopping in front of the library door.
A faint scent of old ink seeped through the crack.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
Sunlight poured into the dim room like a wave.
Dust floated slowly in the beam of light, like sleeping golden powder.
At the far end of the bookshelves—
a boy wrapped in a heavy cloak finally came into view.
"Young Master Noel Rochefort!"
The servant hurried over, looking helpless.
"Please wake up. You'll really be late."
The boy inside the cloak slowly sat up.
His cool, delicate features appeared in the morning light.
Tilting his head slightly, he smiled with gentle mischief.
"I know."
His voice was soft and husky, like petals falling into water.
The servant sighed, half amused and half exasperated.
"You say that every time…"
The boy pushed open the window.
The morning breeze carried the scent of forest leaves and fresh dew.
The distant woods appeared faintly through the mist, like an unfinished watercolor painting.
A light flickered in his eyes.
That forest was his favorite place.
What he didn't know—
was that deep within the woods,
inside an abandoned library,
someone's fate was already waiting
to become entwined with his.