The all-out war between the Zerg and the Protoss had begun. Though Liu Hui worried for the Zerg, he knew there was nothing he could do to assist them under these circumstances. He could only pray the Zerg would not fail, as their defeat would mean losing a crucial trading partner.

Liu Hui turned his attention back to Little Black. He injected the creature with an enormous dose of modification drugs, forced it to ingest over ten tons of Xicrystal, and then commanded it to sink immediately into the deep-sea trench. Little Black swam to a concealed abyssal rift and quietly lurked there. An hour later, the ultimate modification officially commenced. After a period of earth-shattering struggle, Little Black plunged into its final evolutionary phase.

The violent tremors caused by Little Black's transformation were even detected by the seismic monitoring systems of the City of Starlight. They reported a minor earthquake occurring on the deep seabed to Liu Hui.

Liu Hui was now eagerly awaiting Little Black's reawakening. If Little Black could successfully evolve into the ultimate form described by the Zerg, then he would truly have nothing left to fear on Earth; the security of the "City of Starlight" would be perfectly guaranteed.

Entering 2018, Liu Hui's career continued to flourish with high-speed development, but his romantic life remained a complete mess. Not only did he have Hu Xian'er and An Qi, but a mysterious Shu Yan had also appeared in his life, causing him great distress. The troubling aspect was that he still could not uncover Shu Yan’s true background. Even after expending immense effort, he could find no trace of where Shu Yan originated, as if she simply did not exist in this world—as if she had fallen from the sky.

Liu Hui was extremely frustrated by his chaotic love life but felt utterly helpless. It was a weekend, and he decided to go out alone for a walk to alleviate his gloom. As he walked toward the commercial center above the City of Starlight, he unexpectedly ran into Xiao Yao and her mother on the street.

The first time Liu Hui saw Xiao Yao was when he had just arrived in Hong Kong; she had been about six or seven years old then. Several years later, Xiao Yao had grown into a young woman in her teens, and Liu Hui almost didn't recognize her at first glance.

However, Xiao Yao’s mother, Gao Dasao, immediately spotted Liu Hui and warmly approached him to greet her boss. Liu Hui laughed, "Hello, Gao Dasao! Is this our Xiao Yao? I haven't seen her for two years, and I can't believe she’s grown up so much—a proper young lady now."

Gao Dasao immediately pushed the nearby Xiao Yao forward and said, "Boss, this is Xiao Yao. She’s fourteen this year. Xiao Yao, quickly say hello to the boss."

Xiao Yao was not shy. She said with a smile, "Hello, Uncle! Why haven't we seen you at the victory banquets these past two years?"

Liu Hui chuckled, "I've been too busy with work these past two years, so I haven't attended the final celebration dinners. I never expected our little Xiao Yao to grow into such a beautiful young woman in this time."

Gao Dasao watched Liu Hui chatting with Xiao Yao, a smile playing on her lips. Suddenly, she glanced down at her watch and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I forgot something extremely important! I have to go back now. Xiao Yao, you stay here and keep the boss company for a good chat. Tell him about yourself." Without waiting for any reaction from Liu Hui or Xiao Yao, she hurried away.

Xiao Yao felt a bit awkward seeing her mother leave so abruptly. Liu Hui smiled, "Xiao Yao, I haven't seen you in two years. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to?"

Xiao Yao glanced around and asked with a smile, "Right here on the street?"

Liu Hui slapped his forehead and laughed, "Oh! I forgot. Our Xiao Yao is a young lady now. I should invite you somewhere romantic to talk."

Xiao Yao smiled, "It doesn't have to be too romantic."

Liu Hui smiled, took Xiao Yao into a large department store nearby, and found a Starlight Beverage Shop. They sat down, ordered their drinks, and began to talk.

"Uncle, you didn't come to see me for the last two years. You have no idea how much I missed you!" Xiao Yao said.

"Heh heh, even though Uncle hasn't visited you for two years, I’ve always been thinking about our little Xiao Yao! I kept wondering what the adorable Xiao Yao from back then would look like when she grew up? Well, you haven't disappointed me. Our Xiao Yao has only grown more beautiful, and your eyes are even more captivating!" Liu Hui smiled.

Xiao Yao blushed slightly at Liu Hui's praise. She asked, "Does Uncle also think my eyes are beautiful?"

Liu Hui replied, "Yes, I've thought so since you were very young! By the way, Xiao Yao, you must be in middle school now, right?"

When Liu Hui asked this, a shadow of sadness crossed Xiao Yao's eyes. She said, "I’m in the second year of junior high this year."

Liu Hui inquired, "Then how are your grades? They must be excellent; our Xiao Yao is so smart."

Xiao Yao lowered her head and spoke in a small voice, "Uncle, you mustn't laugh at me when I tell you."

Liu Hui paused, sensing the young girl had something on her mind. He said, "Xiao Yao, tell Uncle anything you need to. I absolutely will not laugh at you."

Xiao Yao confessed, "Uncle, I don't know what's wrong. When I study, the knowledge just won't sink in. My head feels like a lump of paste, and I forget everything I just learned. Because of this, my grades are terrible in class…"

Liu Hui was startled; he hadn't expected Xiao Yao's grades to be so poor. Then he heard her continue, "Out of thirty-five students in the class, I’m ranked last..."

Liu Hui was momentarily speechless. Xiao Yao looked up, tears welling in her beautiful eyes, and asked, "Uncle, do you think I'm very stupid?"

Liu Hui quickly reassured her, "Our Xiao Yao is not stupid at all. I believe that as long as you put in the effort, you will definitely catch up with the other students in your studies..."

Xiao Yao asked worriedly, "Then will you stop liking me?"

Liu Hui smiled and gently patted Xiao Yao’s head, chuckling, "How could I not like you? You are so very lovely!"

Xiao Yao clearly enjoyed Liu Hui patting her head. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, her expression turning sad. She said, "Uncle, thank you for talking with me, but I have something to do and must leave now."

Liu Hui watched Xiao Yao hastily gathering her things and leaving, feeling somewhat lost. He couldn't figure out what he had said wrong. The conversation had been going so well; why did she suddenly want to leave? He pondered for a while but couldn't grasp the reason. He finally sighed, "Are all women this difficult to understand? The older ones are like this, and even a fourteen-year-old girl is the same?"

Liu Hui paid the bill at the counter and left the beverage shop, preparing to go home. Just then, he spotted An Qi, who was shopping at the mall with his adoptive parents. His heart leaped with joy, and he was about to step forward when he saw two women approaching from another part of the mall. These two women were his wife, Hu Xian'er, and the mysterious Shu Yan.

Liu Hui started, instinctively shrank his neck, and quietly slipped back into the beverage shop, sitting inside to watch the women outside secretly.

Hu Xian'er and Shu Yan were chatting and laughing when they suddenly spotted An Qi walking ahead of them. Hu Xian'er paused, subconsciously slowing her pace. Shu Yan immediately noticed Hu Xian'er's slightly unusual gaze and asked, "Sister Xian'er, who is that woman up ahead?"

An Qi had also spotted Hu Xian'er. She said a few words to her adoptive parents and then walked toward Hu Xian'er alone, while her adoptive parents continued browsing the mall.

The two women, aware of each other's existence but having never met formally or spoken, destined to become rivals in love, finally came face-to-face in the mall.

"Sister Xian'er, we finally meet." Standing next to each other, An Qi was the first to speak.

Shu Yan noticed Hu Xian'er trembling slightly. Unaware of the full situation, she immediately stepped forward and demanded, "Who are you? Why are you speaking so loudly to Sister Xian'er?"

Hu Xian'er immediately recalled the strange relationship between these two people. She pulled Shu Yan slightly and said, "You go find a seat, Sister. I need to speak with this older sister."

An Qi scrutinized Shu Yan and asked doubtfully, "This little sister..."

Before An Qi could finish speaking, Shu Yan loudly declared, "Don't call me little sister, my name is Shu Yan."

An Qi frowned slightly and asked, "Are you sure your name is Shu Yan?"

Shu Yan laughed, "Of course, my name is Shu Yan. I am Liu Hui's first lover, from Chuzhou. Haven't you heard of me? Liu Hui and I are very close. If you dare bully Sister Xian'er, I'll have Liu Hui deal with you."

Seeing the situation deteriorating, Hu Xian'er prepared to step in, but An Qi waved her hand and said, "Sister Xian'er, please wait a moment. I have something to ask this little sister."

"Please call me Shu Yan," Shu Yan emphasized again.

Liu Hui, watching the confrontation from the shop, lowered his head, his headache intensifying.

"Fine, Shu Yan, you claim to be Liu Hui's first lover from Chuzhou. But you don't look older than twenty, do you?" An Qi questioned.

"What business is that of yours? I don't need to answer. Liu Hui is my lover, that's certain," Shu Yan stated smugly.

An Qi suddenly said, "Liu Hui gave Shu Yan a video camera back then. What brand was that camera?"

Shu Yan replied proudly, "The camera was a Panasonic. Too bad I lost it later."

An Qi's face turned deathly pale. She asked again, "When Liu Hui was in Chuzhou, he once stayed at a hotel near Shu Yan's home. How much did that hotel room cost per day?"

Shu Yan's eyes sparkled mischievously as she said, "That hotel room was an extremely low price—five yuan a day, and it was an air-conditioned room, including breakfast."

An Qi had read the memories Liu Hui possessed, effectively reliving the entire process of Liu Hui and Shu Yan falling in love from his perspective. Thus, although she hadn't recovered any of her own memories of Shu Yan, she knew some of the intimate secrets between Shu Yan and Liu Hui. Now, hearing this Shu Yan answer perfectly correctly, a feeling of utterly surreal absurdity welled up inside her.

An Qi was utterly bewildered. Both she and Liu Hui were certain that she was the original Shu Yan; even though she lacked Shu Yan’s memories, her identity as Shu Yan was unquestionable. Yet, the woman opposite her, An Qi was certain, was not Shu Yan, but this impostor possessed Shu Yan's memories. This confused her thoughts. She suddenly noticed Hu Xian'er standing nearby, holding her head in distress, and immediately asked, "Sister Xian'er, did Liu Hui tell her everything she just said?"

Hu Xian'er shook her head. "No, she knows all of this herself."

An Qi thought for a moment and said, "Sister Xian'er, you two should continue shopping; I'm leaving now. We can talk about things next time."

Then An Qi turned back and started calling Liu Hui. Seeing that the situation was taking a turn, Hu Xian'er also began dialing Liu Hui's number.

Liu Hui was anxious inside the beverage shop when he saw both women standing outside, talking on their phones. Then he heard his phone ring. The tense Liu Hui answered without checking the number, expecting only one call. He hadn't anticipated both women calling simultaneously, and his phone had been specially modified to handle multiple calls at once. Consequently, the call Liu Hui answered instantly became a three-way conversation between Liu Hui, Hu Xian'er, and An Qi.

As soon as Hu Xian'er and An Qi heard Liu Hui answer, they both called out, "Shui Niu," and "Liu Hui," respectively. They were startled because they could hear the other person's voice on Liu Hui's line, as if they were standing right next to Liu Hui while calling.

Hu Xian'er and An Qi searched around frantically, finally spotting Liu Hui in the corner of the nearby beverage shop, huddled over, acting suspiciously.

The three women looked at Liu Hui. Liu Hui coughed and said, "Well! The drinks here taste pretty good, haha..."

Hu Xian'er saw that people nearby were starting to look over and said, "Alright, we can discuss this when we get home!"

So, An Qi followed Liu Hui, visiting the home Liu Hui shared with Hu Xian'er for the first time. On the way, An Qi and Shu Yan glared daggers at each other. Once at Liu Hui's house, they settled down, divided into three factions. An Qi looked at Liu Hui and demanded, "Liu Hui, explain to us exactly what is going on with this woman?"

Liu Hui offered a wry smile and said, "An Qi, the situation is actually like this: this young lady claims to be Shu Yan, the Shu Yan who was in Chuzhou before."

Shu Yan protested, "Hui Hui, I am the real Shu Yan! Why do you have to add 'she claims' to that statement?"

An Qi shot the other Shu Yan a look and said, "Liu Hui, then tell this 'Shu Yan' who I really am!"

Liu Hui turned and told the other woman, "Shu Yan, this is An Qi, but her true identity is actually Shu Yan, the Shu Yan from Chuzhou."

The Shu Yan by Liu Hui froze, pointing at An Qi, then at herself. "Hui Hui, you say she is An Qi, but also Shu Yan? Then who am I?"

An Qi interjected coldly, "Who knows what kind of liar you are?"

Shu Yan began to get angry, looking at Liu Hui. "Hui Hui, tell us, which one of us is your Shu Yan? Hmph, she even calls you Liu Hui. Don't you know I always call you Hui Hui?"

Liu Hui looked at the two women before him, his headache immense. Hu Xian'er watched coldly, refraining from voicing an opinion for the moment.

An Qi snapped angrily, "I have always called him Liu Hui; what is wrong with that?"

Shu Yan countered, "That just proves you’re the fake! You could never be me, because I would never call him that name."

An Qi stepped forward, grasped Liu Hui's hand, and said, "You probably don't know, but Liu Hui and I share an electric connection—a feeling that cannot be wrong. Do you have that feeling with Liu Hui too?"

Shu Yan was momentarily speechless, unable to respond. However, she couldn't stand the affectionate way An Qi was holding Liu Hui's hand, so she retorted, "If you claim to be me, then can you tell me the exact knitting measurements for the sweater I made for Liu Hui?"

An Qi immediately fell silent. Although she had learned about the moments Liu Hui and An Qi shared by reading his memories, Liu Hui himself did not know the specific measurements for knitting a sweater. And if Liu Hui didn't know, then An Qi couldn't know either.

Shu Yan immediately took Liu Hui's other hand and pleaded coaxingly, "Hui Hui, have you finally seen this woman's true colors? She's fake, pretending to be me. You must see clearly!"

An Qi was instantly enraged. She grabbed Liu Hui's other hand in return and declared defiantly, "I just have amnesia and temporarily forgot those details! But my Liu Hui recognizes me because of our electric connection, so I am the real Shu Yan, and you are the imposter."

Shu Yan shot back immediately, "If you don't even know these details of our life together, how could you possibly be me?"

Liu Hui, having his hands pulled by two women, felt a splitting headache, unsure how to navigate the situation. Just then, the doorbell rang in the room. Hu Xian'er immediately went to open it and returned with Chu Chu following her.

Shu Yan continued pulling Liu Hui's hand, ignoring the newcomer Chu Chu. An Qi, as if finding a savior, exclaimed, "It's good you're here! There's a woman here claiming to be Shu Yan—quickly expose her!"

As soon as Chu Chu entered, she saw the strange sight of two women holding onto Liu Hui's arms; she was deeply curious. Ever since moving to the City of Starlight, she had known that An Qi was Shu Yan, because she had seen An Qi wearing a goose-yellow dress at An Qi's place—a dress Chu Chu had bought with Shu Yan, so she was familiar with its features.

The only reason An Qi couldn't recall anything about Shu Yan temporarily was due to her amnesia. The fact that someone could be resurrected from the dead was already a miracle; a bit of memory loss was understandable. Thus, when she received Hu Xian'er's urgent call to come over immediately, she rushed there, and upon entering, she heard An Qi's plea for help.

Chu Chu frowned and carefully studied the Shu Yan clutching Liu Hui's arm. Before she could speak, she heard Shu Yan say indignantly, "Fine, so you’ve called for backup. What? Do you think I’ll be scared just because you have reinforcements? Bring it on..."

Hu Xian'er instructed, "Chu Chu, take a look and tell us which one of them is the real Shu Yan. You are Shu Yan's best friend, growing up together; you must be able to tell them apart."

The Shu Yan holding Liu Hui’s arm paused and said, "So you are Chu Chu..."

An Qi immediately jumped in, "See? She claims to be Shu Yan, but she doesn't even recognize her best friend. This time she’s completely exposed!"

Shu Yan retorted, "How could I not recognize Chu Chu? I just haven't seen Chu Chu in so long. Remember, Chu Chu is my very best friend, right, Chu Chu?"

Hu Xian'er had initially thought inviting Chu Chu would settle the matter of who the real Shu Yan was, but she found the situation remained a complete tangle. After asking Shu Yan a series of intimate questions, the woman who claimed to be Shu Yan could answer most of them correctly, leaving Chu Chu unable to distinguish between the two.

After Chu Chu left, depressed, An Qi and Shu Yan resumed their mutual sarcasm. Unable to determine the truth, An Qi finally left Liu Hui's home, giving Liu Hui's arm a fierce pinch as she departed, venting her frustration.

It was already late into the night. Shu Yan, having argued with An Qi all afternoon and evening, was exhausted and retired to her room to rest. Liu Hui and Hu Xian'er exchanged a look, both feeling a sense of helplessness.

Liu Hui still lay alone in the guest bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The identity of Shu Yan, which had finally seemed clear, had suddenly changed, spawning a second Shu Yan. Lying in bed, Liu Hui felt deeply frustrated. How could he possibly find out who the real Shu Yan was? Did he need to return to the platform in Shuzhou where Shu Yan was buried to verify the truth? But the massive earthquake years ago had completely destroyed that platform; there were no clues left. How could he investigate now? Unless he could travel back to the moment just after Shu Yan was buried and trace the subsequent changes to uncover the truth. But time was irreversible; how could he possibly go back to the past?

Liu Hui grew more confused the more he thought, until a flash of inspiration illuminated his mind, bringing forth a miraculous idea. He retrieved the white jade disc, taken from Wei Chao and stored in his spatial ring. If Wei Chao could use this artifact to leap from the future back to the present, why couldn't he use it to return to the very day Shu Yan was interred, just to witness exactly what transpired at the scene?

Liu Hui held the jade disc before his eyes, channeling his very essence into it. He thought inwardly, "I must return to the moment immediately following Shu Yan's burial. I need to know what happened after she was laid to rest..."

Liu Hui relentlessly focused his mental energy onto the white jade disc, broadcasting his desperate plea. Yet, the artifact remained completely inert, not even shifting in color.

Unyielding, Liu Hui tried several more times, pouring his spirit into the task. The exertion was so great, however, that he quickly found himself utterly exhausted.

A wry smile touched Liu Hui's lips. It seemed he still hadn't discovered the secret to activating the white jade disc; he couldn't just hop through time like Wei Chao! His mental reserves depleted, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and he collapsed into a deep sleep right there.

In a haze, Liu Hui felt as though he had passed through a thick curtain of fog, only for his vision to suddenly clear, depositing him in an exquisitely beautiful location. When Liu Hui truly recognized his surroundings, he gasped in shock, realizing he stood upon the breathtaking, almost celestial platform within the Daoist sanctuary of Shuzhou Province.

What surprised him even more was the presence of a freshly dug grave on that very platform.

Liu Hui, his body trembling, approached cautiously. He saw a tombstone erected on the new mound, bearing large characters: "Tomb of My Beloved Wife, Shu Yan—Erected by Liu Hui of Bashan."