Liu Hui stared at the familiar, beautiful face before him, his heart fractured with pain. The woman who opened the door was Liang Jingyue, the very woman who haunted his waking thoughts.

Liu Hui could not fathom why this woman had suddenly left him, only to marry another man and bear him a child. Even though he had since married Hu Xian'er, couldn't Liang Jingyue have at least found him to explain? If her heart had truly turned, if she wished to be with someone else, Liu Hui, though wounded, would have stepped aside for their happiness. What he couldn't bear was her silence—her complete lack of explanation—which left him constantly yearning while she vanished into matrimony and motherhood without a word.

Liang Jingyue let Liu Hui in, and she immediately collapsed into his arms, sobbing, “A-Hui, I was so scared! I thought I’d never see you again, I thought you’d never forgive me…”

Liu Hui allowed her to hold him, offering no word.

Suddenly, Liang Jingyue paused. She pulled back from his embrace and looked at him closely. “A-Hui, what’s wrong with you? I just saw you spit up blood! Why did you go out drinking, and drink so much? Look at you—you’re a mess, covered in the blood you just vomited, unshaven, looking years older. By the way, how does your body feel now…”

Liu Hui stared blankly at Liang Jingyue. He couldn't understand why this woman who had betrayed him was showing such concern. He knew now that she didn't truly love him; every gesture of care was a pretense. Otherwise, she wouldn't have abandoned him silently, only to give another man a child. In that moment, Liu Hui decided that Liang Jingyue was the most hypocritical woman in the world.

Seeing Liu Hui say nothing, just staring at her with a vacant gaze, worried Liang Jingyue all the more. She guided him to a chair. “A-Hui, sit here for a moment. I’ll get water right away to clean you up, and then I’ll tell you slowly everything that happened tonight.”

Liu Hui sat, watching her fetch the water with dull eyes. A voice suddenly echoed in his mind, ceaselessly taunting him: “Liu Hui, Liang Jingyue is the ultimate hypocrite. She refused to share your bed, yet casually bore a child with another man. You’ve been cuckolded…”

Liu Hui’s face began to contort. Just then, Liang Jingyue returned and, witnessing his terrifying expression, she rushed out in panic. “A-Hui, please, don’t be angry yet! Listen to me. The ledger I gave Guo Jia was fake. I altered several ingredients. I intended to save my father first, and then tell you. They threatened me—if I didn’t hand over the secret formula immediately, they would ensure my father committed suicide in the detention center…”

Liu Hui suddenly stood up, roaring, “Silence, you deceptive woman! Everything is about yourself. Everything you just said is an excuse! You didn't want your father harmed, but did you spare a thought for my feelings? You are utterly false! I never want to see you again.”

Liang Jingyue froze, instantly recalling the betrayal she had just committed against Liu Hui. She hated herself for yielding to Guo Jia’s pressure, but she’d felt she had no other choice. Seeing Liu Hui’s ruined state twisted her heart like a knife.

Liu Hui suddenly couldn’t stand the sight of Liang Jingyue weeping. He stood up, ready to leave the apartment.

Seeing him about to bolt out the door, Liang Jingyue panicked and, discarding all restraint, rushed forward to throw her arms around him, pleading, “A-Hui, I’m sorry, I didn’t know things would turn out like this! Don’t leave me…”

Embraced from behind by Liang Jingyue, and spurred by the day’s escalating turmoil, a dark, wicked impulse flared to life within his alcohol-numbed brain. He spun around, grasping Liang Jingyue with a savage grin, and lifted her up.

Liang Jingyue gasped, “A-Hui, what are you doing?”

Liu Hui sneered, “Bitch, don’t you know what I’m doing? You constantly preach about not having premarital sex, yet you casually marry another man and have his child. What did you take me for? Today, I’m tearing off your true face.” He then threw Liang Jingyue onto the bed and savagely lunged at her.

Liang Jingyue instantly understood his intent and struggled desperately. “A-Hui, what are you saying? No, not now! Your body is injured, you coughed up so much blood. It’s not too late after you’ve recovered!”

Liu Hui snarled, “Wait until I recover? Will that opportunity even be mine then?”

He pinned her beneath him, ripping open her clothing, and brutally descended upon her.

Though Liang Jingyue fought with all her might, it was useless; Liu Hui held her pinned down with crushing force.

After a long while, Liu Hui finally stood up, satisfied, and dressed himself. Liang Jingyue lay on the bed, weeping softly.

Liu Hui’s momentary pleasure vanished, replaced by sudden, furious rage. “Bitch, what are you crying about? Another man can use you whenever he wants, but one time with me is too much? What, are you trying to pass off a splash of peach blossom blood on the sheets as your first time?”

Liang Jingyue cried, “A-Hui, what are you talking about? You don’t seem like yourself tonight at all…”

Liu Hui laughed coldly, “That’s right, tonight I am not myself. Because the real me is an absolute fool, which is why you could deceive me. The real me has finally woken up, and I will never be fooled by you again.”

Liang Jingyue wept, “A-Hui, you still won’t forgive me?…”

Liu Hui sharply commanded, “Shut up, you slut. Stop calling me A-Hui. From this moment on, there is nothing between us. I never want to see you again.”

Liang Jingyue said mournfully, “A-Hui, have you forgotten our promise? You said that even if we parted, you would come back to find me.”

Liu Hui roared in anger, “I said that because you had duped me! Now that I’ve seen your true colors, I won’t be fooled again. You slut, stay as far away from me as possible. I never want to see your face again in this lifetime. Because every time I look at you, I feel like throwing up…”

Hearing Liu Hui’s merciless words, Liang Jingyue was deeply struck. She shook her head repeatedly, murmuring, “A-Hui, I don’t believe it, I don’t believe you’re saying this…”

Liu Hui merely snorted, ignoring her completely, and staggered out of the room where Liang Jingyue stayed. He made his way outside to the complex, found his car, and noticed some water spots on the hood. He picked up a discarded newspaper from the ground to wipe the water away, then tossed the paper aside. The wind caught the paper, however, blowing it back to land on the rear seat of the car.

Liu Hui shut the door and, in a daze, started driving back the way he came. Gradually, the alcohol’s effects reached their peak. He drifted off behind the wheel, losing all consciousness of what happened next.

The next day, Liu Hui awoke to find the sky bright. His head throbbed fiercely. He circulated his spiritual energy; it circulated through his body a few times, and the alcohol was immediately purged. He shook his head, and the headache quickly vanished.

It was then that Liu Hui realized he was lying in his car in an utterly deserted, unfamiliar wilderness.

“How did I get here? Where is this place? What happened?” he wondered aloud.

Slowly, the events of the previous night began to spool through his mind like a film reel.

“I was drinking at a bar in that little town last night, and I drank too much—I got completely drunk. While I was speeding down the highway, I encountered four thugs trying to rob me. They held a gun to my head, but I killed them all.”

Liu Hui glanced at the bloodstains on his clothes, instantly recalling the confrontation with the muggers the night before. He continued tracing his memory.

“When I drove here, I needed to urinate, so I got out by that large tree. Yes, that’s right—there are still the marks from when I relieved myself on that tree. What happened next?” Liu Hui furiously raked his fingers through his hair, trying to recall.

“I think… I took out the White Jade Tablet? And I threw it away?” Liu Hui gasped. He immediately searched his storage space, but the White Jade Tablet was gone.

“I remember throwing the White Jade Tablet onto the highway ahead,” he recalled. Liu Hui jumped out, walked to the road, and searched, but found nothing. He expanded his search radius, yet the White Jade Tablet remained invisible.

“This place is deserted; barely a car passes all day. So, someone passing by couldn’t have picked up the White Jade Tablet. Where did it go?”

“Wait, something else happened after that. I need to think harder.” Liu Hui slapped his head, closing his eyes in concentration.

“Right, a dense fog appeared ahead. I drove the car through this fog and accidentally crashed into the car in front of me—my car even damaged their front end.” Liu Hui slowly recalled the events.

Liu Hui ran to the front of his car and confirmed the impact marks. However, his vehicle was exceptionally sturdy; aside from a white impact point on the hood, it sustained no damage.

“I remember someone yelling at me. Hmm, let me think… why does that voice sound so familiar? It sounded a bit like Zhou Laosan’s voice. But this is Argentina, and Zhou Laosan is still on the ‘City of Stars.’ How could he be here?” Liu Hui was confused.

“Where did I go after that? Oh, I think I recognized some places. I kept driving and arrived at a residential complex. I went inside and saw Liang Jingyue…”

Liu Hui’s heart seized. “How could I possibly have seen Liang Jingyue? Was it a hallucination caused by yesterday’s trauma? Isn’t Liang Jingyue sick now, confined to bed? How could she have opened the door for me? Wait… why did that room feel so familiar?”

Liu Hui suddenly grasped the truth, and his face turned ashen.

In that moment, he remembered everything from the night before. The reason the room felt familiar was because it was the complex in Bashan, where he and Liang Jingyue had spent a period of happy times.

“No! This isn’t real, last night was just a dream,” Liu Hui shook his head violently, trying to erase the memories flooding his mind. He could now recall the precise details of raping Liang Jingyue and speaking those cruel words to her. The details grew clearer—Liang Jingyue’s figure weeping on the bed became more vivid, even the vibrant peach blossom on the sheets was painfully clear.

“It’s impossible, it can’t be real. I didn’t do those things…” Liu Hui hammered his own head repeatedly.

“How could I do that to Jingyue? Ha! I must have been dreaming. I can’t believe my subconscious is this brutal…” Liu Hui tried to deceive himself.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through, lifting the newspaper from the car’s back seat. Liu Hui instinctively caught it, bringing it before his eyes to examine it closely. Then, he simply stared, frozen.

Liu Hui wasn't staring because the paper bore water stains, but because the masthead read four large characters: Bashan Morning Post. The front-page headline was a blistering critique of Han Tang Hospital: “Han Tang Hospital is self-serving, exploiting its monopoly on AIDS medication to torture patients and increase their suffering. We suggest the state intervene forcefully to strengthen management of Han Tang Hospital so ordinary patients can afford treatment…”

Liu Hui’s heart jolted. He immediately checked the date on the paper. When he saw it clearly, his hand loosened, and the newspaper was snatched away by the wind, for the date was only a few days before the turmoil at Han Tang Hospital.

Liu Hui finally understood everything that had transpired the previous night. Last night, he had taken out the White Jade Tablet, voiced his wish, and then thrown it away.

But the White Jade Tablet had still performed its mysterious function, sending him back to the past. After delivering him, the tablet had completely shattered and vanished.

The dense fog he encountered on the road was strikingly similar to the fog present when he returned in spirit form to the moment of Shu Ci’s death. Thinking of that fog triggered a memory buried deep within his mind, nearly forgotten.

On the night of the major upheaval at Han Tang Hospital, Liu Hui had been gravely wounded by the white-robed elder from the Yan family. After striking a deal with Guo Jia, his body had been failing, but he still insisted that Zhou Tengyun drive him to the small cabin he shared with Liang Jingyue.

On the way, however, they were engulfed by a thick, near-zero visibility fog. Zhou Tengyun’s car collided with another vehicle emerging from the mist. Zhou Tengyun’s car was damaged, and he had cursed the driver who hit him—and he thought he might have thrown a wrench at them later. After that, Liu Hui had completely lost consciousness. Fearing for Liu Hui’s safety, Zhou Tengyun had not taken him to Liang Jingyue’s room that night, resulting in the fateful, accidental miss between them.

Comparing his experience last night with that incident from years ago, Liu Hui immediately grasped the truth.

The dense fog that had appeared in Bashan years ago was caused by Liu Hui’s own White Jade Tablet.

The drunken Liu Hui, driving his electric car through that fog, had traveled back to the night of the upheaval and accidentally slammed into Zhou Tengyun’s car, knocking the past version of himself unconscious.

Then, the drunken Liu Hui drove along the familiar route until he reached his own residential complex and went to Liang Jingyue’s apartment. When Liang Jingyue saw him seeking her out, she assumed he had forgiven her and was preparing to explain the situation involving the recent encounter. Instead, she was violently assaulted by the Liu Hui from the future, who was enraged by jealousy over her marrying another man. He also spoke words that deeply wounded her.

Liu Hui remembered vividly the look of suffering on Liang Jingyue’s face as she lay on the bed.

The crimson plum blossom that appeared on the sheets proved it was Liang Jingyue’s first time. Yet, this most sacred first experience for a woman had been forcibly stolen by him, a man from the future.

To make matters worse, he had verbally abused her, completely revoking their past vows—these were the true sources of Liang Jingyue’s pain.

This explained why, when Liu Hui recovered the next day and searched for Liang Jingyue, he couldn't find her, and the neighbor next door told him she had wept through the entire night.

At the time, Liang Jingyue couldn't distinguish between the future Liu Hui and the Liu Hui of her time. Believing Liu Hui refused to forgive her, her hope of reconciliation was shattered. Coupled with the fact that she had used a fake formula on Guo Jia and feared repercussions for her father once the truth surfaced, she and Liang Bo decided to move their entire family the very next day. After enduring untold hardship, they finally ended up on the remote southernmost tip of the Americas.

Liu Hui’s actions that night had shattered Liang Jingyue’s heart. This was the fundamental reason she never sought him out later, even when he searched for her in the media. And that child, Xiao Bao, was likely fathered by another man she met while grieving.

Thinking this, Liu Hui finally understood everything. The separation between him and Liang Jingyue wasn't her fault; it was all his doing. He had forcibly torn them apart. He had spent years trying to discover the truth behind her silent departure, only to find a truth so devastatingly cruel.

Liu Hui was now consumed by remorse. He hated himself for getting blackout drunk yesterday, for traveling back to the past, for inflicting those deeds on Liang Jingyue, and for speaking those damaging words—all resulting in years of separation, Liang Jingyue falling gravely ill, and being bedridden.

Liu Hui violently slapped his own face several times. He jumped into the car, wrenched the steering wheel around, and headed toward Liang Bo’s farm. He desperately needed to see Liang Jingyue, to apologize, to heal her sickness, and to help raise their child. He would use every action to compensate for the damage he had inflicted upon her.