The Interrupted Confession and a Glimmer of Hope

“Aaah—! You’re the ugly freak! You’re the goblin! I’ll fight you to the death!”

The last thread of Liao Xinyi’s sanity snapped, her screams piercing the air. The already tense atmosphere instantly escalated, with her sudden outburst catching the other party completely off guard. In Liao Xinyi’s desperate assault, Liuxia found herself firmly pinned to the ground.

Liao Xinyi gripped Liuxia’s silver hair, her nails practically digging into her scalp, and growled through gritted teeth, “You dare call me ugly? In this life… no one has ever dared to humiliate me like this!”

“Ow, ow, ow… I’m sorry, I misspoke…” The intense pain from her scalp brought tears to Liuxia’s eyes. Knowing she was in the wrong, she apologized profusely.

Her teary-eyed appearance was enough to soften even the hardest heart. However, this pitiful display, seen through Liao Xinyi’s eyes, which were consumed by rage from jealousy and humiliation, only fueled the flames.

“Apologizing now? Too late! What’s with this innocent act?” Liao Xinyi’s hatred practically solidified into flames. She violently raised her hand, poised to strike that enviably beautiful face.

She wanted to see if that face could still be so captivating after a slap.

“Enough!”

A chilling, sharp command pierced the air.

“Liao Xinyi, I dare you to touch her.”

Both women turned simultaneously, to see Li Chunsheng standing not far away, his eyes blazing with an unprecedented fury, glaring intently at Liao Xinyi.

Doused with a bucket of ice water by that gaze, Liao Xinyi’s body shivered uncontrollably.

“I… I…” Her lips trembled, but not a single word escaped them.

“Get out!” Li Chunsheng pointed at her, roaring each word distinctly.

This roar became the final straw. Tears welled in Liao Xinyi’s eyes and streamed down her face. She dared not look at Li Chunsheng again, covering her face as she fled in disgrace, her sobs echoing her humiliation.

With the crisis averted, Li Chunsheng immediately stepped forward, carefully helping Liuxia to her feet. His voice instantly softened. “Senior Brother, are you alright?”

“Mmm… yes, thank you…” Liuxia lowered her head, answering softly. Truthfully, she had been startled by Li Chunsheng’s outburst just now.

[Woah… such terrifying anger, my heart nearly stopped…]

[Chunsheng… he’s never been this angry at any girl before… even people he dislikes, he just ignores or treats coldly at most…]

[But… he was doing it for me…]

[Could he feel something for me…? No, no no, how could I think that…]

At this thought, Liuxia’s heart pounded uncontrollably, and her cheeks began to flush. She didn’t dare look up at Li Chunsheng.

“Hmm? Why are you still looking down? Is your neck hurt?” Li Chunsheng asked with concern. “Let me see.”

As he spoke, he gently parted Liuxia’s cascading waterfall of snowy white hair, revealing her smooth, slender neck.

The sudden intimate contact made Liuxia tremble, emitting a short gasp: “Y-yah!”

“N-no… no no… I’m fine!” The girl stammered incoherently. Her face felt so hot she could fry an egg on it.

“Then is your face hurt?”

Li Chunsheng became more confused. He reached out, gently cupping her chin and lifting it, only to see a pretty face flushed with crimson, and a pair of evasive eyes, shimmering like a spring pond.

“…”

“…Honestly… I’m fine…” Liuxia lowered her gaze, as if avoiding his eyes could hide her utterly exposed embarrassment.

The girl’s demeanor at that moment was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand; her shyness was evident for all to see.

Li Chunsheng felt his heart flutter, no longer able to suppress the impulse within him. He slowly lowered his head, and kissed those slightly trembling lips, gently bitten by their owner.

“Mmmph… wait!”

She only managed a muffled gasp before Liuxia’s body instantly went soft. She was held tightly in Li Chunsheng’s embrace, allowing him to claim her completely.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Liuxia lay weakly against Li Chunsheng’s chest, gasping for breath, greedily inhaling the air infused with his scent.

“It was… too sudden…”

“Even if… even if it’s a blessing… you should pick the right time and place…” she complained softly, but her soft voice sounded more like a playful whine.

[It wasn’t a blessing at all.]

He gazed at the shy girl in his arms, and a realization dawned upon him.

[I simply… wanted to kiss you.]

“Senior Brother…”

“Hmm?” Liuxia slightly raised her head.

Li Chunsheng mustered the greatest courage of his life. He gently held Liuxia by her shoulders, gazing into her eyes with utmost reverence, and spoke solemnly:

“I lo—”

His words were cut short. A hellish roar ripped through the tender moment.

“Li Chunsheng! You beast! What did you do to my daughter?! Die!”

The next instant, a scorching pillar of light, as if capable of burning the heavens and earth into blinding daylight, shot forth from the distance, instantly engulfing Li Chunsheng.

The world, in that instant, fell into absolute silence.

“Go!”

Just before being swallowed by the light, Li Chunsheng exerted sudden force with the hands on Liuxia’s shoulders, using his last ounce of strength to push her to safety.

Then, his figure vanished completely within that destructive light.

Thrown into the air, Liuxia’s gaze was blank as she watched it all unfold. Her mind went utterly blank.

[Ah…]

[Chunsheng… what was he trying to say just now?]

[My heart… it hurts so much…]

“Ah… ahhh… Chunsheng…” Tears streamed down her face. She unconsciously called out his name.

[Chunsheng… please, tell me completely… the words you didn’t finish…]

However, there would be no answer.

The girl, tears in her eyes, looked towards the direction from which the pillar of light had come. A massive black cocoon, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, now stood there.

[Why… do I feel like this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this thing?]

In the abyss of despair, Liuxia clutched onto this sliver of intuition like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

A guess, no, a certainty, rapidly formed in her mind.

In the eyes of the despairing girl, the flame of hope reignited.

[No matter how many times, no matter how many restarts! I must save you… Chunsheng! Just as you saved me before!]

[And then, when that time comes, I will definitely ask you in person what the latter half of that sentence truly was!]

In her profound grief, her mind became clearer than ever before. Synthesizing all the clues she had so far, Liuxia quickly drew several conclusions.

First, when Investigator Liao launched an attack, he would fall into a “blind” state.

Second, Liao Xinyi was Investigator Liao’s daughter.

[Ah… such an obvious thing, and I’m only realizing it now… The surname Liao isn’t common, and a Liao family young miss whose father is an investigator, who else could it be but her?]

Third, and most crucial, she might possess the ability to return to the past! No, she *must* possess it! Those persistent feelings of déjà vu were the best proof!

Fourth, and equally fatal, she seemed unable to retain specific memories from before the rewind.

[In that case… how can I possibly transmit this information to ‘the next me’?]

The black cocoon in the distance was gradually shrinking, leaving her little time to think. The opponent could discover she was still alive at any moment and deliver a fatal blow.

By then, all would truly be lost.

[I must… try to use that power! If it truly exists…]

As if by innate instinct, Liuxia instantly understood how to activate this miracle.

[If only… if everything could… start over!]

With her resolute will, the entire world disintegrated before her eyes.

The next instant, the hands of every clock in the world began to spin wildly backward.