CHAPTER 146: I WILL WAIT FOR YOU, QI JIANYI

"I don’t want to go back," Miss Qi replied almost instantly. There was no hesitation in her voice, as if the place she had to go back to was not her own world.

Miss Qi was determined to leave that world forever and start anew. She thought she could finally be loved by her parents.

But Qi Jianyi’s sudden appearance shattered her hopes.

"Why?" Qi Jianyi asked with a cold face.

"Why should I?" Miss Qi answered with a question. A mocking smile appeared on her face.

"My parents don’t even bother to care about me. I like your family. I don’t want to go back." She finished her words firmly.

Qi Jianyi frowned and frustratingly brushed her hair. "You like my family because they can give you the love you want. But Qi Jianyi, that love was never meant for you. It is for me, their real daughter." Qi Jianyi’s words seemed to pierce through Miss Qi’s heart.

Qi Jianyi was right. No matter how much her parents loved Miss Qi, that love was never meant for her.

"Just like how your parents love me. How they cried when I fell sick. How your father seemed to age a lot when I first fainted. How Jinlu blamed himself for not being able to do anything when the pain attacked me." Qi Jianyi lowered her voice. Her eyes softened as she remembered those memories.

"They cared and loved me. But I knew those feelings, those attentions were never meant for me, but for you. They cared for you. Just like how you wished to be loved, your family also wished to be accepted by you. Qi Jianyi, give them a chance," Qi Jianyi muttered.

She watched how Miss Qi’s eyes dimmed. Her face looked thoughtful as if she was thinking about something.

Seeing how Miss Qi didn’t reply, Qi Jianyi thought she had agreed to go back to her own world. After all, Qi Jianyi had unintentionally broken the cold wall between Miss Qi and her family. All Miss Qi had to do now was to go back and accept them in her life.

Unfortunately, Miss Qi was more stubborn than Qi Jianyi thought. Miss Qi shook her head, disagreeing with Qi Jianyi’s words.

"You’re wrong," she stated confidently.

"That love, the distress, is all for you," Miss Qi said, looking at Qi Jianyi. Her eyes were unfazed.

"You were very lovable." She then said something entirely different from their main topic, making Qi Jianyi puzzled.

"Since you were a kid, you could always get what you wanted. I envy your boldness. You do not have the pressure of expressing your thoughts. Qi Jianyi, I thought I was a cold person who barely cares about anyone else. But the truth is, you’re much colder than me."

"No—you can’t be called cold-hearted. You’re just too nonchalant to care about everyone else. They can love you, please you, sacrifice everything for you. But you will still leave them without hesitation when you have to. You can express your feelings well; you know how to love, how to interact with others. You’re very smart. But your only weakness is, you are willing to be alone."

"You have a lot of people by your side. But you never pick anyone. To you, those people are just someone who you can abandon anytime. I guess you never knew it yourself, did you?" Miss Qi smirked smugly at her own words.

She knew Qi Jianyi as much as Qi Jianyi knew herself or maybe more. After all, she had grown up witnessing Qi Jianyi’s life in her dreams.

Miss Qi had watched how Qi Jianyi always had someone by her side. How she only stood there while doing nothing, but people still willingly came to her.

Qi Jianyi knew how to handle people. She smiled, laughed, and played with everyone who wanted to be her friend. She was never alone.

But when the time came for her to choose, she never once chose her friends or even her lover.

"Of course, you regret your actions. But you will still do it anyway. Abandon them, regret it later, but you still continue your life. Because at the end of the day, you believe that as long as you can make your family happy, other people don’t matter." Miss Qi laughed at her own words. Though her words seemed to mock Qi Jianyi, there was a trace of envy in her tone.

"But I like you." She continued. "You never wavered."

"You can do everything you want without having the pressure to care about others. I like your mindset because no matter how much I tried to act like that, I failed." Miss Qi sighed.

"Do you know what the opposite of love is?" She suddenly asked, catching Qi Jianyi off guard.

After a while, Qi Jianyi softly replied, "Indifference."

Miss Qi nodded, agreeing with her. "Yes, indifference. I knew about this when I saw you wrote it in your novel. How did you describe the words again? Ah! ’The love between them has ended, but one is still longing for the other, while the other has completely erased their love. How do we know we have moved on from those feelings? It is when you end everything and there’s no fluctuation in your heart, only indifference. Because when you love someone you will—"

"Hate them for what has happened. If you hate the other person, that means you’re still in love with them. Because what you hate is not them, but the future you could possibly have with them." Qi Jianyi finished the words.

She remembered writing those words in her novel. It was when Xu Yichen left her. She was confused back then. Did she love him still? Or did the feeling really fade away as she focused more on her work?

Qi Jianyi couldn’t cry at the time because she had deadlines to catch. Hence, those words were written in the novel out of spite.

"What are you trying to say?" Qi Jianyi asked. Her face finally showed impatience.

"I hate my family. Because I still love them even after everything they have put me through. I don’t want to go back because I don’t feel like I can accept them. Qi Jianyi, they treated you well because you’re you. We look similar, but our personalities are far different from each other. You’re someone who can forget and forgive people easily because they never truly meant anything to you. But I can’t." Miss Qi shook her head, feeling dejected.

"I could never forget how they abandoned me. Their expressions when they realized how bad their attitude had hurt me. Huh, called it unintentional. I don’t believe it. I am their daughter. How could a parent ever forget that they have a child?" She said in disbelief.

"But you have no choice." Qi Jianyi’s voice was sharp, cutting through Miss Qi’s hesitation.

"You hate them. But they’re still your family. Didn’t you say you wanted to cut ties with your parents? Then go back and do it. I want to return to my own parents. Just because you’re too afraid to face your life doesn’t mean I have to endure it and let you live mine." Her words were as cold as a winter breeze, shattering any hope Miss Qi might have held.

As Miss Qi said earlier, Qi Jianyi had always been someone who did as she pleased, caring little for others’ opinions. Hence, did Miss Qi really think that sharing her feelings would change Qi Jianyi’s mind?

Wishful thinking.

After speaking, Qi Jianyi turned away, her gaze fixed on the endless white before her. The space was empty—nothing but blinding light stretching infinitely.

But deep down, she felt a pull. An unexplainable instinct told her that the way back lay ahead, through the whiteness.

She had no time or patience to dwell on Miss Qi’s reaction.

Throughout their conversation, she had sensed a subtle force drawing her, like a delicate thread wrapped around her pinky finger, gently tugging her forward.

Now, her mind was set. She wanted nothing more than to return to her world.

Behind her, Miss Qi remained motionless, trapped in her own spiraling thoughts. She had truly believed she could sway Qi Jianyi, but she had sorely underestimated Qi Jianyi’s longing for home.

After a moment, Qi Jianyi glanced back at Miss Qi, her expression unreadable. She spoke words that sent a wave of panic through Miss Qi.

"I think it’s time for us to part ways." Her voice was calm, unwavering.

She meant it. The pull on her soul was stronger than ever.

"Qi Jianyi, I wish you a good life in your world." She offered a sincere smile before stepping forward.

Seeing her walk so boldly into the unknown, Miss Qi’s heart tightened. She knew, without a doubt, that this was the end of their strange entanglement.

"You—" She called out, hesitating before continuing. "If you ever want to change our lives again, just make a wish. I believe we can swap again. My offer to give up my world and live in yours will always stand."

Qi Jianyi chuckled, the sound echoing softly. "You’re really determined to escape your world, aren’t you?" She asked through her fading laughter.

Miss Qi nodded. "Yes. No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I’ll ever find happiness in my world. Whether I accept my family or sever ties with them, my heart will always yearn for your world. So, if you ever wish to return to mine, I’ll be waiting." Her voice was soft, almost fragile.

"Bold of you to assume we can switch lives again when neither of us even knows how it happened the first time." Qi Jianyi shook her head, amusement in her tone. She didn’t turn back, her steps steady and unwavering.

She took another step forward, but suddenly, an image flashed through her mind, halting her in place. Her eyes closed tightly, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"There’s a man I met in your world. His name is Song Chengfeng..." His name lingered in the air, a bittersweet note.

Miss Qi’s eyes widened, her breath catching.

"He knew me—knew about us."

"He knew I was leaving. Which means when you wake up, he’ll realize I’m truly gone." Qi Jianyi’s voice softened, her words laced with an unmistakable sadness.

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked, still not turning around.

Her shoulders remained tense, her face hidden from view. She couldn’t let Miss Qi see her like this—couldn’t let anyone see the tears pooling in her eyes.

No, she had made her choice.

Once again, Qi Jianyi chose to leave someone behind to chase what she wanted. She chose her family over Song Chengfeng, just as she had always done.

But this time, the pain was deeper than anything she had ever felt.

"When you wake up, tell him that I’m fine. And that I’ll never forget him." Her voice broke, a whisper laced with the sob she struggled to contain.

With those last words, Qi Jianyi no longer hesitated. She moved forward without looking back at Miss Qi. There was no need—after all, they shared the same face. Seeing her again would only be like looking into a mirror, reflecting nothing but the world she was ready to leave behind.

Her steps were steady, each one echoing softly in the endless white. She didn’t know what lay ahead, but she refused to let uncertainty halt her.

With every step, the bright void around her seemed to fade, edges dissolving into nothingness. Her vision blurred, and a heaviness settled over her mind.

Yet, Qi Jianyi pressed on, even as her consciousness slipped away, lost to the void.

An apology lingered on her lips, a whisper carried away by the unraveling world.

"I’m sorry, Chengfeng..." That was her final breath in this place, before everything turned dark.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Miss Qi remained rooted in place. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where Qi Jianyi had disappeared, a lingering shadow of disbelief in her expression.

Though nothing had truly existed in this white space, she could feel it crumbling around her. The emptiness itself seemed to shatter, like glass breaking without a sound.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. She closed her eyes, allowing the inevitable to wash over her.

"I will wait for you, Qi Jianyi." Her voice was a tired murmur, a promise lost to the unraveling void.

And then, like a candle snuffed out, her consciousness slipped away, pulling her back to her own world.