Tomb Raiding: I Become a Big Shot at the Sanatorium

“You're wrong. You shouldn't dwell on the past or the future. What you need is to live in the present.”

“You say you have no past, but ever since you met Wu Xie, he became part of your past. He's always been there to record every little thing about you. Pangzi, and everyone who knows you, are part of your past too, including me.”

“From the moment we first met, every word we exchanged and every second we spent together has left a mark in my memory.”

“You're not alone. Don't be afraid of being forgotten. Every one of us is a record of your life, a part of your past.”

“And as for the future, I... and the others will walk beside you. Right now, the most important thing isn't searching for the past or the future. It's enjoying the present, savoring every moment.”

She was saying this to Zhang Qiling, but even more than that, she was saying it to herself, adrift across countless worlds.

If she disappeared, no one would cross mountains and rivers to find her.

No one would cling to a promise and wait ten years for her.

And no one would make her existence the obsession of a lifetime.

Li Cu couldn't escape the desert called Wu Xie, and Wu Xie couldn't cross the snowy mountain called Zhang Qiling.

She was the one who truly came and went without a trace, leaving not the slightest mark behind.

Tears welled in Xin Yue's eyes as she stubbornly stared at Zhang Qiling, as if she were crossing mountains and oceans, breaking through the barriers of time and space, to meet the gaze of another self.

“You're not an illusion. Someone holds you close in their heart.”

Zhang Qiling watched the tear hanging from Xin Yue's chin. At last, ripples stirred in his eyes, still and deep as an ancient well. He felt her loneliness.