Autumn passed in the blink of an eye, and the school welcomed another holiday at the end of December, amidst falling snow.
On the final day of the year, Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing were sitting in the home projection room, watching the movie they had personally filmed.
This was because a few days earlier, Xie Lianqing had asked Xu Qingqing what New Year's gift she hoped to receive on the last day of the year.
Xu Qingqing had been playing on her phone at the time. Hearing the question, she sat up from the bed, thought for a moment, and said, "Watch a movie with me."
She knew Xie Lianqing didn't like the movie they had made. But then again, it would be strange if he did like it. Since childhood, he had been the model child others compared themselves to, wearing suits from a young age, his hair meticulously in place even when giving speeches on the school stage.
Zhou Chenyu once said Xie Lianqing had obsessive-compulsive tendencies. His life trajectory was like a pre-programmed routine; no matter the time or place, he maintained a perfect persona in front of others.
Only their close friends in private knew Xie Lianqing's true temperament beneath his polite and gentle surface.
So, this time, having been forced to film such a strange script and seen by so many people, his feelings were likely quite tangled and complex.
Xu Qingqing had even noticed that Xie Lianqing seemed to have uninstalled Weibo.
Probably because, since the movie's release, the tone of the comments under his Weibo posts had shifted from the previous "General Manager Xie is so handsome" to various screenshots and lines from the film.
Those mischievous netizens were practically on the verge of turning General Manager Xie into a meme.
At this moment, Xu Qingqing conveniently forgot that she herself had once been a master of mischief. But since her boyfriend was unhappy, she naturally had to think of a solution.
So, when Xie Lianqing offered her a gift this time, she thought about it and invited him to watch that movie with her again.
Xie Lianqing thought Xu Qingqing wanted to revisit it. Although somewhat surprised, he never refused Xu Qingqing's suggestions and agreed.
When the final day of the year arrived, City A held a New Year's Eve gala, and a fireworks display was set off in the central city square.
Many people in the city went out, and household TVs broadcast the lively New Year's Eve shows. For the first time, Xu Qingqing was not spending it with her family but staying in their residence with just Xie Lianqing.
The weather in December was already very cold; winter had come exceptionally early this year, with sporadic snowflakes drifting outside the window.
City A is in the south where snow is rare in winter. Coupled with today's New Year's fireworks display, the streets outside were bustling.
As the New Year countdown began, Xie Lianqing and Xu Qingqing sat together, watching the movie on the screen.
The opening and scenes were still hilarious. When Xie Lianqing appeared on screen, delivering his lines with a calm expression, stopping the mischievous Xu Qingqing...
Xu Qingqing, holding a tub of popcorn, was the first to laugh out loud.
Perhaps because there were only two people in the room, and the person by her side was Xu Qingqing, Xie Lianqing didn't feel the same embarrassment and awkwardness as during the previous viewing.
Seeing Xu Qingqing laugh so happily, he couldn't help but sigh, asking with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "Is it that funny?"
"Yeah," Xu Qingqing tilted the popcorn tub towards him, and Xie Lianqing understandingly took a couple of pieces.
Xu Qingqing said, "Do you know what I was thinking during this scene?"
Both Xie Lianqing and Xu Qingqing knew about her ad-libbing the lines. It was even from this point that the plot later ran wild like an unbridled horse, spiraling out of control.
Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow. Xu Qingqing popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth and said leisurely, "I was thinking, how could such a good-looking guy be given to Le Jiaojiao? Not even in a movie."
Xie Lianqing was stunned. "Huh?"
Xu Qingqing said proudly, "So I had a sudden inspiration. I thought, why not just make you my boyfriend in the movie too?"
Xie Lianqing hadn't expected her reason for changing the lines and script to be this. While taken aback, he also found it inexplicably amusing.
The movie continued to play. Xu Qingqing was still boasting about her great achievement, saying, "It's not really my fault. You looked too good in that white shirt; I couldn't help myself either."
She had originally intended to be a good actress who followed the script, but she was defeated the very second Xie Lianqing appeared on set.
Xu Qingqing clicked her tongue and sighed, shaking her head regretfully at how she had succumbed to good looks and hindered her acting career.
As Xie Lianqing listened to her narration, every time a scene of the two of them together came on, Xu Qingqing would tell him what she had been thinking at that moment.
She talked about how she had improvised and come up with those lines and scenarios.
Strangely enough, the originally absurd and comedic movie, under Xu Qingqing's narration, suddenly became warm and sweet, turning into a record of their romantic sparring.
Xie Lianqing initially listened politely, but as Xu Qingqing spoke, he gradually recalled his own feelings during the filming and the little moments of their interactions.
Unconsciously, the corners of his mouth lifted, his eyes smiling as he asked Xu Qingqing, "Do you like me that much?"
He knew his looks were fairly outstanding but had never given it much thought before. However, being repeatedly praised by the one he loved, Xie Lianqing couldn't help but feel joy.
Xu Qingqing held her face in her hands and said very frankly, "No choice. You looked so forbidden then; I couldn't hold back."
Xie Lianqing laughed, his gaze gentle. "Can you hold back now?"
He had been sitting casually in the chair, relaxed and languid. With the air conditioning on indoors, he wasn't wearing a jacket, only a simple shirt that revealed his delicate collarbones.
Now, Xie Lianqing slowly sat up straight. With his fair, slender fingers, he lazily fastened the top button of his shirt, his every movement inexplicably captivating.
Watching his actions, Xu Qingqing blinked and answered honestly, "...Not really."
Xie Lianqing propped his chin on one hand, his gaze smiling and tender as he looked at her, saying slowly, "It's okay if you can't hold back."
Xu Qingqing: ...!!!
...
In the end, Xie Lianqing's perception of the film changed. He even asked Xu Qingqing for a copy of the master film, storing it away along with the love letter she had given him.
Under Xu Qingqing's gaze, he explained lightly, "We can take it out to reminisce together in the future."
Even setting aside the time he spent with Xu Qingqing, this film was a good memento of his youthful days with his friends.
Xie Lianqing now suddenly felt that it was also quite nice that he had made this movie. Many years later, these would become precious memories for him, Xu Qingqing, Zhou Chenyu, and the others.
If not for that sudden move by Xu Qingqing and Le Jiaojiao, given his and Zhou Chenyu's personalities, they might never have thought of doing something like this, and there would be no recording to commemorate their friendship.
Xu Qingqing didn't know about the shift in Xie Lianqing's feelings, but he had recently reinstalled Weibo. He had even, self-taught, gone online to find screenshots from the movie of their confrontations and interactions.
Xu Qingqing's life continued as happily as ever. After submitting her graduation project, all she had left was to focus on writing her thesis. Occasionally, she would still go to the company with Xie Lianqing to work, continuing her role as the coffee secretary.
It wasn't that Xu Qingqing had a change of heart, suddenly abandoning her laid-back ways to strive for career success. Rather, she was utterly overwhelmed by her thesis, and she just happened to have an academic genius for a boyfriend.
After the school holiday began, she moved out of the apartment Xie Lianqing had off-campus and returned to the Xu family's old mansion. Consequently, to be able to consult Xie Lianqing about her thesis questions anytime, seeking his corrections and guidance, she felt compelled to keep going to the office.
For ordinary small assignments, she could have Xie Lianqing help or even write them for her, but her thesis, of course, had to be written by herself. Moreover, Xie Lianqing wasn't even in her major.
In the office, while Xie Lianqing handled documents and attended meetings, Xu Qingqing sat across from him, quietly buried in her thesis writing.
Occasionally, when she encountered uncertainties, Xu Qingqing would look up and ask Xie Lianqing, who would then gently explain things to her. Since Xie Lianqing wasn't in Xu Qingqing's field, when they both came across uncertain facts or data, they would search and summarize information together. Their interactions were filled with warmth.
After Xu Qingqing finalized and submitted the first draft of her thesis to her advisor, she finally received the acceptance email from Parsons School of Design.
That very day, she happily called her friends to share the good news and made plans with Xie Lianqing for a celebratory dinner date the next day. Of course, they could also do a few other things.
Xu Qingqing rarely dreamed, but she had a dream again. She dreamed of that book once more.
This dream was different from the last one. In the previous dream, she was more like a reader and an observer, detached, watching the events of the novel unfold before her eyes.
This time, however, was completely different. In the dream, she was trapped inside her own body, like a puppet on strings, personally experiencing everything in the plot but utterly powerless to stop it.
This dream didn't start from the beginning of the book. It began at a point almost identical to reality: Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan were engaged, becoming fiancés. And just like in reality, she herself made a huge scene at their engagement party...
In the dream, the weather was still clear. Xu Qingqing, like a marionette, rapidly advanced the plot. Even her memories and emotions became blurred.
If it were her in reality, personally witnessing herself ruining Bai Youlan's engagement party, she would have been so happy she'd want to set off firecrackers in celebration. Yet, in the dream, trapped within her body, she couldn't feel any trace of such joy.
Everything was calm, and "her" emotions were as placid as still water.
Xu Qingqing felt unconsciously confused.
She remembered she wasn't like this in the last dream? Back then, as an observer, she had watched Xie Lianqing and Bai Youlan walk to her grave, pouring their hearts out to each other. She had been so furious she wished she could crawl out right then and scatter the ashes of that despicable pair.
But this time, she felt no emotion at all... as if, in this dream, Bai Youlan wasn't her enemy.
However, Xu Qingqing quickly attributed this to the different nature of the dream. This time she wasn't an observer, so some changes were possible.
What happened later in the dream pertained to future events.
In the future, Xu Qingqing still chose to study abroad. Soon after, she and Xie Lianqing got engaged and married. Then, just like last time, she died in an accident on the eve of her wedding.
The moment the vehicle roared past, a gunman stormed the campus. A stray bullet struck the panicked crowd. Xu Qingqing, trapped in her dream-body, felt intense pain.
After her death, she quickly separated from her body, and the bizarre dream ended there.
Waking from the dream, Xu Qingqing sat on her bed in a daze, a lingering sense of fear and nausea clinging to her chest.
She didn't understand what this dream signified. Was it a premonition? If so, the method was far too violent.
In fact, until today, Xu Qingqing couldn't figure out where these dreams came from or who was showing them to her.
And the dreams chose the time point of her nearing university graduation.
It was only later, after confronting Bai Youlan and the System and learning of their schemes and methods, that Xu Qingqing understood her past self had been just about to step onto the path of destruction outlined in the original book.
If not for the dream's timely warning, she would have followed her original trajectory: provoked by Bai Youlan, persuaded by Lin Donghan, she would have debuted in the entertainment industry, eventually joining a variety show, getting blacklisted by the entire internet, and finally dying...
So this dream was undoubtedly advantageous to her. Xu Qingqing knew very well that her later ability to see the System above Bai Youlan's head and learn of its tasks were all thanks to that dream she received back in school, the one that revealed the truth of the world.
But Xu Qingqing was also puzzled. If the one behind the dreams was on her side, why didn't they reveal the information to her earlier?
If she had known about Bai Youlan and the System, about Bai Yaxiu and Xu Changshan's affairs earlier, perhaps she could have prevented Bai Yaxiu and her daughter from entering the Xu household. Maybe her mother wouldn't have died either.
Even though Xu Qingqing knew the truth, she couldn't reveal the dreams or the future events to anyone else. She couldn't even speak about the System related to Bai Youlan. It was as if someone was secretly monitoring her, watching her every word and action.
Because of this, when Xu Qingqing later encountered Bai Youlan, she only dared to glance briefly at the luck value above the other's head, afraid to look too long and risk arousing suspicion.
Xu Qingqing even suspected that there were two forces at play here, engaged in a game, and she could only face the current predicament alone.
In her last dream, she only saw the first half of this world's "book." The plot abruptly stopped at the scene where Xie Lianqing brought Bai Youlan to her grave, and then the book closed.
Xu Qingqing had always wondered what was written in the latter part of the book, what happened in the future.
So, had she now seen the second half of the book?
The plot seemed to have already changed, and the subsequent plot in the book seemed to have changed accordingly...
Xu Qingqing, having foreseen the future once again, sat alone on her bed. Her heart was still pounding, her emotions and thoughts not yet detached from the car accident in the dream.
So, even if Bai Youlan was no longer the female lead, she herself still couldn't be with Xie Lianqing?
If that were all, perhaps Xu Qingqing wouldn't have felt such a chill. What worried her most was foreseeing her own death twice. She feared that no matter how much effort she made, she would still end up walking the path to death...
Xu Qingqing hugged her knees, unsure for a moment how to avoid the fate shown in the future.
In the dream, she went abroad to study at Parsons, was proposed to by Xie Lianqing overseas, and then died in a campus shooting incident...
If she chose a different school, would it change the future?
Xu Qingqing gritted her teeth. Thinking about dying at the hands of a lunatic with a gun, she grew so angry she pounded the bed.
This is just too unlucky!
At this moment, she deeply regretted choosing a school in the United States. Anyone could buy weapons there; the safety level was just too low!
For a moment, Xu Qingqing even considered giving up the offer and simply not going abroad to study.
The experience in the dream felt too real. Xu Qingqing was trapped inside her own body the entire time, personally experiencing the process of near-death pain. If she hadn't known it was a dream, she, in her panic, might have truly believed she was dying.
Beyond that, Xu Qingqing found herself forced to reconsider her relationship with Xie Lianqing once more.
Not long ago, she had thought that since Bai Youlan was no longer the female lead and the plot had veered off to who-knows-where, she would no longer face the original story's ending.
Xie Lianqing was a boyfriend who suited her tastes very well, and their life together was comfortable, so Xu Qingqing had seriously contemplated their future. Although brief, she had indeed considered it...
While Xu Qingqing had always firmly believed she wasn't superstitious, she now felt that perhaps her and Xie Lianqing's "eight characters" were fundamentally incompatible. Things were fine when they were just dating, but if it ever came to marriage, it would be her death or her death.
That's just too tragic. Why? Xu Qingqing was indignant. Was it because Xie Lianqing was the male lead, or because Bai Youlan's mission was the Xu family's billions in assets?
The violent pounding of her heart gradually subsided. Xu Qingqing got out of bed and poured herself a glass of ice water. As she raised the glass, she realized her hand had been trembling slightly all along.
She took a large gulp of the ice water, and her thoughts gradually cleared.
She had consistently believed that tonight's dream, like the previous one, was a kind hint about her future, albeit delivered more intensely this time. She had even found an excuse for it, thinking the source was probably trying to prevent her from becoming complacent about changing the plot and ignoring this new warning.
However, now, Xu Qingqing suddenly woke up to a different possibility.
What if this dream wasn't a foreshadowing at all, but a warning?
Xu Qingqing remembered that in the last dream, she hadn't felt any pain or distress.
This time, she was trapped inside her body like a puppet on strings, forced to watch herself go through an unavoidable ordeal and suffer... From any perspective, this was not a good thing.
Xu Qingqing had felt something was off before. If the previous dream's hint carried gentleness and goodwill, this one exuded a chilling aura, like an ominous omen of fate.
Leaning against the kitchen island, she rubbed her arms and couldn't help but look back. There was no one behind her, yet she still felt a sense of dread.
But regardless of who or what was entering and exiting her dreams this time, and whether they were the same entity that warned her before, Xu Qingqing was unwilling to test out the ending.
She only had one life, and she intended to cherish it.
The next day, Xu Qingqing did not go to work at Xie Lianqing's company.
Xie Lianqing thought she was just slacking off and skipping work to play again, something everyone in the company was used to. So, he didn't pay it much mind, merely sending Xu Qingqing a message asking when she would be free in the afternoon so he could pick her up from the Xu family home for dinner at a restaurant.
However, the message sank without a trace. Even by late morning, after Xie Lianqing finished a meeting and checked his phone, there was no reply from Xu Qingqing.
He unconsciously frowned and immediately called Xu Qingqing.
On the other end of the line, Xu Qingqing's voice sounded somewhat weak. Before Xie Lianqing could inquire or express concern, she hastily ended the conversation, saying she wasn't in the mood to eat out today.
Even after the call was disconnected and the distinct dial tone sounded, Xie Lianqing held his phone, not putting it down.
He felt something was wrong.
But the company had been very busy lately. He had previously asked his father to step back in temporarily so he could take time off to accompany Xu Qingqing and her friends filming. Because of this, Chairman Xie had become highly vigilant, worried that his son lacked perseverance and might abandon the company in the future to spend a few years abroad with his girlfriend.
Wouldn't that delay his own retirement by several more years?!
Chairman Xie, extremely wary, later discovered his son was actually inquiring about assignments at the American branch office. Furious, he essentially went on strike, dumping a pile of documents and tasks on Xie Lianqing.
So, Xie Lianqing was now swamped at the company. After ending the call with Xu Qingqing, before he could even consider whether to visit her at the Xu home to check on her, Secretary Zhang cautiously knocked on the door and reminded him, "General Manager Xie, the next meeting is about to begin."
Xie Lianqing held his phone and sighed. He then remembered this was just a break between meetings; he still had to video conference with overseas executives later, and he seemed to have been outside for too long...
He had no choice but to put down his phone and leave the break room with his secretary.
Meanwhile, by the small river not far from the Xu family's old residence.
Chairman Xu and Xu Qingqing were sitting side-by-side fishing. Each wore a straw hat, sat on a camping chair, and held a fishing rod.
After his granddaughter hung up the phone, Grandpa Xu glanced at Xu Qingqing and teased, "What's wrong? Had another fight with young Xie?"
He specifically called to take her out to eat, and her reply was visibly perfunctory. Only young Xie could put up with her like this.
He knew his granddaughter well—willful, spoiled, and changing her mind every day. Few ordinary boys could tolerate her.
Of all the boyfriends Xu Qingqing had dated, the one who should have been least able to stand her was Xie Lianqing. Yet, unexpectedly, it was a case of one thing conquering another, and the one who treated Xu Qingqing the best and was most tolerant of her was also Xie Lianqing.
Thinking of this, Grandpa Xu couldn't help but advise Xu Qingqing, saying, "You're about to go abroad. I don't think Chairman Xie can manage the company for young Xie for another few years, so he won't be able to accompany you overseas. Don't pick fights with him."
As a member of the Xu family, Grandpa Xu's doting on Xu Qingqing was beyond question. That he was now actively advising his granddaughter was for her own consideration.
Given the relationship between Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing, it was likely that young Xie would frequently visit her while she was abroad. Although they had a private jet, the round trip of dozens of hours would be exhausting, not to mention Xie Lianqing had just taken over the company and was in a particularly busy period.
"Grandpa, I don't want to study abroad anymore," Xu Qingqing suddenly said. "And I don't want to get engaged to Xie Lianqing either."
Grandpa Xu thought she was joking. He knew perfectly well that his granddaughter and Xie Lianqing had been getting along quite well lately. Moreover, Xu Qingqing had put in so much effort to apply for schools, studying foreign languages for so long, taking numerous exams, mustering up the same drive she had for the college entrance exams.
After expending so much energy, how could she just casually decide not to go? Last time, Grandpa Xu even heard her boldly declare at home that she wanted to start a design business with Le Jiaojiao while studying.
At the time, the whole family had applauded and affirmed Xu Qingqing's ambition, each transferring her a sum of money under the guise of startup capital, which was really just extra pocket money.
So, Grandpa Xu asked very calmly, "Don't want this, don't want that. What do you want to do then?" Just then, a fish bit, and he stood up to pull the fishing rod and reel in the line.
Xu Qingqing said in a grave tone, "I want to go wander the world."
Grandpa Xu was in the middle of tugging the rod and reeling in the line when he heard his granddaughter's words. He nearly lost his footing and got pulled into the river by the fish.
"You want to do WHAT?!"
