But everything was beyond return.

Gu Elena was dead, and Julian had died along with her.

The once staunch materialist soldier began pinning his hopes on the heavens and gods, pinning his hopes on the afterlife and reincarnation. Everyone else said he had gone mad, but he didn't care at all.

Perhaps he really was mad. Perhaps he just wanted to make himself feel a little better.

Julian watched his own life dispassionately, watching him die alone in the old house—a house where, when Gu Elena was still alive, he had refused to step foot. Yet, in the end, he died here.

The childless, widowed old man, abandoned by the era, muttered to himself before closing his eyes: "Elena, if we could start over, would you forgive me?"

Julian watched quietly as his aged self died, and answered for Gu Elena.

"No."

Chapter 38

After being in a coma for nearly twenty hours, Julian finally opened his eyes slowly.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant. He frowned and gently moved his arm, which had been pressed into numbness.

The slight movement woke me.

I lifted my head and, seeing Julian’s half-opened eyes, my own eyes widened with joyful surprise.

"Julian, you're awake!"

I turned my wheelchair, hurrying toward the door to call someone, but Julian hooked the hem of my clothes with his curled fingers.

I turned back to look at him, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"Elena... it’s so good that you’re okay."

Julian’s voice was hoarse and soft. A strange luster flickered in his eyes. His throat bobbed, as if he had a lot to say, but he couldn't get the words out.

Yet, he felt that if he didn't say it now, he might never have the chance again.

"Elena, I had a dream. I dreamt I wasn't good to you. We married and then divorced, and you died before I could find you."

I froze in place, looking at him quietly. The joy in my eyes returned to indifference. I was silent, wearing no expression at all.

Julian felt a dense, pricking pain in his heart, like ten thousand needles constantly stabbing into the softest part of his soul. My expression had explained everything: those things really weren't just a dream.

"You remember too."

My firm tone made Julian’s heart sink to the bottom.

"Elena, I’m sorry. I always liked you, but because of some misunderstandings..."

Julian defended himself anxiously, only to be interrupted by me.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Julian."

It doesn't matter.

I said it didn't matter.

The words he hadn't finished speaking were stuck in Julian’s throat. He watched helplessly as I turned my wheelchair and left the room.

Outside the ward.

Arthur leaned against the wall, his face looking more somber than ever. For a day and a night, Gu Elena had stayed by Julian’s side, and he had no reason to stop her.

After all, Julian had saved Gu Elena, and so much had happened between them.

Rebirth...

Something so incredible—because it came from Gu Elena’s lips, he would choose to believe it unconditionally. But could his companionship over these last two years truly rival the weight Julian held in Gu Elena’s heart after the entanglement of two lifetimes?

Arthur let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes in silence.

Just then, a small hand tugged gently at his clothes, a light movement.

"Brother Arthur, are you tired?"

Arthur opened his eyes with a jolt. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed I had come out.

"Julian is awake. Let's go home."

He stared at me blankly. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard the conversation, but in this situation...

Did he still have a chance?

His once-dim mood instantly brightened, and a familiar smile reappeared. He circled behind me to push the wheelchair, sweeping away the gloom of the past few days.

"Let's go, let's go home."

On the way back.

I didn't look out the window anymore, but quietly watched Arthur’s profile, as if I had something to say.

Arthur noticed my gaze and steered the car steadily to the side of the road, but his hands gripped the steering wheel nervously. He cleared his throat tactically.

"Elena, you..."

Before he could finish, I blinked my bright eyes at him: "Brother Arthur, is there nothing you want to ask me?"

Arthur rubbed his hands nervously twice and tried to answer tentatively: "I don't think so?"

I leaned back in the seat and adjusted my posture: "I heard that soldiers have good hearing. Brother Arthur, surely you didn't hear nothing at all?"

Arthur had assumed that as long as he pretended not to know anything, he could maintain the status quo. But since Gu Elena brought it up herself, she clearly wanted to clear the air. If he kept avoiding it, that wouldn't be right.

Forget it—dead or alive, there had to be a conclusion.

Having realized this, Arthur took a deep breath and looked into my eyes.

"Yes, I heard everything you said at the police station and in the ward."

Chapter 39

"But I wasn't eavesdropping; the sound of your voices was genuinely quite loud."

Arthur hurriedly explained, his tone expressing an unprecedented level of nervousness.

"I was married to Julian in my past life. We divorced after three years. I was tricked into returning to a small mountain village and died in a cellar. So, after being reborn, I had always wanted to stay far away from Julian, but I still couldn't escape it."

"I had always assumed that Julian hated me, which is why he didn't return home once during those three years of marriage. Now, it seems he also regained those memories, and the reality might be somewhat different from what I saw."

Hearing this, Arthur’s heart immediately tensed up, and even his voice trembled imperceptibly.

"So, now, are you going to be with him again?"

He didn't know how he managed to ask this question; he only felt the blood in his entire body slowly freezing.

"I thought you would find this whole reincarnation business ridiculous."

I looked at him quietly, taking in his trembling fingertips.

"I believe everything you say. But Julian... he has already let you down once. Do you really want to try a second time? Elena, no matter what choice you make in the end, I will support you. But Julian..."

"Why would I jump into the same pit that I’ve already tripped into once?"

The atmosphere fell silent.

Arthur furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly taking a long time to process what I had said.

"You..."

I pursed my lips, puffed up my cheeks, and silently cheered myself on.

"I mean, because I’ve fallen before, I was afraid to start running again. But now I know that people are different—some people don't work out, and some do."

"So, Arthur, I want to ask you: would you mind that I was reborn, carrying the memories of my past life..."

The response I received was a solid, warm embrace.

Arthur held me tightly, as if he wanted to meld me into his own bones and blood. The breathing near my ear was hot and trembling, and I heard him say—

"I am just grateful that you were able to come."

...

At the Arthur family home.

Arthur's father, mother, and sister, Ning, were waiting anxiously at the door. As soon as they saw Arthur pushing me back, they crowded around.

"How are you, Elena? Does the wound hurt? You must have been terrified, right?"

"This is truly outrageous! I will make sure the public security bureau punishes the perpetrator severely!"

Facing their concern, I smiled and shook my head.

"Uncle, Auntie, I’m fine. It’s just a superficial wound; it will heal with a little rest."

Just then, his sister, who had been quiet, looked at Arthur, who was smiling with a somewhat silly expression, and asked: "Brother, Elena is injured, why are you smiling like that?"

Upon hearing this, his father got temperamental and slapped the back of Arthur’s head, mimicking the exact gesture Arthur used on his sister.

"Ouch!" Arthur cried out dramatically, then shouted at the top of his lungs: "My girlfriend is right here! Can you give me some face!"

Girlfriend?

His father’s hand, which hadn't fully retracted, paused in mid-air. His mother covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes darting between me and Arthur; the joy in her expression was about to overflow.

His sister’s mouth was open so wide a whole goose egg could fit inside. She stammered: "Elena... became my... became my sister-in-law?"

Arthur smiled triumphantly, leaned his head on my shoulder, and acted clingy: "Wife, he hit me."

My face turned bright red, and I stuttered, unable to speak.

His mother clapped her hands and called inside: "Aunt Wu, my daughter-in-law is back! Hurry and bring the food out!"

His father broke into a broad smile, nudged Arthur aside, and pushed my wheelchair inside.

"Let's go, girl, let's get inside. It’s freezing at the door, don't stand here with these two fools."