PAID

The downpour only intensified, the rain falling more violently with every passing second.

The screech of tires echoed as Huo Yan flung the car door open, ignoring the torrential rain, and sprinted toward Qin Yao and the others. The cold raindrops stung as they pelted his body, blurring his vision with a misty haze.

Suddenly, Huo Yan came to a halt, as a wave of unfamiliar yet oddly familiar memories surged forward, crashing over him like a tidal wave.

Huo Ze, who had been right behind him, noticed his brother's sudden stop and instinctively called out, “Second Brother, you... wait... why am I...”

Huo Yan turned to face Huo Ze, his eyes bloodshot with confusion.@@novelbin@@

Their parents had also exited the car, frozen in place. Huo Jing muttered under his breath, "This... it can't be..."

The memories that had been erased—supposedly gone forever—were now returning to them all.

It wasn’t just Qin Yao; the entire Huo family suddenly remembered.

They remembered the four timeline resets and the four times they had encountered Ye Leyao. They knew now who he was, and what his true purpose had been all along.

Huo Yan felt as though a massive, invisible hand was squeezing his heart, so tightly it made breathing nearly impossible. The rain mixed with sweat, and he slowly, numbly walked toward Qin Yao.

Qin Yao was still kneeling on the ground, frozen in place, oblivious to the calls from Qin Hongxi and Chu Cheng next to him.

It wasn’t until Huo Yan approached, the rain curtain blurring their view, that he rasped out, “Qin Yao... where is Xiao Yao?”

Qin Yao, his eyes bloodshot, stared blankly at Huo Yan.

It wasn’t until the rain started to let up, the droplets thinning, that Huo Yan could finally see Qin Yao’s tear-streaked face.

“He... he took my place...” Qin Yao’s voice cracked, the words stuck in his throat like stones. He collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“He’s gone… Xiao Yao is gone…”

“But he said… he said he’ll come back…” Qin Yao’s voice broke as he sobbed, unclear if he was comforting himself or the approaching Huo family.

Huo Mama couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. They fell freely down her face.

Soon, the sound of weeping filled the air.

Huo Yan tilted his head up, staring at the sky.

Thick clouds that had once loomed overhead were now slowly dispersing, the rain easing into a light drizzle.

A gust of wind blew through, and the clouds were swept away entirely.

The rain stopped, and the sun began to shine through.

Huo Yan let out a low laugh. “In the end, we couldn’t stop him…”

Qin Yao remained kneeling on the ground, unmoving.

Suddenly, Huo Yan stepped forward and roughly pulled Qin Yao to his feet. “Qin Yao, you need to remember this—Xiao Yao left because of you. He did it for you. So from now on, you need to pull yourself together!”

Qin Yao’s eyes burned with pain, tears falling without him even realizing.

Huo Yan spoke slowly, with emphasis on every word, “He made sure we remembered before he left, just to tell us that he will come back. So you have to wait for him!”

Qin Yao stared at Huo Yan, his expression dazed.

After a long moment, more tears rolled down his face.

Yes.

Throughout this journey, Ye Leyao had been so tired, so burdened.

But he had finally changed the course of today’s events, giving them all a new beginning.

How could Qin Yao not treasure that?

His Leyao had worked so hard.

Now, Leyao just wanted to rest for a while.

Qin Yao shouldn’t be sad. He should be happy for him.

Qin Yao nodded repeatedly, the tears falling chaotically as he whispered, “I’ll wait for him.”

“I’ll wait for him.”