Going Home

An hour later.

“Sir, the nearest charging station got struck by lightning in last night’s thunderstorm—it’s busted, so we can only go to the one farther away.”

Lin Xiaoyou said helplessly as she drove.

Fang Qi was checking on his phone.

Sure enough, the nearest one was marked “Out of service for repairs.”

And below that, a line of small text—“Equipment damaged due to extreme weather.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. He tossed the phone onto the seat.

“…And whose fault is that?!”

Lin Xiaoyou shrank her neck and giggled.

“I-I was just doing research, okay…”

Research…

Come to think of it—he’d been so focused on getting home that he hadn’t even asked what Lin Xiaoyou had been studying all this time!

“So what exactly did you figure out?”

Fang Qi squinted, staring at that guilty little round face in the rearview mirror.

“Let’s hear it!”

“Uh… well… hmm…!”

Lin Xiaoyou “hmm”ed for a long while, and finally—

“Oh come on, sir, explaining it would be such a hassle!”

“You’re not gonna steal my research findings, are you?”

She glared at Fang Qi through the mirror!

Fang Qi: “?”

Huh?

He blinked, baffled.

Me?

But then Lin Xiaoyou blinked back, giggled again, and said:

“Nah, you wouldn’t steal them. Because even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand anyway!”

Fang Qi: “…”

You little—

Tsk.

Well… she did have a point!

All that stuff about permissions, rules, shifts in worldlines or whatever…

He genuinely couldn’t follow!

…Whatever!

He leaned back, sinking into the seat.

Bottom line—once he got back…

He’d have his goddess wife explain it all!

She was the goddess of this world. She knew everything, saw everything!

And she’d never get impatient with him!

He’d hold her in his arms, pinch her soft cheeks, and listen to her talk…

Way better than listening to Lin Xiaoyou spin circles of gibberish!

He watched the roadside trees slowly drift past the window, the corners of his mouth curling up unintentionally.

Honey, come back soon!

…

The charging station was in a remote spot, surrounded by nothing but wild grassland.

Aside from a lone self-service charging post standing by the roadside, there wasn’t even a rest stop!

Looking around, theirs was the only car in sight.

Lin Xiaoyou parked, got out, plugged in the charging gun, scanned the QR code to start, and stared at the screen for a few seconds…

Then she slapped the charging post’s casing hard!

“…It’s a slow charger? Aughh!”

Her little round face crumpled!

“Do these things even still exist…?”

Fang Qi pushed open the door from the other side and stepped out, stretching his stiff legs.

The air in the mountains was a few degrees cooler than in the city—refreshing, at least.

“The power output’s too low. It’ll take forever to fully charge. Eh, let’s just charge a bit—enough to get us through is fine…”

Lin Xiaoyou kept muttering.

Then she pulled two bottles of water from the car.

“Sir, here you go!”

She tossed one over to Fang Qi.

“We’re gonna have to wait.”

He caught it with one hand, twisted off the cap, and took a gulp.

Leaning against the car door, he gazed at the empty road.

The sky was spotless, with a few lazy white clouds drifting by. In the distance, the occasional bird call mixed with the rustle of wind blowing through the wild grass.

For a moment, he felt a little dazed.

Even though he was in the middle of nowhere…

It was truly a rare moment of peace.

If this were another worldline, about now…

The Exploding Fish Head would probably be ramming straight into the charging post!

“Sir.”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly spoke.

Huh?

He turned to look at her.

She was leaning against the other side of the car hood, holding her water bottle, also looking up at the sky.

“Do you think…”

Her expression was almost serious.

“If we really do go back, what’ll happen to this worldline?”

Fang Qi was caught off guard.

He lowered his gaze, staring at the water gently sloshing in the bottle.

Who knows?

Honestly, he still hadn’t figured out…

Whether this was a worldline where only one could exist, or…

Parallel worlds coexisting side by side?

If they were parallel, would the people here just go on living as usual after they left?

Would Sister An Lian still come home from work every day, with her little nephew clinging to her legs shouting, “Uncle, come back next time!”?

Would Lin Xiaoyou’s parents still nag her to be home by nine, and would her little brother still fight with “her” over the fried eggs?

“…I don’t know.”

He said it honestly.

Lin Xiaoyou turned to look at him, paused for two seconds, then snorted.

“Yeah, figures. Sir can’t even solve a chicken-and-rabbit problem—course you wouldn’t know!”

Fang Qi: “…”

Do you have to keep bringing up my old embarrassments?!

Will you ever let it go!

You—!

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in!

Beside the charging post, the crooked tree swayed violently out of nowhere!

“Whoosh—!”

A slender branch whipped over and smacked right across Lin Xiaoyou’s cheek!

“Wahh—!”

She jumped back, almost dropping her water bottle!

“Ow-ow-ow!!!!”

Clutching her reddened left cheek, her almond-shaped eyes went wide!

Then she shot a glare at the sky!

“Liguang! You’re bullying me!”

She wailed right at the heavens!

“I was just telling the truth! Sir really can’t do chicken-and-rabbit problems!”

Fang Qi: “…”

He didn’t bother with her wailing. Instead, he raised an eyebrow…

Watching the branch still swaying gently, then looked up at the sky.

That gust had come and gone quickly. Now, it was calm again.

Honey, how come it feels like…

You got “stronger” again?

Before, you could only cause random disasters across the whole world…

Now, you can even pull off this kind of “micro-maneuver”—picking out a branch to slap her face precisely?

That’s impressive!

You go, honey!

This “goddess” proficiency is leveling up pretty fast!

…

They charged for about an hour.

It wasn’t fully full yet.

But it was enough to reach their destination.

Lin Xiaoyou huffed as she unplugged the charging gun. The two of them got back in the car, and the pink Pickled Fish Head pulled back onto the road.

The scenery outside the window shifted from suburbs to countryside.

On both sides were vast stretches of farmland, rice paddies green and rolling like waves in the wind.

Fang Qi leaned against the window, watching the view slide backward.

He’d driven this road many times before.

In another worldline, he’d ridden in Liguang’s car, in Lin Xiaoyou’s modded Fish Head that hit five hundred kilometers per hour, and in taxis too.

But back then, he’d never really looked out the window.

He’d never had the chance to take in the view!

This was the first time he could quietly, carefully take in every bit of this road.

Just then, a tractor chugged along ahead of them, belching black smoke and crawling at a snail’s pace.

Lin Xiaoyou didn’t mind. She just followed along at a slow crawl.

Fang Qi rolled down the window and half-leaned out to check the road ahead.

But suddenly, a gust of wind blew straight at him!

Its force was eerily precise.

It pushed his upper body clean back into the car.

Fang Qi blinked, looked down at his seatbelt, then at the window the wind had shut for him.

…Got it, got it.

He silently promised chain after chain.

Won’t lean out anymore, no more—safety first!

"I won't lean out of the car window anymore, okay?"

Outside the window, the sound of rain had softened a bit.

From the front seat came Lin Xiaoyou's muffled grumble: "That's not fair... why did I get whipped in the face with a branch..."

Fang Qi leaned back in his seat, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

The fact that Liguang didn't rip your little head clean off is already the height of mercy!

...

Around four or five in the afternoon, they passed through an unknown little town.

The town was small—one main street running from end to end. A yellow dog crouched by the roadside, lazily swishing its tail across the ground when it saw the car approach.

Lin Xiaoyou pulled over in front of the only noodle shop on the street that still had its lights on, saying she was hungry.

Fang Qi followed her inside. The shop was small, with four wooden tables wiped spotlessly clean.

The owner was a middle-aged man in an apron, friendly and warm.

Lin Xiaoyou generously ordered two bowls, making sure to specify extra cilantro for hers.

Halfway through the meal, the sky outside cleared up.

Slanting afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass, warming them both.

Lin Xiaoyou looked up and out the window, a small smear of chili oil still on her lip.

She suddenly smiled, pointing at the patch of brilliant blue sky:

"Senior, look—the sky's cleared."

"Do you think Liguang also thinks this place has good noodles?"

Fang Qi looked at the clear sky outside, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Yeah, probably. She'd probably think it was tasty too.

Right, dear?

Outside, the breeze stirred the leaves, rustling softly.

...

After eating, they got back in the car.

The clouds on the horizon had already scattered for the most part, revealing large swaths of blue sky.

Fang Qi leaned back in his seat, watching the fields slowly recede outside the window and the distant ridgelines of the mountains...

His mood was actually pretty light!

Seems like the wife is in a good mood too!

"...This is really nice."

He murmured to himself.

Honey, when we get back...

Let's go on a road trip too, just the two of us. Go wherever we want.

Without Lin Xiaoyou!

In the distance, the clouds quietly parted, revealing a faint rainbow.

...

A little before six in the evening, they finally reached the foot of the mountain.

The pink, fish-head-shaped car pulled over to the side of the road. Fang Qi pushed open the door, and the cool mountain breeze immediately rushed in, carrying the dampness of early evening and the fresh scent of grass and trees.

He looked up at the mountain.

Still lush and green, exactly as he remembered it.

...He was back again.

This mountain, this path, this winding trail leading up to the wooden cabin.

He knew it all too well!

He pulled out his phone, took a picture of the mountain, and then...

Sent it to An Lian in this world.

[Fang Qi: Sister An Lian, I'm out traveling.]

An Lian replied quickly.

[An Lian: It's good to get some air. Stay safe. It gets cold in the mountains at night—did you bring a jacket?]

Fang Qi stared at those words and pressed his lips together.

Sure enough...

Sister An Lian had completely forgotten about this mountain.

The her now...

Was like an entirely different person who'd always lived in this world.

He put his phone back in his pocket.

That's fine.

If she doesn't remember, she doesn't remember.

We're going back soon anyway.

"Senior, hurry up!"

Lin Xiaoyou had already run ahead, standing at the trailhead and waving at him.

Fang Qi took a deep breath and followed.

On the mountain path, there were only the sounds of their footsteps, the occasional crisp snap of stepping on a dry branch, and the calls of unknown birds from deeper in the forest.

The air was impossibly good—every breath carried the mixed scent of fresh grass and earth.

He walked past a stretch of trail where tree roots bulged up beneath the surface, crossed a nearly dry creek.

Every spot matched his memory, yet every spot also had some subtle difference.

The moss here seemed thicker?

The branches over there seemed to have grown lower?

Halfway up, a thick tree root lay across the middle of the trail.

Yeah.

Even this place had quietly changed.

Reminding him that this wasn't the mountain he remembered.

Finally... he reached the spot where the small wooden cabin should have appeared in a clearing.

But... Fang Qi stopped, staring blankly ahead.

There...

Was nothing.

Where the cabin should have stood, there were now shrubs, weeds up to waist height, and a few trees as thick as a bowl randomly standing in the grass.

If he hadn't been here so many times, he wouldn't even realize...

That this patch of overgrown wild ground was where the cabin had stood in another worldline!

Lin Xiaoyou, however, didn't seem surprised at all.

"Here it is!"

She immediately ran up and patted one of the trees!

"Senior, these trees..."

She turned and grinned at Fang Qi.

"They're actually the building materials for the cabin!"

Fang Qi was startled.

Building materials?

"Xiaoqing and I chopped these down to build the cabin!"

She beamed up at him.

"And now these trees are all still alive! So amazing!"

Ah...

Fang Qi blinked, looking at the trees swaying gently in the evening breeze.

...So that's it.

Even the trees are alive again?

Still...

The cabin being gone left him feeling a tiny bit wistful.

After all, that cabin was sort of the place where he and Liguang had "fallen in love."

He instinctively walked over, wanting to get a closer look at the trees, at the wild ground where the cabin should have stood.

The weeds crunched under his feet, and shrub branches brushed against his pant legs.

Then...

The ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way!

As if... it was caving in?!

Fang Qi: "?!"

He looked down sharply!

And then he saw...

The patch of weed-covered ground was... cracking apart?!

Wh—?!

His pupils contracted!

Black, powdery fragments were seeping out of the cracks like ink!

Swallowing the grass roots and soil whole!

No wait, this—?!

The next second, his feet lost purchase!

And his whole body suddenly dropped!

What?!!

Fang Qi hadn't even registered what was happening!

His mind went completely blank!

Wai—!

"Waaaah!!!"

Lin Xiaoyou's scream came from behind!

Clearly, she was having the same problem!

Fang Qi instinctively reached out, trying to grab the tree next to him!

But...

The whole tree was sinking with him too!

The roots clinging to the soil, the soil connected to the shrubs, the shrubs connected to the patch of ground beneath him that was disintegrating...

Everything was sinking!

He was still in a daze, hadn't even had time to be scared...

When he was completely swallowed by a familiar, all-consuming emptiness!

The last thing he saw...

Was the sky instantly turning overcast with dark clouds!

Fang Qi instinctively stretched out his hand, flailing blindly in the darkness, but all his fingertips touched...

Was nothing but icy, empty void.

But in the final moment of consciousness, Fang Qi actually felt surprisingly calm.

His wife was a goddess. What was there to fear?

It's just...

Here we go again.

Falling back into that chaotic space?

Or maybe this time...

He'd go straight back to his original worldline?!

Lin Xiaoyou's shouts cut off abruptly.

Then...

Consciousness sank into darkness.

...

Awareness returned.

Fang Qi slowly opened his eyes.

Yeah.

He was back.

The familiar living room. The minimalist light strips. The white coffee table.

The sunlight outside the window was just right, exactly the same as when he'd woken up this morning.

He was home.

Only...

He stared blankly at the other side of the coffee table.

Empty. There was no Liguang.

And on the table, that cup of tea was still steaming.

On the surface...

Still that same patch of tea stain, mostly dried.

【If Master tries to squeeze onto the subway again, Liguang will break Master's legs】

Fang Qi: "...?"

Wait...

...Huh?!