TCPM 27 FINAL

 

Chapter 27

The lingering, tender atmosphere had yet to disperse as Xu Jianyou pressed her back against the wall, her limbs weak as she hung against Wei Zai. Her clothes remained neat and intact, with only her heavily heaving breath betraying what had just transpired.

Wei Zai held her close, pressing against her to feel her steady, powerful heartbeat. She had heard it all—Xu Jianyou’s inner thoughts from a millennium ago and a millennium hence, interwoven with their breathless gasps, clear and distinct word for word. She felt fulfilled; her soul, which had remained dormant for a thousand years, was once again filled to the brim and expanded. It was as if she had come back to life, beginning to take root and sprout anew in this unfamiliar world.

Suddenly, she let out a low chuckle. Puzzled by her laughter, Xu Jianyou asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Still smiling, Wei Zai buried her face into the crook of Xu Jianyou's neck, her voice dropping to a near-whisper: "Wei-Xu? Or Xu-Wei?"

Blood rushed straight to Xu Jianyou's head, dyeing her face crimson. She felt an intense urge to travel back in time just to stomp out her own youthful ignorance.

"Hahaha!" Wei Zai burst into open laughter. "Xu Qingchu, look at you now!"

Pressing her cheek against Wei Zai's chilled hair to cool down, Xu Jianyou steadied herself after a moment and said, "Call me Xu Jianyou."

"Hmm?"

"Just as you said, you are only Wei Zai now, no longer the Xian Emperor, and I am now only Xu Jianyou."

"A-You..." Understanding her meaning, Wei Zai wrapped her arms around Xu Jianyou, pressing a solemn, devout kiss to her forehead.

Xu Jianyou cupped Wei Zai's face, drawing her closer so their lips met once more. This kiss was more lingering and tender than any before it.

"A-Zai... A-Zai..." "I'm here..."

"I love you." It was not a phrase commonly used by ancients. While Xu Qingchu had once spoken of fondness to Wei Zai, and Wei Zai likewise, they had never grown accustomed to such direct declarations. Yet often, simple directness possesses the power to touch the heart most deeply.

"Say it again." Wei Zai tightened her grip, her kiss sliding down to the sensitive skin of Xu Jianyou's neck, where even the lightest brush sent wave after wave of sensation rippling through her.

Xu Jianyou's breathing grew heavy. The desire that had only just subsided surged back like a raging tide. Struggling to steady her breath, she forced out the weighty words: "A-Zai, I love you."

"Say it again." "From the past to the present, from a thousand years ago to a thousand years hence, not a single day has passed where I stopped loving you." "A-You..."

Love swallowed everything whole.

"Sleep."

Wei Zai tucked the quilt around Xu Jianyou and sat beside the bed to keep her company.

"Aren't you coming to bed with me?" Xu Jianyou frowned.

Wei Zai shook her head. "I have no body heat, and I cannot warm you; I wouldn't want you to catch a chill. I will just stay right here and watch you sleep."

Though filled with a trace of regret, Xu Jianyou knew better than to ask for more; the mere chance to continue their bond was already an act of immense grace from the heavens.

Watching her, Wei Zai smiled again. "In the past, it was always you sitting by the couch keeping watch over me."

During the years when Wei Zai's illness had grown grave, Xu Qingchu had frequently kept vigil like this—sitting beside the couch to review memorials while keeping a watchful eye on Wei Zai. When Wei Zai had good days, they would discuss affairs of state; when her condition worsened, she would mostly sleep. Back then, Xu Qingchu always took care to move lightly, terrified of disturbing her rest, pausing whenever she grew tired just to look at her.

Xu Jianyou smiled as well. "Who would have imagined things could turn out like this today?"

"Go to sleep now; you still have class tomorrow." "Sigh," Xu Jianyou covered her face with her hands. "I have to meet with my advisor tomorrow afternoon." "Even you get nervous about writing papers?" "How could I not? Haven't you heard the saying... your foolishness is laid entirely bare before your advisor..."

Night had grown deep, and Xu Jianyou fell asleep. In truth, she was already exhausted, drifting off mid-sentence. Halting her words, Wei Zai quietly gazed at her sleeping face, yearning to reach out and touch her, yet pulling her hand back in the end.

This was already more than enough.

Academic life remained demanding; Xu Jianyou had countless books to read and numerous papers to write. They resumed their previous routine—attending classes together and visiting the library, bickering and bantering just as before, almost as if that intense night of passionate confession had never happened. Yet both could sense that something fundamental had shifted.

Xu Jianyou had grown much steadier. When her advisor saw her again, she even felt as though the student had suddenly matured into an adult overnight. Seizing the opportunity, Xu Jianyou shared her specific inclinations regarding traditional Chinese political history. Pleased, her advisor smiled and remarked, "Very good, very good. It's wonderful that you've developed your own perspective so quickly. I'll update your reading list and send it to you later. You've clearly been working hard lately; many of your ideas are quite fascinating, and I have high hopes for you."

Xu Jianyou practically skipped out of her advisor's office building, feeling tempted to break into a dance on the spot.

"Are you really this happy?" Wei Zai, who had accompanied her and listened to the entire exchange, asked with mild confusion.

"You don't understand; my advisor is brilliant. In the past, I always felt like she looked at me as if I lacked basic cognitive function, with 'potential unfulfilled' written all over her face. Today, I finally felt like an ordinary human being in her eyes." Xu Jianyou gestured with her hands as she searched for words. "Compared to Xu Yueyao?"

Thinking it over, Xu Jianyou replied, "It's different. Teacher wasn't actually exceptional at pure scholarship; she taught me how to handle people and navigate the world. But my advisor is a genius. Geniuses don't notice ordinary mortals, and standing before her feels like facing a vast starry ocean—it only makes me realize my own insignificance."

"Yet you seem thrilled by it?" "Of course. Think about it—insignificance also means the world is vast and boundless. There are places to go and paths to walk everywhere; isn't that wonderful?" Stopping beneath the shade of a tree, she turned to face Wei Zai and said, "A-Zai, this time we have a choice."

A stir went through Wei Zai's heart. Suddenly, the gentle breeze felt refreshing, the flowers looked exceptionally vibrant, and scenery that usually went unnoticed grew bright with color. Ah, yes—how wonderful it was.

The remainder of the semester flew by in a blur. During the winter break, Xu Jianyou had a field research project and was taken by her advisor to the countryside. Though she had worried for days, fretting that Wei Zai wouldn't be able to leave Yiyang, the trip went surprisingly smoothly. Wei Zai was brought along to the bustling high-speed railway station, rode a high-speed train traveling at 250 kilometers per hour, observed modernized farmland and villages, listened to their interviews with farmers and local cadres, and witnessed firsthand what a socialist new countryside looked like.

Walking through a warm agricultural greenhouse, she trailed her fingers lightly over the thriving crops. It was like a passing breeze making the plants sway gently, as if they were bowing in greeting to her.

In that moment, she truly understood the insignificance Xu Jianyou had spoken of. Across a millennium of rushing rivers and changing landscapes, she and her imperial mausoleum had stood like a fixed anchor point—unrusting and unlost. Everything she had once rejected and fled from had ultimately become her final footnote. Yet standing right here, all of that melted away. She was no emperor, no sovereign ruler; she was simply the smallest, most ordinary person in this vast world, standing in the soil with the earthy scent of farm life clinging to her clothes, eagerly brushing her hand across thriving crops, entirely enveloped by joy and hope.

How wonderful it was—truly wonderful.

By the time the research project concluded, the New Year was fast approaching. They returned to Yiyang and made a special trip to the imperial mausoleum to pay their respects to old friends. Purchasing several bottles of fine wine, they visited each grave in turn, pouring liquor before the headstones and talking to each person with laughter and chatter. The weather that day was magnificent—clear skies, warm sunshine, a gentle breeze rustling the treetops like an answering wave or a welcoming hand.

"Let's go. Time to take you home."

Xu Jianyou's home was situated slightly south of central Yiyang. Belonging to an ordinary white-collar working family with loving parents and a harmonious household, she deeply cherished the family bonds of this lifetime. Wei Zai felt a slight flutter of nervousness. Unable to help herself, Xu Jianyou teased, "They can't even see you."

Emerging from the railway station, the streets were already alive with a bustling, festive New Year atmosphere. The buses were decorated with celebratory cheer, and the driver could be heard humming a cheerful tune. Imbued with the infectious joy of the surroundings, their spirits lifted—this was, after all, the first New Year they would spend together in this world.

Stopping at her front door, Xu Jianyou pulled out her keys and unlocked it to find a warm, cozy interior. As she hauled her suitcase inside, with Wei Zai trailing close beside her with polite reservation, Xu Jianyou called out while changing her shoes, "Mom?"

Her mother emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of soup. "You're back? On the road... Oh? And who is this young lady with you? Honestly, child, bringing a friend home and not giving a heads-up—your mother should have prepared a few more dishes! Come on inside quickly..."

As the bell chimed to welcome the New Year, everything was only just beginning.

(The End)

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T/N:

And that’s a whole-ass wrap on the entire book, besties! 😭💖 I low-key started grinding on this translation months ago, but I just dropped yesterday’s chapter and today's chapter back-to-back—two days straight because honestly, who even knows when I'll be this chronically free again? My neck and throat are literally crying from hunching over my screen for hours, but it’s officially locked in and done, thank goodness! Catch me snapping and stretching like a broken glowstick right now.

 

Hope y'all enjoyed this wild, millennia-long emotional rollercoaster as much as I did. See you in the next stories, stay rizzed up, and have fun reading! Catch you on the flip side! ✨🥂

-SIOFRA