The sharp scent of cold steel filled the room as Chen Yixuan sat at his desk, his fingers drumming rhythmically against the mahogany surface. His mind was clouded with questions he couldn't answer. Ye Mei was dead. Gone. And yet, the mystery of her death haunted him like a shadow he couldn't shake. He had tried to move forward, to ignore the guilt gnawing at his insides, but every time he closed his eyes, her face, her tearful eyes, haunted him. The memory of her whispered confession, "I love…" followed him like a chain around his neck.
The investigation had started as a way to appease his guilt, a way to give her justice. But it had led him down a path he wasn't prepared for. As the pieces of the puzzle came together, he realized that Ye Mei's death wasn't a mere accident. No, someone had poisoned her—and that someone was much closer to him than he had ever anticipated.
For days, he had interrogated those around her, but all roads led back to betrayal. Someone who knew him well. Someone who had the power to get close to Ye Mei without raising suspicion.
The name that had emerged from the shadows was one he had never considered—his cousin, Chen Ruo. The thought hit him like a punch to the gut. Ruo had always been a loyal follower, someone he had trusted implicitly, someone who had been at his side since childhood. How could he betray him like this? How could he play a role in Ye Mei's death?
But the evidence was mounting. Subtle signs, hidden messages in correspondence that had been exchanged between Ruo and someone unknown. Small discrepancies in alibis. The poison that had been administered to Ye Mei—a rare toxin, one only someone with connections in the underground world would know about. Ruo had connections. And now, he had murdered the woman Chen Yixuan had once neglected and mistreated.
The weight of the realization crushed him. He had allowed his own cousin to get close to Ye Mei, to manipulate her, to poison her. It was his fault. He had been too blind to see it.
The guilt was suffocating. His breath came in ragged gasps as he leaned forward in his chair, his hands trembling. He hadn't loved her, hadn't seen her for who she truly was until it was too late. And now, she was gone. Forever.
"Ye Mei…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "What have I done?"
His eyes darted to the old photograph on his desk—her face smiling up at him, unaware of the pain she would soon endure. How could he have been so cruel to her? How could he have treated someone with so much love to give as if she were invisible, as if she didn't matter?
The investigation was far from over, but at that moment, Chen Yixuan knew the truth. It wasn't enough to uncover who had done this to her. It wasn't enough to punish the ones responsible. The truth he had uncovered was that he, too, was responsible for her death. He had failed her. His actions, his indifference, had pushed her to a point where she had endured so much pain in silence, hoping one day he would love her back.
A flash of memory hit him then—Ye Mei's tear-streaked face, her hands trembling as she had reached out to him. How could he have been so blind, so callous, when she had tried so hard to show him her love? She had loved him despite everything, despite his coldness, his rejection.
And now she was gone. Because of him. Because of his inability to open his heart to her when she needed him the most.
Chen Yixuan slammed his fist on the desk, a wave of anger and regret surging through him. He had spent so much of his life ignoring his emotions, burying his feelings deep inside, thinking that power, control, and distance would keep him safe from the vulnerability that came with love. But it had all crumbled now, and the price he paid was too steep.
The guilt that gnawed at him intensified with every passing minute. The only way he could absolve himself, he realized, was to make things right. But how could he? She was dead. There was no going back.
But then, an idea began to take shape in his mind. He couldn't change the past, but maybe—just maybe—he could change his future. Maybe he could go back to that moment when everything had begun to fall apart. Maybe he could make a different choice, be a different person. If only he had another chance.
Chen Yixuan's hands clenched into fists as the thought took hold. He closed his eyes, his heart heavy with the weight of the loss, the weight of his mistakes. He could still hear her voice in his head, whispering those three words that would haunt him forever: "I love you."
The thought of never hearing her say it again, of never seeing her smile, of never having the chance to apologize for all the ways he had hurt her—it was unbearable.
But as the darkness of his despair threatened to consume him, something strange began to happen. The world around him seemed to blur, the edges of his vision darkening. His body felt heavy, and his breath became shallow. He tried to stand, to shake off the sensation, but it was as if his body refused to obey.
Then, as if pulled by an invisible force, he collapsed into the chair, his eyes closing against the suffocating weight of grief.
Time seemed to stretch and warp around him. For a moment, he felt as though he were floating, detached from everything. And in that surreal state, he felt a strange presence—something ethereal, something otherworldly.
A voice, soft and gentle, echoed in his mind.
"Do you regret it, Chen Yixuan?"
The voice was familiar, but it was not her voice. It was something deeper, something distant, yet oddly comforting.
"I… I regret everything," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I failed her. I didn't love her. I didn't protect her. And now she's gone. How do I live with that?"
The voice was silent for a moment, and when it spoke again, there was a sense of finality in its tone.
"Then you will have your chance. A second chance to make things right. A second chance to change the past and save her. But know this: It will not be easy. The choices you make will shape your future. And the cost of redemption is steep."
With that, the presence seemed to fade, and the world around him snapped back into focus. His heart pounded in his chest, and his head swam as if he had just awoken from a deep sleep.
He gasped for breath, his hands shaking violently as he tried to steady himself. The room seemed unchanged, yet everything felt different. There was a weight in his chest, a sense of purpose he hadn't felt before.
"Ye Mei…" he whispered again, his voice hoarse with emotion.
He could feel it now. The shift. The rebirth.
He was no longer the man he had been. He had been given a chance—a chance to make things right, a chance to save her. And this time, he would not fail her. This time, he would love her as she had loved him. He would protect her, cherish her, and never let go.
Chen Yixuan stood up, his resolve solidifying with every step. There was still work to be done, still a mystery to unravel. But the most important thing now was clear: He would save Ye Mei. And he would make sure she never had to suffer again.
The past could not be changed, but the future—his future—was his to shape. And this time, he would do it with love, not indifference.