Jiang Ruyi, curious, asked, “Brother Chen, do you know her?” “Hmm. It does seem familiar.” Chen Yang nodded, and the next second, he picked up his phone and searched for Jiang Baiyuan’s wife on Baidu. Instantly, long-forgotten memories surfaced in his mind: “This woman’s name is Xu Xiangying, Jiang Baiyuan’s wife, who went missing 14 years ago. When she first disappeared, it caused a huge stir; the internet and TV were flooded with missing person notices. Jiang Baiyuan went bankrupt trying to find her. Sadly, there was no news after four years of searching. Time flies, and I didn’t expect he still remembers her, what a devoted man.” A man deeply in love, especially one who is also very handsome, naturally evokes sympathy. Jiang Ruyi, looking at the woman in the photo, murmured in a daze, “If she hadn’t gone missing, would Jiang Baiyuan have ended up like this today?” “Perhaps.” Chen Yang thought of the once dazzling man and sighed softly, “At that time, Jiang Baiyuan was the brightest star in the field of neuroscience, even nominated for the Nobel Prize, with an unlimited future. Unfortunately, since his wife went missing, he vanished from the public eye. I didn’t expect that when he reappeared, it would be like this.” “Still no news of Xu Xiangying?” “None. After so many years, she’s probably dead.” “Does he have any relatives left?” “I’m not sure.” Who would care about the family of a criminal? Chen Yang wasn’t particularly interested in Jiang Baiyuan, and after expressing his sympathy, he shifted his focus: “Did you take the photos? We need to write the news story when we get back. The genius criminal Jiang Baiyuan was attacked by his victims…” Jiang Ruyi was still searching for information about Jiang Baiyuan online, and upon hearing his words, she didn’t respond but instead shared what she had found: “I heard he had a daughter who also died. With his wife missing and his daughter passing away prematurely, wasn’t the blow too much? Brother Chen, I feel there might be some hidden reasons behind his actions today.” This reminded Chen Yang: “Are you very interested in him? That’s good, he’s a hot topic now; you could do an in-depth interview with him.” Jiang Ruyi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed, “Okay!” Little did she know, many journalists wanted to interview him. From a former Nobel Prize nominee to a now infamous criminal, the drastic change could make for a sensational news piece with just a little digging. Unfortunately, Jiang Baiyuan refused all interviews. Jiang Ruyi earnestly requested three times, all ending in failure. Just when she was about to give up, Jiang Baiyuan agreed to see her. She was excited and joyful, yet inexplicably anxious. Early in the morning, she hurried to the detention center where his case was still being processed and had not yet been transferred to prison. They met in a special small room, separated by a small table, sitting opposite each other. Unlike the time they met at the police station entrance, Jiang Baiyuan’s hair had almost turned white. However, he was in good spirits, his handsome face smiling, his eyes gentle and bright. Before she could speak, he politely thanked her, “Thank you for returning the photo to me.” Jiang Ruyi suddenly realized: he only wanted to see me to say thank you. Before giving up on the interview, she, for some reason, had the photo returned to him through the prison guard. Indeed, after thanking her, he fell silent. Quietly, he watched her intently, as if looking through her at someone else. Perhaps his daughter. If she hadn’t passed away, she would be about the same age as Jiang Ruyi. With this thought, all the questions she had prepared—about why he conducted those experiments, if he really killed many people, if he was taking the fall for someone else…—none could be asked. She felt a deep sorrow, though she didn’t know why, since Jiang Baiyuan was just a stranger to her. Time slowly passed. They sat in silence. Suddenly, the guard beside them reminded, “Say what you need to; time’s almost up.” Jiang Ruyi’s heart tightened: “Mr. Jiang—” Jiang Baiyuan smiled gently: “Young lady, thank you for returning the photo to me.” He was still thanking her for returning that tattered photo. How much must one love someone to express gratitude repeatedly for a mere photo? Jiang Ruyi felt a sourness in her eyes, overwhelmed by the depth of emotion that the photo carried. “Time’s up.” The guard coldly announced, and in the next second, grabbed Jiang Baiyuan by the shoulders, pushing him out of the room. Jiang Ruyi stood up in a hurry, shouting at his retreating figure, “Goodbye, Mr. Jiang.” There was no response. He didn’t look back. His prison uniform hung loosely on him, making him look even thinner. Jiang Ruyi covered her eyes, unable to bear the sight, and turned to leave the room. As she left the detention center, she overheard two guards discussing his sentence—life imprisonment. At that moment, she felt a chill run through her body. Yet, it was May, with warm sunshine and gentle breezes, a time when one would want to live forever. Jiang Ruyi left the detention center, her expression gloomy as she walked along the road beside it. She didn’t know how long she had walked when suddenly, across the street, a figure caught her eye. It was a woman. She wore a wide-brimmed hat, had waist-length hair, and wore earphones. When she looked up, she was young and beautiful, about seventeen or eighteen, with skin as white as snow, an exquisite oval face, eyes like stars, and lips red and moist, exuding an ancient charm, lazy yet innocent, dressed in a simple white dress with wide sleeves, the skirt fluttering in the wind, giving her an ethereal grace. It was Xu Xiangying! Instinctively, Jiang Ruyi ran towards her. Just a few steps away, she suddenly calmed down: how could it be her? After over a decade, she couldn’t still be so young. But if not her, who else could it be? Could there be someone so similar in this world? Or was it Xu Xiangying’s daughter? Could a daughter look so alike? Various doubts tugged at her nerves. Her heart pounded as she got closer and softly asked, “Are you… Xu Xiangying?” Before she could get an answer, an out-of-control truck roared towards them. “Bang!” Her body was thrown into the air and then landed far away. Pain exploded through her limbs, and blood blurred her vision. Lying in a pool of blood, she looked at the woman, trying to open her eyes wide but unable to see her expression clearly… “There’s been an accident!” “Help, someone’s been hit!” “Save her!” … The noisy voices around her gradually faded. Jiang Ruyi’s vision went black, her consciousness fading: Such a pity, I still don’t know if she was Xu Xiangying…
Author’s Note: Thank you for your support. A new story begins. The opening might be heavy, but the following chapters will be light, heartwarming, and healing. As per tradition, for the new story’s launch, I’ll give out red envelopes for comments. Next chapter, the memory of transmigration into the book awakens.
“Is Jiang Ruyi Jiang Boyuan’s daughter?” “This novel is making me depressed!” “Damn it, let’s send razor blades together!” … Amidst the cacophony, she seemed to understand something. It turned out that the world she lived in was a novel, and she, along with Jiang Boyuan, were characters in the book…
When Jiang Ruyi woke up again, her surroundings had completely changed. She was now in a beautiful princess room, everything in sight was pink, with pearl and jade curtains shining brightly. Where was this? Her head ached, and memories not her own flashed through her mind: a charming and innocent face with a lazy and indolent demeanor, her mother, Xu Xiangying; a young, handsome face with a gentle and refined demeanor, her father, Jiang Boyuan, and she, Jiang Nuo, nicknamed Ruyi, four and a half years old, just started kindergarten. Reborn in the world of a novel?
