Since Charles Yin left, he never came back.
Cecilia Gu tried to contact Jane Gu several times, but still couldn't get through.
She wanted to go out for a walk, but every time she did, a whole crowd would follow her, like a public spectacle. So Cecilia gave up on the idea.
Now Cecilia's belly was already six months pregnant, clearly visible, and had become the family's biggest concern.
So the days when Cecilia could go out with just one assistant were long gone.
Now, whenever Cecilia went out, a long line of servants followed, taking care of her every need.
That's why she brought so many people home this time.
After chatting with Xiao Wang for a bit, Cecilia said she was tired and needed to rest.
Sure enough, Xiao Wang left the room, letting Cecilia rest properly.
Cecilia reached out and gently stroked her belly, talking softly to her child: "Good boy, what should Mommy do? Mommy really loves your father, and I really don't want us to be apart. But... your grandma... If I don't go back, what will happen to her? After all, she's the one who raised Mommy."
The little one in her belly turned over and kept sleeping soundly.
Cecilia traced circles on her belly with her fingers. The little one seemed to feel her gentle touch and slept even more peacefully.
"I'm so silly, asking you questions like this," Cecilia sighed softly. "How could you possibly understand?"
Cecilia smiled bitterly, slowly lay down, and, overcome by drowsiness, actually drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, Cecilia found herself in a misty, fairyland paradise.
Everywhere was filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, green hills and clear waters, lush grass, wildflowers everywhere, and a sweet scent in the air.
Where was this? Why would she dream of such a place?
Just as Cecilia was feeling lost, a gentle voice sounded behind her: "Sister, I finally get to see you!"
Cecilia spun around and saw a woman who looked exactly like her, standing in front of her with a bright smile.
It felt just like looking in a mirror.
The woman's features were so similar to her own.
But the woman's body looked... not very healthy; her complexion was much paler than Cecilia's.
Still, the determination in her eyes was just like Cecilia's.
"Are you..." Cecilia's mind raced, and a shocking answer surfaced instantly: "Are you Nora Yun?"
The woman nodded with a smile. "We've finally met. As expected, you and I are two extremes, completely opposite."
Cecilia was stunned, not knowing what to say.
So this was Nora Yun.
That was the only thought left in Cecilia's mind.
Nora Yun looked at Cecilia and smiled gently. "You seem even better than I imagined."
Cecilia stared at her in silence, still unable to find the right words to reply.
"After all this time, can't you call me sister?" Nora Yun looked at Cecilia with complicated emotions. "I've waited for you for so many years, hoped for you for so many years."
Cecilia's expression finally cracked a little. Looking at Nora Yun's earnest eyes, she couldn't help but speak: "Sis..."
Nora Yun finally smiled.
Only now did Cecilia understand why, even though she and Nora Yun looked alike, Nora Yun was the campus beauty at M University, while she was just an ordinary woman.
Because when Nora Yun smiled, she was truly beautiful.
Her smile always carried a gentle aura that made people want to get close to her.
"Come with me." Nora Yun waved at Cecilia and turned to leave.
Cecilia's gaze fell on Nora Yun's thin figure; she felt like Nora could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
She really was... too weak...
Cecilia hurried to catch up, feeling surprisingly agile.
Nora Yun led Cecilia across the lawn and straight into a small three-room cottage.
As soon as Cecilia stepped inside, she found the interior surprisingly spacious, expanding instantly to more than three hundred square meters.
Why did Nora Yun bring her here?
Before Cecilia could wonder, another person walked out from inside.
This time, Cecilia blurted out before the other could speak: "Zara Yun!"
The newcomer immediately smiled!
She was dressed in red, bold and lively.
Three identical faces, but each had a completely different temperament and aura.
"Looks like you really remember me." Zara Yun was still as rebellious as ever, full of heroic spirit.
"Why did you call me here?" Cecilia finally asked.
Showing up here definitely wasn't a coincidence, right?
Nora Yun smiled at Cecilia and said, "Cecilia, don't you think, if you add me and you together, you'd actually be Zara Yun?"
Cecilia was stunned.
Now that she thought about it, it really did feel that way.
It really did feel like that.
Though Nora Yun was physically weak, her knowledge was extraordinary.
Cecilia had finished college quietly and ordinarily, but compared to Nora Yun, her knowledge was on a completely different level.
But when it came to physical health, Cecilia was far stronger than Nora Yun.
Zara Yun sighed, saying, "Because you are me, and I am you."
Cecilia stared at Zara Yun in shock.
Zara Yun gently stroked a brocade box in her hands, her face full of longing. "Back then, I owed someone an explanation. I thought he'd forgotten, but after centuries, he still came to ask for it. This is a debt I can't repay in this lifetime, so I'll have to settle it in the next. And you two, you are my next life."
Cecilia understood every word Zara Yun said, but somehow couldn't grasp the meaning.
"Past and present lives," Nora Yun immediately explained to Cecilia. "She is our past life, and we are her present."
Zara Yun gave Nora Yun an approving look and sighed softly. "I still owe him... a lifetime. I thought I could pay off this debt in this life, but when I reincarnated, my soul split in two, becoming you both. The plan was for you to repay these two debts together, but I never expected Nora Yun would pass away so young. Fate, oh fate."
Cecilia lowered her gaze, not knowing what to say.
One soul, two bodies.
One was Nora Yun, the other was herself.
Who were the two creditors?
"Why did you call me here?" Cecilia slowly looked up at Nora Yun and Zara Yun.
Cecilia felt dazed—the mirror-image feeling was honestly unsettling.
"We're here to tell you about the duties and mission of a Yun family member." Zara Yun grew serious. "I know you resist the Yun family's responsibilities and mission, but this is your fate. You can't escape it."
Cecilia's face changed slightly: "I'm just myself. Why should someone else's responsibilities be forced onto me? Why do I have to sacrifice my happiness for someone else's dream? The Yun family is yours to protect, and I can't control what you have to give up. But why do you get to dictate my happiness?"
Hearing Cecilia's words, both Zara Yun and Nora Yun showed a trace of helplessness and regret in their eyes.
"Many times, you can't just run away because you want to. Cecilia, whether your last name is Gu or Yun, you carry the Yun family's blood. The Yun family prophecy will come true through you. The Yun family may perish because of you, or thrive because of you. Whenever you make a decision, think it through carefully. Because... maybe with one thought, the fate of the Yun family is in your hands." Zara Yun said solemnly. "Yes, it's unfair to suddenly put the Yun family's mission and responsibility on you after you've been away so long. But was it fair to us?"
"Back then, to save tens of thousands of soldiers and the Yun family, I resolutely parted from General Qi and left my hometown to become a princess of the Qing Dynasty. Was I willing? No! But only my unwillingness could save the people I cared about." Zara Yun said slowly. "Though my life was short, I never regretted it. Because my death had meaning."
Cecilia looked deeply at Zara Yun.
This battlefield general, who once dominated the war, had hidden her wild spirit and gentle heart, just to bring peace to the world.
Cecilia really had no right or position to criticize her.
But what about Nora Yun?
Were you really willing?
Cecilia turned to look at Nora Yun.
Nora Yun smiled gently and said, "Are you going to ask me if it was worth it too?"
Cecilia nodded softly.
Nora Yun lowered her gaze, a bitter smile on her lips. "Sister, you've met Eric Jiang, haven't you? Is he... doing well?"
As soon as she said this, Nora Yun nervously looked away, unable to meet Cecilia's eyes.
Zara Yun understood Nora Yun's feelings.
Once upon a time, she had felt the same way.
Cecilia nodded emphatically and replied, "Yes, I met him. He could never tell you and me apart, and even... mistook me for you and lost control for a while. He gave me a pot of orchids mixed with manjusha flowers."
"Manjusha..." A trace of pain flashed in Nora Yun's eyes. "We're twins, so our tastes are so similar. I love orchids, and you love orchids too. But my health was too weak in life, I couldn't bear the scent of pollen. So I could only look at pictures of orchids in books."
Hearing Nora Yun say this, Cecilia's heart unknowingly softened.
That was her sister, after all!
She was so perfect, so talented, yet only lived twenty-one years.
"In this life, I let him down," Nora Yun said softly. "But I don't regret it. Because, long ago, I already knew what my mission was."