Fu Jing Rong’s gaze lingered on her face.

The soft frown.

The faraway eyes.

She looked like she was standing here, yet her mind was somewhere he could never reach. The faint sadness etched in her features made his chest tighten, an uneasy, almost painful thump echoing in his heart.

Was something wrong with her?

The thought landed hard. His breath grew shallow, but before he could ask again, Hua Jing stirred — as if she had finally made a decision.

Her lashes trembled when she lifted her gaze to him. "I wonder..." she began softly, the words dragging themselves out, "...how we are doing."

He froze. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

We.

It didn’t take him long to understand. She wasn’t talking about the two of them standing here in Yellow Garden. She meant the other them — the selves in that other life, the ancient world they had been pulled from so abruptly.

That day had been a blur of confusion and light. One moment they were there; the next, here. No goodbyes, no closure. Neither of them had any idea how things had unfolded after their departure.

He had left abruptly.

She had left abruptly.

And the world they’d once fought for continued without them.

Fu Jing Rong felt a strange pull in his chest. That other world had been a battlefield, a promise, a home — and they had simply vanished from it.

His voice came out low. "You’ve been thinking about them too."

Hua Jing nodded lightly at his words, her thoughts still far away.

"I wonder..." she hesitated, her gaze drifting to the distance, "...how I am doing."

Not the her standing here. The her in that other world.

She already knew how timid and easily frightened that Hua Jing had been — the girl who bent her head under every word from her family, who hid in corners rather than speak up. If it hadn’t been for her own willfulness, her own ruthless determination to crush the Hua family for that timid self back then, she was certain the other Hua Jing would have simply vanished without a trace after a short while.

The contrast between them still amazed her. Here, she could stand her ground. There, she had been little more than a shadow. How could such a presence survive in the imperial palace?

She turned to Fu Jing Rong, her eyes troubled. "I wonder if Zhao Yan truly likes her," she admitted. "She was married so abruptly... without any peach blossoms, without any real bond. If Zhao Yan has woken up in that world, and he does not love her..."

Her voice trailed off, the worry in her tone sharper now. "...then her life would ultimately be difficult in the palace."

Fu Jingrong’s gaze softened as he watched Hua Jing. Her face was clouded with worries, her brow furrowed in thought, and a sadness lingered in her eyes.

He moved closer, his fingers gently brushing across the worry lines etched on her forehead, smoothing them out with a tenderness that seemed to lift a weight from her heart. Hua Jing felt a moment of relief, the tension in her body easing just slightly.

But despite the small comfort, her heart still twisted painfully, unable to shake the thoughts that had been plaguing her mind.

Fu Jingrong caught the flicker of doubt in her eyes. He turned her to face him fully, cupping her face in his hands as he gazed into her eyes with a look of quiet determination. "Do you remember what you said back then?" he asked, his voice soft yet firm, like he was trying to anchor her to the present.

Hua Jing blinked, taken aback by the question. "What did I say?" she replied, her tone tinged with uncertainty. She genuinely couldn’t recall the exact words.

Fu Jingrong’s expression softened even further. "Back in that other world, on that day..." He paused as if weighing the importance of the memory. "You said that in every universe, it was you for me, and me for you. You said it like you were certain of it, as if fate had already decided for us."

Hua Jing’s eyes widened in realization. That was a long-forgotten reassurance she had told herself in the midst of the chaos, when everything seemed uncertain.

Back then, she had found comfort in that thought — that no matter where or when they were, it was always meant to be.

But now, here in this new reality, with everything so different, that certainty felt more distant. The doubts she had been pushing down resurfaced with greater force.

As if sensing her hesitation, Fu Jingrong didn’t give her the chance to voice her concerns. He leaned closer, his eyes intense as he looked into hers.

"Him in every universe," he said, his voice low, but filled with an undeniable conviction. "Him in that world, he also believes that in every universe, it is you for him, and him for you."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle between them before continuing.

"There’s no way he would have proposed marriage to Hua Jing of that world if he didn’t truly like her. No way he would’ve taken that step unless his feelings were genuine."

Hua Jing’s breath hitched slightly as his words sank in. Fu Jingrong’s steady, unwavering tone left little room for doubt.

He was giving her a truth she hadn’t fully allowed herself to believe.

In this world, in that other world — the bond between her and Zhao Yan, no matter how it had started, was real. And in every universe, it was her for him, and him for her.

Hua Jing closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to breathe in the certainty that Fu Jingrong had given her. It wasn’t a complete cure for the worry that still clung to her, but it was enough to give her a flicker of hope, a sense of clarity she had been missing. Slowly, she nodded, her eyes meeting his again.

"I know," she whispered, the words a quiet promise to herself and to him. "I know."

Fu Jingrong smiled softly, his hand lingering on her cheek as he studied her expression. It was clear the battle within her wasn’t over yet so he bent over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Hua Jing, this is what you should remember,"

His eyes glistened,

"In every universe, if it is not you, It is no one!"