Chapter 273: The only comeback I care about...

For Fu Jingrong, the memory of that other world still lingered with a strange clarity — not in the form of images or full recollections at first, but in emotions.

When he had transmigrated there, he hadn’t known who he was for the longest time. Unlike Hua Jing, who had awakened with full awareness of her true identity, he had been thrust into Zhao Yan’s body with a fog clouding his mind.

His consciousness existed there, fully present yet not in control, and so he had lived those early days almost as an observer — a silent passenger inside another man’s skin.

But even without understanding everything, there were things he could not ignore. He could feel Zhao Yan’s emotions — sharp, visceral, undeniable. Every shift of the other man’s heart echoed inside him.

The first time he had seen Hua Jing in that world, after the carriage accident that had shaken the capital, something had stirred.

Zhao Yan’s eyes had rested on her fragile figure, pale from injury yet still carrying that quiet defiance, and Fu Jingrong had felt it — fear.

Not for himself, but for her.

It had been an emotion so raw, so unguarded, that it made his own heart tighten. Worry. Protectiveness. The quiet but desperate hope that she would survive.

And it had struck him even then — these were not emotions one could fake. They were real, born of something deeper than mere circumstance.

That was the moment he had begun to understand: the bond between them transcended worlds.

This was why he had told the Hua Jing before him now, in the quiet warmth of Yellow Garden, that in every universe, it was him for her.

Because he knew — he had felt it through another man’s heart — that no matter where they were thrown, no matter what body they wore, they would still find each other.

Fate did not spin coincidences like this for just anyone.

It could have been anyone else who transmigrated into that other world, but it hadn’t been. It had been the two of them. Only the two of them.

Soulmates. Madly perfect for each other in a way that defied logic and bent the rules of existence.

Fu Jingrong’s arms tightened around her now, his hand smoothing over the curve of her back in a slow, grounding motion.

She let herself sink into that embrace, letting the warmth seep into her bones.

The knot of worries in her chest loosened, and for a long moment, there was only the sound of their breathing and the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.

She was tired.

The kind of tired that went beyond sleep — the exhaustion of constant medication, of endless follow-up check-ups, of a body that had not yet regained all its strength.

Being in his arms brought a comfort she hadn’t realized she’d been craving.

Time slipped past them in that quiet cocoon until, at last, she stirred.

Tilting her head back just enough to meet his eyes, Hua Jing’s gaze sharpened with sudden curiosity.

"What’s going on out there?" she asked, her voice carrying a mix of impatience and longing.

Ever since she had come back, she’d been completely cut off from the outside world — no phone, no computer, nothing to bridge the gap between her and the life she’d once known.

It had been a year since she disappeared.

A year in which the world had gone on spinning without her.

She could feel it in her bones: many things had changed. She just didn’t yet know how much.

Fu Jingrong’s gaze lingered on her after the question left her lips.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked quietly. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Hua Jing hesitated, her eyes flickering with unspoken thoughts, then gave a firm nod. She should know. If she was to take the next step forward, she needed to understand what had happened in her absence.

Many things had changed.

The day her spirit had returned to that cold, sterile hospital room, she had been visited by none other than Hua Ling.

Hua Ling hadn’t been able to see her — after all, she’d been nothing more than a spirit presence hovering near her own motionless body — but Hua Jing had seen her clearly.

She’d seen the smug curve of Hua Ling’s lips. The flashy heels she wore. And, most telling of all, the crisp contract clutched in her perfectly manicured hand.

The purpose of the visit had been obvious: to gloat.

Hua Ling had stood there, reading the contract aloud as if speaking to the comatose Hua Jing. She’d boasted that Blue Entertainment had offered her a lifetime deal — the very company that Hua Jing had once been signed to without question or doubt.

This was also the very contract Hua Jing had been offered before the accident.

That moment had made one truth painfully clear: Blue Entertainment had betrayed her.

Not a single person from the company had come to see her. Not even her own manager had bothered to check on her condition.

The realization had cut deep.

Looking back now, Hua Jing could see the pattern — the subtle, consistent attempts to push her aside, to sabotage her career in favor of Hua Ling.

Why? She still didn’t know. But she could guess the result.

If her reckoning was correct, Hua Ling must be enjoying an unprecedented level of fame now.

Her own disappearance from the spotlight — caused by the "accident" — had cleared the way for Hua Ling to rise without competition. And with that lifetime contract, every valuable resource, every prime opportunity, had been handed over to her rival.

It was all in the contract. A document designed to catapult Hua Ling far ahead of every other artist in the industry.

Hua Jing’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Fu Jingrong studied her for a long moment, then said in a steady, assured tone, "Everything will be handled in time. You’ll know everything when the moment comes. But right now..."

He reached over, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, his eyes softening. "You’ve just come back. You need to rest first. The rest can wait."

His voice left no room for argument, and after a pause, Hua Jing nodded. He made sense. For now, she would let it go.

But then, she suddenly remembered something...