Chapter 140: Everything in the Past?

Seeing Gu Qingming's look of utter disgust, Shen Qingli covered her mouth with a light chuckle.

"Since you still have matters to attend to, go ahead and get busy. I'll take Guanyin back first."

Xie Jinchuan clearly had no wish to look at Gu Qingming any longer either. He picked up the sleeping Guanyin and walked straight outside.

Watching the man leave, Shen Qingli glanced back at Gu Qingming. "I never knew you were an orphan before. This is the first time I've heard of it. If you don't mind, you can think of me as your elder sister."

"But there's something I'm really curious about. Since you're an orphan, why is Gu Linglong your aunt?"

Hearing this, Gu Qingming's eyes flickered with a trace of bitterness. "I used to be part of the Gu family, but then their real son returned, and someone like me no longer needed to exist."

Looking at the pained expression on the man's face, Shen Qingli pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry for touching upon a sore subject. Since you call me sister, I will naturally take care of you."

Sister...

Gu Qingming lowered his gaze to conceal the light flashing within his eyes. He did not want to be her brother.

Yet, as things stood, if they could not be brother and sister, they might not even be able to remain friends.

"Alright then. Since you're my sister now, can you grant me a day off from work today?"

Shen Qingli chuckled. "You should hurry back and apply an ice pack to your face to reduce the swelling."

"Alright."

Gu Qingming smiled, but the movement pulled at his bruised face, causing him to instantly draw in a sharp breath.

Shen Qingli burst into irrepressible laughter at the sight.

Before long, Pinglang came to lead him away.

Once everything returned to normal, Shen Qingli slumped back into her executive chair, swaying slightly as her thoughts drifted.

Ten hours had passed since the incident began, and the reporters outside the company had finally dispersed.

Yet she still did not dare pick up her phone to check the news regarding today.

It wasn't out of fear, but simply an aversion to seeing those chaotic and meaningless words.

[Host, the Exalted Immortal is asking if you are free tonight. He wants to take you out.]

Lü-lü Coriander's voice piped up, giving Shen Qingli a start.

"Yes, I am. Let him know."

She spoke with a hint of fatigue, resting her head on the desk and closing her eyes.

She had been feeling exceptionally drowsy lately, perhaps due to the arrival of autumn.

Without realizing it, Shen Qingli drifted off to sleep with her head resting on the desk, while Lü-lü Coriander transformed into a cat to stand guard over her.

In the dream.

Everything was a vast expanse of white, with mist swirling around her like a fairy realm.

A figure stood not far away, tall and straight with a jade crown adorning his head. Even just a view of his back was enough to make one's heart flutter.

"Who is it?"

She murmured softly, suddenly realizing that she had transformed into someone else. The dress she wore was ornate and intricate, resembling the attire of immortals from a fantasy drama.

A colored ribbon tied around her wrist fluttered in the breeze, and Shen Qingli glanced sideways to see her reflection in a nearby pond.

A lotus flower bloomed upon her forehead. Her features remained unchanged, but her hair fell loosely around her shoulders, giving her an entirely different aura.

"Come here."

A soft voice called out from ahead, and Shen Qingli felt herself irresistibly drawn toward him.

Just as her fingertips were about to brush the man's palm, a flash crossed her vision. When she looked again, her fingers were stained crimson with fresh blood.

Panicked, Shen Qingli took a step back, only to trip over something. Looking down, she realized in horror that it was a human body!

And it was already dead!

The surroundings were no longer the ethereal celestial palace of moments ago; instead, the area was plunged into a gloomy, eerie, and terrifying crimson hue.

Corpses littered the ground everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood. People were continuously slaughtering one another, and the entire scene resembled a brutal battlefield.

Shen Qingli scrambled up in a panic, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in her abdomen. In disbelief, she turned around, her eyes widening in shock.

"Xie Jinchuan?"

The man who had just plunged a long sword into her abdomen was none other than Xie Jinchuan!

The scene felt far too real, the pain so intense that Shen Qingli could barely breathe.

She reached out a hand, desperate to touch the man's cheek, and the next second, she jolted awake in a fright.

Her forehead was slick with cold sweat. She instinctively looked down at her own hands—there was no blood.

Then she looked around her surroundings. It was just the office. She let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Sensing something was amiss, Lü-lü Coriander asked, [Host, you seemed to be having a nightmare just now. I used a bit of spiritual energy to wake you up. Are you alright?]

"I'm fine. It's just that I really did dream of some rather unpleasant scenes."

Remembering the events of the dream, Shen Qingli hesitated for a moment before looking at Lü-lü Coriander.

"Coriander, I saw it just now. It looked like a scene from the heavenly palace, and I was dressed up very nicely, like an immortal in a fantasy drama. But the next second, I was thrust onto a battlefield with blood all over my hands, and then I dreamed that Xie Jinchuan killed me..."

At these words, Lü-lü Coriander froze in utter shock.

Panic surged within him. Why would the host suddenly have memories of her past life?

That shouldn't be possible. It wasn't time for her memories to recover yet. What on earth was going on? No, he had to inform the Exalted Immortal immediately!

[Host, I think you've simply been watching too many TV dramas lately. How could the Exalted Immortal ever bear to kill you?]

[Just think about how good the Exalted Immortal is to you right now. He treats you with the utmost care, as if he wants to pamper you to the heavens.]

[I really think you've just watched too much television and worn yourself out. You definitely need to go out and have a great time with the Exalted Immortal tonight!]

Lü-lü Coriander spoke with an air of absolute righteousness, his words and expression brimming with concern.

Yet, as Shen Qingli watched him, she couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed to know something.

"Coriander, I've told you before, you mustn't keep anything from me. Speak—do you know something?"

Faced with her relentless interrogation, Lü-lü Coriander was in a state of absolute panic.

Just as he hesitated over whether or not to confess, the office door was pushed open.

Seeing who had entered, Lü-lü Coriander felt an instant wave of relief.

[Host, then I won't disturb your date with the Exalted Immortal.]

With that, Lü-lü Coriander bolted out the door.

Xie Jinchuan had clearly rushed over in a hurry, his breathing uneven.

"Why are you in such a rush? It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Resigned, Shen Qingli poured a glass of water for the man.

The next second, she was pulled straight into his arms. Feeling his warmth, her unsettled heart finally began to calm down.

"What's wrong? You look so flustered."

"It's nothing. I was just afraid of missing the time and making you angry."

After adjusting his breathing, Xie Jinchuan spoke tenderly, though his mind was entirely occupied by what Lü-lü Coriander had just told him.

Upon hearing that Shen Qingli had begun recalling memories of her past life, Xie Jinchuan had panicked for real.

He was terrified that once she remembered everything, she would neither forgive him nor listen to his explanations.

He had intended to let her memories recover only at the very end, never expecting that the process would start so soon.

"Why would I be angry? But you said you were going to take me on a date—where are we going?"

Shen Qingli cast all those unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind, her face filled with eager anticipation.