Fu Jing Rong stepped out of his office without a word. His face was blank, but his steps were sharp—controlled urgency behind every movement.

"Wei Ling, what—" Fu Ling started.

"No one follows me," Fu Jing Rong said without turning around.

Then he was gone.

Fu Ling blinked. "What the hell was that?!"

He immediately made a move toward the hallway. "I’m checking the cameras. Something’s wrong!"

But before he could reach the panel, Wei Ling caught his arm.

"No," Wei Ling said flatly.

Fu Ling looked at him like he’d grown another head. "What do you mean no? You saw him! What if something happens again?!"

"I know where he’s going," Wei Ling muttered, his eyes following the path Fu Jing Rong had taken. His tone had lost all its calm.

"Then let’s go there!" Fu Ling snapped, tugging at his arm.

Wei Ling didn’t budge. "No. Not yet."

Fu Ling wanted to scream. But the look on Wei Ling’s face said more than words could: something was really wrong.

---

In the car, Fu Jing Rong gripped the steering wheel with one hand, the other holding his phone to his ear, even though the call had already ended.

The nurse’s voice still rang in his head.

"Sir... she’s not here."

"I’ve checked the entire house. I swear I didn’t leave the door unlocked. But the bed’s empty. She’s... she’s not in the room."

That was all it took.

His heart had jumped to his throat. His chest felt tight—too tight.

He wasn’t even breathing properly.

His foot slammed on the accelerator, weaving through the streets, eyes locked on the road but barely seeing anything.

His mind was in chaos.

She was gone.

Hua Jing was gone.

Gone from the bed he’d kept her in. Gone from the place he had filled with flowers and sunlight and warmth, so when she woke up, she’d feel like she was home.

And now—empty.

The image hit him like a punch to the gut.

Where could she have gone?

She hadn’t even fully recovered. She could barely walk the last time they checked. She had slept through everything. She had been still. Too still.

And now she was gone?

His knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping the wheel.

Had she been kidnapped?

Was it the Hua family?

Was it someone from his past? From hers?

No. No—she wouldn’t have walked out like that. Not without letting someone know. Not after everything.

Unless...

Unless she remembered everything.

Unless she woke up and remembered the entire past—all of it. Both timelines. The ancient world. The pain. The loss.

The last thing he had told her before he went into a coma back then.

"Wait for me."

She had waited.

But was she still waiting now?

Fu Jing Rong slammed a hand against the wheel.

The panic curled in his chest like fire.

He wasn’t sure what scared him more—that someone had taken her... or that she had left on her own.

He needed to get there.

Now.

He turned into the final street, tires screeching slightly as he made the corner.

He didn’t care about the noise. Or the eyes. Or the questions.

He just needed to see the bed for himself.

He needed to see that she was really gone!

Fu Jing Rong tore down the highway like a man possessed.

Red lights? Ignored.

Speed limits? Forgotten.

Blaring horns followed him as he weaved through lanes, his grip on the wheel tight, knuckles white. He didn’t flinch when cars honked, didn’t blink when drivers screamed from their windows. His mind wasn’t here. It was far away—on a quiet room, a soft bed, a woman who should have been sleeping peacefully.

But now—gone.

The thought was eating him alive.

What if they found her? What if she was taken?

Hua Ling.

That name burned in his chest.

He had taken every possible precaution. Changed locations. Used fake medical records. Switched staff. No one should have known where Hua Jing was.

And yet—

He floored the gas pedal again, eyes locked on the road like they could cut through it.

His head spun with dark thoughts.

What if Hua Ling had discovered the location?

What if they’d come again, just like they did that night in the hospital?

He felt sick.

Yellow Garden appeared in the distance, the gates already swinging open before he even reached them. The guards recognized the sound of his engine—and the panic in it.

The moment he crossed the gate, he didn’t wait for the car to stop. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Tires screeched as he slammed the brake, threw the door open, and ran.

His heartbeat was a war drum in his ears.

His footsteps pounded against the stone path leading to the main house. Behind him, the car still rumbled loudly. The scent of burning rubber filled the air.

Nurses ran out from the side entrance. All of them had frantic eyes. The head nurse, trembling slightly, rushed forward to meet him at the steps.

"Sir!" she cried out, breath hitching. "She’s not here!"

Fu Jing Rong didn’t stop.

"We’ve searched everywhere," she continued, almost breathless. "The courtyard, the guest rooms, the garden, the back fences—she’s not here!"

Still, he didn’t speak.

He didn’t look at them.

He only ran faster.

He threw open the front doors and stormed down the familiar hallway, heart slamming in his chest.

He reached the room.

The room he had visited every day since waking up.

The room where she slept peacefully. Where her fingers sometimes twitched. Where her lashes fluttered slightly in dreams. The room where his whole world was.

He stopped at the door.

The handle was cold.

He pushed it open.

Everything was exactly the same.

The flowers in the vase were fresh.

The curtains let in gentle morning light.

The white sheets on the bed were smooth.

Except—

The bed was empty.

The IV drip still hung neatly on the stand. A faint beep from the disconnected monitor hummed in the background. Her slippers were still by the side of the bed.

But she was gone.

The only thing missing in this perfectly arranged picture... was the person who made it whole.

Fu Jing Rong stepped in slowly, like he didn’t believe it. Like his body was moving, but his mind refused to catch up.

He stared at the bed for what felt like an eternity.

And then, quietly—so softly—it almost broke:

"Hua Jing..."