Pleasing Start Over

The End Part 1

Qiao Chen opened his eyes. He looked around the familiar yet unfamiliar room. Qiao Chen slowly came back to his senses and looked over to his side. However, he didn’t see the man who should have been lying there bedside him.

‘Not here anymore? Then does that mean that it’s all over now?’

“Thanks for all the hard work. Your job of jumping through space and time ends here.” Officer Foley said from the beside. He had been standing there to wait for Qiao Chen to wake up.

Qiao Chen sat up and stretched his shoulders as he asked, “What about him? Did he wake up?”

“The Imperial General hasn’t woken up yet, but his mental strength has completely recovered. He should be going through the final treatment right now. It shouldn’t take long before he wakes up.”

“He… Will he remember once he wakes up? That space and time stuff I mean. He should remember those things too, right?” Qiao Chen asked quietly.

He couldn’t find the words to describe his how he felt right now. It wouldn’t be fair if he had to remember all those things from all those lifetimes while Aunan didn’t remember a single thing from their past lives. All sorts of negative thoughts raced in his mind.

“This might not be necessarily correct. I personally think that it’s very unlikely that the Imperial General will recall his memories from those other planes.” Foley stated.

“Can I see him?” Qiao Chen asked.

“I regret to inform you that the Imperial General is currently undergoing emergency treatment. Maybe he will come see you after he wakes up.” Officer Foley replied politely.

“Really?” Qiao Chen felt a bit disappointed. He knew that if Aunan recalled all those memories from before, then he would definitely come find him. ‘However… if he didn’t remember anything then…‘

“We’ve wired the money directly into your account. Thank you for all your efforts to rescue the High General. Your nation thanks you.” Foley stretched his hand out towards Qiao Chen.

“….” Qiao Chen shook hands with Officer Foley.

—

Qiao Chen left the base. He didn’t feel like he had just woken up from a dream or a long sleep. Each and every single one of those lives he experienced were all very real to him. They were his past lives and memories, and each and every one of those experiences were ingrained into his memories.

Soon, Qiao Chen reached his home. It felt emptier than remembered. He plopped down on the living room sofa and stared out absentmindedly. His mind wandered and he started to remember bits and pieces of his previous lives with Aunan. First, it was quite slow, but like rain on a spring morning, more and more memories began to pour into his thoughts. The memories began to blur.

Qiao Chen suddenly stood up and paced the room back and forth. He was very frustrated. It felt like there was something he was looking for, but he couldn’t remember what it was. Qiao Chen began to walk through every single room in his home. He walked in a full circle and came back to the living room. Realizing something, his tense nerves seemed to abruptly relax.

Qiao Chen looked around his living room. It felt like he just woke up from a big dream. He thought that his behavior just now looked like he was going crazy. Qiao Chen chided himself. ‘Why was I so worried and anxious just now?’

‘There wasn’t anything I should be afraid of. Aunan would remember those things if he remembered them. If he didn’t, then he didn’t. We both lived our lives to the fullest in each and every single one of those worlds. In fact, we hadn’t even started anything in this lifetime anyways. There is nothing I should be regretful of.’ Qiao Chen convinced himself of this.