Chapter 405: I Miss You So Much

"A Yan..."

"A Yan!"

Calls echoed in Chen Ling's ears, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

A teenager in a cotton-padded coat stood by the bed, patting his shoulder. "A Yan, wake up."

Through sleepy eyes, Chen Ling saw another young man—the original Chen Ling of this world, his elder brother—placing neatly folded clothes by his bed, saying, "Brother has to go to the hospital in District Two today. I've left your clothes here. There are steamed buns in the steamer. Be good at home, okay? It's very cold outside today. You can sleep a bit longer after we leave."

This is... me?

No, this was the original Chen Ling of this world, from before he transmigrated. Chen Ling instantly recognized the person in front of him.

"Brother, has your illness worsened?" Chen Yan's worried voice rang out.

Chen Ling froze, as the voice had come from his own throat.

Wait...

As the tearing pain in his mind subsided, Chen Ling's memories gradually returned. He recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness, and a thought suddenly surfaced.

He... was he experiencing Chen Yan's memories?

The elder brother paused, smiled slightly, and gently ruffled Chen Yan's hair. "No, just going for a check-up."

"Oh... when will you be back?"

"This afternoon, back for dinner."

"Okay."

After giving instructions, the elder brother left the room. Before closing the door, Chen Ling saw two adults accompanying him; their backs suggested they were his parents.

Chen Yan sat on the bed, watching the figures leave. Once the main door closed, he didn't go back to sleep. Instead, he checked the time and quietly began to get dressed.

Chen Ling observed everything before him, finding it quite strange. It was his first time viewing memories from such a perspective, like watching a movie, seeing scenes and hearing sounds through Chen Yan's eyes and ears, but unable to actively look around...

But why had he suddenly entered Chen Yan's memories?

Was it the power of that mirror?

From his perspective, Chen Yan carefully finished dressing, then got out of bed to wash up.

It was only around five in the morning, and it was still pitch black outside. A cold wind, mixed with swirling snow, whistled through the gaps in the house, entering the room.

Chen Yan shivered but didn't climb back under the covers. Instead, he quickly ate a steamed bun, then hurried back into the room, emerging with a small box which he opened on the dining table...

Inside were various makeup tools.

While netting his hair, Chen Yan cleared his throat. "The icy moon over the island begins to ascend ~ See the jade rabbit, the jade rabbit already rising in the east. As the icy moon leaves the island, heaven and earth become exceptionally bright, the shining moon in the sky, just like Chang'e leaving the moon palace, I am like Chang'e leaving the moon palace, indeed like Chang'e descending from the nine heavens, clearly and coldly fallen in the Guanghan Palace, ah, in the Guanghan Palace."

An elegant, clear singing voice rose in the cold winter dawn, echoing through the empty, dilapidated house and the dim streets outside.

Chen Ling was stunned.

These were the very lyrics he had struggled to get right for an entire afternoon just days ago with Mo Jiao, yet now, in Chen Yan's voice, they flowed so naturally and gracefully, even more spirited than when Mo Jiao himself sang them. Not a single note was off, and the rhythm and power of each word were perfectly balanced. This was just a casual rendition while he did his makeup to pass the time... but at this level, Chen Ling knew he might not be able to match it even after thirty more years of practice.

"Is this what true talent is..." Chen Ling sighed inwardly.

With heavy snow falling, Chen Yan sat alone in the room, carefully sketching the makeup on his face, gazing into a mottled brass mirror.

After about several tens of minutes, a handsome youth left the table, changed into the large red opera robe kept in the room, and, like a light red butterfly, pushed the door open and stepped out.

He walked through the deserted streets, heading towards the wilderness as the faint predawn glow appeared in the east. Falling snow brushed against the youth's robe, dyeing the large red opera gown with a touch of white.

Chen Ling knew where he was going. In his own memories, he often accompanied Chen Yan there to practice opera, never missing a session, rain or shine.

Chen Yan stepped onto the desolate wilderness, took a deep breath, and began to pace and turn in the snow.

He struck a pose, his eyes wide, as if he were not in a deserted wilderness but already on a stage full of spectators. After circling the edge of the "stage," he returned to the center and stood firm.

He sang loudly: "See the Great King soundly asleep in his tent, I step outside to dispel my sorrows. Lightly I walk to the courtyard, slowly I pace to administer justice and seal the verdict..."

This was a solo performance without an audience or a partner, just like Chen Yan's life, spent engrossed in opera, alone for all these years.

Chen Ling followed Chen Yan's steps, dancing gracefully in the falling snow. Sight, hearing, touch, smell—all their senses overlapped. His limbs seemed to have merged completely with Chen Yan's. As the lips opened and closed, he could no longer distinguish whether the singing voice was his own or Chen Yan's...

They seemed to be one from the beginning.

The elegant opera melodies gradually faded. The figure in red stood silently in the falling snow, already drenched in sweat... He panted softly, patted his small face, reddened by the cold wind, and slowly walked towards the nearby river.

Clear river water flowed silently in the icy landscape. The figure in red approached a stone platform, usually used by locals for washing vegetables, and stood in the middle of the entire river.

He gently squatted down, and the large red opera robe spread out on the river's surface like a drop of red ink...

He looked at his reflection in the water and softly blinked.

"Brother, have you learned it?"

*Buzz—*

A buzzing sound echoed in Chen Ling's mind, as if he were waking from a long dream. Only at this moment did he fully snap out of the "identification" he had felt... He had almost truly believed he *was* Chen Yan.

On the shimmering surface of the water, countless fragments, like shards of a mirror, swirled and turned. His original reflection gradually transformed into Chen Ling's own appearance.

At this moment, Chen Ling's consciousness suddenly sank, as if he had fallen through the mirror-like water surface, returning to the reflection of Chen Ling.

He looked at the reflection in the water, at Chen Yan in the red robe looking at him, and was too stunned to speak for a long while.

Did Chen Yan know he had been in his memories?

No, that's not right... this wasn't just a pure memory. Was this a fusion of his consciousness with Chen Yan's subconscious? Did Chen Yan still exist deep within this body? Was he helping him?!

Chen Ling's mind buzzed. He wanted to ask something, but for a moment, he didn't know how to begin.

Meanwhile, in the reflection, Chen Yan slowly extended his hand, as if trying to reach through the water to touch Chen Ling's cheek... His eyes were full of nostalgia and tenderness:

"Brother... I miss you so much."