Life must go on. Although they had endured the chaos of war, their homeland had been destroyed, and some had even lost their loved ones, they still had to carry on.
Wounds would heal into scars, but those scars would leave indelible marks.
Tang Youyou saw that there were already some peddlers setting up stalls on the street, selling fruits and vegetables. Some people were also out shopping.
However, unlike in the past, there were no more cheerful laughter, no more loud bargaining, and no more bustling crowds. People's faces were expressionless and silent. One could even see the pain on their faces.
She knew that the scars in people's hearts needed time to heal, but no matter how they healed, things could never go back to the way they were.
Seeing a clothing store open, she thought that as a soon - to - be mother, it was really inappropriate that she didn't even have any clothes for her unborn child.
She walked into the store and found it empty. There was only an elderly aunt standing behind the counter, calculating the losses.
When she saw someone enter, she quickly stepped forward to greet them, as Tang Youyou was the first customer in several days.
"What can I help you with, miss?"
"I'd like to prepare some clothes for a baby. Could you show me some suitable fabrics?"
The aunt noticed Tang Youyou's hidden belly and understood that she was preparing clothes for a baby.
"Just in time. I have a batch of high - quality fabrics. Please wait a moment. I'll go get them for you."
The aunt turned around and went to the back room. Tang Youyou looked around casually. She didn't lack clothes for herself, as Rong Xun had sent her quite a few.
However, she didn't see any baby clothes prepared by Rong Xun, which made her a bit unhappy.
Did he not care about the child in her belly at all?
Or was it that he simply didn't like children?
It was quite possible. A man like Rong Xun didn't seem like someone who liked children at first glance.
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. If he didn't want the child, he should have said so earlier.
As she was thinking, she couldn't even appreciate the beautiful fabrics in front of her.
"Miss, take a look at this fabric. It's made of top - grade silk satin. It's perfect for making baby clothes. It's not only soft but also very skin - friendly. Babies' skin is very delicate, so we can't use rough fabrics."
Listening to the aunt's introduction, Tang Youyou put aside her thoughts about Rong Xun. What was important now was the child in her belly. Whether that man liked the child or not didn't matter. This was her child.
"I'll take this fabric. Could you please make two or three sets of baby clothes and send them to Minhetang Inn? Ye Yue will settle the bill."
Without waiting for Ye Yue to say anything, Tang Youyou turned around and walked out of the store. Ye Yue was very quick. She took out a silver ingot and chased after her.
After they left the store, Tang Youyou was walking on the deserted street. Suddenly, she brushed past a man.
Tang Youyou caught a glimpse of the man's profile and felt a chill run through her body.
Why was he here? Rong Jiangyu should have been in Yanshi!
Just as she was trying to find an answer in her mind, she felt a sudden weakness in her lower body. Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
The voices in her head grew louder. When she finally opened her eyes in a daze, she found herself in a white space. There was nothing there except herself. She couldn't even see the boundaries clearly; they seemed to be there but not quite.
"Is this a dream?"
She stood up and walked aimlessly, trying to reach the faint black boundary, but it seemed that no matter how far she walked, she could never reach it.
"Where on earth is this? Why am I here?"
"Operator number 10010 is at your service. The program is loading. Please wait a moment..."
"The program has finished loading. Hello, I'm Xiaoying, operator number 10010. According to the query records, you have completed your mission in the parallel world. Congratulations, Ms. Tang Youyou, on successfully completing the challenge.
Now the return mode is activated. You cannot take anything from the parallel world back to the original world. Please prepare yourself mentally. If you are ready, please press the red button to start the return program."
Maybe a long time had passed, and she had almost forgotten about this. She didn't belong to this world in the first place. This world was just a mission on her way home.
The end goal of this mission was to make the male protagonist in the book fall head - over - heels in love with her. She had achieved this goal, and she could go home.
"What does 'everything' refer to?"
She looked at her belly. There were still three months until the baby was born. Did that mean the baby was also included?
"Xiaoying understands your concerns. Your baby is also included. 'Everything' refers to everything you've obtained in the parallel world, including your clothes, jewelry, the unborn child, and your memories of this period."
Tang Youyou stopped in her tracks. "Memories?"
"Yes. After you return, we will clear all your memories of the parallel world from your memory unit so that you can resume your normal life in the original world. Of course, time in the original world won't change much."
Tang Youyou looked at the red button that had appeared in front of her and hesitated.
If she went back, she could resume her old life. She would still be that passionate female researcher, indulging in the pleasures of life.
But when she thought of Rong Xun, the unborn child, and all the things she had experienced here, she couldn't make up her mind.
Suddenly, she remembered that she seemed to have seen Rong Jiangyu before she passed out!
"Where am I now?"
The faceless robot seemed to be able to hear her thoughts.
"Don't worry. Although you are about to be persecuted by the villain in the book, you are currently safe. As long as you press the red button before the countdown ends, you will be fine."
This statement contained too much information. Tang Youyou couldn't take it all in at once, but she forced herself to sort out the hidden meaning.
Moreover, a red countdown of less than ten minutes was showing right in front of her, ticking away second by second.
"What will happen if I don't press the red button when the countdown ends?"
"You will be sent back to the parallel world."
"What will happen after I'm sent back to the parallel world?"
"Things will unfold as they are supposed to. According to the program's prediction of the plot, you will most likely be persecuted by Rong Jiangyu."
Tang Youyou sneered. When the story deviated from the original plot, she had already guessed that this wasn't a virtual world in the book but a real parallel time - space.
"Predicted by the program? Isn't this a virtual space in the book? Why do we need to predict the development of the story?"
The robot named Xiaoying paused for a few seconds. "The world in the book is a virtual world, but there is a one - in - a - billion chance that it will break away from the virtual program and automatically transform into a parallel time - space with the same properties as the original world. This is caused by uncontrollable factors, and we can't stop it."