EVERY LIKE, VOTE, AND COMMENT HELPS!

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Song Junhui led them into the apartment with a warm smile. The open living area was a rhapsody of color and texture, each piece a memory of Song Junhui's travels over the last ten years. An intricately carved wooden screen separated the lounge from the dining area. Plush, leather sofas adorned with richly patterned silk cushions were arranged over a sizeable Moroccan rug woven in vibrant scarlet, saffron, and cobalt.

The walls were covered in photographs capturing the bustling markets of India, serene temples in Thailand, and mist-covered mountains of Vietnam. They could make out a small outdoor courtyard on the balcony overlooking the city, filled with flowering plants and bonsai trees.

"Damn, Junhui, this is what you've been doing for the last ten years?" Li Qian wandered through the open area, studying the pictures and knickknacks gathered on various surfaces.

"Not exactly. After the accident, I went abroad to finish school. Then I was offered a freelance gig as a photographer for a travel magazine, so that's when I picked up a lot of this stuff."

Both men looked over at Yuan Ming, standing stiffly at the door. "A'Ming," Li Qian said cautiously. "Come sit down."

A dull thud sounded as Yuan Ming dropped to his knees. "Song Junhui, I'm sorry." His tone was muted, but the redness at the corner of his eyes was unmistakable.

Song Junhui rushed to his side and pulled him over to the couch. "Fuck, Yuan Ming, am I your ancestor? What do you think you're doing? It was an accident that could have happened to anyone!"

Yuan Ming glanced up at Song Junhui and looked quickly away in shame. "I know you had to leave because you were hurt so bad. I've always wanted to say I was sorry for what I did. I know you won't forgive me, but I have to say it anyway."

"Is that what those assholes told you?"

Song Junhui sat on the couch opposite Yuan Ming. "I wasn't hurt that bad. I left because... well, because of other reasons that don't have anything to do with the accident."

He sighed in exasperation and raked a hand through his already-tousled hair. "Your dad is such a dick! Why would they tell you that? I know my parents told your dad I was fine before I left. What an absolute asshole!"

Yuan Ming was shocked at Song Junhui's vehemence but looked at him skeptically. "You weren't crippled? Why haven't you been back then?"

"I can't explain it right now, but I'm back for good. I was hurt; I mean, I fell from a damned tree, but I was pretty much fine before I left. Once I got the travel gig, I was busy. I looked for you whenever I returned to Shanghai, but you seemed to avoid me."

Yuan Ming looked back and forth between Song Junhui and Li Qian in disbelief, his mind a little blown at the revelation. Li Qian shrugged and joined them on the couch.

"Okay, now that's been cleared up, let's talk about me."

He unwrapped the painting that Jiao Jiao gave him and placed it on the teak coffee table. Three heads converged tightly over the painting as they pored over the image. Minutes passed in silence, each man's thoughts a secret to the others but whispering hints of lifetimes past and long gone.

As they each sat back, Yuan Ming's brows were knitted in bewilderment. "Who the fuck painted this?" He looked over at Li Qian's mysterious smile. "Jiao Jiao?!"

Song Junhui carefully contemplated the details of the artwork, his fingers tracing an invisible path along the sigil that seemed to bridge worlds. "She's really quite the talent, Li Qian."

Yuan Ming leaned back over the painting. "A'Qian, forgive me if I'm a bit shocked, but this painting—you as a general? You can barely stand it if you get mud on your shoes!"

Li Qian shrugged and said, "I don't know. Jiao Jiao said she dreamed of a man, and this is who she saw. We thought that Junhui could look into it and give us some answers."

Song Junhui nodded in response, his fingers still glued to the fluttering flag in the background of the painting.

"Hang on, so let me get this straight. Are you saying you think this dude was actually you? Like, you've been reincarnated from a – whatever this guy was – into this fancy pants CEO boss man?!"

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Li Qian ticked the points off his fingers, saying, "I've been dreaming of a girl ever since I can remember. Then Master Yao directs me to exactly the spot where I find her. This village was in the middle of nowhere; there's no way he just randomly picked a spot on a map."

Yuan Ming's skepticism wavered for a moment, replaced by genuine curiosity. "Okay, so you have these dreams, and then find Jiao Jiao. But how do you know she's not just... a girl?"

Li Qian's eyes softened as he leaned in, his voice earnest. "Because she was dreaming of me too, Yuan Ming."