In that moment, she was lost in thought, blurting out, "Xiao Yi, is... is that you?"
The question was remarkably abrupt.
He was clearly Xiao Yi!
Yet, Xiao Yi’s gaze tightened, and he suddenly pulled her into his embrace. "Yes, it's me."
Xia Wei Liang was momentarily stunned, her reaction delayed. After a few seconds, she tightly hugged him, burying her face in his chest. Her entire body trembled, her voice quivering with either excitement or trepidation. "It's you, it's really you..."
Then, she began to cry like a child, clutching him, tears and snot streaming down her face. "Xiao Yi, it's you... it's really you..."
The three people nearby watched, bewildered.
Da Yang: "What's wrong? Why did you make the girl cry like that out of nowhere?"
Yan Zhi: "Did Brother Yi scold Mangmang?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yaozong instantly shot up. "I'm going to check!"
He might have doubted if it was truly Xiao Yi, but more than that, he wanted to protect Sister Wei Liang!
His mother had told him not to let Wei Liang be bullied. He had to stay by her side, to be even better to her than he would be to his own sister!
This was called empathy.
Liu Yaozong, wiping a face full of tissues, hurried over. "Brother Yi Shen! Stop scolding Sister Wei Liang. Scold me if you must!"
Xia Wei Liang suddenly came to her senses and quickly turned sideways, waving her hand under her clothes. "Brother Yi Shen is teaching me acting."
Liu Yaozong slammed on the brakes, blinked, and immediately cupped his hands. "Farewell!"
Turning back, he pulled the other two into a hug. "Come on, let's play another round!"
Da Yang was still looking over. "Ah, I said it, Brother Su is still more suitable..."
His words were cut short, almost silenced by the other two.
Xiao Yi had been smiling at her the entire time. Once her emotions had calmed slightly, he asked, "How did you recognize me?"
Xia Wei Liang's eyes were red like a little rabbit's. Looking up at him, she felt as if she had been bullied by someone. He seemed not only to inspire protectiveness but also to make one want to bully her again, even more fiercely.
He suppressed this impulsive and restless emotion and gently wiped the tear stains from her face.
Xia Wei Liang also felt a bit embarrassed. She usually didn't act like this; being so overly emotional was not something she could explain to her fans who wished for her success.
She sniffled and said, "I just felt like it was you... and not you... or perhaps, it really was you."
Her words were like a tongue twister, and the other three, straining their ears, felt dizzy.
What did she mean by "it was him and yet not him"?
If it wasn't him, then who could it be? It couldn't be him from another dimension, could it?
Heh, this was interesting.
Liu Yaozong, with sharp eyes, noticed, "Didn't you, Brother Zhi, just play two twos? I have one two in my hand, and now you're playing another pair of twos. What does that mean?"
Da Yang: "No way, Brother Zhi? You're cheating against Little Zongzi? Do you have any sympathy at all? His brain is already like that, and you're still doing this?!"
Yan Zhi: "...Look! A UFO!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Yi stared at her and slowly said, "Then, which me do you hope it is?"
His question left Xia Wei Liang stunned.
She lowered her head, her brow furrowed tightly.
The man opposite her watched. Though outwardly composed, the complexity within his heart was even astonishing to himself.
Suddenly, the young girl in front of him raised her head and said seriously, "No matter which you it is, no matter which dimension you are in, you have always been the one who protected me and treated me the best. All these pieces of you, put together, are the entirety of you in my mind."
She wasn't sure if she had explained it clearly and, fearing he might misunderstand, quickly clarified, "I'm not a mermaid; I'm just..."
The man lowered his gaze and chuckled lightly. The issue that had been troubling him for so long was unexpectedly resolved by her few words.
Yes, why bother caring which "him" she liked?
No matter which version of himself, he believed he would do his utmost to protect her, love her, and always stay by her side. That was enough.
Therefore, instead of asking which one she loved more, it was better to ask which one loved her more.
So, the question was thrown back to him.
He could answer immediately without even thinking: there was no "more," only "always" loving.
He smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at her, his gaze now more vibrant than before.
He pulled her into his embrace again, resting his chin on her head. He whispered softly, "The moment I regained consciousness, I wanted to tell you. But I hadn't figured it out myself. Are we truly from another dimension, or did we simultaneously traverse a dimension and then return one after another... or perhaps, it was just a chance meeting, a one-in-a-billion probability of appearing in the same dream."
Xia Wei Liang had been obediently nestled in his arms, listening to his heartbeat. The only void in her heart was thus filled.
She felt completely languid, like a well-fed orange cat basking in the sun.
"I'm not even sure if you remember?"
Xia Wei Liang looked up at him. "When did you..."
"I had a small accident on set..."
Before he could finish, Xia Wei Liang bristled. "What accident? Was it serious? How come I didn't know?"
She was about to summon Little Zhi and Little Yang to question them, but Xiao Yi smiled, caught her, and held her close again, not allowing her to move. "The prop wasn't secured properly, and it hit me."
"Did it hit your head?"
She anxiously reached out to touch his face. "Thank goodness your face is alright. It would be terrible if it were disfigured."
The man raised an eyebrow. "What, you only love this face of mine?"
"Yes! You're so handsome, who wouldn't love you? I'm very superficial, you know!"
Seeing her say it so earnestly, as if he were the superficial one for not realizing her superficiality!
"So, after being hit like that, you remembered things from the other dimension when you woke up?"
"Mmm."
Xiao Yi asked, "Do you still remember the dream you told me about?"
"I remember."
Xia Wei Liang said, "After I came back, I was very panicked. I didn't know what was happening to me. Had I truly been reborn, or had I fallen into a nightmare during resuscitation and created a realistic dream for myself? But everything in the dream perfectly matched reality..."
She sighed. "I couldn't tell anyone. I had to process it all alone. Do you know how panicked I was when I first returned? Even more panicked than accepting the fact of my rebirth! My loved one, my best friends, and colleagues were all in that other dimension. When I returned, I was alone and desolate. I..." Su Dan Novel Network
Her voice turned wronged, and she choked up again. "When I saw you, you completely ignored me..."
Suddenly, she burst into tears again. "When I was bullied, you weren't by my side. It was just me, overcoming obstacles, braving the waves, moving forward fearlessly and resolutely!"
Xiao Yi, who had been feeling heartbroken, suddenly let out a chuckle at the end. "My apologies, I didn't realize you could be so brave all by yourself."
"You only know that now! It's all your fault for not protecting me!"
"Alright, alright, it's my fault."
The three people nearby shivered.
Was public display of affection so fashionable now, going to such extremes?