ASPWL Ch100: Welcome Home

The rainstorm grew fiercer, pounding down with increasing force.

The tires screeched harshly against the ground, and after a sudden brake, Huo Yan, ignoring the torrential downpour, opened the car door and ran toward Qin Yao and the others.

The cold raindrops stung as they hit him, covering his vision with a misty blur.

Huo Yan’s steps suddenly halted as a wave of unfamiliar yet familiar memories surged over him like an overwhelming tide.

Huo Ze followed closely behind Huo Yan. Seeing him stop, he instinctively spoke up, “Second Brother, you… Wait… Why am I…”

Huo Yan turned back, his eyes bloodshot, staring blankly at Huo Ze.

Papa and Mama Huo froze as they got out of the car, and Huo Jing lowered his head and murmured, “This… It can’t be…”

Those memories that should have been completely erased were returned at that moment.

Not only Qin Yao but the entire Huo family remembered.

They remembered the four encounters during four resets and understood Ye Leyao’s identity and purpose.

Huo Yan felt as if his heart had been gripped tightly by a giant, invisible hand, the pain making it difficult to breathe.

Rain mixed with sweat slipped into his eyes, and Huo Yan numbly walked toward Qin Yao.

Qin Yao remained kneeling on the ground, frozen in the same position.

Beside him, Qin Hongxi and Chu Cheng kept calling his name, but he didn’t respond.

Only when Huo Yan slowly approached, through the rain cascading down like a curtain, did Huo Yan rasp, “Qin Yao, where is Xiao Yao?”

Qin Yao’s bloodshot eyes stared blankly at Huo Yan.

The dense raindrops falling on them gradually lessened, and the rain curtain in front of them grew clearer.

Huo Yan finally saw Qin Yao, his eyes red as he said, “Yaoyao… He took my place…”

The rest of the words were stuck in Qin Yao’s throat, as if a boulder blocked his voice, and he crouched down, overcome by grief.

“He’s gone… Yaoyao is gone…”

“But he said he would come back…” Qin Yao choked, unsure if he was comforting himself or the anxious Huo family members who had rushed over.

Unable to hold back, Mother Huo’s tears fell, and the people around were soon crying.

Huo Yan suddenly looked up at the sky.

The thick clouds gradually dispersed, and the rain lessened.

A gust of wind blew, scattering the clouds completely.

The rain stopped, and the sky cleared.

Huo Yan chuckled quietly, “In the end, we couldn’t stop him…”

Qin Yao remained kneeling, unmoving.

Huo Yan suddenly stepped forward and yanked Qin Yao up from the ground, saying firmly, “Qin Yao, remember this: Xiao Yao left because of you. He left for you, so from now on, you must pull yourself together!”

Qin Yao’s eyes ached as tears fell uncontrollably.

Huo Yan spoke each word with intense sincerity, “Before he left, he made sure we remembered, to tell us that he would definitely come back. So, you have to wait for him!”

Qin Yao stared blankly at Huo Yan.

After a long silence, a fresh stream of tears rolled down his face.

Yes.

Along this journey, Ye Leyao had endured so much hardship.

He had finally changed today’s ending, giving himself a new beginning.

How could Qin Yao not cherish it?

His Yaoyao had worked so hard.

Now, Yaoyao just wanted a bit of rest.

He shouldn’t be sad—he should be happy for Yaoyao.

With reddened eyes, Qin Yao nodded repeatedly, his tears falling messily with each movement.

Qin Yao said, “I’ll wait for him.”

“I will wait for him.”

Whether Ye Leyao would come back in the future or when Qin Yao would wait for him.

Since he was five, he had waited for Ye Leyao, waiting eighteen years to meet, know, and understand him.

Now, Qin Yao would continue to wait, waiting for Ye Leyao to return and love him once again.

After all, waiting was what Qin Yao had always been best at.

…

Three days later, the show Let’s Go Traveling Together prepared to film its fifth episode.

But this time, the production team suddenly announced that three regular guests might miss this episode.

Fans were stunned when they saw the news.

—“Huh?”

—“Three?”

—“We only have so many guests, and three of them might be absent?”

A few fans found it hard to accept this news, but most fans and viewers began analyzing which three guests might miss the episode.

—“My wild guess is Song Zehan!”

As for why?

Of course, it’s because everyone knows Teacher Gou Shi has recently been in “the wife-chasing crematorium” phase!

Those voting for Song Zehan speculated that maybe Teacher Gou Shi would be absent for love.

Seeing this view, many fans thought it made sense.

So they started analyzing who else might be absent.

Another fan suggested Li Siyuan.

Mentioning Li Siyuan, everyone couldn’t help but think of Duan Tingyan from the previous episode.

So, was Li Siyuan too annoyed by Duan Tingyan to show up?

Then the last choice was obvious—it had to be Liu Yan!

Seeing this, fans were both amused and exasperated.

—“So, just because of these minor issues, all three of them are skipping this episode?”

—“Honestly, each one of them has such thin skin!”

—“Yeah, but it’s fine. Even if you three aren’t here, as long as my Melon King is, my fun is guaranteed!”

Fans discussed happily, and when the fifth episode was recorded, they tuned in to the livestream right on time.

But as soon as they looked, they were stunned.

—“Wait! Song Zehan didn’t skip the recording?”

—“Li Siyuan and Liu Yan are here too…”

—“So who actually didn’t show up?”

Soon, all the regular guests appeared, followed by the special guests.

At this point, fans suddenly realized.

—“Ye Leyao! Where is my Ye Leyao?”

—“And Qin Yao? Where’s my Qin Yao?”

—“So it’s our little couple who aren’t here?”

—

“Why?! Not only are my favorite couple absent, but Huo Yan isn’t here either?”

—“Show crew, you’re heartless!”

—“Damn it, you ruthless production team, I’m reporting you!”

Fans reacted strongly, flooding the chat with complaints.

As more fans demanded answers, even the regular guests asked why the three of them didn’t join the show.

But the production team wouldn’t answer. Not only did they refuse to respond, but they even seemed to dodge the question.

At this point, a viewer sincerely asked:

—“Could it be that these three are about to have a scandal too?”

Seeing this comment, fans and viewers couldn’t hold back.

—“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

—“I’m laughing; don’t assume someone’s in trouble just because they’re absent, okay? You’ve all watched our show for so many episodes. Don’t you know our show’s favorite thing is live drama? Even if they were about to have a scandal, they’d do it on our show!”

This response received widespread support from fans.

Exactly.

If there was really going to be a scandal, it would have to happen on their show!

Otherwise, what reason was there to suspect anything?

After debating for a long time without knowing why the three skipped the show, fans turned to the guests’ personal Weibo accounts to ask directly.

Huo Yan responded first.

Huo Yan’s Weibo post was simple:

[@HuoYan: Ye Leyao went to college; he’s a student. As for me, I’m off to shoot a movie.]

One sentence explained for Ye Leyao, and another for himself.

Fans immediately felt relieved.

—“Almost forgot! Ye Leyao did just start his first year of college.”

—“Academics come first, academics come first.”

Fans were understanding.

But with Ye Leyao in school and Huo Yan filming, what about Qin Yao?

Why did he drop out of the show?

A day later, Qin Yao’s agent spoke on his behalf—

“Due to a recent family bereavement, Qin Yao will be taking an indefinite break from all activities.”

Fans and viewers were shocked at the news.

If this was the reason, then it was completely understandable.

Fans and viewers left messages, hoping Qin Yao would recover soon and look forward.

Comments flooded the internet, but Qin Yao didn’t look at a single one.

On the third day after Ye Leyao’s departure, Qin Yao and Qin Hongxi handled the final arrangements for Old Master Gu and Gu Rou.

On the day Old Master Gu was critically ill, Gu Song and Gu Yu had a heated argument with Gu Rou, after which the father and son left Gu Rou by the roadside.

By the time they reached the hospital, Old Master Gu’s condition had stabilized, but upon waking, he anxiously asked about Gu Rou, wondering why she hadn’t arrived.

Gu Song initially refused to look for her, but when Old Master Gu lost his temper, he finally prepared to send someone to pick her up.

Before he could call, though, the driver rushed into the hospital room, exclaiming, “Bad news, Mr. Gu! Miss Gu was in a car accident…”

Old Master Gu lay on his hospital bed, his mind buzzing. In a rush of panic, his vision went black, and he fainted.

And this time, he never woke up again.

As for Gu Rou.

After being abandoned by her own brother and a nephew she regarded as her own son, she wandered in a daze along the road. Unaware of her surroundings, she eventually walked into heavy traffic.

By the time she was brought to the hospital, Gu Rou was in a critical condition.

After a full day and night of resuscitation efforts, she ultimately followed Old Master Gu in death.

Although Qin Yao no longer regarded Gu Rou as his mother, after losing Ye Leyao, hearing of Gu Rou and Old Master Gu’s deaths felt like a knife cutting out a piece of his heart.

In just three days, Qin Hongxi, too, appeared visibly older.

Since Gu Rou had still been legally married to Qin Hongxi when she passed, the Qin family handled her funeral.

On the day of the funeral, Qin Hongxi asked Qin Yao, “Would you like to say a final goodbye?”

After thinking about it, Qin Yao replied, “Yes, I’ll go.”

Although there was no love left between them, Gu Rou had, after all, brought him into this world.

However many grudges there were in life, in death, they were erased.

As for the Gu family—

Qin Yao said, “It’s time to deal with it, isn’t it?”

Qin Hongxi nodded. “Long overdue.”

They had endured them all this time, only out of respect for Old Master Gu.

Despite Gu Rou’s harshness toward Qin Yao and her disdain for Qin Hongxi.

Old Master Gu had always been fairly kind to Qin Yao and was a reasonable man.

Unfortunately, in recent years, his health had steadily declined, allowing Gu Song to seize control of the entire Gu family.

Now that both of them were gone, Qin Hongxi could proceed without any concerns.

For a long time afterward, Qin Yao and Qin Hongxi were constantly busy, barely touching the ground.

A month later, numerous scandals about Gu Yu were exposed, leading to his complete downfall.

Following this, Gu Song was revealed to have committed economic crimes, causing the Gu family’s stock to crash and the Gu Group to near bankruptcy.

Everything seemed to fall into place as if by nature.

In the blink of an eye, autumn had arrived, and October had come.

This day marked the final day of filming for the show Let’s Go Traveling Together.

As the show’s main director, Qin Yao naturally had to be on-site.

After being away for so long, the regular guests came up one by one to greet him.

As Zhou Zijian walked up, he frowned and said, “Why do I feel like Xiao Qin has lost a lot of weight?”

Wen Xiangyue looked Qin Yao up and down for a long time before nodding in agreement, “He has. Has Xiao Qin been very busy lately?”

Qin Yao smiled faintly at the two of them, “A bit, yes.”

After a brief chat, Liu Yan suddenly asked, “Hey, why haven’t we seen Ye Leyao?”

A barely noticeable stiffness passed over Qin Yao’s face, but he quickly regained composure and smiled. “He’s been quite busy too.”

“That busy?” Li Siyuan frowned. “So busy he doesn’t even have time to drop by and say hi?”

Qin Yao nodded. “Yes.”

Li Siyuan seemed about to say something more when Song Zehan suddenly put a hand on his shoulder.

Li Siyuan looked at him, puzzled.

Song Zehan said, “Why are you so concerned about Ye Leyao? But you—you’ve been getting pretty close to Duan Tingyan recently, haven’t you?”

Li Siyuan’s face turned bright red. “No way, Song Zehan! What makes you think I’ve been close to that idiot?”

Li Siyuan fumed, launching into a heated back-and-forth with Song Zehan.

Song Zehan didn’t argue back at all; after each line, he just nodded and replied, “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Right, right, right.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

The group burst into laughter at this exchange.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Teacher Guo Shi wasn’t mocking anyone,” Liu Yan remarked.

Song Zehan raised his gaze to her, and Liu Yan suddenly felt a chill. She heard him say, “You’ve had it too easy lately. Maybe I’ll help you revisit the fourth episode?”

Liu Yan shook her head quickly, “No thanks! I’m good, Song Zehan, thank you!”

Everyone burst out laughing again.

Qin Yao was laughing too.

But his smile remained faint, with a trace of unshakable sadness.

Before long, he seemed to catch himself, quickly masking his emotions.

This recording ended quite late.

In October, there was already a hint of chill in the air. After the final scene wrapped, applause filled the set.

Looking around, they could see tears on the faces of the regular guests.

Zhou Zijian, his face flushed from drinking, was crying openly. “Honestly, I really love this show—it’s just… it just feels like we’re missing a few people.”

Wen Xiangyue wiped his tears, saying, “Alright, alright, aren’t you too old to be crying? Isn’t it embarrassing?”

Liu Yan’s eyes were a bit red too. She smiled, “This goodbye is just temporary. We’ll definitely work together again!”

“Yes,” Li Siyuan said, “It’s not like we won’t see each other again. Why are you crying?”

He turned to look at Song Zehan.

Song Zehan was looking down, typing something.

Li Siyuan, a little tipsy, leaned over. “What are you doing?”

Song Zehan, expressionless, pushed him away. “Texting Duan Tingyan.”

Li Siyuan shot up. “Song Zehan!”

“He said he’d be here soon,” Song Zehan replied with a grin.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, they heard the sound of brakes outside—the unmistakable arrival of Duan Tingyan.

Not only were the guests causing a ruckus, but so were the staff members.

Many crew members came over to take photos with Qin Yao, and he agreed with a smile each time.

After a photo with one girl, she returned shortly afterward holding a photo. “Mr. Qin, this was from the fourth episode. I just found it, so I got it printed to give to you!”

Qin Yao looked puzzled, reaching for the photo. Upon seeing it, his eyes reddened slightly.

It was from the last night of the fourth episode’s shoot, showing the moment he said goodbye to Ye Leyao.

They were standing at the dock. Qin Yao had one hand covering Ye Leyao’s eyes, bowing slightly to leave a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The young man was just half a head shorter than Qin Yao.

Under the dim lights, only the faint smile on his lips was visible.

Qin Yao’s eyes stung, and after a long moment, he said, “Thank you.”

The girl waved her hand, smiling, “It’s nothing. I hope you both find happiness!”

Qin Yao nodded. “Yes.”

They would be happy.

Even if Ye Leyao’s return was far off, as long as he kept him in his heart, it would be sweet.

As the crowd began to disperse and the guests packed up to leave, Song Zehan suddenly approached.

Qin Yao perked up slightly, “What’s up?”

Song Zehan said, “Let’s talk somewhere more private.”

After thinking for a moment, Qin Yao nodded.

They moved to a quiet spot.

Song Zehan suddenly said, “I’ve been remembering some things lately.”

A trace of surprise flashed in Qin Yao’s eyes as he looked at him, slightly stunned. “You…”

Song Zehan frowned slightly. “They’re not exactly good memories, but I remember seeing Ye Leyao in them. So I wanted to confirm with you.”

Qin Yao understood in his heart.

He didn’t ask what Song Zehan had remembered; he simply replied, “It’s true.”

Song Zehan fell silent, and the two of them stood there without speaking.

After a long pause, Song Zehan suddenly chuckled. “Then I really owe him a thank-you. So, where is he?”

Qin Yao remained silent.

Song Zehan looked at him intently, then sighed softly. “I see…”

He changed the question, “Will he come back?”

This time, Qin Yao didn’t hesitate. With a firm certainty, he said, “He will.”

Song Zehan smiled. For the first time, it was a genuine, straightforward smile. He asked, “How can you be so sure?”

Qin Yao said, “He never lies to me, and I promised him.”

Qin Yao would wait for Ye Leyao.

Wait for his Leyao to come back to his side.

Song Zehan lowered his head, hiding the emotions in his eyes. After a while, he spoke again, “Then, if he does come back someday, make sure to let me know. Zhang Qiran said he’d like to thank him personally, no matter what.”

Qin Yao said, “Alright.”

That day ended, and life gradually returned to its usual calm.

October passed quickly, and winter arrived as expected.

On the last day of December, the first snow of the year fell.

Qin Yao had already moved all the roses from the balcony into the warm room, leaving only a lounge chair and a small tea table on the balcony.

Overnight, the snow piled up. Qin Yao walked outside with a small shovel and slowly cleared the snow, then, in a shaded corner, built a small, round snowman.

Imitating Ye Leyao, he reached out with his cold, red fingers and poked the snowman’s face.

After giving it two dimples, Qin Yao chuckled and filled them back in with snow.

Every morning after that, he would come out to check on the snowman.

Until winter ended and spring arrived, and the snowman completely melted into water.

Spring came, and the roses were returned to their original spot on the balcony.

These roses, carefully tended by Qin Yao, had survived the winter, and Qin Yao’s life continued smoothly to its next chapter.

But every time he woke from a dream in the middle of the night, his pillow was always damp.

At such times, Qin Yao would get up, turn on the light, and sit in his study.

This study was the last place where Ye Leyao had stayed.

Qin Yao turned on his computer, and soon, a little chibi figure, the spitting image of Ye Leyao, popped up on the screen.

Next to the computer was a transparent frame with a note from Ye Leyao, with a single line written on it:

[I’m coming back to find you, Qin Yao. You have to wait for me.]

Signed: Ye Leyao.

Qin Yao watched the little chibi figure bouncing around as it opened his document and typed a line: “Why aren’t you asleep so late?!”

Qin Yao smiled, “I miss you.”

The chibi figure responded, “You still need to sleep.”

Qin Yao replied, “Alright.”

The chibi figure asked, “Are you just brushing me off?”

Qin Yao shook his head. “No.”

The chibi figure urged again, “Then get up and go to bed right now. You need a regular routine, so I can come back sooner to see you.”

Qin Yao’s eyes turned red, and he stared at that line for a long time before he finally said, “Alright, I promise, Leyao.”

So you have to hurry back.

At the end of the first summer after Ye Leyao’s departure, Qin Yao paid a visit to the Huo family.

This year, Mr. Huo had fully retired from the Huo Group. As he put it, he felt he was getting old and needed to hand over the burden to Huo Jing.

But everyone knew it was the sudden departure of Ye Leyao that had struck Papa Huo too hard.

In truth, it wasn’t just Papa Huo—the entire Huo family struggled to cope for a long time.

Mama Huo would wake up screaming every night.

Huo Ze kept making mistakes during his matches.

Even Huo Jing, usually the most steady, made two errors in the paperwork, which Assistant Feng thankfully caught and corrected in time.

This was why Qin Yao often visited the Huo family.

Sometimes, he would play chess with Papa Huo, or teach Mama Huo how to make oat milk.

The first time Mrs. Huo tasted the oat milk Qin Yao made, she marveled, “No wonder Xiao Yao liked the milk you made. It’s really delicious!”

The rest of the Huo family joined in, curious to try it.

So, each time Qin Yao visited after that, he’d make a few glasses of milk first.

After drinking the milk one day, Papa Huo took Qin Yao fishing.

Fishing requires a great deal of patience.

As the sun set, Papa Huo couldn’t help but ask, “How long… do you think it will be before Leyao comes back?”

A fish had taken the bait and was tugging on the line, pulling it deeper.

Qin Yao watched the line run for a while before finally lifting the rod.

“I don’t know,” he heard himself say.

Papa Huo sighed and asked no more.

Season after season passed, and it was another summer.

By now, Qin Yao had fully withdrawn from the entertainment industry. His work each day was handling the company’s various affairs.

That day, just as Qin Yao was about to leave the office to head home, he ran into two familiar faces—Song Zehan and Zhang Qiran.

Seeing them, Qin Yao suddenly remembered they had just signed with his company last month.

“Long time no see,” Qin Yao greeted them first.

They greeted him in return, then Zhang Qiran tugged on Song Zehan’s sleeve.

Song Zehan sighed helplessly, “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?”

Zhang Qiran shot him a glare.

Qin Yao couldn’t hold back a laugh. “No, not really.”

Zhang Qiran finally asked, “Then how much longer will it be?”

Qin Yao said nothing, because he didn’t know either.

Two years had passed quickly, yet his little system had still not returned.

But Qin Yao didn’t know why—he just felt that it would be soon.

So he said, “It shouldn’t be much longer.”

Zhang Qiran instantly lit up with joy, “That’s great! Be sure to tell us as soon as he comes back!”

Qin Yao nodded, “Alright.”

…

The Time-Space Bureau.

L2 rolled over in front of the massive computer, suddenly thinking of something. He glanced at the computer behind him, and froze in shock, then began screaming, “Qiu—something’s wrong!!!”

Hearing his panicked cry, Qiu rushed over, startled. “What happened?”

Before L2 could answer, Qiu realized, “Could it be that L1…”

“He ran away! He just ran off! That heartless little dog system!” L2 was livid, cursing furiously, “I waited here for him for months, and once he recovered, he took off without a word!”

L2 was hopping mad, his yelling making Qiu’s ears ring.

In the end, with no other option, Qiu scooped up the furious orange cat and gently petted him, finally managing to calm L2 down.

At the same time…

After a long day at work, Qin Yao finally returned home.

The butler asked if he wanted dinner, and Qin Yao shook his head. He was about to say he didn’t have an appetite when he suddenly remembered the little program avatar Ye Leyao had left him.

Qin Yao smiled, “Bring it up for me later.”

The butler acknowledged his request and left.

Rubbing his tired temples, Qin Yao opened the door to his room.

As soon as he stepped in, a faint scent of milk wafted over.

He froze, then quickly walked toward the kitchen.

In the half-open kitchen doorway stood a tall figure. At his feet was a large spilled puddle of milk. He stood there, looking a bit lost.

Qin Yao’s entire body went rigid. Staring in disbelief at the figure before him, he finally managed to mutter, “Yao… Leyao.”

Ye Leyao turned around and, upon seeing Qin Yao, instantly showed a slightly guilty expression. “President Qin, my hand slipped… The milk you made for me—I didn’t even get a sip…”

The next moment, Qin Yao rushed forward and pulled the young man into his arms.

As their chests pressed together, Qin Yao felt that the empty space carved out in his heart was finally whole.

Joy flooded him—the joy of something lost and now found. Qin Yao’s voice was choked, his whole body trembling, “It’s alright, it doesn’t matter, Leyao. Spilling the milk doesn’t matter; I’ll make it for you. I’ll make it for you every day from now on. Alright?”

Savoring the familiar scent of Qin Yao, Ye Leyao couldn’t help but bury his face into Qin Yao’s neck.

He suddenly thought, as long as Qin Yao could hold him every day, maybe milk wasn’t that important after all.

After all, in this moment, he had already found the most precious person.

Ye Leyao’s eyes welled up. The little system who once didn’t understand emotions now felt warm tears sliding down his cheeks.

Holding onto Qin Yao, Ye Leyao said, “President Qin, I’m back.”

Tears welled up in Qin Yao’s eyes, “Mm.”

Ye Leyao added, “I won’t leave again.”

Qin Yao: “Mm.”

“I love you.”

Qin Yao responded with an eager, passionate kiss.

The story of cells and data meeting reached its perfect ending here and now.

The world, for all its troubles, is full of beauty.

Welcome home, Ye Leyao.

[End of Story]