Chapter 189: Rescue
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The study was extremely quiet, so quiet that even the sound of papers falling to the floor sounded sharp and harsh.
Xiao Ruojin stared at the messy stack of papers on the ground in a daze, her chest rising and falling hard.
Just now, she felt like she had a vague nightmare. Everything became unreal. For a brief moment, she even doubted whether she had ever exchanged letters with Yu Miao at all.
When she forced herself to turn her head again and glanced at the news page on the screen, and saw the photo of Yu Miao wearing a red dress while receiving an award, that huge sense of emptiness finally faded. Real tension and fear rose up with the cold sweat on her body and gripped her throat.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xiao Ruojin had imagined more than once where Yu Miao would be living now, three years later. What her life was like. Whether she had walked out of the shadow of depression and was living happily. If there were a chance, could she meet Yu Miao three years later? Would Yu Miao know that she had once written letters with her from three years ago?
But Yu Miao was dead.
She died three years ago.
She died by suicide.
She would never be able to see her again.
Xiao Ruojin stood up from the desk and ran to the mailbox like she had gone mad. She opened it and saw a newly arrived letter lying inside. Without needing to say it, she knew it was Yu Miao, eager to know whether she had won the award, writing again to ask her.
Xiao Ruojin shakily opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. It was Yu Miao’s familiar handwriting.
Yu Miao asked her, “How was the result? Did you see it?”
Xiao Ruojin took a deep breath and picked up her pen to write back to Yu Miao. “I searched online and checked a lot of information, but I didn’t see the result of that manhua award. Maybe the online media didn’t report it, or maybe my ability is limited and I didn’t find it.”
She lied.
She was afraid that after Yu Miao knew she had won, she would ask for more details, and Xiao Ruojin wouldn’t be able to keep lying. She was terrified that Yu Miao would learn about her own death. How terrifying would it be for a person to know in advance that they would die soon? Especially since Yu Miao had depression and already had suicidal tendencies.
In the previous letters, Xiao Ruojin had worked very hard to comfort Yu Miao so she wouldn’t feel so lonely and low. Thankfully, this kind of companionship through letters was effective. Yu Miao had become much more cheerful. Maybe under Xiao Ruojin’s warmth, Yu Miao would eventually give up the thought of suicide. If Yu Miao suddenly learned the result at this time, no one knew whether she would be stimulated and walk onto a road of no return.
Xiao Ruojin wanted to save Yu Miao and change her fate.
Yu Miao’s reply came very quickly, as if she had been waiting by the mailbox. Her letter didn’t show disappointment. She only said, “Alright then, I’ll treat it as leaving myself a surprise. I’ll patiently wait for December 23.”
Luckily, Yu Miao didn’t keep asking. Xiao Ruojin let out a breath and wrote, “I believe you’ll definitely win.”
After a moment, Yu Miao replied again. “I also hope I can win. I bought a new red dress. I really like it. I’m waiting to wear it on the day I win. If I get the award, I’ll wear it and show it to you.”
When Xiao Ruojin received the letter, her whole body trembled.
She didn’t expect Yu Miao to have already bought a red dress. Could she really stop the future from happening?
Xiao Ruojin could only brace herself and reply. “Okay, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll wait for your photo. I haven’t seen what you look like.”
Actually, she had seen her.
Very beautiful, very bright.
She didn’t want her to wither.
“When the time comes, you’ll know when you see the photo.” Yu Miao replied quickly, her tone lively.
Xiao Ruojin was a bit worried about her. “Didn’t you bury the mailbox underground? Are you waiting by it all the time now? Go rest first.”
This time, Yu Miao’s reply surprised Xiao Ruojin. Yu Miao said, “No. The mailbox is in my room now. I put it on my desk. Before, I buried it underground, and it was very inconvenient to dig it out every time. I really wanted to chat with you more, so I put it in the most convenient place. As long as you write to me, I’ll know.”
Xiao Ruojin felt puzzled. “So our ability to communicate across time isn’t affected by where the mailbox is? As long as the mailbox exists, letters can be delivered?”
Yu Miao replied, “I think that’s right. I used to think it was the legend that burying it underground made communication possible, so I didn’t dare move it. I was afraid I’d never receive your letters again. But there’s a tenant’s child downstairs who’s very naughty. He saw me bury the mailbox and dug it out. Luckily, I caught him before he touched it. Then I realized that even after leaving the buried spot, your letters still arrived. Maybe the delivery only has to do with the mailbox.”
This time, Yu Miao’s letter included a photo of her mailbox.
The mailbox in the photo was exactly the same as Xiao Ruojin’s, with the same pattern.
While feeling puzzled, Xiao Ruojin felt even more happy. She had also been worried about not receiving Yu Miao’s letters and didn’t dare move the mailbox. This time, she quickly took the mailbox down and brought it into her room. She tried sending Yu Miao a letter and told her about the change.
If the mailbox was within reach, she could contact Yu Miao at any time.
Yu Miao received her letter, and joy overflowed between the lines. “You put the mailbox in your room too? Then we can contact each other anytime. I usually don’t go out much. If you want to find me, I’ll always be here.”
Xiao Ruojin quickly wrote back. “Can I talk to you every day from now on?”
She wanted to form a habit of writing to Yu Miao. She wanted to rescue Yu Miao and help her cross that dark suicide day of December 24. Even if it was only a weak flame of hope, she wanted to protect it.
Yu Miao said, “Of course you can.”
Just as Xiao Ruojin was about to reply, Yu Miao sent another letter. “Actually, every single day, I’m waiting for your letter. The place I rent is an old three story house. There’s a yard behind it. That’s where I buried the mailbox. I waited for you in the yard. I was really afraid of missing your letters. Sometimes at night, I even set up a tent and slept next to the mailbox. It gets cold at night, and I even scared the other tenants. They think I’m sick. What about you? Do you think I’m sick too? Do you think I’m abnormal?”
Yu Miao’s question was so careful, yet so humble, tearing open the side of herself that she never showed others and handing it to Xiao Ruojin.
Xiao Ruojin’s breathing trembled as she replied carefully, stroke by stroke. “No. You’re very good. If I know there’s someone in this world who’s waiting for my letters like this, I’d only feel honored.”
Yu Miao said, “I feel very happy being able to chat with you for so long. If only I had your phone number. But you’re three years in the future, so my phone can’t reach you. Luckily, I can receive your letters anytime now. Even if you write to me at dawn, I can see it. I’m very satisfied. Every time I see your letter, it’s like I can see you in person.”
“Me too. Every time I see your letter, it’s like you’re right in front of me,” Xiao Ruojin wrote.
Letters went back and forth, crossing the river of time, ringing again and again like message notifications.
With anxiety and hope, Xiao Ruojin kept in daily contact with Yu Miao. During the day, she had to go to work and couldn’t carry the mailbox, so after work, she always couldn’t wait to write to Yu Miao.
And Yu Miao always replied instantly.
Xiao Ruojin’s time moved forward day by day, but what she cared about most was Yu Miao’s time in 2009.
Finally, December 23, 2009 arrived, the day Yu Miao won her award.
That night, Xiao Ruojin received Yu Miao’s letter. The words couldn’t hide her happiness. “My manhua won an award today. It’s the gold award. I took a photo at the award ceremony for you.”
Xiao Ruojin saw the photo Yu Miao sent, wearing a red dress while receiving the award.
She was even more beautiful than in the earlier news photo, even more dazzling.
Xiao Ruojin felt tense. After all, tomorrow was Yu Miao’s suicide day. She replied, “Your dress is very beautiful. You too.”
If only she could keep this beauty tomorrow as well.
“Thank you,” Yu Miao replied. “Can I see your photo? I still don’t know what you look like.”
Xiao Ruojin wrote, “Of course. I’ll send it to you after some time.”
“Why after some time? Can’t you send it now?”
“I want to take a better photo for you. I need to wait for the right time. Can you wait for me?” Xiao Ruojin asked carefully.
“Yes,” Yu Miao replied.
But Xiao Ruojin didn’t dare relax. The real test was the next day.
The next day was a workday. She didn’t go to work. She stayed by the mailbox in her room and wrote to Yu Miao from time to time. If Yu Miao didn’t reply for a while, she became restless and wrote again to ask.
“You’re very strange today,” Yu Miao noticed.
“What’s strange?” Xiao Ruojin nervously looked at the watch on the desk. It was already six in the evening. In six more hours, this dark day would finally pass.
If Yu Miao could survive today, would that mean her fate had been rewritten?
“You’re talking a lot today, very chatty,” Yu Miao said. “But I like reading your letters. If you write this much every day in the future, I’m afraid my room won’t be able to hold all your letters. I hope I can earn a lot of money one day and buy a big house to store all your letters.”
“That day will come,” Xiao Ruojin smiled bitterly at Yu Miao’s handwriting.
Time was like a slow torture blade, cutting into Xiao Ruojin again and again, until midnight arrived.
The alarm rang. A new day had begun. Xiao Ruojin jolted and quickly wrote to Yu Miao to confirm. “What are you doing?”
After a while, Yu Miao didn’t reply.
Xiao Ruojin’s heart skipped. She hurriedly wrote again. “Are you there?”
Still no reply.
Xiao Ruojin trembled all over and wrote several more letters in a row, but they sank like stones into the sea. This was the first time she deeply felt the powerlessness of writing letters. If only she could call Yu Miao, or rush to Yu Miao’s home.
But between her and Yu Miao stood an uncrossable thing. Time.
Just when Xiao Ruojin was in a daze, a letter arrived in the mailbox. Her lips trembled as she took out Yu Miao’s letter. It read, “Why did you write me so many letters? What happened? I just went to take a shower.”
Yu Miao’s tone was a bit playful, and at the bottom there was a small line. “I was only gone for a few dozens of minutes. Did you miss me that much?”
Xiao Ruojin’s whole body tensed even more. She sat in the chair and didn’t reply right away. Instead, her trembling fingers opened the earlier news report about Yu Miao.
The text of the report changed before her eyes. She watched as the report turned from Yu Miao’s suicide case into a completely unrelated social news story.
History had been changed by her.
Xiao Ruojin’s eyes turned red. She covered her mouth so she wouldn’t cry out loud.
She had interfered with Yu Miao’s fate by force. From this moment on, Yu Miao’s timeline had undergone earth shaking changes.
But in the script, Yu Miao still had many death scenes to shoot. Today’s death scenes were all filmed in the house Yu Miao rented. The environment and set details changed according to the plot, and Ruan Yesheng’s makeup and costume also changed accordingly. The lines of the actors acting opposite her changed as well.
These death scenes would later be edited into the movie, using montage techniques to give either story meaning, imagery, or real shot transitions.
Today’s main scenes were Ruan Yesheng acting with supporting actors who played other tenants. Xi Mo didn’t have scenes today, but she still came to the set and watched from the side. She wanted to observe Yu Miao’s several “death” scenes first. In the later script, Xiao Ruojin from three years ago also had a scene where she watched Yu Miao die with her own eyes. She arrived too late and had to rely on Xiao Ruojin three years later to collect clues and predict in advance, in order to achieve the goal of saving Yu Miao.
Ruan Yesheng first filmed the death scene in the red dress. She walked out of the dressing room wearing a red dress. Her skin was fair with a sickly weakness. Her brows and eyes carried Yu Miao’s unique melancholy and clarity. Such a passionate red dress wrapping her fragile body showed endless bleak and beautiful deathly stillness.
Ruan Yesheng’s beauty had a high end quality and strong recognition, very suitable for the big screen.
When she walked up to Xi Mo, Xi Mo felt that at this moment, she was Yu Miao.
If she were Xiao Ruojin, she would also be willing to rescue such a Yu Miao, no matter how many times history had to be changed.
“You don’t have scenes today, right?” Ruan Yesheng swayed over like a fairy and smiled at Xi Mo. “Why aren’t you resting at the hotel? It’s cold outside.”
“I came to take a look,” Xi Mo’s eyes fell on her red dress.
“To watch me ‘die’ so many times?”
Maybe thinking of the time when she and Ruan Yesheng were on the edge of life and death, Xi Mo frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s unlucky.”
Ruan Yesheng smiled. “This is filming. What are you afraid of? I’ll be fine.”
Author's Note:
Today is January 19. It’s Ruanruan’s birthday. Happy birthday, Ruanruan.
This story probably has few dozens of chapters left before it ends, more than fifty and less than ninety nine. It will clarify all the foreshadowing and hidden plot points clues established earlier. Right now, most of the foreshadowing is basically all laid out. The mystery of ‘Swapped Movie Queens’ is hidden in the shadows. Once everything is laid out, it will naturally be revealed.
