boyutpedia Chapter 149 A Soulmate Across Time
Chapter 149 A Soulmate Across Time
Chapter 152: Soulmates Across Lifetimes
When Lin Yan returned to his suite at the Royal Palace Hotel, he had just opened the door when a beam of white light rushed towards him with a pitiful "woof woof." He smiled and reached out, precisely catching Xiao Qi, who was charging like a cannonball. He skillfully held it in his arms and gently stroked its soft, fluffy fur.
"Young Master, you're finally back." Lin Gang stood to the side, a helpless yet doting smile on his face. "Xiao Qi woke up and couldn't find you anywhere in the house, so she's throwing a tantrum."
Lin Yan lowered his head and gently rubbed his forehead against Xiao Qi's wet little nose, soothingly saying, "Okay, it's my fault. I had to go out for a bit. I just went to 'clean up' your mess. Remember a few days ago in Chinatown when you tripped a lady? I went to apologize to her today. Next time I go out alone, I'll definitely tell you first, okay?"
Xiao Qi understood the keywords "tripped" and "apology." Remembering that she had indeed caused trouble, her ears twitched, and she made a gurgling sound in her throat. Her little grievances immediately dissipated. "Brother, I'm sorry," she said, sticking out her little tongue to lick Lin Yan's fingers in a flattering manner.
Lin Yan placed it on the carpet, took out the roasted spirit beast meat that Wang Yuling had prepared from his storage ring, filled its special little food bowl, and poured a bowl of fragrant spirit beast milk. Xiao Qi was immediately attracted by the delicious food and happily buried itself in the food.
Lin Gang watched Lin Yan taking meticulous care of Xiao Qi, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Young Master, there's something... I'm not sure if I should ask it."
Lin Yan straightened up, walked to the sofa in the small living room and sat down, gesturing for him to sit as well: "Is there anything I can't say to you? Just say it."
Lin Gang sat down on the single sofa next to him and asked cautiously, "Young Master, is the Ms. Zhang you visited today... an old acquaintance? I noticed that you seemed quite attentive to her, quite different from how you treated Miss Emily before." His words were subtle, but the meaning was clear: he was worried that his young master might have developed unusual feelings for that older and peculiar lady.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan was first taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head: "Lin Gang, Lin Gang, you've misunderstood, it's not like that at all."
With a thought, he took out an antique tea set from his storage ring, brewed two cups of Cloud Mist Spirit Tea, and pushed one of them towards Lin Gang. The fragrant aroma of the tea, carrying a faint spiritual energy, wafted out. Lin Yan picked up his cup, his gaze becoming somewhat distant, as if piercing through time and space.
"In my past life, Ms. Eileen Chang was a very famous writer, and also... a person who lived a very insightful life, but whose fate was full of hardships." He spoke slowly, his voice filled with a complex emotion.
"In terms of literary achievement, she can be considered a solitary peak in the history of modern Chinese literature in my world." Lin Yan's tone was respectful. "With a cold yet beautiful pen, she depicted the love, desire, struggles, and calculations of men and women in Shanghai and Hong Kong during the turbulent times of the last era. Her stories do not contain grand heroic narratives, but only the genuine feelings and helplessness of ordinary men and women under the collapse of the times. Like a delicate scalpel, it dissects the subtle aspects of human nature. Her writing is unique and has influenced countless writers since."
He paused, took a sip of his spiritual tea, and continued, "But her personal fate perfectly matches the desolation of the characters she created, filled with wandering and loneliness. She had an unhappy childhood, a marriage with the wrong person, and spent the rest of her life wandering in foreign lands, always like a rootless duckweed, unable to truly integrate into any place. In her later years, she lived a secluded life, almost completely isolated from the world."
Lin Gang listened quietly. Although he didn't know much about literature, he could feel the deep regret and respect for the unfortunate fate of this outstanding woman from the young master's tone.
"She always seemed out of place in the tide of my era," Lin Yan concluded, quoting a line he had also heard in his previous life: "She once wrote, 'Life is a magnificent robe, crawling with fleas.' She herself seemed to be the most authentic portrayal of this statement—we marvel at the 'magnificent robe' woven by her talent, but we cannot ignore the flaws and pains in her fate that gnawed at her like 'fleas.' It is precisely this extreme contrast that makes her an eternal legend."
He looked at Lin Gang, his eyes clear: "Therefore, my visit today is not the kind of romantic relationship you might imagine, but rather an expression of respect and regret from a reader from the future, transcending time and space, to a writer I have long admired. Seeing her current hardship and perseverance in a foreign land, I hope to use my abilities to offer some help without harming her dignity, even if it's just a little convenience, so that she can write what she wants to write more calmly. This has nothing to do with romance, but only with respect for words and the soul."
Lin Yan smiled and said nothing more. He walked to the window, gazing at the dazzling night view of San Francisco. This encounter with Eileen Chang was a unique experience for him. It was as if two coordinates from different times and spaces had accidentally intersected; one was on the path of pursuing the great principles of heaven and earth, while the other was writing about the glimmer of humanity, and they briefly resonated with each other. This "understanding" that transcended time and space was perhaps more precious to her than the material help he could easily offer. And for himself, wasn't it also a deeper understanding of the joys and sorrows of "humanity"?
After listening to Lin Yan's account of Eileen Chang's life and destiny, Lin Gang felt a sudden sense of clarity, and at the same time, a slight embarrassment at his earlier conjecture. He said solemnly, "It was my foolishness that led me to misunderstand you, young master. This Ms. Zhang is indeed a remarkable woman worthy of respect."
At this moment, Lin Gang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Young Master, it's almost November now, and the end of the year is approaching. Do you plan to celebrate your birthday in December in Hong Kong, or will you stay in the United States?"
Lin Yan hesitated for a moment, then made his decision: "Let's stay in the US. It's too much trouble to keep going back and forth. The sun is shining brightly here; it'll be nice to find a place to have some fun." A hint of interest flashed in his eyes. "When I get back to Los Angeles, I'll call Hong Kong and ask Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming if they're free to fly over to the US for a get-together. It's been a long time since we've seen each other; I miss them. We can invite them to watch an NBA basketball game, and then go skiing at Lake Tahoe or Aspen. That sounds like a lot of fun."
He walked to the window, glanced once more at the shimmering lights of San Francisco in the night, and said with a hint of despondency, "San Francisco, huh? I've seen what I needed to see, I've met... everything I needed to meet. There's not much left to miss. Lin Gang, pack up, we're heading back to Los Angeles tonight."
"Yes, young master."
In the dead of night, on the rooftop terrace of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, two streaks of light, barely visible to the naked eye, silently shot into the sky and disappeared into the clouds in an instant, like shooting stars traveling in reverse, speeding south towards Los Angeles.