Chapter 3 — Going Thousand Years Later

14

The emergency phone in the elevator suddenly rang, the voice of the security officer came:

“Please don't panic, we have received the report. A technician will come to fix it shortly.”

She hadn't finished her sentence yet— The light above my head suddenly turned back on. The elevator also started operating normally. At the same time— I felt the body of the man I was holding tightly… Like grains of sand floating in my palm, slowly disappearing, leaving no trace. But I know— He will definitely come back.

15

Stepping out of the elevator, I changed my mind—decided not to go see my archeology major anymore. I called to sincerely apologize. He was a good-natured person, he just smiled and said it was okay. Then I went to the museum. Currently, some artifacts excavated from the tomb are on display here. I wanted to see if I could find something special. But as soon as I stepped into the museum, my heart suddenly ached violently. The pain was sharp, as if something stabbed straight into my chest, spreading throughout my whole body, coming in waves like ocean waves, making it difficult for me to breathe. I bent over, clutching the door frame, trying very hard to endure. I've had this feeling before. The last time—when my parents passed away, I accidentally saw the objects they used. …Forget it. I decided not to go inside anymore. Leaving the museum, I heard a street vendor outside the gate loudly shouting:

"The round fan is the same style as Lady Fisherman! You'll regret it if you don't buy it!"

I'm speechless. Nghia Wu traders are really quick to catch trends and have top-notch business minds. Thinking for a moment, I also went to buy one.

16

Archaeological experts named this fan based on its characteristics—

“White silk round fan embroidered with butterflies and bamboo handle.”

The simulated versions sold outside and those displayed in museums are all about reproducing the shape and not being completely accurate. Still, it's beautiful. I walked to a small park near the museum, found a bench to rest. Gently waving the fan, I whispered and repeated the two words I had just heard:

“Fish Clown.”

So this is the name he keeps calling me—"He He He." But I'm not a Clownfish. My name is Tu Khuyet—Nghi Tu Khuyet. The park is deserted, the trees are shady, the breeze blows, carrying the gentle scent of flowers. I absentmindedly looked at the butterflies flying in the flower bushes, feeling empty inside. A moment later— Drowsiness slowly came.

17

In a dream, with a "pop" sound, the fan fell from my hand. I bent down to pick it up— But another hand was one step faster, picking it up first. I raised my head, stunned to realize— This is no longer a park. High above, a bright moon hung on the curved, multi-storey palace roof. Royal banquet, the sound of ancient instruments, the ringing of bronze bells, the sound spread far across the lake. Even I—was dressed in complicated palace attire. I jumped back in panic, hid behind a delicately carved screen, and cautiously spoke:

“Who is that?”

Outside the screen depicting the mountains reflecting on the lake, that tall figure stood straight, completely identical to the person I had seen behind the curtain. bathroom. At this moment, I felt like I was lost in someone else's story— I could only stand outside and observe, but could not participate. He didn't answer my question, just gently said:

“Miss, your fan has fallen.”

As he spoke, he put the tip of the fan handle through the screen, waiting for me to receive it. I slowly reached out my hand, my eyes only focused on his white hand, the joints clearly exposed under his cloud-embroidered sleeve.

18

The moonlight reflects into the lake, ripples fall on the screen, stretching on the wooden bridges connecting the pavilions. In the middle of the quiet night, a series of rapid footsteps rang out, rushing over. A high-pitched, obsequious male voice rang out:

"Little Marquis, I've been looking for you forever! The mandarin ordered to summon you!"

“I'll be there soon.”

—Little Marquis?

My heart trembled slightly. This title... I seem to have heard it somewhere before. When he left, I curiously poked my head out of the screen, wanting to see the demeanor of this famous Little Marquis. But unexpectedly— He had just walked halfway, suddenly turned around, his eyes looking straight at me. Being caught in battle, I immediately raised my fan to cover my face, panicking. Waiting a while, feeling that he must have gone far, I slowly lowered the fan, revealing my eyes, secretly looking at his figure, suddenly an inexplicable feeling arose in my heart. He walked farther and farther until he was out of sight. I flicked my wrist and gently waved the round white silk fan embroidered with butterflies, but my face felt hot as if I had been placed in an autoclave. At that moment— Not far ahead, a long line of palace maids raised lanterns, leading the way for a majestic group of people to approach. Leading the group was a woman wearing a brightly colored gown, whose voice was eerily similar to mine. She asked:

“Fish Clown, what are you doing there?”

I reflexively straightened my back and respectfully stepped forward to welcome him, as if this obedience had been engraved deep into my bones. But halfway there, I couldn't help but turn around and look back— Looking at where he had just stood. There, there was only the quiet night, the moonlight scattered silver throughout the world.

19

Open my eyes, I'm still sitting in the park. That dream was so real that it made me feel like I had just passed through time and space, and I was confused and didn't know what to think. I was as confused as a lost soul walking home. The strange things kept getting more and more frequent, but I didn't know who I could tell, so out of habit I called Nghi Dung to complain. While talking on the phone— A certain Little Marquis silently invaded my house. Did he really think that the idle question in the elevator that day was because I liked the look of him in his ancient costume? So after not seeing it for a while, it changed back to that typical image? (Obviously that modern hairstyle was not cut, but he could freely switch between modern and ancient forms...) He didn't bother me, just made himself at home, leisurely walking around my house observing. Knocking on the wall of the fish tank, teasing the goldfish, and then even playing with my Bing Dwen Dwen doll, he looked completely at ease like he was at home! I didn't want him to hear my conversation, so in the middle of speaking I switched to English. I told Nghi Dung about the sharp pain right away when entering the museum, and the strange dream of a royal banquet while taking a nap in the park. We grew up together, she knows I'm not the type of person who has random fantasies. After confiding everything to her, the strangeness in my heart also eased somewhat. I put down my phone and when I looked up, I saw Tieu Marquis attentively observing me. I pretended nothing was wrong and quietly picked up the cup to drink water. But he suddenly calmly spoke:

“You dreamed about the first time we met, and yet you still don't believe you're my wife?”

“!!!”

A strong gulp of water stuck in my throat. Unable to control myself, I immediately spit it all out!

20

I coughed and choked, my face turned red from choking on water. As soon as I looked up, I saw Little Marquis calmly pulling out a tissue and holding it in front of me. I quickly grabbed it, wiped my mouth, then asked in disbelief:

"You... Aren't you an ancient person? How come you know how to speak English?!"

He elegantly sat down on the sofa next to me and said leisurely:

“Hehe, I have lived for more than a thousand years.”

This sentence roughly means—

“As a veteran Marquis like me, is there anything I don't know?”

I immediately felt embarrassed by my clumsy hiding style earlier. His eyes fell on the round fan he had just bought and he picked it up to play with.

“This used to be her favorite fan.”

I coughed softly and awkwardly replied:

"It's just a convenient way to buy it."

He smiled and slowly continued:

"My house still has a lot of her things from the past. Do you want to go over there and take a look?"

I remained silent. He's luring me into that door. Previously, he mentioned the so-called "Magical Gate", saying that as long as I step through, I will regain my past life memories. Honestly, I also really want to know if I'm really a "Fish Clown" or not. If I go inside, maybe I will know all the truth. But I also didn't forget his next words—

“Once you enter the door, we will be together forever.”

That means... I will become someone like him? But until now I still don't know if he is a human or a ghost. Having lived for more than a thousand years, there's a high chance he's an old monster! I absolutely will not let him trick me into walking through that door.