"Transmigration?" Xiaoxian tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes as she bit into a soup dumpling bursting with savory broth.

But the confusion melted away quickly.

After all, without transmigration, how could her brother possibly look unchanged after five years? That explained everything.

Only one mystery remained: the suicide note and her brother’s strange behavior.

Unfortunately, Xiaoxian hadn’t been by his side during that time.

For five long years, guilt gnawed at her—*If only I’d been there… would he still be gone?*

Yes. *Gone.*

Not dead. Xiaoxian refused to believe he’d left this world. The root of everyone’s misconception, as expected, lay in that forged note.

Yet with the technology back then, proving it fake was impossible.

The inheritance was split. The orphanage kids scattered. Xiaoxian temporarily took the clan head role—until she earned recognition as the current head.

Her love for her brother ran deep, sometimes twisting into sharp suspicion.

On the surface, his disappearance only benefited the orphanage kids and herself. And for Xiaoxian—who placed her brother above all others—suspicion inevitably fell on the beneficiaries.

Everyone from the orphanage was a suspect.

Even Shi Xia hadn’t escaped her doubt.

Unlike her brother, who truly saw them as family, Xiaoxian loved only him.

So she met every orphanage graduate with icy hostility.

Even now, relations with some remained strained.

Take Leng Lingren—a cold-hearted woman, the epitome of a "green tea" manipulator (in Xiaoxian’s eyes), expert at toying with hearts.

Shi Xia and Leng Lingren barely spoke; Shi Xia was the only one without her contact.

Naturally, Leng Lingren topped Xiaoxian’s suspect list. Was her affection for Brother real or fake?

Worse, she vanished right after claiming her inheritance share.

*Probably living comfortably abroad at some elite academy,* Xiaoxian thought bitterly, *campus belle, swimming in Brother’s money, surrounded by admirers. Classic master manipulator.*

But five years later, with truth revealed, Xiaoxian could finally set suspicion aside.

She refused to dwell on betrayal, separation—the souring of every memory after Brother left.

Now, watching him sip milk contentedly while biting into a sandwich filled her with quiet joy. *Let this moment loop forever.*

"Fate really plays cruel tricks…" Chang’an murmured, chewing his sandwich. His taste buds savored the ham and zesty sauce inside.

If transmigration was mere coincidence, he was truly fate’s pawn.

Most called it lucky—but those who lived it knew the terror of a foreign world, the tearing of bonds, the shattering of memories… Everyone…

"Brother… can you recall the specifics of the transmigration? Memories from that time?"

Petite but with a hearty appetite, Xiaoxian had already devoured five soup dumplings and a French sausage. Her wide eyes darted, stubbornly chasing the truth.

"Brother disappeared in spring," she added softly.

"Spring…" Chang’an fell silent. Fragmented memories flashed:

A peach tree budding with flowers.

Ivy creeping toward the horizon.

A lonely swing swaying in the breeze.

The sunset sinking slowly down a one-way street.

*Why did I feel so utterly alone… when I knew I wasn’t?*

He turned suddenly—*Who was I hoping to see?*

But behind him… only emptiness.

"Sorry… I can’t remember." Chang’an pressed a hand to his throbbing temple—just as he’d told Shi Xia.

He had no memories of before or after the transmigration.

Only this: arriving at the orphanage gates.

Maybe to see someone.

Maybe to say goodbye.

Then… consciousness returned. Same gates.

He met Shi Xia. Learned he’d leaped five years forward.