It was also at this time that Sui Yu discovered Yi Yunmu was pregnant.
Such a big matter could not be taken lightly by Sui Yu. In order to ensure Yi Yunmu's safety, she began to investigate the mastermind behind it. However, when she looked at the results of her investigation, her heart sank completely. It was not an alien enemy, but someone close to her.
Sui Yu finally understood why the alien attack came so suddenly, and everything made sense now.
Everything around her was no longer safe. Sui Yu could no longer trust anyone and was even more reluctant to leave Yi Yunmu here. She wanted to go on her own time travel, but if she didn't continue, everything she had done before would be in vain.
After much deliberation, Sui Yu made a decision she would regret for the rest of her life: she would take Yi Yunmu to another time and space to protect her safety.
Having chosen the most stable timeline, Sui Yu decided to stay in that world to accompany Yi Yunmu as she gave birth to their child. After about half a year of peaceful and stable life, as Yi Yunmu's belly grew bigger day by day, another piece of good news also came to Sui Yu's head: her testing equipment detected the existence of perfect genes in this world.
It's like searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.
Sui Yu went to search for the perfect gene. In the hospital, she saw Jiang Shuiyun, who was just born. She was fair-skinned and chubby. Unlike other newborns who were wrinkled and red, Jiang Shuiyun was like a finely carved jade doll. She was very beautiful. She didn't cry or fuss. Her round eyes looked left and right. When she saw Sui Yu, she reached out and grabbed her finger.
Somewhat unexpectedly, perfect genes were found in such a tiny child. However, Sui Yu had no time to hesitate. She did not take the child away, but instead used gene cloning technology to clone an identical Jiang Shuiyun and brought her back to her original world.
However, a clone is not the original. The clone's genes are inherently unstable, and after experiencing time travel, the genes developed problems and became unusable. Sui Yu had no choice but to return, leaving behind the clone and taking away the newborn Jiang Shuiyun.
However, accidents don't happen only once. During this time travel back, in order to protect Jiang Shuiyun from any harm, Sui Yu put all the pressure of time travel on himself. But this added up to more than two, and once caused irreversible damage to Sui Yu's body, making him unable to withstand another time travel.
Sui Yu had no choice but to research perfect genes and mechs while trying to find other solutions.
In the end, having no other choice, Sui Yu couldn't bear to leave Yi Yunmu in the other world, so he chose to clone himself.
Looking at her cloned self with a full head of white hair, Sui Yu found it hard to accept. Due to frequent time travel, the more than 20 years of research on mecha, and the huge injury she suffered in the last time, she now looked like an old woman in her sixties or seventies, while Yi Yunmu looked like he was only in his twenties. How could they possibly be a good match?
Sui Yu was on the verge of collapse, but he couldn't bear to leave Yi Yunmu behind. So he sent his clone to that world, but he didn't acknowledge Yi Yunmu. He just watched over him from afar and had the clone take a time-travel terminal with him. With this terminal, Sui Yu could also learn about things in that world from here.
But because of this, Suiyu witnessed how Yi Yunmu left her on the day she gave birth. She watched helplessly as she watched all of this, feeling unbearable pain, but there was nothing she could do.
She watched her child being born, and then had the clone open a welfare home. She dared not acknowledge her biological daughter, and could only raise her as the director.
Similarly, after bringing Jiang Shuiyun back, the development of the mecha entered a new stage, temporarily resisting the alien attack. Sui Yu raised Jiang Shuiyun, taught her all the knowledge he knew, and tailored the most advanced mecha in the entire interstellar space for her. Sui Yu also began to get involved in politics, supporting Jiang Shuiyun step by step to the position of the first marshal of the interstellar space, eliminating those who had ulterior motives, and truly taking power into his own hands, no longer being controlled by others.
Sui Yu watched as Jiang Shuiyun lived up to her expectations, repelling all the invaders and becoming the first marshal of the interstellar space. She thought she could finally rest, but unexpectedly, at this moment she saw Yi Jinbai in another world in danger.
The lifespan of clones is very limited, which was the first time Sui Yu had learned this. In addition, Sui Yu's genes were damaged due to multiple time travels, and he was older, so the lifespan of the clone was even shorter. He reached the end of his life in just eighteen years. Fortunately, Yi Jinbai was an independent and strong child. Even with such a big blow, she was still able to take care of herself.
Seeing Yi Jinbai's excellent grades at the music academy and his perfect inheritance of Yi Yunmu's talent, Sui Yu was even more gratified. However, the turning point happened in the year Yi Jinbai graduated, which was also the time when Jiang Shuiyun defeated the alien army and was seriously injured and recuperating.
When Sui Yu watched as Jiang Shuiyun's clone clung to Yi Jinbai, clearly not loving her but still trying to force her to marry Yi Jinbai, she felt furious. She wished she could immediately go to Yi Jinbai's side to protect her, but she couldn't. She was too old and her health was too poor; she wouldn't be able to protect herself even if she went to that unfamiliar world.
Although she felt very sorry for Jiang Shuiyun, Suiyu still focused her attention on Jiang Shuiyun, who was recovering from her injuries. She carefully prepared a book and placed it in Jiang Shuiyun's room. As the child she had raised herself, Suiyu was naturally familiar with Jiang Shuiyun's nature. She deliberately exaggerated the persecution that the clone Jiang Shuiyun had caused to Yi Jinbai, without writing anything about saving Yi Jinbai. Sure enough, Jiang Shuiyun couldn't stand it anymore and threw the book away.
After Jiang Shuiyun fell asleep, Suiyu arranged for her time travel, bringing back the clone Jiang Shuiyun and sending her over. With Jiang Shuiyun's sense of responsibility, even if the two did not develop feelings for each other, she would not abandon Yi Jinbai. Moreover, with Jiang Shuiyun's abilities, it would be effortless for her to make a name for herself in this world. In this way, she could rest assured for the rest of Yi Jinbai's life.
In order to delay Jiang Shuiyun from realizing all this as much as possible, Sui Yu controlled the situation from another world, preventing Jiang Shuiyun from telling anyone about her true identity and forbidding anyone from spreading it. This is why Jiang Shuiyun and Gao Zhouzhou had such a splitting headache.
As expected, Jiang Shuiyun has never disappointed. Step by step, she has also reached the pinnacle of this world, and she has always been good to Yi Jinbai. Now the two of them have finally achieved their goal and are about to get married.
Having missed all the most important moments of her child, Sui Yu didn't want to miss her daughter's wedding at the end of her life. The ring terminal that Jiang Shuiyun wore on her hand was the one that Sui Yu had brought to this world with a clone years ago, and it was also the reason that she had been able to see this world all these years. The moment the terminal was activated, Sui Yu chose to come to this world without hesitation. At the end of her life, she wanted to see her child in person and buried herself next to her lover.
Sui Yu had said everything he needed to say. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one spoke, each of the three people carrying their own complex thoughts.
"Where is the clone?"
After a long silence, Jiang Shuiyun finally broke it. Her mind was in complete turmoil, but she couldn't stay silent forever.
Sui Yu's hand holding the cane tightened slightly. "The lifespan of a clone is inherently limited, and it is even more difficult to withstand time travel. So after going to that world, the clone died. I disguised her as you, announced the marshal's death, and buried her."
Jiang Shuiyun's breath hitched. "You announced my death in that world?"
“You can’t go back, can you?” Sui Yu had been in a high position for many years, and her tone was unquestionable, but when she looked at Jiang Shuiyun, her tone softened. “This is the best way to handle it, otherwise it could easily cause unrest.”
Jiang Shuiyun didn't speak, but the atmosphere was slightly tense.
"let's go."
Yi Jinbai took Jiang Shuiyun's hand and pulled her outside without looking back.
Sui Yu sat in the chair, watching the two leave. He opened his mouth but said nothing, his expression turning dejected.
The two drove back, and the short drive was unusually quiet in the car. It wasn't until Jiang Shuiyun parked the car in front of her house that Yi Jinbai reached out and took Jiang Shuiyun's hand, saying his first words since getting in the car, "I'm sorry."
"You haven't done anything to wrong me, so why are you talking nonsense?"
Jiang Shuiyun paused for a moment, forced a smile, and grasped Yi Jinbai's hand in return. "This has nothing to do with you. It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize to me."
Yi Jinbai held Jiang Shuiyun's hand tightly. No matter what Jiang Shuiyun said, she couldn't get over the hurdle in her own heart. "She is my mother. She is the one who caused you to be separated from your parents for decades. She is the one who used you to make you seize power for her. She is also the one who... destroyed your years of hard work, made you come to this strange world to start from scratch, and suffered so many unwarranted misunderstandings, all just to use you to take care of me. How can this have nothing to do with me?"
What Sui Yu said made Yi Jinbai feel heartbroken. Jiang Shuiyun could have had a perfect life in this world, with her own parents. She could have lived a life of ease and be a favored child of heaven. But because of Sui Yu, her life was completely changed. She was injured, she saved the world, she took care of herself, and she did right by everyone. But who did right by her?
A note from the author:
Filling this hole has almost made me lose all my hair. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-07-06 14:03:15 and 2022-07-09 20:53:02!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Talkative Person, Employee No. 5076, and Dracule (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Baldhead (8 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 89
Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai's pained, indignant, and guilty expression and burst out laughing, leaving Yi Jinbai completely bewildered.
"why are you laughing?"
Jiang Shuiyun unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned back in the driver's seat, and let out a long sigh. "You're angrier than I am."
“I…” Yi Jinbai didn’t know what to say. She had no right to be angry. She was a beneficiary. Many of the things Sui Yu did were for her own benefit. But how could she not be angry, even though that person was her blood mother?
Jiang Shuiyun raised her hand and ruffled Yi Jinbai's hair. "Don't be angry. Actually, I don't feel anything. I just think, 'Oh, so that's how it is.' I'm a little surprised. It is indeed a bit unbelievable."
"How could you not feel anything?"
Yi Jinbai looked at Jiang Shuiyun's eyes with heartache. She felt that Jiang Shuiyun said those words only to comfort herself. Ninety percent of the suffering in Jiang Shuiyun's life came from Sui Yu, the separation from her parents, the carefree and wealthy childhood turned into endless study and training, going to the battlefield in her teens, leaving her with a body full of injuries, finally achieving fame and success, only to have her life changed by Sui Yu, starting from scratch, with nothing and a notorious reputation. If it were someone else, they might not have survived to this day.
Jiang Shuiyun lowered her eyes. She wasn't lying; she really didn't feel anything. After experiencing some hardships, looking back, they become insignificant little things. Besides, fate hadn't caused her any unbearable pain or deep resentment so far. To be precise, she didn't have any resentment. She had gotten everything she wanted, and whether she got what she didn't was of little concern.
Moreover, this is the life Jiang Shuiyun wants most right now, and she doesn't want anything to disrupt this peace. Since the past is the past, let it be the past forever; the future is what matters most.
“Jinbai, we can’t really judge whether what the teacher did was right or wrong. Perhaps in our eyes, what she did changed our lives and is unforgivable. But if it weren’t for that, what would happen to the hundreds of millions of people on Blue Star? She didn’t do it for her own selfish reasons, but for the hundreds of millions of people on Blue Star. She is the only savior. She had no other choice. Let’s just leave it at that. Let’s not mention it again, okay?”
Jiang Shuiyun unbuckled Yi Jinbai's seatbelt and pulled him into her arms. All the past was in the past; whether it was hardship or glory, it was all fate's arrangement. Seizing the present was what they should do now. "I'll send someone to take care of the teacher later. We can't let anyone know the teacher's identity, so we have to be careful. How about letting the teacher stay in that little wooden house for now? It's a bit remote there, but it's close to us, so it'll be easier to take care of her."
Yi Jinbai was filled with mixed emotions. He hugged Jiang Shuiyun tightly and was speechless for a moment.
Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai returned home, arranged everything, and acted as if nothing had happened, preparing for the wedding and even taking wedding photos in advance.
Whenever she has a moment of free time, Jiang Shuiyun will go to see Suiyu. According to normal age, she should be about the same age as Jiang's parents. Although the time tassels of the two worlds are different, there is not much difference, just a few years. However, they look like they are two generations apart.
Carrying fruit, Jiang Shuiyun went to see Suiyu again, and also brought her the wedding photos that had been taken to show her.
The old man, who had been a prominent figure throughout his life, reached out and gently stroked the two people in the photo frame. His eyes were slightly moist, as if he were smiling or crying at the same time. It was as if he was looking at Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai, or as if he was looking through them at a more distant old friend.
After a long while, Sui Yu withdrew his hand and closed his eyes. "Shui Yun, the people I have wronged the most in my life, besides Yun Mu, are you and Jin Bai."
"Teacher, it's all in the past now."
Jiang Shuiyun knew that such comfort was weak, but she really didn't know what else to say.
“It’s in the past,” Sui Yu repeated Jiang Shuiyun’s words, raising his hand to shield his eyes. “Just because it’s in the past doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Shuiyun, can you let Jinbai come see me?”
"I...I'll go back and ask Jinbai." Jiang Shuiyun couldn't make the decision for Yi Jinbai, but she could pass on a message.
Sui Yu nodded. "Good child, Shuiyun, my time is running out. I've already taken care of things in the other world. The only thing I want to tell you is my own funeral arrangements. Bury me with Yunmu. I wronged her in life, and made her wait so long on the road to the underworld. I have to go and apologize to her. Also..."
Both Sui Yu and Jiang Shuiyun were fully aware of Sui Yu's situation, and they didn't shy away from discussing it, knowing that everyone eventually faces such a day.
Jiang Shuiyun listened quietly, watching as Sui Yu took a key from his pocket and placed it in her hand. "I can't think of anything else you lack, and I have nothing more to give you. I've taught you everything I could. The only thing I haven't taught you is about time travel and human genes. After defeating the alien army, I reimposed the ban on these two fields. I don't know if this ban will ever be lifted and reinstated, but I hope that day never comes. This key contains all my research from my life, including these two areas, and I'm giving it all to you."
“Teacher,” Jiang Shuiyun held the key, feeling as if it weighed a ton. All of Sui Yu’s life’s research results, the secrets that countless people across the galaxy dreamed of and flocked to, the pinnacle of technological achievement, were now in her hands. “I can’t accept it.”
Jiang Shuiyun wanted to return the key. "Teacher, I know how precious this is, and I know what it means, but I can't take it. In this world, I have done what I should do. I don't want to force things to grow. This planet should follow its own laws to develop. Besides, I have already made plans. After we get married, I just want to live a peaceful life with Jinbai like we do now, and I won't interfere too much anymore."
"Retiring at the height of your career, that's a good thing," Sui Yu didn't take back the keys. Her gaze towards Jiang Shuiyun held a mixture of relief and melancholy. If she had had a choice back then, would she have acted like Jiang Shuiyun? Unfortunately, there are no "ifs." "Shuiyun, remember what I told you..."
"Always be controlled by others, never be controlled by others."
"Never be controlled by others, never be controlled by others," Jiang Shuiyun and Suiyu said in unison. "Teacher, I will always remember that, please rest assured."
“Okay,” Sui Yu nodded with a smile, “You are the most outstanding and proudest student in my life.”
After returning from Suiyu's place, Jiang Shuiyun's heart finally calmed down. As soon as she entered the door, she ran into Yi Jinbai, who had also just returned. Yi Jinbai had handled most of the wedding arrangements, so she had been much busier than Jiang Shuiyun lately.
"I just came back from my aunt and uncle's place. We discussed it..." Yi Jinbai saw Jiang Shuiyun enter the door and quickly went to greet her to discuss the details of the wedding.
Jiang Shuiyun listened quietly. It was a rather tedious and tiring job, but fortunately, with Fu Xian, Shen Yunyi, and Xu Xu assisting, Yi Jinbai's job became much easier.
Nodding when he should, and occasionally offering a word or two of advice, Jiang Shuiyun discovered for the first time that Yi Jinbai actually had a rather capable demeanor when he was busy, and his whole being became more vibrant and bright, full of energy.
"Okay, that's settled then," Yi Jinbai said, closing the notebook. "By the way, where did you go? Why didn't you take Lei Yu and the others with you?"
“I went to see the teacher, Jinbai,” Jiang Shuiyun said, seeing Yi Jinbai’s stiff expression. She knew that Jinbai still harbored resentment about what had happened before. She reached out and pulled Jinbai into her arms. “It’s all in the past. The teacher doesn’t have much time left. She really wants to see you. Go see her. I don’t want you to have any regrets later.”
Although neither of them said anything on the surface these past few days, it's not as if nothing happened. Jiang Shuiyun noticed that Yi Jinbai was often absent-minded and increasingly busy with his own things. She didn't want this to become a regret for Yi Jinbai in the future.
Yi Jinbai leaned against Jiang Suiyun's chest and remained silent for a long time. "She is not the dean."
Jiang Shuiyun understood what Yi Jinbai meant. Just like her clone and herself, although they looked alike and had the same genes, they were ultimately two independent individuals, completely different beings. The same was true for the old dean and Sui Yu. The old dean had taken care of Yi Jinbai for eighteen years, while Sui Yu was a stranger to her, even though they were related by blood.
"But she is your mother."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't let Yi Jinbai treat Suiyu as the old dean. Just like she and her parents, even though they hadn't known each other for many years, they were still blood relatives.
Yi Jinbai nodded, "I'll go tomorrow."
"I'll go with you."
Jiang Shuiyun nodded.
"No need, I can go by myself."
Yi Jinbai shook her head and refused. Jiang Shuiyun was right. She and Suiyu were mother and daughter. What kind of situation would it be if she needed Jiang Shuiyun to accompany her to see Suiyu?
Jiang Shuiyun understood Yi Jinbai's meaning and nodded, "Okay."
The next morning, after having breakfast, Yi Jinbai went to Sui Yu's place alone, carrying in his arms the old dean's belongings—a small box containing everything about the old dean.
Sui Yu settled down in this small courtyard. The furnishings inside remained largely unchanged, and every day someone would deliver ingredients or prepared meals. Jiang Shuiyun had arranged everything perfectly.
When Yi Jinbai arrived, he saw Sui Yu watering the flowers in the yard, leaning on her cane. Unlike the first time he saw her, when she was upright and energetic, she was now relaxed and just an ordinary old woman.