Chapter 505: Extra: Baili Jing - Cyclic First Love (Finale)

Before revisiting the memories of their first love, Jiang Qingli first went home.

Baili Jing wanted to go with her, but she stopped him.

“Since we’re revisiting old haunts, it should be just like our first date,” Jiang Qingli said. “We’ll set out from our respective homes and meet up at the appointed time.”

She didn’t mention a place or a time.

But that wasn’t a problem for Baili Jing.

He had committed everything about her to heart.

–

Jiang Qingli changed into a disguise, used a particle dye to give herself temporary white hair, put on a face mask, and headed straight for the amusement park in Zone X.

This was where she and Baili Jing had their first date.

Back then, Baili Jing was already a red-hot new star in the entertainment world, so he’d inevitably be recognized in public. After doing some research, Jiang Qingli found this moderately-sized amusement park with light foot traffic.

The park’s overall aesthetic was rather retro, an imitation of things from the Old Civilization era. Compared to the various new high-tech amusement parks of today, it was decidedly outdated.

When Jiang Qingli had looked it up before the New Year, she saw its average daily attendance was only about a hundred people, leaving it teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

She had expected it to be about the same as usual today.

But as she parked in the lot, Jiang Qingli realized the crowd was far larger than she had ever imagined…

A long line snaked from the entrance gate, filled mostly with young couples. They held cotton candy or balloons, chatting and laughing amidst the lively atmosphere.

‘Is there an event today?’

Jiang Qingli was confused for a moment, but she soon understood why.

As she waited in line to have her ticket checked, two young women next to her were staring at a terminal screen, excitedly discussing the movie *Cyclic First Love*. They were saying that later they wanted to go to the Ferris wheel to take photos matching one of the posters.

Jiang Qingli remembered that this amusement park was one of the filming locations for *Cyclic First Love* and the setting for several of its iconic scenes.

Many scenes in *Cyclic First Love* were more or less identical to Jiang Qingli’s own memories.

She knew the inspiration for Baili Jing’s movie was their first love, but she’d resisted watching it, wanting to wait until he was free so they could see it together.

The movie had been out for three days, and the park had been wildly popular for just as long. They were now well-practiced in handling the unusually large crowds. The ticket gate, which originally had only one employee, was now staffed by five, and the new machines kept the line moving quickly.

The park’s admission ticket was a special paper souvenir, unchanged from her visit years ago.

When she reached the front of the line, Jiang Qingli handed her ticket to the attendant. He stamped a special commemorative seal on it and said with a smile, “Have a wonderful day!”

“Thanks.”

The attendant looked up, meeting Jiang Qingli’s eyes, and squinted slightly as if in recognition. But with more people waiting in line, he didn’t dare stare. After a quick glance, he looked back down.

By the time he realized she might be the VIP who had appeared frequently in televised interviews over the past six months, he looked up again, but she had already vanished into the crowd.

Jiang Qingli jogged over to the carousel.

Baili Jing was already waiting for her.

The young man had also changed his appearance. He had black hair and black eyes and wore a long, woolen overcoat. His tall figure, standing still amidst the bustling crowd, was particularly striking, drawing many sidelong glances. When someone approached him with a business card, he just smiled and waved them away.

Jiang Qingli glanced at her watch. The timing was perfect.

She waited for the others to walk away before approaching him. “How long have you been waiting?”

Baili Jing stared at the girl before him, momentarily lost in a daze.

For their first date, he had arrived three hours early, using the time to rehearse his smile and opening lines countless times.

But when she appeared, this powerhouse of the acting world—a man who could memorize the most difficult lines after a single reading—was so stunned he didn’t know what to say. He could only stare at her, his eyes shimmering.

Years had passed, and Baili Jing considered himself no longer a naive young man.

Yet, the moment he saw Jiang Qingli, he seemed to revert to that same awkward youth, staring at her intently.

“Hey,” Jiang Qingli said, leaning in and waving a hand in front of his face. “You don’t recognize me anymore?”

“How could I not?” Baili Jing took her hand and tucked it into his pocket. “I just didn’t expect… that you were thinking the same thing I was, Xiao Li.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon her.

White hair and light-golden eyes—just like their first date.

She had based her disguise on his features, and he had done the same with hers.

It felt like they had swapped identities, a level of intimacy far beyond that of any other couple.

Baili Jing’s lips curled into a smile. Inside his pocket, he laced his fingers through hers. “Want to get some cotton candy?”

“Yes!”

The park’s specialty cotton candy was a bestseller, but Baili Jing had gotten a ticket in advance, so they only had to wait a few minutes to get theirs.

Jiang Qingli took a bite of the cotton candy. Recalling the order of the rides from that day, she said, “First, the carousel. Then the go-karts, the pirate ship, the Starry Sky Tour… and finally, the Ferris wheel.”

“Before the Ferris wheel, can we add one more stop?” Baili Jing asked.

“Permission granted,” Jiang Qingli said. “Where are we going?”

“The park’s virtual reality attraction was converted into a movie theater six months ago. They usually show children’s films, but lately, they’ve been playing…” Baili Jing pursed his lips, a little embarrassed. “My movie.”

He wanted to watch it with Jiang Qingli.

“Of course! I’ve been waiting to watch it with you!” Jiang Qingli took the last bite of cotton candy, grabbed his hand, and started running toward the carousel. “Come on, we have to hurry!”

They bounced from one ride to the next, having the time of their lives. It was as if they were children again, all their worries dissolving with every laugh.

…

After the movie, they walked out of the theater side by side, just in time to catch the last Ferris wheel ride of the morning.

Once they were seated, Baili Jing looked at the girl beside him and asked, “Did you like it?”

“I loved it.”

Jiang Qingli was still lost in the film, unable to articulate what she was feeling. She simply nodded.

The movie didn’t actually bear much resemblance to their real relationship.

But the way the protagonist bravely fought for his first love time and time again, that feeling of being stuck in a loop, had moved her deeply.

‘In the years I was away, Baili Jing must have waited for me just like that.’

Jiang Qingli parted her lips, wanting to say something, but she felt that no words could possibly express her emotions at that moment. Instead, she squeezed Baili Jing’s hand even tighter.

After a moment of silence, Baili Jing suddenly said her name. “Xiao Li.”

Jiang Qingli looked up.

Baili Jing was holding a bouquet of champagne-colored roses. Looking into her eyes, he asked, word by word:

“I’ve liked you for a very long time. Will you give me a chance?”

His light-golden eyes held a hint of nervousness, overshadowed by anticipation and tenderness.

Jiang Qingli remembered. Those were the exact words she had used when she confessed to him.

The champagne-colored roses were the same flowers she had used for her confession, chosen because the color so closely matched his eyes.

After all these years, he hadn’t changed one bit.

A light flickered in Jiang Qingli’s eyes. She accepted the flowers and gave the reply stored in her memory—

“Okay.”

“I like you, too.”

“Always.”

The Ferris wheel reached its apex.

In that moment, time seemed to fold in on itself. Even the light grew soft and gentle.

With their fingers intertwined, they said nothing at all. They simply smiled and kissed, a gesture that said more than any grand declaration ever could.

–

In the vastness of the universe, it was just another ordinary day.

But to Baili Jing, it felt like a day he had been waiting for for a very, very long time.

–

The spring air was warm, the flowers were in bloom, and the sunlight was perfect.

Just as it had been when they first fell in love.