Forced into a romantic relationship.

The past may be changed, but it is not without cost, and this time, the cost... will be paid by him personally.

If some people survive death, then naturally others must go from survival to death.

As the water drew closer, the countdown in front of Han Zhou had reached its final second.

one second.

It was just one second away.

But he couldn't wait any longer.

Han Zhou tried to struggle, but couldn't think of any way. He could only watch helplessly as the rushing river grew larger and larger in his pupils.

And enlarged along with it was a long-haired girl wearing a raincoat.

Guzheng (Chinese zither).

Han Zhou felt a lump in his throat.

The moment he saw the girl open her arms, he knew what she wanted to do.

"Han Zhou, you're so childish."

"Heh, that's not what someone said when they pushed me like this before. Instead, they said it was a kind of training, and you used much more force back then than I do now."

"That's because I can catch you no matter what, and I won't let you get hurt, but can you catch me?"

—Under the summer twilight, in the sweltering evening breeze, facing the setting sun sinking into the western mountains, he remembered someone saying this to him.

In the last moment before his vision blurred, he heard the girl's voice.

"I caught you."

Author's Closing Remarks!

As promised, with the title "Small Ending" that even I couldn't help but type, this book will finally come to an end before the end of August or September.

Although it's a temporary conclusion, it's still worth celebrating.

Even though it's a partial ending, I still have to write an apology. After all, writing this kind of thing is the easiest and most enjoyable thing to do. I was quite sleepy before, but now I'm wide awake.

Here, some people might ask, "Haki-yin, what is a phased conclusion?"

It's very simple, just the literal meaning. With the end of this volume, the whole story has basically been told, with only a few minor plot points and the fates of the many female protagonists left unresolved.

Regarding the former, there will be about half a volume to tell the story. Since it does not take place in the future, it will not have too much impact on the progress of the "subsequent plot". So I said it would be fine to end it now.

As for the latter, to be honest, I really don't have the ability to handle this problem well. I really can't think of a solution that can be finalized and accepted by everyone. I'll leave it for my closing remarks next time.

Let's talk about the plot first. I've really deleted and revised a lot of content as I've written this far.

For example, in the future simulation plot, Han Zhou seven years in the future was originally designed to be more obsessive. There was a dream about being hit by a car mentioned before, which was originally intended to be part of this plot. It was an attempt by the future Han Zhou to save Xiao Xiao. Zhong Ling's tears were not because she was overjoyed to see her parents, but because she was frightened. In short, this plot was going to be a rather gloomy story with a long length. Although the ending was happy, it was not written that way in the end.

One reason is that I saw someone say that people don't care about foreshadowing in romance novels, which I think makes a lot of sense. Another reason is that I felt I couldn't grasp the plot, so I gave up.

Actually, I'm still a little disappointed, mainly because I'm afraid of being accused of messing things up...

There are many similar examples. In short, if you see any signs of something but it hasn't taken off, it's very likely that I gave up on it.

Hmm, it's also possible that I forgot.

But since I've already written this far, I might as well give up if I forget.

As for the second time travel, it was originally going to be quite long, but after thinking about it, I realized that there was no difference between a longer or shorter one. It was just a matter of whether there were many twists and turns or just one. Writing it too long would be pointless, so I shortened it.

Actually, we didn't originally plan to let Zhong Yin's parents live, but we still let them live, which can be considered as pointing out a good ending first.

This is the consequence of not having an outline. It was like this in the early stages, which led to the plot focusing mainly on Mo Yixia and Guzheng. No, it should be said that it focused more on Mo Yixia, who happens to be the most likable character and started dominating everything from the very beginning...

As for the guzheng, I really planted the foreshadowing of "catching" very early on, but it wasn't revealed until the end. In addition, with full favorability at the beginning and a lack of emotional development process, it's normal that he was no match for Mo Yixia.

Whether a character is likable or not is ultimately up to the readers to judge, but I personally really like Guzheng. I don't really understand why people always say she's not good, that she doesn't put in enough effort, and that they can't feel her affection for Han Zhou.

If you can't feel the charm of the guzheng, that's my problem. As for the others, I think it's just prejudice. I think the biggest problem with the guzheng is that it was used to compete with Mo Yixia, which made some readers feel "why?" It failed to create two equally matched characters, which is also my problem, but that's not a reason to belittle the characters.

I think if the female lead were a second-rate character, not someone comparable to Mo Yixia, there probably wouldn't be so much controversy surrounding Gu Zheng. But if Gu Zheng were replaced, would someone else be able to rival Mo Yixia?

I feel like I can't.

Mo Yixia's blood sugar level was indeed above the limit.

As for the other female leads, it was even more of a disaster. Their storylines were only explored in significant detail later on, which was a terrible arrangement. Add to that the female leads who were added at the last minute, ah... if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have had so much trouble wrapping things up.

I'm amazed that I managed to write 2.7 million words. The key is that with so many words, a whole semester didn't even pass in the book. It's really outrageous. Some people say it's because I'm too sloppy, but I feel it's mainly because I wrote in too much detail. This has both advantages and disadvantages, and I will improve it later.

Anyway, after all the ups and downs, it's finally come to a barely decent end. Despite doing so many sit-ups, it's still not a complete failure.

Come on, let's hear what the black guy has to say!

Let me also talk about the character Xiao Xiaoxiao. Many people ask why she has so much screen time when she's not the female lead. To be honest, I'm not really sure either.

As I mentioned earlier, I discarded many ideas, but kept some, and Xiao Xiaoxiao's storyline is one of them.

Of course, this is not a brilliant idea, just a simple concept. Many people asked what the villa plot was about. I can only tell you with embarrassment that I have been on hiatus for so long that I have forgotten what I was thinking at the time. Even if I look back later, I have no idea.

Yes, so the plot may be simplified further later on.

Of all the characters, Xiao Xiaoxiao is the only one I don't really intend to write as the female lead. I essentially wanted to write her as a family member. However, since it's a romance novel, people tend to see important female characters more as girlfriends, which I understand. So I've left that possibility open in the extra chapters. If you want her to be the female lead, then she is the female lead.

Speaking of which, I have to reiterate the importance of an outline. The plot of this book is truly awful, while my sister's new book is far superior. I'd like to recommend it to everyone here.

"Should I Include Even Without Green Plums?", a new 50,000-word novel by an author with consistent updates and reliable character. Go support it!

If you were lured in by the words "Author's Closing Remarks," please be sure to read this book, or you'll have been fooled.

If you are a reader who likes Mo Yixia, you should also be sure to check out this book, because it features a blind version of Mo Yixia.

Anyway, go ahead and read it. Don't force me to beg you on my knees.

I'm too sleepy, so I'll stop here for today's closing remarks. I'll continue updating the main story later.

that's all.

Chapter 721 The Future Seven Hours Later

The moment Han Zhou regained consciousness, he seemed to still smell the strong stench of blood, and felt the sticky sensation of the heavy rain still lingering on his body, causing him to feel somewhat dazed for a moment.

He instinctively touched his abdomen.

Nothing at all.

The wound disappeared, and even the blood-soaked clothes returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened. The once silent world was finally filled with sound again—the sound of the wind, the distant traffic, and even the rapid beating of my own heart—all were clearly audible.

I'm back...

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again.

His intervention seems to have changed the past.

But he couldn't be sure if all these changes were positive.

After he left, he knew nothing about whether Zhong Yin had encountered any new accidents, whether Zhong Ling, who had been driven away by a stranger, had been returned, or whether their parents had been able to receive proper medical treatment.

What worried him most was... he didn't know how the guzheng was doing.

Catching an adult falling from a height of twenty meters is extremely dangerous, even with water as a buffer. There is almost no chance of escaping unscathed. Even if Gu Zheng's physical abilities far exceed those of ordinary people, she could very well be seriously injured or even lose consciousness in that instant.

In that situation, whether one is seriously injured or loses consciousness, it is no different from death.

Thinking of this, Han Zhou's hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and he didn't even dare to open the contacts—if Gu Zheng had died in the past in his place, then at this moment, he might not be able to see Gu Zheng's name in his phone anymore.

Just then, his phone rang. Seeing the word "Guzheng" on the caller ID, he felt a great sense of relief and answered the phone almost immediately.

"Guzheng! You didn't..."

"it's me."

A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, but it wasn't Guzheng; it was Mo Yixia.

She sounded tired. "You might need to come to the hospital. Flat-chested girl fainted."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then ran towards the door without saying a word, anxiously asking, "Which hospital? What happened? Do you remember..."

"No need to rush, I remember everything."

Mo Yixia spoke calmly, and although she didn't show much emotion, she gave people a sense of reassurance. "You have successfully changed the past. Although the result is not as perfect as expected, it is enough. Xiaoping is fine. She is just too tired."

"Too tired?"

"Well, I don't know what she did. You'll probably have to ask her yourself when she wakes up."

Han Zhou then noticed that the time was not 8:17 AM before he traveled through time, but 3:00 AM, meaning his return was delayed by nearly seven hours.

Clearly, the problem lies within those seven hours.

When Han Zhou arrived at the hospital, he found that not only Mo Yixia, but everyone was waiting at the hospital entrance, including Xiao Xiaoxiao. Everyone was there, which relieved him greatly.

His biggest concern about changing the past was that once history was rewritten, his and everyone else's destinies would also be altered, and it was even possible that they would become strangers. But now it seems that what Mo Yixia meant by "not as perfect as expected" was not this.

"How's the guzheng?" he rushed over and asked.

"The doctor said it's nothing serious, I just need to rest for a few days," Zhong Ling replied softly, her voice as gentle as ever, but her eyes were somewhat dim.

Seeing her expression, Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated before asking, "Senior, what's wrong? Is it because your aunt and uncle...?"

"No, no!"

Zhong Ling knew he had misunderstood, and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Mom and Dad were successfully rescued. I was just thinking about what happened before. You and my sister worked so hard, but I couldn't help at all..."

Whether it was the altered past or the unaltered past, she was useless. Every time, she would wait for the outcome while in a coma, pushing everything onto her sister and others. This was what made her feel most guilty.

Seeing the tears welling up in the girl's eyes, Han Zhou paused, took a deep breath, stepped forward, and, under everyone's gaze, reached out and embraced her.

“You’ve done very well,” he said softly.

Zhong Ling's body stiffened, and tears flowed even more profusely, instantly soaking Han Zhou's chest. She sobbed, "I clearly didn't do anything right..."

"Have you forgotten who clearly heard what I said on the phone back then?" Han Zhou said with a smile.

Zhong Ling was taken aback. Before she could speak, Han Zhou continued, "If you hadn't heard my warning clearly and asked your uncle to stop the car in advance, not only you, but I probably wouldn't have escaped either. You should also know that I can't abandon you, so we would most likely die together."

He tightened his grip, pulling the girl closer to his chest: "Senior, you saved everyone."

At this moment, no one spoke; they simply watched the scene silently, their eyes filled with complex emotions.