〈The Reissued Youth〉20
91. The Missed Time and Space, the Reunited Lovers
Lin Dai-hua drove a brand-new Mercedes van slowly along the winding coastal road of Xiaoliuqiu. The afternoon sunlight fell upon the surface of the sea, shining with glittering rays like scattered gold. The familiar yet unfamiliar streets outside the car window passed before her eyes, scene after scene.
Many years ago, she had once been here. At that time, the Tsai family’s home was merely a slightly old brick-and-tile traditional courtyard house. Fishing equipment and miscellaneous items were piled up in the yard, filled with the simple and humble atmosphere typical of a fishing village family.
However, the scene before her now was completely different.
An elegant courtyard came into view. The white walls were matched with wooden designs, flowers and plants were arranged beautifully, and several vehicles used by guests were parked inside the yard. The old Tsai family home had unexpectedly transformed into a guesthouse filled with Japanese-style elegance.
Lin Dai-hua stepped on the brakes and stopped in front of the entrance, but she did not get out of the car immediately. Sitting in the driver’s seat, she looked through the windshield at everything before her, her brows slightly furrowed.
Her eyes fell on a Corona sedan parked near the entrance, as well as the brand-new heavy motorcycle beside it.
That sedan was something familiar to her. In her memories, it was the car that Tsai Shih-nan had once owned.
“Strange…”
She murmured softly to herself, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Wasn’t Shih-nan’s hometown just that old brick-and-tile courtyard house? When did it become such a beautiful courtyard?”
She held the steering wheel, quickly organizing all the clues in her mind.
Tsai Shih-nan had only returned to Xiaoliuqiu for a few short years. No matter how hard he worked, it would have been impossible for him to accumulate such astonishing wealth. Even less possible was transforming the entire home into a high-end guesthouse within such a short period of time.
Unless…
An unbelievable thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
“Could it be… the current Tsai Shih-nan is the same as me?”
She held her breath.
“Is he also someone who traveled back from the future?”
This thought made her heartbeat accelerate.
She lowered her head and looked at the souvenirs in her hand, then glanced at the luggage placed in the back seat.
Regardless of what the answer was, today, she had to ask him personally and find out the truth.
Lin Dai-hua carried her luggage and gift boxes out of the car and walked into the guesthouse.
When she pushed open the door, a bright and comfortable lobby greeted her. The decorations on the walls, the wooden furniture, and the courtyard scenery outside the windows all gave her a completely different feeling from the past.
At the front desk, Tsai Shih-fen was organizing guest information.
She looked up and saw the visitor. At first, she was stunned. Then she immediately revealed a surprised smile.
“Dai-hua Jie?”
Tsai Shih-fen quickly walked over.
“Long time no see. How have you been recently?”
Lin Dai-hua looked at the now grown-up and mature Tsai Shih-fen, and a nostalgic expression appeared on her face.
“You’re Shih-fen…”
She looked around the surroundings and could not help but smile.
“I almost couldn’t recognize this place. Your home wasn’t like this before.”
Tsai Shih-fen took the souvenirs from her hand and answered with a smile:
“Yes! It was rebuilt into a guesthouse last November. It has only been open for a short time.”
“Last November?”
Lin Dai-hua’s heart trembled.
She silently calculated the timeline.
Everything matched perfectly.
She remembered that after the 921 Earthquake, she had an accident and lost her memory when she woke up. And Tsai Shih-nan seemed to have also returned to the present at the exact same point in time.
Suppressing the shock inside her heart, she pretended to remain calm and asked:
“When did your brother… return from Hsinchu Science Park?”
Tsai Shih-fen thought for a moment.
“Last September, the day after the earthquake.”
Lin Dai-hua froze for a moment.
September 21 last year…
Sure enough, her guess was correct.
“The day after the 921 Earthquake…”
She silently repeated the words in her heart.
“It seems that Shih-nan really is the same as me. He is also someone who returned from the future.”
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar guesthouse before her, another question emerged in her heart.
“He must have brought back a large amount of money with him. Otherwise, he could not possibly have achieved what he has today. But…”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
Tsai Shih-fen did not notice the emotions surging inside her. She simply picked up the phone.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll call my brother out.”
Not long after the call connected, footsteps came from the direction of the staircase.
Tsai Shih-nan walked out of his room, and their eyes met in the center of the living room.
At that moment, time seemed to stop.
One was the woman who had once loved him deeply.
The other was the old love he thought he would never meet again in this lifetime.
Tsai Shih-nan looked at Lin Dai-hua, his expression filled with complicated emotions.
“Dai-hua…”
He paused for a moment.
“I was really surprised when I received your email.”
His voice was slightly hoarse.
“Weren’t you studying in California? Why did you suddenly come back?”
Lin Dai-hua did not answer immediately.
She simply looked at him.
She looked at this man who had once promised to wait for her and accompany her through the rest of her life.
After a long while, she finally said softly:
“I came back to find you.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Won’t you take me inside and show me around?”
Tsai Shih-nan was stunned for a moment.
“Okay…”
He took the luggage from her hand.
“I’ll arrange a room for you first. Put your things away, and then I’ll show you around.”
“Okay.”
Lin Dai-hua handed him her luggage and followed behind him.
However, she did not notice—
the expression on Tsai Shih-nan’s face as he walked ahead was not the joy of being reunited with a lover.
Instead, it was a deep sense of uneasiness.
Because he knew that some things, sooner or later, had to be spoken aloud.
92. This Love Can Only Become a Memory
Tsai Shih-nan led Lin Dai-hua through the corridor of the guesthouse.
The afternoon sunlight passed through the wooden lattice windows, casting squares of light and shadow onto the floor. From the courtyard came the rustling sound of leaves moved by the sea breeze, occasionally mixed with the laughter and conversations of tourists in the distance.
Everything appeared peaceful and beautiful.
However, Lin Dai-hua, walking beside Tsai Shih-nan, felt an indescribable excitement in her heart.
She had once believed that fate had separated her life from this man forever.
She never imagined that after traveling through time and space, she would once again be standing beside him.
She believed this was a chance given to her by heaven to choose happiness again.
When they arrived at the door of the room, Tsai Shih-nan pushed open the paper door and placed the luggage at the entrance.
“Organize your things first. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Lin Dai-hua nodded.
“Okay.”
She walked into the room, placed her luggage beside the dressing table, casually adjusted her hair, and looked at her own face through the mirror.
The woman in the mirror was still the same woman who had once given up everything for love.
She took a deep breath.
“Shih-nan, I’m back.”
After a moment, she walked out of the room.
The two of them walked side by side along the guesthouse corridor.
The sea breeze blew toward them, carrying a faint salty scent.
Suddenly, Lin Dai-hua stopped and looked at Tsai Shih-nan.
“Shih-nan, my father has already agreed to our marriage.”
Tsai Shih-nan’s footsteps faltered.
He turned to look at her.
“Your father agreed? So…”
“Yeah.”
A smile appeared on Lin Dai-hua’s face.
“He wants to meet you.”
However, Tsai Shih-nan remained silent for several seconds and only replied faintly:
“Oh.”
This reaction caused the smile on Lin Dai-hua’s face to instantly freeze.
She frowned.
“You saying ‘oh’… what exactly does that mean?”
Tsai Shih-nan lowered his head and did not look at her.
“It just means… let me think about it.”
Lin Dai-hua was stunned.
“Let you think about it?”
Her tone slowly turned cold.
“Because you have become rich now, so your attitude has changed too?”
Tsai Shih-nan raised his head.
“No.”
He gently shook his head.
“I should say… so much time has passed. My thoughts have changed as well.”
Lin Dai-hua stared at him.
Suddenly, she understood something.
“Is it because of that acute stroke?”
Tsai Shih-nan’s eyes trembled instantly.
He did not answer, but his silence had already revealed the answer.
Looking at his expression, Lin Dai-hua slowly said:
“Do you remember?”
“In early September 2019, you were hospitalized because of overwork. I went to the hospital to see you.”
Tsai Shih-nan’s breathing stopped for a moment.
His eyes changed from confusion to shock.
Lin Dai-hua continued:
“At that time, you told me that we would start over again. You said that after I convinced my father, we would return to Taichung together and start a business in the Central Taiwan Science Park.”
She looked into his eyes.
“Have you forgotten?”
Tsai Shih-nan did not answer.
But inside his heart, a huge storm had already erupted.
He finally understood.
The Lin Dai-hua standing before him, just like himself, had experienced a distortion of time and space. She had also come from the future.
“Oh my God…”
He thought in shock.
“How is this possible? Dai-hua also returned from the future?”
“Could it be… she was the driver of that red sports car?”
The timelines of the two people had crossed on the night of the 921 Earthquake.
Seeing his silence, Lin Dai-hua could not help asking:
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Tsai Shih-nan took a deep breath.
He knew that avoiding the truth was meaningless now.
“Dai-hua.”
He looked at her.
“On the night of the 921 Earthquake… were you driving a red sports car and passing through the Fude Tunnel on National Highway No. 2?”
Lin Dai-hua was stunned for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“That’s right.”
Her eyes fell into memories.
“That night, I remember it very clearly.”
“I was driving back to Taichung. Along the way, I noticed a silver-gray Corona sedan following behind me the entire time.”
She looked at Tsai Shih-nan.
“So the person inside that car was you.”
Tsai Shih-nan’s heart shook.
Sure enough, their destinies had already become intertwined that night.
Lin Dai-hua continued:
“Later, after exiting the interchange, I changed to a provincial highway. At that moment, I lost concentration for a second and crashed into a roadside utility pole.”
She lowered her head, her fingers trembling slightly.
“The car caught fire, and I suffered a head injury. When I woke up, I remembered nothing.”
“Later, I was sent to a homeless shelter for an entire six months.”
She raised her eyes. They were already filled with tears.
“Until recently, when I recovered my memories, I finally understood what had happened to me.”
Looking at her, Tsai Shih-nan’s heart was filled with guilt.
However, he still had to face reality.
“Dai-hua…”
He said softly:
“I’m sorry.”
Lin Dai-hua froze.
“Sorry?”
Tsai Shih-nan spoke with difficulty.
“We… really are not suitable for each other.”
In an instant, the air froze.
The expression on Lin Dai-hua’s face changed from confusion to shock.
“What did you say?”
Tsai Shih-nan avoided her gaze.
“A few months ago, I met a girl. We… already have a marriage agreement.”
Lin Dai-hua stood frozen in place.
She could not believe what she had heard.
“You…”
Her voice trembled.
“You’re saying you already have someone else?”
Tsai Shih-nan lowered his voice.
“Dai-hua, I didn’t know that you had also returned to the present. I thought…”
“Enough!”
Lin Dai-hua suddenly interrupted him.
Her eyes were red, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall.
“Again, this reason.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
“You want to say you didn’t know?”
“You want to say you thought I was still in America?”
She stepped closer to Tsai Shih-nan.
“Tsai Shih-nan, do you know? All these years, I have always believed in you. I believed every single word you said.”
Her finger pointed at his chest.
“And what happened?”
“Now you’re telling me everything happened only because you didn’t know?”
Tsai Shih-nan opened his mouth, but he could not find any words to refute her.
Lin Dai-hua’s emotions finally exploded.
“What a terrible excuse! Tsai Shih-nan, this is just your terrible excuse!”
“Not time and space. Not destiny. It’s you who changed your heart!”
Her angry voice echoed through the guesthouse corridor.
The guests who had been resting in their rooms heard the sound. They opened their paper doors one after another and curiously looked outside.
Tsai Shih-fen, standing near the front desk, froze for a moment.
Chiu Hsiu-tuan, who was organizing bedsheets in the laundry room, also stopped her work.
The mother and daughter looked at each other.
“This is bad.”
Chiu Hsiu-tuan hurriedly put down the clothes in her hands.
“Go take a look.”
When the two arrived at the scene, they saw Tsai Shih-nan standing there with an embarrassed and helpless expression, while Lin Dai-hua’s face was covered with tears.
Chiu Hsiu-tuan quickly walked forward.
“Dai-hua!”
She held Lin Dai-hua’s hand.
“Whatever happened, let’s go into the room and talk. Don’t let the guests watch and laugh.”
Tsai Shih-fen also quickly supported her.
“Dai-hua Jie, let’s go inside and sit down first.”
With the comfort of the mother and daughter, Lin Dai-hua was finally brought into the guest room.
Tsai Shih-nan followed them in and gently closed the paper door.
Inside the room.
Lin Dai-hua sat on the edge of the bed, tears continuously falling.
“Auntie… Shih-fen…”
She sobbed.
“You have to help me decide.”
Chiu Hsiu-tuan sat beside her, her expression troubled.
“Dai-hua, Auntie knows you feel wronged. But… Shih-nan was injured at that time too. Your father looked down on him and said he was not worthy of you. Later, you went to America…”
Lin Dai-hua wiped away her tears.
“But before I left, I clearly told him myself. I told him to wait for me for a few years. I said I would definitely convince my father.”
Chiu Hsiu-tuan fell silent.
Because she knew Lin Dai-hua was telling the truth.
Tsai Shih-fen looked at the two of them and softly said:
“Dai-hua Jie, actually my brother waited for you too. You don’t know, during that period, he was truly suffering. After being rejected by your father like that, he could never let it go.”
Lin Dai-hua lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
But the next second, she raised her head, her eyes becoming determined again.
“I want to meet that woman.”
The room instantly became silent.
“I want her to let go.”
She looked at Tsai Shih-nan.
“Shih-nan, help me arrange a meeting with her.”
Tsai Shih-nan was stunned.
Chiu Hsiu-tuan glanced at her son.
That look was reminding him:
He could not provoke Lin Dai-hua any further right now.
Tsai Shih-nan bit his lip.
In the end, he could only force himself to say:
“Okay. I’ll take you to meet her.”
93. Dreams Lost Between the Sea Breeze
The sea around Xiaoliuqiu in the afternoon was crystal blue, as if freshly washed. The Tsai Family Happiness sightseeing fishing boat slowly sailed away from Baisha Harbor, riding the waves toward the open sea. The boat gently rose and fell with the waves. Seabirds swept across the sky in the distance, while tourists stood on the deck, excitedly waiting for the magical moment of encountering whales and dolphins.
Lin Daihua stood among the crowd, wearing a faint smile on her face. On the surface, she was simply accompanying the homestay guests on a whale-watching trip, enjoying the sea view and relaxing. But only she knew that the true purpose of this journey was to get closer to Cai Shinan again, to see what this man who had once deeply loved her had become now.
Inside the cockpit, Cai Shinan focused on steering the boat. Sunlight streamed through the glass window and fell upon the side of his face. His features were still familiar, yet there was an added sense of steadiness and calmness that he had never possessed before.
Lin Daihua stood at the doorway and watched him for a long time. The man who had once waited for her because of love, who had promised to accompany her in starting a business together, was now right before her eyes. Yet she felt that there was an invisible distance separating the two of them.
She took out her phone and called her parents.
“Dad, Mom.”
After the call connected, she tried to make her voice sound relaxed.
“I’m in Xiaoliuqiu. I’m currently on Shinan’s sightseeing fishing boat that he’s operating.”
Her parents’ concerned voices came from the other end of the phone.
She glanced at Cai Shinan, who was steering the boat, and softly said:
“After two days, Shinan will accompany me back to Taichung to meet you.”
After hanging up, she slowly put away her phone.
The cockpit became quiet again. Only the sound of the engine and the waves striking the side of the boat echoed between the two of them.
Lin Daihua turned her head and looked at Cai Shinan’s profile.
“Shinan.” She asked softly, “Do you want to live this kind of life from now on?”
Cai Shinan did not answer immediately. He looked at the endless ocean ahead, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“With the vast sky above and the boundless sea before me, where could I not find a place to belong?”
He reached out and adjusted the steering wheel, his tone calm.
“I don’t want to go back to the city anymore. I also don’t want to return to a life where I chase performance targets every day, constantly rush around, and in the end, don’t even know what I am working for.”
Lin Daihua listened quietly. She understood his thoughts, because she herself had struggled in the workplace for many years.
“I can understand your thoughts.”
She looked toward the distant horizon and slowly said:
“We have both struggled in the workplace for more than twenty years, and we both know that kind of pressure.”
She paused for a moment, then looked at him.
“But… considering your ability, I still feel it is a pity.”
Cai Shinan turned his head to look at her.
Lin Daihua continued:
“Your information technology and software design ability are rare in the industry. If you only stay in Xiaoliuqiu to run a homestay and operate a sightseeing fishing boat, although your life may be stable, it seems that your talent has not truly been realized.”
After hearing this, Cai Shinan could not help but laugh.
“Am I really that capable? I’m not the kind of person who is destined to become a great talent.”
Lin Daihua looked at him, a trace of helplessness in her eyes. She knew Cai Shinan was joking. But she also knew that behind this joke was actually his determination toward the choices he had made in life.
She took a deep breath.
“If you are willing to return to Taichung with me, we can start over.”
Cai Shinan’s hand paused slightly.
Lin Daihua looked at him, her eyes gradually becoming brighter.
“We can start a business together in the Central Taiwan Science Park and establish a technology company.”
“With our abilities, if we bring back the technological trends of the next ten years ahead of time…”
Her voice was filled with passion.
“Smartphones could even appear more than ten years earlier. This is a field worth investing our youth in again, a field worth fighting for once more.”
At that moment, she seemed to have returned to the past.
The girl who believed in love, believed in dreams, and believed that Cai Shinan would walk toward the future with her.
But Cai Shinan only looked at the sea.
There was no excitement in his expression, nor any anticipation.
There was only a calmness that came from having seen through life.
“Daihua.”
He spoke softly.
“Those things are no longer important to me now.”
Lin Daihua froze.
Cai Shinan continued:
“I don’t lack food or clothing now. I no longer have that urge to prove myself like I did before. I only want a stable career.”
“And a happy family.”
The sea breeze blew through the cockpit.
Lin Daihua did not speak again.
She looked at the man before her and suddenly felt unfamiliar.
It was clearly the same face. He was clearly the person she had once known best.
But the things he pursued in his heart were no longer the dream she was familiar with.
She lowered her eyes.
A bitter feeling rose in her heart.
“Shinan’s heart… has truly changed. Is there already no place for me in his future?”
She looked at the endless sea outside the window. The waves continued to surge.
But the beautiful love that once existed between her and Cai Shinan seemed like the shadow of a boat on the ocean, gradually being pulled farther away by time.
Leaving only two people who had once loved each other, searching for their own destinations in different timelines.
However, Lin Daihua was unwilling to give up. She chose to confront the matter directly.
“Shinan, I want to meet the girl who came between us. I want to talk to her face-to-face and make things clear. Please ask her to show mercy, let you go, and allow us to be together.”
Cai Shinan looked troubled. With an embarrassed expression, he said:
“Daihua, I’m not confident that I can convince her to agree to meet you…”
94. Shi Meilin Refuses to Meet
That night, Cai Shinan still forced himself to write a text message to Shi Meilin, briefly and clearly explaining Lin Daihua’s request to meet and have a serious conversation.
Sure enough, late at night, Shinan received Meilin’s phone call.
“Shinan, what do you mean by this? Why should I meet your ex-girlfriend? You still have unfinished feelings for her. Why are you dragging me into this?”
“Meilin, I’m sorry. I know this request is unfair to you. But I think, rather than letting Lin Daihua continue to become more emotional about this matter, it would be better to talk face-to-face and make things clear, so she can give up on the idea.”
“Shinan, listen carefully. I don’t want to meet her! You told me that, back then, she was the one who took the initiative to break up with you. Now she has changed her mind. She wants to come back and reclaim what she gave up, and she expects me to step aside? Then what am I, Shi Meilin?”
“Meilin, but Daihua’s attitude is very firm. If you refuse to meet her, she will continue to pester me.”
“Shinan, first of all, I was not the one who interfered with your relationship with her. I am not the third party. Secondly, you have already met my family, and you promised me that you would act as my boyfriend. You cannot go back on your word.”
“I know how you feel right now. During the time we have spent together, I have actually already let go of that past relationship. Although I have not agreed to return to Taipei with you, my feelings for you are real. No matter whether you will accept me in the future…”
“Shinan, I will not meet her. I don’t want to listen to her declare her claim over you in front of me. You should deal with your ex-girlfriend first, okay? After you have settled this matter, we can meet again. That’s all.”
Meilin pressed the end-call button.
Shinan sat motionless on the edge of the bed.
His mind was buzzing, as if a computer had crashed and stopped responding…
95. The Choice of the Time Tunnel
On the freeway heading toward Taipei, the sky gradually became gloomy. The originally clear afternoon suddenly turned dark as thick clouds gathered across the sky. Low thunder rumbled in the distance, followed by raindrops as large as beans striking the windshield. The wipers continued swinging back and forth, cutting through one blurred view after another.
Lin Daihua was driving the sedan, calmly looking at the road ahead. She wore earphones, immersed in the melodious classical music. Her golden long hair gently moved with the cool breeze from the car’s air conditioner, giving off an elegant and peaceful atmosphere.
However, Cai Shinan, sitting in the passenger seat, had always felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
The rain outside grew heavier and heavier, and the car gradually approached the Xindian area. The road ahead looked like a giant black mouth, waiting for them to drive inside.
The moment the sedan entered the Fude Tunnel, Shinan suddenly felt a chill spread throughout his body.
That familiar yet eerie sensation attacked his heart once again.
He widened his eyes and looked at Lin Daihua beside him.
Her long hair, which had originally been dyed golden, was actually beginning to lose its color from the ends, slowly fading away and gradually returning to its original black.
At the same time, Shinan felt that his own hair and appearance were also undergoing changes.
Time seemed to be fast-forwarding.
His breathing became rapid, and his heart pounded violently.
The scene before his eyes was completely opposite to the accident that had changed his life many years ago.
His body was rapidly aging.
Cai Shinan stared in horror at the tunnel that continued stretching ahead. A terrifying thought emerged in his mind.
“Could it be… happening again?”
He screamed silently in his heart.
“Damn it! If we pass through this time tunnel again, we have no idea which era we will be sent to…”
He suddenly turned his head and looked at Lin Daihua, who was concentrating on driving.
She seemed completely unaware of anything unusual. She remained immersed in the world of music, her hands firmly holding the steering wheel.
“Daihua!”
Shinan suddenly shouted loudly and reached out to grab her shoulder.
“Brake! Brake quickly! Back up! Don’t keep driving forward!”
Lin Daihua’s body trembled slightly, but she did not respond.
“Daihua, did you hear me? Stop the car!”
Shinan anxiously patted her shoulder. His other hand kept making reversing gestures, hoping she would understand his fear.
However, Lin Daihua only gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and her foot on the accelerator did not loosen even slightly.
She did not turn back, nor did she answer.
It was as if she was deliberately pretending not to hear him.
Shinan’s heart sank.
He suddenly understood that Lin Daihua might have known all of this long ago.
“You… knew?”
His voice trembled.
But the only answers were the roar of the engine and the sound of rain striking the car windows.
The sedan continued driving deeper into the tunnel.
It was getting closer and closer to that unknown time-space wormhole.
Cai Shinan’s face instantly turned pale.
“No!”
He clenched his teeth. A determination he had never shown before appeared in his eyes.
“I cannot let history repeat itself again!”
The next second, he suddenly unfastened his seat belt.
Lin Daihua finally turned her head and looked at him.
At that moment, their eyes met.
From her eyes, Shinan saw a trace of complicated emotions—
There was pain, unwillingness to let go, and also a certain decision she had already made long ago.
“Shinan……”
She softly called his name.
But it was already too late.
Cai Shinan suddenly pushed open the car door and jumped out of the sedan that was moving at high speed.
His left lower leg struck the ground first. A sharp pain instantly spread throughout his entire body.
“Ah——!”
His entire body lost balance and rolled several times across the slippery road.
Rainwater mixed with blood, staining the cold asphalt road red.
He struggled to lift his head.
Ahead of him, the sedan driven by Lin Daihua had already entered the depths of the tunnel.
The next second—
A dazzling white light flashed.
The entire sedan seemed to be swallowed by an invisible force and disappeared instantly inside the tunnel.
“Daihua……”
Cai Shinan stretched out his hand, trying to grab that fading beam of light.
But he caught nothing.
Only the endless sound of rain remained, echoing at the empty exit of the Fude Tunnel.
Intense pain surged through him.
His vision turned black, and he finally lost consciousness.
And another unknown destiny was quietly unfolding at the other end of time and space.
