Returning to Shrek Academy as a Teenager, Reunited with My Love

"Where... was this?"

Tang Wulin slowly sat up, slowly sat up.

Looking down, he was no longer clad in dragon-blood-stained armor, but in a faded, freshly washed Shrek Academy uniform, with the emblem of a new student embroidered on the cuffs. The breeze brushed past his ears, carrying the laughter of youths and the clanging of a distant blacksmith's shop. Each strike made his heart shudder violently.

"Boss, you're finally awake," Xie Xie's voice called out. "Yeah, Captain, you've been asleep for almost two days." It was Xu Xiaoyan.

"Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, why are you..." He instinctively hugged them both. "Where am I?"

"Captain, did you lose your memory? We just became work-study students at Shrek Academy. You passed out because soul forging drained too much of your strength," Xu Xiaoyan said doubtfully.

Only then did Tang Wulin realize it. He had traveled through time—returned to his younger days. "Where's Gu Yue?"

Not far away, a girl with a high ponytail was walking toward them. Sunlight fell across her fair cheeks, outlining them with a soft golden glow. She wore Shrek Academy's new student uniform, its green-and-white fabric making her slender figure appear even more delicate. Hearing the commotion, she turned around, her clear, bright eyes carrying a hint of playful reproach.

Tang Wulin's breathing abruptly stopped. His eyes reddened uncontrollably, scorching tears pooling in them. He opened his mouth, but his throat was too choked for a single sound to emerge. All he could do was stare fixedly at the girl, as if he wanted to carve her figure into the depths of his soul once more.

This was the summer when he was fifteen, when he and his companions had just entered Shrek Academy.

Gu Yue walked over in a few quick steps and gave a soft snort. "Tang Wulin, you're finally awake. I thought you were going to sleep forever."

Tang Wulin abruptly rose to his feet and pulled Gu Yue tightly into his arms, his voice trembling. "Gu Yue, I thought I'd never see you again."

Gu Yue froze at first, then her little face flushed bright red as she pushed him away forcefully. "Tang Wulin, have you gone crazy? Don't you know that men and women should not touch so casually?"

Tang Wulin came back to his senses and stepped back awkwardly. "Sorry, Gu Yue. I just missed you a little." He scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"How could you miss me? Haven't we always been together?" Her dark violet hair fell beside her cheeks, yet the tips of her ears gradually turned red, and even her neck was tinged with a faint pink. Still, she moved a little closer to Tang Wulin.

"Actually, I don't dislike it. I'm just not used to it. But if you want it, I can give it to you." Before he could react, she plunged headfirst into his embrace.

Her cheeks were astonishingly hot, pressed tightly against his chest as she did not dare raise her head. Her silver-violet hair cascaded down, concealing her reddened ears and neck, while even her fingertips trembled faintly. Her arms circled his waist with little strength, yet carried a desperate stubbornness.

Tang Wulin stiffened for a moment. Then the bitterness and wild joy in his heart surged together, burning until his eyes grew moist.

He slowly raised his hands and carefully wrapped them around her slender waist. His hold gradually tightened, as though he wished to knead all the longing and regrets left after their suicide for love into this single embrace. The back beneath his palm trembled slightly. He could clearly feel the scorching heat of the person in his arms' cheeks, along with her faint, mosquito-soft breaths against his chest.

Held even tighter by him, Gu Yue's shoulders shook slightly. Scorching tears silently soaked through his clothes, yet she refused to say a word. She only buried her face deeper, as though she wanted to hide in this warm embrace and never come out again.

The two held each other tightly, as if they could change the suffering of their suicide for love in the Far North. Tang Wulin secretly swore, This time, I will never let you leave me again, my—Gu Yue.