The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

I clutched the photo and the bronze key tightly, a mixture of emotions welling up in my chest. Was the man in the photo really my father? If so, where had he gone? Why had he left me? In that moment, I desperately wanted to solve the mystery of my origins, to go back in time and find my biological parents.

Lawrence Lu seemed to see through my thoughts. He gently held my hand and said, “Lolo, no matter what happens, I will be with you.” His eyes were firm and gentle, which gave me great comfort and strength.

We returned to the lab, where Professor Li and his team had been waiting. The time machine was ready, resting quietly in the center of the lab like a sleeping giant, emitting a mysterious light.

"Lolo, have you really thought it through? Once you travel through time and space, you may encounter unpredictable dangers." Professor Li asked worriedly.

"Professor, I have made up my mind. I must go back, find my family, and solve the mystery of my life." I said in a firm tone without any hesitation.

Lawrence Lu hugged me tightly, his body trembling slightly, and I could feel the sadness and reluctance deep in his heart. "Lolo, promise me that you will come back safely." His voice was low and hoarse, as if he was suppressing a huge emotion.

I nodded, holding back my tears, and turned to walk towards the time machine. The moment I stepped into the cabin, I looked back and saw Lawrence Lu standing there. His eyes were affectionate and sad, as if he wanted to deeply imprint me in his mind.

"Goodbye, Yuxuan, wait for me to come back!" I waved vigorously, then turned and walked into the time machine.

The hatch slowly closed, blocking Lu Yuxuan's line of sight. I took a deep breath and pressed the start button. The time machine began to tremble violently, and everything around me became distorted and blurry. My ears were filled with the roar of the machine and the sizzling sound of electricity.

I don't know how long it took, but the vibrations and noise finally stopped. I opened my eyes and found myself in an unfamiliar room. It was empty, with only cold instruments flickering with icy light.

I realized I had returned to the future, to my original world. But I was no longer the same person I had been. I had experienced a love that transcended time and space, and solved the mystery of my origins. These experiences would become precious treasures in my life, guiding me to bravely face the challenges of the future.

I quickly composed myself and threw myself into my intense research. I flipped through Professor Li's notes, trying to find a way to return to the past. I knew Lu Yuxuan was still waiting for me, and I had to go back, to be with him. The time machine gradually stopped functioning, and the indicator light dimmed. I had successfully returned to the future, but my heart felt hollow, like a piece had been taken out. The cold air in the lab made me more sober, and I missed Lu Yuxuan even more, waiting for me in another time and space.

I immediately threw myself into my research, tirelessly reading through all the materials Professor Li had left behind, trying to find a way to restart the time machine and return to the past. I had only one thought: to return to Lu Yuxuan.

However, the more anxious I was, the slower my research progressed. Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, I would think of Lu Yuxuan's affectionate eyes as he left, and his lonely figure in another time and space, and my heart would ache.

I don’t know how much time has passed. I only know that the Lu Group’s press conference was the only thing that pulled me away from my research.

At the press conference, Lawrence Lu, who was always high-spirited, now looked haggard. He answered reporters' questions mechanically, his eyes empty, as if he had lost his soul.

My heart ached suddenly. I knew that he was forcing a smile. He must be missing me all the time, just like me.

After the press conference, I immediately contacted Lu Yuxuan's best friend, Sophie. Sophie told me that since I left, Lu Yuxuan has become silent and withdrawn. He has isolated himself and devoted all his time to work, trying to numb himself in this way.

"He locks himself in the study every day and refuses to do anything except work. I tried to talk to him several times, but he always avoided my questions. I could see that he was in pain, but he didn't want to say it." Sophie's voice was full of worry and heartache.

Hearing this, I felt even more guilty and heartbroken. I hated myself for not being able to return to him immediately, leaving him to suffer the torment of missing me alone.

The housekeeper also told me that Lawrence Lu often sat alone in the garden for the entire day, staring at the starry sky in a daze. I knew he must be thinking of me and missing every moment we spent together.

"He always said that the stars are a bridge connecting two time and space. As long as we look up at the same starry sky, we can feel each other's presence." The butler said, his tone choking with sobs, "Miss, please come back soon. The young master is really sad..."

I held the phone, tears streaming down my face. I secretly swore that I must find a way to go back as soon as possible, return to Lawrence Lu, and never leave him again.

After hanging up the phone, I felt even more anxious. I couldn't bear to see Lawrence Lu suffer alone, so I had to find a way back. However, returning to the past was far more difficult than I had imagined. Professor Li's notes were obscure and difficult to understand, and many of the theories were new to me. I could only start from the most basic knowledge and explore bit by bit.

Experiment after experiment failed, and I was nearly despairing. Then, I stumbled upon a formula that Professor Li had missed. It seemed to relate to the warping of space and time. Feeling like I had found a lifeline, I excitedly applied the formula to my research.

However, new problems arose. This formula required an extremely rare element to activate, and this element was almost extinct on Earth. I searched all the databases and finally found a record of this element in an ancient document.

According to literature, this element existed in an ancient tomb deep in the Himalayas. Without hesitation, I packed my bags and embarked on an expedition to the Himalayas.

Along the way, I encountered various dangers such as avalanches, mudslides, and attacks by wild animals, but I never thought of giving up. I had only one belief in my heart: to find that element, start the time machine, and return to Lu Yuxuan.

Hard work pays off. After months of arduous journey, I finally found the ancient tomb. Deep inside the tomb, I found the element that emitted a strange light.

I was ecstatic and immediately rushed back to the lab with the element. However, just as I was about to carry out the final step of the experiment, the lab suddenly exploded. I was blown away by the shockwave and passed out...

……

"Lolo, wake up, wake up..."

In a daze, I heard someone calling me. I tried to open my eyes and saw Lawrence Lu's anxious face.

"Yuxuan? Is it really you?" I couldn't believe my eyes.

“It’s me, it’s me, you finally woke up!” Lawrence Lu hugged me tightly, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with tears.

I looked around and found myself lying in a hospital bed.

"Why am I here?" I asked confusedly.

"You were in an explosion and were in a coma for a whole month. The doctor said it was a miracle that you woke up." Lu Yuxuan stroked my face with heartache.

"Explosion? Oh, my experiment..." I suddenly remembered my research materials and struggled to get up.

"Don't worry, your research data is all fine." Lawrence Lu held my shoulders and asked me to lie down. "The doctor said you need to rest well."

"But……"

"No buts, your most important task now is to take good care of your body." Lu Yuxuan's tone was firm and unquestionable.

I nodded helplessly and gave up struggling.

Lawrence Lu picked up a glass of water and handed it to my mouth, “Come, drink some water.”

I obediently opened my mouth and drank a few sips of water.

"By the way, how did you know that something happened to me?" I suddenly remembered this question.

"Sophie told me. She saw the news report that there was an explosion in your laboratory and immediately notified me." Lawrence Lu explained.

"Sophie? How does she know where my lab is?" I was even more confused.

“This…” Lawrence Lu’s eyes flickered, and he seemed to be having trouble speaking.

"What's going on? Tell me quickly!" I asked anxiously.

Lawrence Lu sighed, walked to the desk, picked up a diary, and handed it to me, “Read it yourself.”

I took the diary in confusion, opened it, and was stunned.

On the cover of the diary, it was written "My Time Travel Journey". When I opened the first page, it was written:

"Today is October 2023, 10. It's been a whole year since I traveled into the future. I miss Yuxuan all the time, and every moment we spent together..."

My tears immediately welled up in my eyes. This diary was secretly written by me after I traveled to the future to record every little bit of my time with Lawrence Lu. I never thought that this diary would fall into Lawrence Lu's hands.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have peeked at your diary.” Lawrence Lu said guiltily, “I just accidentally found it in your study. I wanted to wait for you to come back before returning it to you, but…”

His voice choked and he could not utter any more words.

I hugged the diary tightly, tears blurring my vision. The diary recorded every detail of how Lu Yuxuan and I met, how we got to know each other, and how we fell in love. Every word and sentence was filled with sweetness and happiness, but also helplessness and sadness.

Lawrence Lu gently held me in his arms, his tears dripping into my hair, “Lolo, I know you have paid a lot to come back to me. Now that you are finally back, I will never let you leave again.”

I hugged Lawrence Lu tightly, feeling his body temperature and his love, and my heart was filled with emotion and warmth. For some time, we had both been suffering from longing for each other, and now we are finally reunited. This joy of regaining what we had lost makes me cherish each other even more.

"Yuxuan, I'm sorry for making you worry." I said with a sob.

“Silly boy, why bother saying sorry? Just come back safely.” Lawrence Lu stroked my hair gently, “I just hate myself for not finding your diary earlier and not coming to you earlier.”

I held his hand tightly and said, "No, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you and let you endure so much alone."

“Okay, it’s all in the past, let’s not talk about it.” Lawrence Lu said with a smile, “You need to rest well now, and when you recover, we can have a good chat.”

I nodded and snuggled in his arms, feeling the long-lost peace and happiness.

However, just when I thought everything was settled, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: the element to activate the time machine is still in my backpack!

I sat up suddenly and anxiously rummaged through my backpack. Sure enough, the element was still lying inside, emitting a faint light.

“What’s wrong, Lolo?” Lawrence Lu asked with concern.

My heart was full of struggles and contradictions. On the one hand, I longed to go back to the past, solve the mystery of my life experience, and find my biological parents; on the other hand, I was reluctant to leave Lawrence Lu, the man I loved deeply.

I held the element tightly, caught in a dilemma...

"Lolo, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Lawrence Lu asked anxiously when he saw that I looked abnormal.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the complicated emotions in my heart, raised my head and looked at Lawrence Lu, my eyes full of struggle and pain.

"Yuxuan, I..." I hesitated, not knowing how to start.

“What’s wrong, Lolo? Just tell me what’s going on, don’t keep it in your heart.” Lawrence Lu said gently.

"I...I found a way to go back to the past." I finally plucked up the courage to say this.

“What?” Lawrence Lu was stunned. He couldn’t believe his ears. “You mean, you can go back to the past?”

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes again, "I found the last key to activate the time machine."

Lawrence Lu was silent, his face turned pale. He knew what this meant. It meant that I was going to leave him again and return to the time and space that belonged to me.

The room was silent, with only our heavy breathing echoing in the air.

“You…do you have to go back?” Lawrence Lu’s voice trembled, his eyes filled with sadness and reluctance.

I bit my lip, tears blurring my vision. How could I possibly want to leave him? But I still had my mission, the mystery of my origins to unravel.

"Yuxuan, I'm sorry, I have to go back, I have to find my biological parents, I have to figure out everything." My voice was choked and my heart was broken.

Lawrence Lu stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night sky outside. His back looked lonely and desolate.

"I understand." He said in a low voice, "I won't stop you from pursuing your dreams. I just want you to remember that no matter where you go, I will be here waiting for you when you come back."

My tears rolled down like pearls with broken strings, and I threw myself into Lawrence Lu's arms, hugging him tightly, as if I wanted to melt into his body.

"Yuxuan, I love you, I will always love you!" I said crying.

“I love you too, Lolo.” Lawrence Lu stroked my hair gently, his voice low and firm, “I’ll wait for you to come back.”