I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 366 Thank you for appearing in my life

On the evening of February 28th, the sky was dyed orange and red by the setting sun. Zhang Wanqing stood by the window, gazing at the bustling traffic outside, her heart filled with reluctance. Today was the day before her departure, and she had decided to say goodbye to her family and friends properly, a wish she had to fulfill before traveling back to the Tang Dynasty.

When Zhang Wanqing returned home, her parents were busy in the kitchen, and the table was already filled with her favorite dishes. When her father saw her come in, he stopped what he was doing and smiled lovingly: "Wanqing, why are you back so early today?"

"Dad, Mom, Chenchen, I... I want to have a good meal with you again. Tomorrow night, I'm going to travel back home..." Zhang Wanqing's voice was choked with sobs. She knew that this meal might be her last in this world.

Her father patted her on the back and said softly, "Son, no matter where you go, our hearts will always be with you. You must remember, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you must persevere."

Zhang Wanqing nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

When the mother heard this, her eyes instantly turned red: "Little Baozi, remember, no matter where you go, you must be safe."

"Yes, I will." Zhang Wanqing hugged her mother tightly, buried her face in her shoulder, and tears rolled down her face silently.

"Sister, you will always be my sister!" younger brother Zhang Chen also said.

Zhang Wanqing ate this meal very slowly, wanting to remember the taste of every bite. After dinner, she sat on the sofa with her parents, chatting about the past until night fell.

At 9 p.m. on February 29th, Zhang Wanqing stood in the center of the Lishan Beacon Tower. She clutched the bronze mirror tightly in her hand, silently reciting the incantation the old Taoist priest had taught her. It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that the seven planets in the sky finally aligned. The light of the seven-star alignment grew brighter, as if illuminating her path home.

"I must succeed." Zhang Wanqing prayed silently in her heart.

Zhang Wanqing closed her eyes and chanted the incantation over and over again. As the incantation continued to repeat, the bronze mirror began to emit a faint light, echoing the seven stars in the sky. Zhang Wanqing felt a powerful force enveloping her, and her body began to feel light and airy.

Standing at the foot of Mount Li, Fu Siyuan and Li Wei were also praying for Zhang Wanqing, hoping that her journey through time would be successful.

At this moment, the faces of her family and the smiles of Fu Siyuan and Li Wei appeared in her mind. She knew that they were all cheering for her and she couldn't let them down.

The light grew brighter, and Zhang Wanqing felt herself being pulled by an invisible force, her body beginning to spin. She closed her eyes tightly, silently repeating to herself, "I want to return to the Tang Dynasty, to where I belong."

As the light gradually faded, Zhang Wanqing felt her feet once again on solid ground. She slowly opened her eyes, and before her was a familiar scene—the Tang Dynasty city of Chang'an.

She succeeded, and she really returned to the Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Wanqing looked around excitedly, tears streaming down her face. She had finally returned to the place she had always dreamed of. Her wish had finally come true.

"I'm back, Tang Chao." Zhang Wanqing said softly, her voice full of joy and determination.

Zhang Wanqing stood on the streets of Tang Dynasty, a complex mix of emotions. She was no longer Zhang Wanqing; she was Su Qimeng. Years had passed, and she didn't dare return home. After all, Su Qimeng had passed away years before. She'd learned from others that her mother had died of grief over her "death." And her father, due to political struggles, had been banished to a distant land. The Su family was no longer the prosperous family they had been so many years ago. It had long since fallen into ruin, its former prosperity gone, now a desolate wasteland.

Su Qimeng knew she couldn't just go back to her old life; everything had changed. She decided to find a place to stay in Chang'an and start anew. The Tang Dynasty was an open and tolerant era, characterized by cultural diversity and a liberal social atmosphere. With her wisdom and courage, she quickly found a job in Chang'an, helping organize books and copy scriptures at a bookstore.

The bookshop owner, a kind old man, didn't question Su Qimeng's background; he simply thought she was bright and clever, and took her in. Here, Su Qimeng encountered a vast library of books, from Confucian classics to Buddhist and Taoist texts, from poetry to history. She devoured them with eagerness. She discovered that, despite the passage of time, the culture of the Tang Dynasty remained as vibrant as ever, as if she had been transported back to that vibrant era.

Despite Su Qimeng's efforts to assimilate into her new life, she couldn't forget her father. She knew he had been banished to a distant land, but she wasn't sure where. So, she began to inquire about his whereabouts. Despite the complex social structure and fierce political struggles of the Tang Dynasty, Su Qimeng refused to give up. Using the connections she had made at the bookstore, she gradually learned about her father's banishment to Lingnan.

Lingnan is remote and transportation is difficult, but Su Qimeng didn't hesitate. She decided to embark on a journey to find her father. She faced countless hardships and dangers along the way, but with her unwavering perseverance, she finally found her father in Lingnan. He was old and frail. Su Qimeng had passed away many years ago, and she could no longer suddenly appear before him. How she could be resurrected from the dead, and how she could travel through time, was beyond the comprehension of ancient people. To avoid frightening her father, she remained in Lingnan without recognizing him.

Su Qimeng got a new job in Lingnan, helping people copy books. Although she didn't earn much, she also read many classic books while copying.

Su Qimeng would regularly ask friends to send money and clothes to her father, telling him they were sent by an old friend in Chang'an. Although she couldn't meet her father, Su Qimeng used this method to silently care for him.

Su Qimeng's story ends here.

After "Zhang Wanqing" left, the real Zhang Wanqing awoke. She found herself in a world both familiar and unfamiliar, with no memory of the past few years. Her parents and brother didn't tell her about the former "Zhang Wanqing." Instead, they told her that since she had lost her memory, she shouldn't dwell on the past and could start over.

As Zhang Wanqing's close friends, Fu Siyuan, Li Wei, and Lin Yue understood the difficulties she faced after waking up and decided to do their best to help her reintegrate into modern life. They stayed by her side, providing her with emotional comfort and a sense of warmth and security.

The former "Zhang Wanqing" once earned a high reputation as a leading journalist for her exceptional investigative skills and keen news sense. She, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei formed the "iron triangle" that solved numerous major cases. However, the loss of her memory has forced the current Zhang Wanqing to re-evaluate her career path, perhaps even starting from scratch to adapt to the workplace and build experience and connections.