Ch 24: Text Messages Across Time

Early the next morning, Lin Wu carried his backpack to the classroom. In the first English period, he took out his textbook and reviewed vocabulary for a while, then drifted off, staring out the window. Their classroom was on the sixth floor, and his seat was by the window. From his angle, he could see the canopy of the plane tree outside. It was already the beginning of autumn, but the leaves were still green, not yet turning yellow with the season.

“Hey, hey.” Lost in thought, Lin Wu felt his arm being poked.

“What is it?” He turned his head and saw his deskmate Li Jing tapping him with a pen cap.

“The teacher’s giving a quiz. We have to put all the books away,” Li Jing whispered.

Lin Wu looked around and realized the other students were quietly stuffing books into their desks. The class representative was handing out English test papers. Everyone was preparing for the quiz.

“Thanks.” Lin Wu paused, then began clearing his desk.

After class, Li Jing took the initiative to talk to him. “What’s wrong with you?” She felt he had been off since the start of the week, often spacing out during class.

“Probably because it’s senior year. I haven’t adjusted yet,” Lin Wu said casually.

“There’s only one year left. Let’s work hard together!” Li Jing liked following good students’ example and made a cheering gesture at him.

Lin Wu smiled. “Let’s work hard together.”

It was Sunday, and school ended at three. After dismissal, Lin Wu didn’t leave right away. Instead, he waited until everyone else had gone, then opened his English book. Inside were five lottery tickets, one winning ticket and four random ones. Today was the drawing day. He stared at them in a daze.

At that moment, the phone in his backpack vibrated.

Lin Wu took it out—

Qin Weidong: 【Are you done with school?】

【Yes.】 Lin Wu replied.

【Are you coming today? I feel like eating Zheng Ji soup dumplings from your school entrance.】 At Xuhu Central Hospital, Qin Weidong lay on the bed typing.

Lin Wu paused, then asked: 【One serving of soup dumplings, one bowl of wontons?】

【Mm-hmm!】

【Okay.】

After sending it, Lin Wu slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.

In the hospital, Qin Weidong immediately perked up when he heard Lin Wu was bringing food.

He figured that although he had lent out his phone, each text only cost a dime, and at most Lin Wu used five yuan in a night. He had checked before, messages with that unknown number weren’t counted toward his bill. Translated on Hololo novels. In other words, aside from occupying his phone and using a tiny bit of battery, Lin Wu hadn’t caused him any real financial loss.

“Feels a bit unfair…” Qin Weidong thought. Lin Wu kept bringing him milk tea and buns, while he only lent his phone. Financially, Lin Wu was at a clear disadvantage.

“Which cake shop in the city is the best?” Not liking to take advantage of others, Qin Weidong decided something and cheerfully called Hu Wei.

“Someone’s having a birthday?” Hu Wei was home today, sprawled out watching TV.

“I just feel like eating it. Help me check which cake shop in the city is the best, the tastiest one!”

“Didn’t you not like sweets?” Hu Wei asked groggily.

“I do now. Tastes change!” Qin Weidong cleared his throat.

“Alright…” Though confused, Hu Wei still quickly sent over a number.

Qin Weidong called and ordered several popular desserts. He had already planned it out. When Lin Wu arrived, he would say he couldn’t finish them and let him take some home. Desserts were high in calories and would help him gain weight. Qin Weidong thought Lin Wu looked good, just a bit too thin. A little weight might suit him better. Still, cakes were high in sugar, so he couldn’t let him eat them every day…

Half an hour later, the desserts arrived. He opened the bag and arranged it to look like he had already eaten some, then waited for Lin Wu to arrive.

At 5:40, someone knocked on the door—

“Hello, is this Mr. Qin in room 609?”

“You are?” Qin Weidong walked to the door.

“I’m from Zheng Ji buns. Here are your soup dumplings, wontons, eggs, and braised chicken leg.”

Qin Weidong looked at the items in the delivery man’s hands, fell silent for three seconds, then took them. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Here’s our ordering number. Free delivery within five kilometers.” The delivery man handed him a business card.

Qin Weidong set the card and food on the table, thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed.

“Hello?” Lin Wu answered quickly.

“You’re not coming today?” Qin Weidong asked casually.

“I’m not.” On the bus heading toward the Xuhu steel factory, Lin Wu held onto the rail as he replied.

“No texts tonight either?”

“Not today.”

“…Oh.”

Lin Wu sensed something in Qin Weidong’s tone. After thinking, he asked, “Did you receive the dumplings and wontons?”

“I did. There are eggs and a chicken leg too.”

“It’s too early to eat now. You’ll get hungry later, so I bought a bit extra.”

“Mm.” Qin Weidong asked as if it were nothing, “Coming tomorrow?”

“I am.” Lin Wu thought he was worried about the phone and added, “I’ll return it tomorrow.” Qin Weidong would be discharged the day after tomorrow, and there was no point in him holding onto it.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow.” Knowing Lin Wu would come, Qin Weidong felt a bit more at ease.

At that moment, the Xuhu steel factory stop arrived. Lin Wu said, “I’m at my stop. Talk later?”

“Alright…” Qin Weidong actually still wanted to chat a bit longer.

………

Half a minute later, Lin Wu got off at the Xuhu Steel Factory stop along with the other passengers. It was 5:50 now, with ten minutes left before the factory got off work. He spoke to the gate guard, then made his way familiarly to the second cafeteria.

Qiu Yan’e was outside fetching water. Lin Wu looked somewhat familiar to her. “Do you need something?”

“Supervisor Qiu, I’m here to pick up my mom after work,” Lin Wu said politely.

“Oh, you’re looking for Xiaorong. She’s inside. You can go in and wait. We don’t get off until six.” Qiu Yan’e remembered who he was.

Lin Wu didn’t go in right away. Seeing her struggling with the water, he asked, “Do you need help?”

“No need, you can go in.” Whether or not he truly meant it, Lin Wu was polite and attentive, which left her with a good impression.

“Alright.”

Lin Wu went inside with his backpack. The second cafeteria handled all the steamed buns for the entire factory complex. The peak hours were from four to five in the afternoon. Translated on Hololo novels. By now, all the buns had already been distributed, and the staff had changed clothes and were sitting on stools, waiting to clock out.

The moment Lin Wu entered, he saw Luo Xiaorong.

She was sitting alone on a stool, staring fixedly at the clock on the wall. When she saw Lin Wu, her face lit up with surprise, and she waved energetically. “Xiao… Wu—Wu—” She stammered slightly in her excitement.

“Mom.” Lin Wu smiled and sat down beside her.

Others looked over curiously. Some had seen Lin Wu before, others hadn’t, but everyone was curious about Luo Xiaorong’s son.

Lin Wu returned their looks with a polite smile, like any ordinary high school student.

Seven minutes later, the end-of-work bell rang. Everyone skillfully clocked out. Lin Wu accompanied Luo Xiaorong to clock out, and as they were about to leave, Qiu Yan’e handed him a bag. “We made extra today, one bag per person.”

Inside were steamed buns and flower rolls, part of the factory’s allowed take-home employee benefits. Luo Xiaorong had brought some home before.

“Thank you!” Lin Wu accepted it gratefully.

“It’s nothing. The cameras are still on, do you want to take a look?” The factory leadership had said before that Lin Wu could check the surveillance whenever he wanted.

“Would that be inconvenient?” Lin Wu had indeed come today to see what Luo Xiaorong’s workday was like.

“It’s fine. Xiaorong works well here. She makes good buns, and no one bullies her.” Qiu Yan’e openly turned on the footage.

Lin Wu didn’t refuse.

For the next ten minutes, he carefully watched Luo Xiaorong’s daily routine. Just as Qiu Yan’e had said, she started work at two in the afternoon, kneading dough and making buns. She didn’t interact much with others, and others didn’t interact much with her. She had a strong dullness toward the outside world, so she didn’t feel lonely. If someone tried to talk to her, she would instead become flustered.

After ten minutes, Lin Wu finished watching and stood up. “Thank you for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing. Now you can feel at ease.” Qiu Yan’e liked Luo Xiaorong’s work efficiency and, knowing the two depended on each other, was willing to be more accommodating.

At 6:20, the two of them left the cafeteria.

Wang Manshan was off today. Starting next week, Luo Xiaorong would also have scheduled days off, four days a month, just like him.

The nearest shuttle bus had already left, so Lin Wu stood with Luo Xiaorong at the bus stop, waiting for a public bus. His thoughts had been heavy all day.

He wanted both Luo Xiaorong and Wang Jiahui to live. As long as he cashed in the lottery and moved away, they could survive. But when he thought of the other people in the fourth ending, he felt he couldn’t go through with it.

“I’m sorry.” Looking at Luo Xiaorong’s dark hair, Lin Wu felt deeply inadequate.

“Wu… Wu…” Luo Xiaorong poked him. Lin Wu felt something being slipped into his pocket.

He reached in and pulled it out. It was two red dates.

“Eat… you eat—” Luo Xiaorong giggled. Qiu Yan’e had brought them for soaking in water earlier. She had been given two at noon but hadn’t eaten them, and now had tucked them into Lin Wu’s pocket.

Holding the red dates, Lin Wu suddenly remembered how, when he was little, Luo Xiaorong would always save any good food for him. That habit had lasted seventeen years.

At 9:30, after watching the lottery drawing, Lin Wu went downstairs to Wang Jiahui’s building.

Wang Jiahui had gone shopping with classmates. When she returned and saw Lin Wu standing downstairs, she was surprised. “Brother Lin Wu, why aren’t you going upstairs?” She was about 165 cm tall, with a round face, warm and lively like Hao Shuqin.

“Are you looking for my parents? They should be upstairs.” Thinking he was there to see Hao Shuqin and the others, she pulled him along toward the building.

“I was just passing by, so I stopped to take a look,” Lin Wu said as normally as he could. He had just seen the lottery results at home. Six out of seven numbers matched. What the other side said was true. His last bit of hope was gone.

“What’s there to look at here?” Wang Jiahui followed his gaze but couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

“Huihui.” Lin Wu called softly.

“What is it?” She turned to him.

He had many things to say but didn’t know how to begin. In the end, he said, “I might make some choices that hurt you. I’m sorry.” Once a move was made, it couldn’t be undone. He couldn’t tell her she would die, or everything would fall apart.

Wang Jiahui widened her eyes. “How would you hurt me?”

“I might make some choices that aren’t good for you…”

“What choices?”

“…It’s hard to explain.” Lin Wu was usually very logical, but now he couldn’t express it clearly.

“Brother Lin Wu, you’re acting strange.”

Wang Jiahui was two years younger than Lin Wu. When she was little, she had been small and often bullied by other children. Translated on Hololo novels. Back then, Lin Wu’s parents hadn’t yet been mistreated, but Lin Wu would secretly help her get back at those who bullied her. From that point on, she had become very attached to him.

Though confused, Wang Jiahui still smiled and looped her arm through his. “Brother Lin Wu, even if everyone else hurts me, you wouldn’t. Even if you accidentally did, it wouldn’t be on purpose. Alright, I’ll speak for my future self. If you really do hurt me unintentionally someday, I forgive you in advance! But there’s a price, I want an ice cream cone!”

Lin Wu couldn’t help but laugh.

When Wang Jiahui mentioned the ice cream cone, both Lin Wu and Wang Jiahui laughed. They thought of how, when she was little and had cavities, Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin wouldn’t let her eat sweets. She would secretly take her pocket money and find him—

“Brother Lin Wu, I’ll treat you to an ice cream. Can you go to the supermarket and secretly buy two, then secretly give them to me…”

Back then, Lin Wu didn’t buy it for her. But later, after her cavities were cured, the two of them often went to buy ice cream together.

Lin Wu ruffled Wang Jiahui’s hair. “Okay.”

At the same time, he told himself: there was still time, there must still be another perfect ending.

…

At a beach convenience store in 2024, the shop owner saw Lin Wu standing in front of the freezer while other customers were waiting behind him. He tapped on the freezer. “Which one do you want? Have you decided?”

“Yes, this red ice cream cone. And five bottles of mineral water.” Lin Wu snapped out of his thoughts and answered.

That morning, after talking with Hao Shuqin and the others, the four of them decided not to think about the time-travel phone anymore and planned to enjoy the fireworks together that night. The show was organized by the Shenhai government to attract tourists, held at Shenhai Third Beach, with an expected attendance of over thirty thousand people.

The fireworks would start at ten. After discussing, they decided to meet at the landmark of the Third Beach at 9:30.

Lin Wu knew that although they said they wouldn’t think about the phone, each of them still wanted to do something on their own. He hadn’t stayed home that day. Instead, he took Luo Xiaorong to Shenhai Amusement Park. She had a wonderful time. He didn’t plan to tell her the truth. Even if he did, she wouldn’t understand. He only wanted to remember what she looked like at sixty, happy and smiling.

At nine in the evening, he brought Luo Xiaorong to the meeting point.

“Huihui just called. There’s traffic, she might be a bit late.” Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan had arrived early. He was dressed in a suit, and she wore a silk qipao, both looking refined and elegant.

“Is this too formal?” Hao Shuqin asked shyly, tugging at her clothes when she noticed Lin Wu looking.

“Not at all. You look beautiful,” Lin Wu said sincerely.

There was still time before the show. He looked around and handed Luo Xiaorong to them. “Please watch my mom for a bit. I’ll go buy some water.”

“Go ahead, go ahead!” Hao Shuqin held onto Luo Xiaorong.

Lin Wu was wearing a camel-colored coat over a light shirt. After speaking, he headed to the nearest convenience store. It was crowded, and after squeezing through, he noticed the ice cream cones.

The packaging was the same as the ones Wang Jiahui used to eat as a child. Back then it cost fifty cents. Now the market price was five yuan, but at a popular spot like this, it had gone up to fifteen.

“Anything else?” the shop owner asked after taking it out.

“No.” Lin Wu paid.

When he stepped out, he saw a nearby stall selling glowing headbands. They were panda-shaped and very cute. He bought five, and also a half-person-sized teddy bear, planning to give it to Wang Jiahui.

He had bought too many things and could only carry the bear in his arms while holding the bags, squeezing his way back through the crowd. As the fireworks approached, more and more people filled the beach. While climbing the steps, someone bumped into him.

His body lurched forward from the momentum, but a pair of strong hands caught him from behind.

“Thank you…” Lin Wu wanted to turn and thank the person, but the bear made it awkward. Just then, Wang Jiahui arrived and spotted him from a higher platform. “Brother Lin Wu!”

Lin Wu waved to show he saw her. The crowd loosened slightly, and he turned to thank the person who had helped him, but they were already gone.

Ten minutes later, Lin Wu reached the viewing platform, where Wang Jiahui had already joined Luo Xiaorong and the others.

He handed the teddy bear to Wang Jiahui, then gave each of them a bottle of water and a glowing headband.

“Wow! Is this for me?” Wang Jiahui rubbed her face against the teddy bear, delighted. She loved plush toys.

“And this.” Lin Wu handed her the ice cream.

“Ahh, Brother Lin Wu, you still remember I like this. You’re the best!” Wang Jiahui happily took it.

Lin Wu smiled and ruffled her hair. “Where’s Li Hang?”

“This is our gathering. Why would we bring him?” Wang Jiahui took a big bite.

“Mm.” Lin Wu didn’t say more.

They had arrived late, but the view from this row was good. Lin Wu sat in the middle, Luo Xiaorong on his left, Hao Shuqin on his right, and further right were Wang Jiahui and Wang Manshan.

At exactly ten, music filled the air, followed by dazzling fireworks. The show would last fifteen minutes. All five of them looked up, just like the other visitors around them, happy and immersed in the moment.

During the fireworks, Lin Wu held Luo Xiaorong tightly in his arms. She glanced up at him, then turned back to the sky.

Hao Shuqin also watched the fireworks. As they bloomed layer by layer, she asked softly, “Xiao Wu… is everything ending today?”

Lin Wu let out a quiet sound. “Mm.”

Yesterday, he had only told his seventeen-year-old self the ending, not made the choice for him. But he understood his younger self. They were the same at their core.

Lin Wu kept watching the fireworks. As he watched, his eyes blurred, and tears fell.

He felt a pair of gentle, warm hands.

Looking down, he saw Luo Xiaorong gazing at him. “Don’t… cry.” She placed a piece of fruit candy in his hand, just like she used to.

Another wave of fireworks burst into the sky. Hao Shuqin turned to him kindly. “Xiao Wu, there wasn’t time to say this yesterday. When you contact your seventeen-year-old self next time, tell him not to blame himself. Even if the ending is bad, he should still try to be happy.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu closed his eyes.

At 10:12, the chime sounded in his mind. Lin Wu watched as Luo Xiaorong and the others slowly faded away like characters from a fairy tale. The surroundings shifted like a montage in a film. He watched numbly.

In what felt like an instant, he was back at the Xuhu hotel.

Lin Wu turned on the computer. The Shenhai fireworks show was being livestreamed. He saw drones sweeping over the sea, the beach, the bathing area, and the very platform where they had just been sitting.

Now, in their place, sat a happy family of three, as if the five of them had never been there.

Lin Wu walked to the sink. In the mirror, his camel-colored coat had become a dark brown set of pajamas. At that moment, he understood which ending his seventeen-year-old self had chosen—

Everything had returned to the beginning:

Wang Jiahui had been gravely injured and left in a vegetative state. Luo Xiaorong had died in a car accident. Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan had taken their own lives twenty years later.

Because everything had reset, they had never gone to Shenhai, never watched the fireworks that night. He himself was still in the Xuhu hotel…

Everything had returned to the first ending.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.