Ch 29: Text Messages Across Time

“Mr. Lin, this is today’s autumn pear soup. The hotel has recently added a complimentary late-night snack service for long-term guests. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, you can also contact the front desk in advance.” At 9:50, in the Xu Hu Hotel of 2024, the attendant delivered another bowl of autumn pear soup just as before. Now that the weather was turning cooler, the hotel had added quite a few thoughtful warm services.

“Thank you.” Lin Wu had the attendant place the pear soup on the table, then sat down at the desk.

There was now a notebook on the table, with key pieces of information written inside such as “Li Jing 10.21” and “Wang Jiahui 11.19.” This was his case notebook. After his memory refreshed, what was written in it would differ slightly from what he had now, but he retained the memories of every ending, so those differences did not affect his analysis of the case as a whole.

Lin Wu set the notebook aside and began drinking the autumn pear soup. These soups were freshly simmered in earthenware pots and were delicious. At 10:20, after finishing the soup, his memory refreshed right on time.

…

October 21. He arrived at the classroom early.

“You’re here so early today.” Li Jing arrived ten minutes later than Lin Wu and looked surprised when she saw him. Her home was close to the school, so she usually got there before he did.

“I left early today,” Lin Wu said after a brief silence. According to the messages from the future, something would happen to Li Jing today.

“Lin Wu, what school are you planning to apply to later?” Li Jing did not notice the expression on his face. After setting down her schoolbag, she asked casually.

“I don’t know.” He knew he would later get into Jianghe University, but the future was made up of the present. If he let up now, his life’s trajectory could still change.

“You’ve been pretty steady these last few exams. If you can bring your English up, I feel like you could make a run at Jianghe University,” Li Jing said, helping him analyze it.

“What university are you planning on?” Lin Wu asked.

“Not sure yet. Maybe Jianghe University of Political Science and Law, or Jianghe University of Finance and Economics. It depends on how I estimate my gaokao (college entrance exam) score.” Li Jing was not as strong a student as Lin Wu, but she stayed steadily within the top twenty of the year. If she performed consistently, she could get into a very good key university.

“Let’s both do our best,” Lin Wu said encouragingly.

“Let’s both do our best!” Li Jing replied, making a little cheering gesture with her hand.

At 8:30, Li Jing packed up her things and got ready to go home. Lin Wu looked at her. “Li Jing.”

“What is it?” Li Jing turned around curiously.

“Nothing.” He had wanted to remind her to be careful, but he feared that, like in the second ending, one sentence from him might trigger an irreversible tragedy.

“See you tomorrow!” Li Jing said with a smile and a wave.

“Mm.” Lin Wu knew she would never come to school again after this.

The next day, Li Jing’s seat was empty. Aside from the students directly in front of, behind, and beside her, no one noticed that one classmate was missing.

At three in the afternoon, five police officers came to the back of the classroom, and then the students who were close to Li Jing were all called out.

At 4:15, Lin Wu was called out as well.

“Don’t be nervous. We just want to understand the situation a little,” one of the officers asked with practiced ease. “Has Li Jing shown anything unusual lately? For example, did she have conflicts with anyone outside school, or was she being followed?”

“I don’t know. Li Jing had a pretty good temper. I never saw her get into conflict with anyone. As for being followed… I didn’t notice anything.” Lin Wu answered seriously, like an ordinary deskmate, then looked up and asked, “May I ask if something happened to Li Jing?”

“No, we’re just looking into some things.” The officer wrote down what Lin Wu had said, asked a few more questions, then patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, you can go back now.”

“Mm.”

After returning to the classroom, Lin Wu heard plenty of people discussing whether something had happened to Li Jing. Someone even tapped him on the shoulder and asked what the police had said to him.

“Nothing much. They just asked about Li Jing’s situation at school.” Lin Wu did not join the discussion.

A week later, Li Jing’s case appeared in the newspaper. The report did not reveal her identity, only saying that on the evening of October 21, a female high school student had been followed after school. Translated on Hololo novels. Fortunately, a kind passerby had helped her, and her life was not in danger. The suspect had escaped, and the police reminded the public to pay attention to safety and avoid going out at night.

In the second week, Li Jing’s father withdrew her from school. Some classmates who were familiar with her said that she had transferred to a top provincial high school. Lin Wu’s deskmate was replaced by a boy with glasses.

November 18. Lin Wu asked for leave early, using family matters as an excuse.

“It’s a critical period for senior year. If you can avoid taking leave, then try not to,” the homeroom teacher said, with some disapproval, though in the end he still signed the leave slip.

At two in the afternoon on the nineteenth, Lin Wu found Wang Manshan.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you have class today?” Wang Manshan was very surprised by Lin Wu’s sudden appearance.

“Uncle Wang, there’s something important I need to tell you,” Lin Wu said gravely.

“What is it?”

“I suspect Huihui is being followed. Do you remember that news last month about the high school girl who was followed…”

He did not mention the text messages. He only said that over the past few days, while going to and from school, he had felt that someone was tailing Huihui. He hoped Wang Manshan could find two people to lie in wait by the grove ahead of time. If someone really was up to no good, they could catch him red-handed and call the police immediately.

“I’ll stay with Huihui the whole time today. Find two people around your age and have them hide in advance. Don’t tell anyone else. The suspect may be carrying a weapon.”

After saying this, Lin Wu emphasized that the suspect sketch described a man around thirty years old. As long as they deployed carefully, the chances that the men Wang Manshan found would themselves be the killer were very small. If the killer did not appear, that would also indirectly prove that the killer was one of the two people Wang Manshan had brought in. In any case, as long as word did not get out, Lin Wu felt his plan should work.

“Xiao Wu, could this just be your imagination?” Wang Manshan was completely dazed after hearing this long explanation.

“The day before yesterday, I saw someone acting suspiciously in the grove. Huihui often takes that path, so I think it’s better if we’re careful.” Lin Wu knew Wang Manshan would agree, just as he had in the fourth ending.

“Should we tell Huihui first?” Wang Manshan agreed, and began analyzing the situation together with Lin Wu.

“I’m worried the suspect will realize something is wrong and run. Then Huihui could still be in danger.”

“Are you sure he’ll appear tonight?”

“It’s possible.”

Wang Manshan hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. Tonight I’ll call two people over to keep watch.”

“Not too many people. And they must be tight-lipped,” Lin Wu emphasized again.

“I understand,” Wang Manshan nodded seriously.

At 8:00 that evening, Lin Wu, dressed in sportswear, stood waiting at the entrance of Lide, pushing a bicycle. The bicycle had been borrowed for him by Wang Manshan, just right for keeping up with Wang Jiahui’s bike.

At 8:30, Lide dismissed for the day, and he quickly spotted Wang Jiahui. As usual, she rode alongside her classmates, chatting as they went. When they reached the intersection, they split up, leaving Wang Jiahui riding alone.

From Lide to the residential compound was about five kilometers. Lin Wu followed behind the entire time, doing his best to blend in as an ordinary passerby while subtly scanning the surroundings. There were pedestrians all around, as well as steel factory workers heading to the night shift. None of them looked like the killer.

At 7:50, the bicycle reached the area near the compound. Besides its three main gates, the compound also had a secluded side entrance. After entering through this small gate, one had to pass through a patch of woods. Few people used this path.

The building where Wang Jiahui lived was right near that grove. She habitually used the side gate when going to and from school, saving about three hundred meters compared to the main entrance.

Just as before, Wang Jiahui arrived at the side gate, lifted her bicycle slightly, and began pushing it inside.

Lin Wu kept a distance of about thirty meters behind her. After confirming there was no one else around, he quickened his pace, keeping himself concealed in the darkness, moving lightly, hardly daring to breathe.

Ah!

A scream of terror suddenly rang out ahead.

It was Wang Jiahui!

Lin Wu no longer cared about exposing himself and rushed forward immediately.

“Grab him!” Lin Wu heard Wang Manshan’s voice. At the same time, a shadowy figure stumbled toward him. He lunged forward to block it. The figure flailed wildly, and Lin Wu felt a sharp pain in his hand, but he didn’t stop. He forced the figure down and pinned him to the ground.

“Hold him down, quick, hold him down!” Wang Manshan came running over, breathing heavily.

Six hours earlier, Wang Manshan had followed Lin Wu’s plan and found two reliable coworkers. “Old Zhou, Old Li, are you busy after work? I need a favor.”

“What is it?” the two asked curiously.

“It’s something important. I can’t explain right now. Can you come to my place at seven?”

“Why so mysterious…” They found Wang Manshan a bit strange, but since they all lived in the same compound, they agreed.

At seven, the two arrived at Wang Manshan’s home.

“I think someone has set their sights on my daughter. Can you come with me to the grove later?” Seeing the time was right, Wang Manshan got straight to the point.

“What do you mean?” The two were taken aback.

“A couple of days ago, I picked her up from school and felt like someone was behind her. Gave me a really bad feeling.” Wang Manshan did not mention Lin Wu.

“Oh… alright…” The two agreed, still a bit confused.

“That person might have a weapon. Let’s bring something for self-defense.”

There wasn’t much at home for protection, so in the end the three of them left carrying scissors, a kitchen knife, and a fruit knife.

On their way out, they happened to run into Hao Shuqin.

“Where are you all going?” she asked curiously.

“Old Zhou’s treating us. We’re heading to the market to grab something to eat,” Wang Manshan said, nudging Old Zhou.

“Yeah, yeah, my treat!” Old Zhou quickly chimed in.

“Go on then, don’t drink too much,” Hao Shuqin said, not suspecting anything.

The three soon arrived at the grove. Translated on Hololo novels. It had been planted by the steel factory and covered about twenty acres. Dense and secluded, it was rarely passed through except by a few residents taking shortcuts.

They arrived at 7:10 and immediately found a concealed spot to hide.

“Everyone stay hidden. Don’t give anything away,” Wang Manshan reminded them before settling in.

“This feels like we’re filming a TV drama…” The two thought Wang Manshan was being overly paranoid, but they cooperated fully, not daring to check their phones or make a sound.

Just as they were starting to think Wang Manshan had imagined it all, at 7:50, a figure appeared in the grove. The figure was about 1.7 meters tall, male. At first they thought he was just cutting through, but after entering, he wandered around briefly before hiding behind an abandoned truck bed. That truck bed was only three meters away from Old Zhou. They were so afraid of being discovered that they barely dared to breathe.

The three of them couldn’t tell if the man was dangerous, so they continued waiting.

At 8:00, Wang Jiahui pushed her bicycle into the grove.

The moment she passed the truck bed, the man suddenly rushed out. Wang Manshan and the others were already prepared. As soon as they saw movement, they lunged forward. Realizing something was wrong, the man immediately turned and ran, only to run straight into Lin Wu.

Lin Wu blocked him with all his strength. The man flailed in panic. After a chaotic struggle, the man was finally subdued.

Wang Manshan switched on the flashlight—

“Quick, he’s got a knife, call the police first!”

At this moment, Lin Wu was pinning the man down. Once Old Zhou and Old Li reacted, they quickly knocked the knife out of the man’s hand, twisted his arms behind his back, and held him firmly to the ground.

Lin Wu got up and noticed a large gash running from his left forearm to the back of his hand. But it didn’t matter.

“Where’s Huihui?” Lin Wu asked.

“Brother Lin Wu, I’m fine.” Wang Jiahui stepped out from the side. She had been startled just now, but Wang Manshan and the others had moved quickly. Aside from a fall, she was unharmed.

“That’s good.” Lin Wu let out a breath of relief and looked at the man on the ground.

Male, around thirty years old, height between 170 and 175 centimeters, build suggesting manual labor. Everything matched.

Haa—

As if all his strength had drained away, Lin Wu dropped straight to the ground.

Five minutes later, the police arrived. After investigation, the man was identified as a worker from a nearby construction site. He confessed to the previous two cases without hesitation. The Xuhu serial murder case was about to be solved.

In the Xuhu Hotel, Lin Wu watched everything intently. The heaviness that had built up through the first five endings seemed to ease the moment the killer was caught. But three seconds later, that sense of relief vanished—

November 25. Luo Xiaorong went missing. He searched the entire night but couldn’t find her. On the morning of the 26th, Wang Manshan received a hurried phone call, then looked at him with concern.

“Lin Wu, you need to prepare yourself…” Wang Manshan said.

“What happened?” Lin Wu forced a smile, trying not to think of the worst.

“Something happened to your mom…”

Luo Xiaorong was dead. The cause of death was the same as before: a fatal throat cut. The location of death: a remote workshop in the Xuhu steel factory.

What differed from the previous times was that beside Luo Xiaorong’s body, there was a crudely drawn smiley face, as if mocking Lin Wu’s overestimation of himself.

The Xuhu murder case was still ongoing. This time, Wang Jiahui did not die, but after Luo Xiaorong, there were three more victims.

What followed passed like a blur. Because Wang Jiahui’s family had not been harmed, his memories changed drastically. His career trajectory remained similar to before, until September 2024, when he returned to Xuhu to deal with matters related to his house.

Ugh—

At the moment his memory refreshed, Lin Wu rushed into the bathroom and retched. It was a physical dry heave triggered by emotion. Twenty years. He had never expected the new ending to turn out like this.

“It’s okay… there’s still a chance…” Lin Wu forced himself to steady his mindset.

Although this ending was not perfect, it brought new breakthroughs:

1. The person who killed Wang Jiahui and the one who killed Luo Xiaorong were not the same. After professional interrogation, the grove attacker admitted it was a copycat crime. Wang Jiahui had been his first random target. Now that he was caught, Wang Jiahui was safe.
2. He still had another chance. Next time, he only needed to plan ahead specifically for Luo Xiaorong.

After calming himself, Lin Wu slowly rolled up his sleeve. There was a scar running across his arm and the back of his hand. Because the stab wound had been so deep back then, the scar was especially ugly, and it would ache on rainy days.

In this ending, he had directly felt that with each change, his own life might eventually be lost. Translated on Hololo novels. If that moment came, then in 2024, this hotel would no longer have a “Lin Wu.” He needed to give his seventeen-year-old self another serious warning.

Lin Wu drank a glass of water. At that moment, the new phone on the table rang. He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number.

He answered the call.

“Is this Lin Wu?” A voice came through, one that sounded vaguely familiar.

“Who is this?” Lin Wu asked.

“It’s Gao Xiaoping. Do you remember me?”

“Class monitor Gao?” Lin Wu recalled. The other person had been his class monitor in high school.

“Haha, I heard from a classmate that someone saw you in Xuhu recently. You’re back? I asked the homeroom teacher for your number. Are you still in Xuhu? We’ve got a high school reunion next month. Are you coming?”

Gao Xiaoping chatted away on the other end. Lin Wu’s mind was a bit scattered. “When is it?”

“October 17. Are you free?”

“I’ll see when the time comes.”

“Alright! I’ll put your name down first. It’s been so many years since we’ve seen each other…”

After some polite exchanges, Lin Wu hung up. He then checked the time. 10:19.

He looked at the old phone. There were three unread messages on it, sent from his seventeen-year-old self.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.