Ch 30: Text Messages Across Time

Lin Wu opened the messages.

【How did it go?】

【Can you receive this?】

【S, can you receive this?】

………

Seven minutes had passed since the memory refresh. These three messages had come in roughly every two minutes. After steadying himself, Lin Wu replied: 【Sorry, I had something come up just now.】

“It replied!” The moment Lin Wu responded, in the residential compound in 2004, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu and Qin Weidong both let out a sigh of relief. Seven minutes earlier, they had sent messages as usual. After building up a tacit understanding over time, their first message was typically sent between 10:12 and 10:13.

After sending, they waited for a reply. One minute, two minutes… as time passed bit by bit, their mood shifted from relaxed to anxious. They were worried something had happened to the other side. Now, at last, there was a response.

“Is there a new ending?” Lin Wu immediately asked.

“On November 19, you prepared in advance according to the plan. The killer who murdered Wang Jiahui has been identified: Guo Chengchun, male, born in 1972, a worker on the Xuhu Daming construction team. He has an extreme personality with strong vindictive tendencies. This was a random copycat crime…” Lin Wu clearly explained the information from his side.

Seventeen-year-old Lin Wu and Qin Weidong read carefully. Then suddenly, they both sensed something off. “A copycat crime?”

“Mm. It was his first offense. Because of the severe social impact, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Due to fights in prison, he was prosecuted twice more. There is no possibility of release.”

“What about my mom?” Lin Wu’s heart skipped a beat.

“She was killed on November 26. After that, there were three more victims. The killer still has no leads.”

“There’s a second killer?” Lin Wu frowned unconsciously upon reading that line.

“It’s okay.” Qin Weidong had been watching Lin Wu’s emotions the whole time. After reassuring him, he sent: “We still have a chance, right? Can we track Luo Xiaorong the same way we tracked Wang Jiahui, and then find the second killer?”

“Mm. This ending isn’t perfect, but Huihui and Uncle Wang are safe.”

“Should we open the next ending line?” Lin Wu also tried to remain calm.

“Mm.” They had already confirmed one killer. Since there was still some time before his crime, they planned to find the second killer and capture him in one move, avoiding unnecessary risks.

“You were injured while subduing the killer. After we open this next line, you must be more careful,” Lin Wu reminded seriously after explaining some details of the sixth ending.

“Where were you injured?” Qin Weidong was shocked.

“My arm… I had some cuts…” Lin Wu briefly described the injury.

“Let me see!” In the room, Qin Weidong pushed up Lin Wu’s sleeve. Right now, his arm was smooth and unmarked. Qin Weidong let out a breath, then suddenly realized something important. “Where was I when you were tracking the killer? I’m close with you. There’s no way I wouldn’t be involved.”

“You’re tall. Too noticeable. Lin Wu didn’t let you go,” Lin Wu paused before answering. In truth, he didn’t know either why Qin Weidong wasn’t in those memories. He could only guess that without the bridge of the space-time phone, they had lost contact.

“Is that so…” Qin Weidong frowned, then asked, “How do you know all this so clearly?”

“I’m good friends with Lin Wu. He told me,” the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu replied.

At 10:27, the space-time connection ended. Now, Qin Weidong sat on the edge of the bed while Lin Wu sat on a chair. Both were thinking about what they had just learned.

Boom!

A loud crash came from outside the window. At some point, it had started raining.

“Um…” Lin Wu spoke first.

“What is it?” Qin Weidong looked at him.

“Do you want to let go first?” Lin Wu gestured toward his arm.

Only then did Qin Weidong realize he was still gripping Lin Wu’s arm. Translated on Hololo novels. He had been thinking so hard that he had unconsciously tightened his grip, leaving a red mark.

“Sorry, does it hurt?” Lin Wu’s skin was fair, and the red mark stood out sharply. Qin Weidong immediately panicked.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.” Lin Wu pulled his sleeve back down. Qin Weidong watched him, seeming like he wanted to say something but didn’t.

At 10:30, the rain outside grew heavier. Qin Weidong stood by the window and looked out. “Do you have an umbrella?”

“Yes.” Lin Wu found a black umbrella.

“Alright, I’ll head back then.” Qin Weidong took the umbrella and prepared to leave.

“I’ll walk you out.” Lin Wu followed behind him.

They reached the entrance on the first floor. It had turned into a sudden downpour. Earlier it had only been light rain, but now it was coming down as hard as hail.

“This umbrella isn’t enough. You should go back. I’ll just make it on my own,” Qin Weidong said after gauging the rain.

“Are there still cars at the entrance?” Lin Wu asked.

“There are. Don’t worry about it.” Qin Weidong said that, but it didn’t seem like it would be easy to get a taxi.

The rain kept getting heavier. He looked at the water pooling on the ground and was about to open the umbrella and rush out.

“Qin Weidong,” Lin Wu suddenly called out.

“What is it?” The wind was loud, and Qin Weidong had to raise his voice.

“The rain’s too heavy. Come back upstairs with me.”

“What?”

“I said, the rain’s too heavy. Come back upstairs with me!”

………

Three minutes later, Lin Wu brought Qin Weidong back home. Qin Weidong followed behind in a daze. Just moments ago, he had still been thinking about how to get back to school, so how had he suddenly ended up back here with Lin Wu?

“This is my winter quilt. I washed it before putting it away, and aired it out again not long ago. You can make do with it for tonight?” After entering the room, Lin Wu took out a thick quilt from the wardrobe.

“Oh, okay, okay!” Qin Weidong finally snapped out of it, then immediately realized something important: there were only two beds in Lin Wu’s house. Luo Xiaorong slept in the next room… so he and Lin Wu were going to share a bed?

“Do you want to sleep on the inside or the outside?” Lin Wu placed the quilt on the bed, confirming Qin Weidong’s suspicion.

“Inside, I guess…” Qin Weidong was still a bit dazed.

“There’s no private bathroom at home. We usually go to the public bathhouse in the compound. It’s raining today, so it’s probably closed. Just make do for one night…” Lin Wu rolled the quilt into a cylinder and placed it on the inner side, then took out the pillow they usually used for back support. Soon, both their bedding was arranged.

He opened the wardrobe, intending to find Qin Weidong some sleepwear. After sizing him up, he said, “My sleepwear’s a bit small. It probably won’t fit you.”

“It’s fine. I usually sleep without clothes,” Qin Weidong said, then added a little awkwardly, “I showered at school yesterday.” He was actually worried Lin Wu might mind him using the same quilt.

“There are disposable cups and a new toothbrush at home. I’ll go find them.” Lin Wu smiled and brought him a disposable cup and a new toothbrush.

There were two sinks in the hallway at Lin Wu’s home, one for washing vegetables and cooking, the other for brushing teeth and washing up. Three minutes later, Qin Weidong stood in the hallway brushing his teeth while Lin Wu changed clothes and tidied the room.

As Qin Weidong brushed, he watched Lin Wu’s movements. During this time, Luo Xiaorong quietly opened her door a few times to peek outside. After Lin Wu went in and said something to her, she gradually fell asleep.

Once Qin Weidong finished washing up, Lin Wu went out to do the same. By the time he returned to the room, Qin Weidong had already wrapped himself in the blanket like a cocoon, his clothes neatly folded on the chair.

“Anything else you need? I’m turning off the light,” Lin Wu asked after setting his alarm.

“Go ahead!”

Lin Wu turned off the light, then slipped under the outer blanket. In the darkness, the senses became heightened. The moment Lin Wu lay down, Qin Weidong felt his body tense up instantly, his heart pounding rapidly. It felt strange.

“Is your arm okay?” Qin Weidong spoke, trying to break the odd tension.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Lin Wu replied.

Qin Weidong felt like he had quite a strong grip. After thinking for a moment, he turned toward Lin Wu. “Let me see.”

“Now?”

“Yeah!” Qin Weidong turned on his phone flashlight.

Lin Wu had been lying with his right side facing Qin Weidong’s left. The injury had been on his left arm. Seeing how serious Qin Weidong was, he turned toward him and lifted his sleeve.

Qin Weidong placed the phone between their blankets, the light shining upward toward the ceiling. It wasn’t bright, but it was enough to see.

Qin Weidong reached out and carefully examined Lin Wu’s arm. “I didn’t notice earlier. You should’ve told me sooner. I held onto you for so long…” The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt.

“It’s fine now. It didn’t hurt earlier either.” Lin Wu just had fair skin that showed marks easily. Physically, he was actually quite sturdy.

“You still should’ve said something!” After confirming there was nothing wrong, Qin Weidong asked, “Lin Wu, are we friends?”

“Do you need a friend?” Lin Wu didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up.

“I do. I’ve got a lot of friends, but not many I’m truly close to. We kind of met in a pretty extraordinary way, and I think I’m a decent person, and you’re pretty good too, so… we’re friends, right?” Qin Weidong tried to sound casual, but there was sincerity in his voice.

Lin Wu didn’t really know how to define friendship, nor whether he needed it. In the end, he gave a vague answer: “I guess so.”

“Then from now on, take me with you when you do tracking or investigations. Honestly, I still don’t get why I wasn’t there before. It doesn’t fit my personality…” He felt that if he had been there in that previous ending, Lin Wu might not have gotten hurt.

“Mm.” The rain outside grew heavier. Lin Wu simply answered.

Qin Weidong was still thinking, then suddenly realized he was still “examining” Lin Wu’s arm. He quickly pulled down Lin Wu’s sleeve and tucked it back under the blanket. “It’s getting cold. Stay warm!”

“Okay.” Lin Wu couldn’t help but laugh at his actions.

Because Qin Weidong had leaned in to tuck his arm in, his body had unconsciously moved closer. Lowering his head slightly, he caught sight of Lin Wu smiling.

Thump, thump, thump!

His heartbeat sped up even more. From this angle, Lin Wu actually looked quite good… not just from this angle, even when they first met, he had already looked good…

Thump!

Qin Weidong quickly lay back down, fumbling to turn off the flashlight.

Now they shifted from facing each other to lying flat on their backs. After calming himself, Qin Weidong spoke again after a while, “Lin Wu.”

“Mm?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Not yet.”

“When are you going to claim the prize?” He didn’t lack money himself, but he knew the purchasing power of five hundred thousand. After claiming it, Lin Wu’s living conditions would likely improve.

“I already scratched and tore up the lottery tickets,” Lin Wu said after a pause. Once he confirmed he had returned to the starting point, he scratched them and tore them into powder, ensuring no one could restore them.

“Why?” Qin Weidong turned slightly in surprise.

There was a brief silence. After a while, Lin Wu said, “Being able to change the future is already lucky enough. I don’t know if that luck comes with a cost. I can’t be too greedy…”

Just as his future self had said, being able to repeatedly change fate was already a gift from fortune. He couldn’t be greedy.

Time passed little by little. Qin Weidong kept looking at Lin Wu’s profile as he lay there with his eyes closed. In the end, almost inaudibly, he murmured, “Lin Wu, you seem pretty smart, but sometimes you’re really kind of foolish.” Just like in the fourth ending. He had already achieved a perfect life, yet still chose to return to the beginning.

………

The next morning, Lin Wu was woken by a faint rustling sound. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Qin Weidong holding onto a chair with one hand while pulling up his pants with the other.

He had probably just gotten out of bed, his shirt not yet on. From Lin Wu’s angle, he could clearly see the lean, youthful muscles on Qin Weidong’s body. His skin was a warm wheat tone, his shoulders broad and waist narrow, carrying a kind of vibrant, healthy vitality.

Lin Wu’s gaze followed that line downward—

The school uniform pants were only halfway pulled up, and above them was a pair of blue cartoon boxer briefs.

Qin Weidong had just quietly gotten out of bed and was quietly putting on his pants. When he noticed Lin Wu was awake, he froze. Lin Wu was equally stunned, but after a moment, he shut his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.

Three minutes later, the alarm rang. Qin Weidong was already fully dressed. Translated on Hololo novels. While he went to wash up, Lin Wu changed into his uniform. After finishing, the two of them put on their shoes and left together. Luo Xiaorong usually woke up naturally, so they didn’t wake her, and by unspoken agreement, neither of them mentioned the awkward moment from earlier.

“Xiao Wu, are you coming over for dinner today? Your Aunt Hao made sweet and sour ribs…” While Lin Wu and Qin Weidong went about their school day as usual, in 2024, Lin Wu received a call from Wang Manshan. Now that the killer of Wang Jiahui had been caught, in this ending, there was no tragedy for Wang Manshan’s family.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Next