Ch 39: Text Messages Across Time

On October 18, 2004, Lin Wu walked into the classroom with a heavy mind.

After school yesterday, he had gone to the Jianna Burger shop again, just like the day before. Qin Weidong arrived at ten. The two of them sat down, eating fries while waiting for the message.

At 10:12, a text came through:

“Sorry, something came up today. I’ll contact you tomorrow—”

There was a dash at the end. It was the small code he had agreed on with his future self, proof that it really was him.

“What happened?” Qin Weidong picked up the phone and asked.

There was no reply.

The entire day had passed in a blur like that.

“Lin Wu!”

Now seated at his desk, Li Jing poked him from the side.

“What is it?” Lin Wu turned his head.

“The monthly exam results are out. Your English improved, you broke a hundred!” Li Jing pointed toward the results sheet posted at the back, where many students had already gathered.

“That fast?” Lin Wu was startled. He had been lost in thought and hadn’t noticed.

“Yeah. I copied down your scores. You’re still first in the grade.” Li Jing handed him a slip of paper with all his marks listed. His English score was 105.

It was one of the rare times he had broken a hundred in English. Looking at the number, Lin Wu suddenly thought of Qin Weidong.

“Your English isn’t very good, is it?” Qin Weidong had asked him on the second day he gave him a ride to school.

“Not good. I can’t figure out a lot of grammar, and listening questions are hard too.” Lin Wu had always felt English was the most difficult subject in the world.

“My English is pretty good. From now on, when we go to and from school, I can help you study.”

“How?” Lin Wu had asked, curious as they rode along.

They happened to pass a restaurant, and Qin Weidong pointed at it. “How do you spell ‘restaurant’?”

“Restaurant.” That was a middle school word.

“Not bad.” Qin Weidong seemed pleased. Then he pointed at three construction workers repairing the road. “How would you describe that scene in English?”

Lin Wu got stuck. He couldn’t remember how to say “construction worker.”

“Construction workers.” Qin Weidong spelled it out, then built sentences from the scene, expanding into different grammar patterns.

His pronunciation was smooth and pleasant. Lin Wu found the method interesting. Translated on Hololo novels. Over the past half month, they had kept practicing like this. Besides commuting, Qin Weidong also helped him go over exam papers, explaining tricks for prepositions and adverbs. He was patient, and Lin Wu felt his improvement in English had a lot to do with him.

“What did you get?” Lin Wu came back to himself and asked Li Jing.

“Six hundred twenty-three. My math and science weren’t great.” Li Jing looked dejected. They were in a highly competitive province. That score was decent at an average school, but not enough for the university and major she wanted.

“This exam was harder overall. When we get the papers later, I’ll help you go through it.” Lin Wu could see her anxiety.

“Lin Wu, you’re the best!” Li Jing said, almost tearful.

“It’s nothing. I need to fill in my own gaps too.” Lin Wu smiled.

That afternoon, he helped Li Jing go over her mistakes in math and science. They had become desk mates last semester. Since then, whenever she asked, he would explain problems to her. At first, she had thought he was as distant as he looked, but over time she realized he was actually very kind.

In the evening, after dinner, Li Jing brought him a cup of milk tea.

“Why did you bring something again?” Lin Wu said helplessly. For the past six months, whenever he helped her with problems, she would bring him snacks like milk tea or small bread.

“It’s a new apple flavor. Try it.” She had bought two cups and gestured for him to taste it while sipping her own.

Lin Wu pierced the lid with the straw and took a sip. It was indeed good.

When he finished, he looked at Li Jing. She was about 1.62 meters tall, with medium-short hair. Not striking at first glance, but delicate and clear-featured, and very persistent in her studies.

“What is it?” Li Jing noticed his gaze.

“Nothing.” Lin Wu thought of her ending.

During this time, they had considered whether to intervene in her life. After careful analysis, they decided not to.

The reasons were simple.

First, in the thirteenth ending, after Li Jing transferred schools, his future self had once called her to ask about details of the incident. Her father answered. He said there were no additional details beyond what had already been given to the police, and asked Lin Wu not to disturb their lives.

Second, some classmates had visited her after the incident. From what they heard, there had been nothing unusual about what happened. If there had been, the killer would not still be unidentified.

Third, his future self had followed other victims in previous endings. The killer was extremely cautious and would stop immediately at any sign of disturbance. Lin Wu feared that rash interference might create new butterfly effects, such as Li Jing being harmed at a different time instead.

He wanted, more than anything, to find the killer.

But he did not want that process to be built on the possibility of someone else’s tragedy.

So after weighing everything, he chose not to intervene.

At 8:50, Lin Wu arrived at the Jianna Burger shop.

“You’re early today?” As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw Qin Weidong already sitting in the same corner they had used yesterday.

“Nothing to do after school, so I came early.” Qin Weidong’s body tensed slightly as Lin Wu passed by.

“Mm.” Lin Wu didn’t think much of it. He sat across from him, then took out a carefully prepared gift from his bag, a set of cartoon-style socks and gloves.

“I got 105 on my English exam. It’s been a long time since I broke a hundred. I feel like you’ve helped me a lot lately.”

After seeing his results that morning, he had wanted to buy a small gift to thank him. Translated on Hololo novels. He didn’t know what Qin Weidong needed, but at noon he happened to find this set in a boutique. It was blue-toned, and the moment he saw it, he felt it suited Qin Weidong’s style. It looked nice and was practical too.

“You bought this for me?” Qin Weidong froze for a moment when he saw the gift box.

“Yeah. Just something small.” Even if they were small items, they weren’t cheap.

“I didn’t really help that much…” Qin Weidong knew he’d been acting strange lately. He had already planned to keep some distance from Lin Wu, but looking at the box in front of him, he still reached out and took it without thinking.

He struggled internally, wanting to refuse, but what came out instead was, “Thanks. I’ll take it.” He didn’t even care what was inside. He just really wanted to accept it.

“Mm.” Lin Wu didn’t think much of it. He took out his homework and started working.

Maybe it was because of the milk tea Li Jing had given him, but his thoughts were a bit scattered. He was thinking about how to break through the case, and at the same time about how he would soon be changing desk partners.

Amid this jumble of thoughts, at 10:12, the time channel opened.

“We’re starting a new timeline,” came the message immediately.

“What kind of timeline?” Both Lin Wu and Qin Weidong instantly focused.

“October 21. Go to the location where Li Jing’s incident happened.”

…

“Dear teachers and classmates, welcome to today’s reunion of Class 5, Senior Year at No. 1 High School. I’m your host, Gao Xiaoping…”

The night before, in 2024, once everyone had arrived at the reunion, Gao Xiaoping stood in the center of the private room, livening up the atmosphere.

Now working in a government department, Gao Xiaoping was socially adept. With a few lively classmates playing along, the mood quickly became relaxed and cheerful. Over the next two hours, everyone laughed, toasted, and chatted happily.

There were twelve people at Lin Wu’s table. He and Li Jing were separated by five seats. He wanted to talk to her about how she’d been, but aside from their initial greetings, they didn’t have a private conversation.

From what she shared, Li Jing had majored in philosophy in college. Translated on Hololo novels. She had married once and later divorced. Her family ran a clothing factory, and she now worked in the family business. But in life, she felt lost and without direction.

“You’ve got money and free time now. Just enjoy life. Why worry about goals?” others joked, assuming she was being playful.

“Life still needs goals. Otherwise it’s too aimless,” Li Jing replied with a self-deprecating smile.

The reunion passed in laughter and noise. By 9:50, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and began leaving one after another. Lin Wu checked the time, preparing to go, when Li Jing suddenly called out:

“Lin Wu.”

“What is it?” Most people at their table had already left. The few remaining all turned to look.

“I drank quite a bit tonight. Can you walk me home?” she asked, not caring about the attention.

Lin Wu felt it might be inappropriate, but it seemed like she had something to say. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. “Alright.”

“Thank you.” Li Jing put on her coat, and the two of them left the restaurant together.

Outside Huifeng Restaurant was a large parking lot, and beyond that, the road.

“Did you drive or take a taxi here?” Lin Wu asked.

“I took a taxi.”

“Me too.” They walked toward the exit, taking a quieter path through a decorative corridor inside the restaurant. There were fewer cars and people there. Lin Wu had brought his old phone and planned to send a message after seeing her home.

As he calculated the timing, Li Jing suddenly stopped.

“Lin Wu.”

“What is it?” He turned.

“I saw some news before… did something happen to your mother?”

“…Yes.” Lin Wu pressed his lips together slightly and nodded. In this timeline, Luo Xiaorong had disappeared on November 25 and was found dead the morning of the 26th.

He thought she was about to comfort him.

Instead, she seemed to gather all her courage and said:

“I’m sorry.”

“…Why are you apologizing?” Lin Wu paused.

“When something happened to me back then, I should have cooperated with the police. I was scared, and my family told me not to get involved. All these years, I’ve kept thinking… if I had been braver, maybe your mother and the others could have been saved. Lin Wu, I’m sorry.”

By the end, Li Jing sat down on a bench, crying. She had held this in for years, never daring to call him.

“What do you mean?”

“I think… I saw the killer…” Li Jing looked up at him.

The moonlight was bright. In the distance, cars passed by the restaurant.

When Lin Wu heard those words, he froze.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.