Ch 40: Text Messages Across Time

The phone in his pocket began to buzz. It was the 10:00 alarm he had set earlier. Lin Wu turned it off and looked at Li Jing.

“You saw the killer?”

“I saw his eyes…”

Over the next ten minutes, Li Jing carefully recounted what had happened.

On October 21, 2004, she had gone home after school as usual. She normally rode her bike, but that day it had broken, so she got off at a bus stop near her neighborhood. From the stop to her home, there was a man-made river under construction. Railings had already been built on both sides, and beyond them stood a row of tall plane trees.

The path between the railings and the trees was still dirt. Most residents preferred the paved road outside, but she liked the small path. It was quiet and peaceful.

That day, she had been reciting vocabulary as she walked. When she reached a bend, someone suddenly struck her hard with something heavy, then dragged her toward the dark riverbed.

“My head hurt so much, and I was terrified. After the first blow, he was about to strike again. I pushed him as hard as I could. Just then, headlights from the road shone over, someone noticed and ran to help me.” Li Jing pulled out a cigarette, trying to describe the scene calmly.

Lin Wu could see her trembling. “It’s over now. Don’t be afraid.”

“Thank you.” She forced a smile and continued.

“The person who saved me ran over quickly. That path was hard to move through, and the killer was pinned down. He told me to help hold him. I was so scared… I just stood there. Then the killer escaped.”

She didn’t want to remember it, but the scene was as vivid as a film.

The man who saved her had grabbed the killer’s leg and shouted, “Come help me hold him! Hurry!”

She knew she should go.

But the killer suddenly looked at her.

It was dark. He wore a robbery mask, and his gaze was vicious. She froze. Taking advantage of that moment, he kicked the man and fled.

“Lin Wu, I’m sorry.”

After that incident, she developed severe post-traumatic stress. She had once thought she was lucky, until she later saw reports about Lin Wu’s mother and the other victims. Only then did she realize she was the sole survivor of a serial killing case.

“If it had been anyone else… the killer would have been caught right away…” Her voice choked.

She had replayed it countless times. If someone else had been in her place, there would have been no later victims.

The guilt surged like waves, pounding against her heart. Over the years, she had attempted suicide twice and sought psychological help. She knew she shouldn’t bear this responsibility, but she couldn’t forgive her own fear.

She couldn’t walk alone at night. Couldn’t go near rivers. Couldn’t build close relationships. She felt it was punishment for her cowardice.

“This isn’t your fault.” Lin Wu looked at her, and for a moment, thought of the fourth ending. He understood her feelings deeply.

After comforting her until she calmed down, he asked, “Do you remember any features of the killer?”

“About 1.7 meters tall. Wearing a black raincoat. Not fat. Very aggressive.” These details had already been reported to the police.

Lin Wu nodded. That matched what he knew.

“There might be one more thing…” Li Jing suddenly said.

“What?”

“I think he had a tattoo.” She frowned, trying to recall. During the struggle, she had pulled off his glove. Beneath it, she saw a winding pattern. At the time, she thought it was just loose threads, but now it felt more like a tattoo.

“Do you remember where?”

“On the right hand, near the base of the thumb, a bit lower. I couldn’t see clearly. It looked crooked.” She gestured on her own hand.

Lin Wu frowned. The pattern felt familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Ten minutes later, they reached the road outside the restaurant.

“You were only seventeen when it happened. He had a weapon. Freezing was a normal reaction. If you had gone over, you might have provoked him. Both you and the person who saved you could have been hurt. Don’t blame yourself. The one who killed my mother and the others wasn’t you. It was the killer,” Lin Wu said as they parted.

“I know… I’ve wanted to call you all these years. I even imagined you grabbing my collar and calling me a coward. I had your number, but I never dared to dial.” Li Jing smiled faintly. She had always thought Lin Wu was kind. After twenty years, he still was.

A taxi arrived. She opened her arms. “Can I have a hug?”

“Of course. Be happy.” Lin Wu stepped forward and gave her a gentle embrace.

“Mm.” She rested her forehead against his chest. She had heard all these things before from family and therapists, but knowing them and truly moving on were different.

“Goodbye.” She waved from the taxi.

“Take care.” He waved back.

After watching her leave, Lin Wu didn’t call a taxi right away. Instead, he wandered along the road.

It was 10:35. Translated on Hololo novels. He had already sent a message to his seventeen-year-old self during their conversation. Everything could wait until tomorrow.

His thoughts were a mess. He had always believed that not interfering in Li Jing’s life was for her sake. He hadn’t realized that, like him, she had been trapped in the shadow of her seventeen-year-old self.

The hotel was seven kilometers away. He didn’t feel like taking a taxi, so he kept walking.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the utility pole ahead.

Beep—

Just as he was about to walk into it, a horn sounded sharply behind him, cutting through the night.

He looked up, saw the pole, then turned around. At that moment, a black SUV passed by on the road, about three meters away. The moment was so natural that he only caught a glimpse of its tail lights.

There were no other cars on the road. He couldn’t tell if the driver had honked to warn him or just out of boredom.

Either way, the interruption broke his train of thought. He stopped and waited for a taxi.

Soon, one arrived. Sitting in the back seat, he went over Li Jing’s clues again.

About 1.7 meters tall. Not fat. A tattoo…

The more he thought about it, the more familiar that tattoo felt.

Ten minutes later, he reached the hotel and paid the fare.

Just as he stepped inside with his room card, he froze.

He remembered where he had seen that tattoo.

…

“Should we interfere in Li Jing’s outcome?”

Back in the 2004 burger shop on October 18, Lin Wu and Qin Weidong asked.

“Yes. If we still can’t find the killer, you need to pay special attention to someone…”

In the Xuhu hotel, Lin Wu thought of Li Jing’s expression earlier.

She had tried to smile, but there was no real happiness in it. It was the kind of emptiness that came from being trapped in the past.

It was October 18. Three days until the 21st.

There was still time.

Everything could still be changed.

…

On the night of October 19, 2004, after finishing his seafood porridge, Lin Wu sat patiently waiting for the next ending.

At 10:12, the seventeenth ending appeared on time.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.