Author Archives: Thandar

As a seasoned steward who had served at Pei Fangyan’s side for many years, he was tactful enough not to ask further questions and immediately went upstairs to find a light, breathable blanket for him.

Shao Ye took a shower, rummaged through the cabinet for a bathrobe, and put it on. After coming out, he searched around the room for a while before asking, “Seventh Uncle, where are my clothes?”

“They got dirty yesterday. I had someone take them to be washed,” Pei Fangyan replied. “But I asked Steward Liu to bring you another set. It’s in the cabinet—take a look.”

What exactly had he done yesterday? Full of questions, Shao Ye opened the wardrobe and indeed found a neatly folded set of clothes inside.

He didn’t treat his Seventh Uncle as an outsider at all. Seeing that Pei Fangyan had no intention of leaving, he didn’t ask anything further. He simply turned his back, untied the sash of his bathrobe, and let it slip off. The dark blue silk fabric slid smoothly over his skin. Pei Fangyan’s gaze followed the line of his back downward, stopping at his lower body.

Shao Ye bent down to put on his pants.

Steward Liu really was getting old—just fetching a blanket was taking this long.

Pei Fangyan removed his jacket and draped it over his lap. By then, Shao Ye had already finished dressing in a few quick motions. Walking over, he noticed the jacket and asked, “Seventh Uncle, why did you take off your coat? Let me hang it up for you.”

Pei Fangyan’s voice was slightly hoarse. “No need. Go eat.”

At that, Shao Ye’s hunger became even more apparent. The chef had already prepared the meal under Pei Fangyan’s instructions. It wasn’t extravagant—just a few home-style dishes: cumin lamb, oysters with scallion and ginger, and a clear stewed pigeon soup.

What was this supposed to be? It was a bit too nourishing. Sitting at the table, Shao Ye sneaked a glance at Pei Fangyan. Was Seventh Uncle covering himself like that for… recovery?

His small movements didn’t escape Pei Fangyan’s notice. He could even guess what Shao Ye was thinking. “Why are you looking at me?” he asked directly.

Shao Ye lowered his voice. “Are these for you to eat?”

“I’ve already had breakfast,” Pei Fangyan said. “These are for you.”

In front of him was only a cup of freshly brewed tea. He lifted it and took a small sip.

“Oh,” Shao Ye responded, picking up his chopsticks. His stomach had been growling for a while, but before eating, he couldn’t help calling out, “Seventh Uncle…”

“What is it?” Pei Fangyan looked up.

“Do you know what I did yesterday?” Shao Ye asked.

“You don’t know what you did?” Pei Fangyan countered, setting down his teacup.

Shao Ye shook his head. “I don’t remember. It feels like I just slept, and then it was morning.”

“Do you remember what you were doing before you slept?”

“I think… I was giving you a massage,” Shao Ye said uncertainly, scratching his head.

Pei Fangyan hummed lightly, then, without the slightest burden, fabricated calmly, “Halfway through, you suddenly grabbed my leg and started crying.”

“Huh?” Shao Ye froze, chopsticks in hand. Why would he do that? Was he possessed or something?

Pei Fangyan continued, “You said you were going to cling to me, that you wouldn’t leave me for the rest of your life, that you wanted to stay by my side forever.”

Shao Ye’s eyes widened. He actually said that?

Even though he did think that deep down, saying it out loud in front of Seventh Uncle was… embarrassing.

He quickly explained, “I’m not trying to cling to you—I genuinely want to work for you.”

Pei Fangyan hadn’t expected such a reaction from a casual lie. He chuckled softly. Translated on Hololo novels. He really wanted to ask Pei Tiancheng how exactly he had raised this son—how could he be this endearing?

“Eat,” he said.

“And then what did I do?” Shao Ye pressed on. His body’s reactions this morning told him that yesterday had definitely not been as simple as crying.

“Then you fell asleep,” Pei Fangyan said.

Shao Ye wanted to ask more, but Pei Fangyan cut him off with, “The food’s getting cold.”

As he drank the pigeon soup, Shao Ye comforted himself inwardly—at least he could confirm he hadn’t been abducted by aliens.

After finishing the meal, Pei Fangyan said, “If you’re tired, go back and sleep a bit more.”

Shao Ye really was tired. After eating, he felt even sleepier. Dragging his heavy body back to his room, he collapsed onto the bed. In his sleep, he had a dream—someone seemed to be gripping him, forcing him to beg for mercy before letting him go.

In the dream, Shao Ye displayed remarkable willpower. Then he woke up, stifled and uncomfortable. After taking care of himself, he leaned over the sink, splashing cold water on his face repeatedly. What kind of nonsense dream was that?

Fortunately, his mind finally felt clear again—not the muddled state from the morning. Checking the time, he figured he could still make it in time to massage his Seventh Uncle.

Pei Fangyan hadn’t expected him to come today. Seeing him arrive, he felt a hint of surprise.

Shao Ye wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his firm forearms. Standing by the bed, his expression was serious and focused. He knew Pei Fangyan’s legs had no sensation, yet his movements were anything but perfunctory—he didn’t hold back any strength.

Pei Fangyan watched him silently for a while, then casually pressed a few buttons on the AC remote.

Before long, Shao Ye felt increasingly hot. Sweat formed at the tip of his nose. He looked up and asked, “Seventh Uncle, does it feel a bit hot in here?”

“Hot? It’s fine,” Pei Fangyan replied. He looked no different than usual.

Shao Ye began to doubt himself. Maybe it was because he had eaten too much nourishing food that morning, making his body feel overheated.

Stay calm. A calm mind brings coolness.

“My health isn’t great. The temperature in here can’t be lowered any further,” Pei Fangyan said after a pause, then added helpfully, “Xiao Ye, maybe you’re wearing too much. Why not take off your shirt?”

His shirt was long-sleeved—it really was a bit hot. Massaging required effort; he couldn’t slack off. Shao Ye felt his back was already soaked with sweat, but he still hesitated. “That’s not appropriate…”

Steward Liu had told him that a steward should be neatly dressed. He had never seen a shirtless steward before. “If Steward Liu sees this, he’ll scold me.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Fangyan reassured him. “It’s just me here.”

“But you told me to learn from Steward Liu.”

Pei Fangyan smiled. “You’ve already learned very well.”

“Then can I do Steward Liu’s job now?” Shao Ye asked eagerly.

“Let’s forget about Steward Liu’s job,” Pei Fangyan said. Seeing Shao Ye’s expression instantly fall, he added, “There will be more important work for you in the future.”

More important than a steward? What could that be? Shao Ye couldn’t figure it out, but he was full of anticipation. He resolved to perform even better by his Seventh Uncle’s side. Without hesitation, he took off his shirt, drew a deep breath, and worked even harder at the massage.

Beads of sweat slid down his chest. Pei Fangyan’s gaze followed that droplet as it fell; the document in his hand became impossible to focus on.

Something this good—why hadn’t it been shown to him earlier? Still young, inexperienced in the ways of the world. As an elder, he should properly teach him.

Steward Liu arrived right on time—so precisely on time that when he entered, Shao Ye was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt. Steward Liu paused, dazed, stepped back out, and checked the pattern on the door to make sure he hadn’t gone to the wrong room.

Maybe his eyesight was failing. He wiped his glasses and walked back in.

“Steward Liu, what are you doing?” Shao Ye turned around, fastening the last button on his shirt.

Standing in the doorway, Steward Liu didn’t know what to say. He had thought that question should be his to ask.

Maybe he was getting old, unable to keep up with young people anymore—but he still really wanted to ask: had that just been a proper massage?

And why was the room so hot? The master was even covering his lower abdomen with a blanket.

Struggling to maintain his professional composure, Steward Liu asked, “Sir, are you feeling cold? Should I raise the temperature?”

“No need,” Pei Fangyan said. After Shao Ye left, he picked up the remote and lowered the temperature.

Steward Liu found him even more unfathomable.

Shao Ye quickly forgot about the strange memory loss from that afternoon. Pei Fangyan never brought it up again either, as if nothing had happened. As usual, he had Shao Ye come every afternoon for massages and even set aside two empty rooms for him to turn into a gym.

Shao Ye happily filled his new gym with equipment. His cousins finally let out a sigh of relief—apparently nothing had happened that afternoon. Translated on Hololo novels. They wouldn’t need to start shopping for burial plots just yet.

Still, it didn’t make sense. Could it be that the drug they bought had expired and didn’t work at all? After thinking it over, that was the only conclusion they could reach. One of them promptly left a one-star review for the seller.

A few days later, one of them had a proposal recognized by higher management and was directly promoted from a low-level position to supervisor. Even He Jiahui, who had been widely favored, hadn’t received such treatment. The others were so jealous their eyes practically bled.

Yet this person had no sense of restraint. He already felt like the future head of the Pei family. He walked around with his nose in the air and offended several cousins within just a couple of days.

Returning to the residence and seeing Shao Ye walking the dogs, he casually said, “Go pour me a glass of water.”

Shao Ye froze for a moment before realizing the man was talking to him. “Are you sick?” he snapped.

The cousin sneered. “Aren’t you trying to be a steward? What’s wrong with pouring water?”

“I’m Seventh Uncle’s steward, not yours. Who do you think you are?” Shao Ye confirmed—this guy really was out of his mind.

“Can’t you tell? The Pei family will be mine soon! What’s wrong with asking you to pour water? It’s giving you face! In the future, there’ll be people lining up to pour water for me, and I won’t even bother!” the cousin said smugly, puffing on a fine cigar.

Shao Ye’s fists clenched with a crack. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Don’t make me set the dogs on you.”

The three Rottweilers bared their sharp teeth in unison. The cousin wasn’t afraid of much, but he was a little afraid of dogs. Snorting, he threw out a threat and turned to leave.

After sending his three “little brothers” back to the kennel, Shao Ye immediately ran to complain to Pei Fangyan.

This was outrageous. He, the closest nephew, hadn’t even started throwing his weight around yet, and some nobody dared to act arrogant in front of him!

After hearing the whole story, Pei Fangyan’s reaction was calm. “I understand.”

“Seventh Uncle, aren’t you going to do something about him?” Shao Ye protested.

“What would you have me do?” Pei Fangyan asked.

“Kick him out of the residence! Cut off his share!” Shao Ye said immediately.

Preferably give that share to himself—just to infuriate the guy.

Clearly, he had already planned his revenge on the way here. Pei Fangyan found it amusing. He gave a soft “mm,” but didn’t agree right away. “Let’s wait.”

Wait for what? Wasn’t this just a matter of a single word from Seventh Uncle?

Shao Ye looked at him resentfully. Did he really rank lower in Seventh Uncle’s heart than some cousin whose name he couldn’t even remember?

Meeting his gaze, Pei Fangyan felt a faint itch in his chest—but still didn’t relent.

Unable to get what he wanted, Shao Ye left in disappointment. He decided to go back, carefully prepare his arguments, and return the next day to persuade his Seventh Uncle emotionally and logically—determined to deal with that troublemaker once and for all.

But the next day, Pei Fangyan had already left for a business trip to another city. Shao Ye only learned about it from Steward Liu.

In that instant, it felt like the sky had collapsed. Forget not being taken along—he hadn’t even been told in advance. He thought he had already become Seventh Uncle’s trusted confidant. Was he not? Then what exactly was that “important work” Seventh Uncle had promised him?

Shao Ye looked at Steward Liu with undisguised jealousy. Liu hadn’t felt anything was wrong at first, but under that gaze, he suddenly felt inexplicably guilty, so he made up an excuse and hurried away.

Shao Ye lowered his head and returned sadly to his gym, throwing his limited life into endless training.

In the face of absolute strength, all evil forces are nothing but paper tigers. Sooner or later, he would knock down all those cousins of his and make sure Seventh Uncle could only see him.

While Shao Ye was training like crazy, that “good cousin” he had been thinking of driving out of the Pei family got into an accident. As he was getting into the car after leaving a bar, the car suddenly exploded. He wasn’t seriously injured and still had all his limbs, but he would have to stay in the hospital for a while. He might even need psychological counseling afterward. In any case, he wouldn’t be able to return to work anytime soon.

Pei Fangyan came back three days later. On the way, after hearing about the incident from his subordinate, he sighed, “What a pity.”

“But when heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, it must first temper their body and will. If he can’t even overcome such a small setback, he won’t become a qualified heir. Don’t give him his share this year. Let’s motivate him a bit,” he said.

His subordinate thought this might not raise motivation so much as blood pressure, but wisely chose to remain silent.

After arranging matters at the company, Pei Fangyan returned to the old residence. However, he didn’t see Shao Ye running toward him as usual. Feeling a bit puzzled, he asked Steward Liu, “Where’s Xiao Ye?”

Steward Liu explained, “Sir, last night your elder brother said he was ill and had Shao Ye go back to take care of him.”

Pei Fangyan nodded, then asked, “Ill? What illness? Is it serious?”

“I’m not sure,” Steward Liu said. “But I also heard that your elder brother seems to have been arranging blind dates for Shao Ye recently.”

Pei Fangyan’s wheelchair came to a stop. He turned to look at Steward Liu, clearly not expecting such an answer. After a long moment, he slowly smiled and said, “It seems he really is sick.”

---

Author’s Note:

【The bomber is back. Is this the distortion of human nature, or the collapse of morality?】

: Whoa.

: The sixth piece of evidence that Seventh Uncle is the president has appeared, he knows how to use bombs too! What are the Uncle-nephew CP sisters waiting for, charge—

: He fans above, stop losing it.

: The bomb has nothing to do with Seventh Uncle, okay? He wasn’t even in the city at the time.

: Wow, what a coincidence. The Qingming sisters also never admit that the president was behind the bomb.

: Seventh Uncle fans, what are you even insisting on? Wouldn’t it be better for you if he and the president were the same person? Translated on Hololo novels. Then Uncle-nephew and Qingming fans could both vote for you. With your numbers, you could practically elect council members!

: Impossible. They are absolutely not the same person! I won’t step into the same river twice!

: Oh? The person above is a Qingming fan, huh.

: Qingming fans and Seventh Uncle fans are the same people. Who would still dare say the president and Seventh Uncle aren’t the same person!

: How interesting. Seventh Uncle fans still have the nerve to look down on our president and No. 6 being gay. We haven’t even mocked your Seventh Uncle for being “incapable” yet. He can’t even manage it.

: Seventh Uncle can!

: Can what? All we saw was the koi. Who knows if it’s real or not, unless you let me see for myself.

: Seventh Uncle: “Those who slander me in the court shall have their entire clan executed!”

: He’s probably quite capable. Otherwise, with that temperature, No. 6 was already that overheated, yet Seventh Uncle still added a blanket for himself.

: What if Seventh Uncle gets heat rash from covering up? Poor thing. No. 6 really has no awareness, doesn’t he know to help cool him down?

: Haha, No. 6 would probably just make it hotter.

: Pei Tiancheng is constantly pushing his kids hard in other streams from morning to night, but with No. 6 he’s suddenly well-behaved.

: Not just well-behaved, he’s even arranging blind dates for No. 6.

: What do you think that smile meant when Seventh Uncle heard about the blind date?

: He must have been thinking about how big of a wedding gift to give when No. 6 gets married! (upright smile)

: Or maybe he was thinking that in the future, he won’t need a blanket in hot weather anymore.

: Not needing a blanket… is it because there’s a better, warmer place now?

: Why did that black text suddenly turn yellow?

: I’ve said it many times, no matter how cold a man is, ___ is always warm.

≽^•⩊•^≼

“What should we do, then?” Pei Fangyan asked softly, his tone gentler than it had ever been, as if it could drip with warmth.

Shao Ye lifted his face to look at him. An unnatural flush spread across his cheeks as he said in a daze, “I don’t know.”

Pei Fangyan beckoned to him. “Come here, let me take a look.”

Shao Ye’s mind was still muddled. Bracing himself against the wall, he pushed himself up from the floor, only to forget that his pants were still down. He took a step forward and nearly tripped.

“Careful,” Pei Fangyan reminded him, yet made no mention of pulling his pants back up.

Still, Shao Ye hadn’t completely lost his wits. He simply tugged them off and tossed them into a corner, then strode over to Pei Fangyan.

A faint sheen of moisture clung to his thighs, catching the warm yellow light like a thin layer of honey, sweet and glistening.

Pei Fangyan’s teeth pressed together soundlessly. His gaze traveled slowly upward from Shao Ye’s thighs, pausing briefly at his chest. The clothes on him felt both unnecessary and, at the same time, oddly appealing. His eyes continued upward until they met Shao Ye’s dark gaze.

Clear, yet tinged with grievance.

Pei Fangyan felt his thirst deepen. The tip of his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “What were you doing just now?”

“Using my hand,” Shao Ye answered honestly.

Pei Fangyan smiled, looking every bit like a dependable, upright elder. With complete composure, he suggested, “Then why don’t you try again, Xiao Ye? Maybe doing it one more time will help.”

Shao Ye nodded, finding the suggestion reasonable. He reached out his hand, about to begin, but then paused. He looked up at Pei Fangyan, sensing something faintly off, though his mind had long since stopped working, leaving him unable to grasp what exactly was wrong.

Pei Fangyan seemed entirely unaware. The concern and care on his face looked genuine as he asked, “What’s wrong? Will my being here bother you? But in your current state, I don’t feel at ease leaving you alone.”

Shao Ye let out a small sound of acknowledgment. The words sounded reasonable, even caring. Lowering his head, his fingers moved awkwardly.

Pei Fangyan leaned his elbow on the armrest of his wheelchair, propping his chin in one hand. A faint smile lingered at his lips as his gaze shifted from Shao Ye’s hands to his face, quietly taking in the expression there, a mix of discomfort and pleasure.

In the week after Pei Fangyan was discharged from the hospital following his accident, Steward Liu had most of the pathways in the old residence paved smooth, leaving only a few insignificant ones untouched. He could now move his wheelchair freely throughout the estate. Though daily life had become somewhat inconvenient, for someone who found the entire world unbearably dull, it hardly mattered.

But now…

He glanced down at his legs and, for the first time, deeply realized that losing their function meant losing quite a bit of enjoyment as well.

Whether it was the potency of the medicine or Shao Ye’s lack of skill, a long time passed with no result. Shao Ye grew increasingly irritated, his movements rougher, no longer seeking relief so much as trying to be rid of the problem.

How could that possibly work? Pei Fangyan thought to himself, unconcerned that his own condition was hardly any better.

Shao Ye’s hands were already aching. He could barely continue. Lowering his head, he looked at Pei Fangyan without speaking, his damp eyes blinking faintly. For a moment, Pei Fangyan thought he heard a soft whimper, like a newly weaned puppy.

Shao Ye had been the one to ask for help. In such circumstances, as a trustworthy elder, offering assistance was only natural.

So Pei Fangyan spoke, his tone considerate. “Xiao Ye, do you need help?”

“Help?” Shao Ye repeated, his mind still sluggish. Even if he had been fully conscious, he would have found it strange how Pei Fangyan intended to help.

Pei Fangyan gave a quiet hum and beckoned him again. “Come a little closer.”

Obediently, Shao Ye stepped forward until his calf nearly brushed against Pei Fangyan’s leg.

Pei Fangyan lowered his gaze, once again regretting the lack of sensation in his legs. Still, regret was useless now. He reached out, taking over what Shao Ye had been doing. Perhaps it was because his technique was far better, or perhaps because being helped by another carried a different kind of stimulation.

The sound of breathing soon filled the bathroom again, lighter now than before. Occasionally, Pei Fangyan indulged in small, mischievous variations, watching Shao Ye look at him pitifully, wanting to speak but unable to, only managing to squeeze out broken, indistinct pleas. At such moments, Pei Fangyan would feign sudden awareness, satisfy him, and offer a gentle apology.

Shao Ye, muddled as he was, failed to notice he was being led in circles, again and again.

Once or twice wasn’t enough, so they continued until the effects of the medicine fully passed. By the end, Shao Ye was exhausted, barely able to stand. He swayed and dropped straight onto the floor.

“Feeling better?” Pei Fangyan asked, looking down at him.

When Shao Ye nodded, Pei Fangyan reached up, pulled down two wet tissues, and carefully wiped each of his fingers clean.

Shao Ye looked up at him. Those long, pale fingers seemed carved from fine white jade. The scene from moments before resurfaced in his mind. He felt slightly clearer, yet somehow even more confused. Softly and politely, he said, “Th… thank you, Seventh Uncle.”

Pei Fangyan paused, then pressed his lips together in a faint smile. Every part of him seemed to radiate quiet satisfaction as he replied, “It’s nothing. This is what Seventh Uncle should do.”

If there was a next time, he could come to him again.

Shao Ye’s head began to droop, but he forced himself to lift it again. “I’ll go continue the massage for Seventh Uncle.”

Even now, he was still thinking of that. With both hands exhausted, how would he manage it? Pei Fangyan’s gaze lingered briefly on his chest. Using that instead wasn’t entirely impossible.

In the end, though, Pei Fangyan chose restraint. “No need,” he said. “Take off your wet clothes and go lie down on my bed for a while.”

Shao Ye gave a small response. Sitting right there on the floor, he took off his clothes, accepted the towel Pei Fangyan handed him, dried himself off, then leaned against the wall as if about to fall asleep.

“Don’t sleep here. Go to my bed,” Pei Fangyan told him.

Shao Ye was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. Even so, after hearing him, he struggled to get up from the floor, moving as slowly as a giant sloth as he made his way to Pei Fangyan’s bed. The moment he lay down, his eyes shut, and he fell completely into a deep sleep.

Pei Fangyan came over to the bedside, adjusted his sleeping position, then shook out the thin blanket at the head of the bed and tucked the naked body beneath it snugly, leaving only his head exposed. After that, he picked up his phone and called for Steward Liu.

At that moment, Steward Liu was assigning tasks to the newly arrived servants in the old residence. In just a few days, he had already accepted the reality that with Shao Ye by the master’s side, he himself was no longer needed.

What he could not accept was how he had failed to notice that this brat had such a talent for bewitching people.

When he received Pei Fangyan’s call, Steward Liu was first puzzled, then faintly gloating. Could it be that Shao Ye had finally angered the master and been thrown out?

With mixed feelings, Steward Liu knocked on the door to Pei Fangyan’s lounge. His first instinct was to look toward the bed, and there he saw Shao Ye lying there, already asleep for who knew how long, while Pei Fangyan sat beside him in his wheelchair.

Full of questions, Steward Liu stepped inside and asked, “Sir, what happened to Shao Ye?”

“Someone probably drugged him,” Pei Fangyan said. “Go find a doctor to take a look at him, and bring a set of clothes he can wear.”

Drugged? What kind of drug? Sleeping pills? He hadn’t even made a move yet, so who was so impatient? Could it be that massage therapist who had switched careers to being the house doctor?

Steward Liu swallowed all his questions, noted the instructions, and then heard Pei Fangyan add, “Also, check who he went out with today.”

Less than ten minutes after Steward Liu left, the massage therapist who had successfully transitioned into a doctor arrived. He gave Shao Ye a simple examination. There was nothing serious, his heartbeat sounded healthy. With a good night’s rest, the residual effects of the drug would be metabolized. With some recovery over the next couple of days, he would be completely fine.

Who would give him such a drug? Translated on Hololo novels. What puzzled the doctor even more was that someone as fastidious as Pei Fangyan could tolerate someone lying on his bed like this. It seemed he valued this junior quite highly. Could it be that the one on the bed was the next head of the Pei family?

Suddenly, he felt that losing his job as a massage therapist wasn’t such a loss after all.

Pei Fangyan sat leisurely in his wheelchair, reading the financial reports his subordinates had just sent over. In his ears was the steady rhythm of Shao Ye’s breathing. All at once, he felt that life had become interesting again. For a long time to come, he likely wouldn’t feel bored anymore.

Meanwhile, his elder brother Pei Tiancheng was nowhere near as at ease. Over the past few days, seeing that Shao Ye had been behaving well at the old residence and hadn’t caused trouble, Pei Tiancheng had finally relaxed a little and was about to head out to play mahjong with some old friends.

But just as he stepped out the door, he received several calls from his nephews asking which cemetery plots in the city had good feng shui. The shock nearly stopped his heart. When he asked what was going on, they hemmed and hawed without telling the truth.

Pei Tiancheng immediately concluded that something had happened to Shao Ye at the old residence, and likely something serious. Could it be that he had dragged Pei Fangyan out to play soccer?

After brushing them off, Pei Tiancheng quickly initiated a video call to Shao Ye. It rang for quite a while before finally being answered.

He opened his mouth to scold, “Where the hell did you—”

Then he saw that the face on the screen was Pei Fangyan’s. The shock nearly made him drop dead on the spot. His expression twisted as he hurriedly changed tone, his voice trembling as he asked, “…Fangyan, why is it you?”

“Shao Ye is sleeping,” Pei Fangyan said. “Does elder brother need something from him?”

Hearing this, Pei Tiancheng felt even less at ease. If Shao Ye was sleeping, how did Pei Fangyan know?

Something was definitely off.

And why was Shao Ye’s phone in his hand?

“Then… can I take a look at him?” Pei Tiancheng asked with a forced smile.

Pei Fangyan raised a brow, a half-smile on his lips. “What? Elder brother doesn’t trust me?”

Pei Tiancheng hurriedly denied it. “No, no. I just… I just miss him. You know, he’s my only son. I treasure him like a gem. If I don’t see him for a day, I can’t eat or sleep.”

Pei Fangyan gave another soft laugh. Pei Tiancheng couldn’t tell whether he was pleased or not, but fortunately, he didn’t press the matter further. Soon, he turned the camera toward the bed where Shao Ye lay sleeping.

Pei Tiancheng widened his eyes, making sure not to miss a single suspicious detail. Breathing, alive, thank heavens. Another day under the protection of the Bodhisattva.

“Where is he sleeping?” Pei Tiancheng asked curiously. The background didn’t look like the one he usually saw when video calling his son.

“My room,” Pei Fangyan replied.

Pei Tiancheng: “!”

Before he could ask more, Pei Fangyan added, “Anything else? If not, I’ll hang up.”

He definitely had questions, many of them. How had his son ended up on Pei Fangyan’s bed? He had always thought that with Pei Fangyan’s temperament, even if he married in the future, he would still sleep in separate beds. So what was this now?

But it was clear Pei Fangyan had no intention of explaining, and Pei Tiancheng had no choice. After hanging up, he hurried to the Bodhisattva and offered a fervent prayer.

Shao Ye slept straight through until nine-thirty the next morning. The only thing he remembered was returning from the gym and going to give Seventh Uncle a massage. Translated on Hololo novels. Everything that happened afterward was a complete blank.

He blinked, gradually adjusting to the bright light in the room. This should be Seventh Uncle’s lounge on the first floor. Looking around, Seventh Uncle wasn’t here.

He hadn’t even been drinking, so how had he blacked out?

Ah, such a familiar question. Hadn’t someone asked him that before?

Shao Ye patted his head, but still couldn’t remember anything. He even began to suspect that he had been abducted by aliens the night before and subjected to human experiments.

Yawning, he sat up on the bed and stretched his arms. Everything felt sore and exhausted, his stomach was growling with hunger, as if he had been doing burpees all night. And who had stripped off his clothes? Surely it wasn’t aliens making him do burpees naked… those aliens would be oddly humorous.

Shao Ye sat there on the bed, striking the pose of The Thinker. Not long after, the lounge door was pushed open from outside, and Pei Fangyan’s voice sounded by his ear. “Awake?”

Shao Ye lifted his head and looked toward the doorway. Pei Fangyan stood there and said to him, “If you’re up, come out and eat.”

Clutching the blanket, Shao Ye said softly, “Seventh Uncle, I want to take a shower first.”

“Go ahead,” Pei Fangyan nodded.

Shao Ye was just about to get out of bed when he suddenly froze. He remembered that he seemed to be naked, and he had no idea where his clothes had gone. Running around naked in front of Seventh Uncle didn’t seem very proper.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Fangyan asked.

A little embarrassed, Shao Ye said, “Seventh Uncle, I’m not wearing any clothes.”

Pei Fangyan smiled. “What of it? I’m your Seventh Uncle. Do you really need to avoid me?”

Shao Ye thought about it and found it made sense. He lifted the blanket, jumped off the bed, slipped into his slippers, and darted straight into the bathroom.

Seeing his slightly disheveled reflection in the mirror, Shao Ye couldn’t help but open his mouth wide and yawn again. He was still so sleepy. Fortunately, the shower used wasn’t a bathtub, otherwise he might end up reenacting The Death of Marat in a moment.

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom. Scenes from the previous afternoon played vividly in Pei Fangyan’s mind: Shao Ye standing before him, head tilted back slightly, lips parted, his throat moving as he swallowed, droplets of water sliding down his chest, flowing lower and lower.

Pei Fangyan felt that familiar thirst again. He rubbed his temple, then turned to Steward Liu, who had just arrived, and said, “Go get me a blanket.”

Steward Liu was puzzled. Was the master cold?

The room temperature didn’t seem that low…

—

Author’s note:

[Discussion: Why does an NPC from Neverland, even without any past memories, fall in love with the same person again and again?]

It’s love! It’s love! It’s love from the heart! They’re destined to be together! I won’t allow anyone to tear these lovers apart!

: Is the OP sick? How many times has it been clarified already? Seventh Uncle and the chairman are not the same person!!! And he doesn’t love No. 6!!!!!

: The OP didn’t even name anyone. Why are you reacting so strongly?

: Didn’t name anyone? They practically highlighted “Seventh Uncle” in bold in the title. Who else could it be?

: “Again and again”? Should we dedicate a song about eternal love to the OP?

: Seventh Uncle just asked the butler for a blanket, and now rumors are spreading everywhere, saying he “raises a flag” whenever he sees No. 6

: Yesterday they only aired that koi segment for a short while, and fanfics are already writing No. 6 having three kids

: Um… it wasn’t just a short while. It was a full hour and twenty-three minutes

: Honestly, that’s kind of nice though

: Nice my ass! It’s not your family being rumored as gay

: Better than before when people were saying Seventh Uncle couldn’t perform. At least this proves something

: …

: But we firmly uphold Seventh Uncle’s deeply devoted, restrained, independent persona

: If he really did “raise a flag” for No. 6, that’s not exactly restrained, is it?

: If not, then the “can’t perform” label still hasn’t been cleared. Seventh Uncle fans, what do you have to say about that?

: Isn’t anyone going to stop the OP from spreading rumors?!

: Where did the OP spread rumors? They never mentioned your Seventh Uncle at all

: Come on, the whole forum is like this. Those words in the title can only refer to Seventh Uncle and No. 6. Stop pretending. Where are the mods? Delete this already

: OP? You started a fight and now you’re playing dead? Why not post this kind of thing in your own fandom section?

: I’m the OP. My advisor called me away just now. I just want to say, the people in my title were actually Su Yuexiang and He Jiahui from Stream No. 4 orz

: …

: …

: Look at the title again. Seventh Uncle fans, you’re really good at this

: What do those fans know about shipping? Shipping still depends on you solo fans 👍👍

: Ahhh help, this is too funny

: Where are the Seventh Uncle fans? Why aren’t you laughing now? Is it because you’re just not the laughing type?

≽^•⩊•^≼

Gyms were crowded places, with all kinds of people coming and going. After working out, people naturally needed to hydrate, which made it a perfect place to slip something into a drink. After some discussion, they happily settled on the plan.

They invited Shao Ye to the gym—surely he wouldn’t go and report them again, right?

But to get him to agree, they first had to build a good relationship with him. They changed their group chat name to “Avengers Alliance 1: Enduring Humiliation,” then, with heavy hearts, went to find him.

When they arrived, Shao Ye was holding a hose, watering the lawn. Seeing them all smiling like a pack of weasels, he couldn’t help but grow suspicious. Did they know he was about to become the chief steward of the residence, so they came to curry favor and admit their mistakes?

The “weasels” exchanged glances, then surrounded him and began flattering him.

“Wow! Brother Ye, it’s only been a few days, and you’re looking even more handsome!”

Shao Ye glanced at him. “Didn’t we just see each other last night? Did the dogs chase you stupid?”

“……”

“He doesn’t know how to talk, ignore him, Brother Ye,” another “weasel” came over, squeezing Shao Ye’s arm. He immediately exclaimed in admiration, “Brother Ye, your muscles are amazing! How did you train them? I want to learn too!”

“Yeah, yeah! I’ve always wanted pecs like yours! But it’s always been either studying or working—I never have time.”

Hearing his muscles being praised, Shao Ye’s mood immediately brightened. Well, these guys might not be much, but at least they weren’t blind.

“Brother Ye, could you knock out two guys like me with one punch?”

Shao Ye turned to look him up and down. Just under 180 cm, well-proportioned build, some muscle on his exposed arms—clearly someone who trained. Shao Ye shook his head disapprovingly. “Don’t say that.”

The man grinned. “Brother Ye, you’re too modest—”

Before he could finish, Shao Ye raised a hand and gestured. “At least five.”

“……”

Damn! This guy has no shame! Should they just fight right now?!

Another chimed in, “Five is too few. I think Brother Ye could take ten of him!”

Shao Ye’s face practically bloomed with a smile, though he still pretended modesty. “Keep it low-key, keep it low-key.”

The group suppressed their urge to complain, continuing to flatter him with smiling faces. Shao Ye thoroughly enjoyed it and was soon completely swept up in their praise.

“We’ve been messing around these past couple of days and caused you trouble, Brother Ye. We won’t do it again. I’ve been feeling bad about it—how about we treat you to a meal today?” said the eldest son from his fifth uncle’s family, sounding apologetic.

Shao Ye refused immediately. “No need. The food at the residence is pretty good.”

Another cousin quickly added, “Why bother with a meal? Brother Ye, I heard there’s a new gym nearby—how about we go check it out today?”

“A gym?” Shao Ye was tempted.

Seeing him hesitate, someone added fuel to the fire. “Brother Ye, I feel like your chest muscles aren’t as big as when you first came to the residence. Have you not been training properly these past couple of days?”

“Really?” Shao Ye quickly looked down. He couldn’t really tell any difference, but after hearing them say it, he started to feel like they had shrunk.

The exercises he could do at the residence were limited—nothing compared to proper equipment.

Still, he didn’t agree immediately. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I need to go tell Seventh Uncle first.”

What was he, a little kid? Reporting even something this small to a guardian!

The others grumbled inwardly. They hadn’t realized before that his relationship with Seventh Uncle was this close. Hadn’t he only returned from abroad this year? Translated on Hololo novels. Before coming to the residence, he couldn’t have met Seventh Uncle more than five times total—the ten-thousand-dollar report from their investigator had made that perfectly clear.

Could there be some hidden connection they didn’t know about? They would definitely need to find a way to dig into it later.

Shao Ye quickly got Pei Fangyan’s approval, got into their car, and set off toward the gym of his dreams.

After getting in, the cousin driving casually asked, “Hey, Brother Ye, you’ve met Seventh Uncle before, right?”

“Why are you asking?” Shao Ye said cautiously.

“Nothing, just curious. It seems like Seventh Uncle really likes you,” he said. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him stay at the residence this long, letting him swagger around with three Rottweilers.

Shao Ye felt proud, lifting his chin. “Of course.”

“……”

“Brother Ye, can you tell us how you got Seventh Uncle to like you? We want to learn too.”

If they learned, what would be left for him?

Shao Ye rolled his eyes. “Mind your own business.”

Then he turned his head to look out the window, ignoring them. The tall roadside trees flashed past his gaze. At this moment, what would Seventh Uncle be doing back at the residence? Would he be thinking about him?

Suddenly, Shao Ye felt there was actually no need to go to an outside gym at all. He could just buy equipment and bring it back to the residence. It wasn’t like he lacked the money, and the residence certainly had the space.

Leaning back against his seat, he yawned lazily, listening as his cousins chatted about various stories of the old residence. For some reason, he recalled the first time he met his Seventh Uncle.

It had been the day after he returned to the country. Early that morning, his father dragged him out of bed, saying they were going to visit the head of the Pei family. Along the way, his father kept reminding him to perform well in front of the family head so their family could get a larger share at the end of the year.

In the end, his father’s preparation had been completely inadequate. Only after arriving at the old residence did they learn that Pei Fangyan had been in the hospital for checkups these past few days.

Shao Ye and his father looked at each other. Shao Ye thought to himself, with his dad’s level of competence, he still wanted a bigger share? In the end, this family would have to rely on him.

They drove to the hospital, but their timing was unfortunate. Pei Fangyan was in the middle of trying out a newly developed high-end foreign technology to stimulate his leg muscles, with neither the time nor the energy to receive them.

Standing outside the treatment room, Shao Ye looked through the glass at Pei Fangyan. Dressed in a hospital gown and seated in a wheelchair, he was surrounded by several specialists discussing something with him.

He didn’t look as overwhelmingly powerful and untouchable as Shao Ye had imagined. Yet his expression was calm, his posture composed. Even though he couldn’t walk, it felt as though everything in the world lay within his grasp—he simply had no interest in it.

At that moment, Shao Ye thought, this head of the family might need some psychological healing as well.

Just as he was wondering what kind of methods might help, Pei Fangyan suddenly turned his head and looked toward him. Not long before, medical staff had told Shao Ye that the glass was one-way, that people inside couldn’t see out—but Shao Ye still felt that Pei Fangyan had seen him. That his gaze had lingered on him for a long moment before shifting away.

Under that deep gaze, Shao Ye’s heart began to race uncontrollably. Even though he didn’t carry the Pei surname, he still recognized himself as part of the Pei family. As a person of noble character from the Pei family, it was only natural that he should stand by the family head’s side. Besides, there was the added benefit of a bigger year-end share. Right then and there, Shao Ye decided he would become the most loyal follower of the family head.

The gym wasn’t far from the residence—just over ten minutes by car. Since it had just opened and was running promotions, it was packed with people.

The moment Shao Ye walked in, he drew a lot of attention. People gathered around him—some asking how he had built his physique, how long he had trained, others asking to add him as a contact.

Shao Ye had always been tolerant toward fellow fitness enthusiasts. He accepted all friend requests. Translated on Hololo novels. Looking at the long list of new contacts added in just a few days, he couldn’t help but wonder how many would actually remain.

Still remembering what his cousin had said earlier about his chest shrinking, Shao Ye had only one goal at the gym today: train chest, train chest, and train chest again.

After working up a sweat, he showered and stepped out. A cousin eagerly handed him a drink. Without suspicion, he downed it in one gulp.

The “weasels” exchanged glances. Perfect.

They had studied it—this drug would take effect in about half an hour. At first, it would cause drowsiness and sluggish thinking, then it would stimulate physical desire, and eventually leave only the instinct to release that desire.

They planned to lure Shao Ye to Su Yuexiang’s villa. When he got entangled with her, they would rush in as “good people,” restrain him, and deliver him to Pei Fangyan—a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone plan.

With surveillance as evidence, Shao Ye wouldn’t be able to deny anything.

After showering, Shao Ye wanted to head back to the residence. He had promised his Seventh Uncle he’d return before three in the afternoon to help with the massage. The others agreed—this timing was just right.

On the way back, Shao Ye sat in the back seat with one of his cousins. Tugging at his collar, he fanned himself. “Why do I feel so hot?”

The cousin quietly scooted farther away and gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe the AC isn’t on.”

Then he quickly signaled the driver to hurry. If Shao Ye lost control in the car, they’d all be on the news the next day.

Ten minutes later, they safely arrived at the residence. After getting out, Shao Ye kept yawning. His mind felt like frozen paste, unable to tell north from south.

Someone pointed toward a two-story villa in the distance. “Brother Ye, go rest over there.”

Shao Ye looked ahead and asked, “Why?”

He just wanted to rest where he was.

Why so many questions? In his current state, shouldn’t he just follow whatever they said?

The cousin who had suggested drugging him came up with another “brilliant” excuse—one Shao Ye wouldn’t refuse. “Seventh Uncle is over there.”

Shao Ye believed him. He nodded and headed in that direction.

But halfway there, he overheard servants mentioning the time—it was almost three. Three o’clock meant massage time, and that would be in the innermost building. Shao Ye hesitated at the fork in the road, then turned and took a different path.

Watching from the car, the “weasels” panicked.

“Why did he change direction?!”

“Someone go stop him!”

“There are cameras everywhere in the residence. If we stop him and then dump him at Su Yuexiang’s place, wouldn’t that be like a thief crying ‘stop thief’?”

“So we’re just not going to do anything?”

“It’s fine. Even if it’s not Su Yuexiang, if he harasses any servant, Pei Fangyan won’t keep him. Let’s follow and make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

They crept along behind him, watching as Shao Ye staggered forward down a path, curiosity growing.

“Who is he going to see?” someone asked.

“Maybe he’s heading back to his own room.”

“But he doesn’t live over there, does he?”

“Then who lives there?”

“S-Seventh Uncle…”

“Besides Seventh Uncle?”

“No one else, I think.”

“…Then he’s definitely going to die even worse.”

The group fell silent, as if mourning in advance.

Then suddenly someone shrieked, “Don’t just stand there! If he goes to Seventh Uncle and causes trouble, Seventh Uncle will definitely investigate it thoroughly. We might all end up going down with him! Hurry and stop him—”

Messing around with others and messing around in front of Seventh Uncle were two completely different outcomes.

Four or five of them immediately took off, chasing after Shao Ye. Seeing that in broad daylight someone actually dared to stop him from giving Seventh Uncle a massage, Shao Ye grew annoyed and started throwing punches at them.

Before long, all of them were lying on the ground bruised and battered. Only then did they realize that when Shao Ye said earlier he could take on all five of them with one punch, he hadn’t been joking.

But wasn’t this a bit too strong? What were they supposed to do if he really went to see Seventh Uncle later?

They were doomed. They might as well hurry up and pick out a nice burial plot. They heard their eldest uncle had recently been looking into that sort of thing, maybe they could consult him first.

Shao Ye successfully arrived at Pei Fangyan’s lounge before three o’clock. Aside from his slightly flushed face, he looked no different from usual.

He stood by the bed and seriously began massaging Pei Fangyan’s legs. Translated on Hololo novels. However, there was no strength in his hands at all, just soft and limp. Shao Ye himself didn’t notice it, and Pei Fangyan couldn’t feel it either.

After a while, Shao Ye couldn’t help but complain to Pei Fangyan, “Seventh Uncle, I’m so hot. Did you not turn on the air conditioning?”

Pei Fangyan had been reading documents. Only when he heard him speak did he look up. Seeing Shao Ye’s flushed cheeks, he immediately knew something was off and asked, “Did you drink outside?”

Shao Ye shook his head and said somewhat dazedly, “Didn’t drink. I had plain water.”

Pei Fangyan didn’t seem convinced and asked again, “What flavor of plain water?”

Shao Ye blinked and tilted his head, looking at him in confusion. Since when did plain water have a flavor?

Pei Fangyan’s gaze dropped, and he asked, “Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”

Shao Ye’s hands hadn’t stopped moving the entire time. Seeing Pei Fangyan look over, he said pitifully, “It’s uncomfortable.”

It felt like he was about to burst.

“If it’s uncomfortable, why didn’t you go back?” Pei Fangyan asked.

Shao Ye barely had any ability to think now. He answered whatever Pei Fangyan asked. “I need to massage Seventh Uncle first,” he said earnestly.

Pei Fangyan paused, then smiled. He picked up his phone, intending to call the steward to take Shao Ye away, but halfway through, he slowly put the phone back down. Then he pointed at the bathroom door and said to Shao Ye, “Go in and take care of it yourself.”

Shao Ye obediently walked in and immediately started taking off his pants.

Pei Fangyan said helplessly, “Close the door.”

Shao Ye responded with an “oh.” His brain had already stopped working. Now he just did whatever Pei Fangyan told him.

Pei Fangyan sat on the bed and continued reading the documents his subordinates had sent. Before long, hurried, heavy breathing mixed with the sound of running water came from the bathroom, along with a couple of low moans.

Pei Fangyan turned his head to look. Suddenly, he regretted reminding him to close the door earlier.

The document in his hand was impossible to keep reading. After a while, the sounds gradually stopped, but Shao Ye still didn’t come out.

Pei Fangyan waited another five minutes, but there was still no sign of him. He moved into his wheelchair and controlled it over to the bathroom.

He pushed the door open and saw Shao Ye’s shirt soaked through, clinging half-transparently to his honey-colored chest, clearly outlining his full pectorals and firm abdomen. His pants had been pulled down to the back of his knees, and slightly cloudy droplets of water slowly ran down his strong thighs.

He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall behind him, eyes closed, as if he had already fallen asleep.

“Xiao Ye?” Pei Fangyan called.

Shao Ye opened his eyes. They were wet, as if he were about to cry. In a trembling voice, he said, “Seventh Uncle, it still feels uncomfortable.”

A sudden surge of excitement rose from the depths of Pei Fangyan’s heart. So strong, yet now so pitiful… truly adorable.

---

Author’s Note:

【Neverland, you’ve really outdone yourself. Last world you released swans, this time you switched to koi. Why are you even running a livestream? Just go make an animal documentary already!】

: Which stream is progressing this fast?! Who is the female lead with now?

: Not the female lead. It’s No. 6, with Seventh Uncle.

: The moment I saw “Seventh Uncle,” I jumped out of my chair. Then I saw it was No. 6 and quietly sat back down.

: Quietly? Didn’t the coach smack you back into your seat?

: As expected of him.

: Is No. 6 some kind of reincarnated succubus? Didn’t they say the official setup maxed out the female lead’s charm this time? What’s going on now?

: Don’t spread rumors! No. 6 and Seventh Uncle just have a pure uncle-nephew relationship. He even kindly reminded him to close the door.

: But his expression afterward looked kind of regretful, like he wished he could turn into laser eyes and blast the bathroom door open.

: He fans above, calm down. You don’t want me to start another thread explaining how He Jiahuai ate dirt, right?

: …………I’m leaving.

: Pure uncle-nephew relationship? That sounds familiar. The Qingming crowd used to say the same thing about the president and No. 6.

: I’m more and more convinced Seventh Uncle and the president are the same person.

: That’s definitely not true, okay? Don’t talk nonsense. The president is shameless and openly flirts with No. 6 all the time, but Seventh Uncle is the restrained, deeply devoted type. Translated on Hololo novels. He loved the female lead for years and never confessed.

: Is it possible he doesn’t actually love the female lead? Just a thought.

: Impossible! Every time the president gets flustered by No. 6, he crosses his legs, but Seventh Uncle never does. That proves he has no inappropriate thoughts about No. 6!

: That actually makes sense… I can’t even argue with that.

: …

: Wait, isn’t that comparison a bit too messed up? Even if Seventh Uncle wanted to cross his legs, with his condition, could he even do it?!

≽^•⩊•^≼

Previous

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.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Next

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.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

【Have we returned to the sixth ending?】

At 10:12 p.m. in 2004, after sending the message, Lin Wu placed the phone in the middle of the table.

He and Qin Weidong were sitting across from each other at a four-person table. Lin Wu had actually wanted to sit next to Qin Weidong to send messages together, but Qin Weidong had stretched his legs out, taking up three quarters of the space. There was no room for Lin Wu to move over, and Qin Weidong didn’t seem inclined to shift, so they ended up awkwardly reading the messages from opposite sides.

“Did the other side reply yet?” Qin Weidong also felt the situation was awkward, but he didn’t dare sit next to Lin Wu.

“Not yet.” They had reconnected yesterday, but after being out of contact for four days, Lin Wu wasn’t sure if they would get a reply tonight.

“Let’s just wait and see.” Qin Weidong gestured for him not to worry and reached for some popcorn chicken from the snack platter.

At the same moment, Lin Wu also reached for it. Their fingers brushed.

Qin Weidong: !!!

He jerked his hand back so suddenly that he nearly knocked over the Coke beside him.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wu was startled.

“Nothing, I spaced out.” Qin Weidong felt his reaction was abnormal. Just as he was thinking about how to explain, the phone lit up.

Sender: Unknown number.

Message:

【Caramel coffee.】
【We’re back.】

“They replied.” Lin Wu immediately focused on the message. Qin Weidong let out a breath of relief, though he was curious. “Why did they say caramel coffee? That seems random.”

“I don’t know. Maybe they sent it by mistake,” Lin Wu said casually, though he knew exactly what it meant. It was a code between him and his future self.

There was a twenty-year gap between them. The future version could understand his situation through memory updates, but Lin Wu couldn’t know the other side’s condition. So half an hour earlier, when he saw the coffee machine in the burger shop, he had silently repeated: caramel coffee.

That was the signal.

Now that the other side replied with it, it confirmed that it was indeed his future self.

“What happened in the last ending?” Lin Wu asked.

“In 2004, Lin Wu was killed. Today is a new ending.” The reply was vague, but Lin Wu understood. Yesterday’s message hadn’t been sent by “himself.” He had already died at that point. The current “himself” didn’t know the details.

“Qin Weidong.” Lin Wu frowned and looked up.

“What is it?” Qin Weidong lifted his head from the phone.

“…Nothing.” Lin Wu hesitated. Just like his future self, he suspected the message in the fifteenth ending had been sent by Qin Weidong. But he didn’t know what happened in the future, and Qin Weidong now knew even less.

“Should we start a new ending?” Lin Wu typed.

“Not yet.” In the Xuhu hotel, the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu had just absorbed fifteen sets of memories, along with the experience of being killed. He needed time to steady himself.

At 10:27, the time channel closed.

Lin Wu looked at Qin Weidong. “Did you change your dressing today?”

“I did.” Qin Weidong’s foot was wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing blue cotton slippers.

“For the next couple of days, don’t eat anything spicy or let it get wet. If you need to shower, either cover your foot with a plastic bag or keep it out of the water.” Even though the injury wasn’t Lin Wu’s fault, it had happened at his house, and he felt responsible.

“I know.” Qin Weidong listened to the careful instructions, glancing out the window awkwardly.

Ten minutes later, the two walked out of the burger shop.

“I’ll head back first,” Lin Wu said, preparing to leave. He hadn’t brought his bike and planned to take a taxi.

“We’ll go together.” Qin Weidong didn’t let him leave alone. He flagged down a taxi, got into the front seat, and gestured for Lin Wu to sit in the back.

“I can go back by myself,” Lin Wu said, surprised. It was only about seven hundred meters from here to Lide. It would be inconvenient for Qin Weidong to go out of his way.

“There’s a house my family owns in Xuhu. I’m heading there tonight, so it’s on the way. If you feel bad about it, just treat me to a meal next time,” Qin Weidong said in one breath.

“…Alright.” Lin Wu felt continuing to refuse would make things awkward, so he agreed.

After getting in the car, he wanted to chat, but Qin Weidong closed his eyes to rest as soon as he sat down. Lin Wu stayed quiet and didn’t disturb him.

The car soon arrived at the residential compound.

“Stay safe on the way,” Lin Wu said, waving as he got out.

“Mm.” Qin Weidong waved back.

Ten minutes later, just after Lin Wu got home, he received a message:

【Photo.】 — Qin Weidong

Lin Wu paused, then realized Qin Weidong wanted proof that he had arrived safely.

It felt a bit awkward to send a photo just to confirm getting home, but considering what they had just gone through in the fifteenth ending, Qin Weidong was probably worried something might happen. Translated on Hololo novels. After thinking for a moment, Lin Wu took a photo of his alarm clock in front of the curtains. Normally he would photograph a note, but he was too tired to take out his schoolbag.

…

At the same time, Qin Weidong entered a luxurious villa in Xuhu’s East District with his keys.

The house was brightly lit. Qin Jianzhang, wearing a cotton nightgown, was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When he saw Qin Weidong come in, he snorted.

“Last month you had a fracture, then you caught a cold, and now that you’ve just recovered, you’ve gone and turned yourself into a cripple again. I didn’t realize my son had become this capable.”

He had been on a business trip in Qianzhou for the past few days. He had just signed a contract for a quarry when Zhao Hongyu called to say Qin Weidong had been injured and taken to the hospital.

“Is it serious?” he had asked immediately, his tone turning sharp.

“Just a toe injury, nothing serious. The doctor said three to five days,” Zhao Hongyu replied honestly.

“How did it happen?” Qin Jianzhang relaxed a little.

“Seems like he dropped a whetstone on it at a classmate’s house.”

“Whetstone?” Qin Jianzhang found it hard to believe, but since things in Qianzhou were mostly settled, he thought it over and booked a ticket back.

“What time did you get back?” Qin Weidong didn’t mind his father’s sarcastic tone. He sat down on the sofa beside him and reached for a banana.

“Five in the afternoon.” After a few complaints, Qin Jianzhang looked at his foot. “Which one’s injured?”

“My right foot.” Qin Weidong took off his shoe and stretched out the injured foot, gesturing a bit. “See? Tough skin, nothing serious.”

“Even tough skin shouldn’t be treated like that.” Qin Jianzhang checked it carefully. Only after confirming it wasn’t serious did he relax. Then he seemed to recall something. “You’re not staying in the dorm anymore?”

“How did you know?” Qin Weidong was startled.

“Xiao Zhao went to bring you clothes the day before yesterday and said your dorm was empty.”

“I stayed at a classmate’s place for the past couple of days.” Qin Weidong felt annoyed. Why did Zhao Hongyu say everything?

“Don’t blame Xiao Zhao. Boarders are supposed to stay at school. If you go missing, we wouldn’t even know.” Qin Jianzhang seemed to read his thoughts. He had known about it two days ago but was too busy with contracts to deal with it until now.

“I just stayed at a classmate’s for two days. I’m back now.” Qin Weidong tried to end the topic.

“Which classmate?” Qin Jianzhang was curious. Qin Weidong might look like he had a lot of casual friends, but he was measured and rarely stayed over at someone else’s place.

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you. Anyway, I’m going upstairs to wash up.” Qin Weidong pretended to be impatient and headed upstairs.

“Hey, we barely get to talk and you’re already leaving?” Qin Jianzhang felt he left too quickly. He sighed to himself, thinking how his son had been cuter when he was younger. Now that he’d grown up, he didn’t listen anymore.

While Qin Jianzhang reminisced downstairs, Qin Weidong exhaled in relief once he got to his room.

If it had been two days earlier, he wouldn’t have minded telling his father he’d made a good friend at No. 1 High School. But after realizing yesterday that he wanted to kiss Lin Wu, he had no idea how to explain any of it.

What kind of normal person wants to kiss their friend?

There was a bottle of mineral water on the desk. He unscrewed it and took a few big gulps, then found himself wondering what Lin Wu might be doing right now.

He took out his phone to check if there was a reply, planning to ask again if there wasn’t. Then he noticed two unread messages:

【Photo.】
【Good night.】

Both had been sent two minutes earlier.

He opened the photo. In it, Lin Wu was holding an alarm clock, wearing his school uniform, standing in front of a light beige curtain. It was clearly Lin Wu’s home. Translated on Hololo novels. The picture was a bit blurry, probably because he wasn’t used to taking photos, but it was obvious that his features were good and his skin was very fair.

He zoomed in and stared at it, completely absorbed for three whole minutes. When he realized what he was doing, he was shocked, then hurried to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Three minutes later, Qin Weidong lay on his bed, feeling lost.

He told himself not to overthink. Absolutely not.

And yet, in the middle of that intense self-control, he angrily picked up his phone and saved the photo, placing it together with the previous two.

After saving it, he stared at the message screen. Ten minutes later, after editing and deleting several times, he finally sent:

【Good night. ^_^】

He even added a cute emoticon.

…

“Lin Wu, it’s Gao Xiaoping. Are you still in Xuhu? Everyone was talking about the reunion last night. A few people even tagged you, but you haven’t been online, so I wanted to ask if you’re coming today. It’s been nearly twenty years since we last met, so if you’re free, come join us.”

The next morning, at the Xuhu hotel in 2024, Lin Wu had just woken up when he received Gao Xiaoping’s call.

He was momentarily confused, then remembered. He had received a call about a class reunion some time ago. This reunion existed in every timeline and wouldn’t change because of his different endings.

“When and where is it?” Lin Wu sat up and asked.

“Seven tonight, Huifeng Restaurant, private room 308. Are you free? I’ll send you the details.”

“Alright, I’ll be there on time.”

After chatting briefly, Lin Wu hung up. His life had been too turbulent lately. Agreeing to the reunion wasn’t just about seeing old classmates after twenty years. He also wanted to get out and breathe a little.

At 6:50 p.m., Lin Wu arrived early at Huifeng Restaurant. It was an elegant, upscale place. A server led him to private room 308. The room was about three hundred square meters, with eight tables. By the time he entered, more than half the seats were already filled.

A man in a suit was going from table to table chatting. When he saw Lin Wu, he froze for a moment, then came over enthusiastically and hugged him.

“Lin Wu!”

“Xiaoping.” Lin Wu returned the hug. They hadn’t been close in high school, but now that they were adults, basic social courtesy came naturally.

Lin Wu was now a professor at Jianghe University, with both status and reputation. On top of that, he had been top of the grade back then, so Gao Xiaoping seated him at a good table.

“Lin Wu? Long time no see!”

“Still as handsome as ever!”

“I heard you’re a professor now? I knew back then you were impressive, didn’t expect you to do this well.”

…

There were already seven people at the table, men and women alike, all greeting him warmly.

“Everyone looks better than before. Jiang Bo, I heard you opened a water plant? That’s impressive,” Lin Wu said with a smile, exchanging pleasantries.

Before long, he had matched everyone with his memories. But when his gaze reached the corner, he hesitated.

A woman in a black dress sat there, elegant and composed, with red lips and long wavy hair. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

“Lin Wu, don’t recognize me?” she laughed softly when she saw his expression.

“…Li Jing?” Lin Wu’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard her voice.

Back in high school, Li Jing had always been plain-faced and unadorned. Now she was poised and graceful. It was hard to imagine she was the same short-haired, studious girl who used to bury herself in problem sets.

“Lin Wu, long time no see.” Li Jing smiled, and in that smile, her present self overlapped with the girl he remembered.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

【Who are you?】

After sending that message, Lin Wu kept waiting for a reply. But like a stone sinking into the ocean, there was nothing. Even when the time channel closed, no response came.

“Why did you ask who they are?” Qin Weidong felt the question was strange. Other than being an unknown number, who else could it be?

“I just… we haven’t been in contact for five days. Not sure if it’s the same person,” Lin Wu said, making up a casual excuse, though his thoughts were still unsettled.

“I see.” Qin Weidong didn’t think too much about it. After confirming Lin Wu was safe and sound, he said seriously, “We can’t open the fifteenth ending again. And nothing involving the factory either. Got it?”

“Got it.” Lin Wu planned to return to the sixth ending for now and figure out the rest tomorrow.

Qin Weidong was very satisfied with that answer. He slipped on his sandals and went outside. “Hot or warm?”

Lin Wu was in good health, but Qin Weidong always worried he was undernourished. So a couple days ago he had bought a whole case of milk. Luo Xiaorong didn’t like milk, so he bought her cheese sticks instead. Every night before bed, he and Lin Wu would heat up a cup.

“Warm,” Lin Wu replied helplessly. He still wasn’t used to letting a “guest” do things, but Qin Weidong insisted he was picky about milk temperature, so Lin Wu couldn’t interfere and instead tidied up the room.

While Qin Weidong busied himself outside, Lin Wu arranged the bedding, still analyzing the message in his head.

Bang!

Half a minute later, a heavy crash sounded from outside, followed by Qin Weidong’s pained shout.

“What happened?” Lin Wu rushed out immediately. The noise was loud enough that Luo Xiaorong had woken up too.

“My foot got hit!” Qin Weidong leaned against the wall, grimacing and clutching his foot. At his feet lay a gray whetstone. It had been sitting on the windowsill. After heating the milk, he had tried to pick it up one-handed, lost his grip, and it dropped straight onto his foot.

“Sit on the stool first, let me take a look.” There was a small stool in the hallway. Lin Wu helped him sit down, then crouched to examine his toes.

Qin Weidong was wearing open-toe sandals. His big toe and second toe were already swollen, and blood was seeping from the big toe.

“We need to go get this checked.” Lin Wu pressed a cool towel against it, then immediately went back to change.

“Do we have some antiseptic? Just put some on and it’ll be fine,” Qin Weidong said, not wanting the trouble.

“It’s already bleeding. That’s not enough.” The whetstone weighed over ten pounds. It could easily be a fracture.

“…Alright.” Qin Weidong had no choice but to follow his lead.

Half a minute later, Lin Wu came out holding Qin Weidong’s school uniform.

“Your pajamas are warm enough. Just put this on over them.”

“Okay.” Qin Weidong didn’t want the hassle of changing. He pulled on the uniform, then looked for socks.

“Here.” Lin Wu handed them to him.

“Thanks.” Qin Weidong put one on, leaving the injured foot wrapped in the towel.

“Mom, I’m heading out,” Lin Wu called.

“Okay…” Luo Xiaorong answered sleepily.

Lin Wu helped Qin Weidong downstairs. Outside, it was pitch black. Qin Weidong leaned against the wall and on Lin Wu for support. The pain had intensified. His injured foot didn’t touch the ground, but every step still hurt sharply.

Three minutes later, they reached the building entrance. There were still over two hundred meters to the gate. Seeing Qin Weidong starting to sweat, Lin Wu calculated the distance.

“I’ll carry you.”

“I can manage,” Qin Weidong instinctively refused. He wasn’t fat, but he was tall, at least 160 pounds. Then he suggested, “How about we ask the guard to let a taxi in? I’ll wait here.”

“That’s too much trouble. Carrying someone isn’t heavy.” Lin Wu laughed a little at his reaction. He knew he was strong enough. He didn’t understand why Qin Weidong thought he couldn’t handle it.

Qin Weidong wanted to refuse again, but seeing the concern in Lin Wu’s eyes, the words changed to a single: “Okay.”

Lin Wu turned around. Translated on Hololo novels. Qin Weidong climbed onto his back, arms hanging in front of Lin Wu’s chest. Lin Wu adjusted to the weight, found it manageable, and began jogging steadily toward the gate.

Under the dim light, Qin Weidong’s face was only about twenty centimeters from Lin Wu’s. A little closer and their cheeks would touch. From this angle, he could see Lin Wu’s straight nose, pale profile, and the fine soft hairs along his cheek.

Watching Lin Wu run forward with a focused expression, wind brushing past his ears, the pain seemed to fade.

His gaze drifted lower, to Lin Wu’s pale ear. Behind the earlobe was a small mole, the same one he had noticed the first time they met at the bus stop, small and strangely delicate.

His throat felt dry.

His hands, which had been hanging in front, slowly curled inward, wrapping lightly around Lin Wu’s shoulders, almost like holding onto him.

Three minutes later, Lin Wu reached the gate, breathing hard. He set Qin Weidong down by the roadside. Just then, an empty taxi passed by.

“Over here!”

The taxi stopped. Lin Wu spoke briefly with the driver, then helped Qin Weidong into the back seat.

“You sit in the back so you can stretch your leg. I’ll sit in front.”

“Okay.”

After getting into the car, Lin Wu said politely to the driver, “My friend injured his foot. Let’s drive safely, but as fast as we can.” Then he turned to Qin Weidong. “Does it still hurt?”

“Not really anymore.” Qin Weidong sat in the darker part of the car while Lin Wu was under the light. He could see the concern on Lin Wu’s face. He told himself not to worry, that it would be fine once they reached the hospital.

But he no longer heard what Lin Wu was saying. All he saw was Lin Wu’s lips moving, soft and moist.

Qin Weidong felt his heart pounding wildly. And then he realized something terrifying.

He wanted to kiss him.

Like in those TV dramas, under dim, ambiguous lighting, lifting the other person’s face and kissing them, tender and uncontrollable.

No, not just tender or uncontrollable.

He wanted to kiss him fiercely, like a storm, to leave his mark all over those lips.

In short, he wanted to kiss Lin Wu.

…

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the Central Hospital. Lin Wu paid, then opened the back door and helped Qin Weidong out.

“It’s fine, I can manage.” The moment Lin Wu’s hand touched his arm, Qin Weidong stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wu asked, puzzled.

“Nothing…” Qin Weidong tried to walk on his own, but the pain made it difficult. In the end, he still leaned on Lin Wu, limping into the hospital.

They registered for the emergency department. There weren’t many people there. After examining Qin Weidong’s toes, the doctor applied some medicine and said, “It’s nothing serious. Just keep it dry and avoid spicy or irritating food for a couple of days.”

Qin Weidong hadn’t brought his wallet, so Lin Wu paid. His toes were wrapped up thickly like rice dumplings. It didn’t affect walking, and he would recover in three to five days.

“Thank you,” Qin Weidong said, watching Lin Wu carefully ask about precautions, his tone complicated.

“It’s good that it’s nothing serious.” Lin Wu smiled, clearly relieved. He had been worried the whole way that it might be a fracture or something worse.

“Mm.” Qin Weidong turned his face away, feeling awkward.

At 12:20, the treatment was done. Lin Wu gathered the stack of receipts, preparing to leave. Just as he finished organizing them, the emergency room door opened.

“Xiao Qin.”

The man who came in was about thirty, wearing a black jacket and jeans, looking sharp.

“Brother Zhao,” Qin Weidong greeted him, then turned to Lin Wu and said, as if following a prepared script, “This is Zhao Hongyu, my relative. I’ll have him take you home. I won’t be going to your place tonight.”

The man was actually his family’s driver, not a relative. But that didn’t matter.

Qin Weidong’s mind was a mess.

He had wanted to kiss Lin Wu.

Why?

Yes, he liked sticking close to Lin Wu lately. That was because of the time messages, and because Lin Wu had a good personality. He considered him a close friend.

But Hu Wei and Gao Mingming were his friends too.

Did he ever want to kiss them?

Not at all.

Everything was too chaotic in his head. That was why he had secretly messaged Zhao Hongyu earlier after the examination.

He couldn’t keep staying this close to Lin Wu.

Otherwise everything would spiral out of control.

“Hello, you must be Xiao Qin’s classmate. Thank you for bringing him here,” Zhao Hongyu said warmly.

“Hello…” Lin Wu shook his hand, slightly dazed.

After some polite conversation, Zhao Hongyu asked the doctor about Qin Weidong’s condition. Once he confirmed it wasn’t serious, he relaxed, then helped Qin Weidong and walked with Lin Wu to the parking lot.

He had driven a black business van today. Lin Wu didn’t know much about cars, but he could tell it was expensive. And Zhao Hongyu’s attitude didn’t feel like that of an ordinary relative.

“I’ll just head back myself,” Lin Wu hesitated.

“No need, we’ll take you,” Qin Weidong said, having Lin Wu sit in the back with him. Translated on Hololo novels. Worried his behavior might seem strange, he added, “Don’t overthink it. It’s just that my foot is injured, so it’s inconvenient to go upstairs. I’ll head home tonight. I’ll come see you tomorrow evening.”

“It’s fine.” Lin Wu didn’t think much of it. He knew it would be more convenient for Qin Weidong at home. He handed him the medicine. “Remember to apply it on time.”

“Mm.” Qin Weidong tried his best to stay calm.

Twenty minutes later, the car reached the residential compound. The gate was open, so they drove straight to the building.

As Lin Wu got out of the car, looking slightly tired from staying up late, Qin Weidong suddenly called out, “Lin Wu.”

“What is it?” Lin Wu turned back.

“…Nothing. Good night.”

“Good night.” Lin Wu waved.

After returning home, he put away Qin Weidong’s bedding and went to sleep.

The next morning, he arrived at the classroom. His deskmate Li Jing greeted him, “Morning.”

“Morning.” Lin Wu smiled.

Like usual, his day was spent attending classes and analyzing the message from the previous night. Beyond that, he didn’t know whether there would be another message tonight, or if it would still be from himself… or someone else.

While lost in these thoughts, at 7 p.m., he received a message from Qin Weidong:

【I’ve got something today, can’t go to your place. Let’s meet at Jianna Burger at ten.】

Jianna Burger was a restaurant near No. 1 High School, open until midnight, with a nice environment. Students often went there to study while having snacks.

Knowing Qin Weidong was injured, Lin Wu didn’t think too much about it and replied:

【Okay.】

At 8:40, he arrived at the restaurant with his backpack. Not knowing what Qin Weidong liked to eat, and since it was still early, he decided to order a snack platter after sitting down so it wouldn’t feel awkward.

The place wasn’t busy today. Lin Wu sat down and started looking at the menu. At that moment, a staff member approached after looking him up and down.

“Hello, are you Student Lin? Phone number ending in 6888?”

“Hello.” Lin Wu froze for a moment. He didn’t have a phone of his own, but the one Qin Weidong had lent him did end in 6888.

“It’s like this. A student named Qin called earlier. He has a membership card here. You can charge your order directly to it. There’s still quite a lot of balance left, and it will expire by the end of the month.” The server emphasized the expiration.

“Oh…” Lin Wu responded, a bit dazed.

“To confirm your identity, we need to verify your phone number,” the server added.

Lin Wu took out the phone. After confirming the number matched, the server gestured for him to order. Lin Wu knew Qin Weidong was generous, but using someone else’s card when they weren’t present still felt wrong to him. In the end, he took out twenty yuan from his wallet. “Just a snack platter.”

“Alright.” The server noted it down.

Customers came and went. Lin Wu took out his workbook and focused on his homework.

At ten o’clock, the wind chimes at the door rang. Lin Wu looked up and saw Qin Weidong walking in wearing his school uniform. He was still limping slightly, but looked much better than yesterday.

“Is your foot okay?” Lin Wu stood up and asked.

“It’s fine.” Qin Weidong sat across from him, his expression complicated as he looked at the snack platter on the table. His membership card was linked to his phone, so he knew Lin Wu hadn’t used it.

“Waiter, I’ll order.” Qin Weidong quickly ordered a large amount of food, then pushed his phone and half of the dishes toward Lin Wu.

Lin Wu looked up and saw Qin Weidong eating a burger, his brows slightly furrowed.

While Qin Weidong was lost in his thoughts, back in 2024 at the Xuhu Hotel, Lin Wu’s memories began to refresh.

This was his sixteenth ending.

This timeline began after receiving the message on October 15, 2004, so he clearly remembered having gone through fifteen endings already. He also knew that in the fifteenth ending, he had died.

Now his life continued from the sixth ending. In that timeline, on November 19, they successfully ambushed the suspect and saved Wang Jiahui. On November 26, Luo Xiaorong was killed…

He already knew Luo Xiaorong would die, but since he had to return to the sixth ending, he could only follow that path, anxiously and fearfully waiting for the time phone in 2024. Translated on Hololo novels. During that time, he had secretly investigated the second killer, but found nothing.

In August 2024, he returned to Xuhu, found the phone, and saw that messages had been automatically sent starting from September 5, until October 15—

【On December 5, 2004, Lin Wu was killed while lying in wait at the second factory building…】

【Return to the sixth ending.】

If he had truly died in that previous ending, then that message could not have been sent by him.

At 10:12, the new memories refreshed. He now possessed all fifteen previous sets of memories. He saw himself in the fifteenth ending, carefully lying in wait in the second factory building. Then came the raincoat, headlights, the axe… and his death at 9:30 p.m. on December 5, 2004.

It matched exactly what the unknown message had said.

Because he had died, he had no idea what happened to Luo Xiaorong in that ending…

The message was true.

But it raised a deeper question.

In the fifteenth ending, who had sent that message?

A passing car’s headlights flashed across the window. Lin Wu turned on his computer and typed:

【Xuhu Qin Weidong】

“October 10 — Tengfei Technology founder Qin Weidong…”

At the top of the news was a report about Qin Weidong being stranded abroad for five days due to a storm before returning home. Lin Wu stared at the cold, composed figure in the photo, thinking carefully.

Qin Weidong.

Were you the one who sent the message?

If it really was you, then why are you now like strangers?

He searched further. January 2005, went abroad. 2010, returned and founded Tengfei Technology… There was no trace of himself in Qin Weidong’s public records. And he himself had no memory of Qin Weidong.

In this ending, Wang Manshan’s family was living happily. Lin Wu called him.

“Uncle Wang, in the past few years, have I ever been in contact with a friend named Qin Weidong?” Lin Wu asked.

“Qin Weidong? Who’s that? Your classmate?” Wang Manshan thought hard, then seemed to recall something. “Wait, wasn’t there a tall boy who used to wait for you downstairs and even stayed at your house a few times? Is that the one you mean?”

“Yes, him. Did I keep in touch with him over the years?” Lin Wu paused before asking.

“I don’t remember you mentioning him. I think after he stayed over a few times in high school, you two didn’t keep in contact. Why?”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly thought of that classmate.” Lin Wu rubbed his brow and hung up.

He and Wang Manshan were close. If Wang Manshan had no memory of Qin Weidong, then it meant they truly had not stayed in touch after high school.

He wrote in his notebook:

Fifteenth ending — Qin Weidong

Then, after a moment’s thought, he added a question mark after it.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

On the night of October 11, 2004, in a senior-year classroom at Xuhu No. 1 High School, Lin Wu sat staring out the window. The past few days in Xuhu had been under low-pressure weather. It seemed the pressure had finally broken. At 7:10, after a sudden clap of thunder, rain began to fall. Within half an hour, it had turned from a light drizzle into a raging storm, as if releasing all the pent-up heaviness of the past days.

“Lin Wu, did you bring an umbrella?” Li Jing had just finished a set of practice questions and tapped him to ask.

“I did. It’s in the back,” Lin Wu said, pointing behind the classroom. He had sensed bad weather that morning and brought one, though with how heavy the rain was now, he wasn’t sure it would help.

“That’s good. My dad’s coming later. If you didn’t have one, I could ask him to bring an extra.” Li Jing said kindly.

“Thanks, but it’s okay.” Lin Wu smiled, and the two discussed a math problem for a bit. At 7:45, during break, he sent Qin Weidong a message: 【Don’t come tonight. I’ll go to your dorm to find you.】

They only had two umbrellas at home. He had taken one and left the other for Luo Xiaorong. He wasn’t sure if Qin Weidong had one at the dorm, and the weather wasn’t suitable for biking anyway. Earlier that evening, he had already moved his bicycle into the indoor rack at school. After class, he planned to go straight to Qin Weidong’s dorm to avoid unnecessary trouble.

【No need, I’ll come find you.】Qin Weidong replied quickly.

【The rain is pretty heavy right now.】Lin Wu looked outside. Many low-lying areas were already filled with water. He wanted to say more, but Qin Weidong didn’t respond, and the class bell rang. He had to put his phone away.

At 8:30, school ended. Many parents had come to pick up students. Because of the weather, the school allowed them to bring umbrellas inside. Lin Wu saw Li Jing’s father, who quickly took her home. Rain poured down relentlessly as students left in small groups.

As usual, Lin Wu packed his bag. Since it was raining, he only brought two exercise books. After finishing, he took out his phone to message Qin Weidong.

“Lin Wu!” a classmate called from the door.

“What is it?” Lin Wu looked up.

“Someone’s looking for you!” The classmate stepped aside, revealing Qin Weidong in a black raincoat.

Qin Weidong was soaked through. He took off his hood and stood aside so as not to block others, waving at Lin Wu. “I’m all wet, so I won’t come in. Take your stuff first.”

Only then did Lin Wu notice the two plastic bags in his hand. Walking over, he asked, “Why did you come?”

“Had nothing to do after school, so I came. The rain’s too heavy right now. Go change first. There are too many people at the entrance. We’ll find a place to get a taxi later.” Qin Weidong handed him one of the bags.

When Lin Wu took it, their hands brushed briefly. Qin Weidong’s hand felt cold.

Opening the bag, Lin Wu found a pair of boots and a new raincoat inside.

“You just bought these?” he asked, surprised.

“From the school store. Figured you didn’t have a raincoat, so I got an extra.”

“I could’ve just gone to your dorm,” Lin Wu said. He was someone who valued boundaries, and the gesture felt a little awkward to him.

“There’s no quilt cover or toothbrush at my dorm. I can’t stay there tonight. Come on, go change.”

Qin Weidong waved it off. It was true his dorm lacked those things, but he could easily borrow a toothbrush. He had come mainly because he was worried about the weather.

“Thank you.” After a brief pause, Lin Wu returned to his seat, changed into the boots, and put on the raincoat. Qin Weidong had bought himself a black one, while Lin Wu’s was yellow. It fit perfectly.

“Let’s go,” Lin Wu said after changing.

“Let’s go.” Qin Weidong naturally took the bag with Lin Wu’s shoes.

“I can carry it myself.”

“One bag or two, it’s the same for me. It’s cold outside. Just keep your hands inside your sleeves.”

Qin Weidong didn’t let him carry anything. Holding both bags, one with his shoes and one with Lin Wu’s, he walked ahead. Unable to take them back, Lin Wu jogged to catch up.

Ten minutes later, they left the school gates. Outside was chaotic: students, cars, bicycles, colorful umbrellas, and rain whipped wildly by the wind, everything squeezed together. There were no taxis available. Just as Qin Weidong had said, they walked about a kilometer before finding one in a more open area.

The whole day had been exhausting. By the time they got home, it was already 9:50. After washing up, they collapsed onto the bed.

“Aren’t you doing homework?” Qin Weidong asked.

“No.” Lin Wu had planned to study, but he was too tired. He decided to do it tomorrow in class.

“Let’s send the message and sleep early.” Lin Wu looked drained, and Qin Weidong wasn’t much better.

After resting for a bit, at 10:12, Lin Wu sent: 【Is there a new ending?】

Over the past ten days, they had opened six ending lines. This had become their usual opening line.

They waited for a reply. Normally, it would come within a minute. But this time, five minutes passed with no response.

“Didn’t he see it?” Lin Wu and Qin Weidong both sat up.

【S?】Qin Weidong sent another message. No reply.

“Maybe he’s busy and hasn’t seen it yet,” Qin Weidong said, noticing Lin Wu’s frown. “Last time with the seventh ending, he replied late too. Could be something like that.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu steadied himself.

Both of them waited for a reply, but until the time-channel closed, there was no response at all.

“Maybe there’s no signal?” Qin Weidong checked carefully. Since his messages were sending successfully, his phone clearly wasn’t the problem.

“I don’t know. Let’s check again tomorrow,” Lin Wu said, though his brows were tightly knit, showing he was far from calm.

At first, they thought the other side was simply delayed. But over the next three days, it was as if the other person had vanished completely, like they had never existed.

“Should we start a new ending line?” On the night of October 15, Qin Weidong asked after returning home with Lin Wu.

He was usually easygoing, but even he felt something was wrong now. They had been out of contact for four days, and during that time he had come up with two possibilities:

First, the other person’s phone had encountered some uncontrollable issue, like being damaged, lost, or stolen. Translated on Hololo novels. They would have to wait until the phone was recovered.

Second, the time-channel had shut down due to some rule, and the two timelines had returned to normal.

Aside from those, there was a third possibility he didn’t dare think about. In the fifteenth ending, something might have happened to Lin Wu, altering the entire life trajectory where he recognized the unknown number and began sending time messages.

But if that were true, the unknown number still held memories of the previous fourteen endings. Whether or not he knew Lin Wu in that fifteenth ending, he should still know their 2004 selves. He shouldn’t have just disappeared.

The more Qin Weidong thought about it, the more chaotic his thoughts became. He looked at Lin Wu. “Lin Wu…”

“Mm?” Lin Wu turned to him.

“Let’s start a new ending line. No matter what happened in the fifteenth one, we restart. Or we go back to the sixth ending. In that one, Wang Jiahui survived. Yeah, let’s go back to the sixth, then start again…” Qin Weidong’s thoughts spiraled. His gut told him the fifteenth ending wasn’t good.

“I’ll think about it,” Lin Wu said. He had also been considering restarting.

His main concern was this: what if losing contact with 2024 meant the fifteenth ending had actually succeeded? He didn’t know why he could connect past and future, but “the fifteenth ending succeeded, so the time messages disappeared” was logically plausible.

He wasn’t sure whether restarting would affect a possibly existing “perfect ending,” so he hesitated.

“No need to think. We give up on the fifteenth ending,” Qin Weidong said firmly.

“…Alright. If there’s still no message tonight, we’ll start a new one tomorrow,” Lin Wu nodded after a moment’s thought.

“You agree?” Qin Weidong hadn’t expected it to be so easy.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Lin Wu smiled faintly. With everything unclear, this was a reasonable approach. Still, moving forward without knowing the outcome felt terrible, like crossing a river by feeling for stones.

At ten o’clock, the two lay on the bed staring at their phones. Though they had agreed to restart if nothing came, after four days of silence, neither of them truly expected a message tonight.

Then, in the quiet, at 10:12, the inbox lit up.

Both of them shot upright.

Sender: Unknown number.

Message:

【On December 5, 2004, Lin Wu was killed while lying in wait at the second factory building. Time of death: between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Afterward, the killer committed five more murders and has never been caught.】

【Return to the sixth ending.】

“Lin Wu died?!” Qin Weidong jumped to his feet. He hit his head on the way up but didn’t notice. His heart seemed to stop for a moment. He immediately typed back:

【Was Lin Wu killed because of the ambush, or because he was a male student?】

【Will the killer change targets from female students to male students?】

【What about Lin Wu’s mom?】

…

Qin Weidong tried to steady himself, then looked to the side. From his angle, he could see Lin Wu’s slightly messy hair. Lin Wu was here, wearing pajamas, warm, alive.

“It hasn’t happened yet. We can still change it. But we can’t do the fifteenth ending anymore. Anything involving the factory ambush is off the table…” Qin Weidong sat back down, speaking quickly, like someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.

Halfway through, he stopped.

Because Lin Wu had taken the phone from his hand and was rereading the message, brows furrowed.

In the input box, he typed and erased several times, until only three words remained:

【Who are you?】

Qin Weidong didn’t know who the sender was.

But Lin Wu did.

It was supposed to be his future self.

If he had truly died during the ambush… then who was sending this message now?

He looked calm, but inside, his thoughts were just as chaotic as Qin Weidong’s.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Previous

At 11:20, the food truck arrived at the construction site.

The workers crowded around to grab their boxed meals. Where Lin Wu was sitting, there were two relatively flat stones that could be used as a makeshift table. Before long, five workers, three men and two women, gathered beside him. Their hands were rough and weathered, clearly from long hours of hard labor.

“You’re still in school?” one of the workers asked curiously, setting down his chopsticks as he looked at Lin Wu’s delicate appearance.

“I’m in my final year of high school,” Lin Wu replied politely.

“Oh, my son’s in his final year too. Which school are you from?”

“No. 1 High School.”

“That’s a good one. You need six hundred points on the entrance exam to get in.” Hearing this, the man grew interested. “It’s Friday, right? No classes today?”

“I took leave for something.”

“Study hard. If your grades are steady there, you can definitely get into a university.” Since Lin Wu was in the same grade as his son, the worker became more talkative.

“I heard someone here got arrested recently?” Lin Wu steered the conversation toward Guo Chengchun.

After Guo Chengchun’s attempted murder, the police had come to investigate. News like that spread quickly, and people talked about it every day.

“Old Guo had a bad temper. They say those earlier murder cases were his doing,” the man said. Since it hadn’t yet been confirmed that Guo Chengchun was a copycat, many believed he had killed a female high school student. After speaking, he turned to someone nearby. “When was that case again?”

“March, I think. She was killed on her way home,” replied a woman around thirty. She was slim and worked with cement.

“You remember it that clearly?” Lin Wu asked casually.

“It was in the newspapers. Lots of people talked about it,” the woman said with a laugh.

“Who would’ve thought something that horrible could happen in a place this small.”

“Old Guo was always quick to anger. Never thought he’d actually killed someone.”

“I even argued with him before. Thinking about it now gives me chills…”

…

Everyone spoke with lingering fear. The fact that a killer had been someone they knew made the whole thing feel almost unreal.

From their conversation, Lin Wu learned that the man who spoke to him earlier was named Xu Daming, from a county under Xuhu. He rented in an urban village and liked smoking and drinking, rarely without a cigarette in hand. Translated on Hololo novels. The woman was named Zhao Fangfang, from the south. She had a scar running from the back of her hand up her arm, which she covered when he looked at it, as if self-conscious.

The others ranged from eighteen to fifty-five. The work was tough, but the pay was good and always on time, so most were satisfied.

Lin Wu stayed until 2:00 in the afternoon. He didn’t deliberately question them, mostly observing their physical traits. Just like before, nothing about their appearances revealed who might be the killer.

A day later, Lin Wu left Xuhu with Luo Xiaorong. Wang Manshan’s family was surprised, but Lin Wu was firm in his decision. They pressed ten thousand yuan into his hands and said no more. Over the next few years, they would visit often.

Lin Wu took Luo Xiaorong to a city seven hundred kilometers away. Transferring schools was troublesome, but his grades were good, and he eventually found a local high school to continue preparing for the college entrance exam. Life was difficult at first, but prices were low in 2004, and after he earned a high scholarship and city awards, things gradually improved.

In the years that followed, he kept an eye on news from Xuhu. After he and Luo Xiaorong left, the killer committed five more murders, two more than in the previous ending. Luo Xiaorong seemed to act like a trigger: when she died, the number of subsequent victims decreased; when she lived, it increased.

【Begin the next ending.】On September 29, after reviewing the eighth ending, Lin Wu decided to start another.

He wanted to locate the killer through targeted tracking, but the situation was more complex than expected. Between September 30 and October 10, he refreshed six new endings—

Ninth ending: On November 20, he reported to the police early, claiming he suspected someone was following Luo Xiaorong.

Without concrete evidence, this was difficult, but since Guo Chengchun had just been captured, the police still deployed resources. On November 25, nothing happened to Luo Xiaorong. Lin Wu knew it wasn’t over, so he escorted her to and from work every day. A month later, she remained safe, but the victims became other people.

Tenth ending: On the day of Luo Xiaorong’s incident, he followed the Daming Construction team. Their work proceeded normally. Two days later, Luo Xiaorong was killed.

Eleventh ending: He tracked cafeteria staff. Luo Xiaorong was safe that day, but was later killed at a random time.

Twelfth ending: He did not enter the steel plant. After Luo Xiaorong went missing, he reported immediately and rushed to the factory. She had been knocked unconscious but not yet killed. She survived, but the number of later victims increased.

Thirteenth ending: He installed cameras near the crime scene, continuing from the twelfth ending. Luo Xiaorong survived that day, but later victims increased.

Fourteenth ending: Continuing the twelfth ending, the killer was still not caught. Lin Wu provided the police with a list of future victims. Although the police deployed accordingly, the killer changed targets again.

Throughout all this, he secretly tracked gate guards, cafeteria staff, construction workers, anyone remotely suspicious. But everyone’s routines appeared normal, and none seemed connected to the case.

…

“Should we slow down for a bit?” On October 10, Qin Weidong was, as usual, waiting for Lin Wu at the school gate. Over the past few days, they had opened six new ending lines. As each one stalled, he could feel Lin Wu growing more and more suppressed.

“I’m fine.” Lin Wu forced a smile, then went to the bike shed to get his bicycle.

“I mean it. Shouldn’t we take a break? This killer seems really cautious.” Qin Weidong hopped onto the bike and continued.

“Let’s talk about it tonight.” Lin Wu replied vaguely. After so many restarts, he was certain the killer was within their circle of suspects, but who exactly it was still felt just out of reach, like a thin sheet separating them from the truth.

At 10:20, the space-time connection opened again.

【I want to shift the focus to December 5.】seventeen-year-old Lin Wu sent.

In the seventh ending, they had already ambushed once with Wang Manshan and the others. Translated on Hololo novels. The killer hadn’t acted that day, and Luo Xiaorong was killed a week later on December 5. If the killer really was among the people they suspected, then something must have been exposed on November 25.

Previously, he had focused entirely on November 25. After repeated failures, he wanted to try December 5 instead. There might be a different breakthrough.

【Be careful.】thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu rubbed his temples. After so many memory resets, he felt mentally stretched to the limit.

At 10:27, the messages ended.

“Have some honey water. It’ll help you relax.” After handing the phone back, Lin Wu saw that Qin Weidong had somehow produced a cup of honey water and even turned on a tape recorder playing soft English songs.

“Where did you get that?” Lin Wu asked, surprised.

“Made it earlier.” Qin Weidong arranged their blankets, then added after a moment, “As long as the killer commits a crime, there will be clues. We already have more clues than before. We’re just missing one breakthrough point. Once we find it, we’ll be fine.”

Lin Wu kept saying he was fine these past few days, but Qin Weidong could tell his mood wasn’t good. The clearest sign was that Lin Wu no longer liked eating while studying. The grapefruits and pomelos Qin Weidong had bought had all been eaten by him and Luo Xiaorong instead.

“I’ll adjust myself,” Lin Wu said with a small smile. His mood had indeed been low, but he was not someone who gave up easily. The gloomy weather these past few days probably hadn’t helped.

“That’s more like it. Drink up.” Seeing Lin Wu smile, Qin Weidong immediately felt better.

Ten minutes later, after finishing the honey water, Lin Wu went to Luo Xiaorong’s room. She was already asleep. In the room was a large red plastic bag filled with transparent beads, given by Qiu Yan’e.

From his future self, he already knew that Qiu Yan’e ran a bead curtain shop. Her handmade curtains were selling well, and she didn’t have enough workers. She had asked cafeteria staff to string beads in their spare time for pay. Many people had taken up the work.

Luo Xiaorong had taken some too. She wanted to save money to buy Lin Wu a phone. The idea had come after she learned that the cafeteria phone cards could be used to make calls. She wanted Lin Wu to have a phone so they could talk even when apart.

In the original timeline, Lin Wu only learned about this in 2024. Now he knew in advance. He didn’t want her to work so hard, but the phone she would eventually buy was tied to the space-time connection. He worried that interfering might cause other changes. In the end, he simply tucked her blanket in more securely.

“Mom, good night.”

When Lin Wu returned to his room, Qin Weidong was already naked under the covers. He really did like sleeping without clothes. Still, he had brought pajamas and would quietly put them on before getting out of bed each morning, then wash up, and change into his school uniform while Lin Wu was occupied.

Lin Wu found these little habits oddly amusing. At first, he had thought Qin Weidong would be difficult to get along with, but after spending time together, he realized Qin Weidong was actually quite thoughtful and easygoing.

“Should I turn off the lights?” Lin Wu asked after finishing up.

“Go ahead,” Qin Weidong replied easily.

Three seconds later, the lights went out, and Lin Wu slipped under the covers.

“Good night,” came the voice beside him.

“Good night.”

…

“Mr. Lin, this is today’s millet pumpkin porridge.”

“Just leave it on the table.”

“Alright!”

On October 11, 2024, Lin Wu sat down at his desk. Reviewing memories, eating supper, waiting for new memories to refresh… aside from two online meetings he had held for work, he realized his life had become extremely routine.

At 10:10, he finished his supper and patiently waited.

At 10:12, the fifteenth ending line refreshed—

October 21: The day after Li Jing’s incident, she transferred schools.
November 19: Guo Chengchun was successfully captured.
November 25: He told Wang Manshan that someone was following Luo Xiaorong. Wang Manshan contacted five familiar coworkers. Wang Manshan followed Luo Xiaorong, while Lin Wu and the other four lay in ambush near the factory. At 6:10, Luo Xiaorong boarded the shuttle bus home. The ambush failed.

On the morning of December 5, Lin Wu went alone to Factory No. 2.

It was an abandoned building covering about two thousand square meters, filled with rusted steel pipes, containers, and discarded cement tanks. It had been unused for half a year. The entrance was overgrown with gravel and weeds that had already turned yellow. Even in daylight, the place felt desolate and lifeless.

Lin Wu hid behind a discarded cement tank. In front of him was the tank, and behind him a red brick wall overgrown with weeds. He stayed there from six in the morning until nine at night, barely moving. When hungry, he ate chocolate he had brought with him to keep his strength up. Translated on Hololo novels. The sun rose and set. By nine at night, everything outside was pitch dark.

Luo Xiaorong’s time of death in this factory was between 9:30 and 11:30 that night. Lin Wu had never thought he could remain this patient. As time ticked by, at 9:20, the iron gate creaked open.

Lin Wu gripped the fruit knife in his hand and quietly looked out. He saw a shadow in a raincoat dragging something, likely a person.

Lin Wu: !!!

He knew immediately it was Luo Xiaorong. After confirming this, he moved forward silently, tightening his grip on the knife. The figure dragged the body to a corner. The layout of the factory was complex, and with the darkness, he couldn’t see clearly beyond the corner. Holding his breath, he moved toward the crime scene location described in the messages.

The factory was filled only with the sound of wind and the occasional passing car outside.

He minimized every step, finally reaching the spot. Then he saw a sack on the ground, tied into the shape of a human body.

Lin Wu: !!!

He realized something was wrong and immediately turned to strike. At the same time, the shadow appeared behind him, holding a sharp axe. A truck passed outside, and in the warm glow of its headlights, Lin Wu saw the man’s face—covered entirely by a robbery mask.

Lin Wu attacked decisively, but the man was clearly prepared and moved even faster. During the clash, Lin Wu’s right hand was struck, then a sharp pain tore across his chest, leaving a deep wound.

He knew there was no point in running. He threw himself at the man, reaching for the mask, trying to see his face.

He didn’t make it.

A sharp pain cut across his throat, and blood sprayed out.

In his final moments, he saw the man take out a rubber glove from his pocket, calmly put it on, and begin cleaning the scene…

Lin Wu lost consciousness.

At the same moment he lost consciousness, in the Xuhu Hotel of 2024, everything related to Lin Wu—the man himself, the computer, the notebook—began to fade away. His room was replaced by a newly married young couple, chatting about their future, as if Lin Wu had never existed at all.

On the morning of December 6, 2004, sirens wailed through the Xuhu Steel Plant. Dozens of police cars arrived, sealing off a factory building in the southeast corner. Workers gathered to watch. Dawn broke, then quickly dimmed again.

That night, the Xuhu Public Security Bureau released an announcement.

On the night of December 5, a high school student was murdered inside the Xuhu Steel Plant. Time of death: between 9:30 and 11:30 PM.

Victim: Lin Wu.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Thandar: No no no omg what do they do now!!!!!!

Next

“Mr. Lin, this is the hotel’s milk oatmeal porridge. It’s completely natural and unsweetened. Would you like a bowl?” At 9:50 in 2024, the hotel attendant knocked right on time. Xuhu Hotel was a high-end establishment. Recently, besides the autumn pear soup, they had also been serving red date porridge, tangyuan, and other small snacks.

“I’ll have a bowl.” Seeing that today’s porridge looked quite good, Lin Wu accepted.

The oatmeal had been freshly cooked with milk and oats. Though unsweetened, it retained the natural fragrance of both, and tasted excellent. After finishing it, Lin Wu’s new memories refreshed on schedule.

【We’ll begin a new ending line…】After carefully organizing his thoughts, Lin Wu sent the message.

So far, since obtaining the phone, there had been seven ending lines—

1. Wang Jiahui killed, Luo Xiaorong dies in a car accident. (11.19, 12.15)
2. Wang Jiahui killed, Luo Xiaorong killed. (11.19, 12.17)
3. Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong killed at the same time. (12.2)
4. After buying the lottery ticket and leaving, the number of victims rose to nine.
5. Returned to ending 1.
6. On the day Wang Jiahui was attacked, they tracked the suspect and successfully captured Guo Chengchun. Wang Jiahui survived, Luo Xiaorong was killed on 11.26.
7. On November 25, they tracked Luo Xiaorong. She did not go missing then, but was killed on 12.5.

…

Now the change in events lay in the November 25 surveillance. He wasn’t sure whether the five people Wang Manshan brought had leaked information, or if there had been some other mistake. To be safe, he decided that in the next ending line, he would act alone.

“What if it fails?” In the residential compound, Qin Weidong frowned as he replied. The two had returned an hour earlier and were sitting as before, one on the bed, one on a chair.

“If we don’t find the killer, we take Luo Xiaorong and leave,” said the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu.

They had left once in the fourth ending, and the number of victims had risen to nine. Now that Guo Chengchun had been arrested, he wasn’t sure whether the earlier killings had been his doing or someone else’s. He planned to try again. There might still be a turning point.

“That’s the safest approach,” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu agreed.

Watching them exchange messages, Qin Weidong felt a bit left out. “I don’t know how you two met in the future, but it feels like you think exactly the same…”

Lin Wu didn’t respond.

Over the next ten minutes, he asked about details from the seventh ending. At 10:27, the connection ended.

“There are two left. One for each of us.” As soon as Lin Wu put down the phone, Qin Weidong handed him a strawberry. He had bought three boxes that day: one for Luo Xiaorong, one for himself, and one for Lin Wu. The ones for the two of them had been washed together, and he had been feeding Lin Wu all evening just like the day before.

“I can eat it myself…” Lin Wu still wasn’t used to being fed.

“It’s fine, focus on your studying.” Qin Weidong waved him off.

And so, Lin Wu could only study while eating. The entire evening was basically feed, feed, feed. Now, seeing Qin Weidong holding a large strawberry, Lin Wu knew refusing wouldn’t work, so he leaned forward and took a bite directly from Qin Weidong’s hand.

Lin Wu had fair skin and red lips. The strawberry was bright red as well. Watching him take a bite, Qin Weidong found it oddly pleasing. After Lin Wu finished, Qin Weidong ate the remaining half in one bite.

At 10:35, Qin Weidong changed his quilt cover, while Lin Wu brought in a plastic basket filled with toiletries like towels and shampoo.

“Going out?” Qin Weidong asked curiously.

“I’m going to the bathhouse. Want to come?”

Their home didn’t have a private bathroom, so they usually went to the public bathhouse. It had been built by the steel plant, and residents liked going there. It cost one yuan per visit. Lin Wu usually went alone, while Luo Xiaorong went with Hao Shuqin.

“A public bathhouse…” Qin Weidong froze a little. He had never been to one at a steel plant, but based on what he knew, wasn’t it just a big open room with twenty or thirty showerheads, everyone bathing together?

He got along well with Lin Wu, but hadn’t imagined standing naked face to face like that.

“There are partitions, right?” Qin Weidong asked uncertainly.

“There are three large open sections and five VIP rooms. The open sections don’t have partitions. The VIP rooms are private.” The VIP rooms cost ten yuan each. Translated on Hololo novels. Most people preferred the open area unless they were factory leaders.

“Oh…” Qin Weidong didn’t really want to go, but since Lin Wu had invited him, refusing might seem unhygienic. And he prided himself on being clean.

“What time does it close?” he asked.

“11:30.”

“Alright, let’s go together.” Qin Weidong decided not to overthink it. He had brought plenty of toiletries with him, including a towel and slippers. After packing up, they informed Luo Xiaorong and headed out.

The bathhouse was about a hundred meters from Lin Wu’s home. When they arrived, it was 10:50.

There weren’t many people left inside. Lin Wu took out two yuan. “Two regular tickets.”

“Wait.” Qin Weidong stopped him and pulled out two ten-yuan bills. “Two VIP tickets.”

“There’s probably barely anyone inside now. No need for VIP,” Lin Wu said, surprised.

“There are only three people in there. It’s pretty spacious,” the staff member added.

“I don’t like bathing in open spaces. I prefer a small room,” Qin Weidong said vaguely. In truth, he had been to bathhouses before, but bathing together with Lin Wu now just felt strange.

Seeing his insistence, Lin Wu assumed it was just a matter of personal preference. “Then one regular ticket and one VIP ticket.”

He wasn’t going to waste money on a VIP ticket, even if Qin Weidong paid.

Three minutes later, they entered the changing room.

The changing room had a hundred lockers and was very large. Qin Weidong looked at his tag: No. 225. After searching twice, he still couldn’t find it.

“Um…” He went to Lin Wu to ask, only to see that Lin Wu had already found his locker and was changing. After removing his uniform and lifting his undershirt, his lean, pale back was revealed, with a layer of light muscle and clean lines.

Qin Weidong froze.

Lin Wu was 182 cm tall. Not short among boys. Qin Weidong had always thought he was soft-built, but now he realized there was a subtle strength in his frame.

“What is it?” Lin Wu turned around after putting his clothes away.

“Uh…” Qin Weidong caught a glimpse of his front and immediately turned away. “Where’s locker 225?”

“In front, bottom row.” Lin Wu pointed.

“Oh!” Qin Weidong quickly moved over. They were separated by a row of lockers now. Even after reaching his own, his heartbeat still felt off.

He opened the locker and tried to calm down. Soon, Lin Wu finished changing and came over. “You done?”

“Almost. You go ahead.”

“Alright, I’ll go in first.” Lin Wu picked up his things and headed inside to shower.

Qin Weidong felt extremely tense, an abnormal kind of tension. He sat on a bench outside for a while, then changed and went in. The bathhouse was very large, with three open sections. When he entered, three people were just leaving, carrying their things. Inside, only he and Lin Wu remained.

He heard the sound of water from the middle section. Not daring to look, he hurried past with his belongings, found a VIP room, went in, and locked the door.

The VIP room was about ten square meters, with a storage rack and a stone bench worn smooth at the edges. The environment was slightly better than outside. He put his things on the rack, sat down, turned on the shower, and began thinking: it wasn’t like he’d never been to a bathhouse before, so why did it feel so awkward? Why was he so nervous?

He felt like he’d eaten too many strawberries and his brain was acting strange. Just as he was thinking, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Qin Weidong, too absorbed in thought, jumped at the interruption.

“Need your back scrubbed?” Lin Wu’s voice came from outside.

“No need, I’ll do it myself!” Qin Weidong quickly turned the water up, signaling that he was busy.

“Oh…” Outside, Lin Wu left with the bath cloth, slightly disappointed. He had actually wanted Qin Weidong to help scrub his back, but since they had only just gotten to know each other, he hesitated and didn’t say it.

Half an hour later, Lin Wu came out of the bathhouse. Qin Weidong had already changed and was waiting on the sofa by the entrance.

“Let’s go.” Lin Wu returned the key and said.

“Mm.” Qin Weidong followed behind him, looking at him thoughtfully.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wu asked.

“You’ve got a pretty good build,” Qin Weidong said, genuinely appreciative.

He finally understood what had felt so strange. He had always thought Lin Wu was the frail type, but his body lines were smooth, and his physique was actually very good. Among the people he knew, those with better builds weren’t as fair as Lin Wu, and those fairer than him didn’t have his physique. And if someone had both, they definitely didn’t look as good as Lin Wu.

“Not bad,” Lin Wu said with a small smile.

Back when money was tight, he had studied nutrition carefully, trying to maintain a healthy diet for both himself and Luo Xiaorong at minimal cost. He also did exercises between classes every day, and when he ate too much, he would run a few laps on the field. With a teenager’s metabolism, his physical condition was actually quite good. He just looked slim because of his fair skin, which had always given people the impression that he was easy to bully.

“Let’s go.” Qin Weidong, having figured it out, pushed those strange feelings aside.

The reason he had felt that way was simply because it was his first time seeing a boy who was fair-skinned, well-built, and good-looking all at once. After spending more time together, it wouldn’t feel strange anymore.

…

The next day at 10:12, in the Xuhu Hotel of 2024, the eighth ending refreshed on time. Lin Wu once again skimmed through everything—

October 21: After the incident, Li Jing transferred schools.
November 19: He prepared a brick in advance, Wang Manshan and the others were ready, and Guo Chengchun was captured.
November 25: He followed Luo Xiaorong alone. She went about her routine as usual. The killer became suspicious and did not act.
November 26: He had Luo Xiaorong quit her job and prepared to leave Xuhu with her.

“No… moving… want… to work.” Luo Xiaorong resisted the idea of quitting her job.

“Only by moving can I get into a good university,” Lin Wu lied gently to reassure her.

“Okay…” Luo Xiaorong didn’t understand, but seeing how insistent he was, she eventually agreed.

Lin Wu was decisive. That very afternoon, he went to handle her resignation.

“Is your mother unhappy at work, or is someone bullying her?” a steel plant supervisor asked.

“She’s doing fine. I just want to go somewhere else…”

Luo Xiaorong had originally gotten her job at the plant because of Lin Haiming. After a token attempt to persuade them to stay, the supervisor agreed.

On November 30, after collecting her final paycheck, Lin Wu went to the construction site at the plant.

“Everyone, focus. Let’s try to finish within three months.” At the site, a middle-aged man wearing a helmet labeled “Daming Construction” was directing work.

There had previously been a two-story office building there. After restructuring, the plant planned to expand it. The foundation of the new building had already been laid. It was a small project and would be completed quickly.

Lin Wu stood to the side and observed.

The middle-aged man, seeing how young Lin Wu looked, walked over. “Looking for someone?”

“I’m a family member of an employee. Just passing by and taking a look,” Lin Wu replied with a smile.

“I see…” Outsiders weren’t supposed to linger on construction sites, but since they weren’t plant employees and Lin Wu had mentioned being related to a worker, it was unclear who exactly he was connected to. People came and went frequently here. After a moment’s thought, the man said, “Be careful.”

That meant he could stay as long as he didn’t cause trouble.

“Got it.” Lin Wu found a quiet spot and took out his vocabulary notebook. While pretending to study, he carefully observed everyone around him.

Daming Construction was a small team. Twenty-three workers had participated in the steel plant project. After Guo Chengchun’s arrest, twenty-two remained. Translated on Hololo novels. There were both men and women. On construction sites, people generally didn’t care about gender when it came to heavy labor.

There were seventeen workers present that day. Lin Wu examined each of them in detail.

And somehow, every single one of them looked like the killer.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.