Author Archives: Thandar

Lin Wu opened the messages.

【How did it go?】

【Can you receive this?】

【S, can you receive this?】

………

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boom!

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

“Um…” Lin Wu spoke first.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes.” Lin Wu found a black umbrella.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Qin Weidong,” Lin Wu suddenly called out.

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

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

“What?”

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

………

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Go ahead!”

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

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

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

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

“Now?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thump, thump, thump!

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

Thump!

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

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

“Mm?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Not yet.”

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

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

“Why?” Qin Weidong turned slightly in surprise.

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

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

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

………

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

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

Lin Wu’s gaze followed that line downward—

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

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

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

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

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Next

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

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

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

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

…

October 21. He arrived at the classroom early.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mm.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What is it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you sure he’ll appear tonight?”

“It’s possible.”

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

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

“I understand,” Wang Manshan nodded seriously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ah!

A scream of terror suddenly rang out ahead.

It was Wang Jiahui!

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

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

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

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

“What is it?” the two asked curiously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wang Manshan switched on the flashlight—

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

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

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

“Where’s Huihui?” Lin Wu asked.

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

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

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

Haa—

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Something happened to your mom…”

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

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

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

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

Ugh—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He answered the call.

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

“Who is this?” Lin Wu asked.

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

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

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

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

“October 17. Are you free?”

“I’ll see when the time comes.”

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

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

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

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

“No, all choices that involve external interference are produced by causal actions.” Sitting on a hotel chair, Lin Wu slowly typed out this line.

“What does that mean?” Qin Weidong couldn’t make sense of it.

“It should be that the driving force generated by the action isn’t sufficient,” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu said after some thought.

Qin Weidong: ???

I don’t get it.

“We can divide the driving force that changes an ending into two aspects: internal drive and external drive. In the second and third endings, reminding Wang Jiahui and following Luo Xiaorong were mainly driven by myself, which belongs to internal drive. In other words, the moment I formed the thought, I had already reached the driving force needed to change the ending.

For example, if I want to eat beef lamian tomorrow, and nothing else interferes, then for me now, I haven’t eaten it yet. But for me twenty years later, I have already eaten that bowl of beef lamian. That result comes into being the moment I form the thought. That is an ending produced by internal driving force.

In the fourth ending, if I hadn’t bought the lottery ticket, Uncle Wang and the others wouldn’t have left. Buying the lottery ticket is a very strong driving force, an external one. Police intervention now also counts as external drive. We may think about calling the police, but we haven’t acted, so we can’t produce the corresponding ending.”

Lin Wu wrote down three words on the paper: thought, action, driving force.

A new ending requires a certain amount of driving force to come into being. In the second and third endings, the primary driving force was himself, so the moment he had the thought, a new ending was directly produced.

The fourth ending involved buying a lottery ticket. That belongs to an external force. Only when he carried out the action, generating sufficient driving force, could the ending occur. If it relied on thought alone, if he now imagined the world exploding, would tomorrow’s future tell him that the world had exploded? Obviously not.

“So we have to call the police first, and only if they have sufficient driving force can a new ending appear?” Qin Weidong asked, dazed.

“Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Lin Wu sent a message: “If we call the police now, does that count as placing a move that can no longer be changed?”

“If we treat the present as reality and the active ending line as a simulated life, then calling the police in reality can’t be changed, but in the simulated life there’s still a chance to change it.” At Xu Hu Hotel, Lin Wu spoke after careful consideration. The moment his memories refreshed, he understood: his seventeen-year-old self hadn’t called the police yet, so no new ending could be produced.

Only by calling the police, gaining their trust, investigation, and deployment, could he generate enough driving force to change the ending and trigger a new one.

“Then what do we do now?” Qin Weidong was losing it. He hadn’t expected even calling the police to be this complicated.

“Open the sixth ending line. In that line, find the killer.”

The timelines of 2004 and 2024 were progressing simultaneously. Calling the police now would count as placing a move, so he had no intention of doing it immediately. Instead, he would first open a new ending line. His goal in the sixth ending was to track down the killer. This action was directly driven by “Lin Wu” himself, so it could immediately meet the conditions to open that ending line.

“This isn’t a simulation game.” Qin Weidong frowned. The other party seemed to be treating these repeated resets as a game, but this wasn’t a game. Every choice that caused change would also affect 2024.

“This is the most likely way to find the killer,” Lin Wu replied.

Qin Weidong looked at the seventeen-year-old Lin Wu.

“I’m fine,” the seventeen-year-old Lin Wu agreed as well.

“If you’re both fine, then I won’t worry about it anymore.”

Qin Weidong felt he couldn’t help. Translated on Hololo novels. After stewing in frustration for a while, he looked up at the moon outside. “It’s kind of amazing. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after, but the moment you make a decision, those unseen tomorrows already exist. They only feed back to us twenty years later. For us it’s just one day, but in reality twenty years have passed…”

Like the stars in the sky. We think their light is from now, but it has actually traveled a hundred light-years or more.

“We can just treat it as one day. For us, it’s only one day,” Lin Wu said, signaling him not to overthink.

【Qin Weidong.】 At 10:25, after they had finished discussing some details, the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu suddenly sent a message.

They had already exchanged names earlier. To avoid affecting “Lin Wu’s” future social connections, he hadn’t given his real name, only saying he was called S. He meant September, since they met in September. Qin Weidong thought the codename was unnecessarily mysterious and just referred to him as the unknown number.

【What is it?】 Qin Weidong asked when he saw the message.

At Xu Hu Hotel, Lin Wu looked at the news on his computer and slowly typed: 【Do you want to know what you’re like twenty years from now?】

At 10:12 tonight, his memory had refreshed to include walking home from school with Qin Weidong, and he also remembered Qin Weidong once saying, “I don’t know what I’ll be like in the future.”

In truth, not only Qin Weidong, he himself was curious about what Qin Weidong was like now. The two timelines were progressing in sync. He already knew Qin Weidong, but had no future memories involving him. He guessed those memories hadn’t happened yet, so they hadn’t appeared.

He had no future memories involving Qin Weidong, but that didn’t mean Qin Weidong would simply vanish. Just now, while chatting, he casually searched “Xu Hu Qin Weidong.” He hadn’t expected anything, but a web encyclopedia entry popped up—

Name: Qin Weidong

Identity: Founder of Tengfei Technology Company

Place of origin: Dayun County, Xu Hu City

Date of birth: July 25, 1987

Alma mater: Drucker Institute of Economics

……

……

Besides these, there was also a recent news headline: “On September 23, Qin Weidong, founder of Tengfei Technology, appeared at the Deep Sea Artificial Intelligence Expo and delivered an important speech on Tengfei’s future development…”

In the news, “Qin Weidong” was dressed in a sharp, well-tailored suit, standing before a massive all-English technological display. His posture was upright, his expression cold and composed, and he carried the unmistakable aura of someone long accustomed to a position of power. Lin Wu only needed a single glance to be certain this was not someone with the same name. It was the Qin Weidong he knew.

Lin Wu began searching for more detailed information on Qin Weidong—

According to the records, Qin Weidong went abroad to study in January 2005, returned to the country in 2010, and then founded Tengfei Technology. His father had started out in the steel business, later investing in hotels, transportation, real estate, and other industries. Law-abiding and business-savvy, he had already become the richest man in Xu Hu by 2008.

Qin Weidong studied business management. His technical foundation was relatively weak, but his sense for investment and strategy was exceptional. His technology company now focused on artificial intelligence and held considerable influence in the domestic tech industry. In short, his life had been smooth sailing. He had never known poverty, nor had he experienced any real low points.

Lin Wu noted the time Qin Weidong went abroad: January 2005.

He immediately understood why he had no memories involving him.

Right now, it was September 25, 2004 and September 25, 2024. These two points were connected by a twenty-year timeline in between.

But it was not yet September 26. So within this timeline, there were no space-time messages from September 26 onward. Even if they knew such messages would exist, “now” they could not receive them, because those events had not yet happened.

Fundamentally, he and Qin Weidong were strangers. Without the space-time messages, there would be no reason for them to stay in contact. Qin Weidong might still remember him, but after twenty years, in Qin Weidong’s eyes, he would probably be nothing more than a high school acquaintance who had once shared a strange, almost legendary experience.

“You know what I’m like twenty years from now?” Qin Weidong was clearly surprised after reading.

“Mm.” Lin Wu scrolled through the mouse. Information about Qin Weidong filled the screen.

“You don’t have to tell me the details. Just tell me if I’m doing well twenty years later, and if Qin Jianzhang is doing well. Oh right! Am I charming twenty years from now?” Qin Weidong wanted to know, but not too much. He wanted to keep some anticipation for the future.

Through Qin Weidong, Lin Wu found information on Qin Jianzhang. Qin Jianzhang appeared to be a cheerful middle-aged man. Translated on Hololo novels. His latest news was a skydiving video. In it, he flashed a peace sign at the camera, delivering some motivational lines about daring to try things in life. He looked to be in excellent spirits.

Lin Wu then looked again at photos of Qin Weidong from the Deep Sea Technology Expo two days ago. The man was handsome, impeccably dressed, mature, and undeniably charismatic.

“Very charming, and doing very well,” Lin Wu answered honestly.

“That’s good enough for me.” Qin Weidong was completely satisfied.

10:27. The messages ended.

“You’re really going to open the sixth ending line?”

Qin Weidong knew Lin Wu wanted to change the fate of his neighbor and his mother. He had already come to terms with it yesterday. Rather than trying to stop him, it would be better to help him find the killer as quickly as possible.

But the current timeline was no longer a straight line. It had become a loop: “2004—2024—2004.” The segment from 2004 to 2024 was something they could neither see nor touch, yet it objectively existed. If they failed, it would be cruel.

“We just need to sleep. Tomorrow night, we’ll have the answer,” Lin Wu said lightly.

“Mm.” The two of them tried not to think about the invisible twenty years in between.

10:35. Qin Weidong checked the time. “I’ll head back first.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

“I can go on my own.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got a flashlight.”

From Lin Wu’s home to the entrance of the residential compound was about two hundred meters. Qin Weidong had come from quite far away. Lin Wu felt uneasy letting him walk back alone.

“Alright…” Qin Weidong seemed to understand his thoughts and agreed.

The two walked out of the bedroom together. Just then, the door to the adjacent room opened with a click. Luo Xiaorong cautiously opened it, quickly stuffed something into Qin Weidong’s hand, then retreated and shut the door again.

“What is this?” Qin Weidong felt something cool in his hand. He looked down. It was a brown autumn pear.

“My mom gave it to you,” Lin Wu said, momentarily stunned. The pear was one of those Wang Manshan had sent earlier. When Qin Weidong had arrived, Lin Wu had wanted to find something to offer him but couldn’t. He had thought they were all gone. He hadn’t expected Luo Xiaorong to still have one.

“Thank you, Auntie!” Qin Weidong bowed toward the room, flattered.

“Let’s go downstairs.” Lin Wu smiled, turning on the flashlight and walking ahead. Luo Xiaorong wasn’t very sharp-minded, but sometimes she was surprisingly attentive. Earlier, Lin Wu had told her Qin Weidong was his classmate and not a bad person. She might not have fully understood what “classmate” meant, but seeing Lin Wu treat him kindly, she had tried to lower her guard.

Ten minutes later, Lin Wu walked Qin Weidong to the entrance. A taxi happened to be there.

“I’ll head back then?” Qin Weidong asked.

“Go on!” Lin Wu waved.

The taxi drove off.

11:00. Lin Wu returned home. His phone chimed.

【Did you get home?】

【I’m home. Good night.】

【Good night. See you tomorrow.】

【See you tomorrow.】

…

The next morning, after adjusting his state, Lin Wu arrived at the classroom. Li Jing had arrived earlier and was frowning over a math problem. When she saw him, her eyes lit up. “Lin Wu, how do you solve this trigonometry question?”

Lately, Lin Wu had been spacing out often, and Li Jing had been covering for him. Their relationship had grown closer.

“Let me see.” Lin Wu set down his bag and helped her. He solved the problem quickly.

“You’re amazing!” Li Jing said sincerely.

“It’s nothing.” Lin Wu glanced at her unconsciously. From his future self, he already knew Li Jing was the second victim. However, when she was attacked, someone happened to pass by, so her life wasn’t in danger. Her family was well-off. After the incident, she transferred schools and later got into a good university.

He worried that interfering carelessly might create a butterfly effect like in the fourth ending. Translated on Hololo novels. After thinking it through, he decided not to intervene. This way, her safety was absolutely guaranteed.

That evening, Qin Weidong waited for him again outside No. 1 High School.

“Should we find a 24-hour convenience store and wait for the message?” Lin Wu felt bad that Qin Weidong had to come every day.

“It’s fine. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway. From your place to the school by taxi, it’s pretty fast. At most fifteen minutes.” Qin Weidong said this and headed toward the bus stop first, leaving Lin Wu no choice but to follow.

9:10. The two of them arrived at Lin Wu’s home together. After yesterday’s meeting, although Luo Xiaorong didn’t come out, she seemed less tense than before.

Lin Wu tidied up the room. Just like yesterday, one of them studied while the other read.

If their reasoning was correct, tonight the sixth ending would refresh.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Ten minutes later, the two of them got on a bus. Since it was past peak hours, there were two seats available. They sat one in front of the other, Lin Wu in the front, Qin Weidong behind. As soon as they got on, Qin Weidong opened the window to let in fresh air.

The cool night breeze flowed in, and Qin Weidong felt a bit more refreshed. Lin Wu turned around, wanting to say something, but this wasn’t the right place for a conversation. After thinking for a moment, he stayed silent.

At 9:20, they got off the bus together.

“You didn’t have to come back with me…” Lin Wu said, looking at Qin Weidong. Only after boarding had he realized that even if Qin Weidong agreed to lend the phone, they could have just met at school or his dorm. There was no need to come all the way back to his neighborhood.

“I’ve been thinking,” Qin Weidong said, stopping in his tracks. “If what you said is true, then in the original ending… was I already dead?”

Actually, it wasn’t just last night. Ever since realizing something was off about the unknown number, he had been thinking about this.

“At first, I thought that number was someone trying to harm people. But now it turns out everything was coincidence. If he really is from twenty years in the future, then I and the others in the internet café were saved because of those messages.”

“Even if I didn’t die back then, I might have been left with serious psychological trauma. Anyway, I’m really grateful to you as a friend. Don’t carry any burden about this!” After saying that, Qin Weidong seemed to feel Lin Wu was overthinking things and simply walked ahead.

Lin Wu quickly followed. Three minutes later, they arrived downstairs at Lin Wu’s building.

“You should go up,” Qin Weidong said. It was 9:30. He planned to wait downstairs until the messages were sent, then head back.

“Okay…” Lin Wu turned to go upstairs, but just before entering, he glanced back. Qin Weidong stood by the flowerbed, stepping on the red bricks, looking somewhat solitary.

“Um…” Lin Wu turned back.

“What?” Qin Weidong looked up.

“It’s kind of cold outside. Do you want to come upstairs?”

Lin Wu had never really had close friends growing up, nor had he ever invited someone his age home. He wasn’t used to having others in his space. But Qin Weidong had come here to help him, and after sharing such a big secret about the phone, letting him come inside didn’t seem like a big deal.

“…Alright.” Qin Weidong paused, then agreed.

Half a minute later, they were inside. When Lin Wu opened the door, Qin Weidong saw the layout: a narrow hallway, with a small gas stove, a sink, and some basic kitchen utensils along the side. At the end were two rooms, one facing the hallway, the other off to the side.

“Wu—Wu—” Luo Xiaorong was in the room facing the hallway. Hearing the door, she came out happily, but when she saw someone behind Lin Wu, she let out a small sound and quickly retreated.

“Mom, this is my classmate. It’s okay,” Lin Wu said gently.

“I’m sorry, Auntie, I didn’t know you were home. I came over without saying anything in advance!” Qin Weidong quickly apologized.

Luo Xiaorong opened the door slightly, peeked out, then shut it again.

“You can rest in my room for a bit,” Lin Wu said, opening his door.

“Oh, okay…” Qin Weidong felt a little awkward showing up so late. Just as he was about to say something, Lin Wu had already put down his bag and gone into Luo Xiaorong’s room.

Qin Weidong stayed in the room, looking around. Translated on Hololo novels. It was about fifteen square meters, with a bed, a combined desk and bookshelf, a chair, and an old brown wardrobe. That was everything.

The room was clean and tidy, faintly smelling of laundry detergent. He walked around, noticing the bookshelf was full of books, both textbooks and extracurricular reading.

After looking for a while, Lin Wu came back with an electric kettle and clean cups. “Sorry, there’s no hot water. It’ll take about ten minutes.”

Realizing Lin Wu was hosting him, Qin Weidong quickly said, “It’s fine, I’m not thirsty.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu plugged in the kettle, then adjusted his pillow and blanket. “You can lean here and rest for a bit.”

There was no sofa at home, and it wouldn’t be right to have him sit at the desk, so Lin Wu made space on the bed.

“Okay…” The bed was 1.5 by 2 meters, with gray bedding, neatly folded like a block.

Qin Weidong sat at the edge of the bed, then leaned back against the pillow and blanket.

It was now 9:40. Lin Wu placed his bag on the desk and began doing some homework. Qin Weidong didn’t feel like using his phone and had nothing to do, so after lying there for a bit, his gaze drifted to the bookshelf.

It was connected to the desk, divided into upper and lower sections, one with glass doors and one without. Both were filled with books, though the lower shelf seemed more frequently used.

After scanning them, Qin Weidong pointed at the lower shelf. “Can I take a look?”

“Sure!”

Aside from reference books, there were also novels like The Necklace and The Old Man and the Sea. Lin Wu thought Qin Weidong would pick something light to pass the time, but instead he chose a fully English edition of David Copperfield.

Lin Wu was strong in science but weak in English. He had bought that book at a secondhand shop, hoping to improve, but the vocabulary was too difficult, and without a Chinese translation, he couldn’t get through it, so it had been left untouched.

He thought Qin Weidong would just flip through it casually, but instead, Qin leaned against the pillow, reading it with interest.

Lin Wu watched curiously for a while, then couldn’t help asking, “Is it good?” It wasn’t prejudice, the book was genuinely hard.

“It’s pretty good.” Qin Weidong flipped to the first chapter and began reading aloud with feeling, “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else…”

“You’re so good at English!” Lin Wu was shocked. Not only could Qin Weidong understand it, but he read it with perfect pronunciation, even more engaging than their English teacher.

“It’s alright. I usually score above 135. The exact score depends on the test.” Qin Weidong looked a bit pleased. His overall grades were below average, but his English pulled him up. Among his group of friends, his was the best.

“Are you in the humanities track or science track?” Lin Wu’s eyes lit up. English was his biggest weakness. In his first year, he struggled just to pass, and even in senior year, he could barely reach ninety. To him, scoring above 135 was extremely impressive. He had assumed Qin Weidong was a low-key top student.

“Humanities. My grades are actually pretty bad, just my English is decent.” Qin Weidong felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. “Actually, my English was terrible in my first year of middle school…”

Qin Weidong wasn’t originally from the city, but from a county under Xuhu. His mother passed away early, and his father, Qin Jianzhang, was always away on business. He grew up with his grandparents in a village, attending the local primary school. The education there was poor, not just English, even basic science classes were rare. His family didn’t place much importance on academics, as long as he was happy, that was enough.

He had a happy childhood. Later, when it came time for middle school, there was no junior high in the village, and the one in the nearby town had terrible conditions. Qin Jianzhang felt that regardless of whether his son studied well or not, he should at least have a better environment. So he paid a large school placement fee and transferred Qin Weidong to Xuhu No. 21 Middle School.

It was the best middle school in Xuhu. When he first arrived, he was excited, but all that excitement was crushed in his very first English class—

“Qin Weidong, what is this?” The teacher had asked, holding up a pencil.

Qin Weidong: ???

There were no English classes in the village, but city students had been learning English since primary school. He stared at the teacher, not even knowing what “what” or “is” meant, let alone “pencil.”

He didn’t understand. Not at all.

“Qin Weidong! What is this?” the teacher asked again.

“I don’t know…” Qin Weidong gave up.

“Take your English book and stand at the back!”

That was his first English class. Translated on Hololo novels. There had been seven students standing at the back that day. He didn’t remember the details anymore, but he still remembered how wronged he had felt.

“In our first year, we should’ve started with the alphabet. Who starts by asking how to say ‘pencil’ on the first day? You can’t assume everyone has learned English…”

Even now, Qin Weidong still sounded a bit annoyed. “I was really angry back then. I called Qin Jianzhang, my dad, and told him I wanted to learn English, not textbook English, but the kind where I could actually talk to foreigners.”

“My dad thought it was just a passing phase, so he hired me two English tutors. Later, when he saw I was serious, he switched to foreign tutors. Every day was conversational practice. Then in my third year, he took me abroad for a trip, and that’s how my English improved.”

He scratched his head awkwardly. “Honestly, my English was basically bought with my dad’s money. If it were someone else, they’d probably be better than me.” He knew Qin Jianzhang had helped him a lot growing up, so he didn’t feel proud about it.

“It’s just luck. I’m just lucky,” he added quickly, worried it sounded like bragging.

“That’s not true. You’re really good,” Lin Wu said sincerely. To him, things like “foreign tutors” and “going abroad” felt very distant. But more importantly, most people, after experiencing that kind of humiliation in their first English class, might shrink back or feel discouraged. Qin Weidong hadn’t. He chose to master it.

Putting himself in that situation, Lin Wu wasn’t sure he would have had the same resilience.

At 10:10, Lin Wu pulled his chair over to the bedside. Qin Weidong put down the book and sat with him to look at the phone. After their talk yesterday, Lin Wu no longer planned to hide the contents of their messages.

“What is Lin Wu doing twenty years from now?” At 10:12, when the connection opened, Qin Weidong asked the same question again.

“He’s sick. He just had a minor surgery, nothing life-threatening, but he needs rest, so I’m sending messages on his behalf.”

In the Xuhu hotel in 2024, Lin Wu replied with a headache.

One lie required many more to sustain it. He hadn’t expected Qin Weidong to deduce from the fourth ending that Lin Wu retained memories across timelines. If he said Lin Wu was busy with work or out of town, it wouldn’t make sense. Illness was the only plausible explanation.

He expected Qin Weidong to ask what kind of surgery, but instead, Qin asked:

“Does Lin Wu remember one ending or all of them?”

“One. Only the owner of the phone, which is me, remembers all four endings. But I’ve told him everything. He knows the outcomes.”

“Is Lin Wu doing well now?”

“He’s a physics professor at Jianghe University. He has both status and success. He’s doing very well.”

“You’re going to be a physics professor?” Qin Weidong glanced sideways at Lin Wu with a teasing look.

“If I don’t study hard now, I won’t have anything in the future,” Lin Wu said helplessly.

With the atmosphere easing, Lin Wu sent another message—

“Based on the first four endings and police records, the suspect is a male around thirty years old, between 170 and 175 cm tall, physically fit, possibly someone who exercises regularly or has done manual labor.”

………

At his desk in 2024, Lin Wu studied the compiled information with full concentration.

In 2004, technologies like surveillance coverage, fingerprint identification, and DNA analysis were relatively underdeveloped. Combined with the killer’s strong counter-surveillance abilities, the case remained unsolved to this day. But that didn’t mean there was no useful information.

By combining public records with the four different outcomes, he identified three key clues—

First: In the first three outcomes, after Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong died, the killer’s most recent crime occurred in July 2005. In the fourth outcome, where the two did not die, the killer struck in December 2004, then again in January and March 2005, committing crimes in rapid succession.

This suggests that when Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong died, something influenced the killer and caused him to stop temporarily. This factor could be psychological or external, but Lin Wu leaned toward an external cause. In other words, when Luo Xiaorong died, something likely prevented the killer from continuing his crimes.

Second: In the third outcome, Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong were killed near the artificial lake. In the fourth outcome, the third victim was also killed near the artificial lake, though at a different time. This indicates that the lake was not a random dumping site, but chosen for a specific reason.

Third: In the fourth outcome, victims were scattered across various parts of Xuhu, suggesting the killer was highly familiar with the city’s layout. Some online analyses had proposed that the killer might be someone who frequently interacted with schools, or perhaps a taxi driver. This could serve as a reference point.

…

“The current clues are still too limited. But we have one advantage the killer doesn’t know about: we know his crime times and locations earlier than he does. In our sixth outcome line, we can use targeted tracking and preemptive ambush…” Lin Wu sent the analysis above, then continued.

Now everything had returned to the original timeline:

November 19 — Wang Jiahui is attacked and becomes a vegetable.
December 15 — Luo Xiaorong is involved in a car accident.

Aside from them, there was one constant across all timelines:

October 21 — the second victim is followed but narrowly escapes.

That second victim was his seventeen-year-old deskmate, Li Jing.

When Li Jing was attacked, a passerby happened to intervene. She was frightened but unharmed. Translated on Hololo novels. Because of this, Lin Wu was reluctant to alter her outcome. He feared that interfering might cause the killer to fixate on her, leading to her death instead of escape. If they were to attempt targeted tracking, Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong were safer choices.

“Wait!” In the family compound, Qin Weidong suddenly interrupted after reading the analysis from the unknown number.

“What is it?” asked the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu.

“In the first outcome line, Lin Wu had the idea on September 9 to warn Wang Jiahui. Then on your side, the next day, a new outcome developed from that idea. So now…” Qin Weidong glanced at the Lin Wu beside him. “Did you think about calling the police today?”

“I did,” Lin Wu nodded.

Qin Weidong sent: “Since we’ve already had the idea of calling the police, don’t you have a new outcome on your side that develops from that decision?”

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

【I should’ve hidden the lottery tickets better.】 Seventeen-year-old Lin Wu reflected. He felt he should have put them inside a dictionary or tucked them into a hidden compartment of his backpack. That might have been safer.

【This isn’t your fault. It was an accident.】

After saying that, Lin Wu smiled. It felt like his thirty-seven-year-old self was comforting his seventeen-year-old self. But just as he said, it really was only an accident. And besides, borrowing someone’s phone every day, even without this incident, something else would have gone wrong eventually.

In the Xuhu hotel in 2024, Lin Wu tapped lightly on the table. He recalled how a psychology professor had described Qin Weidong: upright and kind. After spending time with him, that assessment felt accurate. But if Qin Weidong’s nature was upright and kind, then Lin Wu felt his own was overly cautious.

He had always thought that kind of personality was fine, even helpful in avoiding trouble. But now that things involved “privacy” and “trust,” he felt a kind of unease beyond his control. It was frustrating.

Seventeen-year-old Lin Wu felt the same way. The two of them analyzed the situation carefully. Five minutes later, Lin Wu opened the door.

“Done?” Qin Weidong had been leaning by the window in the hallway. Seeing the door open, he asked.

“Yeah.” The two returned to the room.

Lin Wu sat in a chair while Qin Weidong took the sofa. Lin Wu handed the phone back. Qin Weidong opened the messages and saw that Lin Wu had deleted everything again, just as expected.

“You say it, or he says it?” Qin Weidong asked directly.

“He says it.”

【?】 Qin Weidong sent a question mark. The person on the other side seemed to realize the phone was now in Qin Weidong’s hands and replied:

【Hello, I’m someone from twenty years in the future.】

!!!

Qin Weidong almost dropped the phone. Before confronting Lin Wu, he had already half believed the other party had some predictive ability. But now… they were from twenty years in the future?

This was like a sci-fi movie.

In the next five minutes, Qin Weidong learned the basics.

Name: not stated.
Identity: a future friend of Lin Wu.
Purpose: having discovered they could contact twenty years across time, they wanted to help Lin Wu save Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong.

“Who’s Wang Jiahui?” Qin Weidong had heard Luo Xiaorong mentioned before as Lin Wu’s mother.

“Xiao Hulu, my neighbor,” Lin Wu replied.

Qin Weidong pulled up the sixth message:

[Please go to Class 5, Grade 12 at Xuhu No.1 High School and find Lin Wu. Tell him that at 8 p.m. on November 19, Xiao Hulu will have a car accident…]

Then the fifteenth message:

[Please go to Class 5, Grade 12 at Xuhu No.1 High School tomorrow and tell Lin Wu that Xiao Hulu will be murdered on the evening of November 19. The killer is random.]

Qin Weidong noticed the inconsistency. “Why is the first one a car accident, but the second says murder? And your mom’s time of death is different too?”

“Every choice in 2004 affects 2024. For example, on the 9th, you told me Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong would be in a car accident. Even though I didn’t believe it, I still tried to prevent it just to be safe. That small change caused their death times to shift.”

Lin Wu had just been thinking about how to borrow the phone without revealing the truth about it. He realized it was nearly impossible. Even if he managed to gloss over it this time, repeated borrowing would eventually expose more flaws.

And the next flaw could be fatal. He would completely lose Qin Weidong’s trust. That was a risk he couldn’t take. Because after the fourth ending, both of them had come to the same conclusion: find the killer.

Moving away could avoid the killer, but it would only lead to more victims. Instead of constantly running, it would be better to find the killer before the tragedy happened.

The Xuhu murders remained unsolved because of a lack of clues. But if they connected clues from different endings, or explored more outcomes, they could potentially identify the killer in advance. The killer was brutal, but with “predictions” from 2024, Lin Wu might even know the killer’s actions better than the killer himself.

As he spoke, Lin Wu kept watching Qin Weidong’s expression. He knew he was taking a risk. To borrow the phone, he had to show some sincerity. Logically, it made sense. But emotionally, it pushed him outside his comfort zone.

He clenched his fists unconsciously. He felt like he was gambling on Qin Weidong’s character. Translated on Hololo novels. Everything he said, except “future friend,” was true. He omitted that part simply to make communication easier. Whether it was himself or not didn’t change the goal of finding the killer.

After he finished, the room fell silent. Qin Weidong frowned, glancing between the phone and Lin Wu, as if working through a complex problem.

“So you’re saying he’s from twenty years in the future, and you want to use different choices to find patterns, then have him tell you the results the next day?” Qin Weidong asked.

“Yes.” It was an efficient method.

Qin Weidong looked at him and refused immediately. “No.”

At the same time, he replied to the phone: 【No!】

“Why?” Lin Wu was stunned.

“Are you stupid?” Qin Weidong snapped, then grabbed paper and pen and drew a line. “Normally, time goes like this: first 2004, then 2005, 2006, 2007, all the way to 2024. We’re not supposed to know the future. But if what he says is true…”

He drew two dots. “This is 2004. This is 2024. Now 2024 can contact 2004 directly, which is amazing. But do you notice what’s missing?”

He drew a dashed line between them. “Time itself. No matter how many endings you change, to us it might feel like just a day passes before getting answers from 2024. But there’s still this invisible line, our future. For the Lin Wu in 2024, those twenty years actually existed!”

Lin Wu hadn’t expected this line of reasoning. He paused. “It doesn’t matter.”

“How could it not matter!” Qin Weidong grew frustrated. He struggled to explain, then gave an example. If he was in Xuhu and Qin Jianzhang was in another city 2,100 kilometers away, they could call each other instantly. But that didn’t mean the distance didn’t exist. That was spatial distance.

Now, between 2004 and 2024, there was also distance, twenty years of time. Without that distance, 2024 wouldn’t even exist.

“This is even scarier than TV dramas!” The more he thought about it, the more disturbing it felt. Then something struck him. He stared at Lin Wu. “You’ve already gone through four endings, haven’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Qin Weidong began writing:

First ending: Lin Wu knows nothing about the messages. Wang Jiahui dies. Luo Xiaorong dies in a car accident.

Second ending: Starting from September 9, with memories of being warned in the alley. Wang Jiahui dies. Luo Xiaorong dies.

Third ending: Starting from September 17, with communication between 2004 and 2024. Both Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong die.

Fourth ending: Starting from September 19, Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong live, but the Xuhu murder case expands to nine victims.

………

When he reached the fourth ending, Qin Weidong couldn’t continue writing. He looked at Lin Wu. “Do you know how you got through your fourth ending?

You might have saved Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong, but when you saw more people die, you blamed yourself… you must have, otherwise there wouldn’t be this fifth ending now. After 2005, you lived with guilt toward others, and then lived all the way to 2024. During that time, you must have been constantly worried, maybe even wondering whether you would still be able to contact 2004 when you reached 2024.”

“Wait, that’s not right!” Qin Weidong suddenly frowned. “In your fourth ending, you should already remember the time-travel phone. Then in 2024, you shouldn’t have no reaction at all.”

Realizing this, he immediately picked up the phone:

【Where is Lin Wu twenty years later?】
【Does the Lin Wu twenty years later remember only one ending, or every ending?!】

……

After sending those two messages, the time happened to be 10:27. The connection ended.

Qin Weidong stared at the time on the phone, irritated, then grabbed his jacket. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you back.”

“I…” Lin Wu hadn’t expected Qin Weidong to figure things out so quickly, and also felt that might not even be the key point.

“You don’t need to say anything now. Everything I just said is just a hypothesis. Right now, I don’t trust you, and I don’t trust this so-called time-travel message either. That’s it for today.”

With that, Qin Weidong walked out expressionlessly. Translated on Hololo novels. Lin Wu had wanted to say he could go back on his own, but the atmosphere between them was tense, so he could only follow behind with his backpack.

They remained silent. After getting off the car, Lin Wu paid the fare. Qin Weidong walked him to downstairs.

“I…” Lin Wu hesitated. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. And take care of the phone.”

“It’s my phone. Do I need you to remind me?” Qin Weidong snapped, then looked away. “And I’m not crazy. No one would believe something this ridiculous anyway.”

“Then… can I see you tomorrow?”

“I’m being discharged tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll find you at school?”

“I might not be at school. We’ll see.”

Lin Wu touched the phone in his bag. He had planned to return it today, but was worried their connection might break, so he pretended not to bring it up.

Qin Weidong didn’t mention it either. He glanced at the time. “Go on, head back.”

“Mm. See you.”

“See you.”

……

At the Xuhu hotel in 2024, Lin Wu sat at his desk, looking at the last two messages on the phone.

He didn’t know Qin Weidong’s full reasoning, but from those messages, he could sense how perceptive Qin Weidong had been.

【Does the Lin Wu twenty years later remember only one ending, or every ending?!】

Lin Wu closed his eyes.

He remembered every ending.

In the first three endings, he hadn’t really felt how “receiving messages at seventeen” affected his present. But in the fourth ending, he could clearly feel the guilt, self-blame, and unease carried by that version of himself.

In that fourth life, he had lived with the memories of his seventeen-year-old self, and with the belief that he would one day reconnect with the past in 2024. That life had been far more tense and cautious than the previous ones. Because he already knew the destination, he had to walk carefully along the original path to avoid causing major changes.

【A new road, yet also an old one.】

Living with that mindset felt like a punishment, a punishment for altering the flow of time.

He had already told his seventeen-year-old self this, but neither of them cared. For an ordinary person, it would be a psychological burden. But for them, it was a gift, a chance to undo tragedy, something granted by fate.

……

The next day at noon, Lin Wu texted Qin Weidong: [Have you been discharged?]

No reply.

That evening: [Are you at school?]

Still no reply.

After school, Lin Wu hesitated, then called him. No answer.

He felt uneasy. He was worried their trust had been broken, that he might never be able to borrow the phone again. At 8:35, with most of his classmates gone, he thought it over and decided to go to Qin Weidong’s school anyway, even if it meant shamelessly trying again.

No matter what, he had to secure access to the phone.

Lost in thought, he walked out of the school gate and saw a tall figure under the streetlight, its shadow stretched long across the ground.

Qin Weidong hadn’t slept all night and had spent the entire day thinking. There were faint dark circles under his eyes. Seeing Lin Wu come out, he frowned. “Why are you coming out so late?”

“Had some things to pack up.” Lin Wu paused, then asked, “Why are you here?”

“I believe you.” Qin Weidong said irritably.

“What?”

“I mean what you said yesterday. I believe it now.”

Truthfully, he had already believed it yesterday. The whole thing sounded like science fiction, but if the unknown number was from twenty years in the future, it explained everything, why it was an empty number, how it knew about the internet café fire in advance, why it told him to find Lin Wu. That person knew “history.”

Qin Weidong stared at Lin Wu seriously. “Do you really want to change the ending? What I said yesterday wasn’t just guessing. Even though we’re in 2004 now, there’s still a line from 2004 to 2024, and that line contains the life you remember.”

He grew frustrated as he spoke. “If you choose wrong, you might suffer through twenty years. Honestly, maybe we should just report it to the police now and let them find the killer.”

After the internet café fire, he had reported it once before, though the results hadn’t been ideal. Still, when facing something this serious, his first instinct was to go to the police.

He expected Lin Wu to refuse, but Lin Wu nodded. “We can.”

“You agree?” Qin Weidong was surprised.

“That’s also a possible path.” Lin Wu didn’t oppose involving the police. He just didn’t want to expose the phone without being certain.

His goal had shifted from simply getting Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong to safety to finding the killer. Seeking help from the police was a completely reasonable choice.

“Let’s organize the clues from these four endings first, then report it when we’re more certain.” Qin Weidong looked at him. “So you’re really set on using different choices to find the killer?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“What?”

“It’s 8:50. I’ll walk you home, then we’ll contact that unknown number and the three of us can figure things out together. Oh, and I asked him yesterday about your future, but he hasn’t replied yet. Do you know what your future is like? How many endings you remember? I wonder what I’m like in the future. Probably more mature and more impressive…”

Most students had already left. The two of them walked together toward the bus stop. The warm streetlights stretched their shadows long behind them.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Previous

Now everything had returned to the starting point, but not entirely to the original beginning.

Lin Wu looked at the pajamas he was wearing. At the very start, he had been wearing light brown pajamas. Now they had become dark brown. Everything had reset, but this time the choice had begun on September 23, 2004. Because of that, in the life from seventeen until now, he still retained the memories of meeting Qin Weidong, receiving messages across time, and buying lottery tickets. His overall life path hadn’t changed, only small details had shifted slightly.

Lin Wu thought for a moment. This should now count as Ending Five, but since he hadn’t interfered with Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong’s lives, it was still categorized as Ending One.

At 10:20, it began to rain lightly outside. Lin Wu had just come out of the fourth ending and felt physically and mentally exhausted. After washing up, he shut off the computer, planning to sort out other ideas the next day.

After turning off the lights and lying in bed, he suddenly felt he had forgotten something. He picked up the old phone and saw a series of unread messages—

【Who are you?】
【What’s your relationship with Lin Wu?】
【Reply!】
【Reply!!!】
……

Lin Wu: …

His memory had just refreshed, and since he hadn’t gone to the hospital today, he hadn’t thought about the messages. In 2004, the phone was in Qin Weidong’s hands.

“I…” Lin Wu tried to type a reply, but after everything that had happened these past two days, he didn’t know what to say.

Knock knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

He checked through the safety latch, then opened it.

“Hello, the weather has turned cooler, so our hotel has prepared pear soup for guests. Would you like a bowl?” The hotel staff pushed a cart and asked warmly. The freshly made pear soup was still steaming, looking warm and comforting.

“Thank you.” With the rain outside, Lin Wu did want something warm.

“If you need anything else, feel free to call the front desk,” the staff said as they set it down.

“Alright, thank you.” After seeing them off, it was already 10:28. He couldn’t send messages now. After turning off the phone, he sat at the table. The pear soup was made from high-quality pears, lightly sweet and better than he expected. Before he realized it, he had finished a bowl.

Lin Wu wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity. Early the next morning, he sat back down at the computer.

Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong had now gone through four endings. The fourth one had been like a beautiful dream, but it also proved that moving away would trigger changes in the killer’s behavior. Such changes usually came from both internal and external factors. Absentmindedly clicking his pen, Lin Wu realized that simply moving away no longer worked. He had to find a new ending as soon as possible.

………

In the 2004 classroom, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu was also clicking his pen. He had now reset everything back to the beginning. Everything was starting anew, and there would be new endings.

The day passed quickly.

At 8:30 in the evening, Lin Wu sent Qin Weidong a message: 【Are you at the hospital?】

【Mm.】

【Should I come see you?】

【Up to you.】

Lin Wu felt something was off. Qin Weidong’s mood didn’t seem right. After thinking, he asked: 【Do you want anything to eat? I can bring it.】

【No, I’ve already eaten.】 After sending that, the other side added: 【Don’t want milk tea, don’t want cake, don’t want anything, don’t buy anything.】

【Okay.】

Lin Wu guessed that although they weren’t close, he had been visiting the hospital daily, so they were at least familiar. Since he hadn’t come yesterday, Qin Weidong might have felt upset while sick.

Even though he had agreed not to bring anything, Lin Wu still bought five jin of bananas on his way out, then headed to the hospital.

When he arrived, the ward lights were off. Qin Weidong was leaning against the bed, playing Sokoban.

“Why isn’t the light on?” Lin Wu asked, placing the bananas on the table.

“You can turn it on,” Qin Weidong replied coldly.

Lin Wu turned on the light and opened the window slightly for ventilation. Translated on Hololo novels. Seeing Qin Weidong silent, he spoke first. “Sorry, I meant to come yesterday, but something came up at home, so I had to go back.” He felt he didn’t really need to apologize, but since he needed to borrow the phone, he didn’t mind softening his tone.

“I’m going to play games later. I can’t lend you my phone.” Qin Weidong said it directly.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wu could tell something was off, but it wasn’t just because he hadn’t come. He didn’t know what the real issue was.

Qin Weidong had intended to stay cold, but couldn’t hold back his temper. He looked sharply at Lin Wu. “How did you know the winning numbers in advance?”

“What numbers?” Lin Wu was stunned.

“Last night’s lottery numbers!” Qin Weidong stared at him, completely serious.

The previous night, after learning Lin Wu wouldn’t come, Qin Weidong had finished the dumplings and wontons alone, then angrily ate the chicken leg and eggs too. Bored out of his mind, he suddenly remembered the five lottery tickets in Lin Wu’s English book.

“Wonder if they’ll win…” Qin Weidong turned on the TV, planning to watch the draw, then call Lin Wu to say he had seen the tickets and ask if he won, and then casually ask when he would come.

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt, munching on an apple while waiting for the draw.

At 9:15, the numbers were announced.

First number: 02.

“Oh, same.” Qin Weidong felt lucky. He had seen all five tickets, one placed separately and four together. It had seemed odd, so he had looked at the single one twice and memorized its seven numbers.

Now the first number matched. He adjusted his posture, thinking Lin Wu had pretty good luck.

Three seconds later, the second number: 21. The third: 25…

………

Qin Weidong was eating an apple, but as he ate, he suddenly couldn’t continue. His expression shifted from cheerful to increasingly serious.

He had never felt his memory was this sharp. As the final number was announced, he confirmed that Lin Wu had matched six out of seven numbers, all of the first six numbers exactly, even in the correct order.

He quickly checked the lottery rules. Lin Wu had won second prize, fifty thousand yuan.

“He won?” Qin Weidong frowned. It wasn’t that he envied the money, nor that he thought Lin Wu couldn’t win. It was that among the five tickets, only the winning one had been placed separately, as if Lin Wu had already known it would win.

In a flash, he thought of the unknown number. Their connection to that number had started with the fire prediction. That person had always been mysterious, as if they truly had some ability to foresee things. And recently, Lin Wu had been chatting with them often… could it be that the unknown number had really predicted it and told Lin Wu the winning numbers?

He recalled Lin Wu’s expression when he left the other day. It wasn’t the joy of someone about to win money, but more like someone who had suffered a heavy blow.

He thought of a popular TV drama from last year, where the protagonists traded away things like love, health, or personal abilities in exchange for wealth or other gains.

“Damn!” A thought struck him. Could Lin Wu have made some kind of deal like in those dramas, trading something valuable for fifty thousand yuan?

“!!!” Qin Weidong got angry. He had already suspected that the unknown number had bad intentions, and now it seemed even more so. Even if it wasn’t something as extreme as in the drama, judging by Lin Wu’s expression, it definitely wasn’t anything good.

If Lin Wu needed money, he could have asked him. He still had plenty of allowance, and if that wasn’t enough, he could ask Qin Jianzhang!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt Lin Wu was inexperienced and might have been misled by someone with ill intent. He also firmly decided that from now on, he would never let Lin Wu talk to that person alone. He had to be stricter. Otherwise, if something happened, he would end up being responsible too.

After making up his mind, that was why he had been so cold all day.

Now he looked Lin Wu up and down. Seeing that he hadn’t lost any limbs, he said fiercely, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll never lend you my phone again!”

“I…” Lin Wu thought about pretending he hadn’t bought any lottery tickets, but since Qin Weidong asked this directly, he clearly had seen them. Translated on Hololo novels. He figured it must have been when he went downstairs to get the IV bottles the other day.

“I just got lucky,” Lin Wu said, quickly calming himself.

“Then why was the winning ticket set aside in advance?” Qin Weidong stared at him. “Lin Wu, I’m not stupid.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Lin Wu could win, but everything connected together felt far too coincidental.

“I just put it there randomly. Didn’t expect it to actually win.” Lin Wu felt like he was blatantly lying.

Seeing Lin Wu’s pale face, Qin Weidong felt uneasy, but still kept a cold expression. “I don’t trust you right now. You can’t use my phone unless I watch you.”

“I…” Lin Wu hesitated. “That’s my privacy.”

“But it’s my phone! If I don’t want to lend it, I won’t. If it’s your privacy, then use another phone.” Qin Weidong didn’t look at him. He had made up his mind.

Time passed slowly. After a long silence, Lin Wu finally said, “I need to talk to him.”

“Who?”

“The unknown number.”

Qin Weidong stared at him. In the end, he softened slightly. “Five minutes at most.”

“Okay.”

At 10:10, Qin Weidong tossed the phone to Lin Wu and went out into the hallway for some air, leaving Lin Wu alone in the room.

【Fried dough sticks, soy milk.】 At 10:12, Lin Wu typed as usual.

【Zhajiang noodles, egg.】 came the reply.

Lin Wu hovered over the keyboard, typing and deleting, until finally he sent:

【Sorry.】

He didn’t explain why. At that exact moment, he knew the other side had just refreshed their memories.

………

【Sorry.】

In the Xuhu hotel in 2024, Lin Wu rubbed his temples with a headache. He hadn’t expected Qin Weidong to be this perceptive. Or rather, it wasn’t even about being perceptive. Any normal person who saw a specially separated lottery ticket win two days later would find it suspicious. And Qin Weidong, having experienced the internet café fire incident, was even more sensitive to things being off.

In short, things had gone beyond what he expected.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Next

Early the next morning, Lin Wu carried his backpack to the classroom. In the first English period, he took out his textbook and reviewed vocabulary for a while, then drifted off, staring out the window. Their classroom was on the sixth floor, and his seat was by the window. From his angle, he could see the canopy of the plane tree outside. It was already the beginning of autumn, but the leaves were still green, not yet turning yellow with the season.

“Hey, hey.” Lost in thought, Lin Wu felt his arm being poked.

“What is it?” He turned his head and saw his deskmate Li Jing tapping him with a pen cap.

“The teacher’s giving a quiz. We have to put all the books away,” Li Jing whispered.

Lin Wu looked around and realized the other students were quietly stuffing books into their desks. The class representative was handing out English test papers. Everyone was preparing for the quiz.

“Thanks.” Lin Wu paused, then began clearing his desk.

After class, Li Jing took the initiative to talk to him. “What’s wrong with you?” She felt he had been off since the start of the week, often spacing out during class.

“Probably because it’s senior year. I haven’t adjusted yet,” Lin Wu said casually.

“There’s only one year left. Let’s work hard together!” Li Jing liked following good students’ example and made a cheering gesture at him.

Lin Wu smiled. “Let’s work hard together.”

It was Sunday, and school ended at three. After dismissal, Lin Wu didn’t leave right away. Instead, he waited until everyone else had gone, then opened his English book. Inside were five lottery tickets, one winning ticket and four random ones. Today was the drawing day. He stared at them in a daze.

At that moment, the phone in his backpack vibrated.

Lin Wu took it out—

Qin Weidong: 【Are you done with school?】

【Yes.】 Lin Wu replied.

【Are you coming today? I feel like eating Zheng Ji soup dumplings from your school entrance.】 At Xuhu Central Hospital, Qin Weidong lay on the bed typing.

Lin Wu paused, then asked: 【One serving of soup dumplings, one bowl of wontons?】

【Mm-hmm!】

【Okay.】

After sending it, Lin Wu slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.

In the hospital, Qin Weidong immediately perked up when he heard Lin Wu was bringing food.

He figured that although he had lent out his phone, each text only cost a dime, and at most Lin Wu used five yuan in a night. He had checked before, messages with that unknown number weren’t counted toward his bill. Translated on Hololo novels. In other words, aside from occupying his phone and using a tiny bit of battery, Lin Wu hadn’t caused him any real financial loss.

“Feels a bit unfair…” Qin Weidong thought. Lin Wu kept bringing him milk tea and buns, while he only lent his phone. Financially, Lin Wu was at a clear disadvantage.

“Which cake shop in the city is the best?” Not liking to take advantage of others, Qin Weidong decided something and cheerfully called Hu Wei.

“Someone’s having a birthday?” Hu Wei was home today, sprawled out watching TV.

“I just feel like eating it. Help me check which cake shop in the city is the best, the tastiest one!”

“Didn’t you not like sweets?” Hu Wei asked groggily.

“I do now. Tastes change!” Qin Weidong cleared his throat.

“Alright…” Though confused, Hu Wei still quickly sent over a number.

Qin Weidong called and ordered several popular desserts. He had already planned it out. When Lin Wu arrived, he would say he couldn’t finish them and let him take some home. Desserts were high in calories and would help him gain weight. Qin Weidong thought Lin Wu looked good, just a bit too thin. A little weight might suit him better. Still, cakes were high in sugar, so he couldn’t let him eat them every day…

Half an hour later, the desserts arrived. He opened the bag and arranged it to look like he had already eaten some, then waited for Lin Wu to arrive.

At 5:40, someone knocked on the door—

“Hello, is this Mr. Qin in room 609?”

“You are?” Qin Weidong walked to the door.

“I’m from Zheng Ji buns. Here are your soup dumplings, wontons, eggs, and braised chicken leg.”

Qin Weidong looked at the items in the delivery man’s hands, fell silent for three seconds, then took them. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Here’s our ordering number. Free delivery within five kilometers.” The delivery man handed him a business card.

Qin Weidong set the card and food on the table, thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed.

“Hello?” Lin Wu answered quickly.

“You’re not coming today?” Qin Weidong asked casually.

“I’m not.” On the bus heading toward the Xuhu steel factory, Lin Wu held onto the rail as he replied.

“No texts tonight either?”

“Not today.”

“…Oh.”

Lin Wu sensed something in Qin Weidong’s tone. After thinking, he asked, “Did you receive the dumplings and wontons?”

“I did. There are eggs and a chicken leg too.”

“It’s too early to eat now. You’ll get hungry later, so I bought a bit extra.”

“Mm.” Qin Weidong asked as if it were nothing, “Coming tomorrow?”

“I am.” Lin Wu thought he was worried about the phone and added, “I’ll return it tomorrow.” Qin Weidong would be discharged the day after tomorrow, and there was no point in him holding onto it.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow.” Knowing Lin Wu would come, Qin Weidong felt a bit more at ease.

At that moment, the Xuhu steel factory stop arrived. Lin Wu said, “I’m at my stop. Talk later?”

“Alright…” Qin Weidong actually still wanted to chat a bit longer.

………

Half a minute later, Lin Wu got off at the Xuhu Steel Factory stop along with the other passengers. It was 5:50 now, with ten minutes left before the factory got off work. He spoke to the gate guard, then made his way familiarly to the second cafeteria.

Qiu Yan’e was outside fetching water. Lin Wu looked somewhat familiar to her. “Do you need something?”

“Supervisor Qiu, I’m here to pick up my mom after work,” Lin Wu said politely.

“Oh, you’re looking for Xiaorong. She’s inside. You can go in and wait. We don’t get off until six.” Qiu Yan’e remembered who he was.

Lin Wu didn’t go in right away. Seeing her struggling with the water, he asked, “Do you need help?”

“No need, you can go in.” Whether or not he truly meant it, Lin Wu was polite and attentive, which left her with a good impression.

“Alright.”

Lin Wu went inside with his backpack. The second cafeteria handled all the steamed buns for the entire factory complex. The peak hours were from four to five in the afternoon. Translated on Hololo novels. By now, all the buns had already been distributed, and the staff had changed clothes and were sitting on stools, waiting to clock out.

The moment Lin Wu entered, he saw Luo Xiaorong.

She was sitting alone on a stool, staring fixedly at the clock on the wall. When she saw Lin Wu, her face lit up with surprise, and she waved energetically. “Xiao… Wu—Wu—” She stammered slightly in her excitement.

“Mom.” Lin Wu smiled and sat down beside her.

Others looked over curiously. Some had seen Lin Wu before, others hadn’t, but everyone was curious about Luo Xiaorong’s son.

Lin Wu returned their looks with a polite smile, like any ordinary high school student.

Seven minutes later, the end-of-work bell rang. Everyone skillfully clocked out. Lin Wu accompanied Luo Xiaorong to clock out, and as they were about to leave, Qiu Yan’e handed him a bag. “We made extra today, one bag per person.”

Inside were steamed buns and flower rolls, part of the factory’s allowed take-home employee benefits. Luo Xiaorong had brought some home before.

“Thank you!” Lin Wu accepted it gratefully.

“It’s nothing. The cameras are still on, do you want to take a look?” The factory leadership had said before that Lin Wu could check the surveillance whenever he wanted.

“Would that be inconvenient?” Lin Wu had indeed come today to see what Luo Xiaorong’s workday was like.

“It’s fine. Xiaorong works well here. She makes good buns, and no one bullies her.” Qiu Yan’e openly turned on the footage.

Lin Wu didn’t refuse.

For the next ten minutes, he carefully watched Luo Xiaorong’s daily routine. Just as Qiu Yan’e had said, she started work at two in the afternoon, kneading dough and making buns. She didn’t interact much with others, and others didn’t interact much with her. She had a strong dullness toward the outside world, so she didn’t feel lonely. If someone tried to talk to her, she would instead become flustered.

After ten minutes, Lin Wu finished watching and stood up. “Thank you for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing. Now you can feel at ease.” Qiu Yan’e liked Luo Xiaorong’s work efficiency and, knowing the two depended on each other, was willing to be more accommodating.

At 6:20, the two of them left the cafeteria.

Wang Manshan was off today. Starting next week, Luo Xiaorong would also have scheduled days off, four days a month, just like him.

The nearest shuttle bus had already left, so Lin Wu stood with Luo Xiaorong at the bus stop, waiting for a public bus. His thoughts had been heavy all day.

He wanted both Luo Xiaorong and Wang Jiahui to live. As long as he cashed in the lottery and moved away, they could survive. But when he thought of the other people in the fourth ending, he felt he couldn’t go through with it.

“I’m sorry.” Looking at Luo Xiaorong’s dark hair, Lin Wu felt deeply inadequate.

“Wu… Wu…” Luo Xiaorong poked him. Lin Wu felt something being slipped into his pocket.

He reached in and pulled it out. It was two red dates.

“Eat… you eat—” Luo Xiaorong giggled. Qiu Yan’e had brought them for soaking in water earlier. She had been given two at noon but hadn’t eaten them, and now had tucked them into Lin Wu’s pocket.

Holding the red dates, Lin Wu suddenly remembered how, when he was little, Luo Xiaorong would always save any good food for him. That habit had lasted seventeen years.

At 9:30, after watching the lottery drawing, Lin Wu went downstairs to Wang Jiahui’s building.

Wang Jiahui had gone shopping with classmates. When she returned and saw Lin Wu standing downstairs, she was surprised. “Brother Lin Wu, why aren’t you going upstairs?” She was about 165 cm tall, with a round face, warm and lively like Hao Shuqin.

“Are you looking for my parents? They should be upstairs.” Thinking he was there to see Hao Shuqin and the others, she pulled him along toward the building.

“I was just passing by, so I stopped to take a look,” Lin Wu said as normally as he could. He had just seen the lottery results at home. Six out of seven numbers matched. What the other side said was true. His last bit of hope was gone.

“What’s there to look at here?” Wang Jiahui followed his gaze but couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

“Huihui.” Lin Wu called softly.

“What is it?” She turned to him.

He had many things to say but didn’t know how to begin. In the end, he said, “I might make some choices that hurt you. I’m sorry.” Once a move was made, it couldn’t be undone. He couldn’t tell her she would die, or everything would fall apart.

Wang Jiahui widened her eyes. “How would you hurt me?”

“I might make some choices that aren’t good for you…”

“What choices?”

“…It’s hard to explain.” Lin Wu was usually very logical, but now he couldn’t express it clearly.

“Brother Lin Wu, you’re acting strange.”

Wang Jiahui was two years younger than Lin Wu. When she was little, she had been small and often bullied by other children. Translated on Hololo novels. Back then, Lin Wu’s parents hadn’t yet been mistreated, but Lin Wu would secretly help her get back at those who bullied her. From that point on, she had become very attached to him.

Though confused, Wang Jiahui still smiled and looped her arm through his. “Brother Lin Wu, even if everyone else hurts me, you wouldn’t. Even if you accidentally did, it wouldn’t be on purpose. Alright, I’ll speak for my future self. If you really do hurt me unintentionally someday, I forgive you in advance! But there’s a price, I want an ice cream cone!”

Lin Wu couldn’t help but laugh.

When Wang Jiahui mentioned the ice cream cone, both Lin Wu and Wang Jiahui laughed. They thought of how, when she was little and had cavities, Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin wouldn’t let her eat sweets. She would secretly take her pocket money and find him—

“Brother Lin Wu, I’ll treat you to an ice cream. Can you go to the supermarket and secretly buy two, then secretly give them to me…”

Back then, Lin Wu didn’t buy it for her. But later, after her cavities were cured, the two of them often went to buy ice cream together.

Lin Wu ruffled Wang Jiahui’s hair. “Okay.”

At the same time, he told himself: there was still time, there must still be another perfect ending.

…

At a beach convenience store in 2024, the shop owner saw Lin Wu standing in front of the freezer while other customers were waiting behind him. He tapped on the freezer. “Which one do you want? Have you decided?”

“Yes, this red ice cream cone. And five bottles of mineral water.” Lin Wu snapped out of his thoughts and answered.

That morning, after talking with Hao Shuqin and the others, the four of them decided not to think about the time-travel phone anymore and planned to enjoy the fireworks together that night. The show was organized by the Shenhai government to attract tourists, held at Shenhai Third Beach, with an expected attendance of over thirty thousand people.

The fireworks would start at ten. After discussing, they decided to meet at the landmark of the Third Beach at 9:30.

Lin Wu knew that although they said they wouldn’t think about the phone, each of them still wanted to do something on their own. He hadn’t stayed home that day. Instead, he took Luo Xiaorong to Shenhai Amusement Park. She had a wonderful time. He didn’t plan to tell her the truth. Even if he did, she wouldn’t understand. He only wanted to remember what she looked like at sixty, happy and smiling.

At nine in the evening, he brought Luo Xiaorong to the meeting point.

“Huihui just called. There’s traffic, she might be a bit late.” Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan had arrived early. He was dressed in a suit, and she wore a silk qipao, both looking refined and elegant.

“Is this too formal?” Hao Shuqin asked shyly, tugging at her clothes when she noticed Lin Wu looking.

“Not at all. You look beautiful,” Lin Wu said sincerely.

There was still time before the show. He looked around and handed Luo Xiaorong to them. “Please watch my mom for a bit. I’ll go buy some water.”

“Go ahead, go ahead!” Hao Shuqin held onto Luo Xiaorong.

Lin Wu was wearing a camel-colored coat over a light shirt. After speaking, he headed to the nearest convenience store. It was crowded, and after squeezing through, he noticed the ice cream cones.

The packaging was the same as the ones Wang Jiahui used to eat as a child. Back then it cost fifty cents. Now the market price was five yuan, but at a popular spot like this, it had gone up to fifteen.

“Anything else?” the shop owner asked after taking it out.

“No.” Lin Wu paid.

When he stepped out, he saw a nearby stall selling glowing headbands. They were panda-shaped and very cute. He bought five, and also a half-person-sized teddy bear, planning to give it to Wang Jiahui.

He had bought too many things and could only carry the bear in his arms while holding the bags, squeezing his way back through the crowd. As the fireworks approached, more and more people filled the beach. While climbing the steps, someone bumped into him.

His body lurched forward from the momentum, but a pair of strong hands caught him from behind.

“Thank you…” Lin Wu wanted to turn and thank the person, but the bear made it awkward. Just then, Wang Jiahui arrived and spotted him from a higher platform. “Brother Lin Wu!”

Lin Wu waved to show he saw her. The crowd loosened slightly, and he turned to thank the person who had helped him, but they were already gone.

Ten minutes later, Lin Wu reached the viewing platform, where Wang Jiahui had already joined Luo Xiaorong and the others.

He handed the teddy bear to Wang Jiahui, then gave each of them a bottle of water and a glowing headband.

“Wow! Is this for me?” Wang Jiahui rubbed her face against the teddy bear, delighted. She loved plush toys.

“And this.” Lin Wu handed her the ice cream.

“Ahh, Brother Lin Wu, you still remember I like this. You’re the best!” Wang Jiahui happily took it.

Lin Wu smiled and ruffled her hair. “Where’s Li Hang?”

“This is our gathering. Why would we bring him?” Wang Jiahui took a big bite.

“Mm.” Lin Wu didn’t say more.

They had arrived late, but the view from this row was good. Lin Wu sat in the middle, Luo Xiaorong on his left, Hao Shuqin on his right, and further right were Wang Jiahui and Wang Manshan.

At exactly ten, music filled the air, followed by dazzling fireworks. The show would last fifteen minutes. All five of them looked up, just like the other visitors around them, happy and immersed in the moment.

During the fireworks, Lin Wu held Luo Xiaorong tightly in his arms. She glanced up at him, then turned back to the sky.

Hao Shuqin also watched the fireworks. As they bloomed layer by layer, she asked softly, “Xiao Wu… is everything ending today?”

Lin Wu let out a quiet sound. “Mm.”

Yesterday, he had only told his seventeen-year-old self the ending, not made the choice for him. But he understood his younger self. They were the same at their core.

Lin Wu kept watching the fireworks. As he watched, his eyes blurred, and tears fell.

He felt a pair of gentle, warm hands.

Looking down, he saw Luo Xiaorong gazing at him. “Don’t… cry.” She placed a piece of fruit candy in his hand, just like she used to.

Another wave of fireworks burst into the sky. Hao Shuqin turned to him kindly. “Xiao Wu, there wasn’t time to say this yesterday. When you contact your seventeen-year-old self next time, tell him not to blame himself. Even if the ending is bad, he should still try to be happy.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu closed his eyes.

At 10:12, the chime sounded in his mind. Lin Wu watched as Luo Xiaorong and the others slowly faded away like characters from a fairy tale. The surroundings shifted like a montage in a film. He watched numbly.

In what felt like an instant, he was back at the Xuhu hotel.

Lin Wu turned on the computer. The Shenhai fireworks show was being livestreamed. He saw drones sweeping over the sea, the beach, the bathing area, and the very platform where they had just been sitting.

Now, in their place, sat a happy family of three, as if the five of them had never been there.

Lin Wu walked to the sink. In the mirror, his camel-colored coat had become a dark brown set of pajamas. At that moment, he understood which ending his seventeen-year-old self had chosen—

Everything had returned to the beginning:

Wang Jiahui had been gravely injured and left in a vegetative state. Luo Xiaorong had died in a car accident. Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan had taken their own lives twenty years later.

Because everything had reset, they had never gone to Shenhai, never watched the fireworks that night. He himself was still in the Xuhu hotel…

Everything had returned to the first ending.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

【Millet porridge, buns.】 At 10:12, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu sent his breakfast on time.

The other side quickly replied with lunch: 【Shredded potato over rice, egg.】

After confirming the code, Lin Wu went straight to the point: 【How did the ending turn out? I have the right to know the truth!】

He rarely used emphatic punctuation like exclamation marks when chatting. Adding one now showed just how badly he wanted to know.

After sending it, Lin Wu stared at the message interface, tense.

Just as he thought the other side would deflect again, this time they didn’t avoid it: 【There’s a new ending.】

【What kind of ending?】

【On September 23, 2004, you told Uncle Wang and Aunt Hao about the first three endings. They didn’t believe you at first, but after the lottery drawing, they did. A month later, everyone moved to Shenhai. Uncle Wang worked at the Shenhai Steel Factory, Aunt Hao became a local teacher, and you and Huihui transferred to a local high school. Later, you were admitted to Jianghe University, Huihui got into the Shenhai Dance Academy. Everyone lived well. After Aunt Hao resigned, she and your mother opened a bun shop together. The business has grown large, now covering two thousand square meters…】

In the café in 2024, Lin Wu carefully recalled every detail of his current life.

【That sounds good.】 In the hospital ward in 2004, Lin Wu smiled when he saw the message. But three minutes later, the smile disappeared—

【December 28, 2004, a second-year high school girl in Xuhu was killed after school. This was the third victim of the Xuhu serial murder case. January 11, 2005, the fourth victim. March 2, the fifth victim…】

Lin Wu listed each victim of the Xuhu case with precise wording.

In the ward, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu felt those words pierce his chest like knives. Confused, he asked: 【Weren’t there only four victims?】

【After Huihui and your mother escaped, there may have been a butterfly effect.】

【Do the victims overlap with the first three endings?】

【The original four victims didn’t change. There are five new victims.】

……

After this message, both sides fell silent.

Seventeen-year-old Lin Wu gripped his phone, typing and deleting repeatedly, unconsciously biting his lip. At that moment, a new message appeared: 【Is this Xiao Wu?】

Lin Wu froze, then cautiously replied: 【…Aunt Hao?】

“Yes, yes!”

In the café in Shenhai, Hao Shuqin stared at the message with tears in her eyes.

The evening before, she had seen three sets of numbers in Lin Wu’s study. One set was the timeline of the Xuhu murders. Another set was the times of death in the three endings involving Luo Xiaorong and Wang Jiahui.

The third set read: 2004.9.5 (1), 2004.9.9 (2), 2004.9.17 (3), 2004.9.19 (4), 2004.9.23.

Below 2004.9.23 was a 2024.9.23 circled in red.

She didn’t understand what the numbers meant, but she knew September 23, 2004 was the lottery drawing date, and the 19th was when the ticket had been printed.

The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong. That night, she brought it up with Wang Manshan.

“Has Xiao Wu been hiding something from us all these years?” Wang Manshan asked.

In truth, not just these years. After they moved to Shenhai, Lin Wu had seemed relaxed for the first few months. Then there was a period when he suddenly shut himself in his room. After that, every winter and summer break, he would return to Xuhu for a while. They had asked him about it, and he only said he missed Xuhu, but they felt there was nothing there worth missing.

“Manshan, do you think the one who killed Huihui could be the same person as the serial killer?” Hao Shuqin suddenly recalled the newspapers on Lin Wu’s desk. After moving, they had heard about the Xuhu case and had wondered whether the killer was the same one from Lin Wu’s “dreams.”

But in the three endings Lin Wu described, including Huihui and Luo Xiaorong, there were six victims. In reality, there were nine.

Dreams were not reality, so they hadn’t thought too much about it before. But now, after connecting everything, a sudden fear took hold. Could it be that six victims were predetermined, and because they moved away, it changed the killer’s targets?

“Quick, get me some blood pressure medicine!” Hao Shuqin felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Wang Manshan hurried to find it for her. “None of this has happened. Don’t overthink it.”

He said that, but his expression grew more serious. After analyzing everything for a whole day, they decided to call Lin Wu, only for Lin Wu to contact them first.

“Xiao Wu, in those three endings, what happened to your Uncle Wang and me? Just tell us what happened in the dream.” In the café an hour earlier, Hao Shuqin had encouraged him.

“In the first ending, Huihui remained in a vegetative state for twenty years. After she passed away, on August 18, 2024, you jumped from a building and took your own life. After handling your funeral, Uncle Wang also ended his life.”

“In the second ending, you both held on for two years after Huihui died, then in 2007, you ended your lives.”

“In the third ending, you both held on for two years…”

………

Lin Wu felt like his words were knives. Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan’s expressions shifted from uneasy to gradually pale.

“What about the other victims in those three endings?” Hao Shuqin asked the question that had been troubling her all day.

“Other than Huihui and my mom, the other four didn’t change.”

“Are they the same as in reality?”

“In reality, there are five additional victims.”

“You must have done something good in a past life. Heaven sent you a dream to warn us…”

If it were anyone else, they would feel lucky after escaping disaster. Hao Shuqin had felt that way before. Translated on Hololo novels. But now, knowing that four of the victims in reality were exactly the same as in Lin Wu’s “dream,” her voice trembled on the verge of tears. “Xiao Wu, tell Auntie the truth. What you said isn’t a dream, is it? It’s something that will actually happen? Like in those rebirth movies… you were reborn, you knew Huihui and your mother would die, so we avoided it. And because of the chain reaction, the killer’s targets became other people…”

Her eyes were fragile, glistening with tears. It was the first time Lin Wu had ever seen her like this. He said painfully, “It’s not rebirth. But those previous endings were what originally happened.”

Over the next half hour, Lin Wu opened the messages and explained everything in detail, from the moment he got the phone until now.

“A phone connected to the past…” Before coming out, Hao Shuqin and Wang Manshan had boldly guessed whether Lin Wu had been reborn. They hadn’t expected it wasn’t rebirth, but something even more unbelievable.

Their minds felt like they had exploded, everything in chaos.

In a daze, a new message appeared on the phone: 【Millet porridge, buns】.

They knew this was a message from 2004.

Today was September 22, 2024. On the other side, it was September 22, 2004. Hao Shuqin covered her mouth and cried. On September 22, 2004, they hadn’t yet won the lottery. She was teaching at No. 32 Middle School, Wang Manshan was working at the steel factory. Both were dealing with unpleasant relationships. Everything was still on its original path.

【Is this Xiao Wu?】 Hao Shuqin asked, holding the phone.

【…Aunt Hao?】 came the reply.

Hao Shuqin broke down in tears, gripping the phone. She didn’t know what to say, until at 10:27, the connection between the two times closed.

…

“What’s wrong?” In the 2004 Xuhu hospital, Qin Weidong had been watching Lin Wu’s expression ever since his smile disappeared. He saw the smile fade, his lips press tight, his expression growing more and more serious.

Several times he had wanted to ask what was wrong, but Lin Wu’s expression was so intense that he held himself back.

“It’s nothing…” As before, Lin Wu deleted the messages and returned the phone to Qin Weidong.

“It’s late. I’ll head back.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and started to leave.

“Hey!” Qin Weidong grabbed him instinctively.

Lin Wu lowered his head to look at him.

“Are you really okay?” It wasn’t that Qin Weidong was being fussy. Lin Wu’s face was too pale, completely expressionless, as if something had suddenly hollowed him out.

“I’m fine.” Lin Wu forced a slight smile.

“As long as you’re fine…” Qin Weidong slowly let go. “Call me when you get home.”

“Okay.”

“And send another photo!”

“Okay.”

Still uneasy, Qin Weidong added, “You’re acting a bit strange today. I’ll walk you out.” He started putting on his jacket and shoes.

“I want to walk by myself.” Lin Wu stopped him. Even though he tried to act normal, his thoughts were in turmoil. He didn’t want to talk to anyone.

Qin Weidong could tell. “Then be careful on your way back.”

“Mm.” Lin Wu left with his backpack. In the taxi, he kept thinking about the “fourth ending” his future self had described: Huihui and Luo Xiaorong were alive, Uncle Wang and Aunt Hao were successful, Huihui would be getting married by the end of the year… everything was so good, yet his chest felt tightly blocked.

At 11:10, the taxi arrived at the entrance of the residential complex.

Ding ding—

As if timed perfectly, Qin Weidong’s call came the moment he arrived.

“Hello,” Lin Wu answered.

“Are you there yet?” Qin Weidong asked.

“Just got out after paying.”

“Then go inside. I’ll listen for a bit, just to make sure you get upstairs and home.”

“Okay.”

Lin Wu walked toward his building with the phone. On Qin Weidong’s end, he could hear the rustling of the wind, then the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Soon after, the sound of a key turning in the lock.

“I’m home,” Lin Wu said.

“Photo,” Qin Weidong reminded him.

“Mm.” Lin Wu went inside, wrote down the current date and time, then took a photo facing out the window toward the building below and sent it.

“Got it. Good night,” Qin Weidong replied after receiving the photo.

“Good night.”

After washing up, Lin Wu first went to Luo Xiaorong’s room. She was already asleep, resting quietly. He watched her for a moment, then returned to his own room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. Even though he had said good night, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.

“Leaving now?” At the entrance of the steel factory residential compound, the driver asked after Qin Weidong put away his phone. Half an hour earlier, he had been waiting for passengers outside the hospital when he saw a high school student get into the taxi ahead. Before he could even think about how lucky that driver was, the door of his own car had been opened.

“Follow that car,” the passenger had said, pointing ahead.

“Did something happen?” the driver asked as he started the engine, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

The passenger seemed very experienced. “Catching someone cheating.” After saying that, he closed his eyes to rest.

The driver was full of curiosity. Seeing that the man was wearing a hospital gown and didn’t look like trouble, he muttered to himself and followed the car ahead.

When they reached the entrance, the high school student in the front car got out. Their car stopped about ten meters away. The passenger in the back watched through the window, and the driver followed his gaze. He saw the student pay, get out, and walk home with his head lowered, as if deep in thought.

Then the passenger in the back made a call, sent messages… He waited at the entrance for ten minutes, the meter still running. Now the other side had finished texting.

“Let’s go.” After listening, Qin Weidong put away his phone.

“Where to?” the driver asked as he started the car.

“The hospital.”

“The same hospital as before?”

“Yes.” Qin Weidong was restless and didn’t feel like talking.

“Alright…” The driver thought it was strange to come all this way only to go back, but since the trip was long, he figured it would be a good fare and felt pleased.

As the driver drove, he thought about where to get breakfast the next morning. At the same time, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu, thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu, Wang Manshan, Hao Shuqin… everyone lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, or rather, not sleeping at all.

…

September 23, 2024. Just as dawn broke, the doorbell rang at Lin Wu’s home.

The live-in caregiver had taken the day off. Hearing the bell, Lin Wu went to open the door.

Hao Shuqin, Wang Manshan, and Wang Jiahui stood outside. Wang Jiahui’s eyes were red, clearly having learned the truth from Hao Shuqin. When she saw Lin Wu, her voice hoarse, she asked, “Brother Lin Wu… what my parents said, is it true?”

“Yes.”

“In the original fate, Aunt Luo and I were killed. We moved away, so the victims became other people, five more than before?”

“Yes.”

“If we hadn’t moved, those five people wouldn’t have died, right?”

“According to the original timeline… yes.”

Wang Jiahui tried to calm herself, but couldn’t. Tears streamed uncontrollably. “Brother Lin Wu, so we stole their lives, didn’t we?”

Lin Wu’s eyes reddened as well. He didn’t answer, only reached out to wipe her tears.

“Brother Lin Wu if you can change the ending, take Aunt Luo and leave. Don’t tell me I’ll die, and don’t tell my parents either. The killer wants to kill me. If I die, they won’t have to. I dragged everyone down. Take Aunt Luo and go, go as far away as possible. Don’t let anyone else be implicated. Give their lives back. Give back the life I stole. Please take care of my parents for me. Don’t let them end their lives…”

Just a day ago, Wang Jiahui had been a bride-to-be looking forward to her wedding. Translated on Hololo novels. Now, she felt like the executioner who had taken five girls’ lives. She didn’t know why the killer targeted her, but in the previous endings, she died and five girls lived. Now she lived, and five girls died. Did that mean if she died, those five girls would live?

She tried to convince herself that the murders had nothing to do with her, but she couldn’t. She decided to return the life she had “stolen” and accept the judgment of her original fate.

Wang Jiahui felt like an executioner. Lin Wu felt the same.

【Time is a river that cannot flow backward. The reversed river will eventually reach its end, and beyond that end, everything will be set in stone.】 This was the phone’s message.

It told him he could keep altering fate through the phone, but that ability had an endpoint. He could choose to stop now, but as Wang Jiahui and the others believed, their perfect lives were built on the existence of five additional victims. They weren’t the killers, but those five had died because their choices had altered the path.

He wanted Luo Xiaorong to live, but…

Lin Wu closed his eyes. He thought of the elderly couple at the fruit stand. For twenty years, they had been waiting for the killer to be caught. The families of the other victims were also waiting, hoping their daughters and loved ones could come back. He couldn’t live by stepping on the fate of others.

“I’m sorry…” Lin Wu looked at the three of them. He felt unbearably cruel. He could have kept the truth from them, but he also believed that if he made a choice, they had the right to know their own fate.

He felt as though he had killed five people: Wang Manshan, Hao Shuqin, Wang Jiahui, Luo Xiaorong, and his seventeen-year-old self.

He was an executioner as cruel as the killer.

“I’m sorry…” He felt like a terrible person. Truly terrible.

At that moment, Lin Wu felt as if he stood on a cliff, holding a blade dripping with blood, a river of red flowing beneath his feet.

All strength left him. In a daze, he felt an embrace. Hao Shuqin held him.

“Xiao Wu, don’t say sorry. Thank you for giving us twenty years of a dream. Our lives were borrowed, and they should be returned to those who were meant to live. Maybe we’ll have a new ending. Even if we don’t, it doesn’t matter. Don’t blame yourself.”

Yesterday, Lin Wu hadn’t spoken his decision. He had only said sorry when they first met. They knew he was still struggling, so after telling Wang Jiahui the truth, they came together to find him.

They wanted to tell him not to blame himself, not to carry everything alone. If someone had to draw the final line on this life, then it should be them. This was never something he should bear alone.

Xiao Wu, don’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong.

“Xiao Wu, live well,” Hao Shuqin said, holding him.

No matter whether fate is changed or not, live well.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

“Mr. Lin, we really troubled you. Thank you for your cooperation!” At 9:20, after the property staff finished checking the electrical meter box, they thanked Lin Wu.

“It’s nothing, no problem.” After moving his car earlier, Lin Wu hadn’t left right away. He moved it back into place, chatted briefly with the staff, then went upstairs.

“We bought shrimp and pork ribs. Come up and eat tomorrow.” As soon as Lin Wu reached his door, he saw Hao Shuqin coming out of his home holding a container.

“Aunt Hao?” Lin Wu was a little surprised.

“I accidentally put the perfume in the wrong bag and just found it in your tie bag. Your Uncle Wang bought shrimp and pork ribs. Come over with your mom tomorrow.” Hao Shuqin looked full of energy as she spoke cheerfully.

“I have something to do tomorrow. I need to go out.” Lin Wu said helplessly.

“Then forget it, the day after tomorrow works too. There’s a fireworks show then, we can go watch together.” After saying a couple more words, Hao Shuqin hummed a tune and went upstairs.

Lin Wu stood outside for a while, letting the breeze hit him, then went back inside. Luo Xiaorong was older now and slept more. After chatting with her for a bit, she soon dozed off. Lin Wu changed his clothes and returned to the study. The tie bag in the study had been opened, but he didn’t think much of it. He casually put it into a drawer and looked at the newspapers on the desk.

It was now 2024. Twenty years had passed since the first Xuhu case, and seventeen since the last one. Time and life both move forward. Everything in the past should have stayed in the past.

Lin Wu tried to think about it as rationally as possible. Just then, his phone lit up.

Unknown number: 【Fried dough cake, spicy pepper soup.】

Lin Wu already knew the unknown number belonged to a high school student named Qin Weidong, but out of habit, he still saved it as “unknown number.”

It was now 12:12. Lin Wu fell silent for a moment before replying: 【Lanzhou noodles, egg.】

After sending it, he didn’t wait for a reply and followed up with the same message as yesterday: 【Sorry, I’m not feeling well. Let’s talk tomorrow.】

His mind was a mess. He didn’t know how to face his seventeen-year-old self.

…

“I’ll watch some TV. Call me when you’re done.” At Xuhu Central Hospital, Qin Weidong handed the phone to Lin Wu and was about to turn on the TV. At that moment, Lin Wu stood up and returned the phone. “Thanks.”

“What’s wrong?” Qin Weidong paused, then asked, “Didn’t reach them?” It was now 10:15. Normally, they would just have finished chatting.

“I reached them, but it’s not convenient for them to text right now.” Lin Wu forced a neutral expression. Today was already the second day. He didn’t know what was happening in the future, but the other side’s refusal to communicate felt abnormal.

Seeing Lin Wu already sling his backpack on, Qin Weidong asked, “Coming again tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Lin Wu paused and asked, “Is there anything you want to eat? I can bring it for you.”

When he came today, he had brought two cups of oatmeal porridge and two desserts. Translated on Hololo novels. After arriving, he found Hu Wei wasn’t there. Qin Weidong told him Hu Wei had been caught skipping class by the homeroom teacher and was stuck at school writing a self-criticism, so he wouldn’t be coming these days. Qin Weidong was a patient, and Lin Wu worried it might be inconvenient for him, so he planned to take better care of him when he visited.

“One serving of wontons and one serving of soup dumplings.” Qin Weidong ordered without hesitation, then prepared to give Lin Wu money.

“No need, it won’t cost much.” Lin Wu refused.

“Then I won’t give it to you. This will count as tomorrow’s milk tea.” Prices in 2004 were relatively low, and a milk tea cost about the same as wontons and soup dumplings together.

“Alright.” Lin Wu nodded in agreement. As he was about to leave, Qin Weidong stopped him. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Take this for now. Call me when you get home.” Qin Weidong tossed him a phone. It was a new one he had bought recently. At noon, he had asked Hu Wei to get a SIM card for it, so it was usable.

“That’s too expensive!” Lin Wu’s first reaction was to refuse. This phone was the same model Qin Weidong was using. He had seen the price at a shop a few days ago, around 6,700.

“I’m not giving it to you. Just use it for a couple of days and return it when I’m discharged. Otherwise, if something happens to you after leaving the hospital, I’ll have to take responsibility!” Qin Weidong clearly hated the idea of something going wrong and being held accountable.

“No.” Lin Wu still didn’t want to take it.

“I’m just letting you use it for a couple of days. I’ll be discharged next week. Stop dragging this out!” Qin Weidong had already recovered from the fever, but like last time, Qin Jianzhang insisted he stay for a full week before discharge.

“…Alright.” Lin Wu felt like it was burning in his hands. He placed the phone in the outer pocket of his backpack, zipped it tightly, and made sure there was no chance of losing it or having it stolen.

Qin Weidong was satisfied.

Ten minutes later, Lin Wu got into a taxi. The scenery outside the window kept flashing past, but his mind was filled with thoughts about his future self. By the time he came back to himself, the car had already reached the entrance of his residential complex.

“Twenty-eight.” The driver pointed at the meter.

“Okay.” Lin Wu paid and got out. His monthly allowance was only two hundred, and he had been spending more than usual recently. Still, he usually saved a small reserve for emergencies, so he didn’t need to touch the family savings yet.

After getting out, Lin Wu walked to the entrance of the complex. Then, as if remembering something, he took out Qin Weidong’s phone and typed:

【I’ve arrived.】

The phone already had Qin Weidong’s number saved, so he didn’t need to think. He just pressed and sent.

Ding ding, ding ding ding—

After sending the message, Lin Wu was about to put his phone away when it suddenly started ringing repeatedly.

The sound was especially loud in the night. Lin Wu jumped slightly in surprise, then, seeing that the caller was Qin Weidong, quickly answered.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wu asked immediately.

“You there yet?” In the hospital, Qin Weidong casually flipped through TV channels with the remote as he spoke.

“I’m here.”

“Then why didn’t you call? I can’t be sure a text was really from you. What if it was some dangerous person? If something happened to you, I’d have to take responsibility.” After confirming it was Lin Wu, Qin Weidong started rambling half-jokingly.

Lin Wu didn’t think anything would happen to him, but to keep things simple, he said, “Sorry, I didn’t think of it.”

Qin Weidong was very satisfied with his attitude. “Where are you now?”

“Almost downstairs.” Lin Wu could already see his gray apartment building.

“When you get downstairs, send me a photo. Get your building in it too.”

“That’s not necessary, is it?” Lin Wu frowned.

“It is. I need to confirm you actually got there.”

Lin Wu felt the other party was overly cautious about safety, but in the end he said, “Alright.”

In the hospital room, Qin Weidong had been listless, but upon hearing that, he perked up immediately. He tested his own phone first. It had a 300,000-pixel camera, pretty good for the time, and it made people look decent.

He waited expectantly. Thirty seconds later, a multimedia message came through:

Under the night lighting, the first thing in frame was a slender, pale right hand with clearly defined knuckles. That hand held an A5 sheet of scratch paper, covered in dense mathematical formulas, as if it had been torn off casually.

Those formulas had been circled with a thick pen, and inside the circle were the words: “September 21, 11:52, Lin Wu.” Behind the paper was a streetlamp, and behind that, the building where Lin Wu lived.

Right hand, scratch paper, signature, building. Everything needed to prove Lin Wu’s identity was there.

“I told you to send a photo. Why did you send a piece of scratch paper?” Qin Weidong stared at the image, feeling inexplicably dry in his throat.

“As long as it proves it’s me.” Lin Wu walked up the stairs, his footsteps echoing. When he reached his door, he lowered his voice. “I’m home. I’ll stop here. Good night.”

“…Good night.” Qin Weidong hung up, feeling that Lin Wu’s final “good night” had been too soft. He pulled up the image again and compared it with his own hand. They were both hands, so why was the other one so pale?

He stared at it for a while, then, slightly annoyed, saved the image.

………

2024.

Early the next morning, Lin Wu first accompanied Luo Xiaorong for breakfast, then drove to a local farmers’ market. It was an old market located near an urban village. Translated on Hololo novels. The morning rush had already passed, so there weren’t many customers. After entering, Lin Wu walked familiarly into a small eatery.

“What would you like?” The owner had just finished serving a group of customers and greeted him warmly.

“A bowl of soy milk.” Lin Wu chose a seat facing the street, where he could see both the road and the fruit stand across it.

The stall owners were an elderly couple married for forty years. One was setting up a sunshade, while the other arranged pomelos below. They moved with practiced ease.

The eatery owner, in his thirties, noticed Lin Wu watching the pomelos and sat beside him to chat. “Want some pomelo? They just came into season. I bought one from them yesterday. Their fruit is really good, and they never shortchange customers…”

As he spoke, he was practically promoting the fruit stand.

“Stop talking nonsense.” The owner’s wife nudged him with her leg, signaling that he was talking too much.

The owner quickly corrected himself. “Hey, I’m not a shill. I buy from them all the time, and their stuff really is good. They’ve had a tough life. I heard they came from the north. They had a daughter when they were forty, but she passed away…”

The couple at the fruit stand were over seventy now, their backs bent, looking frail and worn.

Lin Wu stirred his soy milk with a spoon. His eyelashes trembled slightly at the mention of a daughter. “Mm, I know.”

“Thanks for understanding, I’m really not a shill!” The owner let out a sigh of relief.

“Mm, you’re not.” Lin Wu looked across the street.

He knew the owner wasn’t lying. He also knew the couple’s daughter had indeed died. Her name was Xu Sitong, the seventh victim of the Xuhu murder case. Since 2005, he had been following the aftermath reports on the victims’ families.

Xu Sitong and her parents were originally from Shenhai. When they were younger, her parents had gone to Xuhu to sell produce to make a living. She was their only child, and from third grade onward, she studied in Xuhu while staying with them. Like many migrant families, they weren’t wealthy, but the three of them lived a warm and happy life.

In September 2006, Xu Sitong didn’t return home after school. Her body was later found in an abandoned dump. She had not been assaulted before death, but there were signs of abuse. Her cause of death was a slit throat. This was the part Lin Wu didn’t want to think about—

In the first and second endings, because the killer’s active period was short, Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong hadn’t been subjected to abuse. But in the ending where they died at the artificial lake, both of them bore signs of abuse, brutal and violent.

It was an ending Lin Wu refused to revisit a second time.

After Xu Sitong’s death, her parents lost their emotional anchor. Every day they held up signs asking the police to solve the case quickly. Year after year passed. Eventually, they realized the case would never be solved. Longing to return to their roots, they moved back to Shenhai two years ago.

But Shenhai had changed drastically. Like fledglings unable to find their nest, they struggled to adapt. Eventually, with help from the local government, they settled in the urban village and opened this fruit stand.

After finishing his soy milk, Lin Wu walked over to the fruit stand.

“Buying something?” The elderly couple greeted Lin Wu warmly when they saw him.

“Mm.” Lin Wu browsed through the modest but orderly stall, picking carefully. In the end, he chose two durians, ten jin of mangosteens, and ten jin of blueberries, all among the more expensive fruits on display.

“Do you want another bag? I’m afraid one might not hold everything,” they asked, pleased to see him buying so much at once.

“No need, my car is right over there.” Lin Wu pointed toward the car across the street, paid by scanning, and prepared to leave.

“Wait a moment.” The old man quickly stopped him, took two pomegranates from the stall, and slipped them into Lin Wu’s bag. “These just came in, they’re very sweet. Take them home and try!”

“That’s not necessary. How much are these? I’ll pay you.” Pomegranates weren’t cheap in Shenhai, and Lin Wu was already preparing to scan again.

“It’s fine. You’ve been supporting our business these past couple of years. It’s only right,” the old man insisted.

Lin Wu’s hand paused mid-scan. “You recognize me?”

“Of course. Not many people here have a Xuhu accent. I remembered you the first time you came. Every time you come, you buy a lot, and not cheap stuff either.” As he spoke, the old man felt two pomegranates weren’t enough and reached for another peach.

“Really, no need!” Lin Wu quickly stopped him, then, despite their objections, scanned an extra fifty yuan before leaving.

It was now 11:20. Lin Wu didn’t want to go home. He wandered around a nearby mall, then ate hot pot by himself, watched a three-hour-long movie, and went to an arcade.

At seven in the evening, he sat by the seaside holding the pomegranates. The wind was strong, but it didn’t stop people from going out. Translated on Hololo novels. There were couples, parents with children, and staff preparing for the fireworks show the next day. The lights made the place lively and bright.

Lin Wu used a small knife to score a cross into a pomegranate, put on disposable gloves, and began peeling and eating. He carefully separated the seeds one by one, tossing them into a small bag he carried. After an unknown amount of time, he had eaten both pomegranates.

He checked his phone. 8:15. In the distance, he heard the playful laughter of three little girls. He looked over, and the girls curiously looked back. Lin Wu smiled at them, and they made a big heart gesture toward him.

Lin Wu returned the gesture. After a brief back-and-forth, he finally made a call he had hesitated over all day.

The call was to Hao Shuqin. Three seconds later, someone picked up. “Xiao Wu? What’s wrong?”

“Aunt Hao, there are some things I’d like to talk to you and Uncle Wang about.”

His tone was formal. He had expected surprise or shock, but there was none. Hao Shuqin said, “Alright! We also have something we want to ask you.”

Half an hour later, the three of them met at a café near the residential complex. It was a quiet, elegant place. They sat in a secluded corner, Lin Wu on one side, Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin on the other.

“Uncle Wang, Aunt Hao… I’m sorry.” Lin Wu looked at them, his voice carrying both helplessness and a certain resolve.

They didn’t ask why he was apologizing. Hao Shuqin spoke first. “Xiao Wu, your Uncle Wang and I have had a question for many years…” She exchanged a glance with Wang Manshan before continuing, “Twenty years ago, you told us three possible endings for your mother and Huihui. In those three endings… what happened to us?”

What happened to us.

It was a question they had wanted to ask for twenty years, but had avoided because they didn’t want to face it. Now, they felt it was finally time.

………

“Where did you get these buns? They’re pretty good!” At the same moment Hao Shuqin asked her question, in 2004 at the Central Hospital, Qin Weidong took a bite of a bun and leaned over to ask Lin Wu.

It was now 9:17. Just like yesterday, Lin Wu had come in and immediately started doing homework at the desk. Qin Weidong was eating at the small table by his bed, but perhaps because it was too quiet eating alone, he moved over and sat on the sofa beside Lin Wu.

“The shop in front of our school. It’s called Zheng Ji Soup Dumplings.” Lin Wu kept his head down, working on problems, his voice calm and sincere.

“They’re good. Bring me another basket tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Qin Weidong ate half a basket. Seeing Lin Wu working on a chemistry test, the notes neat and orderly, he grew curious again. “You can actually understand all that?”

“More or less.”

“You’re being modest. I heard you’re ranked first in your school.”

“Who told you that?”

“Luo…” Qin Weidong almost said Luo Liang, but remembering Lin Wu didn’t get along with him, he changed his words mid-sentence. “Why are you asking so many questions?!”

Lin Wu was displeased. He put down his pen and looked at him. “How am I being long-winded? You’re the one who keeps asking.”

“Alright, alright, I’m the one being long-winded. I’m the one asking too many questions.”

Seeing Lin Wu pick up his pen and continue working, the tension that had suddenly risen in Qin Weidong quietly eased.

He continued chatting from the side, asking trivial things like, “How many papers do you do in a day?” and “How did you practice your handwriting?” Lin Wu answered some and ignored others that felt too pointless. Qin Weidong didn’t press further.

The two of them chatted like that, on and off, for a while until a nurse came in and knocked on the door.

“What is it?” Qin Weidong looked up and asked.

“You still need another IV bottle tonight. We’re short on staff for the night shift. Do you have any family here? Come downstairs with me to pick up some medicine, the pharmacy closes at twelve.”

“So troublesome.” Qin Weidong got up reluctantly. He felt like resting quietly for a couple of days would be enough, but the hospital still had him scheduled for three more days of IV treatment.

He was about to put on a jacket and go down when Lin Wu stood up.

“I’ll go.”

“You?” Qin Weidong was a little surprised.

“The pharmacy is in the west wing. You’ve just recovered from a cold, it’s better not to go out in the wind.” To get there, one had to pass through a drafty corridor. Lin Wu felt it wasn’t suitable for him right now.

“Then… thanks.” Qin Weidong wasn’t fully recovered and felt a bit embarrassed.

“It’s fine.” Lin Wu set down his pen and followed the nurse out.

The private ward was left with only Qin Weidong. He didn’t feel like playing games, so after pacing around for a bit, his gaze fell on Lin Wu’s test papers. He hadn’t been making conversation for no reason earlier. Lin Wu’s handwriting really was good, the chemical formulas neat as if printed from a textbook.

He admired them for a moment, then glanced at the other books on the desk, Chinese, math, physics, English… Lin Wu carried quite a lot of books after school.

He flipped through them casually, but when he reached a third-year English textbook, he suddenly paused.

This book was the same as the others, all senior-year materials, but there was something different—

Inside, he found five lottery tickets. One was placed alone on a page, while the other four were tucked together on another page. The single one seemed more important, the others almost like supporting pieces.

Qin Weidong picked up the single ticket and looked at the numbers.

【02.21.25.13.19.09.15】

It was placed very neatly. The drawing date was tomorrow.

Oh?

Qin Weidong grinned.

Lin Wu looked so reserved. Who would’ve thought he liked buying lottery tickets?

“You only need two bottles tonight. The nurse will come at eleven.” At 9:50, Lin Wu returned, slightly out of breath, carrying two IV bottles.

“You didn’t take the elevator?” Qin Weidong frowned. He had already told him there was one.

“It’s under maintenance. The other elevators are too troublesome.” Lin Wu was methodical when it came to studying, but for small matters like this, he didn’t mind taking the stairs.

He set the IV bottles down. At 10:10, after finishing a round of Sokoban, Qin Weidong handed him the phone.

Lin Wu took it skillfully and waited for 10:12 to arrive.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

“Xiao Wu, are you there?” Seeing no reply for a long while, Hao Shuqin asked again.

“I’m here.” Lin Wu steadied himself before replying, “I’ll be going back to Shenhai tomorrow.”

“There’s a fireworks show in the city this Sunday. Your Uncle Wang just got back from the northwest, so in a few days we’ll all go watch it together,” Hao Shuqin said happily from the other end.

“Okay.” Three minutes later, the two hung up.

Lin Wu sat quietly for a moment, then got up to pack his suitcase. Aside from the necessities, there was also a pair of gray gloves inside, knitted for him by Luo Xiaorong last month.

After finishing, he went to the bathroom mirror. The person reflected there felt unfamiliar. In the mirror, he wore a light beige set of pajamas, his cheeks slightly fuller, his skin very fair. He looked about five pounds heavier than in the previous three endings.

Lin Wu pinched his cheek. Just as he was about to wash his hands, he noticed a line of unfamiliar text appear on the mirror—

【Time is a river that cannot flow backward. Yet on this day, the river of time begins to reverse and move forward. The reversed river will eventually reach its end, and beyond that end, everything will be set in stone.】

Like the phrase ‘it is a new path,’ it appeared briefly, then slowly faded away.

After washing his hands, Lin Wu returned to bed. Early the next morning, he bought a direct flight to Shenhai. After three hours in the air, he finally arrived at Shenhai Airport at three in the afternoon.

“Brother Lin Wu!” As soon as he stepped out of the airport exit, he saw a girl in shorts and a short-sleeved top waving enthusiastically. She was lively and pretty, with a bright, handsome young man standing beside her.

A smile spread across Lin Wu’s face as he pulled his suitcase toward them.

“Brother Lin Wu, my mom and Aunt Luo are making baozi at home. We can eat as soon as we get back!” Wang Jiahui wrapped her arm around his enthusiastically. She was already in her thirties, but their relationship still felt the same as when they were young.

“Brother Lin Wu, I’ll carry your luggage.” The young man was Li Hang. He and Wang Jiahui attended the same dance academy and had gotten together in their junior year. Their relationship was steady, and they now ran a dance studio together, planning to marry by the end of the year.

“Thanks.” Lin Wu didn’t refuse. He handed over a lighter laptop bag and asked, “What time did you get here?”

“Two-thirty. We just arrived too.” The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked to the parking lot.

Li Hang drove a large SUV. After getting in, he took the driver’s seat while Lin Wu and Wang Jiahui sat in the back.

“Brother Lin Wu, how long are you staying this time? You’re not going to leave again after just a few days, right?” Wang Jiahui chattered nonstop once they got in. Everyone else was in Shenhai, yet Lin Wu insisted on working in Jianghe, making it hard for them to even meet.

Lin Wu smiled. “I don’t have any projects right now. I can rest for two months.”

“That’s great! We can go on some trips nearby together!” Wang Jiahui said happily.

Lin Wu listened with a smile, then looked out the window. They had come to Shenhai in 2004. Translated on Hololo novels. Because they arrived early and made quite a bit of money after opening their shop, after buying and selling properties several times, they now each lived in spacious 200-square-meter apartments. The neighborhood environment and facilities were excellent.

At 4:20, the SUV drove into the residential complex.

The Lin family and the Wang family lived in the same building, the Lins on the fifteenth floor and the Wangs on the sixteenth. After getting in the elevator, Lin Wu first put his luggage at home, changed clothes, then went upstairs to the Wang residence.

The Wang family’s door was open. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Hao Shuqin.

Wearing an apron and with freshly curled pear-blossom waves, Hao Shuqin beamed when she saw him. “The baozi just went into the steamer. They’ll be ready soon!”

At that moment, Luo Xiaorong came out of the kitchen after hearing the commotion. “Wuwu!” she exclaimed, her excitement making her gestures a bit exaggerated.

“Mom!” Lin Wu stepped forward and hugged her.

Luo Xiaorong was sixty this year. Two years ago, he had hired a live-in caregiver to take care of her daily needs. The caregiver was responsible, and with Hao Shuqin’s help keeping an eye on things, Luo Xiaorong, though not very sharp mentally, had been living quite well these past years.

“Uncle Wang.” After the hug, Lin Wu greeted Wang Manshan in the living room.

“Xiao Wu, I just brewed a pot of pu’er. These tea leaves are something I specially brought back from Pancheng. Come and try it,” Wang Manshan said. Life had treated him well in recent years. His once sloppy appearance had been replaced with a shirt and vest, a pair of glasses resting on his nose, giving him a rather scholarly air.

“What Pancheng or whatever, as if you can even tell the difference,” Hao Shuqin teased from the side.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Pu’er from Pancheng is one of the top ten famous teas in our country. Its flavor is mellow and rich, and after long aging, it carries a faint sweetness…” Wang Manshan began explaining with great seriousness.

“Look at him, he’s turned into a tea expert!” Hao Shuqin said helplessly.

Lin Wu, Wang Jiahui, and Li Hang all burst into laughter.

Even though his memories had been refreshed, Lin Wu felt as though he hadn’t seen Luo Xiaorong for twenty years. After tea that afternoon, he stayed close to her the whole time.

At 6:50, everyone gathered for dinner.

“How’s the housing situation in Xuhu being handled?” Wang Manshan asked, concerned about the demolition.

“There’s still one supplementary contract left. It should be settled before the end of the year,” Lin Wu replied.

“No rush. Ours took half a year from start to finish. Back then we had to choose between compensation money or a replacement apartment. We chose the money. Thinking about it now, we haven’t lived there for twenty years…” Wang Manshan said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

“Our life now is so good. What would we go back for?” Hao Shuqin tapped his chopsticks lightly with hers.

“That’s true!” Wang Manshan was very satisfied with his current life.

Lin Wu ate quietly beside them. At exactly seven o’clock, Wang Jiahui turned on News Broadcast.

“Good evening, dear viewers. Today is Thursday, September twentieth. I am your host Zhao Feng, and I am Yang Ting…”

From the television came the rhythmic voices of the anchors; outside it, the room was filled with laughter. Moonlight shone gently beyond the window. It was an ordinary yet warm family dinner.

………

While everyone was gathered for dinner, during the evening study break in 2004, Lin Wu dialed Qin Weidong’s number again.

“Ding, the number you have dialed is powered off. Please try again later…” The familiar automated voice came through the phone.

After learning that Qin Weidong wasn’t at school, Lin Wu had been calling him whenever he had time that day. But whether it was morning or noon, no one had answered.

“Still no answer…” Lin Wu frowned slightly. He wanted to reach him partly to find out the new ending, and partly because he felt Qin Weidong’s illness might be connected to himself, which left him feeling quite guilty.

After getting no response, Lin Wu unwillingly tried again. If it still didn’t go through, he planned to go to the Lide dorms after school to ask around. Just as he was thinking this, a strange voice came from the other end: “Hello?”

“Hello!” Lin Wu froze for a moment, then quickly said, “This is Lin Wu. I’m looking for Qin Weidong.”

…

“Brother Qin, someone’s looking for you.” In a high-end ward at the Central Hospital, Hu Wei covered the receiver and spoke to the person on the bed. Translated on Hololo novels. Qin Weidong was lying there in a blue-and-white hospital gown, his face pale, an IV line inserted into his hand, looking extremely weak.

The night before last, after returning from the family compound, Qin Weidong had developed a fever. Normally, he was as sturdy as a young ox. Even if he caught a cold or had a fever, a couple of pills would usually take care of it. Who would have thought this time the medicine didn’t work? His fever became severe, and in the latter half of the night, he alternated between chills and burning heat. Acting on pure survival instinct, he shakily called the family driver.

At five in the morning, someone from home arrived, and he was admitted to the hospital again. When he was brought in, his temperature had reached 39.7°C. Qin Jianzhang had been in the south discussing a project, but immediately flew back after hearing the news. Over the past two days, Qin Weidong had been receiving injections and IV fluids, and only now was he feeling slightly better.

He had been so ill these past two days that he didn’t even realize his phone had run out of battery and shut off. Only just now had he asked Hu Wei to help charge it, and as soon as it powered on, a call came in.

“Who is it?” Qin Weidong’s head still felt a bit foggy, and he asked half a beat slower than usual.

“Lin Wu. He says you know him.”

“Lin Wu…” Qin Weidong paused for three seconds, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He took the phone and opened their message history.

Yesterday, September 19, he hadn’t sent any messages to the unknown number, and the unknown number hadn’t sent him any either. Their message history still ended on the 17th—

【‘As soon as possible’—how long is that?】

【At most five days.】

………

The messages from the 18th had been sent by Lin Wu, but they had been deleted.

Qin Weidong’s expression twisted. In 2004, the term didn’t exist yet, but if it were twenty years later, he would clearly realize that his role right now was nothing more than a tool.

“Qin Weidong?” On the other end, Lin Wu could hear his breathing.

“Central Hospital, room 609.” Qin Weidong knew why Lin Wu was calling and directly gave his room number.

“Who was that?” After the call ended, Hu Wei looked curious. He was practically inseparable from Qin Weidong and had never heard of anyone named Lin Wu.

“You don’t know him.” Qin Weidong didn’t want to explain.

“…Oh.” Hu Wei said that, but his mind was already racing, trying to figure it out, though he couldn’t.

Qin Weidong had just finished an IV drip and felt a little better. Unable to sleep, he leaned against the headboard and started playing Sokoban.

At nine o’clock, the ward door opened.

Hu Wei was sitting on the sofa playing a game. When he looked up, he saw a high school boy. The boy looked about seventeen, wearing the uniform of No. 1 High School, thin, with quite handsome features. He was carrying a fruit basket, his face flushed and chest heaving slightly, as if he had just climbed the stairs.

“Lin Wu?” Hu Wei looked him over curiously.

“Hello.” Seeing a stranger in the room, Lin Wu adjusted his breathing and walked over to Qin Weidong’s bedside.

“Feeling any better?” he asked, placing the fruit basket on the bedside table.

“Not bad.” Qin Weidong had just finished a round of his game. Not wanting to continue, he put down his phone and looked at Lin Wu.

Lin Wu’s cheeks were still rosy, like the red apples in the fruit basket.

“You didn’t take the elevator?” Qin Weidong frowned.

“There’s an elevator here?” Lin Wu was startled.

“It’s just behind the corridor entrance.”

“I didn’t notice…” He had only ever been to the steel factory hospital before and had never been to the Central Hospital. This place was as big as a maze. When he saw the stairwell, he had just climbed up directly.

“This building’s so tall. You should’ve asked,” Qin Weidong said, thinking Lin Wu was a bit foolish, then decided not to dwell on it. “Where’s the milk tea?” He knew why Lin Wu had come, and this question was essentially his agreement. As long as there was milk tea, Lin Wu could use his phone.

“You’re sick right now. Milk tea is all powdered stuff, it doesn’t feel good for your body. I found a porridge shop near the school and bought some milk oatmeal porridge instead.” Lin Wu spoke, then glanced apologetically at Hu Wei. If he had known someone else was here, he would have bought two portions.

“It’s fine, I don’t need any.” Hu Wei instantly understood and his impression of Lin Wu improved dramatically.

“Porridge is fine.” Hearing that it wasn’t intentional, Qin Weidong felt better. At the same time, he noticed the sealed cup behind the fruit basket.

“Do you want it now?” Lin Wu asked. It was still quite hot.

“Yeah.” Qin Weidong started to reach for it, but seeing his limited mobility, Lin Wu inserted a straw and handed it to him. “It’s still a bit hot.”

“Thanks…”

This was a thirty-square-meter room. Translated on Hololo novels. To the right of the entrance was the bathroom, followed by the hospital bed, sofa, television, desk, and desk chair. The room was quite spacious, so even with all these items arranged together, it didn’t feel crowded.

Before coming, Lin Wu had called Hao Shuqin. There was still some time before 10:12, so after thinking for a moment, he put his backpack on the desk and prepared to work on some practice problems.

The desk was next to the sofa. Seeing him pull out a stack of exercise books, Hu Wei leaned over curiously. “You’re from No. 1 High School?”

“Mm.”

“How do you know Brother Qin? I’ve never seen you before.” Hu Wei immediately slipped into gossip mode.

“Focus on your studies. You don’t need to answer everything he asks.” Qin Weidong shot Lin Wu a look, signaling that he didn’t have to respond to everything.

Lin Wu smiled. “Qin Weidong helped me with something before, so that’s how we met.”

“I see. Don’t be fooled by how fierce Brother Qin looks, he actually likes helping people…” Hu Wei began, clearly about to list Qin Weidong’s good deeds.

“Are you done yet?” Qin Weidong threw a pillow at him.

“I’m done, I’m done!” Hu Wei immediately shut up.

Lin Wu smiled and started working on his problems. Hu Wei watched for a while but couldn’t understand anything, so he followed Qin Weidong’s lead and started playing Sokoban.

Both of them set their phones to silent. The only sound left in the room was the steady scratch of Lin Wu’s pen.

“You don’t have to mind me,” Lin Wu said, a little embarrassed.

“It’s fine. We always mute our phones and play games during class anyway.” Hu Wei waved his hand dismissively, telling him not to worry.

Lin Wu felt that he could do his work whether there was noise or not, but he could sense their kindness. Saying anything more would feel overly self-conscious, so he simply said, “Thanks.”

At 10:10, Qin Weidong tossed his phone to Lin Wu and said to Hu Wei, “Come sit over here.”

“What for?” Hu Wei was in the middle of a good game.

“I want to watch you play.”

Hu Wei: ???

Qin Weidong was better than him at games, so what was there to watch?

Even so, Hu Wei still obediently scooted over.

Lin Wu opened the messaging interface.

The message history ended on the 17th. The conversation from the 18th had been deleted, and there were no records for the 19th.

At exactly 10:12, Lin Wu sent: 【Soy milk, tea egg.】 This was his breakfast today.

The other side replied: 【Tomato scrambled eggs, steamed bun.】 This was his lunch.

Their code matched. Lin Wu got straight to the point. “How did the ending turn out?”

He was asking about the outcome that extended from the 19th.

In 2024, inside a minimalist study in a Shenhai residential complex, thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu sat in a light gray set of pajamas, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, calmly looking at the message in front of him.

【How did the ending turn out?】

The current ending was very good. Wang Jiahui was safe, Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin had not committed suicide, Luo Xiaorong had not died. Everyone’s lives were happy and fulfilled.

Lin Wu was about to reply directly, but his gaze shifted to the newspaper on the desk—

Sun Yali, Zhao Rou, Chang Xiaojuan… these were newspapers he had collected since 2005. They were all about the Xuhu murder case, and among them were five victims who should not have appeared.

Lin Wu stared at the message interface, then finally replied: 【Sorry, I’m not feeling well. Let’s talk tomorrow.】

Time is a river that cannot flow backward. The reversed river will eventually reach its end, and beyond that end, everything will be set in stone.

He didn’t know when “this river” would reach its end, nor was he sure whether to mark the current ending as that end.

…

【???】In 2004, at the Central Hospital, Lin Wu frowned at the message.

There was a twenty-year gap between him and the future, but he understood his own personality. If something had changed, it had changed. If not, it hadn’t. For the other side to suddenly end the conversation with “not feeling well” clearly meant something unexpected had happened.

After sending the question marks, there was no reply.

He tapped the desk unconsciously, not knowing what had gone wrong over there.

Three minutes later, Lin Wu deleted the chat history and returned the phone to Qin Weidong. “Thanks.”

“Mm.” Qin Weidong took the phone without even looking at it. He already knew the messages would be gone.

“Will you still be in the hospital tomorrow?” Lin Wu asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll come see you after school tomorrow?”

“Alright.”

“It’s 10:35 now.” Lin Wu glanced at the time. “I’ll head back first.”

It was ten kilometers from here to the steel factory residential compound. He would probably get home after eleven.

Qin Weidong nudged Hu Wei with his knee. Hu Wei was playing Sokoban and looked over in confusion, then quickly understood and said to Lin Wu, “I’ll walk you out.”

“No need.”

“It’s fine, I was just going downstairs for a walk anyway.” Hu Wei spoke as he put on his jacket.

“There’s a 24-hour pan-fried bun shop on Gangchang Road. It’s pretty good, grab some on the way back,” Qin Weidong added.

“Master Li’s place? Yeah, that one’s really good, smells great.” The shop Qin Weidong mentioned was indeed excellent, just a bit toward the outskirts. Hearing it, Hu Wei suddenly felt a craving. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Lin Wu. “Where do you live?”

“The steel factory residential compound.”

“Oh, that’s not far. I’ll drop you off first, then go buy the buns.”

“That’s not necessary, is it?” Lin Wu was a bit surprised and glanced at Qin Weidong.

“It’s fine, it’s on the way anyway. I also feel like chatting a bit on the road.” As he spoke, Hu Wei pulled Lin Wu downstairs.

Lin Wu didn’t refuse again.

When they reached the entrance of the residential compound, Lin Wu prepared to pay. Hu Wei immediately stopped him. “I haven’t arrived yet. We’ll settle it all together when I get there.”

“No need. The meter’s already running.” The taxi fare showed 28 yuan. Lin Wu took out thirty from his wallet and was about to hand it over. After a moment, he pulled back one of the ten-yuan bills, replaced it with a five and three ones, and pressed the money into Hu Wei’s hand. “Just having someone to talk to on the way already made me happy. Whether you were here or not, I’d still have to pay this.”

He didn’t know whether Qin Weidong genuinely wanted the buns or had intentionally asked Hu Wei to see him home. It wasn’t about the two yuan, it just felt better to keep things clear.

“Hey!” Hu Wei tried to return the money, but Lin Wu had already shut the car door and left.

At 10:50, Hu Wei returned to the hospital after buying the buns.

“You’re back?” Qin Weidong asked after picking one up with his chopsticks.

“Yeah. His place is pretty far out.” As he spoke, Hu Wei took out the 28 yuan from his pocket. “He insisted on paying as soon as we got there. Didn’t even give me a chance to say anything before leaving.”

“He paid?” Qin Weidong paused, looking at the money.

“Yeah. From the hospital to his place, he paid the full meter fare. Twenty-eight, not a cent less.”

“Oh.” Qin Weidong didn’t have much appetite because of his cold. After eating two, he couldn’t continue. “You eat the rest.”

“There are sixteen left!” Hu Wei was shocked. The buns from that shop were both tasty and affordable, so he had bought twenty this time.

“You’re so skinny you look like a stick. Hurry up and eat more,” Qin Weidong said with clear disdain.

Hu Wei: …

No matter how much he liked to eat, there was no way he could finish sixteen. He ended up eating half and planned to reheat the rest the next morning.

That night, Qin Weidong lay in bed thinking. The reason he had Hu Wei walk Lin Wu home was simple. Just like last time, Lin Wu’s place was dark and poorly lit, and he was worried that if something happened, it would cause him trouble. What he hadn’t expected was how strong Lin Wu’s sense of boundaries was. He couldn’t tell whether it was politeness or coldness.

…

2024.

“Xiao Wu, have you and your mom finished getting ready?” Early the next morning, Hao Shuqin called Lin Wu after she had finished preparing. Translated on Hololo novels. Everyone had been chatting happily the day before, and at some point Hao Shuqin mentioned it was time to buy seasonal clothes, wanting everyone to go shopping with her today.

“Mom, I’ve got something at the dance studio. I have to go there tomorrow,” Wang Jiahui said immediately.

“I’ve got a meeting at the factory, I need to go in…” Wang Manshan followed.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to accompany Hao Shuqin. She was sharp and capable in business, but when it came to shopping, she was slow and meticulous. As she put it, that was the joy of shopping. They simply didn’t want to spend the whole day going from morning to night with her.

In the end, the responsibility of accompanying her shopping fell to Lin Wu.

“We’re ready. We’ll meet directly in the underground parking lot,” Lin Wu said after helping Luo Xiaorong pick out a light, comfortable outfit.

“Alright!” Hao Shuqin went downstairs happily.

Three minutes later, the three of them met in the parking lot.

Lin Wu’s car was a domestic model worth around one hundred thousand yuan. After his last long drive, he hadn’t refueled and only had two liters left. Hao Shuqin’s car was a black MINI, which had just been filled up the day before. In the end, they decided to take her car, with Lin Wu driving.

“The moment I mention shopping, no one pays attention to me. Xiao Wu, you’re still the most thoughtful…” Once in the car, Hao Shuqin complained about her unreliable husband and daughter.

“They’re just busy with work. Once things settle down, it’ll be better,” Lin Wu said with a smile.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the shopping plaza. Lin Wu bought Luo Xiaorong a khaki trench coat and a white fuzzy hat. He bought himself a shirt and a tie. Hao Shuqin bought a set of clothes, two coats each for Wang Jiahui and Wang Manshan, and also a gold bracelet for Wang Jiahui, planning to have her wear it during the ceremony.

The three of them spent the entire day shopping and had a great time. Only after dinner did they return to the residential complex.

After getting home, Lin Wu suddenly felt like a deflated balloon. He didn’t know why, but there was an unshakable restlessness lingering in his chest.

He had been in the study for half an hour when the phone suddenly rang.

It was an unfamiliar landline number. Lin Wu tapped to answer.

“Mr. Lin? We’re very sorry, but we need to do maintenance on the electrical meter box in the residential complex. Your parking space happens to be right in front of it. Could you please move your car? We’re very sorry for the inconvenience!”

“Sure.” Lin Wu’s car hadn’t been moved for half a year. After hearing this, he took his keys and went downstairs.

…

“I bought you a bottle of cologne and remember putting it in, but why can’t I find it…” In the bedroom on the sixteenth floor, Hao Shuqin emptied everything she had bought onto the bed. She had purchased quite a lot that day. Besides clothes and a gold bracelet, there were also hair clips, perfume, body lotion…

The perfume she mentioned was a men’s cologne, meant for Wang Manshan to use during meetings.

Wang Manshan was outside reading the newspaper. Hearing this, he muttered unhappily, “At my age, why would I need cologne?”

Hao Shuqin rolled her eyes at him. “Men’s cologne is trendy now. You should use more, otherwise you’ll smell and annoy people.”

“It’s probably in Xiaorong’s bag. I’ll go downstairs and check.” After saying that, Hao Shuqin headed down.

Wang Manshan sniffed himself. “I don’t smell… talking nonsense.”

Humming a tune, Hao Shuqin arrived at Lin Wu’s home.

“Sister Hao!” The live-in caregiver was mopping the floor. Seeing her, she set her work aside.

“Where’s Xiaorong?” Hao Shuqin asked.

“In her room.”

Hao Shuqin went to Luo Xiaorong’s room. Luo Xiaorong was listening to Huangmei opera. She couldn’t understand it, but liked the soft, lilting sounds.

“I bought a bottle of perfume this afternoon and can’t find it. Did I accidentally leave it here?”

“Bag… look in the bag.”

Luo Xiaorong had some level of understanding, but didn’t fully grasp what was said. She gestured for Hao Shuqin to search herself.

Hao Shuqin rummaged through but didn’t find it. She thought carefully. They had bought the perfume after buying the tie, so it might have been placed in Lin Wu’s bag with the tie.

She called out, “Xiaofang, where’s Mr. Lin?”

“The property management just called. He went downstairs to move his car.”

“When he came back, he was carrying a blue bag. Did you see where he put it?”

“Maybe in the study.”

Hao Shuqin often visited Lin Wu’s home and had been in his study before. Without thinking much, she went in and soon found the blue bag on the small sofa.

“So it’s really here.” She opened the bag and immediately saw the perfume.

Lin Wu’s study was just like the impression he gave people, clean and orderly. After taking the perfume, she was about to leave, but after two steps, she stopped.

On Lin Wu’s desk lay a thick stack of newspapers. The bookshelf beside it was open, and it was clear these papers had just been taken out from inside.

She looked at the headlines:

《Shocking! Xuhu Serial Killer!》
《March 12, 2005—Fourth Victim Discovered in Xuhu…》
《Analysis of the Xuhu Serial Murder Case》…

There were thirty newspapers about the Xuhu case, along with two stacks of printed A4 documents. Both the newspapers and the documents were all related to the Xuhu murder case.

Hao Shuqin moved the newspapers aside and saw a sheet of A4 paper beneath them. Written on it were dates like 2004.9.5, 2004.9.9.

The ink hadn’t fully dried yet. It looked like it had only just been written.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

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