[10/30, 00:43, Pingju Square, Nanyi City]
The lights on the large diamond went out, revealing tiny spots of fluorescence inside. Lin Zhizhi had never seen its full appearance at dawn before and clapped her hands in delight. “Brother! Look! It’s so beautiful; it’s like there are lots of fireflies inside!”
After several seconds without a response, she turned around and found her brother still engrossed in whispering sweet nothings with his boyfriend, completely ignoring her.
Was it really necessary? They had been sharing quiet conversations for half an hour already.
From a few meters away, their voices were barely audible, and Lin Zhizhi couldn’t hear anything at all. However, judging by their expressions, they seemed to be discussing something quite serious. Unbeknownst to her, she was the center of their conversation, and Lin Heyu, Yi Shi, and the others were worried about her accidentally stumbling into the mirrored world.
“It was my mistake; I shouldn’t have involved Zhizhi from the beginning,” Yi Shi said, his head downcast, a hint of regret shadowing his brows. Lin Heyu held his hand, squeezing his fingers gently. “It can’t be helped; Zhizhi is already the biggest variable. Since she’s here, we should try to keep her away from the scene of the incident; that should prevent any issues.”
Hopefully. Yi Shi sighed. Lin Heyu pulled him into an embrace, using the warmth of his hug to alleviate his guilt and unease.
A hug! Lin Zhizhi sat by the fountain, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Would they kiss next? She found herself inexplicably looking forward to it.
Lin Heyu released Yi Shi, bending down as if planning to kiss, but Yi Shi moved even quicker, cupping Lin Heyu’s face and lightly pressing his lips against his.
Wow! It was rare to see such a bold and proactive beauty! Under the inky sky, lovers kissed softly amidst the dim lights, creating a scene so beautiful it resembled a painting.
Watching the two handsome guys in love was a treat for the eyes. Lin Zhizhi felt completely satisfied and quietly took out her phone to snap a few pictures. However, when the screen lit up, she noticed something strange: why were all the words reversed? And there was not a single signal.
Initially, she thought it was a problem with her phone’s system, but after several restarts, there was still no improvement. She could only shrug and put her phone back in her pocket. To avoid interrupting her brother’s romantic moment, she wandered around the square, quickly growing more confused. “Hey? Isn’t this supposed to be a sports brand store? Why has it turned into a digital comprehensive counter? And over there, that should be DQ; why is it now a pizza place? As for the convenience store across from the large diamond, Lawson has also become a 7-11.”
Looking around, Lin Zhizhi began to doubt whether she was still in Pingju Square. The mall’s structure and iconic buildings looked exactly the same, but the stores and brands seemed different. A chill wind blew by, causing her to rub her arms as goosebumps multiplied.
Encountering such strange happenings, she had no choice but to disturb her brother. Fortunately, the two had already separated but still maintained a somewhat ambiguous distance.
“Brother, I feel something’s off,” Lin Zhizhi tugged at Lin Heyu’s shirt corner. “This place doesn’t seem like Pingju Square.”
“There’s only one Pingju Square in Nanyi.”
“But the shops are wrong! I just took Xiao Shitou here a few days ago. Even if new businesses moved in, it wouldn’t change so quickly, right?”
“Oh, you might be mistaken.”
??? Lin Zhizhi was left with a question mark over her head. “Brother, can you be any more dismissive?” She looked at Yi Shi, who nodded. “This is Pingju Square. Don’t overthink it.”
“……” Fine, another person treating her like she was foolish.
As it was getting late, after some discussion, Lin Heyu and Yi Shi decided to arrange for Lin Zhizhi to stay at a rental place, keeping her away from the scene of the incident. Lin Zhizhi followed her brother and his partner, curiously asking, “Where are we going?”
“To my house,” Yi Shi answered.
“You two are living together?!”
“Not yet,” Yi Shi chuckled lightly, “but we will in the future.”
Oh wow, such a good personality, so straightforward and honest! Lin Zhizhi’s impression of him improved even more. She took the initiative to switch places and walked next to Yi Shi, asking him how old he was, where he was from, and what his job was. Upon learning he was from Nanyi and also a police officer, she suddenly began to suspect that her brother was taking advantage of the investigation opportunity for a honeymoon.
That would be nice; Lin Heyu was reserved, with few interests. Having a colleague as a partner would at least provide common topics, and their lifestyles would be similar, making it less likely for conflicts to arise. The gender aspect didn’t matter; it was a modern age where love knew no gender, and as a younger sister, she could only wholeheartedly support them.
When they opened the door to the apartment, Lin Zhizhi peeked in. It was a small studio, clean and tidy despite its size. Were they going to stay here tonight? There was only one bed; she feared even hearing sounds that shouldn’t be broadcasted, even if they just slept on the floor.
Then Lin Heyu said, “Zhizhi, you can rest here; we need to step out for a while.”
? Lin Zhizhi immediately shook her head. “No! Brother, take me with you. Don’t worry, I won’t be a bother!”
“No, it’s a mission. It’s very dangerous.”
“It’s precisely because it’s dangerous that I want to follow you!” Lin Zhizhi insisted. “Everyone said you went missing in the mountains, but I found you. I can only feel at ease if I’m with you!”
So this was the reason Lin Zhizhi suddenly intervened. From that bottle of mineral water, the butterfly effect had been gradually unfolding. They were aware to some extent, but it was too late; the irreversible impact had already formed the current situation.
Yi Shi walked over, ruffled Lin Zhizhi’s hair, and spoke gently, “I’m going with him; you can rest assured he’ll be fine.”
That sentence felt familiar, short yet firm, as if a large hand had brushed away the anxiety in her heart. The gentle light in his eyes was also so familiar. A flash of realization struck Lin Zhizhi, and she grabbed his wrist. “It’s you! I met you in Muli City!”
Yi Shi smiled slightly. “Now that you know, you should feel at ease.”
“What about Xiao Shitou? I heard he was taken away by you this morning.”
“He’s fine,” Lin Heyu replied.
Lin Zhizhi nodded blankly, seemingly unable to find a better reason to refute this. She indeed worried about her brother, but the persuasive power of her new sister-in-law was too strong, akin to a sense of security engraved in her memory. As long as he made a promise, it would create a powerful support for her spirit.
The two locked the doors and windows; they couldn’t use open flames in the apartment, which alleviated concerns about carbon monoxide poisoning. Lin Zhizhi sat on the edge of the bed, resting her chin on her hand. “Brother, I’m not a child anymore. Is it really necessary?”
Lin Heyu pulled on the security window, confirming it was locked before nodding, “It’s necessary.”
The two of them walked out of the house, and Lin Heyu reminded her to go to bed early. The door made a couple of “click” sounds as it closed, and it surprisingly locked itself!
Lin Zhizhi was momentarily stunned before realizing, “Damn! It turns out they weren’t worried about their own safety; they were afraid I would misbehave and run out!”
Yi Shi and Lin Heyu walked side by side. Lin Heyu glanced back at the apartment building, where the lights in the rental unit were still on, and a silhouette was cast by the drawn curtains. Yi Shi softly said, “I hope we can safely get through this night.”
“Let’s hope so,” Lin Heyu sighed lightly. “Zhizhi has become an uncontrollable variable. I hadn’t considered giving her the option to make decisions before, but now that it has come to this, I have no say in the matter.”
Lin Zhizhi didn’t get up until the afternoon. She was wide awake in the dead of night and couldn’t sleep at all. Bored, she wandered around the small room, which was painfully simple—a bed, a bookshelf, a desk, and a few basic household appliances—much simpler than what others would expect for a fully furnished place. She opened the bookshelf and, as expected, saw rows of professional books neatly arranged, similar to her brother’s bookshelf, her vision going dark.
These two people even had such similar lack of interests and hobbies; no wonder they could attract each other. Lin Zhizhi sighed, sitting down on a chair, and pulled open a drawer of the bookshelf. Inside were some notebooks and— a mini photo album that could only hold a few pictures.
Huh? Are there pictures of Yi Shi here? Lin Zhizhi took out the album and flipped to the first page, where a few one-inch blue background ID photos were sealed in plastic; the second page had ID photos too, but with a red background; the third page, also ID photos, specifically for a driver’s license.
Lin Zhizhi was speechless. This album was full of ID photos, right? Well, that made sense; he didn’t seem like the type of man who enjoyed taking pictures. Turning to the next page, she finally found something other than ID photos— a family portrait.
This, this is…!
Lin Zhizhi widened her eyes. The family portrait featured four people, three of whom she recognized— the young man standing in the back was Yi Shi, and the two sitting in front were none other than her and Sheng Guoning. Despite the passage of time leaving its marks on their faces, it couldn’t hide the happiness reflected in their smiles.
She took the photo out and flipped it over, finding an inverted handwriting in black marker—[Clothing and food abundant, happiness in the year of the dog; peace and stability for the country, joy in the year of the pig.]
Lin Zhizhi’s hand trembled, causing the photo to drop onto the table. It couldn’t be wrong; this was her handwriting. This photo and this line of text were closely related to her.
In the photo, she and Sheng Guoning were holding hands, clearly a couple who had been married for a long time. Yi Shi and another young man stood behind them, logically their juniors. If that was the case, Yi Shi should still be a child now, and his presence was an absolute contradiction.
Thinking back to that café and the quietly changing shops in Pingju Square, a strange idea emerged: unknowingly, she had stumbled into the future, and this was also Nanyi— just Nanyi where she had lived for many years after marriage.
Lin Zhizhi covered her mouth, her heart racing. Did her brother and the others know? Their expressions seemed so normal; those perfunctory words were just a cover-up for her.
She had a premonition that she had unknowingly gotten embroiled in a huge game.
———
[10/30, 03:10, 21 Qingang Lane, Nanyi City, Provincial People’s Hospital]
“That day, after I was injected with the drug and lost consciousness, it was already past midnight. The motel he arranged for me was far away from the mechanical factory, having crossed the river, and it would take at least two and a half hours to drive back and forth.”
Yi Shi glanced at the electronic clock behind him. “Later, I talked to Zhizhi. She said Sheng Guoning came to pick her up before 4 o’clock, and then she fell asleep. When she woke up, Sheng Guoning was no longer at home, and she found out about the explosion at the mechanical factory from the news.”
“That means we can’t deduce the exact time Xiao Shitou was taken to the mechanical factory,” Lin Heyu said.
“Yeah, I don’t have that memory. I was sleeping very soundly; you were the one who woke me up.”
In this case, they could only choose to wait for Sheng Guoning here. When he came to pick up Zhizhi, they would clarify little Shitou’s whereabouts. Sheng Guoning would involve little Shitou in the explosion case because of the outcome of that photo, and with Lin Zhizhi already confirmed to exist, and with no young gardenias around, they decided to try to change little Shitou’s trajectory at the last moment, hoping to alter the future paths of the two individuals.
“If you hadn’t gone missing and I hadn’t been injured, where do you think we would have gone?” Yi Shi asked.
Lin Heyu thought for a moment. “I could have sent you to be raised by the me of this world. It’s just a matter of more chopsticks.”
“Growing up together with you? Sounds nice.”
Lin Heyu held his hand tightly against her cheek and dropped a light kiss in his palm. “Then I would definitely take good care of you.”
Time passed slowly as they sat on a bench outside the outpatient building, which was across from the emergency department. This spot allowed them to observe the comings and goings of people while avoiding running into Lin Zhizhi, saving them from a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Yi Shi leaned on Lin Heyu’s shoulder. When he looked up, he saw the dark night sky, hardly a star visible. He thought of Lin Heyu’s mention of the summer nights on Cheng’an Mountain, where one could see the Milky Way and countless stars. He had even bought a telescope to stargaze overnight on the mountain, his desire to explore growing stronger.
He wanted to live together with Lin Heyu, without any time gaps, just growing together in companionship.
People hurriedly entered and exited the emergency department, all patients and family members eager to find doctors, with no sign of Sheng Guoning. The two were not in a rush; Lin Zhizhi being here was the best reason for Sheng Guoning to appear.
At that moment, a frail figure strolled along the circular path around the outpatient department. She wore a camel-colored coat, wandering aimlessly, seemingly out for a breath of fresh air. The night breeze brushed past her, and she adjusted her coat, murmuring, “Really, I can’t reach her on the phone. Where has she gone?”
Lin Heyu stared at her without blinking and slowly stood up.
This was the first time he saw Lin Zhizhi living here; his previous impressions of her were all based on cold and distorted photos. Now that he saw her in person, he truly felt the traces of time passing by. The delicate girl he had always cherished was now well over fifty, her eyes showing signs of age, her hair tinged with frost, causing a wave of bittersweet emotion to surge within him.
Because of this inappropriate situation, even with only a wall between them, Lin Heyu didn’t suggest wanting to see Zhizhi. However, given this coincidental encounter, he should have chosen to quietly leave, but his gaze was fixed on her, reluctant to look away even for a moment.
With such a poor complexion, why was she out wandering in the middle of the night? He heard that her hospitalization was due to dizziness caused by neck problems. How could she be so careless about herself?
Yi Shi timely grabbed Lin Heyu’s sleeve, reminding him that he couldn’t stay any longer. But it was already too late; Lin Zhizhi had seen them. She rubbed her eyes, seemingly afraid of the illusion, and then quickly walked over.
Lin Heyu and Yi Shi reacted faster, turning to run towards the parking lot, when hurried calls rang out behind them: “Brother! Is that you?! Lin Heyu!”
“Wait! Don’t go! It’s me! I’m Zhizhi! … Hey!”
After a short, abrupt shout, there was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Lin Heyu and Yi Shi turned back—Lin Zhizhi had fallen, landing on the pitch-black path without any light.
Without hesitation, the two returned. Lin Zhizhi was struggling to get up, and with one person on each side, they helped her sit on a flower bed to rest. Yi Shi crouched down to check her leg joints, while Lin Heyu checked if her head was injured. Lin Zhizhi grabbed his arm, trying hard to open her eyes wide to carefully discern his features in the dark.
After a moment, her eyes gradually became misty, and she threw herself into his arms, all the longing and missing condensed into tears.
Lin Heyu gently held her, softly saying, “Don’t cry, I’m back, I’m right here.”
