[10/01, 11:24, Nanyi Changlong Garden]
Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a glow on the desk. A gentle breeze brushed by, and the leaves of the butterfly orchid on the windowsill turned slightly, vibrant in the sunlight.
Wind… where did the wind come from?
Yi Shi suddenly opened his eyes. In front of him was a bed that was one meter fifty in size, with plain, simple sheets. On the bedside table lay an alarm clock and a thermos. That thermos had been given to him when he graduated from police academy, and he had kept it with him ever since he started working, a longer companionship than even with his colleagues at the bureau.
The surrounding environment felt so familiar that it made Yi Shi somewhat dazed. He slowly sat up and realized he had been lying on the desk, where a book was opened, suggesting he had dozed off while reading.
This sleep felt long and distant, as if it spanned an entire lifetime, compressing the decades from his childhood into one moment. Upon waking, he could hardly distinguish between dreams and reality.
A flood of memories pressed into his mind, causing a slight headache. These included his life as a homeless child before being adopted, everything related to Lin Heyu, and the entire process of the case, like a documentary forcefully shoved into his brain.
Footsteps approached the door. Yi Shi turned to see Sheng Yu’an standing at the entrance, flashing a smile that revealed two little tiger teeth. “Ge, hurry and wash your hands! We have crabs today, a really big one! Also, there are stir-fried eel segments, fried lotus root boxes, and taro. Mom said she was afraid you wouldn’t be able to come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so we’re celebrating in advance today.”
“Celebration?” Yi Shi murmured, “What date is it today?”
“October 1st, National Day! We just watched the military parade together. You said you would rest in your room for a bit, and I would call you when it was time to eat. How did you forget?”
“Is that so…” Yi Shi nodded, standing up calmly. “I took a nap and still haven’t fully woken up. Let’s go eat.”
The two of them walked to the living room, where a big television was playing a special program for National Day. Sheng Guoning was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in the show, while Lin Zhizhi busied herself in and out of the kitchen, cooking and serving dishes. She had just complained about no one helping, and Sheng Guoning hurriedly stood up to get bowls and chopsticks, tidying up the table, which made Lin Zhizhi laugh. “Good thing you didn’t continue being a leader at home; otherwise, I would have to resign.”
“Don’t scare me like that. If you resigned, our home wouldn’t have a backbone anymore.” Sheng Guoning waved at the two children when he saw them come in. “Sit down, Xiao Yi. It’s a holiday today; do you want to have a drink?”
Lin Zhizhi hit his arm. “Hey, if you want to drink, just go get it yourself. Don’t drag the kids into it. What if a task comes up and they have to be on duty?”
Sheng Guoning gave Yi Shi a wry smile and pointed at Lin Zhizhi. The higher-up had spoken; it was best to comply.
The table was filled with delicious dishes, and the family gathered around, creating a scene full of warmth and togetherness.
Yi Shi held his bowl, and the spicy eel segments tasted bland in his mouth. This joyful and beautiful day was not an ending but rather a brief calm before everything had begun.
After the meal, Yi Shi helped Lin Zhizhi clear the table. The two of them washed the dishes together at the sink, chatting about everyday things. Time could age gracefully, and Lin Zhizhi was the perfect example of that. Her face had lost some collagen compared to her younger days but had gained a sense of happiness and tranquility. Her demeanor was rare—a gentleness and calm cultivated by years of warm living.
Yi Shi looked at her profile, his eyes filled with warmth. Lin Zhizhi was a very special presence; she was both a foster mother and a younger sister. This contradictory relationship felt like a small cycle; in his childhood, he had taken care of her, but later the roles had reversed, and she became the one supporting him. Regardless of how things changed, they remained the closest of relations.
“You’ll turn thirty next year. A man at thirty should stand firm. When are you planning to bring a daughter-in-law back for me?” Lin Zhizhi flipped a bowl upside down, draining the water before putting it into the sterilizer. “It’s really strange. Our Xiao Yi is so handsome and capable, yet he hasn’t found a partner yet. Do girls have such high standards now?”
Yi Shi smiled. He initially wanted to say “busy,” but then changed it to wanting to spend more time with them.
“Your dad and I are not empty nesters. Don’t let us hold you back. A few days ago, we went to see a property that’s quite nice. We’re planning to buy a place for you as a wedding house. When you have time, let’s go pick one together.” Lin Zhizhi used her fingers to tidy Yi Shi’s messy bangs, her eyes curving with a smile that couldn’t be hidden. “In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown up so much. My ordinary dream has almost been realized, just missing the part about your marriage.”
Yi Shi opened his arms and gave her a warm hug. He whispered, “I want to help realize your dream, but there are still difficulties for now. I will work hard to find a solution, but for now, I can only apologize.”
Lin Zhizhi was surprised, thinking that her urging for marriage had put pressure on him. She lightly patted his back. “Mom was just casually mentioning it. Don’t take it to heart. You’re so busy with work; it’s not easy to find time to come back for meals. I shouldn’t bring this up…”
He listened quietly, trying to remember every word of Lin Zhizhi’s nagging in his heart.
While he could still remember, he wanted to keep it all in.
———
Over the next three days, Yi Shi created a timetable. He would gradually fill in the blanks with the known times of meetings, encounters, and separations with Lin Heyu. The scattered unknowns were waiting to be filled step by step.
The image of Lin Heyu collapsing in front of him was hard to shake off. Yi Shi pressed his forehead, his desire to see him again growing stronger, but this preparatory work had to be done first. He needed to finally possess complete memories; this time, he had to find the most important root of the matter.
Currently, it was October, and they were not in the midst of the case. The only way to traverse was through the passage of time, and it had to be under the condition that both he and Lin Heyu existed simultaneously. This was a deduction Yi Shi had made from various pieces of information. Compared to the situation in the case, where one person could freely move back and forth in the mirrored world and even influence more people, the conditions during non-case periods were much stricter. This was also one reason why meetings with future Lin Heyu were so rare.
Had Lin Heyu come to Nanyi during this period? Yi Shi pressed his forehead, twirling the pen in his hand, wondering how he could meet him again. The difficulty of crossing over to Haijing was too great, and there was no guarantee that he would see Lin Heyu.
In a flash of inspiration, Yi Shi suddenly sat up straight, thinking of the easiest situation for them to meet again.
He knocked on Lin Zhizhi’s door. Lin Zhizhi was sorting through old clothes, planning to take them out to dry while the weather was nice. Yi Shi came over to help, using a wool coat to open a conversation about a topic from twenty years ago.
“My coming to Nanyi for work was an adventure. It was the first time in many years that I left Haijing, a place unfamiliar to me. Unlike you, who have been independent since childhood and didn’t have to worry about anything, I have always been taken care of. When my family heard I was going to live alone, they were all terrified and made sure to take care of everything for me before letting me come here.”
“Did your family also help you find the rental apartment?”
“Yes, I looked at places online myself, but my brother came to Nanyi to check out the apartment in person; otherwise, he wouldn’t feel comfortable letting me move in.” As Lin Zhizhi thought of something, she propped her chin on her hand and sighed, her expression turning melancholic.
Yi Shi continued to inquire subtly, and finally extracted a rough time frame from Lin Zhizhi’s distant memories—early October, just before the National Day holiday was ending. Her brother had made a trip to Nanyi to finalize the apartment.
With three days left until the National Day holiday ended, Yi Shi often spent his days at a café, from morning until night. Finally, on the last day of the holiday, a bright and sunny afternoon with cool, refreshing weather, he saw a familiar figure in the bustling crowd.
Lin Heyu’s tall silhouette appeared in front of the glass door of Time Flies Coffee Shop, scanning the surroundings before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Yi Shi hurried over. Six flower baskets were arranged at the entrance, with red ribbons inscribed with wishes like “Good luck on the opening” and “Wishing your business flourishes.” The welcome mat was sprinkled with colorful ribbons and sequins, indicating that this coffee shop had only recently opened.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, he saw Lin Heyu talking to a waiter. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the glass door, causing a familiar and pleasant chime to ring. Lin Heyu turned around, and his face was identical to the one in Yi Shi’s memory.
His gaze was cold, but a hint of surprise still flickered in his eyes. Yi Shi’s breathing quickened, his heart swelling with joy, leaving him feeling both sweet and sore. He quickly walked over, grabbing Lin Heyu’s arm and lifting his head to meet his gaze.
“I remember you now; I remember everything.” Yi Shi’s eyes shone with warmth. “Though it’s a bit late, fortunately, it’s still in time.”
“What’s late?” Lin Heyu instinctively pulled away. “Who are you?”
The corners of Yi Shi’s lips curled into a smile. His smile was like a gentle breeze blowing away the chill of early spring, creating ripples in the calm water. He immediately opened his arms and tightly embraced Lin Heyu, their chests pressed together without any space in between.
“I am Yi Shi. The ‘Yi’ in my name means ‘to change’ and ‘Shi’ means ‘time.’ My name is Yi Shi.”
——
On the second floor of the coffee shop, at a table by the window, Yi Shi and Lin Heyu sat facing each other. After the brief embrace, Yi Shi took the initiative to lead him upstairs and found a place to sit.
“I…”
“I know your name is Lin Heyu, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division in Haijing.”
Lin Heyu frowned. “You know me? Sorry, but I don’t remember ever meeting you.”
“It’s okay; you’ll gradually start to remember me.” Yi Shi rested his chin on his hand, his fingers as white as jade, tracing a distorted figure-eight on the table. “Just like a Möbius strip, it goes around and around, with no end.”
As a police officer, Lin Heyu was cautious about unfamiliar information. Who exactly was this man across from him? Judging by his tone, they seemed “very familiar” in the past, but strangely, he couldn’t recall a single detail about him, not even his name.
Logically speaking, such an impressive appearance would be hard to forget, even with just a glance.
To dispel Lin Heyu’s suspicions, Yi Shi took the initiative to provide information about himself, informing him that he was from the Criminal Investigation Division in Nanyi and wished to get closer as colleagues. Although he didn’t show any identification, Yi Shi was quite familiar with the entire public security system. Certain terms he used were circulated only within the internal circles, showing no signs of rehearsal, but rather a natural way of speaking developed over time.
Since they were in the same system, the atmosphere of their conversation became much more relaxed. Yi Shi brought up the leaders in Haijing, accurately pinpointing their characteristics. Lin Heyu rarely smiled in response, “Aren’t you from Nanyi? How come you know so much about Haijing?”
“I spent some time handling a case there.”
“Oh, I see.” Lin Heyu thought about any joint cases they might have had in recent years. Yi Shi looked to be only in his late twenties, having been in the public security system for just a few years. Lin Heyu had been in Haijing for a long time, so it was clear that he didn’t recall anyone matching Yi Shi’s description.
“It was an explosion case that occurred at a mechanical factory. You might find it unfamiliar now, but you will understand later.” Yi Shi smiled warmly. “It’s alright; there’s plenty of time until the case happens; we have enough time to unravel the mystery.”
Lin Heyu seemed to understand only partially. Yi Shi changed the subject, asking whether Zhizhi’s house had been confirmed and when he would return to Haijing.
“…You also know Zhizhi? Have you met her?” Lin Heyu asked in surprise. Yi Shi nodded, “Of course, I’ve met her. Do you remember how she came to your house?”
Regarding how Lin Zhizhi had come to him, Lin Heyu didn’t have much of an impression. He vaguely remembered that on a snowy day, he had found Lin Zhizhi and taken her home. His mother didn’t object but instead let her stay, allowing her to take on their family name, Lin. At that time, Lin Heyu had debated whether to change his surname or not, but since their family had gained a lovable younger sister, he eventually agreed to change his surname to become part of the Lin family.
Over the years, he had always regarded Lin Zhizhi as a real sister and had never mentioned her background to anyone. Even Yuan Maoqiu, who was closest to him, thought they were biological siblings. Yet, this stranger could point out Lin Zhizhi’s origin immediately.
Lin Heyu’s expression stiffened slightly, and he cleared his throat. “Zhizhi—indeed, I found her when she was very small. I’ve always treated her like a real sister, and she has always thought of herself that way. She’s never doubted her origins, so please don’t tell her the truth.”
Since he couldn’t remember him appearing in the past, he definitely wouldn’t recall having met himself as an adult. But the wooden disk at the door… Yi Shi asked, “Do you still remember why you learned to make that large round disk with the carpenter when you were little? The clock you taught Zhizhi to recognize was also reversed?”
Lin Heyu rubbed his chin and smiled bitterly. “To be honest, I don’t remember. I have a habit of writing in a diary, and I’ve gone through it several times, but I couldn’t find any useful information. So, what I did back then might just be the whimsical fantasies of a youth.”
“What about Cheng’an Mountain? Did you meet any extraordinary people while you were running around the mountains since childhood?”
Lin Heyu pondered for a few seconds before shaking his head firmly. He said he hadn’t met anyone special. In the mountains, it was either villagers or hikers. If hikers encountered difficulties, they would unhesitatingly offer help. For them, those visitors weren’t considered extraordinary.
As for the blank pages in his diary, they seemed abrupt, but if both memory and text were blank, there would be no trace left to find.
Yi Shi lowered his gaze and sighed silently in his heart.
All information related to him, no matter how small, had been erased. This was the irresistible power of time.
