The country road near Huangma Town experienced a traffic accident at night, resulting in one death and one person seriously injured and rescued. After a site investigation, it was confirmed to be an accidental incident. The deceased, Chen Shuwu’s body, was temporarily stored in the Huangma Town mortuary, waiting for family members to claim it.
Yi Shi and Lin Heyu found a shop in town to change out of their blood-stained clothes. In a small place, news spreads quickly; in just one night, the streets and alleys buzzed with discussions about the tragic accident. Among them were friends and relatives of the truck driver, who lamented, “The hemp rope only breaks at the thinnest part; misfortune always seeks out the unfortunate.”
In the evening, a car with out-of-town license plates parked in front of the mortuary. Two people got out of the car: a middle-aged woman and a young man. The young man was about 1.7 meters tall, his face youthful and innocent. He looked up and was astonished to see the sign of the mortuary. “Mom, why did you bring me here?”
“…To see your dad.”
“Dad is on a business trip; I’ll wait for him at home.” The young man turned to go back to the car, but the middle-aged woman grabbed him. “Heyu, be good; it’s the last time you can see him. Don’t let him leave without peace.”
“I won’t go in! Dad isn’t inside; my dad isn’t dead!”
The mother and son quarreled at the mortuary’s entrance. A staff member came over and talked to the middle-aged woman, who was wiping her tears and pulling on her son. The young man stumbled into the mortuary, and when he came out, he became quiet and dazed. He stared at the starry sky for a while before aimlessly wandering along the country road.
The area around the mortuary consisted of villages and farmland, with a complex web of paths. The young man was burdened with heavy thoughts and didn’t pay attention to where he was walking. He soon lost his way; the dark country road seemed endless. Filled with sadness and anger, he vented his emotions on a banyan tree, hitting and kicking it until he was too exhausted to continue and had to sit down.
At that moment, Yi Shi finally heard his cries. The small, light sobs mixed with rapid breaths sounded like an injured little beast softly weeping.
He and Lin Heyu observed quietly from a distance. As the young man’s crying gradually ceased, he wiped his tears and picked up a twig, drawing randomly on the ground. After confirming that the young man’s emotions had settled, they approached him and asked why he was alone and if he needed help.
Suddenly confronted by two strangers on the sparsely populated road, their faces mostly hidden by masks, the young man stared at them in silence. Lin Heyu crouched down. “It’s late; it’s unsafe for you to be outside. Your family will be worried.”
“From now on, there will only be my mom at home…” The young man murmured, then asked, “Can you tell me how to get to the mortuary?”
“We’ll take you there,” Yi Shi extended his hand. “Let’s go together.”
The young man hesitated, looking into Yi Shi’s bright and gentle eyes. In the end, he placed his hand in Yi Shi’s fair palm. Yi Shi pulled him up, and Lin Heyu walked ahead, with the small flashlight becoming the only light on this stretch of road.
The warmth from Yi Shi’s right hand was comforting, and the young man subconsciously tightened his grip. Suddenly, he heard the person in front say, “There is no gathering that doesn’t end. Every person’s life, old age, sickness, and death are all predestined. Simply venting emotions is useless. You must learn to let go, accept this fact, and that is true maturity.”
“What predestined fate? My dad is a good person. Why did he have to get into a car accident and die so early?” The young man turned his head aside and murmured softly, “It’s easy for you to say that; since you haven’t lost a loved one, you can’t feel my pain.”
Lin Heyu looked back, gazing at him. “My father died in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Compared to you, I find it even harder to accept.”
The young man was taken aback and felt his cheeks flush. “…I’m sorry.”
Yi Shi let go of his hand and walked over to Lin Heyu, linking their arms in silent comfort. Lin Heyu ruffled the young man’s black hair. Although there were no spoken words, their mutual intimacy could not be hidden.
The young man suddenly felt the warmth from his right hand vanish. He stared blankly at his palm, then at the two men walking closely together in front of him, a strange feeling rising from the bottom of his heart. It wasn’t disgust; rather, he thought how nice it would be to have such a gentle person beside him when he faced difficulties in the future.
A quarter of an hour later, before they even reached the mortuary, they heard urgent calls. The young man hurriedly ran over. “Mom! I’m over here!”
“Where did you run off to?! As soon as I came out, I couldn’t find you and was afraid something happened to you…” The middle-aged woman cried as she hugged the young man tightly. He felt a pang in his heart and tightly embraced her back. “I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have wandered off. I’m fine; I met two kind uncles who brought me back.”
“Which kind uncles?”
“They’re right behind us…” The young man turned around, only to find an empty dirt road behind him; they had silently slipped away into the night.
Lin Heyu and Yi Shi held hands as they walked along the country road back to town. Yi Shi asked, “Why didn’t you want to see your mom?”
“No, I can’t. My mom is very perceptive; it would be hard to explain if she finds out.” Lin Heyu sighed, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, I didn’t bring Dad back, so I have no face to see her.”
The two found a small inn in town to stay the night, snuggled up together, watching a Japanese horror movie on their phones—“The Prophecy.”
This was an old film released in the same year as “The Butterfly Effect,” with a subtly similar structure, both concerning foreseeing the future and yearning to change the past. In the end, the protagonists sacrificed themselves for a better conclusion. Previously, when watching such movies, they found them thrilling and adventurous; now, immersed in it, they easily empathized with the characters on screen. While the actors only performed, they were experiencing it, making the feelings more genuine and powerless.
“I seem to have picked a terrible movie,” Yi Shi lay on Lin Heyu’s chest, poking his cheek. “Let’s watch a comedy next time.”
“Everything is a predetermined fact, destined to happen.” Lin Heyu grasped his long fingers. “When you see me next time, remember to remind me of this saying. I hope when we go through this again, it won’t be so overwhelming.”
“Next time? Are you leaving?” Yi Shi tightened his arms around Lin Heyu’s waist. “The explosion is about to happen. Aren’t you coming back to Nanyi with me?”
“What I meant by ‘next time’ is when you help me separate. On December 11, the Lin Heyu of the normal timeline will regain his memories, and he will need you to help him separate.”
Yi Shi lowered his eyes, quietly saying, “What you wanted to say in the café that day must have been this.”
That day, Lin Heyu indeed wanted to tell him directly, but upon seeing that bright and joyful smile, the words at the tip of his tongue transformed into his longing for him. Since both sides had clarified their feelings, Lin Heyu, a man who had lived for over thirty years without understanding romance, truly understood what it meant to miss someone as if they had been apart for three autumns after just one day of not seeing each other.
“Don’t worry, I will go back to Nanyi with you tomorrow,” Lin Heyu said as he put his arm around his shoulder. “There’s something strange I want to find answers to here.”
“What is it?”
“First, tell me what happened the night before the bombing.”
“You don’t know?” Yi Shi’s eyes widened in surprise. Connecting it to Lin Heyu’s reaction in the warehouse back then, he suddenly realized— the person who brought him to Sheng Guoning’s house that day was not the Lin Heyu of that time, but the Lin Heyu in front of him who had complete memories! Moreover, something must have happened that night after he and Sheng Guoning left, which caused the Nanyi Mechanical Factory to be without any support the next day, leading to the incident developing according to its normal course.
Yi Shi sat up and seriously recounted the events of that night to Lin Heyu without missing a single detail. Lin Heyu speculated, “When I found you, you were sleeping so soundly that I suspected you might have been drugged.”
Yi Shi was astonished. “It was that glass of milk!”
If the problem lay with the milk, the most likely person to have drugged it was Sheng Guoning, but it could not be ruled out that it was himself. In this case, the reasons for drugging became even more murky, along with the experiences Lin Heyu and Sheng Guoning went through outside; they both had a premonition that this might be a very important turning point.
It seemed necessary to pay a visit.
—
[12/05, 00:03, Lin Heyu’s home in Haijing City]
Yi Shi lay on the bed, and just after midnight, he felt wide awake. He got up, rolled out of bed, and pulled open the drawer to find Lin Heyu’s diary.
The first page was about the car accident involving his father and how they had to return to Haijing with his mother. Yi Shi sighed helplessly, put the diary back, and sat alone at the edge of the bed in a daze.
Ultimately, he still couldn’t stop it. No matter how many times Lin Heyu returned, he could not save Chen Shuwu.
He had been unwilling to say it out loud because he didn’t want Lin Heyu to know in advance, which would create too great a psychological burden. He understood Lin Heyu well; regardless of whether he knew or not, Lin Heyu would choose to take the risk, exerting all his efforts to save Chen Shuwu. If he failed despite thorough preparations, the impact would likely be even greater.
Now Lin Heyu must be very sad. He had already conveyed that sentence to him, hoping he would remember it well and not fall into despair.
After a restless sleep, Yi Shi found he could no longer doze off. He looked at books, cleaned the house, and found something to do. He was not idle here; he had to go to the hotel where the Nanyi Criminal Investigation Team was staying that night to meet with Yu Xue.
Before ten in the evening, Yi Shi walked into the hotel and happened to run into Ding Ju, who was going out to take out the trash, at the stairs on the second floor. Ding Ju smiled, “Why are you out? Can’t sleep?”
Yi Shi maintained his usual expressionless demeanor and pointed to Yu Xue’s room. Ding Ju immediately understood, realizing that this hardworking model employee was going to have a late-night discussion with Captain Yu, even dressed appropriately for it.
As Ding Ju prepared to return to his room, Yi Shi, afraid that his cover would be blown, grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner. “Can you do me a favor? Do you have your phone with you?”
“I do.”
“Can I borrow it?”
Ding Ju readily unlocked his phone and handed it over. Yi Shi thought for a moment, then quickly dialed Lin Heyu’s number. After a few seconds, an automated female voice replied, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable…”
Even if they were separated, he and Lin Heyu could no longer find each other. Yi Shi returned the phone to Ding Ju, thanked him politely, and in order to dismiss him, had to ask him for another favor.
“Captain Yu asked me to bring some cigarettes.” Yi Shi frowned, looking somewhat troubled. “I’m not familiar with the area; where’s the nearest tobacco shop?”
Sure enough, the warm-hearted Ding Ju waved his hand, “Alright, I’ll go buy them. I’ll take them to Captain Yu afterward.”
Watching him scamper downstairs, Yi Shi felt a bit guilty. He had purposely checked earlier, and the nearest tobacco shop downstairs had closed. To find another one, he would have to walk two blocks, which would leave him with enough time to say a few words to Yu Xue.
Let this energetic hound take a stroll before going to sleep.
At this hour, Yu Xue hadn’t gone to bed yet. When Li Changsheng saw Yi Shi standing at the door, he willingly vacated the room for the two of them and went to sit with Shao Shiqing. Yu Xue, arms crossed, smiled, “Why did you come to find me so late? Is there something urgent that can’t wait until tomorrow?”
Yi Shi sat in the chair, making eye contact with Yu Xue, quietly staring at each other. A minute later, Yu Xue’s smile gradually faded, and he frowned as he scrutinized the man before him. “Yi Shi? Is that you?”
“Yeah,” Yi Shi paused for a moment, “to be precise, it’s not the me of now.”
Yu Xue was exceptionally sharp and quickly grasped the situation. He sighed and spread his hands. “I sensed something was off. A person like you who values efficiency wouldn’t be here late at night if there wasn’t something big going on. So, what is it that you need me to do?”
Dealing with intelligent people is convenient; Yi Shi immediately said, “The proposal and submission for the kidnapping case should be expedited. If necessary, we can ask Uncle Sheng for help.”
“I haven’t figured out how to proceed yet. This action is too difficult to decide on,” Yu Xue rubbed his temples, smiling wryly. “In the current situation, setting a bait is the most suitable approach, but with so many children involved, the margin for error is too low. Not only would the higher-ups not approve, but I also can’t guarantee it would be foolproof.”
“It will be foolproof; they won’t be in any danger.”
“You’re so sure?” Yu Xue looked at him with great interest. “Have you already gone through it?”
Yi Shi nodded and told Yu Xue the truth about the transfer of the kidnapping case. Due to the bizarre nature of the entire event, even Yu Xue, who had a strong capacity for acceptance, was taken aback. “…It can happen like this? So, the kidnapping case won’t happen here, right? Can you guarantee that?”
“I can.”
Having worked as partners for years, Yu Xue knew Yi Shi well enough to understand that he wouldn’t engage in a reckless venture. If he said he had a 70% chance, then the probability of success was certainly 90%. With such firm assertions, it was absolutely guaranteed that nothing would go wrong.
Yu Xue let out a sigh of relief. “With your guarantee, I feel much more at ease. I will submit the documents. It won’t be easy to get them approved. If Uncle Sheng applies pressure, I’ll probably become a thorn in the eyes of both leaders.”
“Afraid it will hinder your future?”
“Do I look like I’m worried about that? If I really wanted to rise quickly, I would have gotten rid of you or transferred you to a place where I can’t see you.” Yu Xue spoke humorously, “With a partner like you, I’ve had to take the blame for so many things, affecting my career. Otherwise, with my ability and connections, I should have been promoted to the provincial department by now.”
“Yeah, it’s me who dragged you down. I’m honored,” Yi Shi said flatly.
Yu Xue smiled without responding. He and Yi Shi were essentially of the same kind, sharing similar thoughts; he simply wanted to use his position as team leader to better protect Yi Shi.
He reminded, “If you really decide to do this, you definitely have to be placed in the kindergarten. You understand, right?”
Yi Shi nodded. “I want to go.”
“That’s good. Do you think a driver or a security guard would be more suitable?”
“Teacher.”
Yi Shi proposed an answer outside of the options given. Yu Xue crossed his legs and stroked his chin. “Oh… a teacher is fine, but male teachers are quite rare in kindergartens, and your face is quite recognizable, so we’ll need to find a way to blur that.”
“Um, let me wear women’s clothes.”
“…Women’s clothes?” Yu Xue froze, seemingly unable to believe that Yi Shi would proactively suggest such a thing. Did this guy take the wrong medicine? Or is he secretly a hidden master of cross-dressing?
This was the normal reaction a person should have. Yi Shi recalled the time he had secretly mocked Yu Xue and silently apologized in his heart: Captain Yu, I wronged you; you are actually a victim too.
Yu Xue genuinely couldn’t understand. If he were the one forcing (?), then everything would be easy to discuss, but Yi Shi actively requesting it was as rare as the sun rising in the west. He propped his chin up with one hand and smiled, “You know my rules; you need to convince me. I want to hear the most straightforward reason. If you can tell me that, everything will be easy to handle.”
Yi Shi thought for a moment. “I’ve experienced the entire case; this is a necessary part. Moreover, dressing as a woman will also help me; I need an identity that can confuse people’s views.”
Upon hearing the phrase “experienced the entire case,” Yu Xue no longer hesitated and agreed without question. Going back in time was such a cool thing that not everyone could do; it just so happened to happen to Yi Shi. Sigh, he felt a bit envious.
“Alright, let’s do it your way. I hope it really helps you.”
Yi Shi stood up, estimating that Ding Ju would be back soon. If he didn’t leave now, it would get more troublesome if they bumped into each other. Yu Xue, holding the doorknob, quietly asked, “Will we meet again?”
“Maybe.” Yi Shi pondered for a few seconds and then raised his head. “I will go missing on the day of the kidnapping case. You don’t need to be too nervous; Lin Heyu will come to find you later. At that time, I will still need your help.”
“Helping you and helping him is pretty much the same, right? You two are like a couple in my eyes.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Yi Shi’s expression was too calm, and Yu Xue caught a whiff of gossip. “It seems your relationship is progressing more smoothly than the case, huh? Are you together?”
“…No.”
“You might fool others, but not me. Being together is a good thing; I’m more at ease knowing he’s there to take care of you.”
Yi Shi’s ears turned pink, and he stammered, unable to speak. Yu Xue patted his shoulder and sent him out. As soon as the door closed, Yu Xue hadn’t even had time to sort through the earlier conversation when Ding Ju arrived, breathless, standing at the door. “Captain Yu… your cigarettes.”
Cigarettes? It was definitely an excuse Yi Shi came up with to send the wolf dog away. Yu Xue curved his eyes, putting the cigarettes in his pocket. “Thanks, it was hard work. You should head back and rest.”
“Okay,” Ding Ju exhaled, “you and Yi Shi should wrap things up early too.”
Yu Xue’s tone was meaningful. “He’s already gone.”
—–
Author’s Note:
This meeting hides a very small detail from earlier; for those who can’t remember, you can go back to Chapter 64 to take a look.
The feature of this story is that there are explosive details everywhere, with foreshadowing scattered throughout. Something that seems insignificant may be echoed later in the text.
