[12/14, 10:12, Nanyi City, Changlong Garden]
Lin Zhizhi hugged a down quilt, opened the balcony door, and spread the quilt over the rack, securing it in place before going back inside to grab another one. Taking advantage of the good weather over the past two days, every household was busy airing out their bedding. Looking around, the balcony was filled with pieces of fabric fluttering like clouds in the wind.
The winter in the Jiangnan region felt like a magical attack, damp and cold. No matter how tightly one wrapped up, the chill would find a way to seep into the pores. This year was yet another rainy winter, with cold fronts following each other. Everything inside and outside the house was wet, and even the dehumidifier running twenty-four hours a day wasn’t effective. Just a few days ago, Lin Zhizhi had complained to Sheng Guoning that at this rate, she would end up with rheumatoid arthritis.
The television in the living room was broadcasting news related to Haijing, and Lin Zhizhi paused to watch as the screen showed heavy rain thousands of miles away. The camera zoomed out, revealing the vast Cheng’an Mountain, the continuous mountain range hazy in the rain, covered in a mysterious veil.
“From 5 PM to 11 PM yesterday, Haijing City was engulfed in heavy rain. According to the Haijing Meteorological Station, it was the most intense rainfall of the year, exceeding the historical records for this period…”
In that moment, Lin Zhizhi felt as if she had merged into the mountain scene, climbing and walking along the muddy mountain road. She wanted to stop and rest, but was immediately shoved from behind and verbally abused, causing her great fear; she could only drag her tired body onward. The rain poured down heavily, and she accidentally stepped on loose gravel and slipped, scraping her hands on the ground until they bled. Suddenly suspended in the air, she was lifted by the person behind her and berated with fury.
Raindrops blurred her vision, and she could barely open her eyes. Through the gaps in her sight, she caught a glimpse of a cold light—that was the gleam of a knife tip radiating a deathly aura. She dared not struggle or move, even her breathing was extremely cautious, fearing that any small action might provoke that person…
A melodious ringtone pulled Lin Zhizhi back to reality. She realized her palms were damp and quickly wiped them, picking up her phone from the sofa.
It was a call from her best friend, who hadn’t seen her in a while and wanted to invite her to dinner that evening. Lin Zhizhi glanced at the calendar and smiled, saying, “What a coincidence, An’an is coming back today. Their swimming team is on break, and Guoning isn’t working late, so we plan to take him out to eat.”
“Oh, your husband is finally free? That’s not easy! Since you’re going out, you should bring your eldest son along; it’s more lively with the whole family together.”
“…He’s busy, on a business trip.”
“Still on a trip? How long has it been? Your two kids are really extremes; one can’t wait to stay home every day, while the other is gone for ten days or half a month at a time.”
Lin Zhizhi smiled helplessly. As a police officer’s family, she naturally had to fully understand. Two hours later, this highly aware police wife had to once again show her support and generosity—Sheng Guoning called to apologize, saying he had received a sudden notice about a meeting and couldn’t take them out to eat.
“Alright, don’t worry about it. The reserved private room won’t go to waste. I’ll just go with An’an. He just got his driver’s license and wants to practice.”
Sheng Guoning broke into a cold sweat, regretting not bringing the car keys: “You know he just got his license and is still inexperienced. It’s not safe for him to drive on the road. You two should just take a taxi to the restaurant.”
“Then I’ll drive! Don’t you trust me?”
“…Okay.” Sheng Guoning’s eyelids twitched. He had a feeling that today was not suitable for going out and was just about to suggest they eat at home when the call was already disconnected.
After finishing the household chores, Lin Zhizhi took the car keys and headed to the underground parking lot. Sheng Guoning usually drove the car assigned by the department, while Lin Zhizhi primarily used the subway and bus for her outings. Their car often sat idle in the garage for ten days or even half a month. The last time she had used it was when Sheng Guoning picked her up from the hospital, which was over a month ago.
She removed the dust cover, and a layer of fine dust rose into the air, making her throat itch. Before leaving, Lin Zhizhi had to clean out the clutter in the car. To her surprise, it was a lot worse than she expected. There was quite a bit of trash hidden in the corners of the storage box, and the crevices of the armrest contained gum wrappers. After a struggle, she determined that it was a mess made by Sheng Yu’an, and she planned to give him a good lecture when he returned.
The crevices of the armrest and seats were the easiest places for dirt to accumulate, and due to their position, they were also difficult to clean. Lin Zhizhi’s slender fingers explored around the armrest, and she pulled out a mask. Beneath the seat next to the passenger side, she felt something hard and protruding—a cylindrical object, narrow in the front and wide in the back, making a “crackling” sound when pressed, like a plastic bottle.
It was likely another beverage bottle that An’an had dropped. Lin Zhizhi sighed, adjusted the seat back, and pulled out the mat. Sure enough, she saw a mineral water bottle wedged in the gap. Lin Zhizhi placed her hands on her hips, thinking: perhaps they shouldn’t go out for dinner tonight. Instead, she could use the time to give Sheng Yu’an a “lesson in love.”
The mineral water bottle was stuck tightly in the gap, and Lin Zhizhi had to exert a lot of effort to pull it out. She noticed that the bottle cap was still sealed. Just as she was about to check the expiration date, she glanced at the text on the bottle and froze in place.
The water was just ordinary mineral water, but the plastic film attached to the bottle had a different story. All the text was mirrored, including the patterns and labels, just like that misprinted coin she had seen with Yi Shi—real, perfect, yet eerie.
This bottle of water—had been touched by her brother.
Lin Zhizhi’s heart raced as she collapsed into the passenger seat. How could the mineral water that Lin Heyu had touched end up in the car? Had he been to Changlong Garden? Did Yi Shi bring him back?
A flood of questions surged into her mind. Lin Zhizhi steadied her thoughts, put the bottle down, and searched every corner of the car meticulously. After a quarter of an hour, she confirmed that there were no other unusual items in the car; this bottle of mineral water was the only unexpected find.
With just this bottle, she couldn’t confirm her brother’s whereabouts. Moreover, it was puzzling: if Yi Shi had really brought Lin Heyu back, why had he never mentioned it in Haijing?
At that time, she had actively inquired why Lin Heyu hadn’t come to find her after returning. Yi Shi had explained that it would create a butterfly effect and that they had to avoid contact with outsiders. Therefore, he had even less reason to bring Lin Heyu to Changlong Garden; a small mistake could lead to them running into each other.
With Yi Shi’s meticulous and composed personality, anything he wanted to hide would be flawlessly concealed—unless he intentionally wanted her to discover this bottle of water.
Returning to the building, Lin Zhizhi looked up and surveyed her surroundings in the hallway. They lived in an older neighborhood, and she had heard earlier this year that the property management was going to install surveillance cameras, but she still didn’t know if it had been done. Approaching the elevator, she finally spotted the surveillance camera installed in the corner of the wall. Generally, recordings in public areas were kept for seven days before being automatically overwritten, but they could also last a month, three months, or even half a year before being overwritten. If anything had been captured, it would be the most compelling evidence of Lin Heyu’s existence.
The property building was set up at the east gate of the community. Lin Zhizhi walked into the lobby, and a familiar staff member came up to her: “Mrs. Sheng, what can I do for you?”
“Um, well, something was stolen from my home, and I’d like to check the surveillance footage…”
Lin Zhizhi pretended to be anxious, and the security guard nearby heard that a thief had broken into her house and urged her to call the police. The staff member stopped him, saying, “What do you know? Her husband and son are both police officers; they definitely have a way to catch a thief! Mrs. Sheng, how can we assist you? Just let us know.”
“My husband asked me to check the surveillance footage; it would be best if we could catch the person on camera.”
“Is it from today?”
“No, it’s from the end of October.” Lin Zhizhi looked at the computer. “Is there a record? After such a long time…”
The staff member nodded, confirming they do have recordings. They save each month’s footage separately on a hard drive and clean it up every three months. However, it had been over a month since the incident, and it was questionable whether they could still find anything.
Lin Zhizhi firmly nodded, “Yes. Starting from the 25th, as long as he came, we will definitely find something.”
———
Half an hour later, Lin Zhizhi walked out of the property building, her expression dazed as she looked down at her phone. The staff member had just sent her a four-second clip from the surveillance footage on WeChat. In the black-and-white footage, the elevator doors opened, and a man and a child walked out. Both were wearing hats that obscured their faces, but just from their backs, Lin Zhizhi could recognize who they were.
On October 29th, she had been reminiscing about her missing brother in Haijing’s old house, but in Nanyi’s house, her brother not only returned but also brought along Xiao Shitou.
How could this be possible… This was indeed the young Yi Shi! Lin Zhizhi was shocked into silence, and the subsequent images made her feel even more unsettled—at 9 PM, Lin Heyu left home, taking the elevator downstairs with another person, who was not Yi Shi but her partner, Sheng Guoning.
Only then did she remember that Sheng Guoning had taken a rare day off on the 29th and had been at home the entire time. Lin Heyu must have come over to see him.
Lin Zhizhi’s steps felt heavy as she found a place to sit in a small park. She had already pulled up her contacts and found Sheng Guoning’s number, her thumb hovering over the call button for a long time, wanting to press it but hesitating.
After a moment, she suddenly stood up and ran back home. As soon as she entered, she rolled up her sleeves and started rummaging through boxes from the entrance, not sparing any drawers, cabinets, or boxes—anywhere something could be stored.
She needed to find evidence that Lin Heyu had been in their home so that at least she wouldn’t be easily brushed off with a few words.
The lock on the security door turned, and Sheng Yu’an peeked in: “Mom! I’m back! Hey? What are you doing?”
“Back already? Come in.” Lin Zhizhi forced a smile and stood up. “It’s nothing, just looking for something I need.”
“What are you looking for? Let me help you!” Sheng Yu’an hurriedly took off his shoes as he entered, tossing his sneakers all over the entrance and carelessly dropping his backpack on the floor. Lin Zhizhi was frustrated: “How can you be so big and not know the rules? Look at your shoes and bag—throwing them around like this is unacceptable!”
Sheng Yu’an felt wronged: “I was busy coming in to help you look for things.”
“Did I ask you to hurry? Just putting something down takes a few seconds; you can’t wait that little bit?”
Sheng Yu’an scratched the back of his head, wondering what was going on. His usually gentle mother seemed to be acting explosively.
Lin Zhizhi also realized her tone was too harsh and shouldn’t project her pent-up negative emotions onto her son. She gently said, “In the future, please remember to put your shoes away before coming in.”
Sheng Yu’an nodded obediently, putting his bag neatly on the sofa before asking, “Mom, what do you need to find? It’s getting late; let’s hurry up so we don’t miss dinner.”
This child was still thinking about going out for dinner… Unexpected events kept coming; even if there were mountains of delicacies laid out in front of her now, Lin Zhizhi wouldn’t be able to muster any interest.
“I can’t say for sure what it is, maybe a piece of paper, a bottle, or something else. In short, the words on it are reversed, like looking in a mirror. If you see anything like that, just bring it to me.”
Paper? A bottle? Words? Sheng Yu’an was confused: “Mom, those things don’t match up at all; what exactly are you looking for?”
“Oh, I can’t really explain. Why don’t you go back to your room and check out some comics or play some games? Don’t just stand here asking questions.”
Sheng Yu’an felt wronged; he rarely got a chance to help his mom, yet now he was being turned away. Later, when Dad comes home and sees her busy alone, he would definitely drag him out of his room for a scolding. What a tragic life for a young Yu’an.
“Just go; your dad is working late tonight and won’t be back for a while.” Lin Zhizhi looked up at the clock. “It’s still early; we can leave at five.”
Sheng Yu’an breathed a sigh of relief: “Then I’ll go back to my room. If you need me, just call out.”
After carefully “searching” through the living room, kitchen, and bedroom, Lin Zhizhi sat on the edge of the bed, massaging her legs. She even checked Sheng Guoning’s desk but still found nothing. However, the surveillance wouldn’t lie; Lin Heyu came over before 7 PM and left with Sheng Guoning around 9 PM… Hmm? What about Xiao Shitou?
Lin Zhizhi suddenly stood up. Only those two went down, and Xiao Shitou stayed at home. The best place to settle him would be in his own room.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Zhizhi cautiously pushed open the door. She usually paid great attention to her children’s privacy and never randomly entered their rooms. Even if Yi Shi wasn’t home, she wouldn’t casually rummage through his belongings, only going in when cleaning.
Before pulling open the drawer, Lin Zhizhi silently apologized in her heart. She just wanted to check the direction of the writing and wouldn’t peek at the content. Once she found something related, she would leave immediately.
Yi Shi’s interests were dull and sparse; his room was filled with books. Lin Zhizhi picked up a “Mathematics Dictionary,” which Yi Shi had used quite well when he was younger. She had bought one for Yu’an too, but when she later asked how he was using it, Sheng Yu’an awkwardly laughed, saying he had no idea where it had gone.
She flipped through the dictionary, and the content was normal. When she set it down, she accidentally opened the binding and noticed a stamp design, immediately recognizing it as one that belonged to Sheng Yu’an.
Fully engrossed in his game, Sheng Yu’an didn’t dare to doodle on the newly bought mathematics dictionary, so he carved out a design with an eraser and then stamped it with blue ink. Just as he was about to stamp it in the binding, Lin Zhizhi caught him red-handed.
But… how did his dictionary end up in Yi Shi’s drawer? Lin Zhizhi took another look and knocked on Sheng Yu’an’s door with the dictionary in hand: “An’an, why did you put the dictionary in your brother’s room?”
Sheng Yu’an was engrossed in playing PS5, his eyes glued to the screen as he furiously pressed the controller buttons. He absentmindedly replied, “Dictionary? What dictionary? I don’t know, maybe I accidentally put it there.”
“Don’t just go into your brother’s room, do you hear me?” Lin Zhizhi walked in. “Take your things back to where they belong.”
“Whatever,” Sheng Yu’an pouted. “It was just sitting in that cabinet below. Thanks, Mom!”
Lin Zhizhi bent down to pull open the lower shelf of the bookshelf, and a pile of miscellaneous items came tumbling out. Her brows furrowed again: “Sheng Yu’an! Look at your cabinet—it’s a mess! How long has it been since you cleaned it?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll do it later. I’m almost done with this level; just give me two more minutes!”
Lin Zhizhi rolled her eyes, wondering how she ended up with such an untrustworthy son. She shook her head helplessly; if she relied on Sheng Yu’an to clean, he’d probably just stuff everything back in, and when she opened it next time, it would still look like a junkyard.
She cleared everything out of the drawer and sorted them into categories, putting them back in the cabinet one by one. Jump ropes, comic books, electronic pens, handheld game consoles… What was that under the baseball glove? A pink envelope—could it be a love letter?
Lin Zhizhi picked up the envelope, noticing the words on the front: “Dear Brother (to be received),” with a heart drawn beside it.
“Great! Finished!” Sheng Yu’an jumped up and, upon seeing what his mother was holding, instantly dropped the controller, his body going cold and sweating from his back.
Lin Zhizhi’s expression darkened. She wished she could misunderstand and think it was a love letter from someone else to Sheng Yu’an, praising how charming this kid was. But how could she misrecognize her son’s handwriting? That dog-like scrawl had been criticized countless times from childhood—crooked and worm-like, something no one else could replicate.
Sheng Yu’an, flustered, stumbled over his words: “Mom, listen to me, this, this isn’t my writing… Ah, no, it is my writing, but I wrote it for someone else…”
Lin Zhizhi calmly said, “Open it and read it to me.”
Sheng Yu’an didn’t dare open it and continued to argue desperately: “Mom, it was just a joke; I lost a game to a friend. How could I—how could I write something like this for my brother…”
In front of him, Lin Zhizhi tore open the envelope and pulled out the fancy stationery.
Sheng Yu’an’s scalp went numb as he rushed over to snatch it from her: “Mom!”
Lin Zhizhi looked up, her face even paler than before: “When did you write this? Did you show it to him?”
At this point, Sheng Yu’an suddenly felt that no matter how he lied, he couldn’t hide this fire anymore.
“…In middle school,” he muttered, his head lowered and gripping the crumpled paper tighter. “He never opened it; he just returned it to me.”
Six years ago. Lin Zhizhi felt her legs weaken and leaned against the desk to steady herself. That year, Yi Shi had just started working and insisted on moving out of the house, ignoring his parents’ pleas. Within three days, he found the small rental place he still lived in, staying there for six years.
For many years, Lin Zhizhi thought it was because of Yi Shi’s own reasons; he had grown accustomed to independence and didn’t want to rely on his family anymore, which was why he insisted on moving out. Who would have thought the real culprit was this love letter? Sheng Yu’an’s affection and dependence on Yi Shi went beyond brotherly love; he had to distance himself to prevent the accumulation of inappropriate feelings.
“Your brother drove him away,” Lin Zhizhi’s fingers gently loosened, letting the empty envelope flutter to the ground. “He has always protected you, treating you like a younger brother. You used something like this to push him away for six years; don’t you feel guilty? He’s your brother; what else do you want to develop with him?”
Sheng Yu’an said nothing. After a long while, he sat back down in the chair and said lightly, “Mom, I’ve liked him for many years; it has become a habit. But don’t worry, nothing will come of it. My brother doesn’t think of me that way.”
He smiled slightly: “From beginning to end, it’s just my unrequited feelings. Everything I do will just be taken as a joke in his eyes.”
