[12/23, 14:32, Nanyi City]
Nanyi had been sunny for several days but welcomed a continuous light rain again. The rainfall was not heavy, and the sky was always overcast, as if brewing a rare winter storm.
Yi Shi was in his rental apartment, habitually opening the wardrobe to check; the clothes were still there, and the injured one had not returned yet. The current situation was progressing step by step, with every event in the case not deviating from the planned track. As an observer, he was surrounded by a sense of helplessness day after day. Being unable to touch the case, passively choosing arrangements, and the many problems that arose from the inability of parallel individuals to coexist made unraveling fate even more difficult.
Yi Shi occasionally felt confused, doubting the direction of his efforts, as well as the person he most wanted to see. If he could be by his side, he would stop all those wild thoughts.
“Click,” the door lock made a sound, and Yi Shi suddenly looked up. Who was it? He had given Lin Heyu the key to the rental apartment; could it be him?
“The door is open; you can go in. Just take it with you when you leave; I’ll come back to check tonight.”
It was the landlord. Yi Shi quietly hid next to the wardrobe, concealing himself, and another familiar voice came: “Thank you, thank you! I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, don’t mention it. I read the reports; there have been incidents in Haijing recently. Xiao Yi has been gone for quite a few days and hasn’t returned. I’m a bit worried too.”
“Yeah… that kid is always charging into danger. Every time he goes on a mission, I’m on edge, fearing I’ll hear bad news.”
“So how is he now? Do you have any news?”
“Not yet… but my spouse told me not to worry; he should be fine.”
The two chatted at the door, and Yi Shi pressed himself tightly against the wardrobe, trying to breathe softly. It wasn’t surprising for Lin Zhizhi to come over; most likely, she was there to help him clean the house. She used to come two or three times a month, contacting him in advance to confirm the time. Now that he was missing in this world, Lin Zhizhi could only borrow the key from the landlord.
The security door gently closed, confirming that the landlord had left. Yi Shi stepped out, and Lin Zhizhi heard the footsteps, quickly turning around: “Who?!”
When she saw Yi Shi standing behind her, she excitedly ran over and hugged him: “When did you come back? Why didn’t you go home? You could at least call! I only found out the day before yesterday that you were missing on a mission. I was so worried that I couldn’t eat or sleep, afraid I would never see you again!”
Yi Shi softly comforted her, assuring her he was fine; wasn’t he standing right in front of her unharmed?
“How can you make me feel at ease? Your dad has been hiding it from me. I only found out from Yu Xue the other day that you had an incident on the 10th. It’s always like this; whenever something happens, I’m always the last to know. You too, coming back without telling me. Don’t you know how worried your mom is about you…”
As she spoke, her eyes brimmed with tears. Yi Shi helplessly smiled and handed her the box of tissues on the table. Lin Zhizhi wiped her tears and looked carefully at Yi Shi again. His expression was calm, his cheeks still fair and beautiful, completely unlike someone who had been missing for over ten days and suffered greatly.
Is this really him? Although it was a familiar face, there was a sense of incongruity. Lin Zhizhi cautiously asked, “Xiao Yi, when did we last meet?”
“Last time? In Haijing.”
…Ah! Lin Zhizhi tightened her grip on the tissue box; it was true. No wonder he was safe and sound; this Yi Shi hadn’t gone on a risky case at all. Thinking of this, she felt sad again. It seemed Yi Shi had indeed gone missing, and she didn’t know where he was now. Would he, like her brother, never come back?
Lin Zhizhi’s brows were furrowed, and Yi Shi easily guessed her thoughts, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation: “If he can’t come back, then what am I?”
“…You are also Yi Shi, but you’re not quite the same.”
“What’s different?”
“Just—my feeling is different. You smile more, you’re better at socializing, not as cold as before. Ah, I’m not saying the old you was bad; I’m just making a comparison…”
Yi Shi lightly tapped his chin with his long index finger and said, “The me you see now and him are independent entities, but we are indeed the same person; it’s just a matter of time. Also, the reason for the change in personality is simple: I remember Lin Heyu, and I remember you.”
Me? Lin Zhizhi didn’t believe it. If she could influence Yi Shi, after all these years, he wouldn’t have developed such a twisted personality.
“So you don’t have to worry about his safety. I’m here, so he must be safe too. I’ve experienced everything he’s gone through; I just understand more than he does.”
For now, Lin Zhizhi could only understand it this way, from the present to the future. She sat down beside Yi Shi and curiously asked, “Was it you that I saw in Nanyi twenty years ago?”
Yi Shi furrowed his brows for a moment, carefully choosing his words: “It was the last me.”
“The last one? How many of you are there?”
“Not many. To put it this way, the one who met you that time was me on a case; can you understand?”
Lin Zhizhi rested her chin on her hand, and after a while of brainstorming, she decisively gave up. Anyway, no matter which one it was, it was still Yi Shi; she had no other requirements, as long as he was safe.
Yi Shi had just returned today and hadn’t had a chance to clean the house. Lin Zhizhi arrived just in time. The two cooperated and, in less than an hour, turned the small rental apartment spotless. She took out a palm-sized aroma diffuser from her bag, unwrapped it, and set it on the bedside table. After plugging it in for a while, a fresh, elegant white tea fragrance wafted out, filling every corner of the room.
Lin Zhizhi took off her apron, stretched her shoulders, and started discussing dinner with Yi Shi. Should they eat out or order takeout? If there was still time before the market closed, she could go buy ingredients and cook for them.
“Aren’t you going home?” Yi Shi asked.
Normally at this time, Lin Zhizhi would already be busy preparing dinner. In the past, it was so that her two children could eat a hot meal as soon as they got home. Even after the children grew up, this habit persisted. Whether Sheng Guoning worked late or not, she would always have dinner ready on time, ensuring her husband wouldn’t go hungry no matter when he came home.
But today was completely different. Lin Zhizhi had no intention of going home. Her eyes darted around as she explained that Sheng Guoning had been working overtime a lot lately and was staying at the office overnight, leaving her with some peace and quiet.
“Oh, I see.” Yi Shi’s lips flattened, and something unexpected occurred.
Sheng Guoning suddenly moving into the office dormitory was highly unusual. In the eyes of everyone, he was the perfect model of a husband—no matter how late he worked, he would always come home. He avoided unnecessary socializing and was devoted to his family. Moreover, the most intense period of the case had already passed. The criminals had vanished, and the hostages had been rescued. There was no reason for the higher-ups to be stuck at the office anymore.
It wasn’t just a simple quarrel or disagreement between him and Lin Zhizhi. Otherwise, at this point, Lin Zhizhi would have sat Yi Shi down to vent her frustrations, cursing for a while before beginning to empathize with her husband’s hard work. She wouldn’t even need Yi Shi to say anything; after venting for a bit, she would have calmed herself down.
Yi Shi felt a strange and complex emotion rise within him. He had anticipated this unexpected turn of events because it might alter the predetermined course of things. In the face of an impasse, he could only pin his hopes on this.
But now that it was unfolding before him, what he saw was the crack in the years of harmony between Lin Zhizhi and Sheng Guoning. The two decades of mutual support were being destroyed by his own hands, and he felt nothing but guilt and reluctance.
I’m sorry. He really had no better option. “Forced by circumstances” and “powerless” were all just excuses for his incompetence. If anything he and Lin Heyu had done could have had even the slightest impact on breaking the cycle of fate, he wouldn’t have dragged innocent Zhizhi into this mess.
“So, have you made up your mind?”
“I can’t go out. Let’s order takeout,” Yi Shi said. “Order whatever you like. I’m fine with anything.”
When she was younger, Lin Zhizhi was a foodie, a true lover of spicy foods. This time, she ordered Sichuan cuisine, even requesting extra spiciness. After putting down her phone, a faint sadness clouded her brows, much like the gloomy weather outside.
“How long has it been since he came home?”
“He came back the day before yesterday to pick up something, but he didn’t stay.”
“Is he really that busy?”
Yi Shi’s tone was flat, his question sounding more like a statement. Lin Zhizhi looked up several times, wanting to say something but hesitating. Yi Shi didn’t beat around the bush anymore. “Did you two have a fight? Because of what happened on the 29th?”
Lin Zhizhi was surprised. “You know they met? Was it you who asked my brother to go home?”
Yi Shi shook his head and told her it was Lin Heyu’s own idea. He knew the Nanyi Machinery Factory would explode, so he sought Sheng Guoning’s help. Yi Shi didn’t know what had happened between the two, but Lin Heyu had never been seen since, and they hadn’t met again.
Lin Zhizhi’s hands trembled as she clasped them together, trying to maintain her composure. Yi Shi wouldn’t lie to her, and this explanation aligned with her brother’s righteous and brave character. He had gone to Sheng Guoning for the sake of the case, and the two had left together. But Lin Heyu never returned, which could only mean one thing—he had met with misfortune.
Lin Zhizhi buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. She didn’t dare to think further. One was the brother who had raised her, and the other was her beloved husband. No matter who had harmed whom, she couldn’t accept it. At this point, it seemed more likely that Sheng Guoning had harmed Lin Heyu.
That happened on October 29. That night, he rushed to the hospital, tenderly stroking her long hair—perhaps with the same hands that had just harmed her brother. How could he remain so calm? How could he pretend nothing had happened? And how, in the months that followed, did he face her as if everything were normal?
A hand rested on her shoulder. Yi Shi said softly, “Don’t worry too much. Lin Heyu is fine. Sheng Guoning didn’t hurt him, he just made him leave.”
“Leave? How?”
“By water.”
By water… Lin Zhizhi thought of the A4 paper soaked in water, her voice trembling, “…The 29th, the day my brother came home… Was the person I saw the one Sheng Guoning pushed into the water?”
She began to sob, releasing the emotions she had been suppressing. “How could he do that to Lin Heyu? Why would he? That’s my brother! After all these years, I’ve been longing to see him again, almost going crazy from missing him. But he was secretly stopping me… It’s my fault, all my fault. Why did I marry him? I shouldn’t have married him…”
In her life, Lin Zhizhi had been most proud of three things—having a good brother, marrying a good man, and raising two good sons. Her happy marriage had been her mental pillar for many years. She had always been mindful of the harm words could cause to the heart, and no matter how angry she was, she never spoke carelessly. Since her marriage, this was the first time she had regretted marrying Sheng Guoning, the first time she doubted her own choice.
Yi Shi held Lin Zhizhi as she cried on his shoulder. “It’s not just my brother; it’s you too. I only recently found out about An’an. I’m so useless; I didn’t realize his feelings after all these years. He liked you, and it forced you to distance yourself from us, making you stay here for years. You could’ve had a better life… It’s all my fault, really. If I hadn’t married him, none of this would’ve happened. You and my brother would be fine…”
“…No, don’t think that way. Sheng Guoning cares about you more than anything. He’s always treated you well.” Yi Shi gently patted her back, closing his eyes to hide the guilt in them. “Zhizhi, all your simple dreams have come true through him. The last thing you should regret is marrying him. If you must blame someone, blame me. I shouldn’t have told you any of this.”
Lin Zhizhi wept bitterly. She knew full well how good Sheng Guoning had been to her. The more she realized this, the stronger the sense of contradiction over the matter with Lin Heyu became. Yi Shi sighed silently, feeling as if his heart had been pierced by needles. He had always been afraid of Zhizi flowers crying, and now, as an adult, he was most fearful of Lin Zhizhi’s tears. It seemed that in their recent encounters, he had made her cry each time. Every tear felt like molten lava burning into his soul.
After about fifteen minutes, Lin Zhizhi’s emotions gradually calmed down. The tissue box on the table was already empty, so Yi Shi opened a new pack and handed it to her. “Feeling better?”
Lin Zhizhi nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed. At her age, throwing a tantrum in front of her son, like someone drunk, felt a bit embarrassing. However, after venting, she did feel much better. Now, all she could think about was how good Sheng Guoning had been to her. She felt a mix of heartache and sorrow, even starting to make excuses for him, wondering if he really had been forced to do it.
“I asked him, but he wouldn’t say anything,” Lin Zhizhi said, her eyes red and her voice nasally. “Since that day, he hasn’t come home. He’s been avoiding me as much as possible. I haven’t called him either. If he wants to come home, he will. If not, then so be it.”
Yi Shi handed her a glass of water. “He won’t tell me anything either. I can guess some of the risks involved, but with so little information, I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Even you can’t figure it out, so how could I possibly guess? He refuses to say anything, so what should we do?” Lin Zhizhi rubbed her throbbing temples as the doorbell rang. The forgotten takeout finally arrived.
Yi Shi absentmindedly ate his spicy chicken rice, while Lin Zhizhi showed an unprecedented coldness toward Sheng Guoning. Sheng Guoning still held back from speaking—what critical information could they not probe into?
Yi Shi had initially guessed that Sheng Guoning’s main concern was preserving his marriage. But as he allowed the conflict to fester, Lin Zhizhi had already expressed regret for marrying him. Once this seed of doubt took root and sprouted, the two could very well be on the path to divorce. Sheng Guoning must have realized this, yet he insisted on keeping things hidden. Clearly, marriage wasn’t the most critical thing he needed to protect.
What could it be, then? For a family man, the fragmentation of his household didn’t seem to bother him. So, what was it that he cared about most?
“What are you eating?”
Yi Shi snapped out of his thoughts as Lin Zhizhi plucked a chili seed from the corner of his mouth. “This seven-star pepper is indeed crispy and fragrant when stir-fried, but eating it on its own is too much. Look, your lips are swollen.”
Yi Shi looked down and realized that, without noticing, he had picked through half a plate of chilies, leaving the chicken—the main dish—untouched. The burning pain on his lips hit him, and Lin Zhizhi chuckled, heading to the water dispenser to get him a large glass of water. “Drink this quickly to cool off. Look at you—so lost in thought that you ate all those chilies.”
Yi Shi gulped down the cold water, and the searing pain in his mouth finally subsided. Lin Zhizhi picked up one of the chilies with her chopsticks, inspecting it. “This type of seven-star pepper isn’t suited for frying. Next time, buy those large chilies for making crispy chili snacks—they’re better for eating.”
“Mm, I’ve had them before.”
“Huh? When did you have them? Did you buy them online?” Lin Zhizhi was shocked—Yi Shi bought snacks online?
“Yu Xue brought them to the office,” Yi Shi replied, taking another big gulp of cold water. “He has an aunt who always brings back local specialties after traveling.”
Mentioning Yu Xue’s aunt jogged Lin Zhizhi’s memory. She had met her before marrying Sheng Guoning—she worked at the Nanyi City bureau, a pale-skinned girl with a round face and single eyelids. Yi Shi added, “‘After being trained by my aunt, I had no choice but to become a man who could do everything.’ That’s a direct quote from Yu Xue.”
Lin Zhizhi burst out laughing. “That kid, Yu Xue, was cooking for his aunt and bringing food to the bureau as early as middle school. He was trained pretty hard, no doubt. But who wasn’t? I was trained by my brother since childhood—martial arts, self-defense, you name it.”
“And the pervert on the bus…?”
“I was wearing a skirt that day, so it wasn’t convenient to fight him off. Otherwise, would I have needed someone else to step in?” Lin Zhizhi sighed, resting her chin in her hand as her gaze grew distant. “We met on that bus. If I had acted on my own that day, I wouldn’t have met him. Maybe we would have passed each other in the crowd, never meeting, never falling in love, and never ending up in this dilemma.”
…Never met?
Clatter—Yi Shi’s chopsticks fell onto the small table. Lin Zhizhi picked them up and handed them back to him. “Why did you drop your chopsticks? Hurry up and eat; the food’s already cold.”
Yi Shi stared at her for a while before picking up the chopsticks again, eating his meal without enthusiasm.
Those two words—never met—were like a stone dropped into the lake of his mind, sending ripples through his thoughts. He seemed to understand now what Sheng Guoning was truly afraid of. Because if it were him in Sheng Guoning’s shoes, just imagining that possibility would make his skin crawl.
Never met—if their lives had never intersected, the most direct way for that to happen would be if Lin Zhizhi didn’t exist.
That was Sheng Guoning’s true fear. Whether or not the marriage was preserved didn’t matter. As long as Lin Zhizhi was alive and safe, that was all that mattered to him.
In that instant, countless images flashed through Yi Shi’s mind—the dark riverbank, the fiery explosion at the factory, the snow falling under the streetlamp, and the torrential rain on Cheng’an Mountain. In the kidnapping case, Sheng Guoning had fired a shot that allowed Gardenia to be sent to Lin Heyu’s side, where he raised her as Lin Zhizhi. In the factory explosion, a young Yi Shi was adopted by Lin Zhizhi and Sheng Guoning, and they raised him. Only in this way could the relationships between the four of them remain balanced and they could coexist.
He had previously been stuck in a mental block, always thinking that Gardenia only belonged to the kidnapping case and was unrelated to the explosion. But if you think about it differently, she could have nothing to do with the kidnapping case either. She was an extra hostage, with no records of her in any case files. Like teacher Shi Yiyi, she was a character who could be removed from the case at any time.
Yi Shi lifted his head, staring at Lin Zhizhi’s face. The face of the young Gardenia, the grown-up Lin Zhizhi, and the aging Aunt Lin overlapped in his mind. Sheng Guoning saw her as the most important person in his life. And wasn’t it the same for Yi Shi? Lin Zhizhi’s existence was too special—she played an important role in his life and was Lin Heyu’s only family.
She was so special, her fate tightly intertwined with the lives of the three of them.
“What are you thinking about?” Lin Zhizhi poked his cheek. “You’ve been frowning this whole time, and you’re not enjoying your food.”
Yi Shi smiled faintly, swallowing the last bite of his meal and tossing the empty box into the plastic bag.
—
Author’s Note:
It’s here, it’s here. The storyline I feared the most has arrived.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Uncle Sheng!!!! All this to protect Zhi Zhi <3