Recently, Yi Shi had been troubled about how he could meet Lin Heyu. For this reason, he even took a trip to Cheng’an Mountain, but ended up in the same situation as in the botanical garden—he couldn’t access the case and ultimately returned empty-handed.
With effort put into planting flowers, they would not bloom; without effort, willow trees would grow thick. Lin Heyu appeared unexpectedly, smiling as he extended his right hand in a wordless invitation.
Outside the door was the streetscape of another world. Yi Shi almost without hesitation extended his hand, and Lin Heyu gently pulled him, stepping out of the café and coming to his side.
“Come with me; I’ll take you to a place,” Lin Heyu said, wrapping an arm around Yi Shi’s shoulder, while using his other hand to lower the brim of his hat. Yi Shi actively put on a mask; he had been hiding due to his “special identity” for some time, and it had become a habit to disguise himself when going out.
They took a taxi and quickly left the bustling downtown area. Lin Heyu reported the destination, and Yi Shi grasped his sleeve: “That place…”
“I know; we’re going there.”
As they sat in the car, Lin Heyu held his hand and squeezed his finger joints: “When did you go to Cheng’an Mountain?”
“On December 14th; I didn’t see you.”
He had deliberately chosen the day when heavy rain fell and the Xiao Ci Temple underwent great changes. Due to the paradox, even though he was at the right time and place, he still couldn’t access the case. Helpless, he could only find a place to hide from the rain. On the 15th, when the wind stopped and the rain ceased, he wandered near Lover’s Peak, climbed up a small cave, and finally saw the first batch of hostages.
According to his speculation, this batch of hostages was about to be rescued, which meant they were being separated from the case, allowing him the opportunity to see them. Although he couldn’t meet Lin Heyu, they would find this place sooner or later, so Yi Shi left a coin as a signal to let Lin Heyu know he had been there.
At this moment, the coin was pressed into Yi Shi’s palm, and the two exchanged smiles, everything conveyed without words.
On the way later, they tacitly maintained silence, quietly enjoying the rare peace and tranquility. The taxi turned into Changlong Road, at the intersection was an elementary school, and two streets away was a middle school. These two schools were the alma maters of Yi Shi and Sheng Yu’an. He could navigate this neighborhood with his eyes closed.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of a residential community, and the two got out one after the other. Yi Shi asked, “Do you have the key?”
He indeed had a key to the home, but it was for the future house, not the present one. Lin Heyu nodded and took out a key from his pocket. “I just had it copied.”
He then briefly described how he sneaked into Sheng Guoning’s house and picked the lock without leaving a trace. After listening, Yi Shi fell silent: both being criminal investigation team leaders, one could stealthily infiltrate, while the other was completely oblivious to being robbed. His professional skills still needed improvement.
“Why come here?”
Lin Heyu pondered for a few seconds before speaking: “Ten days ago, Sheng Guoning came to Changlong Garden and left something inside.”
“What is it?”
“It looked like a document, packed in a bag.”
Documents? Yi Shi seemed to sense what kind of documents were being hidden. He followed Lin Heyu into the building, instinctively lowering his head. Lin Heyu ruffled his black hair: “Don’t worry; there are no cameras.”
Yi Shi looked up and indeed saw that the building was bare and devoid of any camera shadows. Moreover, this was a new community that had just been delivered, with a low occupancy rate. There were only a few scattered electric bikes downstairs; during their walk, they hadn’t encountered a single person.
The anti-theft door opened, and the panorama of the “new home” slowly came into view. The decor was mainly in a milky white pure European style, and the large crystal chandelier in the living room was too eye-catching. The double-layer ceiling was embedded with gorgeous light strips, which would surely rival a dance hall once fully lit, complemented by complex lace curtains, sofa covers, table mats, and cushions… it was dazzling, as if they had walked into a medieval European castle.
Lin Heyu surveyed the place: “My mom likes this kind of crystal lamp; it can control the color temperature and change colors.”
From an aesthetic standpoint, this was definitely a renovation entirely decided by Sheng’s parents. For modern young people who advocated simplicity, it was overly complicated to the senses. No wonder Lin Zhizhi wanted to completely remodel it. She studied design, and living in a house that didn’t please her eyes would probably prevent her from sleeping soundly.
As they entered the unfamiliar environment for the first time, they put on disposable gloves and shoe covers at the door. Their actions were overly synchronized, showing great tacit understanding. They divided their tasks; Lin Heyu searched the living room, kitchen, and bathroom while Yi Shi went to search the three bedrooms, starting with the largest master bedroom.
The new home had not yet been occupied and only contained some basic furniture. In such an easy-to-search environment, finding a document was not difficult. However, unexpectedly, it was hidden behind the gas meter in the kitchen, tied to the pipe.
Lin Heyu sat cross-legged on the ground, and Yi Shi crouched beside him. The document was wrapped in a plastic bag, tightly bound with layers of tape. Lin Heyu chuckled: “Hiding it so carefully, it looks like it’s something very important, and it’s what we want.”
“Yeah, it’s the dossier of the bombing case; it can’t be wrong.”
As soon as Yi Shi’s voice fell, the black plastic had been torn open, revealing a corner of a brown paper bag. Lin Heyu swiftly removed the outer wrapping, and the entire file bag was exposed before their eyes, the cover reading “10.30 Major Bombing Case.”
They exchanged glances; Yi Shi sat down, and their shoulders brushed closely together. He squeezed the file bag and noticed the thickness was off. Lin Heyu explained: “One part is in the archive room, sandwiched behind the dossier from March 1st.”
He looked at the dossier in his hands and understood why he and Yan Runping couldn’t find it no matter how hard they looked; it had long been taken back by Sheng Guoning. From this, he could also conclude that Sheng Guoning now possessed complete memories.
Before opening the twisted wire, Yi Shi pressed Lin Heyu’s hand down and stared intently into his eyes: “Lin Heyu, there may be things inside that are hard to accept. Are you prepared?”
“You already know? Did Sheng Guoning tell you?”
Yi Shi lowered his gaze: “I can now understand everything he did, and I believe that what you see, you will also forgive his actions.”
It seemed there was a significant secret hidden inside. Lin Heyu methodically began to unwrap the wire: “He isn’t a sinister person, and we have no conflicting interests. If there’s truly a reason beyond his control, it would be for Zhizhi. Zhizhi was a hostage in the kidnapping case and later was brought to my side by you, becoming my sister. When I learned she was involved in this case, I guessed it wasn’t that simple.”
As the file bag opened, neatly revised documents were pulled out, visibly missing a part, and it was located in the middle. There were slight paper shreds left at the edges of the binding. Lin Heyu flipped through the pages one by one, coming across a photo. He hadn’t paid much attention to it, but Yi Shi’s expression suddenly changed after seeing the photo.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Heyu’s hand was pressed against his cheek. “Are you not feeling well?”
Yi Shi shook his head, his gaze glued to the photo. Lin Heyu felt it was strange; this photo had appeared many times before, even on the homepage of the official website. What was so special about it? Why did it make Yi Shi so tense?
“…It’s real; it really exists.”
Yi Shi whispered softly, as if being drained of energy, leaning onto Lin Heyu’s shoulder. Lin Heyu held him close. “What’s wrong with this photo? Tell me.”
Yi Shi flipped to the back of the file, to the page detailing the deceased. Lin Heyu was already familiar with the information about the deceased; there were a total of 12 victims, the oldest being 47 years old and the youngest 16.
“Take another look at the photo.”
Flipping back to that page, Lin Heyu studied it carefully, not missing any small detail. When he saw the bottom right corner, his brows furrowed as he lifted the entire file to see what was hidden under the white cloth in the corner.
After half a minute, he finally confirmed that the blurred flesh-colored mass was a tightly clenched fist, a small cluster belonging to a child.
Among the fixed number of victims, there was one more child who died in the bombing.
Lin Heyu fell silent as well. Seeing this photo, he could immediately think of who this victim might be. In the kidnapping case, Lin Zhizhi was an additional hostage, with no written record of her existence throughout. Similarly, in the bombing case, Lin Zhizhi was the extra victim, with no records at all; only this overly subtle photo quietly revealed everything.
“…Sheng Guoning saw this photo, which is why he shot at you by the river.” Lin Heyu’s voice was dry. “The extra hostage in the kidnapping case went missing, so in the bombing case, there were none. If the gardenia had been successfully brought back that day, it would have replaced Xiao Shitou in the bombing.”
Yi Shi covered his forehead, his expression full of pain. “Yes, Gardenia would die, Zhizhi would disappear, and I wouldn’t be here now. I imagined many possibilities, but now this is the best status where we can all coexist. Sheng Guoning just wanted to keep Zhizhi, but the situation he created turned out to be the most balanced.”
A brief blank appeared in Lin Heyu’s mind; he had never thought about losing Lin Zhizhi. Although there was no blood relation, he had raised her for so many years, and the affection he poured into her was irreplaceable. Apart from himself, her bond with Yi Shi was even deeper, and this character held a crucial position in both their lives.
From the moment the photo appeared, the fate they wanted to crack became a deadlock.
———
[02/27, 23:24, Nanyi City, Changlong Garden]
In the dead of night, only the light in the corner unit of the 12th floor of Building 27 in Changlong Garden was on. In the living room, Lin Yi and the others sat across from each other, holding pens in their hands, with several scattered notes on the table. Some had been crumpled and thrown onto the floor, and the area beneath the coffee table was littered with discarded ideas.
This constant calculation had made Yi Shi feel frustrated and restless. He and Lin Heyu often said, “The worst outcome is to maintain the status quo,” but now that was the best result because if the existing pattern was broken, it might lead to them never meeting again.
Yi Shi stopped writing, crumpled the paper again, and threw it under the corner of the table. He was not an impulsive person, but he was pushed to the brink of anger, repeatedly questioning what this all meant and why it fell on Lin Zhizhi. If it had been him or Lin Heyu, neither of them would have been in such a difficult position.
Lin Heyu noticed his emotional turmoil and pulled him into his arms, kissing his forehead. “Don’t rush.”
“Time is running out. I can’t think of a better way and am even starting to doubt if my previous actions were right.” Yi Shi returned the embrace, burying his face in Lin Heyu’s shoulder. “I was determined to keep Zhizhi, so today I met with Xiao Shitou, provoking him to run away from home. Everything that happened afterward is what I’ve experienced, and it might cause you to go missing. I feel guilty and can’t find a better way to do it.”
Lin Heyu tightened his arms and gently comforted him. “I know, I know. You didn’t do anything wrong. If it were me, I would also let it develop smoothly. At least before confirming Zhizhi’s existence, I wouldn’t let any unexpected events occur.”
“…Should we go find Sheng Guoning?”
Yi Shi had thought of this idea long ago. Sheng Guoning had complete memories, and everyone’s goals were the same. Having one more person might open up new perspectives. Lin Heyu paused. “It’s not time yet.”
Isn’t it time yet? The critical turning point was almost here. Yi Shi looked up, silently staring at him. Faced with the unspoken question, Lin Heyu sighed and pinched his cheek. “Have you ever considered this?”
“Mm?”
“Now there is less than a day until the turning point by the river. If we find Sheng Guoning now, he is also in a panic about how to protect Zhizhi, and after the three of us discuss it, we still can’t find a good solution, leading to the conclusion that Sheng Guoning would have to shoot you by the river so that you could bring the gardenia over.”
Another established fact’s reverse deduction. Yi Shi bit his lip. After understanding the truth, he suddenly realized that every established fact could have been prompted by their actions, which was why they were so solid.
Lin Heyu continued, “You should have talked to Sheng Guoning. What did he say about shooting?”
“He said… at that time, the situation was urgent, and there was no time to think too much. He was afraid that if Gardenia was brought back, it wouldn’t coexist with the current Zhizhi, so he shot at me.”
Lin Heyu nodded. “That’s right. If we don’t go find him, then it won’t change the fact that he made that decision. If we go find him now, it will be the three of us reaching a consensus, leading him to shoot at you.” He held Yi Shi tightly, smiling bitterly. “…On the day of the rescue, I already hurt you myself. If I make this kind of decision again, I might go crazy with guilt.”
“It’s fine; that was forced by the situation. I don’t blame you.” Yi Shi cupped his face, their foreheads touching. “At that time, you had no memory. I didn’t mind at all; don’t dwell on it anymore.”
He could clearly feel how much this incident affected Lin Heyu, so he felt more at ease because, when given a choice, Lin Heyu would always prioritize his safety.
“Although time is tight, at least there is a chance to catch our breath; don’t push yourself too hard,” Lin Heyu said.
After thinking for a long time, Yi Shi suddenly thought of someone. His understanding of parallel worlds was definitely much deeper than theirs, and perhaps he could provide some different insights.
At this moment, it was already nearing midnight. Yi Shi went to the balcony to make a phone call and after a while walked into the living room. “Tomorrow I will go to Shengzhou. Use your ID to help me book a ticket for around 8 AM.”
“Shengzhou? Who are you going to find?”
“Lian Jingyuan, a physics professor at Dongli University of Science and Technology. It was thanks to his help that I found a place to stay in Nanyi City.” Yi Shi murmured to himself, “If it’s him, using scientific theory, he should be able to point us to a clear path.”
