[10/30, 03:27, No. 21, Qiangang Alley, Nanyi City, Provincial People’s Hospital]
Lin Zhizhi did not fall heavily; apart from a bruise on her knee, there were no other external injuries. This little pain could not compare to the excitement of seeing Lin Heyu. She tightly hugged her brother, her soft cries echoing in the quiet, empty bluestone path.
“Don’t cry, Zhizhi, I’m back.”
Lin Heyu gently comforted her, his shirt soaked with her tears, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Lin Zhizhi buried in his embrace kept asking him where he had been, why there had been no news for so many years. He couldn’t answer her and could only find a way to avoid the topic.
Yi Shi took a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed them all to her. Lin Zhizhi choked up as she took them, as if just noticing him, and was momentarily stunned. “Xiao Yi, why haven’t you gone home yet?”
“I have a mission.”
“How could you be on a mission and still be with my brother?” She guessed uncertainly. “Did you… did you remember something from our childhood?”
If Yi Shi remembered that he was Xiao Shitou, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be with Lin Heyu. Since their first meeting, Xiao Shitou had stuck to Lin Heyu like a little tail. When Lin Heyu went missing, he was even hurt so badly that he lost his memory. Now that they were finally reunited, he would only be more excited than Lin Zhizhi.
“Yeah, I remember everything from before. I’ve told him about the family situation,” Yi Shi said.
“Since you know everything, why won’t you meet me?” Lin Zhizhi said, her face filled with heartbreak. “Brother, don’t you want me anymore?”
“Don’t say such foolish things. There are some special reasons; we… can’t meet.”
Lin Zhizhi stared at Lin Heyu. Upon closer inspection, he looked just like she remembered, almost unchanged from twenty years ago. It was as if he had fallen into a time warp; the years had slipped by in an instant, leaving no special marks.
“Brother, what happened to you?” Lin Zhizhi gently touched his cheek. “You haven’t aged at all. Where have you been all these years? What happened?”
“Are you afraid?”
Lin Zhizhi shook her head; how could she be afraid? No matter how Lin Heyu looked, he was still the brother she had always cared for and never let go of. She realized that the earlier avoidance was because he was afraid of scaring her. Lin Zhizhi let out a sigh of relief but suddenly remembered that she had aged and transformed from a young girl into an old woman. She should be the one to scare Lin Heyu, so she quickly covered her face and lowered her head to hide.
“Zhizhi, what’s wrong?”
“…Am I really so old that I look ugly?” Lin Zhizhi sniffled. “I just cried so much earlier. Brother, please don’t think poorly of me.”
A gentle breeze brushed against the gardenia flowers blooming in her heart. Lin Heyu chuckled softly and tightened his arm around her shoulders. “No, you are still as bright and beautiful as before. Zhizhi, no matter how much time passes, you will always be my most beautiful sister.”
“Really?” Lin Zhizhi revealed a reddened eye from her arm.
Lin Heyu and Yi Shi both nodded in unison. Lin Zhizhi finally lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and her lips curled into a smile. As the night breeze blew, she sneezed, and Lin Heyu immediately remembered that she was still a patient. He glanced at her outfit, seeing that she was only wearing a base layer under her coat and had not even put on a sweater. Habitually scolding her, he said, “It’s almost winter, the temperature difference between day and night is huge. Why are you still dressed so lightly? You’re an adult now, yet you can’t take care of yourself properly. Being pretty won’t fill your stomach.”
“I’m wearing enough! I’m old enough to not only care about looking good but also about being warm.”
“And the sweater?”
“I was too hot in the ward earlier, so I took it off.”
Lin Heyu began to fasten the buttons of his coat one by one. “Put it on as soon as we go back. You have allergic rhinitis; staying warm is most important in winter. If you catch a cold, it will flare up.”
Hearing the familiar nagging again made Lin Zhizhi’s eyes sting with tears. She hugged his arm tightly. “Brother, it’s so good that you’re back.”
The three of them returned to the emergency building, where two new traffic accident patients were being rushed in. Their injuries were severe, and the doctors and nurses were busy. Lin Zhizhi frowned and instinctively hid behind Lin Heyu, avoiding the bloody scene.
Lin Heyu placed his hand in front of her eyes, and she softly said, “Brother, I want to go home. I don’t want to stay here.”
“Did the doctor allow you to go back?”
“Yeah, once the IV is done, I’ll be fine to go anytime.” As if afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Lin Zhizhi grabbed Yi Shi’s arm. “Xiao Yi was here earlier too; he heard it too.”
Lin Heyu glanced at the time. “What about Sheng Guoning? When is he coming to pick you up?”
Lin Zhizhi wasn’t sure. Earlier, Sheng Guoning had said he would drop off Yi Shi before coming back. Now that Yi Shi was right there, he still didn’t know what was keeping him busy.
“Can’t reach him by phone?”
Lin Heyu’s tone noticeably cooled down. Lin Zhizhi quickly defended her husband, saying that he must have some unexpected situation at work and couldn’t come over. She praised his dedication and thoughtfulness, causing Lin Heyu to realize that his sister had truly become a stream of water flowing away once married. He couldn’t help but feel that she must really love this man to defend him at every turn.
“Brother, I’m fine now; I can go home by myself.” Lin Zhizhi spread her arms and turned in a circle. “Right? I can run and walk, so I won’t trouble Guoning. He has important things at work that he can’t delay.”
Lin Heyu pondered. It was secondary whether Sheng Guoning came to pick Zhizhi up; if he continued to not show up, they would need to hurry to Nanyi Machinery Factory. With just over two hours left since the explosion incident occurred, plus the travel time from here to the factory, they really had little time to think.
Voices echoed in the hallway, and Lin Zhizhi peeked out to see a stretcher covered with a white cloth being pushed out of the rescue room. Several family members were kneeling on the ground, wailing. She couldn’t bear to watch any longer and shut the door. “…I want to go home; I want to leave right away.”
She felt a deep-seated fear of hospitals. During the time Xiao Shitou was hospitalized for burns, she had seen too many separations of life and death in the hospital. Plus, with Lin Heyu’s long absence, she was constantly reminded, fearing that one day the white cloth covering a body would be her brother.
Seeing her pale face, Lin Heyu guessed that she was stimulated by the scene outside, affecting her fragile nerves. He said, “Let’s call Sheng Guoning again.”
Lin Zhizhi dialed the number, but this time the call was hung up. Shortly after, she received a text message: “I’m in a meeting now, I’ll reply later.”
The polite tone indicated it was a quick response. Lin Zhizhi handed the phone to Lin He Yu and said, “See? He really is busy; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left me hanging here.”
What could he be busy with? Lin Yi and the others both knew—he was likely dealing with Xiao Shitou, possibly taking him to the machinery factory.
Lin Zhizhi put on her sweater and tidied her long hair, saying, “Brother, come home with me. There’s a room for you at home. And Xiao Yi, you should come back too; tomorrow our family can have a good get-together.”
The two people across from her didn’t respond, and Lin Zhizhi wondered, “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, Zhizhi. We still have things to take care of.”
Lin Zhizhi was taken aback: “What do you mean? Are you leaving again? This time it’s ‘you guys’?” She tugged at Lin He Yu’s sleeve. “We just met!”
The reasons for all this were too complicated to explain; three days and nights wouldn’t be enough. Facing her worried and confused gaze, Lin He Yu gently said, “Zhizhi, I’ve been away for so many years due to some special reasons. Now that I’m back, it’s also to resolve this issue. Once everything is over, I’ll always stay by your side.”
“No, brother, you can’t leave. I really don’t want to lose you again…”
Seeing the mist gathering in Lin Zhizhi’s eyes, Yi Shi stepped forward and softly said, “This time he’s not alone; I’m here too. I’m not that powerless, manipulated child anymore. Trust me, and trust Lin He Yu.”
Lin He Yu chuckled lightly, his hand instinctively resting on Yi Shi’s shoulder, as if conveying a sense of trust. Yi Shi merely responded with a glance, but it felt as if they had exchanged a thousand words.
Their shared looks and movements conveyed a tacit understanding, forming an invisible barrier that separated them from others, making only each other’s thoughts and feelings comprehensible.
That was a bond she could not join.
———
[10/30, 03:31, Changlong Garden, Nanyi City]
It was already the early hours of the morning, yet Lin Zhizhi was overflowing with excitement. Twenty minutes ago, she was brought to Changlong Garden by Sheng Guoning, and from the moment she entered, she had been squealing, “Wow! This decoration style! This chandelier! This TV wall! This screen partition! It’s so beautiful; it’s all my favorite style!”
Sheng Guoning was both amused and helpless; of course, she would like it—every part of this home was her handiwork.
Lin Zhizhi bounced around the three-bedroom apartment like a lively little rabbit, even cherishing the decorative items she picked up. When she turned back, her eyes were filled with emotion: “All the decorations here are exactly like the designs I drew before. Seeing them become a reality makes me so satisfied!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Right? I definitely love it, but it might be a bit hard for the elders to accept, right?” Lin Zhizhi tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully, “Hmm… did I have any conflicts with my in-laws during the renovation?”
“No. They really like you, and they were very satisfied with your renovation plan.”
That statement was quite misleading. Sheng Guoning’s parents indeed liked Lin Zhizhi—she was beautiful, intelligent, and had an aura. They were very pleased that their son had found such a wonderful wife after being single for so many years. However, the wedding house had already been fully decorated, and all the money was spent. Then Sheng Guoning suddenly said, “I don’t like it; I want to redo it,” which left the elders angry and not speaking to their son for a month.
The second renovation was paid for out of Sheng Guoning’s own pocket. When his parents saw it for the first time, they discovered that Lin Zhizhi had made all the decisions, which led them to understand that it was Lin Zhizhi who couldn’t adapt, and their son was so focused on her that he took the blame willingly. For this reason, Sheng Guoning’s parents were worried for a while—would being so compliant in a marriage lead to great losses in the future? Fortunately, the couple had a smooth journey in marriage and children; they had a child the following year, and their relationship was harmonious, so the little dispute over the renovations eventually faded away.
Sheng Guoning didn’t want to tell Lin Zhizhi any of this; he only wanted her to feel the happiness of marrying him. How could there be no trivial matters in a marriage? But as long as the overall feeling was happy, then the marriage would be considered successful.
The screen partitions and various cabinets in the house displayed many photos. Lin Zhizhi looked through them one by one, her smile brightening her eyes: “An An is so handsome! He’s tall and smiles so brightly. My previous wish was to have a son like him!”
“Yes, he’s still an athlete and is currently on the swimming team.”
Lin Zhizhi cupped her face with her hands: “Ah! So good! I want to see him in person! But wait, what if he gets startled? Mom suddenly looks so young, haha…”
Sheng Guoning watched her quietly from behind, his smile gentle.
So far, Lin Zhizhi was satisfied with everything; the only awkward feeling she had was—Yi Shi was truly a younger generation, their adopted child, and still legally considered her son.
This left her dumbfounded. Initially, she had only speculated when she saw the family photo, but later confirmed it from Sheng Guoning, which instantly shocked her: “Oh my, he’s my ‘son,’ and also my brother-in-law?! What kind of chaotic generational relationship is this?”
“…Eh, Yi Shi is really a remarkable existence…” Lin Zhizhi murmured while looking at the photo of the two brothers, then asked Sheng Guoning, “Are there any childhood photos here? I love taking pictures, and I must have left many memories for them.”
Now it was impossible to hide it, and with Lin Zhizhi’s curiosity, whatever she wanted to know would be pursued relentlessly. If discovered later, it would be hard to explain. It was better to be open and honest about it now. So, Sheng Guoning waved her over at the bedroom door. Lin Zhizhi walked over and saw him open the lower drawer of the wardrobe, taking out an album: “Prepare yourself mentally; don’t be too surprised when you see Yi Shi’s childhood photos.”
Lin Zhizhi nodded repeatedly, just as she was about to take the album, she withdrew her hand: “It seems like things I touch become strange; you flip through it; I’ll just watch.”
Sheng Guoning opened the album, flipping past the pages with writing directly, and just as he turned to the second page, Lin Zhizhi gasped, covering her mouth: “This—! He’s Xiao Shitou?!”
“Mm.”
“I always thought he was the child we adopted from the welfare home… how could he be Xiao Shitou?! I had considered raising him, but he never agreed; what he really wanted was to live with my brother!” Lin Zhizhi paused, suddenly recalling something strange. She asked Sheng Guoning to flip through the album from the last page, and as he did, her face gradually turned pale. “…Where’s my brother?”
“Why hasn’t my brother appeared in any of the photos from these past years?” Lin Zhizhi panicked, “Even if he doesn’t like taking pictures, I would have taken some for him. There’s no reason for there not to be a single photo!”
“…” Sheng Guoning fell silent, and Lin Zhizhi read a hint of bitterness in his eyes, quickly grabbing his arm. “Tell me! How has my brother been since I got married? Is he still single? Still in Haijing?”
“…Mm, still in Haijing. Not married, but doing pretty well.”
Lin Zhizhi bit her lip, and after a few seconds, she softly said, “Call my brother; I want to hear his voice.”
“It’s already so late; let’s wait until tomorrow…”
“Quick!” Lin Zhizhi suddenly got agitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, exposing her unease. The moment Sheng Guoning saw her panicked and helpless expression, it reminded him of those difficult days in the hospital. He had worked hard to help Lin Zhizhi recover from the pain of losing Lin Heyu and didn’t want to see her looking lost and crying again.
Sheng Guoning pressed his hand on her shoulder. “Zhizhi, don’t think too much; Lin Heyu is doing well, trust me.”
“Then let me hear his voice! Even if we can’t meet, just hearing his voice will make me feel at ease.” The more he tried to hide it, the more anxious Lin Zhizhi became. Seeing Sheng Guoning still hesitating, she stood up abruptly. “Forget it; I’ll just go find them. I feel really uneasy; I have this bad feeling.”
“Hey! Zhizhi!”
Sheng Guoning blocked her way, just as his phone rang. It was Lin Zhizhi calling from the hospital.
Phew, a good excuse! Sheng Guoning hung up the phone, grabbed his coat, and went out. “I have an urgent matter at work; I need to step out for a bit. You stay here and don’t wander around!”
“Hey! Sheng Guoning! Don’t go!” Lin Zhizhi had just chased after him when the door closed. “Click, click,” it locked twice.
Lin Zhizhi’s face turned green; she banged on the door. “You’re locking me in again?! Why are you two doing this?!”
“Sheng Guoning! Come back! You have to explain this to me! What happened to my brother?!”
Sheng Guoning stood in the hallway, letting out a long sigh as he wiped his forehead, beads of sweat forming in his palm. Truly, she was Lin Heyu’s sister; her instincts were sharp, and she would expose anything that felt off.
He sighed softly and took out his phone, noticing that when he hung up earlier, he accidentally sent a quick reply. Lin Zhizhi had texted back: [Okay, you go ahead.]
This was good; he could use work as an excuse to take Xiao Shitou to the machinery factory first and then go to the hospital to accompany Lin Zhizhi. As for this one at home… He glanced back, and after the explosion incident, everything would return to normal, right?
Lin Zhizhi yelled a few times, her throat dry, unable to call out anymore. Angry, she went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, downing it in one go. After resting for a few minutes and calming down, her sense of foreboding only grew stronger.
Something must have happened to Lin Heyu. Beyond the clues she had gathered from the photos, the strongest proof was Xiao Shitou. He was so attached to Lin Heyu and had always rejected her idea of adopting him, yet he ended up becoming their adopted son. Didn’t that prove Lin Heyu wasn’t around?
Her brother went missing while handling a case on the mountain; the other brother was with Yi Shi; they had come to this future world… It all felt like a time-traveling science fiction movie, with fate colliding in the dark, sparking fierce flames.
No, she had to figure out what they were hiding from her.
Lin Zhizhi took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared for another round of searching. She didn’t care if whatever she touched would change; she needed to find the spare key first. Changlong Flower Garden was completely different from her small rental apartment; first, the area was on a whole different level, plus the various storage cabinets made finding a key a massive undertaking.
Standing in the middle of the living room, she imagined where she might have put the spare key. Soon, she listed a few possible areas to check. She first looked through the shoe cabinet and coat rack in the entrance, then moved to the living room.
She pulled open the drawer of the coffee table; it bounced slightly, as if something was stuck. Lin Zhizhi knelt down, leaning over to observe; the gap was too narrow, and she could only see something like a crumpled piece of paper stuck inside. Since her hand couldn’t fit in and she didn’t have suitable tools, taking out the drawer was the best option. Luckily, the drawer had spring clips on both sides, which wasn’t too difficult for her. After getting her hands all dirty, she finally managed to remove one side.
The gap created by the opened drawer was wide enough for a hand to reach in. Lin Zhizhi carefully pulled out the crumpled paper. It was a folded A4 sheet. After wiping her hands, she slowly unfolded it. The entire paper was filled with mirror-image, reversed text, and upon closer inspection, Lin Zhizhi’s shoulder trembled: it was her brother’s handwriting; this paper was written by Lin Heyu!
Lin Zhizhi quickly scrambled up, ran to the bedroom, and opened the dressing mirror, holding the paper up to her chest. The mirrored reflection finally showed the text correctly.
[10.30, 06:35 A.M., an explosion occurred in Workshop No. 2 and a dormitory at the Nanyi Machinery Factory; number of fatalities: 12; main culprits: Pang Nengshui, Zhao Chenghu…]
Seeing the lines of text in the mirror made her heart race. Why did her brother write about this case? Weren’t they investigating a kidnapping case? October 30th—that was today!
Lin Zhizhi bit her lip tightly, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest. She suddenly picked up the album, flipping to the front page where the family photo was, beneath which was a sentence she had personally written: [To my dearest brother, I miss you so much.]
Lin Zhizhi’s fingertips trembled, and as she quickly flipped through the pages, she noticed that Xiao Shitou’s eyes and expression in the photos were darker and sharper than they were now. The only photo in the entire album where he wore a short-sleeved T-shirt showed his arms with torn skin, indicating he had gone through a horrifying fire.
What happened to Lin Heyu? And Xiao Shitou—why was he burned? Today was indeed October 30th; would the South Yi Machinery Factory really explode?
—
[10/30, 04:10, Changlong Garden, Nanyi City]
“Ding,” the elevator doors opened, and Yi Shi, Lin Heyu, and Lin Zhizhi stepped out. The two had accompanied her to her door, and Lin Zhizhi looked at her brother with reluctance in her eyes. “Brother, do you really have to go?”
“Mm, don’t worry; we’ll be back once we finish what we have to do.”
Lin Zhizhi lowered her gaze. “Although I don’t know what’s happening, it definitely isn’t something simple. I’ve waited for you for twenty years; I don’t mind waiting one more night.” When she raised her head again, her eyes sparkled with anticipation. “When you come back, you can’t leave again. I want to hear all the stories from these years.”
Lin Heyu felt a surge of emotion and hugged her tightly. “Be good, get some rest.”
The “brief” farewell seemed lighthearted, but their hearts were heavy. In the corridor, Lin Zhizhi was left alone. She blinked back tears threatening to spill and took out her keys to unlock the door.
Huh? Locked twice?
Usually, they would only lock it once when they left, but today it was locked twice, a slight abnormality that immediately caught her attention. She carefully opened the security door a little and peered inside; the lights in the living room were on, and a pair of deep brown ankle boots were at the entrance. A woman had come to the house?
“Bang!”
A noise came from deep inside the house. Lin Zhizhi held her breath and tiptoed in, slowly approaching the bedroom.
Inside the bedroom, Lin Zhizhi was also startled. She had just heard the sound of the door opening and thought it was Sheng Guoning coming back. But the door opened slowly and eerily, sending chills down her spine. She pressed against the wall, hiding by the bedroom door, and when she stood up, the album fell to the ground with a muffled thud.
Who came back? The son she had never met? Or the version of herself who had married and had children? They came in, and although the footsteps were very light, they were approaching her…
The footsteps completely stopped at the doorway, and Lin Zhizhi was extremely nervous. Was the person outside? Why was there no sound at all? Who was it, really?
She placed her hand on her chest and slowly tilted her head. The person mirrored her action, and two identical faces appeared in each other’s sight like a reflection in a mirror.
“! It’s you!”
They spoke in unison, even stepping back at the same time. Lin Zhizhi outside the door was hit with an immense surprise tonight—it wasn’t anyone else in the room but her younger self!
“Who… Who are you? How did you get here?” she asked.
“I’m Lin Zhizhi! I… I just came to take a look,” the younger her replied.
“You’re Lin Zhizhi, and so am I! How can there be two of me at the same time… Are you really real?”
“I’m definitely real; I am you!”
Both of them stood frozen in astonishment and confusion, but finally, she hesitantly took a step forward, extending her right hand, wanting to confirm each other’s existence.
As their fingertips and cheeks gently touched, waves of light flickered between them, time seeming to take on the form of tangible shadows, slowly flowing around them. Memories from twenty years ago and twenty years later surged forth like a tidal wave, connecting the missing, forgotten, and faded past into a complete story.
She didn’t just have Lin Heyu as a brother. In a much earlier time, there had been someone who held her hand and walked through the streets and alleys with her, braving the storms and hardships, suffering through blizzards, while always trying their best to protect her despite being mired in difficulties themselves.
Lin Zhizhi blinked, and a tear fell.
“You are Lin Zhizhi. I am… Gardenia.”
Her body fell back, and the Lin Zhizhi outside the door rushed to catch her, only to find herself holding a small body. Half-length black hair fell over her shoulders, with delicate and fine features, a tender and round face, and her eyes slowly closed in deep slumber.
—–
Author’s Note:
Do you remember the paradox rule? When two parallel selves are about to come into contact, they will experience spatial separation and cannot coexist.
However, in Lin Zhizhi’s case, it was a separation in time, dividing her from Gardenia and allowing them to coexist, thus fulfilling the prophecy that “there is no Gardenia here”…
