The midday sun shone brightly, the autumn air was crisp and pleasant, and the streets were bustling with traffic and crowds, presenting a scene of prosperity and liveliness.
Lin Heyu stood in front of the glass door of the Time Flies Café, his gaze scanning the area before settling on the reddish-brown wooden signboard. In his memory, this sign had long been weathered and old, carrying a sense of being eroded by time. However, the sign before him now was clean and new, with bright red lacquer filling the letters, and the distinctive smell of fresh paint wafted into his nose.
Six flower baskets were placed at the entrance of the café, with red ribbons bearing well-wishing phrases such as “Grand Opening” and “Prosperous Business.” The doormat was covered in colorful ribbons and confetti, as well as some red debris. Lin Heyu bent down to pick up a clump, rubbed it between his fingers, and confirmed it was the remnants of firecrackers.
This café had only recently opened.
“Welcome!” The glass door opened, and a server in a cream-colored shirt and black pants smiled. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? We’re offering a 20% discount on all coffee and desserts for our grand opening.”
“Grand opening?” Lin Heyu looked at the sign. “Wasn’t this a café before?”
“Sorry, I’m a new hire here, so I’m not sure,” the server smiled. “The sun’s pretty strong outside. Why don’t you come in and sit for a while?”
Lin Heyu walked inside, and the clear, pleasant sound of a wind chime rang out above his head. That sound hadn’t changed and was exactly as he remembered. The interior of the café was mostly the same as in his memory, with differences only in the details, such as the paintings on the walls, the number and style of small decorations, and the material of the stairs. The most noticeable change was the full-length mirror by the staircase, directly facing the glass door. The last time he was here, the mirror was covered with sticky notes from customers, so he hadn’t even realized it was a mirror.
The mirror directly faced the door, and he could clearly see the glass door opening and a slender figure entering.
The newcomer wore a moss green hooded jacket and casual pants, a simple outfit. Despite the lack of extra adornments, the combination of his tall, slender frame and his strikingly beautiful face was enough to captivate anyone. Even the server at the door was sneakily stealing glances out of the corner of her eye.
It was Yi Shi.
He seemed to be looking for Lin Heyu specifically, as he walked briskly toward him as soon as he entered and grabbed his arm.
“I remember you now, I remember everything.” Yi Shi’s eyes locked with Lin Heyu’s, his black eyes bright and intense. “Although it’s a bit late, thankfully, it’s not too late.”
“What’s late?” Lin Heyu asked.
Yi Shi’s lips curved into a smile. This smile was like a breeze blowing away the chilly spring cold, creating ripples in a pond. He then reached out and tightly hugged Lin Heyu, their chests pressed together with no space between them.
Lin Heyu was stunned for a moment. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Yi Shi, embracing him. His vision was filled with Yi Shi, leaving no room for the surprised expressions of the server and the customers.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were around me all along. I should have found you and gotten to know you sooner,” Yi Shi’s voice was filled with guilt. “But memories aren’t reciprocal. The next time I see you, I might not recognize you again.”
Why? Lin Heyu opened his mouth, wanting to ask, but the question got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
“Don’t ask why. Don’t come to Nanyi. Just stay in Haijing.”
Lin Heyu held him, deep in thought, as the scenery around them began to change. In an instant, the café disappeared, and they were standing under a streetlamp on a street corner. The previously sunny sky was now darkened as if splashed with ink. The north wind howled, cutting into their faces like knives.
It started snowing. Large snowflakes fell steadily, and under the dim streetlight, Yi Shi’s jacket had turned colorless, soon covered in a layer of frost.
Yi Shi finally let go of Lin Heyu. His pale face was streaked with brownish blood stains, and his lips were unusually pale. His expression softened significantly as he touched Lin Heyu’s cheek. “The current time isn’t in proper order. I can’t fully find the beginning yet. I might need your help.”
“If we have to enter a reversed fate, I’ll go on this adventure with you.”
Lin Heyu didn’t fully understand his words. His mind was full of questions, but he couldn’t control himself and nodded. “Okay, wait for me.”
A cold wind carrying snowflakes blew past, and the person he was holding disappeared. In his arms was a young Lin Zhizhi, her ponytail and cheeks reddened from the cold.
———
Lin Heyu slowly opened his eyes. There was no streetlamp, no snowstorm, only the white plaster ceiling of the hotel room. The room was filled with the silence of the night, broken only by the sound of shallow breathing from Xiao Shitou and Yuan Maoqiu in the neighboring bed. The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, and Xiao Shitou was curled up like a shrimp, pressed against the wall.
Lin Heyu pulled the blanket up over him. He remembered reading a scientific article about judging a person’s personality based on their sleeping position. This curled-up position indicated a severe lack of security, difficulty in adapting to new environments, and the need for more time to adjust. This was consistent with Xiao Shitou’s state. The child indeed lacked a sense of security; his big eyes were always filled with vigilance, no matter where or when.
It was only 6 a.m., still early for work, but Lin Heyu couldn’t fall back asleep. He kept thinking about the dream he had.
The newly opened café and the server’s attire indicated that the meeting took place in Yi Shi’s world. Whether it had actually happened or was just a figment of his imagination was unclear. In the dream café, he saw an electronic calendar through the large mirror, showing the date 21/01, which reflected in the mirror, would be October 15th?
However, the Yi Shi in his dream seemed to have a more comprehensive memory than he did. He said he remembered everything and told him not to go to Nanyi, possibly knowing that a major case might happen there?
Lin Heyu’s intuition told him it was related to his case. The subsequent scene of the long street and the dim streetlight was so familiar, as he had seen it since childhood in front of his house. Upon reflection, that part of the dream felt incredibly real, especially holding Zhizhi. It likely was something that had truly happened.
“If we have to enter a reversed fate, I’ll go on this adventure with you.”
These words were etched clearly in Lin Heyu’s mind. Rubbing his temples, he searched his scant memories. He was remembering less and less about the past, and he feared that eventually, he might forget Yi Shi altogether.
Just like their first encounter Southern Cheng’an Cemetery, Yi Shi’s attitude towards him was as if he were a stranger. The thought of such estrangement made Lin Heyu inexplicably irritable. His relationship with Yi Shi felt like a handful of sand, slipping through his fingers no matter how hard he tried to hold on, leaving him with nothing in the end.
Lin Heyu picked up his phone. Before he could unlock it, he saw a message notification from Yi Shi, sent five minutes before he woke up.
“I’m back in Nanyi.”
Those few simple words instantly woke Lin Heyu. Calculating the time on Yi Shi’s side, it was now 6 p.m.
Lin Heyu chuckled. Their times were indeed opposite—his daytime always equaled Yi Shi’s night. Wait, didn’t Yi Shi mention in the dream that the current time was not in proper order? Did that mean things needed to be set right?
Lin Heyu pondered and replied: “I’m here too. Dreamt of you telling me not to come to Nanyi.”
Yi Shi likely had no urgent matters, as he replied quickly: “Why?”
Lin Heyu: “I don’t know, didn’t have time to ask.”
Yi Shi: “I don’t remember saying that. Ask me again next time you dream.”
“…” Lin Heyu’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say to break the awkward atmosphere.
He was usually the one who killed conversations, as Yuan Maoqiu had teased him countless times. For the first time in his life, he met someone who could end a conversation even faster than he could.
Yu Xue sat across from Yi Shi in the noodle shop. He put down his chopsticks, elegantly wiped the soup from his lips with a napkin, and said, “You can’t go on like this.”
Yi Shi looked up, his eyes blank. Yu Xue picked up a chopstick. “This is you,” he said, picking up another chopstick, “and this is Lin Heyu. What are your thoughts?”
Yi Shi stared at the chopsticks for a full minute before tentatively saying, “Two chopsticks can’t be broken? There are too few; they’ll break.”
Yu Xue, ever patient, smiled benignly. He adjusted his glasses and said with extraordinary patience, “What I mean is, your conversations are always linear, and you never get to the point.”
He crossed the two chopsticks, stacking them together. “Find a way to break in. Aren’t you always curious about your relationship with him and his world? You should take the opportunity to ask. Aren’t you good at getting information?”
Yi Shi made an “OK” gesture, understood, and picked up his phone to ask. Yu Xue went to scan the QR code to pay, and when he came back, he noticed Yi Shi typing a long message. He was stunned. “What are you writing? An essay?”
“Asking questions.” Yi Shi handed over the phone, looking innocent.
Yu Xue took the phone and, seeing the message, felt a wave of disbelief. He felt like a horde of imaginary alpacas was running through his mind.
1. What is the composition of the Haijing criminal investigation team? (Including the captain, vice-captain, political commissar, etc.)
2. What is the leadership structure of the Haijing City Bureau? (Details, with titles)
3. What is the current composition of the Nanyi criminal investigation team? (Same as above)
Nearly ten questions in total, each concise and to the point, explaining the ultimate purpose with minimal words, perfectly demonstrating the qualities of an unofficial pre-trial officer.
Yi Shi seemed unaware of the issue and remained calm. “I’m not done yet.”
Yu Xue sat beside him and, in front of him, deleted all the questions. Yi Shi wanted to say something but hesitated, like a child with many questions.
Yu Xue maintained his kind demeanor, placing a hand on Yi Shi’s shoulder, smiling. “Yi Shi, you might have misunderstood your relationship with him. He’s not a suspect you need to interrogate. Treat him like a normal friend, like you’re talking to me. A bit more warmly would be even better.”
“Just now—wasn’t normal?”
From Yi Shi’s expression, Yu Xue could tell he genuinely believed there was nothing wrong with his questions. He sighed, rubbing his temples. “Let me put it this way. In social terms, this is how you get blocked.”
Yi Shi lowered his eyes, slowly responding, “He won’t do that.”
“Do you know why Lin Heyu didn’t reply to you?”
Yi Shi shook his head, then, after thinking for a moment, tentatively said, “He’s busy?”
Yu Xue’s expression turned weary, and he spoke with the wisdom of experience. “Because he doesn’t know how to reply.”
This was clearly spoken from experience. After working together for many years, Yu Xue had witnessed Yi Shi’s uncanny ability to kill any conversation. He could perfectly guess Lin Heyu’s current feelings.
“…How should I put it?” Yi Shi humbly sought advice.
Yu Xue opened a set of Siamese cat stickers on WeChat and sent an adorable sticker named “Expecting” in response to Yi Shi’s straightforward message, “Ask again next time you dream.”
Yi Shi stared at his phone screen. This was Yu Xue’s move; he would never send such a sticker in his life. Never.
But it evidently worked. Lin Heyu replied: “Dreaming is hard. Possibly harder than meeting you.”
“He wants to meet you,” Yu Xue said directly.
“He didn’t say that,” Yi Shi weakly protested.
“Trust me, that’s the implication.”
Yi Shi felt disoriented, as if this situation had the feel of an online relationship becoming real.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet, but the difficulty was like breaking the fourth wall. Where would they meet? How would they meet? Could they just meet like that?
Yu Xue nudged his elbow: “Will you agree? Anyway, we probably won’t be back until the day after tomorrow.”
“Uh… I don’t know,” Yi Shi hesitated. “It’s difficult.”
“Besides catching Zhao Chenghu, how many times have you met?”
“Twice.”
“Where was the first time?”
“At the cemetery.”
The girl at the table in front of them suddenly coughed violently, choking on her noodles, and took several big gulps of her drink. Yu Xue smiled slightly, already imagining her thoughts: The cute guy sitting behind her must be intense, meeting his online lover at a cemetery—perfect headline material!
As if seeing the other person and finding them vastly different from their photos, wanting to refuse but unable to escape, they would just point to a tombstone and say, “Come home with me,” right?
High. Truly high.
Lin Heyu quietly finished washing up and saw Yi Shi’s message: “Then let’s meet. You set the time.”
