While Yuan Maoqiu frantically ran through the underground air-raid shelter, Lin Heyu was repeatedly calling for him over the comms. There was no response, though. It had been ten minutes since the kid said he was coming to find him. He was definitely lost.
Yi Shi rolled up his sleeves and began dragging the two corpses together. “I’ll handle these two.”
“You?” Lin Heyu grabbed his shoulder. “For wanted criminals like these, it’s acceptable to shoot them on sight.”
“I fired the shots. There are too many traces left behind. You won’t be able to explain it.”
Lin Heyu fell silent. In his world, there was no adult version of Yi Shi. After the earlier struggle, no matter how meticulous he was, Yi Shi’s presence couldn’t be completely erased. While it was legal to shoot criminals under certain conditions, things would be different if the person wasn’t law enforcement.
“What are you going to do?”
Yi Shi smiled and pulled a coin from his pocket, handing it to Lin Heyu. As their fingers touched, the coin’s pattern flipped, transforming into a “misprinted coin” in Lin Heyu’s hand.
Lin Heyu froze, then immediately looked back down the corridor. Before the fight, he had still been able to hear Yuan Maoqiu’s voice. But after Yi Shi had jumped on him, the comms signal had cut out.
It seemed he had misjudged Yuan Maoqiu. No wonder he couldn’t find him—the boy had already disappeared.
Yi Shi crouched, half of his face hidden in the shadows. “I knew I’d meet you and bring you here. In fact, your disappearance back then… I caused it.”
“What’s today’s date?” Lin Heyu asked.
“October 29th.”
Lin Heyu’s expression turned grim. “Tomorrow…”
Yi Shi nodded. Ever since Lin Heyu had gotten involved in a kidnapping case in another world, the follow-up developments in this world had naturally been cut off. Lin Heyu’s world had operated similarly, with an explosion case from twenty years ago and a kidnapping case from the same period. Both ended in strange ways, and the real conclusion was found in the mirror world.
Yi Shi wanted to laugh, but his lips wouldn’t move. He had long experienced this feeling of powerlessness many times before. Every time he tried to break the paradox and disrupt the deliberately orchestrated accidents, the resulting butterfly effect only caused the predetermined events to unfold more smoothly.
But from beginning to end, he was unwilling to accept fate. He wasn’t content to let the two of them go through endless cycles of forgetting and reuniting, repeating over and over again.
So, he stood up and whispered something in Lin Heyu’s ear. Lin Heyu was slightly surprised but nodded seriously.
———
[02/29, 10:00, Pingju Square, Nanyi City]
Xiao Shitou followed the “Haijing colleague” quietly, displaying an unprecedented level of obedience. It wasn’t until they lost sight of the sign for the Qitian Hotel that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The hand holding his was slender and well-defined, with a thin layer of callus at the base of the thumb and on the fingertips. The palm felt slightly warm, but the fingertips were unnaturally cold, radiating a chilling sensation.
“Why are you here?” Xiao Shitou tugged at his coat sleeve and asked softly.
From the moment he first saw him, Xiao Shitou knew an opportunity had come. Luckily, Sheng Guoning hadn’t met this person before, so he didn’t know that this “Haijing colleague” standing before him was actually Yi Shi, the one they had been discussing earlier.
Yi Shi hailed a taxi, and he and Xiao Shitou got in. Yi Shi told the driver, “To Pingju Square, please.”
Xiao Shitou wasn’t concerned about where Yi Shi was taking him; he was only worried about Gardenia’s whereabouts. Yi Shi patted his head and smiled softly. “Don’t worry, she’s in a very safe place.”
“How’s her injury? She hit her head, didn’t she? Do you think it might have caused brain damage?” Xiao Shitou asked anxiously. Gardenia was so cute and lively, like a little sun. If she ended up with lasting effects from the injury, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
“Don’t think too much. She’s fine and will be okay in the future too.”
Xiao Shitou finally felt a sense of relief, letting go of all his tension and defenses. He tilted his head and looked at Yi Shi. Only a few hours had passed since their last meeting, but this person’s condition seemed completely different. How could he have recovered so quickly after being injured and falling into the river?
And his hand was so cold, radiating a chill… could it be…
Xiao Shitou leaned closer and placed his right hand on Yi Shi’s chest. Yi Shi’s almond-shaped eyes were full of amusement. “Do you think I’m a ghost?”
Even through the fabric of his clothes, Xiao Shitou could feel the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. Embarrassed, he grinned. “…No, I just… wanted to check.”
Yi Shi gently pushed his hand away and turned to admire the passing scenery.
Before long, the taxi arrived at Pingju Square, with a giant decorative diamond standing across from them. Yi Shi pointed towards the pedestrian street. “Remember the café, Time Flies?”
Xiao Shitou tilted his head. After a moment, his eyes widened. “It’s that café! The place where I first met you!”
Yi Shi took his hand and led him across the street towards the café. As they waited for the traffic light, Xiao Shitou looked up. “Why are you taking me there? I don’t want coffee, I want to see Gardenia.”
“You will.”
“Oh.” He expected that answer.
He glanced at Yi Shi and asked quietly, “Did you tell Lin Heyu? You fell into the river yesterday, and he was really worried about you.”
“He understands me. He knows I’ll be fine.” Yi Shi ruffled his hair. “Can you guess what kind of relationship we have?”
Xiao Shitou blinked, recalling the word Sheng Guoning had let slip that morning. His mood plummeted. “…Are you two… partners?”
Yi Shi’s hand paused briefly. He bent down to look him in the eye. “I’m not talking about me and Lin Heyu; I’m asking about you and me.” After saying this, he flicked Xiao Shitou’s forehead lightly. “You’re still young. Don’t let these kinds of things affect you.”
Xiao Shitou covered his forehead, showing both grievance and frustration on his face. What kind of relationship could the two of them have? And who’s the one calling me young? What kind of indescribable relationship do you and Lin Heyu have that could possibly affect me?
After crossing the street and taking just a few more steps, Time Flies café appeared before them. Just like the last time, the moment they pushed open the door and the wind chime rang, the scenery inside had already shifted. The light outside had changed, casting the warm glow of the afternoon sun across the tables.
The quartz clock on the wall showed that it was 2 o’clock. Xiao Shitou turned to look at the tinted glass behind them. The reflection in the glass displayed the correct time from when they had just entered.
A shiver ran down his arm, his skin prickling with goosebumps. He was too nervous to speak. Every time he was with Yi Shi, these scientifically inexplicable phenomena occurred, which terrified him.
They sat down on the first floor near the staircase, an isolated spot where no one would bother them. Yi Shi ordered lunch for them, two identical set meals that suited both his and Xiao Shitou’s tastes.
Xiao Shitou swung his legs. “You didn’t just bring me here to eat, did you?”
Yi Shi nodded, his expression as calm as could be.
“…”
Xiao Shitou slumped over the table like a deflated balloon. Yi Shi chuckled softly. “You still haven’t answered me—what do you think our relationship is?”
“Do we even have a relationship? I don’t think we do…”
“Think again.” Yi Shi’s voice was patient, his tone warm. “It’s a close, irreplaceable relationship.”
Xiao Shitou’s black eyes swirled in thought before he gave up. “I have no idea. I just met you recently. I’ve never seen you before. Besides, I’m an orphan. I was abandoned on the side of the road at birth, with no parents or relatives. I don’t dream of finding lost family members just to comfort myself.”
Yi Shi leaned his head on his hand, his brow furrowing slightly before quickly smoothing out. “Alright. Just remember what I’ve said.”
“It’s because of what you said that I ran away again, and now Lin Heyu’s mad at me and wants to drag me back to Haijing.” Xiao Shitou’s tone carried some blame. “And you told him not to rescue Gardenia, but he still went, and he got out of there safely…”
“Did he really get out safely?” Yi Shi’s lips curved faintly, but his brows held a touch of sorrow. “Temporary safety only makes the predetermined outcome unfold more smoothly.”
Xiao Shitou didn’t understand what he was talking about, but he could sense the sadness in his tone. He became anxious. “So… is he still going to die?”
The server set down their meals, and Yi Shi picked up his chopsticks. “Let’s eat.”
———
Xiao Shitou sat in the café, bored, resting his chin on his hands. He had been sitting with Yi Shi for more than two hours in the same spot. Yi Shi was looking at his phone, while Xiao Shitou was left with a scientific magazine to pass the time.
Five minutes ago, Yi Shi left *Time Passes*, telling him not to wander off and that he would come back to get him when the time came.
He didn’t specify when exactly that would be, so Xiao Shitou could only wait here. Time passed incredibly slowly, and when he looked up again, only five minutes had gone by.
The café had two young college students from nearby working part-time at the front desk. Before Yi Shi left, he had asked them to look after Xiao Shitou, and the two girls couldn’t resist his handsome face, agreeing almost immediately.
“Hey, do you want to play a puzzle?” The short-haired girl sat across from Xiao Shitou, holding a box. When Xiao Shitou saw the label “100 pieces,” he wasn’t interested and silently shook his head.
The girl with pigtails held a tablet. “Then do you want to watch some cartoons? I can play something for you.”
Cartoons were even more boring.
“What do you like to play with? Just tell us, we have lots of toys here.”
The short-haired girl smiled brightly and patted his black hair. “Come on, smile! Don’t always have such a serious face; it’ll make you less cute.”
“…”
Xiao Shitou was speechless, scooting away slightly, trying to escape the circle of attention from the two girls.
“Hey, stop crowding the little cutie and come look at how to patch up this sunflower,” the manager called, waving them over to the large sunflower painting. Xiao Shitou stood up, curious about what needed fixing on the painting.
“Hey? You’re interested in oil paintings? A little artist, huh?” The girl with twin ponytails pushed Yi Shi’s shoulder with both hands. “Let’s go take a look together, help the sisters fix the painting~”
Xiao Shitou was half-heartedly led to the front of the oil painting. On the table were yellow and brown paints, and the manager pointed to a flower in the lower right corner of a sunflower: “This was damaged by that naughty kid yesterday. If I hadn’t stopped him, the whole painting would’ve been ruined.”
“I heard White Horse complaining about it. Wasn’t it that chubby elementary student in a striped shirt?”
“Right, I was in the class yesterday too. That kid tore the painting, and the parents didn’t discipline him; they just sat there watching with smiles on their faces.”
“What a shameful lack of parenting.”
The two girls chatted excitedly, while the manager glanced at her watch. It was almost peak time, and she needed to call the booked customers, leaving the painting to the two girls. The short-haired girl said, “With it damaged like this, the base is exposed. It can’t be painted over.”
“Just print a sunflower and stick it on. Who’s going to stare at it anyway?”
“That’s too half-hearted, isn’t it? I want to stick a decorative diamond on it; it would be much more unique and sparkly.”
“You art students are always so creative.”
Xiao Shitou had been staring at the sunflower, remembering that the damage here was originally patched with a coin. He still had the change he had stolen from Lin Zhizhi’s house in his pocket. He casually took out a coin, eyes wide in surprise.
It was clearly taken from his pocket, but the text and pattern on it were eerily mirrored.
“Little friend, do you want to use this?”
“Use a coin to fix it? That’s a brilliant idea!”
The short-haired girl bent down to look at the coin, her expression even more amazed: “Hey, hey, hey, Xiaoxiao, come look! This one-yuan coin is so unique; is it a printing error?”
The girl with twin ponytails, whose name was Xiaoxiao, took the coin, studied it for a few seconds, then looked puzzled: “Is this really yuan? It looks a bit like game currency.”
The short-haired girl waved her hand, not caring anymore: “It’s so unique, let’s use it to fix the painting.” She beamed and spoke kindly to Xiao Shitou: “Can you give this coin to the sisters? I’ll give you a new version.”
Xiao Shitou nodded in a daze, watching as they happily used strong glue to stick the upside-down coin on the sunflower’s center and then filled it in with paint, turning it into the version he remembered.
His mind was dazed and confused. The coin he had seen outside the shop was his contribution? He had always thought it was caused by Yi Shi, but how could it relate to him?
Xiaoxiao brought him back to the seat, and the short-haired girl brought a glass of orange juice over, placing it on the table: “This is from the sister. Thank you so much today.”
“…You’re welcome.”
Xiao Shitou sat quietly, having only drunk a little of the orange juice, while the straw had already been chewed flat. He glanced at the clock from time to time. Why hadn’t Yi Shi returned yet? How long would he have to wait?
He turned to look at the tinted glass. The reflection showed a completely different scene than inside the store; the large mirror opposite was covered with sticky notes, and sitting at the neighboring table was a pair of girl friends happily taking selfies with their phones.
That was the world where he should be living, while this was a completely strange and frightening place.
The minute hand shook and pointed to twelve; it was six o’clock.
As the peak commuting hour arrived, among the throng of people, a familiar figure appeared, walking across the street toward the café. Xiao Shitou immediately stood up, pushed open the glass door, and ran out, the two girls unable to stop him.
“Lin Heyu!”
Lin Heyu looked up and saw Xiao Shitou excitedly waving at him from across the street. Just as he crossed the crosswalk, Xiao Shitou dashed over heedlessly, so he had to bend down and open his arms to catch him in a big hug.
Xiao Shitou was picked up and sat securely in Lin Heyu’s arms, who pinched his cheek: “Are you going to explain?”
“I… actually… I didn’t run away by myself…” Xiao Shitou stammered, his gaze drifting, unable to meet his eyes.
“Hmm, if you ran away by yourself, you wouldn’t have made it here.”
Xiao Shitou looked up and scanned his surroundings. Everything felt strange; he swallowed nervously: “I don’t like it here… How did you know I was here?”
“What do you think? Who else could tell me?” Lin Heyu gently patted his soft back, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Those simple words instantly reassured Xiao Shitou. He rested his chin on Lin Heyu’s broad shoulder and slowly closed his eyes.
Right, during their time together, Lin Heyu had been like a superhero, able to handle everything. He didn’t need to be afraid at all.
“I want to stay with you forever. Can you not take me back to Haijing?” Xiao Shitou quietly pleaded. He didn’t ask for much; he just wanted to be by Lin Heyu’s side.
Lin Heyu smiled, stroking his soft black hair: “Okay, then we won’t go back to Haijing. I’ll take you to a more surprising place.”
__
Author’s Note:
I’d like to explain some core concepts of this story again, particularly the concept of time travel.
Earlier, I mentioned that time travel is achieved through time reflection. In this chapter, you should be able to see that Yi Shi first takes Xiao Shitou to the café, then leaves to go to Lin Heyu’s place, where he eliminates two people in the air-raid shelter.
The sequence of worlds here is: café (Yi’s world) → air-raid shelter (Lin’s world) → accidentally taking Lin away (back to Yi’s world).
Once the order of the worlds is clarified, we can organize the time. Let’s assume Yi Shi leaves at 17:30; he leaves the café and in Lin’s world, it is 18:30. By the time they reach the mountain, it is about 19:30. According to time reflection, they are able to meet Lin just in time (for those who don’t understand, check the clock).
After that, after some fighting, when they return to Yi’s world, the time will certainly be ahead. If they leave Lin’s side at 08:00 and bring him to Yi’s world, then the time here will be 16:00, achieving a one-and-a-half hour time travel.
As for which Yi Shi this is, it will be explained later. I won’t spoil it; I mainly want to describe the basic principles.
Now, I’d like to point out a few details that might be misunderstood as bugs:
- When Yi Shi hands the coin to Lin Heyu, some readers may wonder: looking at the previous plot, when Yi Shi arrives in Lin’s world, the coin he brought from his world is already in a mirrored state. Why does Lin only get the coin’s pattern flipped here?
Because at this point, Lin has already entered Yi’s world. So, Lin is an intruder; when he touches the coin, it will mirror-flip, while it remains in its original state when in Yi Shi’s hand.
- Xiao Shitou contributes the coin to fix the painting. It’s clearly mentioned that when he first met Yi Shi, the painting already had a coin. Why is the patching scene appearing now?
This is still due to time reflection. I wonder if everyone has noticed that significant events occur during times that have reflection points, such as 10.30 reflecting 03.01 and 12.10 reflecting 01.21. However, during times without corresponding reflection points, the dates progress normally. In the two corresponding months, it’s just that morning and evening are reversed; I haven’t explicitly written this, but if you look closely, you can tell.
Now, looking back at Xiao Shitou’s encounter with Yi Shi in the café, it was on February 26 in his world. The next encounter with Yi Shi occurs the day before an explosion in this world. The explosion in Lin Heyu’s world happens on March 1, and the time the day before, having no reflection point, allows him to enter Yi Shi’s world, which is also the day before the explosion here on October 29.
The reflection point before 2.26 is 02.21, corresponding to 12.20, and the reflection point after is 03.01, corresponding to 10.30. From 2.26 to 03.01, the corresponding time in Yi Shi’s world is 10.30 to 12.20, just after 10.29. This is the principle behind the time difference in the patching of the painting.
Writing up to this point, I’ve realized that this article has become quite difficult, and at least I’ve filled several notebooks with my notes. This concept, to me, feels like breaking through a dimensional wall. I spend a long time studying each point in time. Explaining so much is my way of trying to help everyone understand as much as possible. If you still find it confusing, that’s okay—don’t be too hard on yourself. Thank you to every little cutie reading this, love you all!
