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Chapter 66: The Grandmother Paradox
After class, Lian Jingyuan returned to his office and found the door slightly ajar. He pushed it open with a smile.
As expected, He Wei was there. He was sitting on the second level of the spiral bookshelf, head bowed and hunched over, exuding an air of despair and lifelessness.
“What brings you here today when you usually don’t have the time?” Lian Jingyuan placed his book down and lowered his smile. “You don’t seem quite yourself.”
“Something has happened.”
He Wei replied in a low voice, getting up and approaching. He was wearing a navy blue coat with large, dark purple stains that looked almost black. At first glance, you wouldn’t notice anything unusual, but as he got closer, Lian Jingyuan furrowed his brows and caught a whiff of a bloody scent.
He took off his coat, revealing a shirt underneath soaked in dark red bloodstains. Lian Jingyuan was taken aback and quickly asked, “What happened? Are you injured somewhere?”
He Wei shook his head faintly, and seeing no wounds on him, Lian Jingyuan realized that the blood must belong to someone else. With his shirt almost entirely stained red, coupled with the coat and the amount of blood… it was likely a grim situation for the person who bled.
“Did something happen to you?” Lian Jingyuan sat down beside He Wei, gently inquiring, “I’ve known you for so many years, and I’ve never seen you like this. If you tell me, maybe I can help.”
“You can.” He Wei suddenly grabbed Lian Jingyuan’s wrist with force. “Only you can give me an explanation for this.”
Lian Jingyuan felt the pain in his wrist from the pressure, and he placed his other hand on He Wei’s back to calm his emotions. “It’s okay. If I can help you, I’ll do my best.”
He Wei spoke in a hushed tone, “On the night of June 16th, there will be a meteor shower and a supernova explosion.”
Lian Jingyuan was puzzled, “June 16th does indeed have a forecast for the Northern Lyrids meteor shower, but a supernova— that can’t be predicted. Why are you so certain?”
“Because I experienced it personally.” He Wei raised his head, his face pale. “After that night, I came back.”
Lian Jingyuan was stunned. “How did you come back?”
He Wei whispered, “I don’t know; I just watched the meteor shower that night, and when I woke up the next morning, it was April 1st.”
“April 1st?” Lian Jingyuan recalled carefully. “I remember you were supposed to be working out of town? The official police department’s social media even reported that they caught the suspect afterward.”
“That’s the present-day He Wei, not the future me.” He Wei stared at him silently. “The future me is right in front of you.”
The office fell into a long silence as Lian Jingyuan looked at He Wei. His eyes were empty and lifeless, his face devoid of color, and his expression was heartbreaking. Coupled with the gruesome bloodstains on him, it seemed as though he had just been through a bloodbath, suffered a significant blow, and returned in despair.
He said he had experienced a supernova explosion two months into the future and came back to this time frame. This was something unimaginable, something that couldn’t be scientifically verified.
Lian Jingyuan spoke in a softer tone, “A-Wei, why don’t you come with me for now? Take a shower, change your clothes, and rest. We can talk more later, alright?”
“No, I want to know if I can go back to that day again.” He Wei said with determination.
Lian Jingyuan sighed, “How can I answer a question like that? Are you sure you didn’t mix up the dates? There’s a meteor shower forecast for this month as well…”
“I’m not joking,” He Wei stood up, bracing his hands on the desk, and stared intently at Lian Jingyuan. “You’re a physicist. From theory to practice, why don’t you believe it?”
Lian Jingyuan opened a drawer and took out a book titled “A Brief History of Time,” handing it to He Wei. “Turn to page 207; it explains why we haven’t encountered visitors from the future yet.”
He Wei flipped open the book, but the discussions of energy, curvature, and photons left him feeling dizzy. Lian Jingyuan knew he might not fully understand, so he explained, “Time travel has been speculated since the beginning of science. The currently accepted conclusion is that time travel is possible, but it’s limited to traveling from the present to the future.”
“The past is fixed and does not possess the kind of curvature required to allow travel back from the future. The future, on the other hand, is an unknown open space, so it doesn’t hinder having the necessary curvature. Additionally, going back to the past involves a famous paradox called the ‘grandmother paradox.’ If we could freely travel back in time and kill our grandmother, then we would not exist. Do you understand?”
Lian Jingyuan sighed and shook his head. “So what you’re saying is, based on my knowledge and theories, I can’t agree with this. And the way you look…” He glanced at He Wei’s blood-soaked clothes. “I feel like you encountered a dangerous criminal or perhaps some drug-induced hallucination. Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
He Wei leaned against the desk, remaining silent. Lian Jingyuan continued, “Let me take you back. Going back to the police station like this might not be a good idea.” He took a coat from the hanger and draped it over He Wei’s shoulders. “What do you say, come with me for now?”
With his hand on the edge of the coat, He Wei turned his head and looked at Lian Jingyuan. “Are you going to pick up your cat?”
Lian Jingyuan was taken aback, and He Wei smiled. “You got it a week ago, right? Is Stephen at home or still at the pet store?”
Facing He Wei’s smile, Lian Jingyuan’s brow furrowed. Stephen was a Ragdoll cat that he had recently adopted. He hadn’t told any of his friends about it, nor had he posted pictures of it online, let alone taken the cat anywhere.
“He Wei, even if you’re a police officer, you don’t have the right to track someone like this.”
“You know I wouldn’t do something like that.” He Wei’s index finger gently touched his chest. “I learned all this through your channels. If you still don’t believe, you can go to the police station now and meet the current me.”
The two locked eyes for a few seconds, and the determination and seriousness in He Wei’s gaze sent a shiver down Lian Jingyuan’s spine. He pushed his glasses and felt incredulous. “You—are you really He Wei from the future?”
He Wei nodded and looked at him quietly. “Can you answer my question now?”
———
He Wei emerged from the bathroom, his body steaming from the shower, and Stephen was perched on a cabinet, curiously tilting his head to look at him. His blue eyes were filled with curiosity and caution toward the stranger.
He Wei reached out and gently stroked Stephen’s furry little head, and Stephen squinted his eyes, displaying the good-natured temperament of a Ragdoll cat. However, he didn’t get too close, just raising his chin slightly to allow his owner’s friend to touch him.
“You two will become good friends.” Lian Jingyuan handed him a change of clothes. “Luckily, our heights and body sizes are similar. Go ahead and change.”
The blood-soaked clothing had already been placed in the laundry basket, and He Wei changed into Lian Jingyuan’s clothes, finally returning to his usual handsome appearance. It was now 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and He Wei borrowed Lian Jingyuan’s computer, opening the website of the horror forum. He searched for the account that had posted the exploration challenge and was surprised to find that it was an empty account that had not been successfully registered.
The website’s user ID did not display registration dates, and at the time, they only knew that it was a rarely used new account. They had never expected that on the 14th at 2 p.m., this account had still not been successfully registered.
Could it be…? He Wei frowned, starting to have a vague inkling of something. Lian Jingyuan poured a glass of water and handed it to him, concerned. “What’s wrong? Can you talk about it?”
“I’m afraid telling you would overturn your worldview, you know?” He Wei chuckled. “But now I’m gradually understanding the reasons behind the investigation I conducted before coming back.”
These events might all be a result of his actions, which he completed.
Lian Jingyuan thought for a moment and said, “You mean repeating actions you’ve already taken, like a Möbius loop?”
“Perhaps,” He Wei said wearily, “in a couple of days, I’ll be going to the department to confirm certain information, and then I’ll have a conclusion.”
Lian Jingyuan patted his shoulder, offering silent comfort. This was clearly beyond his realm of theoretical knowledge, and he couldn’t provide any constructive advice, including on the issue of He Wei’s presence in the office.
“I’m not sure. According to Hawking’s theory, there’s a coherent history method that can resolve the paradoxes caused by time travel. It means that if you can ensure that everything remains unchanged and leaves no traces in history, perhaps you could proceed step by step to the time you want to go back to.”
He couldn’t do much to help, but if He Wei needed him, he would be there by his side.
At 3 o’clock, He Wei reopened the website. The account was still nowhere to be found. He stood up and said, “Help me find a black coat and sunglasses. Thank you.”
Lian Jingyuan went to the bedroom closet and found a coat he rarely wore, along with a pair of sunglasses he only used when on vacation. He handed them to He Wei, who took them and also grabbed a mask from the table.
“Do you have any alternative exits in your community?” He Wei asked.
Lian Jingyuan thought for a moment before saying, “Near the west gate, there’s a place where they unload parcels. The workers removed two sections of the railing for convenience and used them to load and unload. After they’re done, they put it back up. The security guards haven’t noticed, but some residents who received packages felt it was unsafe. They were planning to complain about it recently.”
He Wei understood now. That was probably how the person in black left without being seen on the surveillance footage. He had assumed that a well-managed community like Huyue Xingchen wouldn’t allow such a “back door” situation. If he had asked one more question back then, could they have found more clues and evidence?
He Wei put on the coat and sunglasses. “Can I borrow your ID?”
Lian Jingyuan took out his ID from his wallet and handed it over. He Wei took it from between his fingers. “You don’t mind me using it like this?”
“It’s fine. You won’t harm me,” Lian Jingyuan replied casually. “Use it for as long as you need. If anyone asks, I’ll say it’s temporarily lost and I’m in the process of getting a replacement. It won’t be a problem.”
He Wei thanked him and put on the mask, ready to leave. Lian Jingyuan called him back as he was about to step out and handed him a key.
“This is for my place. If you have nowhere to go, just come over.”
———
He Wei squeezed through the two sawn sections of the railing and found himself in a narrow, dimly lit alley. It was sandwiched between two tall buildings, and through this narrow gap, he could see the bustling street on the other side—the entrance to the Huyue Xingchen community.
And that intersection—he had stood there alone before, and he had also gazed at it hand in hand with an intimate lover. In the end, he was left alone.
He Wei shook his head, shaking off the melancholy for now. This wasn’t the time to dwell on lost love. He had more important matters to attend to.
He Wei followed the streets to the Leijing Cybercafé he had checked during the investigation, passing by the liquor stores, convenience stores, all of which had been scrutinized for surveillance footage. They were vivid in his memory, but he didn’t divert his gaze, simply walking past them. Ahead, there was a flower shop with a table outside displaying bouquets of neatly arranged flowers. As he approached, a young girl in an apron lifted a bunch of roses and offered them to him, saying, “Sir, would you like to buy some flowers? We’re having a sale, and you get more for buying more—red roses, blue roses, pink roses!”
“Do you have champagne roses?” He Wei asked in a low voice.
The girl looked hesitant. “I’m sorry, we don’t have champagne roses in stock right now. We have to order them from the base. How many would you like? They’ll be available in a maximum of two days.”
He Wei shook his head. He didn’t need them.
He glanced down at his elbow; his coat had brushed against some rose petals, leaving a silvery-pink stain. It wasn’t something he had intentionally done, but it had happened at the right time for the right reason.
He Wei pushed open the glass door of the Leijing Cybercafe and walked in, taking out Lian Jingyuan’s ID card and renting a computer.
The cashier swiped the ID card and asked, “In the main hall or in a private booth?”
“Private booth.”
Once the computer was ready, the cashier placed the ID card on the counter. He Wei, holding Lian Jingyuan’s ID, raised his head and looked at the surveillance camera in the upper right corner.
All of this would be captured on tape and become another puzzle in this case.
He Wei walked to Booth B046, turned on the computer, and registered a new account. He clicked on the “Create Post” button and began recalling the specific contents of that post. Then, clattering away on the keyboard, he entered the information.
He had been teased by Chong Zhen for having “poisonous eyes,” as he could almost remember everything at a glance. But he never thought it would come in handy at a time like this.
He set the date, time, and amount for the expedition, almost pinpointing them. He clicked “Send,” and the expedition challenge was successfully posted. Next, he sent an email, actively inviting the “Warrior Alliance” team, the ten-member team organized by Lu Zhihua.
After completing all of this, He Wei let out a sigh of relief. He also opened a web page and began searching for information related to supernovae and time travel.
The results showed that there was no concrete evidence to suggest that the electromagnetic energy released by a supernova explosion would warp the space-time on Earth. He Wei lowered his head in contemplation and then searched for any news about a supernova explosion from the previous night.
Finally, an inconspicuous Weibo post caught his attention. It was posted by an amateur astronomer claiming to have observed a supernova explosion through a telescope, and the time matched what Cheng Zesheng had mentioned.
Two supernova explosions occurred, both coinciding with mysterious events. On April 13th, Employee He Wei went missing, and pianist Cheng Zesheng should have been no exception. On June 16th, he and another version of Cheng Zesheng came back, only to become trapped in a time loop.
These pieces of evidence made He Wei unable to ignore the possibility that the electromagnetic energy released by the supernova explosion had affected their parallel world, causing a phenomenon of time regression. And if yesterday’s explosion could be observed, it indicated that the explosion two months later would also happen on schedule.
After logging off the computer, He Wei retraced his steps without returning to Lian Jingyuan’s house. Instead, he went to Fulong Mountain. He followed the undeveloped road and carefully searched for the bullet casing. The assailant had opened the balcony window and fired two shots in this direction yesterday. The bullet casing had to be found.
The search took a long time, and as the moon rose, He Wei finally found a bullet casing hidden among the tangled branches. He sat on a rock, looking at the mansion’s window. In his memory, the police had not inspected this road, so even if the lost casing had fallen here, it wouldn’t have been discovered.
He Wei took a moment to rest, then pushed open the mansion’s door. Cheng Zesheng’s body still lay there peacefully. The pool of blood beneath him had congealed into a dark red, making his pale complexion even more striking. He entered the room, knelt beside Cheng Zesheng, and gently touched his face.
He had seen countless bodies in various states, but he had never seen one as handsome as Cheng Zesheng’s. It was as if he was peacefully sleeping, but he could never be awakened again.
He Wei held Cheng Zesheng’s hand; his fingers were completely stiff, and there was not only blood in the gaps of his nails but also mud left by the steel pipe. He took out a pack of wet wipes from his pocket and patiently wiped Cheng Zesheng’s hand clean. Then he used nail clippers to trim both fingers’ nails into neat, round shapes.
Once he was satisfied that Cheng Zesheng’s appearance was clean and presentable, He Wei began searching Cheng Zesheng’s pockets, retrieving anything useful—his cell phone, apartment keys, and some items that proved he had lived here. He took them all out.
As he rummaged through, he unexpectedly found a marble.
Cheng Zesheng’s expressionless face in front of the gashapon machine came to He Wei’s mind again. He had never thought to describe a grown man as “adorable,” but Cheng Zesheng was the first. He couldn’t help but let out a light laugh, and in the process, he lost his grip on the marble, which clattered to the floor, rolling under the cabinet.
He Wei paused to glance at it but resisted the urge to pick it up. He got back up and continued searching.
He Wei threw the steel pipe away and closed the balcony window. On the floor, there were two sets of footprints leading from the entrance, which were clear and belonged to him and Cheng Zesheng from the day before. About a meter away in front of Cheng Zesheng, there were scattered footprints that closely resembled those in the crime scene photos, along with two spent casings.
He Wei picked up the casings and put them in his pocket. He then crouched down to examine the footprints. After much deliberation, he decided not to clean them up.
Based on the evidence that appeared in the time loop, both sets of footprints would penetrate Cheng Zesheng’s world, and he didn’t need to tamper with them.
He closed his eyes and carefully reviewed the scene he had seen at the time, not missing a single detail. After about a minute, He Wei was confident that the crime scene had been perfectly restored and he could leave.
With moonlight trailing its long tail, He Wei stood against the light, looking down at Cheng Zesheng’s lifeless body.
“Wait for me.”
“I will find a way to save you.”
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