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Chapter 73: Variables
He Wei sat with his legs crossed, leisurely eating breakfast. Stephen squatted by his feet, munching on cat food, and then hopped onto his lap, being affectionate.
“Lian Jingyuan, don’t you have work today?” He glanced at the clock. “It’s already 9:30, and I remember you have classes all day on Thursdays.”
“The classes have been rescheduled.”
“Oh, I see.” He absentmindedly petted Stephen, wiped his hands after finishing the bread, and said, “I don’t like eating noodles. I’d like to have Hainanese chicken rice for lunch.”
There was no response from outside the door. What’s wrong with him? Is he not even going to place the order? A minute later, Lian Jingyuan said, “I’ve placed the order. It will be delivered at 11:30.”
He Wei had no objections. He stood up, stretched lazily, and began searching for tools like thin wires or hairpins that could be used to unlock the door. Fifteen minutes later, he sighed. Lian Jingyuan was meticulous; there wasn’t a single useful tool in the entire room, and even the removable cleaning tools in the bathroom had been taken away.
But if this could stump him, then his years as a police officer would have been in vain. Setting aside whether the cheap lock could withstand his tampering, if he went all out, Lian Jingyuan would have to replace his entire door.
However, He Wei didn’t advocate violence to solve problems, especially when it came to a long-time friend like Lian Jingyuan. If there wasn’t absolute malice involved, he preferred to handle things differently, trying not to harm anyone too much. So He Wei stood at the door with his arms crossed and said with a heavy tone, “Lian Jingyuan, you know my character. The decisions I make won’t change. If you open the door, I’ll pretend this never happened, and we can still be friends.”
“Since my impulsive slip of the tongue last night, I knew we couldn’t go back.” Lian Jingyuan leaned against the door, his tone calm but tinged with sorrow. “He Wei, I don’t want anything. I just want you to be alive in this world.”
“You want me to live, but everything you’re doing now is pushing me towards giving up on finding a way out.” He Wei’s voice became serious. “I’m stuck in a dead-end, and I won’t be able to break out of this loop if I can’t save Cheng Zesheng. Is this the result you want to see?”
“If you have feelings for me, you should want me to cut this Möbius loop as soon as possible.” He Wei glanced at the locked door. “Instead of keeping me here and hindering my actions.”
There was no response from outside the door for a long time. Stephen curiously stared at He Wei, who bent down to pat its little head. It’s your fault for using such a tactic last night, making him stay for one more night; otherwise, there wouldn’t be all these problems now.
“Lian Jingyuan, did you hear me?”
Still, there was no reply from outside the door. He Wei sighed and rolled up his sleeves. “Well, then, I’m sorry.”
With a loud bang, the wooden door was kicked open with a powerful kick. He Wei looked at the cracked door and the somewhat deformed latch. He would have to reimburse Lian Jingyuan for the repair cost. Let’s not mention that he shouldn’t use force to resolve this; it not only hurts their relationship but also their wallets.
He Wei walked out of the room and met Lian Jingyuan, who was walking toward him. Lian Jingyuan held a bunch of keys, staring at He Wei in astonishment, then looked at the now battered, milky-white wooden door.
“…” He Wei didn’t even say anything when he went to get the keys.
He Wei cleared his throat. “I’ll pay for it.”
Lian Jingyuan smiled and said, “Forget it. You’ve already given me face by not beating me up.”
“I had planned to teach you a lesson after opening the door,” He Wei rubbed his wrist, “but seeing your face, I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Lian Jingyuan’s hand instinctively touched his cheek as he smiled. “Then it’s all thanks to its influence.”
He Wei slung a small bag over his shoulder, containing some clothes he had packed from home. Lian Jingyuan held Stephen in his arms and asked from behind, “Will I see you again?”
“It’s unlikely; there aren’t many days left.” He Wei raised his hand and checked his watch. “Time is running out.”
Lian Jingyuan sighed and wished him well. He told him that if he ever needed anything, he could come over anytime, and he would never make things difficult for him like today.
He Wei nodded. “Yeah, I know. We’re still friends.”
The sound of the security door closing echoed. Stephen crouched in the entrance, looking back at Lian Jingyuan as if complaining about why his owner didn’t keep him.
“His heart isn’t here; I can’t keep him.” Lian Jingyuan instinctively touched his own cheek, recalling that phrase, and his thoughts drifted.
He had heard that phrase back in his school days.
At that time, Lian Jingyuan had skipped a grade to enter high school and was placed in a class where all the boys were taller and stronger than him. Some even had facial hair, and Adam’s apples, while he wore round glasses, was thin and fragile, with arms that seemed like they would snap at a touch and soft hair that stuck to his forehead like a little chick.
Back then, He Wei sat in the back row, always protecting him, and over time, Lian Jingyuan was jokingly referred to as He Wei’s “child bride” by their classmates. However, apart from academics, he couldn’t do much else. His eyesight was poor, and his motor skills were much more delicate. Once, when they were playing basketball, he accidentally hit He Wei in the head with the ball, and his face turned pale with fright.
The classmates in the class teased, “Don’t you need to discipline your ‘child bride’? Even child brides are punished in private!”
He Wei lifted the hem of his basketball jersey to wipe the mark on his forehead and said nonchalantly, “Want to punish him, but when I see his face, I can’t bring myself to do it.”
The tiny Lian Jingyuan blushed instantly, his heart pounding as he ran back to the classroom, unable to focus on his math homework. The teenage prodigy, who had read countless books, only truly understood after entering adolescence that the feeling that had left him flustered was called “the awakening of love.”
Lian Jingyuan covered his face with his hand, a helpless smile on his lips. Time had passed, and he was no longer the same Lian Jingyuan from those days, but He Wei remained the same, and the things he appreciated and liked about him had never changed.
———
He Wei quietly returned to the underground hideout where Cheng Zesheng was seeking refuge. He entered through the back door, which was close to the garage, and managed to avoid the prying eyes of the elderly neighbor next door. The underground hideout was not as luxurious as Lian Jingyuan’s home. The lighting consisted of just a small, warm-yellow overhead lamp, and the bed was the same recliner as before. All the facilities were just as they were the last time he visited.
When they arrested Cheng Zesheng, there was nothing to search for here. They had sealed the front door and placed a seal on it. He Wei didn’t have much reason to come upstairs except for his water needs. However, there was one tricky issue he faced here – taking a shower.
It was already June, and the weather was hot. Although He Wei didn’t mind not showering for a few days when he was on a mission, under normal circumstances, as someone with a touch of cleanliness, he couldn’t neglect his daily shower. It wasn’t about being overly particular, but rather a matter of habit. Breaking the habit was something he couldn’t do overnight.
Having spent two days in the basement without air conditioning, He Wei detected a faint fermentation odor on himself. After some thought, he decided to go to the public bathhouse, bringing along a change of clothes.
Just two streets away from the Fusheng Jinlong Garden, there was a bathing center with a splendid exterior, offering reasonably priced services. The more expensive offerings were those massage and oil treatment sessions, but He Wei only wanted a simple bath, which would cost him just a few tens of yuan.
He Wei took his token and headed for the changing room. While he was still in the process of changing clothes, a group of rough-looking men entered. They either had shaved heads or sported multicolored, non-mainstream hairstyles. One of them unbuttoned his shirt, revealing tattooed arms and a tattooed dragon on his chest. He also proudly displayed a long scar running from his left chest to his right abdomen, casually bragging, “See this? This was from taking a knife for Fei-ge! A machete over a meter long, coming straight at me, and I didn’t even blink!”
The others around him erupted in exaggerated admiration. He Wei cast a sidelong glance and quirked his lips before closing his locker after wrapping himself in a towel.
“Hey! You, the pretty boy, what were you laughing at just now?”
He Wei pulled his keychain off his wrist, preparing to head to the shower area, but suddenly, his arm was grabbed. “Our Lei Zi-ge is asking you a question!”
“Ask me?” He Wei turned around in confusion, looking at the man with a scar on his chest. “Ask me what?”
“I’m asking you, what were you laughing at just now!” The man called Lei Zi glared at him menacingly. “You think you can look down on me because of this scar? Let me tell you, when I was killing people, you were probably playing in the mud somewhere!”
“Oh,” He Wei asked nonchalantly, “you’ve killed people? Also with a one-meter-long watermelon knife?”
Although his tone was calm, there was a hint of mockery in He Wei’s words. Suddenly, the attention of those ruffians focused on the “one-meter-long watermelon knife,” and they couldn’t help but think of the exaggerated meme of a “forty-meter-long knife,” causing their facial expressions to become awkward and twisted for some reason.
Lei Zi was momentarily stunned but soon realized that this young man was making fun of him. He exploded on the spot, grabbing He Wei’s collar. “You little brat! Are you tired of living, daring to make fun of me?! Everyone here knows who I am, Jing Tianlei!”
He Wei furrowed his brow. He had only come out to take a shower, and now he had gotten himself into trouble. He had a vague feeling that this might be related to the time loop. Perhaps the information he accidentally learned from his childhood had a significant impact on the loop, leading to these constant unexpected events that he had to deal with.
Before he could think further, a massive fist was flying towards him. He Wei instinctively dodged it, slipped under the man’s arm, and twisted it behind his back. With a quick knee to the thigh, he forced Leizi to kneel down, smoothly executing a standard arrest move.
The small changing room immediately descended into chaos.
He Wei noticed one of them brandishing a gleaming blade, and his mind went blank. He had only one thought in his mind—nothing must go wrong, he couldn’t let the loop break.
He grabbed a stool and swung it at the attackers, causing them to scatter. The one holding the knife lunged at He Wei, but he kicked the man’s arm, causing the knife to fall to the tile floor with a clang. The assailant’s features twisted in pain as he clutched his wrist, and He Wei delivered another kick, sending the small knife under the locker.
The changing room was in chaos, and when the manager saw a brawl had broken out, he hesitated to intervene, knowing that these were notorious thugs and ruffians from the area. He Wei had his arm twisted around one of the men and managed to find a moment to tell the manager, “Don’t call the police!”
“Uh…” The manager was a bit bewildered. He wasn’t sure who was fighting whom or why someone being attacked didn’t want the police called.
Lei Zi’s face was red with embarrassment today, and he was determined to give He Wei a beating. He swung a punch from behind, but He Wei seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He turned around and kicked Lei Zi in the stomach, then lifted him against the wall, shouting angrily, “Nobody move!”
The small gang members who were in the midst of a scuffle paused, intimidated by He Wei’s presence. The changing room fell silent. He Wei took a deep breath and glared coldly at Lei Zi. “You mentioned ‘Fei-ge’ just now, is that Zhao Yanfei? Your boss is the one I sent to prison, and he turned his life around after seven years inside. If you want to go down the same path, I don’t mind lending a hand.”
Lei Zi stared at He Wei, his eyes gradually widening: “You—you’re He Wei?!”
He Wei released Lei Zi’s collar and pushed him aside, rubbing his neck. “You can either go through that door and take a shower or roll into prison for a meal. It’s your choice.”
Lei Zi sized up He Wei, his heart racing, and signaled his gang members to quickly leave. This man didn’t seem to be fooling around, and his skills were evident. Zhao Yanfei had told him that the cop who caught him was a good-looking and agile young man. He didn’t pull any punches and chased him down the streets, taking shortcuts and even jumping down from a three-meter-high tree to catch him. That description sounded remarkably similar to the man standing before him.
Finally, they left. He Wei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he was in his own version of “Journey to the West,” where he could be ambushed at any moment. It seemed like staying home was the safer option.
Three days later, He Wei quietly opened the door to his 404 apartment, carrying a change of clothes.
It was during working hours, and there was no one at home. He had calculated it well; he could take a shower and return without anyone noticing. He had already undressed and turned on the water when he suddenly heard a voice from outside the bathroom:
“He Wei, is that you?”
He Wei froze, instinctively turning to look at the bathroom door, his throat tightening at the sound of that familiar voice.
Cheng Zesheng was back.
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