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Chapter 83: Sudden Changes
As evening approached, He Wei discovered that Cheng Zhenqing was still leisurely playing on his phone. He gave him a push on the arm and said, “Aren’t you going to pack your things?”
“What do I need to pack?”
“Aren’t you supposed to go to Fusheng Jinlong Garden?” He Wei asked.
Cheng Zhenqing shook his head and said he wasn’t going. According to their usual plan, he would be stationed at Fuseng Jinlong Park when the murder occurred, waiting for He Wei from the first loop to find him and make contact.
However, this time the situation was different, and with so many variables at play, there was no need to stick strictly to the original plan. Instead, he suggested something bold – going to Fulong Mountain with He Wei.
“Go with me? Are you sure?” He Wei shrugged. “I have to make it clear, I can’t guarantee your safety if anything unexpected happens.”
“Don’t worry about me; just take care of yourself.” Cheng Zhenqing stood up. “Come on, let’s go out for a nice dinner.”
He Wei suddenly lost his appetite. What he and Cheng Zhenqing were about to face was not an endless night but darkness before dawn.
When they left the restaurant, the sky had turned completely dark. Cheng Zhenqing looked up at the night sky and suddenly asked He Wei, “Do you want to see what the pianist is doing right now?”
“The last time you saw him was also on the 11th in the previous loop?”
“Yeah, I didn’t bring him to Lihui Garden, and he hadn’t met you, so following his regular schedule, he went to attend the interview without any cancellations.”
“So, you don’t know when he disappeared.” He Wei rubbed his chin. “In that case, let’s go to the pianist’s place now and see if he’s home.”
They took a taxi to the villa area where Cheng Zesheng lived, and Cheng Zhenqing had an access card, making it convenient for them to enter and exit. He Wei followed him along a small path to the vicinity of Cheng Zesheng’s house, hiding behind some bushes. They could see lights on in the villa, and Cheng Zesheng was in a heated argument with a short, chubby woman. It seemed like they were having a disagreement, and Cheng Zesheng suddenly stood up and opened the door, asking her to leave.
“His manager; I’ve seen her on Weibo,” Cheng Zhenqing whispered.
He Wei quickly recalled the recorded statement of his manager. She had mentioned that she escorted Cheng Zesheng home after the interview and then went home herself, without mentioning any argument. If the manager had concealed this information, it could be one of the variables.
The chubby woman bit her lip, and her next move was unexpected – she reached out with her short, chubby arm and hugged Cheng Zesheng around the waist.
“What…?” He Wei and Cheng Zhenqing exchanged bewildered looks. Cheng Zesheng’s face turned pale, whether from anger or fear, as he spoke softly and helplessly, “Fang-Jie, can you please let go of me? We’re really not suitable for each other! Can’t you just forget what I said today? I won’t change the plan. Isn’t that okay?”
“Zesheng, how can you like someone else? You even wrote a song for her! I’ve worked so hard to take care of everything for you, and you can’t see it?!” Fang-Jie’s passionate and suffocating confession left the onlookers feeling awkward.
Cheng Zesheng clearly had never experienced such a “scene” before, and he was at a loss, struggling in a hurry. Fang-Jie’s figure didn’t look easy to deal with; her arms were thicker than Cheng Zesheng’s legs, and her weight appeared to be significantly greater. He Wei couldn’t help but notice the difference between the pianist and Officer Cheng; if it had been Officer Cheng in this situation, he would have found a way to escape already.
“Do you want to help?” Cheng Zhenqing asked. He Wei hesitated, “You’re asking me? He’s your brother.”
“He’s your lover—‘s another version.”
Seeing the “forcible possession of a handsome man” play escalate further, with Fang-Jie about to overwhelm Cheng Zesheng, He Wei and Cheng Zhenqing couldn’t bear to watch any longer. They climbed over the fence and intervened.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? You can’t just force someone if they don’t want to!”
Fang-Jie and Cheng Zesheng both looked up. Cheng Zesheng was clutching his shirt tightly. When he saw Cheng Zhenqing, his eyes lit up, and upon seeing He Wei, he summoned unexpected strength from somewhere and forcibly pushed Fang-Jie off him, swiftly getting up.
Fang-Jie rolled away like a ball, bumping her arms and legs against the sofa, letting out a series of exclamations of pain. Cheng Zesheng, now less concerned about her, rushed over to He Wei, his face turning red. “I-I and she…”
“I saw it; she was forcing you.” He Wei walked over to Fang-Jie, crouching down beside her. “Miss, even though s*xual assault against a male doesn’t constitute a r*pe charge, it can still be considered an indecent assault offense. If I were to report it, you’d likely face detention for five to ten days.”
When he mentioned “reporting it,” both of them panicked. Fang-Jie was worried about her future and reputation, while Cheng Zesheng was afraid of his brother being exposed. So, Fang-Jie quickly got up, apologized to Cheng Zesheng, and left in a hurry, leaving Cheng Zhenqing to spread his hands and say, “Such a pity to let her get away just like that.”
“I’ll change my manager.” Cheng Zesheng had been stealing glances at He Wei all this time. “Thank you, thank you for coming to save me.” Cheng Zhenqing felt like he was in a three-person movie as a light bulb, not even worthy of a name.
He Wei pointed to his shirt collar, and Cheng Zesheng realized that his disheveled appearance was harming his image. He quickly fastened his shirt and straightened it, his eyes never leaving He Wei and sparkling with excitement.
Cheng Zhenqing was nearly blinded by the dazzle. He pulled He Wei away and reminded him that it was time to leave. He also advised Cheng Zesheng, “It’s getting late; you should lock the door and get some sleep.”
“Are you leaving?” Cheng Zesheng tried to persuade them, “It’s so late, why don’t you stay at my place?”
“We have things to do.” He Wei dismissed the offer with just two words, raising his hand and adding, “Get some rest.”
They watched as the lights in Cheng Zesheng’s house went out before leaving. Cheng Zhenqing mumbled, “Since he’s still at home this late, maybe he won’t disappear again, right?”
“I don’t know,” He Wei admitted, “Let’s hope not.”
———
In the late night hours, two figures moved through the swaying tree shadows. Cheng Zhenqing grabbed onto tree trunks for support and climbed onto a rock, catching his breath. He said, “We’re almost there.”
“Do you know where we are now?”
“Yeah, halfway up the mountain. The mansion is in the southeast direction, and we’ll reach it by crossing through here.” Cheng Zhenqing rubbed his shoulder. “There’s no other way; we can’t take the main road, and the shortcut is blocked by those two. So, we have to find another way.”
He Wei stumbled over a stone again, this time hitting his big toe right on the target. He chuckled and said, “What a great path.”
“…” How could Cheng Zhenqing miss the mocking tone in He Wei’s voice? He retorted, “Don’t be so critical. This path was discovered bit by bit by me!”
As they spoke, thick fog rolled in, and He Wei felt uneasy. He gripped Cheng Zhenqing’s arm and said, “Fog’s coming in. Be careful.”
“Yeah, let’s not move for now; we’ll wait for the fog to dissipate,” Cheng Zhenqing suggested as he found a rock to sit on. He checked his watch and said, “It’s still early; it’s not even 11 o’clock yet.”
He Wei also sat down. The visibility was reduced to three meters or less in the thick fog, making it impossible to see where they were going. Since it was Cheng Zhenqing who knew the way, He Wei couldn’t guarantee that he would be able to find the mansion if they got separated.
To pass the time, Cheng Zhenqing took out a cigarette and offered one to He Wei. They heard the sounds of insects and birds in the forest, and even a distant howl of some wild creature. Cheng Zhenqing looked back and said, “I hope there are no wolves here.”
“Guess.”
“…,” Cheng Zhenqing cleared his throat, “Actually, I’m not scared. One time, on a mission, I lay in ambush in a tropical rainforest for three days, and there was a Burmese python as thick as a bowl right next to me.”
“Oh, then why are your hands shaking?”
“Who said my hands are shaking?! I’m just tapping the ash off my cigarette!”
Just as they were talking, they heard another long howl from the forest, and Cheng Zhenqing’s scalp tingled. He regretted not borrowing an AK from Cheng Zesheng’s arsenal.
“It’s probably not a wild wolf; otherwise, Fulong Mountain would have been fenced off and turned into a protected area long ago,” He Wei said, calmly finishing his cigarette. He checked the time again; it still wasn’t 11 o’clock.
Something didn’t seem right.
He Wei took out Cheng Zesheng’s phone, and both phones displayed the same time. He set a timer for one minute, and when it went off, his expression suddenly turned serious.
“What time did you see just now?”
“10:50.”
He Wei immediately stood up, pulling Cheng Zhenqing with him. “Let’s go; something’s not right here!”
Confused, Cheng Zhenqing was dragged into the dense, fog-filled forest. “What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to wait for the fog to clear? It’s not good to get lost in the middle of the night.”
“We can’t wait.” He Wei gritted his teeth, his tone heavy. “If we stay there, time won’t pass at all.”
Cheng Zhenqing was taken aback and, upon closer examination, noticed that the second hand was still pointing at 10. Even though he had smoked an entire cigarette, time had not moved.
They were being forced into a risky situation.
He Wei had been gripping Cheng Zhenqing’s arm all along, making sure he remained within his line of sight. The fog grew thicker, and despite the temperature not being cold, the air they breathed in was gradually turning icy. Cheng Zhenqing peeled aside a low bush, and he couldn’t help but quip, “Hey, doesn’t this feel like Silent Hill?”
“Yeah, kind of.” He Wei said, looking up. In front of them, they could barely make out the outlines of the trees. “I think it’s more like The Mist.”
“Suddenly a giant monster appears?”
“It’s more like someone suddenly appears and takes us both out.”
“You don’t suspect… it could be someone from our side?”
As he finished speaking, He Wei felt something hard pressing against his waist. His body tensed, and he turned his head slightly to see Cheng Zhenqing holding a gun wrapped in black cloth, the barrel aimed at his waist.
He Wei never expected this turn of events. Cheng Zhenqing approached and whispered in his ear, “You brought my brother into this world, and the key to the eternal loop lies with you. Every time I see my brother’s gruesome death, Officer He, you don’t know how much I’ve wanted you to taste a bullet as well.”
He Wei remained calm, saying softly, “Then you’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill me. Why wait until now?”
“Because you’ve never died at such an appropriate time. I want to see if this can break the loop.” Cheng Zhenqing chuckled softly in his ear. “At worst, we’ll just start over, but I’m used to it. And you… you won’t remember a thing.”
Though He Wei’s face remained unchanged, his mind raced with multiple conjectures. All his information about the time loop came from Cheng Zhenqing, who had full memory retention. If Cheng Zhenqing had withheld or deceived him about something, He Wei would have no way of knowing. Just as Cheng Zhenqing had said, He Wei didn’t retain complete memories. It was possible that Cheng Zhenqing had already tried to kill him many times before, and He Wei had simply forgotten. If this was true, it meant that Cheng Zhenqing was a brilliant actor, manipulating He Wei without him ever realizing Cheng Zhenqing’s intent to harm him.
Cheng Zhenqing moved the gun to the back of He Wei’s head, and his cruel laughter rang out again.
“Goodbye, Officer He. I hope this time I’ve made the right bet.”
“Bang.”
He Wei instinctively closed his eyes but then realized that the sound wasn’t that of a bullet being fired; it was Cheng Zhenqing making a sound effect.
He immediately turned around and saw Cheng Zhenqing, who was holding his stomach and laughing. “Hahaha, you were scared! It’s rare, so rare. After all this time, I finally see you break into a cold sweat, hahaha…”
“…” He Wei snatched the gun from Cheng Zhenqing’s hand, removed the black cloth covering it, revealing a cheap toy water gun that could be bought for five yuan at a street market.
“You don’t have any real weapons, so at least prepare something that can scare people.” Cheng Zhenqing waved his hand. “Just put it on you; it’s the one I bought for you.”
Although the toy water gun was poorly made, when wrapped in black cloth, it was genuinely hard to distinguish from a real firearm. He Wei tucked the toy gun into his pocket and, thinking about what had just happened, glared coldly at Cheng Zhenqing. “You’re really f*cking boring.”
“Oh, did I make you so mad that you’re cursing now?” Cheng Zhenqing spread his hands. “Well, you can’t blame me. In this fog, with Silent Hill vibes and wolf howls, I’m just trying to liven up the atmosphere…”
He Wei remained composed, thinking that if he had a real gun, he would have shot Cheng Zhenqing in the head by now.
He Wei walked ahead, and Cheng Zhenqing followed. He knew he had taken the joke too far, so he changed the topic, trying to be more pleasant. However, He Wei found him annoying and didn’t bother to engage.
After an uncertain amount of time had passed, He Wei suddenly realized that there was no longer any sound behind him. He turned around, but Cheng Zhenqing had seemingly disappeared, leaving He Wei alone in the vast forest.
“Cheng Zhenqing!”
“Cheng Zhenqing!”
He Wei shouted as he retraced his steps, but Cheng Zhenqing was nowhere to be found.
With no sense of direction, He Wei stumbled through the pitch-black mountain path. He didn’t know how much time had passed, and every place he reached seemed identical—trees, roads, and a sense of exhaustion prevailed.
With no sense of direction, He Wei stumbled through the pitch-black mountain path, not knowing how much time had passed. Every place he reached seemed the same, the trees indistinguishable from one another, and he felt utterly exhausted.
The thick fog gradually began to thin, and in the distance, He Wei seemed to make out the outline of a building.
His footsteps quickened, and at the same time, the fog dissipated at an incredibly fast pace. He Wei finally saw it—the Fulong Mountain Mansion.
He took out his phone. It was April 14th, 2:50 a.m.
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