“The time of Fuming Group’s bankruptcy liquidation was sixteen days later than the last time. And my father committed suicide ten days earlier. If this person is related to Fuming, related to my father, then the time he acts could be affected.”

Li Weiyi: “That’s possible!”

“Do you remember, the first time you traveled through time, whether the date of Fuming’s bankruptcy and my father’s suicide changed?”

Li Weiyi thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up: “I remember now! Your father’s time… didn’t change, but initially, I saw the news from that life—Fuming went bankrupt on December 8, 2014, two days earlier than the second time! Although that time I didn’t get to say anything to your father, perhaps it was just the butterfly’s wings flapping, changing history.”

Zhang Jingchan said: “Going further with the speculation, if this person is deeply connected to Fuming Group—for instance, if he’s an employee of Fuming—then the group’s bankruptcy date would directly impact the course of his life.”

Li Weiyi’s heart shook.

Zhang Jingchan braced one hand on the floor and also got down from the sofa, sitting cross-legged beside her. He said: “Actually, I’ve always suspected that the first time you traveled through, when I never woke up—perhaps that time, I died in the car accident.”

Li Weiyi’s heart clanged. She suddenly felt a penetrating chill and instinctively denied it: “That’s impossible. How could you have died! Absolutely impossible! Probably just temporarily knocked unconscious, right… Anyway, right now we’re both alive and kicking, that’s enough!”

Zhang Jingchan’s back curved slightly, his white shirt outlining the lines of his shoulder blades, his black eyes gazing at her.

Li Weiyi shifted her gaze away: “So… when will this cycle end?”

“I think, as long as we successfully prevent the car accident from happening, the cycle will end.”

Li Weiyi sighed. So after one mountain, there was still another mountain. But at least, there were still mountains to look toward.

The two couldn’t deduce any more clues.

Li Weiyi glanced at the time—already 1:30 in the morning. She stood up and said: “Then I… should go home.”

Zhang Jingchan raised his head: “Why not just stay the night here?”

Li Weiyi’s heart fluttered. He added: “There’s another guest bedroom.”

Both inexplicably fell silent for a moment. He also stood up. Li Weiyi looked down at her socks—the slippers had been kicked off who knows when—as she put on her shoes, she said: “Better not. No towel, no change of clothes. Too much trouble.”

Zhang Jingchan picked up his coat: “Then I’ll take you.”

“No need, I’ll get a taxi myself.”

“I’ll take you.”

At this hour, a round trip would get him home past three in the morning. Li Weiyi said: “Forget it then… I won’t go home. I’ll crash at your place for the night. Just don’t let me trouble you too much.”

Zhang Jingchan turned to look at her and smiled, tossing his coat back on the sofa. Li Weiyi turned her head away from him and said: “Where’s the guest room? I’ll go take a look.”

Zhang Jingchan put both hands back in his pockets, indicating she should walk toward the hallway off the living room, then followed behind her. The first room was the guest bedroom, with a study next door. Further in was a door that should be the master bedroom.

Li Weiyi asked: “How big is your place?”

“One hundred ninety square meters.”

Well then, the world of the wealthy. If he hadn’t actively paid off his father’s debts, this person probably could have bought the entire building.

The guest room was about twenty square meters, decorated in the same style as the living room—cool and simple, refined and understated, even with an attached bathroom.

Zhang Jingchan brought over a loose, soft white T-shirt and a disposable bath towel, saying: “The clothes are mine, never worn, washed. If you need them, make do with them.”

Li Weiyi took them: “Thank you.”

“There’s a convenience store at the complex entrance. You can shower first. I’ll go buy you a towel and toothbrush for tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll go myself.”

Zhang Jingchan walked straight out: “It’s very late. No need for both of us to make the trip. Get some rest early.”

“Then… thank you.”

Zhang Jingchan quickly reached the convenience store, which opened right at their complex entrance and carried relatively refined and expensive goods. Zhang Jingchan took a light pink towel, a deep pink toothbrush, and a pair of peach-red strawberry-shaped women’s slippers.

When he reached the underwear shelf, he paused for a few seconds, took down a package of disposable women’s underwear, walked a few steps, then went back, put it back, switched to a small size package, and tossed it in his shopping basket.

Li Weiyi took a hot shower, feeling like she’d washed away all her exhaustion. She changed into Zhang Jingchan’s white T-shirt, which hung on her like a robe, the hem nearly reaching her knees. She chuckled and climbed into bed. Just as she was about to turn off the light, someone knocked softly on the door.

Li Weiyi quickly covered her legs with the blanket and asked: “What is it?”

Zhang Jingchan’s voice came through the door: “Are you asleep?”

“Not yet. Wait a moment.” Li Weiyi quickly pulled on her daytime pants and ran to open the door. Zhang Jingchan handed her the bag in his hand: “See if you’re missing anything?”

Li Weiyi glanced quickly: “Nothing missing, nothing missing. Thanks for your trouble.”

Zhang Jingchan’s gaze swept over her body, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes. Li Weiyi never admitted defeat in front of others and instinctively puffed out her chest: “What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Jingchan’s gaze swept over the scenery of the small hills, finally landing on the slender, soft, fair arms beneath the sleeves wide enough to fit over her head.

“Get some sleep early. We’ll talk more after you sleep enough tomorrow.” He turned and entered the master bedroom.

Li Weiyi closed the door and dumped the bag’s contents on the bed, laughing: This person laughed at her, but is he a pink enthusiast himself? She’s not five years old! Childish! Straight male cancer!

Her gaze fell on that package of disposable underwear. She hadn’t expected him to buy this for her too. She immediately ran to the bathroom to change into them, climbed back into bed, and turned off the light.

The room was silent and dark. She lay in the unfamiliar soft bed. Just one wall away was Zhang Jingchan.

She closed her eyes and slept for a while, then opened them again. Her bare legs rubbed against each other under the blanket. Why did it feel so strange? Wearing Zhang Jingchan’s personal clothing, not wearing pants, and wearing the disposable underwear he bought. Suddenly an image appeared in Li Weiyi’s mind—Zhang Jingchan in a black suit and coat standing in front of the underwear shelf, raising his hand to reveal his pale wrist bone, his slender, strong five fingers gently wrapping around this package of underwear.

Li Weiyi covered her face with the blanket.

Oh my god, her thoughts were too dirty—it must be because this body had been broken up with her ex-boyfriend for too long!

——

However, neither Zhang Jingchan nor Li Weiyi expected that for the next five days, that person, that car, never appeared.

The two spent six nights on that road.

By the fourth and fifth days, Li Weiyi was getting somewhat anxious. She asked Zhang Jingchan: “What if we can never go back again?”

Zhang Jingchan answered: “Then we persist until the day we both can no longer persist.”

That one sentence made Li Weiyi’s eyes rim red.

Li Weiyi didn’t know that one afternoon, Zhang Jingchan went alone to his father’s gravesite and stood in the cold wind for a long time. He asked him: “Do you truly have difficulties you can’t speak of? What exactly is in your heart?”

“I’ll trust you one more time. I’ll go save you. But if I discover again that you’re unrepentant, I’ll never come back in this lifetime.”

On the morning of the sixth day, Li Weiyi received a call from Zhang Jingchan: “Come to my place. I have something to show you.”