Li Weiyi thought for a moment and answered, “Liu Ying, Cheng Chuan, and Li Jinxiong.”

“Exactly.”

Li Weiyi’s mood lightened. Fortunately, Xu Yi wasn’t among them. She felt guilty toward him. Although they couldn’t be lovers, she didn’t want to become enemies with him either.

“Wang Ming and them…”

“It’s deeply hidden. On the surface, there’s no traceable connection. I plan to go back to 2014 to look for clues.”

“Alright.”

Seeing that he wasn’t continuing, Li Weiyi asked, “What about your second discovery?”

Zhang Jingchan answered, “You’ll find out when we get there.”

Li Weiyi folded her arms across her chest and turned her head to look at him. “I’ve noticed you’re pretty impressive this time—finding out so much.”

Zhang Jingchan kept his eyes on the road ahead and replied, “In this life, I’m not carrying a billion in debt. I’m the top taxpayer in the city. The connections I can mobilize are naturally different.”

Li Weiyi muttered, “You’re really someone who becomes number one at the drop of a hat.”

Zhang Jingchan finally smiled slowly, though he still didn’t look at her, as if the air itself had made him laugh.

After a while longer, Li Weiyi said, “I brought up breaking up with Xu Yi, but he didn’t agree. Later, he simply stopped responding to me.”

Zhang Jingchan acted as if he hadn’t heard, not even moving an eyebrow.

Li Weiyi didn’t mind him and continued on her own. “I’ve thought this whole matter through inside and out—regardless of whether I look for a boyfriend in the future, I should separate from him. You were right. This is a relationship that should never have existed. I’m not her. I can’t take on her memories and be with him. Once we return to 2014 and change history, he won’t remember anything and won’t be hurt. Everything will return to its proper place.”

Zhang Jingchan still didn’t speak, but the car speed unconsciously slowed down.

Li Weiyi continued, “Moreover, theoretically speaking, he and I are just boyfriend and girlfriend. Since we’re not married, breaking up doesn’t require his consent.”

The car stopped at the entrance of a traffic police squadron.

Zhang Jingchan turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt, his expression unchanged. “Get out.”

Li Weiyi made a small scoffing sound in her heart and also put on an indifferent expression as if she had never said anything, following him inside.

A man led them to an office and showed them a section of surveillance footage.

Li Weiyi immediately recognized the black large Jeep in the footage as the one that had hit them. She didn’t remember any distinctive features of that vehicle, but the feeling of impact had been too intense. Her instinct told her: that was it!

“This vehicle was stolen, and the license plate is fake—a cloned plate. Mr. Zhang, thank you for providing the lead. We’ll conduct a citywide search for this vehicle.”

Li Weiyi glanced at Zhang Jingchan, wondering how he had managed to persuade them this time. She still vividly remembered the last time he had directed Ding Chenmo, pointing wherever he wanted him to strike.

Zhang Jingchan had one hand pressed on the desk, watching the surveillance footage. Though he clearly hadn’t raised his head, he seemed to sense her glance. He suddenly raised his other hand and patted the back of her head, his voice lighter than clear water. “Don’t let your mind wander. Watch the surveillance.”

Li Weiyi froze, her face instantly heating up. She quickly glanced at the police officer beside them, who simply smiled.

So Li Weiyi also bent down and leaned in beside Zhang Jingchan to watch the screen seriously. But in her heart, it felt as though a small morning glory had slowly bloomed, facing a gentle breeze, going “ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta.” The distress and melancholy buried in her heart for several days vanished without a trace in an instant, all because of his long-absent small gesture.

“Is it this person?” Zhang Jingchan asked.

In the surveillance footage, the suspect vehicle drove into a gas station. A man wearing an old black cotton jacket got out of the car. He was of medium build, slightly overweight, wearing a baseball cap the entire time. He went to pay the fee, then returned to the car.

The police officer answered, “That’s right, it’s him. The surveillance never captured his full face. I asked the staff, but there are too many drivers refueling every day. She has no recollection. Can you recognize who it is?”

Both Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi fell into silence.

The image froze on the moment when the man got back in the car. He had his back to the surveillance the whole time, and his movements weren’t very agile. They could even vaguely see graying temples beneath his cap brim, but they really couldn’t identify which person from their memories he might be.

——

As night fell, Xu Yi drove back to the underground parking garage of his residential complex. After parking the car, he didn’t move. Ever since that person stopped coming to his home, there seemed to be nothing worth returning home for.

He lit a cigarette, leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and slowly smoked.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Until a hoarse, low male voice sounded by the window. “Assistant Xu, long time no see.”

Xu Yi’s hand holding the cigarette froze.

It had been many years since anyone had called him that.