After two months apart, Zhang Moyun’s temples had turned almost completely white, and he had lost considerable weight. Gripping the stair railing, he looked at the two of them, his gaze finally settling on Zhang Jingchan with a frown.
The three of them entered Zhang Jingchan’s room.
“You are…” Zhang Moyun looked at Zhang Jingchan.
“Dad, it’s me.”
Li Weiyi said, “Uncle, I’m Li Weiyi. This time we haven’t swapped bodies—it’s a long story.” She quite admired Zhang Moyun. After accepting the reality of time-traveling body swaps, he could tell at a glance that something was off.
Zhang Moyun’s brow furrowed tightly as he asked his son, “Did you see the letter I left for you?”
Zhang Jingchan made an affirmative sound.
“Then why did you still come?”
Li Weiyi was about to explain when Zhang Jingchan had already replied, “Because beside you, there’s still hidden the most venomous wolf, yet you haven’t noticed.”
Zhang Moyun froze. “Who is it?”
“Have you never suspected Xu Yi?”
Zhang Moyun sat down in his chair, somewhat distracted. “Him? He and they aren’t the same kind of people. He’s devoted himself to everything for me, and I’ve treated him well. With his talent, there’s no need for him to…”
“What if Liu Ying is his biological older sister?” Zhang Jingchan interrupted him. “What if the returns he gets from you don’t even match a fraction of what they’ve secretly embezzled? You can know a person’s face but not their heart.”
Li Weiyi said, “I retrieved that lost voice recorder from 2022—it was in Xu Yi’s safe.”
Zhang Jingchan stared at Zhang Moyun, his fingers tapping on the chair back before stopping.
Zhang Moyun thought with a dark expression for a while, then said, “Damn it, that little bastard has been playing me for a fool! So what should we do now?”
But Zhang Jingchan asked, “The futures contracts have been sold off, the debts have been cleared, and you have that evidence in your hands—why haven’t you turned it over to the police yet?”
Zhang Moyun slapped the table. “I was tricked! Yesterday Cheng Chuan and Zhang Fengming came to see me and confessed everything they’ve done over the years, begging me to forgive them. Of course I won’t forgive them, but they said they’d give me all the evidence tomorrow. I wanted to see what tricks they were trying to pull and who else was involved!”
Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi exchanged glances. He said, “So in the previous life, you and Mom both died in tonight’s fire. This is nothing but their delaying tactic, betting on your mentality of wanting to beat down those already fallen.”
Zhang Moyun’s expression became extremely ugly. He had seen that fire in his dreams—so this was where it originated.
Li Weiyi also understood now. At the end of the day, Zhang Moyun was a very self-confident person, and to a certain degree, could be considered stubborn and opinionated. Fu Ming’s debt crisis and his brothers’ betrayal were probably the greatest humiliation and setback he had encountered in his entire life. Now that the debts were finally cleared and he held evidence with victory in his grasp, these two traitors came at precisely this moment, crying bitterly and bowing their heads in apology—this would naturally greatly soothe his pride. At that time, Zhang Moyun didn’t yet know about Xu Yi’s role. In his mind, those two people plus Liu Ying couldn’t outmaneuver him. Who knew the ruthlessness and arrogance of the mastermind behind the scenes would exceed everyone’s expectations. That’s how Zhang Moyun made one misstep that cost him and his wife their lives.
Li Weiyi said, “Uncle, the other party understands you too well—they’ve gauged your mindset with perfect precision. This person must be Xu Yi…” She had been about to say: Only he is this clever, but changed her words mid-sentence: “Only he has such malicious cunning.”
Both father and son fell silent for a moment. Zhang Jingchan said, “She’s right.”
Zhang Moyun sighed. “The younger generation is formidable! I underestimated the enemy! What should we do next? I’ll follow your lead completely.” His gaze was frank and resolute as he looked at them.
Li Weiyi admired him again somewhat. This grassroots entrepreneur who had weathered countless storms, though he had stumbled due to overconfidence and underestimating his enemy, could immediately adjust his mindset, actively admit his mistakes, and plan for what came next.
Li Weiyi looked toward Zhang Jingchan. He said calmly and steadily, “Two things: First, report to the police immediately and submit that evidence you have. Although there’s currently no clear surface evidence proving Xu Yi is connected to this matter, as long as the police investigate further, they’ll definitely catch him. Second, the housekeeper Liu Guizhi and a man named Li Yilin are their accomplices—these two people will set the fire tonight. Have the police detain them and search their residences—there will likely be discoveries. Catch them all in one sweep, and the fire will never happen!”
Li Weiyi’s heart burned with excitement as she listened. She said, “That’s right! We’ve time-traveled again and again, stumbling forward, constantly exploring. You, Uncle, and we have all suffered many hardships, but each time, we’ve obtained more truth; each time we’re closer to success than the last. Now my family is already safe and happy, Fu Ming’s debts are cleared, the mastermind behind the scenes is crystal clear, and you’ve even prepared the evidence. This time, we’ll catch all these people in one sweep and settle this completely. That way, we can fulfill your wish—Ah Chan and I won’t need to come again, you and Auntie will live long lives, and we’ll meet again in 2022.”
Zhang Jingchan gripped her hand tightly.
Zhang Moyun took a deep breath, stood up, and said, “Good! I’ll contact the police now. Should I go directly to the economic crimes unit?”
Li Weiyi hesitated for a moment. Zhang Jingchan glanced at her and said, “Find Ding Chenmo, have him bring people from the economic crimes unit. I trust him most.”
Zhang Moyun went to make the phone call. Zhang Jingchan said quietly to Li Weiyi, “There’s something I’d like to ask of you. It seems my dad knows nothing about Li Yilin—he had no reaction when he heard the name. But I believe my mom and he are innocent. I can’t really ask about this matter myself. Could you go chat with my mom?”
For an adult son to inquire whether his mother had an affair with another man would indeed be awkward; it was easier for woman to woman. Li Weiyi nodded. “Leave it to me.” After all, she had been calling Wu Xinhui “Mom” for many days now. This woman’s character wasn’t complicated—Li Weiyi was confident she could get answers.
Li Weiyi went downstairs alone, pulled Wu Xinhui into a room, and closed the door. Wu Xinhui was quite curious. “What is it, being so mysterious?”
Li Weiyi held her hand and said, “Auntie, I have something to ask you. You must tell me the truth, because someone wants to harm you and Uncle!”
Because of her son becoming a vegetable this time, Wu Xinhui had long been on high alert. Hearing her say this, she panicked completely.
“There’s a man named Li Yilin—what’s your relationship with him? Why has he come to the house looking for you repeatedly? Why did you agree to meet him?”
Wu Xinhui froze and lowered her head. “He… he’s just an ordinary friend.”
“But he was bought off by the people who harmed Ah Chan last time, and they’re conspiring to set fire and burn you, Uncle, and Ah Chan to death. The police already have evidence and will arrive at the villa shortly. They’ll arrest him too.” Li Weiyi said patiently, “You’ve met Ding Chenmo—he’s very capable. Whatever past you and Li Yilin had, he’ll investigate everything thoroughly. I’m here asking you on Ah Chan’s behalf because we want to know the full situation on our side, to avoid Uncle Zhang misunderstanding you when the time comes!”
Wu Xinhui might be shy, might care about face, might not be clever, but when it came to her husband and son’s safety, she was like all wives and mothers—she would not tolerate anyone violating them.
Her face turned ashen, but she also laid out her relationship with Li Yilin, one detail at a time.