The rain grew heavier and heavier. A black sedan stopped by the ramp entering the cross-river tunnel.

Zhang Jingchan looked down at his watch: “Half a minute left.” The back of his hand gripping the steering wheel showed prominent veins.

Time was pressing. After understanding the situation back then in detail with Ding Chenmo, Li Weiyi called her mother and sister to ask about some things.

After that, the two rushed here. With time so tight, they hadn’t been able to track down who the perpetrator of this impending traffic accident was.

…

They stopped for three minutes at the traffic light intersection where the tragedy should have occurred, watching the flow of people emerge from the subway station and surge across the road, watching the cars come and go in complete peace. Not until the cars queued behind them honked their horns loud enough to pierce the heavens did Zhang Jingchan press the accelerator and turn away from the intersection.

Li Weiyi couldn’t accept it: “Why didn’t he come? Why didn’t he show up?”

She’d prepared herself to be hit and sent flying, yet the culprit stood her up!

Zhang Jingchan’s two sword-like brows knitted slightly as he pulled the car to the side about fifty meters from the intersection, didn’t turn off the engine, and kept his eyes on the road ahead. Li Weiyi was infected by his alert composure. She held her breath and stretched her neck to watch along with him.

This wait lasted two hours.

It remained calm and peaceful throughout. That car never appeared.

Zhang Jingchan: “Let’s go back first.”

Li Weiyi rubbed her eyes: “Not waiting anymore?”

“It’s already past twelve.” Zhang Jingchan’s voice was deep and calm. “It’s a new day now.”

Li Weiyi froze.

However, Li Weiyi hadn’t expected that Zhang Jingchan’s “go back” meant bringing her back to his home. This was a famous upscale residential complex in the city, located in the city center—several cold, quiet, magnificent high-rise residences. Zhang Jingchan parked the car in the garage and swiped his card to bring her into the equally imposingly expensive elevator.

His place was on the thirty-first floor. As soon as she entered, Li Weiyi felt it was extraordinarily spacious—a huge living room with minimal furniture, looking empty everywhere. The riverside side was entirely floor-to-ceiling windows. The full river and shore were dotted with dim lights, like a giant scroll painting unfurled.

Zhang Jingchan brought her a pair of men’s slippers: “No women’s slippers. Make do.”

“It’s fine.” Li Weiyi shuffled in the slippers, flip-flopping as she ran toward the window to look outside. Zhang Jingchan watched from behind, a smile flashing briefly in his deep black eyes.

Li Weiyi’s spirits had fluctuated drastically all day, and she’d stood strict guard at the intersection for two hours. Now her energy was lazy and listless. She temporarily didn’t want to think about the future, only gazing at the window’s stunning view, silent.

After a while, she finally turned around. The living room had only one gray fabric two-seater sofa, one small coffee table, not even a single chair. On the coffee table sat a plate of cut oranges, a cup of tea, and a cup of steaming milk. Zhang Jingchan patted the sofa beside him, signaling her to come sit.

Li Weiyi suddenly remembered the two of them tangled on the sofa during the day. For a moment her legs went weak—how could she dare go over? But there was nowhere else to sit in the room. Being pretentious about not going over would seem like she was being narcissistic. She had a flash of inspiration, strode over boldly, and plopped down on the floor beside his feet. Looking up with a grin, she said: “I love sitting on the floor best. Your wooden floor looks so comfortable.”

Zhang Jingchan glanced at her, said nothing, and tapped his finger on the glass of milk.

Li Weiyi, to cover her embarrassment, drained most of it in one gulp and boldly placed the glass back on the coffee table.

He stared at her with those cold black eyes: “Not afraid I drugged it?”

Li Weiyi’s heart jumped. She laughed dryly, then simply picked up the milk again and drained it to the bottom, saying: “How could that be possible, haha. If you drugged it, I’d accept my fate.”

A smile slowly bloomed in his eyes. At home, he seemed more relaxed too. He leaned back into that sofa that looked very enveloping, his two long legs casually spread, shirt collar open, neck tilted back, both hands resting on the sofa.

Li Weiyi glanced a few times, then quickly lowered her gaze. She thought to herself: Appetite and sex are human nature, appetite and sex are human nature.

“The second time I saw you… no, for you it was the first time.” Li Weiyi said. “That time, the culprit’s attack time was also pushed back by a day.”

Zhang Jingchan nodded, indicating he understood.

“Do you have paper and pen?”

Zhang Jingchan brought paper and pen from his room. Li Weiyi wrote:

First time:

January 12, 2022

January 11-13, 2014

Second time:

January 13, 2022

March 11-13, 2014

Third time:

January 13, 2022 Failed

May 11-13, 2014?

She said: “Can we speculate that returning to 2014, each time is two months apart, and we can only stay for three days? And in 2022, each time we delay by one day, the car accident will occur? Meaning tomorrow?”

Zhang Jingchan held his cup of tea, thought for a moment, and said: “2014 follows a pattern. But now, in 2022, not necessarily.”

“Why?”

“Because what determines the 2014 portion is purely time—an uncontrollable unknown force. But what causes that car accident in 2022 is a specific person.”

Li Weiyi was slightly stunned.

He was right.

Did that mean if the two of them didn’t actively encounter the car accident, the time travel would never happen again? Or, if the perpetrator changed their mind and no longer appeared, they would also have no more chances to return to the past?

“So what we need to analyze is the perpetrator. Why did he appear one day later last time? This time, why didn’t he appear at all? In other words, who is he? Why did he come?” Zhang Jingchan said.

Li Weiyi had a sudden realization: “Exactly! You’re really so smart!”

Zhang Jingchan looked at the woman sitting cross-legged beside his feet. Her face was bright and gleaming under the light, her eyes flowing with brilliance. She seemed born to be a happy person. No matter how sad or dejected, when she lowered her head then raised it again, light would reignite from the depths of her clear eyes.

He said: “You’re not bad either.”

Great wisdom appears foolish, light and penetrating.

Li Weiyi only took it as polite talk, waved her hand, and said again: “Do we have a way to find out who that person is?”

“I’ll try tomorrow, but it’s probably very difficult. We only know the car model. If it’s from this city, fine—I’ll try to work something out at the dealership. But if it’s a used car, a car with fake plates, or from out of town, we won’t be able to find out.”

Li Weiyi’s brows furrowed as she said: “Do you think this perpetrator has some connection to us? Otherwise, why would the two of us experience time travel?”

Zhang Jingchan had never thought in this direction. He’d been thinking about how to find this person through objective physical evidence—like license plates, surveillance, criminal records. He froze for a moment, then suddenly a flash of light crossed his mind. Some scattered, inconspicuous clues were strung together by Li Weiyi’s words. He said: “Perhaps the culprit is related to Fuming Group?”

“How so?”

Zhang Jingchan took the pen from her hand and wrote two dates on the paper: December 10, 2014, December 27, 2014.