In the quiet of the deep night, a dull thud echoed, startling everyone on the ninth floor of Xili Mall who were blissfully enjoying their survival after the disaster.
They barely caught the last guiding words from He Jingjing.
The distant, colorful neon lights illuminated their floor, while a few drops of tears lay on the dusty ground, and the cold wind blowing from all directions made them shiver.
A frail girl dangled at the edge of the building, her hair fluttering in the fierce wind, her body swaying, and the tears at the corners of her eyes fell like beads from a broken string, evaporating in the air.
“Jingjing!”
“Tong Yang!”
The crowd was startled by Tong Yang’s shout and the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. They forgot that the steps of traversing the two worlds had already been completely finished, and the environment around them was subtly changing. They all opened their eyes and looked in the direction of the sound.
They saw Tong Yang sprawled on the ground at the edge of the building, his arm bloodied from the rough concrete, desperately gripping the body of He Jingjing, who was already airborne, his face flushed with anger as he shouted, “Help!”
“Jingjing…”
“Jingjing!”
A few people rushed to Tong Yang’s side, grabbing He Jingjing’s hands. At the same time, they felt a tremendous pulling force from the opposite direction, as if something was dragging He Jingjing down rapidly!
“What’s going on…”
“Jingjing!”
Tong Yang used all his strength, but despite the combined force of the eight of them, it was still difficult to counter the pulling force on He Jingjing.
If this continued, they would all be dragged down.
“Oh no… we’re about to return to the real world!”
“Why can’t we pull her up… why…”
Tong Yang gritted his teeth, finally realizing where the sense of incongruity lay.
He Jingjing was one of the fifty people sent from the parallel world to the real world. She bore a mission imposed on her by the parallel world, meant to remain hidden in the real world until the people from the parallel world launched a large-scale invasion. But now, she had betrayed that mission, betrayed the parallel world, so… she would be abandoned!
He Jingjing had said before that only fifty people could exist in the real world; otherwise, any excess would inexplicably die. A person who could no longer fulfill their mission would definitely be abandoned by the parallel world!
“Jingjing…”
He Jingjing looked up at the crowd, the cold wind in mid-air making it hard for her to open her eyes, her legs seemingly bound by something, pulling her down forcefully.
“Sister…” He Jingjing opened her mouth, tears blown away by the wind, “I’m sorry, I can’t go back.”
“No! You can go back! We’ll go back together! I’ll pull you up…” He Jingjing cried out.
“Tong Yang… thank you for holding on to me… I still want to say one more thing to my sister…”
He Jingjing’s eyes were red as she struggled to force a smile, “Sister, I love you all very much. Please tell Dad and Mom thank you for everything…”
“No! Don’t! I don’t want…”
“Sister, I’m very lucky to have grown up with you. That’s enough, really…”
He Jingjing raised her hand, gripping Tong Yang’s wrist, saying, “I came to this world with a mission. I betrayed them, so I must die. You all should let go.”
Tong Yang stared blankly, “You knew all along?”
“Yes, I can’t… betray them…”
“Is there no way to save you?”
“No way… to save me…”
She pushed Tong Yang’s hand away, and it felt as if a pulling force came from them as well. A wall appeared faintly in front of them, and they were about to return to the real world!
In the real world, there was a wall that would completely separate them.
“Jingjing! Hold on to me! Don’t let go! Please… please…”
He Jingjing shook her head, “Sister, don’t be sad.”
Suddenly, she broke free from everyone’s hands, her body dragged down by that pulling force, the wind lifting her clothes and hair, tears flowing upwards.
“Jingjing!”
“He Jingjing!”
“Ah!”
In the moment He Jingjing fell, they were pulled back by a force, and a wall suddenly appeared in front of them, the empty shell of a building gradually revealing other things.
The cold wind was blocked by the wall, darkness surrounded them, and behind them came a “ding” sound as the elevator doors slowly opened, a beam of light spilling onto the ground.
“Congratulations, player, you have successfully cleared the level.”
“Jingjing! Jingjing!” He Jingjing cried out, pounding on the wall in front of her, but it was all in vain, “Jingjing…”
The others who had spent a long time with He Jingjing were already in tears, unsure of how to react at that moment. They could only watch helplessly as He Jingjing was dragged down, unable to do anything.
He Jingjing suddenly remembered something, turned around, and rushed to Tong Yang, grabbing her ankle, desperately saying, “Can you save Jingjing? You can save us and Jingjing… as long as we go back to the past, as long as we hold on to Jingjing…”
Tong Yang lowered her gaze, silently looking at her.
After a long time, she squatted down, holding He Jingjing’s hand, “We can’t save her.”
“Wuwu… we can! We definitely can…”
Tong Yang helped her up, her voice low and hoarse, “What killed her was the entire parallel world. We can’t save her.”
“Damn it! We shouldn’t have come in!”
“If it weren’t for me… it’s all my fault!”
“Jingjing…”
Even if they went back ten minutes, He Jingjing would still undoubtedly die. She had already chosen to betray the entire parallel world.
She had long known what her fate would be, yet she still sent them back to the real world.
Tong Yang couldn’t imagine the pain in He Jingjing’s heart. She could only watch her tears of despair, her heart feeling like it was pressed under a heavy stone.
She hugged He Jingjing tightly, letting her lean on her shoulder and cry freely, unable to do anything else.
He Jingjing clutched her clothes tightly, as if holding on to the last straw, her voice breaking as she cried, her hot tears soaking Tong Yang’s shoulder.
She looked up at the others, Hu Shuo was crouched on the ground, holding his head in pain, Xu Junyue leaned against the wall with obvious tear stains on her face, Zhou Jingyun and Tao Bai stood nearby with red eyes, and Chu Shiyu crouched beside them, gently placing her hand on their backs in silent comfort.
It felt like everything had ended, yet it also felt like something had just begun.
Pandora’s box, Schrödinger’s cat.
Everything seemed to be hidden in a thick fog, as He Jingjing’s death became somewhat clearer.
He Jingjing fainted in Tong Yang’s arms, and the group left Xili Mall, taking her to the hospital and reporting to the police.
He Jingjing was not seriously injured; she was overly emotional, crying to the point of hypoxia, and after being exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep. He Dad and He Mom arrived at the hospital shortly after.
The others had suffered minor injuries and were taken to the police station after simple bandaging at the hospital.
“Tong Yang.” Officer Lin from Shuangbai District Police Station sat in the interrogation room, raising his hand to Tong Yang.
“What are you doing here?” Tong Yang asked.
Officer Lin replied, “I heard this case is related to you, and the higher-ups asked me to assist the Tianyuan District Police Station.”
Tong Yang was taken to sit in the chair opposite, her arm’s wound already bandaged with white gauze.
The time was 6 AM on August 13, 2024. After leaving Xili Mall, they had rested in the hospital for two hours before being brought to the police station.
“The surveillance in the live-action script murder scene stopped working after you left the seventh-floor elevator. We have already questioned the staff in advance, and the NPCs in the venue have not seen you. They don’t know how you got to the ninth floor.”
Tong Yang’s face turned pale as she nodded, “Mm.”
Officer Lin looked at her expression and poured her a cup of hot water, letting another officer leave the interrogation room.
“The surveillance in the interrogation room is off now; it’s just the two of us. You can speak freely.”
Tong Yang took the disposable cup, lowered her head, and took a sip, her dry throat finally getting some relief, “We entered the parallel world.”
“And then what happened? Where’s He Jingjing? Why is she the only one missing?”
“She’s dead.”
“How did she die?”
“She fell.”
“Fell? We didn’t find her body.”
“Her body is in the parallel world.”
Officer Lin’s expression was complex, “Tong Yang, this is a serious matter. Only you know what happened inside. If He Jingjing is dead, you can’t escape responsibility….”
“You can’t find her body, and there’s no evidence.”
Officer Lin was silent for a moment, changing the subject, “I know you’re telling the truth, but He Jingjing’s parents and others…”
Tong Yang said, “It has nothing to do with me. We are also victims. No one harmed He Jingjing, whether others believe it or not.”
Officer Lin quietly looked at this unusually calm girl. Unlike the other involved parties, she was too calm, calm to the point of being frightening.
After a long time, Officer Lin sighed and said, “If He Jingjing’s body can’t be found, the police will probably handle it the same way as last time.”
Tong Yang asked, “Pretend nothing happened?”
Officer Lin replied, “Even if we find He Jingjing’s body, it will be treated as if nothing happened.”
Tong Yang nodded, “Because exposing this matter would cause panic among the public, and some criminals would take advantage of the chaos.”
“Mm…” Officer Lin couldn’t detect her emotions and could only agree.
“What if something like this happens again?”
Officer Lin was taken aback, lowering his head in silence.
Tong Yang knew that the police’s thinking prioritized the bigger picture. The level of the state was different from hers. Once supernatural and strange things were exposed, it would inevitably cause public panic, leading to turmoil. She didn’t blame them; she just felt that if things didn’t progress, similar incidents would happen again.
The events happening around her, the things occurring in unknown corners, if not improved, one day they would be consumed by the parallel world, turning into the same cruel situation as them.
He Jingjing’s appearance and death made Tong Yang fully understand a truth: they were no different from the parallel world; they just hadn’t experienced being invaded and robbed yet.
If the upper society in the real world agreed to Dr. Wu’s conditions and decided to cooperate to eliminate the lower and middle classes, the real world would become just like the parallel world.
Moreover, the gene drugs from the parallel world might become the most tempting thing for the upper society.
The progress of Bureau 749 was too slow. By the time they found a clue, the real world might have already been hollowed out.
“I want to meet with the people from Bureau 749.” Tong Yang said firmly.
Rather than going through Officer Lin as a middleman, it was better for Tong Yang to face them directly.
Officer Lin instinctively frowned, “This…”
Tong Yang said, “Officer Lin, I know what you’re worried about.”
“Tong Yang, I also know you’re different from other kids your age. You’re brave and smart, but no matter what, you’re just a seventeen-year-old child. These matters are too dangerous for you…”
“Officer Lin, I can’t avoid it.”
Tong Yang raised her eyes, looking at her seriously, “I should have died on May 28. Because I didn’t die, the real world created a butterfly effect. Haven’t you noticed that most of the events related to the parallel world have happened around me?”
Officer Lin said, “Don’t think like that; it’s not your fault…”
“Officer Lin, thank you, but similar things will definitely happen to me again in the future. For my own safety and for the safety of others in the real world, I must meet with the people from Bureau 749 officially.”
“Now I know some things that Bureau 749 doesn’t know, which will definitely help them. If they don’t meet with me in person, I won’t share the information with you.” Tong Yang’s expression was exceptionally firm.
Officer Lin stared at her for several seconds, finally sighing helplessly, “Actually, Bureau 749 wants to meet with you, but we’re worried about the impact on you, so we refused.”
“It’s okay; nothing will affect me.”
Tong Yang’s ability to withstand pressure was much better than that of ordinary people; she wouldn’t let such things affect her life and studies. She wouldn’t allow that to happen.
“I understand. I will convey this to them. You should rest well for the next few days, and I will contact you again. Remember, you can call me anytime if you encounter any danger.”
Tong Yang was taken aback, “What about He Jingjing’s matter?”
Officer Lin smiled bitterly, “Your and the others’ testimonies are highly consistent, and her twin sister He Jingjing has already woken up. The follow-up investigation of this matter will be handed over to the people from Bureau 749; it’s no longer our concern.”
Tong Yang fell silent, “Okay.”
After leaving the interrogation room, she went to the nearby lounge, where the other five were already sitting inside.
When they saw Tong Yang, they pursed their lips, seeming hesitant to speak.
After a whole night of fatigue, everyone looked very unwell.
“The police said we don’t have to worry about this matter anymore; just treat it as a dream.”
“But how can we just treat it as a dream?”
“Jingjing was right in front of us…”
As they spoke, Hu Shuo’s voice became choked.
Tong Yang found a chair to sit down, crossed her legs on the table, leaned back, and closed her eyes, falling asleep immediately.
She was too tired—her body was exhausted, and her mind was weary. If she didn’t get some rest, it wouldn’t be surprising if she collapsed at any moment.
Chu Shiyu said, “Everyone is tired; let’s rest well first.”
“Tong Yang is right; what killed Jingjing was the entire parallel world. Even if we went back to the past, nothing would change.”
Xu Junyue draped her coat over her face and slumped in her chair, falling asleep.
The other three fell silent for a moment before finding a spacious spot to close their eyes.
Tong Yang had a magical quality that made people trust her, feel at ease, as if whatever she said was how it should be. As long as they listened to her, they didn’t have to think about anything.
When Officer Lin passed by the lounge after handling matters, he glanced through the glass door and saw everyone sleeping soundly, revealing a weary expression as he rubbed his temples.
When would such things come to an end?
Perhaps they were all wrong; they indeed needed Tong Yang’s help.
Because in the testimonies of the others, it was almost entirely Tong Yang who pushed everything forward. If it weren’t for her, perhaps the others would have ended up like He Jingjing, dying in another world.
However, it seemed that their testimonies lacked a crucial piece of information—about Tong Yang.
Before entering the police station, Tong Yang had instructed them not to mention anything about entering the loop. This was one of her two trump cards; in the parallel world, no one knew about “Tong Yang.” The three of them would completely forget about this matter after entering the loop.
The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
When Tong Yang woke up, there was silence around her.
She opened her eyes; the lounge was dark, the curtains tightly drawn. She moved her stiff neck, her legs feeling sore and swollen.
Turning to look beside her, Chu Shiyu was sound asleep, and Xu Junyue had pushed two chairs together, lying on them, occasionally making breathing sounds.
Hu Shuo and the others were sleeping directly on the floor, soft snores coming from them.
Tong Yang put her legs down, took out her phone to check, and found it had run out of battery and shut down. She had no idea what time it was now.
Not long after, the others gradually woke up, and upon checking the time, it was already eleven in the morning.
The police had brought in their backpacks left at Xili Mall and ordered some takeout for them.
Tong Yang acted as if nothing had happened, borrowed a charger to charge her phone, and then started eating on her own.
The others thought of the bloody scenes from last night and couldn’t eat much, but they were really hungry. Seeing Tong Yang eat heartily, they also ate a little.
“After you finish eating, you can go home.” A police officer walked to the door to remind them, “Xu Junyue, your dad is on a business trip these days. He asked us to tell you to stay at home and not go anywhere until he returns.”
Xu Junyue nodded weakly, “Got it.”
After eating, Tong Yang and the group left the police station and went to the hospital where He Jingjing was.
Outside the hospital ward, a middle-aged man with a haggard expression sat in a chair, his shoulders drooping with fatigue.
“Uncle He.” Tao Bai stepped forward and called out.
This was He Jingjing’s father.
Uncle He looked up, forcing a smile, “You’re here to see Jingjing? She’s not seriously hurt, just emotionally unwell.”
Uncle He didn’t seem to hold any grudges against them.
“Uncle He, I’m sorry.”
Uncle He’s eyes turned red in an instant as he waved his hand, “I heard Jingjing say it; it’s not your fault.”
Tong Yang looked at him for a few seconds and asked, “Uncle, can I ask you something?”
Uncle He nodded, “You can ask.”
Tong Yang said, “Do you and Auntie know about Jingjing’s situation?”
Uncle He lowered his eyes, some white hair at his temples, raising his hand to wipe the moisture from the corners of his eyes, “How could we not notice at all? How could her mother not even know how many children she gave birth to?”
“At first, we thought it was fate. After learning she didn’t have biological parents, we took her in as our own. Later, they started to look more and more alike, not just in personality but even the moles on their bodies were identical. But she wasn’t born from her mother, how could we not notice at all?”
Uncle He’s voice choked, “We never thought carefully about her background, didn’t dare to think or want to think. Who knew in the end she would…”
Tong Yang stood by the door, looking through the glass at the ward.
“I’m sorry; please accept my condolences.”
Uncle He suddenly looked up at Tong Yang, his tone somewhat urgent, “Do you think Jingjing might still be alive? Do you think she might suddenly appear one day?”
Tong Yang looked at Uncle He, unsure of what to say for a moment.
In his silence, Uncle He sadly lowered his head, murmuring, “If you hadn’t gone last night, if there hadn’t been…”
But unfortunately, there were no “ifs.”
Moreover, even if there were, He Jingjing still couldn’t escape death.
They could avoid yesterday, but they could never avoid the future.
Perhaps in the original timeline, He Jingjing considered herself a part of the real world, which led to her “accidental disappearance” in an unknown place.
Tong Yang raised her hand and knocked on the door, and the aunt sitting by the bed got up to open the door for them.
“Auntie.” Tong Yang nodded at her.
The aunt’s eyes were filled with tears, her cheeks wet, and she stepped aside to let them in, “Come in.”
The six of them entered the ward, and He Jingjing was leaning against the head of the bed, staring blankly out the window, tears uncontrollably sliding down her cheeks.
“You’re here? Where’s Jingjing?” He Jingjing turned her head to look at them, her expression filled with confusion.
“Jingjing…” the aunt choked out.
Tong Yang walked to the bedside, her expression somewhat heavy, “Jingjing can’t come anymore.”
“Jingjing can’t come anymore…”
“How can she not come? We’ve never been apart since we were little. I’ve been sick and hospitalized; why wouldn’t she come to see me? Is she still blaming me? Blaming me for not holding on to her back then…”
“She doesn’t blame you; she said thank you at that time.”
“Thank you for growing up with her, thank you for still being alive; we all heard it.”
Xu Junyue said, “Jingjing, you understand her better than we do. She has always carried those burdens. Do you think she can live happily?”
“Although it may be a bit cruel to say this to her, we have all seen what happens to children who are unarmed in the parallel world.”
The aunt covered her mouth, tears rolling down.
He Jingjing’s background couldn’t be changed; she was originally a person from two worlds.
“Tong Yang, do you think if we hadn’t gone to Xili Mall last night, Jingjing would still be alive?” He Jingjing suddenly looked at Tong Yang, asking in a daze.
Tong Yang replied, “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know… right, who would know?”
“Jingjing, I’m sorry.” Hu Shuo lowered his head, sincerely saying.
He Jingjing shook her head, “Who is the wrong person? Perhaps, as Tong Yang said, it’s none of us.”
After leaving the hospital, Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu returned to where Yang Lin’s parents lived.
They were unclear about what had happened and didn’t know the events at Xili Mall were related to them.
“Back? Why didn’t you answer the phone?” Yang Mom asked.
Tong Yang replied, “Sorry, my phone ran out of battery, and I didn’t see it.”
Chu Shiyu said, “Auntie, my phone was on silent.”
“Didn’t you say you were going out with friends? How was it? Did you have fun?” Yang Mom smiled gently.
The events that happened at Xili Mall last night had not yet been exposed by the media, but even if they were, there wouldn’t be many photos of the parties involved.
“Aunt Yu, where are Tong Le and the others?” Tong Yang didn’t answer, glancing into the living room.
Yang Mom said, “They went out with Grandma after lunch.”
After the summer vacation started, Grandma Yu would often take the two kids out to play.
“Are you all tired? Why do you look so pale? Didn’t sleep well? You can take a nap in Shiyu’s room.” Yang Mom said with concern.
“Thank you.” Tong Yang didn’t decline, and the two silently walked into Chu Shiyu’s room.
“Do you want to take a shower? I’ll get you a set of clean clothes.”
“Thank you.”
Tong Yang took the clean clothes she found and entered the bathroom attached to the room.
After taking a shower and coming out, Chu Shiyu went back into the bathroom.
Tong Yang sat at the desk, opened her phone, and entered the social media app.
After experiencing that incident, Tong Yang hadn’t noticed when her phone ran out of battery and shut down. After waking up, she hadn’t had time to check the messages in the group.
【@Learning is for making money, are you okay?】
【Why did you suddenly hang up? Did something happen?】
【Did He Jingjing really die? Is there a chance she just stayed in the parallel world and didn’t die?】
【The ninth floor! No matter which world she’s in, falling from the ninth floor is a certainty.】
【But the police didn’t find He Jingjing’s body; it’s still an unsolved case.】
【I just want to know what the situation is. Why did He Jingjing fall…】
Learning is for making money: 【He Jingjing has no chance of survival.】
【Ah! Sister Tong! You finally replied!】
【Why? Even though I know she’s from the parallel world, I still feel it’s a pity.】
Learning is for making money: 【She was sent to the real world to lurk among us, waiting for the future invasion of the parallel world, but she denied her identity and helped us leave the parallel world.】
If only fifty pieces can appear on the chessboard, for the parallel world, He Jingjing was a damaged piece. Only by discarding the broken piece can new pieces be placed on the board.
However, it seems that Ye Huai and He Jingjing’s situations are different; he is not one of the fifty pieces, so he did not die after they returned to reality.
This means that Ye Huai is crucial to the real world; he can freely take them in and out of the parallel world.
After replying to a few messages in the group chat, Tong Yang turned to her contacts and called Ye Huai.
The call rang for half a minute, but no one answered, and it hung up automatically.
Tong Yang simply copied his number, searched for him on social media, and added him, waiting for approval.
She wanted to ask if Ye Huai had contacted Ye Tianlin from the parallel world.
“Are you not going to sleep?” Chu Shiyu came out after drying her hair, seeing Tong Yang sitting at the desk playing on her phone.
“You go ahead and sleep.” Tong Yang said.
During this time, she had been sharing a bed with Chu Shiyu instead of returning to the dorm, and they had both gotten used to it.
“Are you still thinking about Jingjing?” Chu Shiyu walked behind her and asked softly.
“No.” Tong Yang shook her head.
She had always been a decisive person. Although she felt sorry for He Jingjing’s death, she couldn’t allow herself to be stuck in regret.
Her consistent thought was that rather than reminiscing about the past, it was better to prepare for the future.
However, to others, it might seem like she was a cold-hearted person.
But Tong Yang didn’t care about that.
Seeing that Chu Shiyu was still standing behind her, Tong Yang turned to look at her, “What’s wrong?”
Chu Shiyu said, “I was thinking, if we hadn’t gone to Xili Mall last night, would Jingjing still be alive?”
Tong Yang thought for a moment and replied, “He Jingjing is not a person from the real world. If we hadn’t had last night’s experience, she might have died directly in my hands.”
When they were in the hospital, when He Jingjing asked her this question, Tong Yang had only said she didn’t know.
If they hadn’t been trapped in the layers of the two worlds last night, the moment she recognized He Jingjing, she would have killed her directly.
It was precisely because of last night’s experience that the one who killed He Jingjing would be the parallel world.
“…You make a good point.” Chu Shiyu nodded, seeming somewhat convinced.
Regardless of whether He Jingjing’s intentions were good or bad, her existence would always pose a threat to the real world. Even if she didn’t want to, once a certain nerve in her brain was pulled out, she would become an order-maintaining entity that only needed to follow orders.
“Don’t think too much; just sleep.”
“You too.” Chu Shiyu turned and dove into the bed.
Not knowing how the others were doing, Xu Junyue, who was a bit slow, had already started messaging her to complain about her dad.
Xu Junyue: 【My dad said that when he comes back, he’ll treat me to stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat. Can I go to your place to avoid the storm?】
Learning is for making money: 【No.】
Not giving Xu Junyue a chance for a lengthy discussion, Tong Yang silenced her phone and fell asleep.
Not sure if it was because of the energy spent last night, Tong Yang felt like she hadn’t slept so comfortably in a long time. She didn’t wake up until it was already dark outside.
At that time, Chu Shiyu was still sound asleep.
Using the light from outside, Tong Yang sat up, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a note on the bedside table, next to two goldfish pendants.
Tong Yang picked up the note and saw it read: Sister, this is a gift for you and Sister Shiyu! We’ve gone out; remember to eat when you wake up!
There was also a smiling face with squinted eyes next to it.
Looking at the familiar handwriting, Tong Yang felt both helpless and amused. Not wanting to wake Chu Shiyu, she quietly left the room.
It was already eight in the evening, and the house was empty; they probably went out to the park after dinner.
Yang Mom didn’t know when they would wake up, so before leaving, she sent a text, telling them to order takeout or make something to eat when they woke up.
Tong Yang replied, “We got it,” and then walked into the kitchen. Seeing there were still tomatoes and eggs in the fridge, she boiled a pot of hot water.
While waiting for the water to boil, she logged into the social media app and found that the friend request sent in the afternoon had already been accepted by Ye Huai.
Ye Huai: 【Tong Yang?】
Ye Huai: 【What’s the matter?】
Tong Yang checked the time; it was 6:31 PM.
Learning is for making money: 【There’s something.】
The pot was bubbling, and Tong Yang put down her phone, went to check on Chu Shiyu in her room, who was still asleep, then returned to the kitchen to cook a portion for herself, planning to make some for Chu Shiyu when she woke up.
After cooking the noodles and frying an egg, when she returned to the dining room, she saw that she had received a reply from Ye Huai just a few minutes ago.
Ye Huai: 【What’s up?】
Learning is for making money: 【Is it convenient for a video call?】
Ye Huai: 【Okay, please wait a moment.】
Learning is for making money: 【Sure.】
Tong Yang propped her phone against the tissue box, facing herself at the table, and then started eating her dinner.
In less than two minutes, Ye Huai called in for a video chat.
Tong Yang answered the video call, and the steaming noodles in her bowl blurred the screen, squinting her eyes to see clearly.
Ye Huai was sitting at his desk, his face as pale as ever, his expression indifferent as he asked, “What’s the matter?”
Tong Yang swallowed the food in her mouth and said, “After that incident, has Ye Tianlin from the parallel world contacted you?”
Ye Huai shook his head, the light falling softly on his hair, “No, I haven’t seen him since that day.”
Tong Yang said, “I can already confirm that you are a person from the parallel world.”
He lowered his eyes, leaning back in his chair, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly, “Is that so? When are you planning to kill me?”
“I won’t kill you.”
“Why not?”
“You’re still useful.”
“Was the incident at Xili Mall this morning related to you?” Ye Huai asked.
“How did you know about this?” Tong Yang paused; the media hadn’t exposed their matter yet.
“I know the owner of that store.”
“Oh, I see. Yes, it’s related to me; what’s the matter?”
Ye Huai said, “What about the missing person?”
“She’s dead.”
“She’s a person from the parallel world? So the police didn’t find her body?”
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes; he was still as clever as ever, “Mm.”
“Can you go out recently?” Tong Yang asked.
She heard he had been living in a sanatorium since then.
“I can.”
“In a couple of days, Officer Lin will take me to meet with the people from Bureau 749; you should come too.”
Ye Huai nodded slightly, “Okay.”
After a pause, he asked again, “Is it related to me?”
“It is.”
Although it was related to him, Tong Yang could only share her speculations with them; she wasn’t sure if they could reach a consensus in the end.
Tong Yang said, “I will inform Bureau 749 of your identity at that time. If you have any concerns, you can raise them now, and we can discuss it.”
“It’s fine; if it’s related to the parallel world, I will cooperate with you as much as possible.”
“Alright, I will contact you in advance.” Tong Yang took a bite of the golden fried egg, “I heard from Aunt Bai that your family went bankrupt?”
Ye Huai replied, “Mm, once I’m feeling better, I’ll find a way to pay you.”
“Okay, do as you see fit. I’m not short on money for now. That’s all I wanted to say; I’m hanging up.”
“Alright, goodbye.”
After hanging up the phone, Tong Yang took a final sip of the noodle soup, and when she returned to the kitchen to clean up, Chu Shiyu rubbed her eyes and walked out of her room.
“Who were you just talking to?” Chu Shiyu peeked into the kitchen.
“Ye Huai.” She boiled another pot of water, “Do you want tomato and egg noodles?”
Chu Shiyu nodded, “Yes.”
“Ye Huai is the eldest son of the chairman of the Baima Group, who caused a stir last month, right? Why are you contacting him?” Chu Shiyu casually asked.
“He’s useful to us.”
“Oh.”
Not long after finishing the noodles, Tong Le and the others returned.
Seeing the lights on in the living room, Tong Le changed into slippers and ran over to her, shouting, “Sister!”
Tong Yang washed her hands and came out of the kitchen, bumping into him.
“Slow down.”
“Sister…” Tong Le smiled up at her, but when he saw the bandage on her arm, his voice faltered.
“You’re hurt?” Tong Le frowned, “How did you get hurt again? Did you bleed? We just separated for a day, and you got hurt?”
“It’s fine; I didn’t bleed.”
“You’re lying! With so many layers of gauze, you must have bled!” Tong Le looked at her angrily, “Didn’t you promise to take care of yourself?”
Tong Yang pinched his cheek, “If I say it’s fine, it’s fine. If you keep nagging, I’ll go back to school.”
Tong Le looked at her with a resentful gaze, “Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
“You’re not allowed to get hurt again; otherwise, I’ll really be angry.”
“Alright, I got it.”
Tong Yang pushed him outside, greeting Yang Dad and Yang Mom.
Yang Mom smiled, “Lele is worried about his sister.”
Tong Yang chuckled, “He’s just being overly concerned.”
“I’m not!”
For the next two days, Tong Yang didn’t return to school, waiting for Officer Lin’s call.
During this time, she heard from Xu Junyue that He Jingjing had been discharged and her family took her abroad to relax, uncertain when she would return; she might take a year off from school.
The others were somewhat affected, but life would continue. They just hoped not to encounter similar incidents again and didn’t want to be dragged back in.
After the incident, Tao Bai asked Xu Junyue for her contact information. They chatted a bit, but it wasn’t a very meaningful conversation; they just said they could hang out together when they had time.
The incident at Xili Mall hadn’t been directly exposed by the media, but many rumors circulated online, temporarily not involving them.
On the third evening, after dinner, Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu took the two little ones out for a walk.
When they reached a nearby park, they bought them two glowing balloons. Passing by a patch of grass, they suddenly heard a cat meowing from inside.
“Is there a cat?” Yang Lin exclaimed.
“I heard it too!” Tong Le bent down, imitating a cat’s meow, and suddenly a black shadow sprang out from the grass, running straight towards Tong Le.
“A little black cat?” Tong Le crouched down, reaching out his hand.
The little black cat didn’t seem afraid, walking up to him and affectionately rubbing its head against his fingers.
Yang Lin said, “Lele, it seems to really like you.”
Tong Le crouched on the ground, the light from the glowing balloon reflecting on his profile as he playfully scratched the little black cat’s chin.
“It doesn’t have a collar? It’s a stray cat.” Chu Shiyu said.
“How pitiful.”
“Can we adopt it?”
“We need to ask Auntie if they agree.”
Tong Yang watched this scene, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu.
She walked closer and noticed that the little black cat had a tuft of white fur on its left ear. She had seen this little black cat on the roadside when she came out of the Shuangbai District Police Station that night.
At that time, there was also a boy wearing a baseball cap nearby.
Tong Yang frowned, feeling something was off.
It took over an hour to get from Shuangbai District to here by subway. How could a little stray cat have made it here alone?
Wasn’t that boy its owner?
