Chapter Three: The Sun Necklace

April’s sky heralded the renewal of all things, the earth awakening once more to spring. In Sakura District, one of the twelve subdivisions of Canglan City, the cherry blossoms were in their peak bloom.

Near midnight, pink petals drifted beneath the glow of streetlamps.

A sudden roar shattered the tranquility—a concrete mixer thundered down the road, the savage rush of air forcing Li Can several steps sideways toward a flowerbed.

The ground beneath his feet felt soft and unsteady.

A startled exclamation rang out beside him. Li Can turned sharply and locked eyes with a slightly plump girl wearing glasses, her face flushed with anger.

For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to freeze.

Noticing the odd look in Li Can’s eyes, the girl dared not linger. She muttered, “Crazy,” and hurried away.

He watched her retreat, and Li Can’s pupils contracted in alarm. She was heading straight into that secluded old street.

A face both familiar and strange…
A one-way street, intimately known…
An environment so hauntingly recognizable…

What was going on? Why was he here again, with every detail repeating itself? Had he somehow experienced the events in advance, or had time itself reversed?

There was no answer.

Li Can’s skin prickled with goosebumps; an unprecedented sense of eeriness drenched him in cold sweat. In moments, his back was soaked through.

A searing pain, as if burned, stabbed at his chest. Frantically, he tugged at his collar and pulled out the necklace he always wore—a simple red cord holding a pendant shaped like the sun, its material unknown.

It was scalding to the touch.

This necklace had once belonged to his father, Li Haotian, who, on a whim the day of the car accident, had given it to him. Ever since his parents had passed, Li Can wore it constantly, as a tribute to their memory.

Was the necklace the cause?

Suppressing his suspicions for the moment, Li Can focused on the matter pressing most urgently on his mind…

Deep within that old street, at “Neighbor’s Kitchen,” a murder and corpse concealment would occur. The victim—a young woman in a white dress. The perpetrator—a burly, fierce-looking chef.

Pulling out his phone, he unlocked the screen, ready to dial the police—but hesitated.

If the murder really occurred, how could he explain his discovery? The body, hidden in the kitchen storage, was nearly impossible for an outsider to find.

A lucky guess?
No, the timing didn’t add up, nor did it make sense.

And if the crime didn’t happen at all?
Even if he told the truth, would the police believe him? He could barely believe himself!

He locked his phone and returned it to his pocket.

No matter whether he wanted to unravel the mystery of his own predicament or expose the murder, he had to return and confirm that the middle-aged man truly existed—and that all events would unfold as before.

Li Can had always been decisive. Once resolved, he acted immediately.

He hid his heavy bag in the flowerbed to lighten his load, then hurried off toward the depths of the old street.

Once again, the stout woman from before came out carrying a bucket of dirty water. On her way back, she slipped. This time, Li Can, prepared, caught her wrist and steadied her.

His fluid movement left bystanders amazed, their eyes bright with admiration.

“Young man, thank you,” the woman said gratefully.

Li Can merely waved and pressed on.

…

“How much longer are you going to use that old soup base? The noodles are limp!”
“Sorry, brother, small business—please understand.”
“That’s no way to run a business…”

…

“Boss, two more customers, but we’re out of dumplings. What should I do?”
“Go get yesterday’s—cough—bring that plate over.”
“Oh, I understand.”

…

As he hurried along, Li Can compared everything he saw and heard to his previous experience.

Not everything matched perfectly, but it still made sense. Last time, searching for food, he’d moved much slower. That meant everything he saw now was happening earlier.

He checked the time on his phone—22:25.

If memory served, he’d passed the barbecue shop around 22:30 the first time, and the time of death was about 22:45, no more than five minutes’ difference.

At his current pace, it would take five to six minutes to reach “Neighbor’s Kitchen.” If he moved faster, he’d arrive even sooner.

By his calculation, he was now about fifteen minutes ahead of his previous self.

The closer he drew to the restaurant, the faster his heart pounded—sometimes he had to open his mouth wide just to breathe.

No one could remain calm in such a bizarre and chilling situation.

Damn, I’d better buy a knife for self-defense.

Passing a hardware store, Li Can didn’t hesitate; he dashed inside, and under the shopkeeper’s wary gaze, grabbed a twenty-yuan kitchen knife and strode out, his bearing resolute.

Three minutes later, the sign for “Neighbor’s Kitchen” came into view.

He took a deep breath and, concealing the knife at his waist, stood beneath a tree on the sidewalk across from the restaurant.

Rather than entering immediately, he wanted to observe from a safe distance—especially to watch for the middle-aged man.

No ordinary person had such an odd tail…

But when he spotted the figure sitting at the entrance, engrossed in her phone, Li Can’s nerves were set ablaze—a chill shot straight to his crown.

It was the woman in the white dress.

Shit!

His body jolted, his eye twitching. He’d seen her corpse before—her eyes unclosed in death. To see her alive now, his first instinct was that he’d encountered a ghost.

So I really am early. The next few minutes are critical.

He forced himself to calm down, focusing intently on what would happen.

She was about twenty-five, with long, wavy hair, tall and slender, fair-skinned, beautiful, and mature in demeanor.

It was almost unimaginable—someone so lovely would soon be murdered so brutally.

Li Can’s hand grazed the knife at his waist.

He was torn—unsure what to do.
Should he wait for the murder to happen, then call the police as a witness?
Or should he intervene, blade in hand, regardless of the consequences?

The first option posed no risk to his life.
The second…who could say?

A minute later, the woman stood, picked up a broom and mop from the restaurant’s corner, and began cleaning with practiced ease.

She’s not a customer, Li Can realized, frowning as he noted the unexpected change.

Another minute passed. Suddenly, the woman looked toward the kitchen, as if something had caught her attention.

From his position, Li Can couldn’t see what had drawn her gaze.

She hurriedly leaned the broom and mop against a table, but they slipped to the floor.

Hesitation flickered across her face—she wanted to pick them up, but kept glancing anxiously at the kitchen.

In the end, she didn’t retrieve them. Instead, she straightened and drew back the kitchen curtain, stepping inside.

Everything changed in an instant.

Damn it!

Li Can began pacing anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan. He was no saint, but he couldn’t stand by and watch a living person die before his eyes.

His conscience rebelled.

Screw it—I have to act!

After a split second of indecision, Li Can yanked the cheap kitchen knife from his belt and charged toward the restaurant, determined to intervene.

(To be continued…)