Chapter Twenty-Five: Meeting Without Recognition

The chubby man sidled up with a grin, handing over the temporary credentials, while also holding up his phone to display a recent call log.
“I just spoke with your principal,” he said cheerfully. “We were given a temporary pass at the gate. There are some network issues here, so we’ve come to check them out. After all, any problem here could be a big deal.”

The guard eyed them, suspicion lingering on his face, but he let them through nonetheless, muttering under his breath, “Network issues? Haven’t heard any complaints from the students.”

Neither of the two replied; saying too much at such a moment would only invite trouble. They feigned ignorance and hurried into the laboratory building. Zhou Yi had already raised his phone, the screen displaying the location: the first lab on the east side of the third floor.

They exchanged a quick glance—still in sync—then took the side stairs up to the third floor. The door to the designated lab was closed, but it was glass, allowing a clear view inside.

There were only three or four people in the room, and nothing could be heard from outside. Each was busy at their own experiment. Zhou Yi stood before the door, watching closely. Though the people wore masks, he instantly recognized Meng Meizhu.

Her features were partly hidden, but those eyes were unforgettable. It was as if she felt his gaze; Meng Meizhu looked up, her eyes meeting the door.

The chubby man shuddered, quickly darting aside—this was hardly the moment to draw attention.

Meng Meizhu tilted her head, seeming to say something to a classmate, then removed her mask and walked toward the door. Zhou Yi’s nerves tightened, a thousand words on his tongue, yet he couldn’t find a way to begin.

The door opened. Meng Meizhu looked Zhou Yi up and down, puzzlement on her face.
“Are you looking for me?”

Zhou Yi nodded, took a steadying breath, and met her gaze.
“You’re Meng Meizhu, right?”

She nodded, raising a hand to point at her name badge—her name was indeed there.
“I’m Meng Meizhu. Do you need something?”

Zhou Yi studied her eyes. This young woman was exactly as he remembered; every subtle expression on her face was the same. Yet, the way she looked at him was that of a stranger.

Some things do not need to be spoken to know their outcome, yet Zhou Yi pressed on, unwilling to give up. He asked,
“I wanted to know whether, in high school, you had a male classmate named Zhou Yi—someone now studying in America? Perhaps you two were even romantically involved?”

Confusion clouded Meng Meizhu’s face. Normally, she would have walked away from such a question, but the man before her radiated no malice; in fact, he seemed completely sincere.

She thought carefully, then shook her head. She took out her phone, typed “Zhou” into her contacts, and searched. Only one person with the surname Zhou appeared, unmistakably a girl.

“I don’t have any classmates named Zhou Yi. Not in high school—actually, I still meet up with my middle school classmates as well, and I remember things clearly. Are you looking for this person?”

Zhou Yi shook his head, at a loss for words. The chubby man quickly stepped forward, flashing Meng Meizhu a smile.

“Please don’t mind us, Miss Meng. We’re actually looking for his brother. His brother once sent a postcard saying he and his girlfriend, Meng Meizhu, were living happily in America and not to worry. But then his brother disappeared, so we’re searching for anyone named Meng Meizhu to ask. I hope you understand.”

Realization dawned in Meng Meizhu’s eyes. The way she looked at Zhou Yi shifted to understanding, and she offered a gentle smile. Instead of returning at once, she took a card from her pocket, scribbled her number, and handed it to Zhou Yi.

“Maybe it’s just someone with the same name. Don’t worry. My uncle lives in America—if you need, I can ask him to help you look. Here’s my number. Call me if you decide. I have to get back to my experiment, or the sample I just refined will be ruined.”

Zhou Yi nodded, accepting the card. Only then did Meng Meizhu return to the lab.

The chubby man leaned over for a look, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.
“A kind girl, not a hint of suspicion. If we had any bad intentions today, she’d be in trouble. So, what now?”

Zhou Yi shook his head, giving no answer. He turned and headed downstairs. After seeing Meng Meizhu, it was clear that she was just as he remembered—yet why had the other version of himself vanished?

Moreover, the person who should have been studying in America was now appearing at Jiangsu University. Zhou Yi grew more and more puzzled, his pace slowing. When the guard said something as he left, Zhou Yi didn’t even hear.

Walking on, Zhou Yi suddenly stopped, eyes widening. The chubby man, not paying attention, nearly collided with him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Zhou Yi waved it off. The two got into their car. The chubby man sensed Zhou Yi had something secret to discuss, so he quickly switched on a signal jammer before turning to face him.

Zhou Yi opened his laptop and typed a line.

[Chubby: I know what’s different about Meng Meizhu in this world compared to my memories!]

The chubby man blinked, signaling Zhou Yi to continue.

[It’s the timeline. In my memories, it’s 2020. In that world, Meng Meizhu died in 2015. I must have gone through everything up to 2020, but then I was reborn back to 2015, with some deviations, becoming who I am now. Maybe this is a parallel universe.]

The chubby man looked Zhou Yi up and down, disbelief written across his face. The idea was simply too bizarre. He’d felt this world seemed to be repeating, but traveling from one universe to another? That was unfathomable. He quickly typed back.

[You’ve read too many novels—traveling between worlds? Don’t kid yourself. I could believe some kind of infinite time loop, but going from 2020 back to this time, into a parallel universe? That’s just too incredible.]

Zhou Yi frowned. Why should an endless time loop be any easier to accept?

[I don’t know how to explain it. The memories are too vivid. Maybe it’s different dimensions or timelines. But those memories end abruptly, after the revenge.]

The chubby man paused.

Zhou Yi rarely spoke of his memories, but in that other world, Zhou Yi had taken his revenge, then found himself here. Did that mean that as long as Zhou Yi took revenge again, he could break this cycle?

[If that’s the case, let’s continue with your revenge! Only by doing that can the cycle be broken. Maybe you’ll remember even more. Besides, that Wang Shengyu is no good, and the law can’t touch him. I’ll help you get revenge!]

Zhou Yi looked at the chubby man. After writing this, the determination on his friend’s face was unmistakable.

He could feel the sincerity. Maybe every time they went to that air-raid shelter and encountered those inexplicable things, it caused the chubby man to break down a little more. He too wanted to end this cycle. As the chubby man said, Zhou Yi truly wanted to know the truth.

Why did he possess such memories? And there were things he hadn’t spoken of—especially that glimpse of red after his revenge, and the flash of red in the hospital. Were they connected?

And who was behind all this, or what? After all, the purposefulness of the two sets of memories was too strong to ignore.

Zhou Yi deleted everything from the screen, then pulled up a surveillance feed. Wang Shengyu was in his office, preparing to leave, when Jiang Yushan rushed in, panic-stricken. At the sight of Wang Shengyu, she burst into tears.

Wang Shengyu looked at her, bewildered, and quickly stood to cradle her face.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”

Jiang Yushan stomped her foot, her hands trembling slightly, eyes wide with helplessness.

“Ayu, I just saw the news—the woman driving the car we hit yesterday has died. They’re offering a reward for eyewitnesses. I’m so scared!”

Wang Shengyu merely smiled, pulling her into his arms, his hands wandering. Seeing Jiang Yushan only sobbing and squirming, his interest quickly waned, and he sighed.

“So what if she’s dead? The car had no plates—who will know which one it was? Even if they trace it to me, I already sent it to a friend’s shop. I didn’t like it anyway. I gave it away, had the bodywork changed, a new paint job, inside and out—no one will ever trace it.”

Only then did Jiang Yushan look up, wiping her tears and holding Wang Shengyu’s face, as if seeking reassurance.

“Are you sure it’s fine? The car was under my name.”

Wang Shengyu shook his head, brushing her lower lip with his finger and giving a wicked grin.

“Don’t worry, it’s all taken care of. You don’t need to worry about a thing—just focus on making me happy!”

Zhou Yi snapped the laptop shut.

“We need to plan this carefully.”