Reflecting carefully, ever since Tong Yang met Ye Huai, his will to live really wasn’t strong. Fully aware that Ye Tianlin wouldn’t care about his health, he still talked back and clashed with him; despite knowing he had heart disease, he still ventured into the perilous parallel world with them.
His goal was to kill Ye Tianlin, no matter which world’s Ye Tianlin it was, and he was prepared to pay with his own life.
“Ye Huai!”
Before he could pull the trigger, Aunt Bai, following the car that pulled up, shouted angrily. All three were stunned as the car door slammed open, and the usually composed Aunt Bai rushed up to Ye Huai, snatching the gun from his hand.
“What are you thinking? Have you lost your mind?”
She clutched Ye Huai’s clothes, tears streaming down her face.
“You’re my child, Ye Huai…”
Perhaps from the force of her grip, or from sheer exhaustion, blood trickled from Ye Huai’s nose.
“Mom, I might not be your child…”
“Brother! Brother! Wuu… Brother…”
Ye Wen, who had awoken with the help of medical staff in the ambulance, burst into tears while two nurses held him.
“Little Huai! Doctor! Doctor! Save my son!!”
As Ye Huai seemed unable to hold on any longer, his eyes shut tightly, and he collapsed to the ground.
Aunt Bai, her face pale, held him tightly, desperately pleading for the medics to help.
Tong Yang and Xu Junyue watched the scene, stepping aside to give way to the arriving medical team.
Tong Yang’s expression was complex, unsure if Ye Huai’s last words were a guess or an excuse to relieve himself from burden. Perhaps only the Ye Tianlin of both worlds would know the truth.
But then, if the parallel world’s Ye Tianlin had sent him to the real world, what about the real world’s Ye Huai?
Afterward, the two brothers were hospitalized, while Tong Yang and Xu Junyue were taken to the police station.
After a whole day of exhaustion, their overstimulated brains finally cooled down. They were utterly drained by the time Officer Lin allowed them to rest, planning to interrogate them later that evening.
Tong Yang was awakened by the barking of a dog. Feeling something wet, she opened her eyes to find a Labrador licking her dangling fingers.
“Lion, stop bothering sister. Come here to mom.”
Xu Junyue called out, patting Lion’s head.
“What time is it?” Tong Yang asked, her voice hoarse.
“Past three,” replied Xu Junyue.
“Are you hungry? Officer Lin mentioned there are instant noodles next door, said to make some if we’re hungry.”
“Hungry,” Tong Yang nodded.
Xu Junyue, dressed in bold fashion with her belly showing, eye-catching hair pulled back into a small tuft, casually grabbed two noodle cups, asking, “What flavor?”
“Not spicy.”
“They don’t have that.”
“Then why ask?”
“Being polite. Most people would just say whatever.”
Tong Yang took the noodles handed to her, tearing open the seasoning packet.
Although this trip to the parallel world was easier than she expected, her mood was anything but relaxed. Honestly, she felt quite powerless, yet unable to pinpoint the source of this weakness.
After Ye Wen’s ordeal, Tong Yang was certain of one thing—they were more terrifying than she had imagined. What scared her the most was their foresight and their ability to think and exploit situations.
After finishing their noodles, a police officer knocked on the door of their rest area, and Officer Lin walked in.
“Officer Lin,” Xu Junyue greeted warmly.
Officer Lin shot her a glare. “Sit properly. How dare you deceive us.”
Xu Junyue shrugged nonchalantly. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. We made quite the discovery this time.”
Xu Junyue’s genuine personality contrasted sharply with the impression she had initially given Tong Yang—bold and carefree, almost like a small-time thug.
Officer Lin sat opposite them, her expression growing serious. “Twenty minutes from now, the police station will need you to make official statements. Before that, I’d like to have a chat with you.”
“This morning, Chairman Ye Tianlin of White Horse Group fell from a building and is currently being resuscitated. According to the crime scene investigation, there were no signs of struggle, and only his fingerprints were found on the railing. It appears to be a suicide.”
Tong Yang listened silently, offering no response.
“It might really be a suicide,” Xu Junyue chimed in.
“But how did he enter the school without our knowledge?” Xu Junyue wondered aloud.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
“Because of the parallel world,” Tong Yang stated solemnly.
Officer Lin said, “Dr. Wu mentioned after the fact that there is no such thing as a parallel world. You just used some special method to find Ye Wen hidden at the school.”
Tong Yang raised her eyes, countering, “Officer Lin, if there really is no parallel world, does everything still make sense? You already know about the parallel world. Why deny it?”
Tong Yang couldn’t understand why they would ignore Dr. Wu’s flippant comment as if nothing had happened.
Xu Junyue glanced at Tong Yang, not expecting her to speak up.
“Officer Lin, to be honest, we did enter a parallel world,” Xu Junyue stated seriously.
Officer Lin watched them silently for a long time before speaking gravely, “It’s not that I’m denying the existence of a parallel world. It’s that there can’t be one. Do you understand?”
“Why?” Tong Yang asked.
Officer Lin averted her gaze, pondering for a moment before saying, “To be honest with you, Dr. Wu is indeed affiliated with Bureau 749, but we received news this morning that he died yesterday, murdered, and the perpetrator is unknown. Who was the Dr. Wu we saw, a human or a ghost? Can you clarify that? Do you have proof?”
Tong Yang pursed her lips, “No evidence, no proof, right?”
“Right, no evidence, no proof,” Officer Lin sighed. “You might not know, but after Ye Wen’s disappearance, similar cases appeared consecutively across the country, extremely similar in execution and all man-made. Tong Yang, the villains are worse than you think. Once they define the narrative, they will stir the waters and mimic the crime, creating panic.”
“Even with evidence, it wouldn’t be publicized, right?” Tong Yang looked up at her.
Officer Lin nodded, “That’s for certain.”
“But the nation won’t ignore this. We’ve received word that Bureau 749 has now taken full control of this case and has officially started an investigation. So, we don’t want to drag ordinary people into this any further. Do you understand my point?”
Tong Yang nodded, “I understand.”
Officer Lin exhaled in relief, “I’m glad you can understand.”
Xu Junyue shook her head, “I don’t get it, Officer Lin. You’re being too vague.”
“Just don’t get involved in any similar incidents. Return to the life of an ordinary person, as if this never happened.”
Tong Yang indeed hoped things could progress this way, but it seemed that since May 28th, her life was destined not to be peaceful, probably the price for her survival.
After all, if she weren’t a time anchor and one of those displaced in time, she should have been dead long ago.
Since her life couldn’t return to calm, she might as well let nature take its course. Saving the world was definitely beyond her, so making more money before the world’s destruction was the priority.
“Later, when you make your statement, just don’t mention anything about the parallel world. Say whatever else you want; we’ve already concluded that part.”
Tong Yang nodded, asking, “Officer Lin, do you have paper and a pen?”
“Yes, just a moment.”
After receiving the paper and pen, Tong Yang wrote down their method of entering the parallel world, “This is how Dr. Wu took us into the parallel world. Please pass it to the people at Bureau 749. Also, the parallel world is very dangerous.”
Thinking it over, Tong Yang added, “If they need help, they can find me, but I’ll need compensation. We can discuss the amount, but it has to be substantial.”
Officer Lin took the paper, unable to suppress a chuckle, “You should really just focus on your studies. They don’t need your help; those are professionals.”
Tong Yang didn’t argue, simply saying, “Just in case.”
Although she hadn’t directly cooperated with Bureau 749, their involvement indicated national attention, ultimately a good outcome, and a hefty reward made it worthwhile.
During the statement recording, the police symbolically asked about the events that occurred early in the morning, guiding their responses without any mention of the parallel world.
Leaving the room, Tong Yang inquired about Ye Huai’s condition from Officer Lin.
Officer Lin sighed, “Ye Huai’s condition has worsened; he won’t be leaving the hospital any time soon.”
Hearing this, Tong Yang nodded, not adding anything further.
As for Ye Huai’s last conjecture, Tong Yang didn’t know whether it was true or false, nor was she interested in pondering it—it had nothing to do with her.
Regarding Ye Tianlin’s fall, Tong Yang had never thought about killing him, nor did she understand why he fell, but Ye Tianlin deserved his fate.
Leaving the police station, it was already evening.
Xu Junyue was just coming out when her dad caught her by the ear and dragged her back to their car. She waved her phone at Tong Yang, “Tong Yang, we’ll be in touch! I’m probably going to get a beating, so I won’t be able to take you back!”
Tong Yang gave her a look of concern, then turned and walked away.
On her way to the subway station, Tong Yang opened her social media app. The melon-eating group was abuzz with discussion about the incident.
Tong Yang glanced at a few comments, uninterested in replying.
Passing a lit pet store, Tong Yang noticed a small black cat squatting at the entrance of a nearby alley, curiously peering into the window. A young man wearing a white baseball cap stood beside it, pulling out a cat treat and squatting down, smiling, “Tired, huh? Go home and rest well.”
Tong Yang’s gaze suddenly became distant, feeling the side of the man’s face, mostly hidden by the baseball cap, seemed familiar. Before she could recall more, her phone rang.
Tong Yang picked up the phone; Chu Shiyu was calling via video.
“Hello, what’s up?”
As Tong Yang walked past the young man, she answered the call.
“Sister!”
The first voice that came through wasn’t Chu Shiyu’s but Tong Le’s.
Seeing Tong Le’s face covered in mud on the screen, Tong Yang couldn’t help but smile, “What are you up to? Your face is all muddy.”
Tong Yang’s voice was cheerful, “Chu Shiyu took me and Yang Lin out for pottery, look! I made a bowl for you!”
He angled the camera to show a bowl painted with crooked patterns. “Do you like it?”
“Not bad,” Tong Yang replied.
“This is what Yang Lin and Chu Shiyu made.” Tong Le shifted the camera to show two other bowls. “Sister, which one do you think looks best?”
Without a second thought, Tong Yang said, “Yours looks the best.”
“Hey! Don’t be so biased, mine obviously looks better,” Chu Shiyu’s displeased voice came through.
Tong Yang’s voice was lazy, “Why are you comparing yourself with a child?”
“Hmph, I’m being realistic.”
“By the way, sister, my ID card is ready!” Tong Le said excitedly, “Yang Lin’s mom said she’d take me to see you in early August!”
In the screen, warm light bathed Tong Le, his smile as bright as a dazzling sun.
Despite having once considered leaving him alone in the old city district, Tong Yang now realized she simply couldn’t do it. Perhaps more than Tong Le, she was the one who wanted to stay together.
“Mm, I know.”
“Hehe, sister, my end-of-term results are out, first place!”
“Not bad, how did Lin Lin do?”
Yang Lin said, “Tong Yang sister, I ranked thirty-fourth.”
“Do you guys want any gifts? I’ll get them for you.”
Chu Shiyu coughed twice, reminding, “I ranked tenth.”
Tong Yang, gazing at the warm streetlights, responded, “Okay, I’ll buy for all.”
Tong Le said, “Sister ranked first, I’ll also buy for sister!”
“I’ll also buy for Tong Yang sister!”
Chu Shiyu said grudgingly, “You two just can’t stand to see her at a disadvantage, huh?”
“I’ll also buy for Chu Shiyu sister!”
“I’ll also get something for sister.”
Chu Shiyu finally seemed satisfied, letting the two kids continue playing with clay and took the phone to a quiet spot.
“Are you okay?” Chu Shiyu asked.
Tong Yang smiled, “Do I look that bad?”
Chu Shiyu nodded, “You look pale. Is that matter over?”
Tong Yang paused for a second, then said, “This matter is over, but there will be many more in the future.”
Chu Shiyu said, “Tong Yang, you don’t have to face those things alone.”
Tong Yang stopped walking, her gaze suddenly distant, her expression somewhat lost, “Tell me, can I kill everyone in the parallel world?”
“No.”
“But if we don’t kill them, they will kill us.”
Chu Shiyu said, “…Honestly, I don’t know what to do.”
Tong Yang was well aware that no one knew what to do.
She felt the terrifying aspect of those people lay not in their social system or their attempts to enter the real world, but in their cruelty and numbness.
Those two kids stitched up at the back of their heads always lingered in her mind.
At the same time, she realized something.
“Tong Yang” said that on the night Tong Le had a high fever at age two, she chose not to take him to the hospital, so Tong Le died.
But maybe that wasn’t the case.
If Ye Huai was right, with all resources concentrated in the upper class, even “Ye Tianlin” couldn’t enjoy medical resources, so how could the ordinary “Tong Yang” and Tong Le?
Perhaps, at that time, there were no hospitals left in the parallel world.
The parallel world had already been depleted seven or eight years ago; she simply had no means to take Tong Le to a doctor.
Tong Yang didn’t pity them at all, nor did she pity the people of the parallel world enough to be sad for them. She just felt that “Tong Yang” was right—what could she change alone, even as a time anchor?
Perhaps the real world already had replacements that they didn’t know about.
Ye Huai might be one of them.
“I want to major in physics,” Tong Yang suddenly said.
Chu Shiyu paused, “Huh? That was a quick topic change.”
“If there’s time, I’ll also double major in astronomy.”
Chu Shiyu gasped, “Those two majors aren’t easy to master, aren’t you afraid of exhausting yourself?”
Tong Yang went on, “Let the nation figure out whether the parallel world will destroy the real world. I just need to take care of those around me.”
Since coming back from the parallel world, Tong Yang had been somewhat obsessed.
Dr. Wu’s mention of killing others to share resources with the upper class had given her a sense of crisis, and she had been thinking about how to avoid it, but obviously, it wasn’t something she could stop alone; it should be left to the nation and Bureau 749 to handle.
Chu Shiyu hesitated for a moment, then asked worriedly, “Tong Yang, are you okay?”
“Now I am.”
Chu Shiyu: “…”
“That’s good. Where are you now?”
“On my way back to school.”
“Alright, be careful.”
“Has anything strange happened in the old city district recently?”
“Nothing, all’s normal.”
Tong Yang nodded, “Okay, thanks. Hanging up now.”
“Alright…”
The next morning, Tong Yang woke up to find that the police had issued a statement, without any mention of the occult, just to calm the public’s emotions.
Meanwhile, Ye Tianlin’s fall to death was also reported, followed by a years-old case of a tutor drowning, with the police releasing a video of Ye Tianlin’s confession.
Tong Yang recognized at a glance that the man in the video wasn’t the real Ye Tianlin. As for who he was, it went without saying.
As the tutor’s death case was resolved, news broke that Ye Tianlin had used White Horse Group for illegal trading, evading a huge amount of taxes, leading to most of the group’s business activities being halted and their accounts frozen. White Horse Group was on the brink of collapse.
Although Tong Yang felt that the events were too coincidental and must involve Ye Huai’s handiwork, it was clear that he alone couldn’t have gathered so much evidence, and Aunt Bai likely wasn’t uninvolved either.
This sparked a wave of severe criticism online.
“Ye Tianlin got what he deserved!”
“I remember the tutor case. Ye Huai testified that Ye Tianlin had killed someone, but the victim’s family suddenly changed their testimony, settling for just two hundred thousand.”
“Ye Tianlin reaped what he sowed! The sudden growth of White Horse Group was always unreasonable.”
“I suspect Ye Tianlin was haunted by a vengeful spirit, serves him right.”
“Go to hell!!”
…
Soon, Tong Yang received an unknown call.
“Hello.”
“Is this Teacher Tong?”
On the phone, Aunt Bai’s familiar voice sounded.
“Aunt Bai? I’m Tong Yang, is there something wrong?”
Aunt Bai’s tone was very calm, seemingly unaffected by Ye Tianlin’s death and the negative news about the company.
“Teacher Tong, I heard from Ye Huai that you helped us bring Ye Wen back, and he promised you ten million, right?”
Actually, Tong Yang hadn’t done much in this matter; most of the work was done by Xu Junyue. Without her involvement, Ye Wen wouldn’t have been found until 2026.
“Yes,” Tong Yang replied, ready to offer a discount if Aunt Bai refused, “but we can discuss it.”
“That’s good.” Aunt Bai breathed a sigh of relief. “Ye Tianlin always forbade us from having money. I’ve always used his credit card, and now most of them are frozen. I don’t know if the investigation will cover the compensation. Ye Huai and I have only twelve million in total, but we’ll need a lot of money for Ye Huai’s medical treatment. I wonder… could you wait until we’re a bit more financially stable before we pay you?”
The amount involved in Ye Tianlin’s case was too large; probably, that money was all they had saved themselves.
Twelve million… Ye Huai, that person, wouldn’t plan to take his own life and leave ten million for her, keeping only two million for his mother and brother, would he?
If it were her, she would definitely transfer enough funds to her own account before killing Ye Tianlin, but if it was illegal money, it would still be frozen.
“Aunt Bai, don’t worry, wait until your situation improves, and you have some spare money,” Tong Yang, not currently lacking money, replied, somewhat incredulous at such a large sum.
After inquiring about the Ye brothers’ condition—Ye Huai was still in a coma, having briefly woken once, while Ye Wen wasn’t seriously affected and didn’t remember what had happened—Tong Yang didn’t concern herself with their reaction to Ye Tianlin’s death news.
[Damn… Ye Tianlin really deserved to die…]
[That tutor was only eighteen, a bright future completely ruined by him!]
[White Horse Group collapsed, and Ye Huai ended up in a sanatorium]
[@StudyingIsForMakingMoney, why haven’t you shown up?]
[But there’s no news about Sister Tong in the reports, hidden by the police, right?]
[I still want to know what exactly happened]
StudyingIsForMakingMoney: [StudyingIsForMakingMoney sends a 50000 transfer to Ando Tetsu as a dog]
StudyingIsForMakingMoney: [Went to a parallel world once, Ye Tianlin probably got scared by the tutor from the parallel world and died in a panic]
[Thanks for the reward from Sister Tong]
[Sigh! That really was a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, coming from another world]
[Sister Tong, what’s the date over there?]
StudyingIsForMakingMoney: [July 22nd]
[We’re only on July 19th]
[Our time flow is getting slower…]
[At this rate, one day Sister Tong will catch up to us]
[But that’s also pretty good; I really want to meet Sister Tong]
Tong Yang didn’t reply, growing more curious about who created the melon-eating group, how they gathered everyone, and why they gathered them.
She clicked into the group owner’s profile details, which revealed no information beyond his gender, but his age and gender were likely just casually set, after all, he couldn’t really be 120 years old, and the profile picture and nickname seemed more feminine.
Hesitating for a moment, Tong Yang tried adding him as a friend, sending a verification message, but the other party didn’t accept it right away, though Tong Yang didn’t hold much hope either.
StudyingIsForMakingMoney: [Let me know if similar incidents happen again]
After sending this message, Tong Yang exited the app.
Two days later, Tong Yang received a message from Officer Lin; the method she left on paper for entering the parallel world was infeasible, even after several trials at the same time and place, they couldn’t enter the parallel world.
Seeing the message, Tong Yang wasn’t surprised; of course, it wouldn’t be that simple.
Maybe it only worked under Dr. Wu’s assistance at that moment.
Tong Yang replied to her the same way, to contact her if they needed help.
The melon-eating group and the time loop were Tong Yang’s only two trump cards; unless necessary, she wouldn’t tell anyone, considering even Bureau 749’s Dr. Wu could be replaced, then others could also be replaced without anyone noticing.
On the fifth of August, Yang Lin’s parents and Chu Shiyu, along with Tong Yang and Yang Lin, arrived in the capital.
Tong Yang and Yang Lin’s grandmother rented two cars to pick them up.
“Sister!” Tong Le, wearing a seven-star ladybug backpack, ran towards her excitedly.
Yang Lin’s mother hurriedly followed, “Le Le, be careful.”
Tong Yang bent down and caught him, twisting his cheek habitually, “Why are you running in such a crowded place?”
Tong Le didn’t mind the pinch and rubbed against her hand, “I missed you!”
“You must be Grandma Yu, right? I often hear Yang Lin mention you. I’m Tong Le, just call me Le Le. I’m sister’s brother.”
Yang Lin’s grandmother is surnamed Yu, and his mother also took her grandmother’s surname, also named Yu.
Grandma Yu smiled, “Le Le, you and your sister look so alike.”
“Thank you, Grandma. Yang Lin’s mom’s eyes look a lot like yours.”
“Grandma.”
“Mom.”
Chu Shiyu and others, pushing luggage, came over.
Tong Yang took the luggage from their hands, calling out, “Aunt Yu, Uncle Yang, long time no see.”
Yang Lin’s mother happily approached her, patting her shoulder, “You seem a bit taller than before? And in better shape.”
Tong Yang said, “I’ve been working out recently.”
“You’re getting prettier.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Chu Shiyu sized her up and down, “Your figure is better than before.”
“Thank you.”
Chu Shiyu snorted, “But I still prefer the chubby feel.”
Tong Yang raised an eyebrow at her, saying nothing further.
Grandma Yu has several properties in the capital; she and her husband usually live near the school, taking Yang Lin and the others to a house closer to Beijing University Primary School.
In the evening, Tong Yang treated them to dinner, Yang Lin’s mother wanted to help pay, but Tong Yang refused.
Although Tong Yang left living expenses for her brother, she still troubled them with many things.
After dinner, Yang Lin’s parents and grandparents were tired and went home to rest, while Tong Yang took the two kids and Chu Shiyu out shopping nearby.
Tong Yang had been to Beijing University Primary School before and basically recognized the surrounding roads.
Passing a shopping mall, she bought two water bottles with different patterns but the same design for the kids and bought a pair of earrings for Chu Shiyu. Although Chu Shiyu rarely wore jewelry, none cost less than four figures; the earrings Tong Yang gave her were probably the cheapest in her collection.
The young lady complained verbally, but Tong Yang thought about replacing them with something else, yet she didn’t want them.
“Le Le, do you like it here?” Tong Yang held his hand as they walked back, their future unlikely to return to the old city district.
Tong Le earnestly nodded, “I like it.”
“Really?”
He had only been in this city for a few hours; what could he like about it?
The bustling streets, the colorful neon lights, the varied clothing styles, the noise, and the prosperity…
“Sister, don’t worry, I’ll like wherever I am. I also liked the old city district.” Tong Le lifted a smiling face, “After all, every place is lovely.”
Yang Lin and Chu Shiyu walked beside them, smiling and saying, “Le Le is right, every place is lovely.”
“Mm, but you must stay alert and not run around, understand?”
“Mm! I know!”
“I know too!”
Tong Yang asked the dormitory supervisor for leave that night and did not return to the dormitory.
In the following days, Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu took them around the capital from morning till night, even postponing several tutoring sessions. Fortunately, the students’ parents were understanding, letting her spend time with her brother first and to contact them when free.
The melon-eating group remained lively, seemingly providing Tong Yang with some relaxing and enjoyable time without any bizarre or frightening incidents occurring. However, in 2026, a major air disaster occurred—a international flight deviated from its route and crashed seven hours later, killing all crew and passengers.
Tong Yang checked in her spare time; it was a new model of aircraft, introduced into service less than a year ago, but in Tong Yang’s 2024, this model was still in the testing phase.
Besides taking them sightseeing in the capital, there was also the issue of transferring schools, but with the school’s cooperation, it wasn’t too much trouble. After finishing, they just needed to register at the school in September.
However, Tong Yang and Yang Lin wouldn’t be in the same class anymore.
That evening, after finishing tutoring, Chu Shiyu waited with the two kids for Tong Yang to join them for dinner.
She had chosen a tutoring job almost entirely near Peking University, so Chu Shiyu took them to tour the school.
“Sister!”
“Tong Yang sister!”
“Are you hungry?” Tong Yang, carrying a cross-body bag, approached the group.
“Not hungry, sister, you’ve worked hard. Let me carry your bag!” Tong Le said brightly.
Tong Yang didn’t refuse, handing over the cross-body bag and adjusting the strap to suit his height.
Speaking of which, Tong Le was taller than most kids his age and would probably grow to over 185 cm in the future, but Tong Yang was also a bit taller than the average girl, so it wasn’t surprising.
“Is it heavy?”
“Not heavy! I’m strong!”
Tong Yang smiled and twisted his cheek, then turned to ask Chu Shiyu and the others, “What do you want to eat? I got paid for tutoring; it’s my treat.”
Chu Shiyu said, “They want to eat KFC.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
There was a KFC near the west gate of Peking University, directly opposite a Dicos, and next to an alley with a large food stall.
As they passed the food stall, the tables outside were crowded with friends sitting together, eating heartily and chatting.
Tong Yang’s gaze swept over the area, suddenly noticing a very conspicuous head of hair.
“Damn it! You’re really stingy with such a small amount of liquor!”
“Fill it up, fill it up, fill it up!”
“I’m telling you, murder mystery and escape room tomorrow night at eight, whoever’s scared is a coward!”
“Go to hell! I’ve seen scarier stuff than your fake crap!”
“Sister, do you know them?” Tong Le followed her gaze, curiously asking.
Tong Yang decisively moved her gaze away, her face expressionless, “Don’t know them, let’s go.”
However, before Tong Yang could lead the three away, the loud redhead at the crowd’s table slammed her hand down.
“Tong Yang!”
Tong Yang continued walking with Tong Le, pretending not to hear.
“Tong Yang! I’m calling you!”
“Sister, some weird aunt is calling you,” Tong Le reminded.
Tong Yang looked over, annoyed, as several guests outside the food stall turned their attention to Tong Yang and the others.
Chu Shiyu curiously asked, “Who is she?”
Before Tong Yang could respond, Xu Junyue had already crossed several tables and approached her.
“Tong Yang, hi!”
“Hello, miss, hello, kids.”
Xu Junyue naturally greeted them.
“Hello,” Chu Shiyu nodded politely.
“Hello, sister!”
Yang Lin half-hidden behind Tong Yang, “Hello…”
Tong Yang glanced at Tong Le, who had just called her a weird aunt but now called her sister as she approached, this kid really had a sweet mouth.
“What a coincidence.” Tong Yang greeted her perfunctorily.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to greet Xu Junyue, it’s just that this person was especially talkative and didn’t like to text; she would call at the slightest disagreement. Sometimes Tong Yang ignored her, but Xu Junyue could talk for an hour by herself. If Tong Yang didn’t end the call, it felt like she could talk forever.
“Where are you guys going?”
Tong Yang pointed to a nearby store, “Taking them to KFC.”
“Kids love KFC.” Xu Junyue looked at Tong Le, “Your brother? He really looks like you.”
Tong Le smiled, “Thank you, sister.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Xu Junyue glanced at Yang Lin, who shyly hid behind Tong Yang.
Although Yang Lin’s personality had become much more outgoing, he was still a bit reserved in front of strangers.
“What are you afraid of? Sister doesn’t eat children.” Xu Junyue scooped Yang Lin from behind, “Wow! You look really cool. A tiger tattoo here would definitely look amazing.”
Yang Lin was momentarily stunned, his eyes lighting up, “Really?”
“Absolutely,” Xu Junyue said, “I know a tattoo artist who’s really skilled. Maybe one day…”
“Xu Junyue, that’s enough. He’s just a kid.” Tong Yang kicked her heel.
Xu Junyue shrugged, no longer pursuing the topic, and turned to Chu Shiyu, “Wow, you’re so pretty, worthy of being our Tong’s friend.”
Chu Shiyu: “…Thank you.”
Xu Junyue patted Tong Yang’s shoulder and waved back at her friends, then said, “Let them eat inside, and you guys come play with us.”
Tong Yang turned to look at Chu Shiyu, who smiled and said, “I’m fine with it.”
It seemed she really enjoyed Xu Junyue’s compliments.
Tong Yang wasn’t very keen, as she hadn’t made many friends before.
“Come on, your friend doesn’t mind, what are you afraid of?” Xu Junyue urged, “Look! My friends over there are very welcoming.”
Tong Yang asked the two kids, “Can you manage on your own?”
Tong Le looked in the direction of Xu Junyue’s friends, about four or five people, both male and female, dressed fairly normally.
“Sister, you guys go have fun. Yang Lin and I can handle it, right?”
Yang Lin nodded immediately, “Right! We can manage.”
Seeing this, Tong Yang no longer resisted. The outside of KFC was all glass walls, allowing a clear view inside. She first took them in, ordered the food, reminded them not to run around, then returned to the food stall with Chu Shiyu.
“When did you make friends?” Chu Shiyu whispered as they left the KFC.
“A while ago.”
“Hmph, didn’t you used to not make friends?”
Tong Yang replied, “I was busy before.”
Chu Shiyu pouted, “You’re not exactly free now.”
The two arrived at the food stall and took their seats at the prepared spots.
Both Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu were first-timers at such a place. The former because she had neither the money nor the time, and the latter because her parents didn’t allow her to eat such things.
“Hello.” Chu Shiyu greeted everyone after sitting down, and Tong Yang nodded to them.
Xu Junyue said, “I’ve ordered some barbecue for you, it’ll be here soon. Tong, you don’t eat spicy, right? I asked them to put less chili.”
“Thanks,” Tong Yang responded.
“Are you guys students?” one person asked.
Chu Shiyu replied, “Yes, we just graduated.”
“Freshmen?”
“How old are you?”
“I’m eighteen,” Chu Shiyu said.
Tong Yang noticed their gazes on her and paused before saying, “Eighteen.”
Chu Shiyu bluntly corrected her, “She’s lying, she just turned seventeen.”
Tong Yang: “…”
“Pfft… You’re seventeen?” Xu Junyue burst out laughing, “Still a minor!”
“You’re the youngest here.”
“We’re all adults, in our third year.”
Xu Junyue poured half a glass of fruit wine for Chu Shiyu, “You’re an adult, have a little, but not too much.”
Then she casually opened a soy milk for Tong Yang, grinning, “You’re a minor, drink milk.”
Tong Yang: “…”
Chu Shiyu couldn’t help but laugh.
“What university are you guys from?”
Chu Shiyu replied, “Peking University.”
“Peking University? Holy shit??”
“You two aren’t the ones from the news a while back, right? You look kinda familiar!”
Xu Junyue puzzled, “What news?”
“Don’t you know? Two top students heroically saved four kids, and when the college entrance exam results came out, one ranked first in the province, and the other tenth!”
“Really? Is that you guys?”
“No,” Tong Yang firmly denied.
“Do you two have boyfriends?”
“What are you talking about? They just graduated high school.”
“By the way, we’re going to play a live-action murder mystery and escape game tomorrow. We’re just two people short, do you want to join?”
Chu Shiyu readily agreed, “Sure! I haven’t played in a long time.”
Then everyone’s eyes turned expectantly to Tong Yang.
She hesitated, asking, “What’s that?”
“Huh??”
“You’ve never played?”
“It’s an immersive reasoning and escape game. We chose a script that’s just been released; it’s supposed to combine murder mystery and escape games, possibly lasting over eight hours.”
Chu Shiyu was surprised, “A new script? Hasn’t anyone played it before?”
“Right, I know the owner well, he just agreed to let us be the first.”
“Then let’s go! Tong Yang, let’s play!” Chu Shiyu was excited.
Tong Yang looked at Chu Shiyu, then at Xu Junyue, her words carrying a hint of meaning, “Don’t you think it sounds a bit dangerous?”
The others didn’t understand her implication, but Chu Shiyu knew what she meant.
Xu Junyue reassured, “Don’t worry, you’re a newbie. I’ll protect you!”
Chu Shiyu hesitated, “It, it should be fine, right?”
The others tried to persuade them:
“Don’t worry, we’ve played many times.”
“If you’re scared, just follow us!”
“Exactly, everything inside is just props and NPCs; they can’t really do anything to you.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. If not, I’ll protect you up close. I’m a tank!”
“Come on! We just need you two to start!”
“You don’t have to do anything! Just join!”
“This boss is really generous, not short of money. He rented three floors just for this, dozens of NPCs, mainly for an immersive experience!”
Xu Junyue clapped them on the shoulder, “Relax, it’s fine.”
“Don’t be afraid, it’s mainly about the thrill.”
“Yeah, it’s really interesting.”
“Tomorrow night at eight! Don’t miss it!”
Chu Shiyu seemed really keen to play, tentatively suggesting, “Then… shall we play?”
Tong Yang, with a smirk, looked at the two, “Sure, it’s up to you.”
After saying that, she pulled out her phone and entered the “Melon Eating Netizen 007” group chat.
StudyingIsForMakingMoney: [Can someone check if there are any news of live-action murder mystery players dying after 8 pm tomorrow in the capital?]
