Returning to the garden, Tong Yang gazed at the neatly arranged chessboard and fell into silence.
The clock struck nine in the evening, and a cool breeze swept through, carrying a faint chill.
After an indeterminate amount of time, steady footsteps sounded behind her.
Tong Yang turned and saw Ye Huai approaching slowly, now clad in a black trench coat.
"So, that’s what you wanted me to see?" Tong Yang asked, her voice calm and measured.
Ye Huai stopped before her, his face as pale as paper, his posture still rigid. He forced a faint smile. "I’m sorry. If I’d told you directly, you probably wouldn’t have believed me."
Tong Yang tilted her head. "Care to share your thoughts?"
Ye Huai sat down by the stone table, pressing his lips together in contemplation before speaking. "My father is ill."
"Most of the time, he’s domineering and tyrannical, refusing to tolerate defiance—not even from my mother. But sometimes, he becomes a completely different person—gentle, magnanimous. That version of him only appears at night, usually after I’ve had a heart episode or been injured. And I’m the only one who’s ever seen him like that."
"And?"
Ye Huai looked at her. "What do you think?"
Tong Yang picked up a white chess piece, its surface smooth and luminous. "Honestly? All I saw was him taking your brother away."
Ye Huai lowered his long lashes and murmured, "I see."
Studying his expression, Tong Yang arched a brow. "You don’t find that strange?"
Ye Huai lifted his gaze, his eyes distant. "No."
"You already guessed?"
"Guessed what?"
"That they’re not the same person."
Ye Huai’s expression remained unreadable. "More or less. Even if he were ill, Ye Tianlin would never feel guilty toward me."
"Then why did you—"
Ye Huai shrugged. "It doesn’t matter. They look identical anyway."
Tong Yang didn’t fully grasp his reasoning, but it wasn’t her concern.
"I’ve shared my secret with you. Now, can you tell me if you know what he really is?"
Though Tong Yang hadn’t asked for his secret, she saw no harm in answering.
"Technically, they’re both Ye Tianlin—just from parallel worlds."
Ye Huai’s eyes flickered. "Parallel worlds?"
Evidently, while he’d suspected the two versions weren’t the same person, he hadn’t considered alternate realities.
"Due to some unknown factor, a Ye Tianlin from a parallel world crossed into ours. That’s why you’ve seen two completely different versions of him. As for which one is the real one, I don’t know."
Ye Huai frowned. "Does this have anything to do with Ye Wen’s disappearance?"
Tong Yang shrugged. "Unclear for now, but Ye Wen could have been pulled into another world."
Ye Huai’s lips pressed into a tight line, his expression grave. He didn’t seem to doubt her words.
"You believe me just like that?" Tong Yang found it curious how easily he’d trusted her.
"You have no reason to lie to me. Besides, I saw it with my own eyes."
"If the Ye Tianlin from another world kidnapped your brother, what will you do?" Tong Yang asked.
Ye Huai’s brow furrowed slightly, his gaze uncertain. "I don’t know."
Tong Yang crossed her arms. "A heads-up—due to personal history, my goal is to eliminate all parallel-world intruders. So if he took your brother, I’d kill him on principle."
"What if you killed one Ye Tianlin?" Ye Huai’s voice was eerily calm.
Tong Yang stiffened. "What?"
Under the cold moonlight, Ye Huai’s eyes were dark as ink, faint glimmers scattered like distant stars.
"If we killed one Ye Tianlin and let the other replace him… what would happen?" His tone was so steady it didn’t sound like a joke at all.
Tong Yang’s expression hardened. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
She hadn’t expected the seemingly resilient, obedient Ye Huai to harbor such radical thoughts—killing his own father and letting an alternate version take his place?
"Why? Because he favors your brother?"
Ye Huai’s voice was quiet but firm. "Because he doesn’t deserve to be our family."
Tong Yang studied him for a long moment before shaking her head. "I may not be a saint, but my targets are strictly parallel-world entities. No amount of money would make me kill for you."
Ye Huai didn’t seem surprised. He nodded slightly. "I apologize for startling you."
After a pause, Tong Yang decided to offer a warning. "Ye Huai, parallel-world beings aim to replace people in our reality, dismantle our societal structure, and seize resources. You might just be falling for his act."
While there was no direct proof that personalities aligned across worlds, there was no guarantee they weren’t deceiving humans to gain trust.
Ye Huai’s expression remained indifferent. "Thanks for the advice."
Seeing he had no interest in continuing the conversation, Tong Yang let it drop. Whatever his plans, unless they interfered with her mission, it wasn’t her problem.
Returning to her room, she washed up and went to bed.
The next morning at eight, after breakfast, Tong Yang headed to the main hall with the housekeeper.
"Madam. Sir."
The Ye family of four was gathered in the living room.
Tong Yang greeted them as usual, even though Ye Huai had warned her about Ye Tianlin’s extreme chauvinism. She refused to adjust her word order.
Ye Tianlin’s displeasure was palpable. He unfolded his newspaper and ignored her entirely.
Tong Yang acted as if he weren’t there, exchanging pleasantries before preparing to take Ye Wen back for lessons.
"Teacher Tong, what kind of tea would you—"
"Shuqin, focus on teaching. No need for tea. Besides, the latest batch is too bitter. I doubt Teacher Tong would enjoy it." Ye Tianlin’s tone was dismissive.
Accustomed to his dominance, Mrs. Ye offered Tong Yang an apologetic smile. "In that case, go ahead. I’ll have fresh juice sent up later."
Pretending not to hear Ye Tianlin, Tong Yang grinned at Mrs. Ye. "Thank you, Madam."
"You’re welcome."
Once back in the study, Ye Wen sprawled on the sofa, grinning. "You’ve got guts, Tong Yang. My dad’s face turned green." He sighed contentedly. "No school is the best."
Tong Yang shot him a look. "Don’t like school?"
"Obviously! Who does?"
"I did."
"You’re crazy—ow!" Ye Wen rubbed his head. "Why’d you hit me?"
"Watch your mouth. Show some respect."
"Tch."
Casually, Tong Yang asked, "Ever told your dad you hate school?"
Ye Wen shook his head vigorously. "No way. He’d lose it if I said that."
"What if he gets angry? Will he hit you?"
At this point, Ye Wen's expression darkened. "He won't hit me, but he’ll hit Mom and Brother, and even make trouble for the teachers at school."
He slumped unhappily onto the desk, muttering, "Dad seems to only treat me especially well."
Tong Yang grabbed a notebook and scribbled down math problems with bold strokes.
"That’s because you’re his only healthy son, the one who’ll have to take care of him in his old age."
"I wish he’d change—be gentler with Mom and Brother too."
Tong Yang had no interest in listening to his complaints. She slid a full page of math problems in front of him and said, "Start writing. Ask me if you really can’t figure it out."
Ye Wen pouted and looked down at the notebook, immediately stunned. "Tong Yang! I’m only in first grade! How am I supposed to know what x equals in 2x + 2 = 10?"
"Aren’t you in an elite school?"
"We haven’t even started learning multiplication yet!"
"Annoying."
Tong Yang impatiently rewrote a page of addition and subtraction problems.
Time passed as Ye Wen worked on his homework beside her while Tong Yang chatted with people in the gossip group.
By noon, there was still no change in the news related to Ye Wen.
[Since Ye Wen didn’t go to school on July 8th, why hasn’t the news changed?]
[This is so weird.]
Studying is for making money: [Maybe because the time of his disappearance hasn’t arrived yet. Just wait a bit longer.]
[Guess we have no choice.]
[Who would’ve thought Ye Huai had already met someone from a parallel world? Maybe it was the parallel world’s Ye Tianlin who kidnapped Ye Wen.]
[That seems very possible.]
[Didn’t Sister Tong say the two Ye Tianlins have completely different personalities? The one Ye Huai saw was kind and gentle. Maybe he took Ye Wen to the parallel world without harming him.]
[Damn, I didn’t expect Ye Tianlin to be abusive! Hitting his own son who has a heart condition—what a monster!]
[And then getting petty just because Sister Tong didn’t greet him first? What a narrow-minded jerk.]
[Ugh, I’m speechless.]
Studying is for making money: [What kind of person would want to kill their own father?]
[...]
[Someone like you.]
Studying is for making money: [?]
[You killed someone who looked just like your mom, didn’t you?]
[Fair point.]
Studying is for making money: [The situation’s different. I knew she wasn’t her.]
[Even if she was, Sister Tong, would you just let her beat and scold you without fighting back?]
[Wait, does Ye Huai want to kill Ye Tianlin?]
Tong Yang frowned. Ye Huai didn’t strike her as someone as fragile as he appeared. So when he mentioned killing Ye Tianlin and letting the parallel world version replace him, though it was surprising, it didn’t feel entirely unexpected.
If Ye Huai truly had no affection for his father and didn’t seem like the type to endure abuse quietly, was his tolerance only because he was waiting for the occasional appearance of the gentle "Ye Tianlin"?
Studying is for making money: [He wants the parallel world’s Ye Tianlin to replace his real dad.]
[Holy—]
[Wait, you’re just accepting that so easily?]
[Damn! Is he that unhinged?]
[But if I were him, I might’ve considered the same thing.]
[Unexpected, yet not entirely unreasonable.]
[What’s Sister Tong gonna do?]
Studying is for making money: [Kill if we meet, ignore if we don’t.]
[Sigh, you’re right. The parallel world only ended up like this because too many people got replaced.]
[Ye Huai’s making a mistake.]
[Understandable, but still—if it comes to it, he has to die.]
By noon, the housekeeper reminded them to take a break and prepare for lunch.
Tong Yang ended the chat and checked the time—11:30. There was still an hour left before Ye Wen’s supposed disappearance.
What could be the trigger for him entering the parallel world?
At exactly twelve, they headed to the dining room.
Mrs. Ye sat alone at the table, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought.
"Mom!" Ye Wen dashed inside.
Mrs. Ye snapped out of it and forced a smile at them. "You’ve worked hard. Come, let’s eat."
"Ye Tianlin isn’t back yet, and Xiao Huai isn’t feeling well, so he’s resting in his room. We’ll eat without them."
"Thank you, Madam."
"Just call me Auntie."
"Auntie, what’s your surname?"
"It’s Bai."
"Auntie Bai, the weather’s nice today. Aren’t you hot wearing so much?" Tong Yang smiled.
Aunt Bai was dressed in a white shawl and black wide-leg pants, covering every inch of skin except her neck.
At Tong Yang’s question, she instinctively pulled the shawl tighter and said, "I’m not feeling too well. Let’s just eat."
Noticing her discomfort, Tong Yang didn’t press further and nodded.
After lunch, Ye Wen went to his room for a nap, while Tong Yang made an excuse to stay with him.
The time of his supposed disappearance in the original news had passed, yet nothing unusual had happened. She hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary.
Ye Wen slept soundly on the bed while Tong Yang sat by the balcony, her eyes never leaving him.
As time ticked by, the afternoon remained uneventful—just another ordinary day.
But when she checked with the gossip group, the news still hadn’t changed. Ye Wen’s disappearance was still set for July 8th at 12:25.
Tong Yang couldn’t make sense of it, but for now, she could only wait and see.
By evening, they wrapped up the tutoring session and went to the living room.
Aunt Bai and Ye Huai, who hadn’t appeared at lunch, were sitting there.
Ye Huai glanced up, his eyes meeting Tong Yang’s in silent understanding.
"Teacher Tong, have dinner before you leave. I’ll have the driver take you back."
Earlier, when Aunt Bai had asked why Ye Wen was staying home, Tong Yang had claimed she was only free that day. According to that story, she should’ve left after the tutoring session.
She couldn’t backtrack now, nor could she shamelessly insist on staying. Besides, nothing had happened today—Ye Huai probably already thought she was a fraud.
"Alright, thank you, Auntie."
Ye Tianlin was out for a business dinner and hadn’t returned yet.
After the meal, Ye Huai excused himself to walk Tong Yang out, and they left the dining room together.
"So?" Ye Huai asked.
"Nothing happened," Tong Yang replied.
Ye Huai nodded. "Maybe it really is tied to the school."
"You don’t think I might be lying to you?"
Ye Huai glanced at her, neither confirming nor denying. "I’ll try to keep Ye Wen home for a while, or maybe transfer him to another school. But Ye Tianlin would never agree to pull him out of Hailin Academy."
Tong Yang nodded. "Fine. As we agreed, I’ll refund you ninety thousand."
Ye Huai shook his head. "No rush. I’ll be in touch later."
"Sure. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."
"Mm."
After seeing Tong Yang to the villa entrance, Ye Huai suddenly turned his head to look at her and asked, "Do you know the difference between people in parallel worlds and those in the real world?"
The young man lowered his gaze, the light spilling over his face like pale glaze, his eyes shadowed and unreadable, shrouded in mist like an enormous enigma.
Tong Yang replied, "I don’t know."
Ye Huai nodded slightly and said, "I trust you. Take care on your way back."
Tong Yang thanked him and got into the same business car she had arrived in. As the car started, the rearview mirror reflected Ye Huai’s figure still standing motionless in place.
The minds of the wealthy are truly hard to understand.
After this, she never wanted to get involved in the affairs of rich families again. She’d rather deal with seven or eight serial killers—at least there wouldn’t be so many complications.
Of course, if the pay was good enough, she might make an exception.
This family was downright insane—everyone from top to bottom, except for Aunt Bai.
Especially Ye Huai. He struck her as even more unpredictable and dangerous than Ye Tianlin.
After returning to school, the next few days passed peacefully for Tong Yang. The group chat occasionally asked her about the Ye family, and the future news reports remained unchanged.
Tong Yang stuck to her routine—hitting the gym every day, calling Tong Le in the evenings, and occasionally answering a few questions from Chu Shiyu.
During this time, Ye Huai contacted her once to inform her that Ye Wen wouldn’t be returning to school until the following Monday.
It seemed that in this incident, time wasn’t the critical factor—the location, Hailin International School, was. Perhaps if Ye Wen transferred out, the whole thing could be avoided.
Even so, Tong Yang couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this situation was deeply unusual.
July 15th, the third Monday of the month.
After her morning run and breakfast, Tong Yang returned to her dorm and noticed a missed call and a text message on her phone.
Both were from the same person—Ye Huai.
Apparently, after failing to reach her by phone, he had sent a text instead.
Ye Huai: [Ye Wen has returned to school.]
Reading the message, Tong Yang frowned.
[Got it.]
There wasn’t much else she could do.
She couldn’t persuade Ye Tianlin, nor could she personally guard Ye Wen at Hailin International School. And frankly, it wasn’t worth going that far.
Ye Huai: [I’ve arranged for bodyguards to follow him everywhere.]
Tong Yang: [Okay, noted.]
She exited the messaging app and opened the group chat, asking if there had been any updates on the news about Ye Wen’s disappearance. The answer was still no.
At noon, her phone buzzed incessantly.
[It’s changed! The news finally changed!]
[July 15, 2024, 12:46 PM—The son of White Horse Group Chairman Ye Tianlin has mysteriously disappeared!]
[I checked all the previous reports—only the time of disappearance is different from before.]
[Tong, do you want to see the surveillance footage?]
Study for Money: [Send it over.]
Moments later, a surveillance video appeared in the group. Tong Yang clicked on it.
At exactly 12:46 PM, when students were leaving class for lunch, Ye Wen walked alone down a crowded hallway. Suddenly, he turned his head to look behind him, then jogged toward the glass corridor connecting the cafeteria to the school building.
Then, the footage flickered, abruptly cutting to the other end of the corridor—the entrance to the school building.
One second, two seconds, three seconds… a minute, two minutes—until the video ended, Ye Wen never reappeared after entering the glass corridor.
Tong Yang’s frown deepened as she rewound the footage to the beginning, scrutinizing it frame by frame.
At 12:44:11, Ye Wen, wearing a yellow school uniform, glanced back toward the school building.
At 12:44:14, just three seconds later, he turned and walked toward it.
At 12:45:33, he reached the glass corridor.
Judging by the height of the railing, the corridor was likely on the third or fourth floor, with barriers taller than Ye Wen himself.
At 12:45:58, his figure vanished completely from the footage.
The angle then switched to the school building entrance of the corridor—but Ye Wen never emerged.
The glass corridor was suspended in midair, with only two access points: the cafeteria and the school building. Since no cameras were installed along the corridor itself, only the entrances were monitored.
Study for Money: [How long is the corridor?]
[21 meters.]
[There are no other exits. Ye Wen disappeared midway.]
[What kind of international school charges 300K in tuition but doesn’t install cameras in the corridors? Unbelievable.]
[I can kind of see why—only two entrances, railings nearly two meters high. Nowhere else to go.]
Tong Yang replayed the moment Ye Wen turned around. What had he seen that made him backtrack during lunchtime?
And where were the bodyguards Ye Huai had promised would be tailing him?
As she pondered, her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she pressed her lips together and answered.
"Your brother’s missing?"
"Ye Wen has disappeared."
They spoke almost simultaneously.
"Where are you?" Ye Huai asked.
"At school. Who noticed he was gone?"
Ye Huai replied, "The bodyguards."
After a pause of two or three seconds—deliberate, Tong Yang realized—he continued.
In that instant, she understood his hesitation.
Ye Huai suspected her source of information and was trying to lure her into slipping up.
After all, he had claimed the bodyguards would stick to Ye Wen, yet the boy had still vanished.
Since Ye Huai hadn’t disclosed any details about the disappearance, one wrong word from her could expose her knowledge.
Though Tong Yang didn’t mind telling him—since only she could see the group chat’s messages—Ye Huai’s sharp intellect made her wary. Until she was sure he meant no harm, she wouldn’t reveal anything more.
This wasn’t the old district of Yaocheng anymore. The capital was full of unknown dangers, and she had to stay vigilant.
"What exactly happened?" She sidestepped his trap, tossing the question back.
Ye Huai knew when to retreat. Without further probing, he obliged.
"Ye Wen left his workbook at home. Ye Tianlin happened to be free, so he personally brought it to the school. But since no one’s allowed in during class, the bodyguards went to the gate to retrieve it."
Without waiting for her to ask, he added, "Ye Wen disappeared on a corridor. Both ends were monitored—he went in but never came out."
"Did you call the police?"
"Yes, immediately after."
"What did they say?"
"I'm not sure yet, I haven't arrived at the school."
Tong Yang pondered for a moment before asking, "What do you need me to do?"
After a long silence on the other end of the line, the voice questioned, "Can you really save him?"
Tong Yang replied, "As long as he's still alive."
"I understand."
Tong Yang pressed further, "Do you need my help now?"
Ye Huai responded, "No. The police need to conduct their investigation. If you get involved now, Ye Tianlin might suspect you, and it’ll be hard for you to extricate yourself."
Tong Yang sounded surprised. "Aren’t you afraid your brother might die?"
Ye Huai’s tone remained indifferent. "Then it’s just his bad luck. You’ve already tried to save him. There’s no need to drag yourself into trouble."
"...Alright."
"I’ll contact you again when the time is right."
After hanging up, Tong Yang sat at her desk and reopened the surveillance footage. Her mind involuntarily replayed the conversation with Ye Huai. No wonder people in the group later suspected he had something to do with Ye Wen’s disappearance—Ye Tianlin had even beaten him so badly he ended up in the hospital, all because he seemed too calm.
Throughout their exchange, Ye Huai had remained eerily composed, his voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation. His second sentence had even been a test, his words meticulously logical and structured. He hadn’t once asked how his brother could be saved, and he’d even taken the time to consider her safety, ensuring she wouldn’t be implicated.
Still, if she stepped in now to retrieve Ye Wen, given that Ye Huai had recommended her as a tutor just a week ago, Ye Tianlin might suspect him as well.
If she hadn’t known the brothers had a decent relationship, Tong Yang might have wondered whether Ye Huai actually wanted his brother rescued at all.
He was so calm it was almost inhuman.
Within an hour, news of the disappearance of Ye Wen, the youngest son of White Horse Group’s chairman, was trending online.
With the incident occurring in a public place—a school with hundreds of students—and the police already involved, keeping it under wraps was impossible.
For now, Tong Yang could only stay in her dorm, watching the situation unfold while figuring out how to enter the parallel world. She suspected she’d need to visit Hailin International School to find out.
"Open Weibo, check the trending list… Huh??"
"The youngest son of White Horse Group’s chairman is missing???"
"Obvious kidnapping or corporate sabotage, duh."
"Am I the only one fixated on a school with 300k tuition per year?"
"LOL, 300k a year and they can’t even stop kidnappers? Ye Tianlin’s gonna sue them into oblivion."
"Give me 300k and I’ll guard the young master 24/7."
"Karma’s a bitch! The sins of the father and all that—Ye Tianlin’s no saint."
"Whether Ye Tianlin’s a good person or not, gloating over a kid’s misfortune is low."
"Probably a ransom situation. Wonder how much they’re demanding."
The online crowd was buzzing with speculation, most unaware of the gravity of the situation. Some urged the police to release an official statement to clarify what had happened.
By evening, scattered accounts claiming to be relatives of Hailin International School students began sharing details.
"Take this with a grain of salt, but there might be something supernatural going on. My sister was pulled out of school this morning because she was near the scene. The police even came to question her."
"Unverified, but the cafeteria staff said Ye Wen vanished into thin air—no traces left behind."
"The police have combed the school inside out, reviewing surveillance frame by frame for intruders. Still no leads."
"Ye family has an older son, right? Rumor has it he has a heart condition. Ye Wen took sudden leave last week because of him. This week, he had bodyguards—almost like they knew he’d go missing."
"(Facepalm) Met them once. Ye Tianlin’s blatantly biased—total macho man."
"Witnessed it myself: Ye Huai rushed to the school this morning, only to get slapped the second he stepped out of the car. Dude didn’t even flinch. Any other heart patient would’ve dropped dead from Ye Tianlin’s temper."
"First time hearing about Ye Tianlin’s domestic abuse?"
Tong Yang paused at this.
Ye Huai being a suspect wasn’t surprising, but the mention of Ye Tianlin’s abuse made her wonder—had something happened before?
She exited Weibo and searched "Ye Tianlin domestic abuse" in her browser. A few deleted news articles popped up, their headlines referencing Aunt Bai attending an event with visible bruises.
Clicking led to dead links, leaving only blurry images and captions.
A search on Weibo yielded nothing—White Horse Group’s PR team had likely scrubbed the negative coverage.
Still, between Ye Wen’s comments and Aunt Bai’s odd clothing choices, the rumors held weight.
And the victims weren’t just Ye Huai—Aunt Bai suffered too.
Aunt Bai and Ye Tianlin were childhood sweethearts from similar backgrounds. Why had she endured this for so long?
If Ye Huai clung to the rare moments his father showed kindness, what kept Aunt Bai trapped?
News of Ye Wen’s disappearance spread nationwide. As the young master of White Horse Group, vanishing under such bizarre circumstances made headlines everywhere.
Under intense public scrutiny, the police faced mounting pressure. More details leaked, fueling wilder theories.
Some believed it was an elaborate crime, executed with unprecedented skill. Others insisted it was supernatural—an "unexplained phenomenon."
Whether man-made or otherworldly, the case sparked heated debate.
On July 18th, three days after Ye Wen’s disappearance, the police issued a statement.
Surveillance footage at Hailin International School had been tampered with, likely by the perpetrator. The motive remained unclear, and the investigation was ongoing.
The announcement triggered outrage, with the school facing a barrage of criticism.
Throughout this, Tong Yang received no further contact from Ye Huai.
Returning to her dorm after tutoring, she checked Weibo out of habit. The police update didn’t surprise her.
With the case blowing up, whether natural or supernatural, the chaos and fear it incited demanded official intervention—if only to placate the public.
But judging from the surveillance clips circulating in gossip groups, this narrative wouldn’t hold for long.
Three days had passed. Ye Huai still hadn’t reached out. She didn’t know when his so-called "right time" would be—but if they waited much longer, Ye Wen might not make it.
Tong Yang made her usual phone call to Tong Le. On the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, she and Yang Lin would be on break, but since her ID card hadn’t been processed yet, she estimated she wouldn’t arrive in the capital until mid-August.
Somehow, Tong Le had heard about this and was terrified that Tong Yang might vanish without a word too. After reassuring him, Chu Shiyu called to ask for updates—Tong Yang had shared some details with her before.
As for the people in Room 1209, Tong Yang didn’t want to complicate things, so she kept them in the dark.
On the evening of the 18th, she finally received a call from Ye Huai.
"Hello?"
His voice sounded exhausted, as if he’d been through hell these past three days.
Tong Yang asked, "What’s with the police announcement?"
Ye Huai replied grimly, "Someone’s taking advantage of the chaos to spread cult propaganda. If this isn’t controlled, things will only get worse."
"How bad is it now?"
Ye Huai said, "The police slowed down the surveillance footage frame by frame but found no leads. As much as I hate to admit it, this can’t be the work of a human. It’s already caught the attention of the 749 Bureau."
"The 749 Bureau?" Tong Yang was puzzled.
"A paranormal research agency."
A paranormal research agency?
Tong Yang’s heart skipped a beat—this could be a huge opportunity!
If she could establish contact with the 749 Bureau, she wouldn’t have to worry about being dismissed as a lunatic by the police. Maybe she could even hand over the parallel world situation to the authorities!
Ye Huai continued, "The police will probably reach out to you tomorrow. Don’t worry—just give them a brief account of what happened in the old district. You’ll know how much to disclose. After that, they’ll involve you. As for how we met, I told them you approached me and gave me your contact info. Don’t slip up."
Tong Yang wasn’t concerned with minor details and simply said, "Got it."
After a pause, she asked, "Aren’t you afraid Ye Wen might really be dead?"
Ye Huai hesitated before replying, "That Ye Tianlin said they won’t kill him—for now."
"'They'?" Tong Yang was startled.
"I don’t know who he meant."
Ye Huai might not know, but Tong Yang understood perfectly.
"They" undoubtedly referred to those watching from the parallel world.
At the same time, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind.
She wasn’t sure if Ye Huai had discovered Ye Tianlin from the parallel world because of her, or if he’d known all along. And did the Ye Huai from two years later, living in the sanatorium, know about it too?
Maybe that Ye Huai had always known Ye Wen was alive in the parallel world.
The call ended shortly after.
Tong Yang felt no nerves about the interrogation awaiting her the next day. She stayed at the gym until nine before returning to her dorm.
During her time at school, she’d already filled out her college applications, picking a major at random. Given her unique circumstances, she could always switch after the semester started.
She’d also made time to visit Yang Lin and Chu Shiyu’s grandmother, sharing two meals with her.
The next morning, Tong Yang woke up at six for her usual jog, had breakfast outside at seven-thirty, then returned to shower.
Thanks to her recent training, her body had grown noticeably stronger. Though her muscles weren’t visibly defined, her strength had clearly improved.
She searched for a math lecture by a Peking University professor and watched until ten, when a call from a local number came through.
"Hello, is this Tong Yang? I’m from the Shuangbai District Police Department in the capital. Do you have a moment? We’d like to talk to you about something."
Tong Yang countered, "How do I know you’re really the police?"
"You can call the Shuangbai District station to verify."
"Fine, I’ll do that."
She hung up promptly, looked up the official number, and after being transferred, heard the same voice again.
"Miss Tong Yang, convinced now?"
Tong Yang: "..."
She’d believed them from the start, but it never hurt to be thorough.
"My apologies. What do you need me to do?"
"You hang up fast, kid. We’re at Peking University’s west gate—just come out."
"Alright, give me a moment."
She changed quickly and headed out, spotting two officers—a man and a woman—at the gate.
"Hello, Officer. Hello, ma’am," Tong Yang greeted them politely.
The female officer chuckled. "Sweet talker, aren’t you?"
The male officer resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I’m Officer Wan. She’s Officer Lin."
Tong Yang nodded obediently. "Officer Wan. Officer Lin."
Both looked to be in their mid-to-late twenties.
Since she had no direct ties to Ye Wen’s disappearance, this was likely just routine questioning given her prior contact with him.
"Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk," Officer Lin said.
"Sure."
They settled into a nearby café, ordered coffee, and entered a private room.
"How did you meet Ye Huai?" Officer Lin asked with a smile.
Though her tone was light, the question carried an unshakable certainty—not "Do you know Ye Huai?" but "How did you meet him?"—as if she was sure Tong Yang was already involved in the Ye family’s affairs.
"We bumped into each other on the street. I asked for his number, but he refused, so I gave him mine instead."
Officer Lin nodded. "I’ve read about you—the top science student in Beiwang Province. Why come to the capital right after graduation?"
Tong Yang hesitated, her expression uneasy.
Officer Wan’s voice hardened. "You’d better tell the truth!"
Startled, Tong Yang explained, "I used to live in an old water plant’s allocated housing, but it’s about to be demolished. With nowhere else to go, I left my brother with a friend and moved out. So..."
Officer Lin shot Officer Wan a glare before softening her tone. "Then why were you in Shuangbai District last week? You don’t have relatives or friends here, do you?"
Seeing Tong Yang still waver, Officer Wan pressed firmly, "Tong Yang, this is serious. You can’t hide anything."
"I heard tutoring rates there were high, and since I had free time, I went to check it out. That’s when I saw Ye Huai and his brother buying cake on the street, so I gave him my contact info."
"Then why did you insist Ye Wen skip school the next day?"
Tong Yang’s expression turned complicated. "Actually, it wasn’t my idea. Ye Wen hated school—he said if I didn’t tell his dad that, he’d kick me out immediately."
Without guilt, she pinned the blame on the now-missing Ye Wen. Dead men told no tales.
Officer Lin nodded thoughtfully. "That does sound plausible."
"Ye Huai said the same—that Ye Wen didn’t want to go."
Tong Yang suppressed a smirk. So they were birds of a feather.
Since the officers hadn’t brought up Ye Wen’s disappearance, she decided to probe. "Officer Lin… did Ye Wen really vanish into thin air?"
The two exchanged glances before Officer Wan asked coolly, "Why? Do you have any theories?"
"Well… my brother disappeared for two days once too…!"
