Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 60: April Fool’s Day

On April 1st, April Fools’ Day, He Wei and Cheng Zesheng were experiencing this not-so-pleasant holiday.

“Xiao Xia, where are you right now?” He Wei is holding his phone, and making a call.

“I’m at the office. What’s the matter, Captain He?”

“Do you remember today’s task?”

“I do, I do. You assigned it just half an hour ago.” The sound of flipping notes came from the other side. “Inspect Happiness Community, carefully check the freezer, water tank, underground garage, and the river behind.”

He Wei’s expression freezed. “…The task I assigned half an hour ago?”

“That’s right. Aren’t you, Cheng-ge, and ErHu-ge going to Anyang to apprehend a suspect?” Xia Liang sounds confused. “Captain He, what’s wrong with you?”

“…Nothing, just an April Fools’ joke. Be thorough with your work.”

He Wei hung up the phone and looked at Cheng Zesheng. “Two questions. First, today is indeed April 1st; Second, during this time period, the ‘me’ in question should be out of town chasing a suspect.”

Cheng Zesheng quickly grasped the implication. “There exists another ‘you,’ currently working out of town?”

He Wei pinched his forehead. “I think that ‘me’ should be the one who’s supposed to exist normally. In my memory, I did go out of town on that day. I probably caught the suspect around April 3rd and brought them back to Shengzhou.”

In this case, time had been reset, but he hadn’t been reset along with it. Instead, an individual from the future had returned to the past – an extra He Wei in this timeline. But here’s the problem: if he was considered extra, wasn’t the Cheng Zesheng from the alternate world even more redundant?

He Wei opened Weibo and searched. Sure enough, pianist Cheng Zesheng does exist. He even posted a Weibo tonight, wishing everyone a Happy April Fools’ Day. The photo was taken at his villa, with a peculiarly colored oil painting in the background that He Wei couldn’t appreciate, but it left a deep impression on him.

 Cheng Zesheng was also studying his phone, and all the information recorded were before April 1st. He tried dialing a few colleagues’ numbers, but they all showed as disconnected. However, when he dialed He Wei’s number, it miraculously went through. Though He Wei’s incoming call display was “unknown,” which was comparable to a spam call number.

Similarly, when He Wei dialed Cheng Zesheng’s number, it also went through, and the incoming call displayed as “unknown” as well.

“So, you and he are sharing the same number now?” Cheng Zesheng inquired. “Wouldn’t that lead to situations where your colleagues intend to call the original He Wei and accidentally end up calling you?”

He Wei shook his head. He wasn’t sure—if it actually happened, they’d deal with it then. There were no anomalies during this time period in his memory, until they discovered Cheng Zesheng’s body. The days prior were all routine, with nothing particularly unusual.

“Right now, the two of us are both considered to be out of place here. Given this bizarre phenomenon, we should try to avoid encountering each other,” He Wei stroked his chin, surveying the vacant apartment. “Let’s stay here temporarily; anyway, there are still over ten days until ‘I’ will move in.”

Cheng Zesheng couldn’t help but be curious. “What would happen if we were to interact with our past selves?”

“I don’t know. But if we appear in front of our ‘past selves,’ it’s certain that it would shatter their worldview. What follows can’t be predicted,” He Wei shook his head. “Don’t engage in such risky behavior. My high school classmate once said that the universe’s order doesn’t allow for these ‘contradictions.’ He’s into this kind of research, and you can trust his advice.”

Even if not fully grasped, the warnings from similar types of sci-fi movies he had seen were evident. “The Butterfly Effect” was a prime example of how the protagonist going back to childhood and making a minor change could entirely alter his and others’ futures. Cheng Zesheng nodded. It would be better to wait and see rather than engage with them.

He Wei’s hand wandered into his pocket. His wallet and cards were there, but the apartment key was missing. Cheng Zesheng pulled out a key from his pocket; it was the one that Chief Huang had given him. He Wei found it odd, “Why is yours still here?”

“I don’t know,” Cheng Zesheng pondered. “Maybe I don’t belong to this world, so a tourist like me doesn’t need to strip of everything.”

Regardless, having a key was good enough. He Wei and Cheng Zesheng headed downstairs together. Other matters aside, they needed to buy essentials like toothpaste and toothbrushes. Both of them still looked disheveled until now. Even if others didn’t say anything, they might feel uncomfortable deep down.

As they passed a platform, a girl waiting for the train unintentionally looked up and couldn’t help stealing a few glances at Cheng Zesheng. He Wei suddenly remembered that Cheng Zesheng’s status here was extraordinary – a renowned pianist and a public figure. Walking around without precautions would undoubtedly lead to being recognized. Of course, passersby couldn’t distinguish real from fake, they just knew this was Cheng Zesheng.

“Try to be inconspicuous,” He Wei gestured. “Walk with your head down. There’s a pharmacy ahead. I’ll go buy a pack of masks.”

After purchasing the masks, Cheng Zesheng put one on and handed another to He Wei. “Don’t you need one?”

“What would I need it for? I’m still out of town, did you forget?” He Wei scanned the surroundings, “And I haven’t been here before, I don’t know anyone. Even if someone sees me, I can just say I’m He Lu.”

Cheng Zesheng felt a tinge of envy. He wasn’t used to wearing masks. Mainly because every time he put one on, it felt like he was about to appear on the scene. Even though he was with He Wei now, on a casual “outing,” his mind was filled with scenes of various crime scenes involving bodies. It really ruined the atmosphere.

In the mall, He Wei bought a black hat for Cheng Zesheng to make his disguise more effective. When it came time to pay, Cheng Zesheng took out his card, but as expected, it wouldn’t work. Each card displayed a reading error, and scanning QR codes for payment was even worse – the screen either went black or got stuck on the payment screen.

It was now clear that Cheng Zesheng’s assets were also unusable in this world. Apart from his presence, he relied on He Wei for everything – from food and clothing to daily expenses. He was getting closer to the stereotype of a “gigolo” who relied on others. He Wei sighed in relief, thankful that he had another card, aside from his salary card. It had a reasonable amount of money and wasn’t used often. It was suitable for situations like this, maintaining its discretion and avoiding detection.

After a quick outing, they returned home and relied on fast food for dinner. They had bought new kitchenware from the store, but without tables and chairs, they had to sit cross-legged on the floor to eat. Sleeping was another challenge. Two grown men spent a difficult night on the floor. When they woke up the next morning, they were still there – April Fools’ Day was over, and it was now April 2nd.

“Let’s go check out the home decor center today. I can’t sleep on the floor anymore; my neck is killing me,” He Wei complained while massaging his shoulders.

“Let’s also buy a few sets of clothes to change into,” Cheng Zesheng tugged at his T-shirt. “It looks like this situation won’t be resolved in just a day or two.”

After freshening up, the two left home and took a taxi to the nearby large home decor center. He Wei was usually busy with work and hadn’t had the chance to furnish his own place before. Apart from investigating Zhao Shen’s case last time, he hardly ever came to this place. Cheng Zesheng walked alongside him and discreetly held his hand, whispering, “Hey, does this feel like a newlywed couple going shopping together?”

“…,” He Wei pinched his pinky finger forcefully. “Be mindful of the context. Our country’s customs aren’t that open yet.”

Cheng Zesheng pouted in dissatisfaction and pulled out a mask, helping He Wei put it on. This should solve it, right? Nobody should recognize us now, right? Hurry up and extend your hand to hold mine.

“Look, are those sofas and coffee tables over there the same as the ones at home?” Cheng Zesheng tugged He Wei toward a store.

Entering the store, He Wei found that the complete sofa and coffee table set, in terms of both color and style, were exactly the same as the ones at home. An enthusiastic salesperson greeted them, mentioning that this was the last set available. There was also a set of tables and chairs from the same series on the other side, and if they purchased them together, they could get a discount.

“It looks like the table at home too,” Cheng Zesheng whispered.

“Have you just moved into a new place? A couple came to our store yesterday and bought this exact set. The color scheme is simple, the style is elegant, and it can even transform into a small bed!” The salesperson pulled out the bottom of the sofa, revealing that the seats could be lowered to create a bed. “It’s convenient for entertaining guests and for watching TV while lying down. How wonderful!”

He Wei and Cheng Zesheng were left speechless. They had been living in their home for over two months and had never discovered this feature?!

“If you don’t want to go back to your room, you can sleep on the sofa. It’s perfect for a young couple to bond and be sweet together!”

Cheng Zesheng was elated and tightly gripped He Wei’s hand. “Yeah, let’s buy it.”

“…,” He Wei was helpless. What else could he do? He had no choice but to pay in cash or swipe the card.

After buying the sofa, they went to purchase clothes. They arrived home around 3 p.m., and before 5 p.m., the sofa, coffee table, and dining table set were delivered. Cheng Zesheng used a towel to wipe the coffee table and chairs clean, while He Wei went to the kitchen to change the water in the basin. Suddenly, the sound of the door lock echoed. Cheng Zesheng quickly put on his mask and hat, gesturing for He Wei not to come out.

A stout middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform walked in. Behind him were a few workers, moving a large wooden crate inside.

“Hey, who are you?”

He Wei tensed up entirely – it was Chief Zheng!

Cheng Zesheng had already deduced from the silver olive branch and flower on his shoulder that this was a leader from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. He quickly adopted an appropriately fearful demeanor, “I’m here to deliver the sofa.”

“Who asked you to come for delivery?” Zheng Furui frowned, glancing at the coffee table. “I didn’t even have a chance to decide.”

He Wei squatted in the kitchen, secretly dipping a chopstick into a bottle of soy sauce and dabbing a bit under his eye. He checked his reflection on the glossy cabinet – it looked about right. He wet his right hand in the basin, smoothed his fringe back, and stood up nonchalantly, walking out of the kitchen.

“It was me who ordered it.”

Zheng Furui turned his head and saw a familiar figure walking out, “He Wei? W-wait, no, you’re He Lu?”

“He Lu” gave a shy smile, “Chief Zheng, it’s been a while. What’s in the back? Did you help my brother pick it out?”

Zheng Furui immediately nodded, yes yes yes, your brother is always busy with work, acting like a hands-off boss and not taking care of anything. He rarely gets time off, yet he still has to help this kid pick out furniture. He just bought the bed today.

“That’s just how he is. He never takes care of anything at home and acts like a boss all the time,” “He Lu” patted the sofa. “Take a look, the style is decent, right? The material is good too. I bought the coffee table and chairs that match with it.”

Zheng Furui walked over to discuss the sofa with him. “He Lu” signaled to Cheng Zesheng, telling him to blend in with the workers carrying furniture and go upstairs. He shouldn’t be visible in front of Zheng Furui.

“It’s great that He Wei has a brother like you. Alright then, since you bought it for him, I’ll reimburse him for the remaining money.”

“Just give it directly to me. Don’t tell him that I helped him buy it. Let’s say you arranged everything. “He Lu” cleared his throat. “Actually, this time it was my father… You know, it’s better not to let him know.”

Zheng Furui patted “He Lu” on the shoulder, understanding the situation – every family has their difficulties. The strained relationship between He Wei and his father had been going on for more than a day or two. Zheng Furui took out an envelope containing a stack of cash and handed it over, saying, “You take this. Help him set everything up here. When it’s nearly done, I’ll inform him to move.”

“Sure thing. Thank you, Chief Zheng.”

The workers from the furniture store came down; the bed and cabinets had already been assembled. Zheng Furui nodded in approval, saying that as long as everything was in place, he had to rush back as he had other matters to attend to. “He Lu” accompanied him to the door, and suddenly Zheng Furui turned back, asking, “By the way, how did you get in without a key?”

“…”

Before he could answer, Zheng Furui continued, “Did the property management downstairs let you in? You can keep using that for now. I’ll talk to the property management so you won’t have to register when you come.”

“Alright, thank you, Chief Zheng.”

After seeing Zheng Furui off, He Wei let out a sigh of relief. His palms were already sweaty.

Cheng Zesheng peeked out from the staircase, “He’s gone?”

“Yeah, luckily I was quick-witted.”

Cheng Zesheng ran down, cupping He Wei’s face in his hands and inspecting him. After a moment, he said, “Really looks like him.”

“We are twin brothers after all.” He Wei smiled, smoothing down his ruffled hair. He grabbed a tissue and wiped off the bit of soy sauce, “I’ve handled things with Chief Zheng. He probably won’t come back. He’s left everything to me.”

Upstairs, the bed was still unoccupied, but they had the sofa to sleep on. After pulling it down to transform it into a bed, they laid down together and chatted.

Neither of them understood the purpose of the time reset. Did it have a special meaning for them to go back in time? Or was this just an accidental encounter, like the explosion of a supernova affecting Earth’s magnetic field and causing a rare distortion in space-time?

The piano sound sounded, marking the hour. They both looked up at the quartz clock and exchanged glances.

No, the piano sound at 12 o’clock should be a different piece, not the usual piano composition.

“It seems like the sound hasn’t been right since last night?”

“We didn’t notice, but the piano sound at 12 o’clock is definitely not like this.”

He Wei got up, stepping on a stool to inspect the quartz clock, and after a while, he said, “It should have been tampered with intentionally.”

“Somebody changed the hourly piano sound before we moved in.”