Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 70: Confession and Hope

He Wei passed the new number to Cheng Zhenqing and told him to contact him through this number. A few nights later, Cheng Zhenqing called and asked him to hurry to the mansion on Fulong Mountain.

“What are we going there for?” 

“Do you want to meet my younger brother or not? If you do, just come.”

He Wei glanced at the calendar and suddenly remembered that today he was going to the mansion with Chong Zhen. It was there that he would meet Cheng Zesheng for the first time.

Late at night, He Wei followed a small path up the mountain. Cheng Zhenqing waved to him from behind a tree, and he bent over and moved towards him. He noticed a bouquet of flowers at the entrance of the mansion and asked, “Did you put that there?”

“Of course, I also wrote the card. I wonder if you’ll notice it this time,” Cheng Zhenqing said, glancing at He Wei and thinking to himself that he probably wouldn’t. It might have something to do with his meticulous personality. After several loops, He Wei’s actions had hardly changed, as if he were a model actor faithfully following the script on stage.

He Wei checked the time and realized that they still had some time before people would arrive, but they needed to get inside the villa before that. The patrol officer at the entrance was still there. Cheng Zhenqing told him that the young patrol officer would soon leave to apologize to his girlfriend on the phone, and they should take the opportunity to slip in.

Sure enough, the patrol officer, with a worried expression, couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up to make a phone call. He didn’t notice the two shadows sneaking into the mansion.

Once inside, Cheng Zhenqing opened a half-person-height cabinet against the wall and beckoned He Wei to hide inside. He Wei crouched next to the cabinet, deep in thought. Cheng Zhenqing pushed his back, asking, “What are you thinking? This is the best angle, and you can see the window clearly from here.”

“Do you think the murderer also hid here?” He Wei asked, looking at Cheng Zhenqing.

“…How would I know? I wasn’t here that day.” Cheng Zhenqing estimated the distance between the bloodstains and the cabinet. “It’s possible. This cabinet is big enough to hide two people easily.”

“Have you never seen the murderer in all these loops?”

“I’ve always wanted to know who killed Zesheng, but I’ve never succeeded.” Cheng Zhenqing sat cross-legged on the floor, propping up his forehead with his hand. “In the three complete loops that followed, I came over on the first night of the 13th, but it was very foggy that day, and I couldn’t find the mansion no matter what, like hitting a wall.”

“Fog?” He Wei pondered this, as Cheng Zesheng had mentioned that He Wei had gone missing in the fog. However, he vividly remembered the night of the 13th, when he and Cheng Zesheng had gone to Fulong Mountain together. The mountain breeze was cool, the moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and there was no fog at all.

“When I finally found the mansion, the police had already arrived. The second time, I hid inside the mansion, in this cabinet, but during the time of the incident, I could only hear gunshots and couldn’t see anyone, including you and Cheng Zesheng.”

Cheng Zhenqing sighed, “Later, I figured it out. Maybe the rules of the loop don’t allow me to see the culprit? So, on the 13th, I didn’t come anymore. I waited at Fusheng Jinlong Garden, knowing that you would definitely come find me.”

He Wei didn’t ask any more questions. On this matter, Cheng Zhenqing wouldn’t lie to him, and given his character, if he knew who the murderer was, he would definitely seek revenge for his brother, even if it meant risking his life.

Outside the mansion, voices were heard, and He Wei and Chong Zhen finally arrived.

Cheng and He quickly hid inside the cabinet; luckily, the cabinet had a design with decorative openings on the door, allowing them to clearly see the outside. The cabinet was located in a dimly lit area, and they had gone unnoticed when they came here before, so they were confident it would be the same this time.

“Cheng Zesheng!”

“Cheng Zesheng! Can you hear me?”

He Wei called out twice, with Chong Zhen following closely behind, nervously rubbing his arms, feeling a chilling atmosphere in the place.

Inside the cabinet, He Wei was the first to spot Cheng Zesheng’s figure. He had experienced this before, where he kept his eyes on the glass window of the balcony and, shortly after He Wei entered, he saw a familiar tall figure through the glass.

He Wei’s body moved slightly, but Cheng Zhenqing held his shoulder. Cheng Zhenqing made a gesture, urging him to stay calm and not get excited at the sight of a shadow. He Wei rolled his eyes. He only wanted to change his angle to get a clearer view.

Outside, the other He Wei quickly realized the secret, walked to the balcony, and gently tapped the glass twice with his index finger.

The figure inside the glass turned around, slowly approached, and finally appeared next to He Wei, greeting him quietly in his ear.

Chong Zhen, on the other hand, had no idea what was happening. He sat on the staircase, watching He Wei stare at the glass and smile. He silently worried that He Wei might have encountered something sinister.

Everything unfolded as it had before, but unfortunately, Cheng Zesheng could only see one He Wei, unaware that another He Wei who had fallen in love with him was also there.

He Wei lowered his head, feeling an inexplicable pang of bitterness.

After they left, He Wei and Cheng Zhenqing quietly emerged from the cabinet. Cheng Zhenqing brushed the dust off He Wei’s shoulder and said, “How was that? I’m being nice to you, easing your lovesickness.”

“…Don’t say it in such a disgusting way.” He Wei replied, rubbing his shoulder. Seeing Cheng Zesheng alive and well did improve his mood, as Cheng Zesheng’s death had weighed heavily on his mind. He couldn’t sleep at night, and every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was a sea of blood and Cheng Zesheng’s cold, pale face.

But witnessing Cheng Zesheng’s intimate moment with another version of himself made him feel a bit uneasy. He Wei was lost in thought, wondering if he was feeling jealous of himself.

The two of them slipped away from the mansion unnoticed by the young patrol officer and disappeared without a trace. Walking along the mountain path, He Wei looked up at the bright moon and asked softly, “Have you ever thought… where did the pianist from this world go?”

“I’m not sure. He disappeared after returning on the night of the 13th.” Cheng Zhenqing said, spreading his hands. “We couldn’t find him anywhere; it was a perfect disappearance.”

He Wei recalled what Lin Heyu had mentioned about accidentally ending up in a different world. Could the pianist have encountered a similar situation?

Could he and the other He Wei be in the same place, just like the two of them here, falling in love?

———

On a small table lay several photos, each featuring Cheng Zesheng in different street scenes. In the middle, there was a photo of Cheng Zesheng and He Wei together in front of a vending machine, talking to fans.

He Wei picked up that photo. “You were following us?”

“Don’t make it sound so bad.” Cheng Zhenqing replied, even though it was indeed true.

Cheng Zhenqing took out a leather envelope and placed the photos inside it, sealing it with glue. He said, “If someday this photo doesn’t exist, it’s possible that you’ll break out of this loop.”

If Cheng Zesheng hadn’t come to this world, he wouldn’t have died.

After placing the envelope in a safe, Cheng Zesheng took out a few cans of beer from his bag. He said, “I’ve given you all the information I can for now. After tomorrow, it will be difficult for you to see me again. You’ll have to go to the police station.”

He Wei picked up a can of beer, opened it, and sat cross-legged on a newspaper. He asked, “How do you go back every time?”

“It’s simple. I was still in the detention center on June 15th, and on the 16th, I woke up in a rented room. I knew that time had reset and a new loop had begun.”

Cheng Zhenqing and He Wei had different situations. Cheng Zhenqing was a single entity in this world, resetting to different timelines, while He Wei’s situation was more peculiar. He was two different individuals from different time periods existing in the same timeline, a scenario that could probably only be explained by advanced concepts of cosmic science.

He Wei clinked his beer can with Cheng Zhenqing’s and said, “Well then, I wish you a smooth journey.”

“…Am I going to jail? Is that what you call a smooth journey?” Cheng Zhenqing was exasperated. “Has someone ever told you that you have a very sarcastic mouth?”

He Wei smiled faintly and shook his head. “No, not even your brother.”

“My brother doesn’t count. In his eyes, your every flaw shines like a star.”

The two chatted lightly, and Cheng Zhenqing said, “I should be wishing you good luck. Hang in there until the 16th, and then go back to save my brother.”

“It should go smoothly,” He Wei replied, his fingers tainted with beer as he wrote a string of letters on the table.

H, E, W, E, L, K, U

Cheng Zhenqing glanced at it. “Oh, you’ve finally deciphered it. How many layers of meaning have you analyzed?”

“Two possibilities,” He Wei explained. “‘HE’ can be the pronunciation of my surname, or it can be an abbreviation for ‘Happy Ending’; ‘WE’ sounds like my name when pronounced in English, or it can simply express ‘us’; ‘LK’…”

He Wei’s voice lowered, and Cheng Zhenqing continued, “‘Like’ and ‘Luck.’ It’s just a confession, isn’t it? You don’t have to be embarrassed to say it.”

So, these letters could be a declaration of feelings, “HE WE, Like U,” or they could be a message of good wishes, “U Luck, WE HE.”

“I believe you can break this loop; after all, you’re He Wei,” Cheng Zhenqing said with a smile, finishing his beer and opening another can. He Wei also finished his drink, wiped his mouth, and said without false modesty, “I believe it too. I can save him.”

After three rounds of drinks, He Wei prepared to leave, but Cheng Zhenqing grabbed his arm, “Stay tonight.”

He Wei stared at his hand for a moment and then asked, “Are you drunk?”

Cheng Zhenqing also seemed momentarily puzzled but then quickly realized it and stepped back as if he had been shocked. “Damn it, don’t think I have any improper intentions towards you. You have to stay; tomorrow, when they arrest me, you’ll need to help out.”

He Wei asked what kind of help he would need, but Cheng Zhenqing didn’t answer. He left through the underground passage to dispose of the garbage.

The next morning, He Wei woke up to find Cheng Zhenqing sitting cross-legged on the floor, loading bullets into a Glock magazine.

He Wei remembered that this gun was the one used to injure Xia Liang. He was about to speak up and ask Cheng Zhenqing to be more gentle, but Cheng Zhenqing tossed the Glock to him and raised his chin confidently, saying, “You take it.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, when they come later, you go upstairs, and I’ll stay down here.” Cheng Zhenqing pointed upstairs. “After you’ve fired the gun, go directly to the second floor; they won’t follow you up. When they all go into the basement to chase me, you’ll find an opportunity to escape.”

He Wei held the Glock but remained skeptical, feeling that Cheng Zhenqing might be setting him up. The longer he spent with Cheng Zhenqing, the more he realized that this guy had no shame, constantly attributing things to He Wei that he didn’t do, as if testing his intelligence.

However, He Wei had seen through his tactics before, but this time, when faced with shooting a fellow officer, he hesitated to refuse.

“Is it true, that I fired the shot?”

“How can you prove it?”

Cheng Zhenqing spread his right hand, revealing a white scar running from the palm to the wrist. It was a scar from an old injury that couldn’t be removed, even after fibrous tissue growth. He smiled bitterly and said, “I grew up in the slums with this body. Fighting for food and brawling with street thugs were common occurrences. This scar, I heard, was caused when a tin can lid cut my tendon when I was a child. Although it doesn’t affect my daily life, it prevents me from performing high-precision actions like shooting.”

He Wei held his hand, examining it closely, surprised. “You can’t shoot? Then how did you teach the pianist to use a gun?”

“I can teach him the posture and techniques hands-on; it doesn’t necessarily require me to shoot.” Cheng Zhenqing shrugged. “Unfortunately, Cheng Zesheng never learned it. He was more interested in disassembling and assembling guns; he had a natural talent for it.”

“Then why did you say he was good with guns?”

“Well, the script required it. You have to understand that.” Cheng Zhenqing pushed him towards the stairs. “Don’t feel guilty. In my experience, no matter how careful you are, the bullet will always hit Xia Liang. But one time it just grazed his arm; it was only a superficial wound. You need to think about how to minimize his injuries.”

He Wei, holding the Glock, reluctantly ascended the stairs. He hid behind the curtains, a rare sense of dampness in his palms. Since Xia Liang would be hit by the bullet no matter what, he decided to aim for a superficial wound if possible.

The sound of the intelligent lock restarting echoed, and He Wei raised his arm, aiming the gun at the doorway. As he remembered, Xia Liang was injured in his upper right arm. The door opened slowly, revealing Xia Liang’s shoulder, and He Wei’s hand moved slightly to the left. This angle would ensure the bullet just grazed Xia Liang’s arm. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the trigger, and a bullet whizzed by.

“Xiao Xia!” Hu Songkai grabbed Xia Liang, and Xia Liang realized the bullet was coming towards him. He instinctively raised his arm, and with a “pff” sound, the bullet hit his right forearm, staining his dress shirt with blood.

He Wei listened to the chaotic cries outside the door and felt his heart in turmoil. He fired another shot at the window and then turned around to see Cheng Zhenqing standing at the storage room door, gesturing for him to toss the gun over.

He threw the gun over and quickly went upstairs, hiding in the bathroom and carefully listening to the sounds outside the door.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone rushed into the basement and discovered that Cheng Zhenqing had escaped. They chased after him through the back door, leaving the villa in silence once again.

He Wei looked at his hands, letting out a faint sigh. Life was really unpredictable. He hadn’t expected that Xia Liang would, in the end, be injured by his hand.