Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 71: Cause

He Wei opened the door, looking exhausted. Stephen had just woken up, and as he jumped down, he stretched his body before welcoming him.

It wasn’t just Stephen who came, but also Lian Jingyuan. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with warm and penetrating eyes, he resembled a piece of beautiful and pure jade.

“I’ve made seafood congee; would you like some?” His gaze passed over He Wei’s face, “You didn’t come back last night, and your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“It’s nothing, just a bit tired.” He Wei yawned.

Lian Jingyuan led He Wei inside, went to the kitchen, and brought a bowl of congee to the table. “Have some, and then get a good rest to replenish your energy.”

He Wei took the chopsticks, chuckled at Lian Jingyuan’s words, and wondered why he was talking about health just like his mother, even at such a young age.

Lian Jingyuan sat across from He Wei, propped his chin, and smiled as he watched him eat. Stephen jumped onto his owner’s lap with its front paws on the table, also staring at He Wei.

The intense gazes from both Lian Jingyuan and Stephen made He Wei uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you two looking at me like this? I can’t eat with you watching.”

“Alright, let’s change places.”

Lian Jingyuan picked up Stephen and stood up, heading to the balcony to groom the cat.

He Wei sat down on the floor, holding a seashell comb, and Stephen cooperatively exposed its belly, looking cute and charming. Lian Jingyuan glanced at He Wei in the living room and asked softly, “You like him living here, don’t you?”

Stephen meowed a couple of times, and Lian Jingyuan smiled, “I do too.”

———

After Xia Liang was discharged from the hospital and moved into He Wei’s home, He Wei felt guilty. Today, he took some time to check on Xia Liang’s condition.

Upon arriving home, he heard from Uncle Qin that Xia Liang was resting upstairs. He Wei didn’t want to disturb him, so he asked about his condition and was relieved to hear that he was recovering well.

Xia Liang had been playing games until his eyes hurt. He stood up and went to the balcony, where he happened to see a familiar figure downstairs, heading towards the front door. He quickly called out, “Captain He!”

He Wei turned around and smiled at Xia Liang. Xia Liang hurriedly gestured, “Don’t go yet! Wait for me!”

He Wei’s steps halted. He hadn’t intended to meet Xia Liang, especially since Xia Liang and his doppelgänger frequently interacted. But he remembered what Cheng Zhenqing had said and thought about Xia Liang’s injury location. These were all minor details, and changing them wouldn’t affect the future, right?

“Captain He, how come you have time to come back?”

He Wei turned around, “Just to avoid my mother continuing to criticize me. I came back today; you shouldn’t spread rumors about me never being at home.”

“Huh? Why would I? I feel guilty living here; I definitely won’t bring up your family matters at the office!” Xia Liang tugged at He Wei’s arm. “Captain He, please stay for dinner. Aunt Ye will be back soon, and she’ll be thrilled to see you!”

“This…” He Wei frowned, but Uncle Qin also chimed in, “Young Master, please stay for dinner. Madam is on her way back, and I’ve already informed her that you’re at home.”

He Wei was still considering how to decline when the door opened, and Ye Lanlan rushed in wearing professional attire and high heels. “A-Wei, you’re here! Don’t leave, Uncle Qin; tell the chef to prepare some dishes that you like!”

“…” He Wei felt a bit helpless and, after hesitating for a few seconds, realized he couldn’t escape.

As he expected, with Xia Liang’s presence, the atmosphere became livelier at home. Xia Liang was talkative and sweet, quickly winning Ye Lanlan’s approval. He Wei, who was usually composed, only chimed in occasionally about work-related matters, spending the rest of the time listening to their conversations back and forth.

After a lively dinner, Uncle Qin went to prepare fruit, and Ye Lanlan took out a photo album. He Wei started sweating nervously. He felt like he was facing a formidable foe.

“Xiao Xia, come take a look. These are photos of your Captain He when he was a child!”

Xia Liang eagerly moved closer, and He Wei couldn’t help but sigh, “Mom, what’s so interesting about these—”

“Wow! Is this Captain He? He was so cute as a child!” Xia Liang looked at He Wei, then back at the photos. “He was adorable as a child, with those big, watery eyes. Why is he so cold now?”

He Wei: “…”

“Ah! And he used to wear dresses! Captain He was so pretty as a child. Dressing up as a girl didn’t look out of place at all!”

He Wei: “…………”

Ye Lanlan sighed, “Ah, people change so much as they grow up. Look at him; he changed at eight years old. You see, he used to love wearing these colorful clothes when he was little, and he looked so good in them. But later… Hmm, sometimes I wonder if he got swapped when he got lost on that mountain.”

“Lost on a mountain?” He Wei was taken aback. “I didn’t know about this.”

Uncle Qin came over with a fruit platter, “Young Master, you probably don’t remember. At that time, you went up Fulong Mountain all by yourself with a little water bottle. Madam and I were so worried. We searched from dawn till dusk and couldn’t find you.”

“I went to Fulong Mountain?” He Wei was surprised. “Why don’t I have any recollection of it?”

“Because you came back with a high fever, and you were delirious for three days. After you woke up, you had forgotten everything about the mountain,” Ye Lanlan sighed. “We searched for you for half a day. Uncle Qin said it was because Fulong Mountin had heavy yin energy, and you got lost in a maze and couldn’t find your way out, which caused the fever.”

Xia Liang curiously asked, “Did Captain He change after that?”

“Yes,” Ye Lanlan nodded. “He stopped crying, became more strong-willed and composed, and didn’t like wearing those brightly colored clothes anymore. But I still love the way He Wei looked when he was little—all soft and cute. It was so much fun.”

He Wei remained silent, and Xia Liang thought mentioning these things might upset him, so he quickly changed the topic.

Until he returned home, He Wei was still pondering this question. He had indeed been to Fulong Mountain as a child, but he had no recollection of it at all. What had happened during the half day he got lost on the mountain?

Moreover, it was Fulong Mountain, and he felt like that place truly had some mysterious power, always being associated with strange stories.

———

The horizon was adorned with a fiery sunset, casting warm hues through the lush trees. He Wei surveyed his surroundings, and the scenery of the forested mountains all looked the same, making it difficult for him to discern where he was.

He had the strange sensation of floating; his entire body seemed semi-transparent, allowing him to see through his hands and feet to the trees beyond. As he lowered his gaze, he realized that he was not touching the ground; his toes were several centimeters above it, and he was indeed floating in the air.

“Is anyone there?”

“Is anyone around?”

A clear and childlike voice rang out. He Wei turned around and saw a young boy in a white shirt and navy blue shorts, carrying a backpack. He was panting and wiping the glistening sweat from his forehead.

His eyes were bright and lively; his facial features were exquisite, and his fair skin had a rosy tint. His black hair was short, and his bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat as he leaned against a tree, exhausted, using his hand to fan himself while gazing at the setting sun.

“…Hello.”

A faint and timid voice came from behind. He Wei turned and saw another child standing there. He was wearing a yellow T-shirt and white shorts, with a small water bottle slung across his shoulder. His big eyes looked at the boy sitting there with trepidation.

The boy in the white shirt turned around, and the boy in yellow seemed to be taken aback, gradually widening his eyes.

He Wei, standing in the middle, also felt incredulous.

These two children looked exactly the same. Their facial features and appearances were identical, and it was as if…

“Who are you?” the boy in the white shirt asked.

The boy in the yellow T-shirt softly replied, “I’m… He Wei.”

It looks like my childhood. He Wei thought for a while.

The boy in the white shirt suddenly yelled, “I’m He Wei.”

He rushed forward, passed through He Wei’s body, grabbed the other boy’s collar, and with one hand, pinched his right cheek, interrogating him coldly, “Are you He Lu? You must be, always playing these pranks!”

The boy in the yellow shirt weakly resisted, tears the size of beans rolling down his cheeks. “I really am He Wei… not He Lu.”

Seeing him cry with tears streaming down, the boy in the white shirt finally stopped and noticed there was indeed no mole under the corner of his eye. He became puzzled, “Are you really He Wei? But I’m He Wei too; how can there be two of me?”

With tear streaks on his face, the boy in yellow shook his head and sat on the ground, burying his face in his arms and crying softly.

“I shouldn’t have run to Fulong Mountain by myself… My mom, dad, and little brother all disappeared, and I can’t find them…”

“Don’t cry; I can’t find them either.” The boy in the white shirt sat cross-legged on the ground, propping his chin. “We came here for a day trip, but He Lu ran off, and when I went to look for him, I couldn’t find the way back.”

The boy in yellow peeked out with one eye, watching him. “My little brother is also named He Lu, and he’s very well-behaved and obedient.”

“…I don’t like He Lu. I also want a well-behaved little brother.”

The two children sat on the ground and rested for a while. Afterward, the boy in white pulled up the boy in yellow. With an extra person in the vast mountain forest, they were no longer afraid. They fumbled their way down the mountain, chatting as they walked.

He Wei followed behind them, listening to their conversation and gradually piecing together the true identities of these two children—one was him from this world, and the other was He Wei from the opposite world.

“Do you know what divorce is?” the boy in yellow asked.

The boy in white shook his head, listening as the boy continued, “My mom and dad got divorced, and I’ll live with my mom from now on, while A-Lu will live with my dad. We won’t be together anymore.”

He Wei looked at the boy with watery eyes, and memories started to come back. Did he really cry so easily when he was a child?

In contrast, the child beside him seemed calm and had a resolute personality, more like him.

The boy in white took out a handkerchief from his pocket and helped him wipe away his tears. “Stop crying; you should be like me. Boys shouldn’t cry often.”

“…Be like you?”

“Yeah,” he smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. “You are He Wei, and I am He Wei too. We should be the same, right?”

Hearing this, the boy in yellow wiped his tear-stained face and finally stopped crying. The two held hands, supporting each other as they walked through the mountains. As the day turned into night, He Wei followed them from behind. When the two children grew tired and hungry, the boy in yellow conceded first and sat on the ground, unwilling to walk any further.

“You can’t walk anymore?”

“Yeah, my body isn’t well, and I feel out of breath after walking too much.”

The boy in white spoke with a hint of pride, “Then, you can’t do it. I’m very fit and want to be a police officer in the future.”

The boy in yellow hung his head and said softly, “I just want my mom and dad to be together.”

To comfort him, the boy in white crouched down and hugged his shoulder. “You are me, and I am you. My mom and dad are together, so if needed, I can switch with you.”

“…Really?” The boy in yellow tilted his head, pondering for a while before saying, “Then I have a good little brother, so I can switch with you too.”

He Wei felt a twitch in his eyelid and had a foreboding feeling in his heart.

The two children stumbled along the mountain path, and at some point, a thick fog enveloped the forest. He Wei looked around, and visibility had dropped to within three meters.

“Young Master! Young Master!”

The boy in yellow raised his head. “I can hear Uncle Qin’s voice!”

“Brother! Where are you?”

The little He Wei in white also raised his head. “That’s He Lu’s voice!”

They stood in the midst of a dense fog, and two voices came from two different directions. The boy in yellow bit his lip, his eyes darting around. Finally, he took off the small water bottle hanging around his neck and began to undress.

“Didn’t you say we’d exchange? Let’s do it.” He took off his yellow T-shirt and handed it over. “I’ll give you my good little brother, and you give me my complete mom and dad.”

…No!

He Wei opened his mouth, wanting to reach out and stop them, but he couldn’t make a sound.

The boy in white remained silent for a moment, then threw his backpack to the ground and swiftly undressed as well.

In no time at all, the two children had completed their exchange, and they stared at each other.

“We can’t tell anyone.”

“Yeah, whoever tells anyone becomes the little dog.”

They hooked their little fingers together and made a pact.

He Wei stared wide-eyed, watching as they walked away in opposite directions, towards their respective families.

He saw the calm and strong-willed little He Wei being found by Uncle Qin and joyfully embraced him. He also witnessed the fragile and crying little He Wei being dragged away by He Lu to find their parents.

He Wei opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in sweat.

This wasn’t the forest; it was Liang Jingyuan’s home. He slowly sat up, his hand on his forehead, the scenes from his dream vivid in his mind. The memories lost for several years during that time in the mountains had finally returned.

Why did such a bizarre event happen? He Wei pounded his fist on the bed, biting his lip tightly. He vaguely understood why he had been drawn into this enigmatic loop.

It turned out that everything he had experienced, from the very beginning, was a wrong life.