Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 79: Decision

Once these associations started forming in He Wei’s mind, his thoughts began to explode in a chain reaction. If it turned out that he was the killer all along and he had to investigate Cheng Zesheng’s case, fall in love with Cheng Zesheng, and then kill his own beloved, did fate really enjoy playing such cruel tricks?

He Wei covered his forehead, and if this was indeed the case, how could he break free from this damn loop? He believed that his past self must have tried various methods, but he had no idea what they had attempted. Did he have to repeat those futile attempts over and over again?

“A-Wei, are you okay?” Liang Jingyuan looked at He Wei with concern. He Wei’s expression was twisted with pain and anguish. “Not good. I’ve almost lost all hope. I used to count the days, hoping for the loop to come quickly, but now I’m afraid.”

He was afraid of the day when Cheng Zesheng might actually die by his hands, whether intentionally or unintentionally. He, the killer, had to continue entering the loop to save Cheng Zesheng. It was both ridiculous and tragic.

Liang Jingyuan placed a hand on He Wei’s shoulder. “He Wei, I’ve always had faith in you because, in my eyes, you’re capable of anything. There’s nothing you can’t do.”

“I used to think the same way, but this time I really can’t find a way out.” He Wei stared blankly at his own hands. “If it’s true that I killed him, then what’s the point of risking everything to save him?”

Could it be that his ultimate goal was not to save Cheng Zesheng but to prevent him from dying by his own hands?

Seeing him trapped in self-blame and guilt, Liang Jingyuan patiently comforted him. “Don’t despair just yet. There are too many variables this time. Think about it, if the previous you had never talked to me about these things, they wouldn’t know about this paradoxical rule, which is why they mistakenly killed Cheng Zesheng. But now that you understand the rules of the game, won’t you do your best to avoid such a situation?”

He Wei slowly raised his head and looked at him. “It’s possible. The murder weapon is with me. What if I don’t bring it back?”

Liang Jingyuan thought for a moment and asked, “Do you want to give it a try?”

He Wei’s brows furrowed with uncertainty, and after a moment, he shook his head slowly. “Let’s not.”

Every step he took now was like walking on thin ice, just like playing Minesweeper and being extremely cautious and trying to avoid stepping on a mine. Any variable could lead to a butterfly effect, and even though he had the intention, he couldn’t afford to gamble with Cheng Zesheng’s life.

As it was getting late, He Wei planned to leave. Liang Jingyuan suggested, “Come to my place tomorrow night. Watching a supernova explosion alone is no fun.”

“Aren’t you meeting A-Lu?”

“I tried to make plans with him a few days ago, but he couldn’t make it.” Liang Jingyuan shrugged, sounding somewhat resigned.

In the past, He Wei might have made a joke and teased Liang Jingyuan about accepting his brother’s consideration. But ever since he had learned about Liang Jingyuan’s feelings for him, he instinctively avoided making jokes in that direction, as it could lead to awkwardness.

“He Lu is really a silly kid. He was afraid I’d get angry, so he gave me two boxes of pineapple cake. Do you want to take one and try it?”

He Wei hesitated for a moment, then lifted his wrist to check the date. He received a pineapple cake from He Lu today. Could it be that he was the one playing this role again?

He Wei nodded. “Give me one.”

With the pineapple cake in hand, He Wei made a call using his brother’s voice and arranged to meet with his “brother.” He couldn’t help but sigh. Before the previous time, he had no idea about the existence of his other self. This time, he hoped to successfully conceal it.

———

In the evening, He Wei managed to enter Room 404 smoothly, help with some household chores, leave the pineapple cake, and bid his farewell.

Just as he was sighing in relief and admiring his own acting skills, he suddenly heard a shout from upstairs: “He Lu!”

He turned around and saw Officer He staring at him from the balcony, his brow furrowed, and his expression unpleasant. It was clear that he had recognized him.

“Come upstairs and explain yourself!”

He Wei waved his hand dismissively. What was there to explain? He had already deceived him; why bother explaining? He was just completing his task, trying to keep the loop intact.

As soon as he got into the car, He Wei’s phone rang again, and he answered it with frustration. “Hey! You actually changed my brother’s number? I asked you for the contact information the other day, and you refused to give it!”

He Wei couldn’t be bothered with him and hung up, not understanding why he felt so irritable.

On June 15th, as the time for the loop to come was approaching, He Wei returned home once again. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to see his mother. Perhaps it was because he had been overwhelmed by heavy thoughts during this time and wanted to talk to his closest family member.

Xia Liang was at the hospital for a check-up, and Ye Lanlan happened to be at home, sitting with her legs crossed and wearing reading glasses while knitting a scarf.

In He Wei’s impression, Ye Lanlan had always been the image of a strong, independent woman. Seeing her engage in needlework, He Wei found it somewhat unusual, and his expression was a mixture of amusement and surprise.

“What’s with that expression on your face?” Ye Lanlan playfully poked his arm with her knitting needle, and He Wei’s smile deepened. “Just curious, I’ve never seen this side of you.”

“Tsk, it’s not that you’ve never seen it; it’s just that you don’t remember! When you were in kindergarten, I personally knitted scarves and gloves for you. I never bought a single one from outside.”

He Wei mumbled, not that he didn’t remember, but he didn’t have clear memories of these childhood details. After all, before the age of eight, he hadn’t lived here; he was a different He Wei, growing up in a different family.

Ye Lanlan compared the half-knitted scarf against He Wei’s chest. “Hmm, it definitely suits you when you wear it.”

He Wei looked at the bundle of goose-yellow cashmere yarn and couldn’t help but be surprised. “You knitted this for me, Mom? I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re not a kid, but you’re not old either. You have fair skin, and this color suits you perfectly,” Ye Lanlan said, feigning seriousness. “And you better not refuse. Mom will get angry.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll definitely wear it.” He Wei reassured her, and Ye Lanlan put down the half-knitted scarf, took his hand, and patted it gently. “A-Wei, is there something bothering you?”

He Wei pretended to be vague. “No, there’s nothing wrong at all.”

Ye Lanlan sighed. “A mother can always sense when something’s amiss with her child. You’ve always been independent, and you hardly came home more than three times a month after going to college. But now you’re coming back so often during this period. I have a feeling that something big has happened. Tell me, whatever it is, your mom will try to help you solve it.”

A mother’s love is truly boundless. Warmth welled up in He Wei’s heart, and he gave Ye Lanlan a hug. “Mom, don’t worry. I can handle it on my own. You work on the scarf for now, and I’ll definitely wear it when it’s done.”

In the evening, Liang Jingyuan called and invited him over for dinner at his place. He Wei thought for a moment, realizing that he had nowhere else to go, so he agreed. Most importantly, he was still intrigued by Stephen’s beauty, and a day without seeing him felt like an eternity.

Since it had already passed, it was equivalent to agreeing to witness the spectacular explosion of the supernova together. Liang Jingyuan and He Wei leaned on the balcony railing, each holding a specially prepared drink (made by Liang Jingyuan). They gazed at the ink-blue night sky with cushions laid out on the nearby soft bench, and Stephen lay there, accompanying them to watch the stars.

The meteor shower in the northern Lyrid constellation gradually reached its peak, and suddenly, a bright star burst in the night sky. Liang Jingyuan was astonished. “The apparent magnitude is so high. It’s truly a once-in-a-century sight.”

“Right, I didn’t lie to you, did I? Maybe it’s because of the tremendous energy release that I can travel back in time,” He Wei speculated. Suddenly, he thought about how he was playing an amateur scientist in front of an actual scholar, and he chuckled. “I’m just guessing casually, pseudoscience, you know.”

Liang Jingyuan smiled gently, propping his chin as he looked at He Wei. “Will I remember all of this in the next loop?”

“I don’t think you will, including Stephen. He won’t remember me either.” He Wei reached out to pat Stephen’s little head. “I always thought Stephen and I had some kind of special connection, but it turns out it’s just because we’ve spent a long time together.”

“But you’ll remember, won’t you?” Liang Jingyuan touched his chin and sighed. “After all the awkward incidents we’ve had, I really wish you could forget them all.”

“I can’t do that. I’d rather remember everything.” To forget again would mean entering the next loop and starting all over. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the choices he would make and the direction things would take next time.

As time passed, He Wei gradually felt tired and yawned. “I’m going to rest now. See you tomorrow… Oh, I mean, next time.”

In the quiet of the night, Liang Jingyuan sat on the edge of the bed. He Wei was sound asleep, so exhausted that he hadn’t even taken off his clothes. Although He Wei was already in his thirties, he didn’t look old at all. With his fair complexion and naturally handsome appearance, he exuded a kind of gentle charm when he was asleep, completely devoid of the sharpness he displayed while awake.

Liang Jingyuan stared at He Wei’s sleeping face, mesmerized. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch He Wei’s cheek, but his fingers withdrew just before they made contact with the slightly cool skin. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly, realizing that his affection for someone had brought him to such a humble state that even a gentle touch during a peaceful slumber felt like an extravagant hope.

His gaze shifted to the pocket of He Wei’s black jacket. This time, without hesitation, he reached in and felt a hard, tubular object, like a gun.

Liang Jingyuan carefully extracted the gun from He Wei’s clothing, his eyes fixed on the dark weapon as he sank into contemplation.

The gun that He Wei was carrying was the murder weapon used to kill Cheng Zesheng. If he hadn’t brought this weapon back in the time loop, would the murder not have occurred?

He knew that He Wei had agonized over this choice before but was too afraid to risk changing it. Discarding the gun might mean that the real culprit was someone else, and he would return empty-handed. So… Liang Jingyuan wrapped the gun in a handkerchief, stood up, and gave He Wei a gentle smile.

“I’ll make the decision for you, the one you couldn’t make. Let’s take a gamble this time, hoping it’ll be the right choice.”

———

He Wei opened his eyes once again, and above him, there was a lush canopy of towering trees. His body was buried beneath the thick wild grass, and he found himself lying in a remote and desolate wilderness.

A figure approached and crouched down beside He Wei, wearing a smile.

“Congratulations on coming back.”

He reached out his hand, and He Wei grabbed it. With a firm pull, he was helped to his feet from the grassy ground.

“Where is this?” He Wei rubbed his neck. He could only remember that he had been very tired and sleepy last night. When did he fall asleep? Did Liang Jingyuan drug the water? Otherwise, with his physical stamina, he couldn’t have stayed awake until one or two in the morning and become so exhausted.

Cheng Zhenqing pointed ahead and motioned for him to look.

In the midst of the lush forest in front of them stood a peculiar and dilapidated tall building. He Wei instantly understood; they were in the Fulong Mountain, and that building ahead was the mansion.

“Why am I here?” He Wei muttered to himself. Cheng Zhenqing heard it and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve found you here several times. Maybe it’s because there’s nowhere to put you after the loop?”

“…” Such an explanation was difficult to accept, but he had to believe it.

He Wei took out his phone and checked the date. It was April 1st, and he was experiencing his umpteenth April Fool’s Day this year. He checked his belongings; the key to 404 was still there, but the gun was missing from his person.

He Wei searched through all the pockets on his clothes, making sure it wasn’t there, and gradually furrowed his brow. “I can’t find the Type 92 pistol.”

“Gone?” Cheng Zhenqing was surprised. “Check again carefully. It was with you during the previous returns; why is it missing this time?”

He Wei was quite certain; the gun had been kept in his clothes. The only possibility was that Liang Jingyuan had hidden it, making the decision He Wei had dreaded the most.

“What’s going on? Where’s the gun?”

“The gun…” He Wei hesitated for a moment. “I didn’t bring it back. I was thinking, if I didn’t have that murder weapon, would Cheng Zesheng still die?”

He hoped this was the right decision.