On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

Watching Chen Mo wearily close the file, pinching his aching brow, his gaze vacant as he stared out the window at the dark night sky.

There was no place for her in this world, but her departure completely distorted the trajectory of his life.

This overwhelming love and guilt caused Su Yuqing immense pain.

She looked again at the occasionally appearing, floating "self"—a phantom with a sorrowful and pained expression, silently watching Chen Mo.

The gazes of the two "Su Yuqing" seemed to pierce the boundary between illusion and reality at this moment, silently telling the same grief: in this world without her, the boy named Chen Mo had already died along with that rainstorm, leaving behind only a shell driven by obsession.

As Chen Mo (in reality) watched Su Yuqing grieve so much for "herself" in another world, and heard her murmur the two "cries," his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.

He longed to hold her in his arms immediately.

However, he could only be trapped in the third invisible layer, watching helplessly as she was heartbroken over that desperate phantom. The anxiety and heartache of being powerless to do anything about it almost tore him apart.

Time, in this despairing scene, continues to flow silently, dragging Chen Mo deeper into the cold quagmire called "the past".

However, while the two cared for each other, their feelings for each other were also rapidly growing stronger.

Through these observations, Chen Mo finally understood how Su Yuqing would feel if she knew that she was suffering from an obsession.

It turns out that my inability to let go of my obsession is not only torturing myself, but also torturing Su Yuqing.

His mindset gradually became more open and clear as time flowed through this dreamlike world.

In comparison, Su Yuqing felt even more fortunate that Chen Mo had opened the door for her in reality.

Otherwise, her tragedy might turn into a tragedy for both of them.

As time rapidly passed, the day of the torrential rain finally arrived.

The old ceiling light in the archives hummed due to the aging ballast. Chen Mo pushed aside the stack of yellowed files and carefully examined the files he had read thousands of times.

"You're still investigating this case?" Old Zhang, Chen Mo's colleague, leaned over to look at the documents Chen Mo was looking at, and shook his head helplessly.

"I applied to the police academy just for this case, and I fought hard to join the criminal police team just for this case..." Chen Mo replied without raising his head, exhaling the smoke from his mouth.

A rumble of thunder rolled across the clouds outside the window. Old Zhang flicked his cigarette ash: "The forensic department screened it three times back then, and they couldn't even find a shoe print pattern..."

Bang! A sudden thunderclap outside the window interrupted Lao Zhang's words. Heavy rain poured down, crackling and slamming wildly onto the iron awning.

When Chen Mo (in reality) saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. Wasn't this the day he traveled through time?

He was suddenly filled with curiosity about what he would see next.

Old Zhang pushed the ashtray towards the window and continued, "Even the provincial experts have determined it was a case of itinerant crime, but you insist the murderer is in this city..."

Chen Mo didn't look up, his hands still fiddling with all the relevant information about the case that he had collected through continuous visits and investigations over the years.

In the yellowed visit records, all the scattered information is piled together, and it is extremely difficult to find the key to solving the case.

Boom!

With the sound of the second muffled thunder, the pouring rain seemed to get even heavier.

Chen Mo subconsciously turned his head to look out the window. The weather today was similar to that day.

The rhythm of the torrential rain pounding against the windowpane overlapped with his memories. Shaking his slightly dizzy head, Chen Mo got up and grabbed the uniform jacket draped over the back of the chair. "I'm going to the rooftop for some fresh air."

Rooftop...

The fire door slammed shut behind him, and the strong wind, carrying rain, instantly poured into Chen Mo's collar. It was cold, but it brought him a sense of clarity.

Raindrops slashed against the concrete railing, shattering into tiny beads. Chen Mo pulled out a cigarette case, put the filter in his mouth, and spun the gears of his windproof lighter a few times under his thumb. The flame that shot up was extinguished by the rain as soon as it touched the tobacco. He simply crushed the damp cigarette in the gap in the railing, where years of cigarette butts had accumulated.

Crack! He watched the clothesline dance in the wind as lightning split the clouds.

In the instant she turned around, a thunderclap exploded overhead, and in the bright light, Su Yuqing, wearing a soaked white shirt, appeared. The girl's wet white shirt clung tightly to her collarbone, and the stitching of the second button was half an inch open.

Everything was so similar to how she was that day...

The next moment the illusion disappeared. Chen Mo looked up at the sky and smiled bitterly, "For so many years, you have appeared in front of me every time it rains. You must be blaming me for not helping you solve the case and redress your injustice."

As he sighed bitterly, Su Yuqing, wearing a white shirt soaked with sweat, reached out and touched him with a look of heartache.

The moment the three made contact, a jade pendant on Su Yuqing's body suddenly shone brightly.

With a loud crack, a bolt of lightning struck the jade pendant directly, as if it were striking Chen Mo on the head.

The entire space seemed to be paused instantly; the wind, the rain, and the people all stopped moving.

A burning and tingling sensation instantly swept through Chen Mo's entire body. Amidst the flash of white light, Chen Mo felt a dizzying sensation. When he regained his senses, he was shocked to find himself in an extremely familiar room.

In a blur, Su Yuqing (in reality) also discovered that her surroundings had suddenly become Chen Mo's home.

The illusory Su Yuqing had disappeared without anyone noticing.

As the doorbell rang again, Chen Mo opened the door, and the scene that Su Yuqing (in reality) was all too familiar with played out once more.

The opening lines are still the same as always.

Hearing herself utter those words, "I want to be taken in," Su Yuqing (in reality) trembled inwardly. It was those words that had led Chen Mo into the abyss. She was terrified that tragedy would repeat itself, but this time there was no tragedy. The events unfolded exactly as she remembered.

"Is this real?" Chen Mo subconsciously reached out and tried to touch the girl in front of him.

"I'm really back?" As the cool, smooth skin on his face came into his palm, Chen Mo's Adam's apple bobbed as he squeezed out a breath, his index finger knuckle gently brushing against the raindrops that had condensed on the girl's cheekbone.

This clear touch and slightly trembling reaction made Chen Mo certain that he was really facing a living Su Yuqing.

Ha! The warm palm and the cold air intertwined, causing Su Yuqing to suddenly tilt her head and sneeze. The tip of her red nose bumped into Chen Mo's palm, which he didn't have time to retract.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Su Yuqing stepped back in a hurry, but accidentally slipped and fell backwards because of the wet ground.

Chen Mo instinctively put his arm around her waist. In her panic, Su Yuqing grabbed Chen Mo's arm with her small hand. Due to the excessive force, her nails dug deep into Chen Mo's forearm, and blood was seeping out with her rapid breathing.

"I'm sorry, I hurt you." Su Yuqing hurriedly apologized again in panic.

Looking at Su Yuqing who was like a frightened deer, Chen Mo suddenly exerted force and hugged her in his arms.

Except for the sound of heavy rain, the surroundings were completely silent.

At this moment, the two seemed to be able to hear each other's heartbeat and breathing.

Although she didn't know why Chen Mo suddenly hugged her, Su Yuqing still chose not to move.

"That's great." Chen Mo murmured to himself, so softly that even Su Yuqing, who was next to him, could not hear him clearly.

However, Su Yuqing (in reality), who was observing everything at all times, took in Chen Mo's words.

Only now did she understand why Chen Mo had reacted so strangely when he opened the door and saw her.

(This chapter contains some content from previous chapters, so it has been expanded to 2400 words.) (End of Chapter)