You on the other side of time

Si Yang walked towards the school, lost in thought. Various clues swirled in his mind, becoming increasingly confusing. Before he knew it, he had reached the school gate. He took out his campus card and tried to swipe it at the machine, but it wouldn't respond.

He paused for a moment before realizing that he hadn't even swiped the card correctly.

"Hey kid, swipe your card!" The security guard poked his head out of the guard booth, staring intently at him as if trying to see right through him.

Si Yang originally wanted to nod in greeting, after all, he had been hanging around this school with his mother, who was an archaeology professor, since he was a child. He knew all the old uncles who had worked as security guards for more than ten years very well, and they would chat with each other when they met.

But today, the security guard's gaze inexplicably carried a scrutinizing quality, making him feel uneasy. He swallowed back the greeting that was on the tip of his tongue.

He tried again, and this time he finally succeeded.

The school gate opened, and Si Yang walked in quickly with his head down, not wanting to see those strange looks anymore. It wasn't just the security guards' eyes; after entering the campus, several students who were walking by suddenly stopped and deliberately walked around him.

In the past, Si Yang would never have cared about these things. He was always immersed in his academic world, and the gazes and discussions of others were insignificant noises to him. But this time, because he was falsely accused of being the "perpetrator" and stood at the forefront of public opinion, his heart inexplicably became sensitive and fragile.

He walked quickly to the dormitory building, went upstairs, and pushed open the door. The dormitory had been noisy, but when his other roommates saw him come in, they all got up at the same time, made an excuse, and hurriedly left the dormitory.

Si Yang didn't speak or ask any further questions. He simply walked to his desk and sat down. Just as he was writing his essay, his phone chimed with several trending news notifications.

"Jinchuan's most pitiful single mother has finally woken up again today."

"She finally woke up with the perseverance of a great mother. Justice may be delayed, but it will not fail to come."

"The great mother finally couldn't bear it any longer and told the truth: there were no traffickers, it was two students who pushed my child into the river..."

"The so-called act of bravery was actually a lie? The students involved have powerful backgrounds and were able to manipulate the situation."

"Justice will not be delayed; please punish the murderer severely."

"..."

Si Yang's gaze was fixed on the words "there are no human traffickers at all." The dense text that followed flashed through his mind but left no impression.

Oh no, this is really terrible.

Only one thought remained in his mind. Not only were they trapped on the same day, but this time, things had become even more absurd and worse than before. He had originally hoped, with a sliver of hope, that the single mother would wake up and come forward to explain the whole story, clearing his and Si Chuying's names. But now, all those hopes were shattered in an instant.

He didn't even know if these news reports were fabricated lies by the media to grab attention and generate traffic, or if they genuinely came from the single mother. But either way, it was a fatal blow to him.

In short, these days, as long as someone stirs up trouble, public opinion will turn against you. Even if a few people know the truth and want to stand up and speak out, they will quickly be drowned out by insults.

"I've saved an old wolf..." Si Yang muttered to herself. The single mother was already shrouded in mystery, and now it was even more of a mess.

He still doesn't know the mother's name. Even the news reports from various media outlets refer to her as "that poor mother" or "that great mother," without even her real surname. How much truth can there be in such news reports?

Frustrated, Si Yang turned off his mobile data and tossed his phone onto the corner of the table, trying to avoid the urge to see it. He knew deep down that this was just self-deception. He could foresee the public opinion only intensifying, but he couldn't imagine what this escalating public opinion would ultimately bring him.

He was clearly just doing a good deed. He and Si Chuying were simply rescuing people; the police even issued a clarification statement. Yet, in the end, he became an utterly heinous criminal, going from intentional assault to a murder suspect—a crime of such severity.

Si Yang propped his elbows on the table, supporting his throbbing head. He even felt that even if he could find evidence to prove his and his sister's innocence, the keyboard warriors hiding behind the screen would not give up. They would only continue to spread rumors and hurl insults, reveling in what they believed to be the truth.

In short, fate is not in one's own hands, but in the hands of the majority of people who are unaware of the truth.

Ding--

The phone suddenly rang; it was the counselor calling. Si Yang suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about his graduation thesis because he had been so focused on being framed.

He accepted the loss of his guaranteed postgraduate admission spot. But he absolutely had to graduate normally, otherwise his twelve years of hard work would have been for nothing.

He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button. The phone was noisy on the other end; he could vaguely hear many people talking. His counselor was probably calling him from his office. But the noise didn't prevent him from catching the key information.

His surname was so rare that the teachers were talking about him, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. A counselor calling him at a time like this could never be anything good.

"Siyang, here's the thing. The principal came to see me today to check on your situation. We all think you've been under too much stress lately. Do you want to take a break from school for a month or two to adjust your mood, and then come back to continue your studies when you're feeling better?"

There was a hint of difficulty in the counselor's tone. She paused for a moment, then continued, "You know you're very capable, and your grades have always been excellent. Actually, missing a period of study won't have any impact at all. Focus on getting better physically and mentally. We can postpone your graduation thesis and graduation matters..."

"Don't worry."

Si Yang grunted in acknowledgment, indicating that he had heard. He knew perfectly well that the counselor wasn't discussing things with him at all, but simply informing him that he didn't need to attend classes and should take a leave of absence.

He knew the school rules all too well; there was no such thing as taking a leave of absence for only one or two months. Once you took a leave of absence, it was for at least a year.

He could accept that the school initially postponed his postgraduate entrance exam application. After all, given the public opinion environment, a century-old university should give society an explanation.

But now, without any substantial evidence, just because of those unsubstantiated news reports, they want to deprive him of his right to study and make him drop out of school. He is not happy about it! But what can he do if he is not happy? He tried to explain and clarify, but the facts have proven countless times that any sophistry is just adding fuel to the fire for keyboard warriors and will only make the public opinion burn even more fiercely.

They don't want to know the truth; they only relish those sensational and exciting rumors.

"Si Yang, are you listening?" The counselor's words interrupted Si Yang's thoughts.

"Okay, I understand." Si Yang hung up the phone decisively. The counselor was still a very good person. She couldn't possibly be the decision-maker in this matter; she was merely a reluctant intermediary relaying information. He didn't blame her.

However, it seems that things are far more serious than imagined. If he cannot find strong evidence to clear his and Si Chuying's names, he doesn't even know if the "murder suspect" label in the media will accompany him for the rest of his life.

More importantly, if things go wrong the third time you return to this day, will things get even worse next time?

Si Yang checked the time; there were still more than three hours until midnight, but he couldn't wait to go back. Even on the verge of death, one should still struggle, let alone when one has made up his mind to deliver a fatal blow to those low-cost "rumor-mongers," "keyboard warriors," and "trash media."

But he didn't dare go home, nor did he dare call Si Xingbin and Xu Qingwan. Knowing his parents' personalities, they would definitely find out about the news before he did.

He couldn't imagine their situation, nor did he dare to imagine it.

He sat at his desk for a long time until the dormitory door opened and his roommates returned one by one. He didn't say anything, but stood up, grabbed his coat, and left the dormitory. He walked out of the school gate and headed straight for the bridge.

When that familiar moment arrived, Si Yang didn't hesitate at all...