You on the other side of time

Si Yang threw back the covers, reached out and forcefully caught the coin that was about to fall. He was stunned for several seconds before slowly coming back to his senses. The green indicator light on the air conditioner had disappeared.

It goes without saying that the weather on September 8th wouldn't require air conditioning anymore. These repeated crossings had already allowed Si Yang to figure out the pattern.

Why is Si Yang so familiar with the date September 8th? Because according to the normal timeline, on that day, a cat and a dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started making a racket at their doorstep, which was very annoying.

When Si Chuying came home from school, she immediately took a liking to the strange cat and dog duo and insisted on adopting them. She even gave them names: the cat was called Xiao Ba and the dog Xiao Jiu. At the time, he strongly objected, for a simple reason. He thought the dog had a slight limp and was afraid it might be a sick stray that could infect the family. In the end, Si Chuying couldn't persuade him otherwise and could only reluctantly give in, letting him chase the cat and dog back downstairs.

The room was unusually quiet. Xu Qingwan and Si Xingbin were both at work, and Si Chuying was in class at school, leaving him alone. After all, he was already a senior and had long since finished his courses, so he didn't need to go to school every day.

Si Yang sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts gradually clearing. He went through all the known clues again. Each time he went to Uncle Wang at the fruit shop, he managed to dig deeper into the information. Uncle Wang's words were simple and honest; he had no reason to lie. This feeling of "the onlooker sees more of the game than the player" was particularly pronounced.

If what Uncle Wang said is true, then this mother doesn't love her child at all, and may even be suspected of child abuse. Everything she said later was a lie. For example, always keeping her daughter with her, the claim of being in a coma, and swearing that the child was her life… it was all an act!

These words, already publicized by the media, are deeply etched in everyone's minds. The strategy to debunk the rumors is clear: find out that her child wasn't always with her and was subjected to long-term abuse. Regardless of the timeline from which evidence is obtained, if a single mother lacks even the most basic principles of motherhood, how credible can her words be?

He knew in his heart that, judging from the current trend, every time things returned to the correct timeline, they only got worse. He and his family were like being caught in a huge vortex of public opinion, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to extricate themselves. Now the matter had become the talk of the school. Even if he swallowed his anger and compromised, what company would dare to hire him with the label of a murder suspect? He was probably destined to be nailed to the pillar of shame for the rest of his life.

Finding the single mother within this timeline to verify the information would undoubtedly be very difficult. After all, Song Wanxi should be living in the house she's renting now. After much deliberation, Si Yang still believes that, in the normal timeline, since the single mother had her accident after renting that house, she must have been renting that house sooner or later.

From September 8th to March 9th of the following year, there were still six months to go. Si Yang believed that Song Wanxi was probably the best link he could find to that single mother, the only lifeline on this timeline. Because whether it was to prove whether that mother had a problem, or to warn her and prevent the tragedy from happening, he had to find her first.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Si Yang stood up from his chair, took off his loose loungewear, changed into a clean white T-shirt and dark jeans, and then haphazardly tidied his spiky hair in front of the mirror. Looking at his barely presentable self in the mirror, he couldn't help but give a wry smile. He always told himself not to meddle in other people's business, but now he was going to ask others for help to get out of his predicament. Wasn't that a bit of a double standard?

But then he thought, what does this double standard matter if it's just to live like a normal person, and to protect his family from gossip? Living is truly not easy. Si Yang sighed and went out.

Si Yang sighed softly, pushed open the door, and walked out. To be honest, he had no confidence on the way from the apartment complex to Song Wanxi's place, unsure if he could find her. His mother said there was no record of her at the school, but they had clearly interacted with her. If she really was a student at Jinchuan University, today was most likely military training day, and he might not have run into her. If she didn't even study at Jinchuan University, then it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, purely a matter of luck.

After parking the shared bike on the side of the road, Si Yang raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could reach the door of Song Wanxi's rented room, he lowered his hand again. He didn't know how to start the conversation.

Si Yang took out his phone to check the time, but found a message flashing on the screen. That familiar profile picture, that familiar profile picture, was none other than Song Wanxi.

The message was short: "Senior Si Yang, I said I'd return your student ID card, but I seem to have forgotten. Do you have time today? I'd like to come find you."

The message was sent today.

Just then, the door of the bungalow across the street creaked open, and a basin of water splashed out, splashing onto the ground. The sound startled Si Yang.

He was in such a rush, so eager to find Song Wanxi, that he completely forgot that in this timeline, Song Wanxi was most likely still on his WeChat friend list. And the timing of this message was perfect, as if it had been deliberately waiting for him.

Si Yang naturally wouldn't let this lifeline slip by. Suppressing his excitement, he sent a message: [Yes, I'm waiting for you at your door.]

The girl who had splashed water on the other side only noticed a boy standing in front of the door diagonally opposite after she finished emptying it. She apologized repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you just now. Did I splash any water on you?"

The girl's voice sounded slightly tired, and her brows held a hint of youthful awkwardness and restraint. Si Yang recognized her at a glance. Her name was Liu Meiyue, and she was Uncle Wang's daughter. However, in this timeline, she didn't know him.

"It's okay, no one got splashed," Si Yang replied casually, but his eyes were glued to his phone, afraid of missing any of Song Wanxi's replies.

Liu Meiyue hesitated for a moment at the door before cautiously asking, "Excuse me... are you here to see Song Wanxi?"

In her memory, no boy had ever approached Song Wanxi, but a girl from a lower grade would often come to play with her.

Children like them, growing up in poverty, either study with all their might, hoping to change their fate through education, or squeeze in part-time jobs to earn tuition and living expenses. People like them are basically ignored by others, and few people will specifically seek them out.

"Yes, I'm looking for Song Wanxi, I..." Si Yang frowned, unable to find a single word to describe his relationship with Song Wanxi. Classmate? His mother had said there was no such student. Friends? They weren't really friends. Acquaintances? That sounded too awkward.

Si Yang was silent for a few seconds before vaguely saying, "I'm her friend's brother."

"Oh, I see." Liu Meiyue sized Si Yang up and down, her eyes still wary. This boy looked neat and presentable, with a strong presence, but she always felt he had a very ulterior motive. Song Wanxi was her best friend, and since her grandmother passed away, she had been living alone, so she had to be careful, afraid that Song Wanxi would be bullied.

Liu Meiyue paused, then added, "Song Wanxi went to hand out flyers today and won't be back until this evening. If you want to find her, you'll probably have to wait until later."

"I do have something urgent to discuss with her, it's really urgent." Si Yang knew her wariness and understood that he couldn't explain it clearly in a few words, so he simply held up the message Song Wanxi had sent him to her. "Look, this is what she just sent me. She said she's going to return my student ID card."

Looking at Song Wanxi's WeChat profile picture and the messages on the screen, Liu Meiyue's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.