You on the other side of time

That was the cloth rabbit he had casually hidden in his coat in the closet nine months ago.

He wore this coat all winter, and always carried only his campus ID card in the pockets. To prevent the card from getting lost, he would even empty the pockets. Such a large rabbit couldn't possibly have appeared out of thin air.

It wasn't a dream; he really did go back nine months and see his lively, energetic sister! Soon, Si Yang felt a pang of regret. He hadn't done anything after returning. He hadn't even had time to leave a note reminding himself and his sister that no matter what happened at Jiuyan Bridge nine months later, they should absolutely not meddle in other people's business.

And now, he's back, and their family is still mired in rumors of "deep suffering," unchanged.

The phone screen suddenly lit up, and the caller ID showed it was his father, Si Xingbin.

Si Yang took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Dad..."

"Yangyang, don't worry, your mother and I are already trying to figure something out. You didn't come back after you went out last night, and we only found out this morning that you went back to school. You need to take good care of yourself so that you can give those rumor-mongers a strong response."

On the other end of the phone was the old father's deep sigh.

Listening to Si Xingbin's weary words, Si Yang's gaze fell on the 23 missed calls on the screen: 20 from his parents and 3 from Wen Jinxin. He didn't even know when he had put his phone on silent.

"Dad, how is my sister?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a heavy sigh: "She...is not doing well. She vomited after only a couple of sips of porridge this morning. She's 1.65 meters tall, and in just half a month, she's lost all but 80 pounds. If this continues, her health will collapse."

"She only said one sentence today," Si Xingbin said, his voice choked with emotion. "She asked, 'Has the child been found?'"

Si Yang's heart ached terribly, as if something had been clenched in his chest. He couldn't imagine what his sister looked like. The little girl who used to shout, "If the sky falls, my brother will hold it up," was now huddled in her room, silent and filled with self-blame.

"If she continues like this, I'm afraid..." Si Yang didn't finish his sentence, fearing she wouldn't survive until the single mother woke up. He knew all too well how much his father loved this daughter.

"That woman is acting strange." Si Xingbin's voice suddenly rose, and even through the phone, Si Yang could feel his frantic anger.

"She woke up for a while today, and all she kept repeating was 'A life for a life, it's only right,' but she couldn't speak clearly and wouldn't explain who ordered the murder. She wouldn't cooperate at all with the statement! Those keyboard warriors are stirring up trouble again, all they want is money, right? I'll give them my entire fortune!"

With a loud crash, it sounded like something had been smashed.

The call abruptly ended. Si Yang stood there, phone in hand, stunned. He wasn't sure if he was overthinking it, but he had a feeling that now that he was back on the correct timeline, the situation at home had become even more serious.

Actually, he had considered various options. Should he issue a public statement on Weibo? Or repost the police announcement? He feared that not only would he not be seen as a hero, but rather as someone trying to cover something up.

Publicly writing a confession? Taking all the blame upon themselves? Si Chuying, Si Xingbin, and Xu Qingwan will still be relentlessly criticized as the families of the "perpetrators," and it won't change the direction of public opinion at all.

All of this is just a drop in the ocean!

Besides, what exactly did they do wrong?! The public always sympathizes with the weak, and the truth is worthless in the face of a torrent of criticism.

Si Yang closed his eyes, and three paths clearly appeared in his mind.

Find the missing child.

Find those human traffickers.

Let that single mother clarify the misunderstanding herself.

For the past two weeks, the police have made no progress; the child and the traffickers have vanished without a trace.

The only breakthrough point is that single mother.

The single mother's condition was very unstable; most of her days were in a coma or delirium. Furthermore, although the child's fall into the river wasn't directly related to them, they were indirectly responsible for the outcome. Perhaps this is why she harbored resentment towards them; even when she woke up once, she vaguely shouted, "A life for a life, it's only right," further fueling the public outcry.

"Wen Jinxin, could you help me get that mother's address?" Si Yang sent a WeChat message, thinking that this single mother would eventually return home from the hospital, and that talking to her calmly might change things.

"???" Wen Jinxin replied almost instantly, with three question marks popping up on the screen.

"If it doesn't work, then forget it. I'll think of something else." Si Yang gripped his phone tightly.

"No, this matter has blown up so much, just search it online."

Wen Jinxin was squatting in the traffic police station's toilet, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his fingers flying across the screen as he kept refreshing his chat with Si Chuying. He had been sending her messages for half a month, but hadn't received a single reply.

The cigarette butt caught fire on his fingers. He snapped back to reality, stubbed out the cigarette on the tiled floor, sparks flying. He stared at the chat box on the screen, then slammed his fist against the wall, the dull thud echoing in the small space.

Si Yang looked at the message and suddenly slapped his forehead.

Yes.

This "intentional assault case" has caused a huge uproar in Jinchuan City, and the single mother's information has already been thoroughly investigated by busybodies. There's absolutely no need for Wen Jinxin's help.

After hanging up the phone, Si Yang searched for information on the forum. Sure enough, the address of the single mother was clearly displayed. In the photos of the exposed address, there were even some takeout food, dolls that children like, and snacks... His heart suddenly clenched, and he decisively put on his shoes, ready to try his luck.

She lived in a small alley not far from Jiuyanqiao. Although Si Yang grew up here and knew that No. 45 Jiuyanqiao Street was one of the few old and dilapidated houses in the center of Jinchuan City, he had never paid attention to it before. He was shocked when he actually stood in front of it.

Before Si Yang were several two-story bungalows, each with its own sub-number. It took him a while to find Sub-Number 3. The doorknobs were rusty and dusty, and the ground was covered with countless footprints, just like the scene he had seen on the forum. Takeout bags were piled up on the ground, but no one had taken care of them.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door, causing dust to fall from the doorframe.

"Looks like she hasn't come back from the hospital yet," Si Yang muttered to himself. After looking around and seeing no one else, he prepared to turn and leave.

As he passed the Nine-Eye Bridge, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A thought suddenly flashed into my mind.

The only thing I did before traveling back that day was accidentally fall off the bridge. The feeling of weightlessness, the icy river water, and then the change in time after I opened my eyes…

What if... we could try again?