A Chan – CH 121

Chapter 121: The Third Person

Early morning, very quiet.

Li Weiyi opened her eyes, looking at the familiar room furnishings, her mind still reeling.

The sweet aroma of food wafted to her nose. Someone walked to the door and knocked: “Weiyi, breakfast is ready for you. I’m going to work.”

Li Weiyi sat up abruptly, looking at Li Xiaoyi’s noticeably younger face.

Seeing her dazed expression, Li Xiaoyi looked at her with heartache and said, “If you want to see Ah Chan, go this weekend. Focus on your studies first. As for Mom and Dad… I’ll talk to them for you.”

“Okay…”

Li Xiaoyi left. Li Weiyi took out her phone from under her pillow and looked at the date: September 11, 2014, exactly two months since Zhang Jingchan became a vegetable. Today was also the day Zhang Moyun and Wu Xinhui were to be burned to death, and tomorrow Li Jinxiong would jump to his death.

But why didn’t she switch places with Zhang Jingchan? What changed that affected the time travel? Was it because Zhang Jingchan was in a vegetative state before?

Just as Li Weiyi jumped out of bed, her phone rang. It was an unknown number. Before she could answer, the call ended. The number seemed familiar, so she called back, but no one answered.

Li Weiyi ignored it and called Zhang Jingchan again.

“Hello, Zhang Jingchan?”

“It’s me.” Zhang Jingchan’s familiar and steady voice came through, putting Li Weiyi at ease.

Li Weiyi: “We…”

“Aren’t you surprised? Why didn’t we switch places this time?”

“Do you know why?”

“I think I can guess the reason. It’s hard to explain over the phone. Let’s talk in person. Come to the villa.”

Li Weiyi called her homeroom teacher to ask for sick leave and took a taxi to the villa.

She had been coming frequently these past two months. As soon as she arrived at the villa, a bodyguard opened the door for her, his face beaming: “Miss Li, Young Master Zhang is awake!”

Li Weiyi smiled, walked into the house, and saw the nanny, Sister Liu, also looking happy. Li Weiyi smiled and nodded to her before going upstairs.

Zhang Jingchan’s door was wide open, and faint sobbing and voices could be heard from inside. It seemed he had been brought back from the hospital.

Li Weiyi knocked on the door. Zhang Jingchan was comforting the weeping Wu Xinhui. He looked up and smiled gently at her.

Li Weiyi paused, then went in and called out, “Auntie, Jingchan.”

Wu Xinhui wiped away her tears excitedly, saying, “Oh, my good child, you’re here! Jingchan called you, didn’t he? He’s awake! He woke up early this morning. God really has eyes, sob sob…”

Li Weiyi sat down beside him. After Zhang Jingchan comforted his mother for a while, Wu Xinhui got up. “I’ll go wash my face, check if the porridge in the kitchen is ready, and urge your dad to come back soon. Weiyi, you talk to Jingchan for a while.”

“Okay, Auntie.”

Zhang Jingchan was wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants. Except for a slightly pale complexion, he already looked like the tall and handsome young man he once was. He frowned, rubbed his forehead, and then shook his wrist.

Li Weiyi sat down on the bed beside him. “Still not feeling well?”

“After all, I’ve been bedridden for two months.” Zhang Jingchan turned his head to look at her. “Luckily, this time, I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

Li Weiyi looked into his dark eyes, her throat tightening. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he gently pulled her close, saying, “This time, we won’t be separated again.”

She nuzzled his neck with the top of her head, making him chuckle softly. She asked again, “What do you think was the reason we didn’t switch places this time?”

“When the car crashed, did you see the person on the other side clearly?”

Li Weiyi’s heart tightened. “I saw them clearly. Wasn’t it Cheng Chuan? Why was Xu Yi driving instead?”

Zhang Jingchan’s expression turned serious. “Cheng Chuan is out of prison. He might have looked for Xu Yi. They were moles together back then; maybe he has something on Xu Yi. The jeep was clearly out of control; they probably had a fight.”

“I see.” Li Weiyi nodded; that made perfect sense now. “But why didn’t they time-travel before?” Her eyes widened suddenly; she had the answer: “They…”

Zhang Jingchan nodded: “They died every time. What if Xu Yi hadn’t died this time? Judging from the situation at the time, he had the upper hand in that car. If the number of time travelers changes, won’t the cycle rule change too? That’s why we didn’t switch.”

Li Weiyi’s heart pounded, her expression uneasy: “He’s here; he’s here too… What should we do?”

Zhang Jingchan lowered her head, her face lightly touching hers: “Still afraid of him?”

Li Weiyi gave a low “Mmm.”

He patted her shoulder: “Don’t be afraid; I’m here.”

“What should we do now?”

Zhang Jingchan lowered her eyes, her gaze calm and icy: “We’ll remain steadfast. No matter what Xu Yi does, the reason he set fire to my family and stole the evidence from Li Jinxiong in my past life was simply to escape punishment. Now, the evidence is still there. We only need to do one thing: immediately go to my father and submit the evidence to the police. Although the evidence on the surface can only convict Liu Ying of three crimes, as long as the police investigate, Xu Yi will not escape.”

Li Weiyi suddenly understood and nodded: “That’s called striking the snake at its vital point!”

Zhang Jingchan smiled at her.

Someone knocked on the door. Li Yunmo stood in the doorway, looking dazed: “Am I dreaming…?”

He rushed over, pushing past Li Weiyi, and hugged Zhang Jingchan: “Brother Chan, sob sob sob, Brother Chan, I thought you really wouldn’t wake up until 2022! I feel so guilty.”

Li Weiyi chuckled. This guy’s reaction was exactly the same as in 2022.

Zhang Jingchan patted his shoulder and said, “I’m fine; I’m back.”

Li Yunmo was about to speak again when Zhang Jingchan said sternly, “Go home immediately and stop your father from arguing with your mother. Judging by the timeline, your family’s evidence has already been stolen. Tell him it’s alright; my dad still has the evidence, and he shouldn’t act impulsively. Wait for my dad’s further instructions. Otherwise, he’ll go find Zhang Fengming and his group and eventually jump off a building to his death!”

Li Yunmo broke out in a cold sweat. Li Weiyi also reacted and urged, “There’s no time to explain; hurry back and calm your father down!”

Li Yunmo didn’t even have time to say a word before turning and running away.

Li Weiyi breathed a sigh of relief and said, “You’re quick-witted. This time, we should be able to save Uncle Li.” She ran her hand through her hair and looked at him.

Zhang Jingchan nodded: “Yes.”

The sound of a car engine came from downstairs, followed by Wu Xinhui’s voice: “You’re finally back! Our son is awake!”

Zhang Moyun’s anxious voice came: “Where is our son?”

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps climbing the stairs.

Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi stood up, exchanged a glance, and went outside.