A Chan – CH 130

Chapter 130: You Retreat, I Advance (1)

Two mornings ago, when Xu Yi woke up in the hospital, he immediately realized that he faced two choices:

To be Xu Yi, or to be Zhang Jingchan.

If he continued to be Xu Yi, since Zhang Moyun could give the backup evidence to Li Jinxiong, he must have the original evidence himself. He conveniently used his son’s identity to steal and destroy the evidence, thus averting the crisis. But if Zhang Moyun could collect evidence the first time, he could do it again. This person still needed to be killed, and tonight’s arson had to proceed as planned.

…No, that plan had already fallen through. Because Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi had also arrived.

What if he were Zhang Jingchan?

Xu Yi avoided the doctors and nurses, quickly leaving the hospital and immediately calling Liu Ying.

“State Street Bank, account number XXXXXX, password XXXX.” His first words were the siblings’ overseas bank account password. Liu Ying was shocked. He said, “Sister, it’s me. Only the two of us know this account password. There is no time to explain. A supernatural phenomenon occurred; my soul is now in Zhang Jingchan’s body. What are the signs of the person you’re with?”

Liu Ying’s mouth hung open for a long time before she asked several more questions that only the siblings knew. Xu Yi answered quickly.

Liu Ying couldn’t explain why, but this morning, the feeling her “brother” gave her was different from usual. The person on the other end of the phone sounded so much like her younger brother, and besides her brother, no one else could possibly know what had happened.

“He…he doesn’t talk much; he’s unhurried and seems a bit like you.”

Xu Yi immediately said, “He’s Zhang Jingchan. My soul has been swapped with his. Take control of him immediately! Send people to chase him; see if he can escape!”

Soon, Xu Yi learned that Zhang Jingchan had escaped, leaving only his phone. By then, he had gotten out of the taxi and was standing outside the Zhang family villa, his answer already clear.

He had no other way out.

If he remained Xu Yi, then Zhang Jingchan could continue to be Zhang Jingchan. He could gain his sister’s trust, and Zhang Jingchan could gain Zhang Moyun’s trust. If the father and son joined forces, they could immediately subdue him, hand the evidence over to the police, and wait three days for him and his sister to go to jail.

But if he became Zhang Jingchan, then Zhang Jingchan could no longer be Zhang Jingchan.

…

The afternoon sun shone on the second-floor terrace of the villa. A bottle of red wine and several crystal glasses sat before Xu Yi. He poured himself only a small glass. Even he needed a little alcohol to allow his brain, which had been racing for the past two days, to relax for a moment.

On the coffee table were two cell phones. One contained Zhang Jingchan’s number, and the other was one of the numbers he had obtained over the years using the ID cards of impoverished elderly workers. Liu Ying and the others each had one of these numbers for easy communication.

Further to the side was a black handbag. He had visited Liu Ying yesterday, instructing her on how to lead the others into hiding, and had also retrieved some items.

Xu Yi’s gaze was calmly fixed on the distant sunset, then he bent down and focused intently on picking up three crystal glasses, arranging them in a row.

Zhang Jingchan was currently evading a city-wide police manhunt, and his most important help came from three sources:

Xu Yi looked at the first crystal glass:

Ding Chenmo.

So far, Ding Chenmo had acted normally in front of him, personally applying for the arrest warrant and the search order for “Xu Yi.” His attitude towards Zhang Jingchan was a mixture of friendliness and disdain, showing that he actually liked Zhang Jingchan very much. Moreover, the police valued evidence most in their investigations, so Ding Chenmo was unlikely to believe in nonsense like soul swapping.

However, Ding Chenmo was a cunning old fox, and Xu Yi wasn’t sure if he was also affected by the timeline.

Therefore, Ding Chenmo was a 50/50 chance.

Xu Yi raised his finger, knocking over the first crystal glass, his gaze falling on the second glass.

Zhang Moyun.

Xu Yi picked up the glass of red wine and drank it in one gulp. The wine tasted authentic; the red wine he had served Zhang Moyun and his wife yesterday had come from this bottle.

Actually, he hadn’t planned to make a move against Zhang Moyun so quickly. He had intended to wait until after these three days, at a less sensitive time. But last night…

After returning from giving his statement at the police station, besides the bodyguards, only the “family of three” was at the villa. Xu Yi was very cautious, trying his best to imitate Zhang Jingchan’s tone and demeanor. Zhang Moyun was also very kind to him, his gaze loving. But Xu Yi felt uneasy, as if two sharp eyes were staring at him from behind when he turned around.

He quickly realized it was a terrifying intuition. He had been Zhang Moyun’s assistant for several years and knew this ruthless man all too well.

Zhang Moyun suspected him.

Later, during a casual chat, Zhang Moyun smiled and, seemingly casually, asked a question:

“By the way, how many times has this cycle happened?”

Xu Yi paused only briefly, then smiled and answered, “The fourth time.”

Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi’s unusual behavior always lasted three days; in his memory, it had happened three times. This was the fourth time.

Zhang Moyun nodded: “It’s finally over. I hope you never come again.”

Back in his room, Xu Yi took a small vial of cyanide from his black handbag.

He had to act immediately. Zhang Moyun was different from others; the police wouldn’t touch him, not even if Ding Chenmo suspected him. But if Zhang Moyun had private bodyguards, and his father tied him up and locked him up for three days, there would be no justice in the world. He wouldn’t be able to do anything then, only wait to be transferred back to prison after three days.

…

Having Liu Ying order Zhang Fengming to act out a scene was truly risky. But Ding Chenmo was too shrewd; if only he and his parents were in the villa that night, it would be too dangerous, and someone had to take the blame. Xu Yi always had a backup plan.

After Zhang Fengming ran away, Xu Yi made a commotion to alert the bodyguards. The Zhang couple was already unconscious. Taking advantage of the bodyguards’ confusion, Xu Yi secretly took two glasses and washed away the remaining liquid. There was a bit too much wine left; the couple hadn’t drunk much, but it was enough. The doctor said their condition was serious, and Xu Yi felt a sense of relief.

Xu Yi raised his hand, overturning the second glass. It rolled off the table and shattered.

He looked at the third glass.

Li Weiyi.

Xu Yi remembered the look in her eyes at him at the villa yesterday—clear and warm, like a thin veil covering his entire body; he remembered her holding his hand, shy yet bold; she was wholeheartedly protecting this man.

Thinking of these things, a small smile finally appeared on Xu Yi’s lips, but his eyes remained cold and calm.

He also remembered the one or two minutes she briefly disappeared from the bodyguard’s sight at the hospital the night before last; he remembered the news from Liu Ying’s people last night that they had seen suspicious people near the street where Li Weiyi lived.

In the end, Xu Yi just lowered his head and smiled self-deprecatingly, picked up the third glass, and gently placed it back on the tray.

He glanced at his watch; it was 2:40 p.m. on the third day. He had waited until now.

Indeed, capturing or killing Zhang Jingchan under the police’s watchful eyes was a difficult task. A bit of luck was also required.