This time travel was perilous, but also yielded many rewards.
That girl's icy laughter was familiar to Yuan Luoyi, but she couldn't recall who it was. Perhaps revisiting the corridor would help her remember more.
Yuan Luoyi hopped out of bed, opened the door, and jogged through the Yuan residence, quickly reaching that corridor. The same wallpaper, the same windows, the same silvery moonlight streaming in, only without any bloodstains on the floor this time.
Yuan Luoyi walked forward, trying to recollect.
I've heard her voice before!
Come on, remember!
Who is she?
Step by step, Yuan Luoyi arrived at the door to Yuan's Mother's room.
Yuan's Mother was a spy assassin, not easily killed by ordinary people. So how did the murderer succeed?
Yuan Luoyi placed her hand on the doorknob, recalling how this cold metal would be stained red with fresh blood in the future, and how inside, Yuan's Mother would lie grievously injured, bleeding profusely.
Yuan Luoyi remembered many more details, like how Yuan's Mother was gripping her phone, its flickering screen showing she was trying to call Yuan's Father, but he didn't pick up.
And on the table was a calendar, open to June 27th.
A sharp pain shot through her temple, and Yuan Luoyi frowned deeply as fragments of her past life's memories flooded in.
She remembered now - on June 27th, she was discovered to be a fake heiress. Yuan's Father's gaze was ice-cold as he tossed out a suitcase, telling her to leave immediately.
That night, Yuan Luoyi dragged her suitcase alone towards the subway station.
The people just getting off work were utterly exhausted. They hurried along, boarding the last trains home to rest. Yuan Luoyi envied them for having a home to return to.
She had lost everything. The love she received was all false. She drifted aimlessly, heart weary, like a piece of driftwood uncertain where to land and call home.
The advertisement on the large screen suddenly paused, flickered, and a wanted poster flashed up.
At first, Yuan Luoyi paid no mind, looking down at her phone to check the subway route map. Only when people around her started pointing and staring did she realize something was amiss.
Looking up, she saw the photo on the wanted poster was of her, labeled "Class A Wanted Criminal, Extremely Dangerous, Suspected of Matricide".
The memory fragments ended there, and 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi finally understood the full sequence of events.
So that's how it was.
On the day she was driven out, Yuan's Mother was murdered, and Yuan Luoyi was framed as the killer. Then, before her brothers returned to the country, she was executed.
Such swift judgment, as if there was an urgent need to get rid of her before her brothers could intervene to save her.
Behind the string of deaths in the Yuan family seemed to be an invisible hand, meticulously orchestrating everything to make each of the Yuans die a painful death.
Now, the 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi gazed out the window at the solitary moon hanging in the sky as the night insects chirped.
The first time she time traveled, Yuan Luoyi felt like only a few minutes had passed. But in reality, several hours had gone by. This time was the same - when she returned home, it was the afternoon, but now it was completely dark out.
This time travel ability was strange. Previously, Yuan Luoyi thought she was merely observing the future, like watching memory fragments. But this time, she seemed to have actually traveled to the future, where Yuan's Mother could converse with her, and the murderer could harm her.
The feeling of a gun muzzle pressed against the back of her head was so real - she must have been shot and killed.
The system also had a wishing function. Yuan Luoyi suddenly wondered if she could wish for everyone to be saved.
[Ding! System Prompt: If the host has enough influence, they can wish for everyone to be saved.]
The mechanical female voice that suddenly popped out gave Yuan Luoyi a start. Right, she could just ask the system about these things directly.
Yuan Luoyi asked, "How much influence is needed?"
[System: 100 influence will activate the wishing function once.]
Yuan Luoyi was delighted. Currently, her influence was 60, so participating in a few more variety shows would allow her to reach 100!
She continued, "Can I wish to see who the real culprit is?"
[System: The host's level is too low to decrypt that information.]
"What level is needed to decrypt it?"
[System: The host's level is too low to decrypt that information.]
"What exactly is time travel?"
[System: The host's level is too low to decrypt that information.]
Yuan Luoyi hated hearing that line. The system could help her a lot, but there were also many mysteries it refused to answer!
And how strange - reaching level 100 would allow her to wish for everyone's survival, but not to find out the true culprit's identity.
If she wanted to uncover the real culprit, she could only keep using the time travel ability, but...
A chill ran through Yuan Luoyi. The next time she went back, who would she encounter? What would happen? Would she be harmed? Everything was unknown.
After recalling the memories of her past life, she found the courage to slack off, escaping her miserable school life. But now, she had to muster her courage to face the dark future, to find that true culprit, because she was the only one who could save the Yuan family.
The sound of approaching footsteps made Yuan Luoyi tense up and turn around to see her eldest brother, Yuan Ao.
He walked up beside Yuan Luoyi. "What are you doing here?"
Yuan Luoyi said, "Ah...I missed Mom."
Yuan Ao said, "Mother will be back tomorrow morning."
Yuan Luoyi asked, "How did you know I was here, Brother?"
Yuan Ao pointed to a corner of the ceiling, where there was a security camera. "The security system detected your abnormal behavior."
Yuan Luoyi frowned in puzzlement. Right, although the Yuan residence was an ancient mansion, its facilities were very modern. Then how did the murderer dare to brazenly enter and kill someone?
As Yuan Luoyi racked her brain, Yuan Ao's large hand reached out and scooped her up into his arms.
Yuan Ao said, "Furrowing your little brows in worry at such a young age. What happened?"
Yuan Luoyi shook her head. Due to the system's rules, whenever she tried to speak about related matters, it was like her throat was being constricted, unable to make a sound.
Yuan Ao sighed, thinking Yuan Luoyi was still afraid of him and unable to open up. So he tried another way to show his care - offering food. "The maid said you didn't eat dinner. I bought some late night snacks, all your favorites. Want some?"
At the mention of late night snacks, Yuan Luoyi perked up. "Yes please, thank you Brother."
Just now, she was tense, constantly mulling over the matter of the true culprit. But with her brother there, she felt safe and relaxed a bit, suddenly feeling hungry.
Seeing his little sister's mood improve, Yuan Ao also felt better.
When dealing with others, Yuan Ao showed no empathy at all. No matter how much they suffered, struggled, or pleaded in anguish, Yuan Ao remained coldly indifferent, only giving them despair.
But when facing Yuan Luoyi, his emotions fluctuated wildly. Every bit of her pain, he felt a fraction of it too. She made him feel the illusion of being a normal human being, and he didn't dislike that feeling.
Yuan Ao carried Yuan Luoyi away from the corridor. Yuan Luoyi glanced back - here was where the first death in the Yuan family occurred, after which everything fell into chaos.
But if Yuan Ao hadn't chosen to avenge her back then, he wouldn't have died, the Yuan family wouldn't have collapsed, and her other four brothers wouldn't have died either.
Yuan Luoyi said, "Brother, you're really amazing, skilled in all areas. You've managed the Yuan family very well these past few years."
Yuan Ao let out a light laugh. "Why the sudden praise? Got a favor to ask?"
Yuan Luoyi said, "No, just speaking from the heart. But everyone has a weakness. What's yours, Brother?"
Yuan Ao's ink-black eyes gazed at Yuan Luoyi. "You're my only weakness, I suppose..."
Even his soul was pitch black, leaving only a tiny white speck in his heart, neatly containing Yuan Luoyi.
He hid in the shadows, disguising himself, suppressing his brutal nature. He carefully nurtured his little sister, desperately wanting her to grow up happily. More than anyone, he wished to be a good brother.
And this also determined that, after Yuan Luoyi's death, he could not live for long.
