After waiting for several minutes, Yuan Luoyi still didn't see the news report, and she was greatly disappointed.
Even in this future world, finding the real culprit wasn't so easy. The system had imposed too many restrictions on her, and there were many things she couldn't say, as if her throat was being choked, unable to make a sound.
Suddenly, a large hand fell heavily on Yuan Luoyi's shoulder, gripping her tightly, startling her. She turned around, and her gaze met Yuan Ao's.
Yuan Ao's face was gloomy: "You promised me you'd wait in the car."
Yuan Luoyi felt very nervous.
The future world's big brother had gone haywire, devastated by the death of his sister. As a result, he developed an excessive protective urge towards the 11-year-old Yuan Luoyi, unwilling to let his sister go out. The greatest concession he could make was not to lock his sister alone in the underground parking garage.
Now, Yuan Luoyi had broken her promise and ran out, clearly upsetting her big brother. His eyes were fixed on Yuan Luoyi, strong and icy cold.
Yuan Luoyi's fingertips trembled uncontrollably, her heart pounding. Her big brother had never been angry with her before, and she didn't know what to do. She struggled a little, trying to break free from Yuan Ao's grip.
The hand on her shoulder tightened. Yuan Ao questioned, "You want to run away?"
Yuan Luoyi said, "No, I was just bored staying in the car, so I came out for a walk."
Yuan Ao let out a cold laugh, lowering his eyes and muttering to himself, "Even an illusion-created sister wants to leave me... I just want to protect you..."
Yuan Luoyi struggled, "No! Big brother, you're hurting me!"
Those words seemed to jolt Yuan Ao awake. He immediately released his grip. "Sorry."
Yuan Ao frowned, rubbing his throbbing head. His mental state had been increasingly unstable lately, often losing control. He knew he wasn't far from completely breaking down.
In the final moments of his life, he saw his sister again, but he couldn't interact with her normally. He truly was a terrible brother.
Yuan Luoyi looked at Yuan Ao with concern, "Big brother, is your head hurting again?"
His sister's pure, innocent eyes, like a clear lake, made Yuan Ao lose himself.
Yuan Luoyi's small hand grasped Yuan Ao's large one. "I'm really not trying to run away. I won't leave you."
As if burned, Yuan Ao abruptly pulled his hand back.
Yuan Luoyi was pure and untainted, while Yuan Ao had sunk into the mire, stained with blood and sin, unable to return from the moment it began.
Even his soul was pitch-black, with only his sister remaining pure and beautiful in his heart. He didn't want the only beauty he had ever possessed to be tainted as well.
Yuan Ao said, "I've bought the things. Let's go."
He took large strides ahead, with Yuan Luoyi running to keep up behind him.
They got into the car and returned to the company's underground parking garage. To Yuan Luoyi's surprise, Yuan Ao didn't take her to that room filled with killing, but instead took the elevator to the top floor, where he usually lived.
Inside was spacious and bright, with modern and minimalist decor. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city.
Yuan Ao placed the items he had bought on the table. In addition to the food Yuan Luoyi had requested, he had also bought many vegetables and fruits.
Ever since taking care of the infant Yuan Luoyi, the principle of balanced, nutritious food had been ingrained in his mind. Even now, with his sanity on the verge of collapse, he still remembered to do these things.
"I'll go cook. You rest here." With that, Yuan Ao took the vegetables into the kitchen.
Yuan Luoyi wanted to follow him in. Her big brother looked exhausted, which worried her, but Yuan Ao closed the door in her face.
Her big brother needed Yuan Luoyi by his side, but he didn't want her too close.
Yuan Luoyi could only return to the living room. After circling around, she found the TV, and her gloomy mood lifted a little.
She sat on the couch, turned on the TV, and quickly flipped through the channels until she found the long-awaited news report.
In the studio, a beautiful female anchor reported the news: "Typhoon Baroqi is about to make landfall. All citizens are advised to secure doors and windows..."
Yuan Luoyi listened absentmindedly. After a few minutes, this dull, routine topic finally ended.
"Next, let's take a look at the recent public safety issues. People are still going missing, and we've invited the renowned criminologist Professor Wang to share his insights on this series of cases."
Professor Wang was emotional, "The large number of missing people is highly abnormal. It indicates we have a serial killer, potentially multiple killers coordinating these crimes, in our city! A group of cold-blooded demons!"
Yuan Luoyi thought silently, "Ah, it's my brothers who did it..."
The anchor said, "Things are getting more and more precarious. Professor Wang, are these disappearances related to the previous Ye family massacre?"
Yuan Luoyi's heart skipped a beat.
The Ye family?
Was the real Miss Precious named Ye Min from that family?
The TV screen switched to show death photos of the four members of the Ye family: Mr. Ye, Mrs. Ye, Elder Miss Ye, and Miss Precious Ye Min.
Yuan Luoyi understood. The scenes the system had shown her before were of Ye Min performing CPR on her sister, desperately trying to revive her despite her having no pulse.
But what was going on?
Miss Precious Ye Min wasn't the culprit, but a victim?
The date of death listed below the photos was June 27th, the same day Yuan Luoyi's mother was killed!
Yuan Luoyi was confused. She had thought coming to the future would clear the fog and reveal the truth, but now the fog only thickened.
Yuan Luoyi still remembered the culprit's voice. Since the time travel had ended, she had to find Ye Min and listen to her voice.
The aroma of delicious food wafted over. Yuan Ao had placed a plate of seafood fried noodles in front of Yuan Luoyi. Despite not feeling hungry initially, Yuan Luoyi suddenly felt like eating.
Yuan Ao took off his apron and sat down beside Yuan Luoyi. "Eat it quickly before it gets cold."
Unable to resist the tempting smell, Yuan Luoyi dug in. Her big brother was truly a great cook!
After eating, the news continued to analyze the Ye family massacre case, with the culprit still unknown.
Yuan Luoyi suddenly wanted to tell her big brother that Ye Min was Miss Precious, but just thinking about it made her unable to breathe. The system wouldn't allow her to say it, but she wanted to try.
She raised her hand, pointing at Ye Min's photo. "Big brother, she is...!"
Her voice suddenly disappeared, and the surrounding scenery vanished too, plunging into endless nothingness. An unnamed terror gripped Yuan Luoyi's throat...
[Ding! System: Warning! Please do not engage in behaviors that disrupt the world line!]
"Thump!"
Yuan Luoyi lost consciousness and fell, her forehead hitting the floor hard. A pair of hands picked her up and gently laid her on the couch.
"Wake up!" Yuan Ao's voice faded in and out.
After a while, Yuan Luoyi regained consciousness. It seemed the system could force her to be silent.
Yuan Ao's icy hand covered Yuan Luoyi's forehead, carefully taking her temperature. Yuan Luoyi's sudden fainting had caused ripples in his previously indifferent eyes, and he looked even paler, his breathing slightly rapid.
Yuan Luoyi said, "Big brother, I'm fine."
Her temperature was normal, so Yuan Ao withdrew his hand and silently sat beside Yuan Luoyi. After a long while, he said, "Did the illusion make you weaker because I wanted you to depend on me?"
Yuan Luoyi was puzzled. "No, it was my own carelessness."
Yuan Ao buried his face in his hands, seeming in anguish. "I don't understand, I really don't understand. It seems like all I can do is hurt you, not protect you. When you were imprisoned... I impulsively called you, letting them know we were going back to rescue you, and that night you were..."
He took a deep breath and said sadly, "Just left... If only I hadn't made that call, what was I doing... It's all my fault..."
Yuan Luoyi looked at Yuan Ao's emaciated back. So he had always hated himself the most. That's why he was still seeking revenge despite being covered in scars – it was atonement and self-punishment.
Yuan Luoyi said, "Brother, when I received the call, I was actually happy. My death wasn't your fault. It was because of you that I persevered."
Yuan Ao looked up at Yuan Luoyi. Her words were incredibly sincere and beautiful, but they were just an illusory bubble. Yet even knowing it was a lie, it brought him a small sense of relief.
Yuan Ao asked, "What was it like in those final moments?"
He had only received his sister's ashes and didn't know the specific cause of her death. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw those people hurting her, eventually killing her, and it kept him awake at night.
Yuan Luoyi said, "I was injected with something, and I fell asleep peacefully, without any pain."
In reality, when the rope tightened around her neck, she struggled desperately as they kept beating her until she stopped moving. Her body was too severely injured for it to look like a suicide, so they had to cremate Yuan Luoyi.
Yuan Luoyi reached out her little hand and hugged Yuan Ao. "Really, there was no pain. I even dreamed that you came to take me home, and we all had a barbecue on the lawn and set off fireworks together."
Yuan Ao said softly, "Thank you."
He knew it was a beautiful lie.
