In the murder chamber of the underground parking garage, Cheng Cheng was nearing his last breath. He had participated in the murder of Yuan Luoyi and now had to pay the price for it.
Yuan Ao wanted to inflict extreme suffering on him in his final moments.
But...
His little sister was a normal person - she would be scared.
He didn't want to fully reveal his dark side in front of her.
Yuan Ao looked toward Yuan Luoyi. She appeared as an 11-year-old, standing in the corner, her thin body trembling slightly. The previous Yuan Ao had already frightened her.
However, her large eyes gazed at Yuan Ao without retreat. She had chosen to accept Yuan Ao's dark side.
No matter how terrifying Yuan Ao became, how insane his mind, how much blood clung to him, Yuan Luoyi knew that he was her brother.
He had cared for her as an infant. He would often smile warmly. He would never harm his little sister.
Yuan Ao approached Yuan Luoyi, crouching down to meet her at eye level, and took out a pair of headphones.
"Cheng Cheng is about to die. I need to deal with him quickly, and the process will be horrific. You wear these headphones and listen to music - they have great sound insulation."
Yuan Luoyi took the headphones and nodded.
Yuan Ao stood up. He had wanted to ruffle Yuan Luoyi's little head, but his hands were covered in blood, so he didn't.
"And you must not open your eyes until I'm finished, okay?"
Yuan Luoyi said, "Okay."
Yuan Ao picked up a bag of knives and walked toward Cheng Cheng. They were extremely sharp, and Yuan Ao handled them with ease. Each one was indispensable - they would work together to inflict ultimate suffering on Cheng Cheng.
Meanwhile, Yuan Luoyi put on the headphones, opened her music app, and closed her eyes.
The sound insulation was good. As she listened to the unknown music, the floor beneath her feet began to tremble faintly, growing more violent with each shake. Terrified, Yuan Luoyi hugged her head with her hands and crouched in the corner, curling into a ball.
Don't open your eyes.
Don't imagine it.
It will be over soon...
And then brother will be his old self again.
Yuan Luoyi didn't know how much time passed before the shaking stopped. Yuan Ao's cold hand touched her cheek and removed her headphones.
Cheng Cheng was gone. The knives were gone. Everything was calm again, as if no brutal killing had ever taken place here.
Yuan Ao had changed into a white shirt, the top button fastened. Not a trace of blood remained – he looked clean and tidy, just like before.
He took Yuan Luoyi's small hand and gazed at her intently. His dark eyes were still filled with sadness, but there was a glimmer of light at last.
Yuan Ao said, "I used to fantasize about you still being alive. I even prayed to the heavens for your return. Now my wish has come true. I won't let anyone hurt you again. Will you stay by my side forever?"
Yuan Luoyi didn't speak. Time travel had limits – she would eventually disappear again. Seeing her brother like this, she couldn't help but feel sad.
She was his lifeline, but how could she bring herself to tell him that this lifeline was beyond his grasp?
So Yuan Luoyi just nodded.
Yuan Ao smiled and embraced her.
The room was too messy, so Yuan Ao began cleaning. He scrubbed the floors, sprayed air freshener – the air grew crisp and clean.
Yuan Luoyi sat on the couch, eating the snacks Yuan Ao had prepared.
Now she understood why the fridge was stuffed full – Yuan Ao worried she might appear suddenly, hungry with no food available, so he prepared everything in advance.
After tidying the room, Yuan Ao sat beside Yuan Luoyi, who leaned against his arm.
"Brother, does your head still hurt?"
Yuan Ao said, "A little."
Yuan Luoyi said, "Take your medicine properly."
Yuan Ao took out a bottle of pills, shook a few into his hand, and swallowed them with water.
Before, he had refused to take medication because he thought Yuan Luoyi was a hallucination. Now that he knew she was real, he could take a bit to control himself so as not to frighten his little sister.
Time ticked by, second by second.
How Yuan Luoyi wished time could stand still, so she could spend more of it with her brother.
[Ding! System notification: Time travel will end soon. Please be prepared, host.]
[3]
[2]
Yuan Luoyi sighed softly and hugged Yuan Ao. "Brother, I'll come back."
[1]
Before Yuan Ao's astonished eyes, Yuan Luoyi vanished.
In the Yuan manor, bright morning sunlight streamed into the room. Yuan Luoyi crawled out of bed and checked the time – 7 a.m.
This time travel had taken all night again.
Exhausted, Yuan Luoyi collapsed back onto the soft bedding, feeling a strange mixture of drowsiness and wakefulness.
Recalling the previous events, Yuan Luoyi decided to take action. For instance, that Cheng Cheng – he had participated in murder. If she could capture him now, the future might change.
Then the next time Yuan Luoyi traveled back, the 18-year-old Yuan Luoyi might not die, and her brother wouldn't descend into guilt-driven madness.
But... how could she capture Cheng Cheng?
After some thought, Yuan Luoyi remembered her third brother, Yuan Yong. She could ask him for a favor.
If Yuan Luoyi said to Yuan Yong, "I don't like that guy Cheng Cheng. Banish him to Siberia to farm potatoes!"
Yuan Yong, a man of his word, would surely agree without hesitation. No matter how outrageous Yuan Luoyi's request, he would grant it.
But a troubling issue remained.
Yuan Yong's whereabouts were uncertain – no one knew where he was. He would appear suddenly beside Yuan Luoyi, then vanish again.
Yuan Luoyi could only wait patiently.
She took out her phone and opened her social media account.
Her follower count wasn't growing much. It would spike whenever she attended an event, then stagnate again.
Ah, trends moved too quickly nowadays. She needed another 30,000 followers before she could time travel again.
Yuan Luoyi's account had only one post. Her fans, like ravenous cubs, howled incessantly in the comments.
"Ahhh! Please, post something!"
"Day X of Yuan Luoyi's absence. Missing her."
"The other contestants have started making self-promotion videos. Why is she so silent?"
Yuan Luoyi thought silently, Because I don't know how to engage with fans!
Wait...
If she posted an update, doing some self-promotion like the other contestants, would that gain her more followers?
No sooner thought than done. Yuan Luoyi flipped through her phone gallery and found an old ID photo from when she enrolled – back before she was ostracized, when she still looked innocent and vibrant.
Her heart raced, her hands trembled as she made a new post.
"Hi everyone, welcome to my account."
She attached the old ID photo.
Hopefully her influence would level up soon!
