Jiang Xi walked towards the main house without saying a word. Her hair was still wet and hung down her back, leaving a watermark on the back of her cardigan.

Lin Momo followed behind her.

As the sun set, the two walked into the village one after the other, their shadows growing longer and longer in the afterglow.

As soon as Yan Zheng entered the courtyard, he saw her. She was feeding the fawns, then touched one of the fawns' necks before leaving the deer pen.

Seeing her appearance, he frowned and said, "Why didn't you dry your hair?"

As he spoke, he pulled a towel from the clothesline to dry her hair.

Jiang Xi only came to her senses when the towel was placed over her head. She glanced at Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng, drying his hair, was startled by her pale face and quickly lifted her small face, asking, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Xi shook her head, as if she had found a source of support, and gripped his arm tightly with both hands, as if all her strength was pressing down on him.

Lin, who was outside the courtyard, followed, still unaware of what had happened.

Yan Zheng noticed that Jiang Xi was not in a good state and said to her, "Go back and rest first, it's nothing."

Lin nodded and walked out, glancing back at the two of them every now and then.

Yan Zheng lowered his head and asked Jiang Xi softly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Jiang Xi's mind was in complete chaos.

He remembered Yan Zheng saying that he and Yan Jing'an had the exact same mole on their bodies.

If she and Lin both possess it, then who is Lin? And who is she?

birthmark.

For birthmarks.

Then, she grabbed Yan Zheng's arm and led him into the inner room. The bedroom window was still open, and Jiang Xi climbed onto the bed and slammed the window shut.

With a snap, the room fell into darkness.

He stood by the bed, looking at Jiang Xi with concern. She remained silent. Then, Jiang Xi began to take off her clothes.

Yan Zheng threw the towel onto the bedside table, then wrapped his arm around her from behind, pressing down on her hands as she tried to take off her clothes.

He whispered in her ear, "You don't need to be in such a hurry, there are people next door."

Jiang Xi's face flushed, and she regained her senses. She gripped the arm around her waist and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I just want you to see something."

Yan Zheng looked at her for two seconds, his expression turned serious, and he let go of her.

Jiang Xi took off her top and then her undershirt. Her back was slender, and her fair skin, in the dim light, resembled fine porcelain, gleaming with a white halo. With just one glance, one could imagine the long-lost touch of her fingertips through her undulating curves.

Yan Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he observed Jiang Xi while concealing the undercurrent in his eyes.

Jiang Xi said hoarsely, "Do you see it? There's a red birthmark on your shoulder and back."

Usually they observed each other at night, but this was the first time Yan Zheng had observed her so openly.

Upon hearing this, his eyes darted around, and he finally noticed a coin-sized red birthmark on her shoulder blade.

"Yes, I see it, a red birthmark."

Jiang Xi lowered her head and murmured, "Lin's body also has it, in the exact same place, in the exact same shape."

After saying that, she turned around and looked at Yan Zheng, her eyes filled with grievance and confusion.

Do you think Lin and I will end up like you and Yan Jing'an?

"No." Yan Zheng interrupted her: "Don't overthink it. You and Lin look very different, so it's unlikely that this would happen. Are you sure you saw it clearly?"

Jiang Xi nodded seriously: "You know, I never say anything I'm not sure about. And even in parallel worlds there are slight differences. Just like you and Yan Jing'an, although you look the same, one of you is the older brother and the other is the younger brother."

Yan Zheng pulled her into his arms and said in a deep voice, "But Jiang Xi in this world has already passed away, so it's unlikely."

His clothes were slightly cool. Jiang Xi said calmly, "Bottles and birthmarks, don't you feel like there's an invisible hand controlling us?"

"I didn't originally want to delve into the truth of these things, fearing that my study of Marxism would be in vain."

She is a staunch materialist.

Jiang Xi's voice was tinged with grievance and resentment. Yan Zheng chuckled softly, touched her cheek, and looked at her, saying, "No matter what the truth is, I will be with you. What did Lin say?"

Jiang Xi shook her head: "She said she didn't know anything, not even that she had a birthmark."

Yan Zheng draped her clothes back over her shoulders and said, "Put your clothes on first and come out. I'll go find Yan Jing'an and at least discuss this with him."

Jiang Xi nodded, put on her clothes, and then Yan Zheng knocked on the door next door.

Just as she left, Yan Jing'an also came out, and the three of them sat together around the octagonal table.

Yan Zheng opened the main door of the house.

Yan Jing'an, unaware of what had happened, lazily asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so serious?"

Jiang Xi didn't speak, but Yan Zheng said, "Something's not quite right. We found a bell at Lin's place a few days ago."

Yan Jing'an glanced at him, dropped his nonchalant expression, sat up straight, and said, "Is it the same one I found before? Didn't you already take it to the cemetery?"

Jiang Xi shook her head and said, "They are not the same, but they look the same, even the patterns on them are the same."

Yan Jing'an pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, it might be a very common bell. In your world, there's a city that specializes in making small commodities, just like you can make thousands or tens of thousands of pieces just by using a template. It's not surprising."

Jiang Xi licked her lips, feeling a little dry.

She glanced at Yan Zheng, then said to Yan Jing'an, "Lin has a birthmark on her back, red, exactly the same as the one on mine, even the size and shape are very similar."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Jing'an stood up abruptly: "Are you sure?"

Jiang Xi nodded: "I can't be wrong."

"Lin said she didn't know about this birthmark. Judging from her appearance, I guess she doesn't even know what a birthmark means."

Yan Jing'an began pacing back and forth.

If it's just a bell, it could be attributed to coincidence, but what does it mean if the same birthmark is the same?

He asked, "Did you explain the meaning of this bell in your dream last time?"

Jiang Xi shook her head: "In the dream, all I knew was that the bell was made by a blacksmith, one big and one small. He kept the big one and gave the small one to his daughter."

Yan Jing'an pondered for a moment and asked, "Is Lin's bell big or small?"

Jiang Xi said, "Mini."

Then, Jiang Xi told Yan Jing'an about Lin Lingdang's background: "She said her grandmother gave it to her, and she couldn't say any more."

Yan Zheng leaned back in his chair and said in a emotionless voice, "Call Lin over, let's ask him again."

Jiang Xi went out and brought Lin into the house, asking her to sit down.

Lin felt somewhat uneasy.

Yan Zheng said, "Don't be nervous, I have something to ask you."