He Liyu never mentioned Shen Linyue's death; in every account he gave, he only mentioned the word "disappeared."
Shen Linyue once thought that He Liyu was too deeply attached to his feelings and couldn't accept the fact of her death, and never doubted the meaning behind his words.
Even more so, He Liyu once corrected her statement, but she didn't think much of it at the time and said it was all the same.
The cemetery was very large and desolate. There were no offerings or incense burning in front of the blank tombstones, which made it look very desolate.
After saying that, He Xiao didn't speak again. His gaze remained fixed on the wordless stele.
Shen Linyue was numb, her head was spinning and she couldn't think straight, and her heart was pounding nonstop.
“But Chen Wensheng drove that car into the river, and his body has already been retrieved. Your mother couldn’t possibly not be in there.”
“That’s the question. Chen Wen is dead. The car that was salvaged was intact except for the front, all the windows were fine, and even the doors were locked. But my mother just disappeared without a trace.” He Xiao’s gaze fell on her pale face.
"So...no, your mother might still be alive?" Shen Linyue asked with difficulty.
If she's still alive, where is she? With He Liyu's methods, there's no way he couldn't find her.
If she planned to leave on her own, what would be the reason? She would have started preparing long ago; she wouldn't have disappeared all at once.
“I don’t know. Lao He can’t find her. He’s checked the surveillance footage on that road many times, and he’s asked people close to my mother, but no one knows where she might have gone,” He Xiao said calmly.
"By the way, there were many cases of trafficking in women and children back then. Old He was also afraid of this. Over the years, he has been doing charity work in this area and has helped Uncle Hat solve many such cases. He has also visited remote villages all over the country, but he still has no news about her."
Shen Linyue felt as if she was being squeezed and couldn't breathe. Now things seemed to have become even more chaotic, turning from a murder into a possible premeditated act.
The future her and the present her are the same person; she should be able to know what the future her is thinking and what she wants.
Although she was hostile towards He Liyu during high school, she also learned from others that she and her future He Liyu were very much in love.
She would never abandon her husband and children and disappear alone.
Something's definitely wrong.
"Have your parents ever had relationship problems? Or has your father ever cheated on you?" Shen Linyue's voice trembled.
He Xiao: "..."
He glanced at her and said, "Guess why he prepared this empty grave?"
"What?" Shen Linyue didn't understand.
He Xiao said softly, "He plans to go and join my mother's body after I come of age if he can't find her body."
Shen Linyue: "..."
She looked at the blank stele in astonishment, then at He Xiao, trying to discern the truth in his words.
But He Xiao seemed to have no reason to lie to her; He Liyu was indeed a love-struck fool.
“…It’s also possible that your mother cheated on you,” Shen Linyue said hesitantly.
"Heh." He Xiao glanced at her and sneered, "My mother would never cheat on me, stop talking nonsense."
Shen Linyue nodded in agreement. "Yes, I would never cheat on you." He Liyu is handsome and rich. In his forties, he can still maintain broad shoulders and a narrow waist without gaining weight, which already surpasses countless men. The key point is that he is not bald.
"Let's go back, I don't want to stay here any longer." Her mind was a mess and she desperately needed to sort it out.
He Xiao frowned when he saw that her face was pale and bloodless, as if she had been staying up for several nights in a row.
Was he talking about something terrifying? She's so scared, is she projecting herself onto the character?
"Don't overthink it." He Xiao moved her head slightly.
Shen Linyue did not resist, letting him mess up her hairstyle.
...
Back at the He family home, Shen Linyue finally breathed a sigh of relief as the heating enveloped her.
She glanced at He Xiao, who was already sitting on the sofa playing on his phone, and said, "I'm going to take a nap, don't disturb me."
He Xiao paused, then lifted his eyelids to look at her: "Go ahead, do you need me to find you a psychologist?"
Shen Linyue: "...Thank you, but it's not necessary."
He Xiao smiled wryly, not arguing with her, and instructed the butler beside him, "Make her a cup of ginger tea and send it over."
The butler smiled and nodded: "Yes, young master."
Shen Linyue only felt a sense of security after returning to her small room. She quickly washed up, changed her clothes, and sat back down at her desk.
She tried her best to recall her conversations with He Liyu about this matter, but He Liyu never revealed a single piece of information that she had left on her own.
He was investigating the truth behind Chen Wensheng's car falling into the water, her whereabouts, and whether there was a mastermind behind it all.
Shen Linyue then thought of Li Yanxi. If he and Chen Wensheng were related by blood, then it would make sense for He Liyu to accept him and let him tutor the two of them.
Thinking about all this, Shen Linyue's heart sank even further. She now desperately wanted to know He Liyu's thoughts.
Does he think that his future wife planned her departure, or does he believe that she is dead and her body has not been found, and that she did not want to leave him?
She took out her phone, hesitated for a few seconds, and then dialed He Liyu's number.
She needs answers.
The phone rang for a long time but no one answered. Just when Shen Linyue thought the other party would not answer,
The phone was answered, and a man's hoarse voice, sounding like he had just woken up, came through.
"Hey? What's wrong, Yue?"
Shen Linyue was taken aback; it was the first time she had ever heard He Liyu speak in such a voice.
"He Liyu, do you have time? I have something I want to ask you." She pursed her lips and said softly.
A rustling sound came from the other end of the line quickly, but after only a few seconds, He Liyu asked, "Yes, go ahead and ask, what happened?"
His tone was gentle, yet it inexplicably calmed Shen Linyue's agitated heart.
Shen Linyue slowly spoke, fiddling with the small potted plant on the table: "A-Xiao told me that I didn't die, but that I went missing, and that there was no future me in the car that was salvaged. I just want to ask, is this true?"
The man's breathing clearly faltered on the other end of the phone. "Ah Yue, I'll get to the bottom of this. Don't think about it..."
“He Liyu!” Shen Linyue interrupted his attempt to coax a child. “I’m not a child anymore. I’m an adult. I have the right to know the truth. Besides, this is my future self. If I can’t figure out the truth after traveling through time once, then when I travel back in time, I will still die or disappear without a trace. Is that what you want to see, He Liyu?”
This doesn't seem to be the first time this issue has been discussed, but it's the most serious she's ever been about it.
He Liyu remained silent for a long time, until Shen Linyue thought the call was over, before his low, hoarse voice came from the other end.
"Yes, you are missing. You weren't in the car, and you weren't in the river either."
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