Chapter 41 The Turning Wheel of Fate
Yun Jin was just saying it casually, and then sat down to eat. However, Hua Yu remained standing still, seemingly deep in thought.
She looked up: "Why aren't you sitting down..."
“Okay,” Hua Yu suddenly said.
Yun Jin was a little confused by his train of thought: "What?"
“I said, okay,” Hua Yu’s eyes became more serious. “Although I don’t know what happened, you’re not the kind of person who acts on impulse… I’m willing to cooperate.”
After a moment of silence in the room, Yun Jin realized that he was talking about going to prison.
The young man was very proactive; as he spoke, he handed over his phone with both hands: "Call the police."
Yun Jin remained silent for a long time before finally refusing.
After all, law enforcement agencies aren't stupid. If the two of them collude to make a false police report, it could easily cause new trouble.
"Sit down and eat," she gestured.
Hua Yu stared at her for a few seconds, then asked, "Aren't you going to call the police?"
"What, disappointed?" A smile appeared in Yun Jin's eyes.
“A little,” Hua Yu said honestly as she sat down opposite her, “I thought I could be of some help to you.”
He didn't even know what had happened, yet he wanted to help. Yun Jin didn't know whether to praise him for being obedient or laugh at his naivety.
After thinking about it carefully, I still think it deserves praise.
"Eat up." She picked up a piece of potato for him.
Hua Yu calmly hummed in agreement, but in reality, the puppy's tail was wagging wildly.
After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa and watched TV for a while. Yun Jin checked the time and said she had to leave.
"...Before we got together, didn't you often stay here?" Why don't you stay as long now that we're together?
Hua Yu couldn't bring herself to say the second half of the sentence; she could only look at her with her beautiful eyes, her expression heavy with emotion.
Yun Jin: "Go back and take care of my husband."
Hua Yu: "..."
Yun Jin: "He is sick and needs someone to be with him."
Hua Yu: "..."
Yun Jin seemed oblivious to the growing chill in the air and continued to reason with him: "You know, that's how it is for married women like us. We have to constantly balance our relationships with the outside world and at home, which is very difficult."
"Since it's so difficult, why not just choose one side?" Hua Yu blurted out.
Yun Jin looked at him: "Who do you want me to choose?"
“Choose whoever you like…” Hua Yu turned her face away, then glanced at her casually. “Anyway, if it were me, I would choose someone young, strong, and not prone to illness.”
Yun Jin let out a soft laugh, but did not respond to that sentence.
Hua Yu felt a pang of sadness and wanted to get angry, but she couldn't find a legitimate reason, after all...
His current predicament is of his own making.
He foresaw this day long ago when he decided to be a mistress in the shadows. What right does he have to throw a tantrum?
The air was too stuffy, completely ruining the previous lightness and sweetness. The more Hua Yu thought about it, the more upset she became. What started as a sour feeling in her heart slowly turned into a sour feeling in her eyes.
no.
You can't do that.
Fatty said that no woman likes a resentful husband. To win this battle, you have to hide your true emotions and use every available means, even if necessary...
Hua Yu took a stiff step forward, instantly closing the distance between them.
He unconsciously held his breath and lowered his head little by little.
Hua Yu mustered all her courage and bent down, unable to think straight. She just stared at Yun Jin, afraid of seeing any reluctance or resistance on her face.
Thankfully, no.
She simply watched him with amusement, as if curious to see just how far he was capable.
Hua Yu's cheeks gradually flushed, but he still bravely kissed her forehead and looked at her affectionately in the way that Fatty had taught him.
"Please don't leave today, okay?"
The puppy's clumsy seduction was all the more endearing.
Yun Jin looked into his beautiful eyes and smiled, "No good."
Hua Yu: "..."
Yun Jin grabbed his collar and pulled hard, causing him to lower his head again before he could react.
Her beautiful high heels touched his white sneakers, their breaths almost touching. By the time Hua Yu came to her senses, her lips had already been kissed.
She kissed... him.
Hua Yu slowly opened her eyes wide.
“I’ve been very busy lately. I have to investigate things, work, and take care of my husband who is not young and is weak and prone to illness, so I will come to see you in three days. Is that alright?” Yun Jin asked.
Hua Yu stared at her blankly for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "This is my... first kiss."
Yun Jin laughed: "What kind of first kiss is this?"
It was a matter of words, without even a flick of the tongue.
"...Hmm?" Hua Yu's mind was filled with the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, so she couldn't hear what she was saying at all.
Yun Jin patted his head: "There's plenty of food in the fridge. Stay home these next few days and don't go anywhere. Don't go out even if Zhuangzhuang invites you, understand?"
Hua Yu, who hadn't heard anything, was still looking at her. Seeing that she seemed to be waiting for her response, she nodded silently.
Seeing that he agreed, Yun Jin left.
The front door clicked open, leaving Hua Yu alone in the large house.
Hua Yu silently covered her chest, trying to suppress the deafening sound of her heartbeat.
After trying for a few minutes and failing, he looked down and sent a message to Liu Zhuangzhuang: "Fatty, she's gone."
Liu Zhuangzhuang: Didn't I tell you to seduce someone?
Hua Yu: I tried to seduce her, but failed. Instead, I was seduced by her.
"...It's just seduction. How difficult can seduction be? Isn't this your specialty?!"
Inside the bright, spacious villa, Liu Zhuang let out a sound of despair.
Hua Cheng looked frustrated: "I tried to seduce her, but she acted like she didn't see it. She even kissed me suddenly and said she was going out for a while."
"And then you just let her go?"
“She kissed me, she kissed me on her own initiative,” Hua Cheng emphasized.
Liu Zhuang gritted his teeth: "Wow, how amazing, a husband and wife actually kissing."
"You didn't see how cute she was. I couldn't refuse any of her requests," Hua Cheng sighed.
Liu Zhuang took a deep breath: "Don't look for me again. I can't help someone with your late-stage love-struck brain, I can't help you!"
"Fatty!" Hua Cheng choked up and collapsed onto the sofa.
Liu Zhuang rolled his eyes, not wanting to talk to him.
After a long silence, Liu Zhuang suddenly spoke up in a heavy voice: "It seems that seduction won't work."
Hua Cheng immediately looked at him.
"You're just trying to play the victim," Liu Zhuang said seriously.
"Playing the victim?" Hua Cheng was a little confused.
Liu Zhuang nodded: "Yes, play the victim. Even though Yun Jin has someone else, she still cares about you. Next time she goes to see that person, just pretend you have a headache, and she definitely won't leave."
"I don't want her to worry." Hua Cheng felt that this was not a good idea.
Liu Zhuang smiled.
Hua Cheng shuddered at his laughter and immediately said, "But these are extraordinary times, so let her worry about it."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yun Jin's phone rang.
Hua Cheng immediately answered: "Wife~"
Liu Zhuang picked at his ears, feeling as if he had been subjected to mental pollution.
Yun Jin remained calm as always: "Where?"
"Are you back at Fatty's house?" Hua Cheng asked.
Yun Jin: "Mm."
"Then I'll go home now."
Hua Cheng hung up the phone and said goodbye to Liu Zhuang.
"Remember, if she mentions going to see that person again, you play the victim," Liu Zhuang instructed worriedly.
Hua Cheng waved his hand: "Don't worry, I'll sell like hotcakes!"
As soon as he came out of Liu Zhuang's house, he saw Yun Jin waiting for him under the streetlight.
He smiled, took his wife's hand, and went home to sleep.
I had a good night's sleep, and the next day was another sunny day.
At 9:30 in the morning, Hua Cheng prepared breakfast and stood in the living room calling to Yun Jin to come downstairs and eat quickly.
Yun Jin agreed and was about to go downstairs when she suddenly received a call from Xiao Zhou.
"Mr. Yun, we've checked all the hospitals that meet the criteria, but we couldn't find any medical records for Mr. Hua."
Yun Jin stopped in her tracks: "How is that possible? Could it be that we missed checking?"
“I’ve compiled a list of all the hospitals we’ve checked, so there’s absolutely no chance of missing any,” Xiao Zhou said immediately.
Yun Jin knew his work ability, and after hearing him say that, she no longer had any doubts.
But... why can't I find it?
Could it be that Hua Yu was injured in Pingcheng?
If it wasn't in Pingcheng, where else could it be?
Yun Jin felt as if she had missed some important information, but she couldn't remember what it was.
After searching for so many days without any results, things suddenly reached a stalemate. Yun Jin was absent-minded all morning and barely ate any breakfast.
Seeing his carefully prepared heart-shaped fried egg ruined by poking and prodding, Hua Cheng sighed, "Wife."
Yun Jin stopped unconsciously poking his egg and looked up at him.
"Take two days off, let's go out for a walk and clear our heads," Hua Cheng suggested.
Yun Jin asked casually, "Why did you suddenly want to go out for a walk to clear your head?"
Because you look preoccupied, you really need to relax.
Hua Cheng chuckled and said, "I just suddenly remembered that my father's death anniversary is coming soon, and I wanted you to come back to Huixian with me."
Hui County.
Yun Jin suddenly looked up.
"What's wrong?" Hua Cheng asked, puzzled.
Since Hua Yi's gambling debts were settled, he would go back every year around the anniversary of his death. Yun Jin knew this and used to accompany him often. Why did he suddenly react so strongly today?
Seeing that Yun Jin remained silent, Hua Cheng couldn't help but sit up a little straighter: "If you don't want to go, then forget it, don't glare at me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yun Jin dropped his fork and stood up.
"I have something to do, I'll be going now."
She turned and left, calling Lan Li as she went.
The phone was answered after only two rings, and Lan Li's sleepy voice came through the receiver: "Girl, what's wrong now..."
"Could you check if the First Hospital, Public Hospital, and Huaishui Hospital in Huixian County treated Hua Cheng in November 2013? If so, what was the exact date?" Yun Jin asked quickly.
Her tone was relatively calm, but Lan Li had known her since she was a teenager and could easily detect the tension beneath her calmness: "Don't worry, I'll have someone investigate right now."
"Thank you," Yun Jin said solemnly.
Lan Li went to check after hanging up the phone.
Huixian County is very close to Pingcheng, has a good economic level, and convenient transportation. However, due to its small population, it has only had three decent public hospitals for many years.
If Hua Yu was injured in Hui County, she would definitely appear at one of these three families.
The Lan family has extensive connections in Hui County. When Yun Jin investigated Qiu Sheng before, Lan Li found out quite useful information in a very short time, and this time is no exception.
Yun Jin was driving when Lan Li called before she even reached the company.
“I found it. On November 14, 2013, at 4 PM, Hua Cheng was treated at the Public Hospital. He was quite seriously injured at the time… How come I’ve never heard Hua Cheng mention it?” Lan Li looked puzzled. “Besides, so many years have passed, why are you looking into this?”
The accident happened on November 14th, and today is November 8th, so there are still six days left.
"Why were you injured?" Yun Jin asked.
Lan Li: "It seems like he was injured by someone. Do we need to find out who the assailant is? That might take a few days. After all, you know, some things aren't like hospital records, where anyone can just look them up. The reason Qiu Sheng's case was investigated so quickly last time was because it caused a sensation in the local area, with many announcements and news reports. For fights like this that didn't result in death, it will take more time to find out the whole story."
"How long will it take?" Yun Jin asked.
Lan Li thought for a moment and said, "Conservatively speaking... a week?"
There are only six days left until November 8th.
"Investigate," Yun Jin said calmly.
If the injury was accidental, then avoiding Huixian County on November 14th would prevent further injury.
If someone intentionally caused the harm, then we need to know the whole story in order to resolve this crisis at its root.
"Investigate," Yun Jin repeated.
Lan Li: "Okay."
Yun Jin pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around at the next intersection and returned the way she came.
"I have something urgent to take care of right now. I'll explain to you when I have a chance later," Yun Jin said in a deep voice.
Lan Li clicked her tongue: "Is there anything else you need my help with?"
Yun Jin's expression softened: "There isn't one at the moment."
"Okay, just let me know if you need anything. And also... buy me a drink when you're done. I'm waiting for your explanation."
Yun Jin smiled silently, said a few more words to her, and then hung up.
After hanging up her call, Yun Jin called Xiao Zhou again, saying that she wouldn't be returning to the company for the next few days and that if there was anything she couldn't decide, she should go to Hua Cheng.
"...When will you be back?"
Yun Jin: "Six days later."
She needed to keep a close eye on Hua Yu during this period to feel at ease, and would wait until November 14th passed smoothly before making any further plans.
After making the call to Xiao Zhou, she quickly appeared in the large apartment.
This trip will be for too long, so it's not suitable to wander around the hotel. It's more reassuring to stay in my own house.
After turning the clock hands, she called Hua Cheng.
"Wife~"
"I'm leaving for a few days," Yun Jin said directly.
Hua Cheng paused for a moment: "...A few days?"
"Six or seven days, I guess." Yun Jin glanced at her watch. "Keep an eye on the company these few days. Don't worry if you can't find me; I'll be fine."
"But wife..."
"I'm leaving."
"I have a headache!" Hua Cheng said hurriedly.
Unfortunately, it was too late; the call was disconnected.
"I have a headache……"
Hua Cheng stared at the disconnected phone and murmured to himself again. The house was empty, and no one answered.
He stood still for a moment, then ate the heart-shaped fried egg that had been poked and prodded all over.
In the instant Yun Jin traveled through time, she vaguely heard Hua Cheng say that he had a headache, but she had more important things to do and could only put him aside for the time being.
She landed in the neighborhood next to her rented apartment.
Since Hua Yu moved into the apartment she rented, it became inconvenient for her to use that apartment for time travel, so she simply rented another one next door.
After landing, she immediately called Hua Yu.
No one answered.
Although there were still six days until November 14th, she had a bad feeling, so she kept making phone calls while rushing back to the house as quickly as possible.
No one is home.
My bad feeling intensified again.
Yun Jin glanced at the 17 dialing records on her phone, remained silent for a moment, and then called Liu Zhuangzhuang.
Liu Zhuangzhuang answered quickly: "Sister Yun, what's wrong?"
"Is Hua Yu with you?" Yun Jin asked.
Liu Zhuangzhuang: "No, he went back to his hometown."
Like a flood breaking through a dam, or a typhoon howling through, the gears of fate began to turn, crushing forward with unstoppable force, mocking her overestimation of her abilities.
Liu Zhuangzhuang's voice calling "Sister Yun" kept coming through the receiver. Yun Jin closed her eyes and waited for the ringing in her ears to subside before she could barely hear her own voice.
When did he leave?
"The bus leaves at six in the morning, it should arrive around eight," Liu Zhuangzhuang chattered on and on. "He said his father's death anniversary is coming up soon, and he hasn't been back for two years. He's taking advantage of your absence to go back and visit... By the way, Sister Yun, where have you been? Didn't you say you'd be back in three days? Why are you suddenly here..."
"It's nothing, I was just asking."
Yun Jin hung up the phone, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Huixian County.
During the two-hour journey, Hua Yu didn't answer a single call, while Yun Jin's phone battery was draining faster and faster. When it was down to only 10%, she gave up on doing something pointless.
"Driver, to the funeral home," she said to the taxi driver.
Hua Cheng told her that when Hua Yi first had the accident, he didn't have the money to buy a burial plot, so he could only store Hua Yi's ashes in the funeral home. Later, he didn't come back for more than two years because he was hiding from his debts. The first thing he did when he came back was to let Hua Yi be laid to rest.
The things she changed did not affect his nature, so whether it was Hua Cheng in the past or Hua Yu now, after more than two years of wandering, they would still make the same decision.
Perhaps we can find him if we go to the funeral home.
Yun Jin looked out the car window and saw a row of neat trees, and behind the trees, large fields of wheat.
The taxi arrived at the funeral home close to 1 p.m.
For many years, the custom in Huixian County has been to cremate and send off the deceased in the morning. After noon, there are basically no people left in the funeral home.
As soon as Yun Jin arrived at the location, she immediately found the person in charge and asked if a person named Hua Cheng had come that morning.
The person in charge was reading the newspaper when he heard the name, and his expression gradually became subtle.
"Is there a problem?" Yun Jin asked immediately.
The person in charge coughed and silently put down his newspaper: "He did come this morning, but..."
"But what?" Yun Jin frowned slightly.
The person in charge said, "He was taken away by the police."
Yun Jin: "?"
Seeing her unfriendly expression, the person in charge, fearing she was another troublemaker, quickly explained, "This morning, Mr. Hua had a verbal altercation with one of our clerks, and the two lost control and started fighting..."
"Is he injured?" Yun Jin asked immediately.
The person in charge chuckled dryly: "If he were injured, the police wouldn't have taken him away..."
Yun Jin: "..."
Half an hour later, she arrived at the police station and learned the whole story.
Hua Yu came over to complete the formalities, and the clerk happened to be his former neighbor. The two exchanged a few pleasantries.
Everything seemed normal up to this point, but after exchanging pleasantries, the man assumed Hua Yu had already left. So he started chatting with his colleagues about all the terrible things Hua Yi had done in the past, using a lot of extremely unfriendly language and even mocking Sun Lan, who had abandoned him years ago.
In a moment of impulse, Hua Yu got into a fight with someone.
Because he started the fight and the other person was seriously injured, he was given an administrative penalty of five days' detention and a fine of one thousand yuan. The other person was only fined and not detained; the work-related punishment is another matter.
Yun Jin stood in the police station, speechless for a long time after hearing the whole story. She thought to herself that if she had known he was destined to work for the government, she shouldn't have been soft-hearted yesterday.
In any case, the administrative penalty judgment has been issued, and there is no room for maneuver. Considering that he is quite safe at the police station, Yun Jin stopped worrying about him and checked into a hotel near the police station.
She was denied visitation during her detention and couldn't do anything. She considered going back to work in 2025, but ultimately decided against it.
Who knows what kind of trouble he might cause inside? Let's just wait here.
Then Yun Jin began to wait.
For a long time, because of the company, because of Huacheng, and because of Huacheng's illness, she always had countless things to do, and she could only barely get a short nap after exhausting herself every day.
Since she acquired a time-traveling wristwatch, her sleep has gradually improved. However, because she has to travel between two different time periods, she rarely gets a full night's sleep.
For Yun Jin, this kind of life, where she doesn't think about anything or do anything, is quite a novel experience.
She stayed in the hotel for three days, and on the fourth day, she couldn't resist going out for a walk.
Compared to Huixian in 2025, the only difference between Huixian in 2013 and Huixian in 2025 is that there are fewer high-rise buildings in the city and the asphalt roads are slightly newer. Otherwise, there is no difference.
Time always moves a little slower in the county town than in the big city. Yun Jin went alone to the neighborhood where Hua Cheng used to live, to the basketball court he used to frequent, and to the vicinity of the middle school he attended, where she bought a pork tenderloin pancake.
Hua Cheng really liked the pork tenderloin pancakes here. Every time he took her back to Huixian, he would drag her to buy one. She thought the taste was just so-so, but she still developed the habit of having to buy one.
Dinner was simple, consisting of pork tenderloin pancakes. Just as Yun Jin was about to leave, students were leaving school. People of all shapes and sizes, dressed in school uniforms, poured out and rushed towards the various restaurants nearby.
Many parents also brought lunch. The adults tacitly occupied their respective spots, and the children came over by the smell, sitting on the small stools that their parents had prepared in advance, wolfing down their lunchboxes.
It's a very vivid scene, but unfortunately, Huacheng never had such a time.
Yun Jin lowered her eyes, picked up the half-eaten pork loin pancake, and was about to leave when an old woman suddenly shouted, "Xiao Hai! Over here!"
Yun Jin stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. A disheveled junior high school student ran out of the school and rushed over to the old lady with a smile as soon as he saw her.
"Grandma!"
"You're covered in sweat, so dirty... You skipped class again to play basketball, huh? I'll tell your mom!"
"No, Grandma, that's not true. I got all dirty because I was helping the teacher move books, not because of playing ball. Don't wrong me." The middle school student muttered.
The old lady laughed: "Or have I wronged you?"
The middle school student smugly hummed, and taking advantage of the old lady's inattention, suddenly wiped his sweat onto her clothes.
The old lady instantly flew into a rage: "Zhou Hai!"
Yun Jin looked up at the setting sun and went back to the hotel.
At 7:00 a.m. on November 13, 2013, she appeared at the entrance of the police station.
Hua Yu, who had been locked up for several days, walked out of the building dejectedly with her schoolbag on her back. When she saw her, she thought she was seeing things and stared blankly for a long time before she remembered to rub her eyes.
Looking again, it really was her.
Administrative detention is hardly a respectable thing, and it's even more embarrassing if someone you like finds out. Hua Yu has such a strong sense of self-respect, and Yun Jin thought he would tear up or turn around and run away.
There were no results.
After a long moment of stunned silence, he excitedly pounced on her and hugged her tightly like a puppy.
"The food provided by the government is terrible..." Hua Yu choked up.
Yun Jin was struggling to breathe from his choking. She tried to push him away but couldn't, so she gave up: "Will we fight again in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Yu knew that she already knew the whole story and wanted to back down, but she couldn't help but say, "If he keeps talking nonsense, I'll scold him again."
“He probably won’t have that chance,” Yun Jin said calmly. “Insulting the deceased is a very serious work-related issue, and since he’s a contract worker, he should be fired.”
"Really?" Hua Yu let go of her.
Yun Jin: "Yes, really."
“How do you know everything?” Hua Yu looked at her, her eyes sparkling. “You even know he’ll be expelled.”
Because she was afraid he was the one who committed the crime, she asked him a few more questions and even secretly met him. After discovering that he was 170 cm tall and weighed 90 kg, she felt relieved.
Of course, there's no need to tell him that.
"What is this?" Hua Yu suddenly asked.
Yun Jin followed his gaze and looked down, seeing the plastic bag in her hand.
"Oh, here you go." She gave him the half-eaten pancake from last night.
Hua Yu suddenly exclaimed in delight: "This is my favorite pork loin pancake! You even know this?!"
Yun Jin: "This is what I ate last night, but it shouldn't be spoiled."
Hua Yu didn't mind at all, took it and took a big bite.
"tasty!"
Yun Jin gave a slight smile: "If you like it, then let's go back to Pingcheng."
"Okay...wait," Hua Yu quickly grabbed her, "now?"
"No?" Yun Jin asked back.
Hua Yu looked troubled.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes: "Speaking of which, I haven't settled accounts with you yet."
Hua Yu suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
"I told you to stay home and not go anywhere, so why are you in Huixian?"
A hint of confusion flashed in Hua Yu's eyes: "When did you let me stay at home?"
"When we last met."
Hua Yu tried hard to recall, but could only remember...
Yun Jin noticed his eyes darting around, and her cheeks gradually flushed.
“Well,” Hua Yu coughed lightly, “I didn’t hear you clearly at the time.”
Yun Jin glanced at him, and since he was alright, she didn't bother to argue anymore: "Let's go, let's go back now."
"Wait, wait a minute..." Hua Yu grabbed her again.
Yun Jin frowned slightly, about to say something, when she saw him take off his schoolbag with a troubled expression, unzip it to reveal the jar inside.
"At least bury him first," Hua Yu said awkwardly.
Yun Jin: "..."
Half an hour later, the two appeared at the entrance of a nearby cemetery.
The cemetery is newly developed and has many empty spots. The purchase process is simple, and for an extra thousand yuan, someone will even preside over the ceremony.
Hua Yu didn't have enough money and wouldn't allow Yun Jin to pay for her own things. She only bought the cheapest burial plot in the corner and didn't ask for anything else.
After paying the money, the compensation given by Xue Hong was basically spent.
On a weekday morning, neither a holiday nor a special occasion, the two of them were the only ones in the vast cemetery.
After closing the stone slab herself, Hua Yu took out a short-sleeved shirt from her schoolbag, soaked it in water, wrung it out, and began cleaning the tombstone.
The so-called tombstone didn't even have a photo, and the words on it were just made on the spot. Every detail was rough, but it was the only thing he could give Huayi at the moment.
After wiping the tombstone and clearing away the weeds nearby, Hua Yu sat down on the ground, staring blankly at Hua Yi's newly renovated 'home'.
Yun Jin stood to the side, not disturbing him.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "He had already changed it."
Yun Jin's eyes flickered slightly.
"It had already been changed..."
When he was in his first year of high school, Hua Yi suddenly came to visit him at school and happened to catch the teacher scolding him, saying that he was notorious and would only drag the class down, and that like father, like son, and that he must have been unlucky to have such a student.
He was scolded so badly simply because Hua Yi brought people home to play cards the day before, which kept him from sleeping well and caused him to be a few minutes late.
That day, Hua Yi hid until the teacher left before rushing out to ask him why he didn't argue back.
He looked at him strangely and asked the teacher what he had said wrong, whether it was because the teacher was hopeless or because he had a gambling father.
Hua Yi was speechless. After that, he never brought anyone home again, nor did he ever play cards with anyone again.
At that time, Huixian was building a development zone, and the construction industry was booming. Huayi first did some small jobs, and later took on big jobs. Step by step, life began to get better.
Hua Yu had the most normal three years. Although he still didn't do well in school, he would listen in class and do his homework. The teacher who used to scold him would occasionally bring him food from home.
Unfortunately, this normal life only lasted for three years. In his senior year of high school, Hua Yi contracted a door and window business in a residential area and invested all his money in it. As a result, the developer ran away, a worker fell to his death, and dozens of people were owed wages.
During that period, Hua Yi smoked until dawn every day, and seemed to have aged ten years in a short time.
"He was so stupid. He couldn't think of a way to solve the problem, so he took the last tens of thousands of yuan from his family to the casino. As a result, he not only failed to turn his life around, but also incurred a lot of debt."
When Hua Yu recalled the past, her voice carried a coldness that even she couldn't understand. "That morning, he sat by my bedside for a long time, wanting to talk to me, but I was too sleepy, so I ignored him. When I woke up, he had already jumped into the river and committed suicide."
The wind in the cemetery was gentle and soft, brushing against the large number of tombstones.
Yun Jin gently squeezed his shoulder, offering silent reassurance.
Hua Yu smiled and held her hand: "I'm not sad. I was just thinking... if he hadn't pulled himself together and hadn't taken on such a huge project, would he have ended up at the illegal casino? He used to gamble often, but the stakes weren't high. Maybe..."
“No,” Yun Jin interrupted calmly. “People who get involved in gambling think differently from normal people. Today they might gamble to solve their immediate predicament, but tomorrow they might gamble because they are in a bad mood. They always have a reason to walk into their own abyss.”
Hua Yu remained silent for a long time before looking at the tombstone again: "I should have spoken to him that morning."
Yun Jin's eyes were light and clear; she remained silent.
Hua Yu let out a soft breath, stood up, and patted the dust off her clothes: "Actually, my house was worth a lot of money. I sold it for more than two million yuan. At that time, the gambling debts hadn't started to accrue interest yet, and I could have paid them off in one go. But do you know why I still had to hide and go on the run?"
“Because you didn’t pay it back,” Yun Jin said with a smile. “You used that money to pay wages and gave the family of the worker who fell to his death a large sum of compensation, enough for them to raise their only child to adulthood.”
Hua Yu was shocked: "You knew that?!"
“I know more than that,” Yun Jin glanced at him.
She also knew that the family's child was named Zhou Hai, who was currently studying at Huixian No. 1 Middle School. In the near future, he would move to another city with his remarried mother. After learning that he worked in Pingcheng, his family would send him New Year's gifts every year.
Zhou Hai later got into a top university and graduated with excellent grades, becoming her most trusted assistant.
Fate is unpredictable, sometimes leaving us powerless, and sometimes inspiring awe and wonder.
Hua Yu rarely saw Yun Jin with such a lively expression, and her heart was itching with curiosity. She kept asking her what else she knew, but Yun Jin just smiled and remained silent, refusing to say a single word.
Hua Yu asked for a long time, but then suddenly remembered her composed persona and immediately stopped.
"Can we go now?" Yun Jin asked.
Hua Yu nodded, and was about to leave with her when she suddenly remembered something and stopped her again.
“This,” Hua Yu pointed to the name on the left side of the tombstone, “is my real name, Hua Cheng.”
Yun Jin looked in the direction he was pointing, but didn't say anything.
She even knew about his selling houses and paying his salary, so she must know his name too.
Even so, Hua Yu's fingers trembled and her heart pounded like a drum when she introduced herself.
"My name is Hua Cheng." Hua Yu parted her lips slightly to avoid breathing too fast.
Yun Jin stared at the name on the tombstone for a while, then looked up and said, "But I prefer to call you Hua Yu."
Hua Yu was stunned: "I see..."
He suddenly smiled, his eyes crinkling, "Then call me Hua Yu."
At this moment, his brows no longer held their former gloom, and he was bathed in sunlight, as if reborn.
Yun Jin's mood lightened as she reached out to take his hand.
Then everything played in slow motion, or the whole world suddenly paused. Long afterward, when Yun Jin recalled everything, she felt as if fate had opened its mocking maw to her.
A masked man suddenly jumped out from behind a nearby tombstone and mercilessly slammed a stone at Hua Yu.
Yun Jin's pupils constricted, and without thinking, she tried to push Hua Yu away, but it was too late. The brick hit Hua Yu squarely on the back of the head.
The stone shattered, and Hua Yu's pupils dilated suddenly. The man was about to attack Yun Jin again. After staggering and barely managing to stand, Hua Yu retaliated without thinking, and the two immediately began to wrestle.
Blood.
Hua Yu's collar was covered in blood.
Yun Jin seemed to have lost her hearing. After a moment of stunned silence, she grabbed a plate of offerings from the nearby grave and smashed it hard at the other person.
The man hadn't expected that his preemptive strike would result in him being attacked from both sides. Enraged by the blow, he shoved Yun Jin hard.
Yun Jin fell to the ground, her left hand hitting a stone, and the pain felt like it was broken.
"Yun Jin!"
Hua Yu's eyes were bloodshot as she turned over and punched the other person in the face repeatedly.
Blood quickly seeped through the cloth covering the other person's face, but unwilling to give up, he picked up a broken brick and smashed it at Hua Yu once again.
Yun Jin struggled to get up and forcefully stomped on the other person's hand.
The other person screamed. Yun Jin felt the voice was familiar, but she didn't have time to think about it. She took out her phone and immediately dialed the police.
Upon seeing that she had called the police, the other person panicked and unleashed tremendous force, shoving Hua Yu aside as she stumbled and fled.
Hua Yu wanted to chase after him again, but suddenly everything went black and she collapsed.
Yun Jin rushed over immediately and, breathing heavily, helped him up.
"Don't be afraid..." she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I've already called the police, and the ambulance and officers will be here soon."
Hua Yu opened her lips, as if to say something.
Yun Jin immediately lowered her head: "What did you say?"
"Your hair is messy."
Yun Jin was stunned for a moment, speechless: "What time is it, and you're still concerned about my hair!"
Hua Yu closed her eyes and smiled weakly.
Of course we should care.
In his heart, Yun Jin was pure, proud, and meticulous; she would never be in such a disheveled state.
It's all because of him...
"Hua Yu, don't sleep, you need to stay awake," Yun Jin said coldly.
Hua Yu barely opened his eyes, but couldn't help feeling sleepy again, so Yun Jin could only call his name over and over again.
A loud siren sounded from afar. Just as Yun Jin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she looked down and suddenly realized that her left wrist was empty.
Where's her watch?!
Yun Jin suddenly looked up and looked around before discovering that the black wristwatch was in the weeds not far away, its dial already cracked.
The person pushed her, and her wrist hit a rock, which is probably when she knocked her watch off.
Police cars and ambulances had already entered the cemetery. Yun Jin didn't dare to delay. After helping Hua Yu steady herself, she went to retrieve the watch.
There was a distance of more than three meters between Hua Yu and the watch.
It was only a little over three meters, but Yun Jin felt inexplicably far away, especially after she got up. A subtle feeling, as if there was a faint electric current in the air, suddenly appeared.
That was the feeling she had every time she turned the clock hands, as if something was silently telling her that time and space were beginning to twist.
At this moment, even without turning the clock hands, she still experienced this feeling.
Yun Jin's breath hitched, and without caring about anything else, she lunged straight at the wristwatch.
The moment she hit the ground, she felt a sharp pain and her vision went black, but she still instinctively reached for her wristwatch.
But no.
There were no watches, no weeds, and even the gentle breeze and the blaring sirens had vanished.
Her vision gradually returned, and the large 2025 apartment slowly came into view.
During this time, she was so focused on Hua Yu's safety that she forgot that each time she went to another dimension, she could only stay for a maximum of five days.
Once the five days are up, even without the wristwatch, she will be teleported back to her own time and space.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The part about the injury is left a little unsaid; it will be explained in the next chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com