Chapter 8: Lin Qing

The cicadas buzzed relentlessly, “zee-wah, zee-wah.”

It was only morning.

Outside the blue glass window, a blue summer shimmered with a faint unreality.

Sang Shen sat on the rattan chair, still dazed.

Until Lin Qing pushed a small bowl of spicy noodles into his hands.

“…Uh.”

“Made it myself, sweet-spicy flavor!”

“Thanks… wait, no, so you’re saying… there are three ‘me’s? Three… Jing Hong Ye’s?”

“Exactly.”

Lin Qing smiled, popping a bit of spicy noodles into her mouth. She chewed, cheeks puffed, glancing at the still-stunned Sang Shen.

“Not eating?”

“No appetite for now.”

“Then drink the barley tea?”

“Yeah…”

Sang Shen sipped the rich tea, finally gathering his words.

“So, there are three Jing Hong Ye’s from different times, right? Which era are you from?”

“I’m the Jing Hong Ye from 2005.”

“Oh! So you’re the current Jing Hong Ye?”

“Yup, but I arrived in 1995.”

“So you traveled back in time and… lived until now? How’d you know there’d be two more ‘you’s?”

“That’s the second question, huh?”

“You’re not limiting me to three questions, are you?”

“Of course not!”

Lin Qing blinked.

“Huh? Why’d you think that?”

“Ahem, never mind, just answer me.”

“Because this isn’t the first cycle.”

Lin Qing licked spicy oil from her lips, grabbing more noodles.

“Cycle…?”

“This summer, it’s not my first time through…”

“Can you explain? Like, how many cycles? When do they start? When do they end?”

“This is the fifth cycle. Two things end a cycle. First, if Yin Xing dies. Second… when summer ends, a few days after, to be exact. But each time, the extra days vary. Last cycle was the longest—seven days before restarting.”

Sang Shen’s head spun. He processed her words quickly.

“So, things like yesterday have happened multiple times?”

“Yesterday was a first.”

“Huh?”

“To break the cycle, I try different things each time.”

Lin Qing counted on her fingers.

“First cycle, before I figured it out, Yin Xing took her life. Second cycle started. That time, I went to the house at night to stop her. Didn’t resolve her issues, but I got her to treat it like a dream. She lived until summer’s end, then vanished.

The next day, a new cycle began…”

“Wait, she vanished?”

“Yup, even without taking her life, she disappears in summer. Every time.”

“What about the third and fourth cycles?”

“Third was like the second. But… she cried once. After summer ended, it took five days for the next cycle to start.”

Lin Qing’s smile stayed, but her eyes held little joy.

“Fourth cycle, nothing big at first. No suicide. She even chatted calmly with us. But one night, she was gone. When we found her, she’d jumped into the lake. I couldn’t save her… or you…”

“Oh…”

“But oddly, that time, life went on until summer’s end. A few days passed, and the cycle still didn’t restart.”

“Didn’t you say Yin Xing’s death triggers a new cycle?”

“Yup, so that was different. Why it ended on the seventh day—”

Lin Qing stuck out her tongue playfully, as if joking.

“I couldn’t stand a world without you both, so I took my life too.”

“What…!?”

“And so, the fifth cycle began.”

“So, if only one Jing Hong Ye remains, time moves forward normally. But if there’s more than one, or all die, it loops… right?”

Sang Shen swallowed hard.

“Does that mean only one of us can live?”

“Maybe.”

Lin Qing’s smile sent a chill through him.

“This…”

“But I refuse a future with just one of us. All three of us must move forward together!”

Lin Qing’s expression turned serious.

“Or what, Sang Shen, you think it’s fine if only one survives?”

“No, no… I’d never think that…”

“Good! That’s right. None of us can abandon the others.”

Her smile returned—this lively girl had a ‘terrifying’ side beneath her innocence.

“So why didn’t you tell me last time?”

“I wasn’t ready then.”

“So yesterday, you waited at the old house at midnight to stop Yin Xing’s suicide?”

“Nope, this cycle felt different. The night before, in all these cycles, it was the first time you went to the supermarket alone. Seeing you on the road surprised me.”

“So my different choice… changed the path?”

“Yup! My gut told me Yin Xing wouldn’t try anything that night. But—just to be safe, I came at 3 a.m.”

“That’s still midnight!”

“Early morning, early morning~”

“So you thought nothing happened?”

“Yup, so I went to town. When I got back, you were all flustered.”

“I see…”

Sang Shen’s eyes widened.

“Wait, this is the first time you’ve told me you’re the third ‘me,’ right?”

“Yup, first time!”

Lin Qing’s face lit up.

“We have to find a future where all three of us go forward. So this time, I decided not to keep it secret. Break the chains, solve this together!”

“You worried telling me before would cause problems?”

“Yup, but it’s the fifth cycle. Gotta try something new. Honestly, I’m kinda fed up keeping it in!”

“You talk like a typical girl…”

“Well… I’ve lived as a girl for years. Almost forgot what the boy me was like. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize… Was I rude just now?”

“Nah.”

“So… should we tell Yin Xing?”

“Hm—not yet? Wait till she’s in a better state.”

“Yeah, her head’s a mess. She can’t handle something this complex…”

“With you here, we can figure things out together.”

“Yeah… must’ve been tough for you. But why do only you keep your memories?”

“No clue~”

“So many mysteries…”

Sang Shen looked at Lin Qing.

“No matter what, if we hit another cycle and I forget, you have to tell me everything.”

“Yeah…”

Lin Qing dodged his worried gaze.

“I will.”

“Phew…”

He leaned back in the chair, exhaling.

“There’s just three ‘me’s, no fourth, right?”

“Should be!”

“Oh…”

An idea hit him, and he sat up straight.

“Lin Qing, could escaping the cycle mean helping Yin Xing resolve her issues?”

“It’s tough.”

Lin Qing shook her head.

“Every cycle, she’s locked her heart tight.”

“Locked her heart… Maybe this time’s different.”

“Hm?”

“I feel it’s different. This time, I saved her by the lake, right?”

“Yup, and did she cry?”

“Ahem, no… I was the one crying…”

Sang Shen scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“That’s good!”

“Her not crying is better than me crying?”

“It’s a change!”

“With so many changes—our choices, the outcomes—I think this time will be different. We’ll find a way to open Yin Xing’s heart!”

“Yup, we will!”

Lin Qing nodded firmly, her smile brighter than the sun.

“All three of us, to the future!”

“Together!”

After the excitement, Sang Shen calmed down.

He grabbed a handful of spicy noodles, chewing dramatically.

“Mmm… I think… we should consider her feelings more, care for her, and… take her out more?”

“But she won’t want to go out.”

“Doesn’t matter if she wants to or not. Even if she resists, we drag her out. I’ll carry her if I have to. She needs to go out!”

“Won’t that backfire?”

Lin Qing frowned, worried.

“To open a closed heart, gentle methods won’t cut it! She needs to feel… yes, yes!”

Sang Shen’s eyes lit up.

“She needs to feel loved. To believe there’s love in this world—people who care for her sincerely!”

“But someone who truly cares wouldn’t force her, right?”

“No, love can be tough sometimes. If it’s for her good, we do it even against her will.”

Sang Shen’s gaze was firm.

“Like if she wants to die, that’s her choice. Do we just let her? No way!”

“…Right!”

Lin Qing’s eyes widened in realization.

“We’ve always gone along with her, except for stopping her death.”

“Letting her die isn’t caring. Stopping her, showing her beautiful things—that’s real love, even if she resists!”

Lin Qing stared at his face.

“What? Did I say something wrong…?”

“No… not at all.”

Lin Qing took Sang Shen’s hand, pressing it to her cheek.

“So… you’ll care for me like you do her, right?”

“H-Huh!?”

“You won’t treat me differently because I’m the third Jing Hong Ye, will you?”

“O-Of course not!!”

Lin Qing looked at his flushed face, sticking out her tongue playfully. Her smile faded, and she lowered her head slightly.

“…Thank you.”