The Beginning

Chapter 36: The Twentieth Cycle of Time (VII)

From the police station, the two of them stood at the intersection where they got off the bus, not knowing where to go.

"Do you think we'll time loop again once the truth is found?"

Boy asked with a sigh as his mind was awakened by the cold night air.

"I think that 'finding the truth' might not be the way to break the time loop, but it would be great if that would break the time loop too."

Li Shiqing optimistically thought, "Maybe once we sleep, we can go to school and go to work?"

"I hope so."

Boy smiled and said this, but in his heart he felt a little too optimistic.

The night breeze ruffles Li Shiqing's shaggy hair, and the street lamps give the two young men a warm dusky glow around them.

The darkness in the distance seems to be a hazy mist, and the silence is broken by the occasional flash of a few car lights.

They stood in the soft dusk and began to discuss where they should go.

"So how do we get back? Really by walking?"

Li Shiqing had just used this reason to decline Mr. Zhang's offer to drive them.

So the two young men took out their mobile phones and calculated how long it would take to walk back, and silently put them back.

"I think so. ......"

Boy coughed dryly, "You see the last two time loops we've been in, were both due to accidents. You fell off a chair and hit your head, and I rolled down a slope and hit the back of my head, which means that in a time loop, once we lose consciousness, there's a good chance we'll get caught in a time loop ......"

"Then let's find a safe place, and stay up all night."

Li Shiqing says she's more comfortable staying up late than getting stuck in a time loop in the car.

The two disagreed when discussing where to go to stay up late.

"We'll go to an internet cafe? There are those internet cafes now that you can get little private rooms with couches to sleep in."

When it comes to staying up late, as a fellow programmer, the first thing that comes to mind is an internet cafe.

"The sofa in the internet cafe is also too dirty!"

But as a girl who doesn't play games, Li Shiqing said she couldn't accept it.

"And there are often disputes in cyber cafes, so if there's a fight or an argument or something, wouldn't it be too bad if it got to us again? If there's going to be a time loop, shouldn't we find a quieter, undisturbed place to discuss what to do later?"

"Oh, well, you're right too."

Boy agreed with his companion's suggestion with some disappointment.

"So where are we going?"

Li Shiqing glances into the distance, where a lighted sign on a tall building stands out in the darkness.

"Do you have your ID with you?"

She asked suddenly.

"Huh? Brought it. ......"

Boy nods blankly.

"Then go!"

Five minutes later, Li Shiqing led Boy, to the entrance of a hotel near the CID.

Boy was already a little suspicious, and when he actually stood in front of the hotel, his face flushed.

"Go, to the hotel?"

He stammered, "Me, both of us?"

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"Staying in a hotel, of course, what better option than a hotel? Do you really want to walk home?"

Li Shiqing gave him a curious look, "And this hotel is quite upscale, it's gated and next to the CID, so there's absolutely no problem with security."

Just one night in a flat An An and you might escape the time loop!

"So, just go in?"

Boy couldn't tell if he was more nervous or shy, but he blushed even more when he saw that the hotel was full of young people in pairs.

Li Shiqing, on the other hand, did not squirm at all and went into the hotel lobby and checked in at the front desk.

Boy follows Li Shiqing with a bag on his back, watching his companion check in with a bit of anxiety.

"One room or two?"

The receptionist asks.

"Two rooms!"

"One room!"

"What are you opening two rooms for? Is there more money?"

Li Shiqing lowered her voice, "This hotel isn't cheap! We're just looking for a place to stay up all night and to discuss things, it's not like we're really driving here to rest!"

The staff at the front desk were already looking over with strange expressions, and a bunch of youngsters waiting in line behind them started sniggering as the girl whispered something in the boy's ear.

Boy, embarrassed by the look, whispered in defence: "It's, it's not for your reputation ......"

"What a time to be concerned about this!"

Li Shiqing glared at him indifferently, turned her head straight away and said to the receptionist, "One room, a quieter room, a little further away from the lift is fine."

The young man at the reception desk checked them in with a self-effacing expression, took their ID cards and when it came time to pay, Boy insisted on paying.

"You're not even working yet, how can I let you out of ......AA either!"

Seeing that Li Shiqing was still trying to transfer money to him, Boy got anxious and took her hand.

"That's about it, don't be serious!"

Li Shiqing was stunned, and seeing that the young couple behind them in line were already looking at them with strange expressions, she didn't insist any longer and withdrew her phone.

After checking in, the staff member, who had been expressionless, handed Boy his room card and suddenly smiled at him.

"It's done, enjoy your stay tonight."

"Eh? ...... thanks?"

Boy wondered what he understood from that smile, and his already hot face burned down to the base of his neck as he followed Li Shiqing into the lift.

The rooms are arranged on the top floor.

Li Shiqing is from a good family. When I booked the room, I took into account the fact that there were two of us and I was looking for both quietness and space, so I booked a room with a view on the roof, which was quite expensive.

When Boy said he would take care of the room, she was a little upset that she should have known better than to ask for so much.

When she got to her room, Li Shiqing changed her shoes first and checked the room for anything that could pose a danger. She was relieved to find that the plumbing and electricity were in good order and that nothing was out of place.

"Luckily, I was afraid there would be another problem. Just in case, why don't we all stop washing up at night and just stay in the room. Don't be like a horror movie where you fall in the middle of the shower or have a leak or something ......"

For the first time in his life, Boy was still a little uncomfortable, but as he listened to Li Shiqing's serious discussion on how to deal with the situation, the squirms and thoughts in his mind gradually dissipated and he nodded along.

"OK, I'll make two cups of instant coffee then, so I don't get sleepy."

"No, it's dangerous to boil water!"

Li Shiqing hurriedly stopped it, "Just drink the mineral water and have a chat!"

The two men have gotten off the bus and now it looks as if they can finally relax, but in reality the wind is already blowing and the grass is greener, the past experience still leaving an indelible shadow on them.

After a long day of tossing and turning, both of them were a little tired and, in order to prevent them from falling asleep too comfortably, neither dared to lie down on the softer sofa, so they simply sat on the floor in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, one holding a bottle of mineral water, and started chatting.

"This one in W is much bigger than the one I used to stay in when I was travelling with my parents, a luxury room is different ...... but it's too much for you to spend ...... Do you really not want me to transfer the money? This offer is still from me eh!"

Li Shiqing's family upbringing made her a little uneasy about taking advantage of others.

"My parents give me enough pocket money for that, so you're welcome."

Boy has only recently moved to this city to work and is a programmer, so don't spend half of his monthly living expenses on him.

"I don't earn that little."

Understanding Li Shiqing's meaning, Boy was in tears.

"Besides, if I can really break out of the time loop, even if I do eat chaff and drink thin for a month, I'll be happy!"

"That's true."

Seeing that Boy didn't care so much, Li Shiqing stopped dwelling on the issue and got down to business.

" Officer Zhang gave you the phone number, did you write it down?"

"Take note."

He quoted a long list of numbers fluently.

"Me too."

Li Shiqing took out her mobile phone, asked for a charging cable from Boy, and while charging it, she switched on the playback and played the recording she had secretly made at the police station.

"Then we'll start discussing our next strategy."

When they talked about the case at the police station, it was sporadic small talk, and there was a lot going through Li Shiqing's mind at the time, but it all just flashed by, and there was no way to ask or remember in that situation, so she recorded the whole thing quietly, wanting to find a quiet place to discuss it with her companions later.

"Firstly, even Officer Zhang said that half an hour was too short ......"

Boy is still doing the specific analysis, drawing from memory the topographical map drawn by Mr. Zhang earlier.

"According to what he taught us, we were to create a commotion between 'Gang Wu New Village' station and 'East River Road station' to force drivers to slow down or simply stop for a while."

"Then it's better to use the 'catch a pervert' method."

Li Shiqing thought about it and suggested, "We've used many methods before without success to get off the bus, only this one has stopped the driver, which means it has a high success rate."

"Well then, let's start causing a riot when we get to this position ......"

Boy corresponded with the map on his phone while marking the topographical map, "Our aim is to get the driver to slow down or even pull over temporarily, but we can't get out of the car, the scene might be a bit chaotic by then, we have to collapse!"

"When the police plainclothes get in the car, we don't sit in the back, we go to the front ......"

Boy drew an XX in the front row, "We are responsible for 'steadying' the driver and, if necessary, we go and try to grab the handbrake and force the driver to stop."

"I thought that now that I had worked out the driver's motivation for doing this, I might try to 'persuade' him."

Li Shiqing holds a different view," Officer Zhang said, adding that even the police would have a hard time trying to stop both the older woman and the older man because the driver holds the lives of the entire car if ......"

" Li Shiqing, I know you find it sympathetic for the driver couple to meet this kind of thing, but I think you should not get your hopes up about convincing the driver."

Li Shiqing understood all the logic, so she just sighed.

"They're adults, they know what they're doing. After all, after all these years of planning, it's unlikely they'll give up for a few words."

Worried that she was going soft again, Boy said with a stern face, "Besides, if police meddling could sway him, the driver wouldn't have failed to open the door the time we pretended to be plainclothes cops on a case. After all, they're husband and wife, and while the driver will go soft on his wife, he won't necessarily go soft on you."

As soon as he mentioned this, Li Shiqing's ears felt as if the elder woman's heart-rending howls were coming from her ears.

At that time, they didn't know what had happened to the older woman, they just thought she was not quite in her right mind and cried too harshly.

Now that I think about it, she was crying in despair and cursing at her husband, probably under the mistaken impression that she had gotten into the car and reported it to the police, so that a plainclothes "undercover" officer was in the car and caught her in the act.

If the driver had hesitated at the time, he should have chosen to give up the moment his wife was brought under control and the bomb was taken away, and subsequently surrendered to the police.

But he didn't, he chose to stop and close the door.

What was the driver thinking when he stopped the car?

They don't know.

So they can't bet on it.

"Well, you're right."

Li Shiqing agreed with his words, but with some indescribable difficulty in her heart, "Our priority is to try to assist the police in subduing the driver."

In the time that followed, they worked out the details of the operation, including what to say and what to do, and even rehearsed them in the room like two actors working on a script late at night.

In the meantime, Officer Zhang and Li Shiqing's roommates have each called to check on their current situation and want them to check in.

When she was told that Li Shiqing was staying at a nearby hotel, Officer Zhang said nothing, but told her to get some rest.

It was Li Shiqing's roommates who were worried about her psychological situation, chattering for a long time and then fretting when they heard that she was staying away from home and not returning to her room.

Li Shiqing Time has cycled so many times, and this is the first time I've ever been so relaxed.

Listening to the worried greetings of her roommates, the familiar voices ringing in her ears and the long phone conversations, she felt like she was back in the time before she got into the car.

Every day of her life would have been pleasant and relaxing ......

Probably because after a stressful day, the drowsiness was particularly strong once he relaxed, so when Boy came out after washing his face with cold water for the nth time in the bathroom, he found Li Shiqing asleep against the window with the phone in his hand.

"......."

Boy smiles to himself as he looks at the bottle of mineral water that he took out of the fridge to get Li Shiqing to wash his face.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and prepared to go up and push Li Shiqing awake.

"Forget it ......"

Seeing Li Shiqing's tired face, he shook his head gently and carefully pulled the hung-up phone from her hand, silenced it and placed it in her hand.

If he hasn't entered the time loop yet, it doesn't matter if Li Shiqing is asleep, right?

"Should I make her sleep more comfortably?"

With this in mind, he tried to reach out and carry Li Shiqing to bed.

But he thought about it and pulled his hand back.

Finally, Boy chose to sit beside her, pivoting her head carefully onto his shoulder so that her face would not remain against the cold window.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night scene of the city also gradually fell into darkness, no longer like the lights and traffic, as if it was all just a big show, with the march of time, will eventually end ......

"If only there was a tomorrow. ......"

Xiao Heyun stares out of the window at the night scene, his eyes sweeping over the reflection of the two men leaning against each other on the glass window, muttering to himself.

Afraid that he too would fall asleep, he also took out his phone and began to scroll through the news from all sides of the internet after the case was closed today, trying to get more information from it.

Flipping through ......

"

Listening to the familiar sound of the stop announcement and waking up from the bus, Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun looked at each other and let out a unanimous ......

"Shit!!!"

"I fell asleep last night?"

Li Shiqing wiped the corner of her mouth, always feeling as if there was something there.

"I saw you sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake you up ......"

Boy explained in a weak tone.

"So what's going on with you?"

"I don't know, I just looked at my phone and watched ...... er ......"

For that memory, his mind was a blur.

"Forget it, it's all fate!"

Li Shiqing looked at the familiar carriage and resigned herself to her fate.

"It's good to get some sleep ......"

She took a deep breath.

"Have the strength to work!"

Author's Note: A little theater.

But he thought about it and pulled his hand back.

Boy: (inwardly) Forget it, mention the "bed", hold it up and go into the review, this chapter is easy to lock.