Eight years later, Zhang Shutong returned to the island where he grew up.
To attend the funeral of his middle school classmate.
The funeral home was located on the southern part of the island, adjacent to the newly built lakeside road.
Leaning on the railing by the road, Zhang Shutong gazed out. On a clear day, the lake's surface reflected the pure sky, resembling a deep blue gem. The wind blew, and the clouds rippled, bringing a sense of calm and tranquility.
Today, however, the lake was dark and grim.
The sky was overcast. As soon as Zhang Shutong left the funeral home, he tightened his jacket.
It was cold enough to be uncomfortable. In his rush to leave the house, he had forgotten to layer up. Inside the funeral home, it was warmer, but the sound of wailing made him dizzy. After a while, he preferred to come outside and brave the cold.
Most of the formalities were done, but since they were classmates, and their relationship was a bit special, it felt awkward to leave immediately.
During his idle time, he glanced at his phone; it was just past two in the afternoon. The funeral wasn't over yet, with a few people still arriving from various places.
Like now, Zhang Shutong saw two elderly ladies passing by, gossiping about something.
"What a pity, such a beautiful girl, I watched her grow up when she was a child."
"Yes, so young, how could she give up on herself? Her family is now left with no heirs."
"Who knows? That little boyfriend of hers, didn't they say he called the day before to break up? He's a heartless jerk..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shutong let out a soft sigh and bit the soft flesh of his inner cheek—a small gesture he made when at a loss for words.
He had heard similar rumors countless times today, and it made him feel too tired to even try to refute them.
In the conversation, one of the people referred to the deceased classmate, while the other, the "heartless little boyfriend," was most likely referring to himself.
Because of this, he hadn't dared to reveal his identity throughout the entire funeral and had kept his distance from the crowd. Otherwise, even if ten mouths spoke, it would still be hard to clear his name.
The misunderstandings were unavoidable, but the cause of the confusion was a bit tangled.
It probably started a few days ago:
He received the news of his classmate death two days ago afternoon.
The news came suddenly. By the time he hurriedly booked a ticket, changed trains multiple times, and took a boat to the island, it was already this morning.
But now, the funeral was nearly over, and his mind was still processing the information.
His surprise overcame sadness.
Zhang Shutong was 24 years old this year.
At this age, he had imagined that his first reunion with classmates would be attending someone's wedding. If it was an eager one, perhaps he'd joke about it over a meal.
But he never imagined that the first class reunion after graduation would be a funeral.
Zhang Shutong was never one to be nostalgic, otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed away from the island for eight years.
Even so, upon hearing the news of the girl's death, a faint feeling of regret arose within him.
Actually, referring to her as a "girl" wasn't quite accurate. His memories of middle school were still frozen from eight years ago.
Middle school was a four-year system. At the age of 13, he moved to the island with his parents due to a work transfer. He waited until graduation and moved to the neighboring provincial city at the age of 16.
His impression of his peers was naturally of youthful faces.
In his memory, she was a very pretty girl. Her temperament was cool, always wearing her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She was also a good student, though not in the stereotypical "good girl" way.
She didn't talk much and had a habit of being alone. Her existence is unpredictable.
Their school was on the outskirts of the island, and when they left the school gate, there were two paths. One led to the town, and the other led to the mountain at the back.
She always took the second path after school.
It was unclear whether the mountain road led to her home, but everyone knew that she was headed home to do her homework. With dast step, she always seemed like someone off to save the world after school.
This sense of mystery made many of the boys in class like her.
But she always had an air of keeping people at a distance, so it was rare for anyone to talk to her. Even her female friends were few.
In today's terms, she wasn't exactly someone's "white moonlight," but she was certainly a person that, many years later, would bring a touch of brightness to one's memories of those dim, foggy years.
But the reason she left a deep impression wasn't just because of her beauty—it was because she was "special" compared to the other middle schoolers.
Just like every white moonlight girl has a backstory, the Yanlong Island also has a few ancient legends.
The island is surrounded by water on three sides, with one side backed by mountains.
Atop the mountain stood an old temple called the Green Snake Temple, the origin of which was no longer known. Locals were very devout, and the temple never lacked incense offerings.
Later, he learned that, in addition to being a student, the girl's other role was the Tample Maiden of the Green Snake Temple.
She and her grandmother were the only ones there. During major holidays, she would ask for leave from school and spend several days helping at the temple, her ponytail unwinding into long hair.
The term "Tample Maiden" was a bit unfamiliar to modern life.
He and a few close friends argued about it several times.
Some said a Tample Maiden was like a Taoist priest, others said she was a Buddhist nun, and there were even arguments about her being a shaman...
For a long time, his impression of her was of an elegant girl dressed in a long green robe, as if a fairy who had returned from her cultivation.
Once, she came to class without changing out of her robe, wearing a long green outfit.
She didn't care about others' gazes, and it felt as though a fairy had returned to the classroom.
He couldn't say it was a crush, but if he thought about it now, it was the kind of scenario where, many years later, someone would stumble upon her wedding photo and feel a collective sadness over their lost youth.
But what Zhang Shutong saw was a black-and-white memorial photo.
Besides that, his memories didn't hold much else.
Perhaps there were other interactions back then, but time had erased many of what he thought were unforgettable moments, especially with classmates who were mere acquaintances.
The way adults see things is different from how children do. Many things that were hard to understand back then made perfect sense now.
But for this girl, her image kept surfacing in his mind these days. It was like an eight-year-old mystery finally coming to the surface.
They weren't particularly close, and what he couldn't figure out wasn't her death—it was why, on the night before her death, she called him. The call came three days ago.
Zhang Shutong didn't pick up the call.
He had a habit of putting his phone on silent before bed, and when he woke up, he noticed the missed call from "Lu Qinglian" and spent a long time contemplating it.
A wrong number?
Most people's first reaction would be that.
Eight years had passed, and it wasn't certain whether she even remembered him, but with a decent impression, he called her back. However, the call didn't go through.
He didn't dwell on it for long, but then, the next afternoon, he received the news of Lu Qinglian death.
In fact, he didn't go out much. To put it bluntly, with such a distant relationship, he wouldn't have gone if it weren't for the call. He would have at most asked a familiar classmate to send a condolence gift.
But because of that call, something that had no major connection to him suddenly became deeply entangled with him.
Especially yesterday, when he was contacted by the police, he learned that she didn't use her phone much.
She was a Tample Maiden who lived on the mountain. He had always thought of her like a fairy, and perhaps after all these years, she had grown up and truly lived like an ethereal being, untouched by the mundane world.
For all these years, she had remained at the temple. The night before her death, she had called only him.
Honestly, he couldn't stand it. It made him uneasy.
It seemed the police had questioned people on the island about their relationship, and the news had leaked. Various rumors spread uncontrollably:
Some said her boyfriend called her, intending to break up, claiming she had a cold personality and came from a poor family.
Others said it was a distress call.
Some even said it was a murder, and she had sensed something was wrong and shared the perpetrator's information.
There were even rumors involving ghosts and spirits.
He had heard at least five versions of these stories, but he knew very little of the truth. He only heard that she had fallen into the lake, and it was considered an accident.
... Let's call it an accident for now.
To be honest, Zhang Shutong didn't care much for the truth. He had come here simply to see if there was any possibility of saving her.
Eight years ago, an accident on the island had given him this ability.
And because of this, if it weren't for this funeral, he probably wouldn't have returned for the rest of his life.
It was probably a "dragon-loving man" kind of story, but unfortunately, the main character was himself:
It happened after the high school entrance exam, during the summer break. Every year at this time, the Green Snake Temple would hold a ceremony.
That day, he and a few friends went to join in the fun. The site was crowded, and they couldn't get in.
The boys were wild, and he went around to the back of the temple to climb over the wall. But he stepped on some loose stones and rolled down the hill, losing consciousness.
When he woke up, it was dark, and he was lying on the bed in the clinic.
Later, he heard from his friends that he had been unconscious on the mountainside behind the temple and had injured his head. An old woman had found him.
It was a miracle he had survived. Had his luck been bad, who would have thought to look for him?
His parents wanted to thank the woman, but after saving him, she disappeared.
This close call gave him an ability that was different from others.
And that day the trajectory of his life changed forever.
Zhang Shutong called this ability "Rewind."
The specific trigger mechanism was that if something bad happened nearby, he would go back to the key point before the event occurred.
Usually, it was a few minutes or a few days earlier.
It felt like someone was forcing him to stop the bad thing from happening, whether he wanted to or not.
If he didn't resolve it, the Rewind would trigger again, over and over.
If asked what he was thinking at the time, it was simple—he was just excited. After all, time travel sounded like a superpower capable of saving the world.
"I'm the only one who's unique."
At that age, no boy could resist that thought.
At first, Zhang Shutong did many "good deeds" by ordinary standards.
After entering high school, just in the first year, he stopped several accidents on his way to school by using Rewind.
That was probably 2013, right around the time when The Amazing Spider-Man was released. He came out of the midnight screening, the wind blowing on him, and walked home in one go, feeling like he had received great encouragement.
Though Spider-Man wasn't real, at least in their neighborhood, he was.
Though he never encountered any villains, that year, he successfully prevented two domestic violence cases, one affair, and saved three marriages.
There was also his brand-new high school life:
There were classmates who tried to commit suicide because of failure in confession.
There were those who faced immense pressure and wanted to jump off buildings.
And others with family troubles...
He became so busy that he couldn't keep up, and Rewind kept triggering every few days.
Of course, he was happy to help others. Though, he was exhausted every time.
He once developed a crush on a senior. It was summer, and his social skills were decent. After getting closer, they planned to watch a movie after the monthly exam, but on that day, Zhang Shutong missed the appointment.
It wasn't that he didn't care.
In the cinema lobby, there was a young mother crying endlessly. The police surrounded the scene. He overheard that a child had gone missing.
Before he could react, Rewind triggered.
That day, he went back five times, finally found the missing child, and then collapsed at home from exhaustion.
The summer date became an unreachable reality.
It was also that day that Zhang Shutong discovered a horrifying fact.
He could help others escape their unbearable pasts.
But it was himself who was trapped in the past.
Rewind kept triggering uncontrollably.
From Monday to Friday, for anyone else, it would be a week's time, but for him, it felt like a month.
Finally, during his senior year of high school, he nearly broke down under the endless cycle of Rewinds and was almost diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, as his brain was filled with memories that didn't exist.
At the worst time, he stayed holed up in a rental room, avoiding the outside world. He could only eat takeout, and if he needed to go out, he had to do it in the middle of the night.
Then, he took a leave of absence to go for treatment and moved with his parents to a more distant city, transferring to a new school.
Something miraculous happened.
The frequency of Rewind significantly decreased.
The little things no longer sent him back to the past.
But it only decreased, like an eternal nightmare. The ability he gained at the age of 16 had completely changed his life, and he could no longer live normally. So, he had to force himself to move forward.
He eventually managed to graduate from university, but because he had to reduce contact with others, he moved out alone and found a work-from-home job.
In these years, he saved some money and could afford to support himself, but sometimes in the quiet room, he still wondered about the future.
Parents growing old, getting married, having children... What about the future? He couldn't see it for now.
Now, he still didn't like going out much, and life wasn't that great. But at least he had freed himself from the endless Rewind.
In these endless days with no end in sight, two days ago, he received the obituary of his middle school classmate.
His experiences over the years had made him a person who hated trouble. He had been forced into all sorts of events before, and it was unbearable.
But only this time, Zhang Shutong wanted to use his ability, to hear the content of that phone call.
Therefore, after eight years, he returned to this island that had changed his life.
However, it had already been two hours since he arrived. He had been at the Temple earlier, stayed by the body for a long time, but the Rewind still hadn't happened.
He should have known better than to hope.
Looking at the still lake in the distance, Zhang Shutong sighed.
He had thought about this before coming here, because the premise of Rewind was that something must happen around him.
When someone dies and he's not there at the scene, although he knew the hope was slim, he still wanted to try. But reality... well, it was as real as always, and in the end, he couldn't change anything.
Today, the lake surface was as still as solidified iron blue. Leaning against the railing, he lit a cigarette—one provided by the funeral.
He had quit smoking for a long time, but without thinking, he lit it, not intending to smoke. It rested between his fingers, watching the smoke drift away.
There was no real heaviness. Everyone has to learn to reconcile with reality. He had gotten used to this long ago.
Powerless, hopeless, self-destructive... These emotions weren't unfamiliar in his past life.
In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed. Now, back at this lakeside, thinking about the past, his emotions weren't as stirred up as he had imagined. He only felt... a faint regret.
There was no longer any reason to stay.
Just as Zhang Shutong was preparing to head back to the funeral home, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned around, and a young man with short hair, wearing a smile on his face, stood there. It was one of his best friends from middle school.
His best friend, Du Kang, whose name was a playful reference to a brand of liquor—Du Kang, the only cure for sorrow—had always been carefree.
Over the years, Du Kang stayed on the island, taking over his family's small restaurant. He was now an expert on everything concerning the island, and it was he who had informed Zhang Shutong about the death of their classmate, Lu Qinglian.
He had been helping out with the funeral arrangements, but now, with some free time, he stepped outside to chat with Zhang Shutong.
"You still know how to come back, huh?" Du Kang said with a big smile.
Though it had been many years, their old friendship was still warm. However, Zhang Shutong didn't know how to respond. He simply shrugged and smiled apologetically.
"I'll take you around later. Although Qingyi couldn't make it, Ruoping and the others are here. We'll have dinner together tonight?"
Zhang Shutong had to politely decline.
He did want to go, but he simply couldn't. He was afraid that after a few drinks, someone would start talking about all the things that were wrong with their lives... and in that case, he might as well never return.
"You're still the same, huh?"
After several refusals, Du Kang smile faded. He sighed, then grumbled:
"Just like back in school, you never say anything for half a day. Always wearing black, and now, wearing a jacket in this cold, act indifferent. I mean, sure, the girls think it's 'cool,' but I still don't get why you and Qingyi were the most popular."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that this was a misunderstanding. He had just rushed out, and all his clothes were black—there was nothing stylish about it.
Why did he have this impression? Zhang Shutong didn't even know himself.
"Stop being stubborn. It's been so long since we last met. Let me say a few words."
Zhang Shutong was about to say something, but instead, he bit his inner cheek, feeling both amused and helpless.
The two of them stood by the road for a while. Du Kang rubbed his face, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and after a long pause, said:
"How about we talk about her?"
Zhang Shutong knew who "her" was—Lu Qinglian.
Du Kang had always secretly liked this classmate of theirs. He recalled one time, when some girls had been gossiping about Lu Qinglian behind her back. When Du Kang found out, he had thrown their bag into the boys' restroom, then gone home for a few days.
He was very impulsive and had confessed to her, but it had been rejected. Zhang Shutong wasn't sure whether anything had developed over the years, with both of them still living on the island.
He could tell Du Kang was still feeling hurt, so he assumed a listening posture. But Du Kang suddenly stared out at the lake, his voice suddenly serious:
"She was murdered."
Zhang Shutong froze.
"I'm telling you, someone killed Lu Qinglian! I've told several people, but they wouldn't believe me."
Du Kang took a deep drag from his cigarette and continued:
"I saw her last week. She was perfectly fine, busy repairing statues in the temple. There was nothing wrong with her. Do you really believe that nonsense about her being depressed and committing suicide?"
"And falling into the water by accident? She spent all her time in the temple, sometimes accompanying kids at school. Why would she suddenly go by the lake, especially in the middle of the night? Was she fishing or swimming?"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, finally slamming his hand on the railing in front of him:
"She was found in the 'forbidden zone.' Shutong, you remember the forbidden zone, don't you?"
After a moment, Zhang Shutong recalled the meaning behind those words.
They were terms from their teenage years, when they gave certain areas on the island code names.
The "temple," the "base," the "forbidden zone," and so on.
The "temple" was easy to understand—it referred to the Green Snake Temple on the mountain.
The "base" was an abandoned drainage tunnel where they used to play after school, and called it their secret hideout.
The "forbidden zone" referred to a section of the lake to the north of the island. The area is low-lying and always shaded, giving it a bleak and barren appearance. The surrounding vegetation is sparse, and there are almost no fish. Hardly anyone ever visits it.
The reason it was called the forbidden zone was both complex and simple—it had been the site of multiple deaths.
The memories, now blurry, surged back in his mind.
Zhang Shutong remembered two incidents clearly.
One had happened before he moved to the island.
To get on and off the island, you had to take a boat, and the ferry only operated from 8 AM to 6 PM.
He had heard that about ten years ago, a group of university students had come to stay on the island. They spent an entire day playing in the nearby town, and by the time they reached the pier, it was already evening. After waiting for a while, there was no ferry in sight.
It was winter, and heavy snow was falling. They couldn't wait out in the cold, and since there were no other buses returning, the group tried to figure out what to do. Just then, a fishing boat appeared.
It turned out that a local fisherman, seeing their plight, offered to take them across.
The boat was big enough for about ten people, and they set off. The first half of the journey was smooth, but halfway through, the boat inexplicably capsized.
It was strange—when they were found, the boat was still afloat, undamaged, yet all the people on board had drowned.
No one knew what had happened, but the boat sank exactly in the forbidden zone. A special investigation team was formed, and the official explanation was that the heavy snow had caused the boat to sink, but once the snow melted, the boat floated back up.
This incident stuck with him, largely because his mother had used it to scare him with ghost stories when he was little.
The second incident, though more vague in memory, was more direct. It had happened on the fourth day of the new year—one of his classmates had gone missing. He was about to recall more details when Du Kang interrupted:
"Do you remember that murder case?"
It was the same case.
On the fourth day of the new year, a serious crime had occurred on the island, and the victim was one of their classmates.
At first, no one noticed when the girl didn't show up for class. Back then, there weren't the communication tools there are now. The school and parents didn't communicate well, so no one thought to report her missing until a day had passed.
By the time they found her, she had already been murdered.
Her body was found in the forbidden zone.
The class teacher resigned in shame, and the school brought in a counselor. Many details had been covered up, and all Zhang Shutong remembered was that she came from a wealthy family, with very beautiful eyes and a sharp voice.
If there was one thing Zhang Shutong remembered about her, it was her red scarf, which she always wore—even in class.
He could recall it because his desk partner once commented that she was "showing off," and later, someone had stepped on her scarf, and it somehow ended up being blamed on him. She gave him a cold glare with those sharp eyes.
He also vaguely recalled seeing her somewhere outside the school shortly before she disappeared…
As he furrowed his brows, Du Kang suddenly said:
"You probably forgot, but I always remember one thing. Do you remember the date the girl went missing?"
He then coldly mentioned a date:
"December 10th."
Zhang Shutong blinked in realization.
"That day was my birthday, so when one of the classmates didn't show up, I remembered it clearly. And now, look at what day it is?"
Du Kang held out his phone screen to Zhang Shutong face. When he saw the date, his pupils shrank.
Today was December 12th.
Which meant two days ago was…
"Could it be that the police—" Zhang Shutong suddenly felt a chill.
"No, it's not like that. When Qinglian body was found, there were no fatal injuries. And now the island has surveillance cameras, unlike back then, when the only person who saw her was herself," Du Kang said with a deflated tone.
"But because of that, I'm uneasy. There's a coincidence here, and there's no reasonable explanation. I can't calm down until I find out."
"These past few days, I've been dreaming about Qinglian. I've seen her by the lake, just like before, not saying much… Let's wait until tomorrow. After the funeral, I'll go to the town's archives to check. Maybe we can find more details about that case."
He stared at Zhang Shutong face for a moment, then said, "Whatever we find, let me know. I can't help much, but at least…"
"Don't say that. We all have our own struggles. We didn't promise to be lifelong friends, so whether I can help or not doesn't matter. This is something I want to do, and it's not fair to drag you into it. I'm just…"
Du Kang paused, then extinguished his cigarette:
"I'm just a bit jealous of you.
"There's something I've been holding in. Why wasn't I the one who got the call?"
"It was just after 11 PM. I stayed up later than that, so I definitely could have answered. If I had, no matter what happened, I would have gone straight over. Maybe she wouldn't have died."
"Why was the call made to you, to someone she hadn't contacted for eight years? I know those rumors are wrong, but… sorry."
Du Kang shoulders drooped.
"We'll talk later. I still have things to do. You probably don't know this, but Qinglian was the last one left in her family. Her grandmother passed away a few years ago, so there was no one to handle her affairs. It's just me and Ruoping and a few others.
"I didn't prepare things properly this time. Come by more often in the future."
Saying this, he managed a forced smile, but it looked strained.
Zhang Shutong didn't respond, just patted his shoulder.
"I'll help too," he said.
In the end, he couldn't leave after all.
...
The plan was to take a boat off the island in the afternoon, catch the last train home tonight, and be home by tomorrow. He had arranged everything with little time to spare, not because of any urgency, but because he feared the possibility of a mishap that might trigger that damn ability.
But now his plans had gone off course. By the time everything was finished, it was already dark. Du Kang had booked him a hotel, and insisted it was free of charge.
There were others who had planned to eat dinner, but everyone was too tired from the day, so they just quickly ate some boxed meals.
After dinner, they shared some funny stories from back in the day, only for it to circle back to him.
"Well well, the little boyfriend," joked Ruoping, covering her mouth with a light laugh.
Zhang Shutong knew she was deliberately teasing him, using the day's rumors to make fun of him.
"You all know?" he sighed.
"Everyone's been talking about it. Remember our homeroom teacher? He asked me where you were today. It's not about knowing or not, but which version you believe."
"There's another version besides the boyfriend, suicide, and murderer information. Want to hear it?"
"What?" Ruoping eyes widened.
"She gave me a message in a dream," Zhang Shutong recalled seriously, "In the dream, she asked me, 'How come Ruoping still such a gossip?'"
"Zhang Shutong, you better stop—"
Then some classmates, who had been quiet, perked up and suggested they go to the bar or KTV to relax. But then they remembered—there were none of those things on the island, and there never had been.
It made Zhang Shutong recall his school days. Yanlong Island, which seemed small, was actually no different from the town surrounded by the lake. It wasn't backward, just more isolated.
When he first moved here, he had disliked it, complaining that there was nothing to do.
There were no malls, no movie theaters, no amusement parks, and no McDonald or KFC.
But he quickly adapted, venturing into the mountains, fishing by the lake, and enjoying the local delicacies at temple fairs—fried shrimp cakes and fish porridge were especially flavorful. In the summer, the lotus seeds were sweet.
In a way, even if he wanted to be a troublemaker, there wasn't much room to do so.
The small island, the large lake, the deep mountains, the temples, and ancient legends... a group of boys and girls...
Their school was built on the outskirts of the island. Climbing up to the rooftop of the classroom building, feeling the cool lake breeze, you could see the surrounding scenery.
If they wanted to have a date with a girl they liked, they had to take a boat to the nearby town. But they had to be careful not to miss the ferry back because it stopped running at 6 PM every evening.
Since no one had time to socialize on weekends, the idea of "sneaking off with a girl to watch a movie" became a long-held dream for the boys, one they never acted on.
If they could do it again, perhaps there would be a different answer.
Sometimes, these thoughts crossed his mind.
The classmate who passed away, the missing girl...
And a normal life.
As people grow older, they realize that regret is a rare thing.
Zhang Shutong had many pills of regret, but none he could swallow.
He could never go back to his past.
When night had fully fallen, although it wasn't strictly necessary, they bowed three times in front of the memorial photo and said their goodbyes outside the funeral home.
Before parting, Du Kang had one more thing to say:
"I just searched online. The murderer from that case still hasn't been caught. Some fishermen gave testimony saying they saw someone by the forbidden zone before the incident... I'll check again when I get home."
On his way back to the hotel, Zhang Shutong kept thinking about those words.
... If the killer really was just one person, that would be lucky. But how could it be so convenient?
No, that wasn't luck—it was a full-blown horror story.
First, he took a bath, then lay in bed, recalling the events of the day.
The only thing that remained was Du Kang unreasonable guess.
Just because it happened on the same day in the same place, does that mean it's a serial murder case? What was the motive?
Would the murderer really return after hiding their identity for years? They must have been incredibly bold.
But if it was really a murder, then Lu Qinglian phone call...
Zhang Shutong shook his head, realizing he was overthinking.
After all, eight years had passed.
He glanced at his phone—it was 8:34 PM.
The wind had picked up, and he couldn't sleep now. He got dressed, buttoned up his jacket, borrowed a flashlight from the hotel front desk, and went out into the cold wind.
There were few cars passing by, and the streetlights were dim. Fortunately, the hotel Du Kang booked was close to his destination.
Following his memory from that day, he walked for more than ten minutes, crossing the lake-side road's fence, and ending up in a wild, overgrown field.
Ahead was the water area known as the forbidden zone.
There was no moonlight tonight, and with the flashlight on, the lake surface looked pale. The only sound was the soft rustling of the reeds. There were no frog calls, only the stench of mud in the air.
Looking around, he noticed the traces of trampled dead grass. They were probably left behind by the police during their search a few days ago.
Zhang Shutong crouched by the lake, waiting for the night wind to stiffen his body.
It turned out that the Tample Maiden girl, Lu Qinglian, had ended her life right here.
The reeds by the lake rustled, and he suddenly felt a sense of time slipping away from him.
But what could he do?
He laughed mockingly at himself.
No evidence, no leads, and even the only thing he could rely on—his Rewind—was useless.
In the end, he wasn't like Du Kang, who had ten years of unrequited love behind him. Since he couldn't go back to the moment before her death, all he could do here was his best effort within his ability.
But still, he felt sorry.
Zhang Shutong stared at the lake, thinking.
He hadn't answered her call, and he hadn't uncovered the truth.
He silently apologized in his heart, slowly standing up from his stiff body.
It was getting late, time to go back.
As that thought crossed his mind, Zhang Shutong took out his phone.
The wind had gotten stronger, and suddenly, the surrounding grass started rustling.
Then, something cold and sharp pierced his neck from behind.
The phone slipped from his hand.
In the final moment before his consciousness faded, he saw the time flash on the screen.
It was 8:59 PM on December 12th, 2020.
Then, it jumped to 9:00.
Rewind had been triggered.