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Something’s wrong.
Dozens of missions, diving in and out of different lives and different bodies has sharpened his instincts. The hairs along Cheng Xiaoshi’s arms prickle, unease bubbling in his gut.
Even so, anyone could tell that something was very wrong. The door to the photo shop barely hangs on its hinges, the latch busted and dirty bootprints smeared against the lower half.
He pushes through the front door, wincing at the hollow echo of Qiao Ling’s recorded greeting. His heels crunch over broken glass. Frames are shattered, furniture overturned. Papers and receipts, speckled with drops of crimson, scatter across the floor.
What—
Cheng Xiaoshi sucks in a sharp breath – allows himself a second of confused panic – and then he’s racing across the shop.
“Lu Guang!” he shouts. He runs for the darkroom first, fumbles for the light switch.
Shit. Bad idea. There’s already too much red – blood on the floor, blood on the discarded papers.
Still, other than a few tipped over bottles of monobath, nothing seems to be out of order.
“Qiao Ling! Lu Guang!”
What happened – Where are they – Who –
“Cheng Xiaoshi! We’re in here!” Qiao Ling’s voice calls from the sunroom.
Cheng Xiaoshi chases after her voice. He skids to a stop, but his momentum carries him too far. He has to grab the door frame to keep himself from running past. Qiao Ling startles, nearly knocking a tray of medical supplies from the low table.
“You scared me!” Her surprise shifts to forced exasperation, though there’s something shaky about her pursed lips and clenched fingers. Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t apologize. Instead, his wide-eyed gaze roves over her, searching for a clue to what happened. Other than a few drops of dried blood on her sleeve, she seems unharmed.
Then that would mean—
Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes shift to the room’s other occupant. As if sensing his stare, Lu Guang averts his gaze – giving Cheng Xiaoshi an unobstructed view of the rising bruise along his left cheek. Lu Guang’s nose and mouth are both busted. The faintest smear of crimson lines Lu Guang’s chin and upper lip, the few pockets where Qiao Ling’s washrag couldn’t reach.
“What—what happened?” Cheng Xiaoshi demands, striding across the room for a better look. The collar to Lu Guang’s shirt is rumpled, the rest of the blood from his busted lip staining the front. Qiao Ling shakes her head and looks to Lu Guang.
“Thieves broke in.” Lu Guang speaks slowly and carefully to minimize the movement of his lips.
“They were already gone by the time I got here,” Qiao Ling adds.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Cheng Xiaoshi scowls. “Did you call the police and make a report?”
Lu Guang shakes his head and winces, seeming to regret the movement. “We can file an insurance claim later.”
Insurance claim? The ridiculousness almost makes Cheng Xiaoshi laugh. Lu Guang, beaten to a pulp and talking about filing an insurance claim?
“Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to notify the police,” Qiao Ling murmurs, glancing between the two of them. Her fingers fumble with the end of a spool of medical tape. “Perhaps other stores have had a similar problem.” She jumps to her feet and drops the medical tape back on the tray. “I’ll go check if there’s usable security footage.”
Cheng Xiaoshi stiffens. That’s right – the security cameras. They could track down whoever broke in. Or he could jump into the scene, follow the thieves as they left, and—
“I deleted the security footage.”
Cheng Xiaoshi shakes the shimmering thoughts from his head. “You what?”
“I deleted the security footage from the last twenty-four hours.” Lu Guang says it so calmly, so passionlessly as if he were remarking about the weather. “Qiao Ling won’t find anything useful to bring to the police.”
Twenty-four hours. That meant they couldn’t use it either.
“Why would you do that?” Cheng Xiaoshi shakes his head again, this time in disbelief. “Now we can’t—”
“Enter the scene? Interfere with the past?” Lu Guang hoists a brow, his forehead perhaps the only patch of skin on his face not yet bruised. “What’s done is done.”
“No, it’s not done. We need to find the assholes who—”
Who hurt you. Who might have killed you.
“—destroyed the shop!” Cheng Xiaoshi finishes, his volume building. “We need to bring them to justice!”
Cheng Xiaoshi can’t glare at his best friend – Lu Guang’s already been through enough – so he settles for glowering at the assortment of antiseptic sprays, bandages, and blood-soaked rags on Qiao Ling’s tray.
“Then tell us exactly what happened, if you won’t let me see it for myself.”
Lu Guang doesn’t respond. Instead, he sighs and pushes himself off the couch with a wince and stifled grunt. He moves past Cheng Xiaoshi with a deliberate stiffness.
Wait…
Cheng Xiaoshi frowns at the medical tape. Qiao Ling had been fumbling with it, but there aren’t any signs of it being used on Lu Guang’s face. When Lu Guang’s close enough for Cheng Xiaoshi to catch a whiff of sterilizing chemicals, Cheng Xiaoshi reaches for the hem of his best friend’s shirt. Lu Guang tries to swat him away, but he’s too hindered by his injuries. Cheng Xiaoshi yanks Lu Guang’s shirt up and sucks in a sharp breath.
More bruises blossom along Lu Guang’s pale chest like poppies. The angriest looking splotches peek out from the tight binding around his lower ribcage. Punches? Kicks? Cheng Xiaoshi’s vision blurs, trembles. His grip tightens around the fistful of Lu Guang’s shirt, enough for his nails to dig through the fabric.
“They—They could have—They need to pay for what they did!” Cheng Xiaoshi’s shouting now, but he needs to be heard. He needs the words to get through Lu Guang’s blank expression because this is not acceptable. If Lu Guang refuses to be angry – if he insists on being calm about this – then Cheng Xiaoshi would be angry enough for the both of them.
Qiao Ling pokes her head through the door, her pale knuckles clenched around her cellphone. “Cheng Xiaoshi…”
Lu Guang tugs his shirt free and tries his best to smooth out a rumbled crease. “What’s done is done,” he repeats before leaving the room.
Without surveillance footage or a detailed testimony from Lu Guang, there’s little that the police can do. They flash apologetic smiles, snap a few more pictures of the chaos, and leave the photo shop.
Cheng Xiaoshi would have slammed the door after them if it was still on its hinges.
“They couldn’t tell us anything more useful?” Cheng Xiaoshi seethes, slouching against the counter. “Clearly something happened here! They should have spent more time investigating!”
His fingertips twitch, the palms of his hands buzzing. If Lu Guang hadn’t deleted the security footage, he would have already jumped into the moment those assholes stepped into the store. They wouldn’t know what was happening – at least, not until Cheng Xiaoshi kicked their asses and made them regret targeting their little photoshop.
He groans and drops his forehead against the cool surface of the counter.
Maybe the thieves wouldn’t realize what was happening, but Lu Guang would. Past-Lu Guang, but Lu Guang nonetheless. Which would mean an inevitable lecture about irresponsibility and influencing the past and the three “rules” whenever Cheng Xiaoshi popped back into the present.
Cheng Xiaoshi wrinkles his nose. Lu Guang nearly toppled off the ladder while trying to climb into bed last night. If Cheng Xiaoshi hadn’t been close behind with arms outstretched, then—
Cheng Xiaoshi would settle for a long-winded lecture if it meant that never had to happen.
Qiao Ling doesn’t say anything. The hushed whisk whisk of her broom is occasionally joined by the twinkling of broken glass. She’s managing to hold in her anger far better than he can. Her expression remains blank as she tips the bucket of shards into the trash.
Though, Qiao Ling did threaten to tape Lu Guang to the couch if he tried to get up, using a tone she normally reserves just for Cheng Xiaoshi. Perhaps they’re both on the verge of exploding.
“The police won’t be able to help us,” Qiao Ling says. There’s a trail to her sentence that makes Cheng Xiaoshi look up expectantly. “But I talked with some of the other shop owners.”
“And?”
“There have been several shop and home invasions over the last year.” She pauses, considers her next words. “No one’s been hurt as bad as Lu Guang, but it’s probably the same group.”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s pulse quickens. “Are there any leads? Any potential connections? Any photographs?”
If his last question seems bizarre, Qiao Ling doesn’t mention it. She shrugs. “I’m not sure. I’ll keep asking around. There has to be something out there.”
“Good. Find it. If you do, then—"
The floorboards creak, socks shuffling against the wooden floor. Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi swap conspiratorial nods and end the conversation before it could be overheard. Lu Guang has made his opinion of the matter – that it doesn’t need to be pursued any further – very clear.
“And what are you doing out here?” Qiao Ling flings the broom to the ground with a dramatic huff and stomps towards the hallway, intercepting Lu Guang before he can enter the room. “I thought I told you to stay on the couch!”
“I—I should help—”
“Couch! Now!”
Lu Guang tries to mount another protest, but his grumbles are muffled by Qiao Ling’s insistent demands. Their footsteps fade. Normally, Lu Guang being chastised would delight Cheng Xiaoshi. Instead, his mind drifts back to what Qiao Ling told him.
There has to be something out there.
Qiao Ling leaves a yellow envelope outside his bedroom door.
In his sleep-addled rush to get to the bathroom, he nearly slips on it. He muffles his startled curse, grabs onto the doorframe, and steadies himself.
“Cheng Xiaoshi?” Lu Guang’s drowsy mumble drifts from the top bunk. “What’re you doing…”
“Nothing. My, uh, socks slipped.” Cheng Xiaoshi kicks the envelope out of sight. It glides down the hallway, spinning soundlessly. “Go back to bed.”
“You don’t wear socks when you sleep…” The mattress creaks as Lu Guang props himself up on an elbow. He squints at Cheng Xiaoshi, the bruise on his cheek faded to a mottled brown and green.
Cheng Xiaoshi rolls his eyes. Of all the things that could raise Lu Guang’s suspicions, that’s what does it? Damn socks?
“I didn’t know you cared so much about what I wore to bed,” Cheng Xiaoshi counters, eyebrow hoisted.
Lu Guang grunts and turns over, evidentially not awake enough to deal with Cheng Xiaoshi’s bullshit. Cheng Xiaoshi waits for another heavy sigh – the sound of his roommate finally slipping into sleep – before hurrying for the envelope. He shakes out the grainy photograph and skims over Qiao Ling’s note.
From the pet store a few doors down. Maybe it’ll work. Don’t tell Lu Guang.
He flips to the photograph and grins. It’s a printed frame from a security camera. The details are horrible, the faces nearly indistinguishable from the background. However, it doesn’t need to be clear for him to dive in.
Cheng Xiaoshi pauses for a second to listen for Lu Guang getting up. He seems to have fallen back asleep. The only sounds are the muffled chatter of passersby strolling outside their window. He squints at the photograph, glances over his shoulder one more time, and claps.
Immediately he’s surrounded by the scent of warm hay and animal feed. He ducks behind a row of aquariums as voices approach.
“Why’d Zhu Lipiao want to hit this place? There ain’t anything here except for a bunch of damn rabbits and dog food.”
“How would I know? He said they’d have a lot of cash on hand.”
“They better. Hey! Li Haoling – get away from those snakes! I don’t want to look at them when I’m talking to you.”
Cheng Xiaoshi remains absolutely still while the thieves busy themselves with prying open the register and digging through the nearby drawers. His fingers twitch, eager to be curled into a fist. If he stops them now, then they wouldn’t be able to hurt Lu Guang in the future—present?—recent past?—dammit, this is why he leaves all the temporal thinking to Lu Guang.
He shakes away the temptation and forces himself to remain still. This robbery took place a few months prior to the photo shop break-in. That leaves too much time for uncertainty, too many variables that could change. If he’s going to disrupt things, it needs to be closer to the present.
No, he’s here to collect information. Names, clues, sneaky glimpses at their faces. Anything that could help him identify them later.
And by the time the thieves leave the pet shop, torn animal feed bags and shattered fishbowls in their wake, Cheng Xiaoshi has exactly what he needs.
Li Haoling.
Approximately 25. Expelled from his university for threatening a professor. Dedicated uploader to Weibo.
Cheng Xiaoshi suppresses a snort as he scrolls through Li Haoling’s posted pictures. It’s definitely the same guy from the pet shop. An identical tattoo creeps up the back of his neck. Most of the locations in the background are local. The other two thieves pop up periodically in the pictures.
Yes, Cheng Xiaoshi has finally found one of the criminals. He supposes the smart decision – the Lu Guang decision – would be take the name to the police. However, he doesn’t have much faith in that option. Even if Chief Xiao Li believed his story about pulling details from the photograph, they would need more proof.
Besides, Cheng Xiaoshi wants to know what truly happened in the photo shop. Lu Guang still refuses to talk about it and each refusal only adds more kindling to Cheng Xiaoshi’s blazing curiosity.
Cheng Xiaoshi pauses when he reaches a selfie taken mere hours before the photo shop break-in. He hesitates, reconsiders.
Although he’s jumped into a few photos without Lu Guang’s guidance or knowledge, he still hasn’t gotten used to the silence. He’d sure as hell never admit it out loud, but he misses Lu Guang’s reassuring voice in the back of his mind.
His fingers hover over his phone screen, poised to swipe the photo away.
Would he be able to control himself during the break-in? Keep his temper in check while Lu Guang fends off the thieves? He couldn’t get involved – not directly, at least.
Cheng Xiaoshi wrinkles his nose, his lips drawing into a frustrated pucker. But maybe he could make things less horrific? Find a way to dissuade the other thieves from being so violent? It would be hard without Lu Guang’s calming instructions. Still, he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Cheng Xiaoshi takes a steady breath and claps his hands over Li Haoling’s selfie.
Sunlight warms his face. He opens his eyes, blinking away the residual buzz that always comes with diving into a new body.
Lu Guang? he asks, more so out of habit than anything else. Silence greets him. Cheng Xiaoshi grimaces.
“Hey – what’s with the sour face? You aren’t planning on backing out on us, are you?” a familiar voice says over Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulder.
He turns to look at the newcomer. It’s one of the guys from the pet shop. The one who hates snakes. Su Shangqing.
“Of course not! Are you?” Cheng Xiaoshi counters with a sneer, shoving his – Li Haoling’s -- phone back in his pocket.
Su Shangqing shakes his head with a confused frown. “What? Why would I back out? I’m the one who found this shitty photo shop in the first place.”
Cheng Xiaoshi turns away before his twitching eye could betray him. Damn. He has no idea how Li Haoling ought to act. Another reason to miss Lu Guang’s voice in his head.
“Why’re we going after it anyway? We – They don’t have anything valuable there.”
Su Shangqing shrugs, his gaze wandering. “I dunno. I heard cameras could be really expensive. Maybe they have a couple we could grab.”
Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t say anything more about the photo shop after that. He inches through a few more painful conversations with Su Shangqing while they wait for the third person to show up. If Su Shangqing’s suspicious of him, he doesn’t call Cheng Xiaoshi out directly.
Finally, their leader – Zhu Lipiao – shows up. Cheng Xiaoshi feels a thrum of apprehension shudder through his borrowed body. They must be about to head out. Cheng Xiaoshi trails behind the group as they make their way down the familiar streets. It’s the middle of the day, but the buzzing heat keeps most of the residents and shoppers inside.
Cheng Xiaoshi tries to remember where he was at the time but draws a blank. Perhaps running some errands? Whatever it was hardly seems important now.
They finally reach the photo shop and Cheng Xiaoshi remains rigid as Zhu Lipiao kicks in the door. Cheng Xiaoshi glances around reflexively, but no one emerges to investigate the source of the commotion. With the number of successful hits these thieves have racked up, it’s no wonder they’ve become so bold.
Cheng Xiaoshi smiles. This time, it’ll be different.
Su Shangqing glances over his shoulder with a scoff. “You’re looking awfully confident. Why don’t you go in first?”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s smile drops. “Fine, whatever.” He pushes past the other thieves and shoves the door open with his shoulder. The broken door wobbles and scrapes against the floor. How many times has he passed through it? Thousands upon thousands, perhaps.
Cheng Xiaoshi tries not to wince; he has to act like this means nothing to him.
“Cheng Xiaoshi, I thought I told you not to kick—” Lu Guang’s voice drifts from the darkroom and grows louder as he approaches. However, his sentence cuts off sharp when Lu Guang sees his audience.
Dammit. You should have stayed in the darkroom.
Maybe it’s not too late. He could still shove Lu Guang into the darkroom. Lock the door and keep him trapped in there until the thieves finished tearing the shop apart.
“We’re closed now,” Lu Guang says, tone even.
“We aren’t customers.”
Lu Guang’s narrowed eyes drag across each of them as if weighing his options. When those gray eyes reach him, Cheng Xiaoshi drops his gaze. Lu Guang couldn’t know he’s there – wouldn’t have a reason to be suspicious – but Cheng Xiaoshi always feels like his best friend could somehow see things that most couldn’t.
“Then you have no reason to be here. Leave.”
Spare the dramatics, Lu Guang. Cheng Xiaoshi almost rolls his eyes before remembering the gravity of the situation. Still, Lu Guang seems remarkably unconcerned about the group of punks in their photo shop.
“We’re only interested in the valuable things.” Their boss scoffs and approaches Lu Guang. Cheng Xiaoshi braces himself for the first blow, but Zhu Lipiao merely shoves Lu Guang’s shoulder – only hard enough to budge him slightly. “Sit tight and don’t get in our way.”
Lu Guang’s frown deepens but he doesn’t argue or push back. The other thieves get to work, spreading throughout the shop and searching for something worth stealing. Su Shangqing drifts along the back wall, seemingly more engrossed in the framed photos than the robbery.
Zhu Lipiao tries to pry his way into the register. Cheng smothers his smile. They won’t find much – no more than a couple hundred yuan. Money doesn’t last long in the shop, always going directly to Qiao Ling to cover Cheng Xiaoshi’s debt each time a new client comes in.
Cheng Xiaoshi feels a stare burn into him.
Lu Guang’s watching him.
Cheng Xiaoshi turns away quickly and heads to a corner of the shop where there isn’t much of value: old receipt books and out-of-date calendars he’s been meaning to get rid of anyway. Zhu Lipiao continues to curse as he wrestles with the register. Su Shangqing strains on his toes to get a better glimpse of the contents on a high shelf.
All in all, not a particularly threatening robbery. This is nothing like how he envisioned it after seeing Lu Guang’s bruises and bloody face. Cheng Xiaoshi pauses while digging through a stack of old ledgers.
Has he somehow managed to change the future? Cheng Xiaoshi mulls it over with an uncomfortable swallow. Is Li Haoling the one who’s supposed to attack Lu Guang? Or did he accidentally do something that altered the break-in? This doesn’t seem like a particularly bad alternative future – no broken faces, no broken glass.
Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze strays towards the clock. About an hour left before he – the Cheng Xiaoshi of the present – arrives. Qiao Ling would have had to come even sooner to patch up Lu Guang. He flicks his gaze back to Lu Guang. Could they get through this without incident?
“Finally! This is what I was talking about!” Su Shangqing’s triumphant shout echoes throughout the shop. He digs through a black case and pulls out an old film camera. It’s covered in dust and the plastic casing bears a hairline crack along the left side. The damage is impossible to see from the distance, but Cheng Xiaoshi knows it’s there.
After all, he’s the cause: dropping his father’s favorite camera when he was only five.
Cheng Xiaoshi stiffens, his heartrate speeding up reflexively. Not this camera. They can’t take this from him. His father’s camera hadn’t been among the missing or broken items – Cheng Xiaoshi made sure to check.
Something must have caused the future to change. Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze remains fixed on the camera, mind whirling for a way to make things right. Lu Guang’s looking that way again. He’d have to be careful; he can’t do anything that’d make him suspicious.
“Dammit. This one’s broken,” Su Shangqing complains, holding the camera close enough to his face for his reflection to fill up the lens. “Still, maybe this piece of junk would be worth something to an antique dealer. Better than noth—"
In an instant, Lu Guang darts across the shop for Su Shangqing. Lu Guang’s fist strikes Su Shangqing in the jaw, his other hand rising up to tug the camera from the man’s disoriented grasp. Su Shangqing slams into a nearby frame with a tremendous crash. Glass tumbles to the floor, a twinkling sound that compliments the thud of a body tumbling to the floor.
Cheng Xiaoshi freezes, momentarily stunned by the noise and chaos. He swivels his wide-eyed gaze from Su Shangqing’s groaning body to Lu Guang’s stony expression.
Shit! He’s supposed to be the rash one. The one more likely to swing at an enemy – not Lu Guang. Lu Guang always plays the part of the calm, cool, and rational guy.
Even so, each of his moves are efficient, quick. Lu Guang bundles the old camera back in its case and puts it on the shelf, shuffling some extra boxes around to hide it from view. He pulls his hand away just as Zhu Lipiao rushes over. Zhu Lipiao buries his fingers into Lu Guang’s shirt front and tugs him close.
“You think you’re a hero or something?” he snarls. “You’re gonna regret doing that.” He rears back a fist, slamming it into Lu Guang’s cheek. Lu Guang staggers backwards, silent as he falls to the ground. When he looks up with a glare, blood drips from a split in his lip.
A horrified realization strikes Cheng Xiaoshi as if he had been the one to take the blow. The future hasn’t changed – they just haven’t gotten to the worst part yet. However, now they’ve finally reached the catalyst for the brutal beating: Lu Guang putting himself at risk to save Cheng Xiaoshi’s prized camera.
Lu Guang, what—what have you done?
“Su Shangqing! Li Haoling! Let’s teach this asshole a lesson.” Zhu Lipiao snorts and rolls up his sleeve. “Who knows – maybe he’ll crack and tell us where the real valuable things are.”
Su Shangqing rises to his feet with a grunt. One of his eyes has already swollen shut from Lu Guang’s punch. “Get up,” he demands, lashing out at Lu Guang with a boot to the ribs. Lu Guang gasps – the first sign of pain he’s made yet – and tumbles backwards, bloody cheek pressed against the floorboards.
“Li Haoling? What are you waiting for?”
The rage builds in Cheng Xiaoshi’s gut. He wants to swing at Zhu Lipiao, wants to shove Su Shangqing’s face in another frame. But he can’t. He has to keep playing his part, no matter how repulsive it is.
He could always jump out of the moment; however, there’s venom brewing in the others’ eyes. If he leaves now, things might get worse.
“I’ll—I’ll hold him for you.”
Cheng Xiaoshi hauls Lu Guang to his feet and pins his arms behind his back. A pained cringe rattles through Lu Guang; Cheng Xiaoshi tries not to flinch as well. He keeps his grip on Lu Guang’s arms, bracing himself when Zhu Lipiao rears his arm back for another punch. This one connects low, deep in Lu Guang’s stomach. Lu Guang grunts, nearly folding over. He strains against Cheng Xiaoshi’s grip.
“Keep him still!” Zhu Lipiao follows up his demand with another punch, this one cracking against the left side of Lu Guang’s rib cage.
Cheng Xiaoshi hides his frustrated scowl behind Lu Guang’s head. Someone – either him or Lu Guang – is shaking. Who knows – maybe they’re both trembling? With each blow, it’s getting harder and harder to remain uninvolved. Is this how Lu Guang feels whenever Cheng Xiaoshi is getting the shit beat out of him during missions? Forced to watch, unable to help?
Missions…
Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze drops to the watch around Lu Guang’s wrist. While Zhu Lipiao is distracted by something Su Shangqing whines about, Cheng Xiaoshi takes the opportunity to readjust his grip. His sweaty palms slide down Lu Guang’s forearms. He fumbles with the clasp on the watch.
Lu Guang glances over his shoulder with a confused frown – just as Zhu Lipiao takes another swing. His fist skirts across Lu Guang’s cheek and nose, sending spatters of blood flying. Some lands on Cheng Xiaoshi, spraying his shirt and jacket. He staggers back, shoving Lu Guang’s watch in his pocket while loosening his grip on Lu Guang’s arms.
Lu Guang slumps to the ground with a sickening thud that resounds deep in Cheng Xiaoshi’s gut.
“We’ve been here for too long,” Cheng Xiaoshi hastily says, stepping over Lu Guang to put himself in Zhu Lipiao’s direct eyeline. “Someone – one of the other employees – might show up.”
Watching Lu Guang get beat up is already damn excruciating. If Qiao Ling appears, things are only going to get worse.
Zhu Lipiao narrows his eyes, his glare raking up and down Cheng Xiaoshi. Again, Cheng Xiaoshi worries that he’s out-of-character, but he’s desperate to end this.
“Let’s finish up and get out of this shithole,” Zhu Lipiao finally announces, waving for the others to follow him. “There isn’t anything worthwhile here anyway.”
After smashing a few more frames and kicking through a few more piles of papers, Zhu Lipiao and Su Shangqing head for the broken front door. Cheng Xiaoshi lingers, unable to tear his furious gaze from the carnage.
Now it looks like it had when he first stepped into the shop: broken glass, torn photos, bloodied papers. His stare rests on Lu Guang’s huddled body, unmoving since the last blow.
Doubt and second-guessing floods his mind – should he have disrupted the future to save Lu Guang? Was following through with fate the best choice? Lu Guang would tell him, yes. The future shouldn’t be altered for the sake of a single person.
But that’s how Lu Guang thinks. It isn’t how Cheng Xiaoshi sees the world. He buries his blood-stained knuckles in his pockets, fingers absently running across the band to Lu Guang’s watch.
This will be over soon, he tries to tell himself. It’s a cold comfort after everything he’s seen.
They gloat.
When they get back to their base – an abandoned, collapsing warehouse bay – the other thieves are still giddy with adrenaline and spite.
Cheng Xiaoshi listens in a frustrated silence, his molars grinding harder with each brag or boast. It’s been an hour since they left the photo shop, but he still can’t get the images out of his mind. When Su Shangqing starts complaining about the blood on his shoes, Cheng Xiaoshi has to dig his nails into his palms to keep himself from lashing out.
Now he knows why Lu Guang was so insistent that Cheng Xiaoshi stay out of this.
My dad’s camera. Lu Guang got himself hurt because he was trying to protect it.
If Lu Guang hadn’t done anything – simply stood by and watched as those punks stole his father’s first camera – they probably wouldn’t have reacted as violently as they did. A sense of awe for Lu Guang tempers some of Cheng Xiaoshi’s fury, like a splash of water against a flame.
You’re kinda incredible, Lu Guang, Cheng Xiaoshi muses. He’s safe to let the words free without hesitation, completely alone in his mind.
“Hey! Li Haoling!”
Cheng Xiaoshi jerks to attention, blinking away the haze. “Yeah?”
“Go be useful and get us something to eat. You didn’t do shit in the store.”
Cheng Xiaoshi dips his head to hide his grim smile. Perfect. It’s his chance to step away without attracting attention. He digs for his phone, fingertips brushing against Lu Guang’s watch again.
“You got it!” he calls and disappears through the side door. “Be right back!”
He doesn’t leave the shadow of the warehouse, only staying outside long enough to make a call. When he returns, Zhu Lipiao squints at him with a frown.
“What are you doing back so soon? I thought I gave you an order.”
Cheng Xiaoshi grins. “Don’t worry. You’ll get the chance to eat later.”
Su Shangqing glances from Cheng Xiaoshi to their boss. “You shouldn’t talk that way to Zhu Lipiao. What’s gotten into you? You’ve been weird all day.”
So, it seems like his performance as Li Haoling hadn’t been entirely convincing. Now that they’ve reached the final act, Cheng Xiaoshi couldn’t care less.
“Maybe we ought to teach you a lesson, too.” Zhu Lipiao advances on Cheng Xiaoshi, pounding his fist into his palm. “Just like we did for that arrogant bastard at the photo shop.”
Cheng Xiaoshi continues to smile, but the warmth from his expression has faded. This feels like a scene out of a shitty crime drama. Cheng Xiaoshi’s borrowed body buzzes with fear and looming dread. Maybe this is what actually happened after the break-in: Li Haoling beaten up by his partners.
As much as Cheng Xiaoshi suspects Li Haoling deserves it, it’s time to flip the script.
Zhu Lipiao lunges for him, but Cheng Xiaoshi ducks before the blow could connect. He jerks his knee up, catching Zhu Lipiao in the gut. Zhu Lipiao cries out in pain – I only hit him once; how pathetic – but Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t have time to savor it. He pivots on a heel, throwing up an elbow to block Su Shangqing’s swinging arm.
“Hey! What are you—”
Cheng Xiaoshi jerks his elbow at Su Shangqing’s face. Nasal cartilage shifts and blood pours from Su Shangqing’s nostrils.
Cheng Xiaoshi jumps back before the blood spray could catch him. So far the only blood on his shirt belongs to Lu Guang. He’ll need to keep it uncontaminated – more physical evidence.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Zhu Lipiao shouts, climbing back to his feet. He looks more startled than furious.
“Payback for a partner.” Cheng Xiaoshi holds his fists back up and tenses his knees. The pose feels unnatural in Li Haoling’s body. Seems like Cheng Xiaoshi’s temporary host isn’t used to fighting. No wonder he managed to catch the others off guard.
“A partner?” Su Shangqing shakes his head slowly. “What are you talking about? We’re your partners?” His words come out slurred, his hand clamped over his broken nose.
Their boss doesn’t seem to care. Zhu Lipiao tilts his head with a sneer and lurches towards Cheng Xiaoshi. “I’m gonna kick your ass.”
“You better hurry then,” Cheng Xiaoshi counters, catching Zhu Lipiao’s knee with the side of his foot as he rushes past. Zhu Lipiao drops to the concrete floor with another cry of pain. “You don’t have much time left.”
He keeps his ears sharp for the sound of a siren. A faint whistling wails in the background.
Here they come.
“What’s that?” Su Shangqing looks around wildly. Perhaps he hears it too.
“Sirens. I already turned us in to the police.” Cheng Xiaoshi steps back and offers them a wide grin.
“You b—”
Zhu Lipiao’s furious snarl is interrupted by the slam of doors and heavy stomps. Officers pour into the room, shouting for them to freeze.
Cheng Xiaoshi’s fingers brush against the outline of Lu Guang’s watch in his pocket. Then he lifts his hands to the sky.
Physical evidence, stolen property, and a confession from one of the thieves – these guys are screwed.
Cheng Xiaoshi shoots Zhu Lipiao a triumphant smirk and claps.
Cheng Xiaoshi drops back into the present – back into the photo shop hallway – and shit, shit, shit.
He throws himself into the nearest room at the sound of approaching voices. A second later and he would have appeared right in front of them.
And what a mess to explain that would be.
“—normally stolen property isn’t under my jurisdiction, but I wanted to be the one to return this to you.” Officer Chen’s voice grows louder.
Cheng Xiaoshi pokes his head into the hallway, just in time to catch Officer Chen hand over Lu Guang’s watch. He smothers his smile quickly – can’t have Lu Guang catching on.
“Cheng Xiaoshi! You’re here?” Officer Chen startles. “I didn’t see you earlier.”
Cheng Xiaoshi blinks, scrambles for an excuse. “Oh, right. I went to run an errand, but I just got back.”
Lu Guang narrows his eyes and Cheng Xiaoshi barrels into his next question, eager to keep the conversation moving.
“You found Lu Guang’s watch! Does that mean you caught the guys who broke into the shop?”
Officer Chen nods with an excited grin. “We did. Rather – it’s the strangest thing… One of the thieves turned himself in and told us where to find the others. I doubt we would have caught them otherwise. Wonder what caused him to change his mind.”
“Oh?” Cheng Xiaoshi forces a laugh, scratching at the back of his neck. “That does sound strange.”
He’s being a little too loud, a little too obvious now, but he can’t help it. Enduring Lu Guang’s suspicious side-eyed scowl is far more nerve-racking than standing up to those punks.
Fortunately, any further conversation is derailed by the beeping in Officer Chen’s pocket. He waves goodbye and heads for the door, stumbling through an excuse to the Police Chief on where he’s been for the last hour. The door – finally fixed -- swings shut.
Lu Guang looks at Cheng Xiaoshi. Cheng Xiaoshi looks away.
“Cheng Xiaoshi – what did you do?”
Cheng Xiaoshi weighs his options. There are two ways he can play this: buckle and tell Lu Guang everything or try to bluff his way out. Both are tricky; both carry potential disastrous consequences. An irate Lu Guang is not someone to mess with.
Cheng Xiaoshi decides to go for the second option.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Cheng Xiaoshi crosses his arms. “You’re the one who’s getting visits from the police.”
He heads down the hallway towards the main room of the shop. There are lingering signs of what happened earlier – scuffed up furniture, empty spots on the walls where frames used to hang – but it doesn’t look too different from how Cheng Xiaoshi left it before the jump. His dive in the future must not have altered things too much – apart from catching the thieves, of course.
Lu Guang follows him, relentless as a dog with a scent. “Something feels different,” he says. “And I have a feeling you’re the cause.”
“Different? How so?” Steering the topic away from the break-in would be too obvious. Besides, he’s curious to hear how his time-dive impacted Lu Guang. They rarely have cases where the outcome would ever affect them.
Lu Guang sighs and glances to the side, his shoulders hunching slightly. “I’m not sure,” he admits with a furrowed brow. “My memory feels… foggy. Like there’s an itch I can’t scratch.” His finger ghosts over the faded bruise along his cheek.
Cheng Xiaoshi shrugs with a winning smile. “Too bad you deleted the security footage. Otherwise, you could have filled in those gaps.”
Lu Guang’s frown deepens and Cheng Xiaoshi laughs louder. He strays towards the shelf where Lu Guang placed his father’s camera. He absently pushes aside the various items Lu Guang used to hide it from view. The case and the camera are right where they’re supposed to be, safe and undamaged.
He winces. Ah, shit –
Technically, he isn’t supposed know that’s where Lu Guang put the camera, because he wasn’t supposed to be there. He spins around, but Lu Guang isn’t looking at him. Instead, he’s scowling at the door as if waiting for the answers to waltz in. His fingers absently pick at the clasp on his watch.
“Lu Guang.”
Lu Guang glances up with a startled blink. “Hmm?”
“I’m sorry… about what happened to you. That you got hurt.” Cheng Xiaoshi sets his camera back in its rightful spot. “And… thank you.”
“For what?” Lu Guang tilts his head.
“For sacrificing your handsome face.” He prods at the half-healed bruise on Lu Guang’s cheek.
“What?” Lu Guang shoves his hand away. “You aren’t making sense.”
Cheng Xiaoshi shakes his head with a small smile. He can’t say too much more, otherwise Lu Guang will figure it out. Instead, he offers a teasing pat to the top of Lu Guang’s head as he brushes past.
Lu Guang groans, but he doesn’t say anything else. Cheng Xiaoshi’s smile spreads to a grin.
All things considered, a successful mission.