The Clock Begins to Turn

"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" After walking out of the police station, Ye Shuang held the little girl's hand and asked with a smile.

Little Bai Yuyou rubbed her tummy and nodded obediently. "Tummy is a little hungry."

At this moment, Ye Shuang seemed to realize something. Yuyou's loss of language ability must have something to do with her childhood language environment. After all, she had lived in the Hong Kong district for a few years when she was little. After being abducted to the mainland, the language was different, and with no one to teach her, it didn't seem strange that she couldn't speak well.

"Alright, I'll take you to get something to eat." It would still take some time for Aunt Xian and the others to rush over, so Ye Shuang planned to take Little Bai Yuyou to eat first before taking her home. As for Uncle Chen, he had already informed him.

Looking at the pint-sized Bai Yuyou beside him, Ye Shuang couldn't help but keep patting her little head.

After bringing the little girl into McDonald's, Ye Shuang ordered a Happy Meal for her, while he just casually ordered some fries and started eating. He wasn't very hungry today; after all, his mind had been preoccupied with this matter. Now that he had found Yuyou, his heart finally settled down.

Little Bai Yuyou ate the Filet-O-Fish in her hands. Seeing that Ye Shuang wasn't eating much, she thought he was saving the good food for her, so she offered him the burger she had just taken a bite of.

"Brother, for you."

"You eat it, I'm not very hungry." Ye Shuang couldn't resist pinching Little Bai Yuyou's adorable, chubby cheeks, his eyes full of fondness.

So cute.

She was as pretty as a porcelain doll. He didn't know how Bai Laoqi and his wife could bear to lock her in the attic, though it was most likely because they were worried she would be discovered by others.

After finishing their meal, Ye Shuang took a taxi home with Little Bai Yuyou. However, to his surprise, Uncle Chen and Chen's Mother had also arrived. Seeing four middle-aged people as soon as he walked through the door left Ye Shuang slightly stunned before he called out,

"Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen."

"Shuangzai, you really did a great job. I heard about it from the police station," Uncle Chen said cheerfully. Chen's Mother also quickly walked over to Little Bai Yuyou, squatting down to check if she was hurt. Fortunately, she seemed fine.

Little Bai Yuyou was perhaps a bit slow-witted, or rather, too well-protected. She didn't even realize she had been abducted; she was just easily tricked and led away with a few words.

But this also had to do with her habit of trusting others.

At this moment, Ye's father and mother exchanged a glance, as if observing Ye Shuang.

...

Finally, Aunt Xian and her husband rushed over from the Hong Kong district. The moment they saw Bai Yuyou, the little girl also called out, "Mommy."

"My sweet girl," Aunt Xian's voice seemed to carry a sob as she tightly embraced Yuyou. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

However, Bai Yuyou just gently patted Aunt Xian's back with her small hands.

Aunt Xian looked much younger, but she was extremely haggard. It was obvious she hadn't rested well these past few days. After all, with her daughter missing, her heart must have felt completely empty.

Standing to the side and watching, Ye Shuang felt somewhat comforted.

Afterwards, Aunt Xian earnestly thanked Ye Shuang and planned to treat him to a meal, but Ye Shuang declined. His reason was simple: it was the right thing to do, and he still had to go back to school.

"Ah Xian, it's fine. Shuangzai is one of our own," Chen's Mother said with a smile from the side.

"Alright."

Worried about Yuyou, Aunt Xian planned to take Little Bai Yuyou to the hospital for a check-up first. Ye Shuang didn't tag along, trusting that Aunt Xian could handle the rest. Just before leaving, however, Little Bai Yuyou kept turning her head back.

"Brother, will we see each other again?" the little girl asked.

Ye Shuang paused for a moment, then smiled. "We will."

Only then did Little Bai Yuyou reveal an adorable smile before being led away by Aunt Xian.

After the group left, only Ye Shuang and his parents remained in the house.

Glancing at the time, it was about time to head back to school. Leaving campus without permission probably wouldn't result in serious consequences, given the urgency of the situation.

Once the police station sent a commendation letter to the school, he would at least avoid any punishment.

Just as Ye Shuang was debating whether to return to school now or rest for a day, his parents suddenly called out to stop him.

"Shuangzai."

"Hmm?"

"Sit down. We have something to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Rarely seeing his parents look so serious, Ye Shuang obediently sat on the sofa.

He could roughly guess that they were worried his recklessness might put him in danger. After all, charging into human traffickers' homes could easily lead to life-threatening situations where he might not make it back.

But things were not quite what Ye Shuang imagined. Instead of lecturing him about the human traffickers, his father pondered for a moment, looking straight into Ye Shuang's eyes.

"Tell me honestly, are you..."

"...a reincarnator?"

Ye Shuang: "..."

Ye Shuang: "Huh?!"

No, seriously, this topic...

"Your mother and I have been finding it strange. Ever since you got caught in the rain last time, you've completely changed. You've become like a mature adult, your grades have skyrocketed to first place, and you're so sensible and composed. You don't act like a teenager at all."

"Furthermore, you never knew how to cook, but suddenly you can whip up amazing dishes, and you even take the initiative to clean the house."

"Even this time, you saved that little girl as if you had prophetic foresight," his father said meaningfully.

"Your old man used to be a novel author, and my specialty was writing urban reincarnation stories. So confess honestly and give me some news about the future so I can invest and become a billionaire."

Beside him, Ye's mother gave his father an exasperated eye roll.

Looking at his parents, Ye Shuang actually found it a bit amusing.

However, in the end, he didn't hide it from them. Or rather, he no longer wanted to keep it a secret from his parents. He spoke slowly, "I'm not a reincarnator, but it's close. I'm Ye Shuang from another timeline... In other words, I'm the Ye Shuang from a parallel world over ten years in the future."

Ye's father and mother: "..."

Is there any difference between that and reincarnation?

Ye Shuang then confessed everything. When he mentioned that his parents had passed away, his voice began to choke up.

His parents looked at each other in dismay. So they were going to get into a car accident?

"I'm sorry," Ye Shuang lowered his head. "If it wasn't for me... It's all because of my selfishness."

"If I hadn't fallen for Zhao Mengyao back then."

"If I hadn't run out and made you worry..."

"If..."

"I'm sorry... Being able to see you again... I'm truly so happy..." Ye Shuang fell to his knees. His voice grew deep as he finally let out everything he had been holding in his heart.

And at this very moment, the white clock finally began to tick.